Since the news of Chen Ke's rebellion shook the world, He Qian's status in the Sun family plummeted. With He Qian's intelligence, she knew that unless Chen Ke could overthrow the Manchu Qing and ascend to the position of China's supreme ruler, her life in the Sun family would not be easy. Whether Chen Ke could overthrow the Manchu Qing, He Qian actually didn't care at all. Even if she cared, He Qian only cared about her niece He Ying. If Chen Ke perished, He Ying would definitely not have a good ending, which was something He Qian didn't want to see.

However, He Qian knew she was already a member of the Sun family, and she must guarantee the interests of the Sun family. In these days, He Qian paid great attention to the war that was bound to happen. When she learned that Duan Qirui might lead the troops, He Qian began to worry. Duan Qirui was the old commander of the 3rd Division. If he led the troops, the 3rd Division to which Sun Yongsheng belonged would definitely go on the expedition. He Qian didn't want her niece He Ying to suffer, and she didn't want her husband to be killed either. From the wars that had occurred so far, He Qian didn't see any clear proof that the Beiyang New Army could defeat the People's Party army. He Qian had to persuade her husband not to participate in this war.

"Yongsheng, Chen Ke is not such a simple character. I don't understand fighting, but which rebel in recent years didn't rise and perish quickly? I know Chen Ke originally had a little fame in Shanghai. He didn't stay in Shanghai but ran to Anhui where he had never been. As the saying goes, 'A strong dragon does not suppress the local snake.' The Anhui New Army was the local snake, and Chen Ke could exterminate them too. The Hubei New Army could take Anqing relying on the Yangtze River, but once they left the Yangtze River, they were completely annihilated. Yongsheng, although the Beiyang New Army is good at fighting, going to Anhui to fight is an expedition far from home after all. You have a straightforward character again. To wash away the connection with Chen Ke, once you go to the battlefield, you will definitely take the lead. So I think you shouldn't go to Anhui."

He Qian's voice was quite anxious when making these analyses. Sun Yongsheng knew his wife was worried about him, which made him very happy. Sun Yongsheng thought his wife didn't understand military affairs, and he didn't believe how strong the People's Party really was. He Qian's hint that the People's Party might defeat the Beiyang New Army made Sun Yongsheng very unhappy in his heart. He just shook his head gently and didn't want to discuss this matter with his wife at all.

Seeing Sun Yongsheng completely didn't care about her statement, He Qian was also a little anxious. "Yongsheng, I have read all of Chen Ke's books, and I have met him personally. Chen Ke is by no means a desperado who doesn't know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth..."

Sun Yongsheng felt his wife's words sounded very much like singing praises for Chen Ke. He couldn't listen anymore and interrupted his wife directly. "Listening to your meaning, Chen Ke is still quite talented? If he has talent, he can't even mix in Beijing? After fighting the Hubei New Army, he actually dared to post notices in Beijing city. Isn't this clearly looking down on our Beiyang Army?"

"Chen Ke can post notices in Beijing; how many people do you think Chen Ke has under him?" He Qian didn't agree with Sun Yongsheng's idea. He Ruming cared very much about Chen Ke's affairs. He Ruming secretly collected a notice posted by the People's Party in Beijing city. He Qian saw this notice when she returned to her brother He Ruming's house. He Qian was scared by the confidence shown in this notice and the condescending attitude towards the Manchu Qing.

Sun Yongsheng frowned. "There are many madmen posting notices in the capital. Just give them a few coins, and they dare to do anything."

"Yongsheng..., have you seen that notice?" He Qian could see that Sun Yongsheng didn't know her feelings at all, so she asked tentatively.

"Seen it!" Mentioning that notice, Sun Yongsheng's voice became louder due to anger. Chen Ke called Yuan Shikai "Manchu Qing Bandit Gang Running Dog and Thug" in the notice. Such an arrogant and contemptuous title aroused the unanimous anger of Beiyang officers.

