Beijing, Presidential Palace.

"Xiaofeng, what do you think about this?" Li Yuanhong sat behind Yuan Shikai's spacious desk in the second floor of Jurentang, holding a report in his hand and said to several confidants under his command. On a row of chairs in the room, Zhang Guogan, the Secretary-General of the Presidential Office, and the "Four Great Kings" Ha Hanzhang, Jin Yongyan, Li Shu, and Jiang Zuobin were all sitting.

"What is participating in the war? It's just a trick that the little fan military aircraft wanted to collect military power for Duan Qirui." Jin Yongyan snorted in his nose and said with a slanted eye.

Li Yuanhong became a founding father in the Wuchang Uprising in a confused manner. After Yuan Shikai passed away, he became the throne of the president for no reason. To be honest, Li Yuanhong had not lived a comfortable life after becoming president. Li Yuanhong was still in a shallow foundation. If it weren't for Yuan Shikai's last order, the Beiyang system that controlled the Beijing government would never let him sit in this position. Although Duan Qirui had no choice but to make him president, he would never be willing.

Yuan Shikai believed that Li Yuanhong was a person who could reconcile the north and south. Only in this way could he ensure reconciliation between the north and the south and there would be no major turmoil in the country after his death. However, Duan Qirui could not understand Lao Yuan's painstaking efforts and opposed Li everywhere. Li Yuanhong had no soldiers and power, and could endure it at first, but over time, both sides would inevitably feel dirty.

After Li took over as president, he ignored all state affairs at the time and made a decision by Duan Yi-handedly. After that, he was unwilling to give up on rubber stamps and began to gradually interfere in state affairs. This made Duan feel unbearable. The Presidential Office and the State Council gradually became in trouble, and later it became a disaster.

Li Yuanhong had no soldiers or power, but Duan Qirui was not much stronger. Duan Qirui was the Prime Minister and Chief of the Army. Although he had long held military power, he had no direct descendants of his own. After Li Yuanhong arrived in Beijing, Yuan Shikai not only asked him to continue as vice president, but also allowed him to serve as Chief of Staff.

Yuan's original intention was to give Li a division of military power. When Yuan was alive, the power of the General Staff expanded rapidly. Under Yuan's instructions, the personnel power of the Army University and Baoding Officer School was transferred from the Army to the General Staff Headquarters, and the appointment and distribution of officers were also managed by the General Staff Headquarters. The Army Department gave a large part of the power to the General Staff Headquarters. Li's Chief of Staff Headquarters was several alongside Duan's Chief of Army Headquarters, and the principals and education heads of the two officer schools were also replaced by Li's confidants.

Now Duan Li fights each other. Although Duan has the upper hand, there is no good way to turn his opponent down, because both of them don’t have many soldiers and are afraid of causing chaos in the world.

"Well, the news I got from Hu Longxiang that Xu Shuzheng wanted to form a direct army for Duan under the name of participating in the war." Ha Hanzhang said that although Xiao Xu was talented, he was too arrogant in his work, and this matter could be seen by anyone with a discerning eye.

"There is another thing. A few days ago, the Chamber of Commerce and Minister to Russia Liu Jingqing sent a telegram back, saying that about 50,000 Chinese workers in Russia were arrested by the Austrians and asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate with the Austrians, but Xiao Xu suppressed them. What's going on?" Zhang Guogan said.

"I know a little about this." Jiang Zuobin said, "I heard that Xu Shuzheng reached an agreement in Europe and Austria, and the Austrians agreed to help him train and equip the troops. After returning to China, Xiao Xu began to actively organize this matter, but the British and French tried their best to obstruct. Most of the workers recruited by Xiao Xu in the name of recruiting Chinese workers were brought to France by Lu Chengxiang and Shi Zhaoji, which made him in vain. Later, Xiao Xu thought of a solution, saying that Russia, I think these people might have been deliberately arrested or went to Austria by themselves."

