Chapter 32 Trinity, "Bodhisattvas are easy to worship, little ghosts are hard to deal with"

After Duan Qirui's cabinet was established, the central government was well-organized, but the local nephew still lit the lantern... according to the uncle (as usual), but the Duan cabinet made a list and appointed others to show the factual recognition. The local situation at that time was as follows: Fengtian Governor Zhang Zuolin, Jilin Governor Meng Enyuan, Heilongjiang Governor Bi Guifang, Zhili Governor Zhu Jiabao, Shandong Governor Zhang Huaizhi, Henan Governor Zhao Ti, Shanxi Governor Yan Xishan, Jiangsu Governor Feng Guozhang, Anhui Governor Zhang Xun, Jiangxi Governor Li Chun, Governor of Fujian Li Houji, Governor of Zhejiang Lu Gongwang, Governor of Hubei Wang Zhanyuan, Governor of Hunan Chen Huan, Governor of Shaanxi Chen Shufan, Governor of Sichuan Cai E, Governor of Guangdong Lu Rongting, Governor of Guangxi Chen Bingkun, Governor of Yunnan Tang Jiyao, Governor of Guizhou Liu Xianshi, Governor of Gansu Zhang Guangjian, Yang Zengxin, the governor of Xinjiang.

Speaking of these twenty-two provinces, most of them are from the Beiyang faction. Although President Li said that several provinces in the south respected him as the leader, he was trapped in Beijing.However, Li Yuanhong also has a solution, which is to reopen the parliament, which is a good starting point and can be used to contain the old Duan's forces. On August 1, 1916, members of the first session of Congress, who had been away for many years, gathered in the capital. Among them, there were 138 members of the Senate and 318 members of the House of Representatives. ).After being dismissed by Yuan Shikai, these members of Congress were scattered all over the place. This time they were able to reunite and hold the Congress again. It is really mixed with sadness and joy, and the mood is very complicated.On the opening day of the Congress, Li Yuanhong, Duan Qirui and other civil and military officials also came to congratulate him. An important part of the meeting that day was Li Yuanhong's oath in accordance with the "Presidential Election Law".After President Li finished his oath, the congressmen couldn't help cheering "Long live the Republic of China" and "Long live the president", as if time had returned to the grand occasion when the Congress first opened.

When Congress reopens, the first thing they do is elect a vice president.The position of vice president seems to be neither awkward nor embarrassing, and dispensable, but it has other meanings.For example, the congressmen in the south want to elect Lao Duan as vice president, and then seize the opportunity to push him out of the position of prime minister and let Tang Shaoyi in the south take over. However, this proposal soon failed. First, Duan Qirui publicly stated that he would not be the vice president, and second, Tang Shaoyi did not want to be the prime minister.As a result, the proposal fell through, and members of Congress finally elected Feng Guozhang as vice president.Vice President was originally a false title. Back then, Li Yuanhong did not want to go north to take up the post, so he took the post in Hubei. Of course, this time Feng Guozhang was no exception, and took office directly in Jiangsu.

It should be said that in the past few months after Yuan Shikai's death, with the cooperation of Li Yuanhong, Duan Qirui, Feng Guozhang and others, the president was established, the cabinet was established, the Congress was reopened, and there were always various congratulatory messages from various places every day. Sending them, there is a lot of disturbance and excitement, and the weather in the Republic of China seems to be not a small one, but a great one. Of course, it's not all happy events.On the day after Feng Guozhang took office as vice president (October 31), a message of condolence came from Shanghai. The revolutionary hero and army general Huang Xing passed away in Shanghai because of years of running state affairs, so that he became sick from overwork.After the "Second Revolution", Huang Xing went to America because he refused to join the Chinese Revolutionary Party. He didn't return to Shanghai until after the outbreak of the National Defense War. Unfortunately, this revolutionary great man's time is running out. When he died, he was only 43 years old. Died young in prime of life.

What is even more astonishing is that less than ten days after Huang Xing's death, another great man died in Fukuoka, Japan. This was General Cai E who raised the banner of the "War to Protect the Country".Shortly after Yuan Shikai's death, Cai E telegraphed his resignation from the post of governor of Sichuan because of throat disease, and then transferred to Fukuoka, Japan via Shanghai for medical treatment.Unexpectedly, it was too late at this time, Cai E finally died in Japan, only 35 years old, and died young! The government of the Republic of China is happy to bury the two great revolutionary figures, let alone talk about how the new president and the new prime minister work together.It stands to reason that both Li and Duan have military backgrounds. They both went to military academy, stayed abroad, led the army, and fought in wars. Their experiences are similar, so communication should not be a big problem.Besides, during Yuan Shikai's time, Li Yuanhong had learned to keep a low profile and be tolerant in everything; and although Lao Duan had a temper and his official career was smoother, he was a great leader anyway, so he wouldn't embarrass President Li face to face.

