Chapter 19 4. The new commander-in-chief of the army is a rarity in today's officialdom

Seventy miles southeast of Tianjin City, there is a place called Xinnong Town, and the local people are used to calling it Xiaozhan.Although Xiaozhan is located in the north, the water is abundant and the land is fertile. Since ancient times, farmers here have had a tradition of growing rice. The "Xiaozhan rice" they grow is of high quality and tastes better than southern rice.Twenty years ago, Li Hongzhang took a fancy to this place. He imitated the military system of the ancients and sent a Huai army to station here to cultivate and practice.When the naval battle broke out, Changlu salt transport envoy Hu Yifen recruited ten battalions of recruits and trained them in a new way. These ten battalions of recruits were named Dingwu Army.When Hu Yufen was training the Dingwu Army, Yuan Shikai summoned a group of talented men in the capital to translate military books from various countries. The book was compiled into twelve volumes and named "Guanhailou Talking about Soldiers".In the eyes of people at that time, the German army was the best in the world. Yuan Shikai compiled the "Thirteen Rules for Military Training" by referring to the German military system and combining his years of experience in leading troops.He presented "Guanhailou Talking About Soldiers" and "Thirteen Rules for Military Training" to Li Hongzhang, Minister of Military Aircraft, Weng Tonghe, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, and Rong Lu, Minister of State Affairs of the Prime Minister.Twelve years of experience in North Korea, coupled with two books, made Yuan Shikai the No. 1 rising military expert in the minds of the ministers in charge of the government.They made friends with each other and recommended Yuan Shikai, which finally made Emperor Guangxu summon Yuan Shikai, and sent him to replace Hu Yufen to train the Dingwu Army, and Hu was transferred to be the supervisor of the Luhan Railway.

After Yuan Shikai came to Xiaozhan, he made drastic changes to the Dingwu Army, increasing the number of soldiers from the original 4,500 to 7,000, and renamed it the New Army.The newly-built army drilled completely in accordance with the German method. More than a dozen German military instructors were hired to teach the battalion, artillery and cavalry, and a German school was set up to facilitate Chinese officers to learn German.At the same time, the Supervision and Training Department was established. Brother Xu Shichang was invited to serve as a staff officer. Feng Guozhang, a native of Zhili who graduated from the Beiyang Armed Forces Academy, was appointed as the General Office of the Infantry. Wang Shizhen, a Zhili native of the Biao Suiying Artillery Academy, is the general office of the Engineering Academy and the commander of the Engineering Army.Less than three years after the establishment of Yuan Shikai's new army, he transformed the original Dingwu army in Xiaozhan, which attracted widespread attention inside and outside the officialdom.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Yang Du got off the car at Tianjin Railway Station, then put on a mule cart, and arrived at the small station at dusk.When approaching the barracks, a loud bugle sound was suddenly heard.As soon as the trumpets sounded, groups of soldiers were seen coming from the wide training ground to the south of the barracks.In the twilight, I saw that these soldiers were almost all five feet tall, and the brand-new gray military uniforms fit the length, and the legs were all legged from the knee down, and the heels were very strong when they walked.Except for the one-two-one slogan of the leading officer and the accompanying footsteps, there was no noise.Yang Du lived in his uncle's military camp for several years. On the first and fifteenth day of the lunar new year, he saw the green battalion soldiers coming back from the summer camp. Almost all of them were disheveled and tired. Noisy, compared with the newly built army in front of us, one is in the sky and the other is underground. "Yuan Weiting is a general!" Yang Du admired from the heart.Just as he was feeling emotional, the fort outside the barracks fired three trumpet guns, and several gang leaders came out from the kitchens of each barracks. The soldiers sat on the ground in a pile of ten, and began to eat dinner on the soil.

