Tianjin, Tianjin Customs Road Office.

Yuan Shikai took over a wooden box brought by his staff, opened the lock on the wooden box with a carry-on key, and took out the seal of the guard from it. This was his "full-powered regent" seal of the guard. The court sent a special person to send it. From the day he received the guard, his identity as the regent was officially recognized by the court. Some official duties that were originally difficult to handle became easier, such as appointing and removing officials, or borrowing money from foreign banks.

Yuan Shikai used this guard to solemnly stamp a large seal on a draft contract, and then put the guard back in the wooden box to lock it. While he was locking it, three golden and blue-eyed foreigners had signed the secret on the contract.

These three foreigners are not ordinary businessmen. They are the general representatives of the British HSBC Bank, the Russian Daosheng Bank, and the French Oriental Bank in China. They now have a common identity: the director of the Three Kingdoms Bank Group.

The "Three Kingdoms Bank Group" was formed not long ago by the initiative of the British minister and was reorganized by a joint bank group composed of France and the United Kingdom. One of its main businesses was to provide commercial loans to Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Group to stabilize the situation in the north and use the loan to further control China's finance and railways. After the establishment of the bank group, it immediately provided Yuan Shikai with an emergency loan of 500,000 pounds to serve as military pay and maintain the new Beiyang army. The situation was critical at the time, and the loan did not even ask for any collateral.

Now, another new loan intention has been established. This time it was a big deal, with a total of three million qians and nearly two hundred and six million taels of silver in Heku Pingyin. However, this time, the collateral is required. In addition to tariffs, there is also the salt tax in Jiangsu. The annual interest rate of the loan is 75% and a discount of 95%. The main purpose of this loan is to build the railway from Tianjin to Pukou. In fact, the construction of the Jinpu Road was started last year, but it has been suffering from a shortage of funds. In addition to the road rights dispute and the trend of road protection, the railway only built a section from Tianjin to Shandong.

The revolutionary situation in the south is now rising, and the construction progress needs to be accelerated so that the Beiyang forces will penetrate south in the future. For this purpose, the Three Kingdoms Bank Group took the initiative to make suggestions and provide Yuan Shikai with this loan. The railway will be built in three sections at the same time, contracted by Britain, France and Russia respectively. From the recruitment of technicians to the procurement of railway equipment, the Three Kingdoms Bank Group was all decided by the Three Kingdoms Bank Group. In order to avoid stimulating the nerves of the Chinese people, this railway is nominally controlled by the Chinese government, and the accounts are managed by the Bank of Communications, which was just established last year.

In addition to building the railway, the loan also has a balance of 500,000 pounds, which is used to expand the first phase of the Beiyang Army. The Beiyang New Army had six towns with more than 70,000 people. Now Yuan Shikai can only control five towns. The first town is in the hands of the Qing court and stationed in the capital. Most of the soldiers are flag-men, and Yuan Shikai cannot command it. The second town lost two standards in Wuhan, Wang Zhanyuan and Lu Yongxiang, and its strength was weakened. The fifth town attacked Chang Geng, the governor of Liangjiang in the south, and the third town remained in the northeast.

Maintaining the ground, so now, there are only three towns of Beiyang New Army in Zhili, with less than 40,000 people. It is basically impossible to maintain the order of the entire north with such a little force. As for those patrol battalions, they are not expected and are very unreliable. Yuan Shikai plans to expand the Beiyang Army to fifteen towns, with nearly 200,000 people in the short term. This plan was fully supported by the British Minister Zhuerdiandi. Expansion of the army required funds, so the Three Kingdoms Bank Group came in handy.

After the draft was signed, Yuan Shikai smiled and took the contract to his hands. Zhu Erdian, who was standing beside him, took the lead in applause, walked to Yuan Shikai and said, "Congratulations, Lord Yuan, as long as the north-south peace talks reach a consensus and determine the national system, then this international loan can be established immediately. At that time, you will have the most powerful army in China."

