Master Yuan, start!

However, the subsequent anti-curtain war tore China apart. After the restrictions were lifted, the south unleashed greater economic potential, and British talents gradually became close to Liu Kunyi.

If you think about it, it was Yuan Xiangcheng who arrived first!

Therefore, one is short-term interests, and the other is long-term considerations. Based on the principle of talking whenever possible, the British took the initiative to propose to "mediate" the dispute between Yuan and Liu.

Of course, Yuan Shikai had no idea whether the British had the instinct to stir up trouble and deliberately wanted to maintain the divided situation in China.

Anyway, Yuan Shikai did not take this negotiation seriously and had no intention of going there in person. He just sent Tang Shaoyi, the Northeast Customs Commissioner, to test the waters.

Tang Shaoyi was previously the consul of the Qing Dynasty in Seoul, Korea. After Korea abolished the feudal system and established provinces, he was appointed as the Korean Customs Commissioner. When Yuan Shikai became the governor of the three northeastern provinces, he upgraded his position to the Northeast Customs Commissioner, which was in charge of the entire three northeastern provinces.

After the candidate was determined, British Minister Eugene went south with Tang Shaoyi at the request of the Inspector General of Customs, Robert Hart.

...

"I'm coming!"

Someone shouted, and the listless crowd looked towards the river.

I saw a ship slowly approaching from a distance, reflecting the rippling waves. If it weren't for the white smoke coming out of the chimney of the hull, ordinary people would not be able to find it.

Seeing that the main person was about to arrive, both the people and the officials perked up and waited for the visitor.

Soon, the merchant ship of the Four Seas Shipping Company docked at the pier. After the gangway was lowered, British Minister Eugene was the first to walk out of the cabin.

Lin "Who is Kang Youwei, Mr. Kang?" Ogen asked as he looked at the people who were greeting him.

Lin "Your Excellency, this is your humble official." Kang Youwei took a half step forward and bowed like a foreigner.

Qi "Mr. Kang, I'm in Beijing, but I've seen your name in newspapers many times!" Ou Genna laughed and patted Kang Youwei on the shoulder.

"I never thought that my fame would reach the ears of the ambassador. I am truly terrified."

Jiu Kang Youwei thought that the British ambassador was going to be questioned as soon as he got off the ship and was about to be blamed, but he did not expect that the British ambassador was trying to build relationships with him. For a moment, he became more focused on the negotiations.

It seems that the British are still on Lord Liu's side.

After Kang Youwei exchanged greetings with the British ambassador, he discovered that there was a stranger standing behind him.

"Are you Tang Daotai?" Kang Youwei bowed.

"That's right." Tang Shaoyi took off his European-style wide-brimmed hat, a common sight outside the Great Wall, nodded to Kang Youwei, and said, "However, I'm not here this time as a prefect, but as a special envoy with full powers to negotiate treaties. I hope to help resolve the discord between the North and the South."

"In that case, please come in." Kang Youwei pointed to the rickshaw behind him, indicating that they could talk after getting in the car and then go to the place.

"it is good!"

Ou Genne and Tang Shaoyi got on the car one after another, stayed at the end, and followed the negotiation team into Shanghai.

"Did Shanghai suffer a storm recently?" Seeing the mess on the road, Tang Shaoyi signaled the rickshaw driver to move closer to Kang Youwei's car.

"Don't worry, Lord Tang. The Governor's Office has sufficient funds and food, and will send people to provide disaster relief soon. Today, the two parties have more important matters than disaster relief."

Kang Youwei took a quick glance at the surrounding houses and stopped paying attention to them. Instead, he advised Tang Shaoyi to focus on the negotiations.

However, when passing by the French Concession, Tang Shaoyi discovered that there was a group of people gathered outside the dilapidated houses every few streets.

This group of people included scholars dressed like scholars as well as laborers dressed in coarse cloth short shirts, which aroused Tang Shaoyi's curiosity.

