Chapter 87 8. Yang Du showed his cards to the revolutionaries: Yuan Shikai is not Zeng Guofan

In fact, Yang Du's vice-minister of the academic department was dismissed after a short period of time, and Yuan Shikai promised that he would be appointed to an important position.The Ministry of Education is a deserted yamen, and Yang Du didn't have much interest in it, let alone a deputy, so he didn't care.He wants to build greater credit for the new nation that is about to be born in order to occupy a more important seat in the future cabinet. The northern negotiating team led by Tang Shaoyi, Minister of Posts and Communications of the Yuan Cabinet, traveled southward in a special car with great momentum and ostentation. Yang Du was not an official member of the delegation, but set out with the delegation as a constitutional expert.The special train drove very slowly, and every time it reached a relatively large station, local officials were waiting on the platform, asking them to get off the car and rest.The negotiators were not humble, they ate and drank a lot, and then got into the car with large boxes of local products.Some even proposed to see the famous mountains and rivers and the historical sites of the former dynasty, saying that it was a rare opportunity not to be missed.Tang Shaoyi felt that the delay on the road was too long, after all, it was not suitable for the current situation, so she had to sweep up the elegance of these officials.Yang Du was very upset: These people simply don't have the concept of a country in their minds. It's not a joke to let them take on such an important negotiation!

Stopping and stopping along the way, it took five days to arrive in Hankou.Although the fighting in the three towns of Wuhan has long since ceased, the flames of war in the past month have already burned this important town in central and southern China to the ground.What came into view was ruined walls, ruins and barren mounds, the streets were potholed by bombs, most of the shops were closed, and the market was depressed.Displaced citizens can be seen everywhere, huddled under the trees by the wall, setting up iron pots to cook.Yang Du saw it, felt very sorry, and thought: This is the consequence of the war. If the goal of constitutional salvation is achieved without this kind of violent revolution, wouldn't it be possible to save the people from a lot of suffering?The flames of war can no longer start, let alone spread!

The prosperous Hankou Town in the past could not find a decent inn to receive the negotiating team. Feng Guozhang, the front-line commander of the Beiyang Army, had to place them in the British Concession.Because it was rumored that Sun Yat-sen was going to return from the United States with a huge sum of money, the representatives who had been meeting in Hankou all left Hankou and took a boat to Shanghai to welcome Sun Yat-sen, and Shunchang Yangxing was empty.So the northern negotiating team moved in and filled the vacancy left by them.The British Concession was not affected by the war, and the foreign firms were full of Western-style furnishings. The officials from Beijing were very satisfied.

In the morning of the next day, Li Yuanhong, the governor of the Hubei military government, sent Sun Wu, the former leader of the Communist Party and the current Minister of Military Affairs of the military government, across the river to greet him.It was widely rumored that Sun Wu was Sun Wen's younger brother, and the negotiators also believed it to be true.Everyone scrutinized the brother of the great revolutionary with curious eyes, and offered him courtesies and befriended him one after another.Later, I learned that Sun Wu was from Hankou and had nothing to do with Sun Wen, so I was very disappointed.

The Yamen of the former Consultative Bureau of Wuchang Yuema Factory is now the office of the Hubei military government. Li Yuanhong held a grand welcome banquet for the northern negotiating team here.Although many people in Wuchang City have run out of food and cooking, there are all kinds of delicacies from mountains and seas at the reception banquet.The leading figures in Hubei Province, whether they are upstarts in the revolutionary army, members of the Advisory Council of the former monarch constitution, or former officials who did not have time to escape after the revolution and turned to support the military government, all gathered together.Regardless of the revolutionary sequence, or the north and south, everyone raised their glasses frequently, toasted each other, and wished the talks a success.It seems that the war has long been turned into jade, and the north and the south have become good friends and merged into one family.

The venue for the negotiation was selected in Shanghai, and Huang Xing and others had already left Wuhan. Li Yuanhong was also a warrior and was not good at talking. So the meeting in Wuchang was essentially just entertainment.After eating, chatting casually, chatting and chatting, passed the afternoon easily.Dinner was another big meal.Li Yuanhong sent people around to find actors to sing at the hall.After fighting for a month, all the theaters were closed, and they couldn't find famous actors, so they had to recruit a few Chu opera singers to deal with it.This Chu opera is a local opera in the Jianghan area. How can it compare with the capital's Pihuang? The negotiators all listened listlessly.Some young attendants couldn't stand the loneliness, so they quietly asked if there was any brothel in business.The receptionist of the military government agreed with a smile on his face: "It's easy to say, easy to say. There are too many people in that kind of place, so it's not convenient. There are many beautiful girls in Wuchang City. Tomorrow night, I will call some to accompany you all." grown ups."

Seeing this scene, Yang Du hurriedly said to Tang Shaoyi: "Brother Shaochuan, don't stay in Wuhan for a long time, it's best to sail tomorrow." "You can't stay here for a long time, let's go tomorrow!" Tang Shaoyi was very disappointed by the performance of the entourage and the appearance of the independent Wuhan. "Xizi, you can't rely on them for this negotiation. You and I are old friends of Xiangcheng. Even if you don't do it for the country, you just want to repay Xiangcheng's kindness. You can't be like them. You and the revolutionary party The leaders are familiar, and after arriving in Shanghai, I, the general representative, will rely on you for everything."