"This is a big problem. Yuyan and Xiao Xu have already made many people to Austria." If Xu Shuzheng did this, then with military power, the Presidential Office could only bow his head in front of Duan Qirui. Jin Yongyan was a little anxious and asked hurriedly.

"I don't know very well," said Jiang Zuobin. "However, Xiao Xu has sent more than 160 officers to Europe through the General Staff Headquarters, including seventeen graduates from the University of Mainland. And now he has transferred Wang Ruqin's 5th Mixed Brigade to Russia."

"What is he trying to do?" said Li Yuanhong, "and you are not afraid that the Germans and Austrians will settle the score with him."

"Hmph, what's the matter with the Germans? He's secretly crossing Chencang." Ha Hanzhang said, "Wang Ruqin told me that there were Austrians in Russia to pick him up, and Xiao Xu made a good decision."

These military staff at the Presidential Office often suggest that Li must have military power. Their reason is: "The responsible cabinet system refers to the administration, and the president does not interfere in government affairs. In terms of military affairs, since the president is the supreme commander of the army and navy in the country, he cannot ignore the military. The Grand Marshal has no military power. What is the value of the president?" Li listened to these words very much and kept trying his best to plan how to control the army.

Now that Xu Shuzheng has the advantage in this regard, Li Yuanhong was unwilling to give up. After thinking for a while, Li Yuanhong said to Jiang Zuobin: "Yuyan, we can't see Xiao Xu fully mastering this army. If these people return to the country, then Duan Qirui will be even more uncontrollable. You have been the deputy chief of staff for many years, and you have seen these officers who have gone to Europe, and they have also gone out of the General Staff Headquarters. I mean you go to Europe..."

Jiang Zuobin said: "Well, I understand, I will definitely try my best to win."

...

"Bang!"

The sound of teacup being smashed from the Secretary-General's Office of the State Council caused clerks outside the Secretary-General's office to look at the Secretary-General's Office, which half-closed the door. People were curious about what made Secretary-General Xu, who rarely got angry and always regarded himself as a scholar, lose his temper.

"Li Songqing, please play with me!" After throwing out the teacup in his hand, Xu Shuzheng turned his eyes to the documents on the table again, and still felt his anger unrestrained. Li Yuanhong did not say a word, and directly issued an order in the name of the President, appointing Jiang Zuobin as the head of the Military Observation Corps to Europe. This was completely beyond Xu Shuzheng's expectations. He wanted to directly recover Jiang Zuobin and declare that the presidential order without the Deputy Prime Minister's Deputy Prime Minister was invalid, but Jiang Yuyan had already boarded a passenger ship to Europe.

This is obviously preparing to dismantle his platform, and the target is the Chinese army that is training and equipment in Austria. This is Xu Shuzheng's hard work. In the past two years, most of his energy has been spent on it. Now that he has just achieved some success, Li Yuanhong wants to pick peaches. With Xiao Xu's agility, how can he not see the tricks.

This is the fundamental reason why Xu Shuzheng is angry.

Xu Shuzheng has tried many times to control a reliable army for Duan Qirui. However, during the Yuan Shikai era, Yuan had a strict control over the army. Xu Shuzheng, as the deputy chief of the army, basically had no say in personnel appointments and removals. In order to weaken Duan Qirui's power, Yuan Shikai even established the General Staff Headquarters and the General Marshal's Coordination Office, and even established a model officer regiment, preparing to abandon the generals of the Beiyang and build another military force that obeys him.

Now that Old Yuan has passed away, Xu Shuzheng is finally in power and is about to not show his strength. Unexpectedly, Li Yuanhong, who thought he was honest, jumped out and went against him everywhere.

This almost drove him crazy.

"You must not succeed in Li Songqing's plan!" Xu Shuzheng stood up and left the office. He glanced at the Prime Minister's office, which had almost never seen anyone. He couldn't help but frowned, and then said to the deputy chief: "Come here, prepare the car, and go to President Duan's house now!"
Chapter completed!