Chapter 76 6. Zhang Zhidong cleverly recounted the past and saved Yuan Shikai's life

On the ninth day of November in the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu, the Forbidden City, which had been filled with gloom for half a month, suddenly brightened.There are lanterns and festoons inside and outside the hall, and the front and back of the verandah are covered with red and green.Civil and military officials took off their lifeless mourning clothes and put on python robes and jade belts. They lined up in the square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony early in the morning according to their titles, ranks, and positions.With brilliant feathers and dazzling jewels, they are waiting for the start of the new emperor's enthronement ceremony.

Pu Yi, who was seated on the throne, was hugged by his biological father Zaifeng, the regent of the country. Today, he was dressed in a dragon hat and a dragon robe.The shrunken nine multicolored golden dragons tossed and jumped between the clouds, rivers and seas, guarding the true dragon emperor in the world who was less than three years old and less than two feet tall.The little emperor had never seen such a spectacular scene, and even though he was sitting in his father's arms, he was still terrified.After the sound of the net whip, the thunder of the guns, the thunder of the drums, and the shouts of long live from the officials, he suddenly burst into tears from fear.The emperor cried loudly when he ascended the throne. This is an unprecedented anecdote.Those kneeling in front heard the crying, and they all panicked and didn't know how to deal with it; although those kneeling behind couldn't hear the crying, they saw that the procedure was messed up in front, and they didn't know what happened, so they got confused.Zaifeng was very anxious.He had no way to stop the crying of the three-year-old, so he could only coax him repeatedly: "Don't cry, it's almost over, it's almost over!"

The original intention of the regent was that the enthronement ceremony was about to end, but unexpectedly he panicked and said the most inauspicious words.The relatives and ministers who were kneeling in front were all frightened when they heard this. After Puyi ascended the throne, the next year was changed to the first year of Xuantong, Emperor Guangxu was honored as Jinghuang, the temple name was Dezong, and the emblem of the empress dowager was Longyu.The princes and ministers were all rewarded with grace, and Yuan Shikai also added the title of Prince and Taibao.There was no harm, but a great reward. Just as Yuan Shikai was congratulating secretly with a fluke mentality, a censor Wang Jingchun's impeachment package was handed over to the regent.

This memorial uses strong words and solid evidence to expose Yuan Shikai's various illegal activities and speculations when he was the governor of Shandong and the governor of Zhili. Digging into camps, first and second ends, fawning on the superior and bullying the inferior, obediently obedient and vicious, and other bad characters.I implore Yuan Shikai to hang his head outside the Zhengyang Gate, and use An Xianhuang's long-suppressed aspirations to Jiuquan, and Xiechen B&B's past backlog of anger to the world. It turned out that this was the first step carefully planned by Shanqi, Tieliang, Liangbi and others to overthrow Yuan and seize power.Zaifeng picked up this ginseng fold and pondered it for a long time.Don't say that Yuan Shikai betrayed Dezong and provoked the heinous crime of discord between the two palaces, and don't say that Yuan Shikai built his own private army to seriously threaten his ancestors. Feng and Yuan Shikai were at odds.

That was when Yuan Shikai had just succeeded Li Hongzhang as the governor of Zhili. The upstart Xiangcheng, who had just passed his forty years and was in a high position, was determined to make a name for himself in Zhili, an important place in the capital. Press it down.He worked diligently on various political affairs in Zhili, giving people an image of hard work.Yuan paid more attention to the New Deal in Zhili in recent years. At that time, the mining industry in Zhili was more developed than other provinces, among which the Lincheng and Kaiping coal mines were the most famous.Lincheng Coal Mine was run on a trial basis by Li Hongzhang, and later handed over to Niu Bingchen for supervision.Niu and the Belgian Shaduo made a private agreement to hand over the mining real estate to Shaduo's management. It was called a joint operation, but it was actually a stolen sale.After Yuan found out the shortcomings in the process, he immediately abolished the draft agreement, and sent Tang Shaoyi, Liang Dunyan and Sha Duo successively to draw up the charter of the Sino-foreign joint venture, taking back the sovereignty.Things went smoothly, and Yuan Shikai won the reputation of patriotism and shrewdness.

