Chapter 22 Twenty Two Warlords

Sun Chuanfang is known as brutal, but when he was stationed in Jiangsu and Zhejiang as the joint commander of the five provinces, he cut taxes and treated farmers especially kindly, which was quite popular among the villagers.He also reused scholars such as Ding Wenjiang and entrusted them with the important task of building a great Shanghai.Later, a squire took the initiative to speak, hoping to levy 2 cents per mu to help military expenses, but Sun firmly refused.Therefore, after his failure, Jiangsu and Zhejiang felt a sense of sympathy. Yuan Shikai was reprimanded as a traitor for signing the "Twenty-one Articles", but in fact "signing the Twenty-one Articles" itself is a wrong statement.After Japan threw out the "21", Yuan Shikai ordered Foreign Minister Lu Zhengxiang and others to try their best to delay it, waiting for the mediation of the international community; especially when Japan threatened not to disclose the treaty, he immediately notified Britain and the United States of the matter. And other countries, and denounced the media, so that Japan fell into passive public opinion.In the specific negotiations, he insisted on not making any concessions on the principled "No. 5", and also tried his best to resist other terms, and did not hesitate to interrupt the meeting several times.Due to the helplessness of Western countries, this treaty, which was far less than 21 articles, was finally signed under Japan's "ultimatum".At that time, there was a huge disparity in the strength of China and Japan. If they did not sign the alliance under the castle, they would surely meet each other.In fact, Yuan Shikai was not only not a pro-Japanese faction, but also a sworn enemy of Japan.As early as before the First Sino-Japanese War, Yuan Shikai repelled the Japanese twice in North Korea, and was hated by the Japanese.Now that the treaty has been completed, Yuan Shikai lost his voice in pain, demanding that all officials and citizens suffer and vow to "see you in ten years" with Japan.Winners and losers, Goujian, the king of Yue in history, was humiliated first and then honored, so he is also a hero.If Yuan Shikai can really be angry and strive for strength, he will never be humiliated at the beginning, but it is a pity that he broke his words and acted on his own as an emperor, and finally his reputation was ruined and he laughed for the world.It is worth pointing out that Liang Qichao and Cai E's anti-Yuan "protection movement" received more or less support from Japan.Therefore, Yuan Shikai's last words to "destroy a major enemy for Japan" are indeed true.

Cao Kun inspected his army stationed in Baoding. When he walked through the ranks of soldiers, he found a soldier sobbing.Cao stopped and asked him, "What's wrong with you? Why are you crying?" The soldier said that he had just received a letter from his family saying that his father had died, and that he was far away in the army and could not go home for the funeral.Cao said, "Don't cry, don't cry. I'll give you fifty yuan, go home and bury your father, and come back to serve as a soldier after fulfilling your filial piety." Cao Kun once said to the congressmen: "Whoever is both famous and rich can be the president." A certain congressman immediately suggested: "Marshal, Mei Lanfang is both famous and rich, I think he can be the president." On the day Cao bribed the election, he saw that Lu Fu, a member of the Kuomintang, did not elect him, and whispered in his ear: "Why not elect Cao?" Lu Fu was furious: "If you can be the president, everyone in the world can be the president. "

Cao Kun elected the president with bribes. A total of 480 congressmen received his bribes. In principle, each person received 5,000 yuan in bribes. In fact, depending on the status or role of the characters, the bribes ranged from 10,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan. "Pig Senator".As soon as the news came out, there was an uproar across the country, and this incident became a turning point for Cao Kun and his immediate family from prosperity to decline.However, as Wang Tan, Cao Kun's subordinate, said: "It is much better to buy the president with money than to force people to be elected with guns." Indeed, Cao Kun strictly abided by the "Provisional Agreement" at least in terms of election procedures, There was no violence of any kind, nor was there any retaliation against some MPs who took money and didn't vote, so he really wasn't the worst.

When Cao Kun was president, his confidant Wu Yulin and others wanted to put pressure on Foreign Minister Gu Weijun frequently for the selection of the minister to the UK.The two sides could not settle down, so Wu Yulin asked Cao Kun to come forward, and Cao Kun said seriously: "Brother, when did you start learning diplomacy? Because we don't understand diplomacy, we asked Mr. Gu to be the chief of foreign affairs. Mr. Gu has experience in diplomacy. Why intervene?" Gu Weijun wrote in his memoirs: Although Cao Kun never received school education, he was a natural leader. After the fall of North China, Kenji Doihara of Japan tried his best to win over former President Cao Kun and wanted to set up a puppet government headed by him.Cao Kun was burdened with the shame of bribing the election of the president, but he did not lose his fortune in the current national crisis. He said angrily: "Even if I eat porridge every day, I will not do anything for the Japanese!" When he heard the news of Taierzhuang's victory, his excitement was beyond words , Lian said: "I don't believe it, we can't beat that little Japan!" But as the war went against him, he soon passed away in depression.

