The sun never sets

Yuan Shikai is very similar to Zeng Guofan, who is ambitious but also unwilling to give up his reputation. As for Li Hongzhang, in Yang Du's view, he is just a mediocre person. On the contrary, Yang Du has a high opinion of Lin Dashuai. Lin Dashuai dares to fight and fight, and he will go forward without hesitation once he has a clear goal. He is determined and flexible. He is tough when he should be tough and soft when he should be soft. He is more than a little better than Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Yuan Shikai and others.

Wang Kaiyun was unaware of his student's true thoughts and was still teaching Yang Du how to get along with those heroes. "The more capable a person is, the worse his temper is, and he may have some strange habits. When you want to get along with them, you must know how to hide your shortcomings. You also know about the incident with Jinshi Ru Furen."

Yang Du smiled and said, "Marshal Lin was a former Boxer. He doesn't even have the status of a Jinshi. I don't think he cares about this."

Wang Kaiyun twisted his beard and said, "It doesn't matter where a hero comes from. Liu Bang and Xiang Yu were both ignorant of school."

Chapter 136 Disposal

The Second Division of the Japanese Army withdrew, but the Japanese did not give a penny. The Japanese government did not admit that generals, officers and soldiers were captured by the Chinese, so they refused to pay a penny of ransom. They knew that the Chinese would not massacre Japanese prisoners of war, so they just dragged the matter out.

Lin Yongchang was disgusted by the Japanese move, but he could do nothing about it and could only watch the Second Division board the ship and flee. Dong Fuxiang was eager to fight, saying that the Japanese army was in chaos during the retreat, and taking the opportunity to launch an attack would surely lead to a great victory.

Dong Fuxiang was a killer. When he was suppressing the Hui Muslim rebellion in the northwest, he was called "the third Zuo Zongtang". However, his methods were much more brutal and simple than Zuo Zongtang's. He had only one word for the rebellion and external forces in the northwest: "Kill!"

There is no record of Zuo Zongtang massacring a city, including in Xinjiang. He was even regarded as a savior by the Hui people in the northwest. Dong Fuxiang was regarded as a murderous devil. When fighting with foreigners this year, the Gansu Army under Dong Fuxiang beheaded Westerners and Japanese people at will, and even dismembered the Japanese envoy.

When Dong Fuxiang was in the northwest,

He even claimed that he would stain his hat red with the blood of others. Such a rough man, a killer, always used cruel methods to deal with his enemies.

"Well, that's a good idea."

Lin Yongchang sighed and said, "Forget it. War is not the goal, but the means. We cannot confuse the goal with the means."

Dong Fuxiang had already cut off his braids and ordered his soldiers to cut off their braids as well. Hearing this, he stroked his beard and said, "What a pity."

"Let's see how Yuan Shikai responds. If he doesn't come within five days, we will attack him!"

Dong Fuxiang's eyes lit up and he blurted out, "I'll be the Marshal's vanguard!"

Lin Yongchang laughed and said, "I just need to rely on the general's bravery!"

Yang Du rode to Jinan at full speed and was warmly welcomed by Yuan Shikai. Yuan Shikai had been anxious every day for the past month. Lin Tuzi was too fierce. He wiped out the Eight-Nation Alliance and surrounded Shandong from Hebei, Henan and Huaihai. He was ready to attack Shandong at the first sign of disagreement.

Yuan Shikai used to be a short, dark and fat man. Now he is still dark and short, but not so fat anymore. Wang Shizhen suggested that he seek loans from foreigners, but the money from foreigners did not come from the wind. Every investment and every loan must be paid back. The 50,000 troops of the Eight-Nation Alliance were defeated. What could Yuan Shikai's 10,000 Beiyang troops do?

If we lend money to Yuan Shikai at this time, wouldn't that be like throwing meat buns at a dog?

What the great powers need to consider now is not arming Yuan Shikai to defend Shandong, but finding ways to get money from the People's Republic government. In order to pay the Japanese, the previous imperial court borrowed 540 million taels of silver from foreigners, and for this purpose, the customs duties, salt taxes and other things were mortgaged. Now many taxes in China are still controlled by the British.

