Chapter 111 Expansion (Seventeen) Bethlehem Company

As an officer of the National Defense Forces, the greatest sense of superiority is the sincere respect from the people, instead of the fear before. Zhang Jingyao still remembers the first time he put on the uniform of the National Defense Forces and walked on the street, and the common people saw no one

He hid, but looked over with envy in his eyes with respect and trust.

Zhang Jingyao, who looks very good, can still catch the fiery eyes of some older girls. The feeling is like being tipsy or bathing in the spring breeze.

The front suddenly stopped, and the sharp knife squad quickly came back to report that the border of Jiangxi was ahead.

"Keep a good distance and speed up the march." There was no abnormal situation, Zhang Jingyao ordered with great momentum. Troops like the Jiangxi Army, let alone fighting against the National Defense Forces, are all rookies against Beiyang. The word "rookie" is used in the dock prison camp.

What I learned is said to have come from the mouth of the commander.

Tang Hualong was in a good mood when he returned home. There were already guests waiting for him. In fact, this person had been in Wuchang for a few days, and Tang Hualong never gave him a clear reply. He didn't even arrange a place to stay.

As a native of Hubei, Ju Zheng has a special mentality when returning to Wuchang. Ju Zheng is a gentle man and is a rare good guy in the Tongmenghui. Because of his good popularity, he was sent back to Wuchang to try to get in touch with Fang Jianxiong. At the moment, the Tongmenghui is the main one.

The Nanjing government is facing too much political and military pressure. Whether it can handle the relationship with Fang Jianxiong has been elevated to a low level where the life and death of the provisional government is at stake.

Because of this, Sun Yi changed his past practice and sent Ju Zheng back to have some contact first, and then try to sit down and have a good talk.

When Tang Hualong entered the house, Ju Zheng had been waiting here for more than an hour. When the two met, Tang Hualong still held his hands in a polite manner and said, "Brother Juesheng is here, don't be indifferent."

Ju Zheng smiled and said, "Excuse me for disturbing you!" Tang Hualong made a gesture of invitation and said, "Let's talk in the study." Ju Zheng's face lit up after hearing this, and he knew that there was a way to do this.

After entering the study and taking a seat, Tang Hualong said: "Brother Juesheng, Commander Fang held a military and political meeting today. I propose to improve relations with Nanjing. Commander Fang said..." At this point, Tang Hualong stopped and pondered. Ju Zheng is a kind man.

. Not thinking deeply, he immediately asked: "How do you say it?"

"What the commander means, he has never targeted the Tongmenghui. He only has some objections to the provisional government. Unfortunately, some people from the Tongmenghui misinterpreted the commander's meaning." Tang Hualong couldn't help sighing as he spoke, and Ju Zheng was also stunned, and carefully

Thinking about it, Fang Jianxiong really didn't have anything against the people of the Tongmenghui. In the past, Ju Zheng thought that the domestic Revolutionary Alliance was a well-deserved leader, and Fang Jianxiong should listen to the Tongmenghui. This was because of the influence of other people.

This is what caused Fang Jianxiong's poor senses. Now that I think about it, I feel that it is indeed biased.

Being honest and kind does not mean being stupid. You can certainly hear the thorn in these words. But there is no way to refute it. At that moment, he sighed and said: "Some comrades in the Tongmenghui really lack a little heart."

Tang Hualong smiled and said: "Brother Juesheng, since the commander said we can talk, let's talk. But before we talk, I want to tell you something. Now that the provincial government has been established, soldiers are not allowed to interfere in politics. Commander Fang proposed a judicial resolution.

, this article is dead. At present, the two provinces of Hubei and Anhui are still short of a ** official. You are also a law student, and you have no choice as a person. I hope you can serve as this ** officer. This matter you

You don’t have to be in a hurry to make a decision first, think it through carefully and then answer.”

Ju Zheng was a little confused. Why did he turn to this topic again? In fact, the issue of this candidate has not yet been decided, and Tang Hualong did intend to recommend Ju Zheng to do it. But mentioning this before talking about it can help a little bit.

Unexpected effects.

Fang Jianxiong's five points were very clear. Tang Hualong changed his appearance slightly and added some ingredients to make it fuller. The general direction has not changed, but the conditions have become a little more stringent. Ju Zheng is still very happy. The channel for dialogue between the two parties was basically cut off in the previous period. Nanjing

I am so anxious that I get angry, but there is nothing I can do.

"Okay, I will convey these five items to Nanjing as soon as possible." After hearing this, Ju Zheng stood up and left eagerly. It reflected from the side that the decision-making power in his hands was very limited. Tang Hualong saw this and felt a little in his heart.

It's a bit of a pity. Ju Zheng is really not the right person to talk to. The heads of the provisional government don't know what they are thinking.

The core of the military plan reported by Zhang Xiaohuai is the word "stable". The two divisions are separated by less than ten miles, followed by artillery, slowly moving south, not seeking a quick victory, but seeking to suppress it slowly like Mount Tai. Such tactics,

For the National Defense Forces with more recruits, it is more suitable. Fang Jianxiong waved his pen and agreed, "The battlefield is constantly changing. Runnong is the commander-in-chief, so he can kill first and then report later. We should use this battle to focus on cultivating new staff members."

ability."

