The sun never sets.

This is not the first time that public bonds have been raised. At the beginning of the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government raised a lot of money from the people and built a number of state-owned factories. After they were built, they privatized those state-owned enterprises. The reason given at the time was that state-owned enterprises were inefficient and it was better to hand them over to private individuals, and the state only needed to collect taxes. After seeing that the People's Party next door had quickly improved its finances by relying on state-owned enterprises, Ito Hirobumi thought about going back. He wanted the government to advance and the private sector to retreat, but many people did not want to do so. A large number of conservatives in the Seiyukai also disagreed with the government advancing and the private sector to retreat. Ito Hirobumi was busy with other things these days, so he asked Saionji Kimmochi to persuade others.

Saionji Kimmochi replied: "Vice President Watanabe Kunitake opposed the government's policy of raising government bonds. He insisted on reducing or even canceling the raising of government bonds and advocated completely abandoning state-owned enterprises. Many people agreed with his opinion."

"Watanabe Kunitake is from a chaebol family, so it's not surprising that he would think this way. What do you think?"

"I am in favor of establishing state-owned enterprises."

It is easy to see the advantages of state-owned enterprises. As for the disadvantages of inefficiency, corruption, etc., don't private enterprises have them? Since they all have them, it is better to choose state-owned enterprises, at least the government can collect more money.

Chapter 351: Naval Gun Diplomacy

The Japanese were shocked and regretful about the defeat of the Japanese army, but people in other countries thought it was natural. The People's Army defeated even the Russian Empire, so it was easy for them to defeat the Japanese. The Russian Empire was called the weakest link in imperialism, but that was because the Russian Empire's economic situation was very bad. Everyone still recognized the Russian Empire's army. And what about Japan? It was just a small country, so it was normal that it could not defeat the People's Army.

After the People's Party declared war on Japan, Jordan immediately realized that the British Empire's deployment in the Far East was in danger of collapse. The Japanese army was definitely not able to defeat the People's Army. Although the Combined Fleet was powerful, if Japan lost Korea, could it continue to fight? As a diplomat leading Britain, Jordan's sense of smell was not insignificant. As soon as he heard that China and Japan had gone to war, he immediately rushed to Taiyuan and ordered the People's Army to retreat to the north of the Yalu River. For this reason, he even issued a war threat again.

However, the Japanese army collapsed faster than Jordan thought. In less than a month, the Japanese army had lost more than 200,000 elite soldiers and most of their technical weapons, and basically lost the ability to fight on land. Moreover, the People's Party ignored the threats of the British Empire and continued to launch an attack on the Korean battlefield, but because of the weather, the scale was smaller than before.

These are fine, but what worries Jordan and the British government the most is that there are signs of a union between China and Russia. No matter how destitute the Tsarist Russia is, no matter how bad its economy is, its size is still there, and it is still the "European steamroller". China is an emerging power, and if the two countries sign a military alliance, it will be a very troublesome thing. Britain's strength lies in the navy. It's not that their army can't fight, but it's mainly because there are too few people. In order to fight the Boers, the British government had to temporarily expand many troops, and those temporarily expanded troops were disbanded as soon as the war ended. With Britain's strength, there is no way to fight two land powers on the old road at the same time.

The Sino-Russian alliance is a big problem. If France is added, it will be a Sino-Russian-French alliance, which is a strong guarantee for containing Germany, but will it be too strong? The Sino-US-German-Austrian alliance is unacceptable to the British, and the Sino-French-Russian alliance is also unacceptable to the British.

Jordan came to Taiyuan with the threat of war, and Downing Street sent several contradictory telegrams, which made Jordan at a loss. The British government wanted to suppress China and Germany at the same time, and could not let China, Russia and France unite, and wanted to take all the benefits, but where in the world could such a good thing happen?

Russia has a tradition of rebellion after losing a foreign war. Because of the defeat in the Northeast battlefield, the Russian Empire was full of revolutionaries and liberal elements. Nicholas II had no other choice but to convene a parliament to stabilize the domestic situation. He also agreed to the Russian Far East.

Part of it established the Grand Duchy of Siberia. Russia's biggest problem now lies internally, and they even want to borrow troops from China...

