Chapter 10 Chapter Eight Pushing forward the New Deal in the Late Qing Dynasty

Personnel and affairs are metabolized, and exchanges become ancient and modern. The candidate to succeed the direct governor was put on the agenda. Putting aside personal grievances, Li Hongzhang's preferred successor was Yuan Shikai, and it was even rumored that he once told Yu Shimei himself, "Looking around in the universe, there is no one on the right side of Yuan Shikai". Foreigners also favor Yuan Shikai, who understands diplomacy and is very open-minded, and can protect them from being hacked and killed by rioters at critical moments. Cixi has no objection.Firstly, the affection for Datou reached the peak; secondly, it was not easy for the big powers to spare her life, so naturally we must respect the opinions of foreigners; thirdly, all four troops of the Wuwei Army were destroyed, and only the Wuwei Youjun was strong and strong, and Yuan Shikai was in need Bring it up to protect the capital and calm people's hearts.

Of course, there are not no competitors, such as Liu Kunyi and Zhang Zhidong, both of whom are older than Yuan Shikai. The problem is that the former will die in another year, and the latter does not want to leave the old nest to fight again. After all, the new army in Hubei has begun to take shape. Under everyone's expectations, Sheng Xuanhuai called Yuan Shikai: Rotate the universe, push the public from China and abroad. The big head naturally felt that "it must be me", and even the scene of resignation was domineering, saying that once I left, "Qilu will be in chaos".

This must be sensational, but once Yuan Shikai leaves, someone will inevitably die. Shandong inspector Hu Jinggui. Mr. Hu is an old acquaintance. When he was a censor, he read a big book, saying that Yuan Shikai killed the people near the small station indiscriminately. The truth is that a group of speculative businessmen do business with soldiers in the barracks all over the world and engage in corruption. In the end, they were caught by the big head and one of the leaders beheaded them to show the public. Although Imperial Commissioner Rong's unannounced visit restored Yuan Shikai's innocence, the mental shock he received still made him unable to recover for a long time.

The dramatic scene happened after Datou took over Shandong - Hu Jinggui happened to be his subordinate official. Master Hu knew his tragedy without even thinking about it, so he had to be cautious, keep a low profile, and try not to let Yuan Futai get hold of it. Unexpectedly, Yuan Shikai took the initiative to settle his suspicions with him, and even let Hu Jinggui take a part-time job in the Wuyou Guards to show his dedication and reuse. Of course, Hu Nietai is not useless either. In the judicial field he is in charge of, he insists on enforcing the law impartially and handling cases according to the law, which has won the heartfelt admiration of the big head.

In the assessment reported to the imperial court at the end of the year, Yuan Shikai's comment on Hu Jinggui was "sincere and straightforward, hardworking and hardworking". If that's all, you can say that Yuan Shikai is nothing but selfless. But when the "blacklist" of foreigners asking to punish the culprit was released, Hu Jinggui was unfortunately included in it, and Datou once again offered a helping hand, negotiating with the German envoy to remove him, this can only be explained with high integrity. Yuan Shikai always hated the main fighters for harming the country, but he just saved Hu Jinggui.Someone asked him why in a puzzled way, and he only answered one sentence:

At this moment, what's the point of arguing about opinions? It's not about buying people's hearts, nor is it just focusing on the overall situation, but it's about truly realizing that talents are rare and sympathetic to each other. In his view, the depth of the relationship is not important.Anyone, as long as he has real talents and learning, and he can communicate with him, he will spare no effort in rewards and promotions, and he will spare no effort in official positions and money. To see whether a boss has made a difference and is worth following, just observe whether he is stingy with money and officials, and cronyism.Any leader who is narrow-minded and likes to engage in small circles will never have the possibility of making his career bigger.

It's a pity that the soil of reality is more suitable for cultivating mediocre talents. The ideals of all living beings have long been ruthlessly obliterated, leaving only rice, oil, salt, and chicken feathers. Hu Jinggui became Datou's right-hand man, and followed him until his death. It is said that a thousand-mile horse often exists, but a bole does not often exist.Being thirsty for talents is by no means empty words, but you only have one yuan in your pocket, and you are willing to give it to others. There are no heroes at the time, because no one can do one-tenth of Yuan Shikai's.

On the contrary, the actor Yinglu presented a farce even funnier than "The Imperial Envoy".But if you give up your sincerity, the "Luo Zhi Jing" will not save you. Before leaving Lu, Yuan Shikai went to Shandong University Hall (the predecessor of Shandong University) to have a look.This is the second national university in China after the Imperial University Hall (the only legacy of the Reform Movement of 1898, the predecessor of Peking University). It was founded by Datou. The teaching content covers both Chinese and Western, arts and sciences. The first president is Zhou Xuexi.

On the official road where the snow still remains, a group of people from Jinan is hurrying northward.Guarded by the stars like the moon, it was Yuan Gongbao who had just been appointed Governor of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang, and was given the title of Prince Shaobao. Beside him is Tang Shaoyi who is about to take up the post of Tianjin Customs Road (Tianjin Customs Commissioner).The two talked and laughed happily all the way, and came to the territory of Hebei. Zhou Fu had already been waiting in Gaoyang County with his official seal. Before the incense table, Yuan Shikai led his entourage and looked at the two palaces, kowtowed and saluted, thanking the Lord for his kindness.The handover of power was completed in this solemn and solemn ceremony.

In the late Qing Dynasty, the Governor's Office of Zhili, Baoding and Tianjin each set up one, and the Zhidu went back and forth once in a while to experience different office environments. As a treaty port, Tianjin has a prosperous economy; as the gateway to Beijing, it also undertakes the important task of defending against enemies who land from the sea.Therefore, it gradually replaced Baoding as the permanent residence of the governor of Zhili. However, although the "Xin Chou Treaty" has been signed, the Tianjin Provisional Government has not yet been dissolved. Yuan Shikai was angry, stayed in Baoding, and solemnly announced: If the Tianjin Provisional Government does not withdraw, if the coalition officers do not leave, I will not go to work in Tianjin for a day.

