Chapter 30 29. Good luck, Li Yuanhong became the president

Yuan Shikai's death raised one of the most pressing questions, that is... who will succeed President Yuan Da's vacated position? After the outbreak of the War to Protect the Country, Yuan Shikai had announced his abdication, but he was still the President of the Republic of China.According to the "Presidential Election Law" of 1915, the successor president should be recommended by the previous president. Can only be opened after death. Whether there is such a thing as "Golden Chamber and Stone Chamber" and "Jiahe Golden Bamboo Slips", there are many rumors at present, the most widely circulated one is this: On the day of Yuan Shikai's death, Duan Qirui, Li Yuanhong, Xu Shichang and others Several government officials went to open the "Golden Chamber and Stone Chamber" together, wanting to see what kind of arrangements Yuan Shikai had made.

The practice of the so-called "Golden Chamber and Stone Chamber" is actually modeled on the secret establishment system of Emperor Yongzheng of the former Qing Dynasty, except that the Qing Dynasty's secret edict for establishing a reserve was hidden under the "Upright and Bright" plaque of the Qianqing Palace, while the "Golden Chamber and Stone Chamber" was secretly established. It is located in the Zhongnanhai Wanzi Corridor.After Duan Qirui and his party opened the golden cabinet, they saw a yellow cloth package hidden inside. Inside the package was a piece of exquisite gilt paper, which was more than a foot long. "Wannian" in big characters, with the names of several people written in the middle.

Everyone took a closer look, and there were three names of "Li Yuanhong, Xu Shichang, and Duan Qirui" written on it. It is also said that this list was not originally written by Yuan Shikai, but was temporarily changed after the outbreak of the War to Protect the Country.It is said that Yuan Shikai originally wrote only the name of his eldest son Yuan Keding, but as the army of the National Guard pressed forward, his generals refused to use their lives. Yuan Shikai knew that the old Yuan family did not have a "home world". This fate, so behind Yuan Keding's back, the name of "Jiahe Jinjian" was secretly changed to "Li Yuanhong, Xu Shichang, and Duan Qirui" in order to make amends.

Regarding the matter of the "Golden Chamber and Stone Chamber", most of the parties in it are kept secret, and there are still doubts about whether it really exists.For example, Li Yuanhong, whenever people asked about this matter, Bodhisattva Li always pretended to be mysterious and smiled without answering.Whether the rumors are true or not, let’s not pursue it for the time being, but the issue of the succession of the president is imminent and must be resolved first, because according to the Chinese tradition, "a country cannot live without a king", if this issue is not resolved, not only will the following Things cannot be unfolded, and even the country may fall into a dangerous situation of falling apart. This is no joke.

So, who is qualified to take over Yuan Shikai's position?It's really hard to think about this matter, and it's not easy to decide.In terms of strength and influence, then Prime Minister Duan Qirui was of course the most suitable candidate; in terms of qualifications and reputation, the former Qing cabinet assistant minister Xu Shichang had the most reputation (equivalent to the cabinet vice-premier). In fact, Old Xu was not only an old friend with Old Yuan, but also had always been Yuan Shikai's right-hand man. It can be said that he was the second in command of Yuan Shikai's group. During Yuan Shikai's retirement, he also mainly took care of the Beiyang Department.

However, an important figure outside the Beiyang system should not be underestimated, that is Li Yuanhong, the revolutionary hero of the Wuchang Shouyi.Although Li Yuanhong can't talk about his strength and qualifications, he is the leader in terms of legal authority and status, and it is most justifiable to take over as president. It can be seen from this that the names of "Li Yuanhong, Xu Shichang, and Duan Qirui" are written on the "Jiahe Golden Slips". This rumor is not groundless, but is determined by the strength and reputation of these three people.If the rumors of "Golden Harvest" are true, then there are three candidates, who should take over?This is not easy.

If Yuan Shikai is still breathing, he probably hopes that Xu Shichang will take over, because Xu Shichang is Yuan Shikai's old friend for many years, and he was born in the Imperial Academy, full of economics, and has been in politics for many years. Rui, although he was also a subordinate for many years, was born as a warrior after all, and his political stance was quite different from Yuan Yuan's; compared with these two, Li Yuanhong was obviously at the bottom. However, the Chinese tradition pays the most attention to the word "name and name". The so-called "if the name is not right, the words will not go well, and if the words don't go well, things will fail." Li Yuanhong has an advantage in this point, and Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui cannot be compared. of.Therefore, the development of history is often unpredictable, and sometimes it is really uncontrollable!

