Chapter 549 Yuan Shikai's enlightenment

Duan Qirui's face looked ugly, not because of Yuan Shikai's lesson, but because he still cannot understand Yuan Shikai's words. Now the whole country knows that the Beiyang government wants to deal with the Guangdong military government. As a result, a series of suppression measures carefully planned by the Beiyang government not only failed to make Guangdong submissive, but instead retreated step by step. It would be fine if Zhangzhou did not win, but even Fujian was compensated. Even if a mere province was not worth worrying, it was already a big loss in its overall momentum.

He shook his head slowly, gritted his teeth and said, "President, if Wu Shaoting took Guangxi, I would never be so nervous and exaggerated. But this time it is different. Fujian is our territory. The President is not ready, and Wu Shaoting is not ready either. Why does Wu Shaoting dare to fight the battle in Fujian with the storm?"

Yuan Shikai's eyes turned cold and he stared at Duan Qirui straight. He knew that the people below were secretly stating that he was old and heavy, and no longer had the ambition of being a powerful man in the past. What he hated the most was that someone criticized him on this point. Although Duan Qirui did not say it explicitly, the allusion was nothing more than that.

He said in a stiff tone: "Zhiquan, I don't blame them for thinking that this is what the people below think, just think that they are ignorant. But you think so too, which really disappoints me. Although I, Old Yuan, is not as old as you imagined. The reason why I have a sign of decline in Beiyang is not because of my age, but because of the people who are leading troops below, their mood has changed, they are not enterprising, and they only want to occupy a province as king, and make it happen once and for all."

When he said the last sentence, his hands clenched into fists and smashed the edge of the bookshelf very hard.

At this moment, the old man over fifty years old seemed to have returned to nature. Whether it was his eyes, face, posture, or spirit, he became more domineering and even more aggressive than the seniors.

Duan Qirui couldn't help but want to take a step back, but finally stabilized his body. He felt the aura of Yuan Shikai and understood that the president was really not old, but because of this, the doubts in his heart became even more difficult to resolve. He took a deep breath and asked calmly: "President, why do you think so?"

Yuan Shikai sneered and asked back, "Why do I think so? Zhiquan, look at the last year when we fought in Guangzhou. If Cao Kun, Li Chun and Li Houji had sent troops as soon as possible and took advantage of the Guangdong War, would the Guangdong War be so bad? The young boy named Wu is still so arrogant and dares to fight with our Beiyang government? Cao Kun and Li Chun, these people are all people who are trusted by our Beiyang, but they are all taking their own small plans. After all, these people were not as active as Lu Rongting, an outsider, last year."

Duan Qirui frowned. He could have answered the conversation. The mistakes last year were most likely caused by the old bad habits of the Beiyang Army. If the soldiers were not gone for money, they would be helpless. But he thought about it carefully, why could the Guangdong Army completely change the old bad habits of the past in just two years, but the Beiyang Army has accumulated deeper and deeper over the past ten years?

Thinking of this, he had to swallow the words in his throat and remained silent in sorrow.

Yuan Shikai then said, "I don't talk about these people, I only talk about Hubei, Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei, Zhili, Jiangsu, and Shandong, which province has paid national taxes every year? Hua Fu is still our own family, and did his shopkeeper's JAC salt tax slip into his pocket? Tell me, even the people in our Beiyang have their own ulterior motives. How can we fight the decisive battle with the south? What is the root of the twilight? That's it!"

Duan Qirui sighed deeply, his face became even more worried. He said, "But the President, are you just watching the people in Guangdong eat up little by little, and make it bigger little by little? I don't believe that there is no ambition to jointly defend foreign enemies in Beiyang."

Yuan Shikai shook his head slowly and smiled bitterly: "Without a sense of crisis, there is no ambition to fight against foreign enemies. I deliberately provoked so many troubles. Do you think I was idle and panicked as a joke? I had told you that if Wu Shaoting fought with the southern warlords, the better the fight, the bigger the fight, the better. Wu Shaoting can swallow Guangxi or force Hunan. When his power destroys the interests of other warlords, he will become the public enemy of the whole country."

Duan Qirui thought for a moment and vaguely understood what Yuan Shikai meant. Yuan Shikai deliberately asked Wu Shaoting to sound the alarm bell of Beiyang Group!