Tang Shaoyi went to negotiate, telling the countries with a strong attitude that "if this matter is not dealt with, the aftermath of the treaty will be out of the question", and at the same time through the mediation of the United Kingdom and the United States, the gang of rascals were finally dealt with. August 15, 1902, Tianjin Shunde Hotel. At the farewell banquet, a German major general held up light brown whiskey and comforted the dejected companions who were staring at the vigorous Yuan Shikai: Don't forget, he also has a holster around his neck.What would a government be without the security of an army?At that time, he still has to come to us.Gentlemen, Tianjin will always be ours! Cheers! It turned out that the treaty stipulates that Chinese troops are not allowed to be stationed within ten kilometers of Tianjin and its surrounding areas. But it would be absurd to think that Yuan Shikai could be stumped in this way. Three thousand soldiers of the Wuwei Youjun put on new police uniforms and marched into downtown Tianjin, Qinhuangdao, Tanggu and other places, taking on the heavy responsibility of maintaining law and order. This is the first appearance of the "police" in Chinese history. Since it does not belong to the military establishment, it is not within the restrictions of the treaty. The meaning of this "invention" forced out by foreigners is far more than changing concepts secretly and defending the country.Three years later, at Yuan Shikai's suggestion, the Qing court established the Patrol Department. From Shangshu Shilang to more than 1,000 grassroots police officers, almost all of them were taken over by the big heads. With this intelligence network, every move in the capital is under Yuan Shikai's control. All countries have withdrawn their troops, and Russia is becoming more and more passive.Seeing that they could not take advantage of it, they had no choice but to sign a contract with the Qing court, promising to withdraw troops from the Northeast in batches. Xi'an Palace. After the adjustment, there are only four people left in the Military Aircraft Division: Rong Lu, Wang Wenshao, Lu Chuanlin and Qu Hongxuan. Lu Chuanlin was a Jinshi in the first year of Tongzhi. He served Shaanxi all the year round and made remarkable achievements. Qu Hongxuan was a young genius and became a Jinshi in high school at the age of 21.In addition, there is a handsome guy who looks a lot like Emperor Tongzhi, so he is deeply loved by Cixi, and his official career is smooth. Of course, it also benefited from his abnormal self-discipline. If there was one official in the late Qing Dynasty who was not greedy for money, it was Qu Hongxuan. After serving as an official for many years, he returned to his hometown to mourn.When he returned to Beijing, he didn't even have enough travel expenses, so he had to sell his old house to make up enough money before he could go on the road. This is one of the few brilliant points of the Confucian classics. At least a few clean and self-restraining models can be cultivated to decorate the facade, so that even the underwear will not be ripped off. Cixi, who survived the catastrophe, learned to compromise. The sufferings of the past months prompted her to think about how to follow the trend of the times and integrate into the big family of human civilization. After thinking about it, I had the urge to personally take command and act as the vanguard of reform. So, she issued three decrees in a row, declared her determination to reform, and started to do it with real swords and guns. 1. Eliminate moths and weed out scribes from various ministries; 2. Opening up special economic courses and recruiting western-learned talents; 3. Order the provinces to send public-funded overseas students; 4. Change the Zongli Yamen to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ranking first among the six ministries; Fifth, instruct local governors to present reform plans. Even so, Zhang Zhidong was still uneasy after receiving the decree, and asked the eyeliner in Beijing to find out exactly what Cixi sang, "Who invites? Who agrees?". Zhang Jing, a military officer, revealed that it was indeed from the holy will, but when implementing reforms, it is best to "not focus on the West." Zhang Zhidong was overjoyed, and said unhappily, "The reform doesn't focus on the west, so what has changed?" Just to be on the safe side, he called Lu Chuanlin and asked tentatively, "If you don't talk about Xifa, what's the use of the old clichés?" Lu Chuanlin encouraged him to let go of his thoughts and speak freely, but he still didn't dare to say anything, and persuaded him: "Don't stick to the name of Western learning, so as not to give others a handle." Those who are walking on thin ice are not too worried, after all, the power of heaven is unpredictable.Who can guarantee that this is not leading a snake out of its hole? Zhang Zhidong no longer stood out, but communicated with Liu Kunyi and others in Fengjiang, and decided to come up with a common plan for the reform and then jointly play the title. Yuan Shikai thought it was very funny, and sent a telegram to Zhang and Liu, telling them not to doubt the sincerity of the imperial court's reform. Unlike nerds, he doesn't care about the beautiful nonsense in the Shangyu, "there are eternal scriptures in the world, and there is no immutable cure". Instead, he analyzes this matter from a psychological point of view and makes it clear. There is a secret - Cixi dare not return to Luan without the New Deal. First, all countries feared and hated the Qing government for its old-fashioned and xenophobic nature. The reason why Cixi's head and seat could be kept was all thanks to Li Hongzhang.Now that the "Fire Chief" is dead, after returning to Beijing, who knows if the foreigners will go back on their promises; Second, all countries want China to reform the law, and you will not change. Later, he will use this as an excuse to list the terms and threaten to follow through, instead of being passive. Therefore, the Empress Dowager