Chapter 101 2. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, which person who handles major events does not want to be a prime minister

Things really happened as Yuan Shikai expected.Soon, it was this Japanese envoy Hikisuke who met Yuan Shikai again.This time he brought Yuan Shikai a gift - the "Sino-Japanese Treaty of Friendship" drawn up by him and his government. Yuan Shikai flipped through the treaty draft, and the treaty was divided into five numbers.The first four articles stipulate that Japan enjoys all the rights and interests of Germany in Shandong, and other countries can no longer interfere in Shandong's affairs.Article 7 of the second issue stipulates that the lease period of Lushun and Dalian and the handover period of the Nanman and Anfeng railways should be extended by 99 years.Article 2 of No. 3 requires Hanyeping Company to be jointly established by China and Japan.Article No. 4 requires China not to lease coastal ports, coasts, and islands to other countries.Article 5, Article 7, requires the hiring of Japanese as political, financial, and military advisers.There are twenty-one treaties in total.

After Yuan Shikai read the twenty-one items, his face changed drastically.He clearly knew that agreeing to the Twenty-One Agreement meant agreeing that China would become a Japanese colony instead of a sovereign country, and he himself would become a son-in-law under the auspices of Japan. From Yuan Shikai's face, Hikimashi could see the dilemma in his heart, and said with a smile: "Mr. President, Japan and China are friendly and friendly. Yes. Our government will fully support Mr. President to restore the imperial system in your country, and the President should also provide some convenience for our country. If the President cannot sign this treaty, it can only show that Mr. President does not want friendship between Japan and China. If so , our imperial army of Japan will be ordered to use force to obtain the rights we should enjoy."

Hikimashi's words couldn't be more blatant.If you do not agree to this treaty, not only will you not be able to obtain Japan's support for the imperial system, but it will also cause Japan to declare war on China.Japan's military strength is so strong that even Germany and Russia are no match, let alone China!Yuan Shikai's memory of the annihilation of the entire Beiyang navy is still fresh in Yuan Shikai's memory, and it is precisely because of this that Li Hongzhang's evening scene was depressed.If there is another war with Japan, the Beiyang army he has worked hard for 20 years will be completely defeated by Japan.Without this army, why would Yuan Shikai rule China?His enemy, the Nationalist Party, could expel him from Zhongnanhai in one morning, tying him to the guillotine.Can't offend Japan!

When Yuan Shikai was about to express his acceptance of the twenty-one rules, he turned to think, wouldn't he become a traitor who betrayed his sovereignty?It is also extremely disgraceful for generations to let future generations call themselves a Qin Hui-style figure.He looked at the treaty again, and thought carefully: the eleven articles of the first and second issues were all signed by the former Qing Dynasty, but it was just a change of country and an extension of the deadline, and the crime was not serious.The third Sino-Japanese joint venture company cannot be regarded as a traitor.It's just that the eight items in No. 4 and No. 5 are a bit too much. It's like handing over the whole country to Japan, which can't be done.Yes, bargain with them and sign with restrictions.

Thinking of this, he said to Hiichi Yi: "This is a major matter that needs to be negotiated. Please, your minister, discuss it with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country first!" When Hikiyiki and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs were discussing the treaty in secret, an American newspaper learned of the news and made it public first.The Chinese people were filled with righteous indignation when they learned about it, and they raised severe questions to the government, and soon launched an unprecedented nationwide boycott of Japanese goods. Even the Beiyang Army expressed dissatisfaction with this matter. Feng Guozhang and the military chiefs of the 19 provinces issued a telegram, Please fight for the country to resist insults.

While Yuan Shikai refuted the rumors publicly, he racked his brains to come up with a perfect plan.He finally instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to detach Article 57 from this treaty and discuss it later.Article No. 4 was changed to the announcement by the Chinese government in the "Proposal on Consolidating National Defense".After repeated discussions, the Japanese government accepted the amendment.On May 9th, both China and Japan recognized this "treaty of friendship". The day before, Yuan Shikai summoned senior government officials and told them the process of the treaty discussion.He burst into tears at the meeting, with a look of helplessness for the country, he said that he would never be a subjugated citizen, and asked all officials to regard the signing of this treaty as a great shame for China. cause.After the meeting, he wrote this speech into two secret edicts and sent them to the civil and military chiefs of the provinces, telling them not to forget the tragic day of May 9th.He also instructed Ding Foyan to write a book entitled "The History of the Failure of Sino-Japanese Negotiations", and 50,000 copies were printed and stored secretly in Shandong.Yuan Shikai said to the people around him, this time we have suffered a big loss, and we will turn around in the future and release this book to the public.

