In a dark room, Zhao Yuting sat on the bed with her knees hugged, motionless, staring at the starry sky outside the window.

  In the past month, her life has undergone a series of dramatic changes.

  She was originally eighteen years old and lived a carefree life in a small rice shop with her hardworking and kind parents, brothers and sisters who loved each other, and the days were still quite happy.

  It was that day when I went out to buy a red rope and was seen by a middle-aged uncle riding a horse, and the following days were tragic.

  A group of soldiers rushed into the small rice shop, forcibly pulling themselves onto a flower sedan chair, saying they were going to be the thirteenth concubine for their commander. However, she had never seen this commander before and didn't want to become his thirteenth concubine anyway.

  But facing the brutal soldiers and seeing his family cowering in terror, he himself had to abandon his plans for a year-end wedding and get on the bridal sedan chair with tears in his eyes.

  She went to the government office and found that it was indeed the same uncle Zhao who had molested her on horseback. She had been so angry that she had almost died from anger, and being a strong-willed person, she had secretly hidden an embroidery scissors, preparing to use it to kill herself in the bridal chamber. As for castrating the uncle, this 16-year-old girl didn't even dare think about it, because her parents and siblings still needed to live on.

  But she was terrified all night until dawn and didn't see that lewd middle-aged uncle come in, although she didn't know the reason, but it made our Zhao Yuting's little beauty take a long sigh of relief.

  A few days later, a troop of soldiers suddenly rushed into Guilin City and surrounded the commander's mansion. The entire Chen family was thrown into chaos and terror. Then some people wearing black clothes rushed in, and the leader seemed to have taken a liking to himself, ordering his men to drag him out. Zhao Yuting refused to go along with them, of course, and was tied up by the black-clad men without any courtesy. He was then sent to a woodshed, where he spent about half a day before being untied and brought here.

  Continuous movement made Zhao Yuting no longer afraid, so whatever food was sent in, she ate without hesitation. Since she came, she has been easy-going and carefree. After eating her fill, the little girl would sit on the bed, staring blankly into space, with nothing to do.

  Wang Zhenyu walked in with Huang Shaohong, Zhao Yuting was shocked and immediately jumped up from the bed, then looked at this young man in his early twenties who calmly walked to her front, very rudely looked herself up and down, and then actually turned around and left with his hands behind his back.

  "This girl is not bad, you're in charge of arranging it and making her my life secretary. Train her well and have a good attitude, don't scare the little girl." Wang Zhenyu's words were abrupt and Huang Shaoyong listened with a daze.

  As for Wang Zhenyu's feelings towards this girl, he was very satisfied. From her appearance to her figure, there wasn't a single aspect that didn't conform to the aesthetic standards of later generations.

  As Wang Zhenyu walked out of the courtyard, he suddenly turned around and asked Huang Shaohong: "Who sent this?"

  Huang Shaokong immediately replied: "It was sent over by Military Director Gong's side."

  Wang Zhenyu nodded and said, "This kid is also kind-hearted to sign the order for me. He will serve as the deputy director of the Military Intelligence Bureau and the stationmaster of Guangxi Station with the rank of Major General. This time in the Guangxi campaign, he has also made great contributions. That's right, take 1 million out of the 6 million yuan and reward them to the Guangxi station. The remaining will be placed on your account at the Imperial Guard Office. I'll use it whenever I need it."

  Yes

  Beijing Zhongnanhai Rensheng Hall With a loud crash, a good inkstone suddenly shattered.

  Yuan Shikai was about to lose his temper, but suddenly he felt a pang of heartache and all his anger disappeared. This stone inkstone had been with him for over 20 years, and it just went like that.

  Xiong Xiling and Yang Du saw that the President was really angry, so they all looked at each other without saying a word.

  They all knew that Yuan Shikai was furious about what happened in Guangxi, and it wasn't until the second revolution had just been put down for a month that the party took over Guangxi again.

  "What kind of old general is Lu Rongting? He's still an anti-French hero, with superior military strength, yet he lost Guangxi. And what about Wang Zhenyu from Xiangxi? What made him take down the entire province of Guangxi? You tell me!"

  Xiong Xiling and Yang Duan indeed knew some of the situation in this matter.

  Yang Du took money from Tian Yingzhao every month. Last time when the Guangxi war broke out, it was he who advocated for sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight, which led to Yuan Shikai not intervening in Guangxi's affairs in a timely manner. In this situation, it is naturally not good to say anything again.

  Xiong Xiling was slightly different from Yang Duan. In July this year, he was appointed by Yuan Shikai as the Premier of the Cabinet. Although due to the Second Revolution, this cabinet was finally established at the end of last month, and all the power was in the hands of Yuan Shikai. However, Xiong Xiling's cabinet, which was called the first-class talent cabinet by people at that time, finally got started.

  Sun Baoqi as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zhu Qiqian as Minister of Internal Affairs, Liang Qichao as Minister of Justice, Wang Daoyuan as Minister of Education, Duan Qirui as Minister of War, Liu Guanxiong as Minister of Navy, Zhang Jian as Minister of Industry and Commerce, Zhou Ziqi as Minister of Communications, Xiong Xiling concurrently as Minister of Finance, Zhang Jian concurrently as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry

  However, on October 6th, Yuan Shikai was elected as the first formal President of the Republic of China. After that, there were only two more formally elected presidents in mainland China, one being Cao Kun and the other Chiang Kai-shek. But I digress. Xiong Xiling knew well about Yuan Shikai's power-grabbing nature and the instability of this cabinet. If he wanted to secure his position as Premier, he needed local support. In other words, Xiong Xiling also hoped for military backing.

