Whenever he thinks of Chen Ke, Yuan Shikai always has a sigh of creation. It stands to reason that as an elder who helped Chen Ke talk to the matchmaker, Chen Ke should have taken the initiative to follow the traditional rules and strive to join Yuan Shikai's door. Chen Ke did not do this, but went to Anhui to realize his long-planned rebellion. not only dealt a heavy blow to the matchmaker Yuan Shikai, but even Wang Shizhen, who acted as Chen Ke's elder at the wedding, was captured by Chen Ke. However, this "ungrateful" approach did not make Yuan Shikai have any resentment towards Chen Ke. On the contrary, Yuan Shikai even felt that he could understand Chen Ke a little.

When one is able to get more out of one's own abilities, what can stop that choice? In 1884, Kim Yukyun and other members of the "Enlightenment Party" staged a coup d'état in Jiashen in an attempt to overthrow the regime controlled by the "Great Party", and the Japanese troops stationed in Korea also took the opportunity to take the royal family hostage. King Li Xi sent people to the Qing camp to ask for help, and Yuan Shikai commanded the Qing army to repel the Japanese army and maintain the suzerainty and other privileges of the Qing court in Korea. Yuan Shikai put down the coup d'état in Korea, which was of great significance, repelled the Japanese infiltration forces, smashed Japan's attempt to take advantage of the Sino-French war to seek Korea, and postponed the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war. Yuan Shikai was also valued by Li Hongzhang and others because of this incident, and at the age of 26, he was named "Minister of Commerce and Trade Affairs of the Prime Minister stationed in North Korea".

Chen Ke, as an "anti-thief", was 26 years old when he started the incident, which is the same age as Yuan Shikai became famous in one fell swoop, which can't help but make Yuan Shikai have a wonderful sense of fate. In addition, Yuan Shikai is quite "faithful". He never told his subordinates one of the reasons why he looked at Chen Ke differently. The Yuan family is ranked as "Baoshi Ke Family, Qiwen Shaowu". Yuan Shikai is a generation of "Shi", although Chen Ke has a rather strange one-character name in the Manchu Dynasty, it is precisely "Ke", which shows that Chen Ke is a "Ke" generation. It is the same as Yuan Shikai's children and nephews. This is an important reason for Yuan Shikai to be a matchmaker for Chen Ke.

However, Yuan Shikai did not realize his deeper consciousness, if it were not for the great success of Chen Ke's rebellion, which put great pressure on the Qing court. It is impossible for Yuan Shikai to have a high opinion of Chen Ke now. Of course, these are just Yuan Shikai's own personal feelings, after all, he is the leader of the Beiyang Group, before considering his personal feelings, Yuan Shikai must take the overall interests of the Beiyang Group as the first goal. He must rescue the captured officers of the Beiyang Army from the hands of the People's Party.

Sitting in front of Yuan Shikai was Chen Ke's messenger Lu Huitian. Taking on the dangerous job of serving as a messenger as the secretary of the Fuyang region, Lu Huitian did not have the slightest fear. The work is done by oneself, and in the party committee of the People's Party, Lu Huitian's ability is enough to complete this work, and Lu Huitian seems to be the most suitable person. Of course, Lu Huitian did not indicate his position, and now he is just a messenger.

In Yuan Shikai's view, the cadres of the People's Party are very young, and their ability is better than that of the young people of the Beiyang Group. When ordinary people sit in front of Yuan Shikai, the Minister of Military Aircraft, they only dare to sit on half of their buttocks, and they are ready to stand up at any time. Lu Huitian, the young messenger of the People's Party, sat steadily in his chair, but he did not feel anything contrived at all. He has a calm and focused attitude, and his concentration is high. The great victory of the People's Party over Beiyang did not make this young man have the slightest reserve or arrogance, and when talking about the war, the young man seemed to be talking about something very ordinary. This kind of narrative language is really not in line with Yuan Shikai's usual conversations.

First of all, he introduced the recent situation of the captured officers of the Beiyang Army, and told them that they had received the best medical treatment and that most of the officers were in good health. Lu Huitian saw Yuan Shikai's expression relaxed, and then continued: "Mr. Yuan, if we calculate the ransom according to the income of the captured officers of the Beiyang Army for two years, do you think this calculation method is appropriate?" ”

"Income?" Yuan Shikai keenly judged the keywords. Military pay and income are two completely different methods of calculation. If calculated according to the military salary alone, the annual income of more than 800 captured officers is more than 200,000 oceans. But in terms of "income", that would at least have to be doubled. Moreover, the income of Jiangbei Admiral and Duan Qirui is even higher.