Yuan Shikai's wonderful performance confused some senior government officials, but it was not recognized by the Chinese people. Everyone designated May 9 as a national humiliation day and Yuan Shikai as a traitor.Sun Yat-sen, the true founder of the Republic of China in Japan, saw Yuan Shikai's true face more clearly through this incident. He formed the Chinese Revolutionary Party to replace the split Kuomintang, determined to completely overthrow the traitorous Yuan Shikai regime. Amid the accusations and opposition from the Chinese at home and abroad, Yuan Shikai realized the importance of dictatorship even more. He and his son, who was determined to be the prince of Taiyuan, became closer and decided to implement the monarchy as soon as possible.

At this time, Goodnow, a professor of political science at Columbia University in the United States, published an essay "The Republic and the Monarch" in the "Asia Daily", proposing the argument that the monarchy is the superior state system in the world, and emphatically discussing the reasons why China must practice a monarchy .An American political scientist who has practiced democratic constitutionalism for more than 100 years openly believes that democracy is inferior to the monarch. This is undoubtedly a powerful stimulant for the Chinese old and young who have just left the monarch for only three or four years .For a while, many people either published articles or gave public speeches, advocating the return of power to the Qing Dynasty, setting off a wave of restoration of the Qing Dynasty.

Song Yuren, editor of the National History Museum and Wang Kaiyun's favorite student at Zunjing Academy in Sichuan, was the most active in this restoration trend.The officials of the Suzheng Hall couldn't figure out where this trend came from, so they had to do business. The last suggestion was to suppress the fallacy of restoration.It was not Yuan Shikai's intention to return the government and clean up the house, so he approved this proposal to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for investigation and handling.The Ministry of Internal Affairs investigated and prosecuted Song Yuren according to the order, and made a decision that "the comments are absurd and the mind is in disorder, so he should be sent back to his original place and handed over to the local officials for inspection".In this way, Song Yuren was deported from Beijing.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs investigated and punished the editor of the National History Museum, and even the director of the National History Museum did not say hello, which made the 83-year-old man very unhappy.When sending Song Yuren away from the capital, Wang Kaiyun held his disciple's hand, weeping, which made all those who saw him off feel sad.This made Wang Kaiyun even more disgusted with Yuan Shikai. After Song Yuren was expelled, the wind of restoration fell silent for a while, and the newspapers once again talked about supporting a democratic republic.Seeing that this situation was not right, Yuan Keding asked Yang Du the topic of "Saving the country with the constitution of the monarch" and asked him to write a big article on it.In order to better prepare for the monarchy, Yuan Keding gave Yang Du another house.This house is located on Shifuma Street next to Xuanwu Gate. It is a two-story Western-style building, very spacious and luxurious.At this time, Huang's family just gave birth to a daughter, and Yizhu's big belly was about to give birth. The family asked a nanny to greet her and a tailor to make clothes for the baby.Jingzhu's old illness relapsed, and the doctor often came to call for his pulse and deliver medicine.Huai'an Hutong was full of people and horses.Yang Du was looking for a quiet place, so he readily accepted it.