The British diplomacy, like their fleet, was unrivaled, but this time there were inconsistent and self-contradictory instructions. Jordan believed that this was a collision between the inertia of "expansion" and the new "contraction" policy. After the Boer War, politicians in Downing Street realized that the expansion of the British Empire had been exhausted and that they had to turn to "conservatism". Further expansion would only lead to more terrible wars. The territory occupied by Britain was already large enough. As long as the existing territories and colonies were preserved, the empire could continue to dominate the seven seas.

However, due to inertia, the bureaucrats and generals of the British Empire still habitually follow the old ways. Now that the People's Party has made it clear that it will not stop, what can Britain do? Will it really send troops to the Far East? China and Russia are now standing in the same trench, fighting against Japan, and are about to crush the Japanese to death. Russia will not withdraw from the war now. Because Tsarist Russia does not need to pay anything, as long as it waits, it may get a large amount of war reparations, so why not? As for Mongolia, Korea, Ryukyu and Siberia in the "United Nations Army", none of them have independent diplomatic rights, and the British government has nowhere to start.

Wu Tingfang, the deputy foreign minister of the People's Party, declared that the armistice terms proposed by the Chinese were very reasonable, and Japan had the right to accept or not accept them, and could not argue a word. Considering the Treaty of Shimonoseki ten years ago, Jordan felt that the Chinese's demands were reasonable, but as a diplomat of the British Empire, he could not let Japan collapse completely. Maintaining a balance of power on the continent has been Britain's national policy for hundreds of years, both in Europe and in the Far East. If China is the only superpower, what role does Britain have?

As the People's Army gradually advanced on the Korean battlefield, the negotiations in Taiyuan became increasingly insignificant. Jordan had given up diplomatic efforts. He sent a long telegram to Downing Street, carefully analyzing the current situation in China, pointing out that China's reunification was inevitable and the empire needed to prepare for the new Far East situation. In addition, he also believed that now was the best time to control Japan. The Japanese army was finished, but the strength of the Combined Fleet was still there. If Japan became a vassal of Britain, China could be effectively contained. Before that, it was necessary to avoid conflicts with the People's Party as much as possible to avoid the situation where Britain went to war with China alone.

Radio waves traveled quickly between Europe and Asia. After discussion, the British Cabinet decided to grant Jordan greater power, including command of the Far East Fleet and Army, in order to cope with the increasingly complex and tense situation in the Far East. The Army was fine, but the British Navy had always looked down on others, and it was possible that something would go wrong at any time. This was not groundless worry, but there was a history. The Royal Navy was very aggressive and had caused many diplomatic incidents around the world.

Jordan also knew this, so he took the initiative to propose to restrain the fleet, and Downing Street readily agreed. But their actions were still a little slow. While Jordan was still negotiating with the People's Party, the British Far East Fleet bombarded the port of Yangzhou under the rule of the People's Party, killing and injuring more than 40 people. It was very disadvantageous for warships to confront artillery, but the People's Party had such a long coastline and so many ports on the Yangtze River that it was impossible to arm all places with fortress guns. The British Far East Fleet did not encounter any resistance in Yangzhou. After bombarding the port, it sent sailors ashore to prepare to take back the confiscated goods.

After seeing the telegram, Zhu Erdian cursed and cursed, "For some opium, they bombarded the People's Party's port. Those people in the fleet are bastards!" But the commander of the Far East Fleet didn't think so. What did "some opium" mean? That was two tons!

Chapter 352 Reuse

Why did they ship opium to northern China? Because the control there was very strict, and the price of opium on the black market was more than five times that in the south. If they could get it in, it would be a huge profit. The British had been using warships for smuggling for a long time, and they did it all over the world. At the beginning, the People's Party also encouraged this behavior. The customs in the north were still controlled by Robert Hart. In order to pay less tariffs, the People's Party bypassed the Inspector General of Customs when doing business with various countries.

The British Far East Fleet also participated in this activity. Although it would harm the interests of the British government, everyone in the fleet made a lot of money. As long as you are a captain and have a warship, you can earn all your pension in a year in the Far East. But people's desires are endless, and there is no time to make enough money. The people's government has repeatedly issued orders to crack down on all kinds of drug trafficking, but the British just don't believe it and have to smuggle opium in, and it's several tons. Aren't they arrested?

