Chapter 62 Zhangde

The first big station of Pinghan Railway to Henan Province is an extraordinary place.

More than 3,000 years ago, Pan Geng, a famous king of the Shang Dynasty, moved the capital from Qufu to here, creating a prosperous new era of the Shang Dynasty. It came to the hands of King Zhou. Because of his cruelty, it aroused the resentment and anger of the people, and finally caused the revolution of King Wu of Zhou. King Zhou [***] in Lutai, the 800-year-old Shang Dynasty perished, and the prosperous capital of more than 200 years also disappeared.

The world is spinning, and the years have passed, and it has slowly turned into a ruin. Later, because this place was the intersection of the four provinces of Jin, Hebei, Shandong and Henan, it was the Confucius Road that the carriages and horses must pass through, and the soldiers must fight for the important place. Gradually, it was densely populated, and the merchants and merchants formed a lively city. It is Zhangde Mansion, an important town in northern Henan.

Zhangde is located in the northernmost part of Henan, which belongs to the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain. The mountains are crisscrossed and land faults. Most of the mountains form single-sided mountains of more than 1,000 meters. In front of the mountain are low-lying hills and forms basins of different sizes.

There is a small river outside the north gate of Fucheng, flowing quietly from west to east. The people call it water. There is an old wooden bridge on the water, called Guitang Bridge. Stepping over the Guitang Bridge, it is a village with more than a hundred families. The old name that has been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years is called Huangshang Village. There is a former Ming Dynasty palace covering an area of more than 200 mu in Huangshang Village. Although it has been deserted for many years, the shelf is still there.

As early as when Yuan Shikai was training at the small station, Yuan Keding was ordered by his father to buy it and build a lot of construction. It has been built for half a year to transform the abandoned palace. In the newly built Yuan Mansion, there are vegetable gardens, orchards and melon gardens, and a large group of pigs, sheep, chickens and geese are also raised. There are nine courtyards between the trees, each of which has its own doors and a cobblestone path leading to the large garden in the house. There are rockery in the garden, a pavilion, and a ten-acre pond. Lotus is planted in the pond and fish and turtles are fed. There are also several small fishing boats tied to the willow trees by the pond all year round.

Originally, according to Yuan Shikai's idea, if there was a dynasty, when it was difficult to protect himself in Nanjing, he would resign. In Yuan Shikai in Yuanshang Village, he "supporting the Year of Heaven", but he never thought that first became the Minister of the Interior, then the Governor of North Korea, and finally at least the Prime Minister of the Empire, Yuan Shikai can be said to be quite deep, so that this Yuanfu in Changcun, but he hasn't come back much.

It was not until the autumn of the year before last that Yuan Shikai came to "Yuan Mansion" for the first time with a huge team of family. He especially likes this big garden and named it Yangshou Garden. Later, in the quadrangle courtyard where the inner house was held, there was another wall surrounded by a flower hill, which was built, named "raising anecdotes". In Gangli, the stones are folded into mountains, the flowers and trees are shining, and the water is introduced, a pond is opened, lotus ling is planted, fish and shrimp is raised, and it has become a paradise.

In fact, Hengshang Village in Zhangde Prefecture is not the ancestral home of Yuan Shikai. Yuan Shikai is often called "Yuan Xiangcheng". His hometown is located in Xiangcheng in southeastern Henan, but he does not choose to rule the family, which involves the past of the Yuan family.

When Yuan Shikai was the governor of Shandong, his mother Liu died of illness in Tianjin. After the coffin was transported back to Xiangcheng, Yuan Shikai's half-brother Yuan Shixiao presided over the housework as his legitimate son. He believes that the Liu family is not the main room, and the funeral is not allowed from the main door, and the coffin cannot be buried in the main cave of the ancestral tomb and Yuan Baozhong. Although Yuan Shikai was an official of the imperial court and was quite powerful, he could not force it. He could only argue with his brother to do his brother's work. Yuan even knelt down and pleaded for permission from Yuan Shixiao, which made Yuan Shikai extremely sad and angry.

In desperation, Yuan Shikai had to buy another cemetery to bury his mother in the ground, but he also turned against his brother Yuan Shixiao. Yuan Shikai, who was furious, broken off his friendship with his brother from then on, never returned to Xiangcheng's hometown, and took Zhangde as his hometown.

