Chapter 11 Chapter 10 Limin with Qingjiang in his heart

du8.com copyright One day, Duan Qirui came to Yuan Shikai's yamen anxiously, wanting to see how Taishan felt after losing his military power, and talk about what he should do by the way.After the autumn parade, Duan Qirui did not return to the Sixth Town, nor did he return to the Fourth Town, but still returned to his basic army, the Third Town.Due to the great victory in the parade, the government and the public, especially the military, suddenly looked at him differently. While he was still in charge of the three towns, he was also appointed as the "supervisor of the Beiyang Armed Forces Academy" and the "general manager of the military officer academy". "Two laurels.Duan Qirui, who is proud of the spring breeze, has to worry about "losing military power" for his "benefactor" Yuan Shikai.

Yuan Shikai was not gloomy, he was as radiant as before, chatting and laughing.As soon as the two met each other, he said happily: "It's a big drill, and it's our 'little station' style! Let those cold-eyed gentlemen be depressed, my Beiyang Army will always be a hero military!" Duan Qirui was infected, and he also became excited. "Yes, we want to train the strongest army in the country, including the army, artillery, navy, and air force!" "Yes, yes!" Yuan Shikai said: "You must have this kind of belief. You are here, and I just want to discuss something with you."

Part of Yuan Shikai's military power was lifted, which can only be regarded as a small disturbance in the officialdom.Politically, he remains a hot figure.He has this confidence, and so do others.In recent years, besides Duan Qirui, he has promoted and reused Xu Shichang, Tang Shaoyi, Zhao Bingjun, etc., all of whom have reached the high positions of ministers and ministers; there is also Sheng Xuanhuai, who is in charge of the railway business and almost controls the railway industry. China's important economy; Liang Shiyi is also a figure who can call the wind and rain in the economy.Yuan Shikai's sons and daughters are in-laws, and they have recently been promoted to the governor of Liangjiang... Is there anything Yuan Shikai can't do? What is he afraid of? Part of the military power is gone, but the generals are still his. Duan Qirui will not listen to his command!?

Yuan Shikai originally wanted to talk to Duan Qirui about arresting the army, but he stopped talking.He felt that it was unnecessary to talk about it, "Duan Zhiquan knows what to do." But he looked around and talked about Xu Shuzheng. "Zhiquan, Xu Shuzheng is a talent, young, promising, many views are not inferior to yours and mine! Make good use of this talent!" Seeing Yuan Shikai's optimism, Duan Qirui's heart fell to the ground. He was thinking of consoling him and expressing his loyalty, which was naturally superfluous.Now that Yuan Shikai mentioned Xu Shuzheng, he had no choice but to turn the conversation to Xu Shuzheng.

"Xu Shuzheng is talented." Duan Qirui said, "I'm arranging opportunities for him to pursue further studies." "Talents are rare!" Yuan Shikai said with some regret: "At the beginning, his "Regulations on State Affairs" was very important. Insightful. If I wasn’t in a family funeral, I would definitely have an interview with him.” He smiled at Duan Qirui and said, “As expected, Xu Shuzheng won’t be by your side today.” Duan Qirui was surprised: “Yuan Shikai Do you want Xu Shuzheng?" At this moment, he felt a little regretful, He regretted that he should not have led Xu Shuzheng to meet him at the beginning, let alone let Xu Shuzheng say in front of him that "the world is far away with Shandong, and the world returns with the center".Duan Qirui is also a person who wants to develop power, and he also needs to have confidantes.However, Yuan Shikai is a boss, a benefactor, and Mount Tai after all, so he has to do as he wishes.So, Duan Qirui still reluctantly said: "If my lord likes Shuzheng, he can naturally come to my lord."

"No, no!" Yuan Shikai shook his head hurriedly: "You and I have nothing to separate from each other, how could I want someone from your side! If that is the case, wouldn't it be better for you to come here with him. However, I have to make it clear: you Don't treat him badly. When I have difficulties, you have to let him come over and give me advice. " "That's natural." Duan Qirui said: "He can come to the adults at any time!" Duan Qirui will have a farewell party for Xu Shuzheng.He felt that he still had a lot to say to him.He prepared a feast.

Since Duan Qirui and Xu Shuzheng got along, they had never sat down and had a serious meal together.Duan Qirui is a person who doesn't like to eat with anyone, even if it's his wife or children, Xu Shuzheng doesn't like to eat at the same table with others.These two are together.After finishing the business talk, they turned their faces and went their separate ways.This time, it is an exception.Xu Shuzheng is going to Japan, and it is not known how many years and days after he has gone, who knows what will happen to the situation? Who knows if they will get back together again? Duan Qirui is not at ease, he wants to use some kind of Something tangible or intangible tied Xu Shuzheng to him.

