The reason Wang Shizhen was called the "Dragon's Eye" of Beiyang was largely because Yuan Shikai's official documents were basically drafted by Wang Shizhen, and Wang Shizhen would also make the final review before sending them out. In terms of familiarity with Beiyang military and political affairs alone, Yuan Shikai was below Wang Shizhen.

Cixi ordered Yuan Shikai to submit a memorial to "defend himself." Wang Shizhen naturally had to revise this memorial concerning Yuan Shikai's future fate in detail. Wang Shizhen had already modified more than a dozen places on the memorial. After modifying these small details, Wang Shizhen stared at the memorial for a long time. Yuan Shikai had never seen Wang Shizhen spend so much time on a memorial. But Yuan Shikai absolutely did not urge him. Since Wang Shizhen thought it would take so long to revise the memorial, Yuan Shikai firmly believed that it indeed required so long.

Seeing Wang Shizhen lift the brush with determination, Yuan Shikai felt relaxed in his heart. The two had revised memorials together countless times. This was the unique expression when Wang Shizhen made up his mind. Yuan Shikai quietly picked up the tea bowl, sipped a mouthful of plain water from the tea bowl silently, and swallowed the water into his stomach silently. He originally thought Wang Shizhen would write furiously as usual, but unexpectedly saw Wang Shizhen actually put the writing brush back on the brush rack.

"Pinqing, no rush, take your time." In a major event concerning his life and property, Yuan Shikai not only did not urge but comforted him instead.

But Wang Shizhen said, "Duke Yuan, let's just submit this current memorial."

"Oh?" Yuan Shikai was somewhat surprised. He took the revised memorial and read it. This memorial was not so much a memorial of trembling fear, apologizing and defending himself, as a warm narrative family letter. Here, it first narrated the history of interaction between Yuan Shikai and Yan Fu, and then took the process of Yuan Shikai and Chen Ke's acquaintance as the main line, stating Chen Ke's actions in Beijing. But what kind of person was Yuan Shikai? This memorial extremely sincerely mentioned that the Gengzi Incident was the process of Yuan Shikai's loyalty and service to Cixi, and the Beiyang clique's loyalty to the court. Although these contents were mixed in the history of Yuan Shikai and Yan Fu's interaction, a few words were written with deep emotion. The whole memorial actually had no false words, just saying Yuan Shikai's concern as a loyal elder for a younger generation. The description of Chen Ke did not deliberately demonize him, but also wrote the appearance a younger generation should have towards an elder.

After reading the memorial, Yuan Shikai couldn't help sighing, "Pinqing wrote well."

These two were first-class heroes. They both knew that if they submitted words like "deserve ten thousand deaths" and "crime unforgivable" at this time, it would only give others an excuse. At such a critical moment, when the other party clearly harbored malicious intentions, Yuan Shikai precisely shouldn't be trembling with fear, but instead argue strongly on just grounds.

"Pinqing, since you have already written this memorial, why did you want to change it greatly just now?" Yuan Shikai asked curiously.

Wang Shizhen sighed, "Duke Yuan, Chen Ke is very talented. I was thinking a bit too much just now."

Yuan Shikai also felt empathy. "I let such a person go so easily; I also regret it now."

Hearing Yuan Shikai's words of cherishing talent, Wang Shizhen immediately advised seriously, "Duke Yuan, Chen Ke absolutely has no intention of defecting to Beiyang. Even when he met Duke Yuan for the first time, he might have had such a trace of thought. Now the opportunity has passed; Duke Yuan must not be soft-hearted towards Chen Ke. This person is already irreconcilable with the Great Qing, and incompatible with our Beiyang like water and fire. We must not have the slightest contempt for this person. Duke Yuan, I think the best strategy now is to mobilize the six Beiyang Divisions, plus the Hubei New Army, Jiangbei New Army, and Jiangnan New Army to exterminate him together. We must not underestimate the enemy."

Hearing this, Yuan Shikai couldn't help smiling bitterly. He didn't think Wang Shizhen's suggestion had no merit; the reason he smiled bitterly was that the current court situation simply didn't allow for the possibility of simultaneous suppression from multiple routes.

At the same time, in the Fengtai County base area of Anhui, the People's Party Military Commission's meeting regarding the upcoming counter-encirclement campaign was also becoming more intense. In every military meeting, Zhang Yu didn't like to speak first, but in every military meeting, Zhang Yu had to speak relatively early. He picked up the latest intelligence from Beijing and looked at it again, then asked, "Chairman Chen, will the Beiyang New Army go south?"

"If we destroy the troops of Li Yuanhong and Wang Shizhen, the Beiyang New Army will definitely go south." Chen Ke answered clearly.

