Ever since the "Dingwei Political Struggle" ended, Yuan Shikai had finally heaved a sigh of relief. Cixi had finally recognized the true face of hypocrites like Cen Chunxuan who called themselves "*Qingliu*" (Pure Stream). The fame-seeking *Qingliu* in the court were almost swept away. And after Yuan Shikai submitted a memorial in his own defense, the matter of Chen Ke was considered to be turned over. Although Cixi's apprehension towards the Beiyang clique was almost public—three of the five Grand Councilors were non-Beiyang, or rather "anti-Beiyang," and Yuan Shikai was also forced to hand over many concurrent "errands"—Yuan Shikai could accept these changes. This was merely the normal behavior of rulers throughout history; whenever a powerful group like Beiyang appeared in any court, the sovereign power would instinctively suppress it.

On August 1, 1907, just after Yuan Shikai got out of bed, his butler came in to pay respects with a strange look. Yuan Shikai knew the butler definitely had urgent business. He washed up simply and sat upright in the small living room. Yuan Shikai had this habit: no matter where he was, whether sitting in an armchair or on a sofa, he never loved to lean back, but sat with his back straight. Added to the bearing developed over a long time, he was awe-inspiring even at home.

The butler didn't dare say too much. While presenting a piece of paper peeled off a wall, he said cautiously, "Master, many such proclamations were posted in the capital city this morning."

Yuan Shikai opened it to look, and his eyes immediately widened. He had seen many big scenes in his life, seen many absurd things, and heard much shameless boasting or arrogant and rebellious nonsense. But today, he truly learned that there were still things in the world beyond his imagination. The name of this proclamation was excessive at first glance: "Open Letter to the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang." This was a notice from the People's Party. The content wasn't special; it used vernacular Chinese. The first half told the whole country that the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang's lackey Zhang Zhidong had ordered the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang's thug Li Yuanhong to lead the Hubei New Army to attack the People's Party base area, and now the seven thousand Hubei New Army troops had been completely wiped out. In the second half, the People's Party announced that this was a great victory for the people's revolution, and such victories would come one after another until the people's revolution thoroughly exterminated the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang.

At the end of the announcement, the People's Party warned the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang's female bandit chief Cixi, as well as the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang's lackey and thug Yuan Shikai, the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang's lackey Zhang Zhidong, and others, that the victory of the people's revolution was a historical inevitability. They advised the female bandit chief Cixi to recognize the situation and surrender quickly. The People's Party would justly and publicly try and liquidate the crimes of the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang and give them their deserved end.

In these times, there were countless people who cursed Yuan Shikai as a living Cao Cao, but calling Yuan Shikai a lackey and thug was a first. While surprised, Yuan Shikai actually sorted out the outline of the People's Party's address. The Manchu Qing regime was called the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang by the People's Party; Manchu Qing civil officials were called bandit gang lackeys; Manchu Qing military officers were called bandit gang thugs. And Yuan Shikai, holding both military and political power, had the honor of concurrently holding the titles of lackey and thug. It seemed the People's Party evaluated Yuan Shikai extremely highly, actually ranking Yuan Shikai as the number two figure in the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang, second only to the Manchu Qing Bandit Gang's female bandit chief Cixi.

According to the People's Party's proclamation, Zhang Zhidong's seven thousand Hubei New Army troops were all finished within four days? Yuan Shikai didn't quite believe this. Not long ago, Wang Shizhen had made a prediction, believing that Li Yuanhong was not the People's Party's opponent. But both Wang Shizhen and Yuan Shikai believed this would be a tragic battle. The People's Party might be very good at fighting, but Li Yuanhong led seven thousand men. The two sides were bound to have a tragic battle where both would suffer. Yuan Shikai knew the strength of the Hubei New Army; this was one of the very few New Army units in the country that could compete with the Beiyang New Army. Since Hubei could manufacture its own weapons and equipment, the equipment and training of the Hubei New Army had always been quite considerable. Let alone seven thousand Hubei New Army soldiers, even seven thousand pigs couldn't possibly be killed off within four days.

Just as he put down the announcement, a servant at the door came to report, "Master, someone has come to deliver an urgent official document." An ominous feeling immediately arose in Yuan Shikai's heart.

The official document didn't mention Li Yuanhong's fate, only saying that the People's Party had retaken Anqing. The Hubei New Army troops defending Anqing were released after surrendering. Yuan Shikai was also from an old military background; if Anqing, hundreds of *li* away from Hefei, had been taken, "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" wasn't played like this. Li Yuanhong was mostly likely in grave danger.