After the establishment of the Central People's Government, the customs was not immediately taken back. Robert Hart continued to manage China's imports and exports and withheld the tariffs. The surplus was used to pay off debts. However, the People's Republic government did not admit the debt, saying that it was borrowed by the previous dynasty and the powers should ask the Aisin-Gioro people to pay it back.

It's not the People's Republic government that borrowed the money, so there's no reason to ask the new government to pay it back.

But the British don't think so. They believe that China is a subject. Whether it is the previous Aixinjueluo family or the current Central People's Government, it is still China, and the debt should be inherited in the same vein. The British and other powers say that it is the rules of the international community and the Chinese should abide by them.

Lin Yongchang was dismissive of this. What are the rules of the international community? There is only one rule in the international community: the one with the bigger fist has the final say! He did not send anyone to forcibly take over the customs, but he did not do nothing. The new government opened several new ports in Huludao, Qinhuangdao and other places. The import and export tax rate was only 1%, which directly squeezed the customs controlled by Robert Hurd to the point that they were almost out of business.

Most merchants are profit-driven. They go to places like Qinhuangdao and Huludao where the tax rate is lower, without caring about their personal relationship with Hart. Even many British merchant ships go to Qinhuangdao. Those hateful merchants disregard the interests of the country for a little profit.

The British had already deployed nearly 300,000 troops in South Africa, and the war was far from over. The British had suffered several defeats in Ladysmith, Cape Town and other places, with casualties exceeding 10,000. In addition to this kind of thing, the British Empire's hegemony was shaky and it was time to spend money. The hateful businessmen did not think about serving the country, but only thought about evading taxes.

Yuan Shikai consulted with the British ambassador several times, hoping to borrow tens of millions of pounds, but the British said they didn't have any. He asked the Germans in Qingdao to borrow money, and the Germans were very interested, but they doubted Yuan Shikai's ability to repay. China's customs were taken away by the British, and other places were occupied by the Central People's Government. What could Yuan Shikai use as collateral?

No, nothing, unless he sold all of Shandong to the British... Oh, that's not possible either. The Germans regarded Shandong as their sphere of influence and would never allow other countries to get involved. So what if he sold Shandong to the Germans? Yuan Shikai didn't have the guts to do that. If he sold Shandong to the Germans, he would be unable to bear the criticism from his compatriots.

Although Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui came from the old era, they still had some sense of family and country. If Yuan Shikai dared to sell out the country, Yang Shiqi, Duan Qirui and others would have dared to defect and run away.

Yuan Shikai had lost weight in the past few days. He was under a lot of pressure. Now Yang Du came with an olive branch from Marshal Lin, and was immediately warmly welcomed by Yuan Shikai. Before going to meet Yuan Shikai, Yang Shiqi asked Yang Du about Lin Yongchang's price on the way.

"Xizi, what exactly are Marshal Lin's rules?"

Yang Shiqi couldn't wait to ask: "How is the People's Government going to place our Beiyang Army?"

"Brother Xingcheng, you all knew Marshal Lin's conditions long ago. I am just a messenger and have no right to change the conditions."

"Alas, Xizi, why are you so modest? Who doesn't know that Marshal Lin appreciates you?"

Yang Shiqi said sourly: "One is you, Xizi, and the other is Qiu Jin, who was praised by Marshal Lin himself. The Republic Daily scolds Marshal Yuan every day, but praises you all the time. Everyone in the world knows that you, Xizi, have caught Marshal Lin's eye. You have a promising future.

Limited quantity available! "

Yang Du laughed in silence, "Brother Xingcheng, what you see is just the surface. Marshal Lin trusts the people from Hebei the most. They have been with him through thick and thin, and fought bloody battles with the Eight-Nation Alliance. The new government is full of people from Hebei and Shanxi. People like us can only do the job of passing on messages."

Chapter 137 President

"To conquer the world, we need warriors; to rule the world, we need scholars like us!"