Lu Huitian nodded, "Yes, according to the income." In two years, these people must have at least 1.2 million silver dollars. This is not a small amount, and even if Mr. Yuan owns the Bank of Communications, we think it will not be easy to pay it all at once. ”

"Oh?" Even if he agreed with Chen Ke's point of view in his heart, Yuan Shikai just smiled incomprehensibly.

Lu Huitian didn't react to this smile at all, and he continued: "What we Chairman Chen mean is that if this 1.2 million silver dollars are not paid directly, but as a stake in Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant. Does Mr. Yuan think it will be much better for everyone's economic situation? ”

This proposal was really unexpected by Yuan Shikai, Chen Ke had no intention of going north, but wanted to meddle in the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant. The more hidden meaning is to meddle in the Hanyang Arsenal. It's a deal that is definitely a no-brainer. The People's Party is now very strong, and if it can get enough weapons, the quality of Hanyang-made will be famous in the country.

"It's hard work, Chen Wenqing thinks so much for me." Yuan Shikai is still unfathomable.

"If you want to convince Zhao Erxun, the governor of Huguang, that military force alone will not work. We believe that a two-pronged approach is needed, both political and military. Therefore, I hope that Mr. Yuan can provide political help, and if we need to intimidate Zhao Erxun by force, we will naturally send troops. At that time, if Mr. Sheng Xuanhuai was also in Hubei, this kind of thing would be easy to do. But no matter what means are used, what we want is the production capacity of the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant, so what's the point of destroying the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant? This is nothing more than the destruction of our important industrial enterprises in China out of thin air. Zhao Erxun may not be distressed, but our People's Party is still distressed. ”

No matter how serious Yuan Shikai was, he couldn't help but laugh after hearing this. If Beiyang and the People's Party sang a double reed, Yuan Shikai was confident that Zhao Erxun would obediently submit. But this means that Beiyang has to reach a political offensive and defensive agreement with the People's Party. The fact that the two sides were fighting a bloody battle a few months ago and converging a few months later is perhaps the biggest joke.

"Could it be that Wen Qing still wants to be an official in the imperial court?" Yuan Shikai played his humorous cell.

"The Manchu Qing Dynasty will fall in a few years, who wants to bury it?" Lu Huitian said it more bluntly.

This plan is not entirely undesirable, and letting Yuan Shikai take out 1.2 million silver dollars in one hand is also a sum that he must not easily bear. In contrast, if it can be concealed, the control of the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant is a perfectly acceptable bargaining chip. What if the People's Party gets the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant? The Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant is so big that it is absolutely impossible for the People's Party to move the steel plant to Anhui. It may not be easy to defeat the People's Party, but it is easy to destroy the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant. There was no need to directly destroy the plant, as long as the transportation of iron ore and coke was cut off, the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant would have to stop work immediately. Not to mention that now Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant actually has the intervention and control of Beiyang Sheng Xuanhuai. The odds of success are very good.

The only thing that worries Yuan Shikai is the risk of this private transaction, the biggest risk is that the People's Party actually doesn't want to cooperate at all, but wants to put Yuan Shikai in it, and when the deal is completed and the evidence is conclusive, the People's Party will completely expose this transaction, and Yuan Shikai will not be able to get out at that time.

In a deep groan, Yuan Shikai heard Lu Huitian say: "Mr. Yuan, I know where your worries are. It's just that I'm afraid that we will cross the river and tear down the bridge afterwards and sell you. Let me put it this way, we want to harm you, and we don't have to work so hard. It was rumored in the Manchu court that when Wuxu changed the law, Guangxu gave you an edict to let you enter the king of Jingqin. As a result, you gave the edict to Cixi, and you fought back, leaving Guangxu imprisoned. The Imperialism hates you to the core. Cixi is over 70 years old this year, how many days can she live? As soon as Cixi dies, if the imperial party is on the throne, what do you think they will do to you? ”

This incident is one of Yuan Shikai's biggest heart problems recently, and it was exposed by the young Lu Huitian in one fell swoop, and Yuan Shikai was shocked. But he was able to hold it down on his face.

