Chapter 73 3. Xu Shichang came to Yuan's Mansion to make a plan for his brothers to tide over the difficulties

In the early morning of the next day, Shixu read the imperial decree calling Puyi into the palace and appointing Zaifeng as the regent to the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs of the whole dynasty.A heavy shadow hangs over everyone's hearts: the emperor must be dying! The Qing Dynasty passed down a rule from Kangxi's later years: no pre-appointment of a prince.When the emperor was dying, he took out the will from the emperor, opened the golden chamber hidden behind the upright plaque of the Qianqing Palace, compared the names of the successors stored in the golden chamber with the will, and announced it in public after being correct.Emperor Guangxu had no son, and now he took Puyi into the palace and appointed his father as the regent. There is no doubt that Puyi is the elder brother, and the emperor is also dying.

Everyone's heart was heavy, but there was one person who was more panicked than everyone else, and he was Yuan Shikai.After hearing these two edicts, his first thought was: How can he hear it at the same time as everyone else?How can you not know a little inside story beforehand?Of course Yuan Shikai knew that since the establishment of the Military Aircraft Department in the Yongzheng Dynasty, the Military Aircraft Department has become the highest decision-making body of state affairs, and the Minister of Military Aircraft is the person in power of the country.There is nothing important about the country that is not discussed with the Minister of Military Aircraft.For such a top priority as elder brother Li, he, a minister of military affairs, actually didn't know anything beforehand, and afterward, like ordinary ministers, he learned from the call, isn't it a strange thing!Right now, the power of the imperial court will be handed over to Zaifeng. It is related to the widely circulated whistleblowing case in the 1898 Years. Doesn't this mean that Zaifeng is deliberately rejecting it?Before Lafayette died, they started to do it; if Lafayette collapsed, wouldn't the knife be on his neck?When Yuan Shikai thought of this, he couldn't feel his whole body getting cold.He sat blankly in the study, staring at the couplet hanging on the wall, "Qing is what I want, what the poor are like."This is written especially for him by his biological father Yuan Baozhong.Yuan Shikai, who is very rich and famous, seems to have comprehended a profound meaning that he never thought of from this couplet at this moment.

"Father." At some point, Yuan Keding came in and said to his father, "Liang Shiyi told me something last night." "What's the matter?" Yuan Shikai asked alertly. "The city has been saying for the past two days that father wants to support Uncle Lizhen as his successor." "Bastard!" Yuan Shikai patted the desk heavily.He suddenly understood why he didn't participate in the grand event of establishing an heir. It must be this rumor that stimulated Lafayette.He yelled angrily: "These rotten-tongued guys must be hacked into pieces!"

"Father, I heard that Puyi from Zhaochun Palace has entered the palace, isn't he the future emperor?" Yuan Keding asked quietly.He knew how unfavorable what happened this morning to his father was the same as what he heard last night.He specially came to offer a rescue plan to his father.Seeing that his father was silent with a dark face, he said cautiously, "My son just passed by Shichahai, and saw the heavy traffic in front of the Prince Chun's Mansion, the crowns and crowns were like clouds, and the congratulators filled the alleys in front of the Prince's Mansion. The son thought, father and The regent is also the Minister of Military Aircraft, should he also go to Prince Chun's Mansion?"

Go to Prince Chun's Mansion, use the name of congratulations, have a good talk with Zaifeng, and explain to him clearly that the coup that put the emperor in a very unfavorable way back then was not a secret that I told Lafayette at all.Explain to him clearly that since the Yang Cuixi incident, his opinion of Zai Zhen has changed drastically. Zai Zhen is not suitable for being a leader at all, and the rumors in the capital these two days are pure nonsense.When it's speculative, give Zai Feng another one million taels of silver bill.Not to mention that her son is about to become emperor, I will not worry about running out of money. Lafayette is rich all over the world, but her expenses are still arranged by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The young Prince Chun with real power!Yes, Yuan Shikai, who has always believed that money can pass through the gods and has used it very skillfully, decided to accept his son's advice and give it a try.

