Chapter 16 Chapter 14 Beyond Despotism, There Is the Mandate of Heaven

Sun Wen returned home quickly, ready to challenge Yuan by force. Huang Xing objected to all the following, thinking that the judicial process had already started and it was time to resort to the law. Sun Wen said angrily: "The assassination ordered by the president cannot be resolved by the law. The only solution is force!" Chen Qimei seconded the proposal. At this time, the Kuomintang's territories were only Jiangxi, Anhui, and Guangdong provinces (although Tan Yankai, governor of Hunan Province, joined the Kuomintang, he pursued self-government).As a result, when Sun Wendian ordered the governors of the three provinces to declare independence, Li Liejun, Bai Wenwei, and Hu Hanmin did not buy it, and Sun Dapao was so angry that he said to everyone: "If there are two divisions, you should personally question the crime."

Of course, everyone knows that even if there is, it is definitely not Yuan Shikai's opponent. But it doesn't matter, the Congress has already opened, and the political legacy left by Song Jiaoren can help the Kuomintang to fight legally. The first battle is the "big loan after the aftermath". The so-called aftermath is to clean up the mess left by the Qing Dynasty - various foreign debts plus compensation totaling 12 million pounds. Not only did the government have no money, but they had to raise new debts while waiting for the rice to go down the drain. As a result, the first round of financing under the Tang cabinet died down in the midst of the Tongmenghui's reviling of "defeating power and humiliating the country".

But the Republic of China is waiting to be rejuvenated, so we can't declare the government bankrupt, right?As a result, the secret negotiations never stopped until a "big aftermath loan" totaling 25 million pounds was reached with the five-nation banking group (the United States voluntarily withdrew). Because the great powers insisted that China had not yet achieved true unification and the government's credit rating was low, they set an extremely high interest rate, and the calculated amount was only one-third of the money. When the news came out, public opinion was abuzz, and the Kuomintang even looked as if its country was in ruins, beating its chest and feet at Yuan Shikai's act of blatantly trampling on the "Provisional Contract Law" by signing a loan contract without the approval of the Congress.

Sun Wen wrote to the Bank of Five to dismantle the situation, and the House of Representatives ordered the cabinet to send someone to answer questions. Who dares to break into the dragon's pond and tiger's lair?In the end, Duan Qirui, chief of the army, came out. When the KMT members saw Duan, their blood surged up immediately. Some jumped on the stools and cursed Zhao Bingjun, some slapped the table and shouted to knock down Yuan Shikai, and some even threw ink cartridges at Duan Qirui. Republican lawmakers remained silent, watching the scene spiral out of control. Duan Qirui remained calm and did not move. After the Kuomintang had had enough trouble, he said calmly: "The loan case, please be ratified by the Congress."

It means that it is hard to get over the water, and it is a foregone conclusion. Please approve it to save face. The councilors began to ask questions again and again, but Duan Qirui always had only this one answer. The situation in the Senate was the same. What was a little better was that Yuan Shikai personally wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Zhang Ji (who was a member of the Kuomintang), and said earnestly: "The country needs funds very urgently, and there should be no further delay." The Kuomintang Headquarters convened members of the two chambers to discuss, and believed that since the contract had been signed, Yuan Shikai was bound to act recklessly to the end. The veto of the Congress would be of no avail and would damage the authority of the Provisional Contract.

Since the scholar can't solve it, let's leave it to the soldiers. Sun Wen, Bai Wenwei, Li Liejun, Hu Hanmin, and Tan Yankai jointly sent a telegram to oppose illegal borrowing. Yuan Shikai was angry. The Republic of China finally gained diplomatic recognition from Brazil, Cuba and a few countries, and Sun Wen came to tarnish the government's international reputation. Is it tolerable or unbearable? He said to Liang Shiyi: "I have seen through it. Sun Wen and Huang Xing have no other skills except to make trouble. They make trouble on the left and make trouble on the right. If they dare to establish another government, I will immediately send troops to attack them."

As a counterattack, UTC accused Sun and Huang of "falsifying the government with the Song case and borrowing money to achieve the conspiracy" by UTC, including Feng Guozhang, governor of Zhili, Zhang Zhenfang, governor of Henan, Zhou Ziqi, governor of Shandong, Zhang Fenghuang, governor of Shaanxi, and Yan Xishan, governor of Shanxi. In order to force the south to attack first, Yuan Shikai removed Li Liejun as governor of Jiangxi in the name of the central government, and ordered Li Yuanhong to serve concurrently. Soon, Hu Hanmin was ordered to serve as a consolation envoy to Tibet, and Bai Wenwei was to be an envoy to the Shaanxi-Gansu border, which really aroused a backlash.

Li Liejun took the lead in declaring independence, and issued an appeal in the name of Commander-in-Chief of Yuan Jun in Jiangxi, calling on the world to fight against it.Anhui, Guangdong, Hunan, Shanghai and other places responded one after another, with a huge momentum, and there was a tendency to reproduce the situation in the year of 1911, which was called "the second revolution" in history. In fact, due to the annexation of several other parties, the purity of the Kuomintang has been greatly reduced compared with the Tongmenghui.Even many old comrades have changed their mentality, and they regard themselves as heroes of the revolution, dedicating themselves to fame and fortune in their official careers.

Although Huang Xing was not included in this list, he was also very vacillating about acting rashly.Because he agrees with the "New York Times" statement, he knows that the so-called "response from all over the world" is just an appearance: The current so-called rebellion is not so much an uprising by the people dissatisfied with the Beijing government, but an effort by frustrated politicians and low-income people to come to power on their own.The civil war was unlikely to last long, and the result would be that Yuan Shikai's position as ruler of China would be more secure.

Huang Xing hesitated, and Chen Qimei was so angry that he falsely accused him of taking Yuan Shikai's money. The two argued, and Chen Qimei resorted to aggressive methods, asking him to prove his innocence by lobbying Cheng Dequan to send troops. Huang Xing, with a strong temper, immediately rushed to the Governor's Mansion in Jiangsu, knelt down to Cheng Dequan with a "plop", and begged him to send troops. Cheng Du said unhurriedly: "It's not that I disagree with the Northern Expedition, but sending troops requires payment and weapons. In short, it requires money."