After putting down the official document, Yuan Shikai ordered: "Send people to investigate quickly, who exactly posted this notice. Also, prepare a horse; I'm going to Wang Shizhen's place."

Actually, not many people posted the notices. Yuan Shikai had been very unlucky recently, so the Yuan family was very alert to any disturbance outside. Wang Shizhen didn't have this leisure; he read the notice and the official document carefully twice before saying: "Li Yuanhong is finished."

Yuan Shikai also knew Li Yuanhong was definitely finished. On the way, he was thinking about other things. "Pinqing, you are about to go to your post as the Provincial Commander of Jiangbei. How do you think the situation will change?"

Wang Shizhen also had no way to assess the situation in a short time. Although Yuan Shikai was anxious, Wang Shizhen didn't want to talk nonsense. After pondering for a good while, Wang Shizhen said: "Since Li Yuanhong is already finished, and Chen Ke has occupied Anqing, he will either go to seize the Grand Canal and cut off the grain transport, or he will send troops out to Wuhan. No matter what Chen Ke does, the next period is destined not to be peaceful."

On normal days, Yuan Shikai agreed with Wang Shizhen's views very much, but this time he didn't quite agree with Wang Shizhen's view. Perhaps because Yuan Shikai and Chen Ke had somewhat similar identities—both commanding a military-political group—they always subconsciously started from the big picture when considering problems. Yuan Shikai asked: "Pinqing, are you saying Chen Ke wants to find a way to solve the money problem?"

Beiyang controlled the finances of Zhili, spending money like flowing water every year. Chen Ke was in such a poor place as Anhui, which had also suffered floods last year. War was a gold-swallowing beast; Yuan Shikai could imagine how strapped Chen Ke was.

Wang Shizhen didn't manage Beiyang's finances; he only knew about financial problems but couldn't be called an expert. Yuan Shikai's question made Wang Shizhen afraid to answer easily. Thinking for another while, Wang Shizhen brought up another topic, "Duke Yuan, the Hubei New Army lost soldiers and generals this time, but Your Excellency must not speak easily on this matter. However, Zhang Zhidong suffered such a great defeat; he certainly won't let the matter drop. Although Chen Ke's text is arrogant, it is beneficial to Duke Yuan. He spoke wildly about Duke Yuan, being extremely disrespectful. But to prove himself, Zhang Zhidong will inevitably talk nonsense about Duke Yuan. Duke Yuan needs to be careful."

Yuan Shikai had already thought about Zhang Zhidong's possible reaction. The Hubei New Army had lost almost half its strength. The remaining troops were ten thousand at most. These ten thousand might not even be enough to defend Hubei. If Chen Ke sent troops out of Huangpi Pass and fought directly to the three towns of Wuhan, if the three towns of Wuhan were lost, or even just Hanyang on the north bank of the Yangtze was lost, the Hubei New Army's arsenal would be finished. If Zhang Zhidong wanted to retrieve the situation, he would either have to ally with Yuan Shikai or push the responsibility onto Yuan Shikai. After all, Yuan Shikai's "failure to judge people" was already public knowledge. If Yuan Shikai had seen earlier that Yan Fu and Chen Ke were both "rebels," there wouldn't be today's result.

"I really underestimated Chen Ke," Yuan Shikai sighed. "Such a figure actually refuses to exert himself for the country. Pinqing, since Zhang Zhidong's Hubei New Army can't be relied on, I'm afraid the Beiyang New Army will still have to act to suppress the rebellion."

This was actually what Wang Shizhen worried about the most. He had also seen the Hubei New Army during the Hejian Autumn Maneuvers. Even the Beiyang New Army was unlikely to catch all seven thousand Hubei New Army troops in Hefei and Anqing in one net within four days. Moreover, if the Beiyang New Army were to suppress the rebellion, it would be an expedition far from home, and there were too many unfavorable situations. Heaven knew what Chen Ke had turned Anhui into now. Being cautious when the enemy situation was unclear was the best policy. He answered: "Duke Yuan, I will go to my post immediately. Then I will carefully investigate Chen Ke's situation. Furthermore, the court suspects Duke Yuan very deeply now; I'm afraid it won't be that easy for Duke Yuan to want to personally lead troops to suppress the rebellion. And Duke Yuan, even if you personally lead the troops, as long as there is a small setback, those with ulterior motives will definitely make a big fuss. Please be careful on this point, Duke Yuan."