He Qian knew that everyone had different views on things. She and her brother He Ruming were siblings and received the same education from their father since childhood, but their views on the world were widely different. Instead, He Qian was more like her father. And after such a period of marriage, He Qian had to admit that her husband Sun Yongsheng's cognitive level of politics was not as good as her brother He Ruming. Sun Yongsheng's attitude was full of anger, without a trace of vigilance, which made He Qian disappointed and worried.

He Qian's father, Old Master He, loved reading books. He Qian was smart and clever since childhood, and her attitude towards things was very correct. Old Master He loved her very much. When at home on weekdays, Old Master He taught He Qian to read. In the history books He Qian had read, almost all rebels actually envied the rulers of that era in their hearts. So such notices were nothing more than saying the ruler lost virtue, so the ruler should be overthrown. If the person in power was a woman, they would definitely go on "personal attacks." For example, in Luo Binwang's "Denouncing Wu Zetian," he scolded Wu Zetian as "defiling the harem" and "fox charm capable of confusing the master."

There was no content of personal attacks in the People's Party notice. Instead, it was like a notice posted before executing criminals, directly calling the Manchu ruler Cixi "Manchu Qing Bandit Gang Female Bandit Chief." This condescending contemptuous attitude towards those in power could absolutely not be possessed by narrow-minded people. He Qian couldn't express her feelings in words. She could feel Chen Ke's condescending mentality. Because facing incompetent people who simply didn't understand reason, He Qian also had this contempt and disregard in her heart.

Looking at the expression He Qian couldn't help revealing, Sun Yongsheng finally determined his wife's true thoughts. He frowned tightly and asked, "Do you think our Beiyang Army can't beat the rebels in Anhui?"

Originally, Sun Yongsheng felt his wife cared about him. Even if slightly offended, Sun Yongsheng could accept it. But after understanding his wife's distrustful attitude towards the Beiyang New Army, this understanding was driven to the nine heavens by extreme unhappiness. After the establishment of the Beiyang New Army, it won almost every battle. Among the various New Armies of the Manchu Qing, no one dared to compare with it. This army had no rival in China. This was Sun Yongsheng's firm confidence. Moreover, the Beiyang New Army had high salaries and high status. As a Cavalry Regiment Commander, Sun Yongsheng's annual income exceeded that of a middle-level landlord. This gave Sun Yongsheng an absolute sense of belonging to the Beiyang New Army. Confidence and sense of belonging, these two attitudes encountered He Qian's denial, and Sun Yongsheng really got angry.

Sun Yongsheng said extremely impolitely, "What equipment does our Beiyang New Army have? Cannons, horses, telegraphs; we have whatever we want. What do the Anhui rebels have? Just a few thousand broken guns snatched. After our Beiyang arrives in Anhui, Chen Ke and the others will just wait to be captured with hands tied."

He Qian frowned, but quickly tried hard to restrain herself and calmed her expression. Sun Yongsheng was not considering fighting at all now; he was just bragging. He Qian was extremely disappointed with Sun Yongsheng's attitude. Before arriving in Anhui, he bragged like this first. Chen Ke won such a big victory, yet there wasn't a single arrogant word in the notice posted in Beijing. Comparing the two sides, the superiority was immediately judged.

Seeing his wife staring at him calmly, Sun Yongsheng thought he had persuaded his wife. He continued, "The Anhui New Army was useless originally, and the Hubei New Army is all flowery frames. What Hubei New Army is number one in learning? Fighting relies on this spirit. Chen Ke is a madman, only knowing how to talk big..."

Hearing this, He Qian smiled bitterly in her heart. Madman? comparatively, her husband looked more like a madman, right? If Chen Ke were a madman, he might also have a delusional condescending attitude. But there wasn't a single word of self-bragging in the entire notice. When Old Master He told He Qian about the ways of the world, he specifically said that the more incompetent people were, the more they loved to brag. Winning a battle and not bragging, how could such a person be a madman?

Old Master He warned He Qian that if she met a person whose speech was simple and never spoke lies, big words, or empty words, she must be extra careful. He Qian didn't understand what Old Master He's words meant at that time. She only remembered Old Master He looking at her lovingly at that time, sighing rarely, "This world is bad originally; people's hearts are broken. If the world were clear and bright, and I could live until you get married, I would definitely find such a person to be your husband. You won't suffer following him. In this world now, if you really get involved with such people, there will absolutely be no good end."

