Jagged Warlord

"Eh?" Yuan Shikai asked with a smile, "How do you say it?"

Yang Du said with a smile: "The people I sent to Shangqiu came back and said that those old fortunes are now talking well of Li Mohan, saying that he is a good hand in business and can turn stones into gold."

Yuan Shikai was even more surprised, and asked: "Didn't Li Mohan be sued for tyranny before? I heard that many people scolded his eighteen generations of ancestors."

Yang Du smiled and patiently told Yuan Shikai Li Mohan's [-] rent reduction and land exchange for industrial stocks.After Yuan Shikai listened thoughtfully, he asked, "Xi Zi, why do I think this is a good idea?"

Yang Du nodded, shook his head again, and said, "It sounds good, but Li Mohan can do it, but the president can't do it."

Yuan Shikai frowned, then stretched it out again, and said, "Yes, it affects the whole body. He is rich and powerful. I don't know where he got so much money and set up so many factories. He can buy the land from the landlord. I But poor jingle."

Yang Du added: "As for Zhang Xun and Li Mohan's mobilization of troops, I have also found out. Li Mohan was engaged in rent reduction and distribution of land in Zhangwangji, Yucheng County. A squire named Zhang Guangde resisted by force and asked Li Mohan to destroy a One of the family members of the Zhang family named Zhang Wensheng is Zhang Xun's subordinate, he sent troops without telling Zhang Xun to avenge his clan, but in the end, a boy named Xiao Wenlong under Li Mohan beat him to the ground."

"Ha!" Yuan Shikai was delighted. He picked up his teacup and took a sip, and said, "Zhang Xun is a man with a head and a mouse, and he has caused me trouble."

Yang Du said: "I think Zhang Xun's foundation is deep, while Li Mohan's foundation is shallow, and it's not bad to use Li Mohan's hand to kill Zhang Xun."

"Hmm!" Yuan Shikai had long had a grudge against Zhang Xun in his heart. During the second revolution, Zhang Xun's near-restoration farce in Nanjing made Yuan Shikai very unhappy.

In addition, what dissatisfied Yuan Shikai the most was that Zhang Xun still hooked up with the former Qing Clan Socialist Party.At that time, Puwei, Prince Gong of the humble royal family lived in Qingdao, and a group of veteran politicians who were unwilling to step down gathered around him.Pu Wei begged the German emperor to help restore the Qing Dynasty, and Prince Henry, the younger brother of the Kaiser, went to Qingdao to express his agreement to Pu Wei, claiming that if the restoration was realized, Germany would recognize the new imperial government.Since then, Germany has continued to provide Zhang Xun with guns and weapons.

Pu Wei and others made intensive preparations, and finally decided that on April 1913, 4, Zhang Xun would lead his troops to start from Yanzhou and attack Jinan northward along Jinpu Road as the first step of the activity, and then go straight to Beijing. , Yongxun Emperor Xuantong reset.They have already drafted various documents and notices during the restoration, and have drawn up the personnel arrangements after the success, and they are about to implement them, but they have given up.It turned out that Zhang Xun asked Tian Zhongyu, the guardian envoy of Yanzhou, to participate in the restoration activities. Tian expressed his consent and Tian Zhongyu reported to Jin Yunpeng, the governor of Shandong.After Yuan heard the news, he immediately made deployments and sent Feng Guozhang to prepare for the battle. Suddenly, there was turmoil and the atmosphere was tense.Seeing this, Zhang Xun didn't dare to act rashly anymore, instead he blamed Jin Yunpeng, denying that he wanted to raise troops.In this way, a restoration plan that had been in preparation for many days was stillborn.

For this disobedient follower, Yuan Shikai also felt that it was necessary to teach him a lesson. "However, Xizi, isn't this Li Mohan fighting Zhang Xun a little too unreasonably now?" Yuan Shikai pointed to the chair at hand and motioned Yang Du to sit down.

Yang Du said: "This young man likes to show off. Recently, it is said that he took an order for military uniforms from a foreign company in the United States, made a lot of money, and even distributed dividends to the rich landlords who held stocks in their hands. What did he use? In the economic development zone, a few Americans were recruited under the guise, saying that they would contact large American companies to invest in Shangqiu. These can coax those local rich men who are greedy for money, as if they had eaten ginseng soup, and fried his stock. It is worth more than the sea of ​​gold."