"Okay, you go and get ready, I'll be there in a while." "Yes." Yuan Keding was satisfied when he saw that his idea was adopted by his father, so he turned and went out. As soon as his son left the house, Yuan Shikai thought again, if that boy Zaifeng had a mix of new and old grudges, and with today's supreme power, he would put up money to refuse to see each other, wouldn't it be a shame, why not let Ke Definitely try it out first.He called his son in and said: "Go to Prince Jin's Mansion first and pass a photo, and when you see the regent, tell him in person that I'm going to pay a visit at night."

"Alright." Yuan Keding was very quick-witted, and he immediately understood his father's intentions. Yuan Keding brought a bookboy with him and rushed to Prince Chun's mansion excitedly.There is still a lot of traffic and people here, and it seems to be more lively than half an hour ago.Mr. Yuan came to the gate of the palace in person, and stuffed a hundred-liang silver bill into the hand of the chief porter, asking him to go in quickly and report. Seeing that Mr. Yuan was so lavish, the head of the porter smiled so much that his eyes narrowed, and hurriedly poured him tea and cigarettes.After making arrangements, he went to the mansion to make an investigation.

Yuan Keding sat in the gatehouse with his legs crossed, and saw that officials below the middle level, such as Lang Zhong and Yuan Wai Lang, were turned away, and senior officials such as Shang Shu and Shi Lang came out within a few minutes after entering.The faces of those who blocked the door were depressed, while those who came out were proud.Yuan Keding looked at this picture of becoming popular, and cursed in his heart: "One day, I will also ask you slaves to come and perform at the gate of my Yuan Mansion!" When Yuan Keding was proud, unexpectedly the concierge said to him with embarrassment: "Young Master Yuan, I'm really sorry, my lord is too tired, so the order says it will be excused."

Yuan Keding did not expect that Zaifeng would not see him.As an ordinary farmer, businessman, You Cheng, who was under the assistant minister and above the doctor, at a time like today, he was originally visible and invisible.But he, the eldest son of Yuan Shikai, Minister of Military Aircraft, Zaifeng did not see him, obviously he rejected Yuan Shikai's fawning. "Master Yuan, the prince is indeed very busy at the moment, so come tomorrow with a little less time. No matter how busy the prince is at that time, he can't neglect you, Mr. Yuan!" Bending humbly, he made up a few words to comfort him.

Yuan Keding had no choice but to get up in dismay, and explained to his father after returning home.The refusal of Prince Chun made Yuan Shikai feel even more uneasy.Just when he had no way to deal with it, the earth-shattering happened, and it happened very suddenly and strangely. When the lanterns were held in the evening of the next day, bad news came from the palace: Emperor Guangxu, who had reigned for thirty-four years and was only thirty-eight years old, passed away at Hanyuan Hall in Yingtai.All the princes and ministers, the six ministers, the nine ministers, Han Zhan, and Kedao were all in plain clothes, kneeling outside the gate of Qianqing, and respectfully listened to the Empress Dowager Cixi's decree: "Because Emperor Mu Zongyi did not have a concubine, he was born on the fifth day of December in the thirteenth year of Tongzhi. The Japanese decree: Emperor Daxing has a prince, and he will succeed Emperor Mu Zongyi as heir. Now Emperor Daxing is the guest of honor, and there is no second heir. Puyi, the son of the regent Zaifeng, has to be the heir of Emperor Mu Zongyi, and It also inherits the legacy of the Daxing Emperor. Now that the current situation is difficult and the heir emperor is still approaching his age, it is appropriate to concentrate on the study of classics, and the regent is the supervisor of the country. All military and state affairs, all the military and state affairs, have received the instructions given by the case, and the judgment is implemented. As the years get older and the students are successful in their studies, the heir emperor will rule the government affairs himself."