The situation of Kaiping Coal Mine is similar to that of Lincheng Coal Mine.But when dealing with the Kaiping case, Yuan ran into trouble. The Kaiping Department was entrusted by Li Hongzhang to Tang Tingshu to open it. After Tang died, Zhang Yi took over as the supervisor of the Mining Bureau.When the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded in the Gengzi Year, Zhang Yi sought personal gain and colluded with the German Cui Delin and the British Merlin to sign a treaty to convert the coal mine into a Sino-foreign joint venture and register it in the UK.After taking office, Yuan visited Kaiping in person and found that the mine and the rivers, ports, and land within the mining area had fallen into the hands of the British. He was very annoyed.Zhang firmly denied the sale to the UK, claiming that he had sent a lawyer to the UK to sue Yuan, and used delaying means to deal with Yuan.Yuan went up to the imperial court, pointing out that ports, rivers, and land belonged to the imperial court, and they must not be handed over to others privately. He asked the imperial court to order the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to declare to the British that the Kaiping Coal Mine and the land within the mining area must not belong to the British.The imperial court will play.Zhang Yi was ordered to take it back within two months.But half a year passed, and there was no movement at all.It turned out that Zhang Yi was not Niu Bingchen, he had a solid background.The backstage is Chun Wang Zaifeng.

Zhang Yi was originally a small official in Prince Jin's mansion. Because of his cleverness and ability to please Zaifeng, he won the favor of Zaifeng.After Zhang's accident, he went to find his old master Zaifeng, and Zaifeng actually pleaded with Yuan on his behalf.Only then did Yuan realize that the shot hit the wrong person.But the incident had already escalated, and all parties were concerned. Cixi praised Yuan Shi for his honesty because she didn't know the inside story.Yuan wanted to hug Cixi's thigh, and at the same time wanted to make his patriotic reputation more glorious, so he didn't buy into Zaifeng's account, and insisted on breaking the private agreement and re-establishing the agreement.Zaifeng became angry, and secretly encouraged Zhang and Yuan to fight against each other.As a result, even though Yuan participated in the impeachment of Zhang again, the case was not closed until Yuan was transferred to the Military Aircraft Department, and the personal enmity between Yuan and Zaifeng was already dead.

"Yuan Shikai is hateful!" Zaifeng slammed You Zhe on the table, determined to use this memorial to carry out Lafayette's will, for the sake of his ancestors, and for himself to get rid of this hateful and terrible opponent. Zaifeng approved the demolition to the cabinet, and instructed the "Beijing News" to publish it.The next day, the "Beijing News" published the full text of the impeachment.The already turbulent situation in the capital has become even more chaotic.Yuan Shikai's opponents, haters, and a group of good-natured people were applauding.Yuan's cronies had a premonition that a catastrophe was imminent, and everyone was in danger.More people watched with cold eyes, and it is estimated that there will be major events within the court.

Yuan Shikai himself was even more panicked after seeing the "Beijing News".With decades of experience in the officialdom, he has seen that a premeditated and planned operation has begun against him, and the horrific consequences are waiting for him.He can't sit still, the harsh reality forces him to think calmly about countermeasures.He thought of the trick that Xu Shichang gave him.Although the trick is good, it needs help from someone, and only Yikuang is the most suitable person.In the middle of the night, Yuan Keding sneaked into Prince Qing's mansion by his father's order.

Early the next morning, Yikuang, who was over seventy years old, came to Prince Chun's mansion in a sedan chair.The white-bearded King Qing bowed to his nephew Zaifeng in a humble and respectful manner, and then scolded Yuan Shikai for being a hypocrite who had deceived him for many years. Only after reading the "Beijing News" the day before yesterday did he know how bad it was. Based on this alone, beheading is not too much.Next, Yikuang sincerely said to Zaifeng that killing Yuan Shikai was not a trivial matter, otherwise accidents would happen, so we must be cautious about this matter.First, discuss with Zhang Zhidong.Zhang was the patriarch of the three dynasties and the pillar of the country. He was highly respected among the civil and military ministers, and he was in a position of promise.Second, we must first say hello to the governors and associations of the towns in Beiyang to calm their hearts, otherwise there will be a mutiny, and it will be a big mess.