When Yuan Shikai was a child, he knew that there was a Huanshang village in Zhangde. It is said that Yi Yin, a famous prime minister of the Shang Dynasty, was slandered in the dynasty and lived in seclusion in Huanshang Village for three years. Later, the king of Shang personally went to Huanshang Village to welcome him back in office. Moreover, this was also the birthplace of Yuan Shao, the great general of the Han Dynasty, Yuan Shikai, so Yuan Shikai would choose this place as In my hometown, it is also normal.

It's just that for Yuan Shikai, although he regards Zhang Dehuan as his hometown, over the years, he has rarely returned to the Yuan Mansion of Yuanshang Village. Every year, he occasionally comes here for half a month. However, after resigning from the post of Prime Minister, Yuan Shikai, who became the president of the House of Lords, unexpectedly returned to live in Yuanshang Village.

For Yuan Shikai, although he is not yet sixty years old, he is obviously much older, and his already thick and short figure looks shorter; his eyes are also tired, and the wrinkles between his eyebrows become deeper and deeper overnight. What's more surprising is that although he is still the president of the House of Lords and enjoys the honor of the count, now he really doesn't care about politics. Every day, in addition to playing chess with people, he goes to the pond to fish, as if he really wants to live a detached life.

From 34 years ago, 22-year-old Yuan Shikai to Shandong to join the Huai Army, 34 years of officialdom. After two countries, he has already become a professional official figure. He has never thought that he would return to the field for the people. He thought that he would climb up to the highest place in the officialdom. . Where is the highest place and what is the realm? He didn't quite understand in his mind, and even he had never drawn a blueprint for his "highest" as the peak of his struggle. He just wants to climb, step by step. Every time he climbed the first step, he was in a comfortable mood and smiled; the faster he climbed, the higher the steps, the happier he was.

It can be said that when he achieved the position of prime minister, Yuan Shikai understood that he had climbed to the peak of his life. If he looked up again, there was no way to climb. Later, after he blocked it for his Majesty and resigned from the position of prime minister, although his Majesty gave him the position of president of the aristocratic court out of comfort, Yuan Shikai suddenly I found that I was tired. After running in the officialdom for 34 years, everyone would feel a little tired.

It was at this time that Yuan Shikai remembered an old story of the Yuan family. The man of the Yuan family had never lived sixty years. This was a curse or a fate. This old thing made Yuan Shikai upset. At the same time, his heart suddenly calmed down. After a few days, he took his family and left the house in the suburbs of Nanjing and lived in it. In Yuanshang Village, according to his own words, he wants to raise Tiannian in his "home". Yuanshang is indeed a paradise.

Yuan Shikai is determined to be a fisherman wearing a hat.

Just after the Spring Festival, there was still a piece of ice on it. Yuan Shikai walked back to his study from the lotus pond in the longevity garden. He was probably saddened by the remnants of the lotus leaves, and his mood was a little sad.

"In the lotus pond, half of the clouds and sky were red. In the blink of an eye, it was a rusty moment. The life of plants is so short!"

Cherish the grass and pity the wood, and suddenly think of life. Life is not short!

Thinking that he was fifty-six years old and had been in the Yuan family for four years, he sat in a daze for a moment, feeling calm, and he was secretly laughing again.

"How can I be sentimental? This is feminine. No, don't worry. Thousands of sails passed by the side of the sinking boat, and there were thousands of trees in front of the sick tree! This is spring, won't there be different kinds of red lotus flowers in the lotus pond!"

He raised his eyebrows, and Yuan Shikai's heart suddenly became excited.

He wants to write a poem.

What do you write? After all, he is neglecting this way. In the long years of officialdom and frequent fights, although they have "poetry and painting", it is what the literati do, and Yuan Shikai is not a "vassal". Even the eight-stranded article is a little disgusted by it. In the previous dynasty, when he was in office as the governor of Zhili, he joined forces with Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Liangguang, and Zhou Fu, the governor of Liangjiang, to play the Qing court to stop the imperial examination system.

Now, martial arts are useless. The article was brought up. Recently, he often reads some books, which is a case. I want to write a poem again today. He took out the four treasures of the study, frowned and meditated. Sometimes, he finally thought of the word "worry" that had just sprouted from several of his fishing photos. From the word of sorrow, Shisi was open-minded and waved out:

There is no need to worry about his life, and he is a fishing boat in the rain.

