Respectfully

In the sixth year of the Republic of China, on March 1915, 3 in the Gregorian calendar, German Minister Xin Ci secretly arrived in Guanbei by car, and went to the Marshal's Mansion to pay a visit to Lou Xiao the next day.The two had a private conversation for more than an hour in the study. Except for Lou Xiao and Xin Ci himself, everyone present, including the German consuls stationed in the six northern provinces, kept silent about the content of the conversation.

After the secret talks, Xin Ci immediately set off to return to the capital. On the day of his return, he sent a telegram to China, saying that he had a very pleasant meeting with Lou Xiao, the most powerful warlord in China who was very friendly to the German Empire.

"He has been in Germany for five years and has received Prussian military education. Compared with Britain and France, he is more inclined to the Empire... Unfortunately, he cannot represent China to form an alliance with Germany, but in other respects, he is willing to provide some support for the Empire... …Of course, in return, Germany also needs to show something.”

After this telegram was sent back to Germany, it attracted the attention of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

The war situation in Europe was not optimistic. Neither the Allies nor the Allied Powers expected that the mobile warfare originally planned for a few weeks would turn into a difficult and protracted positional warfare.

Both sides were ill-prepared, especially in the early days of trench warfare. The soldiers who dug the trenches had to go to the villages near the battlefield to borrow shovels because they had no tools at hand.Compared with the Allied Powers, the Allied Powers, especially the German engineering shovels, played a huge role at the beginning of this trench warfare, and continued to shine in the German trench commandos at the end of the war, becoming a major force in the hands of German soldiers. Killer.There are also fire-breathing soldiers armed with Chinese flamethrowers, which also played a great role on the battlefield.

But this is only a battle on land, and Germany does not have an advantage in fighting on the sea.On the African battlefield, Germany lost ground one after another.

For this reason, William II had to carefully consider Xin Ci's proposal.

While Xin Ci was waiting for the domestic reply, Song Wu and his party arrived in Guanbei.

Different from the previous trips to the north, Wu Song came here by special train this time. In addition to the guards, there were more than 20 entourages accompanying him.They stopped at the station along the way, and even unfurled the banners of the six southern provinces. From this, many reporters flocked to the station knowing that Marshal Song was going north.Although the train stopped for a short time, Song Wu himself and some of his entourage still accepted some reporters' interviews, and released the news of his going north through the reporters' paper and pen.

"Lou Changfeng and I are relatives." Song Wu told a reporter from a Shandong newspaper, "His wife is my cousin."

Everyone who saw this report was shocked.

Li Sanshao is Song Wu's cousin?The Li family and the Lou family are related by marriage, and the Song family are cousins?For a while, both Li Jinyan and the Li family were pushed to the forefront.

In view of Young Marshal Lou's previous behavior, the reporters did not dare to chase after Li Sanshao, so they could only try to find out what happened from Master Li Sans mouth.

Since Li Jinshu went abroad, Li Qingyun changed his old style and became low-key. Now he puts most of his attention on the operation of the Jiahua factory, and is tired of dealing with the reporters who always appear from time to time.The third wife was too busy making an engagement for Li Jinming, and had no time to pay attention to them.After the initial novelty, the servants in the mansion gradually became impatient with these reporters who kept asking questions.

"My lord, you have to find a way."

The third lady carefully put Li Jinming's Geng Tie into the box. She took a fancy to two girls. One family was a well-known gentry in the six northern provinces. They were civil servants of the fifth rank in the previous dynasty. On the Internet, the girl looks dignified and delicate. The third wife has met her twice, and she has a good impression.The family background of the other family is a bit poorer, but the girl's father and brother both work in the military government, and the girl has attended school for two years, she acts generously and neatly, speaks crisply but decently, and the third wife is also moved.

Now, the third lady has to admit that she really spoiled Li Jinshu before.Looking at her girl and looking at Jin Shu, she looks like a child who can't grow up.

At the beginning, I was reluctant to send her abroad, but looking at it now, thanks to what I said, otherwise, even if Jin Shu could marry into a good family, life would not be so easy.

