Chapter 18 18. Cao Kun bribed the presidential election

Tang Shaoyi, the veteran of the Beiyang Department, once told such an allusion that when Yuan Shikai was training soldiers at a small station, he sat quietly in the curtain one day and heard a strong man selling cloth outside. Like ordinary people, so people call in, this man is Cao Kun.As soon as they met, Yuan Shikai saw that Cao Kun's appearance was majestic and heavy, and he would have great luck in the future, so he persuaded him to join the army and contribute to the great cause. Tang Shaoyi has followed Yuan Shikai for many years, and his qualifications are almost comparable to Xu Shichang's. But for Cao Kun, who is also a basic cadre of the Beiyang Department, at least he is wrong in the time of this allusion, because Cao Kun's cloth sales are true, but he joined the small When he was training at the station, he was already an old graduate of the Tianjin Armed Forces Academy, and it is absolutely impossible to still be a "street peddler".

In detail, Cao Kun is quite interesting.Cao Kun, courtesy name Zhongshan, was born in poverty in Tianjin, Zhili. Because he was the third eldest child in his family, he was called "Third Master Cao".There are many brothers in the Cao family. After Cao Kun made his fortune, those brothers also ascended to heaven with chickens and dogs. Among them, the fourth brother Cao Rui became the governor of Zhili, and the sixth brother Cao Kai became the guardian of Tianjin. Cao Kun had read some books in his early years, and he had some savvy and ambition. When he became an adult, his family’s livelihood was difficult, but he didn’t want to be a farmer (feeling that he would lose his status), so he volunteered to sell cloth in Baoding, because he felt that this profession was more difficult than farming. Be a little bit more classy.In fact, Cao Kun’s background in selling cloth or farming is nothing. “A hero doesn’t need to ask where he came from.” Among his later comrades, there were many people with humble backgrounds. Didn't you also sell fish when you were young?

However, doing business is not Cao Kun's strong point, because he is straightforward, and likes to drink too much, he often sleeps on the floor when he is drunk. Laugh it off.When someone told him who took your money, Cao Kun didn't pursue it. When others asked him why, he smiled and said, "I drink for fun; others take my money for the same reason." Le Er, why bother to chase after it?" As a result, Cao Kun was nicknamed "Three Fools Cao" in the local area... Picture one Leer! When Li Hongzhang was training in Zhili, Cao Kun abandoned his cloth selling business and enlisted in the army. A few years later, the Tianjin Armed Forces Academy was established and Cao Kun was selected to enroll, which changed his fate.After Yuan Shikai trained at the small station, Cao Kun went to defect and became the leader of the first battalion of the right-wing infantry.It can be seen from this that Cao Kun defected to Xiaozhan because he was a young officer rather than abandoning business and joining the army. As Tang Shaoyi said, it is absurd.

Because Cao Kun has a generous personality, his emotions are invisible, and he never competes with others for power and profit, so he was not outstanding in the small station, and the speed of promotion was not fast.As a matter of fact, those comrades who trained with him basically had been in the command of the township. Cao Kun was only in the third township in 1908, and his promotion speed was slow. With Cao Kun's character, he has made a lot of jokes in his life.According to "The Appearance of Officialdom in the Republic of China", Cao Kun usually likes to call himself a big brother, and often calls him a brother.For the officers and soldiers under him, he practiced the principle of sharing blessings.One winter, Cao Kun specially purchased 10,000 leather robes, and each officer in the direct line was given one; he also bought tens of thousands of bags of koji powder, and each soldier was rewarded with two bags. Serve.When Cao Kun handed out the fur robes, he said in person: "Our soldiers have always had the name 'Tongpao', so today I reward each of them with a sheepskin robe, which means the word 'Tongpao'." After listening to Mr. Cao's distorted explanation, many people couldn't help laughing heartily.Cao Kun's move, although it is a small favor, is very convincing. In this regard, Cao Kun is not stupid at all.