Yuan Shikai nodded: "I am very grateful to you because the luncheon has been prepared. I am also asking you to be sure to appreciate your face to the banquet."

"I am very interested in Lord Yuan's family banquet.

However, I hope to attend the banquet with Japanese Minister Hiroki Irijito. At the banquet, perhaps we can further enhance the friendship and trust between countries and discuss the situation in the south. In fact, the Japanese consortium also hopes to join the international banking group. However, there is no consensus in the country at present."

Juerdian's words are half true and half false. In fact, the reason why Japan has been unable to join the international banking group is not because of disagreement. It is because Japan's financial tension. The Russo-Japanese War almost exhausted the Japanese treasury a few years ago. After the war, no compensation was obtained for a ruble war. In addition, it also brought Britain and the United States to foreign debt. The interest rate in repaying the debt every year is a big number. At this time, where are there idle funds to lend Yuan Shikai?

However, in order to consolidate the British-Japanese alliance, Jurden still hopes to bring Japan into the international banking group. He even suggested that Japan borrow money from France and then lend it to Yuan Shikai. Of course, the interest difference in the middle may fall on China.

"Welcome. I will definitely wait for the two ministers in front of the mansion at that time." Yuan Shikai smiled red.

Now the local court is empty. The center of rights has been transferred from Beijing to Tianjin. All countries have regarded Yuan Shikai as the spokesperson of China. The ministers of various countries have also upgraded the Tianjin consulate to a temporary embassy in China. The reason why it is "temporary".

Because there is no Dongjiaomin Lane here and no embassy area. In the future, after Yuan Shikai took Beijing, the ministers would still rush back to the capital of the Qing Dynasty.

"Mr. Yuan, don't be polite."

Zhu Erdian smiled and politely, changed the subject and said, "I heard that the German minister visited Lord Yuan yesterday. It seems that there was a counselor of the US embassy who accompanied the minister. Obviously, Germany and the United States also attach great importance to friendship with Lord Yuan. As far as I know, the German minister was once a friend of Zhang Zhidong, the minister of Youji. However, after Zhang Zhongtang was assassinated, the German minister did not go to the hang himself. It is really strange."

Yuan Shikai was slightly stunned and pondered about Zhu Erdian's real intention.

Last year, the Qing court summoned Zhang Zhidong to Beijing. In addition to ordering him to advance to the military to assist in government affairs, he also appointed him as the "Supervisor of Guangdong-Han and Sichuan-Han Railways" to raise funds for road construction. The Guangdong-Han Railway communicates with Wuhan and Guangzhou, and runs through several provinces in Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong. Once completed, its huge commercial and political value is immeasurable. The right to road of this railway was originally controlled by American companies, but due to the slow progress of the project and the outbreak of the American anti-Chinese wave, the Chinese gentry and people's call for the right to reclaim the right to road. Forced by public opinion, the Qing court in 1905 told Zhang Zhidong to redeem the railway with a huge sum of money and hand it over to the merchants and civilians to build it on their own. Since the redemption of the road was borrowed from the British consortium, Zhang Zhidong promised the British consortium that if foreign money was borrowed to build the Guangdong-Han Road in the future, he should first borrow from the British consortium.

Last year, the Qing Dynasty issued an edict, saying that on the pretext that the progress of self-built railways in various provinces was slow, the Ministry of Posts and Communications ordered the Ministry of Posts to send personnel to inspect the provinces. This was actually a signal of "the imperial court of the railway trunk line", but the construction of the road required huge amounts of funds, and the Qing court did not have so much money, so they could only borrow from foreigners. Shortly after the imperial edict, Zhang Zhidong took office as the Minister of Railway Supervisor and officially began loan negotiations with foreign consortiums. However, before the loan was established, the "Xu Shen Revolution" broke out, and the construction of the railway was shelved, but the loan negotiations were intensified. The Qing court was empty, and strangled the revolution was inseparable from military expenses. Borrowing from foreigners was also a way to raise military expenses.

