Nanjing, Xiaguan Wharf. A steamer was slowly docking in front of the pier's pier. On one shore, the new Governor of Liangjiang Yuan Shikai was leading a group of officials from the Governor's Office, wearing flower feathers or wearing military uniforms, waiting at the pier, and a welcome queue composed of military honor guards.

Time didn't come, the steamer stopped and the gangway was lowered from the side of the ship. A group of people, led by the pilot crew, got off the boat along the gangway. The leader wore a top hat on his head, dressed in a dark gray dovetail suit, and held a civilized stick in his left hand. It was Fernan, the French Consul in Hankou.

At this time, Yuan Shikai quickly stepped forward and laughed and said, "Mr. Fernan, welcome to Nanjing." Then he reached out and shook hands with Fernan according to Western etiquette.

Although there was a smile on Fernan's smile, those who were careful could see that they were a little nervous. However, he still reached out to hold Yuan Shikai and said, "Governor General, I have been very famous for a long time. I never thought we would meet today."

Yuan Shikai's smile became stronger and said, "Mr. Consul, I originally planned to go to Hankou in a few days to visit the Consul, but I didn't expect that the Consul came to Nanjing in person. It was really hard."

Fernan smiled and said, "Your Governor is busy with official duties. I am worried that you will not be able to get out of here in Nanjing, so I will come to Nanjing in person and face Mr. Governor in front of you."

Yuan Shikai laughed and said, "Since you are here, let's have fun in Nanjing. There are so many fun places in Nanjing, so I can do the best for the landlords."

It turned out that Yuan Shikai went to Nanjing to take office and intended to bypass Hankou and avoid meeting Furnan. At that time, Furnan was still dissatisfied. Of course, he knew that Yuan Shikai's plan was nothing more than meeting in Hankou, and there was no bargaining chip at all. Therefore, he hoped that he could go to Nanjing for talks. This was on Yuan Shikai's territory and had more confidence in negotiations. Furnan believed that Yuan Shikai would not last for a few days in Nanjing and would come to Hankou to find him again. After all, Yuan Shikai wanted to gain a foothold in the south, and it would not be possible without money. If you want money, you had to bow to him. Therefore, he did not plan to go to Nanjing at all, but waited for Yuan Shikai to come to him in Hankou.

Although the flood gradually receded, the livelihood of the victims was still very difficult. Although East China has set up resettlement camps for victims everywhere, it is impossible to contain all victims. In addition, 9 of the 12 resettlement camps established by East China were in Jiangbei, and there were only 3 in Jiangnan. This is mainly because the disaster situation in Jiangnan was lighter than in Jiangbei, including two in Hunan, and one in Jiangnan area in Anhui, and no in Jiangnan area in Jiangsu.

After the flood receded, Jiangbei had a resettlement camp in East China to help the victims rebuild their homes, and nothing happened. Jiangnan was full of dangers. Because the water receded and the roads were open, which was conducive to the movement and gathering of people. Therefore, a large number of victims who struggled to survive the flood were gathered in front of the prefectures and counties, waiting for the government to spend money to survive. In some places, the victims and robbed large households, and there were several groups around Nanjing. In addition, the occupation of Anhui by East China was even more panicked by the people in Jiangsu Province. However, because the former Governor Duan Fang of Liangjiang was dismissed, Jiangsu Governor Chen Qitai was also transferred, and there was no one in charge of the overall situation in the entire Jiangsu region. Therefore, officials, local gentry, gentry, and businessmen in Jiangsu all hoped that Yuan Shikai would take office as soon as possible so that he would have a backbone.

So when Yuan Shikai arrived in Nanjing, he was warmly welcomed. Originally, Yuan Shikai was recognized as the most capable minister of the Qing court. He traveled from the territory of East China and arrived in Nanjing on the ship of East China. This made people feel more confident in him, because it seems that Yuan Shikai and East China ** have a good relationship, and perhaps it can stabilize East China ***, so that at least one threat can be reduced.

As soon as Yuan Shikai arrived in Nanjing, he immediately recruited merchants, gentry, wealthy people and others from Nanjing. Chen Ming's current situation is urgent. He can stabilize the situation in East China and stabilize the situation in Nanjing. However, everyone needs to contribute money and work together to overcome the difficulties.

Of course, Yuan Shikai also knew that it would be impossible to let local gentry and gentry pay and just speak verbally. He had to come up with some real skills. So Yuan Shikai immediately ordered Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui to lead an army to attack and pacify the riots near Nanjing.

Although Yuan Shikai now has only more than 2,500 troops, he is all troops with strict military training and sufficient ammunition, so it is of course no effort to suppress ordinary disaster victims. Therefore, in 5 or 6 days, Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui led the army to fight continuously within 50 kilometers of Nanjing City, suppressing five riot victims. At the same time, several teams were sent to resettle victims around Nanjing, helping them build houses and roads, divide fields, and rebuild their homes. In less than 10 days, the situation around Nanjing stabilized.