would not dare to return to Beijing without creating an enlightened image of reform. The big head who has figured out Cixi's weakness is not as coy as the southern governor, and it took more than half a year to come up with "Jiangchuhuizuo".He seized the right time and formulated the Ten Articles of Reform, covering education, industry, government, military and other aspects, and started the "Beiyang New Deal" that attracted worldwide attention with a thunderbolt, recreating a brand new Zhili Province on top of the ruins. In addition to enthusiasm and wisdom in running the New Deal, the most important thing is to burn money. Yuan Shikai has inherited Li Hongzhang's political legacy, summoned his aides Yang Shixiang, Yang Shiqi brothers, Yu Shimei, Zhao Bingjun, Sun Baoqi, etc. to his command, and at this moment, he has accumulated eight million taels of salary from "cutting Kuang" and "deducting construction" over the years In the bag. Intercepting Kuang and deducting construction were common methods of embezzling military pay at that time. If you don’t understand these two professional terms, you will be ashamed to tell people that you have been in the army. Since the military salary budget is for the whole year, it is issued at one time.However, there are often vacancies for soldiers throughout the year, and the replacements are often many days later, so the soldiers' salaries saved in the middle are called cut off. The court appropriation is calculated on the 30th day of each month in the lunar calendar.But in fact, there are many small months (29 days) in a year, which are called "Xiaojian". When officers pay their salaries, one day will be deducted, and they will be paid according to 29 days. It stands to reason that these two sums of money should be turned over to the national treasury, but in the Celestial Dynasty, it can't go anywhere except private pockets. Therefore, when Wang Wenshao, who has worked in the household department for many years, heard that the Huai salary was used as public funds and the money was not moved, he said with emotion: "If I, Wang, lead the troops, it will take a lot of money to hand over the money." Consider it, but Wen Zhong is indifferent." Only this money is not enough, Yuan Shikai made the idea of ​​officials at all levels in the Taoist prefectures and counties. Datou knew that for the officials of the Celestial Dynasty, the unknown origin of the huge amount of property was not a crime at all, but a permit to enter the industry.You can't even make money, how dare you become an official? Zhili Governor's Office. Looking at the puzzled eyes of the gathered officials, Yuan Shikai said slowly: "Zhili is a waste of money, waiting for the money to be used. I will temporarily borrow the money from the adults and return it later." The results were all expected.Apart from crying and complaining about the poor, even cursing foreigners, you can't get a dime out of it. Yuan Shikai dismissed the gang of iron cocks quietly, and secretly sent people to contact several major banks in Tianjin, saying that they wanted to deposit public funds into their bank accounts, and asked them how much interest they could give. The money bank said that the maximum can only be up to eight per cent, and the visitors falsely claimed that there were too few, and they were about to leave.The shopkeeper didn't want to let the big customer go, so he hurriedly took out the account book and pointed out to him how much a certain official had saved and how much a certain official's interest was, which meant "the amount given to you is already very high." The visitor wrote down one by one and reported to Yuan Shikai. Two days later, the officials were called back to the supervisory office.The big head announced the investigation situation with a smile on his face, and then changed the subject: You have always been honest and honest, how can such a huge sum of money be deposited into the bank?It can be seen that these shopkeepers are falsely using your name to solicit business, it is really hateful!I've already confiscated the imposter's deposits, and I'm waiting for a clear. Someone fainted on the spot. Both sums of money are limited, and Yuan Shikai must use them wisely. Baoding. From here, Cixi and his party took the train back to Beijing. When the refugee group arrived at Baoding Station, the colorful flags fluttered on the platform, and the military band played the loud "Marseillaise"—Yuan Shikai didn't know that this was the French national anthem, but felt the cadence and ups and downs were inspiring, so he settled down to welcome the Queen Mother. The more than 30-section train was the most luxurious special train in the world at that time that Yuan Shikai customized for Empress Dowager Cixi.Who would have thought that it would become Sun Wen's special car ten years later?And who would have thought that sixteen years later, when it was driving Zhang Zuolin through Huanggutun, it would be blown up by the Japanese? The music stopped suddenly, and the officials who greeted them began to present treasures to Cixi. Although Yuan Shikai bent down and kept his eyes fixed on the ground, from his haughty and haughty counterplay, one can predict that there must be something amazing: The slave has a pair of parrots, which were specially sent from India to find them, in order to present them to the Queen Mother as a show of filial piety. When the treasure was presented, I saw it clearly: in the exquisite cage, two parrots, one red and one green, were tied with a short gold-plated chain, standing side by side on a jade branch. For a moment, one of them tweeted refreshingly: "Lucky Lafayette!" Just when the crowd was amazed, the other one was unwilling to be behind, and said crisply: "Lafayette is safe!" There was a long-lost smile on Cixi's face. When the refugee group returned to Beijing, they found something that made their lives worse than death: all movable and immovable properties were looted. Take Li Lianying as an example.When the country changed, he left Beijing in a