Chapter 4 The Chinese Situation

  "Please forgive my impertinence, Mr. Xu saw the peace of Beijing city, while the unrest I mentioned is the turmoil of the whole China," Xu Shao-wen put down the half-eaten wonton in his hand and assumed a serious look, knowing that Xu Shi-chang was intentionally testing him, and he had to find an excuse to make up for his previous point of view.

  Xu Shichang was taken aback, and before he knew it, he burst out laughing again: "The young man's tone is quite bold, it seems that I, an old man, am indeed ignorant and inexperienced."

  "Mr. Xú misunderstood, it's precisely because of my youth that I'm prone to fanciful and disorderly thinking," Xu Shaowen apologized slightly and continued, "I'd like to ask Mr. Xú, who does he think is the main culprit behind the turmoil in China?"

  Xu Shichang hesitated for a moment before responding, "Now that the Qing dynasty has fallen and the Republic of China stands tall, although President Yuan is not the president favored by the people, he is still the head of state recognized by the country. However, the party members in Guangzhou, led by Sun Yat-sen, have always harbored resentment towards President Yuan, to the point of being disloyal and treacherous. In my opinion, it is the Guangzhou faction that is the chief culprit behind the chaos in China."

  As a veteran of the Beiyang government, Xu Shichang naturally regarded the Nationalist Party as a thorn in his side. Xu Shaowen had anticipated that Xu Shichang would say this. He smiled calmly and said: "However, Mr. Xu, have you considered that although the military power of the Guangzhou Nationalist Party is not very strong at present, Sun Yat-sen still has great appeal in the southwest. He has appeal, but it does not mean that the warlords in the southwest support his republican democratic ideology. The key lies in whether some of the views advocated by Sun Yat-sen conform to their interests."

  "But what does this mean?" Xu Shichang looked at Xu Shaowen with a hint of expectation.

  "This makes it clear that the Beijing government of President Yuan does not truly satisfy the interests of the various military governors across the country, and we can even infer that currently only the six divisions of the Beiyang Army are available for use by the president. Although the military strength of the Beiyang Six Divisions is not to be underestimated, it is impossible to unify the entire nation with just over 200,000 men." Xu Shaowen's words were laced with a sense of calmness, and he did not want his words to sound powerless in front of Xu Shichang.

  Xu Shichang nodded slightly and said, "This statement is indeed reasonable, but it lacks sufficient persuasive power. With President Yuan's prestige, plus the control of the Beiyang Army, these two points are enough to intimidate the entire Chinese situation. Although there are many warlords in various places, and some of them are unmanageable, each has only a few tens of thousands of troops. The wise choice at present is to obey the Beijing government; otherwise, once trouble arises, it will not be possible for several warlords to resist together."

  Xu Shao Wen couldn't help but smile, Xu Shi Chang had really underestimated the power of the warlords. He now somewhat understood why Xu Shi Chang, although a veteran of the Beiyang warlords, ultimately could not achieve his own political ambitions, and even becoming the second president of the Republic was just an empty title, after all, Old Master Xu never understood the importance of military power in this chaotic world from start to finish.

  The military forces held by warlords all over the country were indeed not a match for the Beiyang government, but the real reason for the demise of the Beiyang government was its internal division and the rise and fall of foreign powers supported by various factions on the battlefield of World War I. In other words, local warlords were external factors, while the division of the Beiyang after Yuan Shikai's death was an internal cause.

  Of course, these are things that will happen in the future, and Xu Shao Wen is definitely not able to express them. He let out a slight sigh and said: "Most of the warlords in various parts of the country are forced by the military power of Beiyang and do not dare to act rashly, and indeed choose to obey the Beijing government. However, the unrest of some warlords in southwest China is enough to cause changes in the overall situation of China. Not to mention that these so-called warlords who obey the Beijing government, can the Beijing government really control them?

  As for Xu Shao-wen's second sentence, Xu Shi-chang still expressed his agreement. He nodded thoughtfully and asked: "Does Mr. Xu think that the warlords of these three or four provinces in the southwest can affect the national situation? This seems to be somewhat exaggerated. The sphere of influence of Tang Jiyao, the governor of Yunnan, and Chen Jiongming, the governor of Guangdong, are both too narrow. Only Lu Rongting, who controls the two Guangs, has 50,000 troops in his hands. However, these people are united in appearance but divided at heart. Although they have a common interest, they each have their own ulterior motives. It's hard to imagine that they can shake the whole country."

