As soon as Yuan Shikai returned to the mansion, he immediately ordered someone to send a telegram to Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui, asking Duan Qirui to bring a few major officers back to Beijing to apologize. After all, Wang Shizhen is still the governor of Jiangbei, and he only needs to apologize separately. After arranging these things, Yuan Shikai ordered someone to prepare simple luggage. He began to put pen to paper himself.

After writing, Yuan Shikai summoned the whole family to the lobby. Yuan Shikai had a wife and nine concubines in his life, and he gave birth to seventeen sons and fifteen daughters. In the anecdotes of Chen Ke recorded in later generations, Chen Ke saw Yuan Shikai's family situation and couldn't help but sigh, "What a diligent man." ”

Yuan Shikai himself did not have this kind of diligent understanding, and in the face of a large family, he said loudly: "I asked you to come today to tell you that I am likely to send troops this time, and once I send troops, either I will die or Chen Ke will die." I have already written a suicide note, and in case I die, I can execute it according to it. ”

"Sir!" Yuan Shikai's aunt was so frightened that her face turned pale. Shen is a famous prostitute in Suzhou, and when Yuan was down, he was funded to hunt for fame, and Yuan Shikai was determined not to be disappointed, and married Shen as his wife. Because Yuan Shikai's wife Yu was weak and incompetent, Yuan treated Shen as his wife and often took her to some diplomatic occasions.

Yuan Shikai looked at the flustered aunts and wives, then at his son and unmarried daughter, and waved his hand calmly, "You don't need to say it, I know Chen Ke This is fate, there is no need to complain about this matter." After I send my troops, none of you are allowed to go out of the house. If I die, you will all move me back to my hometown. There's nothing else to do, so go down. ”

After saying this, no matter how surprised and shocked the people of the Yuan family were, Yuan Shikai got up and went back to the study. This big family of more than 40 people didn't expect Yuan Shikai to be so cold before sending troops this time, and they all stayed where they were. Aunt Shen has always been favored by Yuan Shikai, in the eyes of a large family, she stood up quietly, first instructed the maid to prepare a pot of tea, and Shen personally took the tea to the study.

"Master Tong, I'll bring him tea." Shen did not force his way into the study, but stood outside the study and said to the soldiers guarding the door.

As soon as the words fell, I heard Yuan Shikai say in the study: "Come in." ”

Entering the study, Shen carefully closed the door, put the tray on the table, and then knelt in front of Yuan Shikai with her head bowed, and when she raised her head, there were already tears on her handsome face. "Master, you scared me to death." Shen choked up and said, "That's good, why did you talk about death?" ”

Pulling up his beloved aunt from the ground, Yuan Shikai smiled bitterly, "You don't know, Chen Keji will use soldiers, if I and him change places, facing the third town led by Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui, I will not be able to fight that result." ”

"That Chen Ke is really a wolf ambition, master, you are good to him in vain!" Shen saw that what Yuan Shikai said was terrifying, and scolded Chen Ke while tears rolled down.

Yuan Shikai suddenly whispered: "Erniang, I have something for you to do." If I was really killed by Chen Ke, you must not hold a grudge. If Chen Ke takes over the world, you must go to see Yan Fu or Chen Ke in person. Let him look at our old friendship, and for the sake of me speaking for Chen Ke, he will raise his noble hand to our Yuan family. ”

"Sir!" Shen never expected Yuan Shikai to arrange it like this, and he was so shocked that he even forgot to cry.

Yuan Shikai took Shen's hand and said solemnly: "This matter is related to the life of our Yuan family, Erniang, although you did not give birth to an heir to our Yuan family, but these children call you their mother on weekdays." None of them are angry, and I can only rest assured that this matter can only be handed over to you. I killed a lot of people and made many enemies during my lifetime. There are many people in the court who want to be unfavorable to our Yuan family, if I die, you will let the older children go overseas. The young children couldn't leave, so they all went back to their hometown in Xiangcheng. They'll leave it to you. ”

"Master, you are wise and martial, how can you lose to a few chaotic parties!" Shen's mind was in chaos, so he could only say in such a general way.

