20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 181 Wind·Great Debate
First snow in winter.

The new troops of the Beida camp came to the city, and the old troops of the patrol camp guarded the city gate - martial law was imposed.

Even so, the news that the Consultative Bureau convened a meeting of representatives from all walks of life was still spreading in the city.

Everyone is watching.

The leaders of the two factions, the royalists and the revolutionaries, faced each other for the first time and talked with each other.

More than twenty people, sitting at a table, would decide whether Fengtian and even the entire outside world should go to war or peace with just a few words.

Both sides claim to be for the common people of the world, but all the attendees are either rich or noble, and there is not a single common person.

As the representative of Fengtian bank business, the Su family is naturally among them.

The meeting lasted all day, and the quarrel lasted all day...

It was not until the sky was getting dark that everyone broke up the meeting hastily amid exclamations of surprise and rushed out of the Council Building.

On the steps at the door, a thin layer of new snow fell, and in just the blink of an eye, it was trampled into streaks of black slush.

The road was slippery, and the deputies crowded forward and backward, panicking, spreading their arms, taking small steps backwards, wading through water and ice, showing their embarrassment.

Occasionally someone fell down, but he didn't care about the pain, he just got up hastily and ran to the carriages parked across the street.

Lanterns were hung in front of every carriage, and a bunch of bells rang, making countless winding and twisted ruts in the snow. Like fireworks, they spread along the streets and alleys of Fengtian City, carrying rumors and rumors. .

Needless to say, after tonight, what just happened in the Consultative Bureau will definitely be known to the whole city.

Su Wenqi, wearing a brown trench coat and a hard face, hurried out of the building and got into his carriage like everyone else.

The old horse snorted and walked towards the north of the city.

There was no talk all the way. When they arrived at the north branch of Guangyuan Qianzhuang, Qian Boxun led his horse to pick him up.

"Master, why did you come back after being away for so long? How was the meeting?"

Su Wenqi was noncommittal, but judging from his expression, he was not optimistic.

"Boshun, go find Lao Chen and ask him to come see me with the new account book."

After saying that, he walked across the yard silently, opened the door and walked into the living room.

The fire was burning brightly in the house as usual, and with this warmth, the potted green plants placed everywhere barely managed to remain intact.

Su Wenqi picked up the stove hook on the ground, picked up two pieces of black charcoal, pushed it into the stove, added two more firewood, then moved a horse, sat next to the fire to warm himself, rubbed his hands, and waited quietly.

It wasn't until the new coals started burning that the knock on the door finally sounded.

"Come in." Su Wenqi said.

Old man Chen Zhong came over quietly with a stack of new accounts in his arms and whispered: "Master, you want the account books."

Su Wenqi raised his hand to take the account book. His forearm was as long as two fingers thick, which was more than he imagined.

"Did you bring them all?"

"Bring it all."

Su Wenqi nodded silently, looked at the fire in front of him for a while, then suddenly pulled out a few pages from the ledger and threw them on the newly burned charcoal.

When the light yellow paper fell on the charcoal fire, it first turned into a black mass, and then it burned "whoosh" and turned into a wisp of blue smoke.

Chen Zhong suddenly became confused and asked quickly: "Hey, young master, what are you doing?"

Su Wenqi continued to tear up the accounts and burn them, and replied calmly: "It won't bring harm to the family. We don't have much time. You should hurry up and settle the old accounts."

"Master, did you just have a meeting-"

Su Wenqi waved his hand and didn't want to talk more.

When Chen Zhong saw this, he understood, so he had no choice but to agree, turned around, went out, and went back to the cabinet.

Su Wenqi kept burning the account book. The fire was very strong, but when reflected in his eyes, it looked a little dim.

There was a crackling sound, white smoke rose up in the room, it was choking your nose and burning your eyes, and your memories came back...

…………

Pushing aside the smoke and dust in front of him, there was a long black table across the conference room of the Consultative Bureau. Representatives from various groups, as well as government officials, were lined up on the left and right.

The first thing that came to mind was an old face full of wrinkles.

