Yuan Shikai, Xu Shichang, Chen Ke, these three people can be said to talk very happily about the design of the future customs, Yuan Shikai feels that he has regained the feeling of talking about major events with Sheng Xuanhuai, Yan Fu and other Li Hongzhang in the Beiyang era when he was young. At that time, everyone was a group of iron and steel Westernists, either who returned from studying abroad, or who were cadres who set up Western-style affairs in various places. At that time, everyone was in their prime, quick thinking, and full of energy. In the face of complicated things, there is also vigor and courage. I think I can clarify the world and do something vigorous.

However, time has passed, and after the First Sino-Japanese Naval War, Lord Li Hongzhang was forced to step down. Yuan Shikai became the leader of New Beiyang. And the Wuxu Change, the Gengzi Incident followed, and the old brothers of the year have long been torn apart now. can still be called Yuan Shikai's ironcore, and only Xu Shichang is left.

Yuan Shikai really felt that he was old, but when he talked about 12 o'clock in the evening, he felt that his energy was exhausted, and his eyelids felt a little fighting. Xu Shichang is no better. And Chen Ke in front of him is still quick thinking and focused. Talking about things in an orderly manner, what is even more rare is that Chen Ke does not take anything for granted in any link, and does not have the slightest attitude of counting on others.

"Wen Qing, it's getting late, you might as well stay with me today." Yuan Shikai held back the feeling of yawning and said in a firm voice as much as possible.

"Won't that bother?" Chen Ke was not familiar with the rules of this era. Anyway, in the 21st century, no matter what time it is at night or how tired he is, he has to go home and sleep.

"It's okay, Kikuto will stay today. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Yuan Shikai replied.

"This ......" Chen Ke was still a little unsure.

Xu Shichang smiled: "Wen Qing, who are you going back and forth?" Since we want to talk, we might as well finish talking about it before leaving. Tomorrow the president and I won't go out, so let's talk about it. ”

This is more reasonable, Chen Ke is just not used to living in other people's homes, but the identities of the three people in front of him, being able to get together to talk about things can already determine the future fate of China, even if it is not to talk about things, casually getting together and talking, it can already cause endless speculation. Chen Ke went in and out of Yuan Shikai's house, and God knows how big the rumors outside could be.

"Then bother the president." Chen Ke said with a smile.

"You are a guest when you come to me, and you don't need to be so polite as the president. Your teacher Yan Fu and I are both old brothers, just call me uncle. Yuan Shikai said in a rather homely tone.

Chen Ke hurriedly said: "President, since it is talking about official business, this title cannot be messed up." Naturally, I should call you Uncle. But I don't know the rules, if I say it in the wrong place, let others who have no other people hear, I'm afraid that those guys will say behind your back that you don't distinguish between public and private. You can't go wrong with calling the president. ”

"Wen Qing is too polite." said this, but Yuan Shikai's tone revealed a very positive feeling. In fact, when Chen Ke called himself the president, Yuan Shikai also felt in his heart that this kind of title with a clear status was very appropriate.

Yuan Shikai's family is quite large, and Chen Ke and Xu Shichang each live in a courtyard. Xu Shichang was naturally not afraid that Yuan Shikai would cause harm, and his entourage was outside. But Chen Ke's guards were not so relaxed, and they guarded the courtyard tightly. And Yuan Shikai's guards guarded Chen Ke's guards from the outside. The night passed like this.

Negotiations continued the next day. The three of them have reached a consensus that other provinces must not be allowed to collude with foreign devils alone. And the key to controlling the other provinces is none other than transport channels.

The People's Party took control of Wuhan and a considerable part of the Yangtze River valley, which controlled the trade channels in the interior. Hubei, Sichuan, including Henan, must rely on the Yangtze River if they want to trade. Wuhan is an important trading center because of its land and water convenience. The Jinghan Line transports supplies along the railway to Wuhan and then loads them on ships to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Chen Ke is well aware that it is precisely because of its role as a trade center that Wuhan can prosper so much at this stage.

The two provinces have their own access to the sea, which is not easy to grasp, while other inland areas, if they want to do business with foreigners, they must rely on the transportation hubs of railways and waterways. Once Beiyang cooperates with the People's Party, it will basically be able to completely control the foreign trade of the whole of China.