Yuan Shikai knew how many people were waiting for him to make a mistake now; even Zhang Zhidong had this thought. It wasn't that Zhang Zhidong wanted to hit him when he was down, but if Yuan Shikai lost a battle, Zhang Zhidong would immediately have a reason to defend himself. At that time, Zhang Zhidong definitely wouldn't hit him when he was down, but would "support" Yuan Shikai a bit. That way, under the so-called "law does not punish the majority," responsibility for Zhang Zhidong's previous failure could also be easily pushed away. Thinking of this, Yuan Shikai couldn't help but smile bitterly. With a major enemy before them, he, as a heavy minister of the court, could only worry about his own safety and status. This war was already fraught with difficulties before it was even fought.

The two didn't say more after talking to this point. Yuan Shikai wasn't an idler; he had to prepare for the coming turbulence in the court. Moreover, he was already suspected; having too much contact with Wang Shizhen wasn't good for Wang Shizhen either.

Sure enough, as soon as Yuan Shikai arrived at the Grand Council, he saw the other four Grand Councilors waiting there with gloomy faces. Zhang Zhidong spoke first, "Duke Yuan, the Empress Dowager orders you and me to have an audience."

Cixi's face was extremely ugly. Although this old lady in her seventies knew the news of the defeat, she absolutely hadn't expected that as the actual power holder of the Great Qing Dynasty, notices cursing her as the "Manchu Qing Bandit Gang's Female Bandit Chief" would actually be posted in the capital city. Originally, the eunuchs didn't dare tell Cixi about this, but Cixi knew this bunch of slaves very clearly. She could see the thoughts of these slaves from their faces with a casual glance. These people were originally responsible for asking about news outside. Seeing that the faces of the eunuchs responsible for inquiring about news weren't very good, Cixi knew something big had happened. No one dared to refuse to answer Cixi's questioning. After a few forceful questions, the eunuchs told the truth with fear and trepidation. Under Cixi's strict order, the announcement was tremblingly handed up by the eunuchs. The official document from the Ministry of War that followed made Cixi understand what exactly had happened.

"Lord Yuan, just what kind of talent is this Chen Ke, that he could make Lord Yuan value him so much and personally act as a matchmaker?" Cixi's words were full of malice.

Yuan Shikai had climbed to his current position relying on Cixi's trust. After hearing these words, Yuan Shikai prostrated himself tightly on the ground. Unlike those fools who only knew how to ask for punishment, Yuan Shikai knew he couldn't say that. He answered cautiously: "Empress Dowager, Old Buddha, Chen Ke is the disciple of the rebel party member Yan Fu. Your subject has old ties with Yan Fu. Since Chen Ke asked your subject for help, your subject felt I couldn't not help."

"Hmph." As a woman, Cixi didn't detest or oppose such things as acting as a matchmaker for others. She actually didn't intend to pursue this matter relentlessly either. But having been cursed by Chen Ke all the way to the capital city, the gloomy anger in Cixi's heart couldn't be easily dissipated without scaring Yuan Shikai a bit.

After asking Yuan Shikai, Cixi looked at Zhang Zhidong again. This heavy minister of the New Policies was someone Cixi relied on now. Up to now, Zhang Zhidong's impartial style satisfied Cixi very much. Cixi had originally wanted Zhang Zhidong and Yuan Shikai to promote such a major event as constitutionalism together. Unexpectedly, of these two heavy ministers, one acted as a matchmaker for the great rebel Chen Ke, and the other let the great rebel Chen Ke wipe out seven thousand of his trusted troops. Just what kind of person was this young man Chen Ke?

"Lord Zhang, can the Hubei New Army still fight?" Cixi asked next.

Zhang Zhidong was just afraid Cixi would ask this. If he said they could fight, given the current situation, he was afraid they couldn't win a victory in the short term. If he said they couldn't fight, then the political credit Zhang Zhidong had accumulated up to now would go bankrupt in an instant. But Zhang Zhidong was an old hand in officialdom after all; he didn't panic too much when encountering such a situation. Zhang Zhidong answered: "Empress Dowager, Old Buddha, if we want to exterminate the Anhui bandit trouble, relying only on the Hubei New Army would inevitably be protracted. The best policy at this time is to mobilize various New Army forces to encircle and suppress them together. The Beiyang New Army fights from north to south, the Hubei New Army goes down the river, and the Provincial Commanders of Jiangnan and Jiangbei fight from east to west. Under a three-sided encirclement, the Anhui bandit trouble can definitely be quelled."

Hearing Zhang Zhidong say "relying only on the Hubei New Army would inevitably be protracted," Cixi felt a burst of annoyance in her heart. She had heard too many words from such old hands. Bandit suppression cost a huge amount. If, as Zhang Zhidong said, the forces of the Beiyang New Army, Hubei New Army, and the Jiangnan and Jiangbei Provincial Commanders were used, she was afraid more than half of the court's income this year would have to be used on exterminating the Anhui bandit trouble. The court's income was already not making ends meet; imagining fighting another war with such huge consumption made Cixi feel a headache.

