After returning to Hangzhou from a funeral in the capital, Li Cunzhi has been very busy in the past ten days, either meeting people or holding meetings.

Now the Huai Army and the Beiyang New Army have been unified. They both belong to the Beiyang New Army, and their uniforms and other uniforms have been unified.

The new Beiyang Minister Yuan Marshal appointed him the First Coordinator of the Beiyang Southern Army and the envoy of Zhejiang Province.

The first association is the Zhejiang Army. It is organized according to the Western German-style A-type army. It has three A-type standard battalions and an artillery battalion under its direct jurisdiction, plus a guard battalion, with a total of 7,000 troops.

The new army of more than 7,000 people has received German-style militarized training and is equipped with the latest equipment. Its combat effectiveness is stronger than that of a patrol battalion of 50,000 to 60,000 people.

Since the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War, Li Hongzhang has been attacked by many people in both the government and the public, including Zhang Zhidong, another representative of the Westernization movement.

Just when Li Hongzhang instructed Yuan Shikai to train troops at the small station, Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Liangjiang, was engaged in new military affairs in Hubei and Jiangnan.

He prepared to build the Self-Strengthening Army in Nanjing, also known as the Nanyang New Army, built Jiangyin, Wusong and other forts, and asked German military instructors to teach him personally.

In addition to Huguang and Jiangnan Province, the sphere of influence of the Nanyang New Army also includes Fujian and the southwestern provinces. There is a strong tendency to compete with the Beiyang New Army.

Yuan Shikai obviously hopes to unify the New Army, and his current biggest competitor is Zhang Zhidong's Nanyang New Army.

He promoted Li Cunzhi to the position of First Coordinator of the Zhejiang Army, aiming to control the entire territory of Zhejiang and prevent the penetration of the Nanyang New Army.

Li Cunzhi is now a popular military leader and a general of the New Southern Army that Yuan Shikai relies on.

This is a mixture of joy and worry for Li Cunzhi. He is happy that he has finally gained the trust and importance of Marshal Yuan, but he is worried about how he will go down the road. The higher you climb, the greater the risk.

There is a military defense zone coordination meeting this morning, which is very important.

Li Cunzhi got ready to get up at half past six, which was a genius during the twelfth lunar month.

He took out his arm from under his wife's head and was about to turn over and get out of bed, when Bai Suling woke up and hugged him.

"Master, it's still early. Why don't you stay with me for a while? You've been going to bed very late and getting up early every day for more than half a month. You can't even say a few words to me. This is not enough.

Don’t you want your wife anymore?” She complained in a coy voice.

Li Cunzhi turned around and kissed his wife on the cheek, apologetically saying: "Madam, I'm really sorry. I just took office and have to take charge of the province's field troops, and I'm not familiar with the people. I have to go to a meeting to make arrangements. I will have time to accompany you in a few days.

Already."

Li Cunzhi still insisted on getting out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. Bai Suling also got up and prepared sweaters and trousers for her husband.

After washing, Li Cunzhi took off his pajamas, and she thoughtfully helped him put on his new general uniform. Before going out and going downstairs, he suddenly looked back at Bai Suling, smiled, and said:

"Madam, please don't be upset. In a few days, I will capture Qianhua from Santa Maria Church, and she will accompany you to New Year's receptions and other events."

"Really! That's great. I've been really worried these past few days. You don't have time to accompany me. It's not appropriate for me to go to a reception hosted by Westerners alone, hehe."

Bai Suling smiled happily, and suddenly she curled her lips and teased herself:

"What's wrong with Hua Zhi? She hasn't been to Hangzhou for half a year. Qianhua is preparing to go abroad again. The two of them are busy with their own affairs."

"Well, it's not easy for him to develop in the countryside. I have to arrange some opportunities for him in the city so that he can develop in Hangzhou and often be with Qianhua, haha."

After Li Cunzhi finished speaking, he went downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast.

Bai Suling was still happy in the room.

After breakfast, Li Cunzhi mounted his tall horse surrounded by his guards. After a while, more than a dozen people rode out of the side door of Li's mansion.

When Ah Hua saw the cavalry, they had almost arrived at the gate of the Military Affairs Department.

"Oh, Lord Xietong, Lord Li..."

The two of them chased and shouted, but Li Cunzhi and Sun Yong didn't hear them at all. They wanted to focus on the front.

The guards standing outside saw the two men in ragged clothes shouting after something. They stared at them warily and signaled Ah Hua and the others not to get close to the cavalry, otherwise they would shoot.

Of course, Ah Hua did not dare to move forward. He looked at Li Cunzhi and Sun Yong who were gradually entering the courtyard, feeling annoyed and sighed:

"It would have been better if we had waited at the doorway earlier. Now, we have to ask these door gods to let us in."

When the two were about to walk towards the gate of the Military Affairs Department, a group of guards with dozens of guns came over and set up a cordon far away from the gate, and no one was allowed to approach.

It turns out that the Military Affairs Department’s Yamen was extremely busy today, holding the ‘Provincial Military Defense Zone Coordination Meeting’.

This is the highest secret military meeting of the First Association of the Zhejiang Army. Battalion-level officers and officers from the garrison units across the province and above attended the meeting.

Including the battalion staff, as well as the guards, there were a total of nearly 200 people.

The whole compound was busy with traffic and people, and the security was tight. Guard posts were set up on the road in front of the compound to prevent pedestrians from approaching.

As soon as Ah Hua and the others approached the main road, they were stopped by two guards wearing "cautionary" sleeves.

"What are you doing, sneaking around?" a guard asked, holding a gun.

"Oh, boss, we are here to see Mr. Li, the co-president. Please do it for your convenience and let us in." Ah Hua looked up, a little nervous, and stammered.

"Screw you, Sir Xietong is a country bumpkin like you who can see you whenever you want? Get out of here." The two guards scolded him sarcastically.

"We came from his third son-in-law's hometown. We really have something urgent to ask Mr. Xietong." Ahua further explained.

"Oh, you have a third son-in-law? How do I know how many sons-in-law Master Xietong has? Who are you? Get out of here. If you don't get out, I won't be polite to you anymore." The two guards were a little impatient and held up their guns.

That one was cursing.

"Boss, how could you do this? Let us in quickly. You can't afford to miss something important. Let me tell you..." Ah Hua became anxious and started to yell.

"Oh, fuck your grandma, you dare to threaten me..."

"..."

An officer on duty saw people pushing and making noise on the roadside and shouted: "What's the noise about?"

"I reported to the platoon leader that it was two country guys who said that there was something very urgent and they wanted to see Mr. Xie Tong." the guard reported.

"Please see Mr. Xietong? This guy is very aggressive. Take the two of them to the interrogation room. No more noise is allowed here. A high-level military meeting is being held inside. Do you want to be beaten if your butts are itchy?" Security Platoon

The commander ordered.

"yes."

Ah Hua and the others were pushed and pushed by two guards into the interrogation room in the courtyard, and were immediately tied to pillars.

After a brief interrogation and a search, the letters were found.

When the interrogating officer saw the words "Mr. Li Cunzhi's father-in-law personally expresses his gratitude" written on the envelope, he was suddenly startled, his face suddenly changed, and cold sweat broke out on his head.
Chapter completed!