Chapter 77 The red sun in the hearts of Shandong people

Yuan Shikai is very good.After on-the-spot investigation and hard thinking, he critically absorbed the failure experience of his predecessors, and based on the actual situation in Shandong, combined theory with practice, and created two sets of unique weapons of his own.With the assistance of these two weapons, he settled the internal and external troubles in Shandong Province in just two years. The first set of weapons he invented was called "Bright Fu and Dark Suppression", which is a deceptive combat system that combines both offense and defense. In fact, this combat system is under enormous political risk and pressure.Because Cixi asked him to protect the "righteous people", but he was killing them, Yuan Shikai, as a local official, actually directly opposed the highest decision-making of the dynasty, this is a big crime of losing his head!

However, Yuan Shikai was not at all ambiguous at the critical moment of life and death.Yuan Shikai will not and cannot forget the scenes in North Korea. Isn't the Boxer now the Donghak Party of North Korea? Yuan Shikai knew clearly: this kind of radical non-government organization with no clear purpose, no program, and a mixture of good and bad will only do bad things. Since the Donghak Party made North Korea a Japanese colony, the current Boxers will not be much better. . History has proved Yuan Shikai's foresight. The Boxers were not only useless, they were simply the last straw that broke the lean camel of the Qing Dynasty.

Forget the past.Yuan Shikai absolutely did not allow this to happen, and this was the main reason why he resolutely attacked the Boxers. However, Yuan Shikai is not a reckless person. He understands skills, "following the yang and violating the yin", "a man who knows the current affairs is a hero", and "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". He knows how to find the best balance between toughness and compromise. , is a master at this. Therefore, he took advantage of the ambiguity of the definition of Boxers by the upper echelons of the imperial court to play word games.

Yuan Shikai publicly stated: officials at all levels in Shandong Province must "obey the order and protect the righteous people", because the "righteous people" are ordinary people who "abiding by the law and law-abiding" are good people. Just looking at his public statements, one must think that he will protect the Boxers well.But as long as you carefully analyze Yuan Shikai’s words, you can read the deep meaning-I will definitely protect the safety of the "righteous people" who don't cause trouble, kill people and set fires, but those "righteous people" who "kill people and set fires and spread cults" Safety, I can't guarantee it, the officers and soldiers are killed when they should be killed, and arrested when they should be arrested.

You can play word games, but you still have to do the specific work. On this point, the three comrades Wang Shizhen, Duan Qirui, and Feng Guozhang performed quite well. They faithfully implemented Yuan Shikai's iron-fisted policy, and would rather kill the "righteous people" who murdered and set fire. The turmoil in Shandong was quickly quelled. . Engage in definitions and groups, and the task is only half completed.Yuan Shikai went on to settle the Germans.Dealing with the Germans is different from dealing with the Boxers. You must not rely solely on the use of force. Even if you use force, you may not be able to win. It is best to use peaceful diplomatic means to resolve it.

Yuan Shikai had already been well aware of this point, and had already prepared a second set of weapons - "Yuan's four-axed defense system without loopholes": The first axe, everything is done according to the law.If it is not written into the law, immediately negotiate and write it into the law. The second ax is to dismiss ignorant and conservative officials, select officials who understand diplomacy, organize these officials to study law, and ensure that they can negotiate with Germans in accordance with the law when encountering cases. The third axe is to arrange for commissioners to be stationed in the German concession to take precautions, actively protect foreigners, and minimize excuses for Germans, such as applying for passports for foreigners to enter the mainland.

The fourth axe, bright sword.Knowing that it is death, you must show your sword!When the big powers made unreasonable demands, Yuan Shikai stopped making concessions. With a modern army armed to the teeth, he still had some confidence. The effect of this "Yuan's four-axes without loopholes defense system" is really good, at least the Germans are very satisfied. In the eyes of the Germans, Yuan Shikai was a progressive and enlightened Chinese bureaucrat who understood the West and was not hostile to Western systems and practices. Like other Qing officials, they are self-enclosed and arrogant, and they are very cooperative.Where can such excellent Chinese bureaucrats be found?I can't find it with a lantern.If you miss this village, there will be no such store!

Therefore, the Germans gave Yuan Shikai a lot of face. During the Boxer Rebellion and the subsequent invasion of China by the Eight-Power Allied Forces, there were basically no accidents in Shandong, and Sino-foreign relations were quite "friendly". The Boxer Rebellion was settled, and the friction between China and foreign countries was settled, and the people of Shandong also lived a stable life. Yuan Shikai's governor finally became stable, and the word "agent" in front of it was removed.