Chapter 572 The First Meeting

When I returned to the government office, it was already late at night.

Wu Shaoting walked out of the car and waited deliberately for a while. Liang Qichao and Cai E then came out of the other two cars.

The three of them met at the gate and walked into the yard together.

"Mr. Zhuo Ru, what happened just now is really a bit sudden. But this is a warning. Our consultation meeting will not go smoothly. Everyone has their own ideas. Only by considering different opinions can this conference gather real strength. I'm afraid that it will take much harder to do in this regard." Wu Shaoting said heavy.

"Oh, I naturally understand this principle, and I will do my best to do my best to take into account the overall situation." Liang Qichao nodded slowly and said helplessly.

Wu Shaoting glanced at Cai E. He deliberately mentioned this matter again at this time, not only to remind Liang Qichao, but more importantly to test Cai E's reaction. In the hotel just now, Cai E was always indifferent, but his thoughts were full of worries, which really made people unable to guess what it meant. Although it was difficult for him to infer Cai E's thoughts, he knew that the more cracks the southern governor had, the more he should actively win over Cai E.

However, Cai E still looked silent at this time, and he was only concerned about burying his head and walking forward.

Wu Shaoting couldn't help but asked deliberately: "General Songpo, I didn't expect that such a thing would happen when I first gathered today. I hope it would not affect General Songpo too much."

Cai E did not turn his head to look at Wu Shaoting, but still stared at the steps ahead, saying with a deep meaning: "Although this matter is small, it has a great impact. Following Wu Rongwu's words, I hope everything will go smoothly in the future."

The three of them had just walked into the courtyard gate, and Chen Jiongming happened to come out of the guild hall, and he had a document in his hand. He came to everyone, greeted Cai E and Liang Qichao first, and then turned to Wu Shaoting and said, "Shishou Ting, the emergency telegram received by the Secret Service half an hour ago is in action in the north."

The last sentence "There are movements in the north" made Liang Qichao and Cai E both cheer up.

Wu Shaoting quickly took the telegram and looked at it. His brows gradually frowned. He just sighed and handed the telegram to Cai E for a look. Cai E looked it over and changed his face, saying, "It seems that Beiyang cannot sit still this time. The three Central Divisions with the best organization, the most exquisite equipment and the strongest combat power have all been transferred."

This telegram was collected by the Shanghai Intelligence Station on the news about the Beiyang Army. The day after Cai E left Beijing, the Beiyang government immediately made a response. The Central Division drove to the front line of the Yangtze River, but the intention was obvious, but it was still difficult to grasp the strategically. As of now, the three Central Divisions seemed to be in a defensive state and did not intend to cross the Yangtze River to the south. However, this was just a superficial phenomenon, and the pressure on the south was already quite large.

After hearing Cai E's words, Liang Qichao showed an angry expression on his face and said angrily: "Yuan Shikai is really a stern heart and has never considered giving in at all. I misread him, but I really misread him. Alas!!" After he said that, his hands clenched into fists, and he had an urge to be furious for a moment.

Both Wu Shaoting and Cai E knew that Liang Qichao and the Progressive Party always had extravagant hopes for Beiyang, and the convening of the Southern Governors' Consultation Conference was only to further put pressure on Yuan Shikai and force Yuan Shikai to retreat. But now this news completely cut off Liang Qichao's wishes. At this moment, he even felt that Liang Qichao, like Song Jiaoren, had completely awakened from disappointment.

"Oh!" Cai E sighed and shook his head helplessly, and then he would not walk into the guild hall.

Wu Shaoting's eyes turned to Cai E's back again, and found that the general gave people a feeling of confusion.

"Shocking, it seems that we must be serious this time. We must not only establish a ruling alliance and an election convention, but also completely overturn the dominance of the Beiyang regime in China." Liang Qichao said very seriously.

"I will announce this news when the meeting is officially held tomorrow. I believe everyone's opinion must be the same as Mr. Zhuo Ru. Even if others have complaints, I will stick to it to the end." Wu Shaoting said solemnly.

At 8 o'clock the next day, the governors of various provinces set off for the venue with important staff.

The meeting location for the consultation meeting was chosen as the riverside club of the former Whampoa Military Officers Club. This three-story small western-style building has a great geographical location and a wide scene. It not only facilitates the layout of the venue, but also is convenient for travel to all parties.

Half a month ago, the villa was ruled by the military and began to set up the venue. The two halls on the first floor became resting places and communication rooms, and the communication specialists of each province were responsible for conveying messages to the province. The venue was on the second floor, and many rooms were cleared and a wall was even removed, which formed a place to accommodate dozens of people.

Inside and outside the villa, like the Jiangan Hotel yesterday, the guards and security forces of various provinces set up camp here, and armed speedboats patrolling the river in the south at all times. The entire street ahead was blocked. Even some nearby houses were requisitioned and became temporary guard bases.

When Wu Shaoting, Liang Qichao, Cai E, Cen Chunxuan, Song Jiaoren and others walked into the villa hall, Tang Jiyao, Xiong Kewu, Liu Xianshi, Yang Ximin and others had arrived. Everyone sat in the lounge first and talked about some of the meeting in advance. Wu Shaoting did not rush to tell the telegram he received last night, and it was not too late to talk when everyone arrived.

After a while, Liu Zhenhuan, Zhu Chenggui and others arrived and joined the conversation in the lounge.

As for Lu Rongting, he arrived almost at the official meeting. After the crowd arrived, everyone went directly to the second floor to enter the venue. There was a large circular conference table in the center of the venue, and many seats were prepared against the wall. The leading figure naturally sat on the circular conference table, and the accompanying staff and staff sat against the wall.

The morning meeting did not directly get to the point, but issued a statement first, confirming that Liang Qichao was elected as the conference host and Song Jiaoren was the conference secretary. After that, Liang Qichao reiterated the principles and agenda of the conference. Everyone discussed it and made subtle changes. It was not until noon that all superficial work was over, and Wu Shaoting announced the telegram he received last night.

The content of the telegram is the only shocking news this dull morning, and everyone present has changed color to varying degrees. For several governors who hold real power, although they have made mental preparations before participating in this consultation meeting and may want to start a war in Beiyang, they obviously did not expect the tense situation to come so quickly.

Wu Shaoting noticed the changes in everyone's faces and whispers. He knew that these old-school warlords were fundamentally afraid of the Beiyang government, just like Lu Rongting, who had strong power before, had many soldiers and generals to achieve something, but he still wanted to be a king of Guangxi. Even if he had ambitions to expand, he would point to his neighboring province Guangdong. He knew very well that the purpose of these people participating in the consultation meeting was to expand their interests while stabilizing their own interests. If it was really time to go to war with Beiyang, it would be nothing more than to wait and see the wind turn.

This issue was left to the afternoon meeting for discussion, and the meeting ended just after half a day in the afternoon. Everyone came to the restaurant on the third floor to prepare for a meal.
Chapter completed!