hurry. Before leaving, he hid the money he had saved from taking bribes for decades in a place that only his relatives knew. After the allied forces entered the city, some righteous man found out where the stolen money was, and ran to report it to the French army, but all of it was confiscated. When Li Lianying heard the bad news, she was more painful than the death of her own mother, and the smile on her face was gone from then on. Among the rich and powerful, there are not a few people who have encountered the same situation.Datou drew up a list and asked Yang Shiqi to take a lot of money and sit in Beiyang Office (Beijing Office of Beiyang) and specialize in paying tribute. Sending charcoal in the snow is always better than icing on the cake, and Beijing officials praised Yuan Shikai one after another. This is true for officials, but it can be imagined for Cixi. The first private car of the Empress Dowager came from Datou Shanggong, and it was a famous German brand Mercedes-Benz.But Cixi was arrogant and felt that it was inappropriate for the driver to sit in front of her, and the famous car became a decoration in the palace. If the death of the Qing Dynasty is a war without gunpowder, then knowing yourself and the enemy is obviously the key to success or failure. In order to spy on the military situation, Yuan Shikai took great pains. The telephone room of the governor's yamen can be directly connected to the eunuch in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the movement in the palace can be transmitted to Tianjin with a snap of your fingers.Cixi's likes and dislikes, happiness and anger, and the changes in the court's personnel, Yuan Shikai knew everything about it and updated it simultaneously.Over time, it won the Queen Mother's favor. In order to maintain the Austrian aid in the palace, Datou did everything possible. When the old subordinate Zhang Xun led a battalion to guard the Summer Palace, he made friends with the eunuch Ma Binting.Eunuch Ma often tells stories to Cixi and is a celebrity in front of the Empress Dowager. Datou got this information, met Ma Binting through Zhang Xun, and became brothers. Once, Yuan Shikai and Zhang Xun went to the Summer Palace together.Zhang walked in front, and Ma Binting came out to meet him and beckoned him to enter his wing. Zhang Xun said: "Gongbao is still behind!" So Ma Binting stood in the yard and continued to wait. Yuan Shikai saw the horse from a distance and hurried forward.After approaching, he knelt down on one knee to pay his respects to Ma Binting. It is difficult to find a precedent for civil servants to give such great gifts to eunuchs in the Qing Dynasty.Ma Binting was flattered and moved beyond words. Yuan Shikai, who stabilized the inner court, continued to exert his strength and sent an elegiac couplet at Li Hongzhang's funeral: Gongzhen Kuang, a great man of the generation, turned around and turned around, not only chasing after Guo Ling with his honor; I am a disciple of the reincarnation, I am grateful to my confidant, and I hope that Hongzhi will succeed Xiaogui. "Guo Ling" is Guo Ziyi, a famous general who pacified the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, and "Xiao Gui" uses the allusion of "Xiao Gui Cao Sui". Soon, the Li Hongzhang Ancestral Hall in Tianjin was completed, and Yuan Shikai wrote another couplet saying: Knowing that he was an early age, the acting general was middle-aged, bowed his head to worship Fenyang (Guo Ziyi) all his life, and dared to boast of the Linhuai barrier (Li Hongzhang once made military exploits in Linhuai); The world has changed and Fang Yin, the Sri Lankan people don't do it, the eternal name is matched with Zhuge, and the prime minister's ancestral hall will stay forever. It is true that he was cultivated by Li Hongzhang in his early years, and his wish to inherit the mantle is also an expression of his true feelings, but the deeper intention is probably to take the opportunity to win people's hearts, gather all the former generals of the Huai Army and Hefei disciples around him, and twist them into an indestructible, hang Qing Dynasty. Ting's hemp rope. After everything was ready, Yuan Shikai called Zhou Xuexi and said to him: let it go. The first thing is financial stability. Inflation after the war.With the assistance of Ling Fupeng, the prefect of Tianjin, Zhou Xuexi used various financial means in the form of combination boxing to stabilize the price of goods, and he immediately worshiped him. Yuan Shikai pursued the victory and founded the Silver Dollar Bureau, with Zhou Xuexi as the general manager, to mint copper coins to replace the depreciated silver coins. On the basis of stabilizing the market, it also provided the government with a new source of income (the price of copper coins is high). With food on hand, do not panic.Zhou Xuexi suggested the establishment of the Zhili General Administration of Arts and Crafts as the headquarters for the establishment of industries in the province, and Yuan Shikai immediately approved it. Unlike Sheng Xuanhuai, Yuan and Zhou Zhou are more open-minded in their business thinking. They only advocate persuasion and never overstep their limits. After spreading the atmosphere of entrepreneurship, they let it develop freely. In the government-supervised business-run enterprises, Zhou Xuexi focused on running factories and schools, striving for the integration of engineering and learning, and opening up concepts. In 1903, the international silver price fluctuated, and China, which was hollowed out by Xin Chou's compensation, made things worse. Tianjin, which had just entered the right track, encountered a fierce financial crisis, and private enterprises were devastated. Yuan Shikai urgently opened an official bank account, lent 700,000 taels of official silver and millions of copper coins, saving the dying real economy. "Ta Kung Pao" issued a special editorial for this, praising: "The way to protect business has never been seen by the government. I can't help but congratulate the merchants and people