In the early morning of December 1, 1915, the fourth year of the Republic of China, the silvery Tokyo was still sleeping quietly in the heavy snow. The whole city was quiet, bustling with people during the day, and the noisy and restless streets were now cool and lonely, with no sound and no one in sight. It was dim.

Under the street lights, cleaners were cleaning the streets. For the poor farmers in Beijing, being a cleaner is now a pretty good job. As long as one person works, at least a family of five or six people will not have to worry about food and drink. Of course, this

Everything requires them to put in more effort, such as cleaning the streets several times a day.

At this time, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the State Council was as brightly lit as in the past. In Beijing, the brightly lit official residence of the Premier of the State Council has long become a scene in Beijing. People are no longer surprised by this. If

It is said that one day the lights here suddenly go out, and they will feel unnatural. Of course, they may be more worried. They are worried that something will happen here.

At this time, in the Prime Minister's Office, the chandelier scattered soft light. In front of Li Zicheng, who was reading the report, he saw thousands of miles of smoke and armor galloping in Europe.

It is a business war in the European, American, Asian and African markets. As the Prime Minister, there is always too much work waiting for him every day. In the past year, he has already returned to the sixteen-day work schedule he had when he was a secretary.

"Habit" for more than an hour.

This "habit" may not be a good habit, but Li Zicheng always has reasons to convince himself. Firstly, he is young, and secondly, time is not waiting for me, and China has no time to wait. Naturally, he leads by example.

, but it added a new word "State Council efficiency" to Chinese newspapers.

In fact, since Li Zicheng entered the State Council, the five ministries under the State Council and other subordinate agencies of the State Council have been undergoing a change, a change that is unimaginable in the eyes of the Chinese people.

For example, reporters who enter the State Council and people who come to do business can often see many State Council staff members sitting upright. That is the most uncomfortable posture, and

Therefore, choosing this kind of sitting position that is difficult to live with, according to what they said when receiving civil servant training, is to keep mentally alert at all times to prevent being lazy and depressed due to excessive comfort, but this rule is learned from the company

.

Diligence and self-discipline can be said to be the fundamental requirements of ** companies for their employees, and these requirements, because a large number of ** company employees have entered government agencies, have brought an unprecedented change in the style of these government agencies. State Council

Each department has a canteen, but the food in the canteen is quite simple. Even for many original employees and new employees of the State Council departments, the most difficult thing is that they are not used to the food in the canteen. In fact, the food in the canteen is very simple.

It was extremely simple, just a bowl of rice, a piece of meat, a portion of green vegetables, and a portion of seaweed soup, but those "company people" ate it with relish.

In China, if it is not forced by life, people rarely use choices and troubles to stay mentally alert. As for the importance of "eating", I am afraid that no nation in the world can compare with China, but here they require

They carry out their personal work with an unprecedented attitude towards life and work, which may not be a requirement. But in the end, due to the demonstration effect of those new civil servants called "company people", some habits are slowly being adopted in the country -

In addition to their leading and exemplary role in cultivating the State Council departments, more importantly, Li Zicheng, as the Prime Minister of the State Council, also works in the same chair and eats the same simple meals like them.

At twelve o'clock at midnight, a simple meal on a stainless steel plate was delivered to Li Zicheng's office. While Li Zicheng was eating, Zhang Yilin also walked in with the plate. For people who work long hours, Xiao

Night seems to be a normal thing, but Xiaoye is very simple, just one soup and two vegetarian buns...

"Prime Minister, I heard that you want Cai Songpo to go to the Army Hospital for a physical examination?"

While using Xiao Ye with the Prime Minister, Zhang Yilin was somewhat surprised to mention a piece of news he had just received. He had learned about this news from Han Wu, and this news surprised him. Although the Prime Minister understood

To win over Cai E, but asking him to go to the hospital for a physical examination was far beyond Zhang Yilin's imagination.

"That's right!"

Putting down the small soup bowl, Li Zicheng nodded.

"I heard that Cai Songpo suffered from tuberculosis in his early years, so I hope he can receive a comprehensive examination..."

The reason why Cai E was asked to have a physical examination was very simple. Historically, Cai E died after the War to Protect the Country precisely because the tuberculosis he had suffered in his early years recurred. Li Zicheng did not want to see the disease spread from France in a few months.