What method should be used? After much deliberation, Duan Qirui decided to accept Xu Shuzheng as his disciple at the banquet. "As long as he posts a 'student' post, Shuzheng will always be mine, and no one can take him away from me!" Duan Qirui felt that all of this was extremely easy to do, and Xu Shuzheng would not refuse.He, Duan Qirui, has reason to do this to Xu Shuzheng no matter whether he is in public or private. Xu Shuzheng had expected Duan Qirui's farewell party.Originally, they wanted to hold a sumptuous banquet to thank Duan Qirui.However, after thinking about it, he changed his mind. "As for thanking you today, it would be more solemn to thank you when you come back from your studies. Wouldn't it be practical if you are in a hurry today!" Duan Qirui said farewell, and he felt that Duan Qirui was more magnanimous.Originally, he didn't like to attend any banquets, but today, he couldn't refuse, he rushed to Duan's mansion on time.

Xu Shuzheng walked into the small living room, and before taking a seat, he began to be polite: "My lord, you don't know Shuzheng well. I never eat at other people's homes. I am too lazy to be a guest, and I am not good at socializing. Just give orders when you have something to do. In my opinion, this meal what..." "According to what you said, this meal is a must." Duan Qirui said: "The first one, this is not an 'outsider's house', the second one, there are only you and me at the table, there is no need to socialize at all, You and I have not been together for three or two months, and we have never sat down and chatted face to face. Besides, you are going to travel far away, and I also have family affairs, which I just need to talk about."

Xu Shuzheng received kindness from Duan Qirui, and he had the heart of "repaying the kindness he knows".After hearing Duan Qirui's words, I also felt that I shouldn't say anything about leaving. Just when Xu Shuzheng was about to take his seat, he suddenly noticed that the arrangement of cups and chopsticks on the dining table was not right, he saw that it was a family banquet with one long and one young.I thought: "Duan Qirui treated me like a junior by hosting such a family banquet. He will not sit in the junior seat since he was a child. The junior seat is obviously for me, Xu." Someone prepared it. What do you mean?" Xu Shuzheng thought about it and smiled to himself. "I can't take this seat!"

