Chapter 69: The Astonishing Carefree in the Garden of Longevity

  Henan.

  Inside the Changde Nursing Home, Qi Yaolin slightly bowed his head and followed behind Guan Jia without making a sound. Although he was the Governor of Henan Province and already a superior outside, compared to this person... it was really like heaven and earth apart.

  Especially on this road, the courtyard is full of robust and sturdy men with German Mauser guns on their backs and plate cannons at their waists. Several officers in Beiyang military uniforms are hurrying back and forth. Even "recluses" can be so prominent, and in the Great Qing Empire, probably only he can put on such a show! After passing through a courtyard gate, I saw that familiar figure walking towards the side hall. Qi Yaolin hurriedly ran a few steps forward to ask for instructions: "Henan Governor Qi Yaolin has seen Palace Guard General."

  "Oh, it's Shenyuan, haha......" Yuan Shikai had been feeling a bit restless lately, constantly pondering what price and conditions would make him come out of retirement. He didn't want to go back to the way things were before, when he almost became a ghost under the Qing dynasty's blade. It wasn't until Qi Yaolin spoke up that he noticed her, and with her help, he stood up, his green robe and horseback riding attire making him look much more refined. Smiling, he said: "I'm now without any official position, just call me Gongbao from now on."

  "I dare not." Qi Yaolin didn't dare to address him directly, and hastily pulled out a record from his sleeve: "Your Excellency, this is the news from Henan that I have had recorded over the past few days. After learning of the Wuchang incident, Yang Mengzhai and others from the Advisory Bureau were jumping up and down, frequently entering and exiting the military camp. I thought that since Your Excellency is currently residing in Henan, I would especially come to report to you, so that if something happens, we can also make early preparations."

  "Words have been spoken with intention." Yuan Shikai knew Qi Yaolin's thoughts, took over the detailed records and looked at them for a moment before asking: "Has Governor Bao Fen made a decision?"

  "After the imperial court ordered the army to enter Hubei, Bao Fen had already sent the 52nd battalion of the city patrol south. At this moment, they are probably at Wushengguan. Moreover, I heard from the provincial government that he has been sending people to keep an eye on Ying Longxiang every day for several days because Ying Longxiang is a relative of Li Yuanhong. He also met with Zhang Xiyuan many times and ordered Chi Degui to quickly return the remaining 13th battalion of the city defense to Kaifeng City in case of any emergency."

  "He still has some cleverness."

  Zhi Yaolin said, "Your Excellency, these past few days Henan has been quite unstable. Those party members have jumped out to cause trouble and repeatedly publicly shouted slogans learning from Wuchang... Do you think it's necessary for me to take action?"

  "Never mind, don't interfere in this matter. Let them make trouble if they want to. I still don't believe that Henan can turn the sky upside down."

  "Hehe, I was overthinking. With the big man in charge, even if there are many rebels, we have nothing to fear." Qi Yaolin hastily flattered, but Yuan Shikai furrowed his brow upon hearing this: "Although I am here, you all must not relax your vigilance, especially in the military, where you must strictly guard against death! If not, Wuchang will be an example."

  Yuan Shikai let out a sigh after finishing his instructions, shaking his head with endless regret: "Alas! This Song Qing, I've known him for so long, how could... it's all muddled up! He really thinks that just because he's a party member, he can achieve great things? The Eighth and Twenty-first Mixed Brigades were the elite troops of my Beiyang Army, but now they're in the hands of those party members. What a pity for these tens of thousands of soldiers! Even if they aren't taken over by the imperial court, I'm afraid they'll still be messed up by those reckless and incompetent people who only know how to talk big."

  "As soon as I entered the door, I heard Gongbao sighing. What's wrong that makes you so worried?"

