Chapter 53: The Second Minister (Part 1)

  A government road winds its way from north to south, and due to the thick snow, it is almost indistinguishable from the vast white plain. If not for the ruts on the road, it would be hard to tell which was the road and which was the plain.

  A four-wheeled carriage was parked by the roadside, with one of its wheels deeply stuck in the snow and the axle severely damaged. Several soldiers wearing British Army uniforms were gathered around the wheel, busily replacing it. Nearby, more than a dozen British draft horses stood idly in the snowy field, occasionally snorting loudly.

  The carriage was decorated luxuriously, with a coat of arms painted on the door and a gilded flagpole inserted at the rear, with a rice-character flag flying at the top.

  There were several men sitting in the carriage, except for one Westerner with a Western face, the others were all Oriental faces. From the braids on their heads, they were all Chinese, old and young, with stern faces, not saying a word.

  The foreigner glanced out the window and said to the Chinese man sitting next to him, "Mr. Yuan, I think that if you regain power, you should repair the road from Beijing to Tianjin, it would be best to build an asphalt road, so we won't waste time here." The foreigner's Chinese was very fluent, with a strong Beijing accent.

  The foreigner's Chinese name is Zhu Er Dian, and he is currently the British Ambassador to China. The Chinese man sitting next to him is none other than Yuan Shikai, who has just escaped from Beijing. The young men are his sons.

  Yuan Shikai had been spending these days in anxiety, Zhao Bei's telegram to make him the "Republican Grand Leader" had completely lost the trust of the Qing court. Yuan Shikai was very clear about this, he did not want to wait for death with his hands tied, but he also did not have absolute confidence in controlling the increasingly powerful Beiyang military and political group. If he were to rebel against the Qing dynasty, how many high-ranking generals in the Beiyang army would follow him? Yuan Shikai had no clear plan for this, so over the past few days, Yang Du's words had been swirling in his mind, but he could not make up his mind. It wasn't until an hour ago that a small eunuch who worked in the palace rushed over and handed him a note, which finally made him decide.

  That little eunuch was a trusted follower of Empress Longyu, sent by Xiaode Zhang. The note was also hastily written by Xiaode Zhang, with only a few sentences: The Manchu people say you poisoned the Emperor, they are coming to arrest you, run quickly.

  Out of caution, there was no signature on the note, only a cryptic message that was a pre-arranged signal between Yuan Shikai and Xiao Dechang.

  As a seasoned politician, Yuan Shikai had long been in cahoots with Little De Zhang, just like he had once won over Li Lianying. Whether it was a house, stocks or even women, whatever Little De Zhang wanted, Yuan Shikai would give him. Little De Zhang wanted money, and Yuan Shikai wanted peace of mind. This deal was still a good bargain for both parties. If not, who knows if Yuan Shikai could have escaped Beijing alive today?

  Upon receiving the note from Xiao De Zhang, Yuan Shikai was immediately flustered and didn't have time to think much. He quickly disguised himself with a few of his sons and set off in a carriage towards the British Embassy. Under the personal escort of the British Minister, they rode in a four-wheeled carriage adorned with diplomatic flags, fleeing Beijing in a hurry. At present, Yuan Shikai is still somewhat shaken and hasn't figured out where to go next, so he can only head to the Tianjin Concession for now.

  Yuan Shikai was already a frightened bird, not even daring to take the Beijing-Tianjin railway. He insisted that Zhu Zhitang personally escort him to Tianjin by horse-drawn carriage. However, the carriage broke down in this desolate wilderness. If Zhu had not been sitting beside him, Yuan would probably have fled on foot long ago.

  When Yuan Shikai heard Zhu Zhitian's words, he came back to his senses and smiled bitterly: "Mr. Gongshi is joking. Now I am a lone dog in the mourning family, it's hard to say whether I can keep my life or not, let alone hold great power? That can only be said when the revolutionary army in the south comes to the north. Didn't they say in the telegram that they would support me as some kind of Grand Leader? Can't they go back on their word at that time? If they are insincere, who will still sacrifice for the revolutionaries?"

  Zhu Er put down the curtain and said: "I have a few words to say privately to Lord Yuan, I don't know if it's convenient for Lord Yuan?"

  Yuan Shikai nodded and waved his hand, saying to several sons sitting opposite him: "You go down and stand far away."

  The two of them were left alone in the carriage, and Zhu Dian took out a box of Cuban cigars, offering one to Yuan Shikai. Seeing that he shook his head, Zhu Dian slowly took one from the box, lit it up, took a puff, and slowly exhaled smoke rings, saying: "Excuse me for speaking bluntly, but in our foreign diplomatic corps' view, your country's southern situation is rapidly deteriorating. Perhaps before long, the Manchu aristocracy's dynasty will collapse. I suppose Mr. Yuan also sees this clearly - a government that can't even control its own military obviously has no ability to protect itself. The new army's rebellion in Anhui and Jiangxi shows that the Manchu aristocracy has completely lost the loyalty of the military, especially the loyalty of Han Chinese officers. Your country is now plagued by internal and external troubles; regardless of who takes over, there will only be destruction - what you Chinese call 'changing dynasties'."

  Yuan Shikai's face was as calm as water, listening silently without making a sound, until Zhu Jidong finished speaking. He remained silent. The Qing dynasty is now in what state, no need for Zhu Jidong to say it, he knew better than anyone else that the people were struggling to survive, rebellions broke out everywhere, foreign powers invaded, and the end of the world was near. Patriots were all heartbroken, but those Manchu officials still felt good about themselves, and at this time they actually wanted to sweep away the Han Chinese power on the court.

  Without Han officials, relying on those ignorant Eight Banners iron rods and peasants, can the country be governed well?

  Daydreaming is also subject to timing.

  "According to Western historical development experience, if a declining dynasty wants to save its rule, the only effective way is to expand its ruling foundation, absorb more talented people into the ruling group, suppress revolutionary thoughts and win over people's hearts. However, from what I see, the current Manchu dynasty doesn't seem to be doing this. They are accelerating the concentration of power, further excluding Han Chinese forces. Perhaps in their minds, there has never been a concept of 'expanding the ruling foundation'. This is extremely foolish and will only lead them into deeper isolation, as your Chinese idiom says, 'four sides surrounded by enemies'. Originally, more than 40 years ago, after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was eliminated, you Han Chinese forces had a good opportunity to eliminate this Manchu dynasty. Unfortunately, due to internal strife among yourselves and the manipulation of the Manchu nobles, you missed that chance. Now, another new opportunity is in front of you Han Chinese forces, I hope General Yuan won't miss it again."

  Yuan Shikai hesitated for a moment, then said: "Your Excellency, what you just said is treasonous in our country. As a high-ranking official of the imperial court, I have received great favors from the state, and even if the court has wronged me, I still cannot betray it."

  Zhu's mouth slightly raised, his eyes glanced at Yuan Shikai's face, wanting to study the flaws in this ancient Chinese official performance art, but he searched for half a day and couldn't find any flaws, so he smiled and shook his head, saying: "Governor Yuan, can't you see that everything I've said is sincere? Not only do I think this way, almost all foreign envoys in Beijing think the same way. Now, the only one who can save this country is you. Your Beiyang Army will become the backbone of this country. Without you, this country will soon fall into chaos. I believe you also know the story of the 'Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms'. If such a situation occurs, it would be tragic not only for your country but also cause serious damage to Sino-foreign trade. In our diplomatic corps' view, if your country's chaotic situation continues, your country may thoroughly decline and become another Far Eastern Poland or India."