Prime Minister Duan can at least treat President Li on the surface, but it's hard to tell those under him.Among these people, the most difficult person to speak is Xu Shuzheng, known as the "little fan military machine", and this little Xu is the most trusted talent of Lao Duan.This is good, the problem is complicated, the contradictions are intensified, and the good show will begin immediately. What kind of person is Xu Shuzheng?Just listen to what the people in Duan Qirui's house said.Xu Shuzheng is a native of Xiaoxian County, Jiangsu Province. He was born as a scholar. He and Lao Duan were not related to each other. He was originally a secretary under Lao Duan. Study abroad in school.After Xiao Xu returned to China, he immediately took off and became the first celebrity in front of Lao Duan.Everyone in Duan's residence said that Lao Duan was promoted by Yuan alone, and Lao Duan promoted Xiao Xu just like Yuan Shikai promoted himself back then, even worse.

For example, in the early years of the Republic of China, when Lao Duan was the chief of the army, Xu Shuzheng was the deputy chief, and there was another deputy chief, Jiang Zuobin, but Xu Shuzheng had the final say on matters in the Ministry of the Army.Not only was Jiang Zuobin unable to be a master, but even what Duan Qirui said didn't necessarily mean anything, because Xiao Xu always said what he said in front of Lao Duan and was never dismissed;There was such a thing at that time, an old subordinate of Duan Qirui was dismissed by the army, and he was too poor to come to Duan and ask for a job.The old Duan saw that he was pitiful, so he agreed and handed it over to Xu Shuzheng to handle it.Unexpectedly, Xu Shuzheng later signed and submitted it, saying: "It is useless to check this person, criticize it, and verify it"... So this matter was considered to be dropped.

Xu Shuzheng's reuse has something to do with Lao Duan's way of life and work.Generally speaking, Lao Duan's life is very regular, basically unchanged for 365 days a year (this is very similar to Yuan Shikai).He usually had breakfast at home, and then went to the study to watch business; after finishing business, he went to the Yamen, and usually came back for lunch at noon.Except for the New Year's Eve and the first day of the first month, Lao Duan usually eats alone, and does not eat at the same table with his family... But this is also good, because Lao Duan has always been serious and old-fashioned, and rarely jokes with others, so Lao Duan's family She was also happy to avoid him, so as not to be restrained by him.

After eating lunch, the old Duan usually sleeps in the inner living room, and then meets with guests when there are guests, and plays Go with chess players when there are no guests (later joined the Japanese national player Wu Qingyuan, when he was young He often played chess with Lao Duan, and Lao Duan would pay the chess players a monthly salary), or find some poets to hold poetry gatherings. At that time, Wang Yitang, Liang Hongzhi and others were regular visitors to Duan's house.After dinner, the old duan played cards (mahjong) as usual, and basically passed the day like this.From this point of view, Lao Duan has less time to work and more time to enjoy life. In terms of diligence, Lao Yuan is much better than Lao Duan, and this is one of the reasons why Xu Shuzheng is reused.

When Xiao Xu went to Duan's mansion, he always came and saw him whenever he came, and he didn't need to ask the person in the room to report, he just went straight in.Those people in the Duan Mansion hid away when they saw Xiao Xu, because everyone knew that he had a bad temper, was picky, like a vicious wolf and a tiger, he would give you a face-to-face rebuke, and the younger one would be reprimanded If it's not done well, as soon as he told Lao Duan, he would lose his job.Others are still flexible, but he is as good as his word, so no one wants to touch him. The old Duan usually met guests in the outer living room, but Xiao Xu usually went straight into the inner living room, and only talked about business, said a few words, and left after explaining.He seldom participated in the banquets of the mansion, and he didn't often play cards with Lao Duan. As usual, he was doing business with a very serious attitude.Because of this, not only the people in Duan's mansion treated Xu Shuzheng with respect and distance, but also the cronies around the old Duan, and those dignitaries in the military and political circles also hated Xiao Xu very much.There are some things that everyone avoids him and doesn't want him to participate.why?Because as long as Xu Shuzheng gets involved, he will have to implement dictatorship and listen to him alone.