"Qing out of blue, if our Yuan family's child can have a child like Chen Ke, I have nothing to fear if I die." Yuan Shikai sighed. This is his true words, after letting his aunt Tai Shen go out, Yuan Shikai sat in his seat and recalled his interaction with Chen Ke. Now he can't remember Chen Ke's appearance clearly, and the two have only met once or twice. How to think back to the situation at that time, Yuan Shikai couldn't think of any special performance of Chen Ke. However, this kind of obscurity made Yuan Shikai very much in favor. The self-righteous young Yuan Shikai has seen too much, and when he has no status, these young people always try to prove their "greatness" to people with status. Chen's performance at that time now seems to be truly remarkable.

"What is Chen Ke like now?" Yuan Shikai asked himself silently. He saw the danger of sending troops this time very clearly, except for Yuan Shikai himself, there was no talent in the Manchu court who could lead the Beiyang New Army in the Three Towns. Since the Empress Dowager Cixi decided to eliminate the People's Party, she had no choice but to send Yuan Shikai to lead the troops. If you add Wang Shizhen, Duan Qirui and the Henan New Army, this is equivalent to having 50,000 new troops. Among the various pieces of intelligence collected by the Qing court, it was generally reported that the People's Party troops were only more than 20,000 people, 50,000 against 20,000, and the victory of the Beiyang Army should be very likely.

However, when the third town of Beiyang and the Jiangbei New Army attacked Anhui, no one thought that they would encounter such a big defeat. In case Yuan Shikai is defeated this time, there will only be two new troops left in the north, and a total of more than 20,000 troops will not be enough to protect themselves. And Chen Ke is famous for defeating the three towns of Beiyang, and no one in the world dares to be an enemy of the People's Party. At that time, Chen Kebing Feng was referring to......

"Humph!" Yuan Shikai suddenly sneered. It is not possible to send troops by yourself, Cixi is getting higher in the Spring and Autumn Period, and Jiangsu has set up a parliament, the name of this constitutional new policy has been robbed, and the constitutional situation led by Yuan Shikai has changed greatly. Many people who originally pursued constitutionalism have adopted a wait-and-see attitude. The situation has reached this point, and Yuan Shikai is still in Beijing, which is self-defeating.

What if it's a private deal with Chen Ke? Yuan Shikai has not had such thoughts, but Enming's fate has proved that Chen Ke will never let go of an official like Yuan Shikai, who is known as the "people's massacre". Chen Ke's subordinates had some remnants of the former Boxer, and in order to buy the hearts of the people in Lu'an and Huoshan in Anhui, Chen Ke killed Enming. That wants to buy the hearts of the people in Hebei and Shandong, Yuan Shikai's head is undoubtedly the best thing.

"Chen Ke, let's see who can have the last laugh." Yuan Shikai made up his mind.

On July 1, 1908, Duan Qirui returned to the army department in Beijing with the main officers of the Third Town of Beiyang. The War Office immediately imprisoned the defeated generals. There is a cavalry commander here, Sun Yongsheng. Sun Yongsheng has been very sad in the Beiyang Army these days, and many people will call Sun Yongsheng "Uncle Sun" with a little jokingness when they see Sun Yongsheng. Since the BJP treats prisoners preferentially, it is difficult to say that there is much malice in this designation.

As a general of the defeated army, Sun Yongsheng met his niece He Ying and niece Chen Ke for the first time in the prisoner of war camp. Although Sun Yongsheng had vowed to cut off Chen Ke's head before sending troops, when he saw Chen Ke coming towards his hospital bed surrounded by heavily armed guards, Sun Yongsheng first felt a kind of fear from the heart.

