Beiyang 1917

Chapter 120 Four Sitting on the Fence Opportunism——

"It's good, brother Wang, even if it's just a financial salon, Wang Geng, you have to be the master of this salon, a snake without a head can't do it!" Lu Ding said with a bitter face. The half-true words made my heart flutter and I was a little confused.

"Just kidding, Brother Lu, I'm dissatisfied with you. If I go in and out of the Eight Great Alleys of Huajie and Liuxiang all day to fix this financial salon, I'm afraid the first person I can't see is Premier Duan. His old man seems to have a little expectation of me. Besides, Having said that, even if I agree, your Lu Mei and Lu Xiaoman may not agree either!" Wang Geng said with a chuckle.

"Ah?" Lu Ding gasped when he heard the words, but Song Hanzhang and Zhang Jiaao couldn't figure it out, and kept asking, "Old Lu, what do you mean? Could it be that your daughter is engaged to Wang Geng?"

"Hey! Where is this going?" Lu Ding waved his hands in a hurry. If he wanted to marry Wang Geng, he would be willing from the bottom of his heart. Marriage, especially political marriage, is often the most effective and direct way to form an alliance. Means, but this idea is just a flash in my mind.

One is that the girl from my family is only fifteen years old, and the other is that Wang Geng has just emerged after all. Whether he can stand up to Xu Youzheng's future suppression and strife under Prime Minister Duan's command is really a matter of opinion. At least my girl can only marry when she turns 16. At that time, it was almost obvious whether Wang Geng was a shining star in the political and military circles or a fleeting meteor, but it was too early to talk about anything at the moment.

"Huh? Brother Lu, Ling Ai is fifteen years old. Although Wang Geng is older than Lu Mei, he is only 22 years old this year. I haven't even had a girlfriend yet, let alone three wives and four concubines." If Ling Ai catches eyes with me, you won't object to the relationship between our two young men and women?" Wang Geng half-truthfully looked at his old father-in-law in his previous life and said teasingly.

"Hey! That's what I said... If a little girl is favored, I would really like it. It's just that Lu Mei is still young, and this girl has been talking about freedom, equality and women's rights since she entered the Sacred Heart Academy, and she opposes arranged marriages and so on. , our husband and wife really haven't considered her marriage, so you say... that's right... you went shopping with her and Miss Duanfu this afternoon, what are you... huh?"

Lu Ding was a little flustered with incoherent words. Could it be that Wang Geng has already taken a fancy to his own girl in just half a day?This guy is too fast?Isn't there still Duan Hongbing present? Could it be that something has been done?

Here, Zhang Jiaao deeply regrets that his second sister married Xu Zhimo, a ruthless person, in advance. Seeing that Wang Geng seems to be interested in Lu Ding's daughter, he feels a little sorry for the remaining two sisters in his family, although it has not been found out yet. What a talent, but the halo of studying in the United States at Tsinghua University, a Bachelor of Arts at Princeton University, and a top student at West Point Military Academy is enough to impress my father and two younger sisters.

What's more, at the age of 22, this guy actually became two supervisors and is a major general of the army with nearly [-] troops. He is also favored by the Prime Minister. What kind of investment banking industry is there in the United States? If there is a revelation about marriage, it must be overwhelmed by the overwhelming marriage proposal posts from famous and wealthy families!It is estimated that the matchmaker can break through the threshold of Wang Geng's family!

Song Hanzhang patted Lu Ding directly on the shoulder and said, "Old Lu, I used to be a little bit dissatisfied with you, but now I am really convinced by you. You have vision, and good things come quickly. If you get a wealthy son-in-law like Wang Geng , I am afraid that the position of deputy chief will fail, and I will entrust the affairs of the Bank of China to you, Weng and your son-in-law!"

"Hey! Old Song! You have to be considered a senior, so why are you still making fun of me! It's really nothing, if I want to hide it from you! Wang Geng, tell them, are we the first one this morning? See you next time!" Lu Ding said anxiously.

"Okay, brother Lu, obviously you don't like me, well, let's not talk about it, it's okay if I'm abrupt, anyway, there are no three wives and four concubines in my house now, and there is no one to warm the bed. Is it easy for me to be busy, tomorrow I will ask Xia Shan to go to the newspaper office to publish the notice of marriage, I still don't believe that I can't find a woman!" Wang Geng stood up again solemnly.

"Wang Geng, Brother Wang, you don't want to follow the two of them to bully me. I'm telling the truth. As long as my girl is willing, you can also look up to her. After the new year, when she turns 16, we will make an appointment to marry her." Can you do it?" Lu Ding yelled while holding Wang Geng by gritting his teeth.

"Hey, brother Song and fourth brother Zhang, you two should be a witness. If the girl from the Lu family and I are in love with each other in the new year, it's not good for him to talk like a mandarin duck!" Wang Geng Laughing and pulling Song Hanzhang and Zhang Jiaao to be witnesses, what kind of a thing are these two people watching? The development of the situation is too unexpected?

