Chapter 63 Probe

"Oh!"

With a gentle answer, Yuan Shikai did not show any emotion.

"The army opens the way in the front, and the company follows up in the back. This is also a way of overseas expansion. Your Majesty's desire to expand overseas should not be underestimated!"

He was used to setting up a cigar. Yuan Shikai pointed to the cigarette box and motioned Yang Du to take it himself. From the mark on the cigar box, Yang Du can see that this cigar was "rewarded" by His Majesty to Yuan Shikai.

In the past, this was a "imperial gift", but now Yuan Shikai has taken out such a courtesy, which obviously raised Yang Du. How can this not make Yang Du's heart fluctuated?

But Yang Du knows that this is where Yuan Shikai is shrewd. This cigar was rewarded by His Majesty last year. As for the cigars in the box, they have long been smoked, but the Cuban cigars smoked by His Majesty, Yuan Shikai got some cigars from the agent. The five yuan each can be put in a box with the royal mark. Show your identity. When recruiting people, Yuan Shikai always likes to take out this "imperial gift" to treat him. Invisibly, he let others have a good impression on him.

Yang Du took out one, skilled cigar scissors, cut off one end, and then wiped the match and said:

"Not every company can get a logistics subcontract from the Guard."

If anything in the upper class of the empire is the most popular, I'm afraid it's cigars. Your Majesty is good. After ten years, the upper class have been proficient in how to smoke cigars. Cuban cigars have always been the most imported luxury in China. Millions of imports every year have really been criticized by some people, although the sea There is a heavy tax on Cuban cigars, but it can't stop the habit that has already been formed.

Yuan Shikai spewed a puff of smoke from his nose and sneered:

"There is a lot of water in this logistics subcontracting. In addition to traditional industrial companies, there are also enterprises that have good relations with the Army Department, uh-huh! It's not what ordinary people can get!"

"I heard that Qinhuai Company has just won an order from the Army Department to build a base for the army in the Arabs."

"Oh? Which Qinhuai company?

Yuan Shikai gently tapped the cigar on the ashtray, and the gray ash was scattered in the black and red jar, as if adding a thin layer of frost.

"It's Ms. Liu's Qinhuai Company!"

There are some imperial secrets. Yang Du knows that Yuan Shikai in front of him knows much better than him, and this time he came to get some information from Yuan Shikai.

"Syzi, you'd better go back!"

Yuan Shikai threw half of the unfinished cigar into the ashtray, and a breath rushed out of his nose. Looking at Yang Du's eyes with a little dissatisfaction, Yang Xizi, Yang Xizi, he has come back to life over the years.

Feeling Yuan Shikai's dissatisfaction, Yang Du smiled dryly and hurriedly changed the topic at the same time:

"Hehe, just a question, I want to come to the Army Department's own arrangement of the Army Department, Yuan Xiang, I want to ask you. In your view, now Your Majesty, on the one hand, sent nearly 200,000 troops to Arabia, on the other hand, encouraged the Orientals to expand the army, and also trained in Outer Mongolia. This is the one who sings!"

Seeing Yang Du's interest, Yuan Shikai picked up the cigar again and slowly swallowed:

"This question is right for me to ask you. Although I am the president of the House of Lords, I have not paid attention to state affairs for more than a month, and state affairs are like floating clouds to me. As the vice president of the lower house, you have a lot of deliberation power, don't you think?

Yang Du shook his head and said with a wry smile:

"What is the right to deliberate! You don't always know that our China is wearing the hat of constitutionalism. Although in the past few years, the power of the lower house has been greater, and it has the right to review the political axe bill, but when it is really supervised and implemented, there are still a lot of articles in it. This lower house is just a little better than the previous two years! Like those important things, as soon as the lower house mentioned it, it was sealed back by the cabinet!"

Although he said so, Yang Du's face was more or less proud. Since the lower house had the right to deliberate, he has devoted himself to it, which can also be regarded as knowing that he can't do it! And more importantly, the ministries that used to ignore the lower house are now much weaker when they see the committees of the lower house, and there is always some power.

"You're telling the truth."

Yuan Shikai took a sip of his ink jade cup and said seriously.

"The no matter how big the law is, it must be implemented by people. I never believe that a constitution can govern the country. Only capable people can rule the world. Constitutional government, constitutional government, China has a constitution, and it is also constitutional government!"

Yuan Shikai's words have similarities and differences with Yang Du's thoughts. Of course, this is not the time for debate. Yang Du didn't want to talk about this issue any more. He looked at Yuan Shikai and said:

"Yuan Xiang, after Zhang Xiang's death, you can be said to be Zhu Cheng of China. Your Majesty is very important to you in this country! Although you have the heart of a wild fisherman, your majesty and the country are still inseparable from you.

