Even though it is already the beginning of spring, the weather in central China is still cold.
All the ships coming and going on the Yangtze River seemed to be frozen by the weather. Standing on the far shore and looking over, it seemed that every ship was traveling so slowly. Sometimes Cao Kun would unconsciously I think if time could slow down a little like these ships, maybe today's situation wouldn't seem so hasty.
From announcing his opposition to the monarchy to the current Beiyang Military Reform Commission, and now facing the military pressure from the north. On the surface, all this was within his expectations, but all he could predict was the sequence of steps. But there is a bit of confusion about the span of this step.
The Admiralty Department of the Beiyang Military Reform Commission is located in a small Western-style building on the bank of the Yangtze River. In the past few days, Cao Kun rarely came here. After all, the Military Reform Commission was a big name, but in fact it was not It's just a formality. How many armies can really accept "reform"? The few warships that the Navy Department can command now are just small gunboats with a few hundred tons. In his own words, these fundamentals cannot be put in front of foreigners. It cannot be called a "ship".
It is precisely because the situation in the north is getting more and more serious that Cao Kun has to frequent the Navy Department and try his best to coordinate the naval fleets of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces to accept the leadership of the committee. Although he knows nothing about the navy, he also knows that as long as he has the power in his hands The more ships, the safer Wuhan will appear. Even if it is really bad luck for eight lifetimes and fails completely on the front line, if it can hold on to the front line of the Yangtze River, there is still a chance for everything to turn around.
What is most beneficial to him at present is not the troops in his hands, but time. As long as time can be delayed and the anti-imperialist voice in the country becomes more and more intense, then this "revolution" will be considered a success. So hold on If you guard the Yangtze River, you can defend Hankou; if you defend Hankou, you can defend the overall situation.
After attending the regular meeting of the Navy Department at ten o'clock in the morning, the entire meeting seemed empty and boring, full of official tone and empty talk. Even Cao Kun, a big boss, could tell that the bureaucrats of the Navy Department had done nothing at all. , just like many officials in the government, they just wear a title to earn a living.
After the meeting ended, Cao Kun called Xu Liangji, deputy director of the Navy Department, to the balcony on the second floor. From this position, he could have an unobstructed view of the hazy Yangtze River.
"What the ministry is doing, thinking, and calculating all day long is not important. Whether this ministry exists or not is not important to me at all. Liangji, you should know that I sent you here. intention."
"Yes, the Chairman hopes that his humble position can support the name of the Beiyang Navy..." Xu Liangji looked a little embarrassed.
"Let me ask you, have you stood up? Where is the name? Where is the navy?" Cao Kun asked in a slightly more serious tone.
"Chairman, the ministry has not relaxed its contact with Hunan and Jiangxi provinces during this period. However, Commander Tang said that the National Guard Army is in Changsha and must keep the fleet in Yueyang to be on guard; General Li's attitude has been vague It's not clear, and they are saying that the situation is unclear after Duan Zhiquan took office, and they are saying that General Feng has a special explanation." Xu Liangji said helplessly.
"In other words, you haven't accomplished anything during this period of time." Cao Kun said without mercy.
Xu Liangji didn't know how to defend himself, so he could only slap his face and lower his head in silence.
Cao Kun took a deep breath, looked at the Yangtze River in the distance, and said in a gradually serious tone: "Li Chun, Tang Xiangming and these people are not our own people after all. They are just sitting and watching. But they should also understand what it means."
Opportunities must be missed before they come again. If we hadn't made a fuss this time, they would have been slaves for the rest of their lives."
Xu Liangji said: "Chairman of the Committee, although I have not been able to complete the work you gave me before in my humble position, I did hear some news when I contacted Jiangxi authorities during this period. The reason why General Li has been reluctant to respond to the Committee
Your call is not to be unfavorable to the current situation, but to be wary of any action from Jiangsu."
Cao Kun asked: "Where did the news come from?"