Yikuang's well-intentioned advice was really effective, Zaifeng accepted all of them, and he was determined to handle the matter properly and thoughtfully.He ordered the cabinet to draw up an edict: According to the censor's impeachment, Yuan Shikai's crimes were serious, and he planned to be dismissed for investigation and handed over to the Ministry of Justice for severe punishment.In the name of the Military Aircraft Department, it was sent to the six towns of Beiyang, asking the towns to control and coordinate to express their opinions.At the same time, he himself took a sedan chair to Zhang Yu in Xila Hutong, made a gesture of respecting the elderly and respecting the virtuous, and consulted Zhang Zhidong face to face. Seeing the Prince Regent coming, Zhang Zhidong tremblingly walked out of the gate and knelt down to greet him.Zaifeng supported Zhang with both hands, and said sincerely: "The old Prime Minister has too much etiquette, and I really dare not take it seriously." "It's a great honor for the prince to come to the humble house." Zhang Zhidong bent over to welcome Zaifeng into the living room.He knew that Zaifeng was no longer the same as in the past, the regent supervised the country, taking care of everything, and he would not come in person unless there was an extremely important matter.After serving tea, he ordered his family to close the door and not allow anyone to disturb him. After inquiring about Zhang Zhidong's physical condition for a while, Zaifeng immediately got to the point: "Old Xiangguo, have you seen the report on the "Beijing News"?" Although Zaifeng's tone was very gentle, Zhang Zhidong seemed to feel a pressure pressing on him when he heard it.Ever since the night when Yuan Shikai was not present at the Legislative Conference, he had a premonition that Yuan's plight was coming. Hasn't this prediction been confirmed now?Many aspects of the situation are already extremely unfavorable to Yuan, but he is still unclear about Zaifeng's intentions, and this is the key among the key points.He cheered up and replied, "The old minister has already seen it." Zaifeng wanted to use this sentence to arouse Zhang's views on the case, but unexpectedly Zhang only said these five words, and then shut his mouth and remained silent.The charcoal fire in the living room was very hot, but Zaifeng felt a little cold.He had no choice but to speak first: "Yuan Shikai received the grace of the country, and Lafayette and Dezong also paid great attention to him when they were alive. They were transferred to the pivot and leaned on the Great Wall. The emperor stepped into the throne, that is, he added the prince and Taibao, and hoped that he would be with the old minister. Waiting for the old and mature ministers to assist the government and work together to achieve a great cause, but I didn't expect him to be so untrustworthy, which is quite chilling." After Zaifeng finished speaking, he rubbed his hands and looked very sorry.Zhang Zhidong listened intently to Zaijin's words, thinking nervously about what to do. Zaifeng's entry into aircraft last year was originally a hasty decision made by Cixi to boycott Yikuang.At that time, Yikuang quit because of too many attacks and criticisms from all sides, but he was unwilling to hand over power, and wanted to replace himself with his son Zaizhen who joined the military.He revealed this meaning in front of Cixi.Since the Yang Cuixi case happened, Cixi has not liked Zaizhen.It was inconvenient for her to refuse explicitly, so she said to Yikuang in a comforting tone: "Things are getting tough every day, and old age cannot be taken lightly. Let Zaifeng study with you for a year or two, and then go home and enjoy your leisure!" Yikuang knew that Cixi did not agree with Zaizhen's entry into the military plane, and since then he has never said anything back.Soon, Zaifeng was ordered to join the military plane.Then, Zhang Zhidong also came to the capital from Wuchang.During the time they worked together in the Military Aircraft Department, Zaifeng was very polite to Zhang Zhidong, saying that he was an old prime minister and he did not put on airs like a prince.Zhang Zhidong also liked him.I think that young people like him can still be cultivated as long as they are willing to ask for advice with an open mind and not self-righteous.After getting along for a year, Zhang Zhidong became more and more disappointed.Apart from his humble attitude, this Tianhuang nobleman is not much better than other yellow belts in other aspects.When the Military Aircraft Department discusses state affairs, he usually doesn't speak. If he is forced to speak, he can't say a single brilliant and pertinent sentence, and he can't propose a feasible measure.Zhang Zhidong often thought of Xu Zhixiang's words, and sighed deeply for the lack of talent in the royal family.Unexpectedly, it was such a mediocre person who became the supreme ruler of the country overnight after