I heard Lu Huitian continue: "If we want to use any conspiracy methods, then we don't need to do anything about the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant. We are now spreading rumors in the capital that you are worried that Cixi will return to power after her death, and that you are going to poison Guangxu. Let him die before Cixi. Do you think, Cixi is such a smart person, doesn't she know that Guangxu hates her to the core? We can add a little bit of news, I heard that Cixi is sick now, and after Guangxu learned about it, he sighed and said that he was sick. So wouldn't Cixi put Guangxu to death before she died? And at that time, Guangxu and Cixi were killed one after another, whether it was the imperial party coming to power or the later party coming to power, what do you think they would do to you? ”

This is already a naked threat, where has Yuan Shikai suffered such a vicious anger for so many years. His face immediately became gloomy, and his fists couldn't help but clench.

Lu Huitian didn't see it, he continued to say with a frank look: "Mr. Yuan, we will never use this method. Please rest assured that we, the People's Party, rose up to make a revolution to save the country. Since we want to save the country, we must naturally adopt the method that is most beneficial to China. When the world can be called a masterpiece, Mr. Yuan, you are one of the few people. Zhang Zhidong did not become old and mediocre, and hanged himself on the crooked neck tree of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. The so-called Qingliu led by Cen Chunxuan are all hypocrites who sell their reputations. As for the Manchu clans, they were short-sighted and had a pathological thirst for power. After the fall of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Zhili and the north will inevitably be in chaos, and you are not unclear about the appearance of these people, what else can they do except sell Chinese interests to foreign countries. Foreigners have been watching China for a long time. Now that there is an internal response, China is destined to reach the point of no return. We, the People's Party, believe that once the Manchus fall, Beiyang, under your command, will take over the political legacy of the Manchus, which is the best option. At that time, whether Beiyang and our People's Party will be at war or at peace will be highly debatable. Even in the end, we disagreed politically and met each other. It is also a good choice for you, Mr. Yuan, to unify China. We have brought you down with these filthy methods of Manchu officialdom. Let China have one less pillar, do you say that we are worthy of China in doing this? Is it worthy of the people of the world? ”

Yuan Shikai has received positive comments from many people since he was a child, but the evaluation he received from the enemy of the People's Party can be deservedly called the highest praise. Other positive comments are based on the interests of the family, the group, and the imperial court. For the first time, someone closely linked Yuan Shikai with the interests of the people of the world. And it gave an evaluation related to the future of the people of the world.

In his heart, he kept emphasizing that "Lu Huitian, the messenger of the People's Party who can say such things, is very dangerous", but Yuan Shikai found that he still liked these words very much in his heart, and even had the urge to believe them. But after all, he is a real power politician, since everyone has said everything that needs to be said. From the perspective of political negotiation or political blackmail, Lu Huitian even said a little too much, although it cannot be said to be to the point of adding to the snake, but he is also a little suspicious of talking to himself.

Yuan Shikai was not in a hurry to give Lu Huitian an answer. "I already know what Mr. Lu means. This kind of thing is not going to come to fruition in the short term. Or just talk about it here. ”

Lu Huitian nodded, "Mr. Yuan, I came here this time, and I have already brought everything that Chairman Chen told me to bring to Mr. Yuan." Now that Mr. Yuan already knows, he will leave for Anhui now. When Mr. Yuan has a decision, he can send someone to inform us. ”

"Huh? Mr. Lu is leaving now? For Lu Huitian's choice, Yuan Shikai definitely didn't think of it in advance.

Lu Huitian smiled: "That's all I have to say, and it's still so much if I say it a hundred times over and over again." Mr. Yuan is busy with official business, and I am deeply grateful that you can take time out of your busy schedule to see me. It is extremely inappropriate to stay in Beijing and continue to bother. Mr. Yuan only needs to send someone to tell us the results when the time comes, and we will fulfill our promise. Before that, the brothers of the Beiyang Army, we will definitely take good care of them in accordance with the regulations of the prisoners in our base area, and we will never let them be wronged. Mr. Yuan, I will take my leave. ”

Let Lu Huitian leave quietly, and Yuan Shikai sat back on the chair in the reception room. If Yuan Shikai couldn't understand it before, and couldn't even believe that the scheming Wang Shizhen and the brave and warlike Duan Qirui would actually suffer such a big defeat at the hands of Chen Ke, a young man, now he can understand a little. Lu Huitian, an unknown junior, can talk about politics and the political situation with himself, and he can talk about it completely. Although too many words are too straightforward, the methods of threats are also a little too immature. Of course, this kind of immaturity is only relative, and Lu Huitian made it clear what he should say. And behind Lu Huitian is a powerful People's Party, and the strength of the People's Party is enough to make this immaturity harmless, and even looks a little sincere.

