The People's Party's telegram injected a trace of vitality into the gloomy city of Beijing. Several high-ranking Beiyang officials wore looks of joy as they took the telegram to see Yuan Shikai. However, Yuan Shikai did not summon them directly; instead, these few waited in the small conference room.

"Has the People's Party lost their minds? They actually want to drive the British out of the Yangtze River. With just those few broken ships of theirs, they dare to do this?"

"If the British don't leave, do they dare to fight the British?"

"Let them fight. After fighting the British, would the British let the matter rest?"

Beiyang had never gained any advantage when facing the People's Party, and the People's Party had always skillfully avoided conflict with the foreign powers. It wasn't until this telegram treated the British as enemies that the Beiyang high officials were truly ecstatic. All discussions revolved around the situation beneficial to Beiyang.

"The People's Party wants to play tough, insisting on fighting under the banner of righteousness. We won't be foolish along with them. If they want to fight the British, we will go out of our way to befriend the British. This is really like someone passing a pillow just as we wanted to sleep."

"Those brats just don't know the immensity of heaven and earth!"

This was Beiyang's consistent view. The People's Party's increasingly tough stance would not only fail to help their prestige but would instead push the British continuously to Beiyang's side. In this war, Beiyang had failed thoroughly. If the People's Party were smart enough and turned to surrender to the British, the British would likely abandon Beiyang. This was a most common issue of political maneuvering.

After the Beiyang officials in Beijing received the news of the Beiyang Army's great defeat in Henan, quite a few had thought of this point. Many were almost in despair regarding Beiyang's future. It wasn't until the People's Party sent this telegram to the whole country, courting death, that the insightful Beiyang high officials regained hope.

Beiyang officials who got the news kept going to seek an audience with Yuan Shikai, but there was also a large group of officials who, due to insufficient status, simply didn't dare to ask for an audience. They also began to connect everywhere, spreading the news everywhere. At least the entire Ministry of Army knew the latest good news.

Zheng Wenjie of the Ministry of Army's Intelligence Office watched his colleagues excitedly discussing the current favorable situation. He also tried hard to put on a happy look on his face, but clouds of suspicion grew in his heart.

The People's Party never did anything without gaining an advantage; Zheng Wenjie had a deep understanding of this. Back then, when Chen Ke met Zheng Wenjie and others in Beijing, apart from Shang Yuan who was a county magistrate about to be appointed to a substantive post, the others like Qin Tongren and Xu Dian were basically Beiyang's peripheral personnel. As for the "Boxer Remnant" Chai Qingguo, he was not even worth mentioning. Zheng Wenjie and his group were the side with real power and influence. That was why Zheng Wenjie had tried to seize the real power of the Beiyang Socialist Discussion Group. He really couldn't see any necessity to let the outsider Chen Ke dominate the situation.

Facts ultimately proved that Chen Ke had no intention of clinging to the powerful from the very beginning. He just took a group of peripheral personnel and left Beiyang, going to remote Anhui to establish the People's Party's foundation. An ordinary person, or even a quite outstanding figure, could not possibly have made the choice Chen Ke did at that time. Looking at the results, Chen Ke's choice was completely correct. Since then, any choice Chen Ke made seemed like a terrible plan at the time, but as time passed, Chen Ke was always able to fish out the greatest benefits.

This time, the People's Party's actions upheld their past style. Zheng Wenjie fully believed that the People's Party was doing its utmost to push the British to Beiyang's side. Zheng Wenjie just couldn't figure out what benefit the People's Party could get by doing this. Even if the European war was about to start right now, how long could those wars last? After Britain and Germany made peace, the People's Party having offended both the British and the Germans, could the People's Party withstand Britain and Germany joining hands to deal with them?

Thinking left and right, he couldn't find the possibility of the People's Party's inevitable victory in a long-term strategy, but Zheng Wenjie turned back to the immediate situation. Currently, Beiyang was newly defeated. The People's Party had already crossed the Yellow River. The People's Party had once ravaged Hebei, completely destroying the Manchu Qing's final military power. Thinking of these past events, Zheng Wenjie felt a shudder. If Beiyang couldn't thoroughly hug Britain's thigh and quickly obtain loans and weapons support from Britain, judging by the current situation, they wouldn't last long.