As a soldier, Sun Yongsheng can feel the real coercion from Chen Ke. It's a feeling peculiar to people who don't care about killing. Although Chen Ke also had a polite smile on his square face, this smile was the kindness of the man-eating tiger. Sun Yongsheng experienced the fiercest battle between the People's Party and the Beiyang Army, whether it was the Beiyang cavalry that swept down the pieces like wheat in a machine-gun array, or the fierce shelling of warships from the river, and the burning city, the stormy shooting of thousands of People's Party infantry on the city wall. Sun Yongsheng felt terrified every time he thought about it. The creator of this nightmare of the Beiyang Army is Chen Ke. It is impossible for Sun Yongsheng not to be afraid of Chen Ke.

Returning to Xuzhou with the Beiyang officers and soldiers, Beiyang had no war horses, and Sun Yongsheng's cavalry command became a complete failure. Sun Yongsheng didn't complain, let alone volunteer, he just obeyed the orders from above so honestly. followed Duan Qirui back to Beijing to plead guilty, and Sun Yongsheng also silently obeyed the order. After the officers of the Third Town were imprisoned, Sun Yongsheng sat quietly in the corner and listened to the uneasy whispered discussions of the other comrades. He himself thought of his wife He Qian. Sun Yongsheng regretted a little, if he had followed He Qian's advice and not participated in the dispatch of troops at that time, he would definitely not have fallen to the point where he is today. But he just refused to listen, and took He Qian's advice as malice. Until He Qian personally went to Anhui to save himself, Sun Yongsheng did not know what the People's Party was going to do with his officers and prisoners of war. Seeing his wife He Qian's emaciated face after rushing, Sun Yongsheng suddenly felt that he had a real sense of security. He Qian also returned to Beijing before Sun Yongsheng's release. Sun Yongsheng really wanted to apologize to He Qian after returning home, and at least pour He Qian a cup of tea.

Cixi had no intention of pursuing responsibility for the defeat of the Third Town, and on July 3, all officers were released from prison. The War Office ordered the officers to stay in a barracks pending questioning. The lax discipline of the Manchu army was immediately apparent, and that night, with the exception of Duan Qirui, all the officers who lived in Beijing had run away. Finally survived, and everyone wanted to go home and reunite with their families.

Sun Yongsheng naturally couldn't stay in the barracks, he ran home in disdain, and when he knocked on the door of the house, Sun Yongsheng saw that it was his father who opened the door. His tears flowed down his cheeks. As soon as you enter, close the door. Sun Yongsheng only shouted, "Dad!" So he knelt down for his father.

The joy of the Sun family can be imagined, Sun Yongsheng escaped death and arrived home safely. Sun Yongsheng's parents' hanging hearts were finally put back in their stomachs. Sun Yongsheng's mother cried like a tearful person, and although his grandfather was not so excited, his face was also full of smiles. He Qian lost a lot of weight, and when she saw Sun Yongsheng coming back, she sat down next to Sun Yongsheng, with a smile on her face.

But the party can't be too long, although no one cares about running home at night, but in the morning I have to go back to the barracks. The Sun family's parents asked He Qian to go to sleep first, and they called Sun Yongsheng to their house. Mr. Sun gave a general introduction to the recent situation, since the People's Party publicly executed Enming, the imperial court is ready to send troops again, and it is necessary to exterminate the Anhui Rebellion.

Sun Yongsheng no longer had the same spirit as last time, he lowered his head and said, "Dad, I want to call myself sick this time." ”

"Call sick?" Sun Yongsheng's father sneered, "If you wanted to call yourself sick last time, it would be fine." This time the court has made such a determination, are you calling yourself sick at this time, are you preparing to let the Sun family die without a place to be buried? ”

"This?" Sun Yongsheng was a little puzzled.