How could the mother's family and the in-law's family be the same?

The girl was very good at her mother's house, but when she arrived at her husband's house, not to mention walking on thin ice, she always had to pay attention to everything in the first year or two.

The third lady thought of Li Jinhua again, Mrs. Li's filial piety was also out, and the in-laws came to urge her several times, and the date of Jinhua's departure was set in June.Before the elder sister was found, the younger sister would get married first, even though the third wife always comforted herself to think about it, she still couldn't help sighing.

"It will probably be fine after this period of time."

The girl brought a hot towel, Master Li San picked it up and covered his face, then wiped his hands.

"What's the next day?" The third lady gave Master Li San a sideways glance, "Why don't you ask your nephew for help..."

"No." Master Li San shook his head, "You don't know at home. It's not peaceful outside these few days, and our nephew is not living in peace. It's better not to make trouble for the nephew. Besides, it's not a big deal. If you can handle it, you can handle it. If you can't handle it, don't you?" Is it alright?"

"That's right." The third lady also felt that her previous thoughts were ill-considered, and she shouldn't cause trouble for her nephew at this time.

"Thinking about it carefully, my nephew has helped us a lot. Mother is right, people are content."

Mr. Li San mentioned the old lady in the Buddhist hall in the backyard, and the third lady nodded, temporarily dismissing the matter, and then talked to Mr. Li about Li Jinming's engagement.

"Let's take a look, too, the two girls look pretty good to me..."

On March [-], Song Wu's special train arrived in Guanbei.

Because of the great fanfare along the way, and the time of arriving in Guanbei was specifically mentioned in the newspaper, the military government of the six northern provinces wanted to pretend to be confused, and it was impossible not to know that he came today.

The assassination of Young Marshal Lou has not yet been found out, and a spy from the Song family is still locked up in the cell. Song Wu came here at this time, just thinking about it makes him feel dizzy.

"Young commander, I want to go to the station too?"

Marshal Lou hung up his sword and picked up his gloves, "If you don't want to go, then don't go."

Looking at Young Marshal Lou who was wearing a military uniform and a military cap, Li Jinyan shook his head, "Let's go."

Song Wu said in the newspaper that he and himself were cousins, and now many eyes are staring at him. When Song Wu arrived in Guanbei, he didn't go to pick up the station.

Given that the assassination incident had just passed, the number of guards on the platform had more than doubled compared to the previous one. The northern soldiers with live ammunition, the policemen with batons, and the crowd who entered and exited the station all spoke in a much lower voice.

The whistle of the train sounded, and the sound of the wheels turning gradually died down.

The carriage with the flags of the six southern provinces was the first to open the door, a column of southern soldiers stood beside the carriage, and Song Wu got off the train.

The same military uniform, the same tall and straight, the two young marshals saluted each other, shook hands and greeted each other for a short moment, and murdered many reporters' spotlights.

Li Jinyan was still wearing a long gown, after Song Wu shook hands with Lou Xiao, he turned to him with a smile and said, "Cousin, are you here all right?"

"Toefl, everything is fine." Li Jinyan was smiling, but he was slandering in his heart. He knew Song Wu did it on purpose, so he had no choice but to agree.

No matter what the surname Song is thinking, in short, he will follow suit.

If I can't take it anymore... let the young marshal Lou go.By the way, how many times has he thought about this?It seems that when facing Song Wu, he always wants to let the young marshal go...

Song Wu and his party got into the car arranged by the Marshal's Mansion to pick them up, looking at the two sidecar motorcycles driving ahead, they were all a bit novel.

"Is this designed and produced by ourselves?"

Ourselves?

Li Jinyan couldn't help but twitched the corner of his mouth, this person really wasn't an ordinary acquaintance.But the sidecar motorcycle is not a big secret, so don't be ugly.Try to keep it secret before the British "water tank" goes to the battlefield.

"It was refitted with an American Harley motorcycle." Seeing that Marshal Lou had no intention of opening his mouth, Li Jinyan had no choice but to answer, "But now the factories in the six northern provinces are ready for production."

