At the end of the feast, Sun Yuanqi was already slightly drunk. After going out, I was blown by the oncoming dry north wind, and I suddenly felt comfortable.

Under the dim street lamp, everyone walked along the stone steps to the apartment in the middle of the mountain, and occasionally talked about some strange things on campus, which caused laughter, but also seemed to be happy. While speaking, when they arrived outside the Sun family's villa, everyone gave their hands and said goodbye: "Lord Sun has a tired journey, please rest early." I won't bother in the next place, and I'll visit again when I'm free. ”

"Then Sun will be out of company!" Sun Yuanqi also bowed his hand.

When Sun Yuanqi sat down in the house, he was just about to talk to his family when he heard someone knocking on the door outside. Feng Jishan came in and reported: "My lord, please see Mr. Yan Fu Yan if you have something." ”

"Please!" Sun Yuanqi knew that Yan Fu must be looking for something big about him, otherwise it would be impossible for him to leave with the front foot and visit the door again with the back foot. After speaking, he hurriedly got up and welcomed Yan Fu into the house.

After Yan Fu sat down, he was not polite, and asked directly: "Baixi, when you go back to school today, do you notice anything wrong with Principal Yuan?" ”

Sun Yuanqi pondered for a moment, and said with some uncertainty: "Principal Yuan seems to be a little taciturn? ”

Yan Fu nodded: "Not bad!" Baixi, you should know that Principal Yuan was Yuan Xiangcheng's staff member before, and he was ordered to establish education in Zhili. Later, Yuan Xiangcheng was ordered by the Qing court to return to his hometown to recuperate, and he was also idle at home, so he was hired as the principal of the school. Since Yuan Xiangcheng was reinstated, Uncle Yuan has been a little absent-minded. Especially during the battle of the school guard, it is the first rat at both ends. Recently, there was gossip that Yuan Xiangcheng was preparing to appoint President Yuan Shu as the deputy minister of education in the cabinet. Looking at Uncle Yuan's behavior today, it seems that the rumors are not bad, and it is estimated that he will submit his resignation to you in the next few days. ”

Sun Yuanqi was shocked: "What? Uncle Yuan is resigning? ”

Yan Fu said: "It should be ten years old!" According to your plan, after the Chūn Festival, the school will prepare to set up the School of Law and Politics and Economics, and open three branches in Xi'an, Chengdu and Lanzhou. Even if Principal Yuan doesn't leave, Baixi, you plan to set up three new branches, and you also need a principal, right? What's more, the university is not what it used to be, with more than 3,000 students enrolled, the highest number in the country, and the original three or four presidents have long been staggered. So you might as well take this opportunity to hire a few more principals and vice principals to make it easier for everyone. ”

Sun Yuanqi pondered for a long time: "Mr. Jidao, you have been teaching here since the founding of the school, and have served as the head of the department, the dean, and the vice principal.

If Principal Yuan really wants to resign and become the deputy minister of education, we can't stop people from being promoted, right? When the time comes, I will trouble you to ask you to take up the position of president of Jingshi University! ”

Yan Fu waved his hand again and again: "No! Absolutely not! The old man told you about Uncle Yuan in private just now, but he just loved the school, and he had no other intentions. You are now making me the principal, and some people still think that the old man framed Uncle Yuan, forced him to resign, and then replaced him! As soon as the rumors came out, there was no argument, what kind of face did you let the old man have to meet thousands of teachers and students in the school? ”

Sun Yuan saw that Yan Fu's attitude was resolute, so he had to take a step back: "Then according to Mr. Dao's opinion, who should the principal choose?" ”

Yan Fu replied: "If it is recommended by the old man, Cai Xiaomin (Cai Yuanpei) Mr. Cai should be the first to be recommended." In recent years, he has been setting up education in the provinces along the Yangtze River, and in just a few years, he has established nearly 100 primary and secondary schools affiliated to Jingshi University, providing a large number of talents for the school, which can be described as a brilliant achievement. It also has a good reputation in Jingsei University. Although he is now serving as the deputy minister of education in the Republic of Nanjing, with the conclusion of the peace talks between the north and the south, the southern zhèngfǔ will inevitably be revoked. Baixi, you are the best candidate for the chief of education, and Uncle Yuan may be appointed as the deputy minister of education, so he naturally has no way out, so he can be hired as the principal! ”