Xu Liangji further said: "General Li's adjutant is my classmate. I have occasionally communicated with each other through letters in the past few days. It was he who told me the news. Although I am not sure whether it is true, since General Li was willing to stand up with the Chairman
Declaring opposition to the imperial system is somewhat of a statement of determination and position. It should not be without a view of the overall situation."
Cao Kun said sarcastically: "Looking at the overall situation is nonsense."
Xu Liangji looked a little embarrassed and didn't know how to answer the question.
After a while, Cao Kun slowed down and said: "However, either the fish will die and the net will be broken, or the lips will die and the teeth will be cold. I guess Li Chun must still understand this truth. That's all. Since Jiangxi can't get warships, then
Let’s contact the foreigners, whether it’s the British or the Japanese, as long as they can stand on our side, we can slowly negotiate the terms.”
Xu Liangji was slightly startled. Although he only obeyed Cao Kun's orders, he had some moral and personal conscience. However, the feeling in his heart only lasted for a moment. In the end, he just nodded and said
: "I understand the humble position."
At this moment, Cao Kun's adjutant Wang Bichen stood in front of the balcony door and called out: "Sir, there is a message."
Cao Kun looked back at Wang Bichen, and then signaled Xu Liangji to retreat first.
After Xu Liangji left, Wang Bichen came to the balcony, stood where Cao Kun was, and said respectfully: "Sir, there is news from Luoyang that the First Division, Second Division, and Third Division of the Central Army
The leading troops of the division have arrived in Zhengzhou on February 16, and part of the troops are currently moving to Xuchang. The Central Guards forward headquarters is set up in Zhengzhou. It is expected that the follow-up troops will be assembled within seven days."
Cao Kun nodded slightly. These situations were nothing new. He turned to ask: "Is there no news from Beijing yet? Is Duan Zhiquan sent down this time, or who?"
Since Duan Qirui entered Beijing, Xinhua Palace's confidentiality measures on related military affairs have been immediately improved. Those anti-imperialist officials trapped in Yingtai of Xinhua Palace have become increasingly unable to find out more information, even if there are some
It is almost impossible to convey rumors and rumors.
Several division commanders of the Central Guards are still in Beijing. They are keeping silent until they return to their respective units. No matter how many complaints they have, they do not dare to delay important events because of personal feelings. Because of this,
The information available in Hankou is only general, and many detailed information is still unknown.
Wang Bichen replied: "I just received a telegram this morning. It is said that the Xinhua Palace did not appoint Duan Zhiquan to go south, but instead used Yuan Xiangcheng's nephew Yuan Su."
When Cao Kun heard the name "Yuan Su", he couldn't help but trembled. He quickly turned around and looked at Wang Bichen, and asked in an extremely serious tone: "It turned out to be Yuan Su? But is it the exact news?"
Wang Bichen nodded slowly and said solemnly: "There should be nothing wrong."
Cao Kun was greatly surprised and said: "How could it be him? It was only last month that there was news that Yuan Su would oppose the monarchy. Moreover, he had personally held secret talks with the Chinese revolutionaries before. Now he has become the commander-in-chief of the southward movement. Tai
It’s unbelievable.” After he said these words, his face became more and more confused, and he kept thinking about what was going on.
When he learned that Yuan Su had contacts with the Chinese revolutionaries, he thought that Yuan Su could be used. Although the other party was an inconspicuous little player, the location of his power and his kinship with Yuan Shikai could only be exploited.
If it is in place, it will definitely become a bomb of sufficient weight.
What's more, just two months ago, he received a telegram from some officials in the north. These people believed that Yuan Su was willing to cooperate with Hankou. There was even a message from Zhang Jian who tried his best to send someone to tell him that he was in Tianjin.
He had a separate meeting with Yuan Su, which was enough to prove Yuan Su's intentions.