The civil and military ministers knelt in the bleak autumn wind to listen to the imperial decree, and they were all full of grief.It is said that the emperor is supreme and dominates everything, but this Lord Guangxu, Zai Tian, ​​is a pitiful emperor. When he entered the palace at the age of four, under the strict control of his so-called father, the Empress Dowager Cixi, he greeted, read, ate, and slept in the narrow world of the inner harem, without the love and affection of his parents, nor the love of his brothers and sisters. Siblings play and play, that kind of rigid, monotonous, indifferent, and boring environment has cultivated his introverted, withdrawn, depressed, and cowardly character.After growing up, he was forced by Cixi's despotic power to make a woman he didn't love as queen, but he couldn't get close to the concubine he loved. In the end, he had to watch her being pushed down the well by Cixi and drowned.After a few years of pro-government, there was a coup d'etat in the Reform Movement of 1898.From then on, Yingtai was imprisoned and lost his freedom for ten years.He sighed that he was not as good as Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty.In fact, the joy of life for such an emperor is simply not as good as that of a shepherd boy in the countryside or a wandering vagabond.Many ministers thought of this, and they all shed sincere tears for their Daxing Emperor, pitying his short and miserable life.Even the elderly princes, remembering that in the eleven years since Xianfeng, forty-seven years, they have seen with their own eyes three emperors who ascended to the throne at an advanced age, and two Daxing emperors who had no children and no daughters and whose lifespan was not as long as that of a middle-aged man. Lamented the many disasters in the fate of the Qing Dynasty.However, they never expected that before the right time, the seventy-four-year-old Empress Dowager Cixi, who had supported the government for nearly half a century, collapsed in the Hall of Yiying. The funeral of two palaces within two days is not only unique in the 260 years since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, but also rarely precedent in the entire history of Chinese feudal emperors.For a while, the Forbidden City was covered with snow, mourning and joy shaking the sky, and all state affairs were almost suspended.From the Military Aircraft Department to the Guozijian, officials of all yamen in central Beijing, big and small, threw themselves into unprecedented national mourning.In the streets and alleys of the capital, in restaurants and teahouses, various theories are circulated in private.Everyone was surprised by this incident: the young emperor just walked away, and the elderly queen mother followed him. How could Lord Yan arrange such a coincidence?There is a widely circulated saying that Cixi was seriously ill. Yuan Shikai was afraid that Emperor Guangxu would take power after Cixi's death, which would be bad for him, so he slandered the queen mother: the emperor knew that the queen mother was seriously ill, and he was very happy, and told the eunuchs around him what he wanted to do. The day has come.The queen mother was furious when she heard this, and said that I could not die before him.On the twenty-first day, Cixi knew that her death was approaching, so she ordered the eunuchs to inject poison into Emperor Guangxu.Emperor Guangxu died immediately after taking the poison, and asked the Queen Mother for his life in a nightmare that night.Cixi was frightened and died the next day. This legend was introduced to Yuan Shikai's ears through Yuan Keding, which really made it hard for him to argue.He is very clear that this is undoubtedly another stab in the back, and the future is really dangerous for him! There are two catalpas in the inner palace.The one in Qianqing Palace is that of Emperor Guangxu, and the one in Huangji Palace is that of Empress Dowager Cixi.Senior officials from the second rank and above took turns to guard the spirit at the two places day and night. These days, Yuan Shikai felt a little scared every time he saw Zaifeng.Zaifeng's face was gloomy, his eyes were cold, and seemed to contain a murderous look.He knew that disaster was not far away.But he, a general who has been restless since he was a child and dared to venture into the rivers and lakes, a brave general who was born and died in a foreign land in his youth, a hero who has trained the six towns of Beiyang over the years and intends to cultivate cronies and install buddies among them. Just kill with nothing, and watch death come?He wants to compete with the regent of Jian Guo. He was thinking hard, worry, anxiety mixed with a bit of fear, which made him restless all