Yuan Shikai smiled and said: "That's good. If you want to be in the limelight, you will easily offend people. If you offend everyone, you can only follow me with all your heart. I think this kid still has some skills, and he really has some plans." Accept it for my use."

Yang Du smiled and said, "The President plans to support newcomers?"

Yuan Shikai's face darkened a little, he sighed, and said: "Duan Qirui, Feng Guozhang and those old Beiyang people now feel that their wings are hardened, they are getting more and more disobedient, and it is getting more and more difficult to control."

After Yuan Shikai became the president of the Republic of China, his energy was scattered and he had no time to specialize in the military. Among the "Three Heroes of Beiyang", Wang Shizhen retired and lived in the mountains and forests; Feng Guozhang was transferred to Nanjing after the suppression of the "Second Revolution" and served as the governor of Jiangsu. Duan Qirui was the chief of the army and the military director of the presidential palace for a long time in the central government .With the promotion of his position and the growth of his power, Duan Qirui was unwilling to bow to Yuan Shikai's orders, and even less willing to be a commander-in-chief of the army in name only. Therefore, he often made decisions on some major issues without authorization and cultivated his own influence in the army. His trusted students and subordinates, such as Chu Shuzheng, Jin Yunpeng, Fu Liangzuo, Wu Guangxin, Qu Tongfeng, etc., all held important positions and formed their own factions in the army.

Yuan Shikai had deep doubts about Duan Qirui's military power and expansion of power, but at that time he was preparing to restore the monarchy and had to rely on Duan Qirui.Yuan Keding, the eldest son of Yuan Shikai, was keen to implement the imperial system and hoped to become the crown prince and the heir to the throne. He asked Ruan Zhongshu to lobby Duan Qirui, and asked Duan Qirui to lead the Beiyang generals to a joint telegram to support Yuan as emperor. Unexpectedly, Duan Qirui He refused straight away.When Yuan Shikai learned of this, of course he hated Duan Qirui even more, and decided to gradually regain his military power.

Yuan Shikai followed Yuan Keding's suggestion and established the Commanding Office of the Grand Marshal of the Army and Navy, and forced Wang Shizhen, who was living in seclusion in Zhengding, to take over the office.The chief of the army, the chief of the navy, the chief of staff, and the senior officers sent by the generalissimo are all clerks of the office and must go to the house every day to work.As a result, the Ministry of the Army existed in name only, Duan Qirui, the commander-in-chief, retired as a clerk, and Yuan Shikai took over the military power of the whole country again.

As for Feng Guozhang, in fact, in addition to wooing Zhang Xun, the Zong-Socialists also turned their political attention to Feng Guozhang in order to divide and disintegrate the Beiyang lineage army and increase their own chips for restoration.With the improvement of his personal status, Feng Guozhang's desire for power and profit also expanded. When Wuchang first uprising, he was ordered to lead the Beiyang Army to capture Hankou, and when he bombarded Wuchang, he had the idea of ​​"establishing a separate door" and implemented it. , he pinned his hopes on the Qing court, and attempted to capture Wuchang in one go with its support, and then he would be able to get rid of Yuan's control with the qualification of "Zhongxing famous general" and become the overlord himself.Therefore, he entrusted someone to ask the Empress Dowager Longyu to pay 400 million yuan, and was willing to independently undertake the task of countering the rebellion, but this violated Yuan Shikai's wishes and was discovered by Yuan, who immediately pulled him down from the front line, which made Feng's plan come to nothing. .

After the Republic of China, Feng Guozhang carefully maintained his relationship with Yuan, and secretly communicated with Pu Wei who lived in Qingdao to engage in political speculation.In September 1912, Feng Guozhang served as the Governor of Zhili and Chief Civil Affairs Officer. At this time, the Zong-Socialists paid more attention to the power in his hands and his strategic position, so they sent people to negotiate with him, "contracting restoration in person", " And please proceed quickly."Hu Dongzhi, as Feng's chief aide, desperately wanted to be unique. With a political speculative mentality, he tried his best to drive a wedge between Feng and Yuan.

Yuan Shikai, who was good at observing, already faintly felt that his rights were being challenged from all sides, so he transferred Cai E and Jiang Fangzhen all the way.Now, he turned his attention to Li Mohan again.