Yang Du walked up to a man who looked like a military officer and asked Mr. Xu Juren, the staff officer of the Supervisory Training Department.The man brought Yang Du to a building surrounded by walls and told him that this was the training office.A guard by the door came forward to greet him, and when he learned that Yang Du was from the capital, and wanted to meet Xu Hanlin, he politely asked him to wait a moment before going in to report.After a while, a tall and straight military officer in his twenties came out and welcomed Yang Du into the building.The officer told Yang Du very politely: Xu Hanlin accompanied Master Yuan to Tianjin to pay respects to Governor Rong Lu, and he will be back tomorrow afternoon.After finishing speaking, he arranged for someone to invite Yang Du to drink tea and smoke. After eating, he chatted with Yang Du for a while, and then led Yang Du into a comfortable guest room, saying: "Mr. Yang will rest here tonight. There are soldiers on duty, who are on call." After saying goodbye, he gently closed the door for Yang Du when he went out.Yang Du was very satisfied and also found it novel. He naturally compared it with the green camp in Guide Town.Uncle's subordinates, except for a few staff members, almost don't know what politeness is. state.Yang Du couldn't understand it. "There is a kind of ethos here that is not found in the Eight Banners Green Battalion Army!" Yang Du made this judgment after the first superficial contact.

Yang Du, who is used to going to bed late and waking up late, didn't wake up until after nine o'clock in the morning.As soon as he got dressed and moved the stool, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old soldier came in with wash water, gently pushing the door open.Seeing that the little soldier was cute, Yang Du asked with a smile, "I just woke up, how did you know?" Xiao Bing replied shyly: "I have been waiting outside the door, and when I heard the noise, I knew that my husband had woken up." Yang Du felt a little sorry and asked, "When do you get up?" "Five thirty in summer and autumn, six thirty in winter and spring."

"What about the officials?" "It's all the same." Xiaobing replied without thinking, "From Mr. Yuan to us little orderlies, they all get up at this time." Yang Du felt a little ashamed.Xiaobing brought breakfast again: a plate of scallion pancakes, a plate of white flour steamed buns, a large bowl of soy milk, and a small plate of pickled kohlrabi.After setting them up one by one, Xiao Bing said: "Sir, Xu Hanlin has been here twice, and he will come again in a while." Yang Du asked in surprise: "Didn't you say that Xu Hanlin just came back from Tianjin this afternoon?"

"Xu Hanlin and Master Yuan came back late last night together." Yang Du blushed and ate breakfast in a hurry.As soon as the little soldiers packed up, a middle-aged man in his forties had already walked over from a distance.Seeing that the visitor was tall and elegant, Yang Du knew that it must be Xu Shichang who had been here twice.Yang Du had never met Xu Shichang, but he only heard Xu Zhijing say that he was not satisfied in Hanyuan in the past few years. , working for Yuan Shikai, Yuan gave him a salary, firstly to borrow his talents, and secondly to help his poor. "Mr. Xizi, I kept you waiting." Xu Shichang stepped forward quickly, stretched out his hands, and wanted to shake hands in the western style.Yang Du was not quite used to this kind of etiquette, seeing that the master had already stretched out his hand, he had no choice but to stretch out his hand.

"Mr. Chrysanthemum, I heard that you have been here twice this morning, I'm so sorry!" "It's nothing. I always like to sleep late. It's only when I came to the military camp that I had to do as the Romans do. I'm still not used to it. I always want to doze off all day long." Xu Shichang smiled cheerfully, deliberately diluting the guest's embarrassment. People walked into the reception room. The furnishings here are completely German-style: large oil paintings of the Rhine River are hung on the walls, colorful tiles from Berlin are inlaid on the floor, and a large millstone coffee table is placed between the large and thick leather sofas. Coffee, sugar cubes and a few pamphlets full of foreign languages.

Xu Shichang pointed to the tea table and said, "Have some coffee!" "Okay!" Yang Du had never drank this kind of thing before, so he was very curious. An orderly came in and made them two small cups of coffee.Yang Du sat on the soft sofa, took a sip of the coffee with sugar, and felt that everything was very comfortable.He took out Xu Zhijing's letter and handed it to Xu Shichang. Xu Shichang took it apart, and after reading it quickly, he said with a smile: "Old Mr. Xu has high morals, great knowledge, and spares no effort in rewarding younger generations. It is an honor for the old man to accept Weiting as a corporal. He will do his best to solve the problem, but I am really sorry to trouble you to send it in person. Now that you are here, you can stay here for two days with peace of mind. Please criticize and advise the new army.”