What Zheng Wenjie could think of, Beiyang members with higher status than him could also think of. Yuan Shikai received the People's Party's telegram at the first moment. He wasn't happy for no reason, and the core members of Beiyang weren't happy either. In their dealings with the People's Party, as long as Beiyang followed the path set by the People's Party, there had never been any good result. Yuan Shikai would absolutely not believe that Chen Ke would underestimate the British, nor would he believe that Chen Ke would be stupid enough not to see that the British and Beiyang would reach an agreement on the matter of dealing with the People's Party.

"Why would Chen Ke make such a choice?" Since Yuan Shikai asked this question, the Beiyang core personnel also frowned. Several of them were people of high position and weight, so naturally, they wouldn't speak recklessly. Duan Qirui was relatively honest; he dared to say what others were a bit afraid to say directly. "President, I'm afraid the People's Party will attack our Hebei in the near future."

This was completely imaginable. If the People's Party was playing a game of hard to get, driving the British to Beiyang on one hand, while ruthlessly striking Beiyang on the other. If the British saw that Beiyang had no ability to contain the People's Party at all, they would eventually have no choice but to accept the People's Party's higher asking price.

Since Duan Qirui had already pierced this layer of window paper, from Yuan Shikai to Xu Shichang, no one said anything. The Beiyang Army's reorganized troops currently numbered one million on paper. The loss of sixty thousand was still within the range Beiyang Army could accept. The People's Party's Henan Military Region troops were only one hundred thousand. Ten thousand attacking nearly a million troops—presumably, the People's Party didn't have such guts yet.

After a period of silence, Yuan Shikai asked Wang Shizhen, "Pinqing, how long would it take if we mobilized three hundred thousand troops?"

Wang Shizhen didn't answer immediately. After a while, Wang Shizhen asked, "President, we used to always think that the People's Party says one thing and does another, or if the People's Party does what they say, they say less than they actually do. Then how should we deal with the current situation?"

These words were greatly unexpected to the others. Yuan Shikai couldn't understand Wang Shizhen's thoughts for a moment. "What do you mean, Pinqing?" Yuan Shikai asked.

Wang Shizhen answered, "If the People's Party doesn't want to toy with the British and us, but really, as they said, wants to drive the British out of China, wants to drive the foreigners out of China, and wants to take all of China's sovereignty back into Chinese hands. Looking at the People's Party from this angle, can the People's Party's actions be given a new explanation?"

The Beiyang core figures remained silent for the time being. Regarding the People's Party, Beiyang's evaluation had always been "rebel party," and the People's Party Chairman Chen Ke was seen as deep, insidious, and ruthless. Dealing with the People's Party, Beiyang always suffered losses. Even in cooperation, if Beiyang earned one, the People's Party would earn at least ten. Wang Shizhen's "new perspective," that the People's Party's words and actions were consistent throughout, indeed made these three people feel quite surprised.

Wang Shizhen didn't intend to keep everyone guessing. He continued to explain, "When the former Qing was around, the People's Party dedicated itself to the people's revolution to overthrow the former Qing court. After the former Qing abdicated, the People's Party still advocated the people's revolution. Later, a land revolution was added. Now, the People's Party is tough on the British, and what they talk about is still the people's revolution, the land revolution, and China obtaining complete independence and liberation. I have read some articles by the People's Party. Chen Ke said that the people's revolution he is conducting is to overthrow the Three Big Mountains: Imperialism, Feudalism, and Bureaucratic Capitalism. If we speak from this angle, Chen Ke had long ago stated clearly what he wanted to do. This person is stubborn and inflexible in his actions; he has a nature of running down one path until it's dark."

Yuan Shikai and the others were heroes of the time. When Wang Shizhen said Chen Ke was stubborn and inflexible, Yuan Shikai, Xu Shichang, and Duan Qirui didn't consider this a derogatory term at all. Stubborn and inflexible also meant unwavering determination. After Wang Shizhen's explanation, the three felt a sense of sudden enlightenment in their understanding of Chen Ke.

"Then what exactly is your meaning, Pinqing?" Yuan Shikai asked.