Yang Shiqi smiled and said, "If we conquer the world on horseback, how can we rule it on horseback?"

Yang Du also laughed, "That will have to wait until the time comes to rule the world! If Marshal Yuan refuses to give in, won't we have to fight? I don't know how to fight, but I wonder if Brother Xingcheng knows how to do it?"

"Alas, how can I know anything about fighting?" Yang Shiqi shook his head. "If Wei Ting could take a step back, and Marshal Lin could take a step back as well, things would be much easier."

"That will depend on you and me working hard."

The two smiled at each other, Yang Shiqi extended his hand and said, "Xizi, please come in."

"Brother Xingcheng, please go first."

Yang Shiqi thought: Yang Huchan's words are watertight, and his ability is increasing. Yang Du thought that Yang Shiqi was a little fanciful. Now that Marshal Lin has the upper hand and Yuan Shikai is isolated and helpless, he still wants to resist with only tens of thousands of Beiyang troops? Shandong is so close to Beijing, and there are German concessions. It can be said that "next to my bed, how can I allow others to sleep soundly?"

They both took a step back. Marshal Lin had forced the Japanese to retreat, and the troops were about to move to Shandong!

Yuan Shikai was guarding the inner gate. When he saw Yang Du coming in, he stepped forward and said enthusiastically, "Xizi, you are finally here!"

Yang Du also greeted Yuan Shikai enthusiastically, and took a look at the lineup behind Yuan Shikai. The Beiyang Dragon, Tiger and Dog were all here, and in addition, Cao Kun, Duan Zhigui and other generals who commanded the army were also here. He was startled, knowing that this mission might be difficult to complete. Yuan Shikai called all his trusted generals over, and it was definitely not to make everyone lay down their weapons and surrender to the new government.

It’s hard to say, in the end, guns will have to do the talking!

Yang Du was filled with emotion, but his face was full of smiles. "Marshal Yuan, Yang Du is here to show his respect."

"Hey, Xizi, why are you so reserved? Six years ago, when we were writing letters on the bus, we had a great conversation. Over the years, I have been busy with important matters in the court, and the time we spend together has decreased, but my feelings for Xizi are still the same as before!"

Yang Du recalled how everyone was full of vigor and vitality back then, and he also felt emotional. "So many years have passed in a flash, and you, Wei Ting, have become a general with tens of thousands of troops, while I am still doing nothing and have accomplished nothing."

Yuan Shikai came up and held Yang Du's hand, "Let's not talk about those things today. Come, let me introduce you to our Beiyang heroes."

"You know both Pinqing and Zhiquan. This is Lu Jianzhang, our Beiyang's supervisor and vanguard officer. This is Cao Kun, who used to be a cloth seller and is now a commander..."

Yuan Shikai introduced the Beiyang generals and officers to Yang Du one by one, and then introduced Yang Du to the Beiyang people. Then he laughed and said, "Xizi came from the Lin family. Let's listen to what Baldy Lin has planned!"

Feng Guozhang sneered and said, "We will charge forward with our 100,000-strong army. No matter what he has planned!"

Yuan Shikai touched his bald forehead and said, "Let's listen to Xizi first. We don't necessarily have to resort to violence. Xizi, tell me, how does Lin Yongchang plan to deal with our Beiyang Army?"

Yang Du smiled and said, "Marshal Lin..."

"What kind of marshal is Baldy Lin? There is only Marshal Yuan, not Marshal Lin!"

Yang Du looked sideways and saw that the person who was showing his loyalty was Cao Kun, a cloth vendor. Cao Kun's family was very poor, and selling cloth could not change his poor life. Once, Cao Kun was selling cloth at the gate of Baoding City, but was stopped by two soldiers guarding the city. Not only was he not allowed to enter the city, but he was also scolded and ridiculed by them. Cao Kun was humiliated for no reason and was furious. He had gone through hardships, but could not change his fate of suffering, so he joined the army.