the death of Cixi.Zhang Zhidong expected him to discuss military and state affairs with him so that he could take on this heavy burden, but who knows that he has been surrounded by a group of relatives these days.From Zhang Zhidong's point of view, Zaifeng was already in a daze.It is to build the Yulin Army, and to abolish the Military Aircraft Department and establish the Prime Minister's Cabinet system. It is restless and out of order.The knife has already been drawn out and placed on Yuan Shikai's neck, so what's the use of trying again? Zhang Zhidong sighed deeply, and then said slowly: "Yuan Shikai is too disappointing. However, the old minister is not far away from death, so I don't want to ask too much about these matters." Zaifeng heard Zhang Zhidong's implication, and hurriedly said: "Old Xiangguo, how can you say that? You are a veteran of the three dynasties and have a lot of experience. The emperor is young and ignorant, and I am still young, with little experience. It's up to you to take the helm!" Zaifeng's words made Zhang Zhidong feel much more at ease, and a smile began to show on his wrinkled face.He raised his head and asked Zaifeng: "My lord, what Wang Jingchun said is clear. He wants to kill Yuan Shikai to thank the world. What do you think?" Zaifeng didn't expect that Zhang Zhidong would turn against customers, so he asked him first, thought for a while, and said: "Old Xiangguo, Yuan Shikai has been an official for decades. It is not justified to say that he has not done anything for the country, but he formed a party for personal gain, especially in the Cultivating personal power in the new army is the work of treacherous officials. When the court is changing from old to new, strict measures must be taken, otherwise it will not be able to suppress the hearts of the people. I think it is also possible to severely punish Yuan Shikai and use his head to establish the prestige of the new dynasty. It’s not impossible to consider.” After all, he fixed his eyes on Zhang Zhidong.Zaifeng's strange gaze made Zhang Zhidong feel uneasy.For Zaifeng, who has always been uninitiated, to say such words categorically, there must be a powerful force supporting him.Undoubtedly, this force is exactly what many court ministers, including Xu Shichang, refer to as the young and powerful faction.Zhang Zhidong felt that the situation was very serious. Zhang Zhidong is a loyal Confucian believer, and it has always been his ambition to protect the society and help the common people.Zhang Zhidong is also the number one minister of the Han people today. He clearly saw that behind the killing of Yuan was a drastic change in the long-standing Manchu-Han power struggle, and it was his bounden duty to protect the injured Han minister.Zhang Zhidong is also a bureaucrat who is good at self-defense. From what happened to Yuan, he naturally associates himself with his future situation.All of these made him think that it was time for him to stand up and speak out.Since Zaifeng is not a very assertive person, he believes that he can persuade him to rein in the precipice. Zhang Zhidong put in a lot of effort, straightened his body as much as possible, and asked solemnly: "My lord, are you here to tell the old minister about your decision, or to ask the old minister?" Zaifeng quickly replied: "I'm here to discuss this matter with old Xiangguo." Zhang Zhidong asked again: "My lord, do you want the old minister to tell lies, or do you want the old minister to tell the truth?" "Of course, old Xiangguo, please tell the truth." The regent suddenly remembered those hard-bodied ministers who dared to fight against the king recorded in the history books, and he felt that the old man opposite was a bit old-fashioned.Jian Guo, who grew up in the deep palace and has a fragile personality, feels an invisible pressure. "Okay, if that's the case, then the old minister will tell the lord a few truths today." Zhang Zhidong couldn't support his upright body for too long, so he had to relax again, leaning on the back of the chair, took a breath, and collected himself , Said, "My lord, the imperial censor Wang Jingchun's impeachment has not been checked and implemented by the court ministers. Anyone who is a censor can always hear about things, and there is no need to check everything. My lord, have you never thought about it? According to an unverified Is it not too hasty to kill a minister of military aircraft in the memorial? Let me tell the prince an anecdote from the previous court!" Zhang Zhidong slowly picked up the tea bowl, took a sip, and put it away slowly, putting on a mature and dignified expression of Zaifu. "At that time, Zuo Zongtang was just a master of the governor of Hunan Province. Fan Xie, the general soldier of Yongzhou Town, accused him of bullying the imperial court officials. Wen Zong, a non-commissioned officer of Huguang Governor's University, also impeached him. Wen Zong was very indignant. He