Wang Shizhen already had a judgment. He said frankly, "I think Chen Ke sincerely wants us to cooperate with the British. During this period, he won't even attack our Beiyang. Chen Ke is an overseas student and knows the European countries very well. This person is probably waiting for the war in Europe to become intense, when the British are completely unable to look east, and then he will have a decisive battle with our Beiyang and the Three Big Mountains they want to overthrow. If Chen Ke wins when Britain is unable to look east, he can use the power of all of China to confront Britain. At that time, victory or defeat is unknown."

"Unknown? Hmph!" Even though Duan Qirui respected Wang Shizhen very much, he couldn't help but sneer at this moment. "Brother Wang, by the time Chen Ke can gather the power of China to go to war with Britain, our Beiyang will definitely be finished. What 'unknown' is there about that?"

Yuan Shikai was more composed. He knew Wang Shizhen was loyal to Beiyang, so he didn't get angry at Wang Shizhen's words. "Pinqing, according to what you say, is Chen Ke confident that he will definitely win the world?"

"In my view, Chen Ke doesn't even consider the matter of winning the world. He wants to wipe out all the landlords and gentry in this world more. Let those common people educated in the schools opened by their People's Party be the masters of the house. When the People's Party implemented the land revolution, some said the People's Party wanted to seize the world's land properties to own them for themselves. But as these years have passed, apart from the land nominally belonging to the state and not being allowed to be bought or sold, the people under the People's Party's rule all have land to farm. The People's Party nailed the grain prices under their rule dead; the price is the same in famine years and bumper years. Just with this one move, there are rarely cases of people starving to death under the People's Party's rule. Regardless of what reasons the People's Party shouts, as long as the common people can live and work in peace and contentment, they won't rise up to resist. The People's Party has been in Henan for less than a year, and they are going to conscript one hundred thousand troops. Although the military pay given is far less than our Beiyang, because there are many guarantees, the sons of good families south of the Yellow River are joining the army one after another." Speaking of this, Wang Shizhen couldn't go on anymore and could only sigh lightly.

Beiyang's political interest in the People's Party was very limited; even Yuan Shikai was the same. Reading the People's Party's books was also for the purpose of attacking the People's Party, with absolutely no intention of studying the People's Party's detailed policies. So when scolding the People's Party, Beiyang would spit flying saliva, belittling the People's Party as worthless. But facing the achievements the People's Party had solidly built, including Yuan Shikai, they all felt they couldn't say anything more.

Xu Shichang was engaged in civil administration after all. Seeing Yuan Shikai and Duan Qirui silent, he forced a smile and said, "Mr. Pinqing, since the situation has reached such a stage, how do you think we should fight?"

Wang Shizhen answered somewhat dispiritedly, "The plan for now is to beat them at their own game. Since the People's Party wants a decisive battle, we might as well have a decisive battle with the People's Party. Capitalizing on the moment when the People's Party forces the British, we will borrow another sum of money, build an army of two million, and train them strictly. At the same time, inform all provinces in the world of the People's Party's true intentions, gathering the power of all provinces to fight a bloody battle with the People's Party. We must at least retake Henan and Shandong. Even if the war situation is critical, we must drag it out until the end of the European war, waiting for the British to free their hands to attack the People's Party."

Hearing Wang Shizhen speak a feasible strategy, Xu Shichang felt much more relaxed in his heart. However, he didn't expect Wang Shizhen to continue, "President, although the People's Party's conduct may not be moral, some of the policies they implement are not unadoptable. The stones of other hills may be used to polish jade. At least regarding the current affairs of China, if the common people cannot have land to till, the world will never be completely stable..."

"I know, Pinqing." Yuan Shikai interrupted Wang Shizhen with rare impatience. "You say the People's Party will not attack right now but will sit and watch the British support us. How can this be confirmed?"

"President, Yan Fu is about to return to the country. We might as well let him mediate in between." Wang Shizhen gave the answer.

"Yan Jidao was very unhappy when he left for the overseas inspection this time. How do we know Yan Jidao won't play tricks in this?" Duan Qirui questioned this very much.

