On July 28, 1915, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gu Weijun received a notification summoning him for a joint meeting with the ambassadors of Britain, France, and Japan stationed in China. Looking at the letter, Gu Weijun felt a sharp pain in his head.

Just yesterday, explosive news had finally reached Beijing. After annihilating the defending troops in Jinan, the People's Party had marched north and captured Dezhou. One didn't even need professional military knowledge; just looking at the map made it clear. Two hundred li northeast of Dezhou was Cangzhou, and continuing another two hundred li in that direction was Tianjin. From Tianjin, marching two hundred li northwest would reach the walls of Beijing.

Although he studied law, Gu Weijun wasn't ignorant of arithmetic. His father-in-law, Tang Shaoyi, brought him more accurate news: the People's Party dispatched troops on July 22, arrived in Jinan on the 24th, and conquered Dezhou in a single day on the 25th. Jinan to Dezhou was also two hundred li. Calculating at a speed of one hundred li per day, if they encountered no resistance from the Beiyang Army on the road, the People's Party would reach the walls of Beijing in just six days from Dezhou. And Tang Shaoyi didn't give Gu Weijun false information; with the Beiyang Army mobilized in force this time, the total strength remaining in Beijing and Tianjin was no more than 300,000. According to news received by Beiyang, the People's Party had as many as 300,000 troops in Shandong alone.

On July 27, the British Minister had already summoned Gu Weijun once. Gu Weijun used other business as an excuse not to meet him. This time, with the ministers of Britain, France, and Japan summoning him jointly, Gu Weijun really couldn't find a reason to refuse. Even knowing he couldn't avoid it, the final decision power lay in Yuan Shikai's hands, not his. With a heavy heart, Gu Weijun picked up his briefcase and went to the Presidential Palace to see Yuan Shikai.

After Yuan Shikai came to power, he set up his office in Zhongnanhai. At the same time, the outer wall of Baoyue Tower was demolished and it was renamed Xinhua Gate. From then on, Xinhua Gate replaced Xiyuan Gate as the main entrance to Zhongnanhai. Later, Zhongnanhai was successively used as the office for the President and Premier of the Beiyang Government, as well as Zhang Zuolin's "Commander's Palace."

Arriving at Renjutang, where the President worked, Gu Weijun saw a group of guards and doctors in white coats in the reception room. This frightened Gu Weijun badly. He happened to see Jiang Baili and hurriedly went up to grab the anxious-looking Jiang Baili, asking, "What happened?"

Seeing it was Gu Weijun, Jiang Baili whispered, "The President fainted."

"What?" Gu Weijun was terrified. The core of Beiyang was Yuan Shikai. In the current situation, if Yuan Shikai couldn't control the situation, facing the fierce offensive of the People's Party, Beiyang would immediately fall into disarray.

Just then, Yuan Shikai's angry voice was faintly heard from inside, "Who are you mourning for?! I'm fine!" As soon as the voice fell, the crowd surged slightly, then made way. Yuan Shikai was seen striding out from inside. Usually, Yuan Shikai had quite a bit of self-control, but now he came out cursing.

As a diplomat, observing expressions was the most basic thing. Gu Weijun saw that Yuan Shikai's face was pale. Although his back was still straight and his movements slightly exaggerated, looking very imposing, Yuan Shikai's hands were trembling uncontrollably slightly, and beads of sweat hung on his oily, fat face.

Gu Weijun knew Yuan Shikai had to do this, even if he was forcing himself. With so many doctors here, the news definitely couldn't be kept secret. If Yuan Shikai disappeared for a while longer, who knew what rumors would spread to.

With heartfelt respect for Yuan Shikai, Gu Weijun hurriedly went up to him, "President, I have something to report!"

Yuan Shikai looked at Gu Weijun coldly, snorted first, and then said, "Come in and talk!"

Gu Weijun hurriedly stepped forward to support Yuan Shikai's arm. Yuan Shikai initially subconsciously wanted to push Gu Weijun away directly, but just as he made the move, he changed his method. He gently pushed Gu Weijun's arm aside, then placed his hand on Gu Weijun's shoulder, "Shaochuan, you've handled your recent duties well." He said this while walking inside with Gu Weijun.

The guards at the Presidential Palace were very sharp. Seeing Yuan Shikai like this, they quickly chased away the doctors and those who came to watch the excitement.

Gu Weijun felt that the hand Yuan Shikai placed on his shoulder used a lot of force; Yuan Shikai was secretly using Gu Weijun as a crutch. He didn't dare show any sign of struggle, trying to speak as normally as possible about some matters regarding Britain, France, and Japan while coordinating with Yuan Shikai's pace to walk forward slowly. Once inside the door of the Renjutang office, Gu Weijun hurriedly supported Yuan Shikai's arm and helped him back to the President's seat.

Yuan Shikai didn't pretend to be tough anymore after such a clever performance. The temperature inside Renjutang was actually quite cool, but sweat was pouring down Yuan Shikai's forehead. Gu Weijun hurriedly took out his handkerchief and handed it to Yuan Shikai to wipe his sweat. Yuan Shikai rested for a moment before catching his breath.

"Shaochuan, what exactly did you come to say this time?" Yuan Shikai asked. He had been completely pretending to be fine just now, and actually hadn't paid much attention to what he said to Gu Weijun.

Gu Weijun knew this wasn't the time to feign anxiety. If he couldn't get Yuan Shikai's approval, he couldn't do anything himself. And if Yuan Shikai's condition deteriorated, there would be no chance for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to receive direct orders. He hurriedly explained the matter of the British, French, and Japanese ministers to Yuan Shikai in detail.