Everything in the room was well arranged, and Yuan Keding arranged a beautiful servant he had used before here to take care of Yang Du's daily life.Yang Du felt very comfortable living here.He has long wanted to write a big article.In the past, the constitutional monarchy has been studied for many years, and there are many things to say to the people of the country. In addition, the chaotic political order since the implementation of the Republic in the past few years has provided a lot of powerful evidence against the constitutional monarchy in China.Whether it is for the country or for himself, as a well-researched constitutional expert, Yang Du feels that he should have a more in-depth analysis than foreigners when facing the big problem of China's state system.The Chinese have no high-level research results on what kind of system their country chooses, and they have to rely on the breath of foreigners. Isn't it ridiculous! However, Yang Du blushed quite a bit while contemplating this article.Although I have advocated the monarchy for many years, but at such a critical moment as the year of 1911, I did not stand up and bravely defend this truth. Instead, I published a proposal for a republic, and actively worked to mediate for Yuan Shikai to win the president of the Republic of China, which incurs criticism from others. To ridicule and curse.After three or four years, the stance of the Republic was changed again, and the old tune of the constitution of the monarchy was repeated. How do the outside world view this matter?Don't you say that you are capricious and speculative?Those who know the inside story will say that they sold themselves to join Yuan's father and son, willing to be the maid and concubine of Yuan's dynasty.Thinking of this, Yang Du couldn't help feeling guilty again. He lit a foreign-style cigarette, and asked the servant to pour him a glass of English whiskey.He took a big sip and suppressed his weak heart.When his mood gradually stabilized, the scene of counting Arhats at night in Biyun Temple once again appeared in his mind, the time when teachers and students sat in Ming Xingzhai to study the learning of emperors, and the three-time test of Hu Sanpai in Mawang Temple , he believed that he should be a prime minister no matter in terms of talent, fate, or opportunity.From the Tang cabinet to the Sun cabinet, the reason why there is no cabinet is that the time has not yet come, and when the time comes, there is no doubt that he will be the prime minister.Now, it should be said that the time has come.Throughout the ages, all major events have been done by people, and if a person wants to do great events, he must first have a position. Seeking the position of prime minister is a necessary condition for seeking to do great things for the country.Only after having this position can I calmly display my lifelong ambitions and knowledge, implement a constitutional government that will lead to China's prosperity, and recruit talents who can implement this constitutional government. Isn't this a great contribution to the country?For a politician, the measure of his value should ultimately be based on his contribution to history. As for the means used and the personal goals mixed in, they should not be the main factors.What's more, the method of changing one's opinion is not bad, and as for wanting to be a prime minister, the purpose is by no means despicable.From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the former Qing Dynasty, who would not want to be a prime minister?Sages like Zhuge Liang and Zeng Guofan still want to be prime ministers! Thinking about it this way, Yang Du figured it out again.He picked up a pen and solemnly wrote the title: On the Salvation of the Nation by the Constitution of the Monarch. "Xizi, how is the writing going?" Yuan Keding came in from the outside with a happy face. "I haven't written yet!" Yang Du pointed to the manuscript spread out on the table. "I just untied the knot in my heart." "What's wrong with you?" Yuan Keding felt strange.Seeing that the servant was bringing him tea, I suddenly thought of it, and said in my heart: "Yes, I was really careless. All men in the world love beautiful women. After all, there are not many people like me who love handsome men. I should give him a place. She is a beautiful woman." He took the teacup and said with a smile: "Don't have any knots, just settle down and write this great article, and I will make you happy again!" Yang Du didn't understand the meaning of Mr. Yuan's words, and said: "I have already solved it, so there is no need to make fun of it anymore, let's talk about how to write this article." "That's exactly why I came here." Yuan Keding said proudly, "I suddenly thought of a good way yesterday. How about using the mei multiplication body for this article?" "You mean to write in the form of answering questions?" "That's right." Yuan Keding put down his glass and said, "Recently, the articles about state affairs published in the newspapers are all rigid, from the beginning to the end of the discussion, with an attitude of stern-faced and hard-throated lectures. It makes people bored and boring to read. I read Mei Cheng's "Seven Fats" by accident yesterday, and suddenly felt that my interest increased greatly. I think Xizi is today's Mei Cheng, so let's do an "Seven Fats" too. I am a guest and ask questions; you are the master and answer. How about a question and an answer, explaining the principles of a monarch constitution to save the country in a layman’s terms?” "That's great!" Yang Du was so excited that the Prime Minister of Xie An's style was solemnly abandoned just now, revealing the nature of a literati, "Let's start, let's start, which questions to ask, you think about it Yet?" Yang Du hurriedly picked up the pen, was about to write, but put it down again: "Yuntai, why don't you just sit opposite me." "Okay!" Yuan Keding was so happy that he forgot the dignity of the eldest son for a moment, picked up a chair and sat opposite Yang Du. "I have thought about a few issues, which are of concern to everyone. If you haven't mentioned it, you can add it." "Okay, tell me!" Yang Du picked up his pen again. Yuan Keding sorted out his thoughts, shook his head and said: "Let me ask this first: Mr. Xizi, since the founding of the Republic of China four years ago, thanks to the power of the President, the country has stabilized and the people have rested. In the past ten or twenty years after finishing internal affairs, can China seek prosperity and power and stand side by side with the great powers in the world? You say: No. If the country does not change its course, there will be no hope of prosperity. Let me ask again: Why? You answer again: This is the disadvantage of the republic. The Chinese people are famous but not practical. The Battle of 1911 will inevitably force a republic, and China has no way to save the country since then. I was surprised to ask: Why is this so? Then, you put the knowledge in your chest Shake it out, and talk about why the republic will make China