With this consensus, there is a basis for common interests between Beiyang and the People's Party. The differences between the two sides began to become clear. Yuan Shikai is now extremely short of money, and he also wants to fight the idea of tariffs, but if trade cannot be balanced, tariff revenue is a double-edged sword. The reason for the endless opposition to foreign goods in China is that foreign goods have a great impact on the national bourgeoisie in the coastal areas. Cheap commercial goods have led to the closure of artisanal workshops.

Yuan Shikai did not want to act as the guardian of the Chinese national bourgeoisie, but this guardian himself has to eat and drink. On the one hand, the national bourgeoisie complained that the central government had "lost power and humiliated the country", but on the other hand, it tried hard to refuse to pay taxes. Yuan Shikai did not have a magic lamp in his hand that could conjure wealth out of thin air, and he himself did not practice the spell of producing gold, urine and silver. Beiyang is still waiting for Yuan Shikai to give money, and his life is really difficult.

Chen Ke understands Yuan Shikai very well, because even in the 21st century, Chen Ke himself is tax evasion. If you must use the law to measure it, Chen Ke himself is also an economic criminal. Doing fake accounts is nothing at all, what is the resale of invoices, cash for acceptance, bridge discounting. Chen Ke did all these things in the gray field.

Because of these experiences, Chen Ke has no good impression of the market economy at all. If you want to find people in the private sector who are willing to pay taxes, it is better to look for free-flying old sows in the sky. The IRS commissioner in the United States is a big country that everyone has guns, they don't pay taxes, and they're going to send these guys to jail soon. Capone, the Chicago mob boss, wears a black trench coat with a machine gun called "Chicago Typewriter" in his trench coat, and uses a grenade to open the way when the fire is fired. The government has nothing to do with him, and the police department does not dare to disturb Uncle Capone because of such a trivial matter as "murder". As a result, because of tax evasion, he was directly dismissed by the US Grand Tax Bureau. Since then, the gangsters have never dared to fail to pay taxes. Because there is an option for "ominous origin" on the tax bill in the United States.

You can make money by committing crimes, but you can't go without paying taxes for the money you earn from crimes. This is the basic national policy of the United States, a police nation that is extremely violent. However, China's national conditions are different, and even the base areas do not dare to carry out such lawless practices. Not to mention the execution of Yuan Shikai Beiyang Group.

"If the provinces refuse to pay, then they must listen to the central government. This thing must not be something that a cat or a dog can participate in. Chen Ke was not at all polite to other provinces. The wretched will have something to hate. Maybe it's Chen Ke's change of mentality, anyway, he has no sympathy for the "result" of the "weak". There's nothing wrong with momentary embarrassment. The Party has always been in crisis, and as a result, it has stimulated an unprecedented advanced nature. The People's Party also started in an extremely difficult situation. The difference between strength and weakness is not a momentary beauty or misery. The most important thing is attitude. Chen Ke can imagine what the final outcome of this trade deal will be for the provinces. It is also clear how the provincial capitals are scolding the dominant Beiyang clique and the People's Party clique. But Chen Ke is not afraid of this, and the scolding of the loser may be seen as a praise for the winner.

"Wen Qing can see it." Xu Shichang was a little surprised by Chen Ke's attitude. Generally speaking, local forces are trying to unite to protect themselves. And the People's Party not only dared to compete with Beiyang for the dominance of the situation, but was even more unceremonious to the provinces. In Xu Shichang's view, such a performance is a bit of a self-defeating taste.

"Premier Xu, the central government will also be scolded for doing things, and if you don't do anything, you will be scolded, since you will be scolded for what you do, what does the central government do about the attitude of the provinces?" Chen Ke replied.

Yuan Shikai already somewhat understood Chen Ke's entire plan. The core point of Chen's proposition is the implementation of "trade controls" internally. Externally, a large amount of trade agreements are used to entrap foreign devils, and in the name of "promoting free trade", the central government has effectively managed the import and export content. Rather than simply implementing a model for expanding trade.

This kind of planning naturally has its advantages, but Yuan Shikai also understands that if Chen Ke does this, the People's Party, which has now had large-scale exports, will undoubtedly play a pivotal role. So no matter what Chen Ke said, Yuan Shikai simply listened, but did not give any evaluation or promise.