Zhang Zhidong was ordered to negotiate with the British and German consortiums. Because the British negotiators asked for a lot of prices and failed to sign a contract with the British consortium, the Germans were much more "easy". Therefore, Zhang Zhidong finally reached an agreement with the German consortium. However, just as both sides were flirting with each other, the Beiyang army rebelled, and the ministers from various countries expressed their support for Yuan Shikai. The broken house in the Qing Dynasty was about to collapse. Although the Germans were rigid, they were not fools. If they borrowed money from the Qing court at this time, they would definitely be useless in the future, so the Qing court did not even get a mark.

In the battle for the right to road rights of Han, Sichuan and Han, Britain and Germany have long been the opponent. Although they did not break up on the surface, they did many things that secretly made trouble. After the revolution broke out, Britain supported Yuan Shikai to "military remonstration" and pulled Yuan Shikai to his side in an instant. Germany suffered a loss and was naturally unwilling to accept it.

After the United Kingdom, France and Russia formed the "Three Kingdoms Bank Group", Germany also expressed its intention to join the bank group. However, due to the strong support of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Balkan "Bosnian Crisis", Germany offended Tsarist Russia. As a result, the Russian minister strongly opposed the pulling of Germany into the bank group. As for Germany's old rival France, it even took the blame. Britain continued to be the superficial "good gentleman" and no one was offended. As a result, the Three Kingdoms Bank Group refused to accept the German consortium and refused to share this "Far East feast" with Germany.

The Germans were kicked out of the door with a kick, and the German business community was unwilling to watch the huge Far East market being monopolized by the Allies, so they also brought in the US aggravated households, which were also neglected by the Three Kingdoms, in order to jointly fight against the Three Kingdoms bank group.

The American consortium has long been salivating about the Chinese railways. Moreover, as the newly emerging world's largest industrial power, since 19o6, under the influence of economic laws, the United States has fallen into a small-scale economic recession, with insufficient factories starting, domestic markets weak, financial sluggish, and a large amount of hot capital is eager to find a way out. Therefore, China's railways have once again entered the vision of American merchants, and Germany's proactive win has just given American merchants an opportunity to intervene.

Just yesterday, German Minister Rex to China and Counselor of the US Embassy Fletcher visited Yuan Shikai together and negotiated with Yuan Shikai on the issue of Guangdong-Hanzhou and Sichuan-Hanzhou railways. The two proposed to Yuan Shikai that they were willing to form a joint consortium to provide huge loans to Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Group. The exchange was that at least one of the Guangdong-Hanzhou and Sichuan-Hanzhou railways would be handed over to merchants from both countries to handle.

Yuan Shikai was unsure of his mind and did not agree on the spot, but only agreed to consider it.

But before he could think clearly, Juerdian had already received the news. Obviously, the British had been paying close attention to Yuan Shikai's every move. Maybe Yuan Shikai had a spy liner placed by the British.

"Mr. Minister, yesterday the German minister did have a meeting with me with the American counselor. It is also for the Guangdong-Hanzhou and Sichuan-Hanzhou Railway." Yuan Shikai hesitated for a moment and decided to tell the truth.

Juerdian narrowed his eyes and said, "I really want to know how your Excellency answered him."

"It is of great importance. I can't make the decision alone. I still need to discuss with my aides, and I need to know more about the court."

"Your court once had a tacit understanding with the British government. The Yangtze River Basin is the British sphere of influence, and no other country is allowed to seek an advantage within this range, whether it is the Guangdong-Han Road or the Sichuan-Han Road, it is within this range. I think you should be clear about this."

Yuan Shikai was speechless. Zhu Erdian's meaning was already very clear. ~Han, Sichuan-Han Railway must not be handed over to countries outside the UK.

Railways are not only a transportation issue, but also a political issue. Through railways, Britain can spread its influence to a wider area. Building railways can not only seek markets for its own steel mills, but also gain commercial monopoly rights along the railway. If the railway is controlled by British merchants, as long as the British are willing, they can at any time keep the enemy's goods from the way they increase freight rates.