of Jin County and the future of Jin City." After this battle, Yuan Shikai deeply felt the need to plan ahead.He went to the imperial court and lamented the importance of modern banks.Soon, the Household Bank (the predecessor of the Bank of Great Qing) was established in Tianjin, becoming China's first central bank.It absorbs deposits and grants loans, further invigorating the economy of the Tianjin-Beijing region. Looking at the large and small companies springing up like mushrooms after a rain, Yuan Shikai couldn't help but set up the "Huajie New Area" after the Tianjin Concession, as a window for opening up to the outside world and a test field for economic reform. Unlike the reformers of later generations, Yuan Shikai not only paid attention to the economic base, but also cared more about the superstructure.He who first proposed compulsory education once said: "It is better to reduce the army than to promote all free national schools." He also said to humanity: "My policy in governing Zhili is that I will do the military training myself, and let Mr. Yan do the running of the school, and I will only let him direct." Mr. Yan refers to Yan Xiu (1860-1929), the founder of Nankai University.In the early years, he was a colleague of the Imperial Academy with Xu Shichang, and later moved to Guizhou to study politics, and cultivated the first number one scholar in the Qing Dynasty for Guizhou Province. In the year of 1898, he resigned in anger because he advocated the special economic section to offend the conservatives.When I went to visit Xu Shichang at the small station, I had to meet the big head, talked about the reform, and was impressed by him, so I made him a confidant. Hiring Yan Xiu to engage in education can be said to be a treasure.This person has been studying Western science for many years, and has dabbled in mathematics, chemistry, and medicine. Datou was full of enthusiasm and announced that the revitalization of education was "a key plan of the economy". He also specially set up a school department besides the chief secretary and the inspection department, and put universal education on a par with the civil affairs and judiciary of a province. Yan Xiu lived up to Yuan Shikai's trust and helped him to create a Beiyang University, more than 20 colleges, more than 90 normal schools, and more than 4,000 primary schools, making Tianjin truly the starting point for modern Chinese to go to the world. It is worth mentioning that it was Yuan Shikai who ended the history that women were not allowed to go to school for thousands of years.Beiyang Women's Normal School, the first girls' school in China, cut the ribbon and started school during her tenure. As Datou's career flourished, the former Beiyang Navy, who had lost their official career after the Sino-Japanese War, also came to report, such as Ye Zugui, Cheng Biguang and Cai Tinggan. In Tianjin at the beginning of the 20th century, trams connected the urban area and the concession, all streets and alleys were rebuilt with gravel roads, and the Sino-foreign joint water company brought modern civilization into thousands of households.Outside the Governor's Office, on both sides of the canal, street lights powered by Belgian power plants are on all night, and bars and theaters are open all night... People's hearts are not enough to swallow elephants.The development of the economy has opened up the magic box of desire, and Tianjin, where Huayang is mixed, has become more and more worrying about law and order. For those hooligans and criminal gangs who harmed one side, Yuan Shikai all referred to them as "the remnants of the boxers" and eradicated them painfully in the name of the court, making Tianjin "the highest law and order among all provinces in Zhang Yiling's works, and there were no thieves for six months." It is a civilized city that Westerners are also amazed by, but it has also attracted the title of "Min Tu" and attracted all kinds of criticism. Cixi sent Yuan Shikai's playbook to him for viewing, warning him from afar.He immediately went to the Shu to explain, clarifying the point of view of "governing the world with great virtues, not small benefits", saying that "if you want to make the people peaceful, those who disturb the people must go where they are, and if you want to benefit the people, those who harm the people must be eliminated wherever they are." Considering that the Boxer Rebellion is not far away, Cixi no longer delved into it.Zhao Bingjun and others who were supposed to be prosecuted for the crime of "indiscriminate killing" were promoted under the protection of the big head. In order to build Tianjin into the base camp of Beiyang Group's remote control of Gyeonggi and Huju, Yuan Shikai came up with the idea of ​​railways again. At that time, there were railways built by foreigners to the east and south of Beijing. Only Zhangjiakou, the northern gateway, as the hub connecting Inner Mongolia, has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times, but the traffic still remained in the original state of horse-drawn carts. Yuan Shikai appointed Zhan Tianyou as the chief engineer, paved tracks and dug mountains, erected bridges and purchased cars, and built China's first independently designed and constructed railway - the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway. On the day of opening to traffic, the whole world was shocked, but Yuan Shikai had long been far away from the bustling, fishing on the banks of the Huan River. Zhan Tianyou was always thinking about the old leader's support for the railway and his trust in himself, so he specially sent a set of photos taken when the project was completed to Huanshang Village. Recalling the present and recalling the past, Datou was full of emotions, and said emotionally in his reply: "My eyes wander, I am deeply impressed." In this regard, the historian Tang Degang's comment that "Yuan Shikai has done a lot of practical things in promoting China's modernization, more than Sun Wen" is indeed an unpublished theory-Sun Dapao claimed