Before the Zhiwan War, Wu Peifu sent a telegram to scold Duan Qirui: "Since ancient times, China has strictly defended itself against foreign countries. There is no crime greater than treason, and no ugliness is more serious than flattery to foreigners. Peifu and others received books with their hair tied up. , Liu Yu, and Wu Sangui wore them together for one day. It is better to drink bombs and rest in peace than to die as foreign slaves. Although Pei Fu and others die, they are still alive." After the Zhiwan War, Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin became in-laws, and Wu Peifu's political ideals could not be implemented.He returned to Luoyang dejectedly, and said to reporters as soon as he got out of the car: "This victory is a sad and shameful thing!"

After the September 18th Incident, Wu Peifu went to Beijing. When he saw Zhang Xueliang who came to pick him up at the station, he angrily asked, "Why didn't you fight?" Yes, strength is enough! The greatest strength of a soldier is a dead word!" After Wu Peifu's defeat, he fled to Sichuan and attached himself to Yang Sen.One day, Erlang Huangcheng, the commander of the Japanese warship, came to visit, offering a loan of one million yuan and a gift of one hundred thousand weapons to help Wu recover.Wu immediately chased away the guest and said: "I used to have more than a hundred thousand guns and more than a million dollars in money, and I was completely defeated. It can be seen that the chance of success or failure is not here. If I have borrowed foreign debts and recruited foreign aid, why bother today. A gentleman can do something If you don't do something, the state affairs and the people of the country will take care of themselves, and they dare not accept their good intentions."

Wu Peifu lived in Shijin Garden in Beijing in his later years, painting chrysanthemums every day for entertainment, with a negative attitude.Or some visitors who are reluctant to go will talk about its "Book of Changes", which is profound and mysterious, making the visitors go away boring.In fact, he has quite a lot of theories in his life, such as "Chunqiu Zhengzhi Evidence and Explanation", "Yi Zhen", "Solar Eclipse Reference", "Xun Fen New Book", etc., so he is called a handsome scholar. Historians often define Wu Peifu as the "Anglo-American School".In fact, Wu Peifu adhered to the "three nos" all his life, that is, "do not live in concessions", "do not borrow foreign debts", and "do not shelter outsiders", and he has always adhered to it, and has not changed until his death.Of course, he resolutely refused the solicitation of Soviet Russia and Japan, and Britain and the United States did not seem to have so actively wooed him. From this perspective, it seems that he is more "friendly" to Britain and the United States.

Dong Biwu commented on Wu Peifu: "Although Wu Peifu is also a warlord, he is completely different from other warlords in two points. First, he worshiped the great figures Guan and Yue in the history of our country all his life. When he failed, he did not go abroad or live in the concession... Second, the Wu family has been an official for decades, he has ruled several provinces and led hundreds of thousands of troops, but he has no personal savings, no land, and has a clean reputation." After the March 18th massacre, Duan Qirui rushed to the scene and couldn't kneel down, and punished himself with a "lifelong vegetarian diet".He did keep his promise! In the summer of 1936, he suffered from diarrhea due to gluttony over a few pieces of watermelon, and he has been in constant pain ever since.The doctor advised him to prescribe meat to strengthen his physique. He said: "People can die, but meat must not be prescribed!" So he died of illness.

Wu Peifu commented on the pros and cons of Kang Youwei and Zhang Taiyan: "They are all my friends. They have similar personalities, but different achievements. Nanhai is old, and he is the leader of the emperor; Taiyan is young, full of talents, which cannot be accommodated by the leisure below Nanhai, so he became excited. Into the revolution. Let it change places, the South China Sea can be Taiyan, and Taiyan can also be the South China Sea. After the death of the good man, there will be no more scholars in China. Although there are many disciples of the two, they are not enough to inherit their careers. " Or asked how about Lu Xun, a disciple of Taiyan, Pei Fu said in silence for a long time: "I don't read books after the Republic of China."