Xu Shuzheng stood in front of the table, frowned slightly and said: "Sir, Shuzheng is really in a bad mood today, if you have anything to do, just tell me, the meal will be skipped." When Duan Qirui saw Xu Shuzheng's face change, he understood a little bit. "Young people don't want to be juniors!" Although he was unhappy, he couldn't force it.I had to pretend to be surprised and said: "Youzheng, don't misunderstand, this is arranged by family members accidentally, I don't care. You don't have to mind either. I will move it." After speaking, he put the original seat on the seat The cups and chopsticks on the table were placed on the seats of the guests and hosts, but they still gave a series of explanations: "I am a person who has never paid much attention to etiquette. People treat me as well as I treat people. The same is true with Governor Yuan. Like this. In fact, in terms of age, the governor is only 6 years older than me. Every time I eat at his place, I always sit in this way, and I just sit down. Maybe my family thinks I don’t care, so I did the same thing today .Change, change it.” Xu Shuzheng listened, and smiled secretly: "I am different from you. You are Yuan Shikai's adopted son-in-law. Yuan Shikai's children all call you 'brother-in-law', and your wife Zhang also regards the governor's house as her 'natal family'. Of course Yuan Shikai regards you as a younger generation." Treat. We don’t have this kind of relationship. I understand your intentions, you want me to post a post about ‘students’. I have to think about it.” Now, since Duan Qirui has changed the specifications of the banquet, Xu Shuzheng also He said in a tone of reassurance: "Actually, Shuzheng is not a person who is bound by etiquette. It's just that his family education was very strict since he was a child. Shuzheng always wanted to innovate, but he couldn't do anything about it. As for today's matter, Shuzheng didn't think so. You don’t need to take it to heart. Since you are so kind, Shuzheng is the first to come here, so I will be a guest here. Borrowing flowers to present Buddha is a good way to express Shuzheng’s gratitude to you.” Duan Qirui knew that Xu Shuzheng would not send him a "student" post, so he had to shatter his dream.The atmosphere of the banquet had to be broken accordingly.At the banquet, they talked about some acquaintances, and about the situation of the army, talking about it and changing cups.Duan Qirui finally said: "Youzheng, when you come back from the east, I have something important to ask you, but you must not refuse!" Shuzheng has set his ambition and will never leave his lord. Xu Shuzheng expressed his attitude. "I will definitely assist the adults to cure the army." " "One more thing." "My lord, please tell me." I want to respectfully invite you to be my tutor, and educate my dog ​​Hongye to become a talent!" Xu Shuzheng smiled. "The eldest son is already an adult, I'm afraid that when Shuzheng returns, the eldest son has already completed his career." No, no! Duan Qirui said: "I'm afraid that he will work hard all his life, and it will be difficult for him to learn a thing or two. You must teach him well!" "Being trusted by the Lord, Shuzheng had no choice but to obey." After this family banquet, Xu Shuzheng hurried eastward.Although Duan and Xu still depended on each other in the future, they also left a gap to some extent. The years without wars and disasters passed by very quickly.After the General Assembly, Duan Qirui still served as the commander of the three towns of the army.Since he is still the supervisor of the Beiyang Armed Forces School and the general manager of the Military Academy, he also wants to be able to fill the barracks with peaches and plums, so he puts more energy on school affairs. The supervisory office of the school is located near Xiaojinqing, outside Dongguan, Baoding.There, there are flat wastelands, rows of green trees, straight roads, and small rivers that seldom see water all year round.On this land, there are many schools of the army, the largest and most famous is the "Army Crash School", which was later renamed "Concord School" - the local people call it "Dongguan University School".There are often more than 2,000 students in this school, who are divided into various military subjects such as stepping, cavalry, artillery, engineering, and transportation.Later, many famous generals in the Beiyang Army and the Kuomintang army were graduates here, such as Qi Zhenlin, Wang Yongquan, Jiang Zhiqing (that is, Chiang Kai-shek who later became the chairman of the Kuomintang) and so on.In addition to the crash course, there are also "Army Medical School", "Army Ordnance School", "Land School Staff School" and so on.Duan Qirui often travels between schools, gives lectures, checks military discipline, builds relationships with students, and builds his prestige among students. du8.com copyright Duan Qirui was proud of his spring breeze, and dreamed that in a few years, towns, associations, bids, and camps all over the country would be dominated by his students, and he would be able to respond to all calls, shaking the earth! At that time, in addition to walking around the schools, In his spare time, he invites people to play chess—his Go game has become a major need in his life; besides, he also invites several literati to discuss poetry and papers together to show his elegant life. Yuan Shikai did not forget him, and the court did not forget him.During his supervision of the military academy, new jobs and important tasks were constantly given to him: In February Bingwu, he was granted the title of Chief Soldier of Tingzhou Town, Fujian Province, and he remained in his original post; in September, he was awarded the Vice-Capital Commander of the Han Army in Xianghuang Banner, and he was not ruled by Zhizhi; , 27 top students and 41 top students were chosen by Prince Huichun and others; In September, he served as the chief examiner for the army's overseas students, and was reinstated as the commander of the sixth town; This year, Duan Qirui was 46 years old. At the age of 46, he became the chief military officer of a province, and he wanted to dominate the military affairs of a party in Qingjiang, Jiangbei, which was considered a satisfactory position for him.Therefore, he was ordered on the 17th, summoned by Xie En on the 24th, and on the 1st of December, "please train and summon to find the post".At this time, Xu Shuzheng returned from gold plating in Japan, Duan Qirui asked permission to arrange a "Jiangbei Military Counselor" position for him, and they went to Qingjiang to take up the post together. Qingjiang, also known as Qingjiangpu, is located on the side of the Grand Canal in northern Jiangsu. It has been an important town in Huai, Yang, Xu and Haiwen since ancient times, and it was one of the centers of sea salt transshipment back then.However, due to the heavy barrenness of the land and years of drought and floods, it is a relatively barren place.It was the end of the year when Duan Qirui came to Qingjiang, the weather was freezing and the north wind was fierce, many hungry people appeared in the villages and towns, some died of illness on the street, and some fled with their families.The village is withered, the houses are