With the continuous victory of the People's Army in foreign wars, the People's Government's control over the local areas is gradually strengthening. Through the "Three Antis" and "Five Antis" movements, various reactionaries were either shot or exiled. The People's Government's control over the local areas reached an unprecedented level. The party organization was directly established at the grassroots level. Every village and state-owned enterprise had a militia organization, and letters of introduction were required to go anywhere. Because it was in a state of war, in order to prevent sneak attacks by the Jinling National Government or the British army, all localities increased their alert levels and inspections were stricter than usual. Under such circumstances, the British opium merchant Akmal dared to transport opium to the People's Party's territory. It can only be said that he was really brave.

Akmal was caught red-handed with more than two tons of opium, which was enough to be shot a hundred times. The People's Party originally wanted to save some face for the British government and just shoot him casually, but who knew that the British would actually do something like shelling the port?

Well, it was expected. After all, it was two tons of opium, not two kilograms. With so much goods, many people's pensions were probably invested in it. Now that the goods have been confiscated, it is possible that they will do anything in a hurry. Several ports in Yangzhou have no coastal defense fortresses, and there is nothing they can do if they are bombarded by the British Far East Fleet, but the people's government can get it back from other places.

The Fourth Corps entered the first level of alert, and the troops in Henan, Jiangsu and other places were mobilized, and the reserve forces also began to assemble. Since the Franco-Prussian War, mobilization has basically been synonymous with the start of war, which has become a consensus. The mobilization of the People's Army in the north made Zhang Zhidong and Yuan Shikai very nervous. The Far East Fleet of the British Empire bombarded the port of Yangzhou. Why did the People's Army mobilize the army? No matter how strong the army is, it can't defeat the fleet. Mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops in the middle of winter seems to be malicious.

When Jordan heard in Taiyuan that the Chinese had started a new round of mobilization, he felt a headache. He could not punish the commander of the Far East Fleet, nor could he accept the conditions proposed by the Chinese. Compensation and apology were impossible, as the British Empire was the world hegemon! Although he had decided to gradually withdraw from China, it would be good to stay one more day. As long as he could stay one more day, he could make a lot of money.

In addition to paying compensation and apologizing, the People's Party also proposed to remove the Commissioner of Customs, which was unacceptable to Jordan. The Commissioner of Customs could not make much money in northern China, but after all, he still had millions of pounds of income every year. The most important thing was that if the customs in the north were returned to the Chinese, what would happen to the customs in the south? Should they be returned to the Chinese as well?

The Chinese mobilized for war, but Jordan didn't care much. In his opinion, the actions of the People's Party were just blackmail, and the British had done this many times. Besides, even if the People's Army really came over, what would happen? The warships couldn't go ashore, and the army couldn't go to sea. Jordan didn't care about the concerns of Zhang Zhidong and others. With more than a dozen warships on the Yangtze River, were they afraid that the People's Army would fly over? It was good for the People's Party to do this. Zhang Zhidong had always refused to accept the conditions offered by the British, and was unwilling to borrow money from the British. Now it was just right for the People's Party to scare that old stubborn man.

The interests in diplomatic occasions are extremely complicated. There is both cooperation and confrontation between the great powers. When Britain was on the verge of a war with the People's Party, the People's Government was still buying large amounts of food from Britain. Britain's colonies in the Far East have a lot of output, and food is one of them. The British have too many colonies. The wheat in Egypt and Ukraine is enough to feed the local people, and the local people don't eat rice much. They only like to eat bread and drink milk. Food occupies a large tonnage and cannot be sold at a high price. Merchants are reluctant to transport food back to their homeland. It is also good to be able to sell it to the Chinese. For this kind of business behavior, Jordan did not oppose it, but encouraged it. The larger the import and export trade, the more money he can share. As ambassador to China, Jordan hopes that the trade volume will be as large as possible, which are all political achievements.

“What is the purpose of the People’s Party’s mobilization in the Central Plains?”

Zhang Zhidong asked Yuan Shikai this question. He had been running out of energy in recent years and had left many things to other people. The war was left to Yuan Shikai, not because he wanted to do it, but because he had no choice. After decades in the officialdom and witnessing all kinds of strange things since the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Zhang Zhidong deeply understood the importance of military power. Apart from anything else, wasn't the People's Party in the North so arrogant because of its ability to fight?