Yang Du said, "I will do my best." The sailing was smooth, and it arrived at the Shanghai pier after two days and three nights.Wearing a dark suit, Wu Tingfang led a group of people waiting on the Huangpu River pier.Although Wu Tingfang is in her sixties, her face is rosy and she is in good spirits. The recovery of Shanghai City seemed to come easily. After only half a day of fighting in the manufacturing bureau, the revolutionary army took control of the situation in Shanghai.Except for the change of personnel in several big yamen, everything else remains the same.The city is intact, and the market is as bustling as ever.The common people were not frightened at all, and they changed from slaves to masters overnight.It has only been more than a month since the liberation, and apart from the fact that the big and small leaders of the revolutionary army have received the fruits of the revolution, these protagonists seem to have not received any benefits.

The northern negotiating team stayed in a luxurious French-owned hotel on the Bund and enjoyed high-standard reception.After a few days of sightseeing, the two negotiating groups from the north and the south began to sit down and hold talks in the town hall of the British Concession. Yang Du did not participate in formal negotiations, but frequently visited old friends in the revolutionary army in private.Sometimes he also went with Wang Jingwei, but usually he went alone. The North-South talks did not go well.The southern negotiating group led by Wu Tingfang and joined by Wang Jingwei, Wang Chonghui, Niu Yongjian, and Hu Ying was a powerful negotiating group.They are all newly learned, knowledgeable and eloquent.Headed by Tang Shaoyi, the northern negotiating team composed of Yang Shiqi, Zhang Zongxiang, Fu Zengxiang, Zhang Guogan and others is not an opponent at the negotiating table.They knew that Yuan Shikai had an authoritarian personality, so they often used telegrams to ask the prime minister far away in Beijing for instructions.In this way, it not only reduces their own credibility at the negotiating table, but also makes the whole negotiation difficult.

The basis for the peace talks proposed by the southern negotiating group is that both sides agree to implement a democratic constitutional system.Tang Shaoyi said that he personally agrees, and Yuan Xiangcheng does not object, but the issue of the state system is serious, and it is appropriate to hold a national meeting to decide.South agrees with Don.So Tang Dian asked Yuan for instructions.Yuan asked the emperor to issue a decree to convene a national meeting, but members of the royal family such as Zaixun and Yulang firmly opposed it.The matter stuck. Since then, the North and the South have held four talks, involving some specific issues.For example, during the negotiation period, the Qing government was not allowed to withdraw the foreign funds already borrowed, nor to borrow foreign funds, and the composition of the National Assembly representatives, etc.But the results of the talks were not obvious.

Simultaneously with the North-South talks, there was a fierce struggle for the redistribution of power within the Revolutionary Army.After the recovery of Nanjing, the representatives of the independent provinces in Shanghai held a meeting and decided to use Nanjing as the seat of the interim government, elect Huang Xing as the marshal of the interim government, Li Yuanhong as the deputy marshal, and Huang Xing to be responsible for organizing the interim government of the Republic of China.After the representatives in Hankou learned about it, they believed that the representatives staying in Shanghai had no such right, and denied the election results.After the representative in Hubei and the representative in Shanghai arrived in Nanjing at the same time, it was decided to reverse the positions of the chief and deputy marshals, that is, Li served as the grand marshal and Huang served as the deputy marshal. Because Li was in Wuchang, he was replaced by Huang.Another person publicly stated that Huang Xing made a mistake in command in the Wuhan campaign and lost Hankou. He was the general of the defeated army and was not qualified to be the leader of the Republic of China.Huang Xing was very angry and announced that he would not accept whether it was the Generalissimo or the Deputy Marshal. In this way, because of the issue of a leader, the birth of the Republic of China was almost impossible.Fortunately, Sun Yat-sen returned from the United States at this time.Sun is a great revolutionary who is expected by everyone, and everyone publicly elected him as the interim president of the Republic of China.On December 27, among the seventeen provincial representatives in Nanjing, sixteen votes were cast for Sun Yat-sen, and only Tan Renfeng voted for his long-time comrade-in-arms Huang Xing to represent Hunan Province.At the same time, Nanjing was determined to be the capital of the Republic of China. On January 1 next year, the interim president's inauguration ceremony will be held in Nanjing to announce to the world the official establishment of the Republic of China. Yuan Shikai was furious when he heard the news.He was wholeheartedly waiting for the good news that the North and the South unanimously elected him as the President, but unexpectedly, Sun