dilapidated, and it is a desolate scene! When Duan Qirui arrived at Qingjiangpu, he was in a heavy mood—it turned out that during his term of office, he wanted to heal the army and do a few things that the common people applauded.However, he felt very troubled by the famine. After he settled down, he invited the Qingjiang financial officer who was in charge of renting classes, lijin, and salt affairs to ask him about the inflow and outflow of Suiyin in his place. This financial official is an old "place". His surname is Yu and his name is Yin. He is about 50 years old and has a skinny body like a monkey, but his mouse eyes are very clever.Holding an account book in her arms, she sat calmly in front of Duan Qirui, waiting for him to ask questions.Yu Yin has experience, he has picked up and sent too many local military and political officials, how should I put it, he has a good idea in his heart, and the account book in his arms is just a fool.Seeing Duan Qirui asking him about his annual income, he understood in his heart: "This lord wants to know whether his military salary has been paid?" So he deliberately flipped through the ledger and said, "The local annual income is still very optimistic." .The land is rich and the people are rich, people live and work in peace and contentment, and the national levy of imperial grain is not a problem. " When Duan Qirui heard this, he was very unhappy. "I have seen with my own eyes that the villagers are poor and there are hungry men on the road. How can they live and work in peace and contentment?" But he still said, "So, there is no difficulty in paying the salaries of the 11th Battalion of the 11th Battalion under my jurisdiction." Is it?" "Sir Admiral," Yu Yin was a little startled: "It should be said that there is no difficulty." "If there is no difficulty, then there is no difficulty. Why should you say that there is no difficulty?" "This..." Yu Yin was a little flustered. "How much is the annual military salary?" Duan Qirui asked. "Usually, the annual amount is more than 900,000 taels. This year, with the addition of leap, it should be one million taels." "Then you will give me the one million taels exactly?" "This..." Yu Yin became even more flustered. Didn't you say that the national levy of imperial grain is not a problem? Of course military pay is the top priority.Give me a million taels of silver, why are you hesitating?" Yu Yin saw that Duan Qirui was a serious person, and felt that it was impossible to "fool" him, so he had to report the truth. "Admiral, please forgive me. The local military pay is actually calculated in two accounts. The original source of the total amount required is the allocation (local levy) of 600,000 taels a year, the Huai'an customs duty is about 200,000 taels, and the salt price increase offsets 100,000 taels. Yongzhou cut 160,000 taels of salaries, plus 25,000 taels of Lianghuai commercial bills, the number of millions is more than enough. However, the income over the years has been difficult to meet the amount. 300,000 taels were allocated within the catty price increase, limited to 3 years, as a subsidy. However, this money could not be allocated as scheduled. The Jiangnan Finance Office has owed as much as 620,000 taels." "How do you make up for the actual shortfall in silver?" Duan Qirui asked. "This..." Yu Yin said hesitantly: "The officers and soldiers had to plan on the spot." "What on-the-spot planning?" Duan Qirui said: "It's not increasing the burden on the people!" Yu Yin nodded. Duan Qirui stopped asking questions.Although Yu Yin's words were hesitant and half-spoken, Duan Qirui still understood: the official money was not enough to raise soldiers, so he had to plunder the common people. "The people are already poor enough, how can we make another layer?" Duan Qirui waved his hand and let Yu Yin go. In the evening, Duan Qirui brought Xu Shuzheng in front of him and talked about the planning of military pay.After he told the situation provided by Xu Shuzheng and Yu Yin, he said anxiously: "How can this work? The army is the royal army, who will support it if the royal family doesn't support it? All the royal donations that the people should pay have been paid, and if more taxes are added, how? OK?" "What do you plan to do?" Xu Shuzheng asked. "In my opinion, we should immediately go to the imperial court and plead for the people, and we should exempt the Jiangbei Rent, Lijin, Salt, and Official Transport Increase." Xu Shuzheng nodded. "It's not too late, let's do it." That night, the two of them discussed and began to write, and wrote a special book "Zhou Tianbu Receives and Respects and Prays for Holy Lessons" for the cooperation money. In addition to the yearly collection situation, he unequivocally expressed his attitude:...The ministers also know that the treasury is empty and it is not easy to expel it, so the ministers should not be left alone.But the reason for raising soldiers is to eliminate changes, and there is no way to raise soldiers, and they change and stand up.Instead of urgently asking for help and making the ministers temporarily troublesome, what is the call in advance! The ministers are planning ahead, and they have nothing to ask for God's grace. Looking down, the situation in Jiangbei is different from that of other provinces, and the payment of soldiers is different from that of other provinces. The funds are transferred to the Ministry of Receipts and issued by the Ministry, and the actual allocation is made to strengthen the morale of the army. Fortunately, Jiangbei and the overall situation are very fortunate! In addition, Duan Qirui knew that in the 3rd year of Xuantong, the imperial court added 10,000 taels of rent silver, 30,000 taels of lijin, and 3.2 million taels of salt official transport to Jiangbei. How about increasing the tax?" So, he wrote in the memorial: "The tax rented in the north of the river is collected from the beaches of lakes and rivers. The land is barren and the people are poor. It was originally planned There have been arrears of rent over the years, and now they want to collect extra, but the people's power is not enough.Jiangbei lijin was collected by officials presided over by Chen Yamen, and there are 70,000 strings of the original amount of the eleven bureaus.Since the 27th year of Guangxu, it has been increased six times, and the comparative quota has reached 128,000 strings.In recent years, there has been a shortage of crops and stagnation of department stores, and the committee members regard it as daunting.The current quota is not reliable, and it is not convenient to discuss an increase; the current value of the salt official operation is exhausted, and the remaining profit is minimal, but the proposed increase is not very high, and the undertaking committee has been ordered to do its best Discuss... begging for instructions from the holy mirror. According to records, this is the only act of Jiangbei local officials pleading for the people to be exempted from levy since the Qing Dynasty! The people in Jiangbei are very grateful for Duan Qirui's kindness.The imperial court also made affirmative "Zhu Zhu" for this memorial in time. This year (1911), when the revolutionary army started, Duan Qirui was hastily transferred to Beijing.