If possible, Zhang Zhidong would never let Yuan Shikai be in charge of military affairs. But there was no way, Zhang Zhidong's entourage did not have anyone who could lead troops to fight. There were also many people in the Hubei New Army who had studied abroad. They could talk very well at ordinary times, but they were not so good when fighting. Fighting is not like writing articles. You will know whether it works or not after trying it on the battlefield. Although Yuan Shikai, Duan Qirui and others were beaten to a pulp by the People's Army, they were able to hang up Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing and beat them after arriving in the south. On the one hand, Zhang Zhidong lamented the ferocity of the Boxers in the north, and on the other hand, he was very afraid of Yuan Shikai, but there was no way. The situation was so bad that he could only hold his nose and reuse Yuan Shikai.

Before his death, Li Hongzhang said that he wanted to use Yuan Shikai. Zhang Zhidong agreed at that time, but he found it very difficult to deal with it. Why didn't Li Hongzhang use Yuan Shikai when he was alive? Yuan Shikai had ability and ambition, which Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong could see. However, the generals under Zhang Zhidong were not competitive on the battlefield, while Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang fought very well. In peacetime, you can use power to suppress Yuan Shikai and his gang, but now it is a chaotic world, and there are laws for chaotic times. Zhang Zhidong knew that it was a disaster, so he could only give Yuan Shikai more military power.

Chapter 353: Overturning the Heavens

In response to Zhang Zhidong's question, Yuan Shikai replied: "Perhaps the situation in Korea has changed."

"Oh, you think so? Didn't they say that the Japanese invaders suffered heavy casualties in Korea? Even their marshal, Shan-san, died?"

"It was the Japanese Field Marshal Oyama Iwao. I heard that the People's Army chopped off Oyama Iwao's head, coated it with gold powder, and preserved it as a trophy."

"Barbaric, so barbaric!" Zhang Zhidong shook his head again and again. "The Japanese marshals are

If they are dead, what waves can they stir up?"

"The Japanese were caught off guard. Their main forces were in Outer Manchuria, and their retreat was cut off by the People's Army. That's why they suffered a defeat and lost more than 100,000 people. But they have formed 10 divisions on their home soil. I think there is still room for this battle."

"Do the Japanese invaders still have the money and weapons to equip the newly formed divisions?"

Zhang Zhidong was old and his eyes were blurry. He could not see the words on the newspaper clearly, but he had no problem listening to people read. He read almost every copy of the People's Daily and had people read it to him every day. The Boxers in the north made a detailed analysis of Japan in the newspaper, starting from the anti-Qing war to the Southwest War, the alliance and contradiction between Choshu and Satsuma, the internal purge of the Japanese army, and the relationship between Britain and Japan, and the relationship between Japan and the United States. Zhang Zhidong cursed the People's Party for its perverse behavior, but deep in his heart, he still admired the big bald man in the north. He was worthy of Zhang Zhidong's admiration for being able to overturn the Eight-Nation Alliance and the Russians. If Zeng Guofan had such courage, there might not have been the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. At that time, many people in the Hunan Army advised Zeng Guofan to be independent, and some people in the Huai Army and the Chu Army were also ready to move, but Zeng Guofan did not have the courage to take that step and let Empress Dowager Cixi tear the Hunan Army apart.

These people are just like what the People's Daily said, they want to be whores and also be virtuous. How can such a good thing happen in the world?

Yuan Shikai believed that the People's Party mobilized in the Central Plains because of new changes on the Korean battlefield, but Zhang Zhidong did not think so. He felt that the opponent in the north was likely to want to go south. China's biggest enemies in the two directions of the Northeast were Russia and Japan. Now that the problems of Russia and Japan have been solved, it is natural for the Boxers to want to go south. Zhang Zhidong glanced at Yuan Shikai calmly. Perhaps what Yuan Weiting said was different from what he thought in his heart, just like himself.

"Mr. Sullivan said that the British government has promised to provide loans to Japan."

Sullivan was a British diplomat stationed in Nanjing, and had met Zhang Zhidong. Yuan Shikai first mentioned Sullivan, and then smiled and said: "The People's Army is very strong, but it is not stronger than the British. Even with the help of the British, this situation cannot be reversed."

"Really?" Zhang Zhidong continued to ask: "If the Boxers attack us, can the Beiyang Army stop them?"

