Seeing Yang Du coming to visit, Lu Huitian didn't have any politeness, but just said, "Please take a seat." ”

For such a simple greeting, Yang Du felt unaccustomed. The accommodation prepared by Yuan Shikai for Lu Huitian is very comfortable, with a Western-style layout, a sofa in the living room, and the soft sofa cushion fabric is very comfortable. It was a sturdy cloth made of silk and cotton. Yang Du did not know that this was a new product that the People's Party had recently withdrawn. It sells well in northern luxury.

The room was very quiet, Lu Huitian personally poured tea for the two, and then sat down calmly, looking at Yang Du with a focused expression, waiting for Yang Du to show his intentions.

This kind of reception method is different from the old officialdom habits of Beiyang, there is no condescending bluff, and there is no kind of reserve that tries to reject people thousands of miles away. Lu Huitian's focused attitude shows that he attaches great importance to Yang Du's visit, Yang Du's inexplicable freshman feeling, Lu Huitian doesn't care about Yang Du's identity, Lu Huitian respects this Yang Du who came to do things.

This is a kind of respect that Yang Du is very uncomfortable with, and this is the first time that someone takes Yang Du himself seriously, or Yang Du, who is responsible, seriously.

This is a man of affairs! Yang Du sighed in his heart.

Yang Du knew that many people could reach high positions at a young age without relying on connections, and the intelligence said that the cadres of the People's Party were very young, and their party chairman, Chen Ke, was now only a 30-year-old "middle-aged man". The only person in Beiyang who can be compared with Chen Ke is Yuan Shikai himself. At the age of 30, Yuan Shikai was the "Minister of Commerce and Trade Affairs of the Prime Minister stationed in North Korea", as if he were the emperor of North Korea.

In addition, among the remaining generals in Beiyang, Yang Du is very young. Now in 1910, he was only 36 years old and a member of the cabinet. Theoretically, the central government is more prominent than the localities, if the People's Party is willing to recognize the current central government.

However, Lu Huitian in front of him has established the status of a senior cadre of the People's Party with his real merits. Although it is not clear what Lu Huitian has done, just these two contacts, Yang Du can see the characteristics of Lu Huitian's extreme focus on work. This is not an easy person to deal with.

"Mr. Lu, I came this time to ask what the People's Party is really going to do. If it is convenient, please let Mr. Lu know. Yang Du's question was straight to the point. As far as Yang Du's experience is concerned, this kind of question basically gets two answers, if you have your own little abacus in your heart, you will take care of him. If it's just a messenger, it's going to repeat what has been said.

Lu Huitian's answer was also very simple, "I have already talked to Yuan Gong about the purpose of my visit this time. Wasn't Mr. Yang also there? ”

Hearing Lu Huitian kick the ball back, and there was a faint accusation in his words, Yang Du smiled slightly. "Mr. Lu, we have an agreement, I know something. But a lot of things are changing. So I would like to know if Mr. Lu has anything to say to Yuan Gong in person. If so, you can bring a message for Mr. Lu below. ”

Lu Huitian really needed someone to speak, and he said calmly: "Mr. Yang, our attitude is to hope that the agreement between the two parties can be maintained. But there are a lot of changes in front of us. I don't know if Mr. Yuan told you that we want the land of the four provinces, and the other regions are up to Mr. Yuan to take his own. But at that time, the rest of the region was still under the Manchu system. None of the provinces had the guts to challenge us. Now we are working on restoring commerce, just as we now want to negotiate a commercial trade agreement with Yuan Gong. At this point, the question arises, if someone does not attack us militarily, but maliciously obstructs the normal business activities of our BJP, do you think we should try to promote the recovery of commerce? ”

"Then what does this have to do with Yuan Gong?" Yang Du asked.

Lu Huitian replied: "Yuan Gong has reached an agreement with us, and he is obliged to abide by this agreement. We don't take action against other provinces because we believe that Yuan Gong is capable of maintaining the normal functioning of the country. If Yuan Gong is not capable of maintaining it, then we can only find a way by ourselves. After all, each group needs to protect its own interests, Mr. Yang, what do you say? ”

Yang Du was silent for a while, he had also studied the law and had his own concept of rights and obligations. However, Yang Du is an old-school figure after all, and there is no concept of equivalence in the old-school system. Reciprocity means hostility, and as for rights and duties, this kind of thing is even more of a joke. The superior has power over the inferior, and the subordinate has obligations to the superior. That's what it's like. Having both obligations and powers is a thing between the upper echelons of the same system, and there is no such problem between the two forces of the People's Party and Beiyang, which are actually enemies.

For a while, Yang Du was a little disappointed, maybe he looked up to the People's Party, and these young people were just using this excuse to blackmail Yuan Shikai. Too many agreements in history have ended up like this, and it seems that they cooperate sincerely, but under the conflict of interests, the two sides began to have their own ghosts, and finally the agreement was torn up. Yang Du originally thought that the People's Party would be different, but now there is nothing special about the People's Party.

"Mr. Yang, do you think we want to be treacherous?" Lu Huitian asked.

These words directly hit Yang Du's mind, almost like a conditioned reflex, Yang Du immediately replied: "What is Mr. Lu talking about?" ”

Lu Huitian smiled, "Mr. Yang, everyone will think more about themselves. This is human nature, and now we let Beiyang do some of our obligations, and Beiyang must think that we have nothing to do. Everyone is looking for their own interests, and we know very well. We also came with a commercial agreement, and this agreement is not beyond the reach of Beiyang Power. If Beiyang feels that this agreement is unfair, or because there is something in front of you, you are temporarily unable to fulfill your obligations, I think you can say it directly. Let's just talk. We encountered a problem, so we came to meet Yuan Gong in person and explain these things to my face. That's our sincerity. If it is the kind of person who feels that the other party is treacherous as long as he feels unsatisfactory in his heart, this is not a cooperative attitude. Contradictions are everywhere, and if you want to solve them, you need better communication to understand where the contradictions are and how to coordinate and improve. What do you think, Mr. Yang? ”

Lu Huitian's words made Yang Du a little overwhelmed, and he thought about it and said, "Mr. Lu, what you said is inappropriate. It's not that Beiyang doesn't want to fulfill its obligations now, but the time is just not right. ”

"It's convenient to tell us when the time will come, so we have to have an approximate time frame, and we can adjust our own arrangements." Lu Huitian replied very simply.

Hearing this, Yang Du was silent. He can't be the master of these things, and even Yuan Shikai himself may not be the master. But Yang Du couldn't answer like this, and what he said was in line with what the People's Party said, "unwilling to fulfill its obligations".

The people of the People's Party are so difficult to deal with, Yang Du feels a little understanding why Lu Huitian can become the head of a province at a young age. Lu Huitian's words were not aggressive at all, and even reasonable, leaving plenty of room for people. But such a real "truth" can only be dealt with with the truth. To be honest, it has never been the officialdom tradition of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, nor is it the tradition of the upper echelons of the Beiyang. Yang Du wanted to tell the truth, but he couldn't hold power at all, so he couldn't say it.

After being silent for a while, Yang Du had to change the topic, "Mr. Lu, let's talk about the business cooperation you talked about first, what do you think." ”

thought that Lu Huitian would say a few words of complaint, but Lu Huitian's statement surprised Yang Du again. Lu Huitian seemed to have not thought about it at all, and said one word sincerely and brightly: "Okay." ”

Yang Du immediately felt relaxed in his heart, pragmatism was a very difficult choice. It's not just about having the power to give orders, it's about having control of the whole thing. The average lobbyist is a retreat, or entangled in some seemingly explicit personal interest. After the People's Party directly brought out the actual interests that really needed the efforts of both sides, the Beiyang that was forced to do so was somewhat out of ground. Such an approach made Yang Du very envious.

What makes Yang Du even more envious is that Lu Huitian, a young man, has a high understanding of politics. If we do not talk about our position, the few economic theories put forward by him alone are undoubtedly to the point of today. Although Yang Du was loyal to Yuan Shikai, he did not only seek a personal official position, he hoped to create a real career in this era. Among the politicians he has seen, Yuan Shikai undoubtedly has the greatest qualifications and possibilities.

Talking about cooperation is pragmatic, and talking about the economy can be pragmatic, at least that's how Yang Du feels. Soon, Yang Du understood how "retreating" the People's Party really was. Yang Du is not proficient in business operations. Lu Huitian only talked about the basic theory, production, transportation, and sales, and then analyzed the current situation of various links and Beiyang. Yang Du soon discovered the problem, Lu Huitian talked about loss, and actually counted all layers of exploitation. And the focus proposed by Lu Huitian is to reduce the number of exploits.

Yang Du interrupted Lu Huitian's words, "Mr. Lu, what you said is wrong. Since it is a business, it is naturally based on commercial circulation, and there will be exploitation, but it is definitely not as rampant as you say, do you not believe in Beiyang so much? ”

Lu Huitian looked at Yang Du with strange eyes, "Mr. Yang, you know the problem after you have personally operated this matter." If the business is small, don't talk about it. Those who exploit layers of people look down on these deals. I won't say much, if this wool business can reach 10,000 tons a year, that is, 20 million catties. A pound of wool passes through a layer of hands, and an extra penny per pound doesn't seem to be much. 20 million catties is 20 million yuan, that is, 20,000 taels of silver. Who do you think will let go of this profit? What if it's 100,000 tons per year? An additional penny per catty is 200,000 taels of silver. Just set up a card layer by layer, plus a layer is 200,000 taels, who do you think in Beiyang can resist these temptations? And it's just a pound of extra charges. If you charge more than ten cents per catty, Mr. Yang, you will know if you do the math. ”

Yang Du understands mathematics, just because he understands, he knows by calculating casually that a pound of wool is charged more than ten cents, and the purchase and sale of 100,000 tons of wool a year is 20 million taels of silver. Now the annual revenue of Beiyang Finance has fallen to less than 60 million taels. If this business can do this, Beiyang's finances will be balanced.

"That doesn't look like much." Yang Du finally said.

"That's because you're a seller, so you don't think it's much. We are the buyer and we certainly can't afford it. If we can't afford it, we won't be in business. As long as this high amount of exploitation is still there, no one will buy wool, and no one will be able to earn this money. Maybe Beiyang thinks he can control it, so they might as well give it a try. Lu Huitian said with a smile.

Yang Du frowned and thought about it, if it is really according to what the People's Party said, there are too many places that can make money in the middle of buying and selling, as long as the middle exploitation can be controlled, so that those who sell wool and those who buy wool can make a profit, just collecting commercial tax is a huge stable profit. It's a simple truth. If the Beiyang government only charges a commercial tax of five wen per catty of wool, if it can reach 100,000 tons, it will be one million taels a year. This is an acceptable total tax value.

"I'll talk to Yuan Gong about this." Yang Du said seriously.

Lu Huitian returned with a hearty smile, "That's great." ”

Yang Du couldn't talk about anything else, and the huge profits of the wool business made Yang Du a little restless. He simply got up and took his leave. Along the way, he hurried back to the Cabinet Office where Yuan Shikai was. Yang Du directly asked to see Yuan Shikai.

Yuan Shikai also understands mathematics, and listened to Yang Du talk about the profits of the wool business and the content of intermediate taxes. Yuan Shikai said coldly, "The book is angry." That's not the way it works. ”

After Yang Du heard this, he immediately felt a chill in his heart.

Yuan Shikai said helplessly: "Hu Chan, although Lu Huitian is young, what he said is reasonable. It's a lot more difficult than you think. It's not something you can do if you want to do it. ”

"Yuan Gong, the state has received taxes, what else can't be done? Our Overseers in the Beiyang don't even have this knowledge, do they? Yang Du asked.

"Hu Chan, are you going to take our army?" Yuan Shikai smiled bitterly.

Yang Du was startled by these words, and he hurriedly explained, "Yuan Gong, I definitely don't have this intention. ”

After Yang Du said this, he saw Yuan Shikai smile and sighed, "Huchan, I know you mean well." But if this matter is entrusted to non-people, it will definitely cause a big mess. You are not allowed to tell anyone about this until I have identified the personnel. You can keep it in my mind. ”

Although he didn't know what Yuan Shikai's plans were, Yang Du replied decisively: "Remember." ”

"Okay, what did you hear about Lu Huitian's intention this time?" Yuan Shikai asked.

Yang Du told Yuan Shikai about Lu Huitian's "rights and obligations of both sides of the agreement" and Lu Huitian's proposal to hold regular consultation meetings before leaving. Yuan Shikai just listened quietly. It wasn't until Yang Du finished speaking that Yuan Shikai asked a few more questions, which made Yang Du responsible for talking to Lu Huitian more in the past few days, and he could find out whatever information he could.

As soon as Yang Du left, Yuan Shikai let out a long sigh of relief. In fact, about the matter of wool, Yuan Shikai is not unconcerned. Cold numbers are more credible than any glowing statement. This proposal of the BJP is not without merit, but there is too much merit.

Yuan Shikai is not ignorant of overseas, the business of woolen mills in the UK is good, and Yuan Shikai has also heard of it. It's just that I couldn't get involved in this deal before. In addition, the wool business is related to Beiyang's policy towards Inner and Outer Mongolia, and if it starts to do so rashly, it loses the suddenness of buying the princes of Inner and Inner Mongolia. After discussing with Wang Shizhen yesterday, Yuan Shikai has decided to transfer Duan Qirui back. Let him lead his troops to Inner and Outer Mongolia first to make final negotiations with those princes. At that time, the purchase of wool was an excellent bargaining chip.

"Chen Wenqing really knows what to make money!" Wang Shizhen made this evaluation yesterday. Yuan Shikai has to admit that this statement is indeed very reasonable. Since this is the case, then Beiyang has no reason to let Chen Ke earn this money in vain.

After a few days of consideration, Yuan Shikai finally asked Lu Huitian to bring back the news to Chen Ke. The Beiyang Society was to settle the Fujian issue by April 1911. As for the trade between the two sides, it can be discussed later. But on turf, Yuan Shikai made it clear that he did not want Chen Ke to meddle in the affairs of other provinces. Yuan Shikai believes that the two sides can hold regular talks every six months. This can be regarded as the greatest "sincerity" he expressed.

After Lu Huitian brought back the news, the Hubei Provincial Party Committee reacted differently. This mission did not achieve anything substantial, but was set up by Yuan Shikai as a big hanger for the People's Party not to interfere in Fujian's affairs. Some comrades even thought that Lu Huitian's mission was a failure.

However, Xie Mingxian came out to speak, "I think this mission is very fruitful, if the status quo is maintained, our heavy chemical products can continue to be sold to Beiyang." And with the recommendations of the regular meeting, many conflicts may be resolved through negotiations. It's better than arguing when something goes wrong and the trouble is inextricable. ”

Lu Huitian also thought so, this negotiation is not so much to achieve any very tangible negotiation results, but to remind Yuan Shikai that some things can be resolved through negotiation. Given Beiyang's very low executive capacity, Beiyang felt much more pressure than the People's Party. It is still necessary to properly cheer up Yuan Shikai.

The comrades finally accepted this explanation, and Lu Huitian finally passed this hurdle.

In October 1910, the first phase of training for party schools and cadre schools in Hubei Province was basically completed. After a relatively systematic education, the Hubei party branch and the cadre contingent have at least unified their thinking. Chen Ke decided to return to Anhui and grasp the work in Anhui.

Lu Huitian felt relieved, since Chen Ke decided to stay in Hubei to work, he has always been under great pressure, even if Lu Huitian adjusted his thinking and studied. But Chen Ke is, after all, the chairman of the party and has great authority. So far, Chen Ke is still guided by supporting the work of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee, but if Chen Ke feels that Lu Huitian is not qualified for the work in Hubei, he can hold a party committee meeting to remove Lu Huitian in a word.

Although Chen Ke's work in Hubei is to institutionalize the organization, Chen Ke himself still has the power to transcend the system. This is not something that can be completely ignored simply by improving the system.

Before Chen Ke left, he proposed to talk to Lu Huitian once. You have to come when you should come, Lu Huitian thought.

"Secretary Lu, the issue of not talking about feudal power in our people's party is something I have repeatedly emphasized. Since I've emphasized it, I think the two of us should have a good relationship on this issue. Chen Ke was still as frank as ever, "To be honest, have you always been afraid that I will withdraw you?" ”

"Don't you have this idea, Chairman Chen?" Since Chen Ke said that he wanted to make friends, Lu Huitian also let go. Chen Ke's work in Hubei has given Lu Huitian great psychological pressure, and Lu Huitian has been able to persist until now to solve problems through his own efforts, and he is almost at the limit. Seeing that Chen Ke really didn't want to settle his work differences by changing his future, he relaxed in his heart, but felt a strong dissatisfaction with Chen Ke.

"Comrade Lu Huitian, this question is good!" Chen Ke smiled, "Can this simple and crude approach really solve the work problem?" ”

"Definitely not." Lu Huitian saw that Chen Ke's attitude was always gentle, and the dissatisfaction in his heart was even worse, and his tone became fierce, "But Chairman Chen, why did you say that earlier?" ”

"It's really wronged you." Chen Ke nodded yes.

Hearing Chen Ke's words, Lu Huitian's nose suddenly became sour, and his eyes felt hot.

Chen Ke handed over a towel, and Lu Huitian felt that he was a little too childish to cry when he was so old. But the more I wanted to stop the tears as soon as possible, the tears could not be stopped. In the end, Lu Huitian choked up and said, "Chairman Chen, it's okay for me to cry a few times." ”

"If you want to cry, cry happily, can you use a few times like a girl?" Chen Ke said with a smile. However, looking at Lu Huitian's aggrieved face, Chen Ke's eyes also turned red, "By the way, I don't mean to discriminate against women." ”

Although this joke was cold, it unexpectedly touched Lu Huitian's humor cells, he wanted to laugh twice, but his mood was more relaxed, Lu Huitian suddenly became sad, covered his face with a towel and cried.