  Tian Yingxu's appearance was no different from giving him such a choice, and Wang Zhenyu's Pinggui strategy had already been sent to his desk by Tian Yingxu last night. So at this time, it must be thinking of ways to keep this team in the old Yuan, so that this team can regard itself as a reliable support and support for itself. Politics is nothing more than this.

  But there's an art to saying it just right

  Yuan Shikai painfully picked up the broken inkstone and stamped his foot, saying: "Send a telegram to Long Jiguang, the governor of Guangdong, and let him take office as the inspector of the two Guangs immediately. Bring troops to western Guangxi at once. At the same time, send a telegram to Cai E, the governor of Yunnan, appointing him as the governor of Hunan. Lead his troops to attack western Hunan immediately. I don't believe this 20-year-old kid can still turn things around in my hands and capture Beijing. I'll skin him alive! My inkstone!"

  The last sentence made everyone present cry and laugh, and Old Yuan actually still had such a move.

  Xiong Xiling immediately stepped forward and said: "No, Mr. President"

  "What's wrong and why can't" Yuan Shikai was still stroking the inkstone

  "This edict of yours will not be issued in the southwest, and under the mutual restraint of the three divisions, at least half of the Jiangshan can be preserved. But with this edict, it is estimated that the two heroes will meet, and Long Jiguang is also a person from Mengzi, Yunnan. If there is chaos in the future, it must be in the southwest."

  Yuan Shikai was so angry that he threw the inkstone onto the desk: "You, Bao Dichen, what do you think I should do? Am I supposed to hold my nose and admit that this person is openly asking for me, Yuan, to be the premier, and that you're being foolish?"

  Xiong Xiling hastily said: "Mr. President, have you noticed the telegram from Guangxi? There's another sentence in it."

  "Oh, what's this? Bring three of them for me to take a look" Yuan Shikai suddenly became interested.

  Xiong Xiling pointed to the first clause: "The province will disarm and focus on self-cultivation, abolishing the position of military governor and establishing a single civil administrator to be appointed by the central government. Isn't this a sincere concession to you? Moreover, when war broke out, this Hunan army did not engage in battle with my northern army; they merely flew the flag of rebellion, taking land to the north in Changde and sweeping south through Guangxi. In essence, it was just a matter of grabbing territory, without any ambition to dominate the world. Such an army can be easily incorporated under your command, why bother wasting time and effort to eliminate them?"

  Yuan Shikai listened and seemed to make sense, suddenly touching his bald head and laughing: "Haha, look at my memory, you Xiong Bing San, Xiong Feng Huang, aren't you from Xiangxi? Tell me, is this Wang Zhenyu a relative of yours? Why are you so concerned about speaking for him?"

  Xiong Xiling immediately stroked his beard and said with a serious face: "I and Wang Zhenyu are not relatives or friends, but recently, the deputy governor of Xiangxi, Tian Yingkui, has been active in Beijing for half a year. He hopes that I can persuade the President to recruit the troops from Xiangxi to serve the country and the President, so as to avoid the suffering of the people of Xiangxi due to war. I assure you, Mr. President, that I have no personal motives."

  Yuan Shikai thought for a moment and said: "Then who do you plan to let take on the role of Guangxi's civil governor, is there a suitable candidate?"

  Xiong Xiling thought for a moment and said: "Wang Zhi Xiang, this person was the former Guangxi Tidu. Locally, he has connections and won't let people take advantage of him."

  Yuan Shikai smiled and pointed at Xiong Xiling: "With your face, Wang Zhenyu will be put in a difficult position. I'm not clear about the situation in Xiangxi, but it's definitely not something that can be decided by one family. This Wang Zhenyu is probably just a figurehead. I'll give you, Bingsan, some face and issue an order to appoint Wang Zhenyu as the military governor of Guangxi and Hunan, and Wang Zhiping as the civil governor of Guangxi. You can handle the details yourself. Make sure these people will be useful to me in the future."

  Xiong Xiling heard this and finally put his mind at ease: "Then what about the order from the Grand President just now?"

  "Long Jiguang's troops can be withdrawn, he is not as good as Lu Rongting at leading soldiers, it's a waste of mobilization fees and expressions. Cai E's matter has been settled, just issue another order saying that Wang Zhenyu has surrendered to the central government, remember to let him take office first, no need to adjust troops after taking office."

  Xiong Xiling loudly cursed Yuan Shikai as a slippery head, originally waiting for Cai E.

  On October 22, Wang Zhenyu announced his surrender to the central government in Liuzhou and took office as the director of military affairs in Hunan and Guangxi. Upon learning this news, he had already escaped to Japan. Sun Yat-sen was furious when he heard that Wang Zhenyu, a hero of the people's army, still held some hope for him. In his telegram, he pointed out: "The warlord of Hunan and Guangxi, Wang Zhenyu, has taken the road of counter-revolution by relying on Yuan Shikai. I hope all revolutionary comrades will be able to punish him."

  Afterwards, Wang Zhenyu held this telegram and excitedly read it for half a day: "I'm finally in the news"