Part 5 Chapter 17: Joint Guarantee of Six Provinces

In today's world pattern, the old imperialism of Britain is dominant. Although Britain has been surpassed by rising stars such as the United States and Germany in terms of productivity, its colonies all over the world ensure the stability of its product market and the stability of its interests.

Although the United States in history has become a world-class country in terms of economic capabilities, its influence on the world is far from competing with Britain. At the Paris Peace Conference after the World War in real history, the Americans worked hard for a long time, but no benefits were lost. This led to the US president becoming a laughing stock after returning to China, and further stimulated the United States' desire for world hegemony.

"This idea is undoubtedly clever to influence China from a cultural perspective, but it is also an idea that lacks sufficient understanding of China and is not very clever to be born. China's long cultural history cannot influence it if it wants to?" Chen Congyun thought so in his heart, but soon thought of another level. Even if the American cultural invasion cannot succeed, at least a large number of pro-American new generation of Chinese elites have long been, and the impact on the future United States in China is immeasurable.

Chen Congyun was not the feudal minds of the Qing Dynasty. He would not be afraid of a large number of Chinese young people studying in the United States because of the influence of culture. That was because he was choking and abandoning his food.

Stephen undoubtedly saw this, so he showed some concerns in his conversation with Chen Congyun. However, considering Stephen's personal identity as an American citizen, considering his future interests in the United States, Stephen still bit the bullet and suggests Chen Congyun.

"This suggestion is good. It should be said that Mr. Roukeyi started from the friendly relations between China and the United States, and was a kind act to create a friendly relationship between the two countries in the future. I have no dissatisfaction. Here, please convey Mr. Roukeyi. I would like to express my gratitude for his efforts toward China's friendship." Chen Congyun is very skilled now when he speaks an official voice.

After the incident of Americans paying more than the Boxer Indemnity to assist students in history, it triggered a wave of young Chinese students studying abroad, and it also triggered a wave of Western countries introducing a wave of accepting Chinese students. At that time, Japan had the largest number of Chinese students, and now it seems that there will not be many people going to Japan. Because of the rise of Japan after the Sino-Japanese War, the victory of Japan in the Russo-Japanese War, and the history of Chinese students studying abroad in the first place was destined to change.

Let’s not talk about the suggestions that softness and righteousness for the time being, let’s talk about the negotiations between China and Japan first.

The negotiations were under the auspices of Rukko-Yiyi. The harsh conditions proposed by China were undoubtedly unacceptable to Japan. Not only did it not accept them, Ito Hirofumi also turned against the ground, proposing that the war was initiated by China, and China should unconditionally reverse the enemy from Japan's territory and withdraw troops from Okinawa. The North Korean issue proposed to maintain the old situation of the Sino-Japanese Tianjin Treaty. As for the reparations, Japan was only willing to compensate a symbolic one million taels.

It was obvious that the two sides had major differences on the conditions of the negotiation. After the negotiations on the first day ended unhappily, Tang Shaoyi urgently asked to see Chen Congyun and reported the situation. Chen Congyun sneered and said, "It's very good, very powerful. It seems that the fight against the little Japanese is not painful enough."

The day after saying this, the Chinese representative refused to conduct the following negotiations on the pretext of Japan's lack of sincerity. On the same day, a fleet covered a mixed brigade's army heading north along the Japanese territorial waters. In the afternoon of the same day, the Chinese Navy shelled Lishijiji in Hokkaido, blocked the Kiyoto Strait, and cut off the ties to Hokkaido. The next day, the Chinese Army landed on Lishijijiji.

History has once again proved ruthlessly that in a world where people are, the boss is the one with the biggest fist. His voice and strength are absolutely proportional to his strength.

The four ministers of the United States, Britain, France and Russia joined forces to meet with Chen Congyun after the incident of Chinese troops landing in Hokkaido. Russia and France sent out a serious threat signal at the same time for the first time. The Russian minister even said that if China does not withdraw its troops from Hokkaido, it will be regarded as a state of hostility with Russia. The French did not hide behind this time and stood up to express their support for Russia. The two ministers of Britain and the United States became peacemakers and repeatedly persuaded all parties to restrain themselves, hoping that the conflict between China and Japan could be resolved as soon as possible.

Chen Congyun looked at this and said: "During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, did Japan not stop the war after the United States mediated? Why can't China do this?"

Such negotiations naturally cannot play a lot of role. In order to make the Russian fleet unable to move south due to the frozen sea surface, in order to make the Japanese government desperately see that Russia cannot provide assistance to it in the short term, Chen Congyun not only did not order the troops to retreat, but instead became more and more aggressive. After gaining a foothold in Li Shijiji, he continued to move north and occupy the two places of Beidou and Onuma. He was posing as if he wanted to continue to move north and occupy the entire Hokkaido.

In any case, the consequence of the ministers from various countries' joint visits to Chen Congyun was that both sides reluctantly sat down and bargained again. The Russians were a little untrue. Although more than 30,000 people gathered on the northeastern border, they were still thousands of miles away from the Fengtian line actually controlled by Chen Congyun. The three or four warships in the port of Lushun did not dare to come out and wander. When the Far East Fleet could not go south, Russia's actions of ravaging Japan could only shout twice like a mad dog, and the actual effect would not be seen for a while.