Regarding matters of fighting wars, Cixi trusted Yuan Shikai more. She turned her head and asked, "Lord Yuan, how do you see it?"

Yuan Shikai had long had a plan for such a question. He said calmly: "Matters of bandit suppression can be arranged with full authority by the Ministry of War."

The ones controlling the Ministry of War now were the hardliners of the Imperial Clan Party. Although they couldn't convince the Beiyang Six Towns for the time being, they could at least make Cixi feel at ease.

Hearing Yuan Shikai's answer, Cixi waited a long time before replying: "I know."

However, Cixi still brooded over Chen Ke's "great disrespect." She wasn't from the main palace line. In the long court life, Cixi had suffered so many sarcastic remarks to ensure her own life safety. Having managed to hold power with great difficulty, she was actually cursed as "Manchu Qing Bandit Gang Female Bandit Chief." This breath was truly hard to swallow. "After catching Chen Ke, he must be escorted to the capital for me."

Chen Ke only learned there had been such a meeting from intelligence sent from Beijing a few days later; the specific content wasn't too detailed either. At least he didn't know about Cixi wanting to get him into the capital. But it must be said, when Chen Ke issued this announcement, he knew Cixi would definitely want to cut him into a thousand pieces. But Chen Ke actually also wanted to say a sentence to Cixi: "After you old woman die, I will drag you out of your tomb to sun in the sun."

When Chen Ke was young, he had watched *The Eastern Mausoleum Robber*. He actually didn't completely negate the actions of "Archaeologist Sun Dianying." Chen Ke had actually decided that among the Manchu Qing emperors, except for Yongzheng, there was a complete necessity to carry out "archaeological excavations" on the tombs of other Manchu Qing royals, regardless of gender. After finishing the archaeology, those grave mounds could be flattened. Keeping these graves was truly an eyesore.

Chen Ke could completely anticipate the Manchu Qing's renewed encirclement and suppression. Before annihilating the Hubei New Army, Chen Ke had been somewhat worried about military operations. Li Yuanhong's destruction gave Chen Ke a clear understanding of the Manchu Qing's military capability. Under the strategy and tactics learned from Grandpa Mao, the Manchu Qing's combat power could basically be described as unable to withstand a single blow.

In the two small campaigns before and after annihilating the Hubei New Army this time, the Hubei New Army had over nine hundred dead and over two thousand two hundred wounded. The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had over one hundred thirty dead and three hundred thirteen wounded. The comrades of the Military Commission could be said to be extremely satisfied with such battle results. Hearing that the Manchu Qing was preparing a large army for encirclement and suppression, although most comrades of the Military Commission were still nervous, they weren't as panicked as when facing Li Yuanhong's troops.

"Chairman Chen, how do you say we should fight the coming battles?" Hua Xiongmao was the first to state his position. He was no longer prepared to engage in independent campaign planning. Since Chen Ke planned better than him, it was more appropriate to let Chen Ke state his position first.

Chen Ke actually hadn't fought a campaign of such a large scale either, but the campaigns he had studied on the internet with scales larger than this were everywhere. So although Chen Ke wasn't some strategist, the knowledge he learned from those most excellent strategists in human history was enough to deal with this bunch of dregs of the Manchu Qing whose combat power barely exceeded five.

"In this battle, we cannot let the enemy twist into one rope. We must concentrate superior forces and defeat them one by one. So intelligence work must be done well. Who to hit first, who to hit next; this order cannot be wrong." Chen Ke began to do the general campaign planning.

During the War of Liberation, the Party's troops could win with fewer numbers because they relied on how to choose the enemy. They always chose the enemy with the deepest contradictions with other troops and who was most isolated to hit. Utilizing the characteristic that enemies wouldn't risk their lives to rescue, they concentrated superior forces to fight battles of annihilation.

Regarding Chen Ke's strategic planning, the comrades were already unwilling to question it. The situation Chen Ke faced now was far better than Grandpa Mao's situation back then. Grandpa Mao had not been the core leader of the Party for the first dozen years; later, the revolution had no other way, so the predecessors had to admit Grandpa Mao's leadership. Chen Ke had created the People's Party single-handedly, plus he hadn't made mistakes up to now, so the comrades' obedience to Chen Ke's authority was almost instinctive.

After talking about the general strategic planning, Chen Ke talked about the key to execution again. "Comrades, our troop strength is currently the minority, so we can only rely on our mobility, on intelligence gathering, and on methods like cutting the enemy's communication lines to isolate the enemy. So our own marching ability must be improved."