Huang Xing called Chen Qimei and replied: "Two truckloads of banknotes will arrive tomorrow." As a result, the inspection the next day found that they were all scrapped banknotes from the bankrupt Xincheng Bank. Cheng Dequan said unhappily: "I agree with you to ask for yuan, but using invalid tickets to purchase military supplies will deceive the people. I will never do anything that harms the people!" It seems that he is upright, but in fact he is wise and protects himself. The discussion in the south was still undecided, and the northern army had gone south to conquer Anhui and Jiangxi one after another. Bai Wenwei was so angry that he scolded Huang Xing that "one general is incompetent, and thousands of troops will suffer." Soon, Zhang Xun returned to Nanjing with the Home Returning Mission. The bluffing second revolution was defeated in less than two months, and Sun and Huang went into exile in Japan again. The south of the Yangtze River was completely taken over by Yuan Shikai, and the governors of all provinces were replaced by their own people (Tang Xiangming in Hunan, Ni Sichong in Anhui, Feng Guozhang in Jiangsu, Long Jiguang in Guangdong), and the prestige of the central government reached the extreme. The great powers successively stated that as long as Yuan Shikai is elected as the official president, he will give diplomatic recognition to the Republic of China. According to the provisions of the Provisional Constitution, constitution-making comes first, followed by Congress electing the president according to the constitution. Constitution-making is a long process, and Yuan Shikai wants to take office as the official president in time for this year's Double Tenth Day (October 10).Therefore, under his instruction, Li Yuanhong and the governors of the nineteen provinces issued a telegram, suggesting that the president should be elected before the constitution. Although the disastrous defeat of the Second Revolution made the Kuomintang slump, it still holds the majority of seats in the Congress after all, so it should not be taken lightly. Therefore, Yuan Shikai ordered Liang Qichao to use the Republican Party as the basis, merge several parties and expand it into the Progressive Party, and at the same time, he gave the Kuomintang both favors and threats, splitting and disintegrating. Under the lure, some members of the Kuomintang with low morale switched to the Progressive Party, and some waited for Yuan Shikai to buy their votes.All of a sudden, the newspapers were full of Kuomintang members' declarations of quitting the party, and the Progressive Party took advantage of the situation to win the speaker's seat in the Senate and House of Representatives. Yuan Shikai should chase the poor bandits bravely and issue an arrest warrant for "Sun Huang's rebellious party". In addition to inciting rebellion, Yuan Shikai was charged with corruption and perverting the law. Sun Wen, who had just settled down in Japan, heard about it and learned from the pain, thinking that all the nightmares began when the League was reorganized into the Kuomintang.The four parties that have mixed in have no respect for their superiors, good and bad, polluting the organization and breaking discipline, and must be reformed. He warned comrades in the whole party in an undeniable tone: "The revolutionary party cannot be leaderless, and must obey the only leader absolutely." Immediately afterwards, the party members were divided into three levels: first righteous, assistant and ordinary. When newcomers join the party, they must swear by their fingerprints. Huang Xing, Wang Jingwei, Li Liejun, Bai Wenwei, Cai Yuanpei, Wu Zhihui and other veterans all shook their heads and kept their distance. Only Chen Qimei, Dai Jitao and Juzheng remained steadfast. The planned "three revolutions" are nowhere in sight. Beijing. Zhao Bingjun, who resigned from the post of prime minister, was transferred to the governor of Zhili. For ordinary Xinjiang officials, the direct governor means honor and trust, but relocating here with the honor of the prime minister can only be a sign of losing power. Regarding the destruction of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Bingjun, who made his own claim, had deeply hurt Yuan Shikai.Now that the suspicion can’t be cleared away, he can just take it on himself, but he sent his confidant Wang Zhixin (the then governor of Shuntian) to attend the memorial meeting for Song Jiaoren held by the Kuomintang headquarters in Beijing, and spoke outrightly in front of more than a thousand people: "Someone wants to kill Mr. Song now, but it's definitely not Prime Minister Zhao! Premier Zhao cannot be responsible for this matter, and someone else will be responsible for it!" The object of Wang Zhixin's insinuations may be Chen Qimei, because at that time doubts about Chen were once rampant, and Liang Qichao even bluntly said in a letter to his daughter that "the Messenger of Allah is also Chen Qimei". But it may also refer to Yuan Shikai, at least that's how the Kuomintang understands it. As the mayor of Beijing, Wang Zhixin's words were extremely destructive, and Yuan Shikai was very annoyed that it was difficult to stand up and defend himself against the rumors. Soon after, Wang Zhixin's corruption case broke out, and Yuan Shikai avenged his personal revenge and sentenced him to death. Knowing that Zhao Bingjun had caused trouble, he hastily handed in his resignation letter. Yuan Shikai and the Congress readily approved it, and Duan Qirui, chief of the army, was appointed to act as prime minister temporarily. The aspect should not be suspended for a long time, and the fragmented cabinet has also reached the juncture of reorganization. The Kuomintang is gone, and the Progressive Party is irresistible.With Xiong Xiling as Prime Minister (and Chief Financial Officer), Sun Baoqi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zhu Qiqian, Minister of Internal Affairs, Zhou Ziqi, Minister of Communications, Liang Qichao, Chief Justice, and Zhang