Yang Du said: "Mr. Juren, you are welcome. Du is a scholar. Although he likes to race horses and dance swords and read some military books on weekdays, it is just a children's game, just talking about wars on paper. When I arrived at the small station yesterday, it was already dusk. When you come back, the team is neat and high-spirited, and you can see that the camp is clean and orderly, and you have learned a lot and admire it!" "Where, where, Mr. Xizi praised you." An elegant smile appeared on Xu Shichang's face. "Mr. Juren, I heard yesterday that you and Mr. Yuan went to Tianjin. Why did you come back so soon?"

"Yes." Xu Shichang replied, "I accompanied Wei Ting to Tianjin the day before yesterday, and reported to Master Rong about the purchase of another thousand new German rifles. I was originally scheduled to return to the small station this afternoon, and the salary payment date for this month was postponed by one day. It will be issued tomorrow. Yesterday, the consolation court said that it is better not to postpone the payment of salaries, and the soldiers are waiting for the money to be used. So I hurriedly finished my official duties and came back by night bus." Yang Du found it strange that the salaries were paid by the officials of the battalion office. All the battalion officers had to go to the battalion office to collect them, and then go back and distribute them. Why would a commander in charge of the army take care of such trivial matters in person!Yang Du has been in Guide Town for several years, but he has never seen his uncle take care of this matter, and he doesn't even know when the soldiers will be paid.Yang Du asked suspiciously: "Master Yuan still pays the soldiers himself?" "From the first month of military training at Xiaozhan until now, Wei Ting has personally paid each soldier every month. He often said that as the saying goes, soldiers eat food, and soldiers are for food. Said it is the most important thing. The phenomenon of deduction of soldiers' salaries is common in the flag green army camp. The soldiers are very resentful, so the army has no fighting spirit. In addition to the deduction, the officials also seized a large amount of silver from the court by intercepting kuang and building Into private pockets, after a few years as a general, he made a windfall, but the soldiers got worse and worse. Wei Ting said that the failure of the Sino-Japanese War in the Sino-Japanese War was also the main reason. In order to prevent this phenomenon from appearing in the new army, no matter how busy he was , must insist on closing the salary on time every month, and personally supervise it.” "Ah! Master Yuan is really amazing!" Yang Du couldn't help but blurt out admiration.He is familiar with the situation of the Green Camp, and knows that the so-called interception and deduction of construction are common methods used by officials to embezzle military salaries.The budget for military pay is year-round. During this year, there are often vacancies and replacements for soldiers. It is inevitable that the dates will not be connected. The military pay that does not connect needs to be deducted on time. This is called cut-off.At that time, the calculation date was based on the 30th day of each month in the lunar calendar. When a small month has only 29 days, it is called Xiaojian, and one day is deducted, and only 29 days are paid.It stands to reason that these two sums of money should be turned over to the state treasury, but almost none of the battalion officials handed them over.Yang Du's uncle tolerated his subordinates' annihilation of Jiekuang and Koujian, saying that the subordinates worked hard and kept their heads on their trouser belts during the war, so let them get the two money!Yang Du knew that if Yuan Shikai paid the salary himself, the battalion officers would not get these two extra money, and the two sums of money would all belong to him. "Great!" He praised in his heart. "Now Weiting is supervising the payment of the salary on the playground. He told me that he will come to see you after the payment is completed." "Don't dare to do it, don't dare to do it!" Yang Du hurriedly said, "Mr. Juren, after a while, let's go to the playground to watch Master Yuan pay his salary!" "Okay, I'll go with you." Then, Xu Shichang introduced the situation of the new army to Yang Du.The new army currently has fourteen infantry battalions and five cavalry battalions.There is a team under the battalion, a platoon under the team, and a shed under the platoon.In the past, battalion officers were all outstanding students who graduated from Beiyang Armed Forces Academy.In the past two years, many schools have been set up in the army. In addition to the German school, there are also artillery