Yuan Shikai paused for a moment before asking, "So, Britain, France, and Japan went directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

Gu Weijun was startled by this insight. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wasn't a very important department in the Beiyang government. Gu Weijun thought that for Britain, France, and Japan to demand a meeting so forcefully, they must have already sent some official document, or at least some message, to Yuan Shikai. Unexpectedly, Britain, France, and Japan followed the procedure completely this time, only asking to summon Gu Weijun, without having any contact with Yuan Shikai. The implications of this were too great. Generally speaking, doing this indicated Britain, France, and Japan's extreme disappointment with Yuan Shikai. This wasn't a question of order; it was a naked statement in diplomatic terms.

"President, how about I don't meet them?" Gu Weijun said hurriedly.

"What are you afraid of, Shaochuan?" Yuan Shikai sneered. "I trust you. Since they want to see you, go see them. See what these bastards want to say."

"If they ask about the current situation, how should I answer?" Gu Weijun asked for instructions.

"For the current situation, just ask them what they know. We are fighting a great battle in Shandong, and the situation changes in an instant. What they know may not necessarily be correct," Yuan Shikai said.

"Yes!" Gu Weijun understood Yuan Shikai's meaning.

"Go now, save those bastards from letting their imaginations run wild!" Yuan Shikai told Gu Weijun to leave quickly.

"Yes!" Gu Weijun wanted to say a few words telling Yuan Shikai to take care of his health, but he knew saying so would definitely cause a misunderstanding with Yuan Shikai. After pondering for a moment, Gu Weijun said, "The President has recovered; I will report back immediately if there is anything."

Yuan Shikai knew Gu Weijun was indicating he absolutely wouldn't spread rumors outside about Yuan Shikai being ill. He nodded with satisfaction, "Go!"

Leaving the Presidential Palace with a heavy heart, Gu Weijun sent someone to deliver a letter to the ministers of Britain, France, and Japan, inviting them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sitting at his desk, Gu Weijun rubbed the center of his brows. This position of Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs caused Gu Weijun great pain. A weak country has no diplomacy, especially in these precarious times. Gu Weijun originally thought the war would last a while, but he didn't expect the war situation to change so quickly. Not long after the Shandong offensive began, it fell into a state of total failure.

The ministers of Britain, France, and Japan came extremely quickly. They were obviously together, as the three ministers returned with the person who delivered the letter to the British Minister.

Upon meeting, the three ministers shook hands with Gu Weijun with grim expressions. The one who spoke first was actually the Japanese Minister. "Mr. Gu, we heard that there have been huge changes in the war situation in Shandong. As countries supporting your side, we have not received any notification from your side. This cannot help but make us feel regret."

After asking the three ministers to sit down first, Gu Weijun replied leisurely, "Our army is fighting the People's Party. We don't know what will happen in war. Perhaps news of a victory is on its way to Beijing right now?"

The Japanese Minister wasn't fooled by these words at all. He sneered, "Mr. Gu is quite composed. But what I want to know is, you first failed to capture Qingdao, and second failed to hold Jinan. How exactly does your army intend to counterattack now?"

"This is a military secret; I really cannot comment!" Although fearful inside, Gu Weijun replied lightly.

"Mr. Gu, we all support Beiyang. We contributed money in both 'Reorganization Loans'. If your side cannot protect itself at all, we have reason to worry that there is no possibility of recovering these two loans. I wonder how Mr. Gu plans to convince us?"

Gu Weijun fell silent. This question wasn't excessive. According to the common international concept of "odious debt," if the People's Party destroyed Beiyang, they could completely choose not to repay these loans. Of course, this was based on the People's Party having the courage to take up arms against foreigners. In Gu Weijun's view, the People's Party had shown no lack of such courage so far. So the anxiety of Britain, France, and Japan had extremely realistic grounds.

"If your side does not support our Beiyang, how do you think the People's Party will view the matter of the 'Reorganization Loans'?" Gu Weijun asked. This was the inevitable deception of diplomacy, but Gu Weijun couldn't help but feel a deep sense of defeat in his heart. Gu Weijun was also a young man who looked forward to building a strong China. Now, using the reason that the People's Party would absolutely not repay odious debts to force Britain, France, and Japan to stand with Beiyang was indeed a reasonable choice tactically. But as a Chinese person, this couldn't help but deeply sting Gu Weijun's conscience. Even if he didn't want to commit treasonous acts, sometimes circumstances forced people to do things completely against their will.

"Mr. Gu, if that is the case, we will have to make our own choice!" The Japanese Minister was certainly not to be trifled with. He didn't accept Gu Weijun's threat at all, but stated his position toughly.

In the dialogue between the Japanese Minister and Gu Weijun, the British and French ministers didn't say a word, just quietly listening to the translation of the conversation between the two.

"I wonder what exactly your side means?" Gu Weijun asked.

"If your side cannot guarantee our interests, we can only rely on ourselves to protect our own interests!" The Japanese Minister said extremely clearly.

Gu Weijun looked at the three ministers before him. This time, Britain and France clearly let Japan speak out while they waited behind. Gu Weijun didn't feel relieved because Japan almost publicly stated it wanted to send troops. If it were some other Beiyang officers, they might be ecstatic. But Gu Weijun wasn't. He absolutely could not accept foreign armies stepping onto Chinese soil again as conquerors, regardless of whether these people were attacking Beiyang or the People's Party. This was Gu Weijun's bottom line.