The grandfather was extremely dissatisfied with his son's political naivety, "Yongsheng, the last time you called your illness can be said to be to avoid suspicion. This time, if you call yourself sick, others will say that you escaped! The Queen Mother Lafayette has already made up her mind, and those who want to show their loyalty, or those who want to attack Lord Yuan, are holding back their strength. When you call yourself sick at this time, aren't you looking for death? ”

Sun Yongsheng only felt a cold sweat on his back, and he nodded hurriedly, "Dad, I know." I must not talk nonsense. ”

"If you don't speak, you may not be able to get through this pass, it's not you anymore, the Sun family is unlucky. stalled the daughter of the He family. Yongsheng, don't ask for your wife. We're out of luck. Grandfather said in a heavy tone.

Sun Yongsheng was a little unhappy with his father's words, but he must not say that his father's words were wrong. He bowed his head and said nothing, but he heard Old Man Sun say, "Yongsheng, go and meet your daughter-in-law." When you're done, you'll go. Don't have a handle in the hands of others, our family can no longer afford this. ”

When He Qian saw Sun Yongsheng enter the house, she stepped forward to protect Sun Yongsheng, and tears had already flowed out. "Yongsheng, it's okay if you're okay!" He Qian cried and said.

"You're ......, you've worked hard." Sun Yongsheng kept his wife, but he couldn't say a word of what he originally thought of.

He Qian cried for a while, and then let go of Sun Yongsheng, "Yongsheng, you hurry back to the barracks." Don't come back these days, if the court asks you to send troops, you will send troops. Don't say anything, don't let people get caught! ”

His wife's explanation made Sun Yongsheng feel full of emotion in his heart, "Madam, you are so good to me!" ”

Hearing this, He Qian's eyes turned red, and tears flowed down again. She whispered: "Yongsheng, we are husband and wife, and I should be good to you." Yongsheng, you must take care of yourself this time. Don't be rash and let people be swordsmen. The People's Party does not kill indiscriminately, and if it is a critical moment, you must put yourself first. ”

If he heard this before, Sun Yongsheng would immediately be furious, this time he crawled out of the death line, Sun Yongsheng finally knew the preciousness of life. He nodded and said, "Don't worry." ”

He Qian sent Sun Yongsheng out of the door, but she no longer sent Sun Yongsheng to the door. At the gate was the grandfather, and when the old man saw that his son was leaving, he couldn't bear it, but he didn't stay long. He said to Sun Yongsheng again: "Yongsheng, don't ask for your daughter-in-law." With her here, our Sun family has to die with her. For the sake of our grandson's family, when you come back, we will find you a daughter-in-law. ”

Sun Yongsheng was not satisfied with his father's point of view, but this was not the time to argue, he only said, "Dad, you and your mother take care." And he left the house.

Along the way, thinking back to his wife's warmth and reasonableness, Sun Yongsheng felt warm in his heart, but a feeling of uneasiness began to intensify unconsciously. Although he felt uneasy, Sun Yongsheng did not dare to think of a reason. Until he approached the camp gate, Sun Yongsheng couldn't bear it anymore, recalling his father's words twice, Sun Yongsheng shivered a lot. "Don't ask for your daughter-in-law", his father's words echoed repeatedly in Sun Yongsheng's heart.

Are parents ready to make their own decisions, and He Qian is on vacation? Sun Yongsheng thought. However, if Sun Yongsheng did not write a letter of resignation, it would not be easy to do such things, at most they would have driven He Qian out of the house. And He Qian still has relatives in Tianjin, and he still has his mother's home to return to. Even if the parents do this, they can just take He Qian back when the time comes. Sun Yongsheng thought. And with his own salary, it is not difficult to buy a house to live with He Qian.

Despite the "worst-case scenario", Sun Yongsheng's sense of uneasiness still did not diminish in the slightest. In order to reassure himself, Sun Yongsheng hurriedly entered the barracks.

"Yo, Uncle Sun came back so early?" The out-of-town officer in the same room said jokingly.