schools, infantry schools, and cavalry schools.These schools are responsible for training officers at all levels above the shed, and are divided into advanced classes and junior classes.The advanced class uses "Guan Hailou Talking About Soldiers" and "Thirteen Essential Rules for Military Training" as the main teaching materials, and the primary class uses "Records of Newly-built Army Soldier Strategies" and "Detailed Illustrations of Training Exercises" as the main teaching materials.These two textbooks for the elementary class were also written by Yuan Shikai himself.It is also stipulated that all battalion officers and team officers must graduate from the advanced class before they can serve, and platoon leaders and shed leaders must graduate from the junior class before they can serve.In this way, everyone in the whole army worked hard to strive to enter the school to make a living.As a result, the new army has a new atmosphere that is very different from the green battalions of the banner soldiers and towns in various places. Xu Shichang's brief introduction fascinated Yang Du.The newly-built army in Xiaozhan was trained so well, the legend about Yuan Shikai's ability in the capital is indeed not an exaggeration. Seeing that it was almost noon, Xu Shichang invited Yang Du to lunch.Yang Du asked: "Has the salary on the training ground been paid yet?" "It's still very early!" Xu Shichang said with a smile, "For 7,000 people, one copy per person, it will take a whole day to send out." "Are you still posting at this time? Don't Master Yuan and the gentlemen in the camp affairs office stop eating lunch?" Yang Du asked strangely. "On the day of payment, lunch is eaten on the playground. Wei Ting, like all officers and soldiers, has four big bags of fresh meat and a bowl of vegetable soup. Before the payment is paid, practice infantry and marksmanship, and continue to practice after receiving the payment. Because This day's pay, everyone is very energetic, and they don't feel tired from practicing from morning till dark." It's so fresh!Yang Du stood up and said, "Mr. Juren, I won't be eating here today, I'll go to the playground to get four big bags and a bowl of vegetable soup!" "It's great that Mr. Xizi is interested, I'll go with you!" Walking out of the barracks, when he was about to reach the corner of the playground, bursts of flying dust mixed with shouts of killing rushed towards Yang Du.When you get closer, you can see those practicing formation, marksmanship, fighting and sparring, crawling and lying down, a warm and majestic picture of military training appears in front of you.Yang Du's vision was opened. Walking to the remote north corner of the playground, here is another kind of scene.There were five battalions of cavalry under the banner of red, blue, yellow, black, and orange white tigers, and knights with bright armor and dazzling swords and spears sat on tall horses of the same color.A long chopping board was assembled with several wooden tables in front. A middle-aged man in full armor sat on the middle seat beside the chopping board, and four or five deacons stood on both sides.One of them was holding a thick roster, the other was calling his name loudly, one took out a small ingot of silver from a large wooden box, the other took it and handed it to the cavalry who came to collect his pay, and the third was hanging from his buttocks. A box cannon more than a foot long is cruising beside it.In the whole scene, there was no other sound except for calling names, answering, and occasional war horses.When the breeze blows, the five-color white tiger flag flutters in the wind.Yang Du saw it in his eyes, sighed and said: "The poem says 'Xiao Xiao Ma Ming, leisurely Jingjing', isn't this the scene in front of Yong's eyes today? Mr. Juren, it seems that the person who is sitting there supervising the payment This man is Master Yuan, the commander-in-chief of 'Zhan Ye Da Cheng' today!" "Exactly." Xu Shichang nodded and said, "You wait here for a while, and I will tell Wei Ting first." "Don't disturb him, let's go to the side and have a look." Yang Du took Xu Shichang's hand, and the two walked eastward. "Mr. Chrysanthemum, how much is a soldier's monthly salary?" "Soldiers are paid in three categories. The army is also called the regular soldier. The monthly salary is four taels of silver. The cavalry is five cents more than the regular soldier, and the engineer is five cents less than the regular soldier." "The monthly salary is very high!" Yang Du said, "Now the capital sells one shi of white rice for one tael or five silver, and four taels or five can buy three shi of white rice. In this way, one soldier can support a family of four or five." "Yes, it's higher than the green battalion, and it never skimps, so