He Ruming sat with his head down in the living room of Wang Shizhen's house. Only a few tea stems remained in the tea bowl on the coffee table. The servant only poured tea once symbolically and then disappeared like avoiding the plague. He Ruming didn't have the guts to go to the back hall to find someone, so he could only sit anxiously in the living room. Since marrying his daughter He Ying to Chen Ke, He Ruming thought he had climbed onto Yan Fu, a celebrity of the Beiyang Navy, and thus thoroughly boarded the big ship of Beiyang. The actual situation also showed signs of this. Through activities, He Ruming's job would soon be transferred to the Ministry of Posts and Communications, which was a recognized lucrative post. His sister He Qian also chose a marriage; the other party was a mid-level officer of Beiyang and a student who studied in a German military academy. His character and family background were good. He Ruming breathed a huge sigh of relief. He Qian had already married over during the New Year. Finding a good family for his sister, He Ruming was also happy in his heart. He felt he had fulfilled the responsibility of the eldest brother and could be worthy of his deceased parents.

In addition to the smooth family affairs, the trade in special medicine between the He family and Shanghai had not been interrupted. Although He Ruming's son-in-law Chen Ke made the molecular formula public, and many thoughtful people also began to produce this drug, helplessly, those people's abilities were too poor, and the mortality rate of the drugs produced reached twenty percent. The authentic drugs obtained by He Ruming had only killed three people so far. By comparison, He Ruming's pharmacy established a very good reputation instead. The profit of more than eight thousand taels of silver last year allowed the He family to begin a resurgence.

He Ruming was not a naturally cold person. With the family resurgence and official promotion close at hand, he missed his daughter very much. He also mentioned to his sister these days that Chen Ke was not authentic in doing things. Even if he was thousands of *li* away in Shanghai, now that there were steamships and trains, was it so difficult to go home to visit relatives? For more than a year, He Ruming asked the people delivering medicine about his son-in-law Chen Ke and daughter He Ying. The delivery people all said they were just runners and didn't know about the two. If it weren't for the business Chen Ke brought back then still making huge profits, He Ruming would have suspected Chen Ke was a big liar.

He Ruming's sister He Qian's view on this surprised He Ruming a bit. He Qian said, "Big Brother, since you did it for this official position and money back then, now that you have got what you wanted, don't look for trouble yourself." His sister's words were blunt, and He Ruming was naturally unhappy. That gathering ended unhappily for the brother and sister.

Three days ago, He Ruming finally understood why there was "no news at all" from Chen Ke and his daughter for more than a year. Since Cen Chunxuan entered Beijing to launch party struggles, Yuan Shikai had played a very exquisite political trick. He let Liangguang Governor-General Zhou Fu and Min-Zhe Governor-General Song Shou send telegraphs one after another reporting that the Triads in Raoping, Huanggang, Qinlian, and other places "combined to loot," difficult to pacify. Yikuang immediately had a "solo audience" with Cixi, vigorously exaggerating the military situation in Liangguang, claiming that no one but Cen Chunxuan could pacify it, and proposing to let Cen serve as Governor-General of Liangguang again, which was agreed by Cixi. As a result, Cen Chunxuan was squeezed out of the capital.

Although the "Pure Stream" failed in the Dingwei Political Tide, they followed suit. The remaining Pure Stream in the Censorate impeached Yuan Shikai for personally acting as a matchmaker for the Anhui rebel Chen Ke. Now Chen Ke was entrenched in North Huai and had become a major threat. Yet Yuan Shikai blocked the news, and the intention of raising bandits to respect oneself was extremely obvious. The Censorate also impeached Zhang Zhidong and Yuan Shikai as "birds of a feather." After the Hubei New Army retook Anqing and Chizhou, they stayed put for several months, only harming the people in Anqing and Chizhou, indulging the rebels to grow big. Their hearts were punishable.

The people of the Censorate obviously accepted the lesson from not long ago. They didn't say Yuan Shikai "intended to rebel," but used a more neutral judgment like "raising bandits to respect oneself." Cixi originally intended to weaken the Beiyang power. Learning this news, she was immediately "furious" and ordered Yuan Shikai to submit a memorial to defend himself.

This news scared He Ruming badly. His "son-in-law" Chen Ke was actually a great rebel. Although Yuan Shikai proposed this marriage, and if he really wanted to defend himself, He Ruming would have an excuse instead. But if Lord Yuan fell because of this, He Ruming's life would absolutely not be easy.

