Although Zhao Erxun and Yang Wending had limited control over Hunan, the two were the highest chief executives in Hunan after all, and the Hunan army was independent and had no unified command. Pu Wei's army not only had a larger number, but also had better equipment. Therefore, in the process of controlling Hunan, he did not encounter any obstacles. After more than 10 days, he basically controlled the entire Hunan area, including a small number of Hubei areas.

By this time, Pu Wei not only gained a foothold in the south, but also had the territory of Sichuan and Hunan provinces, and was in the limelight for a while.

However, although the external claim was that Zhao Erxun and Yang Wending voluntarily surrendered to Pu Wei, the truth of the matter could not be covered and it was spread out quickly. After learning about the real situation in Hunan, other governors and governors in the south were all shocked. First, Pu Wei's method of seizing Hunan was indeed not very glorious. He first deceived Zhao Erxun, Yang Wending relaxed his vigilance, and then captured him, forcing the two to bow down and bow Hunan, which naturally made the other governors and governors feel uncomfortable. Second, after Pu Wei's government owned Sichuan and Hunan provinces, its strength was overwhelming and other governors, and it also broke the balance of strength in the south.

After the Puye government occupied Fujian and Zhou Fu surrendered to the East China Government, the current situation in the south was that the Governor of Liangjiang Yuan Shikai occupied the entire Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu region; the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi Zhang Renjun and the Governor of Guangxi Zhang Mingqi occupied Guangdong and Guangxi; the Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou Xiliang occupied Yunnan; the Governor of Guizhou Pang Hongshu occupied Guizhou. Except for the Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou Xiliang, who are the Eight Banners of Mongolia, everyone else is Han. Mongolia has always had close relations with the Qing court, so the trust of the royal family in Mongolia is far stronger than that of the Han people, so Xiliang is also very likely to surrender to the Puwei government.

Although Yunnan is in a state of evasion, its economy is very backward, and its resources are not large, it is still vast. Therefore, if Xiliang turns to Puwei's government again, it will undoubtedly greatly strengthen the strength of Puwei's government. For other governors, this is definitely not a good thing. Therefore, the governors and governors also have activities, on the one hand, expand their military preparations and prepare for war, and on the other hand, they are in contact and collude with each other.

Of course, the news also reached the East China Government at the first time and caused some discussion.

Xia Bohai said first: "I didn't expect that this kid Pu Wei is really good at it. He did a really good job and took down Hunan in a clean and neat way."

Wang Yunpeng said: "Yes, in the old time and space, I didn't hear much about Pu Wei's ability! Just like a passerby, why did he gain skills in this era?"

Qin Zheng smiled and said, "It should be said that Pu Wei is still a little capable, but in the old time and space, there was no chance to show it. First, he was suppressed by Cixi, and then Zaifeng stopped him. When the Xinhai Revolution was in full swing, the general situation had already gone. Although we are stronger now, it is precisely because of our existence that the Qing court has not completely lost the hearts of the people. Therefore, it has also given Pu Wei a stage to show his abilities and can display his abilities."

Xu Jichao said: "So should we take any action, let Pu Wei continue like this."

Xia Bohai nodded and said, "Yes, no matter how troubles are in the south, it is just a storm in the teapot for us. As long as it is not the 'Shanghai Financial Crisis' or the 'Southeast Crisis', we should not interfere, just treat it as a show."

Xu Jichao said: "Now Pu Wei has Sichuan, Hunan and Yunnan, and Yunnan may also turn to Pu Wei. In this way, Pu Wei's strength will be far stronger than other governors and governors in the south. With the support of various countries, if we let it go, will Pu Wei really unify the south? A unified south will be unfavorable for us to move south in the future."

Qin Zheng shook his head and said, "It is not that easy for Pu Wei to unify the south. Although Pu Wei easily took Hunan, he used fraudulent means, which will inevitably arouse the alertness of other governors and governors in the south. On the surface, Pu Wei is the strongest now, but he has just occupied it and has not yet established a foothold. It will take time to consolidate his rule. In addition, Sichuan has many ethnic groups and the people's conditions are very complicated. In the old time and space, until the founding of New China, it was not that easy for Pu Wei to integrate his territory. Moreover, if it really comes to a critical moment, other governors and governors in the south will definitely unite to resist Pu Wei. Therefore, it is not that easy for Pu Wei to unify the south."