  Qī Yào Lín was about to utter a few flattering words when he suddenly heard someone daring to directly address the name of Gōng Bǎo. Just as he was about to rebuke, he saw a man walking in from outside the courtyard, wearing a military uniform, holding a golden-hilted command knife, and sporting two braids of whiskers, with highly polished German-style long boots. At the sight of this attire, Qī Yào Lín immediately thought of one person and was so frightened that he hastily knelt down to pay his respects: "Qī Yào Lín, Governor of Henan, pays his respects to Your Excellency."

  Yuan Shikai also smiled and pretended to bow: "Yuan Cuiting has seen the imperial envoy..."

  "Gongbao, Yuan Gongbao! You're not intentionally teasing Wu Lou, are you?" The newcomer was none other than the Minister of War, the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the First Army, Feng Chang. He helped Yuan Shikai up and laughed, saying: "Unless you're blaming me for not having come to your Nourishing Longevity Garden in years?"

  "Haha, Governor Yin is joking." Yuan Shikai and Yin Chang were very familiar. When he was training troops in Xiaozhan, Yin Chang was in Tianjin, only a few dozen miles away. The three heroes of the Beiyang Warlord clique today were also recommended by him to join his camp. On that day when Zaifeng wanted to kill himself, he also spoke up for him, so everyone in the Yuan household regarded him as a superior. However, he also knew that this Yin Chang was not a suitable candidate for commanding troops. He had learned from the Germans and had a good demeanor, but his belly was full of straw. But... isn't it necessary to have such talent to entrust with important matters now?

  "It's still quite lively here in Gongbao." Yinchang glanced at Qi Yaolin and asked, "Lord Qi, what is this..."

  "It's like this, the imperial court has ordered the governor of Henan to handle part of the grain and fodder, but he doesn't understand military affairs, so he came to ask me how to do this task." Seeing Yuan Shikai personally covering for Qi Yaolin, Yin Chang looked at him a few more times before smiling and saying: "Leading troops to this point, one is to take a look at Gongbao, two is also to ask about the military situation, Qing Prince has been worried about the Wuchang rebels and can't even eat, I wonder if Gongbao can give some advice?"

  If Yun Chang inquired, Yuan Shikai might have said a few words, but as soon as he mentioned Yi Xuan, the corners of his mouth twitched twice. If it weren't for that old guy, he wouldn't be hiding in this poor and remote place. So he said: "Sir, you've asked the wrong person about this matter. Yuan has been in seclusion for many years and is out of touch with worldly affairs, how dare he speak recklessly?"

  Yin Chang smiled: "Why should Gongbao be modest? You have been in charge of the Beiyang government for many years, and your students and old friends are all over the court. Can you not know anything about the current situation?"

  "These years, many people have come to see me, unfortunately...". Yuan Shikai deliberately knocked his legs a few times and sighed: "The foot disease has been bothering me for many years, but it's getting more and more serious. It seems that I really should go to the warm place in Jiangnan to rest for a few more years."

  Yin Chang knew that the events of the past few years had made this person somewhat disheartened, but he was not good at fighting and understood him very well. He was absolutely not the kind of person who would sit idly by and watch the rise and fall of the world. It's just that the time to take action hadn't arrived yet. So he turned around and said: "In that case, I won't force Gongbao either. However, most of my first army are old men from Beiyang, so Gongbao should take care of them for me and help me perform this play well."

  "This matter can be put at ease, although I have been in seclusion for many years, I can still say a few words, and I will take care of Huafu and Zhiquan. Thinking back to the time when Yinchang was in danger, he helped him escape and didn't end up with his head on the chopping block. Yuan Shikai hesitated for a moment before dismissing Qi Yaolin and the servants, and said seriously: 'Wulou, you and I are not outsiders, so let's not beat around the bush. You must be extremely careful about the Wuhan affair. The party members' empty talk and lack of strategy are not worth worrying about, but Li Songkang is a rare talent for commanding troops. Now that the party members have made him their leader, you absolutely cannot underestimate him. If you don't have absolute confidence, you must be cautious and not rush into battle.'"