He Ruming's sister He Qian came to visit personally to advise He Ruming not to look for people everywhere at this time. No matter how He Ruming defended himself in such matters, there would be no good result. It would only make people laugh for nothing. It was better to take things as they came. He Ruming agreed relatively with his sister's view this time, but if he couldn't find someone to "tell his grievances and express his feelings," He Ruming felt he couldn't be at ease no matter what. He naturally dared not hit a wall at Yuan Shikai's door. He tried to contact a few Beiyang acquaintances these days, but everyone avoided him like the plague. Finally, He Ruming thought of Wang Shizhen, who acted as Chen Ke's "guardian" at that time, being at home for mourning (*Dingyou*). He came to visit Wang Shizhen. Wang Shizhen let He Ruming in anyway, but didn't come out to receive him immediately.

After waiting for a good while again, He Ruming strongly suspected whether Wang Shizhen wanted him to retreat in the face of difficulties. However, he had always known that Wang Shizhen was not such an irresponsible villain, so he decided to wait. Perhaps the servant felt it was inappropriate, so he finally came to add water. He Ruming, who had been thirsty for a long time, drank the tea in one gulp before the servant went down. After drinking three bowls of tea in a row, He Ruming felt a bit more comfortable.

After waiting for a long time again, he saw Wang Shizhen walk in from the gate. It looked like he had just returned from going out. After seeing He Ruming, Wang Shizhen just said indifferently, "Lord He has been waiting for a long time."

He Ruming hurried up to bow. "Lord Wang is too polite."

The two took their seats as host and guest. Wang Shizhen stated his opinion straightforwardly. "Lord He, if there are no other major matters, don't look for people everywhere. With the matter reaching this stage, what's the point of you adding to the mess like this?"

"Lord Wang is right." He Ruming said subconsciously. As soon as the words left his mouth, He Ruming felt something was wrong. What he hoped most was actually to defend himself. He had nothing to do with the "rebel" Chen Ke originally; everything was not his fault. In He Ruming's view, he was a victim. Now amidst such a fierce political struggle in the court, if those big figures above brought He Ruming out as a scapegoat, He Ruming himself had no way to resist.

Wang Shizhen said coldly, "Lord He, for some things, if you don't worry about them unnecessarily, you will be fine instead. If you insist on distinguishing right from wrong, then who do you think is right and who is wrong between you and Lord Yuan? If you say you didn't know, then Lord Yuan knew?"

Wang Shizhen didn't see He Ruming many times. His attitude towards He Ruming naturally couldn't be called polite, but a feeling of just right. What appeared on Wang Shizhen's face now was a chilling look. That was not a threat, but a look of "advice" from a powerful person to an incompetent person. This attitude made He Ruming shudder involuntarily.

Seeing that He Ruming had softened, Wang Shizhen continued to stare at He Ruming opposite with cold eyes. Knowing that He Ruming was on pins and needles under his gaze, Wang Shizhen said, "Lord He, it was Chen Ke who wanted Lord Yuan to be the matchmaker. At that time, he knew you first. Among the rebels, there is also Pu Guanshui of the Anhui New Army. How Chen Ke knew Pu Guanshui, you should know better than me, right? You did medicinal business with Chen Ke; do I need to tell you how much money you made in this year and more?"

Listening to Wang Shizhen stating his contact with Chen Ke one by one, He Ruming was already sweating profusely. And Wang Shizhen had no intention of letting He Ruming go. He continued, "At this time, you don't shut your door and reflect on your mistakes. Instead, you are thinking of dragging Lord Yuan into the water. What crime do you think you deserve?"

He Ruming couldn't bear it anymore. He knelt on the ground with a thump. "Please save me, Lord Wang. I was obsessed; I really didn't see that Chen Ke was a rebel at that time. This..., this was because Mr. Yan Fu wrote a letter to me, so I befriended Chen Ke."

"Yan Fu has also become a rebel." Wang Shizhen said coldly.

"What?" He Ruming was frightened by this news. "Even Yan Fu rebelled?"

Wang Shizhen couldn't stand He Ruming's ugly state anymore. He turned his face away to calm his emotions, then turned back. "Lord He, go home obediently now, resign from your job, and reflect behind closed doors. The court will naturally handle this matter. This matter involves a wide range of people. If you are honest, naturally nothing will happen. But if you are obstinate, or incited by others, vainly thinking of dragging others into the water, how do you think I will deal with those people?"