After Cao Kun lost his small business of selling cloth from a cart, he first studied at Tianjin Military Academy. After graduation, he became a sentry officer of the Yi Army. In 1894, he also went to Korea with his troops to fight. The following year, he went to Xiaozhan to join Yuan Shikai's new army and helped lead the first battalion of the right wing infantry. He had no background and was honest, so he was often bullied.

But one of his characteristics is that he is honest, never shows his emotions, gives benefits to others, and is hardworking and obedient. No matter what he thinks, he never complains. Over time, his superiors gradually heard about this unique person, and even Yuan Shikai knew about it.

But even so, Cao Kun still could not be promoted and was still bullied. He could only seize every opportunity to show his loyalty to Yuan Shikai. In the Beiyang Army system, if you want to climb up, you must not only be talented and capable, but also have a background and a backer. You must be like Wang Shizhen, who was recommended by a big shot in the court, or like Duan Qirui, who had a connection with the Huai Army, or like Duan Zhigui, who was completely shameless and pimped for others everywhere.

What did Cao Kun have? He had no backing and no background, and he could not completely lose face, so he could only seize every opportunity to show his loyalty. In front of Yuan Shikai and his colleagues, Cao Kun said sternly: "We only know about Marshal Yuan, but not Marshal Lin!"

Many people laughed out loud. Cao Sanshazi was

You're just flattering me, do you think it will work?

Yuan Shikai was very pleased with it, showing a smiling expression, but said: "Zhongshan, let Xizi finish what he has to say first."

"Yes, the Marshal is right, but we Beiyang people should all know that only Marshal Yuan is the real one!"

Yang Du was well aware of Cao Kun's performance. Compared with the old-style armies such as the Patrol Battalion and the Green Camp, the Beiyang Army could be called a new army. But compared with Lin Yongchang, the Beiyang Army seemed old-fashioned.

"Marshal Lin said that if Weiting is willing to give up his military power, the People's Government is willing to give you the position of Chairman of the Ministry of Railways or the Development and Reform Commission, and Pinqing, Zhiquan and others will also be appointed. Marshal Lin said that you are all heroes of the time and should work together to contribute to China's rejuvenation. He promised that he would not pursue the past matters again."

"That's all?" Yuan Shikai asked, "Anything else?"

Yang Du smiled, "Of course there is more. Marshal Lin said that he would give Weiting five days to consider. If he still hasn't seen you after five days, he will lead his troops to attack you........."

"What a courage!"

"Who does Lin think he is?"

"We are the ones who are going to fight back!"

"Marshal, give the order! I want to be the first to cross the Yellow River!"

"That's right! Once we conquer the city, we will make you the president!"

"What president? The Marshal should be the emperor!"

Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui remained silent, while the others started to shout in a mess. Yuan Shikai first listened to Yang Du's conditions with a serious expression. When the generals and officers below were filled with indignation, he laughed a few times and said, "Lin Yongchang really thinks he is the president? Zhang Xiangshuai and the others haven't spoken yet! Xizi, go back and tell Lin Yongchang that if he dares to attack, I, Yuan Shikai, have 100,000 troops waiting for him!"

Yang Du smiled and said, "Okay, I'll tell Marshal Lin that."

He thought to himself: Yuan Weiting is still afraid, otherwise he would have led his troops to attack directly. Now we can only wait for Marshal Lin to attack, and we are far behind in momentum.

Chapter 138 Hero

When the new government in northern China and the Beiyang Army were on the verge of war, southern China was already in a mess. Sun Yat-sen fought again and again after repeated defeats. He was originally preparing to flee to Japan, but when he saw that the imperial court had suddenly collapsed, Sun Wen decided not to flee and returned to Guangdong empty-handed, launching another uprising.

This time he chose Sanchida in Huizhou. Because the imperial court was finished, the officers and soldiers did not resist at all, and many people joined the rebels. Zheng Shiliang, Chen Jiongming and others led the rebels to snowball all the way. It took only half a month to enter Guangzhou City, chop off the heads of many former officials, and establish the Guangdong Military Government.