"Oh." Song Wu nodded, and continued; "Since we are relatives, if possible, can my cousin give my cousin two cars?"

Hearing Song Wu's words, Li Jinyan held his breath in his throat for a long time and didn't spit it out.

"Brother Song opened his mouth, so naturally there is no reason to refuse."

Marshal Lou suddenly made a sound, Song Wu turned his head and his expression moved slightly.

Seeing Song Wu chatting with Young Marshal Lou, Li Jinyan didn't speak again, the car stopped all the way to the gate of the Marshal's Mansion, Li Jinyan was already dizzy from the sharpness of Lou Xiao and Song Wu's words.

He couldn't understand at least three or four of the ten sentences, or it should be said that he could understand the literal meaning, but secretly he couldn't figure out why.

The welcome banquet had already been arranged, Lou Xiao and Song Wu sat down, Li Jinyan sat next to Lou Shaoshuai, the military government of the six northern provinces and Song Wu's entourage opened two other tables, the heat of the dishes and the aroma of the wine were steaming together, and the wine was intertwined, Many things that cannot be said in formal occasions are spoken and heard on the wine table.

After toasting Wu Song and several important attendants, Li Jinyan put down his wine glass, concentrated on eating, and made it clear that he would not participate in the topic between Lou Xiao and Wu Song.These political twists and turns let alone three years, even 30 years, he may not be able to reach half of Lou Xiao and Song Wu.

If you don't understand, don't say it.

The only result of a half-knowledgeable interjection is to make people laugh.

Li Jinyan concentrated on eating, while Lou Xiao and Song Wu drank a few glasses of wine, and things were pretty much the same. Seeing Li Jinyan sip after sip, he also felt hungry.

The chef of the Marshal's Mansion was quite aware of Young Marshal Lou's appetite, so he directly brought a whole pot of white rice to the table.

Marshal Lou took over Li Jinyan's bowl of rice and started to eat. Song Wu didn't find it strange that he had eaten at Lou's house, but the officials of the military government of the six southern provinces who saw Marshal Lou eating for the first time were taken aback. Jump.Afterwards, the kitchen served every table the same full pot of rice, and the civil and military officials from the six northern provinces who put down their wine glasses also picked up their rice bowls and ate their mouthfuls. There was a cloud of wind and clouds, and a question arose in the hearts of everyone in the six southern provinces, could it be possible? Food intake is also one of the assessment items for the selection of officials in the six northern provinces?

Eating at the same table with someone with such a good appetite, you will feel full without knowing it.

When the banquet was over, none of Song Wu's attendants hiccupped while walking.

Before coming to the six northern provinces, many of them had heard that it was not easy to compare their drinking capacity with the northerners, but they did not expect that when they were at the dinner table of the Marshal's Mansion, they would not only compare their drinking capacity, but even their appetite...

The entourage were all arranged to live in the hotel, and Song Wu and several southern soldiers stayed in the Marshal's Mansion.

After sobering up, Young Marshal Lou and Song Wu walked into the study room, where the lights stayed on until late at night.

When Marshal Lou returned to the room, Li Jinyan was already sleeping with the quilt in his arms, probably because he had been drinking, his breath still smelled of wine.

The big hand caressed Li Jinyan's cheek, perhaps because the temperature of the palm made Li Sanshao feel comfortable, so he unconsciously leaned over to rub it in his sleep.

A deep laugh, fleeting.

Marshal Lou lay on his side on the bed, hugged Li Jinyan into his arms, closed his eyes, and soon, silence returned to the room.

In the next few days, apart from talking with Lou Xiao, Song Wu would occasionally come to see Li Jinyan.

"Want to visit an industrial area? No problem."

It just so happened that Liao Qiting came back from the south, Li Jinyan directly "stuffed" Song Wu to Liao Qiting.

"Vice President Liao, this is an important task entrusted to you by the group, and you must complete it well."

Liao Qiting: "..."

Let him take Song Wu to visit the industrial area?He had been in the south for a few months. During this time, the industrial zone in Guanbei City had more than doubled in size. He might not be able to find the north when he went in by himself, so he wanted to show someone around?