Jian, Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, made a splendid appearance. This group of scholar-officials are all celebrities and beyond reproach, but what Yuan Shikai valued more was their status as members of the Progressive Party. Soon, Congress drafted a chapter of the constitution, the Presidential Election Act, to elect the president first. Three days later, 759 members of the Senate and House of Representatives walked into the venue to hold the presidential election. The appointment of the supreme leader, in this land, is finally achieved by election rather than guesswork. According to the game settings, there are three rounds of secret ballots. If you want to win the opponent in the first round, you must get more than three-quarters of the total votes (that is, 570 votes), otherwise you will enter the next round; The victory conditions for the second round are the same as for the first round.If there is still no winner, the two with the most votes will enter the final PK; In the exciting and exciting part, which stimulates advertisers and the host is eloquent, whoever gets more than half of the total votes will be the winner. Yuan Shikai made a total calculation and found that the problem was very serious. There are more than 350 members of the Kuomintang among the voters. As long as more than 200 of them do not vote for themselves, they cannot win the first two rounds.But when it comes to the third round, not only will it be embarrassing, but the risk factor is also very high. I had no choice but to play hooligans. On the day of voting, an inexplicable new thing appeared outside the venue-the Citizens Corps.More than 3,000 members claimed to be enthusiastic citizens, and came to maintain the order of the election, and surrounded the building tightly. Under the supervision of these social idlers (some of whom are plainclothes military and police officers), the venue was indeed orderly, because those outside could not get in and those inside could not get out... Occasionally, a member of parliament wanted to go out to buy fried dough sticks and order soy milk or something, but he was scolded as soon as he stepped through the gate and forced to return it. At noon, the host Tang Hualong announced the adjournment.The Progressive Party headquarters sent two loads of snacks, but was stopped by the citizens' group. After repeated explanations, it was said that they were for congressmen who supported President Yuan, and they were allowed to enter. The lunch brought by the Kuomintang headquarters was never released, and the Kuomintang members were so angry that they rushed outside to curse, and the citizen group retorted viciously: "You deserve to die of starvation!" In order to comfort their stomachs earlier, the councilors seized the time to vote for two rounds. Yuan Shikai ranked first, followed by Li Yuanhong, and Sun Wen and Wu Tingfang were at the bottom, neither exceeding three-quarters of the total votes. It was dusk, and the peak duel between the two kicked off. Members of the Kuomintang whispered to each other, and the voice of "vote for Li Yuanhong, vote for Li Yuanhong" spread like drums and flowers. However, more people choose to bow their heads to reality, because President Yuan clearly marked the price: one vote, eight thousand dollars.When someone questioned a KMT congressman who sold his votes, the other party laughed at himself: "Anyway, Yuan Shikai will be elected, so it's good to use this money as a living expenses." Finally, Tang Hualong announced that Yuan Shikai won more than half of the votes and was elected the first president of the Republic of China. The applause was sparse and weak, because the Kuomintang was unwilling to applaud, and the Progressive Party was too exhausted to applaud. The civic group received the reward and dispersed. The next day, when the vice president was elected, Li Yuanhong was undisputed and won with a high number of votes. On October 10, 1913, the day the Panama Canal was opened, Yuan Shikai was sworn in as the official president. The ceremony was neither held in the Congress nor the Presidential Palace, but was deliberately arranged to be held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. The intention is self-evident. On that day, it was raining heavily in Beijing. Thousands of guests gathered in the square of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, waiting for Yuan Shikai's visit. At 10 o'clock in the morning, more than 300 guards wearing gold thread helmets and blue uniforms entered the square and stood in front of the guest seats on the east and west sides. Afterwards, four shoulders carried by four people appeared, carrying the ceremonial attendants Liang Shiyi, Tang Zaili, Yin Chang and Xia Shoutian (Secretary of the Presidential Palace). Finally, Yuan Shikai, who was dressed in a sea-blue marshal uniform, came to the square in an eight-carried sedan chair. After getting off the sedan chair, Liang Shiyi and others supported him to move forward, and took his seat on the rostrum. The ceremony was carried out step by step under the auspices of the ceremony officer.When it was the president's turn to read the oath, KMT member Han Yuchen, who was very close to the rostrum, was surprised to find that Yuan Shikai's attitude was not serious. The eight characters are recited sonorously, while the rest are like mosquitoes, almost indistinguishable. Yuan Shikai is no longer the Yuan Shikai before 1911. In the past two years, when he was only fifty years old, he had grown old rapidly.A man who was once full of vigor and energy now looks like a dying patient. He was tired, and he was also tired of the games in which the opponents telegraphed denunciations and declared independence, and the rulers slammed and cut out dissidents. He is not without attempts at compromise, the very essence of parliamentary politics.In order to reconcile the views of the party, he also issued a hoarse appeal: Our country's political parties are just in their infancy, and the leaders they initiate are all outstanding people of