On February 20, 1912, the third day of the first lunar month, it was advisable to travel.

I don't know if it was because of the Chinese New Year, or because the temporary zhèngfǔ and temporary senate moved to the north, and the streets of Nanjing were much depressed all of a sudden.

More than 10 days ago, the city of Nanjing was still full of traffic, with provincial legislators, military representatives, and old bureaucrats lining up in long queues at the entrances of various departments, politicians who were in the camp and running to compete in teahouses and restaurants, and soldiers and patrolmen standing in the streets and alleys. In the middle of three or five years, those who tended to be inflammatory, it was like a hurricane, and they were all swept away to the capital thousands of miles away. In addition to sighing, the gentry of Nanjing City muttered a few words of "the king of Jinling is gloomy" and "a piece of flags come out of the stone", the most direct feeling is that the fare of the northbound Jinpu Railway has suddenly risen by three percent.

Two months ago, Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren went to Nanjing by special car and stayed in Dingjia Garden. Since then, it has been the city's most prosperous place, and it is no exception to this day. Early in the morning, Hu Hanmin, Zhang Jingjiang, Ju Zheng, Ma Junwu and other veterans of the League appeared at the gate, and Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren hurriedly greeted them outside. But everyone just chatted at the door, did not enter the house, and looked up from time to time. Just when everyone was looking at it, a sedan was late.

As soon as the car stopped, Huang Xing rushed forward to open the car door: "President Sun, please!" ”

At this time, a person came out of the car, and it was Sun Yat-sen, who had just stepped down from the post of interim president a few years ago. Sun Yat-sen clasped his fists at Huang Xing and saluted: "There is Brother Lao Keqiang!" It's just that he was dismissed a few days ago, and he is no longer a big president, and now Sun is just a cloth cloth in the Republic of China. You and I should be brothers! ”..

Huang Xing hurriedly supported Sun Yat-sen and said: "Brother Yixian is for the unification of the country and the restoration of China." Following the example of the ancient Yao Shun, he took the initiative to give up the post of president to Yuan Xiangcheng, and people at home and abroad admired Gao Fengliangjie. In the hearts of our League comrades. You will always be the president of the Republic of China! Although he said so, the title changed from "President Sunda" to "Brother Yixian".

Hu Hanmin also greeted him, but his eyes were fixed on the black sè painted car that Sun Yat-sen was riding: "Mr. Zhongshan, I'm afraid this car is worth a lot of money, right?" ”

Sun Yat-sen was a little complacent: "This car is good, right?" Sun Baixi sent it! It is said that three or four years ago, Sun Baixi and his friends set up a car company in the United States, and he was responsible for the overall design. After returning to China, he entangled teachers and students from Jingshi University, Hubei Higher Industrial School and other colleges and universities, and developed this car for several years, and it was just trial production at the end of last year. As soon as it came out. It caused a huge response in the United States, and the first batch of 3,000 vehicles on the market were quickly sold out, and the product was in short supply.

"Sun Baixi is the designer and shareholder. The company specially gave him five cars in two batches, which were sent to China thousands of miles away. After Sun Baixi received it, his wife kept one for himself. Then give one to Jingshi University. The remaining two. One was given to Sun, and the other was given to Yuan Xiangcheng. It's just that Yuan Xiangcheng is used to riding horses, and he doesn't know if he dares to take this kind of car? Anyway, Sun likes it tightly, and he can't wait to sit down, but he can't find a suitable driver for a while, which is a little late. Thank you for your understanding! ”

Hu Hanmin said: "Sun Baixi is really a talent!" It is well known at home and abroad that he can be an official and enter the cabinet four times, and now he can even do business and cause a sensation at home and abroad. No wonder he can eat both north and south. It turns out that the ability is so good, my generation can only be stunned. ”

Hu Hanmin's words sound like praise. But when you taste it carefully, it is not difficult to find the sour smell in it. Sun Yat-sen still didn't realize it: "Sun Baixi is not only a talent, but also a masterpiece!" His academic studies, the establishment of schools, and the establishment of industries are all feats that benefit the present and the world. If the Republic of China can have three or five Sun Baixi, why worry that China is not prosperous and the people are not rich? ”

Song Jiaoren next to him said: "Sun Baixi's influence on learning and doing business is far-reaching, Song is a layman, and it is not easy to evaluate casually." However, his ability to dominate the officialdom is first-class in Song's opinion! Before the third year of Xuantong (1911), he was just an ordinary squire of the Qingshui Yamen, and he was lucky enough to win this position by virtue of his ancestral shade. If nothing else, he should cycle around the various squires and be over for the rest of his life.

Who knew that in the three years of Xuantong, he actually took advantage of the east wind of the revolution to soar upward, from a squire to a scholar, from a scholar to the cabinet, and from the cabinet to the governor of Sichuan. With only one brigade of student troops without a battle formation, he swept through the four provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Jin, and Gansu, and became the veritable king of the west. Then, with the power of the four provinces and the momentum of victory, the Preparatory Constituent Assembly was reorganized, but within a few months, the New China Party won three seats in the cabinet, second only to Yuan Xiangcheng in strength. The speed of its development and the speed of Tengda is really breathtaking! ”

Hu Hanmin said: "Brother Dunchu is very right! Yuan Xiangcheng joined the army as early as the early years of Guangxu, and was promoted from Daotai and Governor to military aircraft, and was even more noble as the prime minister of the cabinet before the fall of the Qing court. After decades of operation, it has gained a firm foothold in Shandong, Henan and Zhili. How can it be compared to Sun Baixi's occupation of the four western provinces within half a year? And us!