Wang Shizhen didn't speak. Yuan Shikai waved his hand, "Yan Jidao certainly tends to favor his disciple a bit more in his heart, but this person is not so heartless as to deliberately betray the old brothers of Beiyang. What Pinqing said makes a lot of sense. We might as well wait for him to come back."

Duan Qirui was somewhat dissatisfied with Yuan Shikai's decision. "President, the current situation is so tense. If we just wait like this, will the People's Party seize the initiative?"

Yuan Shikai already had a conclusion in his heart at this time. "The more critical the moment, the more we must be able to endure. No need to say more on this matter; it's decided."

The Beiyang high leadership decided on the strategy, and Yuan Shikai didn't see those officials who came to "report good news." He paced anxiously in the office for a while, then went to the room next door. This room was empty; besides a table, there was a map pinned to a large board. The map marked the various forces in China with different colors. Staring at the pink symbol of the People's Party on it for a long time, Yuan Shikai suddenly shouted for the guard, "Why hasn't the Henan piece been colored in?"

This startled the guard. Henan had just been lost; who would dare to be so full of themselves as to color it in so quickly? But the guard was clever enough; he quickly answered, "I will order someone to paint it right now." After speaking, the guard walked up in three steps combined into two and took the map down from the board.

Yuan Shikai wanted to stop the guard, but later let it go; Yuan Shikai didn't want to vent his anger on this clever young lad. Sitting down in the empty room, Yuan Shikai recalled Wang Shizhen's words. Those remarks about the People's Party's consistency in words and deeds indeed opened up another perspective for Yuan Shikai. However, this angle of understanding not only didn't solve the mystery in Yuan Shikai's heart but led Yuan Shikai into a new confusion.

The People's Party always shouted about the people's revolution, shouted that the working people created history, not emperors, kings, generals, and ministers. Yuan Shikai was known as the "Butcher of the People"; the working people he had killed must have numbered over a hundred thousand. At that time, when Beiyang troops swept through, the "working people" praised to the skies by Chen Ke and the People's Party were not opponents of the Beiyang Army at all, leaving corpses strewn over the fields under the fire of cannons and rifles. How come such working people suddenly became brave and skillful in battle after arriving at the People's Party's side? Not only did the "working people" become brave and skillful in battle, but these working people who had consistently resisted paying taxes could actually pay taxes earnestly.

Yuan Shikai's hometown was in Xiangcheng, Henan. Beiyang's connections in Henan were by no means ordinary. Judging from the intelligence obtained, after the People's Party implemented land reform in Henan and set a thirty percent tax, the Henan common people, including Yuan Shikai's fellow villagers in Xiangcheng, honestly paid the thirty percent tax. No one resisted taxes, and even defaulting was extremely rare. Yuan Shikai had never heard that the common people could be so obedient.

"The working people create history, not emperors, kings, generals, and ministers." Yuan Shikai recited this sentence silently in his heart. If this really went on, with the support of the common people, the People's Party might really be able to create a world of the People's Party. Why could the People's Party govern the common people to be so obedient? While here in Beiyang, the common people absolutely could not understand the difficulties of the government?

Because of the smooth flow of intelligence, Beiyang also knew about the "benevolent governance" of the People's Party in Henan. Cheap iron farm tools in the supply and marketing cooperatives, including large-scale water conservancy construction. Conflicts among villagers over water were also mediated publicly; past enmities were all written off, and water sources were distributed solely according to the acreage of cultivated land after land reform. If there were no rivers locally, the People's Party drilled mechanical wells and built irrigation canals, greatly increasing the area of irrigated land. Coupled with the universal supply of "Single-Season Wheat," no crop failure occurred anywhere in Henan.

Beiyang's spies investigated those young men and women in the agricultural technology stations to see what their backgrounds were. The investigation results shocked Yuan Shikai greatly. These men and women in their teens, who could only be called half-grown kids, were all from peasant backgrounds in the People's Party's old territories. After studying in the People's Party's schools for a few years, they were assigned to work in rural areas everywhere along with the troops upon graduation.