Governor Zhao, who has white hair and beard, has been in officialdom for many years and is as stable as a mountain. His eyes are somewhat old-fashioned. On his left is Zhang Laogeda, who holds the heavy troops of the old army, and on his right is Yuan Jinkai, the wise man.

Opposite were two young men with bright eyes but a little impetuousness.

Wei Tianqing is dressed in military uniform and has a capable manner; Zhang Long is dressed in Western style, wearing small glasses and a big beard on his upper lip.

The voices in the venue gradually became more real.

"boom!"

Zhang Long was only 27 or [-] years old. He was young and energetic. He slapped the table and glared. Under his palm was the list and purpose of the "Fengtian National Security Association".

"Governor Zhao, what do you mean by this? If the security association is as messy as you, we might as well call it the 'Loyalist Association'! You haven't mentioned a word about the purpose of regaining the Northeast, so what else are you talking about?"

The party members whispered to each other and agreed in low voices.

Governor Zhao didn't even raise his eyelids.

"Since it is called the 'Fengtian National Security Association,' it naturally aims to 'protect the environment and the people.' As for whether to recover or not, that is not the original intention of the Security Association."

"Absurd!" Zhang Long said loudly, "The purpose of the Security Council is to echo the revolution in the South. What you do is perverse! All the important positions on this list are given to you. Even the presidents of local branches are held by current officials. Then what’s the point of this security meeting?”

"Mr. Zhang Long, what do you think we should do?" Governor Zhao asked knowingly.

Zhang Long stepped down and said: "It's very simple. All important positions should be held by members of our party! At least, the power should be equally divided!"

Governor Zhao raised his eyelids, smiled, and asked: "I see. Then I dare to ask Mr. Zhang, has he ever managed a government, a county, or even a village? Do you have any experience as an official?"

Zhang Long was stunned: "This...this is not true."

The royalists sneered lowly.

Governor Zhao suddenly became serious and his tone became much higher.

"No? I guess not! Zhang Long, I have been in politics for decades. Everywhere I go, I will introduce new policies and set up industries. To this day, I dare not say that I have good governance skills. With your qualifications, why do you ask for a job? If you hold an important position, why should I trust you to manage Fengtian well?"

What he said was so reasonable that even the party members couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Zhang Long was choked and still unconvinced: "You have experience, but you don't even look at how you have governed this country! How many treaties have you signed that are humiliating and humiliating the country?"

After saying this, the party members became excited again.

Governor Zhao couldn't deny it, but he knew how to avoid the important and ignore the trivial.

"It is true that the great powers are surrounded by them, and the imperial court's use of troops is unfavorable, and treaties lose power. But I would like to ask, if you succeed, will you recognize these treaties or not?"

The party members who had just gained momentum suddenly lost their arrogance.

There is no way, the treaty must be recognized, otherwise the great powers will definitely send troops to intervene to protect the Qing court.

Zhang Long didn't know how to answer the call for a moment, and after discussing with his left and right for a few words, he woke up.

"Governor Zhao, don't confuse right and wrong! In the final analysis, these treaties are a mess made by the Qing court, and we are not to blame! To save the country now, we must overthrow the imperial power and establish a democratic society with new ideas--"

"New ideas?"

Governor Zhao sneered, picked up a newspaper from his hand, spread it on the table, and tapped it with his fingers.

"Who are you rebels, apart from the new army trained by the imperial court? See for yourself! Three religions and nine streams, Jianghu gangs, Nanguo rebellion, these local ruffians have all entered the yamen to show their dominance. What do you expect? Are they saving the country? What new ideas do they know? They only deceive and prey on the common people!"

This is an indisputable fact.

After the recovery of the Southern Kingdom, Ge Lao, Sanhe, Qing, Bai, and Hong all contributed their efforts. With some meritorious deeds, they could only operate in secret at first, but now they are openly and ostentatiously walking through the city, even in many places, from the governor, down to the micro-level officials, and All official positions in the army, big or small, are affiliated with Jianghu gangs.He established a public address, opened a mountain hall, called himself brother and brother, and was arrogant and domineering.

