Yan Huiqing took the call and realized that it was Wu Tingfang and Xu Shichang who came over. The former was his mentor and the latter was his old boss. The company came together and could not even think about it.

"I'll ask the two masters to wait in the east wing first, and I'll change my clothes and go."

Yan Huiqing hurriedly ordered the housekeeper to go to entertain first, then rushed to the bedroom, changed into a long gown. Then he took a servant and brought a few calligraphy and paintings he had just found from the antique market, and rushed to the east wing to meet the guests.

After entering the east wing, Yan Huiqing and Wu Tingfang and Xu Shichang greeted him. Seeing that he was pale, but he didn't look like he was seriously ill, Wu Tingfang and Xu Shichang were both a little strange.

"Junren, I heard you are sick. I'll come over to see you. I wonder what your disease is?" Wu Tingfang asked around the bush.

Yan Huiqing smiled bitterly. They were all people who had been in the officialdom. Most of them had similar thoughts and there was no need to hide them, so they simply told Wu Tingfang and Xu Shichang the truth.

"To be honest, I'm a traitor. Yesterday, someone from the Presidential Palace told me that Tang Shaochuan would return to China in a few days. By then, the position of Foreign Affairs Chief will be taken over by Tang Shaochuan, and I, a transitional figure, should withdraw. In fact, I am not a petty person, but the center treats me like this, which is a bit unkind."

Wu Tingfang and Xu Shichang looked at each other. They didn't expect Yan Huiqing to speak so bluntly. If this were put on the pre-Qing Dynasty, a charge of "resentful court" would not be able to escape. Will Yan Huiqing be afraid that the president would hear this?

"Junren, you are not a person with a big official addiction. Why is it so uneasy this time? If you don't become the chief of the Foreign Affairs Department, can you continue to be your deputy chief of the Foreign Affairs Department? You are also working for the country. Look at me, after staying away from politics, you live a relaxed and comfortable life, not like you in the officialdom, you will be tired after all." Xu Shichang persuaded a few words.

"I'm so cold. I have no personal grudges with Tang Shaochuan. But I think that last time Tang Shaochuan was punished by the president for being passive and slacking off, but now he suddenly resurrects. It's not easy to convince people." Yan Huiqing sighed.

"Junren, you are wrong. The president's move is not a special care for Tang Shaochuan, but purely due to the situation. Think about it, this time the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was ordered to hold talks with the Russian diplomatic envoy on the North Manchuria issue and the Outer Mongolia issue. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to have a Chinese diplomat who had served as ministers in the Russian Empire presided over the matter? Tang Shaochuan had met many high-ranking officials and nobles in the Russian court in Russia for several years. Even Russian was quite skilled. The president asked him to take over the post of Foreign Affairs Chief and negotiate with the Russian Empire's special envoy. This is the safest way."

Seeing that Yan Huiqing had thought it was a bit wrong, Wu Tingfang smiled faintly, analyzed it, and Xu Shichang, who was sitting on the side, also echoed repeatedly.

Yan Huiqing then came back to her senses. She was stunned for a moment, then raised her hand, patted her forehead, and said, "So, confused. It turns out that the president's intention is like this. I didn't understand it. It turns out that he is so confused. It's so confused. It seems that the president asked me to let Xian. It seems that there is some truth." The knot was resolved, and a smile appeared on Yan Huiqing's face, so she no longer bothered who was responsible for the Chief of Foreign Affairs. The topic changed and touched the two people in front of her.

"Wu Gong, Xu Xiang, why are the two of you here together? Wu Gong is now negotiating with ministers from various countries." The issue of legal rights outside Sichuan and Ye. Xu Xianghang is busy operating the industry. How do you come to see me?"

Yan Huiqing asked, and Wu Tingfang and Xu Shichang were telling the truth.

"Junren, don't forget what day it is today. Today is a Sunday for Westerners. As usual, I don't work. I want to negotiate with foreign ministers. They are not happy. As for Xu Donghai, he is very busy and is usually busy with industry. This time he came to Beijing, but he came to the meeting. He didn't catch up with the industrial and commercial symposium hosted by the president a few days ago. He is busy getting close to those industry associations these days. He is afraid that he will be squeezed aside by his peers. Fortunately, his title of the first president of the Republic of China is still there, and others will give him face."

Wu Tingfang said this. Xu Shichang took out a few business cards and handed them to Yan Huiqing. There were many titles on his head. Xu Shichang now serves as vice president of more than ten industry associations.

Yan Huiqing put his business card on the table and smiled bitterly: "Compared with the two seniors, I am a mediocre person."

"June. Don't be discouraged. Your talents are here. The center will reuse you sooner or later. In fact, in addition to seeing you, we have another thing we want to ask you about when we come here. You are hosting the talks with the Russian Empire diplomatic mission. How is the current progress? What is the Russian's position?" Wu Tingfang asked.