Although there were still many places not under the control of the rebels at this time, no one jumped out to oppose it. The imperial court was gone, and local officials needed to find a new reason to rule the local area. A military government would do as long as it could maintain their rule. In some places, officials took bamboo poles and poked the tiles on the roof of the government office twice, indicating that they were also participating in the uprising.

In addition to Guangdong, uprisings also appeared in Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan and other places, and the previous dynasty's rule in the local areas quickly disappeared. People in Jiangsu and Hubei also launched uprisings, but they were suppressed by Zhang Zhidong and Liu Kunyi. These governors who made their fortunes by suppressing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom still have some skills and strong control over the local areas. In the past, they could establish semi-independent kingdoms under the pressure of the court, and now they can also suppress the uprisings.

However, Zhang Zhidong, Liu Kunyi, and Li Hongzhang were all very old, and they probably didn't have many years left to live. Li Hongzhang stayed in Shanghai and announced to the public that he was seriously ill, but in fact he was not. The reason why he announced that he was seriously ill was because the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance made Li Hongzhang not know how to deal with it, so he could only pretend to be sick, and then he stayed in Shanghai, ready to stand up and clean up the mess after the battle in the north was over.

Anyway, it was Li Hongzhang who signed the traitorous treaty every time, and this time was no exception. If Lin Yongchang had not appeared out of nowhere and annihilated the Eight-Nation Alliance, it would have been a disaster. After hearing that the 50,000-man army of the Eight-Nation Alliance was completely annihilated, Li Hongzhang sat up in shock from his dying illness, threw away the white towel on his forehead, stopped pretending to be sick, and jumped up, shouting "Impossible" repeatedly.

During the Second Opium War, the British and French allied forces used less than 20,000 men to overthrow the imperial court, looted the Old Summer Palace, and set it on fire. Now the Eight-Nation Alliance brought in 50,000 men, and it was no problem for them to overthrow the imperial court. How could they be overthrown by a bunch of peasants? Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Li Hongzhang jumped out of bed and exclaimed for a long time. He sent several groups of people to the north to inquire about the news, but the news they sent back was the same. Alfred von Waldersee, the commander-in-chief of the Eight-Nation Alliance, was frightened to death in the army, and other generals and soldiers were either beaten to death or sent to prisoner-of-war camps.

Night raid group: 6949, ③6135 Lin Yongchang, the great commander of Lin, took advantage of the power of the annihilation of the Eight-Nation Alliance to overthrow the government in one fell swoop and established the Central People's Republic, calling himself the Grand Marshal and the President. After finding out the news from the north, Li Hongzhang was disappointed for a long time. But of course, Li Hongzhang would never admit that a peasant became the President of China.

Zhang Zhidong, Liu Kunyi and others had already discussed with Li Hongzhang that if the Empress Dowager or the Emperor died, Li Hongzhang would be in charge.

Zhang became the president of China and came out to clean up the situation. Now that Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu are really dead, some people say that it was done by Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong. Even Dong Fuxiang suspected this because Li Hongzhang and his people had discussed with Hong Kong Governor Sir Henry Blake, Hong Kong politician Dr. Ho Kai, Sun Yat-sen, Chen Shaobai and others what to do if the Empress Dowager died.

These things were exposed and spread widely. After the death of Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu, more people were involved. Even if Li Hongzhang had ten mouths, he could not clear himself. However, Li Hongzhang did not care too much about the criticism of outsiders. He had bought so many times and made so much money that his face was thicker than the city wall.

No matter what other people say, he only cares about promotion and wealth! Others call him a traitor, but he calls them idiots. Isn't being a diplomat just for making money? If you want to make money, it's not bad to give more than 1.5 million square kilometers of land to foreigners! Everyone wants to make money standing up, but most of the time, you can't make money standing up, so you can only be a traitor.

Now that the imperial court was over, Li Hongzhang was both sad and happy. He was sad that the imperial court he had served all his life was over. He was happy that he had the opportunity to become president. How could the People's Republic Government in the north represent China? It was still up to him, Li Hongzhang, to step forward!