Zhang Huaizhi, the governor of Shandong Province, is a die-hard supporter of Cao Kun. He often said to people, "Third Master Cao is my elder brother. If he takes a step, I will follow; if he runs, I will also take a step." Fake.In the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917), when Zhang Xun led the braided army to force President Li Yuanhong to leave, Li Yuanhong sent people to encourage Cao Kun to support him. Cao Kun sent a power to the presidential palace, and Zhang Huaizhi also followed suit; after that, Cao Kun was encouraged by Duan Qirui and declared Denied, Zhang Huaizhi also denied following the declaration.Later, Cao Kun became the governor of Zhili, and Zhang Huaizhi was going to be the governor of Shandong, saying, "I want to go with Cao Sanye!"

However, when Zhang Huaizhi was the chief of staff, he was illiterate but good at writing. One day he gave an order to "send someone to the staff headquarters", but he wrote the word "pai" instead of "catch". He was caught at the staff headquarters and waited to be released, which made a big joke.When Wang Shizhen, the veteran of Beiyang learned about it, he said with a smile: "Huaizhi learned from Cao Zhongshan in everything he did. Cao Kun has always been calm and steady in his work, unlike some people who are impulsive and aggressive (such as Duan Qirui), but later it gradually became popular.After Yuan Shikai's death, Cao Kun and Wu Peifu first drove out Duan Qirui in the Zhiwan War, and then drove out Zhang Zuolin in the Zhifeng War. The Zhili faction became the only military and political group that controlled the Beijing government.At this time, Cao Kun was full of confidence. Under the instigation of some politicians, he was not only satisfied with being a local warlord, but wanted to taste what it was like to be a president.

Cao Kun was a soldier and had little experience in politics, but he grasped the core element of the politics of the Republic of China, that is: money!But no, money can make ghosts turn the millstone, if you don't have money, don't talk about everything, if you have money, you can do everything easily, the ancient and modern are the same. In 1923, after forcing away Li Yuanhong, who played a temporary cameo, Cao Kun's election bribery began in full swing.For the specific work, of course, Cao Kun does not need to come forward in person, but mainly by his politician Wu Jinglian and others to move around.Presidential elections are not a rare event in the Republic of China, but this time it came more directly...that is, election bribery is almost open and transparent, and the price of the ballots is clearly marked. Checks, cashed after successful elections.

Under the lure of money, some MPs who originally opposed the direct line also returned to Beijing one after another, preparing to receive the 5,000 yuan to vote for Cao Kun.At the primary election meeting on September 10, more than 500 members attended.However, according to the provisions of the Provisional Constitution, the presidential election requires three-quarters of the members to vote. Although more than 570 checks have been sent out at that time, the quorum of attendance has not yet been reached. In order to be able to hold the presidential inauguration ceremony on the National Day on October 10, Cao Kun then increased the intensity of bribery. October 5th is the official presidential election meeting. In order to meet the statutory number of congressmen attending the general election, Cao Kun sent people to set up a "secret investigation office" to prevent congressmen from leaving Beijing without authorization.What's funny is that the forces against Cao Kun's election bribery also set up a counterpoint at the Liuguo Hotel, and bought the members who did not vote at a price of 8,000 yuan per person. However, due to limited financial resources, only 40 members were bought. A few of them took money from both sides.

On October 5th, the presidential election was officially held, but Wu Jinglian walked into the venue and saw that the number of sign-ins was far from the quorum, so he announced that the number of sign-ins was enough before the election, but waited until noon, and there were only 400 sign-in members people.Wu Jinglian was in a hurry. With Cao Kun's consent, he made an impromptu decision to issue a check for 5,000 yuan as long as the councilors attended the meeting, even if they did not vote for Cao Kun.Afterwards, Wu Jinglian dispatched dozens of cars and dispatched reliable MPs to persuade or pull MPs from the same country and the same party, and stipulated that each person must bring at least one back.

