Wang Shizhen was having a headache about Beiyang affairs at home when another visitor arrived. Former Beiyang Premier Xu Shichang paid a visit. The People's Party couldn't keep the Beiyang group in prison forever; that would be giving them too much credit.

After the formal founding of the nation, these people were temporarily released from imprisonment. People of Xu Shichang's level were only told that "they may not leave Beijing without application." In fact, quite a few high-ranking Beiyang officials fled Beijing privately, and the People's Party didn't take them seriously. There were also those who formally applied to leave Beijing. For example, former Vice Premier Tang Shaoyi applied to go to Wuhan to visit his daughter and son-in-law. The application was not only approved, but the People's Party also provided train tickets for Tang Shaoyi's family.

Xu Shichang prided himself on his status and refused to do things like escaping privately. having served in the Hanlin Academy, Xu Shichang also got a job as a consultant in the Literature and History Institute, receiving a not-small salary every month. So besides staying at home and participating in the compilation of literature and history at the institute, Xu Shichang also visited friends occasionally.

Wang Shizhen invited Xu Shichang to sit down and poured water. Xu Shichang said: "Pinqing, the People's Party asked me to lobby Duan Qirui to surrender. Have they approached you about this?"

"They have already talked to me." Wang Shizhen replied lightly.

"Then what is your intention, Pinqing?" Xu Shichang asked nervously.

Wang Shizhen still replied flatly: "I haven't thought it through yet, and even if I go to persuade Duan Qirui, I'm afraid he may not listen to me."

Xu Shichang said very seriously: "I think we can just write a letter to Duan Qirui casually. The People's Party has always been ruthless in doing things. How long has it been since Cai Yuanpei was killed? I'm afraid people from Beiyang will follow in Cai Jiemin's footsteps."

Even at this time, Xu Shichang was still as keen on fame and status as before, which made Wang Shizhen feel disgusted. If Xu Shichang hadn't persuaded him like this, Wang Shizhen would still be somewhat worried. After Xu Shichang's persuasion, Wang Shizhen felt that it would be better to seriously persuade Duan Qirui to surrender and be done with it. Duan Qirui himself certainly had ambition for fame, but that was because Duan Qirui himself had such a character. But Duan Qirui was surrounded by people like Xu Shichang. Being surrounded by such people, no matter how capable Duan Qirui was, he would only be burdened in vain.

Thinking of this, Wang Shizhen said: "Brother Juren, you are relatively familiar with Mr. Li Hongqi. Why don't we go ask Mr. Li for advice?"

Xu Shichang was stunned at first, then nodded repeatedly, "That's very good! That's very good!"

Li Hongqi was not at home. Because the school was building dormitories, he simply moved to live in the school. For the school, dormitories were a big deal. Plus the construction was urgent, working three shifts a day. Li Hongqi always felt uneasy if he didn't watch it with his own eyes.

After listening to the questions of the two former Beiyang big shots beside the construction site, Li Hongqi felt these two were too interesting. He laughed: "Do you two still think Duan Qirui can win?"

Even though he genuinely cared about Duan Qirui and some old Beiyang troops who fled to the northwest, Wang Shizhen was still amused by these words. Xu Shichang didn't have such a peaceful mentality; his brows were tightly knit.

Li Hongqi continued: "If you two think Duan Qirui can win, then you might as well continue fighting. If you think he can't win, what's the use of continuing to fight except for more people dying?"

Although Xu Shichang couldn't explain what was going on, he could see that Li Hongqi and Wang Shizhen's views were quite consistent. Instead, Xu Shichang became the minority among the three. He couldn't help arguing strongly: "If Chen Ke hadn't killed Cai Jiemin, I could still trust them. But he killed Cai Jiemin with such a charge. If Duan Qirui is sentenced with this charge, he will definitely not survive."

Li Hongqi originally didn't want to provoke trouble, but Xu Shichang's timid words made Li Hongqi quite disgusted. He simply said slowly with a contemplative look: "Duke Xu, I haven't met Duan Qirui. Is that Duan Qirui a person who clings to life and fears death?"

These words sounded simple, but the malice inside was sufficient. Although Wang Shizhen was not an emotional person, he guessed other people's thoughts very accurately. Hearing Li Hongqi's words, Wang Shizhen almost laughed out loud.

Xu Shichang himself was a Jinshi by origin and had always thought highly of himself, so he didn't hear Li Hongqi's meaning at first. He said strangely: "How could Duan Qirui be a person who clings to life and fears death?"

Li Hongqi said with a serious expression: "Since he is not a person who clings to life and fears death, presumably he is unwilling to suffer humiliation. If he surrenders, what is there to be afraid of? In the end, it's just death."

