At half past eleven, the inauguration ceremony of the Consultative Bureau, which was full of hypocrisy and pretense, finally came to an end, and the ordinary people who were watching first dispersed. Some of the gentry who had officially become members of the Consultative Bureau were busy
After greeting the celebrities, some of whom were interviewed by reporters alone, Wang Liantong and Wang Zhongyuan came over to talk to Yuan Su.
At noon, the members of the Consultative Bureau held a banquet in Tingfeng Xiaozhu. The celebrities who had attended the ceremony were once again invited to attend the banquet. Of course, Yuan Su and Zhang Jiangong were also invited. During the banquet, celebrities continued to come to Yuan Su
Here to toast, these people have naturally heard of Yuan Su's reputation a long time ago. They didn't have the opportunity to curry favor with him before, but now they must take advantage of the banquet to get close to each other, even if they are familiar with each other.
Despite the turbulent situation in the country, everyone present at this luncheon seemed to be in high spirits and extremely happy. It was truly a festive scene with great singing and dancing.
There was no idle time in the afternoon. Several council members set up eight or nine gambling tables in Tingfeng Xiaozhu, including mahjong, pai gow, dice, and various unnamed gadgets. Those who are willing to participate in the activity
The people stayed. Zhang Jiangong had a gambling habit in the military camp. Now when he came to a place like this, his hands were naturally itchy and he immediately joined a table.
Wang Zhongyuan once again showed his ability to understand current affairs. Not long after Zhang Jiangong sat down, he ordered a servant to send over several banknotes for redemption. On the surface, they said they were temporary loans. In fact, both of them understood the reason behind this.
.
Several wealthy gentry also invited Yuan Su to participate, but Yuan Su never liked these things, so he declined politely.
After sitting with two cups of tea in the small living room nearby, Yuan Su casually found an excuse to leave.
Wang Litong was originally immersed in the Pai Gow table with great interest, but he suddenly caught a glimpse of Yuan Su walking towards the stairs. After a brief hesitation, he didn't even bother to look at the cards he had just been dealt, and directly said
Feeling sick to my stomach, I left in a hurry.
He chased Yuan Su down the stairs and finally stopped Yuan Su at the door of the hall.
Yuan Su turned around and saw that the person who came was Wang Litong, and immediately asked: "Is there something wrong, Mr. Wang?"
Wang Li said with a smile on his face: "Master Yuan, are you leaving? There is a banquet tonight. If Master Yuan is missing, then an important host and guest will be missing."
Yuan Su smiled speciously and said: "Let's talk about the dinner. I just have some things to deal with in the afternoon, so I'll just go ahead. Why, wasn't Mr. Wang having fun upstairs just now?"
Wang Litong waved his hand quickly and said: "It's just a small fight. Quan Zuo kills time. It's like a small gamble to entertain the mood. In fact, I originally planned to talk to Mr. Yuan about something later, but I also
I don’t know if I’d like to bother you now…”
Yuan Su said: "Master Wang, why are you so open-minded? If you have anything to do, you can just say it directly."
Wang Litong did not speak in a hurry. He first asked Yuan Su to move to a nearby hall where no one was around to take a seat, and then asked cautiously: "It's like this. At the Consultative Bureau ceremony this morning, I will follow Mr. Yuan's instructions."
I announced the establishment of the Luanzhou Republican Party, but it seems that Mr. Yuan’s face was not good at that time, which... made me a little scared. "
Yuan Su didn't expect that Wang Litong would be aware of this detail. It happened that he also wanted to talk to the other party about this matter, and then said: "Master Wang, Master Wang, please teach me how to speak to you! As a person,
The dignified leader of Luanzhou, but the news of the establishment of the Luanzhou Republican Party was still hidden and announced at the inauguration ceremony of the Consultative Bureau. Isn't this a loss of his identity in vain? In a simple word, such an upright and bright matter,
Why do you need to be so sneaky and look at other people's faces?"
Wang Litong understood the superficial meaning of these words, but did not understand the deeper implications for a while. After a complex change in his face, he hesitated and said: "Master Yuan, could you do this wrong?"
"It's not just wrong, it's absolutely wrong."
"This... I am doing this according to your instructions, Mr. Yuan! What, what should I do now?"
"Let me ask you, Mr. Wang has been an official in Luanzhou for many years. Are there any celebrities and squires in Luanzhou who are close friends with Mr. Wang? How much savings does Mr. Wang have?"
"Of course there are all of these, but what do you mean, Mr. Yuan?" Wang Litong was even more confused about what Yuan Su meant. The two questions were obviously unrelated.
"Since Mr. Wang is not short of people and money, why don't you hold a ceremony to celebrate the founding of the republic by yourself, and instead announce it at the ceremony of the Consultative Bureau?" Yuan Su said in a deep voice.
I thought Wang Litong was a smart person, or at least a flexible person, but he made a big mistake in this matter.
After listening to Yuan Su's words, Wang Liantong suddenly realized that he didn't know what to say for a while.
