Master Yuan, start!

Although this song was used as the theme song for an anti-Japanese drama, the scene description of Weishan Lake in the first half is very consistent with the living habits of the local people.

As the sun sets, the lake sparkles. People who have worked all day return home in a small boat. On the way, they play country songs with people they know.

"Mr. President, whose folk song are you humming?" Liu Qingxu, vice president of the Xuzhou "Security Association", who was accompanying him, came forward and asked flatteringly.

看着刘青1煦一脸讨0好的模样，袁0项城7在脑中思6索着，徐9州地区的1实际负责人4“魏天明3”曾递上6来的情报。

Liu Qingxu, who came from the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion, was promoted to the general of Xuzhou Town due to his meritorious service. During the period of mourning for the prefect of Xuzhou, he was appointed by the Qing court to act as the prefect of Xuzhou.

After encountering the National Revolutionary Army heading north, he decisively opened the city and surrendered, and eventually got a position as vice president of the Security Association.

Wei Tianming, the president of the Xuzhou Security Association, was a graduate of the first class of the Northeast Civil Affairs School and was personally commended by Yuan Shikai in the Incheon Auditorium.

After bidding farewell to Linqing and continuing south, Yuan Xiangcheng specifically asked Wei Tianming to wait in the Xuzhou mining area and there was no need to go to the border between the two provinces to greet him.

I thought that if this happened, no one would come anymore.

Unexpectedly, Vice President Liu Qingxu seized this opportunity and went there alone, spontaneously becoming Yuan Xiangcheng's "guide" to Xuzhou.

Well, just go ahead and try to curry favor with them. After all, I still need these people right now.

Thinking of this, Yuan Xiangcheng glanced at Liu Qingxu, then suddenly grinned and replied with a smile: "Haha, Weishan Lake is naturally the folk song of southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu."

Seeing Yuan Xiangcheng smiling at him, Liu Qingxu quickly took advantage of the opportunity to climb up: "If the President wants to understand the customs of Xuzhou, please stay here for a few more days so that I can make arrangements."

"No need!" Yuan Xiangcheng waved his hand and refused directly.

Yuan Xiangcheng felt that he had smiled too much just now, which gave Liu Qingxu the illusion that he was easy to talk to.

"If Vice President Liu is interested, please pay more attention to the spring plowing near Xuzhou."

Hearing Yuan Xiangcheng's ruthless rejection, Liu Qingxu's expression changed slightly, but he still forced a smile and said:

"The President is right. Farming is the foundation of our country. We must pay more attention to it."

Liu Qingxu said nothing more.

Zhang Jian and Yan Fu in the cabin couldn't help laughing when they saw Liu Qingxu being humiliated in front of Yuan Shikai, but in order not to be discovered, they could only turn their heads away and look at the scenery outside the window.

As the sun sets, following the gaze of everyone in the cabin, the Grand Canal and Weishan Lake merge into one, appearing extremely tranquil.

However, the members of the Red Confucian Society who went south did not know that this calmness actually contained a surging undercurrent.

Just as Yuan Shikai had just arrived at Weishan Lake near Xuzhou and got off the boat, something he had not expected happened.

...

"What's going on up ahead?" Yuan Xiangcheng, who had just gotten off the boat and set foot on the land of Xuzhou, frowned as he looked at the dark crowd gathered not far away.

We have repeatedly pointed out that we are not allowed to welcome them, so why are there so many people?

"Vice President Liu, is this the person you found?" Yuan Xiangcheng looked at Liu Qingxu with displeasure.

"what?"

Unexpectedly, Liu Qingxu was also confused at this time.

Wei Tianming, chairman of the Xuzhou Security Association, had emphasized to Liu Qingxu long ago that "no welcoming" was allowed, and Liu Qingxu was extremely obedient and made no preparations at all.

When he went to meet Yuan Shikai before, he only brought a few personal servants with him and went to the border between Jiangsu and Shandong to meet him alone.

You know, Xuzhou is not like Shandong.

Although Shandong Governor Song Qing was not a direct member of the Red Confucian Society, he had long since thrown himself into the arms of Yuan Shikai, and at least he had joined the society, so he still had some say in Shandong.

But in Xuzhou, Wei Tianming, chairman of the Wei'an Association, is the one who has the final say.

The vice president sounds like he is second only to the president, but in reality, there are only three or four vice presidents. A vice president without Wei Tianming's authorization has little power at all.

Hearing Yuan Xiangcheng's accusation, Liu Qingxu thought someone was framing him, so he immediately jumped onto the horse and said angrily:

"Mr. President, I will immediately disperse the people who are charging at you!"

Liu Qingxu was a cavalryman. As soon as he finished speaking, he started yelling and waving his whip as he rushed towards the crowd not far away.

"What are you doing here? Why are you gathering here?!"

The horse whips crackled in the air, but these people had no intention of retreating. Instead, they seemed to be planning to surround Liu Qingxu.

At this time, Yuan Xiangcheng also realized that this group of people had little to do with Liu Qingxu, so he hurried forward and revealed his identity.

Pushing aside the stern-faced guards standing by with guns in hand, Yuan Xiangcheng shouted:

"I am Yuan Xiangcheng. Please tell me why you have gathered here. Please do not hurt anyone!"