After turning another street, I saw a young man walking up to a wooden platform. With his back to the houses that had been collapsed by the strong wind, he gave an impassioned speech to the onlookers, waving his arms from time to time to create a lively atmosphere.

Whether they were ordinary people or scholars, they would often shout slogans along with the people on the stage, and burst into cheers from time to time.

"Master Kang, is public speaking so popular in Shanghai as well?"

Tang Shaoyi was a little curious. He thought that this kind of trend only existed in Korea, but he didn't expect it to spread so quickly and even appeared in Shanghai.

"It's just a few students trying to attract attention. I will send people to disperse them in a moment." Kang Youwei felt that he had lost face in front of outsiders, and his face immediately fell.

The trend of public speaking is a common practice outside the Great Wall and in Korea, but it is not officially allowed in the conservative Jiangnan region.

If anyone dared to gather seven people to give a speech in Jiangning City, they would be arrested by patrolling soldiers within a quarter of an hour and imprisoned for several months on the grounds of causing trouble.

However, in Shanghai, especially in the Chinese and foreign concessions where there was a mixed crowd, the government did not strictly monitor such matters.

In addition, Shanghai was the place where foreign church schools were most concentrated, and new and old scholars frequently discussed the issue inside and outside the concession. The foreigners did not say anything, so the government did not want to interfere.

Therefore, the local yamen officials turned a blind eye to the speech. Not to mention that they were now hit by a disaster and were too busy with disaster relief to care about these scholars.

However, Kang Youwei was unaware of this situation, so he felt that the speech in front of the ruins was particularly eye-catching, and decided to send the yamen runners forward to disperse the crowd.

"What are you doing? Why are you chasing us away?!"

"Why? Of course you've committed a crime. If you don't leave quickly, I'll lock you up in the county jail today!"

I saw two yamen runners pulling a scholar in a long gown out. The people around them wanted to step forward to help, but they were a little timid because of the power of the government.

"You dare to put me in jail? Do you know who my brother is?!" The young scholar was unwilling to be dragged away and shouted that he had a backer.

"I don't care who he is, even if the king of heaven comes, he won't be able to do anything!"

The yamen runners were not easily frightened. They knew that most of the scholars who went out to give speeches on the streets were poor, without money or power, otherwise they would not have fallen to the level of street performers.

"My brother is Kang Youwei, the Susong Observation Envoy. I wonder who among you dares to arrest me?!" Kang Guangren was so angry that he finally revealed his trump card.

Chapter 206 Young Man and Old Fox

This shout successfully forced Kang and Tang to stop their cars.

After hearing this, Kang Youwei decided to get off the car to see who dared to pretend to be his brother.

"Little brother?!"

Unexpectedly, he found out that it was really his own brother. Kang Youwei was so shocked that he spoke directly in Cantonese.

Ever since the two of them had a rift over the newspaper satirizing Yuan Shikai, Kang Youwei moved his newspaper from Shanghai to Jiangning, but Kang Guangren did not go with him, saying he wanted to return to his hometown to rest.

Kang Youwei saw this and did not force him to do anything, so he left him enough money and set off for Jiangning.

But I didn’t expect that my younger brother, who had returned to his hometown to rest, would still stay in Shanghai.

"Kang, Lord Kang?"

Although he didn't understand Cantonese, judging from Kang Youwei's expression, it seemed that the person in front of him was indeed his younger brother.

The two yamen runners never thought that they would catch Kang Youwei's brother while just doing routine work.

However, Kang Youwei did not care about these two yamen runners.

"Brother, what are you doing here?" Kang Youwei looked around and said sternly, "Don't you know how dangerous it is after a disaster, with bandits everywhere? Why don't you go home quickly?"

"Brother, I know it's dangerous, but this park is really deceptive."

"Enough, what park or private garden? Why don't you think about your vegetable garden at home?"

Kang Youwei directly interrupted his brother's explanation and just wanted him to return home quickly.

"Brother, Shanghai has been devastated, and the government has been slow to provide relief. I can only call on the people to join hands."

"You'd better go home quickly. It's not your turn to meddle in official matters."

