Jagged Warlord

At No. 66 Mianmian Hutong, Xicheng District, Beijing, there is an old house consisting of front and back courtyards, connected by a corridor.The scale of this old house is not particularly large, but the layout is also unique.The old house was originally the property of Yuan Shikai's in-law, He Zhongjing, a great salt merchant in Tianjin. Later, He Zhongjing's family moved to Tianjin, and it was managed by a relative of He's surname Fu.Cai E lived in this courtyard after he came to Beijing in November 1913.

There are not many visitors to the old house on weekdays, but in recent days, visitors often come.And not far from the gate of the old house, there are always a few people who are probing their brains. Whenever visitors come, they will always record them one by one in a small notebook.

A man in his 30s came to the gate of the old house on a horse. He looked around on the horse, and the spies shrank their necks and hid behind the low wall.

Seeing every movement around, the man got off his horse and knocked on the door knocker.After a while, an old servant came out and opened the door, "Oh, it's Master Jiang. Our hometown and several masters have arrived, waiting in the flower hall." The old servant took the horse's reins and told the horse to be taken to the manger in the backyard.

This Mr. Jiang straightened his collar, strode into the old house, and went straight to the flower hall. There were already two people sitting around the Eight Immortals table drinking tea and chatting.

"Brother Songpo, please forgive me, I went to get some things, so I came late." He bowed his hands to a long-faced middle-aged man and the crowd

Slender and long-faced, he spoke Mandarin with a southwestern accent, and said with a smile: "Brother Baili, if you take something insignificant, you will have to punish yourself three cups."

A man with a strong Sichuan accent interjected, "Songpo, you are too soft-handed. According to me, at least three bowls."

Everyone laughed, these three people were none other than Cai E, Jiang Fangzhen, and Yin Changheng.They may have been famous for a while, or once ruled in a separate country, but now they all live in Beijing and are under Yuan Shikai's surveillance.

Jiang Baili took out a few newspapers from his bag, put them heavily on the table, and said angrily: "After the Japanese army landed in Laizhou, they did not encounter any resistance. They burned, killed, raped and looted all the way, doing all kinds of evil. The Japanese army not only asked for supplies from the Chinese government along the way, but also took them by force if there was any disagreement. What’s more, they actually regarded themselves as occupying forces and announced the law of even sitting in wartime. As long as a Chinese villager committed the so-called crime of offending the imperial army, , the whole village will be massacred."

"It's unreasonable!" Cai E slapped the table, "Where is this a citizen of a neutral country? Is it simply a subjugated slave?"

Yin Changheng also scolded: "The little devil bullies people too much. Could it be that the president and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have no reaction?"

Jiang Baili smiled wryly, and said, "Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have anything else to do besides protesting?"

Cai E asked: "What about the great president? Could he also swallow this breath?"

"Hey!" Jiang Baili sighed, and said: "The President called the Japanese Minister to China in the morning. Before the President spoke, the villain Nizhiyi complained first, saying, 'Japan and China are both big countries in East Asia, and they should be treated like this. As His Majesty the Emperor of our country said, goodwill and harmony, support and common prosperity. Now that the Empire of Japan is at war with the Empire of Germany, China should cooperate with the Empire of Japan to attack Germany and Germany. Why does China do the opposite and repeatedly offend the Empire of Japan? What about the Imperial Army of Japan?"

"Isn't this a backlash?" Cai E was angry and angry, and asked, "Then how did the president answer?"

Jiang Fangzhen said: "The President said that since the war between Japan and Germany, China has always maintained strict neutrality, and has designated Longkou, Laizhou, and Jiaozhou Bay as the warring areas between Japan and Germany. However, the Japanese army has repeatedly crossed the border, invaded our country, and plundered our country. The property of the government and the people. It even occupied the Jiaoji Railway and Jinan City. May I ask your Excellency, how to embody the goodwill, harmony, and mutual prosperity mentioned by the Japanese Emperor?"

Yin Changheng nodded, and said, "This statement is righteous and well-founded."

Jiang Fang shook his head and said: "You are reasonable, but people will not reason with you."

"What did Hiichi Yi say?" Cai E asked

Jiang Fangzhen replied: "Nizhiyi did not directly answer this question, but instead asked rhetorically: This minister expressed solemn protest against the President not using the honorific title of His Majesty when he called His Majesty the Emperor of our country. I think that the President of a civilized country is not Should have made such a mistake.”

"Ge Laozi's." Yin Changheng couldn't help cursing: "The bird emperor belongs to their little devil, what's wrong with us?"

Cai E didn't take it seriously, and continued to ask: "What's the president's reaction?"

Jiang Fangzhen said: "The President is a little embarrassed. He can only say that the envoy should convey to His Majesty the Emperor that please withdraw the troops immediately after the Japanese-German war is over. Guess what the Japanese say?"

"How to say?" Cai E and Yin Changheng asked in unison

"Damn little devil said that according to the [-] treaty, the Shandong Railway was owned by a German company, and it was an enemy property to Japan. Now that Japan is at war with Germany, it has to occupy and manage the railway. This railway belongs to Germany's leased land in Qingdao. For the divided part, Japan does not need to notify the Chinese government in advance to occupy the road; secondly, Jinan Station is part of the Jiaoji Railway, and there is no clear boundary between the station and the urban area, so it is normal for Japanese troops to cross the border occasionally .”

"Isn't this a strong word?" Yin Changheng was so angry that his hands were shaking, and Cai E was also full of anger.

Jiang Fangzhen said helplessly: "The unreasonable thing is still to come. The President said that the war between Japan and Germany is over, why didn't he withdraw from the Jiaoji Railway? Rizhiyi said that the war between Japan and Germany was part of the entire European war. Qingdao alone The gains and losses of land cannot immediately determine the outcome between the two countries, and we need to wait until the end of the entire war before we can discuss when to withdraw our troops."

"It's unreasonable! It's unreasonable!" Cai E directly dropped the teacup in his hand to the ground.

"But~" Jiang Fangzhen paused

"Is there more to come?" Yin Changheng asked hurriedly

Jiang Fangzhen said: "Originally the President was also very angry, and he almost fell out with Hiki Masaki on the spot. But Hiki Masaki just said: When the President goes further in the future, Japan will definitely come forward to help. The President stopped talking all of a sudden. .”

"What?" Both Cai E and Yin Changheng were stunned.

"Going further?" Cai E pondered: "Going further than the president? Does the president really have the heart to call himself emperor?"

"Hey~~ people's hearts!" Yin Changheng sighed

Jiang Fangzhen took out another document from his bag and said, "What's more, news came from Ju Ren Tang that the President thinks that the governors of the provinces have too much power to control the army and the people, so they plan to set up a new chief of civil affairs. Divide it up."

Cai E said: "Those governors are more arrogant than each other, and they should be divided long ago."

Yin Changheng said: "If the president really has the intention of proclaiming himself emperor, then this is a strategy to cut down the feudal clan."

Jiang Fangzhou asked: "President Songpo, have you read your "Battle Plan Against Japan"?"

Cai E shook his head in disappointment, and said, "The president just said two words."

"Which two words?" Yin Changheng asked

"Procrastinate and endure." Cai E looked helpless

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