prosperous and powerful. How about it, old Mr. Meicheng?" "You really have it!" Yang Du said happily, "I will answer you like this: the republic is based on equality and freedom, and freedom and equality affect all politics, especially the military. The military can only talk about absolute obedience, and there is no freedom at all. If there is a republic, there will be no strong army, so there is no hope for a strong country. And a republic will cause turmoil for the president, and once a president is elected for several years, there will be chaos for several years. If the country is in chaos, where will the wealth come from? Therefore, there is no hope for a republic to be prosperous and strong." Yuan Keding clapped his hands and said, "Good answer. I asked again: Is there hope for a republic and a constitution?" "There is no hope." Yang Du replied decisively, "The Chinese people have low intelligence. Nine out of ten people don't know what a republic is. The Chinese people are like loose sand, and only a strong monarch can condense the loose sand. Now a republic is practiced, the central government has no prestige, and officials all have the idea of ​​a five-day Beijing omen. The honest ones hope to be innocent, and the greedy and cunning take advantage of the opportunity to steal and steal their own pockets. The position of the head of state is often changed, so the incumbent There is no long-term intention. Such a situation of venting, how can there be a constitution? Therefore, there is no hope of constitution.” "Okay, we can turn around here." Yuan Keding looked like an old stereotyped school teacher. "The republic is almost negated, and then the monarch constitution will be introduced. Let me ask; this is hopeless, and that is hopeless. Isn't China going to perish? You answer: Otherwise, there is hope for a monarch constitution." Yang Du smiled and said: "That's exactly what I said. The country will be saved if the monarchy is implemented. For thousands of years, China's political system has been autocratic, but because there is no good constitutional government, it has become so weak. If there is a British lord at this time, the constitutional government will be established. , to contend for hegemony with all countries in the world is an unprecedented and unprecedented undertaking. Then this person is China’s first William and Emperor Meiji.” Yuan Keding picked up his teacup, drinking and thinking.He thought of his own vital interests. "Let me ask another question: I just said that there will be wars in the country because of the competition for the presidency. Now the law stipulates that the candidate for the presidency has been selected from among the three. If this is the case, there should be no civil war. How do you answer?" "That's easy to answer." Yang Du said without hesitation, "The reason why there are three people is that there is no one who is expected by everyone. If there is, one person is enough. Why do we need three people?" , the whole world is talking, can you find another person like the president? There is no such person, it must be that you disobey me and I disobey you, and there will be a fight between the three. There are many such situations in history But Junxian did not have this kind of phenomenon. Because the king died, only the crown prince came to the throne. Even if the crown prince is not good enough, but his status is so strong that others dare not take it easy. Therefore, when the throne takes over, the country is generally stable. The reason is that Here. Therefore, China must implement a constitutional monarchy and no longer a republic.” These few words reached Yuan Keding's heart, and he suddenly stood up and said, "Tianzi, this article will be written in this way, and I will not ask any more questions. Next, you can raise your own questions and answer them yourself! Five days later." I’m here to get it. I believe that your article will be an army of millions, suppressing all opponents and ensuring the smooth passage of the monarchy. I will definitely ask for credit for you in front of the President.” After speaking, he happily left the mansion on Shifuma Avenue. After Yuan Keding left, Yang Du began to write formally.He was full of energy, full of ideas, full of knowledge about the emperor and constitution, which poured out between the pen and paper like a river breaking its embankment.He broadened and deepened the several questions he answered with Yuan Keding, and fixed them with unrestrained and rigorous words.Then there will be a few questions and answers, pointing out that the constitution of the Qing Dynasty is a false constitution, and the result is the false name of the constitution and the real disaster of calling for revolution.The founding constitution of the Republic of China was completely in the hands of the Democratic Party, and the constitution of the Democratic Party was also a false constitution. They used the constitution as a means to achieve the goal of revolution.He also said that he had talked with many leaders of the revolutionary party, and they also believed that the level of intelligence of the Chinese people today is not suitable for practicing civil rights.That being the case, the Revolutionary Party knowingly committed the crime and wanted to use constitutionalism to weaken the government's power so that it could not unify the country so as to prepare for their second revolution.From the abolition of the Nanjing government to the Hukou uprising, all actions of the Democratic Party were aimed at this purpose.Therefore, the constitutional disadvantages of the former Qing Dynasty were dishonesty, and the constitutional disadvantages of the Republic of China were improper.In order to implement a constitutional monarchy in the future, its constitution must be honest and just.Since the intellectual level of the Chinese people today is not high, the civil rights must not be too great, and we must explain this truth to the people.What we pursue should be to give less than to deceive the people. Yang Du is very satisfied with the eight words "I would rather give less than bully the people" created by myself.He believes that there are two types of people who have wronged the country since ancient times.One is corruption and stupidity.This kind of harm to the country is obvious, and everyone hates it.The other type is high-profile talk.This kind of wronging the country is not easy to see, and sometimes it is considered patriotic.In fact, imposing an illusion that seems beautiful but cannot be realized on the people of the country can only make the people fall into confusion or become hypocrisy, which is very harmful to the country and the people.As a politician, honesty is the most important thing, and deceit is the most immoral.Looking at this outstanding "horoscope" creation, Yang Du seems to feel that he is the most honest politician in all ages.He finished the full text with a pen full of pride, and then drank half a bottle of whiskey, intoxicated in the self-designed dream of "the monarch constitution saves the country"!