Wen, who had just returned to China, snatched him away.He first hated Huang Xing and others for playing with him, and then complained about Tang Shaoyi's incompetence, so he called to accuse Tang Yuequan of handling things.Tang Yingui resigned, and Yuan immediately approved it, and at the same time sent a secret message to Yang Du, asking him to unblock the north and the south, and never let go of his mission. After Yang Du received the secret telegram, he felt that the mission was heavy, but he couldn't help feeling somewhat proud. At the beginning of the decision to negotiate between the North and the South, he believed that the general representative of the northern negotiating team should be the most suitable for him.Because he not only has the ability to negotiate with the general representative, but also because he has an extraordinary friendship with the important members of the revolutionary army, and Tang Shaoyi, who has always been an official of the court, lacks such conditions. He does not understand why Yuan Shikai did not entrust this important task to Yuan Shikai. Give it to him and give it to Tang Shaoyi.Well, now it turns out that Don's negotiation failed, the next step is mine! Yang Du was determined to handle this matter beautifully, and let people in the northern and southern governments know that there is an outstanding talent in the world.He carefully analyzed the current situation: As far as Yuan Shikai was concerned, as long as he was allowed to be the president, he would probably accept other conditions.As for the revolutionaries, Yang Du vaguely saw that there seemed to be two factions in the interior through various contacts these days.One is the Cantonese faction headed by Sun Yat-sen.The main figures of this school include Hu Hanmin, Wang Jingwei, Wang Chonghui and so on.The other is the Hunan School headed by Huang Xing.The backbone of this faction includes Tan Renfeng, Song Jiaoren, Liu Kuiyi and others.The Hunan faction had already made it clear that they agreed with Yuan to be the president, but now that Sun was pushed out, it must be the result of the activities of the Guangdong faction among the representatives of the provinces.It is impossible to change this reality. The only thing that can be done is to persuade Sun to publicly say that his presidency is only temporary, and he will definitely give up this position to Yuan in the future.If this is the case, Yuan must be satisfied, and the North-South talks will achieve their expected results.It was only three days before Sun Yat-sen went to Nanjing to take office. The time was so short, what should we do?Yang Du thought that if he had to meet Mr. Sun no matter what, he had to make full preparations before the meeting in order to succeed in one fell swoop. He found Wang Jingwei first.Since Sun Yat-sen returned to China, Wang has been Sun's personal secretary.At this time, Wang had a very high status in Sun's mind, and Sun discussed every important matter with Wang. The documents drafted by Wang were basically issued by Sun without modification.Wang himself was in favor of Yuan being the president. Before Sun returned to China, he also said a lot of good things for Yuan among the representatives of the provinces.Yang Du explained his thoughts to Wang. Wang Jingwei said: "Mr. Sun has been so busy these days that he has no time to eat or sleep. Can he find time?" Yang Du said: "I'm going to ask you for your help. Be sure to ask Mr. Sun to take some time out of his busy schedule. In addition, I don't think you will forget Yuan Xiangcheng's kindness in knowing you, and do your best for Yuan Xiangcheng in front of Mr. Sun." Good words made Mr. Sun make this decision." Wang Jingwei said: "That is natural. I also think that under the current situation, it is more appropriate for Yuan Xiangcheng to be the president, and Mr. Sun will be a transitional president." Yang Du said: "Brother Jingwei, please explain this meaning to Hu Hanmin and Wang Chonghui, and let them help to say a few words." Wang Jingwei said: "I will say it, but it's hard to say whether the two of them will agree." After leaving Wang's house, he went to look for Liu Kuiyi again.Said to Liu Kuiyi: "Linsheng, do you still remember the oath we made to the gods when we were drinking in the current affairs school?" "Remember!" Liu Kuiyi, who has passed his thirties, still has a chubby baby face, giving people a feeling like a big child. "At that time we raised our glasses and said that no matter who he is in the future, as long as what he does is beneficial to China, we will all support him." "Yes." Yang Du was very pleased. This revolutionary, who is now regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Republic of China, did not have the arrogance of a winner. "Right now, the constitutional democracy you advocate is supported by the majority of people. I give up my years of constitutional monarchism to support the constitution of the people. I should have fulfilled my promise!" Liu Kui smiled and said, "Your attitude of knowing current affairs is very valuable." Yang Du said: "Now Yuan Xiangcheng has understood the current affairs and turned to support the democratic republic. Qianxiang you, Keqiang, and Zhuchu both thought that as long as he sincerely changed and overthrew the imperial court, he would support him