In all the dynasties, Jianghu gangs, have they ever been so prosperous that they even had to change their status and enter official careers?
Not to be outdone, Zhang Long said: "It takes time to wake up the people, and a moment of chaos is inevitable. As long as we give it time, it will be inevitable -"

"Naive!" Governor Zhao was furious, "Given time, who will give you time? How many of you have dealt with foreigners? The powers are determined to destroy us! They wish we were a piece of loose sand! You traitors, Being with Japanese people and flirting with each other is actually attracting wolves and rejecting tigers, as you can imagine!"

Governor Zhao is nearly seventy years old and comes from a family of officials. The word "loyalty to the emperor" has long been engraved in his bones, but it does not hinder his desire to strengthen the country.

Everywhere he goes, he must open up new policies.

Because of this, the Qing faction had illusions about it.

A career of more than ten years as governor-general is not something that can be done in vain. With just a few words, Zhang Long and others were silenced, and the revolutionaries were frightened into discussing in a low voice.

"Governor Zhao, what you just said about Jianghu gangs, as far as I know, Mr. Sun will not hand over power to them."

The royalists burst into laughter and asked: "How many provinces can Sun Dapao mobilize troops? How much power does he have? I'm afraid no one can command him, right?"

Governor Zhao said, "If that's the case, it's just killing the donkey. You will be in chaos in the future!"

"Bullshit!"

"Nonsense?" the royalists mocked again, "The Southern Kingdom is restored in name, but in reality? Each one is in charge of its own affairs, and even military pay cannot be raised. How can we say that there is no chaos?"

Zhang Long was too young and too talkative to be a match for these old guys. He became increasingly anxious and simply stopped being unreasonable.

"Whatever you say, the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty is the general trend, and the Republic of China will be established!"

"To destroy but not to establish, empty talk will harm the country!"

Governor Zhao pushed the old newspaper on the table in front of Zhang Long, pointed to a blurry photo on it, and said, "Let me ask you, what is this?"

Zhang Long raised his neck and said: "The Iron-Blooded Eighteen-Star Flag!"

"Since you know this flag, you must also know the meaning of this flag?"

Zhang Long was speechless.

Governor Zhao immediately scanned the crowd at the meeting: "Let me ask you, according to them, the rivers and mountains outside the Pass are within these eighteen stars? Huh? Not only outside the Pass, but also in Mobei, Northwest, and Tubo, can they be within these Eighteen Stars? ? Is it possible that you want to divide the world into pieces and become foreigners? Since the eighteen-star flag has been hoisted, what are you doing outside the customs? Zhang Long, you are also a banner man yourself, how do you explain this? "

As soon as this remark came out, the audience was in an uproar.

Among them, the local Qing faction outside the customs is the most unacceptable.

Many people in this faction, like Zhang Long, were originally bannermen. They originally wanted to support the Southern Kingdom, but unexpectedly they were excluded. It was difficult to accept both emotionally and rationally.

Wei Tianqing, the co-commander of the New Army, had been silent. At this time, he finally couldn't sit still.

"Governor Zhao, please don't sow discord. The Eighteen-Star Flag was just a temporary move. Now it has been changed. The four ethnic groups have merged with the Han people and become one body. You are deceiving the public with your lies!"

"Oh, it turns out it has been changed now!"

Governor Zhao suddenly slammed the table angrily and shouted loudly: "It can be seen that you gang of traitors are just a bunch of rabble. You change orders every day and burn bridges across rivers. How can you have any ideas? If you succeed, the country will be in chaos and the people will suffer!"

"We are constantly innovating!" Wei Tianqing said, "Governor Zhao, you can be considered a capable minister and have contributed to the New Deal. You should know better than anyone else that if the Qing government is allowed to take power again, the country will perish!"

"How presumptuous! Wei Tianqing, you also received a salary from the imperial court and were sent abroad by the government. Now you don't want to repay the emperor's favor. Instead, you hang out with these rebellious officials and traitors. Are you worthy of this military uniform?"

"Wei is only loyal to the world, not to one person! Governor Zhao, I advise you, don't do the opposite and be ignorant of loyalty!" Wei Tianqing spoke righteously.