to build 200,000 miles of railways, and finally built a few miles ? Under the demonstration of Tianjin, the reform of the imperial court gradually became stronger. First of all, the tradition of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business was swept away, the Ministry of Commerce was specially established, the "Company Law" and "Bankruptcy Law" were promulgated, and merchants from all over the country were encouraged to organize and establish chambers of commerce. Since there was no "rice" at hand, they had no choice but to take advantage of the national psychology of the official position, give away hats, and clearly marked the price in the "Rewarding Company Articles of Association": Those who collect 50 million yuan in shares will be awarded the first-rank top wear; those who have 20 million yuan will be awarded the title of viscount; those who have 10 million yuan will be awarded the title of baron; Secondly, redundant officials were eliminated, and the Secretary of General Administration and the governors of Guangdong, Hubei, and Yunnan provinces were abolished.At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was ordered to use money in the palace in the future, within its means, and it was not allowed to ask for money from the Ministry of Household Affairs. In the end, Cixi pardoned all political prisoners in the name of longevity - except for Sun Wen and Kang Youwei. One against the government, one against her.Inspired by the former, the latter also began to play assassination, keen to buy "champions" and assassinate Cixi.Due to the excessive investment, Liang Qichao, who was in charge of raising funds, complained again and again. In 1905, Kang Youwei sent his old friend Liang Tiejun back to Beijing, colluded with the eunuchs, and took the opportunity to assassinate Cixi. Liang was arrested for being accused and died of poisoning in his cell. Kang Youwei, who was in exile overseas, took advantage of the high sky and the empress dowager's distance. He held up a forged belt all day long to deceive and abduct him. Before each meeting, the congregation must stand up and wish the emperor long live, and give three rounds of applause.I wish Kang Youwei all the best, and cheers as before. And when it came to Guangxu's birthday, Kang Youwei would always lead the members of the Royalist Society to perform a play written and directed by himself. In the center of the stage is the icon of Guangxu, with brilliant candles on both sides.While the sheng and flute were playing together, Kang Youwei led a group of disciples into the arena, knelt and kowtowed nine times in front of the portrait. In the solemn atmosphere, Kang Nanhai kowtowed and wailed.Some foreigners who watched the excitement talked a lot, and Kang Youwei thought they were deeply moved, so he recorded it solemnly. What's more, after the meeting, he still didn't forget to send an overseas telegram to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking, "Is Sheng Gong safe? May the emperor return to power as soon as possible to protect China." The entanglement between Sun Wen and this organization has a long history. As early as when Kang Youwei opened the Wanmu Thatched Cottage in Guangzhou, Sun Xingzhe (Kang Party's derogatory name for Sun Wen) who was listed as a doctor on the same street once asked someone to convey his admiration and expressed his willingness to make friends with him. Kang Youwei's response was only six words: Want to make an appointment?Appreciate the teacher first! It was later proved that this kind of teacher who destroys people's three views really cannot be worshiped. Once, when Kang Youwei was explaining Han Yu's "Ma Shuo" to his students, the first sentence "There is Bole in the world, and then there is a thousand-mile horse" did not even mention it. As a horse grazing farm, raise 8 million horses to expand the cavalry. If you want to drive across Europe and Asia and dominate the world, you must give up the cavalry. Mongolia's entry into Europe depends entirely on horsepower..." Playing until the end of get out of class, "Ma Shuo" didn't talk about a word. The world has changed over time, they are both outlaws from the end of the world, and the Japanese government is secretly coordinating. The merger of the two factions seems to have a bright future. Kang Youwei didn't see it that way.His enemy is Cixi, not the Qing government.And Sun Wen's Xingzhonghui, to put it mildly, is called professional revolutionaries, but in his eyes, they are actually a bunch of rogues. Chen Shaobai, one of the bandit leaders, heard that Kang Youwei had arrived in Japan, so he immediately went to visit him.Also present that day were Liang Qichao, Wang Zhao, and Xu Qin, Kang's favorite disciple. Chen Shaobai strongly stated that the Qing government was hopeless, and advised Kang Youwei to change course. Kang said that apart from rescuing "Jin Shang", he didn't know anything else.Then he praised Guangxu endlessly, and the whole "shoulder to Yao and Shun, and strength to carry Tang Wu" is so good that it is unbelievable, and it is the best in the past and the present. Chen Shaobai said helplessly: "If Mister is worthless, I won't talk about it. If you claim to be a genius to save the world, you won't be able to treat you well because of the present, and you won't even want China." While he was arguing, Wang Zhao suddenly said without warning: "Since I arrived in Tokyo, I have not been able to move freely. My words have been monitored, and my letters have also been opened and read. What is the reason for asking you to comment?" Kang Youwei was furious, and ordered someone to take Wang Zhao away forcibly, and said to Chen Shaobai: "This man is mentally abnormal, you can laugh at him." After coming down, Chen Shaobai became more and more weird as he thought about it. Taking advantage of Kang and Liang's going out, he stole Wang Zhao out and brought him to the home of Inuyang Yi, Sun Wen's close friend and later Japanese Prime Minister. Wang Zhao, who was out of trouble, cried and complained