as the president. I think your This proposition must also be made for China's best interests." "Of course it is." Liu Kui said sternly, "We have no personal relationship with Yuan Xiangcheng, not to mention that we don't like him in terms of personal relationship. Besides, who doesn't want to be the president? I, Liu Linsheng, would like to, but I Self-knowledge is not enough. Now among the revolutionaries, Sun Yat-sen is enough in prestige, Huang Keqiang in merit, Wang Jingwei in character, and Song Zhuchu in talent. In terms of conditions, Yuan Xiangcheng is not enough in any respect. But considering national interests, Yuan is more than anyone else." Yang Ducun said: "Linsheng, what you said is really profound and righteous, and it is also sincere and true. I hope you will also tell the representatives of the provinces. Now that Sun Yat-sen has been elected as the interim president, Yuan Xiangcheng has doubts. It's not good for the country." Liu Kuiyi said to Yang Du straightforwardly: "Okay, I want to make this stake clear to everyone." The next afternoon, Wang Jingwei told Yang Du that Mr. Sun agreed to meet him at his apartment tonight. No. 408 Baochang Road was originally the house of the Frenchman Tuxie, and now it is the place where Mr. Sun Yat-sen stayed in Shanghai.This is a small western-style building with green tiles and red bricks, with two floors.The upper floor is a study, bedroom, and office, and the lower floor is a reception room, dining room, and kitchen.Trees, flowers and plants are planted around the western-style building, and black and white cobblestones pave a path around the building.A wall more than one person high separates it from the market.The peaceful, quiet and elegant atmosphere inside the wall seems to be two worlds from the noisy, impetuous and vulgar Shili foreign market not far away.Since Sun Yat-sen moved in five days ago, this place has become the soul of each independent province and even the whole of China.Just when the revolutionary faction was deadlocked because of the leader's election, Sun Yat-sen rushed back from abroad in time.We are glad that the revolutionary ship has a man at the helm, and the Republic of China has a recognized leader.History once again proves here that a leader whose prestige is always supported by the hearts of the people is so important to a political party that wants to achieve great things. At a certain time, it can even determine the success or failure of the party. In the past few days, countless big and small things have poured into this building, waiting for its owner to make a decision.The incoming Chinese first-ever president handles all this methodically with superhuman wisdom and energy.Excessive fatigue made his face even darker and thinner, but his two bright eyes, which penetrated into the details, became more radiant than ever. Yes, Sun Yat-sen was really excited.From studying in the Boya Hospital and having private talks with friends to overthrow the Qing Dynasty to investigating the situation in the north and plotting a large-scale campaign, from forming the Xingzhong Association to traveling around the world to promote the revolution among overseas Chinese to raise money, from suffering in London to founding the Tongmenghui, from the development of a single national revolution From the theory of the Three People's Principles, from the failure of the plot to attack Guangzhou to the sacrifice of the 72 martyrs in Huanghuagang, what a difficult, tortuous and bloody road has been traveled for more than 20 years!No matter how difficult he was, no matter how frustrated he was, and no matter how impetuous, frustrated, misunderstood or even infighting by comrades around him, Sun Yat-sen was always full of confidence in the victory of the revolution and always maintained a high fighting spirit.He was far-sighted, well-thought-out, open-minded, self-seeking, and a long-term and suffering revolutionary career, forging a true leader and great man for the Chinese nation.Today, when he sees that the idea of ​​a democratic republic that he has fought for for more than 20 years has been accepted by the majority of the Chinese people, when he sees that most of the provinces have declared independence from the Manchu Dynasty, when he sees the Chinese When the Republic of China is about to be established and the feudal autocracy of more than 2,000 years is about to be completely wiped out, how relieved this great pioneer must be! However, in just a few days, Sun Yat-sen's wise eyes have seen the hidden dangers hidden in the victory. The time for the revolution to brew and operate was so long and painful, but the day of the victory of the revolution came so quickly and suddenly, which was unexpected by Sun Yat-sen.This is certainly a good thing, but there are many problems that come with it. There are few truly independent provinces led by revolutionaries. Many so-called independences are just a change of signboard. Everyone is business as usual.The purpose of Sun Yat-sen's revolution was not only to change a dynasty, but to establish a new social order.Can this new social order be established by relying on those who don't understand the Three Principles of the People at all, who are full of old-fashioned feudalism, and who ruled yesterday as governors today?In addition to the old officials, there