day long, and he even gave up on the most interesting things on weekdays.These days, he was alone in the bedroom at night, and he had nine wives and concubines, none of whom were lucky.Yuan Shikai's abnormality brought surprise and suspicion to the Yuan family.None of his wives, concubines and children can understand his thoughts, but only the eldest son Yuan Keding knows how much his father's thoughts are.He is also trying his best to think of ideas to share the benefits for the old man and relieve his worries. Behind his father's back, he approached Zhao Bingjun, Minister of Civil Affairs, Yan Xiu, Minister of Education, Yin Chang, Minister of Army, Yang Shiqi, Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, and his brother Yang Shixiang, Governor of Zhili.These people are all his father's confidantes, who were promoted or favored by him, and they have a very close relationship with Yuan Keding on weekdays.But these people don't know the inside story of Pu Yi's ascension to the throne and Zai Feng's supervision of the country, and the situation is still stable on the surface. Apart from lamenting that the two palaces collapsed at the same time when the other was troubled by internal superiority, and the young master took the throne, everything will be more difficult in the future. Can't even come up with an idea.The eldest son of the Yuan family is not good at uncovering the truth by himself, so he can only rub his hands and worry. On this day, Yuan Shikai received a letter from Fengtian from Xu Shichang, governor of the Northeast, saying that he would leave for Beijing to pay homage to Zigong today, and that he would come to the mansion to have a drink with his old friends and talk about the current situation.Yuan Shikai's heart brightened after reading the letter. Xu Shichang was a life-and-death friend. It can be said that his status today was completely given to him by himself. Why not ask him for the bottom line and listen to his tone. One evening five days later, Xu Shichang appeared at the gate of Yuan Mansion.Xu Shichang, who has been the governor for more than a year, has obviously gained weight.He used to be slender and fair-skinned, but now he looks more graceful and extraordinary.Because it was a period of national mourning, he was wearing a black cloth robe and shoes, and a white cloth strip was tied to the long braid behind his head.When the concierge heard the words "Master Xu is visiting", Yuan Shikai hurriedly put down the cigar in his hand, walked out of the study quickly, and came to the gate in person. "Brother Juren, I haven't seen you for more than a year, and you are getting richer." Yuan Shikai held Xu Shichang's hand very affectionately, with a smile all over his face. "Everyone says I'm getting fat. Getting fat is not a good thing. It's better to be thinner." Xu Shichang was also very happy. He glanced at his old friend treacherously, and said with a soft smile, "Brother, I heard that you married me again." My sister-in-law is a Suzhou beauty! You are so beautiful and blessed!" Yuan Shikai had no scruples, and smiled brightly: "Call her to visit you, big brother, later!" "Okay, I'm bringing back a high-quality mink fur, let's make it a waistcoat for the ninth sibling!" "Oh, sorry for your trouble." The two talked and laughed and walked into the small living room.Yuan Keding made the tea himself, and he respectfully handed Xu Shichang a cup of tea, knowing that they had something important to discuss, so he said "Mr. Xu, please have some tea" and then quietly withdrew. "Keding is a very sensible kid!" Looking at Yuan Keding's back, Xu Shichang sighed. "Where, it's far worse than your senior brothers." Yuan Shikai said modestly, and was satisfied with the eldest son in his heart.Because of this, he has always maintained his courtesy to Mrs. Shi.It was really thanks to this married wife that he gave birth to an eldest son who is very prestigious among many brothers. This is an important factor in maintaining this big family in the future. "Well, if my sons can catch up to half of Keding, I will be satisfied." Xu Shichang sighed from his heart, he was indeed dissatisfied with his sons. "Speaking of which, my family only has a strong Keding, and nothing else is good, especially Kewen, who has failed so far and has broken my heart." Yuan Shikai took a sip from the Moyu Cup, which was soaked as usual. It's ginseng soup. "Kevin's kid is very smart, I think he will become a big celebrity in the future." "What kind of famous person is at most a vagabond who can write a few crooked poems. He hangs out with women and actors all day long, what's the point of success!" Yuan Shikai said so smoothly, he never thought that Ke Wen was so good. Femininity is