"President Yuan, you must uphold justice for us!"

After hearing Yuan Xiangcheng's words, these people immediately knelt on the ground, crying out that they had been wronged!

"President Yuan, please seek justice for the people of Pei County and give an explanation to our fellow villagers who died tragically!"

"Stand up first, stand up first, and we'll talk later. Now we have a republic, and kneeling is no longer allowed!" Yuan Shikai lifted up the people one by one with his hands.

But often when one person is lifted up, another one kneels down again.

Seeing this, Yuan Xiangcheng said unhappily:

"You won't get up? If you don't get up, I won't give you justice!"

Hearing that Yuan Xiangcheng was angry, the people slowly stood up one after another.

"Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

Standing in front of a group of people, Yuan Xiangcheng sat on the ground and listened attentively.

...

"what?

Are you saying that miners from Yi County, Shandong, who worked in the Xuzhou Jiawang mining area, returned home and, after armed with weapons, killed local residents from Pei County who were fighting over land? This happened more than once?"

Old man 8;)073804

"Correct!"

"After reporting it to the authorities, the mine's outside supervisor refused to resolve the issue and instead kept delaying it?"

"Correct!"

"So, after you heard I was coming, you blocked the road and complained, asking me to seek justice for the people who were beaten to death?"

"Yep!

President Yuan is very perceptive and truly an upright judge!

Amid the cheers of the people blocking the road, Yuan Xiangcheng fell into deep thought.

But after a moment, he looked at Liu Qingxu who was standing beside him and asked:

"Vice President Liu, do you know about this?"

"This..." Liu Qingxu hesitated and was reluctant to speak when he saw Yuan Xiangcheng asking the question.

"Vice President Liu, feel free to speak!" Yuan Xiangcheng said coldly.

Liu Qingxu swallowed his breath and said, "Mr....Mr. President, this...this matter is a long story. I am not in charge of industrial and mining affairs, so I don't know much about it.

Just... just heard..."

"What did you hear?" Yuan Xiangcheng asked quickly.

"I heard that the mine supervisors at the Jiawang Coal Mine were all from Shandong who had come to Guandong during the Guangxu period."

Liu Qingxu spoke in a low voice, and the second half of the sentence was almost inaudible, but Yuan Xiangcheng still heard it clearly.

After hearing these words, Yuan Xiangcheng suddenly realized that these Jiangsu people blocking the road to complain was not a whim, but a necessity.

After the Six Coal and Five Iron Plan was proposed years ago, the Red Confucian Society sent people from the mining areas outside the Great Wall to support the construction of the mining areas inside the Great Wall, and they took on positions such as mine supervisors and engineers.

The principle of allocating personnel is a combination of voluntary participation and assignment.

So, who is willing to go to the Xuzhou Jiawang mining area near Shandong?

Naturally, it is people close to Shandong.

In other words, the mine supervisor of the Jiawang mining area, although nominally a foreigner, was actually a Shandong citizen who had come to Guandong.

The Shandong mine supervisor protected the Shandong miners, and the local people from Pei County, Jiangsu Province complained but to no avail, which aroused their indignation and they blocked the road to file a complaint.

But why didn't Wei Tianming, who was in charge of Xuzhou, report this matter?

Thinking of this, Yuan Xiangcheng took a deep breath, suppressed his anger and continued to ask:

"Vice President Liu, I have a question: why are miners from Yi County, Shandong, able to compete with farmers from Pei County, Jiangsu for farmland?

If I remember correctly, these two places should be facing each other across Weishan Lake, right?"

The night wind was blowing by the Weishan Lake, and cold words were spoken from Yuan Xiangcheng's mouth.

Yuan Xiangcheng didn't know that the problem he was about to touch was a century-old problem that had not been solved since the original time and space until the 21st century.

Lusu land dispute!

No update today, 500 red envelopes will be sent out, friends, come and get them

As the title says, I wish you all peace, happiness and good health during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Eat well, drink well, look well and have fun.

I will make up for today's chapter tomorrow. Thank you for your support!

(?)(o)(^O^)

Chapter 364: Huaihai Province's Opportunity

After ordering the accompanying guard regiment to bring tents, Yuan Shikai dressed in casual clothes and sat with everyone on the shore of the South Four Lakes in the north of Xuzhou and lit a bonfire.

He was not in a hurry to enter Xuzhou City, but decided to camp in the suburbs with the people.

The crackling sound of burning dry firewood could be heard. With the last glimmer of light in the west, Yuan Xiangcheng looked into the distance at the gradually deserted Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Jiawang mining area where black smoke was billowing into the sky.

Yuan Shikai camped here not to express his feelings about the ancient battlefield in Xuzhou, which determined the rise and fall of many dynasties.

He wanted to know some information from outside the bureaucracy of the Red Confucian Society's political system.

Liu Qingxu, the former acting prefect of Xuzhou and current vice president of the Xuzhou Security Association, could not withstand Yuan Xiangcheng's questioning gaze. After a moment of silence by the campfire, he decided to tell the truth.

"What the President doesn't know is that Weishan Lake is actually just one of the four southern lakes.