are many party leaders and speculative gentry in the military governments of the provinces. These people are not real revolutionaries.Even among the revolutionaries, the partial victory in front of them has made many of them dizzy and disheartened.They believed that the revolution was successful, and years of hard work should be rewarded, and fights and even fires for official positions and territory continued to happen.Some people shouted that the revolutionary army will revitalize the revolutionary party, and they actually want to abolish the revolutionary party!There are also many people who are worried about the future of the new provincial military government and the Central Provisional Government.On the one hand, they were afraid of Yuan Shikai's strength, and on the other hand, they were helpless about the lack of money. The treasuries of many provinces were empty, and not only the military salaries, but also the salaries of the military government staff could not be paid.Representatives of some provinces voted for Sun Yat-sen because they heard that he returned home with huge sums of money.Sun Yat-sen smiled wryly and said: "I am really penniless, and all I bring back is the revolutionary spirit." They were very disappointed.Sun Yat-sen was also disappointed in such expectations among the revolutionary ranks. As soon as Sun Yat-sen set foot on the Huangpu Wharf, he heard that Huang Xinghe's representatives in various provinces in Hubei had made a resolution to "wait for Yuan Shikai". How can the fruits of the revolution be handed over to Yuan Shikai?" In the past few days, I have contacted many people and talked with them about the situation and future, only to find that most of them agree with the views of Huang Xing and others.Although Sun Yat-sen was extremely dissatisfied with this compromise, he knew that it could not be reversed.He was soberly aware that the revolution had not been successful and continued efforts were still needed.Therefore, the interim president does not need to be a long time.Yesterday Wang Jingwei told him that Yuan Shikai was quite dissatisfied with his upcoming appointment, and Yuan's personal representative Yang Du wanted to come to see him.Sun Yat-sen also wanted to know more about Yuan's attitude and the strength of the North, not to mention that Yang Du was an old friend. Although he was too busy to sleep and eat, he decided to meet Yang Du. In the evening, accompanied by Wang Jingwei, Yang Du arrived at No. 408 Baochang Road.As soon as he entered the gate, Sun Yat-sen came out of the room, greeted him with open arms, and greeted him in loud Cantonese Mandarin: "Mr. Xizi, hello, we meet again!" Yang Du stepped forward quickly, hugged Sun Yat-sen's shoulders, and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhongshan, I am here to congratulate you. The day after tomorrow, you will be the president of the Republic of China, and you are the great Washington of China!" "Thank you, you have won the prize. How can I compare with Washington." Sun Yat-sen let go of his arms, looked at Yang Du and said, "I haven't seen each other for five or six years, you have gained weight." Yang Du also looked at Sun Yat-sen carefully and said, "You are thinner than when you were in Tokyo." "Really?" Sun Yat-sen laughed. "Being a revolutionary doesn't give you the blessing of getting fat." Wang Jingwei said, "Let's all go inside!" The elegant drawing room was already lit with soft, bright electric lights.The three of them sat on the soft leather sofa, drank sweet American coffee, and chatted.Just when we were about to turn to the topic, Hu Hanmin and Wang Chonghui came in. Hu Hanmin and Yang Du are classmates at Hosei University in Tokyo, and they are old acquaintances.We haven't seen each other for many years, and we are very happy with each other.Although it was the first time Wang Chonghui and Yang Du met, they had been friends for a long time.That year, when the Guangdong-Han Railway took back its own management, Wang Chonghui, as the leader of the students studying in the United States, sent a letter to Yang Du, the director-general of the Tokyo Student Association in Japan, acknowledging that Yang Du was also the representative of the students studying in the United States.Yang Du wrote back to Wang Chonghui, expressing that he lived up to everyone's expectations.Because of this relationship, they can be regarded as old friends, so they are also very affectionate. Sun Yat-sen smiled and said to everyone: "It's a rare reunion of old friends! Xizi will talk more about northern affairs tonight. Zhantang and Liangchou will also listen to it." Hu and Wang said, "I'm about to hear Xizi talk about the north. This is a major event at the moment." Yang Du thought to himself: The main figures of the Cantonese faction are all here, this is a good opportunity, so he put down his coffee cup and started to talk about business: "As for the North's view on the situation, I think you have already learned from the North-South talks. some." Wang Chonghui said: "Brother Jingwei and I participated in the North-South negotiations, but the representatives from the North did not talk in detail. The Prime Minister just returned to China, and cousin Zhan arrived in Shanghai from Guangzhou the day before yesterday. They all wanted to know more about