completely inherited from Lao Tzu. Middle-aged friends get together, and things like their sons' success in school are often important topics for them.These two important ministers of the country, when they were undergoing such a great change, still couldn't avoid this vulgarity when talking. Just as he was talking, according to his father's order, Keding and two servants opened the door and came in.A servant placed two wine glasses, two pairs of jade chopsticks, and a pot of Funiu Mountain Laojiao wine on the tea table.Another servant carried six bowls of dishes on a lacquered wooden tray and laid them out one by one on the coffee table. Yuan Shikai picked up his chopsticks and pointed, "Brother Ju, I knew you were coming, so I asked Keding to notify the kitchen a few days ago, and specially prepared some side dishes for you. Try it and see if it suits your taste." "Okay, okay." Xu Shichang said while raising his glass. "This is fried hump. This bowl of bear's paw was stewed the day before yesterday, so you can see if it's rotten." Yuan Shikai said, tapping the side of the bowl with his chopsticks. "Wei Ting, you are too extravagant. Our old brothers have a party. What are you doing with these expensive dishes?" Xu Shichang has an addiction to drinking, but because of his poverty for many years, he is not particular about the food that goes with wine.In the past ten years, although he has become more and more famous, his eating habits have not changed much.His chopsticks didn't reach the hump's paw, but he took a shredded fish from a fish bowl and put it into his mouth, chewed it and said, "This fish tastes good, in fact, this bowl of fish is enough." Yuan Shikai smiled and asked, "Do you know what kind of fish this is?" Xu Shichang stared at it and replied, "It looks like a carp." "Yes, a carp. Do you know where this carp came from?" "I don't know about that." Xu Shichang put down his chopsticks. "This is Mengjin's Yellow River carp." Yuan Shikai's chopsticks tapped on the fiery red fish scales. "Only the Yellow River carp in Mengjin have such red scales, and the scales are lighter elsewhere." "Mengjin is more than 2,000 miles away from Beijing. Didn't the fish go bad when it arrived? How can we keep it fresh?" Xu Shichang asked in surprise. When King Wu of Zhou launched an army to attack King Zhou of Shang, when Mengjin was crossing the Yellow River, a big carp jumped into his boat. King Wu of Zhou regarded it as auspicious.Li Bai's poem: "The three-foot carp in the Yellow River originally lived in Mengjin. If you don't become a dragon if you tap your forehead, you will come back with ordinary fish." Its allusion comes from this.Therefore, the Yellow River carp in Mengjin area has become a delicacy. "One of my family members works in Mengjin. He came to Beijing a few days ago and gave me a wooden box. I asked him what it was, but he smiled and didn't answer. When I opened the box, it turned out to be a box of lard. I said Why are you sending this thing? The capital is not short of it. He said don’t worry, the good guy is in it. He dug into the lard with his hand, and actually pulled out a fish, saying that I will bring you five Mengjin carp, using this method Keep fresh. Stuff live fish in lard and seal it on all sides. It is not afraid of the heat in June, and it is not afraid of storage for three to five months. When you want to eat it, take it out of the lard, except that you will not swim again. Other than that, everything else is indistinguishable from a live fish." "Is there such a good way to preserve freshness? No wonder the fish tastes so good!" Xu Shichang praised another piece of fish. "However, I don't care much about it." Yuan Shikai put down his chopsticks, his face darkened abruptly. "I told my family, don't worry about it in the future. I will go back to my hometown in Henan soon. I will live in a thatched hut in Mengjin and become a Yellow River fisherman. Every day, I can eat fresh Mengjin Yellow River carps. gone." "Wei Ting, what do you mean?" Xu Shichang didn't expect Yuan Shikai to say such words at all. He put his chopsticks on the tea table, and stared at this one-of-a-kind man in terms of ingenuity and fraud. The old brother was puzzled. "Hey, Brother Ju, you don't know that I'm in a difficult situation right now!" Yuan Shikai leaned back, with a sad expression on his face. "Why?" Xu Shichang's drunkenness disappeared immediately. "The emperor and Lafayette have both gone for a while. King Chun supervised the country. In the past, it was said that I betrayed the emperor during the 1898 Years. Now King Chun wants to settle the old debt on behalf of the emperor. Lafayette is gone, and Rong Zhongtang is gone. , no one can make decisions for me, can he