Sun Yuanqi stroked his palm and said: "If Cai Heqing can come to be the principal, it would be great!" Mr. Jidao, what other good candidates do you have? Let's just put it all together. ”

Yan Fu continued: "The second candidate is Liang Zhuoru (Liang Qichao) Although he previously adhered to the idea of royalist constitutionalism and was out of step with the times, he was knowledgeable, quick-witted, not limited to a sight, and wrote a thousand words, and his talent can be described as unparalleled in the world, and he has a great influence among young people at home and abroad. It may not be appropriate for him to be the principal, but being the vice principal is definitely a good teacher and friend to the students. It's just that he is now obsessed with politics, and I don't know if he is willing to succumb to the post of vice president of Jingshi University. ”

"Whether you succeed or not, you have to try first. Even if he doesn't come, he can make a good relationship first. Sun Yuanqi knew that Liang Qichao was one of the four professors of the School of Chinese Studies of Tsinghua University in the early Republic of China, and after being frustrated in officialdom, he finally honestly got into the ivory tower to do his studies.

Yan Fu said: "The old man heard that Fan Jingsheng (Fan Yuanlian), the former counselor of the school, had gone to study in Rìben, and successively studied at Datong School, Tokyo Higher Normal School, Tokyo Hongwen Academy, and Fasei School. He founded the Shangzhi College of Law and Politics and the Colony School, set up the Shangzhi Hospital, compiled the Shangzhi Society Series, translated the Philosophical Review and other foreign legal masterpieces for publication and distribution, and invited Western philosophers Dewey and Russell to give lectures in China. If he can come to serve as the principal and vice principal, it will also be a great help for the development of the school!

"In addition, Zhang Jusheng (Zhang Yuanji) and Shuyan (Luo Zhenyu) are also good candidates, but the Beijing Normal University Hall is just on the right track now, and the teaching and research have started slightly.

Sun Yuanqi said: "The few people recommended by Mr. Jidao are all the best choices, and I will communicate with them in the next few days, and first invite them as the vice president of Jingshi University and the president of the branch to see what they think." Of course, these few people are not enough, we are now 'Han Xinbing, the more the merrier, Mr. Jidao may wish to ask the school's school board and professor committee to recommend a few more suitable candidates. ”

Yan Fu said: "Okay, the old man will start preparing for this tomorrow!" ”

While Sun Yuanqi and Yan Fu were secretly discussing the choice of principal, Yuan Shikai was also discussing with his cronies the conditions that Sun Yuanqi had put forward on the train this morning in his private apartment in Xila Hutong in Běijīng.

Yuan Shikai said: "Sun Baixi did not explicitly oppose the withdrawal of the plane of the 47th Mixed Concord Jingshi University to the west of Xi'an, but only put forward two conditions, the first is to hope that we will refuse Xīzàng's request to restore the title of the 13th Lama and not allow him to return to Lhasa to live. ”

Zhao Bingjun said: "This condition is not harsh. It's just that if we agree to him, it will inevitably make the British Minister to China Zhu Erdian unhappy. When Rìzi met with Zhu Erdian some time ago, he clearly put forward two demands, namely, not allowing Zhongyāngzhèngfǔ to interfere in the internal affairs of Xīzàng and not allowing Zhongyāngzhèngfǔ to maintain an unlimited army in Lhasa or Xīzàng, which were the basic conditions for the British recognition of the Republic of China. Until an agreement is signed on these two points, they will close all traffic to xīzàng from the Chinese. ”