the morale of the new army is high." When they arrived at the engineer camp, they were digging drainage ditches in the playground, which was both training and practical.At this time, the kitchen brought lunch.Xu Shichang and Yang Du had a meal with the engineers on the playground—four big meat buns and a bowl of vegetable soup.After eating, Xu Shichang sent Yang Du to the post house to rest, and then returned to the playground to assist Yuan Shikai in supervising the payment. In the evening, Yang Du finished his meal and sat on the leather sofa to drink tea.Yesterday I was in a hurry to get into the car and forgot to bring a hookah. Now that I was addicted to cigarettes, I was too embarrassed to ask the orderly for it. When my throat was so itchy, the door was pushed open, and Xu Shichang walked in with someone.Yang Du was startled, and without waiting for Xu Shichang's introduction, he said, "Master Yuan, please forgive me for not being able to welcome you far away." "Mr. Yang Xizi, you are welcome to visit the small station. Yuan has paid a day's salary today, please forgive me for being late." After speaking, Yang Du stretched out a pair of big and thick hands. Taking the opportunity to shake hands, Yang Du carefully sized Yuan Shikai up. This is a man in his forties, with a surprisingly large and round head, thick eyebrows, big and bright eyes, clean and striking, a straight nose bridge, thick short beard on his thick lips, and an unusually broad and strong body. He is very short, half a head lower than Yang Du. The rough first impression made Yang Du feel that the commander of the new army standing in front of him had an appearance that ordinary people did not have.Connecting what he saw and heard yesterday, recalling his extraordinary actions three years ago, Yang Du immediately looked solemn and respectful. "Please sit down, sit down and talk." Yuan Shikai pointed to the sofa, and sat down first while speaking. When Yang Du also sat down, he was surprised to find that Yuan Shikai looked very tall at this time, as if he was taller than himself. out half a head.Yuan Shikai asked with a strong eastern Henan accent, "Do you smoke this?" As he spoke, he took out a shiny golden flat box from his coat pocket, opened it to reveal five black and yellow cigars arranged side by side, and he took out one from the middle to Yang Du.Yang Du usually smoked water pipes. At that time, these imported foreign cigars were very expensive, and most people couldn't afford them. come over.Yuan Shikai himself took one and put it in his mouth, then took out a match, lit it for Yang Du first, and then lit it for himself.Yang Du took a puff lightly, and immediately felt a wonderful fragrance filling his mouth and nose, which was very pleasant, so he took another puff of the cigarette heavily, feeling comfortable all of a sudden, and his energy doubled. Stuff is enjoyable. "Mr. Xizi, thank you for personally sending Bachelor Xu's policy topic. Please pass it on to the old man. I will definitely prepare and send it on time." Yuan Shikai exhaled a light smoke, with a relaxed expression. Leave no trace on him. "Master Yuan, I came to the small station this time not only at the order of Mr. Xu, but also because I really want to pay homage to you and express my gratitude in person." "Mr. Xizi, what can I thank you for?" Yuan Shikai said with a smile, showing his neat white teeth. Yuan's smile was modest and easygoing, completely devoid of the majestic and chilling air of a general who has led troops for a long time.Yang Du is happy to associate with this kind of person. "Master Yuan, you may have forgotten that three years ago in Songyun Nunnery, on a whim, I used a leather robe to buy wine, and you sent someone to redeem the leather robe the next day, and sent it to the Changjun Guild Hall. Thanks to your generous help, otherwise, I would really not be able to survive the cold spring in the next few days!" "Oh!" Yuan Shikai took off the cigar in his mouth.He smoked so hard that there was only half of a fat cigar left. "I remember you as soon as you mentioned it. You have lived in Beijing not long ago, you don't know the weather in Beijing, and you have no money to spend, but Qingming cannot be used as a fur robe!" After finishing speaking, he burst out laughing. Xu Shichang also laughed along with him.Due to his poor family in his early years, he has always maintained a frugal living habit, dressed plainly, never smoked, and even rarely drank tea.He interjected: "There is a slang saying in the capital that in March, leather is exchanged for cotton, and in August, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, people rest in the rabbit's nest. Throughout the year, there are more cold days and fewer hot days." Yang Du said: "At that