the moment, with lofty ideals, no selfishness, and mixed political views, mostly pure in heart.However, the party members are prosperous, the management is weak, the two parties are at odds, and the speeches are all fierce. I am afraid that I will be moved, and because of my personal interests, I will forget the hardships of state affairs.Now the Republic of China is in its infancy and has not yet been consolidated. If it is shaken, the country will not survive, and how will the party be attached?No matter what kind of political party it is, it is advisable to eliminate prejudice and focus on the way of benefiting the country and the people.If you have selfishness, gossip about gossip, despise laws and regulations like a fad (referring to useless things), and take the country as your only bet, the disaster of destruction will happen in the era of republic. However, the inefficiency and impure motives made Kong Gu Zuyin become a soliloquy. Yuan Shikai, who felt that he was about to be swallowed by the quagmire, came up with the same idea as the contemporary German thinker Spengler-a force can only be defeated by another force, not overthrown by a principle. From power struggles to wars, the republic system died one after another.Before Yuan Shikai's eyes, there were two distinct roads. Regaining centralization can achieve short-term results in state affairs, with low risks and low costs.But in the long run, if you can avoid the first day of the new year, you will not be able to avoid the fifteenth day, which will delay the implementation of democratic politics and ultimately harm the country and the people; If you choose to expand democracy, you have to face long-term political chaos.The advantage is trial and error in advance, benefiting future generations, and winning fame both during and after life. It's a pity that the tragedy lies precisely in the fact that precisely because of "chaos", it aroused his impulse and ambition to "govern". In two years, he lowered taxes, encouraged entrepreneurship, enacted banking and securities trading laws, and issued the "Order to Protect Overseas Chinese Investment and Industry", which activated private capital and ignited business enthusiasm. The flour empire of the Rong brothers in Wuxi was advancing rapidly, and Rong Zongjing let out the wind in Shanghai: "As long as someone is willing to sell the factory, I will dare to buy it." With the outbreak of World War I, Maoxin Flour Factory's flagship product "Bingchuan Flour" was exported to Southeast Asia and Europe. Chen Guangfu, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, has been back to China for four years.He is about to start the Shanghai Commercial Savings Bank, launching a "one-yuan account" for the first time - as long as you have one yuan, you can open an account in his bank. He once asked his employees: "How should we serve customers?" The employees replied: "No matter whether the amount of business handled by customers is 1,000 yuan or 100 yuan, we must warmly receive them." Chen Guangfu said: "You only answered half of the questions correctly. He Even if you don’t pay a penny, you should still receive them warmly.” Fan Xudong, who has just turned 30, stood by the beach in Tanggu, Tianjin, looking at the boundless salt lumps like ice and snow, and said excitedly to his companions: "A chemist, seeing such abundant resources, if he has no ambition, it is inevitable that he will become a chemist." So unmotivated." Even though there was an elder brother (Fan Yuanlian) who was the chief education officer of Zhao Bingjun's cabinet, Fan Xudong did not choose to take shortcuts, but applied what he had learned to establish the Jiuda Salt Factory, which launched the refined salt brand "Neptune", ending the Chinese people who could only eat sodium chloride The history of crude salt with a content of less than 50% (the west has already realized that salt with less than 50% sodium chloride is not allowed to be used as feed). This round of "sea fever" that began in the early days of the Republic of China and lasted until the Northern Expedition was called "the second wave of industrialization" by historians. Unlike the last round of the Westernization Movement, which was dominated by the government and its affiliated officials and businessmen, and prioritized the development of heavy industry, this round is a feast for the rise of private capital. Most of the investment is concentrated in the field of people's livelihood, providing consumer goods, and the protagonist is Profit-driven fledgling entrepreneurs. And it was Yuan Shikai who continuously promulgated economic laws and regulations and perfected the market mechanism to promote this transformation. In fact, for a long time, this Virgo man who pursues perfection has seriously underestimated the importance he attaches to the law. In his manifesto as the official president, Yuan Shikai revealed his understanding of the republic: A republic adopts the opinions of the masses and formulates complete laws, which the masses strictly abide by.Shame on everyone if there is freedom outside the law!This kind of law-abiding habit must be cultivated over a long period of time, such as having time in daily life and eating in moderation, and then rule the country by law. For this reason, he presided over the revision of the law, abolishing the cruel torture in the criminal law of the Qing Dynasty; he also promulgated the "Civil Service Examination Law", and the subjects set put forward extremely high requirements on the legal and economic foundation of candidates. However, it is such a person who can publicly declare the independence of the judiciary, and justice is moving forward on the road of rule of man without hesitation. When governing the country became a sacred mission, when the desire for order and stability intertwined with the fear of division and extinction, Yuan Shikai, who firmly believed that China could find a new path according to his own will, abandoned the rule of law and chose to follow the law. rule of law. A