Seeing He Rui chatting with two decently dressed men, the fellow villagers resting and drinking tea nearby gathered around with their tea bowls, standing by to listen.

He Rui said to the two journalists, "Yuan Gong forcing the Qing Emperor to abdicate was also out of necessity. After Cixi died, a group of young Turks among the Manchu nobility didn't have the guts to go to the front lines to fight, but they had plenty of guts to seize power in the court. If Yuan Gong hadn't acted, I'm afraid he would have died an unnatural death; he did it for self-preservation too. After Yuan Gong forced the Qing Emperor to abdicate, the Manchu officials in the Qing court hated Yuan Gong to the bone and absolutely could not cooperate with him. In the Manchu Qing government, the officials with real power were Manchus, while Han Chinese served as officials to keep up appearances. Driving out the Tartars and establishing a Republic meant half the officials in the court—the Manchus—naturally couldn't be officials anymore. Among the remaining half of Han officials, most Governors and Viceroys were in the southern provinces. With the Southern Revolutionary Party in power, how could they tolerate these people? Although the Manchu Qing lost its ruling legitimacy, its ruling capability remained until its demise, so the Qing central government could still collect taxes. After the Republic, the government instantly lost three-quarters of its officials. Yuan Gong scraped together what he could but couldn't maintain the old tax system. The direct result was that Yuan Gong couldn't even afford the Beiyang Army's pay."

The two journalists were stunned. After a moment of silence, Tong Bokang suddenly realized, "Is the Governor saying that the President dispatched Beiyang Governors to the localities to raise pay on the spot?"

Mo Yang was a Northerner and stationed in Tianjin, so he didn't feel this deeply. Hearing Tong Bokang from Shanghai say this, he realized the reason a moment later.

Tong Bokang wanted to pursue the question, but seeing a circle of farmers in ragged clothes listening with gusto, he felt unhappy. Then he heard Mo Yang continue to ask, "Then does the Governor think Yuan Gong dispatched Governors to various provinces to maintain national unity?"

"China's standard of unity refers to provincial officials being appointed by the state; these officials are responsible for executing functions like taxation and handing over tax revenue to the central government. If this cannot be done, there is no unity to speak of. Dispatching the Beiyang Army to the localities was originally intended to use the army to intimidate the localities and make them provide tax revenue to the central government. However, once the army was linked to taxation, it led to the politicization of the Beiyang Army, which was originally supported solely by central finance. From then on, the army was no longer an armed force obedient only to the central government, but a part of provincial local politics. From then on, local Governors were no longer merely generals sent by the central government to supervise tax collection, but a part of local political power. Provinces originally had no armed forces of their own; now, through bribery and cooperation with the Beiyang Army, they transformed the Beiyang Army into a kind of local armed force. Yuan Gong's original purpose should have been to rebuild a unified central government, but instead, he promoted the division of the country."

As a reporter for *Shen Bao*, Tong Bokang disliked Beiyang very much. Tong Bokang believed Beiyang was a group of military leaders scrambling for power and profit, rising only by taking advantage of the chaos under heaven. Listening to He Rui's analysis, he found the political changes seemed to have another appearance. The detestable Yuan Shikai faintly became a person maintaining China's unity. This contrast threw Tong Bokang into some confusion, and he couldn't continue the interview for a moment.

Being a Northerner, Mo Yang's acceptance of this fact was better than Tong Bokang, who was from the South. Although He Rui's view of the political situation also impacted Mo Yang greatly, Mo Yang didn't feel unhappy. Instead, he continued to ask questions according to the prepared outline. "May I ask the Governor, Governors of various provinces have expressed support for the President proclaiming himself Emperor one after another. How credible is this support?"

"Yuan Gong's defect lies in not understanding modern industrial states. His means of governing the country are still those of the imperial system, using high positions and generous salaries to win over Governors, hoping to become the common master of the world. However, Yuan Gong may not have noticed exactly how much a province's tax revenue is. By withholding tax money meant for the central government, what the Governor of each province can obtain far exceeds the personal salary Yuan Gong can give. And the titles Yuan Gong gives also have a major defect, which is insufficient legal legitimacy. The current Governors verbally support Yuan Gong proclaiming himself Emperor because they fear Yuan Gong's prestige in the army and dare not jump out first to be the bird that sticks out. Since other Governors support it verbally, why should they oppose it? But verbal statements cannot defeat reality. Local forces in various provinces do not want to pay taxes to the central government, so local forces in various provinces are winning over the Governors. As long as they don't have to pay taxes, they will say anything asked of them."

Tong Bokang barely recovered his mood. He wanted to continue asking questions, but he felt that having so many people around really affected his mood. He whispered to He Rui, "Governor, can we find a place with fewer people to talk?"

He Rui laughed. "This is all stuff to be written in the newspaper; what is there that can't be heard by everyone? Besides, do you really think everyone is very interested in this matter?"

As if echoing He Rui's words, someone shouted in the distance, "Number Two, have you rested enough? If you've rested enough, go work. Finish early and go home to sleep early."

Several people in the crowd immediately turned and left. Others also raised their tea bowls, drained the tea, and went back to work in the fields. Originally, many people gathered around the row of tea stalls, but in an instant, only a few old men remained, smoking pipe tobacco and chatting among themselves.

Several children came over at this time, looking at He Rui eagerly. He Rui grabbed the remaining pieces of *Gaoliang Yi* on the table, walked over, and distributed them to the children one by one. The children said thanks and ran aside to play.

Seeing no more onlookers around, Tong Bokang felt much better, and his train of thought became active.

Just then, Zhao Tianlin asked thoughtfully, "Brother He, could it be that the Great President engaged in several large loans really to replenish military funds and operate the government?"

"If not for this purpose, was it necessary for Yuan Gong to bear the infamy and accept loan treaties with such harsh conditions?"

Mentioning the Reorganization Loan and the Twenty-One Demands, Tong Bokang felt as if flames of anger were burning in his chest. He immediately asked, "Governor, if the Great President demands the unification of military and political orders, can it not be done?"

"Reporter Tong also mentioned the question of whether it can be done. This is a good question. Now that local forces in various provinces don't have to pay taxes to the central government, they have already obtained huge benefits. If the provinces give up this benefit, it must be because there is a reason they have to give it up. *Men die for wealth, birds die for food*; without a gun to their foreheads, they will absolutely not give it up. If unification of political and military orders is demanded, the provinces can negotiate with the central government. Talk for three or five years, ten or eight years. During the negotiation process, those in power locally will still be those figures receiving taxes, but what about the central government? At that time, it's hard to say who the Great President will be."

Tong Bokang was unable to answer for a moment. Because He Rui had made it very clear: the Yuan Shikai central regime had no money, yet had to maintain the central government. This situation couldn't be sustained for long at all.

For a time, Tong Bokang fell into a dilemma. Until now, Tong Bokang believed the Revolutionary Party was good and Beiyang was bad. But a new thought faintly arose: *Is it possible that, in fact, neither side is good enough?*