In the end, Josi said that he was a red dragonfly, and his friends allied with a white gull.

I don't care about gains and losses, but swallowing hook fish has a grudge.

Looking back on how many original things, I must have a smile.

After writing the poem, I will appreciate it carefully, and I will feel satisfied. Especially the last sentence, which seemed to be a divine pen, he actually laughed with joy. Then, another question was mentioned: "Self-titled Fishing Boat Photo". The title is settled, and I still feel that the poem is not yet prosperous, and Soxing will continue the second one:

A hundred years of things are always long, and the ambition was not paid at that time.

The wild old man has armor in his chest, and the little prince in the eyes of the fishing man.

Thinking that there is no rock in the world, sighing that China has become a shortage.

Disperse the world from now on, smoky rain and a fishing boat.

The latter song was written, and he didn't laugh anymore. He has to finish this poem and feel very uncomfortable. Why are you uncomfortable? But I don't understand. He put down his pen, turned his back, and walked slowly.

What on earth is uncomfortable? I'm afraid that the meaning between the poems makes him extremely uncomfortable. Although this is the idea of "Yiyang Tiannian", for Yuan Shikai, how can he easily let go of the things he has been chasing for a lifetime.

"Oh..."

After a long sigh, Yuan Shikai frowned and shook his head and sighed from time to time, as if to sigh that his mentality was changeable.

Just then, a servant came in and whispered to Yuan Shikai's ear:

"There are distant visitors."

Then hand over the business card in your hand. After taking the sashime, Yuan Shikai glanced at it. First, he was stunned, and then immediately got up and walked out of the Yangshou Garden.

"Sipzi, what brings you, the vice president of the lower house, to Zhangde?"

As soon as Yang Du stepped on the stairs of the reception room, Yuan Shikai came out of the pod shed on the side and greeted him loudly. The lower house is different from the House of Lords. The House of Lords only has a few meetings a year, but the House of Commons now has a lot of things. Yang Du is a fascinated person. If nothing happened, how can he come to visit him?

"Yuan Xiang."

Yang Du still smiled with his usual title and said, "From Nanjing to Zhangde, of course, it is the spring breeze blowing in the south of the Yangtze River!"

"I don't think it's the spring breeze. I'm afraid it's the north wind."

Yuan Shikai has walked to Yang Du's side and stretched out a big slap to pat him on the shoulder.

Yang Du was stunned and soon came to his senses and said:

"Do you know that I came here for the expansion of the Japanese army and the training of new recruits in Mongolia?"

"Xizi, you don't come to Zhangde to see me. This newspaper just said that 10,000 new recruits came to the bank through Dagu Port, and you came. If it's not for it, can it be for something else?"

"It's really shrewd."

Yang Du said in his heart and smiled twice.

"Let's not talk about this, please sit in the room!"

Yuan Shikai gave Yang Du into the reception room, and the servant followed him with a plate of melons and fruits. Yuan Shikai picked up a piece and handed it to Yang Du:

"Try this vegetable melon. I planted it myself."

"Is this really planted by yourself?"

Yang Du asked doubtfully, not to mention at this time.

"Do you not believe it?"

Yuan Shikai smiled and then said.

"Don't say it's me, even if your majesty is in the palace, he also grows some melons and fruits in the greenhouse. I also built a greenhouse here to grow some melons and beans to pass the rest!"

Yang Du took a bite:

"This melon is much more crispy than it is sold outside."

It's really crisper than those sold outside. There are also fresh melons and fruits sold in Nanjing, but they are all shipped from Hainan Island in Guangdong. No matter how fast it is, it has been stored for six or seven days. Compared with this new pick, it is obviously not done.

"How about Jingzhu and Yizhu? Does the child grow well?

Yuan Shikai kindly started a family life with Yang Du. Yang Du also asked him how his health was now. He often read some books, and his mind was thinking about how to get to the point. Seeing that Yuan Shikai never mentioned anything else, he had to be perfunctory.

"Is the car still smooth? How many hours have you been sitting?

Yuan Shikai clicked a cigar and smoked it leisurely.

Let's get to the point from here! Yang Du thought for a thought and said:

"The car was very smooth and arrived in Zhangde on time."

"Oh!" Yuan Shikai was slightly surprised.

"It's common to be a few hours late."

After the declaration of war, the railway always has to make way for the military line, so it is extremely normal to be late.