"Absurd!" Governor Zhao retorted, "Loyalty is loyalty. How can you say that you are foolish and loyal? Loyalty must be foolish! You are a soldier, and obedience is your bounden duty. How dare you quibble here and talk about loyalty?"

Zhang Long couldn't hold himself back and said: "Governor Zhao, if you say this, there will be no discussion! People in Fengtian, if we encounter war, you will be the culprit!"

However, Governor Zhao did not see him as a young man at all.

"Wei Tianqing, outside the pass is no better than inside the pass. Japan and Russia are both powerful. They are both ambitious. Everyone here, have you forgotten what happened in the Year of Gengzi? If there is a war in Fengtian, the two countries will definitely take advantage of it. This is an eternal infamy. , which of you can bear it?"

Regardless of his stance, Governor Zhao holds an important position and must be superior to others in his judgment of the current situation.As soon as these words came out, the whole group was defeated, and they were undecided and hesitant again.

Having said that, I didn't expect Governor Zhao to have another plan.

As he spoke, he pulled out a message from his sleeve.

"Wei Tianqing, since you have great ambitions, I can't keep you in this remote place outside the pass. Fortunately, the imperial court has decided to revoke your position as the Second Mixed Association."

It turned out that Governor Zhao had a very good personal relationship with the imperial minister Fang Datou. In order to stabilize the overall situation outside the customs, he had already agreed to cancel Wei Tianqing's military affairs.

Naturally, the new army of Beidaying was not monolithic. Wei Tianqing and Zhang Long conspired to rebel, and were reported on by their subordinates time and time again.

Each battalion of the New Army was the confidant of Fang and Zhao. It was difficult to dispatch them. Now that Wei Tianqing had been taken away from the military power, he had no prestige at all.

Zhang Long is young, passionate, but simple-minded.

You can't argue with Lao Zhao in debate; you can't defeat Lao Zhao in exercising power.

After a meeting of the Consultative Council, not only did the royalists remain unmoved, but many of the anti-Qing factions were persuaded on the spot. It could be described as a huge defeat.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Wei Tianqing and Zhang Long became angry and stood up suddenly. Looking at their posture, they seemed to be willing to be killed.

But at this moment, Zhang Laogao, who was sitting on the left side of Governor Zhao, also stood up.

Immediately afterwards, the security personnel at the venue immediately drew their guns and surrounded the venue.

For a time, everyone was shocked.

I saw that old man with his hands on his hips, holding his belt, and he was full of gangster aura.

"Don't move! Hehe, I, Lao Zhang, am just a common man. I can't understand what you just said. I don't understand it. I am a stubborn person. I only know how to lead troops to fight and protect. The handsome man is safe! Everyone here is all friends, but this guy in my hands is a born bastard who doesn’t even recognize his relatives!"

After saying that, Zhang Laoge took out his gun and pressed it on the table.

"Snapped!"

...In the iron furnace, an old firewood burned out.

Memories come to an abrupt end.

Su Wenqi burned the last page of accounts, and the thick smoke in the room finally dispersed a lot.

His appearance gradually became clearer.

After a short tilt, the fire collapsed by half, and the dark charcoal burned into pale ashes.

Su Wenqi sighed and couldn't help himself.

Now, he was a little confused.

For many years, he had secretly funded the Liaodong League, and in order to liquidate it, he paid countless sums of money to Zhang Long and others, regardless of gains or losses.

I thought that they had made adequate preparations, and at least they should be able to adapt to the situation, so as not to be choked by Governor Zhao's few words.

But when I saw him today, he was completely innocent.

No iron blood, no decisiveness.

Su Wenqi was bright-eyed, and the disappointment in his heart was palpable.

He couldn't deceive himself. What he saw from Zhang Long and others was not only naivety and incompetence, but also weakness and limitations, which would cost a lot of blood in vain.

The way to save the country is not among them.

What Su Wenqi has to do now is to cut off from the family as soon as possible so as not to harm the family.

Whether he could do it or not, he didn't know yet.

While he was thinking sadly, the door knocked again. Qian Boxun saw that the young master was upset, so he stepped forward tremblingly and said softly: "Master, there is news from the Sidu Pavilion."

----

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