Xu Shichang was a big shot after all. After understanding Li Hongqi's meaning, he immediately shut his mouth and refused to speak again.

Without Xu Shichang's interference, Wang Shizhen opened his mouth and said: "Mr. Li, you are teaching here, and our disturbance is already presumptuous. We still hope you can point out a way for the Beiyang brothers with your compassionate heart. Please do not hesitate to enlighten us."

Li Hongqi knew that Chen Ke and Shang Yuan never liked to lie, let alone on such national affairs. Since they asked former Beiyang heavyweights to persuade surrender, there were certainly plans to deal with the situation where Duan Qirui refused to surrender, but they definitely wouldn't do things like killing prisoners. After pondering for a moment, he said: "At present, some people think the situation is still ambiguous, but I think the situation is already settled. Those people in the northwest cannot hold the old lands of pre-Qin."

Wang Shizhen replied: "Since they can't hold it, it's okay to surrender. But I don't know one thing: is Wenqing's offer of surrender real or fake?"

Li Hongqi closed his eyes and pondered again before saying: "Wenqing is not a person who holds grudges. But why didn't he mention surrender before? Of course, he was thinking of preparing for military unification in the future. Why does he want surrender now? It must also be because he feels that the Northwest issue must be resolved in a short time, and the fastest way is nothing other than surrender. I can't say this is a pie falling from the sky, but I feel it is a rare opportunity. If this opportunity is missed, there won't be a second time."

Wang Shizhen agreed quite a bit with Li Hongqi's judgment. He asked: "Then what does Mr. Li think Wenqing is plotting that makes him so anxious to use troops against the Northwest?"

"In my opinion, when the People's Party suddenly moves troops, the reason is never domestic but foreign. I think Wenqing's focus this time is probably not domestic, but foreign," Li Hongqi replied.

"Foreign?" Wang Shizhen was stunned. He originally thought that Chen Ke had already decided to attack the remnants of Beiyang, so he tried to use persuasion to surrender to divide and disintegrate the remnants of Beiyang first. However, Li Hongqi's statement immediately opened Wang Shizhen's train of thought. If the ultimate goal of the People's Party was not Beiyang but foreign countries... Russia immediately appeared in Wang Shizhen's mind.

The People's Party's newspapers also had international news sections, and there was also some news about the outbreak of civil war in Russia. Combining this news with the possibility that the People's Party was trying to march north taking advantage of the Russian civil war, Wang Shizhen easily made a strategic judgment. The People's Party must completely defeat the Beiyang remnants in the northwest and obtain stable control of the northwest before engaging in a full-scale war with Russia.

Now, Wang Shizhen's heart became even more conflicted. Regarding the infringement of China by European and American powers, other countries only demanded indemnities and established concessions. Britain only got Hong Kong Island from China, while Russia ceded territory. Being able to recover lost territory is the dream of any true Chinese soldier. Even for the Beiyang Army, a Chinese army that feared foreigners, high-ranking generals had also dreamed of reclaiming lost territories.

Wang Shizhen was unwilling to think too much about these things; he just knew that Beiyang was simply incapable. Now that there was finally a Chinese army that might achieve this ideal, it was impossible for Wang Shizhen not to be happy. However, if Beiyang was to be completely destroyed before achieving this ideal, Wang Shizhen inevitably hesitated again.

Li Hongqi didn't want to get entangled with these two people anymore. He said: "Gentlemen, I'm just a teacher. I'm also talking nonsense about national affairs, which shouldn't be taken seriously. The construction site is very busy now, and I can't keep you company talking anymore. Please go back first."

On the way back, Wang Shizhen's eyes were bright and he said nothing, while Xu Shichang pursed his lips, his anger not yet dissipated. Entering Wang Shizhen's house, Xu Shichang said: "What do you plan to do, Pinqing?"

Wang Shizhen did not answer this question directly, "Duan Qirui has a resolute character. If he wants others to help, he might treat worthy men with courtesy. If he is asked to work for others, that is by no means easy. So Duke Xu can do whatever he thinks."

Before Xu Shichang could understand, Wang Shizhen issued an eviction order, "I'm tired today, please go back first, Duke Xu."

Before the three days agreed with Li Runshi, the next day Wang Shizhen handed a letter to the comrade at the reception office of the Hebei Provincial Committee, asking him to forward the letter to Li Runshi. The letter was simply unsealed. The comrade at the reception office knew who Wang Shizhen was. Seeing that there was indeed a letter inside, he wanted to ask a few more questions, but saw that Wang Shizhen had already got up to leave.