"My lord, I have to say that this matter is really unbelievable. You guys, should we immediately release the news about Yuan Su's contact with the Chinese revolutionaries? This will create some confusion and suspicion. Yuan Su is a young man after all.
If you let him take charge of the post of commander-in-chief of the Guards, the veteran generals below will definitely be unconvinced, and releasing this news will definitely give them an excuse to use the topic." Wang Bichen suggested.
"Yes, you are right. No matter what the situation is, the fact that Yuan Su is playing tricks like this is enough to prove that he is a cunning villain. He should be given some color." Cao Kun said with a calm face.
What I hate the most is the kind of duplicitous person, especially if he plays such tricks in front of himself.
"In that case, I'll make arrangements first."
After receiving Cao Kun's signal, Wang Bichen turned around to exit the balcony.
But at this moment, Cao Kun suddenly called out to his adjutant again.
"Sir, do you have any other instructions?" Wang Bichen turned around and asked.
"Why did Yuan Xiangcheng appoint Yuan Su as commander-in-chief? Did Yuan Su ask for it on his own initiative?" Cao Kun still had many questions in his mind, and he always felt that if these questions could not be resolved, he would miss some good opportunities.
"This is still unclear, as there is no definite news. But the rumors coming from Luoyang seem to be that Yuan Xiangcheng initially planned to ask Duan Zhiquan to go south, but Duan Zhiquan refused to resign, and instead recommended Yuan Su to be the president instead.
Commander. Outsiders think this statement is ridiculous. Duan Qirui and Yuan Su have no connection at all, and are even somewhat contradictory. Moreover, he is a young man with no qualifications and no seniority. How can he be worthy of such a big responsibility?" Wang Bichen?
Said in explanation.
After listening to the adjutant's words, Cao Kun lowered his head and thought for a while. He always felt that there was indeed a lot of strangeness in this matter. However, based on his understanding of Duan Qirui, Duan Qirui was an extremely principled person, and it was impossible to get involved because of personal grudges.
Regardless of the overall situation, if Yuan Su really has this ability, Duan Qirui will definitely not fail to recommend him. In other words, it means that Yuan Su became the commander-in-chief of the Central Guards by accident.
"In this way, don't let the news about Yuan Su go out for the time being. It's still early anyway, and neither he nor us are in a hurry. Let's see clearly what is going on before we make a conclusion." After some hesitation, Cao
Kun finally changed his previous decision and said with a worried tone.
"This... Your Majesty is right, let's leave it like this for now." Although Wang Bichen felt that Cao Kun's changes were strange, there was always no need to rush. Anyway, the evidence of the rumors was in his hands. When
Even if it is released, it will have a major impact.
"In addition." After a long silence, Cao Kun suddenly spoke again.
"grown ups?"
"Let Luoyang send some people to Zhengzhou to see if they can find an opportunity to contact Yuan Su." Cao Kun said.
"Sir, do you think that Yuan Su still has anti-imperialist intentions? If this is the case, the troops near Beijing are moving south in large numbers at this time, and the north is empty. He can take advantage of this moment to take action.
At that time, major matters can be decided in one fell swoop. Even if Yuan Su really has any scruples and hopes to reach an agreement with us first, he should have sent someone to contact us early. Why should he wait until we contact him? "Wang Bichen?"
He guessed Cao Kun's intention, so he couldn't help but persuade him.
"You don't understand. There are many people in Beiyang that I can see through. Even if I can't see through much, I can still be considered as understanding. But this Yuan Su is the only one I don't understand at all. He seems to be a very principled and very knowledgeable person."
A person with a sense of justice, but the more such a person is, the more he cannot take it lightly. In short, since we are not sure about this matter now, and this matter is not an opportunity, we should wait and see." Cao Kun was very happy.
Said meaningfully.
"Since your Excellency thinks so, I naturally have nothing to say, but I still hope that Your Majesty can think more about it and don't put too much hope in this matter." Wang Bichen said.