Yuan Shikai's expression was very respectful. "There is no Beiyang Army anymore. There is only the National Army under the leadership of the President." His tone became higher. "If the President lets me take charge of the defense of the north, I am sure I can stop the People's Army. But our army is not large enough. If we transfer 200,000 troops to the Yangtze River defense line, the south..."

Zhang Zhidong changed the subject again, "I heard that you Beiyang are very dissatisfied with the peace talks? Was it you who assassinated Sun Yat-sen at Yuhuatai?"

Yuan Shikai still had a smile on his face, but sweat was already oozing from his forehead. He moved restlessly in his seat and expressed his loyalty to Zhang Zhidong again, "Mr. President, there is no Beiyang anymore. I heard that the Yuhuatai incident was done by people from Shanghai. Chen Qimei, a general under Sun Yat-sen, cheated a lot of money in Shanghai. The gunman went to shoot Chen Qimei, not to assassinate Sun Yat-sen."

The rubber stocks in Shanghai killed many people. Because of the leverage, many people not only lost all their property, but also owed a lot of debts, and finally had to line up on the roof. That stock market crash not only made the people in Shanghai feel like dying, but also had a great impact on the economy of the entire Yangtze River Basin and southern China. Li Hongzhang's legitimate son lost 600 million taels of silver in military expenses and almost one-third of the Li family's property in the rubber stock crisis. You know, many of the properties of large families are antiques, houses, land, shops, etc. Losing one-third of the property means that the cash has been lost. No wonder there are rumors outside that Li Hongzhang was angry to death.

Not only did Li Hongzhang's faction lose money in the rubber stock crisis, but Zhang Zhidong and Sun Yat-sen's faction also suffered. Chen Qimei borrowed a lot of money from high-ranking officials of the Guangzhou government, and also borrowed a large sum of money from big gangsters in Shanghai. After the rubber stock crash, many people went to the rooftops, and Chen Qimei's younger brother Jiang Zhiqing was also sunk into the Huangpu River, but he himself escaped successfully and returned to Guangzhou to become an official. But he could not escape the fifteenth day. Chen Qimei was eventually shot in the chest with a rifle from a distance at Yuhuatai. He died on the way to the hospital before he could be rescued.

Yuan Shikai said: "Some people also said that it was done by people from Guangzhou or Yunnan. Chen Qimei cheated a lot of money, and there are too many people who want to kill him."

"Those assassins have always used pistols and bombs, never rifles?" Zhang Zhidong snorted and said, "Take Feng Guozhang, Duan Qirui and others to guard the Yangtze River, and don't let them really attack us. The British are unreliable!"

Yuan Shikai frowned, but then he patted his chest and said, "I will definitely guard the Yangtze River defense line and will never give the People's Party a chance to take advantage of it."

After coming out of Zhang Zhidong's presidential residence, Yuan Shikai's back was wet with sweat. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, got on the carriage and immediately ordered: "Go back, hurry up!"

When they got home, Yang Shiqi, Duan Qirui and others stood up and shouted, "Marshal!" "Weiting Pavilion!" Yuan Shikai stretched out his right hand and pressed down, "Everyone wait a moment!"

, I will go change my clothes and come back to talk to you. "He was the emperor in Korea for ten years, and he lived like an emperor. Later, he trained troops in Xiaozhan and became a minister of Beiyang, and his living standard did not decline. Even when he was driven to the south by the People's Party, Yuan Shikai still lived a life of luxury. There were eight cooks at home, who could cook all kinds of cuisines. There were dozens of maids and servants, and this was because he was not very well-off recently, so he reduced some people. When he was in his hometown of Xiangcheng, his family used to support hundreds of people.

Having been frightened by Zhang Zhidong several times, Yuan Shikai's back was covered in sweat, and now he felt very uncomfortable sticking to him. He had to take a hot bath and change his clothes before he could talk about anything else.

Chapter 354 No Money

After more than half an hour, Yuan Shikai finally changed into new clothes and walked out in high spirits. Yang Shiqi was the most impatient, and hurriedly stood up, took a few steps forward, and asked: "Weiting, what did the president say?"

"The Chen Qimei incident has been exposed, but......"

"but what?"

"The President wants to transfer us to guard the Yangtze River."

Yang Shiqi was happy at first, then worried. "To guard the Yangtze River at this time? I'm afraid you're trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain! Weiting, Yuhuatai... Didn't you really send people to do the Chen Qimei incident?"