Less than ten days later, this letter was delivered to Duan Qirui in Xi'an.

Seeing the familiar handwriting on the envelope, Duan Qirui couldn't help sighing. He had already received the notice of persuasion to surrender from the People's Party. Not only was the letter of persuasion sent directly to Duan Qirui, but the People's Party also posted notices extensively in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and other places. Just as the People's Party could post notices in Beijing when the Manchu Qing was still around, Duan Qirui knew that the People's Party had not relaxed the establishment of its intelligence system at all.

Wang Shizhen could become a famous figure in Beiyang because he had almost no personal desire for fame. Among the Beiyang generals full of personal desire for fame, Wang Shizhen was indeed a rare type who was strong without desire. Coupled with Wang Shizhen's outstanding ability, this was the reason why all the generals were convinced by Wang Shizhen. However, in the current situation, what Duan Qirui wanted most was Wang Shizhen's advice, yet what he feared most was also Wang Shizhen's advice.

Duan Qirui knew that Wang Shizhen could always solve problems, but the way to solve problems was always too fair. In the Yuan Shikai era, solving problems fairly could stabilize Yuan Shikai's rule, but it was by no means a good thing for Duan Qirui. Even without reading the letter, Duan Qirui could think that Wang Shizhen's suggestion must be the best way to solve the problem, but not the way to maximize Duan Qirui's interests.

Things turned out just as Duan Qirui thought. Wang Shizhen suggested that Duan Qirui negotiate with the People's Party on the condition of signing a peace agreement. The northwestern provinces would recognize the leadership of the People's Party and strive for limited local autonomy as much as possible.

Duan Qirui shook his head slightly and put the letter back on the table. Compared with humiliating "surrender," limited local autonomy was already a huge improvement. Up to now, Duan Qirui no longer fantasized about being able to raise troops immediately to overthrow the People's Party and obtain ruling power over the whole of China. However, the current situation in the northwest at least still had mountains and rivers as barriers and possessed vast territory. From this perspective, limited local autonomy was actually not much different from surrender, just the difference between dying early or late. If destruction was inevitable, Duan Qirui still hoped to go through a convincing war, rather than bowing his head and admitting defeat so cowardly.

The war between Beiyang and the People's Party left Duan Qirui with the impression of the word "cowardly." In every war, the Beiyang Army was finished without being able to fully exert its strength. If they hadn't fallen into an extremely disadvantageous situation before the war time and again, but both sides could deploy their formations and fight freely. Just like the battle in the Northeast bragged about by the People's Party, the Chinese and Japanese armies crashed head-on and then fought bloody battles. If it were such a war, even if Duan Qirui lost, he would feel that he had done his best, at least losing clearly.

Even knowing that making the enemy unable to exert full strength is also a kind of combat ability, as the side unable to exert strength every time, the depression in Duan Qirui's heart was really indescribable.

Holding such hostility and personal emotions, Duan Qirui quickly began to mobilize troops to strengthen the defense of Shanxi and Shaanxi, and expanded conscription. No matter how hard he tried, from a strategic point of view, what Duan Qirui did could only be described by the word "wait." This approach was no different from Beiyang and Chiang Kai-shek (Baldy).

The People's Party never waited. The war philosophy of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was completely inherited from that army in history with a strong offensive spirit. Although the main strength of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had been placed on infrastructure construction for two years, from the placement of troops to the training of troops, preparations for marching were being made.

Just a few days after the notice of persuasion to surrender was sent to Duan Qirui, Hua Xiongmao, who had stepped down from the post of Minister of Defense, rushed to Zhangjiakou day and night. There was not just a corps there, but a reinforced infantry corps incorporated with two cavalry divisions. The opponent of this force was Xu Shuzheng, who was deployed in Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia.

Every Beiyang warlord received a letter of persuasion to surrender, but the People's Party had no illusions about them at all. These Beiyang warlords might have been called "Military Governors" when under Yuan Shikai, but once Yuan Shikai died, they were now completely a group of warlords. No matter how these people viewed themselves, what they could truly rely on was only the army in their hands. With an army, they were local kings; without an army, they were nothing. These guys had completely become a group of warlords. To deal with warlords who only knew how to rely on force, only force could make them face reality.

"Since Xu Shuzheng doesn't surrender, we have no need to wait any longer. No amount of negotiation is useful." After all, having stayed in the central government for more than ten years, leaving aside military command ability, Hua Xiongmao's understanding of politics was profound enough. "Launch an attack on Xu Shuzheng."

On August 20, 1918, the news that Xu Shuzheng's troops were completely wiped out at the border of Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia reached Duan Qirui.