A trace of gray flashed across Zhuerdian's face, but it was covered up in a blink of an eye.

He smiled slightly: "His Excellency Prime Minister, it is the responsibility of your government, not the responsibility of me, the British Empire minister. As a political leader of a great power, he should not escape his duty under any circumstances! He should not leave his post without permission and put the entire country in anarchy!"

Duan Qirui smiled faintly, called Zhu Erdian and Xu Shuzheng to sit down, and then ordered the servants to send tea, then slowly said: "Mr. Zhu Erdian, now you are no longer a prime minister, but an ordinary Chinese commoner. You, the minister of the British Empire, want to protest, and if you want to put pressure, you can go to the State Council and the Presidential Palace. I am afraid you have found the wrong place to come to my husband's palace and the school alley."

Although he said this, his face was still smiling. Zhu Erdian looked at Xu Shuzheng and found that he was also wearing a loose Chinese robe. It seemed that he was also in the wild. Zhu Erdian pondered: "Prime Minister, this time the mission decided to use China's Guan Yu for the police cause, which is also for China's consideration... Organizations like the Red Brigade are actually the same as the Russian Bolshevik Party. If they are not wiped out as soon as possible and allowed to grow, they will be a disaster for the destruction of the country in the future! As a friend of China, I really don't want to see China's destruction one day!"

Duan Qirui still smiled but said nothing. Xu Shuzheng interrupted in an indifferent tone: "Mr. Minister, the matter is not serious enough, even if Russia is not destroyed now? Didn't the Bolshevik Soviet government, your country and other great powers recognize it? You did not detain Russian tariffs and refused to give them? As you said, our Red Brigade is not only the same as the Bolshevik Party of Russia, but also directly accepts the support of the Bolsheviks! The remnants of the Russian attack on Tsarist Russia in China must have been instructed by the Bolsheviks, so to eliminate China's Red Brigade, we must trace the root of the roots and first wipe out the Bolsheviks... It really has nothing to do with China's police cause."

Zhu Erdian's expression was slightly cold. He has always been threatening Chinese politicians for so many years in China. This is the first time he has been threatening Chinese politicians!

He said coldly: "We don't have to worry about Russia's affairs. After the election of the Constitutional Assembly, the Bolsheviks will naturally step down! But the current situation in China is very worrying... How can a country have no government? If the political leaders of this country are unwilling to assume the responsibility of governing, then the great powers can only reluctantly manage the country instead of them!"

This time it was Duan Qirui and Xu Shuzheng's turn to change their faces slightly. Zhu Erdian actually said in front of them that the great powers would jointly manage! After all, they were not Chang Ruiqing. They had long seen through the essence of the paper tigers of British and French imperialism, but they were not scared.

Duan Qirui looked at Zhu Erdian who was sneering there and said lightly: "Mr. Zhu Erdian, what you said represents the meaning of the British Empire, right?" As he said that, he pointed to Xu Shuzheng: "Youzheng. Call the newspaper and tell them that the British Empire is preparing to turn China into the second India, so that Zuomin from the Red Brigade will surrender to the British quickly!"

Zhu Erdian's face turned completely dark: "Mr. Duan, do you really don't want to take any more responsibility? Are you going to watch China fall into an abyss that will never be restored?"

Duan Qirui smiled bitterly and waved his hand: "It's not that I don't want to be responsible. But the current situation is no longer something Duan can handle."

Of course, Zhu Erdian knew what the other party meant, but it was just for the tens of millions of silver dollars that year. This money was not something that could not be controlled by the Chinese, but would the Chinese use this money to wipe out the Red Brigade? You can figure it out with your heels. For foreigners, the Red Brigade is undoubtedly a huge threat, but to the Beijing government, Sun Yat-sen of Guangdong is the biggest concern!

It turned out that when Sun Yat-sen did not have a territorial army directly under his control, it was already a headache. Now this person has control over the wealthiest Guangdong Province in China. He still has an army of 40,000 or 50,000 people... If he were Duan Qirui, he would definitely be so anxious that he couldn't sleep.