As an excellent and powerful political figure, Yuan Shikai knows very well that the People's Party, which can see the complicated political situation so deeply and accurately select the partners of cooperation, is really a terrible opponent. Yuan Shikai's subordinates who can be compared to Lu Huitian are at least twenty years older than Lu Huitian. And Chen Ke, who Lu Huitian followed, was young and made Yuan Shikai a little jealous. The Beiyang Group was already considered a young Zhuang faction in the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and when younger talents like Chen Ke and Lu Huitian gathered together, Beiyang looked old. Not to mention how many years it would take for the Manchus to fall. Even if the Manchu Dynasty was destroyed seven or eight years later, if the Beiyang clique and the People's Party really started a war, they would not even have to wait for the victory to be decided on the battlefield. If the People's Party drags on for another three or five years, many leaders of the Beiyang generation will wither away. This kind of panic based on extremely realistic reasons made Yuan Shikai feel a chill.

With such good talent and ability, the People's Party must not be underestimated. When Lu Huitian was about to leave, Yuan Shikai did not think about killing Lu Huitian and at least imprisoning him. However, Lu Huitian talked about the captives of Beiyang with a sincere and gentle attitude. can release such a warm threat that Yuan Shikai can't refuse, he is by no means a simple messenger.

Forcibly holding back the idea of sending someone to arrest Lu Huitian, Yuan Shikai considered his own plans. It must be said that Lu Huitian's proposal for comprehensive cooperation is very attractive. Yuan Shikai himself knows his own affairs best, he seems to be in a high position, and what he lacks is a real collaborator. The power of Beiyang is huge, but Beiyang is the fruit of the Manchu tree. Yuan Shikai's overbearing was the fact that he was able to provide the greatest range of opportunities to others within the Manchu system. If someone else can offer a higher price than Yuan Shikai, then the people of Beiyang will not hesitate to abandon Yuan Shikai and defect to other forces. If the People's Party and Beiyang really cooperated, none of Yuan Shikai's political enemies would be able to deal with it.

Beiyang is in the DPRK, and the People's Party is in the opposition. Beiyang is a soldier, and the People's Party is a bandit. Yuan Shikai's enemies in the court didn't know how he died. Whether Yuan Shikai is in power in the court, or whether he leads troops out to avoid trouble, he will be very comfortable. Of course, the People's Party has received the cooperation of Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Group, and with the strength they have now shown, they are naturally more invincible. And even a very simple cooperation between the two was already doomed to the demise of the Manchus.

Yuan Shikai knew that as long as he cooperated with the People's Party, he would immediately go from one of the most powerful people in the Manchu Qing to the greatest rebel in the Manchu Dynasty. Absolutely no one can compete with Yuan Shikai for this "honor". Watching the fall of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Yuan Shikai could do it, but letting Yuan Shikai personally play the role of rebellion was not acceptable to Yuan Shikai.

Thinking of Lu Huitian's immaturity, Yuan Shikai suddenly became angry. He is the Minister of Beiyang and the Minister of Military Aircraft. Such a yellow-mouthed kid actually wants to play with himself in the palm of his hand? Dream their big dreams. Even now, the War Department has decided to first exterminate the chaotic parties around Anhui, and then encircle Anhui. Yuan Shikai is now determined to push for the extermination of Anhui, and he boasts that he can still change his strategic plan. If the remaining market towns in Beiyang were united, and Yuan Shikai personally led troops to attack Anhui, Yuan Shikai did not believe that Chen Ke was really invincible. Just when he was about to stand up and talk to Zhang Zhidong about the matter, Yuan Shikai was inexplicably deflated.