believe my own arguments?" At the time of the coup in 1898, Xu Shichang was assisting Yuan Shikai in training the new army at the camp affairs office of the Xiaozhan. Tan Sitong found Yuan and Yuan returned to Tianjin and told Rong Lu about these things. Xu Shichang knew about it.Xu and Yuan hold the same opinion, that is, Tan's plan must never be adopted, and Rong Lu must also be informed of this ridiculous plan of the Reform Party, otherwise it will be too involved in the future.As for whether Rong Lu went to Beijing that night, Xu didn't know.The coup took place early the next morning, and the world rumored that Yuan had betrayed the emperor.Xu Shi often sweated for Yuan, fearing that if Cixi died first and the emperor came to power again, and believed the legends in the world, it would be difficult for Yuan.Unexpectedly, Tian fulfilled his wishes, and the emperor left one day first. Xu has been lucky for Yuan these days. "Wei Ting, you can rest assured about this matter. I am here to tell you this. It is a good thing for you that the emperor goes away first. Think about it, if the emperor is still alive , He came to investigate the old affairs of the 1898 Years, what do you do? As far as I know, King Jin has kissed his aunt instead of his elder brother for many years, and he will not make things difficult for you." "Chrysanthemum, you only know one side, you don't know the other side. Let me tell you the truth, this time Lafayette discussed the matter of establishing an heir before his death, and I didn't participate." Out of sincere trust in this little brother, Yuan Shikai revealed this heart disease. "Is there such a thing?" Xu Shichang was surprised. Yuan Shikai nodded. "This is strange." Xu Shichang stood up and paced in the living room.As an old bureaucrat who is well versed in government affairs, he knows that this matter is no small matter. A minister of military affairs did not participate in the important event of establishing an heir. At least after the new emperor ascends the throne, the golden chair of the military affairs department will be transferred to someone else. No wonder Yuan Shikai returned home. Ready for fishing. "Which ministers are discussing the establishment of an heir?" "In addition to King Chun himself, there are also Shixu and Zhang Zhidong." Xu Shichang is known as a wise man, and Yuan Shikai hopes that this wise man can help him in this matter. "King Qing didn't participate either?" Xu Shichang asked. "Xiantian went to check the Empress Dowager's tomb." "This is to send him out of Beijing on purpose." Xu Shichang immediately made a judgment. "Many people in the court say that King Qing has a close relationship with you. It seems that this is not a coincidence." "What a coincidence!" Yuan Shikai said with a wry smile, "Let me tell you one more thing. In those few days, a rumor came out of nowhere, saying that I would establish myself as the emperor. This is really nonsense No matter how stupid I am, I would never do such a thing!" "These two things are linked together." Xu Shichang sat down again, looked at Yuan Shikai seriously, and said, "It seems that the matter is serious. If there is another villain to instigate, Brother Wei Ting, I am not alarmist. Then you'll be in trouble." Yuan Shikai's body trembled involuntarily.What Xu Shichang said was the truth, which was about the same as his own estimate. "Brother Juren, can you come up with a good idea?" Xu Shichang's face was stern, and he felt more and more serious about the situation.He thought, in Zaifeng's eyes, you, Yuan Shikai, are no different from an enemy who robbed his son of the throne. Now that he is in power, can he spare you lightly? Seeing that this wise man was also in trouble, Yuan Shikai was disappointed for a while.A thought flashed through his mind: If you don't do it, don't stop. Rather than waiting to die, it's better to fight your way out. Aren't Li Yuan and Zhao Kuangqi also human?Let's test Xu Shichang first, and find out how he sees it. "Brother Juren, do you still remember the great wish we made to the sky when we two married each other in our humble house thirty years ago?" "Wei Ting, do you still take the jokes from your youth seriously?" Xu Shichang became anxious when he heard these words.How could he not remember the matter of making a wish to the sky? That year Yuan Shikai proposed to become brothers with Xu Shichang, and Xu Shichang, a down-and-out literati, readily agreed.Yuan solemnly set up the desk, lit candles and incense sticks, knelt in front of the desk with Xu, reported their birthdays, and bowed three times to the sky.After the worship, brother Xu made an oath to the sky: I would like to follow the example of Liu Guan and Zhang Taoyuan in the three