Although Xu Shichang is a veteran of Beiyang, he has read poetry and books and soaked in the Confucian tradition for many years, and he obviously knows the importance of fame.After an embarrassing silence, Xu Shichang, who is known as the "Crystal Fox", broke the deadlock. He first declared that he would not be the president, and very wisely withdrew from the competition.Xu Shichang also knew in his heart that although he had a high reputation in the Beiyang Group, he did not have a single soldier in his hands. If he wanted to be the president of the Republic of China, he had to rely on those Beiyang generals and local powerful factions... let alone the incumbent I am afraid Duan Qirui, the prime minister of the cabinet, will not be able to speak!

At this moment, Lao Duan is also having a fierce conflict in his mind: Facing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, should he take advantage of the situation or give way?This opportunity cannot be missed, and when it never comes, it is really hard to choose.Lao Duan knew in his heart that although Xu Shichang was the chief steward of the Beiyang Group, he was not his opponent, and Li Yuanhong was more troublesome. In terms of strength, Lao Duan can definitely ascend to the position of president, but at present Li Yuanhong is the vice president and he is the prime minister of the cabinet. If you don't agree, there may be people in Beiyang who will make irresponsible remarks, such as Feng Guozhang from Nanjing, who may not let himself get what he wants!

What Xu Shichang meant was that he did not advocate that Lao Duan be the president.Although Lao Duan is Beiyang's own person, but considering the overall situation, he still thinks that it is more appropriate for Li Yuanhong to take over the position of President.The reason is very simple. Li Yuanhong took over the presidency in the name of vice president, which is justified, and can win over the Southern National Defense Army and the Revolutionary Party, so that the country will not fall into division. Regarding Xu Shichang's opinion, Duan Qirui did not express his position at first.But after thinking about it for a while, he felt that what Xu Xiangguo said was very reasonable. The old Yuan had just died, and the country was in dispute. Even the Prime Minister of the Cabinet can't do it!Since this is the case, it is better to push the boat with the current, avoid the falsehood, and let Li Yuanhong, who has no strength, be the president in name, and control the real power by himself.