Ever since, the congressmen split up, and the horns of cars outside the venue were beeping, creating a very lively scene.Since Cao Kun could not be elected, the check could not be cashed, so those financially obsessed congressmen tried their best to drag people, and several sick congressmen were also dragged by them.It was not until 1:20 in the afternoon that 590 congressmen signed in, and then the bell was rung to start voting.After the votes were counted at 4 pm, Cao Kun was elected as the new president of the Republic of China with 480 votes. Cao Kun spent a lot of money in bribing the president this time. In addition to 5,000 oceans per vote, he also needed to pay those politicians who went up and down. In addition, there were hospitality fees and secret fees, which added up to tens of millions.There is no definite conclusion as to who paid the money, but it is undoubtedly true that Cao Kun paid part of it himself. As for the rest, there should be suspicion of embezzlement of public funds, such as public bonds and loans issued by the directly related provinces.

What makes people laugh and cry is that Cao Kun's election bribery was completely "legal" and open in terms of procedures, and he did not resort to any violence. Even if someone took money and refused to vote, he never took any means to retaliate. "One is willing to buy and the other is willing to sell," as one of Cao Kun's subordinates said: "It is better to spend money to buy the president than to order the election with a gun!" As for those congressmen who voted with money, they were called "pigboy congressmen", and these were the heroes from all walks of life in the first Congress of the Republic of China (the time when Song Jiaoren won a big victory).In the early years of the Republic of China, citizens were full of illusions and endless hopes for "parliamentary politics". Who would have expected that this group of people would become what they are today?Not to mention members of parliament, even ordinary people can't compare (but whether the people will reject the 5,000 oceans, I'm afraid no one can guarantee). The first Congress was commonly known as the "Eight Hundred Arhats", but to be honest, none of the Arhats here were elected by the people themselves.These people were originally the revolutionary parties and constitutionalists in the provinces, or the leaders of some associations, or candidates appointed by some dignitaries. To put it bluntly, these people were not elected by the voters, so they did not need representatives. Who. Of course, there is no shortage of talented people among these people, but the political environment in the early years of the Republic of China was a political sauce that rotted over time. Many revolutionary parties, constitutionalists, and community leaders abandoned their ideals and became There are a lot of people who help politicians and are willing to be "piggy councilors" for the sake of 5,000 oceans.If Mr. Song Jiaoren knew about it, how would he feel when he saw these people?Those who think that Song Jiaoren can lead China to the road of constitutionalism without death are really ridiculous wishful thinking in the face of cruel reality. The political arena of the Republic of China is just a super invincible big sauce tank. The most hateful thing is that these congressmen receive generous annual salaries and high attendance subsidies for each meeting, but what do they do?During the meeting, the parties are divided and noisy, and most things are met but not discussed, and discussed but not resolved; and the meetings that members of parliament should attend are often aborted due to insufficient quorum.It is absurd that within a few months after the restoration of Parliament in 1916, nothing was agreed upon except the salary of members. Many congressmen at that time had extremely corrupt personal lives, eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, smoking opium, and drinking flower wine. The "Eight Great Alleys" in Beijing were the favorite places for congressmen to patronize back then.How can such a member of parliament become an example for the people, and how can he benefit the country and the people? Tang Degang, a historian living in the United States, said that the parliamentary system in advanced democratic countries is the result of hundreds of years of continuous practice and slowly developed level by level. Is it that easy?This is not party politics but gang politics, the so-called "clique system". After Cao Kun was elected president, the only thing worthy of praise was the promulgation of the first formal constitution in Chinese history.It is a pity that although this constitution has been sharpened for ten years, under the notoriety of election bribery, how many people know about it, and what effect it has played, these are unpredictable unknowns... In the age when guns have the