slight difference is a thousand miles away. Now that the position is upright, Yuan Shikai, who has had enough of the Kuomintang's birdishness, began to sharpen his sword. He complained to his cronies: "In the past two years, I have been neither a donkey nor a horse. I have endured what others can't bear, and I have endured what others can't bear. I'm so decayed. How can I hope? I just want to save the country and the people, and keep the overall situation safe. I don't let my fellow citizens be others. The slave ears of cattle and horses." The problem is that in order to disband the Kuomintang to look more legal from the procedure, it must have the countersignature of Premier Xiong. But Xiong Xiling, who is a literati, may not be willing to do this kind of thing that is clearly turning back the wheel of history. It doesn't matter, Yuan Shikai has something to do with him. When Tang Shaoyi's cabinet was disbanded, Xiong Xiling, the chief financial officer, also resigned due to the failure of the loan, and was appointed by Yuan Shikai as Rehe Dutong (the governor of Rehe Province). Xiong Dutong originally loved Qiushan, and was attracted by the beautiful scenery of Chengde Mountain Resort as soon as he came to work, so he didn't live in the yamen, and moved into the mountain resort to work alone. It's fine if it's just keeping the birds in love with the old forests, ponds and fish thinking about the old abyss, but Xiong Xiling sent someone to count the treasures in the village when he was waiting, and even generously gave a folding fan used by Qianlong to the garrison in Rehe Inscribed by Beiyang veteran Jiang Gui. Because the gift was too expensive, Jiang Guiti did not dare to conceal it, so he immediately reported it secretly and handed over the cultural relics. Yuan Shikai intended to wait until Xiong Xiling entered Beijing to form a cabinet, and then sent people to Rehe for an open and unannounced visit, collected materials, and compiled them into a book. But after getting the black materials, they deliberately did not release them until they needed to take Xiong Xiling into the army. This morning, Yuan Shikai invited Xiong Xiling to the presidential palace to discuss matters.When Xiong Fang arrived, foreign envoys came to see him. The timing is so coincidental, obviously it was arranged in advance. Yuan Shikai met the foreign guests first according to the ceremony, and asked Xiong to enter the office temporarily to wait. There was no one in the room, Xiong Xiling looked around, his eyes resting on Yuan's desk.There was a stack of files, and there were nine big characters in the letter "Investigate and report the case of stealing treasures in the Summer Resort". Xiong Xiling leaned over to take a peek, his face turned pale immediately, as if he was facing an enemy. After the envoy left, Yuan Shikai called Xiong out to talk.He said in a very concerned tone: "Bingsan, you didn't sleep well last night because of your business, right? Why did you look so ugly?" Xiong Xiling made a few perfunctory sentences, sweat dripping from his forehead. Yuan Shikai said sharply: "It is difficult to advance the state affairs because the Kuomintang deliberately made things difficult. It is really distressing. If it is not disbanded and the membership of the Kuomintang members is disqualified, the cabinet will be hindered in everything, and the president will not be able to perform his duties. Bingsan, how do you Look?" Under deterrence, Xiong Xiling lost his mind and finally bowed his head and signed. The next day, from the headquarters to the branches, all Kuomintang agencies across the country were ordered to disband, and 438 members of the Kuomintang were disqualified. Half of the members were lost, and the Congress was almost paralyzed. Liang Qichao suddenly came to his senses. The Progressive Party positions itself as "political confrontation," and its manifesto is a complete reflection of Liang Qichao's personal political views: Confront the bureaucracy (Beiyang faction) and the rioting forces (KMT), and create the appearance of confrontation between the two major political parties. At the beginning, the Kuomintang was on the mend, and Yuan Shikai could not support it alone. Liang Qichao, who had been arguing with the "riot forces" for ten years, naturally chose to join the latter. But when the balance was completely off balance, he and the Progressive MPs realized that the bottom line had been crossed. Liang Qichao, who had no lips and no teeth, ran to the presidential palace to force the inappropriateness of disbanding the Kuomintang.Yuan Shikai listened patiently, smiled without saying a word, and finally said lightly: "It's late, the order has been sent!" At the cabinet meeting, Liang Qichao, who was very angry, brought up the matter again, advocating the resignation of all cabinet members in protest. Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, and Xiong Xiling, who was sitting in the chair, was also expressionless, and finally let it go. Everything has verified the prediction made by the famous journalist Shao Piaoping a year ago: Even if in the future all members of the National Congress are equal to Rousseau and Montesquieu, once they enter Yuan's world of force, they will become countless puppets. But even if it was a puppet, Yuan Shikai discarded it like a pair of shoes. Because the puppets still held the power to make the constitution, they drafted the "Temple of Heaven Constitution" and, as always, adhered to the cabinet system stipulated in the "Temporary Constitution". Yuan Shikai, on the other hand, had enough of being a nominal "stamped president" and mobilized Cheng Shude and other legal experts to study each item one by one, demanding that the president's authority be increased. Congress fell on deaf ears. But soon, as the Kuomintang members were collectively fired, the two houses did not meet the required number of people, and basically existed in name only. Yuan Shikai continued his efforts, perhaps offering heavy bribes to non-KMT congressmen, telling