However, based on the interests of the British Empire in China, he did not want to see Sun Yat-sen's power be eliminated by the Beiyang, because that would mean that the Beiyang government could unify China! Will a completely unified China still allow the great powers to be like now?

Well, it’s not right. China is not letting the great powers live now, because they have the Red Brigade!

The current situation seems to be in a dilemma. A weak central government like the Beiyang government has no way to take on the responsibility of eliminating the Red Brigade! This principle is known to any European diplomat. They know how difficult it is for the terrorist organizations of the anarchists and socialists in Europe! It is a miracle that the government like Beiyang will not be eliminated by the Red Brigade in the future!

If Beiyang wants to eliminate the Red Brigades, the best way is to strengthen their strength. For example, support them to unify China, return tariff autonomy to China, and return the concessions of the great powers in China to the Beiyang government... But in that case, how can the interests of the great powers in China be guaranteed?

Moreover, if the British Empire made so many concessions to the Chinese because of a newly emerging Chinese terrorist organization, what would the Indians react?

Therefore, it is impossible to make concessions to the Chinese! The Japanese's suggestion to invest China's limited financial resources into "suppression of Red Desolation" is still correct in the general direction. The current problem is just how to convince the Chinese leaders to accept it.

"Your Excellency, we can give Guan Yu to the Chinese government for its own discretion, but you must ensure that you have to invest enough resources in the fight to eliminate the Red Brigade!"

Zhu Erdian thought for a long time and still made a small step. Oh, maybe in his opinion, such concessions were already great. After saying this, he raised his chin high and waited for Duan Qirui who was overjoyed to thank his kindness.

But after waiting for a long time, Duan Qirui didn't say anything, but picked up the teacup, lowered his head and sipped slowly there. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward. After a while, Xu Shuzheng coughed gently and reminded: "Mr. Minister, the place where the Red Brigade is causing trouble is mainly concentrated in the concession... It is not something that our Chinese government can control, and no matter how many police we have, it will not work! Mr. Minister, can you agree to our military and police patrol in the concession?"

"No! That's absolutely not possible!" Juerdian didn't even consider such a proposal. He immediately opposed it: "The British Empire has the ability to protect her overseas territory from invasion! You don't need to worry about this."

Xu Shuzheng nodded and then said, "What about the Russian Concession? Their barracks were all blood-battered by the Red Brigade, and Petrograd also made it clear that he would not send Russian military personnel to Tianjin..."

"This..." Zhu Erdian was in trouble now. The Russian Concession in Tianjin is the largest concession in Tianjin. Now it has almost become the territory of the Red Brigade! The Russian garrison and police died and ran away, and Petrograd ignored it... Well. In fact, they didn't ignore it completely. They wanted to send 5,000 Chinese GCD militants to the Russian Concession in Tianjin to station! Just by observing the name, these people were with the Red Brigade!

Zhu Erdian frowned: "Then let the Chinese government temporarily take over the public security of the Russian Concession in Tianjin."

"It's still not possible." Xu Shuzheng shook his head, looking embarrassed: "According to the Treaty of Xin Chou, the Chinese government can only station 300 soldiers in Tianjin, and these soldiers can't even care about the Tianjin Chinese community. How can we manage the affairs of the concession? If we want to take over the public security of the Russian Concession in Tianjin, at least 3,000 soldiers must be sent to Tianjin. This "Treaty of Xin Chou" must be revised! Moreover, the Russian Concession in Tianjin should be managed by the Russian side. Now we need to help maintain public security. Should this fund be borne by the Russian Concession?"

"Send police!" The anger on Zhu Erdian's face could no longer be concealed. These Chinese people were trying hard to revise the "Xin Chou Treaty" and wanted to station 3,000 troops in Tianjin! It was really a delusion!