"No!" Yuan Shikai shook his head repeatedly. "If we have to kill someone, we should kill Sun Wen. What's the point of killing Chen Qimei? Can't you see that Sun Wen doesn't care at all?"

In fact, Sun Yat-sen still cared about Chen Qimei. Chen Qimei had many problems, such as greed, lust, outspokenness, and liked to use assassination to solve problems, but he was Sun Yat-sen's most loyal follower and had followed Sun Yat-sen to make revolution ten years ago. At that time, the rule of the previous dynasty seemed unbreakable. Chen Qimei ran back and forth in the court's wanted list and did a lot of things for Sun Yat-sen. Now Chen Qimei was killed, Sun Yat-sen was very sad. Other comrades advised him to leave Nanjing, a place of trouble, as soon as possible, but Sun Yat-sen did not leave, but continued to stay, saying that he could not let Yingshi (Chen Qimei)'s blood be shed in vain.

Feng Guozhang said: "Maybe it was Sun Wen who did it, and then the thief cried thief, and the cat cried rat!"

Duan Qirui's focus was different from Feng Guozhang's. He asked with a serious expression: "Is the People's Army really going to move south?"

"Probably not." Yuan Shikai had a mysterious confidence in the British. "Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Jordan have assured me that the British Empire's fleet will not let the People's Army come over."

"The British..." Duan Qirui used to be superstitious about the British's military power, but now he has a different opinion. "If the People's Army forces a crossing of the Yangtze River from the upper reaches, the British warships may not be able to react in time."

Yang Shiqi shouted: "Weiting, you can't hesitate any longer! If you listen to Zhang Zhidong and transfer all the troops away, we will have no place to talk in the future!"

The People's Daily commented that Yuan Shikai was as "good at making plans but indecisive" as Yuan Shao, and even said that Yuan Shikai was not as good as Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao dared to draw his sword in front of Dong Zhuo and shouted "My sword is not bad!" What about Yuan Shikai? He was submissive to foreigners and hit the people hard. He was just a butcher who was "cruel inside and tolerant outside." Yang Shiqi agreed with the evaluation of the People's Daily. There were no such things as rebellion. It was just a matter of cutting the Gordian knot. He called up the troops and rushed into the presidential palace, or killed Zhang Zhidong, or made him empty. At that time, he had a large army and the support of the British outside, so everything was easy to say.

But Yuan Shikai dragged his feet, wanting to seize power but not taking risks. He really lived up to the saying, "A whore wants to be a saint." He was hesitant and would be doomed sooner or later. Look at what Lin the Baldy did. After raising the bar to rebel, he readily sent Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu to their deaths, and then killed the Eight-Nation Alliance. This is what a great leader should do.

Yang Shiqi knew that Yuan Shikai wanted to take over peacefully. After all, Zhang Zhidong was old and looked like he would not live for many more years. No one in the current Nanjing government was more suitable than Yuan Shikai to be the next president, but what if Zhang Zhidong gave the position to Sun Yat-sen? Unlike Yuan Shikai, Sun Yat-sen had few soldiers under his command, and the warlords outside the Beiyang would rather let Sun Yat-sen take power.

Yuan Shikai waved his hand and said, "Huafu and Zhiquan, go and explain clearly to the soldiers and officers, and take them to the riverside to deploy defenses. You will get the rewards you deserve."

Feng Guozhang said: "The president's military pay is getting less and less. I'm afraid there is no money to reward the soldiers this year. Marshal, you know that those soldiers are unwilling to move without money. Now it's almost the New Year, and the army will not go to the riverside to enjoy the breeze without money."

"Those bastards! The government's finances are so bad now, and they don't know how to show some understanding!" At this point, Yuan Shikai thought of the People's Army in the north, "Lin Yongchang's people never asked for money or rewards!"

Yang Shiqi immediately said: "The People's Party's tactics are to drain the pond to catch all the fish. We can't learn from them!"

"I'm not saying I should learn from them, but Lin Yongchang is really good at leading troops."

"The President won't give us money? The Emperor doesn't need hungry soldiers!"

"That's right. It's almost New Year's Day. Who wants to go to the riverside and enjoy the cold wind?"

Listening to the complaints of his subordinates, Yuan Shikai felt annoyed and turned to look at Xu Shichang, "Juren, is it true that the government can't come up with the money?"