The local gentry and gentry in Nanjing all donated generously when they saw the situation. Within a few days, Yuan Shikai raised more than 300,000 taels of silver and more than 7,000 tons of grain. Yuan Shikai estimated that the money and grain he had in his hands could last for at least one year, so he felt relieved. At this time, the large army of the Beiyang New Army also arrived in Nanjing. Yuan Shikai was confident and began to work hard.

On the one hand, Yuan Shikai purchased a large amount of grain and supplies nearby to ensure that his food and supplies were sufficient. On the other hand, he dispatched the Beiyang Army to station in various parts of Jiangnan in Jiangsu to strictly suppress the riots of victims in various places, and at the same time he also organized the victims to produce and save themselves. As a result, less than a month after Yuan Shikai took office, he quickly stabilized the situation in Jiangnan in Jiangsu.

Originally, Fernan had a stable seat in Hankou and was waiting for Yuan Shikai to save him. But after waiting for more than a month, what he had been waiting for was Yuan Shikai's work in Nanjing and was quite effective. It seemed that there was no strong demand for support from various countries, and he could not sit still. If Yuan Shikai did not need the support of various countries, he could gain a foothold in the south, which would of course be extremely unfavorable to all countries. The ministers in Beijing also frequently called, urging Fernan to negotiate with Yuan Shikai as soon as possible and reached an agreement. Because the longer the time was delayed, the more unfavorable it would be for all countries.

Because this time, Yuan Shikai not only passed from the territory of East China, but also arrived in Nanjing on a ship from East China, which also aroused the alert of the ministers of various countries. Will Yuan Shikai reach any agreement with East China? This is not impossible. After all, for Yuan Shikai, it is not necessary to choose various countries, just look at the higher prices on that side. Therefore, if countries do not take action as soon as possible, negotiate with Yuan Shikai, and understand Yuan Shikai's requirements and bottom line, we can negotiate the plan to deal with Yuan Shikai. Otherwise, Yuan Shikai might really turn to East China.

So the French Minister to Qing Pasteur sent a power to Fernan, harshly criticizing his behavior in this matter, and demanding Fernan take action immediately and meet with Yuan Shikai as soon as possible to negotiate. This made Fernan feel very stressed, and the envoys in Beijing were too impatient. But his country's ministers had already ordered. So although Fran knew that he had gone to Nanjing at this time and took the initiative to lose everything, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and rush to Nanjing in person to meet Yuan Shikai for negotiation.

After receiving Françon's request, Yuan Shikai was also very happy. To be honest, Yuan Shikai was also a little anxious at this time, and he was still looking forward to Françon coming to Nanjing to negotiate with him, because at this time, negotiations with Françon were the most favorable time for him. In addition, Yuan Shikai would also negotiate with the East China ** to negotiate cooperation matters between the two parties. Yuan Shikai hoped that before this, he could reach an agreement with other countries and then negotiate with the East China **, so that he would have a certain confidence in his heart during negotiations.

But almost a month later, Furnan still couldn't sit firmly in Hankou. Because the Beiyang New Army's brigade came from Wuchang, Furnan had no words to bring it to him. This made Yuan Shikai feel a little worried. Could it be that all countries did not intend to support him? Without the support of various countries, even if he could gain a foothold in the south, it would be difficult to achieve any major events. At most, he could only guard the existing territory of Liangjiang. This was very different from his original intention of going south. So several times Yuan Shikai couldn't help but want to generate electricity from Hankou and ask about Furnan's attitude, but he finally endured it.

After all, Yuan Shikai knew in his heart that it was not easy to create such a situation that was beneficial to him. If he generated electricity, the current situation would be ruined. Moreover, Yuan Shikai also analyzed the current situation many times, and finally concluded that countries did not have enough reason to give up on themselves, because except for themselves, countries could not find a more suitable candidate in the Qing court than themselves. Even if they wanted to give up on themselves, they should at least talk first, and make sure that the conditions they proposed were too high. Then if they didn't talk about it, they would give up on themselves. Therefore, the greater possibility is that both sides were competing for patience. It depends on who was more calm at this time. You must not be irritated or messed up.

However, although he thought so, Yuan Shikai's anxiety was day by day. At this moment, Furnan called to come to Nanjing to meet Yuan Shikai. It was like a gospel for Yuan Shikai, and a big stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

But Yuan Shikai also knew in his heart that although he had the upper hand this time, he was still the weaker side from the overall situation. Bi Jing wanted to do a great job in the south, but he still could not be too proud. Because he was in front of Furnan, he could not be arrogant and acted as a victor, which made Furnan feel embarrassed, but wanted to give Furnan enough courtesy. So when Furnan's ship arrived in Nanjing, Yuan Shikai personally led the officials from Nanjing to the dock to welcome Furnan, and arranged a military guard of honor to welcome him.
Chapter completed!