Maybe everyone will find it strange, why does the old Duan trust Xiao Xu so much?It turned out that Xiao Xu was not only loyal to Lao Duan and wholeheartedly protecting Lao Duan, but also really knowledgeable, capable, and talented.Someone saw with their own eyes that when Xu Shuzheng was receiving guests, he was approving official business with one hand and talking on the phone with an earphone in the other.Furthermore, Xiao Xu's memory is not comparable to that of ordinary people. It can be said that he has a photographic memory. He reads official documents and regulations quickly and remembers them familiarly. Whenever Lao Duan asks him, he can always answer fluently. If you don't believe me, find out some official business and have a couple, it's really verbatim.So everyone in the Duan Mansion said: "This is someone who is talented. Do you think the old man doesn't like it?" Talent belongs to talent, but most talented people in the world have a stinking problem of being arrogant about their talents.When Lao Duan became the Prime Minister this time, Xiao Xu became the Secretary-General of the State Council as a matter of course, and Xiao Duan was only 37 years old this year.Li Yuanhong had heard of Xu Shuzheng's domineering and domineering for a long time. At the beginning, he opposed Xu Shuzheng's appointment as the Secretary-General of the State Council because he knew that Xu Shuzheng was too difficult to work with.Later, the old Duan entrusted Zhang Guogan, Secretary-General of the Presidential Palace, and Xu Shichang, the veteran of Beiyang, to make things up for him, and Li Yuanhong reluctantly agreed.However, President Li put forward a condition, that is, when Xu Shuzheng went to the presidential palace to meet him, Zhang Guogan must be with him, and he would not meet Xu Shuzheng alone. Since the agreement between the Presidential Palace and the State Council was not very clear at that time, and Lao Duan and Lao Li did not communicate with each other on weekdays, misunderstandings and conflicts inevitably occurred in some matters.According to the provisions of the contract, the major events decided by the State Council should be submitted to the presidential palace, and the president will seal and announce them.Xu Shuzheng is the Secretary-General of the State Council, so he often has to go back and forth between the State Council and the Presidential Palace to handle affairs, but this little Xu often does not explain the reasons for the incident to President Li, and just urges the President to stamp it quickly.If Li Yuanhong asked a few more questions, Xiao Xu would dare to confront him face to face when his temper came up.Xu Shuzheng's domineering attitude, if Zhang Guogan, the Secretary-General of the Presidential Office, hadn't been able to mediate and mediate, President Li would have been overwhelmed. Once, Xu Shuzheng came to ask the president to stamp the appointment letters of the three directors of Fujian Province. Li Yuanhong just asked a few words about the past history of these three people. Xiao Xu said impatiently, "Why does the president ask these questions? Please Hurry up and seal it, I'm very busy!" Li Yuanhong was really furious at this moment.When Xu Shuzheng left, Li Yuanhong said bitterly to his subordinates: "I didn't want to be a president, but look at how far these people have no president!" In order to take the overall situation into consideration, President Li could certainly swallow his anger, but his staff quit. They had to fight for power for the president and for themselves.As a result, the contradictions between the government and the court began to be exposed, especially after the resignation of the former Secretary-General of the Presidential Palace Zhang Guogan, the contradictions between the Presidential Palace and the State Council intensified rapidly. After Zhang Guogan left, he was replaced by Senator Ding Shiduo, one of the "Three Heroes of the Press".Secretary-General Ding is not as easy-talking as Zhang Guogan. His personality is a bit like Xiao Xu's.No, as soon as he took office, he immediately created a draft of "Management Procedures", which was nominally to divide the authority of the government and standardize the procedures, but to put it bluntly, it was actually to win power and status for the Presidential Palace... You, the State Department, can't regard the presidential palace as a stamping machine! Secretary-General Ding's proposal was supported by President Li, but it aroused fierce opposition from the State Council. They believed that this draft was a "presidential struggle for power" and replaced the cabinet system with the presidential system. How did this happen?Duan Qirui, as the prime minister of the cabinet, of course couldn't just ignore this matter, so he asked for leave afterwards to put pressure on Li Yuanhong. In fact, President Li is also very guilty, and he doesn't want to make matters worse, because if Lao Duan doesn't come out to be a director, he really can't maintain the situation.So Li Yuanhong asked someone to come out to