time, the person who brought the leather robe left after saying a word. I didn't know where your lord lived. I asked Liang Zhuoru and the others, but I didn't know, so I couldn't thank you all the time. I always feel ashamed when I think about it." "There is no need to say thank you for such a trivial matter." Yuan Shikai said sincerely, "What's more, Mr. is a man who sells wine in his robe, swears his blood alliance, and is willing to bravely fight for the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty. This is a truly generous and passionate man. Respect, I'm afraid I can't make friends with you, thank you! As long as I have time, I will go to listen to the gathering of patriots in the capital. I couldn’t go there for a while, so I specially sent my son Keding to listen. When Keding came back, he told me about this matter, and I immediately asked him to arrange someone to redeem it and send it back.” Yuan Shikai's Henan dialect was crisp and clear, without the vague and perfunctory habit of the officialdom at that time.Yang Du has never seen such a capable person, and seeing him express his deep admiration for young scholars who care about state affairs, he added a lot of respect in his heart.Most of Yang Du's contact with scholars on a daily basis are irresponsible scholars, who are more than passionate but not calm enough.This is a rare and good opportunity. He wants to listen carefully to this promising official who is doing the business of enriching the country and strengthening the army in a down-to-earth manner, and talk about his views on state affairs. "Master Yuan, you have been famous overseas for many years, and you have been admired by the people of the country for a long time. When I arrived at the small station yesterday, I saw that the camp was cleaned up and the morale was high. Today, I watched the military exercises of the soldiers on the playground. Your Excellency personally supervises the distribution of salaries, tries hard to correct the bad habits of the military camps, and it is difficult to find another person in the world, which shows that the overseas military achievements are not accidental. I also know that Your Excellency cares about the country and the people, and takes the self-improvement of the Qing Dynasty as his own responsibility, which is of great importance to the country. He has insight. Although Yang Du is a scholar, he has no job or power, but he is born to like to talk about state affairs and loves to be a worrying scumbag. Now he wants to ask the adults for advice wholeheartedly, and he thinks the adults will give them generously." "Mr. Xizi, you are too polite. If you want to talk about thinking about state affairs, Mr. Kang Nanhai, Mr. Liang Rengong, and you gentlemen who strengthen the society and protect the National Assembly have studied thoroughly. I have been overseas for a long time, and I know the domestic situation well. Not many, these few years have been shrunk to the small station, and it is very closed. However, I am willing to discuss with you a great plan to save the country. If you have any ideas, let’s chat casually!" Seeing Yuan Shikai readily agree, Yang Du was very happy.He said: "I would like to ask first, the naval battle in the Sino-Japanese War of 1895-1995. Is it the defeat of that battle, or the defeat of our entire Qing Dynasty against Little Japan?" Yuan Shikai immediately replied: "The naval battle in the First Sino-Japanese War ended with the defeat of the entire navy. In fact, our entire country was defeated by the Japanese Empire. Mr. Xizi, I will tell you something. That year, the number of Japanese troops stationed in North Korea decreased from 6,000 to 6,000. The number increased to 12,000, and they dug trenches and built outposts around Seoul. At the same time, I intercepted their order to secretly dispatch the navy. It is obvious that Japan will have a large-scale military operation. In view of this, I report to the court Sending electricity, requesting to send more troops to North Korea, hoping to deter Japan with an overwhelming advantage, so that they will give up the idea of ​​​​military action, but the court did not respond. Then ten telegrams in a row, all of which fell into the sea. No way, I had to return to China. The court misjudged the situation , thinking that Japan would not dare to go to war. The naval battle broke out without any preparations, and we finally missed the opportunity and finally lost to Japan.” At this point, Yuan Shikai changed another cigar and took two sharp puffs, as if he was extremely distressed by the mistakes of the year. Yang Du's chest was also a little dull.He took a sip of tea and asked, "My lord Yuan, in view of the failure of the Sino-Japanese War in the First Sino-Japanese War, people of insight deeply believe that China cannot strengthen itself unless reforms are made. According to old Mr. Xu, the emperor is eager to recruit a group of talented people, and to Immediately, an edict will be issued to the world to establish the state. But except for some provinces such as Hunan and Hubei, most of the official circles are waiting to see. Master Yuan, do you think China’s reform has the possibility of success?” Late last night, as soon as Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang returned to the small station, the officials from the camp affairs office reported Yang Du's visit with Xu Zhijing's letter.Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang knew that this meant that Xu Zhijing had a recommendation, so they discussed it carefully.At this time, Yuan Shikai thought for a while and said: "There has been no easy way since ancient times. Today, the country cannot resist disasters internally, and cannot resist insults externally. If we still follow the old methods and don't think about changing the course, how can we get out of the predicament and turn around?" Weakness becomes strong? Therefore, I support the emperor’s decision of reform and self-improvement from the bottom of my heart. As long as the emperor’s sacred heart is firm, things will be easy to handle. The reason why many people are still waiting and watching is that the emperor has not made up his mind, so the edict of declaring the country is right It must come down early, so as to stabilize the hearts of the subjects of the whole country. I have always believed that the reform will definitely gain support from the top and bottom, and it will be successful." Yuan Shikai's tone was very affirmative.Yang Du thought to himself, this is a person who sees things clearly and has strong self-confidence.Xu Shichang had been listening intently, and at this moment he also interjected: "This is Wei Ting's consistent view, and he often uses it to strengthen the hearts of all the generals in the small station." Yang Du nodded, and asked again: "Master Yuan, your confidence will strengthen the emperor and encourage Mr. Kang Changsu, Liang Zhuoru, Tan Fusheng and others. I would also like to ask, what do you think Chen Is the law an urgent task that must be changed?" Yuan Shikai took another deep puff of his cigar, and then said in a firm and forceful tone: "The top priority is to reform the official system, abolish the imperial examinations, and train the new army. Reform the official system to facilitate the smooth flow of government orders, and abolish the imperial examinations to facilitate selection. Talents who are really useful in governing the country, train new troops to clean up the stagnation of the green battalion, so that the army can truly play a role in protecting the country and resisting insults." Yuan Shikai's ideas were exactly the same as Liang Qichao's and Tan Sitong's, which moved Yang Du greatly. He decided to report to Xu Zhijing bit by bit what he saw at the small station, and asked the old man to believe that the new army commander He is a rare figure in today's officialdom, and the seven thousand new troops under him are a powerful force. If we want to reform and reform, we must reuse him.He excitedly said to Yuan Shikai: "Master Yuan, I have listened to your advice today, and I have gained more than the many gatherings of Songjun Temple. When I return to the capital tomorrow, I will definitely learn what my lord has taught and done and the training of the new army. The achievements will be vigorously publicized to the monarchs of the Strong Society and the National Security Council." "Mr. Xizi, I thank you." Yuan Shikai squeezed Yang Du's hand again. During dinner, Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang accompanied Yang Du in person.Yuan Shikai repeatedly persuaded him to drink and persuade him to eat, and he was very attentive.Yang Du was drunk.The next morning, Yuan Shikai personally came to the post station to see him off, and Xu Shichang accompanied him to Tianjin Railway Station. When he got off the train, he gave him another one thousand taels of silver, saying it was a gift from the court.Yang Du was very surprised and afraid to accept it, but Xu Shichang repeatedly stated Yuan Shikai's love and cherishing talents, so he asked him to accept it.Yang Du thought, since the other party was out of sincerity and he really lacked this thing, he declined a few times and accepted it. The train was running towards the capital like lightning, and Yang Du was very excited sitting in the car.Although it was only a little more than a day of contact, he already believed that Yuan Shikai was a hero, and had a premonition that Yuan Shikai's new army would rise rapidly on the land of China.