Lu Huitian is right, now Yuan Shikai is really under attack on all sides. He took refuge in Cixi that year and was promoted. That's his biggest fatal wound right now. The imperial party naturally hates him to the core, even if Yuan Shikai wants to change the court now, the imperial party will definitely not accept him. Not to mention that the Hou Party will definitely not let go of Yuan Shikai. Even what happened to the Hou Party, there were a lot of princely officials in the Hou Party who regarded Yuan Shikai as a "living Cao Cao".

Even now, Yuan Shikai mobilized the remaining Beiyang Army and completely eliminated Chen Ke. So what? The ancients said, "If you succeed, you will be fair, and if you don't succeed, you will cook." Yuan Shikai knew very well that he was facing a decisive battle with the People's Party, and he was faced with "cooking if it doesn't work, and cooking it when it happens." The situation. The Manchu court is the most taboo in the Manchu court, not to mention that now Cixi knows how long she can live, if Yuan Shikai leads the army at this time and makes great contributions, it will definitely be a place to die without a burial.

Thinking of this, Yuan Shikai suddenly felt disheartened. I have served the court for so many years, is it just such a result? Even a group of rebellious young people could see this clearly.

Thinking of this, Yuan Shikai summoned his personal family. "You go to Mr. Lu, and within two months, we will pay the money according to the amount they said. Don't talk about anything else. ”

Waiting for the family to go out, Yuan Shikai sneered. Do Chen Ke and others think that after a few victories, they can do whatever they want? Not to mention whether someone wants to deal with him or not, he at least has a way to be martyred for the Manchu Qing. As long as he makes up his mind, Yuan Shikai has a way to make Chen Ke and these young rebels uncomfortable, and at most everyone will die together. And Chen Ke's bunnies really think that Yuan Shikai can't take out 1.2 million silver dollars?

"I want to bully Lao Tzu! You're still too tender! Yuan Shikai finally scolded loudly.

Lu Huitian was confused by Yuan Shikai's determination, and before he set off this time, everyone specially conducted a "practical combat exercise". Yes, what kind of performance Yuan Shikai will have. The young comrades gave it full consideration. Negotiate with Yuan Shikai in person, and there is nothing wrong with the situation. Lu Huitian never expected that Yuan Shikai would be able to make up his mind so quickly.

Naturally, it is not possible to go back to find Yuan Shikai now, and Lu Huitian rushed back to Anhui as soon as possible according to the plan. Along the way, Lu Huitian repeatedly thought about his performance, and nothing went wrong. What should be said has been said, the threat of the threat is gone, and the sycophants that should be filmed are not less at all. According to the expectations of the comrades, the probability of success is already very high. Why did it fall short in the end?

Lu Huitian did not get off in Wuhan, but got off at the nearest station to Fuyang. His own comrades had been waiting there for a long time, and rushed back to Fengtai County as quickly as possible, and Lu Huitian reported the situation to the party committee.

Although the comrades also had a plan for this, they originally thought that there was a great possibility of success. After receiving the news of the failure of the negotiations, the comrades all looked at Chen Ke. Chen Ke also felt very surprised, could it be that Yuan Shikai really made up his mind to give the Manchu Qing a funeral? It's impossible. If Yuan Shikai was not mentally prepared in history, he was almost killed as a result. But after that, Yuan Shikai's performance completely reflected the characteristics of a hero. Lu Huitian's words were collectively discussed by the party committee, and with Yuan Shikai's cleverness, it was impossible for him to run out of ideas. So what's the problem?

Zhang Yu had already returned to the central government at this time to participate in the discussion of the Hubei plan, and after listening to Lu Huitian's report, Zhang Yu suddenly asked: "Yuan Shikai said that he agreed to use 1.2 million oceans to ransom people?" ”

"Yes." Lu Huitian replied.

Listening to Lu Huitian's simple answer, Zhang Yu said: "Then Yuan Shikai definitely didn't want to give the Manchu Qing a funeral, it must be that we didn't reassure Yuan Shikai about something." ”

"Then how can Yuan Shikai, this old thing, rest assured?" Hua Xiongmao didn't have the slightest fear or respect for Yuan Shikai, "Send a few fingers from Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui to Yuan Shikai, and tell this old thing that his henchman will still be alive?" ”

"Commander Hua, we are not kidnapping, it's not appropriate to do this. And Yuan Shikai agreed to give money, so we can't do anything about meat tickets. Zhang Yu said that the People's Party was not a bandit, but he used the jargon of bandits. Chen Ke felt ridiculous when he heard it.

