A few hours later, at nearly midnight, Yuan Shikai personally sent Li Zicheng to the gate, while Yang Du accompanied Li Zicheng on the carriage and left the Provisional Presidential Palace.

Yuan Keding followed his father back to the room. Yuan Shikai gave him instructions.

"Although Li Zicheng is young, his talents and learning are very comparable to others. You brothers should make more friends with him."

"father!"

Yuan Keding was puzzled by his father's instructions.

"Are you really interested in Li Zicheng?"

In Yuan Keding's view, what his father did today was too much. The ceremonial guard was almost equivalent to the president. Isn't it just for that man's money? If you want his money, it's not easy. Just...

"Keding, you are thirty-four years old this year and have been growing up beside me. Why don't you put more thought into your studies?"

Yuan Shikai frowned and said to his son seriously.

"Your father and I may not be as talented as others in our lives. We may be here today, but we rely on knowing how to use people. Do you understand?".

Yuan Keding nodded and said, seeming to understand.

"Oh, I understand, dad, what you mean is to show kindness now and wait for the future..."

His son's words only made Yuan Shikai sigh and pointed to his head.

"You still don't understand here."

His father's words made Yuan Keding puzzled again: You obviously meant what you just said, why not? In the mind of Mr. Yuan, his father is really unattainable. Starting from the age of seventeen or eighteen, he has determined to do something.

He even wanted to surpass a powerful man like his father. For more than ten years, he had learned step by step from his father, carefully observed and speculated carefully, hoping to learn from me, but he felt that the gap between him and me was too big.

My father's thoughts and methods are really beyond our reach. But he never loses heart. He believes that one day he will be better than his predecessors.

"Please give me father's advice."

Yuan Keding stood respectfully next to his father, with a pious attitude of receiving advice.

Yuan Shikai was very strict with his sons, always hoping that they would become great people and succeed him in the future, but he gradually became disappointed over the years. Not to mention the younger ones, some of them have grown up: the second son Kewen

He doesn't like the romantic and dissolute, willing to be a poet, wine and literati; the third son, Ke Liang, laughs and laughs all day long, like a silly boy, and he doesn't like it; the fourth son, Ke Duan, has an eccentric and withdrawn personality, and he is worried that this son is mentally ill; the fifth son, Ke Liang, is passionate about power.

While studying in the study, the sixth son, Keheng, and the eighth son, Keji, all wanted to start an industry. The seventh son, Kehuan, was obsessed with making a lot of money by doing business, which dissatisfied him. After much comparison, only the eldest son could do it.

Keding was naturally fond of talking about state affairs, and Yuan Shikai thought that this son had great ambitions. Keding could indeed sometimes give him some advice and do some things for him, so he always thought highly of his eldest son. Although Yuan Keding was not his ideal

He is the successor, but among the fifteen sons, he can only count on this eldest son in the future.

Since his comeback last year, he has been more interested in cultivating Keding. He often talks to Keding about some of the things on his mind, hoping that his son will mature faster.

"Keding, have you ever thought about what should be the priority in China's situation today, with internal and external difficulties?"

Yuan Shikai stared at his son and asked.

"My son hasn't thought about it well, please ask your father for advice."

In fact, Yuan Keding had thought about it in his heart, and thought about it a lot, but he couldn't say it. He wanted to hear his father's opinion on this matter first.

"In fact, the situation in China today is one of internal and external difficulties!"

Yuan Shikai took out a cigar from the cigarette case on the coffee table, and Ke Ding hurriedly lit the match and helped his father light it. After blowing out a puff of smoke, Yuan Shikai continued.

"But in fact, it is the internal situation that leads to the external situation. Why do people in the south shout all day long that external situations are the most important thing? Is this really out of patriotism?"...

At this time, Yuan Shikai's face was full of ridicule.

After listening to his father's words, Yuan Keding nodded and said.

"In the past, we relied on foreign countries to respect ourselves, but now we rely on foreign countries to respect ourselves."

His son's answer made Yuan Shikai smile slightly. His son was not confused yet.

"After the Kulun Incident, people in the south wrote to the central government on the grounds of patriotism that they should send troops. Some even claimed that they would train millions of troops to conquer Vladivostok. How arrogant are they?"

Yuan Keding pondered for a moment, then touched the jade ring between his fingers with his right hand and said.

"Revolutionaries have always been arrogant, and they are just delusions of madmen."

"snort!"

Yuan Shikai blew out a puff of smoke from his nostrils, and then his face showed some contempt and some slight anger.

"It's not just the delusions of madmen, they have ulterior motives at all! They use patriotism as an excuse to stir up the people's hearts in order to promote the central government's foreign policy. If the central government is foreign, the great powers will definitely take action. In order to safeguard their own interests, the great powers will definitely contact the southern revolutionaries.

, at that time, several provinces in the south may find some excuse to carry out rebellion!"

Yuan Keding was a little surprised. He really hadn't thought so far. In his opinion, the Southern Revolutionary Party's clamor was nothing more than "seeking fame with words". They were not in their position and did not understand the difficulties. The Revolutionary Party was patriotic, but last year there was a

In the uprising, the privileges of various countries were recognized there. Even the interim president almost gave up... in order to make money...

Thinking in his mind, he nodded and said.

"Yes, the southern revolutionaries have sinister intentions and we really have to be on guard against them!"

"The so-called internal and external difficulties at present are actually domestic difficulties. If the domestic difficulties are solved, the external difficulties can be eliminated."

Yuan Shikai put out the small half of his cigar in the ashtray, stood up from the sofa, and put his hands on his waist. His expression clearly showed that he was determined to play only this move.

Yuan Keding asked cautiously.

"As soon as the internal difficulties are eliminated and the external difficulties are eliminated, I wonder how dad is going to deal with the South?"

"I accept their democratic republic!"

Yuan Shikai said in a decisive tone.

"Didn't they say in the past that democracy and republicanism were their highest goal? Didn't I already accept this highest goal?"

Yuan Shikai touched his beard under his nose, looked at his son with a half-smile and asked.

"Use your spear to attack your shield!"

Yuan Keding, who was somewhat confused, was not sure what his father was planning to do. Could it be that he wanted to use the Republic of China to fight the Republic of China?

"But the problem before us..."

Yuan Shikai sat back on the sofa with a long sigh and said.

"The problem at hand is nothing more than finance. The finance is unresolved, the country is unstable, and there is no money. The government will collapse, and the army needs to pay and money! The great powers have recognized this, and they have blackmailed me in every possible way. Once I come, I

We need money. Secondly, when the great powers are willing to borrow money, they will recognize us. But I don't want to bear the reputation of a traitor. Not everyone can bear this reputation. If you are not careful, you will be in catastrophe. Unless you have to, you still can't.

To walk this tightrope, we have to find a way to get the best of both worlds."

Yuan Keding stood there blankly, confused for a moment what his father meant. Yuan Shikai looked up at him and said to his son again.

"Keding, the best of both worlds, why not just leave!"

"ah!"

Yuan Keding was stunned by his father's words. Seeing how complacent his father was, the best of both worlds? How could it be the best of both worlds? What was father's intention? Are these two things there again? I don't understand!

I can’t see through it!

"Keding! You have to learn more!"

With a sigh, Yuan Shikai knew that compared to himself, his son still lacked that much hard work.
Chapter completed!