Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 407: It’s over, just brush off your clothes and go away

". A high-powered explosive suddenly exploded on Datong Street in Nanshi, destroying seven or eight of the surrounding shops, killing or injuring more than ten innocent people, and causing an incalculable loss of property."

Yuan Xiangcheng, who was awakened by the sudden change in Tianjin city in the middle of the night, was holding a letter from the scene hastily copied and sent back by a black-skinned policeman, with a frown on his face and no words for a long time.

"Gong Bao, was it the gang of bandits that caused the chaos tonight?"

Yang Xizi took the letter, glanced at it, and asked.

"I don't think it was them. Although the gang of bandits looked fierce and brutal, they were just ordinary thieves at heart. They could be dealt with with a few more foreign guns. If they had the means to blow up such a huge hole in an instant, why didn't they use it before, and why did they use it on the empty street?"

Yuan Xiangcheng pointed to the words "five meters square, concave about ten feet" on the letter and had some guesses in his mind.

"No need to guess, it was my apprentice who had a fight with some people from the sticky rod place."

Li Shuwen walked in from outside with a folded note in his hand.

"Oh? Where is Jingbo now? Is he injured?"

Yuan Xiangcheng listened to Li Shuwen's tone and guessed that Qin Huai's condition should not be serious, so he immediately spoke with concern.

"Nothing serious. He has already left and is taking a bus south to Baoding. He is traveling with my disciples and family members."

Li Shuwen handed the note to Yuan Xiangcheng and sat down at the table with his horse and sword.

"You're leaving in such a hurry? Are you being watched by that person?"

"Well, Su Tang has already fought with him tonight, so he has to leave."

Hearing this, Yuan Xiangcheng understood. He had been in the court for a long time and naturally understood Chuntai's attitude towards the rebellious Boxers.

He took the note and opened it. It showed the departure time of the next train on the Beijing-Hankou Railway and the serial numbers of several carriages that Qinhuai had booked.

"Beijing-Hankou Railway. Jingbo is taking people to Hankou?"

"Yes, Ah Huai has some properties in Wuchang, and he said he has something important to do, so he plans to take everyone to Hankou. After the world is pacified and the Jianghu affairs are settled, he will go north to have a good talk with that old man."

Li Shuwen nodded, took the tea handed to him by Yang Xizi and took a sip.

"I see. Don't worry, I will send someone to look after this train and help them resolve all the official troubles."

When Yuan Xiangcheng saw that Li Shuwen did not leave with Qin Huai, but was still concerned about him and stayed in Tianjin to guard the city, he immediately offered to take over the expenses of all favors on the Beijing-Hankou Railway.

"Well, you should be careful too. If that old man blames you, just pretend to be confused. If you really can't avoid it, just blame me."

Li Shuwen knew that when it came to political intrigue, ten of him could not compare to Yuan Shikai in front of him, so he said no more and put his hands into his sleeves.

"Speaking of Wuchang, Xizi, I remember you told me that Zhongshan Qiao returned from Japan a few days ago? Is he going to Wuchang too?"

Yuan Xiangcheng looked at the note in his hand and suddenly thought of something. He looked up at Yang Xizi beside him.

"Yes, Dunchu wrote to me a few days ago, telling me about their return to China."

Yang Xizi nodded slightly and answered with a smile.

"Xizi, do you know Zhongshan Qiao?"

Li Shuwen, who had just heard some advanced ideas from Qin Huai, saw that Yang Xizi knew Zhongshan Qiao, whom his apprentice highly respected, and he also spoke up.

"Not only do I know him, I know him very well." "Zhongshan Qiao is such a mystery. As soon as he returned to China, he went straight to Wuchang without going anywhere else. It was obvious that he was ready to fight a decisive battle with the Qing Dynasty."

Seeing Li Shuwen start a conversation, Yuan Xiangcheng also followed suit: "Hey, Xizi, do you think he really has this ability?"

"He doesn't care about strength or not."

Yang Xizi smiled and shook his head, saying something shocking.

"Huh?! What did you say? He doesn't care?"

Yuan Xiangcheng took off his reading glasses and spoke excitedly, as if he had heard something incredible.

"To fight a war or change a dynasty, you need strength."

"Since the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, up to now, in the past 16 years, he has launched uprisings against the Qing dynasty time and again. Which of them was powerful enough? Yet he launched uprisings time and again, ten times."

Yang Xizi stood up, pointed at the map on the table, and looked at Yuan Xiangcheng: "Weiting, you can't say he didn't succeed, right?"

"Ah, yes, yes, that's what's puzzling me. Who on earth is he, you ask?"

Yuan Xiangcheng blinked, and was indeed very curious when he thought about the current division of the world into three parts.

"On the surface, he is just a scholar, but hundreds of elites follow him and never waver in their determination despite numerous difficulties and dangers. What kind of person do you think he is?"

Yang Xizi watched Yuan Xiangcheng sit up straight, and then he slowly said: "Only one word, sincerity, can gather talents, and only one word, fairness, can call on the world. Weiting, this person is so sincere that you can open your heart. This person is always fair and has no selfish thoughts in his heart."

Yuan Xiangcheng looked at Yang Xizi in silence for a long time. Suddenly, he laughed: "Hahahaha. Xizi, you are exaggerating. You said he has no selfish thoughts at all. How is that possible?"

He stood up and paced left and right, looking at the map on the table, and patted Yang Xizi: "Just the fact that he returned to China and went to Wuchang, it's hard to say that there wasn't a bit of selfish motives mixed in with his desire to fight for power."

"I can guarantee that he has no selfish motives."

Yang Xizi smiled and didn't care about Yuan Xiangcheng's guess.

"Cao Cao was already the King of Wei, and he was only half a step away from the throne, but he just refused to take that step. Weiting, if you ask me, Cao Cao was selfish for not becoming emperor. He was afraid that future generations would say he usurped the Han Dynasty and that he was a traitor. But Zhongshan Qiao didn't have these concerns. His ideal was to create a republic. When he had the opportunity, he would naturally unite all the forces that could be united to establish a republic. This was persistence. You can at most say that he had no strength and was out of date, but you can't say he was selfish."

Yuan Xiangcheng looked at Yang Xizi, thinking about the meaning of his words.

"You must understand the principle that the first bird to stick its head out gets shot. If you were in their shoes, would you be willing to stand at the center of the storm and be repeatedly assassinated? This scholar is amazing!"

Seeing that Li Shuwen, who was usually taciturn, had praised Zhongshan Qiao, Yuan Xiangcheng narrowed his eyes and murmured in a low voice: "Dare to think and dare to act, I am not as good as Zhongshan Qiao~"

Yuan Xiangcheng sighed and looked at Yang Xizi.

"Hey, Xizi, I want you to go to Wuchang to meet your old friend."

"Weiting, this is Jiang Gan crossing the river?"

Yang Xizi pursed his lips and sat down as well.

"How can Xizi be Jiang Gan? He must be Pang Tong at least."

Yuan Xiangcheng laughed and looked at the word "Wuchang" on the map, his eyes bright and dim.

(End of this chapter)