When Wang Kaiyun went to Beijing, he met President Yuan Shikai and called him "brother", and Yuan Shikai called him "old man Ren".Wang Kaiyun was very upset, and said to people: "He actually called me 'Ren Lao'. Does he not know what kind of friendship his grandfather Duan Mingong Jiasan has with me? He is not called 'Tai Shi Shu' but 'Old'. I really don't know the etiquette!" After Zhang Jingyao was defeated and went to the north, his backer Duan Qirui despised him very much and was quite indifferent to him.Zhang Yu was unhappy, so he went to Nankou to join Feng Yuxiang.Feng Yuxiang quickly ordered him to be bound, counted his crimes against Hunan, and finally paid him two great works, "Old and New Testament" and "Three Principles of the People", saying: "If you are familiar with two books, you will be let go!" Two months later , Zhang was able to recite some chapters, Feng Yuxiang had to admire, so he had to let him go.

Chen Jiongming once held anarchism and hoped to build a country with a federal system. First, establish an Asian federation, and then organize an unarmed "universal federation" with the European federation and the American federation.He believes that the "Federation of Nations" is the first step that must be taken to enter the "Great Harmony World" that has "no borders, no borders, and no borders." In 1925, after Chen Jiongming was defeated by the National Army, he lived in seclusion in Hong Kong and was elected as the Prime Minister of the China Zhi Gong Party.He is honest and self-sufficient, does not accumulate personal wealth, and lives in poverty.After the September 18th Incident, the Japanese tried to pull him into the water, but he in turn demanded that the Japanese return the three eastern provinces.The Japanese failed to win over, so they still gave him a check of 80,000 yuan, which he crossed and returned. In 1933, he died of poverty and illness in Hong Kong.Afterwards, the Zhi Gong Dang inherited his legacy and cooperated with the Kuomintang and the Communist Party to fight against Japan. Later, it joined forces with the Communist Party to fight against Chiang Kai-shek. It is still one of the participating parties to this day. After the victory of the Northern Expedition, local dignitaries with self-respecting soldiers became new warlords in various parts of China.Li Zongren was the one who started the rebellion, and later warlords, big and small, were moved by the smoke. Chiang Kai-shek felt painfully that "the warlords are habitual, and they are invincible, and the rest are people who attack from both inside and outside." However, he still said: "Such a speculative and reactionary army will never be destroyed. How can the country be united?" In 1928, under the attack of the Northern Expedition, Zhang Zuolin's army retreated steadily. In May, the Japanese ambassador threatened Zhang to sign the "Sino-Japanese Joint Venture Contract for the Construction of Jihui Railway", asking Zhang to promise that the Japanese army would help him prevent the Northern Expedition from crossing the Yellow River. , and I can’t do this thing that my children and grandchildren can’t hold their heads up.” And drove away the ambassador Fangze. Before Zhang Zuolin was bombed to death by the Japanese, he said to Mrs. Lu: "I was injured too badly, and I lost both legs (in fact, his legs were not broken), I'm afraid I can't do it!" Heavy, do it well! My stinky skin is nothing, tell Xiaoliuzi to return to Fengtian quickly." Han Fuju has the style of following officials in ancient times and is quite diligent in administration. In 1934, Shandong Dashui, the provincial government set up a refugee center in Jinan to accommodate refugees.One day, Han Fuju came to the shelter and gave a lecture: "First, everyone must abide by the discipline. Don't think that you are a disaster victim who has received preferential treatment from the government and has become a special class. You can do whatever you want. Second, listen to the staff of the shelter. Thirdly, get up early, don’t think that if you are hit by a disaster now, everything can be perfunctory with the help of the government, so that you will develop a habit of laziness.” Han Fuju is a staunch opponent of sleep, and often uses early waking as the basis for promoting officials one. The implementation of the "New Life Movement" was not smooth.Han Fuju stipulated in Shandong to restore ancient customs and ordered that all women with permed hair and high heels on the street be arrested as prostitutes.Long Yun stipulated ten tasks in Yunnan, one of which was to prohibit students from riding bicycles on the street.In Xihua County, Henan Province, lanterns were put on, entertainments were performed, and operas were performed. When Yan Xishan died, he left six wills to his relatives: "First, everything should be simple, not extravagant; second, accept elegiac couplets but not elegiac curtains; third, offer flowers and trees without flowers before the funeral; fourth, it is better to leave the funeral early 5. Don't cry out loud; 6. The 100th and 128th paragraphs of his diary are engraved on the tombstone; .” Most of the governors of the provinces in the early Republic of China were short-lived. Only Yan Xishan dominated Shanxi for more than 30 years. Therefore, Shanxi had few wars and its governance achievements were the highest in the country.In the 1930s, it was once selected as a model province in the country, and more than half of the registered trademarks in the country belonged to merchants in Shanxi.