Xia Bohai continued: "And to unify the south, in addition to economic strength, military strength is also crucial. Pu Wei's means of occupying Hunan are good, but in the final analysis, it is a strategy of power, but this means cannot be taken when fighting. In terms of military capabilities and military quality, Yuan Shikai is the strongest in the entire south, and he also controls the Jinling Manufacturing Bureau. This is currently the only large enterprise left by the Westernization Movement in the south. After Yuan Shikai arrived in the south, he had purchased a lot of machines from us, further expanding the scale of the Jinling Manufacturing Bureau and producing a variety of weapons. However, there is no such enterprise in Pu Wei's territory. Therefore, it is hard to say who will win if he fights. And once the south falls into a melee, it is of course a favorable situation for us."

Wang Yunpeng smiled and said, "It seems that the governors and governors in the south may come to us to buy weapons and arms. Will we do this business?"

It turned out that what Wang Yunpeng said was just a joke, but his knowledge was really fulfilled. In less than a month, Yuan Shikai, Zhang Renjun, Zhang Mingqi and others sent envoys to Shanghai, hoping to buy arms from the East China Government.

After Pu Wei occupied Hunan, his next goal was indeed Yunnan. He sent people to Yunnan to persuade Xiliang to surrender to the Pu Wei government, and Xiliang did not refuse. However, he only hoped to submit to the Pu Wei government in the famous discussion, but in essence he still held the power of Yunnan alone, that is, he was like the Three Feudatories in the early Qing Dynasty and became the King of Pingnan. But Pu Wei could not accept this request and could only ensure that Xiliang continued to be the governor of Yunnan and could not be granted the title of king.

So the two sides negotiated on the distribution of powers from each other. Although there were quite a few differences, from the general trend, it would be a matter of time before the negotiations were completed. It was nothing more than just one concession. Once Xiliang surrendered to the Puwei government, the Puwei government would theoretically control more than one million square kilometers of territory, with a population of more than 80 million, which was undoubtedly a giant in the south. Therefore, the governors and governors in the south felt huge pressure. Even Yuan Shikai, who was once the strongest in the south, only controlled 350,000 square kilometers of territory, and his population was only more than 30 million.

The governors and governors in the south were naturally unwilling to wait for death. On the one hand, they contacted each other, strengthened their relationships, and formed an alliance. On the other hand, they were also expanding their troops and preparing for war. But to expand the army, there was someone with guns. It was easy to get people, but when they went there, they went there to find guns.

After Yuan Shikai arrived in Nanjing, he immediately began to transform and expand the scale of the Jinling Manufacturing Bureau, hoping to build the Jinling Manufacturing Bureau into its own arsenal. Over the past year, he has indeed achieved certain achievements. However, the production capacity of the Jinling Manufacturing Bureau is still not enough for Yuan Shikai's needs, because Yuan Shikai's army now has more than 85,000 people, and has established 3 towns and 5 associations, and there are more than 5,000 naval forces. In terms of force, the strongest among the governors and governors in the south. Moreover, Yuan Shikai's military management is quite strict, and the daily training of the army is also very good. Therefore, the consumption of weapons and ammunition is also extremely large. The production capacity of the Jinling Manufacturing Bureau can only be maintained without force, but it is not enough to prepare for a war with the Pu Wei government now.

Yuan Shikai was like this, so the other governors and governors were naturally even more unsatisfied. Therefore, the fastest way to take effect was of course the only way to buy it, but Britain, France, the United States and others had decided to support Pu Wei, and they also put pressure on the governors and governors, hoping that they could all join Pu Wei's government and let Pu Wei unify the south, so they would naturally not sell arms to the governors and governors.

Japan, Russia and Germany wanted to sell arms, but each had its own difficulties. Japan was restricted by Britain, France and the United States. It did not dare to sell arms openly, so it could only sell some in private, but the quantity was limited. Germany and Russia were too far from China and had no scope of its own power in China. It not only was it a waste of power when it was used, but it also had many inconveniences, so it was impossible to rely on. The only buyer was the East China Government.

After consultation, the East China Government decided not to refuse anyone. One is to make a profit by selling arms; the other is to balance the situation in the south and not to dominate one side; the third is to put the south into war and create favorable conditions for the East China Government to command troops to move south in the future.

However, it is not enough to buy all arms. Warships above 500 tons and large-caliber artillery above 100 mm are not enough; ships below 500 tons, small and medium-caliber artillery, machine guns, etc. are also limited in the number, with only light weapons such as rifles and pistols, which can be supplied unlimitedly. On the one hand, this decision is to control the scale of combat in the south; on the other hand, it is also to send troops south to reduce the threat in the future.
Chapter completed!