them that as long as they publicly resigned, they would be appointed officials in the government. In the end, he didn't even want the Congress, which was only a husk, and played the old trick of "submitting to public opinion". .The remaining councilors were paid 400 yuan in travel expenses each and ordered to return home. The republican treatment was ineffective and he was declared dead. When the sound of firecrackers sounded in 1914, Yuan Shikai walked away along the road of autocracy without looking back. A country cannot live without a constitution, otherwise it will be operating without a license.Of course, even if there is a photo, it is not necessarily true. You and I have seen the situation where you make a copy and hang it there to deceive consumers. Yuan Shikai could kick out the Congress, but he had to create a constitution.His plan is to form a political conference with nominees from the provinces, the cabinet and the presidential palace to formulate the constitution. It just so happened that Wang Rongbao, a member of the Progressive Party, went to serve as Belgian minister. When he left, he advised Yuan Shikai: "Don't implement the presidential system, lest the president bear the brunt of the trouble." Yuan Shikai waved his hand and said, "No way! The cabinet system has been practiced in the past, but I only hear that there are people who are begging for Yuan, but not Lu (Zhengxiang) and Duan (Qirui)!" Xiong Xiling saw that state affairs could not be done, and both resigned with Liang Qichao.At that time, people sent a pair of couplets, sarcastically saying: Celebrity cabinet, reputation discredited; big policy, big things confused. The last obstacle was missing, and the "Republic of China Constitution" aimed at strengthening the centralization of power was promulgated, known in history as "Yuan Ji Constitution". In the announcement, he vented his depression: Historically, there has never been a political power that can be unified, and the country is dead.There is no one who has different regimes, but the country is not chaotic and dead! The establishment of the Republic and the change of the state structure, although the empire was changed to the Republic of China, but the general public's psychology is still that those who blame the government are the only ones who are responsible, and those who are responsible for the parliament are still light.If the head of the country has no power, the political power will not be concentrated, and the public sentiment will be scattered because of it, which may lead to chaos. When the country is first established, when there are many difficulties, it is better to have a strong government to save it than to entrust it to the people and the parliament. The results are slow and difficult.Its effect is quick and easy, the so-called easy is easy to know, simple is easy to follow. Under the guidance of this idea, Yuan Jiyuefa extended the term of the president to ten years, and he could be re-elected. If Yuan Shikai is willing, he can be the president for life, because the three candidates to succeed the president must be designated by the incumbent. As a result, Chinese people are sad to see that they have just been run over by the wheel of history, and when they get up, they find that history is actually going backwards. Soon, Li Yuanhong's King of the Mountain couldn't do it any longer, and Duan Qirui, who was suddenly visited, "invited" him to Beijing to be the vice president locked in a cage. Duan Zhigui. Just like when Sun Wen was awarded the national railway supervision, Yuan Shikai paid Li Yuanhong 30,000 yuan a month as a salary, and let his nine sons, Yuan Kejiu, marry Li's daughter. The relatives and parents were very affectionate all day long... The structure of the central government has undergone major adjustments. The heads of various ministries are directly responsible to the president, and the cabinet has been changed to be responsible for uploading and issuing government affairs halls. It has jurisdiction over six sub-departments, including the Legal Affairs Bureau and the Confidential Bureau. The head is called the Secretary of State. Two years ago, Yuan Shikai wanted to invite Xu Shichang out of the mountain, but the latter refused. He didn't force him to stay, he just said: "After I get rid of these foolish boys (Tongmenghui), I will come to welcome Big Brother!" People at the time thought that Xu Shichang hid himself as an apartment because he didn't forget to clean up his house and not be a second minister, even his younger brother Xu Shiguang thought so. In fact, it is absurd. Most politicians only know "thinking forward" as officials. In order to achieve success, they can sing black people into red people and beat red people into black people. They will do anything to kill them. And Xu Shichang's sophistication lies in knowing how to "retire". The anode produces yin, and the prosperity must decline.Things in the world have always been in simple harmonic motion. Xu Shichang was unwilling to come back, because Gain deeply felt that the Republic of China had no rule of law-there was no rule of law and no cure. He even felt that Brother Yuan should stay away from right and wrong like Sun Wen, and leave the mess of China to others, watching the fire from the other side, and fishing in troubled waters. Of course, with Yuan's spirit and ambition, it was obviously impossible. Under the repeated lobbying by Sun Baoqi and Duan Qirui, Xu Shichang planned to help the court again, accepted the appointment of the Secretary of State, and hung a plaque of "Hou Le Tang" in the main hall of the yamen, flaunting that he was not here to be an official but to Serve the people. At the same level as the Zhengshitang is the Senate Council, whose dean is served concurrently by Vice President Li, and has 70 people including Yang Du and Yan Fu participating in politics. The Senate is a shrunken version of the National Assembly, which has legislative power, but all participation in politics is nominated by the