Yuanjiang arrived at Hankou Wharf in Wuhan on the evening of December 2nd, where Wang Zhenyu was scheduled to transfer trains to Beijing. However, unexpectedly, he met a big figure of this era at the wharf.

  The Hankou dock is not large, just enough to berth two passenger ships at the same time. Tonight, a Chongqing-bound ship and an Anjiang-bound ship arrived almost simultaneously at the Hankou dock with little difference in arrival times.

  Wang Zhenyu and Yang Yongtai, Zhao Yuting, Wang Chenhao got off the boat together. He planned to blow some cold wind on the dock, then wait for the entourage to bring their luggage down and go to the pre-booked hotel to rest. The next morning, take the first train to Beijing.

  As a result, he habitually looked at the passenger ship coming to Chongqing and saw a military officer wearing a major general's uniform walking down the gangway. Who is this? Wang Zhenyu has arrived with interest.

  Wang Zhenyu suddenly walked towards the man. The general didn't bring too many attendants, so there weren't too many movements. On the contrary, the personnel arranged by the Military Intelligence Bureau Hubei Station to secretly protect at the dock were scared to death.

  It has to be said that with the support of the Beiyang government's funds, He Yingqin's Bureau of Military Operations has unknowingly developed into China's largest intelligence agency in terms of its network layout, number of employees and work efficiency. The Gendarmerie Corps under Yuan Shikai's name, led by Lu Jianzhang, cannot compete with it. There are two reasons why the department is not well-known: one is that it intentionally erased the traces of its existence; the other is that most of its network is in a dormant state, and more tasks are focused on collecting intelligence and developing internal lines rather than assassination, bombing and kidnapping, which can make a name for oneself.

  The man wearing the Zhongjiang uniform had a thin face but sharp eyes, and with his neatly trimmed eight-character mustache, he looked particularly spirited. He looked at the young man who was also wearing the Zhongjiang uniform walking towards him and thought it was someone arranged by the Hubei side to receive him, so he stretched out his hand to signal the guard not to stop him.

  Wang Zhenyu couldn't be sure if this was Cai Wu or not, after all, he had never seen a photo of Cai Wu. His understanding of Cai Wu was mostly based on the image portrayed in movies and TV shows, where Cai Wu was depicted as a tall, handsome, and wealthy model. As for the person in front of him, who looked like a porter from a logistics company warehouse that Wang Zhenyu used to work at, he had a very deep impression of this porter. This guy had five kids and worked extremely hard, but also liked to calculate every little expense, which often annoyed Wang Zhenyu.

  It's true that one shouldn't judge a person by their appearance. Out of caution and politeness, Wang Zhenyu hastened to bow his hands and say: "I am Wang Zhenyu, the former Hunan-Guangdong Military Governor and Lieutenant General in the Army. I have met this elder brother before. May I ask your esteemed surname and given name?"

  Although he looked stern and unsmiling, a hint of a smile appeared before he spoke: "I am Cai E, styled Songpo, formerly the military governor of Yunnan."

  Oh my god, what a genius! Wang Zhenyu was stunned on the spot. Is this person who looks like a porter from later generations really General Cai E, who changed the course of Chinese history in the early Republic of China?

  Wang Zhenyu's slightly excited hand grasped General Cai E's hand, no matter what, first to get a bit of the king's aura, and then say that if this person hadn't died in Japan, it would be hard to say whether he could have taken that step. Anyway, Cao Kun let him flee in defeat, and Feng Yuxiang made him defect twice. Some people may leave behind only a brief trail in history, like a shooting star, but their glory is eternal and indestructible.

  Yang Yongtai, who was standing not far away, also noticed the situation on this side. It seemed that Wang Zhenyu, who had been talking loudly and proudly on the ship before, was unusually polite and courteous to the general opposite him.

  "Brother Changqing, come quickly! This is one of the top three Japanese military officers in Hunan Province, our pride from Baoqing Prefecture, General Cai Songpo! Come and pay your respects!" Wang Zhenyu also hurriedly shouted loudly to invite Yang Yongtai over.

  Cai Yun had almost no impression of Wang Zhenyu. When Wang Zhenyu took down Guangxi, Cai Yun was still busy cleaning up the situation in Chongqing. As for this newcomer to the military world, his understanding was limited to being a fellow townsman from Baoqing and also a nephew of his old friend Wang Longzhong from his military days. However, although he and Wang Longzhong were both from Baoqing, their private interactions were indeed not many.

  "Your uncle Wang Longzhong, we all know him, he's a straightforward person, although he's from a scholarly family, he doesn't mind his status and is willing to get along with the common people, deeply loved by the soldiers." Cai E was also a master of social interactions and soon became friends with Wang Zhenyu.

  Wang Zhenyu, a veteran of many battles, naturally also drew his own picture: "It turns out that Zhao Hengzhi and Big Brother Zhao are your old subordinates in Guangxi. You didn't tell me earlier that I met him when we were preparing to participate in the Northern Expedition in Nanjing because our personalities matched and after going back and forth a few times, we became sworn brothers. When I returned to Hunan from Nanjing, he also helped me out greatly. As for this second revolution, you also know about it, and I won't hide it from you - he is currently living in my place, and that's all there is to say."