Hearing this, Zhang Yu couldn't help frowning. As the leader of the People's Party, Chen Ke's opinions were ultimately executed in every decision of the People's Party. But this didn't mean comrades would obey Chen Ke submissively. It wasn't that Zhang Yu couldn't understand Chen Ke's plan. In the early stage, Zhang Yu always agreed with Chen Ke's judgment of the enemy. However, having worked in the army for more than a year and with his military ability growing day by day, Zhang Yu cultivated an increasingly cautious personality instead. Although the People's Party's opponent, the Manchu Qing, was rotten, Chen Ke's attitude was a bit too arrogant. In case the Manchu Qing occasionally went crazy and changed their previous style slightly, the People's Party would immediately face a dangerous situation. Chen Ke's practice of never leaving room for his own side made Zhang Yu very worried.

"What if the Beiyang New Army leads the attack?" Zhang Yu finally reminded.

"Beiyang New Army leading?" Chen Ke felt Zhang Yu was really telling the biggest joke. If the Beiyang New Army could become the leader of the national New Armies, the Manchu Qing would absolutely not perish.

Yuan Shikai knew that Wang Shizhen was loyal to both himself and the court. So he was unwilling to pour cold water on Wang Shizhen. But in the current situation, even if Yuan Shikai could extricate himself from Chen Ke's matter, he could no longer be trusted unconditionally. The six Beiyang New Army Divisions were all trained by Yuan Shikai single-handedly. Without Yuan Shikai commanding personally, these people might not obediently risk their lives for the Manchus. Regarding the loyalty of the Beiyang New Army to Yuan Shikai, Wang Shizhen could be said to have contributed greatly.

Since he couldn't state this clearly, Yuan Shikai had to discuss the strategic issue of suppressing bandits. "Pinqing, do you think Li Yuanhong is not Chen Ke's opponent?"

"Li Yuanhong is absolutely not Chen Ke's opponent. Duke Yuan, if I were asked to lead 3,000 men, raid a thousand *li*, and break Anqing in one night, I absolutely couldn't do it. Not to mention that the troops in Chen Ke's hands were gathered hastily by him in less than half a year. How many people from North Huai are there in our Beiyang foundation? Duke Yuan also knows that the folk customs in North Huai are tough, and there are many gangs and secret societies. Chen Ke, an outsider, logically shouldn't be able to establish a foothold locally. But since Chen Ke can establish a foothold now, the local people follow Chen Ke. Li Yuanhong brings the Hubei New Army, and Anhui people don't welcome Hubei people. I don't think Li Yuanhong can win against Chen Ke."

Yuan Shikai agreed with this view very much. "Zhang Zhidong obviously leans towards the Pure Stream now. Even if I go to advise him, he will only treat it as wind past his ears. If I propose using troops cautiously now, how many people in the court will immediately use this as a handle? I can't persuade Li Yuanhong."

Wang Shizhen knew that the internal struggle in the court was far from over. Wang Shizhen could figure out what those guys fighting for power and profit would do. He said seriously, "Duke Yuan, if Li Yuanhong is defeated, southern Anhui will definitely be in chaos. I'm afraid the Jiangnan New Army will go to the South Anhui area. I can only fight with the Jiangbei New Army. If the situation becomes like this, I only ask Duke Yuan to send Duan Qirui south."

"Pinqing, don't worry. I will never let you fight alone."

Chen Ke absolutely didn't believe that with the current internal situation of the Manchu Qing, they could reach the level of unified combat in the short term. Most importantly, the Manchu Qing had no money. After listening to Chen Ke's analysis, although Zhang Yu agreed, he was very fearful of the Beiyang New Army. "Chairman Chen, according to what you said before, after we fought Anqing, we would have strategic initiative for about a year. Now less than a year has passed, and the Manchu Qing has begun to besiege the base area. To what extent will this battle be fought? Now if the Beiyang Army wants to attack us, there are three routes to take. The first is through Henan, attacking from Fuyang. The second is through the Grand Canal, attacking from Jiangsu. The third is through Wuhan, attacking from Anqing. Even if we have intelligence, will it be hard to defend against everything?"

Chen Ke said confidently, "So we have to fight in the mode of inner line operations. No matter how the Beiyang Army fights, the primary target is the city. In fact, not only the Beiyang Army, but also Li Yuanhong. I don't know how Wang Shizhen will fight; he might chase our main force to fight. But there is nothing to be afraid of. We station our main force in the city; Wang Shizhen can't possibly go to the countryside first. When they come over, we will retreat into the countryside to fight."