"The Canton Fair determines the types and producers of export products to be supported, and the government supports them in a tendentious manner. On the one hand, it is possible to ensure the tax revenue of the customs, and on the other hand, it is necessary to determine the corresponding production standards. Once this standard has been established, all relevant types of products must comply with this standard. In this way, we can occupy the market. Chen Ke explained the specific implementation points in the ordinary terms of the 21st century.

"Wenqing, I'm afraid this standard is not so easy to promote. If you force other businesses to adopt the same standards, it will only cause chaos. Xu Shichang said exhaustedly.

"We don't care what they do about this thing, we just need to control the sales, and the goods given by other merchants don't meet the standards, we just don't want it." The customs only has to inspect the goods, and if the quality is not up to standard, they will solve it themselves. Chaos certainly won't. At most, a large number of merchants cannot be exported. Chen Ke has his own insistence on this point. He has seen with his own eyes how the once prosperous state-owned enterprises have come to an end step by step after achieving success, and Chen Ke has a very complicated and simple attitude towards the self-destruction of those who do not meet the standards.

"Premier Xu, it's not that we want to embarrass anyone, it's just that we have worked hard to control the exports, if the merchants themselves destroy this situation, we must not tolerate the traitors!" Chen Ke said.

Xu Shichang felt that Chen Ke was a little excessive, and if many things were implemented too well, the result would definitely not be good. Xu Shichang has seen too many of this kind of things. "Wen Qing, if you do this, I'm afraid that you will end up with infamy."

"Premier Xu, the central government has never been praised. The central government is scolded. You have to have to be responsible for this. Chen Ke in turn persuaded Xu Shichang.

Yuan Shikai hadn't taken the initiative to speak for a long time, and when he heard this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze changed from cold to sharp.

Chen Ke didn't care and glanced at Yuan Shikai indifferently, back then, the honest government Zhu Tianxia was said to be killed. But as prime minister, he did what he had to do. Chen Ke admired this point very much. If Yuan Shikai can't do this, Chen Ke feels that he needs to reconsider whether to cooperate.

Xu Shichang and Yuan Shikai are old partners, and he knows better the significance of Yuan Shikai's performance. Yuan Shikai didn't care about the details of Chen Ke's proposal, and now Yuan Shikai's dissatisfaction was with Chen Ke's attitude of blackmailing the central government. Yuan Shikai can tolerate people in many places, but that is limited to the fact that the other party must follow Yuan Shikai's leadership. For a guy like Chen Ke who tried to dominate the situation strongly, except for Cixi, Yuan Shikai has never been polite.

Among the Beiyang officers, although it is recognized that Wang Shizhen is Yuan Shikai's dragon, but Yuan Shikai's real mastermind, at least the mastermind at an important juncture, is Xu Shichang. The cooperation between Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang reached the ultimate in the Wuxu Reform. Like Yuan, Xu had political ambitions and patriotic enthusiasm, and Yuan Shikai was a patriot in his youth. When Xu was in the Hanlin Academy, he was defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War and jointly impeached Li Hongzhang with dozens of colleagues; At the time of the Wuxu Reform, Xu and Yuan both participated in the Reform Movement. But at the critical moment, when the old and new forces clashed, and the reform forces pinned all their hopes on Yuan Shikai, who held the military power, Yuan Shikai listened to the words of the "military advisor" Brother Xu: "Although he is the master of a country, he is in power and his power is weak; After (the Empress Dowager of the West) the two dynasties always held the authority, the courtiers and the commanders, all of their henchmen, the number of successes and failures, can be divined. Rather than help the emperor and cause trouble, it is better to follow the latter and take fame". Xu Shichang is full of words. Yuan Shikai thought so, so he told Rong Lu. In the choice between righteousness and profit, Xu and Yuan realistically chose to pursue advantages and avoid disadvantages. Both of them were dyed red with the blood of the six gentlemen of Wuxu, and since then they have been deeply favored by the Hou Party and have been on the rise.

Now Xu Shichang feels very clearly that the fate of Beiyang and Yuan Shikai has reached another important juncture at this time. Chen's commercial trade plan, which appears to be to put the central government in power, is actually determining the fate of China in the future. This kind of courage is really admirable, but Chen Ke tried to command the central government with a locality, and this attitude has touched Yuan Shikai's bottom line. But in less than a day of contact, Xu Shichang also felt the tough attitude of Chen Ke. If Yuan Shikai will not give in, Chen Ke is even less likely to give in.

"Wen Qing, you might as well talk about it here today." Xu Shichang said.

"It's fine." Chen Ke also already felt that things were going straight to a dead end. The People's Party is here to seek cooperation, not to bow its knees to the North Ocean. As the leader of the People's Party, Chen Ke naturally could not deviate in the slightest way.

"President, what I want to say is almost finished. Please also give the axe right. Chen Ke said.

Yuan Shikai pondered for a while, and suddenly his face became gentle, "Wen Qing, what you said is very reasonable. But I don't count the things in Beiyang alone, you write something and hand it over, and I'll take a look at it in detail. ”

"I'm ready." Chen Ke pulled out a document from his briefcase. This is the overall plan he has prepared.

Yuan Shikai said with a smile: "It seems that Wen Qing is very well prepared. Then leave me to see first. ”

Enough words at this point, Chen Ke gave the document to Yuan Shikai and then left. Yuan Shikai didn't keep it, but just asked Xu Shichang to send Chen Ke to the door.

Xu Shichang naturally didn't remind Chen Ke of anything, he just politely sent Chen Ke out of the gate and came back to find Yuan Shikai. As soon as he entered the study, he saw Yuan Shikai sitting on a chair with his eyes closed, as if he was asleep.

"President, Chen Ke is gone." Xu Shichang said.

Yuan Shikai opened his eyes, and he spoke in a slightly tired voice. This is not Yuan Shikai pretending, after talking with Chen Ke for so long, Yuan Shikai really felt tired, "Juren, what do you think of Chen Ke?" ”

"This man is by no means easy to get along with." Xu Shichang sighed.

"Can you cooperate?" Yuan Shikai asked.

"......" Xu Shichang was stunned, he didn't expect Yuan Shikai to ask like this.

Chen Ke's family had already returned to the People's Party's residence ahead of schedule in the morning, and as soon as Chen Ke returned to the station, the comrades breathed a sigh of relief. After listening to Chen Ke's introduction of the specific situation, Chen Tianhua couldn't help but ask: "Chairman Chen, do you think Yuan Shikai will agree to cooperate?" ”

"This depends on who Yuan Shikai is ready to rely on. If Yuan Shikai was ready to rely on the European and American powers, he would cooperate with the European and American powers. If Yuan Shikai is willing to rely on himself, he can't cooperate if he wants to. ”

"Could it be that Yuan Shikai is going to learn from our base area?" Chen Tianhua was very surprised.

He was sure that after all, our revolutionary cause was mainly about managing ourselves. As for the many specific reactions of the enemy, they simply have no choice in the face of reality. ”

After listening to Chen Ke's words, Chen Tianhua still didn't have enough confidence, "According to what Chairman Chen said, what is the difference between the two sides?" ”

"The difference lies in the consciousness of the proletarian revolution." Chen Ke is still the same cliché.

"Introduce the proletariat in more detail." Chen Tianhua has never had a concept of the proletariat.

"The proletariat I mean has two conditions. First, in terms of material conditions, socialized large-scale production has become the mainstream mode of production in society. Second, in terms of ideology, the perspective of individual cognition is centered on social production, rather than on individual self-perception. ”

Chen Tianhua and Yan Fu have gone beyond the degree of individualism in terms of ideology, but when it comes to material conditions, they really do not have Chen Ke's vision. However, since Chen Ke obtained the leadership of the People's Party with a great advantage in ability and vision, the two did not question Chen Ke's words.

"The proletariat is not poor, and to think that poverty is the characteristic of the proletariat is a wrong view and slander against the proletariat. This propertylessness refers to the absence of possession of assets, not the absence of family property. In the past, Chen Ke basically expounded the revolutionary ideas according to the script, but this time the explanation of the proletariat is really the result of his own considerations. Although the basic theory is still the same set of ideas as Marx and Grandpa Mao, the results are somewhat different. At least it's a little different from the explanation in the books Chen Ke has read.

"Since as a laborer, in the complex large-scale social work in the future, it is only possible to complete one link of work. It is clearly unreasonable to have all the means of production of that social labor in a single link. This is the difference between public and private ownership of the means of production. ”