Chapter 73 Little Emperor, Big Business Seven

Tianjin, Public Concession, Cambridge Road, Xiao Dezhang Mansion.

"Mr. Meng, the court is definitely doing things on the way. But, you guys should also make some sense? Zhang Shaoxuan handled the restoration, and the court was forced to do it. Even President Feng (Feng Guozhang) and Commander-in-Chief Duan have already expressed their approval. Why should you, Red Brigade, insist that the emperor is the culprit of restoration? The emperor is only 12 this year. What can you do at the age of 12? Can you be the culprit? You are obviously kidnapping and extorting, but you have to use the name of revolution. This is to think of being cheap and behave well, and you want to win both fame and fortune! But your asking price is too ruthless, right? 250,000 taels of gold! You still don't give in... This is too cruel, right? Are you not afraid that the people in the world point at the backbone of your Red Brigade to curse?"

The person who spoke was Zhen Beile, the son of Prince Qing Yili, and the leader of the Qing dynasty in Tianjin. He was a neighbor with Xiao De Zhang and both lived on Cambridge Road. After Xiao De Zhang placed Meng Li, the red revolutionary who came to ask for money, the first person to notify Prince Qing's Mansion. Zhen Beile was entrusted by Prince Chun Zaifeng of Beijing as the important task of "chief negotiating representative" to bargain with Meng Li.

This "Xuantong kidnapping incident" is not just a "kidnapping incident" in the eyes of the old and young people in the Qing Dynasty, or the common people in Beijing and Tianjin. It is not simply a "kidnapping" incident, but it has nothing to do with the revolution. It is just that Meng Li's performance of this "chief negotiator of the Red Brigade" is really too... righteous!

As soon as they met, it means that the Chinese people strongly condemned the "Qing Dynasty" conspiracy to subvert the Republic of China, provoked a heinous crime of civil war, and characterized the Kidnapping of Puyi in the Red Brigade as a "revolutionary action". Uh, it occupied a moral height at once! And it was clearly extorted money, but it had to be said to be on behalf of the Chinese people to repay the blood debt! It seemed that the 250,000 taels of gold did not flow into the Red Brigade's pocket, but to be distributed to all the people.

As for bargaining, there is no other way! Well, that's what, that's the one who pays off the blood debt for the Chinese people! How can we bargain? It's already the best to not collect interest, and you still want to lower the price? Comrade Meng Li's harsh words were put down at the time: "Just wait to collect the body for the little emperor!"

As for social public opinion, Meng Li didn't take it seriously at all, and said with striking remarks: "You eight banners entered the pass, and in the ten days of Yangzhou, three massacres of Jiading, how many Han people have been killed? They have also oppressed us for more than 200 years. They have plundered more than billions of taels of silver. They have also signed a large number of treaties that have lost power and humiliated the country, making the current country difficult... Now the Red Brigade has recovered on behalf of the people less than one ten thousand of what you have taken from the people. Who is the right way to do with the justice of heaven?"

As soon as he said this, Zhen Beile's head was too big, and these red brigades were not reasonable at all! Since they were unreasonable, they should talk about some morality, right? So Zhen Beile and Xiao De Zhang posted a post to invite several leading bosses at the Hongmen Hall on the ground in Tianjin to come forward to talk to each other.

But what made Zhenbeile and Xiao Dezhang helpless was that although Meng Li respected several Hongmen leaders in terms of face and seemed to give them face, when it came to this condition, Meng Li would never let go! 250,000 taels of gold, not a single coin was enough!

In the Beijing Prince Chun Mansion, seven or eight urgent telegrams were urging each day, and Zhang Xun's restoration was obviously impossible to survive. There were rumors on the market that Duan Qirui was about to cancel the "Clean Preferential Regulations". Zhen Beile's heart was also up and down. Today, he finally couldn't suppress his anger and started a big quarrel with Meng Li in Xiao Dezhang's mansion.

...

On one side, they were fighting each other, and on the other side, they were drinking and talking, and there was a lot of harmony.