It was not that he had not considered holding a separate ceremony for the establishment of the Republic of China, but he had been continuously affected by bad influences from the outside world, so he couldn't help but become cautious in everything he did. He originally thought that this would be done at the inauguration ceremony of the Consultative Council.
The matter passed by in passing, as long as outsiders could get more or less information about the government of the Republic, that would be fine.
But now it seems that I was too conservative in this matter, and I suddenly felt countless regrets in my heart!
"Oops, this, this is a waste of time. Then according to Mr. Yuan's wishes, why not arrange another meeting tomorrow?" Wang Liantong said quickly.
"There is no need to rush this matter. Since the news of the republican government has been released, it is best to hold a reception after it is confirmed that Mr. Wang will be the official of the government, and then it will be directly held as the inauguration ceremony for Mr. Wang."
"Very good, very good. Everything is at the discretion of Mr. Yuan." Upon hearing about the inauguration ceremony, Wang Poutong's eyes immediately shone, and he nodded in agreement.
"Master Wang had better move around more these days to discuss with the members of the Consultative Bureau the candidates for the republican government. As long as they agree, Master Wang can immediately start the inauguration ceremony. Again, the same sentence
, the sooner this matter is done, the better. Someone outside the province is operating behind closed doors to ask the superiors to appoint another official to come, and then it will be troublesome." Yuan Su said seriously.
Wang Litong naturally knew what Yuan Su meant. Now China is facing a period of dynasty change, and everything has to be started from scratch. At this time, there are many people who buy x officials, sell x officials, or use connections. At present, Luanzhou
The government is still pending. If the provincial government suddenly sends someone to fill the vacancy, it will be really difficult to turn around.
Just thinking about the indifferent attitude of the members of the Consultative Bureau these days, he couldn't help but frown again, with a gloomy look on his face. He had no power in Luanzhou, and he didn't have any status or background like Yuan Su.
How to go around and convince these big men?
Yuan Su quickly noticed Wang Li's troubled expression. Although he didn't know what the other party was worried about, he comforted him at the right time: "Master Wang, don't worry too much. As long as you know your position, I will definitely It will allow Mr. Wang to secure his position as the leader of the Luanzhou Republican Party."
These words were like the rain in the dry season. Wang Litong was immediately relieved and said gratefully: "With Master Yuan's words, I feel relieved. Please rest assured, Master Yuan. I know my own position very well, and everything will be done." Only Mr. Yuan is following the lead."
Yuan Su smiled and said happily: "This is the best."
After a pause, Wang Litong changed the topic and said, "Oh, by the way, there is one more thing I want to tell Mr. Yuan."
"What else?"
"Tianjin has already sent a telegram back."
This simple sentence immediately caught Yuan Su's attention. Of course he knew what Tianjin's telegram meant. However, in the past few days, the foreigners were so active, which shows that these people have already coveted Luanzhou to a considerable extent. The degree. And this made him feel more and more worried. The foreigners' purpose was obviously not as simple as they said.
"Really? What was the reply?" After pondering for a moment, he asked nonchalantly.
"Mr. Poincare personally responded to this telegram. Mr. Yuan wanted to know their detailed plan for opening the mine. Mr. Poincare said that he would send a commissioner to Luanzhou again in mid-March to inform him of the specific plan and future operations. We plan to give a comprehensive introduction." Wang Potong replied briefly.
"That's fine, I will be there in person to listen to their introduction." Yuan Su said with a solemn expression.
"As for the joint venture, Mr. Poincaré also gave a reply. He said that their company does not want outsiders to intervene in the mining business, but if we insist on a joint venture, they will only allow us to cooperate with Mr. Yuan or me, and the rest will I won’t consider it for now.” Wang Potong added.
"They are really good at arranging. How can I, a mere staff officer with no savings, cooperate with them to open a mine? Mr. Wang, on the other hand, has some funds to invest." Yuan Su said with a sneer.
"Master Yuan is joking, it would be fine if it was a small-scale mine. I'm afraid that foreigners will open a large mine all at once. Even if I invest all my property in it, at most it will only account for a very small share." It’s just a small portion.” Wang Lantong said with a smile.
Yuan Su didn't speak any more, but was thinking secretly in his heart. Since the foreigners emphasized that they didn't want outsiders to get involved in the mining, there must be something shady behind the scenes. He was not considering whether to stop cooperation with the foreigners now, but thinking about the foreigners. How shameful are these activities!
"Mr. Poincare also mentioned at the end of the telegram that if Mr. Yuan still has plans to expand his armaments recently, he can contact Credit Agricole at any time. Mr. Poincare promised to personally handle Mr. Yuan's order, even under certain conditions. If allowed, we will cooperate according to the plan proposed by Mr. Yuan before." After a pause, Wang Lantong put on a cautious expression and said these words.
"Really? Poincare is really thoughtful. We will discuss this matter in detail when they send people to Luanzhou."
"Yes, yes. As soon as there is any progress in Tianjin, I will inform Mr. Yuan as soon as possible."