Give up the pick and quit?

It is obviously not in line with the style of young master Liao Qi, so visit as soon as you visit, find someone you know well, and lead the way ahead!

So, originally Liao Qiting led the way and Song Wu visited, but Manager Lu of Jiahua Factory became the "local companion", Liao Seventh Young Master and Song Shaoshuai visited together...

Visiting the industrial zone is not for nothing. Before setting off to return to the six southern provinces, Song Wu and Li Jinyan verbally reached a series of cooperation intentions, including establishing an industrial zone in the south, purchasing machinery from Guanbei, and introducing technology to open factories.

Now that European industry has begun to turn to military industry one after another, coupled with some restrictions, it is not easy to buy mechanical lathes in large quantities.

The Americans were willing to sell, but neither Song Zhou nor Song Wu had much experience in dealing with Americans. Besides, as Europe began to restrict the export of foreign machinery, the prices of American foreign firms kept rising, not to mention changing three times a day.

After visiting the machinery factory in Guanbei, Song Wu decided to buy machinery from the six northern provinces. He could not sign a formal contract with Li Jinyan on his own, and he had to obtain Song Zhou's consent before he could use such a large sum of money.

Today's six southern provinces are like the six northern provinces three years ago. The young commander is just a young commander, and Song Dashuai is always in charge.

Song Wu finally mentioned the southern intelligence personnel who were locked up before leaving.What surprised Li Jinyan was that he didn't mention this person to make Lou Xiao let him go, but to kill him.

"Before I came, I found out that he secretly joined the British." Song Wu was smiling, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Such a person should be killed. There is another thing..."

Song Wu leaned close to Lou Xiao's ear and whispered a few words.

"Brother Changfeng, if you can trust me, you can go to the prisoner-of-war camp in Dalian to investigate a woman named Zhizi." Song Wu said, "No accident, she should be with Oshima Yichang when she was arrested."

"Japanese?"

"It's true that this woman is Japanese, but the people I mentioned to you are all Chinese."

"Why tell me this?"

"For the sake of this country." Song Wu corrected his expression, "I have to admit that I still want to compete with you. However, if foreign aggressors cannot be driven out, what's the point of fighting to strengthen the country and enrich the people?"

Lou Xiao didn't make a sound, just looked at Song Wu, and saluted a military salute, "Bon voyage."

Song Wu replied, "Thank you, take care!"

Amidst the sound of the whistle, the train pulled out of the platform. Li Jinyan stood beside Lou Xiao, watching the train go all the way, thinking of Song Wu's words just now, he was a little lost.

Expulsion of foreign aggressors, strengthening the country and enriching the people, should be the hope of all Chinese people in this era...

His mind was wandering, his wrist was held, and he raised his head, only to see the deep black eyes of Young Marshal Lou.

"go home."

Li Jinyan smiled, "Okay, go home."

On March [-]th, Xin Ci finally received a domestic telegram, and the next day, as the German Minister Plenipotentiary in China, together with the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in China, they jointly sent a note to the Chinese government, willing to separate the concessions established by the two countries in China with the Chinese government. The government implements co-management.

It is called co-management, but in fact, all the garrisons of the two countries in the concession will be withdrawn. Except for the staff in the consulate, the rest of the "government" personnel will also be withdrawn.After the agreement is reached, Huaxia can garrison troops in the concession, and the police in the concession will also be managed and assigned by the Huaxia government.

On the premise of ensuring the personal and property safety of the nationals of the two countries in China, the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire simultaneously renounced the extraterritorial rights of civilians in China. Chinese law.

On April [-], the Chinese Democratic Republic, the German Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire formally signed an agreement. This agreement, which was later called the "Treaty of Yimao" by later generations, was regarded as the beginning of China's recovery of leases from various countries, and it also became part of the history of some historians in the future. It is a strong evidence that China was allied with Germany during World War I.

As soon as the Yi-Mao Treaty came out, the Allies such as Britain and France seemed to have been hit in the head.It put Britain, France and other countries in a very embarrassing situation.