On January 25, 1917, Duan Qirui's confidant Xu Shuzheng secretly arrived at the headquarters of the Changruiqing Model Regiment in the south of Beijing, Shanglin Xianguan in Shaanxi Lane. At the same time, a "slit" suddenly opened in Zhengyangmen, Beijing, which had been closed for several days. A Western carriage marked by the British Embassy quietly drove out, passed through the two armies and drove directly to the back door of Shanglin Xianguan. Those who got off the carriage were Wang Shizhen, the "Baiyang Dragon" and Zhu Erdian, the British Minister to China.

Xu Shuzheng and Chang Ruiqing personally welcomed the distinguished guests into the elegant seat on the second floor of Shanglin Xian Pavilion. Next was a banquet held by the masters of Zhengyang Tower and Quanjude. On the table were Xu Shuzheng, Wang Shizhen, Zhu Erdian, and even the leader Chang Ruiqing could only serve at the door, but Chang Ruiqing listened clearly with his ears.

"Ah Zheng, to be fair, this time, Zhang Shaoxuan was indeed reckless and caused such a big storm. But that was also because of his thoughts, it was understandable... These people in Beiyang have also received some grace from the emperor. They can always understand and tolerate what Zhang Shaoxuan did, right?"

The voice of an old man was speaking, probably the Beiyang Dragon King Shizhen. Chang Ruiqing shook his head in his heart. This man is really a good man. Zhang Xun is almost dismantling the Beiyang station, and he is still talking for him!

"Although General Xu and General Zhang Xun's crimes cannot be forgiven, the lives and property safety of millions of people in Beijing and the lives and property of the foreigners in a friendly country have to be considered. During this period, due to the fierce battles between the Dingwu Army and the Model Regiment of the 13th Division, the merchants of the British Empire have suffered hundreds of thousands of pounds of losses... The British Empire does not want such a turbulent situation to continue. The British Empire believes that a peaceful resolution of the incident is the only feasible way at present."

The person who spoke fluently in Beijing should be the British Minister Zhu Erdian. He has been engaged in diplomatic work in China for decades, and his Chinese language is even worse than English. However, this statement has no reason! Zhang Xun launched a military coup to restore the Qing Dynasty. Such behavior is undoubtedly treason! If such behavior can be lost, what authority can the Beiyang Central Committee have in the future? Even the culprit of the military coup overthrowing the government can be forgiven. Then what is the matter of having troops to separatist and confronting the central government?

After the two "peacemakers" finished speaking, there was a long silence in the room, as if Xu Shuzheng was doing some ideological struggle. However, Chang Ruiqing, who was waiting outside, knew that the Beiyang gang of bureaucrats and officials had become addicted to protecting each other! No matter how big the matter was, there were always enough people to try their best to be evil people. Even Xu Shuzheng, a famous evil person in history, probably could not be able to resist such a general trend.

After a while, Xu Shuzheng's Xuzhou accent came out of the room: "People, Mr. Zhu Erdian, Zhang Shaoxuan's actions this time are indeed a bit too much... Although he is concerned about the former master, it is understandable, but after all, it will cause a military disaster. If it is not punished, how can the central government convince the public in the future? Our Mr. Zhi means that we must always explain it to you. The thousands of Dingwu troops in Beijing will definitely be disarmed, and the culprits who participated in the restoration must be arrested... As for not being able to hold it, it is helpless. If the amnesty is over in the future, the government will naturally arrange it."

"What about the family wealth of Zhang Shaoxuan and all the restoration participants?" Wang Shizhen did not bother with the Dingwu Army to disarm, but turned the topic to the private property of Zhang Xun and others.

"The disaster is not as good as the family, and of course it will not affect the family property." Xu Shuzheng replied. Everyone who takes possession is a taboo knows that these Beiyang warlords are all rich people. Zhang Xun's own property is as many as tens of millions of silver dollars. If all of them are confiscated, at least one division can be equipped!

"What about the preferential treatment regulations of Emperor Xuantong and the Qing Dynasty?" Wang Shizhen asked.

"Of course the preferential treatment regulations for the Qing Dynasty remain unchanged. After all, Emperor Xuantong did not participate in this restoration storm!"

"But Emperor Xuantong has been kidnapped by robbers now! I wonder what Mr. Duan Zhi is going to deal with this matter?"
Chapter completed!