"Working people." The working people under the People's Party's rule and the common people under Beiyang's rule seemed to be two different kinds of people. "Working people" were willing to pay taxes and serve in the army. After attending school, they would go to work wherever they were told to go. Yuan Shikai believed himself not inferior to Chen Ke, so why could Chen Ke make this group of people serve him effectively, while Yuan Shikai had to invest tremendous strength in disciplining the common people?

Thinking over and over, he couldn't find the answer. Yuan Shikai knew that his Beiyang subordinates couldn't possibly solve this mystery for him. He suddenly stood up and said to the guard, "Tell Premier Xu to invite Mr. Li Hongqi to see me."

People's Party high official Shang Yuan's teacher, Li Hongqi, might be the person who understood the People's Party best in the entire city of Beijing. At least he was one who knew the actual situation of the People's Party. Yuan Shikai really wanted to figure out where exactly the difference between himself and Chen Ke lay.

Li Hongqi gained Yuan Shikai's approval as soon as he entered the door. This old man was dressed cleanly and appropriately, with an attitude neither humble nor arrogant, neither amiable nor repulsive. Standing in the room, he made people feel very natural. It was the same when greeting Yuan Shikai; the old man didn't size him up curiously, nor did he put on airs arrogantly. Although Xu Shichang introduced him, Yuan Shikai couldn't feel any difference in the old man's attitude towards Xu Shichang and towards himself.

Beiyang had a common characteristic, which was treating literati well. Yuan Shikai was the same. He asked very seriously, "Mr. Li, I have a doubt and I would like to ask Mr. Li to help clear it up."

Li Hongqi neither politely said he couldn't do it nor bragged that he could, but quietly waited for Yuan Shikai to continue. Such performance made Yuan Shikai very satisfied; he was actually very dissatisfied with the bad temper of those literati who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Yuan Shikai continued to ask, "Mr. Li has met Chen Ke, and should have heard of me. I wonder what Mr. Li's views are on the differences between the two of us."

Li Hongqi answered in the slow tone characteristic of an old man, "This old man indeed has met Chen Ke, but only a few times. I have heard of the President's reputation like thunder piercing my ears, but today is the first time I actually get to see you. The President asks me what differences there are between the two of you; this old man really does not know. If I speak blindly relying on hearsay, that would just be talking nonsense. So this old man really has no way to compare."

"Mr. Li is too modest. You were able to teach a disciple like Shang Yuan, and are highly praised by Premier Xu; naturally, you are insightful." Yuan Shikai's evaluation of Li Hongqi rose a lot. Seeing that Li Hongqi didn't have any affectation of talking nonsense or deceiving others with big words, Yuan Shikai then asked the real question, "Mr. Li, the People's Party always talks about the people's revolution, but I wonder how it differs from the benevolent governance our Beiyang strives to implement."

Li Hongqi knew that if he couldn't say something substantial this time, Yuan Shikai wouldn't let him off easily. The matter of the People's Party annihilating three Beiyang divisions in Henan was known to the entire city of Beijing. Don't look at Yuan Shikai being polite right now; if Li Hongqi couldn't satisfy Yuan Shikai, implication of his family would definitely not be a joke. Carefully guessing Yuan Shikai's intention, Li Hongqi answered, "President, Beiyang's politics is that orders come from above; military orders and government decrees are all formulated by the government to achieve a certain goal. The People's Party is that orders come from below. The common people need to make their lives better through labor. There are definitely some things in between that the common people cannot do. The People's Party does these things, so the people are naturally willing to listen to them."

"The common people are shortsighted. If orders come from below, even if it benefits the people for a moment, it may not last long. To have long-term peace and stability, naturally, people with insight are needed to plan," Yuan Shikai replied.

"This old man reads the books of Confucian sages. Confucianism talks about cultivating the self, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world. Managing a family is nothing more than making it convenient for everyone. The common people are admittedly dull, but whether things are done conveniently or not, even the dullest person can know. If it can be convenient, life will naturally get better. The state, the state, taking the country as one's family; if the people of a country can all feel convenient, wouldn't life be easy? So whether shortsighted or farsighted, if in the final analysis it is all for everyone's convenience, there is actually no difference between orders coming from above and orders coming from below."

This remark was quite interesting and actually sparked some interest in Yuan Shikai.