He Ruming had heard some stories about Wang Shizhen. When in Shandong, Yuan Shikai and Wang Shizhen's bloody suppression of the Boxers annoyed the Qing nobles Prince Duan Zaiyi and Prince Zhuang Zaixun because it hindered their attempt to use the Boxers for personal gain. In June 1900, Prince Duan and Prince Zhuang sent a Senior Brother of the Boxers to find Yuan Shikai with the Qing government's arrow of command (*Lingjian*), saying Prince Duan ordered Yuan Shikai to appease the Boxers and allow them to set up altars to continue drilling. Yuan was very surprised and immediately summoned his subordinates for a meeting to discuss. The subordinates believed: if agreeing to set up altars, the Boxers would flourish and rebel against the government; if not agreeing, it would be hard to avoid severe condemnation from Prince Duan and Prince Zhuang. Looking at each other pale-faced, they couldn't come up with a solution. At this time, Wang Shizhen stood up and said, "Please hand him over to me for interrogation!" He immediately took the Boxer leader out and beheaded him for the crime of stealing the arrow of command of Prince Duan and Prince Zhuang. At this time, the meeting convened by Yuan had not yet disbanded. Yuan asked Wang, "How was the interrogation?" Wang replied, "Already executed. The arrow of command can be sealed and returned to Prince Duan and Prince Zhuang." Yuan Shikai suddenly realized and admired Wang Shizhen's "decisive" handling of affairs very much.

Wang Shizhen was never a bloodthirsty person, but this didn't mean Wang Shizhen was indecisive. When it was time to act, Wang Shizhen was also known for making prompt decisions. Thinking of this, He Ruming dared not speak anymore.

"Go back." Wang Shizhen ordered.

After He Ruming left Wang Shizhen's residence obediently, Wang Shizhen immediately ordered the housekeeper to start packing luggage. "Master, where are we going?" The housekeeper couldn't help asking.

"I will take office as the Admiral of Jiangbei (*Jiangbei Tidu*) in a few days." Wang Shizhen said calmly.

On July 17, Chen Ke received intelligence that the Manchu court ordered Li Yuanhong's troops currently stationed in Anqing to move north immediately. And Wang Shizhen had also left to take the post of Admiral of Jiangbei. He would arrive in a few days. In addition, the Manchu court also ordered the local Green Standard Army and Training Army in Henan to prepare to go south. Jiangnan Admiral (*Tidu*) Zhang Xun also prepared to participate in exterminating the "Yan-Chen Bandit Gang of Anhui."

Looking at these familiar names, Chen Ke couldn't help laughing out loud. These people were all prominent figures in the early Republic of China. "Dragon of Beiyang" Wang Shizhen, "Beiyang Grand President" Li Yuanhong, "Braid General" Zhang Xun. Each was an indispensable figure in history textbooks. Chen Ke couldn't help thinking, in the middle school history textbooks of this spacetime, what appearance would these three people appear with? As winners, or losers? Or just a footnote in history?

A moment later, Chen Ke expelled the boring thoughts that only a time traveler would have from his brain. If he couldn't win the battle about to happen, Chen Ke knew he would definitely become one of the many "revolutionary predecessors" in history who ended in failure. Chen Ke didn't want to play such a role at all.

The guard saw his beloved Chairman Chen first laughing happily like a child, then his expression turned into the kind of excited look peculiar to before a big battle. He was also inexplicably excited. Guards were not allowed to ask questions casually; this was organizational discipline. So the guard couldn't help standing straight. At this time, he heard Chen Ke say loudly, "Go notify the comrades of the Military Commission to meet now."

The cadres of the Military Commission knew a few days ago that the Manchu court had learned the news of the existence of the base area. Chen Ke ordered the General Staff to start formulating a combat plan. The combat plan assumed Li Yuanhong attacking Hefei directly. This plan had actually started to be formulated since the Yue Wang Society retreated from Anqing. But Chen Ke predicted at that time that Li Yuanhong would absolutely not act before the summer harvest. Such a "heroic" prediction once made the comrades of the Party Central Committee and the Military Commission feel that Chen Ke was too arrogant. Now facts had proved that Chen Ke judged correctly. So as soon as the meeting started, Hua Xiongmao couldn't help asking Chen Ke the reason again.