president, which is worse than the former Qing Dynasty. In addition, there are the Daliyuan (the highest law that tries people), the Pingzhengyuan (the highest law that tries officials), and the Suzhengdong (the highest court). Regardless of the system, everything is moving in a good direction. Economically, under the impetus of Liang Shiyi, the Republic of China minted a unified silver coin "Yuan Datou".Due to its good craftsmanship and high silver content, as of 1949, it was still a popular hard currency.What is even more time-traveling is that until around 1978, fishermen on the southeast coast still used "Yuan Datou" to exchange scarce watches, jeans and radios with overseas smuggling groups. In terms of military affairs, the "Bailang Uprising", which originated in Henan and lasted for a year and spread to five provinces, was finally extinguished.Looking at Zhouzhou, there is no more gunpowder. However, it is easy to manage inside, but it is not easy to fight outside. In June 1912, the thirteenth Dalai Lama, who had been in exile for many years, returned to Tibet under the escort of the British army to regain power. He expelled the Han officials, carried out a large-scale purge, and sent monks to harass the Sichuan border, which caused a counterattack from Yin Changheng, the governor of Sichuan. Three-year-olds know that Britain is behind the scenes.So a year later, negotiations started in the English town of Shimla (India), perched on a ridge in the Himalayas. Britain's dream is to instigate Tibet's independence and then incorporate it into its own colony, India. However, due to the intervention of the great powers, it is more difficult to operate, so the plan of gradually encroaching has to be adopted. At the Simla Conference, the British representative McMahon proposed to use the watershed of the Himalayas as the Sino-Indian boundary line.This means that China's territory of more than 90,000 square kilometers in the south will be included in India's territory, an area equivalent to three Taiwan islands. Of course Yuan Shikai firmly opposed it. Just as the First World War broke out, Britain had no time to look east, and the negotiations ended in vain. However, the "McMahon Line" has continued to this day as a historical issue, and there have been many lawsuits. Seeing that Britain is so motivated, Russia is in a hurry. It just so happened that the current situation gave it a shameless opportunity-the Living Buddha of Kulun in Outer Mongolia (now Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia) took advantage of the exhaustion of the Qing court, followed the example of the Dalai Lama, and announced his separation from China to protect Tsarist Russia. As the political and religious leader of Outer Mongolia, Kulun Living Buddha has his own title: Jebtsundamba.And like the Dalai Lama, under the auspices of the Li Fan Academy, the reincarnated soul boy is searched for by means of a golden bottle, which is passed on from generation to generation. Even within the Mongols, Jebtsundamba VIII's rebellion was unpopular. In the Qing Dynasty, the Mongols, like the Manchus, enjoyed all kinds of ruling privileges. They could be crowned kings and dukes, like Seng Gelinqin, who was granted the title of prince.And the hero of the Han nationality, even Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, can only be named a marquis at the highest. Therefore, Mongolia’s upper class has long stopped hanging out in the remote and bitterly cold Kulun. Instead, they ate their stomachs and sang “One Night in Beijing” to integrate into the nightlife of the capital’s luxury and car-carved BMWs. Back to Cullen for independence?Unless your brain is flooded. Even the poor herdsmen living in yurts would like to give Jebtsundamba the middle finger, because breaking away from China would deal a devastating blow to the fur trade on which they depend. It's a pity that the Qing court was facing annihilation and was unable to take care of Outer Mongolia, so it had to advise Jebtsundamba not to "act rashly and be fooled by others", and sent the Mongolian county king to "consolation". Jebtsundamba ignored it at all, brazenly declared the establishment of the "Great Mongol Kingdom", declared himself emperor, and signed an agreement with Tsarist Russia to become its protectorate. After Yuan Shikai took over the bad debts of the Qing government, Russia annexed the border regions such as Altai and Tangnu Wulianghai by force, taking advantage of the fire and looting. Yuan Shikai, whose foothold was not stable, had no other way but to follow the old method of the late Qing Dynasty to carry out diplomatic negotiations with humiliation. In line with the principle of "negotiating economic rights and interests, and not letting go of sovereignty issues", after arduous back-and-forth, the "China-Russia-Mongolia Agreement" was signed, stipulating: Russia recognizes Outer Mongolia as part of China's territory, and China is the suzerain of Outer Mongolia. Zundamba revoked the title of emperor; China had to recognize the "autonomy" of Outer Mongolia and Russia's privileges in the region. In the case of declining national power, it is considered wise to achieve such a result. It's a pity that one wave has not subsided, and another wave comes again. In July 1914, the First World War broke out, and all the European powers were involved in the war. The founder of the Black Dragon Association and Sun Wen’s old friend Ryohei Uchida believed that the opportunity was not lost, and submitted a statement to Japanese Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma. The reason why it is called the Black Dragon Society is because the foreign forces have been active in the Heilongjiang area for a long time, spying on intelligence, drawing maps, buying traitors, and splitting. Due to its repeated achievements, the Black Dragon Society, as a non-governmental organization, has a great influence on official policies. Uchida Ryohei suggested that Shigenobu Okuma take advantage of the European wars and take advantage of the