knots, and in the future we will share blessings and share misfortunes.He took his younger brother Yuan and said: "God is above, if I, Yuan Shikai, become the emperor in the future, I will definitely let my brother-in-law be the prime minister."When Xu Shichang heard this, he was shocked. Such words as "be an emperor" are not casually said, if they are reported by others, it will be a matter of beheading and exterminating the family!But that was the time when Xu You asked Yuan, how could he dare to reprimand him, and he thought Yuan was still young, so he was just talking.Unexpectedly, thirty years later, the younger brother who became the minister of military aircraft still remembered that incident! Xu Shichang is not a pedantic believer in Neo-Confucianism.All he asked for from the Manchu emperor was personal glory and wealth, and he seldom thought of being loyal to the emperor.Over the years, the Revolutionary Party has made a lot of noise, and all the signs that the Qing Dynasty is dying have been fully exposed.With his shrewdness, he also knew that the change of dynasty was not far away.The 30-year experience of the brother in front of me is enough to prove that he has extraordinary courage and talent, and there is no guarantee that the master of the new dynasty in the future will not be this person.If he facilitates this, the prime minister's seat will be indispensable.Thirty years ago the joke may really become a reality.However, now is not the time. Thinking of this, Xu Shichang calmly said to his brother: "Wei Ting, what you said just now reminded me of the scene thirty years ago. For thirty years, you have striven for self-improvement. It is not easy to get where you are today. I This brother also relies on you to be the governor, and when I think about it, the sky pays off. We are sworn brothers, I have to tell you the truth, can you listen?" Yuan Shikai held his breath and said: "My brother, why are you being so polite? I was just about to listen to your heart. The food is cold. Let's have a drink or two before talking!" After the two drank a glass of wine, Xu Shichang put down his chopsticks and said seriously: "Back then, when I heard that big wish you made to the sky, I thought it was just a joke. Today you mentioned it again, but I think I can seriously consider it. Something happened. The court is corrupt, the country is in chaos and the people are in danger, and many people are dreaming of winning the throne, so why don't you, Yuan Weiting, be allowed to ask?" Yuan Shikai's eyes began to shine, and he was absorbed in listening. "However, brother, I want to pour a basin of cold water on you. The time has not come yet. The key point is that the military power of the six towns of Beiyang is not directly in your and my hands. Without a sword, you cannot dream of winning the championship. " These few words made Yuan Shikai's mind sober.Yes, although the Six Towns of Beiyang were trained by me, but now I can't mobilize them. How can I act rashly at this time!He subconsciously nodded. "Brother Wei Ting, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. Zaifeng is not a material for ruling the country, and he has no effective helpers around him. There are leaks everywhere in the court, which corresponds to the old saying 'a thousand holes and sores'. Over the years The reason why they didn't fall apart was all due to Lafayette's skill. Now Zaifeng's ability is not as good as hers, and the chaos has increased. He can't maintain the overall situation of the court. In my opinion, chaos is coming. You might as well wait patiently." Xu Shichang picked up the wine glass, drank it down, and said excitedly, "I used to travel to Keli, my brother was the master of the mansion, and I was a guest and friend. Now in Wangcheng, my brother got the waist jade. Won the crown. In the past thirty years, Brother Yu has received so much favor from his virtuous brother that the waters of the river and sea are not enough to describe it. The days when Brother Yu repays his brother are long, and he has a great heart for his younger brother. If you are not familiar with it, you will make a big deal. Once the time is right, you will come forward to help your younger brother to achieve a great cause for thousands of years. Even if you go through fire and water, you will not hesitate. If you have such a heart, you can form an alliance!" Yuan Shikai's blood boiled for a moment, and he held Xu Shichang's hand tightly and said: "I am very grateful to hear what my elder brother said today. It is still the same sentence thirty years ago. Brothers and brothers share wealth and honor, and life and death share the same goal. This alliance will be destroyed by thunder from the sky. Come, let's have a