Hearing her most respected and loved father talk about recruiting a son-in-law, He Qian blushed for no reason. She pulled her father and said coquettishly, "Dad, I'll follow you all my life; I don't want to recruit any son-in-law."

Seeing his daughter acting coquettishly to him, Old Master He hugged his daughter and laughed loudly.

After laughing and playing for a while, He Qian asked, "Dad, the person you mentioned isn't a bad person."

Old Master He put away his smile and said seriously, "Girl, do you think bad people are those who swindle, abduction, eat, drink, whore, and gamble? Those are stupid people. Now the world is broken. If a person is truly upright, he can only be the kind who has a little fame, relying on the shelter of the national imperial examination, no one is willing to actively trouble scholars, and he himself hides cautiously to teach, daring not even buy family property. If one wants to mix in this world relying solely on integrity, he will definitely not survive a day. If an upright person still dares to walk in the world, how capable must he be, and how ruthless and vicious must his means be to survive. Such people cannot be without ambition. With such people, hundreds of thousands or millions of people will die in this world. This world is so bad; overthrowing it and starting over is not bad. But you are my daughter, and you are a girl; I am absolutely unwilling to let you get involved with such people."

"...Do you think we can't win?" Sun Yongsheng's fierce voice interrupted He Qian's recollection. Unknowingly, Sun Yongsheng looked excited, staring closely at He Qian. He Qian knew what her husband wanted to hear, but He Qian didn't want to watch her husband encounter danger. Just as she didn't know what to say, a voice came from outside the house, "In the middle of the night, what are you arguing about?" This was the voice of Sun Yongsheng's father. It seemed the dispute between Sun Yongsheng and He Qian disturbed the old man.

"Dad, it's nothing. You go to sleep first." After Sun Yongsheng finished speaking, he glared at He Qian fiercely. He Qian lowered her head. She knew she absolutely couldn't persuade her husband. The disappointment in her heart was beyond words.

He Qian remembered that back then she thought her father was a bit alarmist. If a person is upright, he won't deliberately harm people. Now He Qian thought of her father's words again, and she really couldn't help admiring her father's understanding of worldly affairs. Whether Chen Ke was a truly upright person, He Qian dared not assert. But Chen Ke just showed the style of "not speaking lies, big words, or empty words" on a notice, and He Qian, who was related to Chen Ke by accident, had already been swept in. Not only He Qian, nor just the He family, even the Sun family He Qian married into was swept in by the vortex stirred up by Chen Ke in this era. It was simply like "implicating nine generations." People related or unrelated to Chen Ke were all swept in completely without choice.

Chen Ke definitely didn't do this on purpose, nor did he mean to calculate the He family maliciously. If one must say, this is the will of heaven.

For herself, for her husband, for the two families He family and Sun family connected with her, He Qian now wanted to try her best to let these people related to her break away from this vortex. But her painstaking efforts only brought her husband's anger and her father-in-law's annoyance. He Qian suddenly hated herself very much. If she didn't know so much, maybe she wouldn't live in such fear.

The couple had nothing more to talk about, and both went to sleep without a word. Sun Yongsheng seemed not to have calmed down his anger; he turned over with his back to He Qian. If it were in the past, He Qian would inevitably be very unhappy in her heart, but now she felt relieved in her heart. Being able to have a little space of her own made He Qian feel that thinking was much smoother.

Lying quietly, thoughts surged in He Qian's heart. She didn't meet Chen Ke many times. Having not seen him for more than a year, she couldn't remember Chen Ke's appearance clearly. The deepest impression in memory was Chen Ke's bright eyes, and what He Qian hated most was Chen Ke's eyes. He Qian could see a profound confusion in those eyes. Every time Chen Ke appeared, he was mostly with others. He Qian forgot who those people were. She always felt that no matter who Chen Ke was with, he seemed lonely. This was a person who hadn't found himself. Although Chen Ke was older than He Qian, he was still like a child. Profound confusion about this world was revealed in his eyes.