"The police dare not go!" Xu Shuzheng cried and said with a wry smile: "Mr. The army is controlled by military law. Even if it is a fire, it must be rushed. But the police are different. They just roll the bed and go home... There is no reason to be shot. They are 6 yuan a month, so where can they make money? Who is willing to fight against the terrorists of the Red Brigade for these small money?"

Well, this problem has been circulating for a long time but still has no solution! The Chinese team cannot enter Tianjin, and the Chinese police are afraid of death... As for the amendment of the "Xin Chou Treaty", it is even more impossible. Isn't this equivalent to making concessions to the Red Brigade? According to the experience of "counter-terrorism" in Europe, it is stupid to make concessions to terrorists. Those terrorists will not only not restrain themselves, but will become more aggressive!

Since Duan Qirui had no solution here, Zhu Erdian no longer wasted his time. He stood up and bowed slightly to Duan Qirui, then said goodbye and left, preparing to try his luck at Feng Guozhang, Jurentang, Zhongnanhai.

Just as he walked out of Duan Mansion of Fuxue Hutong, he suddenly found that the small alley was full of cars and carriages, and many Beiyang soldiers carrying mull guns were patrolling everywhere. It seemed that the commander of the Beiyang garrison near Beijing had visited Duan Qirui's mansion.

Although Duan Qirui got out of the Taiwan Strait, many people in the Beiyang Army still recognize him as the boss!

...

"Duan Zhiquan still didn't agree to come out?" Feng Guozhang asked the people around him in a low voice. Everyone nodded silently. Unlike the people around Duan Qirui, most of the people here had joyful expressions on their faces.

Feng Guozhang turned his eyes to Lu Jianzhang, and Lu Jianzhang smiled and said, "President, Zhu Erdian's car did not return to Dongjiaomin Lane after leaving Fuxue Hutong, but rushed to Zhongnanhai."

Hearing this news, Feng Guozhang sighed softly: "If you don't take the lead, you don't know how expensive it is for food and rice... Such a big stall in Beiyang, how much does it cost per month? How much input is there? Do you know?"

This question seems to be asking everyone in the house, but President Feng's eyes turned to a short and fat middle-aged man in his 50s in the corner, wearing a suit and a ties. This person is Liang Shiyi, the famous Beiyang God of Wealth, the leader of the "Old Transportation Department". When Yuan Shikai became emperor, he helped raise a huge sum of money, almost causing the two Chinese exchanges to go bankrupt! After Yuan Shikai's failure, he became the culprit of the imperial system and lived in seclusion for a long time. Today he actually appeared in Feng Guozhang's presidential palace. I don't know what good ideas can be given to President Feng?

"The President, the main financial sources of the central government are only three, one is Guanyu; the second is salt tax; and the third is railway income under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport. In addition, there are also commercial taxes in Beijing and Tianjin, which have always been dominated by the central government. These incomes can be deducted from repayment to the powerful banks, and a total of 70 to 80 million yuan a year. If peace can be achieved in the north and the south and no longer wars, they can cope with the daily expenses of the central government."

Feng Guozhang said, "What if Guan Yu was using it on 'Suppressing Chi'?"

Liang Shiyi smiled and said, "The foreigners' request is completely unoperable. At present, police officers in various places are self-managed. The police department will not be able to control local police at all... If they give Guan Yu 30 to 40 million yuan to the police department, they will not be able to spend it!"

Feng Guozhang's secretary-general Yun Baohui reminded: "The mission also proposed that the great powers send consultants to help us run police. Maybe it is to control all the police in China?"

"That's impossible." Feng Guozhang smiled and shook his head: "Those foreigners think too easily. It would be nice to control the police in Beijing and Tianjin. Who would sell their accounts in the local area?" He paused and asked Liang Shiyi again: "Yan Sun. If you were asked to be the Minister of Finance and the Chief of Transportation, would you have a way to solve the financial difficulties?"

Liang Shiyi was slightly stunned, with no surprise on his face, but instead showed concern: "President. If the ministerial delegation detains Guan Yu and refuses to give it to us..."