"That's it, let's ask Yan Fu to come over and talk." Chen Ke said.

When the plan was formulated, Mr. Yan Fu also listened. He thought it was okay. Is it appropriate to look for him again after something happens? Lu Huitian asked.

"He is familiar with Yuan Shikai in our house, so we can't look for him." Chen Ke said helplessly.

Yan Fu arrived at the headquarters and listened to Lu Huitian's statement, and he couldn't be sure why Yuan Shikai refused. But Yan Fu is Yan Fu after all, he thought for a moment, and suddenly said: "There is someone who can definitely know what is going on." There's nothing wrong with him. ”

"Who knows?" Lu Hui Tianden came to the spirit.

"Wang Shizhen." Yan replied.

When Wang Shizhen was taken out of prison, it was not clear what had happened. These days, the People's Party has not mistreated him and Duan Qirui, except that there are times when people come to ask them about the situation of the Manchus and Beiyang, there is nothing special. And these people were all scolded by Duan Qirui. However, the People's Party is quite powerful, and although it was scolded, it did not make it difficult for the two of them in life.

This time he was led out alone, Wang Shizhen thought that the People's Party was going to ask separately, he had already decided to learn from Xu Shu, no matter what the People's Party asked, he would not say a word. However, Wang Shizhen found that he was actually taken out of prison, and suddenly returned to the market, and saw the bustling flow of people, Wang Shizhen suddenly felt that the freedom that had been lost for a long time was really nostalgic. The group arrived at a house, and after entering the door, Wang Shizhen saw two people, one of whom turned out to be Yan Fu.

"Brother Wang, it looks like you look good." Yan Fu greeted him with a smile. Wang Shizhen, who was next to him, had never seen it, and Yan Fu hurriedly introduced: "This is Mr. Shen Zengzhi Shen." ”

Wang Shizhen had heard of Shen Zengzhi, the political envoy of Anhui Province who was captured in the Anqing Campaign launched by the People's Party. However, this is not the time to scold Shen Zengzhi, Wang Shizhen nodded slightly to Shen Zengzhi, but did not speak.

Several people entered the main hall, and it was Chen Ke who was waiting inside, and Wang Shizhen, who was next to him, had never seen it, but it seemed that he was also a cadre from the base area. Chen Ke introduced Lu Huitian to Wang Shizhen, and a few people sat down.

Chen Ke said straight to the point: "Here's the thing, we will negotiate with Mr. Yuan about the redemption of the Beiyang Army brothers." It was this Comrade Lu Huitian who went, but the result was very unsatisfactory. We want Mr. Wang to show me what's going on. ”

Wang Shizhen stared at Chen Ke, wondering what Chen Ke was thinking. would actually come to consult Wang Shizhen on this kind of thing. Could it be that Chen Ke wanted to use a discord scheme to sow discord between Wang Shizhen and Yuan Shikai.

Lu Huitian didn't wait for Chen Keduo to say, he carefully talked about the detailed conversation and Yuan Shikai's performance. Wang Shizhen listened quietly, and after listening, everyone looked at Wang Shizhen and waited for him to speak. Wang Shizhen raised his eyes to look at Lu Huitian at first, and when he heard more than half of it, Wang Shizhen closed his eyes and lowered his head. After Lu Huitian finished talking about the process for a while, Wang Shizhen didn't speak. Just when everyone didn't know if Wang Shizhen could speak, Wang Shizhen suddenly opened his eyes and stood up. He pointed at Chen Ke and asked, "Chen Ke, how old do you think you are?" ”

Chen Ke was stunned, "Mr. Wang, can you explain it clearly." ”

Such a sincere expression not only did not make Wang Shizhen angry, on the contrary, Wang Shizhen's anger was doubly inflamed, "It's me who is incompetent and defeated in your hands." But Chen Ke, why did you use the fact that I was captured to insult Lord Yuan? ”

"Brother Wang, Wenqing, they are still children, and they don't think about the problem carefully. You dissipate your anger. Yan Fu hurriedly got up and persuaded.