the inside story of the North." Mr. Xizi, you are not only an important member of the Qing court, but also our friend, you need to provide more top-secret information!" Yang Du smiled and said: "There is no top-secret information to provide, it's just a casual chat with old friends." Hu Hanmin was very addicted to smoking, because Sun Yat-sen didn't smoke, so he didn't dare to smoke in this reception room two days ago.When the craving for cigarettes was on the rise, he had an excuse: "I remember Xizi likes to smoke cigars, Prime Minister, let me smoke some with him!" Sun Yat-sen said with a smile: "You smoker, I knew you couldn't make it through. Well, it's considered to be entertaining an old friend I haven't seen for many years. I approve you to smoke with Xizi." Hu Hanmin hurriedly took out a box of cigars imported from Japan, handed one to Yang Du, and picked one up himself.Suddenly there was a fragrant smell of smoke in the room. After smoking a few cigars, Yang Du became more energetic. He talked eloquently: "There are generally three attitudes in the northern political circles towards the succession of independence in the south. One is to advocate resolute suppression, and we must maintain the Qing royal family as the leader. The other is to wait and see, see who is stronger, and then decide which side to fall to. The other is inclined to democratic constitutionalism, but due to various factors, it is not yet possible to publicly express its attitude. " Sun Yat-sen interjected: "Xizi, please tell me frankly, as far as you know, how powerful the North is at present." Yang Du took another drag on his cigarette and said, "To put it bluntly, if the north really wants to fight a tough battle with the south, the south may not be able to fight it." "Why do you know that?" Hu Hanmin didn't seem very happy to hear such words. "Let's take a look at military power first." Yang Du put most of the cigar on the ashtray to free up his right hand for gesturing. "Currently in the north there are still about 130,000 new troops, eight towns, eight associations and one standard, 270,000 old patrol battalions, 70,000 newly recruited patrol battalions, and another 225,000 Eight Banners soldiers. There are 135,000 people, a total of over 800,000. The new army in the independent provinces of the south is nearly 90,000 people in six towns, twelve associations and three standards. The parties and people participating in the war cannot be counted as a formal combat force. They came today , Dispersed tomorrow, can only help momentum, will not listen to dispatch. In terms of military strength alone, the strength of the north is about nine times that of the south, even if other combatants are included, it is less than half of the north." Sun Yat-sen listened silently.He knows the distribution of new troops in various provinces across the country, and Yang Du's analysis is roughly in line with the facts.To be honest, the success of each province's independence is determined by the aspirations of the people, not the result of battles on the battlefield.If there is a desperate struggle on the battlefield, most of the military governments of independent provinces may not be able to sustain themselves.Of course, the final victory or defeat still depends on the will of the people, but it must be after the long-term bloody struggle and the sacrifice of millions of people. How can the country and the people withstand the catastrophe! "In terms of equipment," Yang Du saw that they were listening to him carefully, and continued with great interest, "Most of the equipment of the Southern New Army is made of 88-type Mausers and Hanyang, and there are few machine guns. Artillery is also all Old-fashioned and backward. The new army in the north, especially the six towns of Beiyang are Yuan Shikai’s direct descendants, all of them are all German 89-type rifles, and are equipped with a considerable number of Maxine heavy machine guns and Madsen light machine guns.” Sun Yat-sen was surprised that Yang Du had such a clear grasp of the army's equipment.He has always devoted a lot of energy to the ideological construction and organizational construction of the revolutionary party, the propaganda and agitation of the people, and the planning and design of the future democratic republic. Not thinking too much and not being very good at it.In military terms, Huang Xing is the No. 1 general in the Revolutionary Party.Hu Hanmin was also born as a literati. He had been the governor for more than a month, and his position forced him to know more about the military situation.He interjected: "Keqiang told me that the key reason for the fall of Hankou and Hanyang was that the Beiyang Army had machine guns and submunitions, but we did not." Wang Chonghui also said: "Representatives from all provinces said that weapons are a big problem. In the past, the weapons bought by the Qing government from foreigners were given priority to equip the six towns of Beiyang, and then some were distributed to the Zhili patrol battalion and the Eight Banners garrison. The new armies of the provinces are all old and broken guns left by the former Xianghuai Army, and the Hanyang made is a new type of weapon for them.” Hu Hanmin said: "The Hanyang-made rifles in the Guangdong New Army, after two or three hundred rounds of bullets are