In the dark, He Qian pursed her lips tightly. She never let her imagination run wild, let alone troubled herself to construct a world out of thin air. Like those extremely excellent people, He Qian's life unfolded completely down-to-earth. Starting from cultivating herself, then expanding circle by circle from relatives, family, and friends around her. Asking her to try to understand a stranger like Chen Ke was really too demanding.

He Qian liked reading the *Analects*. Old Master He believed that the Analects narrated but did not write (create new things), telling the great way of conducting oneself. Regarding the political books written by Chen Ke, He Qian felt there were some keen insights in these books, but for the person who wrote such books, He Qian thought he was definitely a guy who recognized a few words and didn't know how much he weighed (how many buns he ate and how many bowls of soup he drank). He Qian's fear of Chen Ke was because Chen Ke solidly built his own power, possessed strong armed forces, and could obtain terrible battle results. When this power threatened He Qian's normal life, coupled with He Qian's aversion to Chen Ke himself, this gave rise to a strong killing intent towards Chen Ke in He Qian's heart.

How good it would be if Chen Ke died now. For the first time, He Qian sincerely hoped a person would die. This thought made He Qian feel much better in her heart.

Sun Yongsheng was still very unhappy after getting up the next day. After breakfast, he rushed to the Ministry of Army. Recently, for the matter of dispatching troops, the Ministry of Army made a lot of mess, and even got mid-to-high-level officers to Beijing. Saying it was for admonition and war preparation, in fact, it was simply to divide the Beiyang Army. Sun Yongsheng and most mid-level officers simply didn't want to pay attention to the current Ministry of Army, but they had to come here to listen to the officials of the Ministry of Army talk nonsense.

As soon as he entered the Ministry of Army, Sun Yongsheng found that he came relatively early. Many officers lived in Beijing. Theoretically, they should live in the barracks, but actually those whose homes were in Beijing ran home to live. Those living in the barracks were lazier and came less timely. The big shots of the Ministry of Army were not as good as mid-level officers. Looking at the sparse comrades, Sun Yongsheng remembered that when in the barracks, Lord Yuan always got up early himself, and officers dared not get up late even more. After Lord Yuan was forced to leave Beiyang, military discipline began to slacken in this capital city. Sun Yongsheng found that he still liked the strict discipline when Lord Yuan was in charge of Beiyang.

In the reform of the Manchu official system in 1906, the Ministry of War, the Army Training Office, and the Court of the Imperial Stud were unified into the Ministry of Army. Tie Liang left the Grand Council and served exclusively as the Minister of the Ministry of Army. Cixi feared Yuan Shikai becoming too powerful to control, so she placed the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th Divisions of the six Beiyang Divisions under Tie Liang's command, creating a "balance of power" where Tie Liang confronted Yuan Shikai. The current Minister of the Ministry of Army, Tie Liang, originally participated in training the Beiyang New Army with Yuan Shikai, but he was not from a military background; the real execution was completed by Yuan Shikai's faction. Now as the Army Minister, controlling the elite Beiyang New Army, the Beiyang Army was not convinced by Tie Liang at all.

In this military operation to exterminate the Anhui rebels, if Yuan Shikai were still in charge of the Beiyang Army, with Wang Shizhen, Duan Qirui, Feng Guozhang, and others handling military affairs, the Beiyang Army should have moved out long ago. Now Tie Liang was in power. Wang Shizhen took office as the Admiral of Jiangbei and had already gone to take office. As Yuan Shikai's ironclad follower, there was a saying that Duan Qirui should be responsible for the supervision of various army schools. Feng Guozhang held the post of Army Advisory Envoy, in charge of formulating troop training policies. In Yuan Shikai's period, Feng Guozhang could naturally be of great use. But now Tie Liang could logically make Feng Guozhang a "consultant."