"But... President, it's too... too lingering." He originally planned to use the word "stupid". Force struggles have always been against tit. Where can there be a saying of playing hard to get? If Wu Shaoting really grows and grows, those southern warlords who are changing their responsibilities may not dare to deal with Guangdong, and they may even rush to the flames. Only then will it be out of control.

"Do you know why we Beiyang are not ready for a decisive battle? Do you know why Wu Shaoting is not ready for a decisive battle?" Yuan Shikai asked in a serious tone.

"Of course, there is something lacking in military equipment." Duan Qirui said seriously.

"The planning of arms is just a matter of time, and this is just a secondary reason. What we lack now in the north and south is a sense of confidence. Our confidence is the strong strength of the Beiyang Group, but for now, I can't see that this strength can be gathered together. Only when everyone in Beiyang, everyone knows that the enemy is at the forefront, will this confidence be considered. As for Wu Shaoting, he lacks confidence because he is fighting alone and fighting against the whole country with the power of Guangdong Province. It is not just a few slogans or a few political parties. He is waiting, and we are waiting, too." Yuan Shikai said in a methodical tone.

"President, this is gambling!" Duan Qirui couldn't help but feel a little angry.

"What is a decisive battle? Decisive battle is either you die or I die. If you don't bet, do you think the world is so easy to get?" Yuan Shikai's expression was very firm, like a newly built bronze statue, heavy and unshakable.

"Oh..." Duan Qirui sighed. At this moment, he completely understood that the President was indeed not caused by Mu Qi. A person with heavy Mu Qi would never make such a big bet! "No matter what, I must follow the President and do my best for the President and for our Beiyang."

"Zhiquan, I hope you will disappoint me." Yuan Shikai nodded deeply and said with relief.

Duan Qirui was about to say goodbye, Yuan Shikai waved and said, "Don't be anxious first. I heard that Xu Shuzheng was very capable, and stabilized the Hubei side in just a few seconds."

Duan Qirui reluctantly showed a smile and said, "It's all the President who has a lot of trust. This young man is considered diligent and has never let down the President's cultivation heart."

Yuan Shikai looked out the window of the study room in depth and said slowly: "The young man is so terrifying, the young man is so terrifying. You said before, we Beiyang need fresh blood. Since Xiao Xu performed well, let him stay in Hubei to lead troops. Central China is the key, but unfortunately the people who are in charge there are old people, and they all rely on their qualifications to recognize people. Let's make arrangements to let Xiao Xu leave all the thief-suppressing army and return the original department that cannot be kept."

Duan Qirui didn't understand for a moment and hurriedly said, "President, if Xu Shuzheng lost the thief suppression army, I'm afraid he will be even more unsteady in Hubei. If he keeps him in Hubei, he must have some power; otherwise, it's better to be transferred back and send." He was very concerned about the future of his favorite student. Instead of being a bachelor commander in Hubei, it would be better to come back and make arrangements for him.

Yuan Shikai gave up and said with a little blame: "Listen to me first. The bandit suppression army is a piece of equipment. The original owners were all old people from Beiyang. If it weren't for the crisis in Wuhan, Xiao Xu would be difficult to control. Now that Hubei has been pacified, the bandit suppression army will sooner or later be distorted. Why ask Xiao Xu to do it for nothing? Let him go to Xiangyang, give him the title of the General Office of the Xiangyang Supervision and Training Office, and then draw a number from the Army Department. Since you can lead troops, I believe that your ability to train troops is not bad."

Duan Qirui suddenly realized that Yuan Shikai was really interested in cultivating Xu Shuzheng this time, and actually planned to support Xu Shuzheng from scratch and start from scratch! He was overjoyed and hurriedly said: "Xu Shuzheng had also assisted in the training of new recruits in the Kinki area before. When the Sixth Town reorganized the Sixth Division and the Seventh Division of the Central Committee, he was responsible for the training of the two regiments. I believe that he will definitely complete the tasks assigned by the President, be loyal and dedicated, and live up to the President's cultivation."

Yuan Shikai breathed a sigh of relief and said earnestly: "Promote more newcomers, maybe I can change my old Beiyang aura. I will sooner or later leave this world to them."
Chapter completed!