He mourned the demise of the imperial court for two days, then began to pack his bags and prepare to go to Nanjing to discuss the establishment of the Republic with Zhang Zhidong, Liu Kunyi and others. "Jingshu, Jingshu!" Li Hongzhang shouted to the outside of the door, "Pack your things, we'll leave tomorrow!"

Li Jingshu rushed in from outside and said, "Sir, the gifts have been packed. We can leave at any time."

Li Hongzhang had six sons in total. The son born to his first wife, Zhou, died young. He adopted a son from his younger brother, Li Zhaoqing, who was his eldest son, Li Jingfang. A few years after adopting Li Jingfang, his second wife, Zhao Xiaolian, gave birth to his second son, Li Jingshu. This was a bit embarrassing, but biological children are always closer than adopted children, so Li Hongzhang usually brought his second son, Li Jingshu, with him and was prepared to let his second son, Li Jingshu, inherit his property, title, connections, etc.

"Sir, how about you go to Nanjing first, and I stay in Shanghai for a few more days?"

Li Hongzhang turned to look at his son and asked with some dissatisfaction: "What? What important things do you have in Shanghai?"

Speaking of this, Li Jingshu became excited, "Sir, have you heard of rubber stocks? They are the hottest stocks in Shanghai right now!"

"Rubber stocks?"

Li Hongzhang had seen relevant introductions in the newspaper, saying that now that there are more and more cars, more and more rubber is needed on car tires, and the price of rubber will definitely rise. However, Li Hongzhang was not very accepting of new things. In his opinion, stocks were heresy and deception.

"Yes!" Li Jingshu's eyes were shining, "Master Yan said that rubber stocks can continue to rise. Sir, we can buy more stocks and sell them when the price goes up. We can make a lot of money!"

Li Hongzhang: “….”

He wanted to look up and sigh. Even if he couldn't be called a hero, he could be considered a hero of the time, right? Why did he give birth to such a son? How much money can you make from stocks? Only with power can you make money! If you have power, are you still afraid of not being able to make money?

Chapter 139 Ecological Counterattack

A few months ago, Yan Xishan came to Shanghai with 100,000 taels of silver and soon became very successful in Shanghai. He not only brought money, but also brought hundreds of brothers, all of whom were brave and brave, and they also brought bombs, revolvers and rifles. As soon as they arrived, they fought several battles with the local Green Gang.

The Qing Gang in Shanghai was still using knives, but the outsiders had already used bombs and guns, so the outcome was obvious. The Qing Gang and Hong Gang underworld were simply no match for the outsiders, and after losing a lot of manpower and money, the leaders of the Qing and Hong Gangs could only hold a banquet to make peace with the young Yan Xishan.

Yan Xishan was not only good at fighting, but also had thousands of brothers in Jiangsu. He also brought many unique products, such as "pounds" and currencies of various countries. The People's Republic government took strong measures to deal with many opium dealers, and banned the sale and use of opium within its jurisdiction. Except for a small part of the confiscated opium that was placed in pharmacies, most of it was made into "pounds" and then transported to Qingdao and Shanghai to be sold to foreign devils.

In order to make money, Marshal Lin recruited many folk masters to make counterfeit money from various countries, not only pounds, but also dollars, francs, marks, etc., which Yan Xishan also took to Shanghai. Yan Xishan originally wanted to stay in the army. Young people always have endless energy and passion, but Marshal Lin said that military problems are actually economic problems. If economic problems are not solved, military advantages will not last too long. As a member of the People's Party, you should not be picky about work, but go wherever there is a need.

So Yan Xishan brought "pounds" and currencies from various countries to Shanghai. He not only sold "pounds" and counterfeit money in Shanghai, but also brought various materials from the north to sell. He used the money he earned to buy guns, ammunition, machinery, grain, gunpowder and other goods. Hebei had been fighting for almost half a year, and this year's grain harvest was destined to be poor.

In order to feed the people of Hebei, Lin Yongchang organized many unarmed artillery units, which were actually engineering teams and road construction teams, and asked them to build roads and bridges. Those troops also needed food. Yan Xishan was in power.