Master Yuan, start!

Liu Shiliang and Liao Zhongkai hurried to the outside of the ward and asked loudly after seeing the doctor outside:

"Where's Governor Liu? Is Governor Liu okay?"

Liu Shiliang changed his usual gentle and elegant image. He grabbed the gray-haired doctor with his blue right hand and shook him hard.

The doctor didn't know how to answer at all because he was just a quack.

On ordinary days, if people have a headache or fever, he can cure it.

Once this bullet enters your body, even gods can't save you, let alone yourself.

Seeing that the doctor didn't say anything, Liu Shiliang pushed him away, staggered into the room, opened the door, and rushed into the house.

Liao Zhongkai and the accompanying Sichuan Army generals followed closely behind.

Liu Bingzhang was seen lying on the bed with his face pale and his upper body naked. There were three bullet holes visible to the naked eye, distributed on his right chest and left abdomen.

虽然已经止8住了血，但5伤口处却乌黑7发紫，明显是6子弹上抹三了剧毒4所致。

Hearing the shouting coming from outside the door, Liu Bingzhang opened his eyes with great difficulty and looked at Liu Shiliang who broke in with a confused look in his eyes.

But soon, Liu Bingzhang seemed to regain some vitality. He shook his arms slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

Seeing this, Liu Shiliang quickly stepped forward, held his gradually cold right hand, and said with pain: "Liu Du, what do you want to say? I'm here."

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As if he had figured something out, Liu Bingzhang coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood, which splashed on Liu Shiliang. He laughed miserably and said:

"Shenzhi, you are a talented person in Sichuan. You have made great contributions in helping me raise funds for the Sichuan-Hankou Railway.

Today, I am nearing the end of my life. All thoughts are at peace, but there is one thing that still worries me.

"Whatever it is, Governor Liu, just tell me!" Liu Shiliang looked at Liu Bingzhang earnestly and promised, "Shiliang will go through fire and water to get it done."

"There's no need to risk our lives, just follow the procedures." Liu Bingzhang said weakly, "The Sichuan-Hankou Railway is the result of the hard work of millions of people in Sichuan. We must not divert the funds for other purposes and let the people down!

Remember, no matter who asks for it, it cannot be loaned out, understand?"

Liu Bingzhang's eyes were red as he stared at Liu Shiliang, hoping that the other party could understand what he said.

At this point, he already understood why he was murdered.

However, now that things have come to this, he is not willing to pursue the matter any further.

Rather than stirring up a bloody storm, it would be better to let this matter become an unsolved case.

Chapter 380 Li Hongzhang kept in the dark

When Liu Bingzhang was assassinated, Li Hongzhang, who was in Wuchang, had no idea what had happened.

Today, Li Hongzhang was in a good mood because his eldest son Li Jingfang traveled through mountains and rivers from all directions and rushed to Wuchang.

His son first ran from Guangzhou to Sichuan, and then rushed from Sichuan to visit him, traveling through mountains and rivers all the way. Li Hongzhang saw it all and naturally admired him very much.

Li Hongzhang was even happier when Li Jingfang brought the news that Liu Bingzhang was "willing" to allocate funds from the Sichuan-Hankou Railway to support him.

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Although there was telegraph communication between Sichuan and Wuchang, the telegraph office in Wuchang was not controlled by the Huai Army.

Li Hongzhang did not want Zhang Zhidong to know his plan, so he did not use telegram to communicate directly with Liu Bingzhang.

Therefore, Li Hongzhang believed Li Jingfang's lie that Liu Bingzhang agreed to withdraw railway funds.

No matter how hard Li Hongzhang thought, he would never have imagined that his own eldest son would actually lie to him.

In fact, if given a choice, Li Hongzhang would not be willing to take such a big risk to embezzle funds for railway construction.

Although he had embezzled funds for Cixi many times when he was the Governor-General of Zhili.

But this is one time, and that is another situation.

The longer Li Hongzhang stayed in Wuchang, the more he felt that his previous choice was wise.

In the three towns of Wuhan, there were countless supporters of the Social Revolutionary Party, and their momentum was huge.

On the other hand, the Huaxing Party seems to have fewer members than the former.

Li Hongzhang had no confidence at all of winning the election for the entire National Assembly.

Fortunately, I proposed the "federal autonomy" plan, otherwise, I might not even be able to keep Guangdong.

Li Hongzhang walked back and forth in the courtyard with the help of a cane, while his son Li Jingfang stood in front of the door, with his hands raised and his head looking down at the ground.

Outsiders could not see any expression on Li Jingfang's face, only Li Jingfang knew what he was thinking.

There was no one else in the courtyard now, only Li Hongzhang and his son. The gate was closed and the guards were guarding outside the wall.

"Jingfang, you've seen a lot in England. Could you give me some advice on how to defeat Yuan Shikai?"

Li Hongzhang stopped and sat back at the stone table in the courtyard, looking at Li Jingfang and asked.