Yang Du's words were not fabricated to please Yuan Shikai, but the truth. Since Yuan Shikai's resignation the year before last, some domestic newspapers have often consciously published articles praising Yuan Shikai. As for Guan Mingtang, the serious "Europeanized" State Premier, although he does things well, he always has a lot less than Yuan Shikai. Compared with Yuan Shikai, Guan Mingtang is too rigid. In other words, it is too "rule-abiding".

Yuan Shikai twisted his eight-character beard and smiled. This sentence went to his heart. He knows better than anyone that the things in China's officialdom can't be explained in a few words! Guan Mingtang is as good as Guan Mingtang, but he, Yuan Shikai is also good as Yuan Shikai. Just like in the process of dealing with political axe assets, although the methods of the two are basically the same, they both hand over the disposal enterprises to the imperial trust and then sell them to the private sector, but Yuan Shikai's reform is cautious.

But Guan Mingtang is different. He dealt with it boldly. He seized the political axe and was determined to restructure state-owned enterprises. In encouraging family companies and large group enterprises to acquire state-owned enterprises, he will not only sell those enterprises, but also in the disposal of some enterprises, investors will even get cash compensation, and This only made public opinion and the lower house of Congress constantly criticized, but Guan Mingtang, who was supported by His Majesty, still carried out drastic asset disposal in his own way. Perhaps because of the sound management and restraint mechanism of asset evaluation, Guan Mingtang even repeatedly asked the asset disposal agency of Imperial Trust Company not to be bound by the idea of loss or preservation and appreciation of state-owned assets. In short, Guan Mingtang only wants to sell those enterprises as soon as possible.

He suddenly remembered something and said to Yang Du:

"Syzi, I'll tell you something. Don't spread it."

"What's the matter?"

Yang Du was excited by Yuan Shikai's sudden look.

"Two months ago, Zhang Jizhi came to Hunshang Village."

Yuan Shikai's eyes lit up.

"He talked to me for four or five hours and didn't send him back to the train until midnight."

Zhang Jizhi is Zhang Jian, the champion of the world in the past. Now he is the chairman of Nantong Dasheng Yarn Factory, a member of the House of Lords, and the chairman of the Jiangsu Provincial Assembly. However, in recent years, Zhang Jizhi has been aspired to industry. Although Yang Du talked with him in the constitutional monarchy and met no less than five or six times a year, but Yang Du I know, this Zhang Weng prefers silver.

Why did this old man come to see Yuan Shikai? Yang Du muttered in his heart, so he asked:

"What did Mr. Ji Zhi say to you?"

But when it came to his mouth, Yang Du bit his tongue. Two months ago, Zhang Jizhi bought the Kulunmao company with assets of more than one million yuan with an imperial trust. At that time, it seemed to have caused a storm. Kulunmao company was an enterprise invested by the central government axe and the Mongolian king, but it has been in a loss. That's why there is the compensation of the Imperial Trust.

"Ji Zhi has a vision. In the eyes of others, he seems to lose money in his business, but now he has made money in his hands. In Cullen, there is only one light railway built by the army at the beginning, so it seems that how to calculate and how to lose money. But as soon as this war began, Russia lacked everything. Cullen's wool was directly exported to Russia. Now this soldier is training in Outer Mongolia. His woolen factory may expand again!"

Speaking of this, Yuan Shikai smiled easily, picked up a piece of walnut kernels and chewed it in his mouth. Yang Du heard it very well. He seemed to hear some meanings from Yuan Shikai's words. Zhang Jian had a deep relationship with many cabinet dignitaries, but this could not explain what His Majesty and the cabinet sang.

And Yuan Shikai continued to speak.

"That day, I suddenly received a telegram from him from Hankou, saying that the bus passed Zhangde in the afternoon and wanted to get out of the car to meet me and told me not to go out. Ji Zhi is also a rare person. When I was the prime minister, he didn't have much contact with me. Now I have the heart of a wild fisherman. He came to see me. He is my friend! I personally went to the station to welcome him to the village!"

"Friends, this is a real gentleman!"

Yang Du, who talked about his affectionate friends, quickly opened his mouth and praised.

"We talked about the past and talked about the sourness and sweetness of his yarn factory over the years, and then talked about the Kulunmao tweed factory. He was not in his mind. It is said that it was because Guan Mingtang found him that he decided to pay 500,000 yuan. If you add tax compensation, it would be 400,000 yuan! Do you know what Guan Mingtang said to him?

While Yuan Shikai asked a question, he drank tea again.

"Please make it clear!"

Yang Du hurriedly asked that he knew that Yuan Shikai would really get to the point.

"Look far away, look far away, don't just look at China!"

After saying that, Yuan Shikai stopped his voice, and then looked at Yang Du with a smile. Seeing that Yang Du seemed to be a little confused, he couldn't help sighing in his heart. Yang Xizi, the vice president, was really a little too tender.

"Recently, there have been more reports on the European war over there?"

When Yuan Shikai asked, Yang Du first meditated for a moment, and then suddenly realized.

"Yuan Xiang, you mean..."

(to be continued)