toast!" The two wine glasses touched each other, and each finished the wine.Xu Shichang said: "The ancients said: Don't enter a dangerous country, and stay away from it. In my opinion, this is the best way you can choose at present." "You want me to take the initiative to ask you to open the vacancy and return home?" Yuan Shikai guessed Xu Shichang's intention. "Exactly." Xu Shichang nodded. "It's fine to leave the capital for a while, but I'm afraid that, as you said, you can't catch people in the Yellow River." Yuan Shikai said worriedly. "I always have a way." Xu Shichang picked up his empty wine glass, pondered for a long time, and said slowly, "Zaifeng is a timid person, and he worries a lot about things. If he really wants to make a knife against you, he will have to deal with the people involved." It was discussed. There are two people who can help you tide over the difficulties." Xu Shichang stretched out two fingers. "Come on, which two?" Yuan Shikai leaned forward. Xu Shichang smiled and said: "As the old saying goes, we are in the same boat. Only in the same boat can we help each other. You have to pull these two people into the same boat with you. One is Zhang Zhidong and the other is Duan Qirui." "Oh!" Yuan Shikai seemed to have realized something. "Wei Ting, let's discuss it carefully." The two big heads came closer together.The light in the small living room stayed on until the rooster crowed. The matter of contacting Duan Qirui was handed over to Yuan Keding. The old man from Xiaozhan's military training had a deep personal relationship with Yuan Shikai, especially Duan Qirui, who was highly appreciated by Yuan.Duan Qirui is a native of Hefei, Anhui. He went to Beiyang Army School to study at the age of nineteen.Yuan trained troops at Xiaozhan, and most of the early military instructors came from the Beiyang Army School.Duan Qirui was favored by Yuan, and he called for a small station.Like Yuan Shikai, Duan Qirui's ingenuity is mainly reflected in his ability to do things, and reading and playing with a pen are not his forte.Yuan Shikai adopted the method of promoting military officers in Germany and Japan, and examinations were required for promotion to military officers at all levels.He intends to promote Duan Qirui to be in charge, but he is afraid that he will not do well in the exam, so he secretly tells Duan the test questions before the exam.After finishing the exam, he won the first place and was successfully promoted to the leader.Duan Yu was very grateful to Yuan and repaid him loyally.Later, Yuan served as the governor of Zhili and proposed to set up a military training office in the central government to uniformly lead the training of new troops across the country.The imperial court agreed and appointed Yikuang as the minister of the general office, Yuan as the minister of the association office, and Tie Liang as the minister of the assistant office.Yikuang is of course in name only, and the real power of the military training office is in Yuan's hands.Yuan appointed all the old people from Xiaozhan as the leaders at all levels of the military training department, and Duan Qirui as the chief envoy of the military commander, with the most important position.With his extraordinary ingenuity and contingency, Duan slowly took the second place in the Beiyang New Army, and he was quite prestigious among the Beiyang generals.The thinking of martial arts is generally relatively simple, stressing loyalty and value benefits.Yuan Keding found Duan Qirui and asked him to come forward to say hello to the senior generals of the Beiyang towns, and help Yuan Gongbao tide over the difficulties. He will surely share the blessings in the future, and then stuffed a lot of silver notes, a total of 1.5 million taels, He asked him to distribute them to his brothers to buy a bowl of wine to drink.Without saying a word, Duan Qirui patted his chest and accepted it readily.Yuan Keding returned home happily. Xu Shichang, who was in charge of mobilizing Zhang Zhidong, was very embarrassed.Zhang Zhidong, as a minister of military affairs, was an extremely talented minister, and his official position was not enough to move him; he was the leader of the Qing school in his early years, and he regarded himself as clean and honest all his life, and he was not greedy for money, so money was not enough to move him; he was old and weak Female sex is not enough to seduce him; he has outstanding talent and rich official experience, and tricks are not enough to deceive him.It is really difficult to lobby such a person!Xu Shichang thought hard, but couldn't find a place to start. At this moment, news of the farce in Prince Chun's Mansion spread, providing Xu Shichang with a rare opportunity.