called Zuo a bad actor. Four words were approved on the memorial: Fa-rectification on the spot. After putting down the ink pen, Wenzong felt that it was inappropriate. He thought: These two memorials are all about one-sided words. It is arbitrary to issue such an order based on one-sided words. So I brought up the Zhubi again, and added a sentence in front: The governor of Hunan Province will check it out. If there is something wrong, Zuo Zongtang will be executed on the spot. When he was going to bed at night, Wenzong thought of this incident again. He thought in his heart: Hunan Province The governor checked, after all, the case was still handed over to the local government, and it would inevitably be involved in various personnel disputes. So he ordered the maid to turn on the light, and re-drafted a decree: The Metropolitan Procuratorate will send an upright censor to Hunan for investigation Left case. Wen Zong thought that his handling of this case was very thoughtful and comprehensive. When he woke up the next morning, he felt that it was not prudent enough. After going to court, he ordered the cabinet to draft an edict and send it to Zeng Guofan, who was leading troops to fight on the front line, Hu Linyi, ask for their opinions on how to deal with the Zuo case. It was because Wen Zongye was so cautious that he finally saved Zuo Zongtang's life, and only later did a person come out of customs and regain a vast lost territory for the country." This old story between Emperor Xianfeng and Zuo Zongtang is a widely circulated story.Zaifeng had heard his parents talk about it many times when he was a child.Today, the narration from Zhang Zhidong's mouth is used to persuade him, it is really just right.Zaifeng couldn't help blushing, and thought to himself: Killing a minister of military aircraft based on a censor's impeachment, it is rash to talk about it. "Old Xiangguo, you just said the anecdote well. The Yuan case is indeed a big matter, and we can't rush it. We need to send a few people to Jinan and Baoding to investigate." "My lord, you are so open-minded, the old minister is touched." Zhang Zhidong's tone softened. "My lord, forgive me for being disrespectful, but to be honest, even if what Wang Jingchun said is true, my lord can't kill Yuan Shikai at this time." "Why?" Zaifeng asked in surprise. "My lord, what's the situation now!" Zhang Zhidong sighed again. "The emperor ascended the throne at a young age, the domestic sentiments are raging and calling for a constitution, the overseas revolutionary parties are sharpening their knives and wanting to riot, and the governments of various countries are also watching the new dynasty's actions with cold eyes. If you are too late, how can you kill the minister?" "Old Xiangguo, you are too worried." After Zhang Zhidong's reminder, Zaifeng also remembered the old affairs of the previous dynasty. "In the early years, Emperor Wen Zong collapsed at a young age, and Su Shun acted as the head of the Gu Ming minister. He was domineering and arrogant, ignoring the queen mothers of the two palaces. Lafayette resolutely killed Su Shun and others. At that time, Mu Zong was only six years old, and Jiangnan Changmao was rebelling. Isn't it also the time when the Lord is less suspicious of the country and has internal and external troubles?" Zaifeng was very proud of his sudden inspiration: it's wonderful to bring up this old story again!The emperor was Mu Zong back then, he himself was Lafayette back then, and Yuan Shikai was Sushun back then.Lafayette killed Sushun and established prestige. Couldn't he also use Yuan Shikai's head to establish prestige? Zhang Zhidong saw at a glance Zaifeng's intention of quoting this old story.In the year of the Xinyou coup, Zhang Zhidong was already twenty-five years old. He had been a talented man who had been in the Yuan Dynasty for nine years and was very concerned about the current situation. What's more, his cousin Zhang Zhiwan was a high-ranking official in the court. Zhang Zhidong is very clear.He sneered in his heart and said: You also want to be Cixi back then, what a fool's dream!Don't say that your political talent is less than one percent of Cixi's. Even Zaixun, Zaitao, Yulang and others who support you now are far behind Yixin and Wenxiang back then. The ignorant young man sitting across from him was the regent of the country after all. No matter how arrogant Zhang Zhidong was, he couldn't ridicule him, so he suppressed his emotions and said in a pleasant tone: "My lord, the angry old minister speaks the truth. , except that Mu Zong and the emperor are the same, the other situation is very different today and then. The difference is that Yuan Shikai is not comparable to Sushun. Although Sushun is domineering, he has never led a soldier He did not have an army in his hands for a long time. Therefore, King Gong was ordered to arrest him, just like an eagle catching a chicken. He was sentenced to death, and