Wang Shizhen showed no signs of dissipation at all, he turned to Yan Fu and said sharply: "Yan Jidao, the soldier can be killed but not humiliated." I was defeated at the hands of Chen Ke, and that was my lack of ability. You are also from our Beiyang, do you let these juniors mock our Beiyang people like this? ”

Lu Huitian was furious when he saw that Wang Shizhen, an old captive, was so arrogant. He was about to get up, but Chen Ke's hand was quick and grabbed Lu Huitian's arm. finally didn't let Lu Huitian stand up.

"Brother Wang, Wenqing, they are understandable for the People's Party. However, they are also well-intentioned, the Queen Mother is already in the Spring and Autumn Period, and Yuan Xiangcheng is indeed on the cusp of this storm. There are many people who want to be unfavorable to him. It was Shen Zengzhi who spoke.

This is true, and Wang Shizhen also knows it. However, Lu Huitian is only afraid that he is younger than Chen Ke, and Yuan Shikai's son is older than Lu Huitian. Yuan Shikai is a heroic man with a bold personality, quite old-fashioned and warm-hearted, and very tolerant. But being threatened by such a little doll running to Beijing to threaten Yuan Shikai, Yuan Shikai finally had to endure it.

In the past, when there was a Boxer, the two princes of Duan and Zhuang sent a senior brother of the Boxers to find Yuan Shikai with the order of the Qing government, saying that King Duan ordered Yuan Shikai to pacify the Boxers and allow the altar to continue the practice. Wang Shizhen beheaded this person without saying a word. Speaking of this person, this is still a minion of the imperial court, and now Lu Huitian is a real thief, for the sake of the captured Beiyang brothers, Yuan Shikai didn't dare to say a heavy word after being humiliated, let alone touch a single hair of Lu Huitian. And because this Lu Huitian did not achieve his goal, he shamelessly ran to Wang Shizhen to ask the reason. Thinking of this, Wang Shizhen's heart is really like a knife. Unconsciously, Wang Shizhen was already in tears. Suddenly, Wang Shizhen wanted to commit suicide immediately.

At this moment, Chen Ke said loudly: "Mr. Wang, do you think that Mr. Yuan has been humiliated because of you." If you commit suicide or self-harm at this time, won't Mr. Yuan suffer humiliation for you in vain? Mr. Wang, even if it's for Mr. Yuan, please take care of yourself. Mr. Yuan definitely hopes to see you again. ”

Hearing Chen Ke's words, Wang Shizhen immediately sobered up. He was originally a person with a steady personality, but he lost his temper when he was greatly stimulated. quickly suppressed the emotions in his heart, and Wang Shizhen slowly sat back on the stool. Seeing that Chen Ke's words worked, everyone was also relieved. The people standing at the head of the room all went back into their chairs.

"First of all, I want to state that we did mean to threaten, but we did not mean to insult Mr. Yuan. Business is business, what is the point of us insulting Mr. Yuan? Our purpose is to work with Mr. Yuan. If possible, we hope to cooperate until the fall of the Manchus. And Mr. Yuan ......"

"Chen Wenqing, you open your mouth, Mr. Yuan, shut up Mr. Yuan, and call Senior Yuan, you will die?" Wang Shizhen couldn't help but snort.

Chen Ke understood one of his mistakes at that time. The party committee believed that the People's Party and the Manchu Qing were equal, so they also adopted the equivalent title in the title. After Wang Shizhen drank like this, Chen Ke also felt that the idea of having to level with Yuan Shikai was a bit excessive. After all, the comrades of the People's Party are much younger than Yuan Shikai in age.

"Senior Yuan is now suffering from the enemy in the Manchu court, and if someone like him is killed by Xiaoxiao, it will be a misfortune for China......"

"Chen Wenqing, do you talk to your parents and elders like this?" Wang Shizhen couldn't bear it anymore, a group of juniors actually taught the elders a lesson with a condescending attitude, Wang Shizhen really had never seen such a rude person.

As a child, Chen Ke is always pampered when he is with his elders. Moreover, when the elders talk to him about things, they mainly discuss and reason, and they don't care about any strict differences between the young and the old. They just told Chen Ke to be polite, to talk from the perspective of solving things, to learn to listen to others, and to talk without being humble or arrogant. After arriving in this era, Chen Ke has always led everyone to do things, and no one dared to propose anything to Chen Ke about the "difference between the old and the young". Naturally, he didn't understand.

glanced at Lu Huitian, and saw Lu Huitian's face full of unconvinced. However, this kind of disbelief is very similar to the kind of child who consciously takes advantage of the reason and has the upper hand to the elderly. Chen Ke suddenly suspected, because the party committee was full of young people, when discussing the wording, Chen Ke didn't know how the younger generation spoke to the elders in this year, and everyone felt that they didn't care about Beiyang at all, so they deliberately used some words that "committed crimes below" in this era, right?