Therefore, the British are determined to win the Guangdong-Hanzhou and Sichuan-Hanzhou railways, and there is no room for negotiation. Even if the UK cannot get it, Germany must not get it.

Seeing Yuan Shikai remained silent, Juerdian struck while the iron was hot and said: "The British government believes that if your new government can provide British merchants with convenience in railway construction, then the British government can give you a batch of the latest arms for free, which is better than German goods."

After hearing this, Yuan Shikai was shocked. The German minister said similar things yesterday. Now it seems that he must have the British's spy around him. Otherwise, how could the British know about such a secret matter?

Yuan Shikai said hurriedly: "I appreciate the kindness of the minister. As for the railway matters, it is indeed important, and I need to discuss it carefully with my aides."

Juerdian stopped when he saw the good news and said, "I hope Lord Yuan will give me a clear answer as soon as possible. I am patient, but it does not mean that British businessmen are patient. As far as I know, people from the Tongmenghui have had contact with the British consortium and talked about loans. Although I am close friends with Lord Yuan, merchants are profit-oriented and no one can guarantee that the British consortium will always support Lord Yuan."

Yuan Shikai heard the threatening meaning in Zhuerdian's words and was a little distracted. When he came to his senses, he nodded and said, "Please rest assured that as long as the court speaks, Yuan will do his best to the industrial and commercial community of your country."

He respectfully sent Zhu Erdian and others to leave the Tianjin Customs Road Office. Yuan Shikai got on the carriage and rushed back to the Zhili Governor's Office. His eldest son Yuan Keding also took the same carriage. When the carriage started, he submitted a telegram to Yuan Shikai.

"Yang Xizi called back." Yuan Keding didn't dare to talk nonsense.

Yesterday, Yuan Shikai learned that Yang Du had taken the initiative to go to Wuchang to be a lobbyist, and was furious. Yuan Shikai's decision was that the southern revolutionaries insisted on the "republic", and he took the opportunity to slaughter the Qing court, forcing the Qing court to give up the country while bargaining with the South. In any case, he had to take the position of "grand commander" and to seize the greatest interests from the Qing court and the revolutionary party. It was not enough to support him by Zhao Bei. The leaders of the Tongmenghui and the Restoration Association must clearly express their support for him. Only in this way can the Qing court give up the country, and only in this way can they convey such a message to the world: the Qing Dynasty was destroyed by our Yuan Shikai, not by the revolutionary party!

But Yang Du's unauthorized actions disrupted other places' deployments because Yang Du went to Wuchang to persuade Zhao Bei to abandon the "republic" proposition and agree to constitutional monarchy. If he really persuaded Zhao Bei, then the most important force of the southern revolutionary faction softened and announced his approval of "junxian", then Yuan Shikai's wishful thinking would be disappointed. Although the Qing court would definitely not be able to retain its power, at least it could implement the constitutional monarchy. No matter how domineering Yuan Shikai was, he would still ride an emperor on his head. This is something he very unwilling to see. He has been a slave for his whole life and he is unwilling to continue to be a slave, even if he is a slave with real power.

Yuan Shikai looked at the telegram a few times, was quite surprised, and pondered: "Look at the meaning of this telegram, Zhao Bei seemed a little shaken. "Republic" or "Junxian" was still between the two, but what does his words mean? "Even if it is a constitutional monarchy, you have to find a Han man to be the emperor. The bannerman has been trampling on us for more than 200 years, so you can't ask them to step on it anymore, right?"

Yuan Keding was late and whispered: "My son thought that Commander-in-Chief Zhao's meaning was very straightforward, that is, it is no problem to ask him to agree with constitutional monarchy, but the established emperor must be a Han. Revolutionaries have been promoting the 'racial revolution', and their slogan of 'Preventing Manchu and Promoting the Han' has been shouting for more than a day or two. If the Qing Dynasty does not retreat, wouldn't it be a slap in the face?"

Yuan Shikai put the telegram copy aside, closed his eyes and thought for a while, and said to himself: "Is this Zhao Bei really willing to support Jun Xian?"
Chapter completed!