Of course, what is more important when hearing the news of Cai E's death is that he does not want the expeditionary force to fall into the hands of Xu Shuzheng due to Cai E's death.

He may have some good feelings for Xu Shuzheng, but Li Zicheng knows clearly that unlike Cai E, who only cares about the country, Xu Shuzheng has too many selfish motives. He may be Duan Qirui's "fan strategist", but he will never be able to

Becoming his own "fan strategist", Cai E is different. As long as he can hold his position, Cai E will be able to hand him a national army that is "loyal to the country" in the future, instead of Xu Shuzheng's private army.

It can be said that Cai E's health will be directly related to China's stable situation after the European War. In line with the principle of early treatment of illness, it is still necessary to check his body in advance and carry out preventive treatment.

"Well, not only him, but every public servant should undergo a physical examination at least once a year in the future. Of course, the cost needs to be borne by the individual! Especially for public officials in the State Council system, working overtime... is harmful to health.

of!"

Perhaps looking for an excuse, Li Zicheng mentioned the "health inspection system" at the right time.

"If a public official has a health problem, he should take a vacation to recuperate. This is responsible for them, and it is also responsible for our cause!"

"But, Prime Minister, will this offend Cai Songpo?"

Zhang Yilin asked with some worry, if Cai E had other ideas because of this, it would be more of a loss than a gain. What if he thought that the prime minister was going to scoop up his body as an excuse to get a job for Han Wu?

"Cai Songpo is a true gentleman!"

Li Zicheng, who smiled slightly and finished eating Xiao Ye, continued.

"How can a gentleman have the heart of a villain!"

I believe that for some people, Li Zicheng always has an inexplicable belief, and this is the case for Cai E. In Chinese history, he was the only one who voluntarily gave up his post after a military victory. Although there are other reasons, it must be

Generally speaking, he can be regarded as the first pure soldier in Chinese history, and he is worthy of trust.

And the more important point is that this is also a kind of test, testing whether he will treat himself with the same heart, which is also related to future plans. As long as he can treat himself with the same heart, then major events in the future will be determined. After all,

Now the central government is making concessions to local governments in order to re-establish central authority, but after the expeditionary force returns home, it will have to rely on the military might of the expeditionary force!

"Well, Zhongren. Well, is there any news from the president?"

When mentioning the body, Li Zicheng naturally thought of another person's physical health - Yuan Shikai's physical health. According to historical progress, he and Cai E were in tandem.

"information?"

Feeling slightly stunned, Zhang Yilin remembered the rumor - "No one in the Yuan family has lived past sixty." Moreover, he had inquired in private, and it seemed that there was really no one in the Yuan family who had lived past sixty. As for Xiang

The city is already fifty-seven years old!

"Prime Minister, I think the health examination system should be delayed for two years. After all, there are other serious problems now!"….

Sending out his suggestions quietly, Zhang Yilin was thinking about another possibility. If the president suddenly died of illness, who would become the president of China?

Li Yuanhong? Or...

Thinking in his heart, Zhang Yilin just held the soup bowl and thought quietly. Finally, he raised his eyes and looked at the Prime Minister. At this time, the Prime Minister had already stood up and walked towards his desk, looking at the young man.

His heart beat rapidly several times, maybe... At the same time that thought flashed, he felt his throat go dry. Even his breathing became rapid, so he quickly drank the vegetable soup in the bowl, as if intentionally

He said it seemingly unintentionally.

"Now the State Council should pay attention to domestic issues. If this matter is mentioned now, I am afraid some people will create public opinion and accuse me of not doing my job properly!"

He nodded. Li Zicheng, who felt that Zhang Yilin's words were somewhat reasonable, did not object.

"Okay, you can arrange this matter. Also, Songpo will go to the Army General Hospital tomorrow. His identity must be kept confidential. Apart from him and the doctor, the report can only be sent to me.

, Do you understand?”

If Cai E goes to the hospital, Li Zicheng will naturally not be able to live up to his trust in him. There are always some things that need to be considered.

"President, don't worry, there will definitely be no problem at the hospital!"

The Central Army Hospital, located on the banks of the Yongding River in the capital and near Lugou Bridge, was founded during the Jiaoao Incident last year. The Ministry of War responded to the problem of treating a large number of wounded caused by the war, and it was founded through the suggestions of some staff officers. The initial scale of the hospital was not large.