Now that Lao Duan has figured it out, things will be much easier to handle.Originally, Li Yuanhong had no right to speak on the issue of taking over as president. After all, he was basically under house arrest by Yuan Shikai after he came to Beijing. Woolen cloth?If he really took over the position of president, it would be a fluke, all relying on the face of the Beiyang department. Li Yuanhong's worry was not unreasonable.At that time, Beijing was completely controlled by the Beiyang faction, and the real power was in the hands of Duan Qirui. If he really made trouble with him, this president might as well be inappropriate.Thinking of this, Li Yuanhong repeatedly shied away and refused to take office. It was not until Duan Qirui promised to maintain the order in Beijing and restrain the arrogant soldiers of the Beiyang faction that Li Yuanhong agreed to take over as the president. Although the Beiyang faction had split at that time, after they heard that Lao Duan and Lao Xu had elected Li Yuanhong as the president, they were all very unhappy... After all, Li Yuanhong is not from our Beiyang!According to unreliable sources, within a few hours before Yuan Shikai's body was cold, dozens of civil and military officials from the Beiyang family who were inclined to Duan Qirui gathered in the State Council. .In this regard, Duan Qirui sternly refused, and invited Xu Shichang to persuade these warriors. On the afternoon of June 6, 1916, Duan Qirui signed a telegram at the State Council that Li Yuanhong would succeed him as President.At ten o'clock the next morning, in his mansion in Dongchang Hutong, Li Yuanhong took office as the second president of the Republic of China with the qualification of vice president.The inauguration ceremony that day was very deserted, only Duan Qirui and a few cabinet members participated. The new president Li Yuanhong was wearing a military uniform. He came to the inauguration hall surrounded by several staff and ceremony officials. take office. It is said that Yuan Shikai once joked to Li Yuanhong, his son and daughter's family (Li's daughter married Yuan Zi), "I am today for you in the future. Many people praise my talent, and I think it is not as good as your blessing." Yuan Shikai One word became a prophecy, speaking of it, Li Yuanhong, known as the "Bodhisattva", was indeed lucky. Li Yuanhong's father was named Li Chaoxiang. He joined Bao Chao's "Tingjun" in his early years, and made many military exploits in the process of suppressing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.However, after the failure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in 1864, there were so many military personnel like Li Chaoxiang, and it was impossible for the Qing court to arrange them one by one.After Li Chaoxiang retired, he moved his family to Hanyang and built a house with severance pay, half of which was for his family to live in, and half of which was rented out in exchange for some living expenses.Li Yuanhong was born in Hanyang in that year (1864, the third year of Tongzhi). Because his ancestral home was Huangpi, Hubei (now Dawu County), he was also called "Li Huangpi" during the Republic of China. If it is normal, the Li family may settle down in Hanyang and live their lives as ordinary people.Unfortunately, a tenant who rented the house of Li's house was arrested by the government on suspicion of conspiracy. As a result, Li Chaoxiang was also suspected of "harboring criminals", and finally the house was confiscated by the government. In desperation, Li Chaoxiang had no choice but to return to his old career, and went to Beitang, Tianjin to join the army again, and lived among the ranks again.After Prime Minister Li Chao left, the Li family immediately fell into a predicament. Fortunately, Prime Minister Li Chao sent the salary from Tianjin at this time, which alleviated the family's worries about food and clothing. In 1877, 14-year-old Li Yuanhong suddenly contracted a serious illness and almost died.After his father Li Chaoxiang heard the news, he hurried back from Tianjin to visit him anxiously. Fortunately, Li Yuanhong was lucky enough to get through this hell. After Li Yuanhong recovered from his illness, Li Chaoxiang thought twice and decided to move his family to Beitang, his residence, so as to avoid similar worries from happening again.Before leaving, Li Chaoxiang brought his daughter-in-law 6 years younger than Li Yuanhong to Beitang at the same time. This is Li Yuanhong's later wife Wu Jingjun. Under the influence of his father, Li Yuanhong was also very interested in the military since he was a child. He often went to his father's barracks to watch the drills after studying, which also led to the idea of ​​abandoning literature and joining the military. In 1883, 20-year-old Li Yuanhong was admitted to the Beiyang Naval Academy with the support of his father, where he studied ship operations and naval tactics.But unfortunately, Li Chaoxiang died suddenly in his prime of life the following year, and his mother died as early as 1878. In this way, Li Yuanhong was responsible for his family alone, and took care of his stepmother, wife and younger brother while studying. Fortunately, the students of the Naval Academy at that time had a generous allowance, so Li Yuanhong lived frugally, and barely supported his family with this little money, but his life was very tight.In order to save money, every time Li Yuanhong went home to visit, he walked back and forth, nearly a hundred miles back and forth, in order to save Guangyang's travel expenses. In 1888, after graduating from the Naval Academy, Li Yuanhong was sent to train on the "Laiyuan" ship. The "Laiyuan" ship was the latest armored cruiser in the Beiyang Fleet at that time (it was a sister ship of the same level as the "Jingyuan" ship), and it was custom-made by the German Vulken Shipyard and was just launched in 1887.After more than a year of probation, because the Guangdong Navy was in urgent need of talents, Ding Ruchang, the admiral of the Beiyang Fleet, sent Li Yuanhong to the "Guangjia" ship as the third engineer. The "Guangjia" ship is an iron-whisked wood-hulled warship assembled and produced by the Fuzhou Shipping Bureau. Although it belongs to the Guangdong Navy, due to the relatively poor training level of the Guangdong Navy, it participates in drills with the Beiyang Fleet every year. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the Guangdong Navy's "Guangjia", "Guangyi" and "Guangbing" ships also participated in the battle with the Beiyang Fleet.During the Battle of the Yellow Sea, because the "Jiyuan Ship" formed with it withdrew from the battlefield without authorization, the "Guangjia" ship fled with it under the leadership of Wu Jingrong, the commander, and finally ran aground near Sanshan Island in Dalian Bay in a panic.Fearing that the Japanese ship would find out, the "Guangjia" ship eventually self-destructed in order to avoid becoming an enemy, while Li Yuanhong and others jumped into the sea to escape and returned to Lushun. After the Sino-Japanese War, the Beiyang Fleet was completely wiped out, and the Guangdong Navy also suffered heavy losses. Most of the admirable admirals were dismissed by the court (the ships are gone, why support you?), and each returned to his original place to find his own way out. Li Yuanhong Of course it was no exception. What he probably didn't expect was that his naval dream was shattered in such a way. When Li Yuanhong was at a loss after losing his job, Zhang Zhidong, the former old leader and former governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, was transferred to the governor of Liangjiang. Now he is setting up the Yancai Museum in Nanjing to recruit military personnel.After Li Yuanhong got this information, he hurried to Nanjing to join him.Zhang Zhidong was not interested in Li Yuanhong's naval background. He wanted to recruit specialists in fort defense. Li Yuanhong had an idea and described the land defense theory he had learned. Zhang Zhidong appreciated it very much. , So he was appointed to supervise the repair of the fort outside Nanjing.As a result, Li Yuanhong abandoned the water and landed, and began to transform from a naval officer to an army general. In 1896, Zhang Zhidong was transferred to be the governor of Huguang. Since Li Yuanhong did a good job in Nanjing, Zhang Zhidong brought him back to his hometown of Hubei to continue to serve.After the Sino-Japanese War, in view of the poor performance of the old-style army, the imperial court subsequently issued a policy of building and training the new army. Among them, there were two pilots in the north and the south.As a result, Li Yuanhong received great attention from Zhang Zhidong, and he was ordered to go to Japan three times in 1898, 1899 and 1901 to investigate and study the army training and military industry of the neighboring powers. It should be said that Zhang Zhidong, governor of Huguang, appreciated Li Yuanhong very much. He once wrote a banner of "Wisdom, Courage and Deepness" and presented it to Li Yuanhong.As a result, Li Yuanhong's official career prospered, he was promoted from the assistant to the supervisor, to the general manager, then to the garrison, the capital division, and then he was promoted to the deputy general, becoming a second-rank military officer. In 1906, the Qing government planned to train 36 towns in the new army nationwide. The planned mission of the new army in Hubei was two towns. Bing Zhang Biao was in charge, and Li Yuanhong was in charge of the latter.As a result, Li Yuanhong became the number two figure in Hubei's military circles. Zhang Biao, commander of the Eighth Town, had followed Zhang Zhidong for a long time, but he was an old-school soldier and was not familiar with the drills of the new army. Therefore, in several autumn drills in the late Qing Dynasty, although Zhang Biao was nominally the president of the Southern Army, he The actual commander was Li Yuanhong.Especially in the Taihu Autumn Exercise in 1908, Li Yuanhong led the southern army to confront the northern army, and won three battles and three victories. This gained his reputation and attracted the attention of the military circles. Although Li Yuanhong was a soldier of the new faction, and his soldiers were not bad, but his official career went smoothly, so he didn't have a good impression of the Revolutionary Party.After the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, Li Yuanhong personally took charge of the 41st Biao and ordered the gates of the camp to be closed, prohibiting soldiers from going out to participate in the revolution.During this period, a revolutionary soldier named Zhou Rongtang climbed over the wall and came to 41 Biao to contact the uprising. Unfortunately, he was captured. To prevent the morale of the army from being shaken, Li Yuanhong ordered his execution immediately.Until midnight, the revolutionary party bombarded the 41st Biao with cannons on Snake Mountain and Chu Watchtower. Li Yuanhong knew that the situation was over, so he had to open the gate of the camp and escape separately. After Li Yuanhong escaped from the camp gate, he went to the house of Muyou Liu Wenji to take refuge temporarily.In the panic, Li Yuanhong felt that a catastrophe was approaching. He said incoherently to Liu Wenji: "I am in the Xietong, and now my subordinates have mutinied. If you die, you will die. If you don't die, you will die. If the revolutionary party fails, the court will definitely punish me severely; If the Revolutionary Party succeeds, I'm afraid I will lose my life, so what should I do now?" Liu Wenji advised him: "The situation is unclear now, so it's better to wait and see, maybe there will be unexpected results." This Liu Wenji really had the foresight.After a night of fierce fighting, although the Revolutionary Party had won, there was a thorny problem before them, that is, the leaders who temporarily commanded the uprising were too poorly qualified to convince the masses, and the whereabouts of the original Revolutionary Party leaders were unknown. , The revolutionary soldiers fell into a leaderless situation. The change of fate may be inadvertent.What Li Yuanhong didn't expect was that just when he was panicking, the revolutionaries had found out his whereabouts and decided that he would be the governor of the military government.Li Yuanhong was very frightened by this, and even said: "Don't harm me, don't harm me!" But the Revolutionary Party can't control so much, and with a swipe of a pen, he signed Li Yuanhong's name on the military government's announcement... Tell the Overlord to force himself to bow, even if he wants to do it. Three days later, Li Yuanhong also figured it out. Anyway, the reputation of the "Governor of Li" has spread all over the country, and it makes no difference whether he recognizes it or not.As a result, Li Yuanhong actively devoted himself to the revolutionary cause, became the leader of the righteous, and then became the vice president of the Republic of China. During Yuan Shikai's time, Li Yuanhong was taken to Beijing by Duan Qirui, who was half-asked and half-deceived, and was put under house arrest. Fortunately, he also knew how to protect himself wisely, but he would not interfere in any specific affairs. Yuan Shikai was quite satisfied with him, and the two He also got married with his sons and daughters (there are also compulsive factors). Obedience turned into obedience, Li Yuanhong still maintained a firm position on the issue of Yuan Shikai's proclaiming emperor, and kept his revolutionary integrity.When Yuan Shikai named him "Prince of Wuyi" and sent someone to personally deliver the "Prince" uniform, Li Yuanhong refused to accept it, and even drove the visitor out of the door. It was precisely because Li Yuanhong made the right choice at the critical moment that he took over Lao Yuan's class smoothly... Compared with the serious president of the Republic of China, what is "Prince Wuyi" like? So, Li Yuanhong is also a master.