about his bitterness. He said that he was illegally imprisoned by the Kang Party when he arrived in Japan. Then he began to expose Kang Youwei's past and present life of forging the clothes belt edict, deceiving people's hearts, and cheating all the way from China to Japan. Chen Shaobai exposed all the news as if he had found a treasure.Coinciding with the change of the Japanese government, Okuma Shigenobu, who originally supported the Yasushi party, resigned. Before leaving, Bi Yongnian came to visit. Kang Youwei heard that he had joined the Xingzhong Society in Japan, but he didn't see him behind closed doors. As a result, another one was offended. When Lao Bi was interviewed by the media, he revealed all the glorious deeds of Kang Youwei in China, such as how he tricked young boys from good families to work for him, how he falsely spread imperial decrees and planned a coup d'etat, and He Dao was shocked for a while. Kang Youwei wished he could kill Bi Yongnian, so he ran to Singapore and said: "Anyone who can assassinate Bi Yongnian will be rewarded with 5,000 yuan." As soon as the boss left, the Kang Party immediately split into two factions.Xu Qin insisted that the difference between the teacher and Sun Wen is the difference between an imperial envoy and an imperial prisoner, and they are not the same.He posted a note in the reception room, "Sun Wen is here, no hospitality." Unfortunately, Sun Wen saw it and questioned him face-to-face, but he hesitated and dared not admit it. On the contrary, Liang Qichao once had a close relationship with Sun Wen. Judging from the characteristics of his thoughts flowing like a spring and always changing, it is not surprising.After all, Japan can read a large number of first-hand foreign documents, which made Liang Qichao, who said long ago that "China does not make progress in everything, and the art of self-defense against the people surpasses other countries, you can cry bitterly" to reflect on his teacher's political views more objectively. After thinking about it, I found that Kang Youwei was a tragedy—in his opinion, the reform that could be implemented without denying the autocratic imperial power was still regarded as the deadly enemy by the autocrats in reality. Liang Qichao realized disillusionedly that even if Guangxu came to power one day and summoned the Kang party to use it, facing the situation of "the whole court is full of enemies and everything has been corrupt for a long time", the end of inaction is inevitable. Gradually becoming a revolutionary, he began to fight fiercely with Xingzhonghui. Sun Wen's brother even asked his son Ah Chang to worship Liang Qichao as his teacher.When Xu Qin secretly reported Liang Qichao's movements to Kang Youwei, he also said that he "has gradually fallen into the trap of the traveler, and he should try to rescue him." Who would have expected that this was just a small episode in Liang Qichao's ever-changing mental journey. Soon, when he was invited to visit the United States, his thoughts changed drastically. The prosperity of New York made Liang Qichao dizzy and convinced.But at the same time, he also saw that the Chinese in the United States have never been able to form a united and orderly society. Instead, there are serious internal frictions and frequent fighting, which is more intense than the Chinese in any other place. Reminiscent of the low-educated grassroots in China, Liang Qichao pessimistically believes that if the republican government is forcibly copied, the people of the country will not only not be happy, but will face chaos and death; not only will they not be free, but will return to autocracy. Conclusion: A constitutional monarchy that takes into account both efficiency and fairness is more suitable for China's soil. Liang Qichao, who returned to Japan, founded the "Xinmin Congbao" to expound his reform ideas. Sun Wen was very annoyed by his transformation.Soon, Xingzhonghui was reorganized into Tongmenghui, and the official newspaper "Minbao" was published, and the third issue was issued. A pen war with far-reaching influence in modern history kicked off. Revolutionary Party: To be free, blood must be shed. Liang Qichao: Violent revolution cannot lead to a democratic republic, but only another dictatorship. Revolutionary Party: Japan and the United Kingdom want to shed blood if they want to establish a constitutional monarchy. Liang Qichao: The French Revolution, 80 years of turmoil, blood flowed like rivers.The remaining European countries have constitutional monarchies and have completed their transformation peacefully.A republic is of course the best, but in view of the reality in China, we can only start with a constitution. Revolutionary Party: Since the establishment of a constitution is a transition and the republic is the ultimate goal, why waste time on the transition? Liang Qichao: Because of the gradual reform, the loss is small. The two sent you to come and go, to fight with each other.On the revolutionary party side, Hu Hanmin, Wang Jingwei, Zhu Zhixin, etc. came out and took turns to fight, while the constitutional party had only Liang Qichao alone. Of course, with his hearty writing style that spans ancient and modern times, it is not difficult for one to defeat a hundred.After all, even Huang Zunxian, the leader of the poetry circle, highly praised Liang Qichao's literary talents, saying that he was "thrilling, and a single word is worth a lot of money. Everyone has nothing in his pen, and everyone has everything in his mind. Although he has a hard heart, he should be moved." In addition, his writing is full of power, and he often quotes words such as "politics", "economy", "philosophy" and "democracy" in Japanese, which greatly enriches the Chinese vocabulary. Over time, Liang Qichao became a constitutionalist. Gathering banner. However, beautiful articles can hardly conceal the dirty reality.What Liang Qichao talked about were all kinds of bad consequences in the future; while what the revolutionary party propagated was the numerous crimes