Seeing that Kang Guangren was about to refute again, Kang Youwei took out a token from his arms and stuffed it into his brother's hand. Then he did not stop and got back into the rickshaw.

"Brother, I have something important to attend to today, so I can't discuss this with you in detail. Please come to the Shanghai County Government Office tonight to find me."

Tang Shaoyi witnessed the whole process. When the rickshaw started to move again, he jokingly said:

"I never thought that Lord Kang's brother would have such a heart to save the world and save people. He is truly worthy of being a young talent."

"What do you mean by saving people or not? I think he's clearly out of touch with the real world. He thinks that helping a few poor families is helping the world."

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Kang Youwei waved his hand, obviously not wanting to talk any more. Seeing this, Tang Shaoyi stopped asking questions. The two of them sat quietly in the rickshaw and headed towards the negotiation site.

After Kang Youwei left, the two remaining yamen runners didn't know what to do. They could only look at each other and decide to walk towards another street.

We, the subordinates, will not interfere in matters between you brothers.

Seeing his brother's rickshaw go away and the yamen runners also turned and left, Kang Guangren walked into the crowd again, raised his arms and shouted:

"My fellow villagers, this is outrageous. The door panels and furniture were blown here by the strong wind. It would be fine if the French did not help return them, but they actually said that dogs and Chinese are not allowed to enter.

This park is clearly my Chinese land, but the French occupied it forcefully. Now they are even putting Chinese people on the same level as dogs to insult our people.

Fellow countrymen, compatriots! How could there be such an unreasonable place in the world? Before Shanghai was opened as a port, which blade of grass and every stone was not owned by us Chinese?

7 Today I will break into the Municipal Council Garden!

The British Concession is fully open to the Chinese. I want to see how capable the French are and where they get their confidence from!

Liu...

Shirt...

The deceased Kang Youwei was not qualified to directly represent Liu Kunyi. He was just a welcoming person who brought Tang Shaoyi to the negotiation site.

The person who truly conveyed Liu Kunyi's meaning was his trusted aide, Tao Senjia.

2. "Gentlemen, the governors behind you are also Chinese. Why can't we sit down and talk?"

In the Shanghai County Government Office, Ougen raised the Chinese brandy he had recently become fascinated with and saluted Tao Senjia, Kang Youwei and Tang Shaoyi.

Although this was just a tentative contact, as a British minister, there was no need for him to lower his status and participate in it, but for the sake of the British Empire's interests in China, he decided to be a messenger to promote peace.

Of course, the boxes of fine Changyu brandy donated by Yuan Xiangcheng also played a significant role.

With just a little effort, he could gain the friendship of someone in power. Such friendships often bring unexpected surprises in China. Ogene recalled what Hurd had told him about how to get along with Chinese officials.

Seeing the two nodded in agreement, Ougen took Kang Youwei out of the house, leaving the inner room for the two to be alone.

...

"Even though we are on opposite sides, I fully agree with Yuan Shikai's telegram during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, which advocated peaceful reunification."

Tao Senjia started with some nice words, which made Tang Shaoyi, who was planning to take a tough approach, let down his guard.

"However, while peaceful reunification is good, we cannot confuse right and wrong, right, Lord Tang?"

Tang Shaoyi was a little confused, not knowing what Tao Senjia meant by right and wrong: "Master Tao, the unification of China is a natural thing, what is right or wrong?

If the Jiangnan New Army is even more powerful today and can reach the border, then Tang will have nothing to say."

"Could it be that Lord Yuan led his army south to make wedding dresses for others?" Tao Senjia began to sow discord.

These words were truly heartbreaking. After having been in contact with Yuan Shikai for a long time, Tang Shaoyi naturally knew that Yuan Shikai did not respect the one in the capital, and he did not care about the court's public opinion in his daily behavior.

"What's the difference between a wedding dress and a wedding dress? Lord Tao said Wu Qiluu? 34 Mi Zhao Shu Qun: laughed." Tang Shaoyi calmly retorted: