got 200,000 foreign dollars out of thin air, Sun Wen was very happy, he wanted to take out a pen from his arms and write, but stopped, he really wanted to do something again, and the time was so urgent, to meet the party to pull people, I am afraid that the money is still not enough, if this money can be doubled, it will be better, he pulled out the hand that reached into his arms again, pretending to be anxious and said: "Chungong, the money is not in a hurry, I think the most important thing is to contact the country first, and then remit the money after making a plan." ”

Sun Wen was right, Rong Hong nodded and said, "Okay! Then you go out and telegraph first, and I'll wait for you to come back. ”

As soon as Sun Wen left in front, Rong Hong also went out to the Fifth Avenue, but this time he didn't go to find Yu Zixun.

"Dwight, it looks like the Renaissance Army will launch the Northern Expedition this month." Clark's lawyer's office, Rong Hong said as soon as they met.

"Really?" Clara sat in her chair and smoked her pipe, unmoved. But we can't help them, not even the church. I'm sure Young, as a nationalist, would not have agreed to include the Bible in school. ”

"Yes, we discussed this situation before, but a civilized China is in the interests of the United States, and the revival will always have a good impression of the United States." Looking at the silent Clark, there is no way to fuse.

"John, we've talked about this before, and getting Yang's business to make money in the U.S. is our biggest concession. According to the information from the Far East, the special envoys of the Revival Society also negotiated with the Japanese, but their offer was very high, demanding 200 million yen. Yang was actually using the United States to defend against Japan, and now the main rights and interests of the Tonghua Railway are still in the hands of the Fuxing Association. And then there's the steel plant in China, whose rights are now controlled by the Qing government and the Fuxing Society, and we can't get involved at all. As a rebel, he is too stingy! Clark affectionately shouted Rong Hong's Christian name, but the meaning was to reject people thousands of miles away.

"Dwight, whether this news is true or not, it's all in the past." Rong Hong still defended himself. Once the Northern Expedition succeeds in establishing a new country, then she will actively enlist the support of various countries, and the United States will be their biggest target. At this time, Yang Jingcheng will not be stingy, and if he asks China to implement a democratic system at this time. So the United States will have a brotherly country on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, and is this not in the interests of the United States? ”

Seeing that Rong Hong was still promoting the concept of China as always, Clark laughed, "John. You're quite right. But Henry said that in a hundred years' time, the Pacific Ocean would not be able to accommodate two powers, of course, maybe three, and Japan. ”

As soon as Clark said Henry, Rong Hong's heart was dark, unlike him, a peripheral member, Henry. Stimson is a member of the Standard Skull and Bones Society, and now has the trust of President Taft. He has been appointed Minister of War. "Dwight, what Henry said is shit! No one believed it at all. The best way for the United States to keep the Americas and then befriend China is to turn China into a democracy like the United States, so that there will be a long-lasting friendship between the two countries, just like France and the United States. ”

It seemed that Rong Hong's words persuaded Clark, he put the cigarette butt on the table, spread his hands and asked, "John, you know, I'm no longer a knight, just a barbarian." I can't influence the policies of Magog (Taft). And we've been paying attention to what kind of person Yang is since you reported on him eight years ago, and for a few years everybody has been sure of him, that he's a stubborn and stingy democrat, and that a person like him wouldn't be in favor of democracy, even if he says he's lived in the United States for nine years. ”

"Dwight, let's contact Henry." Seeing that his old friend finally agreed to help, Rong Hong was a little relieved, "Whether they will pay attention to your opinion or not, but let's give it a try." ”

It didn't take much time to get the telegram from New York to Washington, but the telegram was very long, and it was just a private telegram. Lewis. When Stimson saw this long telegram, it was already five days later. When he opened the message, he was immediately startled by the first few lines, "George, is the revolution about to break out in China?" Stimson raised the telegram in his hand and asked his assistant.

"Oh? Revolution, China? No! Your Excellency, we have not received such a message. George was also a student at Yale University, and he knew the war information all over the world, and the whole world was not at peace, and the Chinese revolutionary army was now in truce with the government army.

"Oh? But I have definite information that the Chinese Revolutionary Army will attack the north this month? Stimson had complete trust in Clark's news, and the leader of the Renaissance Society, Young, had heard about it eight years ago, and had seen a picture of him on the side of his body when the whole world didn't know him, and of course, the photo was obviously taken secretly, with only half of his face on it.

"But......, Your Excellency, I will immediately consult Mr. Jia Leheng, the Minister in the Qing Dynasty." Seeing that Stimson insisted that the information was true, George had no choice but to turn around and go out to send a telegram.

"Nope! George, help me contact the president at once, I ask for an urgent meeting on the Chinese revolution! Stimson stood up and said, seemingly impatient. But he couldn't wait to meet President Taft, Secretary of State Knox, Secretary of the Navy Meyer, and the other at the White House the next morning, and the other was the director of the Department of the State Department's Far East Department, Ransford. Miller.

The meeting was held between the five people, and the first to speak was Miller, "Mr. President, the Far East has not received any news of rebellion or revolution, and the rebel army in Zhejiang is in a truce with the government army. If they do get to Beijing, I think it should be at least next year or later. ”

Miller's remarks made the uninformed Secretary of the Navy Meyer nod frequently, and he said: "If it is really next year or later, it is most appropriate, after the opening of the canal, our power in the Pacific will be greatly increased, and we will be able to better protect the expatriates and the commercial interests of the United States from being violated." ”

"Ransford, the intelligence is exact, there is no need to doubt that." Taft glanced at Stimson and said. "Now we are going to talk about how to deal with this revolution. is neutral. Or pick a position? ”

"Mr. President, we don't have much interest in China, and under the 1900 Beijing Protocol. Any interference in China must be a collective action. "Knox understands the pressure of the consortium on the State Department, and although he wants to stand on one side to get a piece of the pie, he can't do it and can only give up." At most, we can only send warships into the Yangtze River valley to protect the safety of overseas Chinese everywhere. In addition, previously signed loans should not be paid immediately. It would be unwise to pay the loan at this time. ”

Although Knox's statement said that he wanted to be neutral, with the current financial situation of the Qing government, cutting off loans was to support the revolutionaries. Taft was pleased with his handling. But he thought of something else and asked, "Then what kind of China do we need?" Someone suggested that I persuade the revolutionaries to follow the example of the United States and implement democracy in China, do we need to do that? ”

Taft finished asking. Stimson, who was standing on the side, looked at Knox. Although he said that in 100 years, China will be the most important opponent of the United States in Asia, but the strong China is in the interests of the United States.

Knox didn't know what Stimson was thinking, but only expressed his opinion as secretary of state: "Mr. President, we don't have much interest in China, I think we should stick to the previous open door policy, it is very unwise to meddle in the internal affairs of the country, which will cause opposition from European countries, and we should maintain absolute outside neutrality." And be ready to intervene with other countries, all we want is a complete China. The most important thing is not to allow Japan and Russia to benefit from this. ”

Ultimately, Knox hoped that the United States would pursue an isolationist policy, pointing out that it would be unwise to manipulate China's political situation. Taft was not satisfied with this, and the leaders of the consortium had long coveted this large market of 400 million people, and he had to ask Miller, the director of the Far East Division, "Langsford, tell me what you think, I hope it will be different from what Filand said." ”

The president needs to listen to a different opinion than his superiors, and Miller, although he is troubled, still speculates on the basis of the current situation: "Mr. President, a unified and strong China is in line with the interests of the United States in the Far East in recent decades, and only then can the country suppress the increasingly unfriendly Japan." Using this as a benchmark, we should take the initiative to help her become stronger, she should not be democratic, and the best way is to keep the emperor and the power in the hands of elites, such as Yang of the Renaissance Society.

However, Britain and Japan did not want to see such a situation, especially now that Japan was the most important ally of Britain in the Far East. The most fundamental reason why Yuan stepped down was that Britain connived with Japan to persuade the Qing government to fire him. If the new government is unable to resist the challenge from Japan, or if it is allied with Japan, then it would be extremely unwise for us to support her. If China can stand with the United States against Japan and defeat it. Then Tian would be eligible for the friendship of the United States, and otherwise, she would be no different from the Qing government. ”

"My opinion is the same, Mr. President." Without waiting for Taft's questioning, Stimson took the initiative to say: "Now the situation in Europe is becoming more and more tense, such as the Moroccan crisis that happened again this month, and there is news that Britain has begun to mobilize and prepare for war with Germany. Now, under compulsion, her rights in the Far East are being gradually ceded to Japan, and she is prepared to make Japan more and more obliged, and to act freely in China is the payment that Britain pays to Japan.

Mr. President, we must not allow Japan to succeed Britain as the new hegemon in the Far East, and if China is really conquered by Japan or an alliance between China and Japan is formed, it will be a disaster for the United States, and then not only will Luzon be lost, but Hawaii will also be threatened. Although we are limited to the Beijing Protocol and cannot act alone, we can show some goodwill to the Renaissance. ”

"Goodwill?" Although Knox knew that Stimson was right, when he heard that he proposed that the president should show goodwill to the revolutionaries, he still stopped it, saying, "Mr. President, any violation of the Beijing Protocol is extremely dangerous. The interests of the United States are in the Americas, and although they are independent of the Eurasian continent, Britain can completely cause us big problems in South America or Mexico. The situation in the Far East is indeed as Henry said, but it is not yet worth the bet.

In particular, we do not yet know the position of the new rulers, and whether the new government will be able to resist the Japanese army - I have read reports about the army of revolutionaries, and even reports of their annihilation of the Japanese army on the Russo-Japanese battlefield. But victory in a battle does not mean that they can resist the Japanese army, and the United States cannot pay for the doomed loser. I believe that once China and Japan go to war. Britain will certainly be on Japan's side. ”

The trade-off between the Americas and Asia is the key factor in determining the relationship between the United States and China, and Stimson is undoubtedly correct from the perspective of development, but Knox's view of preserving existing interests is even more correct, but Stimson is still unwilling: "Mr. President, most of China's interests can be abandoned, but Manchuria must not be lost. Now the growth of trade between the two countries is entirely driven by it, and there are many American factories along the Tonghua Railway and along the line. We must send marines to Manchuria. to protect the diaspora there and to deter Japan from taking advantage of this opportunity to gain more benefits. ”

Discussions in the president's office were largely between Knox and Stimson, and Miller, the director of the Far East Division, and Meyer, the secretary of the Navy, did not fully support either of them. Miller is the director of the Far East Division. Therefore, he hopes that the power of the United States will grow in China, but he also knows that once he is too deeply involved in China, the United States will be opposed by Britain, so he is ambiguous on this matter; Meyer, on the other hand, has always emphasized the Panama Canal. It is believed that the canal was not completed. Then the United States will always be in a weak position in the Pacific Ocean, and even if the fleet is forcibly transferred from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the outcome of the war will be the fate of the Russian fleet. Such a long distance, not to mention combat, even to drive the fleet to China is a great thing.

There was a lot of debate in the office, and it wasn't until more than an hour later that the final decision was finalized, that is, to be outside the neutral, for the Yangtze River basin and the Andong region in the northeast. Warships and marines will be sent in the name of protecting overseas Chinese. As for the revolutionary army, it is possible to maintain a certain amount of contact through some kind of relationship. But no promises can be given.

Yang Rui was finally relieved that the Americans did not explicitly say anything, but from Yu Zixun's telegram and the friendship of the U.S. Consul General in Shanghai, Willid, he could still feel a potential support, and this was what he wanted. At this time, although the second crisis in Morocco was a few days later than in history, it still happened, and the news in Europe was that the ordinary stocks of the London stock market fell sharply, and the arms stocks rose sharply, which means that Britain is more serious about this crisis. The United States is potentially supported, Britain, France and Germany are in trouble, only Japan is still in power with Katsura Taro, and Xiyuan Temple has not yet come to power, but now the arrow has to be sent, and if it drags on for a few more months, I am afraid that the Manchu Qing Dynasty will invite the Japanese army to encircle and suppress it.

After reading Yu Zixun's telegram, Yang Rui was very satisfied, but when he was happy, Liu Boyuan said in a low voice: "Sir, the United States... Mr. Zixun...... There may be some problems. ”

"Ahh Yang Rui was shocked when he heard this, and he was happy that there was no trace of him, and he got up and walked outside and said to Chen Guangshou: "I have something important now, and no one is allowed to disturb me." Then he went back to the house and said, "Say it." What happened? ”

"Five days ago, there was a large remittance from New York to Hong Kong, the beneficiary was Hu Zhantang, and the remitter was written by Sun.Yat-sen, which is the English spelling of Sun Yat-sen." Liu Boyuan looked at Yang Rui, whose face was getting heavier and heavier, and said the truth of the matter word by word: "The remittance is a total of 150,000 US dollars, because the money went to OCBC Bank, so we can trace it...... In the first few hours of Sun Wen's remittance in New York, 150,000 U.S. dollars were withdrawn from a password account of Tianzihao, so ......"

Yu Zixun was also a teacher at a patriotic school earlier, and he was also one of the founders of the Revival Association, Liu Boyuan only stated two facts and did not draw any conclusions. After he finished speaking, he thought that Yang Rui would be furious, but he didn't want him to smoke for a long time and didn't speak, only waiting for a cigarette to finish before he said, "What's wrong with the Alliance?" Also, what did he give Sun Wen besides giving him money? And most importantly, why is he like this? ”

"Huang Xing of the League has been vigorously active in Hong Kong in the past few days, and it seems that he wants to recruit the old ministry to raise an uprising in Guangzhou again, while Song Jiaoren of Hunan is also constantly contacting gentry and students, and it is estimated that he also wants to launch an uprising. But I think they won't have time to do it, and in two days, Beijing will launch. Liu Boyuan introduced the situation of the Alliance, and said another more strict thing: "The news from within the Alliance, they already know that we will launch an uprising this month, but the scale of the uprising is not known, Huang Xing only said at the mobilization meeting that the Revival Association will be on a northern expedition this month, so everyone should take advantage of the chaos to raise righteousness." ”

"Hmm. I guessed it. Yang Rui's heart was cold, but he was still calm, "Do you know why he did this?" ”

"Sir......" Liu Boyuan glanced at Yang Rui and said uneasily: "Our people in New York examined Liu Hongsheng yesterday, and he said that before Mr. Yu met Sun Wen, he first met Rong Hong and a foreigner named Clark, Mr. Yu was very excited after talking to them, what did he say...... He said that the revolution could no longer be a change of dynasty, that a real republican democracy should be established, and that he could not live up to Wei Dan and the like, and that he would become a great dictator in the future......"

Liu Boyuan's voice became lower and lower, and in the end, it was inaudible. Yang Rui only let out a long breath and said in a low voice: "New York will immediately dismiss Yu Zixun from his position and ...... him again" Yang Rui wanted to lock him up, but thinking that he had always been doing communication with the United States now, he had to change his words: "Just send someone to follow him, and take him back to China immediately after dealing with diplomatic matters." ”

After hearing Yang Rui's instructions, Liu Boyuan was about to go out, but Yang Rui stopped him again, "What happened to those international students in the United States?" After all these years outside, has anything changed? ”

There are also organized international students, which is actually Yang Rui's concern that the Americans will engage in Trojan horse schemes. Yu Zixun is just one person, but if the students sent out are like this, then China will fall into the quagmire of future generations - after the utopia is completely shattered, many college students began to go abroad to pursue democracy and freedom, and even those students on public assignment are unwilling to return to China. Even if 400 million people say that revival will be good, and the 1 million elite people defect to the United States, then there will be no hope for the country.

"Sir! The situation of the international students is very good, not to mention the ones we sent, even the official ones are also studying hard, thinking about returning to China as soon as possible. Liu Boyuan seemed to know Yang Rui's worries, and only said it satisfactorily.

"We don't say that the education will be sent, but the official ones will not be like this, the reason why they want to come back is that they are not used to staying abroad." Yang Rui saw that he told the situation so well, and instantly debunked his consummation. "You get out. Yu Zixun's affairs will be handled according to what I just said, and I will inform them on the committee's side. ”

After Liu Boyuan went out, Yang Rui stayed in the house for a while and then went out to find Zhang Taiyan, the righteousness was getting closer and closer, everyone was getting more and more nervous, Chen Guangshou saw that Yang Rui was going out during the day, and wanted to stop it, but when he heard Yang Rui's words, he squeezed out from between his teeth, and knew that this matter was not to be disobeyed, and it was good to arrange carriages and horses. Half an hour later, he and Yang Rui got into the carriage together and headed east, now during the day, Zhang Taiyan should be the apartment next to the quintessential newspaper.

Guosi Temple is next to the French cemetery, and the French Concession itself is not prosperous, so it is very quiet. Just waiting for the car to go to Baochang Road, the noisy voices outside suddenly came in, hearing the voices outside and smelling all kinds of smells outside, Yang Rui seemed to have finally returned to the consciousness of ordinary people, he felt that he was sour all over, and his stomach was suddenly hungry. Seeing that there were roast duck sellers outside, he who had eaten vegetarian food for more than half a month and immediately shouted at Chen Guangshou: "Go." Buy a few roast ducks, chop them all up and pack them back home. ”

Chen Guangshou was very uneasy when he heard that Yang Rui asked him to buy roast duck: "Sir, it's inconvenient for us to show our faces now, there are still two days, let's wait for these two days before eating." ”

Thinking that it was indeed only two days, Yang Rui swallowed his mouth full of saliva and said, "Okay! Let's go vegetarian for another two days. ”

As soon as the roast duck incident passed, Yang Rui kept his face calm and didn't speak, and only when he arrived at Zhang Taiyan's place did he smile slightly. Although Zhang Taiyan was also a key criminal of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, everyone knew that he was just a newspaper advocacy, and the danger was not as great as that of others, and in the past two years, he has basically studied Chinese studies, and has not published many revolutionary articles to write, so the world has forgotten him a little.

Zhang Taiyan, who was stuffy in the room, suddenly saw Yang Rui coming in broad daylight, and said in surprise: "Actually, why did you come here?" (To be continued......)