committed by the Qing court at present. The former is a prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled, while the latter is an established fact. As early as 1903, the occurrence of the "Su Bao" case had already heralded the turning of the hearts of the people. This Shanghai tabloid, with a daily circulation of only a thousand copies, excerpted Zhang Taiyan's "Refutation of Kang Youwei's Theory of Revolution", and advertised Zou Rong's (1885-1905) "Revolutionary Army" with three sighs. Needless to say, Zhang Taiyan was beaten by Kang Danghai when he was the editor-in-chief of "Current Affairs News", and he had a long-standing grudge.In this article praising the full revolution, filter words can be seen everywhere, and sensitive sentences are everywhere, such as "If the axiom is not clear, the revolution will clarify it; if the old customs are present, the revolution will get rid of it." What surprised readers the most and made Kang Youwei beat his chest and feet was that Zhang Taiyan dared to point at the emperor's nose and scold "Zaitian (Guangxu) clown, who doesn't distinguish between wheat and beans", making people wonder whether he has already laid the coffin. "Revolutionary Army" is even more of a posture of "I was born in the wrong birth, so I just died", denounced the Qing emperors of the past dynasties as "a lone husband and a thief of the people", called Cixi a "prostitute", and called on the people of the country to overthrow the Manyi. Yuan Shuxun's first reaction when he got the "Su Bao" from Shanghai Daotai was that the hostile forces were secretly playing tricks again. Yuan Daotai thought too much. The media in Shanghai is so well-developed that the "Su Bao", as a dick newspaper that relies on distributing pornographic news to tide over difficulties when losses are serious, cannot catch the attention of anti-China forces for the time being. 不过，越是亟须打开市场、扩大影响的报纸，越容易以出格的言论博取关注。 当一个叫陈范的举人将惨淡经营的《苏报》买断后，便再一次诠释了光脚的不怕穿鞋的。 陈范原是江西铅山县的知县，因当地发生教案而被罢官。 心怀不满的他跑到上海，结识了章太炎、蔡元培、吴稚晖等学界名流。买下《苏报》后，又经常找他们约稿，并邀请章士钊担任主笔。 这帮人日后不是光复会的元老（蔡元培、章太炎），就是同盟会的骨干（吴稚晖、章士钊），一个个蠢蠢欲动、摩拳擦掌，让他们写稿，出事只是时间问题。 于是，《苏报》的小众读者们愤怒地发现，原本连载了一半的成人小说不见了，取而代之的是“杀尽胡儿方罢手”“借君颈血，购我文明”等血光四射的文字。 同时，章士钊抛出一个创造性的观点：革命党的党魁其实是清政府。 把守法良民都逼上梁山的正是各级官员的不作为和乱作为，说到底，清廷才是制造革命党的永动机。 案发导火索是章士钊的一篇书评：《读革命军》。 文中，他盛赞《革命军》是“今日国民之第一教科书”，字里行间充满了溢美之词。 当然你会问，怎么这帮人一个比一个嚣张，难不成都是美籍华人？ 原来，《苏报》是在日本驻上海领事馆注册的，企业法人也是一日本女人，办公地点又在租界内，属于外资企业，若非忍无可忍，韬光养晦的天朝本不会痛下杀手。 当袁树勋同工部局（由英、美、德三国派员组成，管理公共租界的“自治政府”）交涉时，对方答应帮助其封馆拿人，前提是案犯必须在租界内审判和服刑。 毫无契约精神的袁树勋当即表示同意，想等人犯到手后玩儿赖。 章士钊等人提前听到风声，相继走避。章太炎和邹容躲闪不及，先后下狱。 袁树勋没沉住气，过早地暴露了欲将章、邹二人押解到南京受审的意图。工部局得知后，断然拒绝移交人犯。 若将此举解读为“帮中国人伸张人权”，就纯属自作多情了。 工部局的目的很明确：把此案做成确立其治外法权的案例，使公共租界真正成为一个独立王国。 本来这个套通过外交手段并不难解，各国驻沪领事不爽工部局的多了去了，对引渡案犯的问题，有不少站在清政府一边。 结果天朝自己不争气，身处风口浪尖，还紧赶着拍了一部《杖毙沈荩》的血浆片，顿时人心尽失。 该片的故事背景是俄国与德国结成战略同盟，在西线免除了后顾之忧。硬起来的沙皇又开始耍流氓，指示在东北刚撤了一半的俄军停止撤退，提出蛮横无理的“新七条”。 没有李鸿章，深感外交难办的慈禧在俄使的威逼下，竟有了签约求安之意。 沈荩作为一个活动能力堪比柴静的媒体人，买通王文韶之子，搞到了密约草稿，在报纸上公之于众，扇了慈禧一个响亮的耳光。 然而，代价极其惨重——杖毙。 当时，刑部已多年没有实施这项古老的酷刑，以至于要为沈荩特制一块大木板，八个狱卒轮流捶打其四肢和背部。 由于技术失传过久，沈荩被打得血肉模糊还未能死。痛苦万分的他声若游丝地哀求行刑者“速用绳绞我”，一直折腾到夜幕降临，不成人形的身体方才停止颤动。 沈荩生前人脉广泛，同《泰晤士报》首席驻华记者莫理循关系极好。《字林西报》披露其死状后，引起中外舆论的共振，纷纷指责清政府野蛮残暴。 在一篇名为《真实的慈禧太后》的英文报道中，记者尖锐地写道： 这没什么不正常的。在中国，什么样的事都会发生。 只对选民负责的西方政客开始介入《苏报》案，以防止沈荩的惨剧再次重演。 引渡已无可能，清廷只好屈辱地聘请律师，以原告的身份在租界法院同邹容、章太炎打官司。 当法官问章太炎是否有功名时，被硬生生地回了一句：“我双脚落地，便不承认满猪，还说什么功名？”（邹容也一样，从小便对热衷科举的父亲说：“衰世科名，得之何用？”） 最终，二人只被象征性地判处有期徒刑两年和三年。天朝颜面扫地。 俄国却只要你割地，以实现其将旅顺开辟为太平洋出海口的“黄俄罗斯计划”。 日本担心中国顶不住压力，自己跳出来跟北极熊谈。 其动议是：朝鲜归日本，满洲归俄国，互不干涉。 甲午之后，日本满以为能独吞朝鲜，谁知闵妃搞起了亲俄，专心同日人作对。 日本一不做二不休，以闵妃老对头大院君的名义发动政变，将其杀害，组建亲日政府。 俄国当即反击，把朝鲜国王李熙骗入使馆控制起来，组成亲俄政府，与其对峙。 日本用战争流血换来的成果，俄国不费吹灰之力便抢走一半，其内心之愤恨，不难想象。 而此番俄国得寸进尺，竟一口回绝了日本的提议，明确道：朝鲜这盘小菜谁也别动，满洲这道大餐日方无权享用。 日本被彻底激怒，1904年2月6日，同俄国断交。8日，日本海军突袭了旅顺港内的俄舰，日俄战争爆发。 作为两国争夺的焦点，清廷只负责提供战场，并承诺“两不相帮”，这成为近代中国最耻辱的标签。 事实上在开战前，从官场到民间，“联日拒俄”的呼声一直很高。 贵州巡抚李经羲的意见颇具代表性：“俄胜势必吞并，日胜无非索酬”。 的确，日本依附英美，承认门户开放政策，打赢了也不会跟你要地。而俄国，便全然不同了。 真正深谋远虑的是袁世凯。 他致电外务部，要求朝廷在即将爆发的战争中恪守中立。唯其如此，方能将损失降到最低。 大头分析说：一旦中国参战，战场将不再局限于之前划定的辽东半岛，逼急了的俄国可能会侵犯新疆。而那一块跟列强毫无利益瓜葛，占就占了，最后无论谁胜，根本收不回来，到时你们哭都没地方哭。 庚子之后，慈禧一直神经衰弱，看了袁世凯的风险评估，吓得不轻，赶紧让外务部发表“局外中立”的声明，强调：“（东）三省疆土，无论两国胜败如何，均归中国，不得侵占。” 大头笑了。 此举一石二鸟，既替中国保住了东北，又把清廷逼到了舆论的死角。试问“满洲政府”却无力保卫“满洲”，不排满更待何为？ 日俄在东北共计投入了两百多万兵力，皆视此战为攸关存亡的死战。 俄军出动令人闻风丧胆的哥萨克骑兵和吨位一万二的装甲巡洋舰，可谓传统与现代的结合。 日军祭出需要三百人才能拉动的巨型火炮，又利用热气球侦察地形，力求弹无遗发，堪称科学作战的典范。 清政府名为中立，实则暗地里给日军送情报、供粮草，后来叱咤风云的吴佩孚和段芝贵也曾多次被袁世凯派到东北搞谍报工作，斩获颇丰。 其实，袁世凯的关注点根本不在日俄战争，而在战争带来的契机上。 关外炮声隆隆，震得慈禧寝食难安。她经常梦到俄军打进山海关，自己被迫再次流亡的恐怖场景。不久，袁世凯收到一封紧张不安的朝旨，要他严防直隶各处边隘。 大头心下窃喜，趁机诉苦说“非兵无以布置，非饷无以增兵”，逼朝廷加大催饷力度。 一年前，荣禄去世，奕劻接任军机领班。 大头立派杨士琦进京重贿结交，用银子把奕劻砸成了自己的传声筒，为北洋扩军打下了夯实的基础。 东北吃紧后，慈禧两次召见袁世凯，磋商对策。 大头觉得火候已到，力劝慈禧在中央设立练兵处，整军备武。 他的计划是：以武卫右军为模版，练兵处指挥各省限期编练新军三十六镇（师），合计数十万人。 为使如此庞大的蓝图顺利启动，袁世凯以退为进，奏请奕劻出任总理练兵大臣，打消皇族的疑虑。 慈禧病急乱投医，准其所请，练兵处正式成立。 会办大臣（常务副职）袁世凯，襄办大臣（副职）铁良，再往下各司的正副使几乎全是小站班底。 铁良整个一刚毅转世，在保守排汉上实现了跨越式的发展。可惜，被夹在袁世凯和北洋系中间，除了当摆设，什么也做不了。 奕劻更是唯大头马首是瞻，不久便以“衰迈多病”为由奏请太后责成袁、铁二人悉心经营，自己“但总其成”。 袁世凯放开手脚，编练属于直隶的“北洋六镇”。 新军无论装备还是训练皆耗资巨大，张之洞给朝廷算过笔账：每万人每年至少需要四十四万两白银。 因此，决不肯在官兵身上打折扣的大头开始想方设法地要钱。 仅1905年，各省上交给练兵处的九百万两练饷中就有六百万两用于北洋，如此“征天下之饷，练一省之兵”，袁世凯尤嫌不足，趁日俄打得正酣，自己有守土之责，坐地起价，柔中带刚地向朝廷大倒苦水： 倘若实在无饷接济，或拨饷不能应时，臣何能为无米之炊？只好尽现有之兵布防。假若防范不周，贻误大局，臣固然不能推卸责任，而力止于此，应在圣明洞鉴之中。 潜台词是：你看着办吧。 苦心经营的成果在直隶河间与河南彰德的两次汇报演出中得到了完美展现，尤其是“彰德秋操”。作为中国第一次大规模的军事演习，邀请了中外嘉宾五百人，一起观摩这场总兵力三万多人的野外PK。 北军指挥是第三镇镇统段祺瑞，南军则是张之洞编练的湖北新军第八镇，指挥张彪。 由于集中向西方展示了中国军事改革的成就，大头的威望臻于极点。就像当年不习惯没有李鸿章一样，慈禧已经离不开里外都是一把好手的袁世凯。 日俄战争以俄国的落败而告终。 此事对国人的刺激非常严重。如果说甲午之败多少还有些让人不服气，那连强大的老牌帝国沙俄也败下阵来，不禁引发了人们无限的思索。 最后得出两条结论：立宪优于专制；黄种人未必劣于白种人。 其实早在一年前，袁世凯就向朝廷提出过一套涉及官制、宪政和地方自治的改革方案，目标便是立宪。 但那次试水让他发现，利益集团一如既往鹦鹉学舌地重复着那句还要再重复一百年的口头禅：民智未开、民智未开、民智未开…… 好吧，先开民智。 What can't be broken can't be built.不把培养“奴才诚惶诚恐”的科举给废了，就无法造就新式的宪政人才。在由袁世凯主持撰写的《请递减科举专注学校折》中，他大声疾呼： 无人才则救贫救弱徒属空谈，有人才则图富图强易于反掌。 慈禧并不反对，但要十年之后才废。 袁世凯又掏心掏肺道： 就是立即废除，也要十年后方能人才辈出。如果十年后再废，人才无法急切造就，则又要二十年才能见效。强邻环伺，如何能等？ 再等不及也要解决实际问题，当年康有为废个八股被国人视为神奸巨蠹。给那些成天想着怎么靠子曰诗云混进体制内的老学究小学究们找出路，是比停止科考更棘手的问题。 袁世凯早就看透了这帮闻风而动，喊着“国将不国”、“圣人已死”，跑到翰林院门口绝食、国子监对面上吊的腐儒。 说白了都是利益驱动。只要赎买得当，再迂阔的人也会从故纸堆中抬眼看看日新月异的世界。 出路很有中国特色： 大学堂（大学）毕业的，给进士功名，授翰林院编修、各部主事等官； 高等学堂（高中）毕业的，给举人功名，授知州、知县等官； 中等学堂（初中）毕业的，给秀才功名，授县教谕（主管一县教育）。 小学堂（小学）毕业的，努力参加考试，争取升入中等学堂。 同时，加大公派留学的力度。 <