On that morning, Yuan Shikai sat upright in his room and began to review memorials. The memorials of all civil and military officials were presented to him for review after they were shown to him. Of course, there were traces of Yuan Shikai's focus on reading. It was clear at a glance which should be criticized and which should not be criticized.

As for Emperor Guangxu, he was just going through the motions and performing a play in front of everyone. Yuan Shikai had the final say in all the important military and political affairs in the court. Emperor Guangxu had always dared to be angry but not speak out, after all, he had to save his life.

After reading a few memorials, Yuan Shikai began to check the news sent back in Shanghai yesterday. After a brief look, he slapped the information on the table with a "splash".

He originally wanted to arrest Liang Qichao and execute him to shock Kang Youwei, but he didn't expect that Liang Qichao would run away, and in the end he only caught Tan Sitong.

However, Tan Sitong is quite strong, and he left a desperate poem like "I smile at the sky with my own sword, and I stay and keep my heart and courage." Unfortunately, I can't use it for me, and I'm not to cherish death! Yuan Shikai thought to himself.

"Dongdong" Yuan Shikai's room door was knocked.

Yuan Shikai looked up and said, "What's the matter?"

Only a butler outside the door bowed and said, "Master, Lord Tang Shaoyi, he is back, he said he wants to see you!"

Yuan Shikai frowned. Didn’t Tang Shaoyi go back to his hometown? Why did he come back so soon!

"Wait a minute! Ask him to wait for me in the side room of Yinluan Palace, I will be there in a while!" Yuan Shikai pulled off the clothes on the head of the bed and started to put them on himself.

"Oh, Grandmaster, I'm going out so early in the morning! I want you to stay with me for a while!" On Yuan Shikai's wide solid wood bed, a charming young woman said coquettishly, a large area of ​​snow-white naked behind her was exposed in the air.

Yuan Shikai lowered his body and chewed on the young woman's beautiful face, and said, "Little baby, I'll go out first and have something to do. I'll finish my work later and come back to spoil you!" After that, a big hand trampled the young woman's buttocks.

The young woman moaned in a low voice, "Sir, are so bad!"

Yuan Shikai laughed and walked out of the door and walked along the corridor to Yinluan Palace. Tang Shaoyi had been waiting for a long time. Yuan Shikai stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong? Shaochuan, I came to the Prime Minister's Mansion early in the morning. What's the matter with me?"

Tang Shaoyi said anxiously: "Weiting, do you really agree to let this foreigner stand?"

"Yes! Haha, is Shaochuan coming back from his hometown just to tell me about this?" Yuan Shikai asked in surprise.

"Yes, Weiting, this Outer Mongolia must not be a thriller. Now the three northeastern provinces have fallen into the hands of the Russians. If Outer Mongolia is also controlled by the Russians, Outer Mongolia and the three northeastern provinces will be connected together, and the Russian Cossack cavalry can easily reach the city and threaten Beijing!" Tang Shaoyi advised.

Yuan Shikai shook his head and said, "I didn't expect Shaochuan to be so pedantic. This is not mostly a temporary solution."

Tang Shaoyi asked, "What's the expedient approach?"

Yuan Shikai said: "Originally, Russia agreed to help me destroy the southern rebels, but the Russians have not gone south for a long time. They just think that the price I paid is not enough. Outer Mongolia is a useless for me, the Qing Dynasty, but Russia has indeed coveted for a long time. I have reached an agreement with Russian Emperor Nicholas II. As long as I support the establishment of the foreign country, he will immediately send 30,000 Cossack cavalry and 40,000 elite troops to go south. In addition, the Russian Pacific Fleet, which has been huddling in Lushun, will also go south into the Yangtze River at that time. Humph! As long as the Yangtze River defense line is broken, I will see what Tang Jian uses to resist the nearly 300,000 troops to go south. The eight southern provinces will sooner or later fall into my hands!"

Tang Shaoyi smelled a hint of madness from Yuan Shikai's words. Yuan Shikai had hundreds of thousands of Beiyang New Army troops, but in the past six months, he was still blocked by Tang Jian's 100,000 revolutionary army north of the Yangtze River and had not been able to make any progress. This is completely different from Yuan Shikai's original plan.

Yuan Shikai originally intended to wipe out the rebels in the eight southern provinces within three months, but he did not expect that it would take so long. On the one hand, Russia, which originally agreed to send troops, has not sent troops south for a long time. On the other hand, Tang Jian's Beiyang fleet's strength has once again grown, and hundreds of thousands of Beiyang new troops were unable to cross the Yangtze River smoothly.

To sum up the reason, Yuan Shikai had to take risks and decided to sell out the interests of Outer Mongolia in exchange for Russian troops!

Tang Shaoyi frowned and asked, "Did Weiting not considering that it is easy to invite gods to send gods to gods?"

Yuan Shikai was stunned and then smiled and said, "Shaochuan, don't worry. After I regain the south in the future, this Central Plains is the hinterland of the Qing Dynasty. Russia only has 30,000 cavalry and 40,000 army dare not take the risk of provoking the war. Even if Russia provokes the war, are hundreds of thousands of new Beiyang troops on both sides of the Yangtze River decorations? So Shaochuan was worried too much!"

Tang Shaoyi paced back and forth in the Yinluan Palace with his hands behind his back, strolling with sorrow, and seemed not to listen to Yuan Shikai's words behind him.

"What's wrong? What else is there to worry about Shaochuan?" Yuan Shikai asked.