"But will this really work? What if the Beiyang Army attacks the Fengtai base area directly?" Zhang Yu was still a bit worried. Not only Zhang Yu, but other comrades of the Military Commission also had such worries. The main industries of the People's Party were in Fengtai County. Other cities could be abandoned, but the industrial center of Fengtai County must be preserved no matter what.

Zhang Yu had always pursued stability. He continued, "Our troops now only have fifteen thousand people. Let's not talk about Li Yuanhong. If Wang Shizhen takes charge of the Jiangbei New Army, he will have more than ten thousand people under him. The Jiangnan New Army also has more than ten thousand people. Any division of the six Beiyang Divisions has tens of thousands of people. Our military strength does not have much advantage. Moreover, the summer harvest has just ended, and our troops have only been concentrated for training for a month. These realistic difficulties cannot be ignored."

Chen Ke laughed, "So I want to expand the troops to a scale of thirty thousand now. In addition to the centralized training of the current troops, all counties in the base area must start recruiting soldiers."

Hearing Chen Ke's words, He Zudao couldn't help saying, "I'm afraid the newly built troops won't be a match for the New Army."

Chen Ke explained patiently, "I don't plan to let these people fight the New Army. These troops just coordinate with the work of the main force."

Zhang Yu didn't know what medicine he took wrong; he still entangled with the Beiyang matter. "The key now is still the Beiyang New Army..."

Chen Ke was no longer willing to argue with Zhang Yu on this matter. He slapped the table. "Comrade Zhang Yu, are you afraid? What is there to be afraid of about Beiyang? A group of transitional troops. Let them fight city battles, and they might be okay. Fighting mobile warfare with us, they are a bunch of trash. I will personally lead you to fight these few battles this time. If you feel unconfident, say it now; we don't lack confident comrades."

It was the first time all the comrades of the Military Commission saw Chen Ke so angry. Although everyone had their own concerns, no one wanted to be labeled as "shrinking before battle."

Chen Ke stood up abruptly. "What are you afraid of? Isn't it just fearing that the pots and pans at home will be smashed? You feel that it wasn't easy to save up this family property, and you can't bear to let yourself suffer any loss. Let me make it clear to you. I think this thought is very good, but spend this thought on considering for the common people for me. If the enemy kills their way into the base area, everyone must effectively help the masses transfer property and grain so that the Manchu troops cannot harm the common people. We fight on inner lines; we have people and news. The Manchu Qing fights on outer lines; they can't see a single common person in the base area at all. They are just blind. As long as we have the support of the people, do we still need to be afraid of fighting a group of blind people? Is there such a reason in the world?"

Zhang Yu was fiercely criticized. If it were someone else, they would probably lose face. But Zhang Yu didn't lose his propriety at all. He stood up and said, "I'm just worried that if asked to stand alone, I can't do it. Since Chairman Chen commands personally, then I have nothing to fear. Chairman Chen, you order me how to fight, and I will absolutely complete the task."

Hearing this, Hua Xiongmao felt extremely awkward in his heart. Zhang Yu wants to stand alone? Then what should Hua Xiongmao do? But at this time, Hua Xiongmao couldn't say more. He fiercely recorded a debt for Zhang Yu in his heart. After this battle is over, Hua Xiongmao prepares to settle accounts with Zhang Yu properly.

As the principal of the military academy, Yan Fu was qualified to attend the Military Commission meeting. He could remember his student Li Yuanhong. Although the two hadn't seen each other for many years, they were both from the Beiyang Navy after all. He said, "Chairman Chen, Li Yuanhong is relatively careful in doing things. I don't think he will easily take risks to attack Hefei, right?"

Chen Ke had just lost his temper, and his anger hadn't subsided yet. His voice was hard. "It is precisely because Li Yuanhong is careful that he will only attack Hefei. Now the party struggle in the Manchu court is complex. If Zhang Zhidong wants to accomplish something, he must make achievements in the military. So Li Yuanhong must capture Hefei as soon as possible to give Zhang Zhidong capital to prove his ability. So the target Li Yuanhong can attack is precisely Hefei."

Seeing the blank expressions on the faces of many comrades, Chen Ke felt his military education was really a failure. But on second thought, the comrades hadn't fought such a big battle. The opponent wasn't the New Army either. It wasn't strange that they didn't know how to apply the knowledge and power they mastered in a hurry.

Chen Ke asked, "Comrades, I said long ago that the Manchu Qing's war mode relies on traffic lines. They have very few targets to choose from. Everyone started from the countryside. Everyone is familiar with the countryside and understands the countryside. And has enough experience and ability to march and fight. But the Manchu army doesn't have this ability. You can't imagine this ability for the Manchu Qing out of thin air."