It is not even as large as the secondary station-affiliated hospitals along the Longhai Railway. It was not until Li Zicheng became Prime Minister that the Ministry of Finance allocated special funds for expansion under the intervention of the State Council. Now it is the largest and most well-equipped hospital in the capital.

The most Western-style hospital is the Central Army Hospital built in the suburbs covering an area of ​​2,186 acres.

Hundreds of state-of-the-art medical equipment, including

There are 650 German and Austro-Hungarian doctors. Most of these German and Austrian doctors are German and Austrian expatriates living in China. They were "captured overseas Chinese by the enemy" due to the declaration of war between China and Germany. However, China treats these German and Austrian expatriates.

However, their attitude is extremely friendly. They can enjoy treatment that prisoners and overseas Chinese cannot enjoy under the "double regulations" of specified residences and specified work places.

These doctors have become "employees of overseas Chinese" by providing medical services and medical education in the Central Army Hospital. However, their income is still high, with a monthly salary of one hundred or even hundreds of yuan, plus a good living environment.

The environment, as well as the normal vacation system, made these German and Austrian doctors think that their "capture" experience in China was nothing more than a vacation, and it was no different from their pre-war jobs.

Not only in the Central Army Hospital, but in fact, there are such "double-standard employees" in various industries in China. Government agencies, arsenals, shipyards, and private schools, factories, and enterprises all have such employees?p

Tens of thousands of German and Austrian expatriates in China enjoy perhaps the best treatment among all the Allied countries. In the past year, many German expatriates have even lost their jobs due to various reasons.

Fleeing from other countries such as Japan to China?p

Dr. Schnell, the chief internal medicine expert at the Central Army Hospital, fled from Japan to China a year ago. Before that, he was one of the thirty-six German professors at the Tokyo Imperial University School of Medicine. During the war,

At present, the Japanese government, companies, and schools employ as many as 10,000 German and Austrian experts and technicians. Compared with Chinese expatriates who are often spontaneous, adventurous, or entrepreneurial, those living in Japan

The German and Austrian expatriates are undoubtedly a few steps higher. Because of the declaration of war, Japan had to send those expatriates to prisoner-of-war camps. However, the Japanese government also considered the needs of its own country and often treated those enemy expatriates in prison camps.

After his "contract" expires, he will be sent to a prisoner of war camp...

Although the Japanese promised that they would be treated well in the prisoner-of-war camp, in order to avoid the prisoner-of-war camp, Schnell, like his colleagues, finally accepted the invitation from China and fled Japan on a Chinese merchant ship. Although the Chinese also

It was also a participating country in the war, but the "enemy overseas Chinese treatment" provided by China was higher than they imagined. It was not "prisoners of war" but "employment". Of course, in order to satisfy the Allies, the Chinese government still mentioned "control restrictions" in the contract.

"Sexual use". As for the so-called "restricted use", in Dr. Schnell's opinion, it is simply a joke. Just like the so-called "restrained residence", it turned out to be his own choice - a Chinese-style

Siheyuan, as for the binding nature, it is that every few days, an officer will come to the door to ask if he has left Beijing, and then ask him or his wife to sign a form, and that's it.

For this reason, like many people, after confirming that China is a safe place to live, he began to write letters inviting friends he met in the German Overseas Chinese Club to come to China, and the Chinese Embassy in Japan would provide them with everything it could.

It doesn’t matter if they are penniless, the Chinese government will provide food, ship tickets and even resettlement expenses for the “captured enemy overseas Chinese”!

But recently, for Dr. Schnell, that comfortable and peaceful life has been broken. China, which was a "nominal participant in the war" in the past, has decided to send troops to Europe. Those who have been trained by German military officers

The Chinese corps is about to go on an expedition to Europe to fight the German corps, and hundreds of Chinese doctors who have been taught by him and his friends in the army hospital will also go with the army.

For a German expatriate, his mentality is always complicated when serving an enemy country, especially when serving an enemy army. However, due to his personal ethics and the professional ethics of a doctor, he still works extremely seriously and strives to do a good job.

His own work, but at this time, looking at the patient in front of him, Dr. Schnell's heart was in chaos again. He was no stranger to the Chinese general in front of him. In fact, many German expatriates had read about it in newspapers.
To be continued...