If it was in the past, Sun Yongsheng would have fought back a few words, this time he didn't take off his pale clothes, and lay on the bed and pulled the bed quilt to cover his head. Maybe it was the echo of the quilt, Sun Yongsheng could clearly hear the sound of his heart beating. He desperately kept all thoughts out of his mind, and under this strange excitement, sleep actually became Sun Yongsheng's refuge, and he fell asleep not long after. However, the dream was completely outside Sun Yongsheng's rational control, in Sun Yongsheng's dream, He Qian was in horror in the dark, and then a bright knife was slammed into He Qian's chest. Sun Yongsheng's body trembled violently, and he woke up violently with a moan of unknown meaning.

At this time, it was dark outside the window, and this low moan slightly disturbed the water surface of the officers in the room, and Sun Yongsheng heard one or two officers muttering something, and then in the sound of deep breathing and slight snoring, they quickly fell asleep again. Sun Yongsheng curled up in a ball on the bed, trembling and never falling asleep again.

Sun Yongsheng followed the advice of his father and He Qian and never returned home. On July 8, the imperial court ordered the officers of the third town to return to Xuzhou as soon as possible to "wear guilt and make meritorious service". On July 9, when they got on the bus, the officers in the same car looked at Sun Yongsheng with a very strange meaning. When the car drove out of Beijing, an officer who had a good relationship with Sun Yongsheng and Ping Surrey secretly took Sun Yongsheng to the corner and whispered to Sun Yongsheng: "Brother Sun, they all said that your daughter-in-law is dead." I don't know if it's true. ”

To the officer's surprise, Sun Yongsheng, who heard the news, was not surprised to hear the unexpected news. Sun Yongsheng's eyes just widened, and then a man suddenly covered his face and cried.

This time it was not only the officers of the Third Town who went out, but also Chen Kuilong, the governor of Huguang, who was very unwilling, embarked on the road to his post. This lord was originally appointed as the governor of Sichuan after Zhao Erxun was transferred from the governor of Sichuan to the governor of Huguang, but it turned out that Chen Kuilong's wife Xu was the "goddaughter" of the Fujin of Prince Qing Yixuan, and Mrs. Xu felt that Sichuan was far away and was unwilling to take office. So he said that Prince Qing Yixuan was moved, and he wanted Chen Kuilong to be the governor of Huguang. As a result, this campaign really worked, because Sichuan was in chaos day by day, and the imperial court originally intended to let Zhao Erxun, who dealt with the rebellious party with an iron fist, return to Sichuan. Chen Kuilong had been active before, and he had also greeted various factions in the imperial court. When no one else refused to accept the hot potato of the governor of Huguang, Chen Kuilong was appointed as the governor of Huguang.

At this time, Mrs. Xu was panicked, and she went to ask her godmother Prince Qing for the blessing of Yixuan, but Prince Qing Yixuan clearly told Mrs. Xu that in order to seek an official position for Chen Kuilong, this said that Xiang had already arrived at Lafayette Cixi. Lafayette agreed to this matter, and now it is Lafayette who has let Chen Kuilong take office, which must not be shirked.

Mrs. Xu knew that she couldn't excuse herself, but she refused to let her husband Chen Kuilong go to Hubei to die, so Chen Kuilong used traditional means to "call him sick". Now that Zhao Erxun has thrown Wuhan in a hurry and ran all the way to Sichuan, the position of the governor of Huguang is actually vacant.

Cixi was not angry, she just called Prince Qing and asked Prince Qing if he wanted to send some medicine to Chen Kuilong. Prince Qing Yixuan was not a fool, he immediately rushed to Chen Kuilong and scolded him. Chen Kuilong had to hurry to take office. Chen Kuilong's wife Xu thought on the train that life and death would be unpredictable after going to Wuhan, and she couldn't help but hug her and Chen Kuilong's only daughter, and cried like a tearful person.

The Manchu court mobilized officials, troops, and a new great war was already on the verge of breaking out.