The most critical issue is that the Russians appreciated that Chen Congyun was a guy who was not soft or hard, and his attitude towards Russia was that the headlines in major Chinese newspapers the next day reported that 150,000 Chinese troops braved the cold in Liaodong to conduct a large-scale military performance. The comment from the "New Beijing Evening News" stated that under the leadership of the great President Chen Congyun, the Chinese army has the confidence and strength to defeat any invasion that dares to provoke China's sovereignty and safeguards the integrity of national sovereignty. The comment at the end called for, "Go to the Northeast! Recover the entire Northeast!"

Regarding the call from Chen Congyun in Beijing, Zhang Zhidong, far away in Wuhan, sent a telegram politely saying, "Russia is a European power, and it is best not to be too provoked."

Chen Congyun replied to the call: "All imperialism is a paper tiger, and it will appear in its true form as soon as it hits."

The autonomous provinces also sang the arguments of peace talks at this time. Fortunately, all this was done in private, and no one dared to jump out and talk about compromise at this time. In fact, what these people most hoped was that the Russians sent troops immediately and fought with Shen Congyun and that was so satisfying that people could feel very happy.

The Russians shouted loudly, as if the international situation had become tense, and Chen Congyun was about to be bullied with the Russians. This superficial phenomenon made a group of local forces ready to move. Liu Kunyi shouted in Fujian: "Try to Rebel!" As a result, that night, Wang Chao ordered the shelling of Fuzhou City, and the whole night was bombarded. Li Zhun led the surrendered Fuzhou Navy and drove directly into the Minjiang River, showing off his might along the coast. Liu Kunyi couldn't take care of himself and quickly closed his mouth.

But not everyone will be unable to take action when they see such opportunities.

Although spring is coming, early spring in Beijing is still so cold. The brazier in the study room is burning brightly early in the morning. At 8 o'clock in the morning, Chen Congyun appeared in the study room on time, with a lot of documents waiting for instructions.

Zhao Xinglong's fat and thick body has been cleared a lot these days, and his eye sockets have been deeply sunk. He walked along the path in the official residence to Chen Chengyun's study, and the guards along the way kept saluting. Zhao Xinglong replied absent-mindedly, his steps were hurrying, and his big-headed leather shoes made a rapid sound on the ground.

There were several desks in the outer room of the study. There were some office spaces where the staff and adjutants worked. The documents sent by various places must first pass through their hands, and then submit them to Chen Congyun for instructions.

Zhao Xinglong's special identity determines that his treatment is different. Li Yaoguo, director of the Office of Adjutant Chen Congyun, immediately came out to greet him when he saw Zhao Xinglong talking to the guards outside.

"Mr. Zhao, is there anything important? Do I need me to go in and report it immediately?" Li Yaoguo smiled politely, and Zhao Xinglong nodded repeatedly and said, "It's urgent, please."

Li Yaoguo knocked on the door gently, and Chen Congyun inside said, "Come in!", Li Yaoguo pushed the door and said, "Sir, Zhao Xinglong asked for a meeting, he said something important."

"Let him come in!" Chen Congyun didn't raise his head. After signing a document, he put down the pen in his hand and stood up. The two maids who had been standing behind him immediately came up to serve hot tea, while the other hurriedly came forward to clean up the pen and ink on the table.

Zhao Xinglong walked in with a serious expression, and immediately stood up straight when he saw Chen Congyun and said, "Military!"

"Why are you so thin? Your body will not be in trouble, right? Do you want to see the doctor?" Chen Congyun's first words were concerned about Zhao Xinglong's body.

"It's okay, I just didn't have a good rest. Recently, my subordinates have consumed a lot of energy, and finally I have checked it out. It's important to be serious and I dare not delay, so I come to see the military throne immediately." Zhao Xinglong dared not make any contribution. Aftershocks were implicated because of Zhao Youlian's affairs. Now, the word "dai" is added to the title of commander of the First Army. Liu Yongfu has been connected with the old subordinates. Although he has returned to the army, he is only the director of the Political Department of the First Army and also the deputy commander. There is not much actual military power.

Although Zhao Xinglong is favored now, the Political Training Department also established an intelligence department last year. With the General Staff’s Intelligence Department, these three largest intelligence departments are holding back signs everywhere.

"Oh? What's the matter?" Chen Congyun knew Zhao Xinglong so well. He was cautious and meticulous in his work. He said it was important information, so it would not be a minor problem. Unlike in the first half of the year, an intelligence submitted by the Political Training Department stated that some old literati united to form a "Saint Society" that inherited the theories of the saints, saying that they were going to rebel and reverse the verdict for the Qing Dynasty. Later, it was found that it was just that some sour scholars were dissatisfied with the status quo and drank and complained together. For this matter, Chen Congyun called Li Wei to tell the story, and the dozen scholars arrested by the Political Training Department at that time also gave up the gifts and paid the money. For this matter, the Political Training Department lost the adults. Afterwards, Li Wei personally sent the person back, and he also came to the door to apologize. Chen Congyun let him go.

"Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou have conspired to sign a joint guarantee agreement for six provinces." As soon as Zhao Xinglong said this, Chen Congyun immediately stood up alertly. Since the National Congress of Beijing City ended, representatives of each province formed a temporary parliament. On the surface, the Constitution stipulates that the temporary meeting has the power to reject the president's decision. In fact, the second meeting is equivalent to an empty air.

However, everything has both positive and negative sides. If Chen Congyun is at a disadvantage in the battle against Japan and Russia, domestic forces will definitely not miss this opportunity. The possibility of sanctions from six provinces clamoring for impeachment of the president is not going to happen.

"Very good, keep an eye on me. If there is any slightest change, report it immediately." Chen Congyun calmed down. It was not the time to deal with them.

Zhao Xinglong showed concern and said, "Military throne, Taiyuan is too close to Beijing, so you must be careful. I suggest that you increase the garrison in Xuanhua and Baoding."

Chen Congyun smiled faintly and said, "No, they don't have the courage yet. Baoding and Xuanhua are stationed in a mixed brigade. With the shrimp soldiers and crab generals in Shanxi Province, they will not be able to gain any advantage even if they come here. You go down!"

Zhao Xinglong did not leave immediately, but stepped forward and whispered: "There is something else. In the last assassination incident, Fu Er had already called him. He was not the butler of the Northeast Prince, but a Japanese spy named Henglu Jinger."

When Chen Congyun heard this, he immediately showed a gloomy sneer. After wandering for a while, he smiled at Zhao Xinglong and said, "I understand. For the specific content, you can get a detailed document."

Zhao Xinglong responded to the sound, and Chen Congyun couldn't help but fall into deep thought. What he was most worried about now was not these six inland provinces. What he was most worried about was Zhang Zhidong in Huguang and Tan Zhonglin in Guangdong. One of them was the benefit of the Yangtze River, while the other was connected to the sea, and could get help from foreign forces at any time. Judging from Zhang Zhidong's performance, there was no need to worry too much. After the founding of New China, Hubei's military measures did not have much strength. Zhang Zhidong still used his main financial resources to establish enterprises. On the contrary, Tan Zhonglin had to be careful that the number of new troops in this old guy's hands increased rapidly, and the latest information showed that it had reached 50,000. Moreover, Tan Zhonglin was very close to France and Russia and frequently purchased foreign military forces.

After thinking for a while, Chen Congyun sat back on the table and picked up a pen and issued a telegram to Li Yaozu, asking Li Yaozu to send additional troops to Wuzhou.

The joint guarantee of the six provinces has not yet surfaced, and it is estimated that all parties are still bargaining. The current situation of heavy troops in the Northeast has forced Chen Congyun to temporarily endure it and wait for the end of the Sino-Japanese negotiations to deal with the Japanese and then deal with the Northeast before they can turn around and deal with these bastards.

That night, Tang Shaoyi was invited by Chen Congyun to the official residence. At the negotiating table the next day, the situation suddenly changed. Tang Shaoyi threw out a document and said in front of the ministers from various countries: "The Japanese spy leader Kawakami Kawakami has planned an assassination operation against President Chen Congyun! I hope the Japanese side can give a reasonable explanation for this."

Hirobu Ito naturally refused to admit it, denying that it was an excuse created by China to provoke a war. Tang Shaoyi came prepared and immediately brought Hengluoji to the scene. In the face of personal evidence, Hirobu Ito reiterated: "This is an unauthorized action of the intelligence department and has nothing to do with the Japanese cabinet."

Tang Shaoyi sneered: "If the Chinese intelligence department assassinated the Japanese emperor and we said that the intelligence department took action without authorization, would you believe it?" Hirobuki Ito was speechless.

The emergence of this incident accelerated the negotiation process, and soon the two sides reached an agreement and signed a contract.

The content of the contract is roughly as follows: Japan recognizes Ryukyu as China's territory; recognizes North Korea as China's sphere of influence; Japan pays 10 million taels of compensation; China withdraws troops from Tsushima and Hokkaido.

Although the compensation was a bit unfavorable, with the intervention of the great powers, thinking of Japan's family background, and after three or five years of hard work, Chen Congyun nodded and agreed. The accounts had to be settled one by one, and there were opportunities in the future. In short, it was a small knife to cut the flesh, which made Japan feel hurt again and again, and it was necessary to accept it.

The Japanese issue has been temporarily resolved, and the problems between China and Russia have become the primary issue at present. Chen Congyun summoned the ministers of Britain, the United States and Germany, expressed concerns about the current situation in Northeast China, and clearly pointed out that the Russians were secretly supporting the old Manchu forces in the Northeast. In response, the Chinese government expressed strong indignation and strongest protests.

It is obvious that the British policy is very happy that China will replace Japan to restrain its expansion in the Far East. The United States and Germany regard the Chinese market as a new economic growth point. Although the support for China is limited, they are still on the side of China on the surface. They are all for the sake of interests.
Chapter completed!