It was easy to make these Yuan Shikai ironclads figureheads. From the perspective of seizing power, Tie Liang achieved his goal. But this is only suitable for peacetime. Now that a big war was to be fought, after making these people figureheads, Tie Liang basically had no one to use. Although he also tried hard to rectify the Beiyang New Army, mid-to-high-level officers unanimously disliked Tie Liang, and he was helpless. Although Cixi knew Tie Liang's difficulties and didn't urge too much, Tie Liang was anxious himself.

Half an hour after Sun Yongsheng arrived at the Ministry of Army, Tie Liang arrived at the Ministry of Army with red eyes. As soon as he entered the Ministry of Army, he asked someone to invite Duan Qirui over. Although Duan Qirui now had many concurrent jobs and even held the post of Brigadier General of Tingzhou Town, Fujian, he was still the Commander of the 3rd Division and worked in the Beiyang Army.

Duan Qirui entered the room to see Tie Liang. After saluting, Tie Liang asked Duan Qirui to sit down. "Commander Duan, this bandit suppression is of great importance. I have decided to let you lead the 3rd Division south to suppress bandits."

Hearing Tie Liang's words, Duan Qirui cursed secretly in his heart, "Such a small order dragged until now to decide; what were you doing before?" Although cursing in his heart, Duan Qirui stood up and replied, "I obey the order."

Seeing Duan Qirui didn't disobey, Tie Liang relaxed a lot. In these days, Tie Liang also wanted to make a decision early, but those princes of the Imperial Clan dragged Tie Liang to attend Imperial Clan meetings all day long. The princes' idea was simple: since Tie Liang managed to take charge of the Ministry of Army with difficulty, he should take advantage of now to purge Yuan Shikai's forces in the Beiyang New Army and let the Imperial Clan completely control the Beiyang New Army.

Although he also hoped to curb Yuan Shikai's power, Tie Liang didn't like these princes and beiles either. If they were allowed to control the Beiyang Army, the Beiyang Army would collapse instantly. Tie Liang wanted the Beiyang Army to become the confidant of the court and the defender of the state. Not wanting the Beiyang Army to become a New Eight Banners who only knew how to carry bird cages, visit brothels, and smoke opium. Because of Tie Liang's refusal, these princes were extremely dissatisfied with Tie Liang. And the Beiyang New Army believed that Tie Liang drove away Yuan Shikai in a vain attempt to dominate the Beiyang New Army alone. They also absolutely didn't cooperate with Tie Liang. Tie Liang was caught between these two forces, and the crossfire made him physically and mentally exhausted.

"Commander Duan, the Ministry of Army thinks this bandit suppression should go through Xuzhou." Tie Liang said.

"Why not take the Beijing-Hankou line? Attacking Fengtai County where the bandit leader is entrenched from Fuyang is very convenient." Duan Qirui felt puzzled.

Tie Liang explained, "The Ministry of Army thinks it's better to combine forces. After the 3rd Division arrives in Xuzhou, exterminate the rebels together with Admiral Wang Shizhen. Plus the Jiangnan Admiral and the Hubei New Army send troops at the same time; encircling and suppressing from three routes, we should be able to win a great victory."

Hearing Tie Liang's words, Duan Qirui sneered in his heart. What Ministry of Army? It was just Tie Liang's own idea. The Ministry of Army sounded loud, but there was no one inside who could really do things. At least Duan Qirui didn't know any decent staff officers in the Ministry of Army. Letting the Ministry of Army formulate military plans was like asking a tiger for its skin. Thinking of staff officers, Duan Qirui couldn't help thinking of Pu Guanshui who defected to Chen Ke now. When Pu Guanshui was in Beiyang, Duan Qirui's evaluation of Pu Guanshui's military cultivation was acceptable. It seems he definitely had to lead troops on the expedition. Among his opponents was a traitor like Pu Guanshui who knew the foundation of Beiyang; he had to consider this problem carefully.

"What other thoughts does Commander Duan have?" Tie Liang asked.

"Who is responsible for commanding the troops this time?" Duan Qirui cared more about this. Previously when Beiyang moved out, Yuan Shikai was the commander-in-chief. Now in Tie Liang's plan, the 3rd Division, Jiangbei New Army, Jiangnan New Army, and Hubei New Army attacked from four routes. There was no difference in the official positions of the commanders of the four troops, so someone had to come out to command.