"Our alliance was established in the 31st year of Guangxu (1905), and it can even be traced back to the 20th year of Guangxu (1894) when Mr. Zhongshan established the Xingzhong Association in Honolulu, and in the 29th year of Guangxu (1903), Mr. Keqiang established the Huaxing Association. Over the years, comrades have thrown their heads, shed their blood, and gone forward to die one after another to overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty and restore China. The result? We only have two or three provinces in our hands, and our influence in the cabinet is not as good as that of the New China Party, which has been formed for a few months. The thought of this makes people die of indignation! ”

Huang Xing sighed: "In Mencius, it is said: 'Although there is wisdom, it is better to take advantage of the situation; Although there is a base of radium, it is better to wait for the time. 'Probably that's it?' ”

If Sun Yuanqi was on the side at this time, he would definitely despise Song Jiaoren, Hu Hanmin, and Huang Xing: If Yuan Shikai said that I had the element of taking advantage of the situation in the northwest, I would admit it. What qualifications do you revolutionaries have to run on me?

When we think about the actions of the revolutionary party in recent years, in addition to propagating nationalist ideas everywhere, it has also sent 100 young people to stage a farce from time to time. At a time when the Qing Dynasty's rule was still stable, it was a bit fanciful to try to overthrow the Manchu Dynasty by having dozens of hot-blooded young people rebel. In addition to making young people sacrifice their lives, the most important role of this act of striking a stone with an egg is to demonstrate the existence of the revolution and the revolutionary party.

To say that it is taking advantage of the situation, the revolutionary party is even less qualified! At least before the Xinhai Revolution, he was already a scholar and cabinet minister. And what about the revolutionaries? Jiao Dafeng, the governor of Hunan, was a wanted criminal in the Qing Dynasty, Chen Qimei, the governor of the Shanghai Army, was the leader of the gangsters in Shanghai, and Li Liejun, the governor of Jiangxi, was the general office (principal) of the Yunnan Army Primary School. And Li Yuanhong, who was dragged out from under the bed to serve as the governor of Hubei, was previously the commander of the 21st Mixed Association of the Provisional Army, and he was already unspeakably expensive among the governors!

In particular, Song Jiaoren, although he served as the vice president of the Huaxing Association and the chief prosecutor of the Ministry of Justice of the League, never took office in the zhèngfǔ. When Sun Yuanqi served as a student envoy in Hubei, he was also hired as a teacher in the Hubei School of Law and Politics. Now Sun Yuanqi is the head of education in the cabinet, and he has also become the head of agriculture and forestry. In contrast, who is faster and faster?

Yu Youren said suddenly: "I heard that the third town of Beiyang, which originally occupied the entire territory of Shanxi, has gradually withdrawn eastward, and Yan Baichuan, the governor of the Jin army, will return to Taiyuan from Datong, and has plans to change his course. I wonder if the news is true? ”

Song Jiaoren's expression darkened: "It's not bad!" At the end of last year, Yuan Xiangcheng took advantage of the chaos in the south and we had no time to look north, and sent troops to enter Jin from Niangzi Pass and Pingxing Pass. How could the newly recruited soldiers under Yan Baichuan be the opponents of the Beiyang powerhouse? The army collapsed in just one face, and most of the whole province of Shanxi fell within more than ten years. At that time, Yan Baichuan had gone south to ask us for help, but we were separated from Shanxi by the two provinces of Henan and Zhili, which was really beyond the reach of the whip; Moreover, once troops are dispatched, it will undermine the hard-won peace talks between the North and the South, so we can only listen to the words to appease us.

Later, he asked Sun Baixi for help, after all, there was a teacher and student between them, and it happened that Yuan Xiangcheng was eager to withdraw the 47th mixed concorde plane near the Beijing division, so Sun Baixi reached an agreement with Yuan Xiangcheng: Yuan Xiangcheng withdrew the third town that invaded Shanxi, and Sun Baixi withdrew the 47th mixed concorde plane near the Beijing division. That's where we are today. Because of this, Yan Baichuan was quite resentful of our alliance for not reaching out in time, and Sun Baixi was kind to him, so he is now inclined to the New China Party, and is preparing to set up the Shanxi branch of the New China Party in Taiyuan. ”

Hu Hanmin suddenly scolded: "Sun Baixi is really hateful, just one move not only met Yuan Xiangcheng's requirements, but also caused our alliance to lose a major town in the north, and also fished out the territory of Shanxi Province for nothing." He is also regarded as a 'contemporary saint' by the youth of the whole country, his behavior is so despicable, and his mind is so poisonous, how can he have the appearance of a teacher and an elder? ”

Everyone knows that Hu Hanmin is a strong word, but no one distinguishes Sun Yuanqi, and even some people echo it loudly.

Sun Yat-sen said: "In this matter in Shanxi, after all, we did not fulfill our duty to rescue comrades, and I am sorry for Yan Baichuan first." Since we are unkind, we cannot blame others for being unjust. Moreover, Sun Baixi is now the chief of education in the cabinet and the leader of the New China Party, and has a huge influence in the western provinces, and if our alliance wants to make a difference, we must not ignore Sun Yuanqi's forces, and we must properly handle the relationship with the New China Party, especially at a time when we are at a disadvantage. So let's leave this holiday here! ”

Everyone fell silent.

Huang Xing took the opportunity to say: "Mr. Zhongshan, comrades have been waiting in the courtyard for a long time, let's go in early!" (To be continued.) )