Qin Beiyang and Qi Yuanshan said goodbye and walked out of the gate of the Nanyuan Arsenal, where a horse team was waiting for them.

A gust of wind and sand blew, and Timur, the king of the small county of Ordostoro, rode on a white horse with a heroic appearance, dressed in Mongolian costume, and had the wind and bones of Nazu Temujin bending his bow and shooting eagle eagles.

He made an appointment with Qi Yuanshan to play tonight and gave Qin Beiyang a black horse. Three young men, who were not yet under the weak crown, rode three fine Mongolian horses and rode side by side in the sunset.

Walking with a Mongolian prince like Xiaojunwang, Qin Beiyang still felt quite twisted, after all, he was born in two different worlds, he rode on a horse and said: "Thank you Xiaojunwang for your kindness, but I'm not used to feasting and drinking sheng songs, you two can have fun." ”

Qi Yuanshan said rather melancholy: "Beiyang, in a few days, we won't be able to see each other." ”

"You're going to war in the South?"

"Next month, I will go east to Fuso to study at the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer School."

"Was it arranged for you by Wang Shizhen, the 'Dragon of the North Ocean'?"

Qin Beiyang immediately guessed, Qi Yuanshan nodded: "Yes, I am a publicly-funded student, and all expenses are paid by the Beiyang government." I know you don't like Japan, but this army non-commissioned officer school has cultivated many heroes for China, Cai Yi, Jiang Baili, Xu Chongzhi ......"

"I've heard that there are quite a few warlords."

"Yes, General Xiao Xu also graduated from the Japanese Army." Xiaojun Wang Zong came immediately, "After returning to China after completing your studies, Brother Yuanshan, you will have the qualifications to serve as an official position above the regimental commander in the Beiyang Army." Tonight, I'm going to practice it for you! ”

Qi Yuanshan squinted at the little county king, thinking that this Mongolian nobleman was not simple, studying in the history department of Peking University, and first blended into the top circle of classmates in China; Make friends with publicly-funded students who go to the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer School, and you can break into the network of Beiyang warlords. In another five to ten years, the circle of friends of the little county king will be intertwined and lay the cornerstone for Feihuang Tengda. Therefore, it is difficult to produce a noble son from a poor family, just because the system of social elites is self-contained, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, it is better than that.

The three of them entered the Yongdingmen City Tower, went to the Dashilar of Qianmen Street, and turned to the west alley. The willow tops on the moon, men and women, etc., are bustling. They dismounted and walked to the entrance of the house with a red lantern in the depths of an alley.

"Where is this?"

Qin Beiyang looked faintly uneasy, and the little county king smiled: "Don't be afraid! Go in and you'll know. ”

As soon as they entered, a number of women and teahouses surrounded them, and dragged the three of them into the hall. The place was magnificently furnished, and the banquet was filled with all kinds of distinguished guests, including young people in dresses and old men wearing melon skin hats, but most of them were serious middle-aged men.

Seeing the table full of wine, Qin Beiyang was even more uncomfortable, and quietly asked Qi Yuanshan: "What kind of place is this?" ”

"Eight Hutongs!"

After hearing this, Qin Beiyang wanted to go outside, but was dragged by the little county king: "Beiyang, if you leave, you won't give me face, do we want to fight again?" ”

Qi Yuanshan also poured him a glass of wine and persuaded him to sit down and chat, it is not easy to get together in life, get together once, and once less!

"It's easy to get on a thief ship, but it's hard to get off a thief ship!"

Qin Beiyang couldn't help but be depressed and took a drink. The little county king did not shy away from it, and said generously: "When my father was young, he often came to Bada Hutong. At that time, there were many courtiers, and there were far more boys than girls. After the Gengzi Incident, the Eight-Nation Coalition favored prostitutes, and the story of the famous prostitute Sai Jinhua was changed to a prostitute Qinglou. ”

"But at such a young age, how can you know everything about it?"

"Twenty years ago, my father Wang went to Beijing to give a congratulatory gift to Lafayette, passed by Bada Hutong, and met a famous prostitute in Suzhou. From the first day of the Hundred Days Restoration, her father lived in this building for her. When the Empress Dowager Cixi killed the six gentlemen of Wuxu, my father spent 3,000 taels of silver to redeem the famous prostitute, brought it back to Ordos, and was named a side blessing. Two years later, I was born. ”

"Are you the son of a prostitute in Bada Hutong?"