At this time, Chen Ke remembered that Hua Xiongmao directly called Yuan Shikai an "old thing", and the young comrades around him were completely indifferent to this title. Chen Ke felt that his conjecture was most likely correct.

When Shen Zengzhi saw this scene, he wanted to laugh again, but he couldn't. Judging from Chen Ke's expression, Chen Ke is afraid that he really has no education from the young and the old. And Lu Huitian seemed to be desperately holding back his dissatisfaction, so he didn't jump up and point at Wang Shizhen and scold. Shen Zengzhi is still conscious of his identity as a prisoner, and since he is a prisoner, there is no such thing as decency at all. However, according to Shen Zengzhi's observation, these young revolutionaries of the People's Party did not selectively treat people as young as they did, but practiced their own set of equal etiquette, completely abandoning the traditional one. And Wang Shizhen obviously didn't understand this, and for the various "rudeness" of Chen Ke and others, Wang Shizhen thought that this was Chen Ke's intention.

Thinking of this, Shen Zengzhi looked at Yan Fu. It just so happened that Yan Fu also looked over, and in Yan Fu's eyes, Shen Zengzhi saw a kind of helplessness. Thinking about it, Yan Fu has completely understood what is going on. Shen Zengzhi knew that Yan Fu had always hated officialdom, and Yan Fu was a master of Western studies, so he did not support many traditions. Shen Zengzhi secretly sighed, the "diplomatic rhetoric" discussed by such a group of people of all ages would be a strange thing if it could be accepted by Wang Shizhen, right?

Everyone waited for Chen Ke to speak, and Chen Ke lived up to expectations and spoke, "Senior Wang, from the bottom of our hearts, we respect Senior Yuan very much, and we believe that Senior Yuan is a real politician and a person who can support the world." When it comes to politics, we're talking about interests. Now we are going to talk about the political interests of the Beiyang Group and our People's Party. We believe that at this stage, the cooperation between the Beiyang Group and our People's Party will be able to maximize the benefits of both sides. We don't believe that Senior Yuan rejected our request for cooperation because we juniors were not polite. Senior Yuan is definitely not such a boring person. I would like to ask you now, in your heart, are you loyal to the Manchus first, and then to the Yuan predecessors. Or is it loyal to Yuan's predecessors first, and then to talk about loyalty to the Manchus? Can you give me an answer? ”

Hearing Chen Ke ask, Wang Shizhen was silent. Wang Shizhen was loyal to both Yuan Shikai and the Manchu Qing Dynasty, although he was more loyal to Yuan Shikai in his heart, but Wang Shizhen did not think it was necessary to let a group of thieves know this.

Seeing that Wang Shizhen refused to answer the question, Chen Ke continued, "Senior Wang, you may think that we are singing a high note. But we really think that after the fall of the Manchus, it would be beneficial for China for the Beiyang group to inherit the political legacy of the Manchus. What is beneficial to China, we will support and approve of it. But Yuan's predecessors must stand with the Manchus, then we will take advantage of the Manchus' own contradictions, and use the dirty methods used in the Manchu court to put Yuan's predecessors, who are the most powerful minions of the Manchus, to death. Without Yuan's predecessors, the Beiyang Group, as a minion of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, was a plate of scattered sand and could not pose a threat to our People's Party. ”

Lu Huitian saw that Chen Ke had finally hardened, and his originally dissatisfied expression finally calmed down. Yan Fu and Shen Zengzhi's expressions were also very calm, since they were talking about interests nakedly, there was no need to bring personal feelings into official affairs.

"Senior Wang, I now feel that Senior Yuan doesn't trust us very much, in order to increase Senior Yuan's confidence in us. Do you think it's better for you to go back to Beijing first, or let Senior Duan go back to Beijing first? Can you give us a suggestion? ”

Wang Shizhen never expected Chen Ke to ask such a question in the end, he was really surprised.