"No." Feng Guozhang waved his hand and sneered: "At most, they want us to increase the efforts to crack down on the Red Brigade, so they allocated 10 million yuan from Guanyu as special funds for the "suppression of Red Red", and then invited senior police officers from Britain, France, the United States and Japan to serve as consultants in the police department, so that they can deal with it."

As he said that, he turned his attention to Wang Shizhen, who was sitting side by side with him. He smiled and said, "Pinqing, why don't you do this Prime Minister? Our country is as big as a country, we always have a government, right?"

Wang Shizhen shook his head slightly. How could he not understand Feng Guozhang's thoughts? He was extremely dissatisfied with Duan Qirui's behavior of controlling the cabinet and undermining the president. At present, he finally had a chance. Duan Qirui broke up with foreigners due to the Red Brigade issue. He still hurriedly took the regime in his hands? But how could this Prime Minister be so easy?

Not to mention anything else, the disaster of the Red Travel is not so easy to settle! If the Red Travel cannot be dealt with, foreigners will have to put pressure on each other every now and then protest! Maybe they will use that little Guan Yu to stumbling on their necks... This is not just being the Prime Minister, it is simply a slaughter!

Moreover, can Duan Qirui and Xu Shuzheng be content? They can control the Anfu Congress, and most of the Beiyang troops also listen to Duan Qirui.

Thinking of this, Wang Shizhen said in embarrassment: "Hua Fu, I can't do this Prime Minister. I can't be sorry to Zhiquan. You might as well ask Gao Ming."

Feng Guozhang snorted: "I am not exempted from the Prime Minister of Duan Zhiquan, that's because he doesn't want to do it himself! What can I do? Now our Republic of China has no government. No department under the State Council can open it. What can I do if this continues!"

Wang Shizhen thought about it and felt it made sense. He sighed: "Hua Fu, you can be this prime minister, but I also have a condition. Duan Zhiquan wants to be the Minister of the Army! And the battle against the southwest cannot be stopped immediately."

Feng Guozhang also knew that his old friend was just the temper of refusing to be sorry to his friend, but not everyone could do the position of Prime Minister. He focused on it and agreed: "Okay! Minister of the Army asked Duan Zhiquan to come out and I will come to the door with you in person! Pinqing, that Zhu Erdian will come soon. Do you have any conditions to raise?"

Wang Shizhen sighed again, as if Feng Guozhang did not want him to be the Prime Minister, but to go to jail! He thought for a while and sighed: "Of course there are conditions. First, Guan Yu must be controlled by us, otherwise this prime minister would have no way to do it. Second, the burden of destroying the Red Brigade cannot fall on us. At present, we are full of concessions everywhere in our concessions, and we do not have the power to enforce the law, and our military and police cannot enter... The Red Brigades there can only be tried by the great powers themselves to find ways to eliminate them! Third, the issue of the Sino-Russian New Testament, the mission can no longer interfere with the Russian Concession and the Middle East Road. The Russian Concession and the Middle East Road must immediately allow us to take them back. If they can agree to these three things, our Beiyang may be able to maintain it, otherwise I can't do this prime minister."

Feng Guozhang smiled and said, "That's it. If Zhu Erdian can agree, we will continue to hang out in Beijing. If he doesn't agree, I will not do it anymore, as the president! I will resign from Congress tomorrow and ask Li Yuanhong to be this unlucky president!"

When Zhu Erdian heard these three conditions proposed by Wang Shizhen, he was really amused! In the past, the Chinese were all those who wanted to be presidents, prime ministers, and emperors accepted the various harsh conditions proposed by the great powers. How did they turn into the other side of the conditions to the great powers? It seemed that the great powers asked them to be prime ministers!

Isn’t it just a group of terrorists targeting the great powers? Without these Chinese bureaucrats, wouldn’t the great powers be able to protect their interests in China?! ~!

{Piaotian Literature www.piaotian.net Thank you for your support, your support is our greatest motivation}
Chapter completed!