The little county king smiled indifferently: "According to reason, how can I, with my humble background, become the son of the county king?" My father also had more than 20 wives, and gave birth to 12 younger brothers and 9 younger sisters. But the main family of Dafujin can't have children, and my eldest concubine has become the heir. Back then, my mother was in this brothel and excelled in poetry. She forced me to read and write, taught me a mouthful of Suzhou dialect, memorized "Three Hundred Tang Poems" and "Two Main Words of the Southern Tang Dynasty", and invited me to stay with foreign teachers. A few years ago, my mother passed away and was buried in my hometown in Suzhou, and I still miss her. ”

"You're luckier than me! My mom died because she gave birth to me. ”

"Freemasonry."

In the fireworks and willow alleys of these eight alleys, the little county king's heart-wrenching words completely shortened the distance between him and Qin Beiyang.

The drums in the hall sounded in unison, some people played the Suzhou pipa, the silk and bamboo in the south of the Yangtze River, and the babbling singing came from the embroidery building......

"Persuade the monarch not to cherish the golden clothes, and persuade the monarch to cherish the youth. The flowers can be folded straight, and the branches must be broken without flowers. ”

A group of girls went downstairs in beautiful satin clothes, but they never exposed their figures, and they were tightly wrapped, revealing at most three-inch embroidered shoes of golden lotus, killing and injuring countless old champions of the former Qing Dynasty.

For the first time, Qin Beiyang saw the drunken night banquet in the capital, but he didn't dare to look at the faces of the girls with heavy makeup and powder.

"The ancient songs popular in the Tang Dynasty were often sung by concubines during banquets. Don't miss the best boyhood! The little county king took out dozens of silver dollars from his sleeve and rewarded them to the girls, "Don't underestimate the Qinglou, it is also the land of the hidden dragon and the crouching tiger." Yuan Shikai tried and failed repeatedly when he was young, and lived in Shanghai Study, but fortunately with the support of the famous prostitute Shen in Suzhou, he embarked on a career of soaring prosperity, and in the future, this prostitute became the favorite Mrs. Shen of the President of the Republic of China. Not to mention that two years ago, in these eight alleys, the story of General Cai Songpo and Xiao Fengxian ruined Yuan Shikai's dream of being the emperor. ”

Before the words fell, the girls sang songs around the table again: "Yan Wanqing is nostalgic for you, I have an appointment for the afterlife coupon here for a hundred years, don't be tied to a wisp of love." If the plot is attempted or another day! Turn into an underground lotus and make a wish in your previous life! ”

"Haha! Say Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives! This lyric is sung by Xiao Fengxian for Cai Yi. ”

The little king continued to spill silver dollars, indulging in the scenery of the night. Qin Beiyang paid a lot of attention to the people around him, and just now he heard the words "Hidden Dragon and Crouching Tiger", in such a high-end green building, there must also be important members of the military and political circles.

Sure enough, his keen sense of hearing caught the conversation at the next table—

"Ladies and gentlemen, this summer's election of members of Congress is a matter of life and death for our Anfu Club. General Xiao Xu has allocated tens of thousands of silver dollars for the election. Next month, we will rush to all provinces across the country to buy votes. Today, I'm here to do the east, everyone is not drunk and doesn't return, don't worry about the tigress in the house! ”

The one who spoke was a middle-aged man, with a white face and beard, wearing a luxurious satin robe and a lot of jade on his fingers, and frequently toasted to the two men beside him.

"You're welcome, brother! I have already planned the price of each vote, ranging from 300 to 800 silver dollars, and it will inevitably cost a lot of money to go to Shanghai, Zhejiang and other places where the birds do not, but to the northwest provinces where birds don't, it is better to buy a vote for a congressman than to buy a night of girls in the eight major alleys! ”

The one who spoke was older, with a big beard, and drank it all in one gulp.

The third person at this table, only in his thirties, in a straight white suit, seems to have eaten a lot of foreign ink: "General Xiao Xu has made a bloody contribution to this parliamentary election, and it is also the meaning of the prime minister." He didn't defeat his direct line on the battlefield, but he won all of them through a combination of vertical and horizontal strategies, a genius of Wen Taowu's strategy. No wonder Mr. Lin Shu painted him a picture of "Pima Duguan". ”

"You and I are all members of Congress, and we are all in the Anfu Club, so don't let down the strong support of General Xiao Xu. There are many contradictions between Zhiwan and Anhui, and Wu Peifu is at both ends of the southern rat head. Premier Duan signed the "Sino-Japanese Army Joint Defense Military Agreement," and the national public opinion scolded us as traitors, but we should be careful. ”

Although the three of them spoke and lowered their voices, Qin Beiyang, who was eavesdropping, had fully understood that these were the three members of parliament of the Anfu system, and they were also the royal members of the Anhui warlord and General Xiao Xu.