Xu Shichang was drinking tea and did not participate in the discussion. At this time, he put down his teacup and

He said slowly, "In order to support the 200,000 new troops, the local government has already increased taxes five times, but it is still not enough. Now the treasury is empty, even rats can starve to death."

"What should I do? The army won't fight for their lives without money. As the chief steward, you have to find a way to give me some money!"

"How much do you want?"

Yuan Shikai did not speak, but raised a finger. Xu Shichang smiled and said, "There is no money in the treasury. If you borrow from someone, you can still get 100,000 taels of silver."

"Brother Juren, why are you kidding? I want one million taels. Hey, don't make excuses. If the president hadn't done this, one hundred thousand taels would have been enough. But if we want to send troops to fight during the New Year, we must have one million taels!"

Xu Shichang said: "We are just going to the riverside to deploy defenses, not to fight a real war." He had spent a year in the military camp and participated in the compilation of various regulations of the Beiyang Army. He would not be fooled by Yuan Shikai.

"The one million taels of silver reward is only required if there is no war. If there is a war, it will not be a matter of one million taels!"

"Alas, it's really too expensive to maintain an army of 200,000 new soldiers, even if there are mountains of gold and silver, it will all be spent!" Xu Shichang shook his head and said, "I want to think of a way to see if I can ask Li Jingfang and Zhang Jingjiang for some money, but they may not be able to get more than one million taels of silver. I have asked them for alms several times, and this time they want another million taels of silver. It's difficult!"

Li Jingfang was Li Hongzhang's eldest son, who was adopted. After Li Hongzhang's legitimate son died suddenly, Li Jingfang inherited most of Li Hongzhang's property and political legacy. When China and Russia fought in Northeast China, Li Jingfang donated a lot of money and organized a volunteer army to go north to fight against Russia. Zhang Jingjiang was Sun Yat-sen's best friend and funded Sun Yat-sen's uprising many times. After the establishment of the Guangzhou Military Government, he also helped raise funds several times to alleviate Sun Yat-sen's financial difficulties.

Yuan Shikai was a little unhappy when Xu Shichang said he wanted to borrow money from them. Li Jingfang was fine, although he was annoying, he was at least a descendant of the Beiyang lineage. Zhang Jingjiang was Sun Yat-sen's man, and the merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang did not get along well with Nanjing. But Yuan Shikai had no good solution. He was good at training soldiers and had some political insights, but he was not good at managing money. In the past, the training at Xiaozhan was supported by the previous dynasty with all its heart and effort. The high prices in Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi and other places were enough to support more than 10,000 Beiyang troops and three other new-style troops.

After coming to the south, Yuan Shikai still didn't know how to make money. His army relied on Zhang Zhidong's funding to grow and develop again. If Zhang Zhidong didn't give him money, Yuan Shikai's small group would not be able to survive. From this perspective, it makes sense that he didn't dare to take action.

Chapter 355: Six Dynasties Gold Powder

Yuan Shikai used to have many talented people under him. After he fled to the south, most of his civil and military talents followed him. These people were the capital for Yuan Shikai to make a comeback, but they also had their own demands, either for fame, or for profit, or both. There were also some who believed that the People's Party's approach would not work, and the hope of saving China still had to fall on Yuan Shikai. Yuan Shikai did not do very well, but looking around, except for the People's Party in the north who was doing perverse things, none of the other leaders were capable. Yuan Shikai actually gave people a sense of standing out from the crowd in the south.

Even Jordan praised Yuan Shikai's ability, saying that only Yuan Shikai could solve the problems of China today. Jordan was the ambassador to China of the world hegemon, the British Empire, and his words were worth a thousand words. After the British Far East Fleet bombarded the People's Party's port, many people in the south thought that the opportunity was coming. They did not think that there was anything terrible about the People's Party's mobilization, and they hoped that the new army trained by Yuan Shikai could cross the Yangtze River and return to Beijing. Even Yuan Shikai felt that he could rely on the support of the British to compete with the People's Party. It might not be possible to return to Beijing, but with the cooperation of the British, it should be no problem to recover Jiangsu, Anhui and other places. If the situation goes well, it will not be a problem to take Shandong.