fired, the barrel burns hot, and it takes an hour or two to be cold before being used again. It is really a tough battle, and Hanyang doesn't care. use." "This is about the military aspect. As for the financial aspect, the north still has the advantage." Yang Du continued: "Although the Qing court said that its treasury was empty, it could still squeeze out tens of millions of taels of silver in order to save its life. The first two years They have continuously borrowed 31 million taels of foreign debt, which can be used to boost morale in emergencies. The Bank of the Four Kingdoms has publicly stated that as long as the Qing court cooperates with them in a friendly manner, they are willing to maintain this government and immediately provide 7 million taels of loans. With the addition of tariffs and salt tax, the Qing court can still collect 70 to 80 million taels of silver in the short term. Under the heavy reward, there must be brave men, those Qiu Ba who have no political acumen and only know how to get promoted and get rich, will fight to win this war. step forward." Yang Du picked up the coffee and took a sip.He found that the leaders of the revolutionary party all had stern faces, and he knew that they were thinking nervously in their hearts.He didn't want to be regarded by them as a lobbyist of the Qing court, so he said: "What I said is the actual situation, and there is no exaggeration or falsehood. I and you are old friends who have known each other for many years, and I know all the revolutionaries. The goal is for the country and the people. I sincerely believe that the current North-South peace talks are the greatest good for the well-being of the country and the people." "We are willing to talk about peace. The North-South peace talks went well. Why did Mr. Shaochuan suddenly resign?" Sun Yat-sen looked at Yang Du sharply and asked. The conversation has entered the substantive stage.Yang Du put down his glass and said solemnly: "Let me put it bluntly. Tang Shaochuan's resignation actually means the breakdown of the North-South peace talks. The real reason for the breakdown of the North-South peace talks is that Yuan Xiangcheng knew that Mr. Zhongshan had been elected as the president. The partisans don't believe him." Sun Yat-sen said with a smile: "That's right! I am a temporary president, and I can be inappropriate at any time. I, Sun, have been running revolution for decades, and never thought that I would be the president of a new country. Revolution is dangerous. There is a possibility of sacrifice at any time, if I was thinking about my own interests, I would have stopped revolution long ago.” Turning his face to his comrades in arms, he said: "We revolutionaries do not have the idea of ​​seeking personal interests. For example, Comrade Jingwei, before he went to assassinate Zaifeng, he even wrote a blood letter to die for the country." Wang, Hu, and Wang all smiled and nodded. Yang Du said: "The spirit of revolutionaries who sacrifice their lives for the country is deeply admired by the people of the country, and I also admire it. But Yuan Xiangcheng, especially the soldiers of the Beiyang Army under Yuan Xiangcheng, did not have such a broad mind. They Abandoning the idea of ​​loyalty to the monarch that they have pursued for many years and instead supporting the constitution of the people, if there is no benefit for them, what will they do?" Wang Chonghui asked: "Mr. Xizi has a deep relationship with Yuan Shikai these years. Who is he and is he worthy of trust? I would like you to tell us the truth as an old friend." Sun Yat-sen also said: "The question Liangchou raised just now is not only his personal question, but many people in the revolutionary party have this question. Yuan Shikai also publicly stated in the early days that he wanted to keep the little emperor of the Manchus, and he wanted to serve as the emperor. Why does it suddenly turn in favor of a republic if the constitution is in effect?" Yang Du smiled and said: "If you want to ask who Yuan Xiangcheng is, I can sum it up in one word. He is a man who understands current affairs. From his consistent advocacy of reform and reform, training of new troops, and efforts to implement new policies, it can be seen that his thinking is decisive. Not old-fashioned. The six requirements put forward to the Qing court before leaving the mountain this time, such as the opening of the National Assembly next year and the organization of a responsible cabinet, are not much different from the policy of the revolutionary army from the perspective of governance plans. The third and fourth Tolerate those who participated in this incident, lift the ban on the party, and clearly show sympathy for the revolutionary party. You can see from this that Yuan Xiangcheng is by no means a stubborn old bureaucrat, nor is he determined to fight for the revolutionary army. enemy." Hu Hanmin said: "I don't think Yuan Shikai will serve the Manchus wholeheartedly. How can he forget the past accusations of degrading his job for the people?" Wang Jingwei said: "It is reasonable to say that Yuan Xiangcheng knows the times and changes. After I was released from prison, he invited me to teach him a class on democracy and constitutionalism. I taught him three nights in a row, and he listened to it. Said: It seems