mediate, saying that he himself respected the "Temporary Agreement" and the responsible cabinet system, and never had the idea of ​​restoring the presidential system; To avoid misunderstandings and reduce conflicts.Taking advantage of this opportunity, President Li complained to Lao Duan about the arrogance and domineering practices of Xu Shuzheng and others in the presidential palace, and hoped that Lao Duan could restrain these people a little.Now that Li Yuanhong had succumbed to his softness, Lao Duan went down the slope and came back to work after taking leave of absence.After some mediation and discussion, the two sides made concessions and compromises. The old Duan also specially instructed Xiao Xu that the documents to be submitted to President Li for review must be delivered in person and must be restrained.As a result, the turmoil of "management formalities" subsided temporarily. There was a wave of ups and downs, and another wave, but this time it came from within the State Council. Sun Hongyi, the chief of internal affairs, clashed with the secretary-general, Xiao Xu.Sun Hongyi was a well-known Constitutionalist in the late Qing Dynasty. He gained a lot of limelight in the upsurge of forming a party in the early Republic of China. At this time, his relationship with President Li and Vice President Feng was on fire, and naturally he had conflicts with Lao Duan and Xiao Xu. Relying on the trust of the old Duan, Xiao Xu is well known in the State Council to overwhelm the sky with one hand, but when he met Sun Hongyi, he was also a friend with high eyesight and low power. He was aggressive and competitive, and his political energy was not small. Together, it is almost "in the midst of fire every day". Lao Sun is from Zhili, ten years older than Xiao Xu, so he is not used to Xiao Xu's arrogance.Needless to say the daily quarrel between the two, here are a few big conflicts.The first conflict was caused by Xu Shuzheng arbitrarily issuing an order in the name of the State Council, ordering the troops of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Hunan provinces to suppress Li Liejun's department of the National Defense Army.Originally, this matter had been discussed at the state affairs meeting, and the decision was to call for mediation, but Xiao Xu drew up a crusade order privately and gave it to President Li to seal, but it was rejected.In a fit of rage, Xiao Xu issued the crusade order in the name of the State Council without authorization, which caused an uproar among other cabinet members. Immediately afterwards, in late August, the House of Representatives transferred a bill proposed by Hunan lawmakers to the State Council, in which it requested investigations against Hu Ruilin, the current governor of Fujian Province, on the grounds that he had corruption and other misdemeanors when he was the director of Hunan Finance Department.Hu Ruilin is from the Anhui Department. After receiving the motion, Xu Shuzheng defended Hu Ruilin in the name of the State Council without authorization, and rejected the motion. Sun Hongyi was very annoyed when he learned about it. He went to Lao Duan angrily and said, "The issue of disciplinary action against civil affairs officials belongs to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I don't even know anything about the affairs I am in charge of. What kind of royal law is this? If the secretary The chief can take care of everything, so why do I, the chief of the interior, do it?" After learning about this, President Li also summoned and comforted Sun Hongyi and said, "That's right, what is the responsible cabinet system now? It's simply the responsible secretary-general system! " After being made such a fuss, Lao Duan also felt that this matter was done absurdly, and immediately ordered Xiao Xu to recover the message. Xu Shuzheng apparently agreed, but in fact nothing happened.As a result, Sun Hongyi got in touch with Lao Duanmao again. The thing about China is that we must not underestimate the role of the little people. The embankment of a thousand miles collapsed in an ant's nest. From ancient times to the present, how many big people have been dragged into the water by the little people and have been devastated!Xu Shuzheng and Sun Hongyi were fighting at the front desk, and the two backstage bosses inevitably complained in private. Duan Qirui said: "This President Sun is too outrageous!" Li Yuanhong said: "Secretary General Xu is too deceitful!" A month later, in order to rectify the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Sun Hongyi laid off more than 30 staff members in the Ministry.Since most of these retrenched persons had some kind of relationship with the leaders of the Beiyang faction, how could they let it go, and Xu Shuzheng also wanted to use them to get Sun Hongyi down, so he urged them to appeal to the Pingzhengyuan.As a result, the Pingzhengyuan ruled to revoke the original order of the Ministry of the Interior, and those who were dismissed still went back to work. The Pingzhengyuan was a political arbitration structure