Historically, the northern exiles who fled to the south were very good at fighting. The most famous one was of course the Northern Army. It was only after Liu Yu took control of the Northern Army that he was able to destroy the Sima family and become emperor. As long as there is the support of Britain and an effort, maybe Shandong can be taken. If Shandong is in hand, how far is Beijing? Back then, Zhu Yuanzhang took Shandong first, and then swept across the entire north. Zhu Baba, a beggar, could do it, so there is no reason why Yuan Shikai couldn't do it.

But Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang, who had actually fought against the People's Army, did not think so. Yuan Shikai only trained the troops and selected generals, and the real leaders were Feng Guozhang and Duan Qirui. In Duan Qirui's view, the combat effectiveness of the People's Army was just so-so. If the equipment and the number of troops were the same, he would be confident that he could hold the position. However, the number of the People's Army was too large, and he would find himself surrounded by several times the number of the People's Army.

When fighting the People's Army in Shandong, the Beiyang Army had only 30,000 soldiers, 10,000 of whom were well-trained and well-equipped veterans, and the rest were new recruits recruited from Shandong. After the exchange of fire, the Beiyang veterans were not inferior to the People's Army, and even had the upper hand. But the new recruits were different. The Beiyang Army slaughtered many people in Shandong, and many of them had blood feuds with Yuan Shikai and his men. After the People's Army came, those people either ran home with their guns or simply rebelled on the battlefield. As a result, the Beiyang Army suffered repeated defeats and was finally surrounded.

Trapped in the city of Jinan, they had no choice but to surrender.

The current situation is better than in Shandong, but not much better. The army that Yuan Dashuai can directly command is only 20,000 to 30,000 people, with few artillery and heavy machine guns, and few capable officers. With the same strength, it is not as good as the old Beiyang, and this is already the most capable force under Zhang Zhidong. The Nanjing National Government claims to have 200,000 new troops, but that is just a claim. Most of the troops lack officers and weapons and equipment, and can only fight against the mob in the south. It is simply a dream to rely on them to defeat the wolf-like People's Army in the north.

Now, the Beiyang elders have only one way left. Get rid of Zhang Zhidong, let Yuan Shuai take power, and then borrow money from the British to buy weapons and equipment. If the 200,000 new troops can reach the level of the old Beiyang, it is not impossible to fight back to Beijing.

Liang Shiyi, Ruan Zhongshu and others were discussing heatedly, and Duan Qirui gradually had no more words to say. He looked to the side, and Feng Guozhang happened to look over. The two exchanged glances for a moment, one nodded, and the other shook his head.

In Yuan Shikai's house, everyone discussed for a long time. After Xu Shichang, Yang Shiqi, Ruan Zhongshu and others left, Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang secretly returned and conspired with Yuan Shikai for a long time.

"Marshal, the arrow is on the string and must be shot!"

Duan Qirui made an impassioned speech, "The People's Party is getting stronger and stronger. If we don't cheer up, we will be left further behind by them in the future."

Feng Guozhang used to be a close friend of Duan Qirui, but they had been at odds for a while. However, at the critical moment, he stood on the same front with Duan Qirui. "Marshal, as long as you give the order, the Third Division will be able to rush into the city immediately. The few soldiers under the President can't stop us!"

Duan Qirui considered keeping the 200,000 troops in his hands so that he could fight a decisive battle with the People's Army in the future. Feng Guozhang also agreed with this point, but he valued the immediate benefits more. If Yuan Shikai became the president, would they, the followers who followed Yuan Shikai from the north, also be able to get promoted and make a fortune? Nanjing is the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, where people are so decadent and extravagant that they don't want to leave. But you need money to enjoy such a good place. If you don't have money, you can only watch others enjoy it. Feng Guozhang is different from Duan Qirui. He is power-hungry and greedy for money. Looking at the colorful world of Nanjing, he couldn't help it.

Yuan Shikai saw through the thoughts of his subordinates clearly. Compared with Duan Qirui, who was not greedy for money or lustful, Yuan Shikai preferred Feng Guozhang. It doesn't matter if you are greedy for money or lustful. Only those who are greedy can be used with confidence. Duan Qirui was not greedy for money or lustful, but he only wanted to seize power, which was too dangerous. The greatest power came from the throne of the president, which Yuan Shikai left for himself, but never thought of giving it to others. Unless he died... No, even if he died, he still had a son.