"This time it will be commanded by the Ministry of Army personally." Tie Liang replied. "Now the telegram speed is extremely fast; if there are any problems, just telegraph back and forth directly. Moreover, this time, the 1st Division and the 2nd Division will also prepare to send troops. If the bandit suppression situation is unsatisfactory, then these two divisions will go south immediately."

"Does the Ministry of Army command from thousands of *li* away?" Duan Qirui felt Tie Liang's idea was too magical.

"If there is any military situation, the telegram arrives in a few hours. The Ministry of Army will absolutely not delay things on major issues. With Commander Duan on the front line, I am very relieved." Tie Liang laughed.

Learning that the Ministry of Army would not interfere too much, Duan Qirui was relieved. But he fought to the death on the front line, and as a result, all the credit would be taken by the group of good-for-nothings in the Ministry of Army; Duan Qirui felt very aggrieved.

"Since this is the case, why wait until now to decide to send troops?" Duan Qirui asked.

Tie Liang knew Duan Qirui's words were very ill-intentioned. He smiled reluctantly, "The defeat of the Hubei New Army this time is too strange. I have ordered the Hubei New Army to review this matter, and ordered them to send some defeated soldiers to Beijing for questioning by the Ministry of Army personally. Plus it is the rainy season in Anhui now, inconvenient for marching. So it was delayed for some time."

"So that's it. I wonder what was asked from the Hubei New Army?" Duan Qirui was very happy in his heart seeing Tie Liang's embarrassment and thinking of seeing the joke of the Hubei New Army.

"This has to be discussed in a special meeting." Tie Liang replied.

After the talk, Duan Qirui came out and summoned the officers of the 3rd Division. Just as the people were gathered, news came from the Ministry of Army to hold a meeting regarding the great defeat of the Hubei New Army. Duan Qirui originally thought Tie Liang saying to hold a review meeting was just a statement. He didn't expect Tie Liang to actually hold a meeting, which surprised him a bit.

The review meeting first explained the reasons for the failure of the Hubei New Army facing the map, nothing more than bullshit like advancing lightly. But when some defeated officers were brought in, Duan Qirui really looked at Tie Liang with new eyes. Not that these defeated soldiers could tell the truth; Duan Qirui knew that defeated soldiers spoke most unreliably to shirk responsibility. What surprised him was that Tie Liang could actually get people from the Hubei New Army. This was a huge slap in the face of the Hubei New Army. Tie Liang's ability was a bit too strong.

These defeated soldiers were all soldiers and low-level officers, and mostly officers and soldiers defending Anqing. Mentioning the defeat, they all said that the bandit soldiers were powerful, the main force of the Hubei New Army was taken away by Li Yuanhong, tens of thousands of bandit soldiers attacked, and the more than a thousand Hubei New Army soldiers couldn't beat them at all.

Duan Qirui had no interest in this nonsense. He absolutely didn't believe there could be tens of thousands of rebels in Anhui. He picked out the officers who were defeated in Hefei and questioned them.

The officer had indeed participated in the bloody Battle of Hefei. Although he had been asked many times, he was a bit tired of answering questions. But when Duan Qirui's stern gaze fell on the officer's face, the officer still shuddered. He began to repeat the Battle of Hefei with some stuttering. Hearing that the People's Party actually built a river-blocking obstacle in two days, Duan Qirui's face became extremely ugly. Then speaking of the People's Party suddenly eliminating hundreds of scouts of the Hubei New Army. Then suddenly attacking the Hubei New Army. After a fierce battle all night, by day, countless People's Party bandit troops rushed up and destroyed the Hubei New Army.

"Nonsense!" Duan Qirui slapped the table and stood up. "Tens of thousands of people rushing up, have you seen tens of thousands of people? Encountering the enemy, you don't say serving the court to the death; after losing the battle, you don't tell the truth, but still only know to shirk. What crime do you deserve!"