he could only scold him, and no other harm could be done. Yuan Shikai was different. II For more than ten years, he has basically never been separated from the army. He recruited and trained the Beiyang Six Towns. Although he does not have the right to deploy troops now, his influence is deeply rooted in the Beiyang Army. Yuan Shikai is not enough for one person. If this leads to a mutiny in the Beiyang Army, and if the mutiny is combined with overseas revolutionary parties, then the situation will be complicated, my lord." After Zaifeng's guidance, he realized a lot, and he bowed his head in thought and remained silent. "My lord, this old minister is seventy-two years old this year. At the age of sixteen, Zhong Jieyuan, at the age of twenty-six, Zhong Tanhua, from the governor to the governor, to the minister of military affairs, to the university scholar, is an extremely human minister. Who gave all these, and who gave them all? Isn't it the grace of the court and the reward of the Lafayette? Before the Lafayette died, he called the old minister to discuss the important matter of establishing an heir. I don't have any extravagant hopes, I only hope that I can help the prince and assist the emperor as long as I can, I only hope that the Qing Dynasty will be stable for a day, and when the old minister closes his eyes and goes to see Lafayette, he can be worthy of her old man." Speaking of this, Zhang Zhidong was really moved.He really has endless gratitude to Cixi.Don't say that Cixi gave him a lifetime of glory comparable to Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, but the examination that year alone was enough for him to be grateful to Cixi for the rest of his life. After Zhang Zhidong understood it, he lost three chances to take the examination due to his father's death and his avoidance (his cousin Zhang Zhiwan was the same examiner).After the examination in the first year of Tongzhi, the examination was held again in the second year of Tongzhi, and one hundred and forty-one tributes were listed, and Zhang Zhidong was proud of being the first in the palace examination.During the re-examination, he used his pen to write a dragon and speak loudly, but unexpectedly caused controversy because of his excessive words. Most of the examiners suggested that he should be placed at the bottom of the top three.The test papers were presented to the two palaces, and Cixi especially appreciated Zhang Zhidong, who was promoted to the third place in the first class.In this way, Zhang Zhidong changed from a regrettable biography to a Tanhua who was admired by thousands of scholars.When Zhang Zhidong later learned of the Central Plains story, he was really grateful to Cixi. "Lafayette and Dezong left at the same time, leaving this heavy burden on your shoulders, my lord. Your every move is related to the country and the country. When you encounter problems, you should think twice and act after weighing the pros and cons. Don't take it lightly. Listen to irresponsible words and act hastily. Killing Yuan Shikai alone is a trivial matter, but if it causes turmoil and disturbs the tomb of Lafayette and Emperor Dezong, it will be a major event. I hope the prince will be careful! The ancients said that a person is about to die, so what he said Good. I am a dying man, and you have to believe that I will never say anything against the country." As he spoke, he felt that his eyes were getting dizzy, so he raised his hand to wipe them.Zaifeng was quite moved by Zhang Zhidong's sincerity. He stood up and said goodbye, "Old Xiangguo, I understand your feelings. Take care of yourself. I will carefully consider Yuan Shikai's matter." Zaifeng returned to the palace, chewed Zhang Zhidong's persuasion several times alone, and deeply felt that his words made sense. After a few days, the six towns of Beiyang all returned urgent calls.Except for the ambiguous tone of Ma Longbiao, the commander of the first town, the attitudes of the other five towns against killing Yuan were very clear.Wu Fengling, the commander of the Fifth Town, and Zhao Guoxian, the commander of the Sixth Town, even said that if you want to kill Yuan, please remove them from their posts first, so as to avoid the soldiers mutiny and the grace of God.After receiving these replies, Zaifeng dared not kill Yuan Shikai anymore.But Yuan was a ferocious enemy after all, and he was even more hateful and terrifying from the reaction of the six towns of Beiyang; if he was not killed, all his official positions would be dismissed and he would be expelled from the capital.Zaifeng made up his mind to get rid of this cancer for the country and himself.He personally drafted a decree: When this edict was published in the "Beijing News", it was less than ten days before Yuan Shikai was awarded the "reward of kindness" by the new emperor and the title of Prince Taibao.The unpredictable changes in the officialdom made everyone in the officialdom tremble!