"The Hubei New Army is absolutely unwilling to pull chestnuts out of the fire for others." Chen Ke repeated his previous statement. War was a very expensive action for the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army in the base area. The last Anqing Campaign almost exhausted the grain reserves of the base area. But compared with the war expenses of the Manchu Qing, this consumption of the base area was simply a drop in the bucket. The new system of the base area was government control directly to the village level unit. All taxes and grain were transported directly into the granary without consumption. While the Manchu Qing's dispatch of troops involved too much intermediate exploitation. They needed layers of bureaucratic procedures and exploitation by handlers at each level, so every war cost hugely. So spending so much money to fight was a heavy burden for both the Manchu court and local governments. Zhang Zhidong might be loyal to the Manchu court, but no matter how loyal Zhang Zhidong was, he didn't know the magic of excreting gold and urinating silver. Can't fight without money; this is an eternal truth.

After Chen Ke finished explaining, other comrades of the Military Commission also finished reading the latest intelligence delivered.

Pu Guanshui asked, "Chairman Chen, is the person delivering this news reliable?"

Hearing this question, many comrades looked at Chen Ke with concern. Thanks to Chen Ke's predictions that never failed, everyone was used to engaging in production leisurely in an environment surrounded by strong enemies. Now that the enemy suddenly launched a comprehensive attack, everyone couldn't help feeling a sense of unreality.

Chen Ke didn't answer this question. He asked, "How are our military grain preparations?"

"Thirty percent higher than planned. The military grain stock reached ten million *jin*." Qin Wu'an, now serving as the Minister of Logistics, hurriedly took out his notebook and said.

The effect of vigorously developing the breeding industry in the base area had been shown. The grain feed originally needed by the breeding industry was now replaced by earthworms and small fish and shrimp. Anhui didn't lack water surfaces. After women were put into the production movement as labor force, the breeding industry supported almost thirty percent of the food. Although the taste of proteins like duck eggs and duck meat wasn't delicious, they could at least equal or even exceed the same amount of grain.

"Thirty thousand people, one and a half *jin* a day; this grain can last for a year, right?" Chen Ke asked.

"The production of military canned food is still insufficient. Glassware suitable for long-distance transportation is not made too well." Qin Wu'an still had some doubts about this.

"We are fighting on inner lines (*neixian zuozhan*); we don't need to care so much about this." Chen Ke laughed.

"Inner line operations? Are we going to let Li Yuanhong into the base area?" Pu Guanshui was somewhat surprised.

"Why not let him in? If we don't let Li Yuanhong in to close the door and beat the dog, how can we fight a war of annihilation?" Chen Ke asked back.

He Zudao couldn't help asking, "Chairman Chen, if we let him in, what if Li Yuanhong causes wanton destruction? How do we explain to the common people?"

"Li Yuanhong will absolutely not go to the countryside. He will definitely want to occupy Hefei. We will let him occupy it. When he occupies Hefei, we will annihilate him in Hefei." Chen Ke said as if talking about how to eat.

Before everyone continued to ask, Chen Ke said, "However, once Li Yuanhong is solved, Wang Shizhen must be let into the base area to fight. He is not easy to fight."

In 1901, Yuan Shikai inherited Li Hongzhang's mantle and became the Governor-General of Zhili and Beiyang Minister. To consolidate his foundation, Yuan Shikai paid more attention to the compilation and training of the army. He appointed Wang Shizhen as the Commander of the Left Division of the Beiyang Standing Army, concurrently managing the Army Training and Defense Affairs Office, specifically in charge of training. Soon Wang Shizhen went to southern Zhili to recruit soldiers. Together with local officials, he selected more than 6,000 people and concentrated them in Baoding to compile and train them into the Beiyang Standing Army (i.e., New Army). During this period, to promote the New Army for Yuan Shikai, he wrote the "Regulations for Standing, Reserve, and Successive Reserve Armies." Wang Shizhen also had a set of methods for training troops. He didn't beat or scold soldiers, moving people with kindness. If an officer made a mistake, he never questioned the officer in front of the soldiers to maintain the soldiers' respect for the officer. He also tried his best to cultivate the soldiers' absolute obedience and loyalty awareness, making them believe that Yuan Shikai was their parents providing food and clothing, and only by obeying him could they be promoted and get rich.

Wang Shizhen was the person Chen Ke dreaded. As for Li Yuanhong, he was far less important.