"It dares not miss this train."

"Huh?"

Yuan Shikai took the cigar out of his mouth and began to look solemn.

"There were more than 600 advisers sent by the Army Department to Mongolia to train the Japanese army on this bus."

"Oh."

Yuan Shikai nodded.

"That's right. Your Majesty will not boldly agree to the expansion of the army. Even if it is to expand the army, it should be under the control of our country, at least to control their movements!"

For the majesty in Nanjing, in the past ten years, Yuan Shikai has been more afraid than respect. In the past, the "old Buddha" who killed people did not give him the feeling that everything was under his control. Because of this, when he got the news of the expansion of the army, he had only one thought in his heart. Your Majesty wanted to say As for how to do it, it is not something he can control, and even if they expand their army, with your majesty's surname, it is obviously impossible to get them out of control. Combined with the news brought by Yang Du, it confirms his previous speculation.

Those who said that they were excited and thought that they had finally broke free from the arms restrictions of the security treaty, but they knew that with His Majesty's human being, there would be such a big loophole, and how could he not leave a back hand? The bigger the loophole he revealed, the more it was, the thing he wanted to get. The bigger it is, this time, I'm afraid this Dongyang people will be robbed!

Yang Du thought that Yuan Shikai would follow the topic, but unexpectedly, Yuan Shikai suddenly laughed and said:

"Syzi, you probably haven't eaten yet! Eat first. It's hard work on the road. Take a nap. Please come to the study at three o'clock in the afternoon. Let's have a good talk.

Just now, because he saw Yuan Shikai for the first time, he had something in his heart, but he didn't feel hungry. After this reminder, Yang Du suddenly felt tired and hungry, so he said:

"Yuan Xiang, you're welcome, too."

"What's so polite? It's all our own family!"

Then Yuan Shikai raised his voice and shouted.

"Come on!"

At that time, a capable young man came in.

"Take Mr. Yang to dinner!"

With that, Yuan Shikai stood up, shook Yang Du's hand and said.

"I won't accompany you. He will arrange everything for you."

"Thank you! Yuan Xiang!"

After Yang Du followed the servant out of the reception room, Yuan Shikai immediately called the workers of the telegraph room and quickly contacted the eldest son of Yanjing. This telegraph room was a privilege he enjoyed when he was prime minister. In order to facilitate contact, the Zhangde Telegraph Bureau pulled a telegraph line to Yuan's house.

As soon as the bell rang three times, the capable young servant politely walked into the guest room and invited Yang Du to Yuan Shikai's study. When Yang Du walked into the study on the third floor, Yuan Shikai was already waiting for him in the cushioned mahogany chair. Yang Du glanced at the study. This is a study completely arranged according to the habits of traditional Chinese literati. On the antique bookshelf, there are almost all kinds of thread-in-line books. The desk is large and thick, with a stone inkstone one foot square on it. In the large tripod-shaped antique bronze pen holder, there are about a dozen thick brushes. All this seems to be very close to the surname and appearance of the owner of the study. Several landscape paintings are hung on the four walls. A word is hung on the wall near the window. Yang Du recognized that this was the master's handwriting. Although calligraphy is not good, it is powerful one by one. It is written in a five-character sentence entitled "Fenging the Building":

"The building is small and can accommodate the knees, and the eaves are high and the old trees are aligned. Kaixuan Ping Beidou, I feel too low.

"This poem is really bold!"

Yang Du quickly praised.

"Smile, laugh!"

Yuan Shikai said happily.

"I'm a layman. I'm just talking about it."

"Open the scale to level the Big Dipper, and feel too low. These two sentences can't be recited if you are not a big hero.

Yang Du commented with a smile, "It seems that Emperor Wu of Wei, who wrote poems in those years, is afraid that he will lose a little in front of you."

"Hahaha!" Yuan Shikai laughed very happily. You really know how to make jokes.

"Yuan Xiang, this time I came to Zhangde from Nanjing, and I have something to ask."

Yang Du didn't want to gossip anymore, so he came straight to the point and shook out the purpose of the trip.

"Oh? I don't know what to ask?"

Yuan Shikai asked knowingly that he had learned something from Yuan Keding's telegram, but he was not sure yet.

"I don't know that Yuan Xiangke has heard that several companies have entered Arabia."

Yang Du stared at Yuan Shikai's smiling round and fat face and asked.

(to be continued)