Yan Huiqing said: "There is war in Europe now, and Germany threatens to defeat the Allies within several months. Russia is busy preparing for the war, so where can I pay attention to the Far East? Besides, our team performed well in this Sino-Japanese battle, which shocked the Russians very much. The Russian government is worried that our country will take the opportunity to send troops to the Russian Far East and attack Russia with Germany. Therefore, the Russians have a very flexible position in this negotiation. When we go further, the other side will take a step back. As long as it does not touch Russia's local interests, everything will be easy to negotiate. It is for this reason that I feel at ease to let my men handle this negotiation. Look. The Russians are busy negotiating with us even on Sundays, which shows their anxiety."

"In this way, it will be no problem for the central government to peacefully recover the interests of North Manchuria through negotiations?" Xu Shichang hurriedly interrupted.

"It's hard to say. It's still being discussed. What's the result depends on the president's intention. If the president spoke loudly, the Russians might not accept his conditions. Xu Xiang, you are planning to go to Beiman City to start a mine again, right?" Yan Huiqing looked at Xu Shichang.

Xu Shichang nodded and said, "Although the North Manchuria region has a harsh climate, it is precisely because of the harsh climate that the mineral deposits there have not been large-scale mining. Although there are currently some types of mines, coal mines and gold mines, but because most of them are manual mining, not only small in scale and high in cost, they cannot compete with the South Manchuria Mine. Now I have contacted several Southeast industrialists and are ready to let go, but I have always been concerned about the Russian forces in North Manchuria. If the center can peacefully recover the interests of North Manchuria, then our North Manchuria mining plan can be implemented. In addition, North Manchuria is vast and sparsely populated, but the land is not poor, especially the Sanjiang Plain area, which is a good place to develop agriculture. I also plan to learn from Zhang Jizhi and find a place to build a modern farm in the North Manchuria area. Cultivate with machinery."

Yan Huiqing agreed with Xu Shichang's previous words, but did not agree with his last words.

"Xu Xiang, you probably haven't heard of it yet? There have been rumors recently that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce are studying the formulation of progressive real estate taxes. In the future, it is likely that the more real estate you own, the heavier the real estate tax you need to pay. So, now Zhang Jizhi and others who are dedicated to learning from American farmers are waiting and watching and have stopped purchasing land."

"Oh? There is something wrong? Why didn't I listen to anyone?" Xu Shichang was very surprised and looked at Wu Tingfang sitting beside him.

Wu Tingfang nodded and said, "I have heard of this rumor, it has only been half a month since it appeared. Maybe it hasn't reached the south yet. You have been in the south some days ago, so it's natural that you haven't heard of it."

"Progressive tax? I just don't know what the maximum tax rate can be?"

This is the first time Xu Shichang has heard of this kind of tax, but Yan Huiqing has explained it very clearly just now. He has basically understood the key point.

"Then I don't know. This is also a rumor. The central government may not do this. I heard that this was caused by Sun Wu and Ju Zheng's group of people. As for what the president meant, no one knows it now. However, Zhang Jizhi has already advised the president and asked the president to consider this matter carefully to avoid panic." Yan Huiqing said.

"It's not like people panic. After all, Zhao Zhenhua has such a high prestige. As the president, he can keep the situation in check. I'm afraid that people with ulterior motives will instigate them. You have to be wary of this." Wu Tingfang pondered.

"In this way, the Beiman settlement plan can only be pushed back. It's better to run the mining industry first and then talk about something else." Xu Shichang made up his mind and stopped paying attention to this matter.

Yan Huiqing ordered his servants to take up the calligraphy and paintings and appreciate them with Wu Tingfang and Xu Shichang. In fact, these calligraphy and paintings were not worth much money when they bought them. Everyone was polite. Now that the country's power has declined, the value of these calligraphy and paintings will also rise when the world is peaceful. Since the so-called "antiques and gold in the prosperous times" came to an end, the price of this gold has been bearish all the way, while the price of antiques has risen all the way, and the people's confidence in the country has become stronger.

This appreciation reached the dinner hour. Yan Huiqing welcomed Wu Tingfang and Xu Shichang for dinner. Just as the meal was being eaten, the phone rang. The phone was called by the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yan Huiqing also learned through the phone that just this afternoon, the talks between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian diplomatic envoy made breakthrough progress. The Russian government has "in principle agreed" to cancel the diplomatic recognition of the Outer Mongolia puppet regime, abolish the ambassador to Kulun, and restore the consulate. Moreover, if the number of Chinese teams is not large, Russia also agreed to China to send a defense force to Kulun City.

Obviously, the excellent performance of the Chinese Defense Forces in the war did make the Russian government feel guilty. Although they had tried to bluff, the central government finally saw through this clumsy trick. Now, the Russian government can only choose to give in temporarily.
Chapter completed!