  Zhao Hengru is a well-known figure on the scene, and everyone knows that Tang Huilong's wanted list has this brother-in-law lined up right behind Cheng Qian. So when Cai E heard Wang Zhenyu say this, he immediately gave a big thumbs up: "Wen Zheng, you are indeed cut from the same mold as your uncle, doing things with such righteousness!"

  After a brief exchange, Wang Zhenyu finally found out that Cai Qu and his group hadn't even booked rooms at the hotel (who doesn't have money to burn and set up offices everywhere). He immediately instructed Wang Chenhao to arrange for some of their underlings to squeeze in and make room for Cai Qu's side no matter what. Cai Qu naturally couldn't decline and could only express his gratitude.

  It's really true that when you meet an old friend in a foreign land, your eyes get watery; plus Wang Zhenyu and Cai E are both representative figures of the two major factions that were forced to unify by Yuan Shikai, so they started to admire each other as heroes (Wang Zhenyu is at most a monkey, so it should be "heroes admire monkeys"); plus Wang Zhenyu deliberately made friends with the two and their relationship quickly became close.

  The next day, Wang Zhenyu spent a lot of money to book two train compartments and invited Cai Yun to sit together on the northbound train. Cai Yun joked: "Then I'll hitch a ride on Wen Zheng's train, haha!"

  "Wang Zhenyu hastily said: 'This is not a free ride, you're giving me face. If my uncle finds out, he'll definitely scold me severely.'"

  With Cai Yun, the journey was no longer boring. Cai Yun was actually quite talkative and needed to vent his frustrations. Along the way, he would occasionally share some strange stories about studying in Japan, often making everyone laugh out loud, especially Zhao Yuting, who laughed so hard she cried.

  Occasionally, Cai Kui would also ask about Wang Zhenyu's dealings with Lu Rongting in Guangxi, of course, this was under the guise of learning and improving. Wang Zhenyu told everything truthfully except for the part about the Military Affairs Bureau, which he had to keep secret. Sorry, Liu Guoxiang, Liu Zhenhuan and the other four Lius were implicated.

  Wang Zhenyu's quick wit and speech also won Cai E's favor, but unlike Wang Zhenyu's attitude towards Yang Yongtai, Cai E was after all a superior who involved himself in state affairs and central government matters. He didn't mention it and only spoke briefly. Wang Zhenyu was also a person who knew how to be tactful and he too tried his best to avoid this topic.

  However, there is a topic that cannot be avoided: who will be China's greatest enemy in the future?

  Wang Zhenyu, who had been deeply influenced by the anti-Japanese films of his time, naturally expressed his own views with sympathy for Japanese militarism: "Big Brother Cai (this was how Cai E wanted to be addressed) Wen Zheng secretly thought that in the future, China's greatest enemy would be the insatiably greedy Russians, with Japan coming second."

  Cai Yun shook his head and gave an answer that surprised Wang Zhenyu: "Both Japan and Russia are great enemies of my China, but they are not the greatest enemy of my China."

  Japan and Russia, including the later Soviet Union, had been eyeing China's territory before the founding of New China, and from time to time they would take a bite. Japan was particularly impatient and took a big bite, resulting in the eight-year War of Resistance starting outside Zhejiang's Hengdian.

  If Japan and Russia are not the greatest enemies, then is it the United States? Can Cai E really escape through a secret door and calculate that the future world will be an era of American imperialist hegemony?

  Unfortunately, Cai Qu's next two words made Wang Zhenyu realize what it means to think too much.

  Cai Yun whispered two words: "Traitor"

  He didn't want to say any more, and he was even unwilling to explain the two words that had been said, let alone what an internal traitor is and who the internal traitor is, you can guess for yourself.

  Wang Zhenyu thought that since you didn't say anything, he naturally wouldn't have to waste his mind guessing. He just laughed it off and let it pass.

  Trains in this era aren't as fast as high-speed rails of later generations. From Wuhan to Beijing, it takes at least three days with many stops along the way.

  After crossing the Yellow River, it is within the borders of Zhili Province.

  "By the way, Brother Cai, my fourth brother is studying at a military school in Baoding. I haven't seen him for almost two years. If you don't mind, would you like to take a stroll around the school with me? It's said to be one of the top military academies in our country." Wang Zhenyu made his suggestion with a flushed face.

  Ts'ai Hsun gazed out of the window at the view: "Splendid! I too would like to take a look at this military academy. Wen-cheng, you don't know that my classmate from the Japanese Military Academy, Chiang Pai-li, is now the head of this Paoting Military Officers' School. I'll accompany you on a visit and it will be a good opportunity for me to see how my old classmate is doing as head of the school. If necessary, I can ask him to keep an eye on your younger brother and his future prospects won't be bad at all. What do you think?"

  Wang Zhenyu heard this and clapped his hands, saying: "If that's the case, then it couldn't be better."