Duan Qirui frowned and said, "Zhu Erdian is too arrogant, right?" I simply think of xīzàng as one of the states of India! Xīzàng has been a vassal of China since ancient times, and since the Qing Dynasty, the minister stationed in Tibet has handled the affairs of xīzàng, and whether or not to garrison troops and how many troops to be stationed are also Zhongyāngzhèngfǔ and xīzàng Kaxia to discuss and decide, when will it be his turn to be the British minister? ”

Feng Guozhang said: "Eating people has a short mouth, and taking people is soft!" Who told us that we had no money on hand and had to borrow from him? ”

Yang Shiqi said: "You might as well agree to Sun Baixi on this condition." Zhu Erdian only asked us not to interfere in the internal affairs of Xīzàng, and our refusal to restore the title of the 13th ** Lama and not allow him to return to Lhasa to live is only to maintain the ruling of the former Qing Dynasty, and it is not interference in internal affairs. If Zhu Erdian protests, we might as well tell him the truth and let him find Sun Baixi's theory by himself. ”

Everyone nodded in unison: "What Xing Weng said is extremely true!" ”

Yuan Shikai also bowed slightly, and then said: "Sun Baixi's second condition is for us to withdraw the Beiyang Army from the entire territory of Shanxi, and Shanxi is still governed by Yan Baichuan. The old man naturally refused, and only promised to assign Guisui Sixth Hall, Shuoping Mansion, Datong Mansion, Ningwu Mansion and Huaide Prefecture to him, and appointed Yan Baichuan as the envoy of Northern Jinbei Town. As a result, Sun Baixi directly issued an eviction order, so he had to break up unhappily.

Yang Shiqi shook his head and said, "Sun Baixi is still too angry!" ”

Zhao Bingjun asked rhetorically: "Dashuai, shall we still talk to him?" ”

Yuan Shikai said slowly: "What is your opinion? ”

Ni Sichong was the first to reply: "Dashuai, the territory that the brothers of the third town have worked hard to build, why should Sun Yuan let us give it to him when he starts to move?" There are no doors! Our Beiyang Six Towns are not the kind of waste snacks of the Praetorian Guards, and after the third town captures the entire territory of Shanxi, we will return to Zhili and join forces with the sixth town to ensure that we can beat Jingshi University to a mess in one day! ”

Duan Qirui said faintly: "I'm afraid that before our troops get close to Jingshi University, they should send planes to bomb Běijīng City." Sun Yuanqi can do without Shanxi Province, but we can't do without Běijīng City. ”

Yang Shiqi also said: "Zhiquan is right! Although Sun Baixi was a little arrogant and unreasonable, he still supported the big marshal to govern after all. Moreover, he has the land of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, and his strength should not be underestimated. really forced him to be anxious, and let him completely fall to Sun Wen's side, for us, the gains outweighed the losses. ”

Ni Sichong said: "It is precisely because Sun Yuanqi's strength cannot be underestimated that we can't give Shanxi to him." If he wins Shanxi again, he will be like a tiger with wings, and he will be a big trouble for Zhongyāngzhèngfǔ! ”

Yang Shiqi said: "Sun Baixi's existing three provinces, Sichuan is known as the country of abundance, and there are many surpluses in financial resources; The southwest of Shaanxi is rich and the north is poor, and the balance is generally balanced; Gansu is barren and poor, and it always needs Sichuan to help. It is already overstretched to use the surplus financial resources to set up education in the whole country. Now Shanxi has suffered a great loss of vitality after this battle, and it will not be able to restore the old outlook in three or five years. If we agree to Sun Baixi's conditions and give Shanxi to him, it will only increase his burden and let him dry up the fish, instead of 'adding wings to a tiger,' as Dan Chen's virtuous brother said. After the marshal took power, straightened out the relationship, and pacified the three northeastern provinces and Zhili, Shandong, Henan and other places, it was easy to capture Shanxi. Why bother with momentary gains and losses and offend a strong enemy? ”

Yuan Shikai nodded and said, "Okay, the old man agreed to Sun Baixi's two conditions." It's just that I had a bit of a disagreement with him on the train today, so who should I send to talk about it? ”