Li Jingfang raised his head and walked quickly to the stone table, whispering:

"The Sichuan New Army and the Lingnan New Army have a total of 25 troops, which is far more than Yuan Shikai's 20 troops. Moreover, Yuan Shikai also has to defend the northern border and cannot mobilize so many troops!

At worst, we can just fight and see who wins and who loses.

In fact, Father doesn't need to defeat Yuan Shikai. Since Liang Bo has decided to stand with Father and is willing to use the funds for the Sichuan-Hankou Railway, it means Father is already invincible.

Li Hongzhang was not as optimistic as his son. He looked away, looked at the stack of telegrams on the table, and sighed:

“Fighting and killing is not a long-term solution after all.

If there is a way, I would like to defeat Yuan Shikai without resorting to force.

It’s a pity that he has always been unwilling to give in on the issue of federal autonomy.

But it doesn’t matter. The French consul sent me a message that Sun Yat-sen in Taiwan will rush to Wuchang in a few days.

We'll see how the situation develops. If things don't work out, we might as well bow to the British."

After hearing what Li Hongzhang said, Li Jingfang nodded and said, "Father is right.

No matter how stubborn Yuan Shikai is, he dare not ignore the British views as long as we promise the British that we will no longer send troops to the plateau.

As long as Yuan Shikai loses Britain's support, he will definitely agree to our conditions for federal autonomy.

Speaking of the plateau, my father, Liang Bo, has been in charge of Sichuan for a long time. He did not know to go north to explore the territory of the Chu clan. Instead, he kept fighting with the British on the plateau. It was really unwise.

Uncle Liang was old and probably a little confused, thinking that the British were going to open some kind of concession on the plateau.

In fact, they were just driving away the nomadic chieftains in the south and never came to the Han area.

The land on the plateau is like chicken ribs, tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away.

In my opinion, you shouldn’t bother with it.”

"The plateau is not only about Sichuan, but also about Shaanxi, Gansu, and even Xinjiang.

It’s not enough to just look at the south; the plateau has not only the south but also the north.”

Li Hongzhang first emphasized the uniqueness of the plateau to Li Jingfang, and then he changed the subject and agreed with Li Jingfang:

"However, you are not wrong. Before the country is unified, it would be a waste to waste military forces on the plateau.

It's a pity that you have no experience in the army, otherwise, the "young marshal" in your title could be removed now."

Li Hongzhang was quite helpless. The new army in Lingnan had now expanded to 15 people. If the new army in Sichuan was included, the number would be 25.

The Huai Army grew larger and larger, but it also became increasingly difficult to control.

Although the predecessor of this unit was a militia formed during the suppression of bandits, many new members were mixed in after the division between the North and the South.

At least 8% of the original Huai Army, if not all of them, were from Anhui and 4% were from Hefei.

But in the current Lingnan New Army, people from Anhui account for less than 3%, and 7% are newly recruited soldiers from various prefectures in Guangdong.

As for the Sichuan New Army, it is similar, with Anhui people accounting for less than 3%.

At present, although he can still mobilize these troops by relying on his own prestige, what about the future?

Li Hongzhang knew that no one could predict what would happen in the future.

Within the Huai Army, there were disputes between the Guangdong-Huai and Sichuan-Huai.

There were also disputes within the Guangdong-Huaihe region between Nie Shicheng, Ye Zhichao and others.

Unless there is a leading figure who can gain the recognition of hundreds of thousands of New Huai Army with his outstanding military achievements.

Otherwise, if you want to control this army, you can't just give an order.

In addition, in recent years, signs of conflict between land and sea have also emerged.

Ding Ruchang is afraid that he will not be able to control the South China Sea Fleet for much longer. Once he leaves office, who will be able to serve as the naval ambassador?

Deng Shichang never returned after he sank Russian warships with Yuan Shikai's North Sea Fleet.

Not only did he not come back, but even the Zhiyuan did not come back.

Such acts of rebellion should be severely punished.

However, Yuan Shikai rewarded Deng Shichang for his achievement of "being the first to destroy the Russian ship".

Li Hongzhang did not dare to go against public opinion, so he could only hold his nose and send a telegram of praise to Deng Shichang.

But in fact, he really wanted to put Deng Shichang in jail!

Thinking of this, Li Hongzhang couldn't help but sigh.

"No matter how close a general is, he is not as close as one's own family."

Li Hongzhang hoped that his sons and nephews could help. His nephew Li Jingyi did a good job as the governor of Guangxi.

At present, the three parents and their children are in the same family. Among them, the second son Jingshu is obsessed with poetry and prose, and the youngest son Jingmai is young. Among all the sons, the most promising one is the adopted son, Li Jingfang.

However, since Li Jingfang had never commanded a military force, he had no prestige in the army and naturally could not handle this issue for Li Hongzhang.

After hearing Li Hongzhang's sigh, Li Jingfang thought for a moment and said after a pause:

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"If father agrees, Jingfang is willing to start from the humble beginnings, starting as a small soldier in the Huai Army, and join the army with dignity to share your father's worries!"

"Starting from a small fry?" Li Hongzhang looked at his eldest son, who was already over 20 years old, and shook his head: "Forget it, if you were years younger, I would have agreed.