  "It's precisely because these people have their own axes to grind that they're unwilling to take the lead, so they'll all support the Nationalist Party in taking the helm. This way, whether they succeed or fail, they'll always have a way out." Xu Shaowen's expression gradually relaxed, and he smiled slightly, his hands idly playing with the teacup as he continued, "As for Mr. Xu's mention of the warlords in southwestern provinces, it's true that they don't have the strength to oppose President Yuan. But if the Nationalist Party makes a move, these warlords will respond from afar, and the various regional warlords across the country will certainly change their tune. This way, the overall situation in China can be altered."

  "In the southwest, several warlords can actually stir up a national upheaval?" Xu Shichang revealed a slightly disbelieving expression, but his tone remained calm and neutral, with an attitude of listening on.

  "This is not hard to understand, take last year's so-called second revolution for example. The Guangzhou Nationalist Party issued a call to arms, the Southwest warlords responded first, and then Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and other places did not also rise up and follow suit?" Xu Shaowen said.

  Xu Shichang nodded slightly, but he didn't reveal his inner thoughts. After pouring himself a new cup of tea, he calmly spoke up: "It seems that what Xu Xiaoge said earlier about China being in turmoil is indeed true. However, I wonder what Xu Xiaoge thinks is the fundamental reason for this turmoil?"

  Xu Shaowen glanced around, intentionally lowering his voice and said: "Mr. Xu should also be aware that the Beijing government's actions in recent years have been unpopular with the people on the surface and unpopular with the warlords from various regions on the inside. Whether it is external or internal, they have put President Yuan in a very unfavorable situation."

  "Oh," Xu Shichang's eyebrows involuntarily furrowed, and he let out a long sigh, his expression revealing a deep sense of sorrow. "President Yuan is too autocratic," he said. "There are some things that he hasn't even considered carefully, but he has already begun to act according to his own wishes."

  Xu Shao-wen knew that Xu Shi-chang was Yuan Shi-kai's most loyal friend, so he made this remark also because of the recent rumors circulating in Beijing about abolishing the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China. It seems that Xu Shi-chang still disapproved of Yuan Shi-kai's hasty approach in his heart, but did not dissuade him from the standpoint of a good friend and supporter.

  "China has had enough ups and downs over the years, now is the time to focus on people's livelihoods and encourage them. However, human hearts are unpredictable, everyone has a selfish side," Xu Shaowen sighed, "In the end, all troubles are caused by greed."

  Xu Shichang's eyes lit up at Xu Shaowen's sudden words, and his tone became more serious as he asked: "From what Brother Xu says, it seems that you still have some views on national policy and people's livelihood?"

  Xu Shao-wen was still somewhat grateful to have met Xu Shi-chang, a heavyweight figure of the Northern Warlords of the Republic of China. His previous sighs were actually secretly catering to Xu Shi-chang's governance ideas. Although Xu Shi-chang did not achieve much on the political stage, his "Detoxification and Cultural Revival" national policy when he took office as the President of the Republic of China was well-received by both contemporary and later generations.

  So, what he just said about China's long-term need for recuperation and self-improvement more or less carried the implication of trying to please Xu Shichang. Since Old Master Xu asked him about his views on national policy and people's livelihood, it was only natural that he followed this line of thought.

  "In my limited experience, I don't know much about the methods of governing a country. What I'm saying is just some personal thoughts on the current situation," Xu Shaowen said, pouring himself a cup of tea to moisten his throat before continuing, "Actually, looking at China's modern history, from the Opium Wars to the Xinhai Revolution, all these changes seem like internal Chinese affairs. However, none of them are unrelated to foreign powers. In the end, China's direct enemy is itself, and its ultimate arch-nemesis is external invasion."

  Xu Shichang didn't understand why Xu Shaowen suddenly changed the topic from discussing state strategies to talking about the enemy's situation in China, but since he had a good impression of this young man from their previous conversation, he didn't intentionally ask questions and instead continued waiting for him to continue speaking.

  "I established the Republic of China, overthrowing the corrupt and incompetent Qing dynasty, precisely in the hope that we could gain a place on the international stage, not be looked down upon by foreign powers, and have our national sovereignty respected," Xu Shaowen said, his face gradually becoming more serious. It's not that I received political indoctrination at the Central Police Academy in the 21st century, but rather that I was born with a love for my country. "However, now that the Republic has been established, the military has been reformed, and the constitution has been promulgated, what is the difference between China's current situation and that of the Qing dynasty? It's still heartbreaking."

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