Seeing everyone was still skeptical after listening to his words, Chen Ke said loudly, "I will command personally this time. If anyone feels afraid to fight, say it now, and I can let him leave the army immediately. But if you are unwilling to leave now, execute orders as I command. I don't care about victory or defeat; I only look at who fears the enemy like a tiger and who cannot persist in completing the task. If anyone dares not fight at the critical moment, then only military law will deal with it."

There were no cowards among the members of the Military Commission. The reason they had many doubts was mainly because of lack of experience. And things came a bit hastily. Seeing Chen Ke so confident, the comrades naturally refused to be cowards. Everyone stood up together and answered almost in unison: "Resolutely complete the task."

Whether it was the Beiyang Group or the People's Party base area, the high-level officials of both sides had recognized the current situation based on their own experience and ability, and established the direction of military struggle in the near future. But Cixi didn't have such preparation. She didn't understand military affairs originally, plus the party struggle was fierce now, the seventy-two-year-old Cixi had no energy to pay attention to this matter.

The political tide turned, treacherous and unpredictable, overflowing the norm. Cixi originally wanted to use the Incorruptible Faction to suppress the Beiyang Faction, but ended up falling into Beiyang's scheme and got it reversed. Superficially, the Beiyang Faction was the winner of the Dingwei Political Tide, but it didn't take any advantage. The Incorruptible Faction lost power, and the Beiyang Faction didn't gain power either. The ending was a lose-lose situation. After the political tide, Cixi's doubts about Beiyang were not dispelled but deepened instead. She began to support other nobles and old official forces to confront Beiyang.

Because of Chen Ke's matter, before Yuan Shikai submitted his self-defense memorial, logically he couldn't preside over court duties. Cixi immediately summoned Zhang Zhidong for several consecutive days. She was eager to find a third party detached from these two factions to discuss with. Zhang Zhidong was undoubtedly a very suitable candidate.

When dismissing Qu Hongji, Cixi originally wanted to dismiss Yikuang as well. Cixi summoned Sun Jianai, Shi Xu, Lu Chuanlin, and others to secretly discuss the issue of Yikuang's advancement and retreat. Sun and others proposed that removing Yikuang suddenly "has no one to take over and is unhelpful to matters." On the 19th, Cixi ordered Prince Chun Zai Feng to enter the Grand Council to study and walk, intending to support Zai Feng to counter and even replace Yikuang. Seeing this situation, Yikuang had to retreat to advance, proposing resignation to probe and threaten. Cixi considered that Zai Feng had just entered the Grand Council and was young and lacked experience. He couldn't pick up the overall work of the Grand Council at once. Qu Hongji was gone; if Yikuang followed to retire, the central mechanism might appear chaotic or even paralyzed. She immediately issued a decree to comfort and retain him. This was really a stopgap measure Cixi had to take. Besides Zai Feng, Cixi also reused nobles like Shi Xu, Zai Ze, and Shan Qi. Prince Su Shan Qi and Duke Zai Ze took office as Ministers of Civil Affairs and Finance respectively. General history books attribute the formation of the situation where nobles controlled the country in the late Qing Dynasty to Zai Feng, which is unfair. In fact, Cixi had already begun to implement this change in the late Dingwei year.

After Qu Hongji was dismissed, the Grand Council became even more vacant. Beiyang wanted to take the opportunity to stuff Yang Shiqi in. Yikuang specially recommended him to Cixi for this. Cixi wanted to cite Sun Jianai into the Council, but Sun felt "old and sick, incompetent for heavy responsibility." However, Sun told Cixi bluntly, "Shiqi has little talent and is actually crafty by nature. He is my fellow villager, and I know him best. As the ancients said, rely on people when hungry, and fly far away when full." He opposed using Yang and recommended another important figure in the old officials' force, Lu Chuanlin. Lu Chuanlin thus entered the Council again. Not only that, Cixi also implemented the strategy of praising Zhang and suppressing Yuan to divide Yuan's power. She appointed Zhang Zhidong as Assistant Grand Secretary, and then as Grand Secretary of Tiren Pavilion. Not long after Yuan Shikai's self-defense memorial was submitted, Cixi commented "Understood," and immediately appointed Zhang Zhidong and Yuan Shikai as Grand Councilors simultaneously. A new combination was formed in the Grand Council. The Beiyang wing had Yikuang and Yuan Shikai. The anti-Beiyang wing had Zai Feng, Zhang Zhidong, and Lu Chuanlin. Shi Xu was a fence-sitter. The Beiyang faction did not occupy an advantage in the power center.

Reaching the base area along with this internal news was the news that Li Yuanhong began to send troops.