European war to coerce China and make a fortune. It is not known if he has managed multiple protectorates. The most detrimental thing is that Uchida advocated helping the anti-Yuan forces to return to China to make trouble, especially Sun Wen who organized a meeting of revolutionary comrades at his home ten years ago. Shigenobu Okuma considered the international situation. The powers have been divided into two camps, the Entente Powers headed by Britain, France and Russia, and the Allies headed by Germany and Austria (Austro-Hungary). If Japan wants to attack China, it will inevitably violate the interests of these countries in China.Therefore, it is wise to join one side and fight the other, lest a mob attack them. Comparing horizontally, Japan and Britain have an alliance, and Japan and Russia have a secret agreement. Although they are all combined with the interests of the Qin, Mu and Chu, they cannot be torn apart for the time being. After weighing again and again, Japan announced to join the Allies. Immediately afterwards, he couldn't wait to declare war on Germany, and found an excuse for the Japanese army to land in Shandong (the Shandong Peninsula is the German sphere of influence). After receiving the report from the governor of Shandong, Yuan Shikai held an emergency meeting in the Presidential Palace. All the heads of various ministries were present. Foreign Ministry advisers Wu Chaoshu (son of Wu Tingfang) and Gu Weijun also attended. Yuan Shikai's opening was very brief, saying that he invited the two consultants because they had studied in three different countries and were proficient in international law, and wanted to hear professional advice first. After finishing speaking, he looked at Gu Weijun. 这个被誉为“民国第一外交家”、时年仅二十七岁的才子道：“我国已宣布对欧战保持中立，交战国应尊重这一立场。日本登陆是违反国际法的行为，中国有义务保卫国土、抵御侵略，以维护其中立的立场。” 伍朝枢的看法也一样：“默许日本的行动，是没有尽到中立的义务，等于自动放弃了国际法保障的中立国的权利。” 袁世凯转问段祺瑞：“中国军队能采取哪些行动？” 段：“如总统下令，部队可阻止日军深入山东腹地。但武器、弹药不足，作战将十分困难。” 袁世凯直截了当地问他抵抗能维持多久，段祺瑞回答说四十八小时。 袁：“四十八小时以外怎么办？” 段：“听候总统指示。” 会场沉默了。 半晌，袁世凯又问外交总长孙宝琦。孙支支吾吾，说没有成熟的意见。 很快，两万日军攻打青岛，德国猝不及防，只做了象征性的抵抗便弃租界而去。 中方做了极大忍让，甚至专门划出一片区域给德日交战，但拿下了青岛的日军得陇望蜀，一路向西，借口胶济铁路（青岛至济南）为中德合资，将其全线占领。 北京立刻诉诸英美，顾维钧奔波往返于两国使馆，终于拦下了侵略者的步伐。 然而，1915年1月18日，驻华公使日置益在面谒袁世凯时，毫无征兆地代表日本政府呈交了五款共计二十一条明火执仗的要求，并威胁说如泄露出去，后果自负。 袁世凯看了一眼公文，淡淡道：“请贵公使去找外交部谈。” 五款里，第一款是接收德国在山东的特权，第二款关于在满蒙开矿修路，第三款涉及觊觎已久的汉冶萍公司，第四款只一条：中国承认所有沿海港湾和岛屿概不出让或借与他国。 最无耻的是第五款，要求聘请日人担任政府和军队顾问，合办各地警察局，霸占江西、浙江、福建、广州的筑路权，刷新了不要脸的世界纪录。 若答应“二十一条”，中国就是下一个朝鲜；若不答应，一战正酣，日本要真的海陆并进，列强即使想管也分身乏术。 袁世凯清楚，同缠斗半生的日本到了该做了断的时刻。 他唤来总统府秘书曾彝进。 一直以来，曾彝进担负着一项秘密的工作——收买日本浪人。 在袁世凯这儿，浪人是实施反间计的最佳人选。 浪人每月能从曾彝进那领到高达五百元的薪酬，而当曾秘书想从浪人那获取日本使馆的内部情况时，发现这帮日奸的能力极为有限。 于是，他向袁世凯提出解除此项任务。 袁摆了摆手道：“我想知道的，不单单是使馆内部的情形，还有日本商民的动静。比如近期是来的日人多，还是回国的多？为什么来，为什么走？走时是否尽卖家财，有一去不复返之势？” 汇总各种渠道打探到的信息，袁世凯终于掌握了重要情报：“二十一条”是大隈内阁闭门造车鼓捣出来的，天皇和臣民都不知情。 他马上命曾彝进去找在华的著名日本学者有贺长雄，请教宪法。 小曾深表不解：都什么时候了，还搞学术研究？ 袁世凯耐心道：“如果外交决裂，大隈会不会挑起全面战争？如果会，根据日本宪法，天皇是必须依他所请呢，还是可以驳回？关键在此。你万不可将此问题涉及二十一条，但以探讨学问为名旁敲侧击地套话。” 在袁世凯的指导下，曾彝进从有贺长雄口中抠出了答案：不经御前会议，大隈没有用兵之权，而天皇同意出兵的可能性不到两成。 探明对方底牌的袁世凯命更为专业而不懂日语（可以拖延时间）的陆徵祥代替孙宝琦任外交总长，并指示在交涉中持强硬但不激怒对方的方针。 他逐句手批了“二十一条”，作为陆徵祥谈判的依据。 如“中国政府允准，所有中国沿岸港湾及岛屿概不出让或租与他国”，袁将“他国”改为“外国”； 如“允准日人在东蒙与华人合办农业及工业”，袁批：办不到； 如“中国政府向认日本在南满及东蒙有优越地位”，袁批：无此向认； ... 对于侵犯主权最多的第五款，袁世凯则多次强调“必须声明不议”。 而且，他摸准了日本急于求成的心理，让陆徵祥尽量拖延，苦撑待变。 日方提出，谈判要天天开展，每周五次；陆外长说自己很忙，整日都是文山会海，每周只能谈一次。 日置益不同意，陆徵祥就和颜悦色地跟他磨，反正这也是拖延战术的重要组成部分。 最后达成妥协，每周三次。 然后进入磨洋工环节。 每次会谈，讲完洋洋洒洒的开场白后，陆徵祥即命献茶。 他揭开茶盖，嗅了嗅茶香，啜上一小口，便侃起源远流长的茶文化来。 日本是个多礼的国家，尽管日置益如坐针毡，也不好贸然打断。陆徵祥悠然自得，就差问对方要不要来手谈一局。 与此同时，蔡廷干和顾维钧游走于各大使馆，痛诉日本的丧心病狂，终于惊动了美国国务院。 国务卿布莱恩急召日本驻美公使，出示“二十一条”的全文副本，严肃道：“美国的政策是维持中国的独立、完整和商业自由，并保持美国人的在华利益。对任何在政治、军事或经济上企图支配中国的行为，美国不会坐视不理。” 大隈重信感到沉重的外交压力，不得不对外否认第五款的存在。袁世凯趁势倒打一耙，命陆徵祥提交一份“最后修正案”给日本，把第四款也给否了，前三款则严重打折。 大隈重信的自尊心受到了深深的伤害。怒火中烧的他请求天皇召开御前会议，妄图从军事上威胁中国。 于是，浪人们又从曾彝进那下载了新的任务——打听御前会议的内容。 虚虚实实的信息难辨真假，雾里看花的曾彝进一会儿收到消息说天皇将采取某一方案，一会儿浪人又说前案已被推翻，新的方案是如此这般。 曾彝进觉得这帮人纯属骗钱，没有任何报告的价值。在袁世凯的一再追问下，才表达了自己的顾虑。 袁不以为然道：“你何以知道没价值？在我看来，一句谣言，都有价值。今日之事犹如打扑克牌，到了最后摊牌之时，你以无价值了之？错了。你按我说的，不管是真是假，是大是小，都要报告，万勿隐匿。” 一天，浪人来报，说日置益收到东京密电，御前会议否决了用兵的动议，最终方案为：满洲以外不提，满洲以内略有让步。 威胁度最高的两条是： 一、日人可以在满洲杂居和购地； 二、满洲警察局须聘日人为顾问。 这是谈判底线，若中方不答应，日本即决裂。 袁世凯马上道：“真货假货，我一眼就看得出来。这个报告是真的。” 诚如《剑桥中华民国史》后来的论断（除了满洲租期的延长外，“二十一条”对日本的在华地位没有太大意义），这一方案对中国伤害很小，在可接受的范围之内。 倒不是天皇比较仁慈，只因条约外泄，日本成了舆论公敌，连黑龙会原本打算拉拢的柏文蔚、李烈钧等革命党都公然宣称“暂停革命，一致对日”，黄兴也劝告孙文“放弃讨袁，免为日本所逞”。 而在中国国内，抵制日货的运动正星火燎原般蔓延开来。 上海南京路的日人商店一律关门歇业，日产商品通通被称为“仇货”，游行学生看见便砸，逮住就烧。整个1915上半年，日本对华出口同比下降近两千万美元，外贸受到重挫。 因此，站在天皇的角度，大隈重信不打招呼欺上瞒下且不说了，还因操作不当麻烦缠身，自己要再不出面干涉以正视听，不明真相的人民群众搞不好会以为大日本帝国一不留神变成虚君立宪了。 连日来，袁世凯暗嘱段祺瑞秘密备战，物资运输彻夜不停。而此刻，他决定妥协。 首先，日本政府正在重金收买西方驻华记者，让他们捏造“中德同盟”的假消息，离间中国与协约国之间的关系； 其次，孙文一直不对“二十一条”表态，还对问他“可否暂停革命，一致御侮”的同志表示“袁世凯蓄意卖国，非除去之，不能保卫国权”，以至于日置益向日本外长建议煽动革党，施压北京； 最后，朱尔典苦劝中方接受伤害不大的最后通牒，实际已表明英国的立场。 但同时，袁世凯对左右道：“购地，我叫他一寸都买不到手；杂居，我让他一走出附属地即遇危险。至于警察顾问，用虽用他，月间给几个钱便了，顾不顾，问不问，权却在我。”（随后公布的《惩办国贼条例》中规定：严禁与外国人私订契约、租售土地矿产） 张一麐认为不妥，道：“要么签约，忠实履行。要么拒绝，开诚布公地向彼言明不能应允之故。如不听，以兵戎相见，彼曲我直，虽败犹荣。似此表面答允，暗中破坏，必为祸根。” 袁世凯斥其为书生之见：“开诚布公果能成事，世界早太平了！” 当然，搞破坏也是一种天赋，非独当一面的枭雄所不能为。 袁世凯属意的人选是陆军二十七师师长张作霖（1875—1928）。 辽宁人张作霖从小上房揭瓦，下河摸虾，因家境贫寒，很早就投身于社会这所大学校，当过兽医，做过土匪，还绑过盛京将军的老婆，人生丰富多彩。 直到日俄战争前，被政府招安。 由于剿匪平叛都是一把好手，张作霖累迁至标统，受到时任东三省总督徐世昌的注意。 辛亥后，袁世凯一就任总统，已成地方一霸的张作霖便宣布拥护中央政府： 愿负驽前驱，唯大总统马首是瞻。 更重要的是，张作霖的立场白首不渝，口头禅远近皆知： 我是东北人，东北是我的家乡、祖宗父母的坟墓所在地。我豁出这个臭皮囊不要，也不能出卖国家的权利，让人家骂我卖国，叫后辈儿孙也跟着挨骂，那办不到！ 中南海居仁堂一楼的东头是袁世凯的办公室。 只有最亲近的人才能在此见到大总统。 关系不近但地位重要的来客，便安排到西头的会客室。 而一般生客，则只能在居仁堂前院一处叫“大圆镜”的房子里恭候袁世凯。 按理说张作霖就是一大圆镜的待遇，谁知竟被领到了总统办公室。 他拘谨地坐在沙发上，不安地打量着室内的陈设。只见北面的博古架上摆着各色器物，其中一个丝绒盒里放着四块金表，正面镶一圈珠子，背面是珐琅烧的小人，精致而华丽。 袁世凯见张作霖时不时地注视着金表，当场将四块表都送给了他。 从此，表哥张作霖在袁世凯的扶持下异军突起，雄踞东北，成为远近闻名的扶桑噩梦。 民国十五年（1926），日本驻奉天领事吉田茂被张作霖的油盐不进、不受利诱激怒，盛气凌人道：“你要真不接受，我方另有办法！” 张作霖当即反击：“怎么样？有什么好办法尽管拿出来。又要出兵吧？我姓张的等着你！”言罢即起身送客，吉田茂悻悻而去，不久便被调回国。 民国十七年（1928），北伐军节节胜利，日本驻华公使芳泽谦吉认为实施分化战略的时机已经成熟，便找到张作霖，说可以暗中助其作战，支持他统治北中国，跟南京的国民政府划江而治。 张作霖认为中国人闹家务，不劳外国人插手，始终无动于衷。 芳泽谦吉只好转而去找山东省主席、狗肉将军张宗昌。 张作霖闻讯，立刻电召张宗昌入京，劝道：“效坤，自己家的事，绝不能借助外人，落千秋万代的骂名。” 张宗昌奉命唯谨，日本的诡计又告落空。 在前后交涉二十五次，穷其智计地化解、牵制了日本的阴谋后，袁世凯派陆徵祥和外交次长曹汝霖亲赴日本使馆，将签字文本递交日置益。 两人一路上心境凄凉，“若有亲递降表之感”。 在随即召开的国务会议上，面对全体高级官员，袁世凯沉痛道： 为权衡利害，而至不得已接受日本通牒之要求，是何等痛心！何等耻辱！经此大难，大家务必认此次接受日本要求为奇耻大辱，本卧薪尝胆之精神，做奋发有为之事业。举凡军事、政治、外交、财政，力求刷新，预定计划。定年限、下决心，群策群力，