established during Yuan Shikai’s period. Sun Hongyi not only did not accept such a ruling, but instead believed that the Pingzhengyuan was an illegal institution. He then planned to submit the case to the National Assembly for deliberation.Xu Shuzheng was afraid that the Congress would accept Sun Hongyi's opinion, so he decided to act first. After Lao Duan's consent, he drew up an order to implement the Pingzhengyuan's ruling, and prepared to submit it to the Presidential Palace for approval. Xu Shuzheng's order was not only refused to countersign by Sun Hongyi, the Minister of Internal Affairs, but President Li also refused to affix his seal, causing repeated disputes between the government and the court, causing political turmoil.Lao Duan has been very dissatisfied with Sun Hongyi since last time, so he secretly sent a message to Sun, asking him to resign.However, Sun Hongyi not only believed that he was not wrong, but also had a very tough tone and refused to resign. Lao Duan was really angry this time. In mid-October, he issued an order to dismiss Sun Hongyi and asked Xiao Xu to give President Li a seal.President Li was very shocked after seeing it, and resolutely refused to use the seal.Xu Shuzheng went back and forth four times for this matter, and President Li refused four times in a row, refusing to give in at all.The last time, Xu Shuzheng threatened Li Yuanhong and said: "It's okay if the president refuses to affix his seal. We will not allow Sun Hongyi to participate in the state affairs meeting in the future!" President Li was furious: "What are you talking about?!" Xu Shuzheng sneered: "What are you talking about?" ? These are the exact words of Prime Minister Duan!" A few days later, Prime Minister Duan, who seldom visited the presidential palace, suddenly appeared in front of President Li angrily. He handed over the order to dismiss Sun Hongyi to Li Yuanhong, saying: "If the president refuses to dismiss Sun Hongyi, then he will be dismissed." I am dismissed!" When Lao Duan issued an ultimatum, President Li had no choice but to back down, but he still wanted to leave some room for both parties and save himself some face, so he suggested: "It's better not to issue a dismissal order, let him resign automatically! Come and do work for him!" However, Sun Hongyi's friend is a die-hard guy. He refused to resign voluntarily, and shouted loudly: "I don't have to be any official, as long as I maintain my personality! I will not resign, I will not go abroad, and I will not be transferred!" President Li couldn't convince him either, and now the matter was at a standstill.On the one hand, if Sun Hongyi is not kicked out of the cabinet, Prime Minister Duan will have no place to put his face on, and he will lose his prestige in the future;Both parties were unwilling to compromise, and President Li was caught in the middle, in a dilemma and helpless. In the end, Li Yuanhong had no choice but to invite Xu Shichang, the big brother of the Beiyang Department, out, hoping that he would mediate the dispute.Xu Shichang is an old bureaucrat with a lot of experience, and he can see the problem at a glance.Therefore, Xu Shichang proposed a plan, which was to remove Sun Hongyi and Xu Shuzheng at the same time, and Zhang Guogan, the former secretary-general of the presidential palace, would be the secretary-general of the State Council.The relationship between Zhang Guogan and the court is good. If he is the Secretary-General of the State Council, the communication between the two parties will be relatively better. The old Duan employing people has always been "employing people without suspicion, doubting people without using them", and he is famous for his protection of his subordinates.For Xu Shichang's proposal, Lao Duan initially disagreed, because he did not want Xu Shuzheng to be dismissed.It was not until the Congress wanted to impeach Xu Shuzheng that Lao Duan reluctantly agreed to this plan, but added one more item, that is, Ding Shiduo, the Secretary-General of the Presidential Office and known as one of Li Yuanhong's "Four King Kongs", was also removed from office (the other three They are Jin Yongyan, Ha Hanzhang and Li Shu). In late November, Sun Hongyi, Xu Shuzheng, and Ding Shiduo were dismissed successively.Lao Duan exchanged one for two this time, and Xu Shuzheng was still the deputy chief of the army, barely gaining the upper hand.As for Sun Hongyi, who was dismissed, he turned around and returned to the Congress, still attacking the old Duan non-stop. Confucius once said, "A gentleman has three precepts. When he is young, his blood qi is still unsteady, so the abstinence lies in his lust; when he is strong, his blood qi is strong, and his blood qi is strong, and he is fighting; "It is a pity that most Chinese people have never taken this sentence of the old master seriously, so whenever there are Chinese people, there will be internal strife; only the endless internal strife is the real Chinese characteristic. As a result, it's hard for these strong people who are full of energy and blood to keep fighting.