final say , What kind of shit constitution...not to mention bribery. On the contrary, Cao Kun, who became famous (unfortunately a bad name) because of this incident, is well known.Thinking about it, the "Three Fools Cao" spent a lot of money to become the president who bribed the election. I am afraid that he is also a man of temperament, probably "Tu Yi Le Er".Twelve years ago, Yuan Kewen once advised his father, Yuan Shikai, "Don't go to the top of the Qionglou", but for Cao Kun, the President of the Republic of China was his highest level. People in the future should not feel sorry for him. Cao Kun spent a lot of money to get the president, but he didn't serve for a long time. On October 23, 1924, when Wu Peifu led the direct army to fight the Feng army on the front line, Feng Yuxiang's national army suddenly returned to Beijing to stage a coup. The traffic arteries on the road are also full of National Army soldiers wearing white armbands that read "swear to save the country, don't disturb the people, and truly love the people".As for the telegrams and telephone calls between the presidential palace and the outside world, they had already been cut off by the internal response troops of the national army who had practiced many times. The guards of the presidential palace were disarmed, and Cao Kun himself was placed under house arrest in the Yanqing building in Zhongnanhai. President Cao Kun, who sat well, was surprised by such an accident overnight, especially when he heard that his trusted subordinates, Sun Yue and Wang Chengbin, had rebelled, and he was so angry that he was speechless for a long time.When Xue Dubi, Feng Yuxiang's representative, and Yan Huiqing, the prime minister of the cabinet, went to see Cao Kun, Cao Kun's tone was still very tough, and he asked, "Where is Ziyu? Where is Ziyu?" The second battle against Feng is Ziyu’s idea, but I agree with it. If you want to deal with Ziyu, you must first deal with me, Cao (Wu Peifu, styled Ziyu, is the backbone of Cao Kun, Cao is Wu, and Wu is Cao).” Later, Sun Yue and others came and persuaded Cao Kun: "I can guarantee the safety of the public. The truce is for peace. You might as well step down as soon as possible. As for Wu Peifu, you can give him a name to let him step down." Sun Yue used to be Cao Kun's subordinate The next staff officer was a member of the Revolutionary Party at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Cao Kun was kind to him and trusted him. Now even he has turned against him. It can be seen that the general situation is gone, and it is useless to fight. You can handle it, and you can figure it out yourself.” After the truce order and the order to dismiss Wu Peifu were issued, Wu Peifu on the front line still refused to believe it.At this time, the National Army defeated Wu Peifu's original garrison in Yangcun and Langfang one after another, and those direct reinforcements going north were also blocked by Shandong Governor Zheng Shiqi and Shanxi Governor Yan Xishan. So far, Wu Peifu's failure is inevitable. reverse. Under Wang Chengbin's persuasion, Cao Kun had no choice but to announce his resignation, but he was still under house arrest in Yanqing Building.It was not until 1926, when Wu Peifu rose again in Dongshan, Hubei, and Feng Yuxiang's national army was defeated by the Feng army, that Cao Kun was released.Cao Sanye, who had regained his freedom, thought that since Duan Qirui stepped down, he should come out and continue to be his president. Unexpectedly, the reaction from all parties was indifferent. Someone said, "The third master is not good at singing in the foreground. I think it's better to ask him to wait in the backstage. Let's discuss after I settle the overall situation." Soldiers will no longer serve", etc.When this word reached Cao Kun's ears, it inevitably poured cold water on him, so he had no choice but to continue to wait patiently. After the Northern Expedition, the Beiyang Clan fell into disrepair. Cao Kun saw that Wu Peifu and the group of people who were in the past were already a thing of the past, so he gave up the fantasy of coming back and went back to Tianjin to live in seclusion.In his later years, Cao Kun, like Duan Qirui, changed to eating fast and chanting Buddha. He often burned incense and chanted scriptures. He also bought a golden Buddha and placed it in the "Great Sad Court" in Tianjin, and often went to worship.After breaking away from the military and political circles, Cao Kun lived a peaceful and peaceful life in his later years.After the Japanese occupation of Northeast China, Cao Kun was often asked to take up a post by the Japanese, but Cao Kun always refused.As far as this point is concerned, Cao Kun is confused about small things but not big things, and he still has national integrity. On May 17, 1938, Cao Kun died of pneumonia in Tianjin at the age of seventy-six.