that the practice of democratic constitutionalism is not a bad thing." Hu and Wang's interjections undoubtedly provided arguments for Yang Du.He went on to say: "As for Yuan Xiangcheng who said a few days ago that he wanted to implement the constitution of the monarch, I think you should understand his situation. As the prime minister of the imperial court, he did not say in public that he supported the imperial court and the constitution of the monarch. Can his prime minister be successful? Because he is aware of the changes of the times, he can see that constitutional democracy is a state system accepted by the majority, so he agrees with this state system in his heart. He told me this , I also told Jingwei." Sun Yat-sen asked: "Although there is a suspicion of demotion, the Yuan family has been favored by the Manchus for three generations, and he himself has been rewarded by the Manchus. Manlu, can you do it?" Yang Du sneered, and said decisively: "The words of being honored by the state and being loyal to the emperor are just the creeds of people like Zeng Guofan. Let me show my hole card to Mr. Sun and everyone today. Yuan Xiangcheng is definitely not Zeng Guofan, and he is definitely not Zeng Guofan. I don't want to be Zeng Guofan..." "Sir, there is an urgent telegram." Yang Du was about to continue.A young secretary in a suit came in, raised a piece of paper in his hand and said to Sun Yat-sen. Wang Jingwei stood up and took the paper, glanced at it quickly, and handed it to Sun Yat-sen. "Threat, this is a threat!" Sun Yat-sen threw the piece of paper on the coffee table angrily. Hu Hanmin took the telegram from the coffee table, Wang Chonghui also leaned over and read softly: "According to Beijing news: Feng Guozhang, Duan Qirui and other forty-eight senior generals of the Beiyang Army jointly sent a telegram to the whole country to defend the constitution with all their strength and resist the Republic to the death. " Yang Du was secretly proud of himself.He guessed that the telegram must have come from Yuan Shikai's instruction, this experienced politician is really shrewd and cunning.At this moment, when this telegram arrived here, it was of great help to him.He said with an air of knowing the inside story: "Feng Huafu and Duan Zhiquan told me on the front line in Hankou that they only knew that there was a monarchy, but they didn't know that there was a republic. These soldiers have a rigid mind, and there is really nothing they can do about it." Wang Jingwei said: "These people are all the robes of Yuan Xiangcheng, and they have a great influence on Yuan." Yang Du took Wang Jingwei's words and said: "That's exactly the case. I just said that Yuan Xiangcheng's original intention was not to be Zeng Guofan, but to serve the Qing court loyally. But if these generals under him firmly disagree with the republic and encourage him to maintain the monarchy, that's okay. It may force him to follow the path of Zeng Guofan. If Yuan Xiangcheng becomes the second Zeng Guofan, it is hard to say whether the south can win by virtue of the military and economic strength of the north." “哼！”孙中山突然愤怒地站起来，大声说，“北洋将领誓死抵抗也好，袁世凯做第二个曾国藩也好，大不了战争重新打起来，我孙某人奉陪到底！” 会客室的空气一下子紧张起来。孙中山从上衣袋里掏出一块白绢擦着嘴唇，面孔绷得紧紧的。胡汉民、王宠惠拿眼睛望着，一时都不说话。汪精卫起身，对孙中山说：“总理，莫发怒，坐下吧！” 说着便扶着孙中山坐到沙发上，又端起咖啡杯递上去。孙中山接过喝了一口，脸色开始缓解下来。 汪精卫轻言细语地说：“正如总理所说的，北洋将领此举无疑是对我们的恫吓威胁，不过，若真的战事重开的话，我们会面临着武器和经费方面的严重困难。这尚在其次，更重要的是南方各省的老百姓将要承受战争给他们带来的巨大痛苦。” 杨度立即附和：“还有一点，中国若长期内战，正好给洋人以可乘之机。洋人若一旦介入战争，中国将有可能四分五裂，后果不堪设想。” “现在看来，即使损失很大，仗也是非重开不可，难道我们还能屈服于冯国璋这批北洋将领的压力不成？”孙中山余怒未消，说起话来仍火气很大。 “北洋将领的情况我知道。”杨度说，“他们最关心的并不是国体政体，而是自己的官位权力。只要有官有权，至于行什么体制他们并不在乎。多年来北洋军习惯于听袁项城的话，所以大家都说北洋军是只知有袁宫保不知有朝廷。他们所谓的誓死捍卫君宪制，那只是一个幌子，实际上要捍卫袁项城的地位。我可以担保，假若临时政府公开宣布，将大总统一职给袁项城，北洋将领们什么捍卫君宪反对共和的高调就决不会再唱了。” 汪精卫忙接着说：“皙子这几句话倒是说到冯段等人的心底里去了。” 经此点破，孙、胡、王也很快明白过来。但袁世凯只是表示他拥护共和，并没有具体行动，凭他这句空话，就把大总统让给他，革命军岂不太软弱了？ 这时年轻秘书又进来了：“先生，张季直先生有要事察报。” “请他进来吧！”孙中山的心情已基本平静下来，他微微扬了扬手说。 将近花甲的张謇身穿一件金花黑底缎面长袍，拄一根时新的弯头文明竹杖，迈着方步跨进会客厅。江苏独立时，张謇以省谘议局议长的身份首先响应革命。前几天，他和原江苏巡抚、现江苏军政府都督程德全，革命元老、光复会会长章炳麟一起组建统一党。张謇集名士、实业家、统一党党魁于一身，又年居长辈，孙中山对他非常尊敬。 见他进来，会客厅所有人都站起迎接。孙中山走上前，双手扶着他，把他送到沙发边，客气地问：“直老有何贵干？” 张謇分开两腿坐在沙发上，两手扶着支起在两腿之间的文明拐杖，俨然一副长者的派头，也不向四周的年轻人打招呼，只面对着孙中山一个人说话：“前几天，袁慰庭给我来了一份电报，问我今年夏天对他说的话还算不算数。” “直老夏天对他说了什么话？”孙中山问。 杨度心里想，是不是袁说的江浙立宪派抬他出山的事？遂倾耳恭听。 “夏天我进京时，特为在彰德下了车，去洹上村看了看袁慰庭。我们二十多年没见面了。他那时革职乡居，心情有点颓废。我打他的气，说大家都希望他早点出山收拾残局。” 胡汉民笑着说：“直老有远见，那时就知道他会复出。” “不是在你们这些后生子面前吹牛皮。”张謇扫了四周一眼说，“我张某人别的能力没有，要说看人，倒是八九不离十。二十多年前，袁慰庭不过一落拓无赖，吴军门若不是看在故友的情谊上，根本不会收容他。我观察一段时期后，发现这小子不是等闲人，便推荐给吴军门，要吴重用。吴将他带到朝鲜，这以后才有慰庭的发迹。好了，这些老话不说了。” 张謇端起杯子，看了看，摇摇头说：“孙先生，你这是什么洋东西，我喝不惯。” 孙中山忙从他手里拿过杯子，对着门外说：“阿桥，你去给直老换一杯好龙井茶来。” 张謇双手在拐杖上下摸了摸，说：“我今天特为来告诉孙先生，我们统一党上午开了一个会，会上议决要袁慰庭办一件事。” “什么事？”众人异口同声地问。 “要慰庭劝皇上退位。只要皇上一退位，我们统一党就举他做大总统。大家推我拟一个电文。我给慰庭吃一颗定心丸：甲日满退，乙日推公，东南诸方一切通过。” 大家一齐看着张謇，愣住了。杨度简直想冲上前去拥抱这位倚老卖老的大名士，正是他这句话，给南北会谈由破裂转向实现预期效果提供了一条好途径。胡汉民和王宠惠心里突然对这个老头子生出反感来。如此大事，居然不先征求一下已被推举为临时大总统的孙先生的意见，就擅作主张，甚至还用什么“甲”呀“乙”呀“一切通过”呀这类字眼，这不明摆着将统一党置于同盟会之上，置于中央临时政府和孙大总统之上吗？太狂妄不自量了！太讨好巴结袁世凯了！两位年轻的革命家顿时愤慨起来。 孙中山听了，一股悲凉之感油然而生。这件事充分说明了革命军中许多人还只知一个民族革命而不知其他，以为只要推翻了满洲皇帝，中国的一切问题便都解决了。革命意识浅薄得可怜。同时也充分说明革命阵营中原本存在的山头派性，将会随着暂时的胜利而愈加明朗对立，即将诞生的中央政府会很难有一个统一的意志，统一的行动。杨度所分析的军事财政两方面南北力量悬殊也是实情。一个决定已在孙中山的脑子里慢慢形成了：让位给袁世凯，用武昌起义和十四省独立来换取满洲皇帝的退位也是一个重大的胜利，真正的民主共和再靠尔后的斗争来获取。 想到这里，孙中山断然对张謇说：“我同意统一党的意见，只要满虏退位，我就把临时大总统一职交给袁慰庭。” 又转过脸对杨度说：“烦你也给袁慰庭拍个电报，一是把我刚才说的话告诉他，二是请他转告冯段等北洋将领，要以国家和百姓的利益为重。中国的出路只有民主共和，舍此之外别无前途！”