Tang Shaoyi sighed and said, "Weiting, it's not me that the three northeastern provinces have just been cedeed. Now Outer Mongolia is going to have another slaughter. This common people have complaints!"

"Hmph! So what if you have complaints? In this world, the strong are respected, and whoever has military power is the greatest! Just like Tang Jian, when I followed him to seize power, those princes and ministers were also dissatisfied. Tang Jian also shot one by one in the Palace of Peaceful Hearts. Now, whoever dares to dissatisfied the territory of the Qing Dynasty will still shoot one by one!" Yuan Shikai said with a arrogant smile.

After hearing Yuan Shikai's words, Tang Shaoyi stopped talking, but there was a deeper look in his eyes, which made people unable to see through.

...

On February 7, 1903, with the support of the Russian Tsar, Outer Mongolia announced its separation from the rule of the Qing government, established its own country and named it the Mongolian Khanate, and began its autonomy.

The Qing government expressed its agreement to the Outer Mongolia Autonomous Region** and sent ministers to re-explorate national borders.

As soon as the news that the Qing government agreed to the Outer Mongolia Autonomous Government came out, the whole country was in an uproar. Students from the Beijing University of Beijing took to the streets to protest under the leadership of dozens of teachers. Industry and Commerce in Beijing and Tianjin also went on strike, supporting students to protest, condemning Yuan Shikai's cabinet for splitting the country and selling national interests.

However, two days later, the demonstrations jointly held by students and industry and commerce were bloody suppressed by the Beiyang New Army. The Beiyang New Army even installed Maxim water-cooled machine guns at the intersection. More than 100 student representatives were corpsed on the street, and thousands of demonstrators were arrested. For a time, Beijing's prisons were overcrowded.

At the same time, after hearing the news, eight southern provinces also held a massive demonstration, vigorously condemning Yuan Shikai's treason and expressing deep condolences to the students killed in Beijing.

Among the eight southern provinces, especially the "Finance News" created by Liang Qichao in Fujian, the "Fujian News" was criticized fiercely, and Yuan Shikai's various crimes were described in detail.

Just when the national public opinion was remarkable, 30,000 Russian Cossack cavalry entered Shanhaiguan and went south in batches, preparing to help the Beiyang New Army encircle and suppress the National Revolutionary Army in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Another 40,000 Russian troops also began to assemble in Chengde and were ready to move south at any time. The Pacific fleet in Lushun Port was even more ready to move.

...

Wuhan National Revolutionary Army Pre-war Command.

Tang Jian carefully analyzed the recent domestic situation in the command center to every general present. After everyone heard it, everyone had the same expression, and they were full of sorrow.

It seems that Yuan Shikai has decided to give it a try, but without him, he would actually sell out the interests of Outer Mongolia in exchange for the Russians to send troops.

Now, the total strength of the Beiyang New Army on the north bank of the Yangtze River plus the subsequent Russian cavalry and infantry has exceeded 300,000, and everyone understands the critical situation facing this time.

Tang Jian looked at everyone calmly and said slowly: "You are the human nature to worry, but everyone should remember that we are the teachers of justice. After so many things, most Chinese people have already seen Yuan Shikai's true face. If you have the power, you will have the power to help, but if you lose the power, you will have few help! Therefore, we will definitely win the war in the end!"

"Haha, the commander is right. If you have the power, you will have many helpers, but if you lose the power, you will have few helpers. We will eventually win the war!" Nie Shicheng said with a confident smile.

Seeing that the worry on everyone's faces slightly eased, Tang Jian added: "There is another good news to tell everyone that Fuzhou has produced a batch of new weapons and will soon be put into the battlefield. However, due to production issues, these weapons will be supplemented in a small amount, but even if it is supplemented in a small amount, its power cannot be underestimated!"

At this time, Jie Jiajun, the leader of the main team, asked: "Is there any iron boxes that are better than those of the Beiyang New Army on the Eastern Front battlefield?"

News of new weapons appearing on the battlefield on the Eastern Front has spread throughout the National Revolutionary Army. Legend has it that this iron box can steer as fast as a flat ground, and there is also a Maxim machine gun on the top. With its speed and firepower, it can easily tear open the conservative defense line of heavy troops.

Then the rumors about this iron box became more and more evil, saying that as long as you own an iron box like this, you can easily repel a 10,000 army. Otherwise, Sun Wanling, who was brave in combat, would not have given up Xuzhou so easily and retreated to Nanjing.

Tang Jian smiled slightly: "Of course there are special boxes, which are called armored vehicles. The armored vehicles we invented ourselves are more than ten times stronger than Yuan Shikai's. Now we have produced fifteen cars, and the ones behind will gradually increase their output, so don't worry."

Several young regiment commanders cheered. These days, the soldiers in the army were frightened by rumors about the iron box. Now, there are armored vehicles in their army that are even more powerful than Yuan Shikai's iron box. This not only increases the strength of the army, but also increases morale invisibly.

"Okay, everyone will go to the meeting!" Tang Jian clapped his palms.

After everyone left, Lee Gates hurriedly ran in and said with a happy look on his face: "Young Master, let me tell you a good news!"

Tang Jian looked at Lee Gates' excited expression and asked, "Oh? What good news makes you so happy?"

"Yes, Bafete, Bafete is back, he is in Fuzhou now!" Lee Gates said excitedly.

"Really? That's great!" Tang Jian was also extremely happy. Bafert, who had been missing for several months, finally came back!

"Let's go, follow me to Fuzhou right away!" Tang Jian pulled Li Gates and walked out.
Chapter completed!