  Neng De said a sentence that was hard to get, Yin Chang was so frightened that his eyebrows jumped up and down twice. He thought that if he didn't arrive in Wuchang and fired a few shots casually, he would be able to slip away unnoticed. At this moment, the sound of urgent footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. Yuan Shikai's eyebrows immediately rose, and he shouted: "Who is making noise!"

  "Old master, it's not good!" You Yingchang was present, so the steward didn't dare to call him "sir", and instead used a strange title as he hastily said: "Just now, General Qin's military officer came to deliver a message, saying that they had just received news that Liujiatang had been occupied by the rebels, and Governor Zhang's life or death was unknown!"

  "What!" Ying Chang was still thinking of gathering with Zhang Biao to ask about the situation, and then quickly counterattacking Hankou. He didn't expect that in just two short days, Zhang Biao would be annihilated, without even a single person left!

  Yuan Shikai was indeed a hero of the north, his expression unchanged as he pressed on with the question: "But did Li Yuanhong give the order?"

  The old steward hastily shook his head: "It was done by a man named Yang Qiu. He is now the commander-in-chief of the Right Route Army of the Rebel Party. It's said that he personally led the army to attack Liujiatang, and everyone says that Master Zhang probably fell into his hands!"

  "Yang Qiu... Yang Qiu!" Yuan Shikai called out a few times, and asked: "Is it not the Yang Qiu who two months ago killed the leader of the Party on the streets of Chengdu, and was awarded the title of Zhongyong Batulu by the imperial court?"

  "It's him." Yang Shiqi walked in from outside, he was one of Yuan Shikai's longtime confidants, and one of the few people who could freely enter Nanshan Garden. After paying his respects to Yingchang, he said: "The news is spreading within the Hankou Concession, it's also said that Chen Delong and Rui Ceng are likely in his hands, because someone saw that all three Chu Yu ships are now under his command. He currently has about two battalions of troops, but... The news from Wuchang is that he seems to be at odds with them, and when he sent people to demand military supplies, they were rebuffed. For the time being, the Hanyang Gun Factory is under his control, and the Han Ye Ping Steel Plant has been temporarily sealed off by him under martial law. He also took advantage of the chaos in Hankou on the night of the Wuchang Uprising to deliberately allow bandits to riot, and then seized millions of dollars' worth of silver tickets from various merchants. After his big defeat of Zhang Biao yesterday, he even intentionally let his troops parade through the streets to show off their might, and is now recruiting thousands of new soldiers for intense training! Since his triumphant return, he hasn't stopped for a moment, it's said that someone saw another large batch of troops departing from Hanyang, but currently, their destination is still unknown."

  Yang Shi Qi was a rare person who could be lectured by him for so long, so Yuan Shikai immediately remembered his name. However, when he heard that another large group of people had moved out last night, he suddenly stood up and slapped his thigh: "Not good! Wushengguan!"

  When he heard the name of the place, Yin Chang's face also changed suddenly. Wushengguan was a must-pass place for the Beijing-Hankou Railway to enter Hubei Province. After Zhang Biao was completely defeated, the Nationalist Party could take it down without any obstruction. Once Wushengguan was blocked, it would be a pipe dream to quickly solve Wuhan! So he, with a greatly changed face, didn't even have time to bid farewell and immediately got up to go to the train station to issue orders. Yuan Shikai thought for a moment and was about to chase after him to remind him of a few things, but was pulled back by Yang Shiqi: "Sir, Wushengguan can only block for a moment, and with Huafu and others there, it's just a minor illness. At this time, the Hubei army is still in chaos, the Nationalist Party is fighting for power and interests, and Li Songkang has not yet grasped the great power, so he will not wake them up at this moment to teach them how to fight, so you, Gongbao, still have some time!"

  "I have contacted Ambassador Zhu Er and others, if the situation continues to deteriorate, they will definitely recommend that you come out of retirement to pacify the region." Yang Shi Qi said, looking around and suddenly whispering: "Now Yang Qiu in Hubei is just a clown, but Wu Lu Zhen in the north... is the real threat!"