Song, Hanzhang, and Zhang Jiaao all clamored to agree, Lu Ding also nodded, and Wang Geng sat down again. Seeing that the atmosphere was almost lively, the guy's face straightened, and said,

"It's hard to chase after a gentleman's words. I'm waiting to marry that girl Lu Mei next year. Now let's talk about the next step. You should listen to my thoughts first. If you have any questions, you can ask them at any time. Let's work together. Nationality, what else can we do!"

Lu Ding breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and stared at Wang Geng together with Song Hanzhang and Zhang Jiaao to see what he had to say.

"First, brother, I have a clear-cut stand and support Premier Duan's unified proposition. Of course, the first step is to participate in the war. For this reason, I, as the supervisor of the preparations for the war, also supervised the negotiations with the United States and also served as the brigade commander of the 16th Mixed Brigade. , The purpose is to prepare and arm a sufficient team as soon as possible to defend the central government, defend the well-being and safety of the people in Gyeonggi, and strive for the early unification of China, do you have any doubts about this?"

Wang Geng looked at the three people in front of him seriously, Lu Ding and Zhang Jiaao were nodding, obviously approving of Wang Geng's ideal or goal, Song Hanzhang was noncommittal, obviously he had something to say.

"Old Song, since everyone is our own person now, if you have something to say, don't hide it. I know you have a huge influence in Shanghai's industrial and commercial circles. Maybe there is something that I didn't expect! If you have something to say, please tell me!" Seeing that Song Hanzhang was hesitant to speak, Wang Geng stopped and urged him to speak.

"Well, Prime Minister Duan's idea is good in the first place, but it may not be enough to unify by force alone. Moreover, Premier Duan and Xu Shuzheng mainly rely on Japan's support and assistance. This will inevitably affect the vested interests of Britain and the United States in Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the future. Interests and sphere of influence, if this problem cannot be resolved, brother Wang, with all due respect, the prospect of unification is not optimistic! Japan’s strength is no match for Britain and the United States!”

Song Hanzhang is represented by the Jiangsu-Zhejiang consortium and the industrial and commercial circles. In the early days, Jiangsu-Zhejiang private capital mostly started as compradors of foreign firms and banks, and has always had a good relationship with Britain, the United States, France and Germany. Song Hanzhang felt that this was stuck in his throat like a fishbone, and it seemed unreasonable not to remind Wang Geng.

As soon as Song Hanzhang said this, both Lu Ding and Zhang Jiaao were a little shocked. Obviously, Lao Song was more attentive than the two of them, or took Wang Geng's words and propositions more seriously.

"Old Song, you are right. Reunification cannot rely solely on force. Force is only the guarantee of reunification. If the government changes all day long and the cabinet continues to dismount, reunification will be far away. Therefore, it is necessary to build a direct-line armed force with clear thinking and single-minded purpose. It is imperative!

Secondly, you mentioned whether the backers are Japan or the United Kingdom and the United States. Don’t forget that I am the supervisor of negotiations with the United States and the foreign secretary of the Prime Minister. In my plan, the all-round support of the United States is a necessary condition for China’s reunification! "

"What about Japan? Japan is now the most powerful country in Asia. It has a higher degree of industrialization than us, and its military strength is stronger than mine. There is also the connivance and support of the United Kingdom behind it!" Lu Ding is a talented student studying at Waseda University and a disciple of Ito Hirobumi , This guy is a patriotic bureaucrat, so he has a deep understanding of Japan, so he couldn't help asking worriedly.

"Japan is of course a role model for us to learn from. You have never seen Chinese students studying abroad. The most go to Japan, and the most go to Japan to study military affairs. However, Japan has always had territorial ambitions for China because of geopolitics. We must not turn a blind eye to one point, the old Tsarist Russians and the little Japanese devils will have a fight with us sooner or later!" Wang Geng said firmly.

"Wang Geng, do you mean to wander between Japan and Britain and the United States to find a balance? This is a good thing, but I'm afraid it will not be easy. The little devil's ambition is by no means easy to dispel, President Yuan So strong, in the face of Japan’s ultimatum, you have to obediently agree to Article 21!” Zhang Jiaao obviously understood Wang Geng’s intentions, but the opportunistic drama of sitting on the fence is not something that anyone can sing well!

"Brother Zhang, don't underestimate yourself. Besides, Yuan Shikai only signed the Fourth Treaty of the People's Republic of China, and did not sign the fifth, the most critical article of the 21 articles. The policy of appeasement is indispensable in certain historical stages. I will never forget the sufferings that China has suffered and is suffering! Fight to the death, and sooner or later the Chinese people will be proud!" Wang Geng's tone was full of contagion!