In any case, they were unwilling to give up their country's concession in China, but Germany and Austria set a precedent. If they want to continue to maintain a "friendly" relationship with the Chinese government, they must carefully consider whether they should make concessions.

Germany has only two concessions in China, Tianjin and Hankou, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire has only one concession in Tianjin. Not to mention the United Kingdom, the number of French concessions in China alone exceeds the sum of the two countries.

In addition, Germany was blocked from maritime trade by the British fleet. The existence of these concessions will not have much impact on Germany, but Britain and France are not. A star and a half.

But if no concessions are made, I am afraid that China will really fall to the side of the Allies.

China borders Russia. Once China declares war on Russia, Germany will cooperate to increase the attack on the Eastern Front. At that time, no one can predict how the situation on the battlefield will develop. The only thing that is certain is that the Allied forces are on the Western Front. The pressure will inevitably increase.

Zhu Erdian immediately sent a telegram to the country, the French Minister Kant also acted at the same time, and the Russian Minister Kuppensky did not hesitate. At this moment, another bad news came. Italy, a neutral country, followed the German and Austrian In the footsteps, it was announced that the Tianjin Italian Concession will be jointly managed by Huaxia.

Confirming that the news was true, Zhu Erdian was so angry that he almost vomited blood. Isn't there news in Whitehall that Italy is secretly contacting the Allies?Why did you suddenly make this decision?

In fact, Italy is also a little helpless. After all, the winks thrown at the Allied Powers have not yet been responded to. The alliance signed with Germany is there. Everyone in Germany has spoken. Can you not agree?Moreover, Chinese products are also quite attractive to Italy, so it is not a problem at all to give up a concession that has little influence on the mainland.

In this way, following the agreement between China, Germany and Austria, the Sino-Italian Treaty was also signed. In view of the fact that Italy joined the Allied Powers soon, at the Versailles Conference, the representatives of Huaxia faced the questions from the representatives of Britain, France, the United States and other countries, and expressed their attitude clearly: " It was not only Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire that signed the Yimao Treaty with China, but also Italy!"

Under the influence of the Yimao Treaty, the incident of Lou Xiao's assassination gradually faded from the sight of the Chinese people. Although the mastermind has not yet been identified, for the six northern provinces and Huaxia at this moment, the unresolved matter may be more powerful than the clear investigation .

What's more, the unresolved issue is only external. In fact, the real behind-the-scenes mastermind has already surfaced.Before Lou Xiao was assassinated, the Japanese General Staff Headquarters had dispatched a military attache named Shigeru Honjo to Huaxia. His original destination was Europe, but because of Doihara's death, he took the initiative to ask his superiors to come to China.

In the capital, Shigeru Honjo met the military officer of Banxi, and then worshiped under Banxi's gate.He speaks Chinese very well, and he became another Japanese spy who won the appreciation of Banxi after Doihara.

Like Doihara, Honjo Shige also set his sights on the six northern provinces, but his ambition and courage were even greater than Doihara's, and he directly set Lou Xiao as the target.

"When Lou Xiao dies, China will be in chaos. The chaos in North Korea can be resolved immediately. If Lou Xiao lives, he can take the opportunity to stir up conflicts between Yinghua and China, which will benefit the empire without any harm."

The Japanese have been taking risks and gambling, military officer Sakanishi sent Shigeru Honjo's words back to the country intact, and got an order to carry out the plan.

In this way, Honjo Shige began to run around. In the capital and in Shanghai, he was more cautious than Doihara, but after all, he was very secretive. In order to contact the Huaxia gang members, he found a very rich "patriotic" in the rogue population. Hinata, a Japanese businessman who is "spiritual", and behind Hinata is Ichiro Imai.

It's a pity that Hinata can only find out that Shigeru Honjo bought the killer to assassinate a Chinese official, but he only found out who the assassination target was after the assassination in the six northern provinces.

Song Wu told Lou Xiao about the existence of Honjo Shige, and Lou Xiao also learned about the existence of Imai Ichiro and others through this.