The commander-in-chief and the commander-in-chief have the same mind, so this battle will be much easier to fight. Fang Jianxiong has a lot of power decentralization, but there is no need to worry about the self-respect of the troops. The advanced system ensures that there can only be one warlord, then

That’s Fang Jianxiong.

The National Defense Forces were seeking stability, and Nanjing was under great pressure. He was overjoyed to learn that Wuchang Juzhengzhi had called back. Sun immediately held a meeting to study how to deal with the matter, when three Americans appeared on the Wuchang pier.

Accompanying these Americans was the Navy Minister of the Republic of China, Tang Xiangming. The German-made cruiser "Hairong" was moored at the pier. There were originally two warships of the same class with the prefix "Hai", and they joined Huang Zhongying and joined the Nanjing Provisional Government. This matter

, related to the power struggle within the navy, Fang Jianxiong did not stop him, it was going to rain and his mother wanted to get married.

The Hairong was stationed in Wuhu, and when it appeared in Wuchang today, it was Tang Xiangming who personally took action, which shows how serious the matter was. Among these Americans, some of them were known to Fang Jianxiong, such as George, and there were two others whom Fang Jianxiong did not know.

Sitting in an American-made Ford car, three Americans entered the headquarters of the National Defense Forces. George, who got out of the car first, saw Fang Jianxiong standing at the door to greet him. He opened his arms exaggeratedly and shouted: "Dear boss, I finally see you again."

Thank you. I miss you so much."

Fang Jianxiong smiled shamelessly and said: "Stop it, I don't accept hugs from men. At the same time, we haven't seen each other for two months." George shrugged and said: "Okay, you are the boss, you have the final say."

Fang Jianxiong has long seen through this American. This guy is a combination of careerist and adventurer. As long as there are enough benefits, he can do anything.

"You two must be representatives of Bethlehem Company, and this is Fang Jianxiong." After dismissing George, Fang Jianxiong stepped forward and extended his hand. The two Americans had actually been paying attention to Fang Jianxiong's attitude towards George. It could be seen that it was very casual.

Attitude. In other words, the relationship between the two is indeed very familiar.

"Reyes, Major of the U.S. Marine Corps, Buckley, Deputy Attaché of the United States in China." After the two Americans introduced themselves, Fang Jianxiong stopped with his outstretched hand, turned his head and glared at George: "You...

fraud."

George smiled and explained: "Dear boss, I dare not lie to anyone. They can indeed represent Bethlehem Company. In other words, they are employed by Bethlehem Company. I think you should know this if you know the United States. The Republican Party

Rich people, they are very powerful."

"Okay, I accept your explanation. Welcome two American friends." Fang Jianxiong then gave up and stretched out his hand again.

The two Americans had obviously inquired about Fang Jianxiong's affairs in advance. This warlord had always been unpretentious towards foreigners. His long-term experience of living in Germany had cultivated his tactful way of expression, which was not typical of Easterners.

When talking about the Bethlehem Company, we must first talk about the "Bethlehem Contract". This was a huge plan by the U.S. government to win over China to fight against the British-Japanese alliance to support the revitalization of the Chinese navy. The late Qing government proposed a huge plan to revitalize the navy. This plan

The plan was finally determined to be roughly that 18 million taels of silver would be used for the navy to purchase warships over seven years.

The revitalization of the Chinese navy is undoubtedly what the Americans want to see the most. In the dispute over the Northeast Railway, the Americans were defeated by Japan and Russia. This lesson taught the Americans that they were completely at a disadvantage in the Chinese market.

The method Americans use to attach importance to the Chinese market is to win over China and fight against the Anglo-Japanese alliance on the sea. As the so-called tiger overpowers, the camel that dies is bigger than the horse. Although the Qing Dynasty was in disgrace, there were still three pounds of nails in the rotten ship.

?

So the U.S. government asked Bethlehem Steel to come forward and provide a package of assistance agreement with a core of low-interest loans of 25 million taels of silver. The purpose was to make the Qing government inseparable from U.S. financial help and to wear the same pants with the United States from now on.

Of course, American capitalists will not do good things for no reason. China's huge market itself is the best reward.

(Note: There are too many words in the contract, so I won’t copy it. You can find the information to check it out. Also: The name in the contract is Berriham Steel Company of New York. It should be a different transliteration.)

After the Wuchang Uprising, the Bethlehem Contract, as a secret agreement that had not been made public, naturally ended without any problem. This worried the Bethlehem Company and the U.S. Navy Department. At first, the Americans focused on Yuan Shikai. Naturally, the local warlord Fang Jianxiong was not considered.

within.

But this little warlord named Fang has repeatedly surprised the most practical Americans. The military victory undoubtedly added a lot of points to Fang Jianxiong. So, based on the principle of giving it a try, and at the request of Bethlehem Company, the US government decided

Try to make contact. What if Fang Jianxiong can dominate this country in the future? Right, let's make contact in advance to see if there is a possibility of becoming a successor.

Fang Jianxiong knew nothing about the Bethlehem contract, but George mentioned in the telegram that Bethlehem was a large steel company, and Fang Jianxiong was very interested. The steel industry is the backbone of the country, and nothing can be done without it.

(To be continued)
Chapter completed!