Chapter 39 38. Lu Zhengxiang’s Detached Cabinet

Tang Shaoyi, the first prime minister of the provisional government of the Republic of China, left Beijing on June 15, the first year of the Republic of China, and was approved to resign on the 27th. Yuan Shikai announced on June 29 that Minister of Foreign Affairs Lu Zhengxiang would form a new cabinet.Yuan wanted to emphasize that this new cabinet was a "detached cabinet" that neither belonged to the Yuan faction nor belonged to the Tongmenghui or the constitutional monarchy.Lu Zhengxiang, styled Zixing or Zixin, was born on June 12, 1871 (the tenth year of Tongzhi). He was born in Shanghai, Jiangsu Province. He graduated from the Cantonese Dialect Institute and the Tongwen Institute. Xu Jingcheng, the imperial envoy of the four countries, served as an interpreter in the embassy in Russia, and has been serving in the diplomatic circle since then. Before the founding of the Republic of China, he was promoted to minister in Russia.He is a detached and colorless diplomat in domestic politics, and he is not very familiar with domestic political conditions, so he is the best figure to use.

In Lu Zhengxiang's cabinet, the heads of four ministries were re-elected, namely, Foreign Affairs Lu Zhengxiang, Internal Affairs Zhao Bingjun, Army Duan Qirui, and Navy Liu Guanxiong. Since these four cabinet members were re-elected, they were not submitted to the Senate for approval.The other six new cabinet members are: Minister of Finance Zhou Ziqi, Minister of Justice Zhang Zongxiang, Minister of Education Sun Yuyun, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Wang Renwen, Minister of Transportation Hu Weide, and Minister of Industry and Commerce Shen Bingkun.Before deciding on this list, Yuan planned to invite the members of the Tongmenghui, besides Sun Yujun and Shen Bingkun, there were also Hu Ying, who had sent Xiong Xiling and Presidential Office Secretary Zeng Yijin to contact Sun, Shen, and Hu respectively.Yuan believes that these three people and Zhou Ziqi have all served as governors and have experience in internal affairs. If they can join the cabinet, it will be helpful for the separation of military and civilian governance and the unification of internal affairs.As for Hu Weide, the chief of transportation, it was Lu Zhengxiang's idea. Since Lu Zhengxiang had not returned to China for a long time, he was not familiar with the political situation in his country, so he had to find a friend who had a deep relationship with him to cooperate. Hu and Lu had worked together for many years. Most of the affairs in charge of the Ministry are related to negotiating treaties, so Hu Weide was asked to take charge of transportation.

Hu Ying was the governor of Shandong sent by the Nanjing Provisional Government. He went to Yantai by sea, and was escorted by Du Qian to Yantai with 3,000 Fujian troops and five ships including Haichu. Commander of the Lu Army.But in Shandong, Zhang Guangjian of the Yuan faction already claimed to be the governor of Shandong, so everyone had to call Hu Ying the governor of Yantai.He sent a telegram to invite Hu Egong, who runs a newspaper in Tianjin, to Yantai, hoping to invite him to be the commander-in-chief of the Lu army.Hu Egong asked him: "How many guns do you have? How many soldiers?" Hu Dudu replied: "It is still under investigation." Then he asked: "How powerful is Zhang Guangjian?" Hu Ying also shook his head and said: "I don't know." Hu Egong said: " I don’t know myself and I don’t know the enemy, so how do I fight this war?” Soon, both Hu Ying and Zhang Guangjian were wounded, and Yuan Nai sent Zhou Ziqi, the leader of Yidu branch, to be the governor of Shandong, and Hu Ying was appointed as the envoy of the Shaanxi-Gansu Economic Strategy, and then changed to Xinjiang, Qinghai reclamation envoy.When Hu and Zhang were fighting each other for governor, Li Yuanhong in Wuchang, in order to mediate the dispute in Shandong, sent a telegram: "The governor of Hu is good at state affairs, runs around and detains prisoners, uprising since Wuhan, sponsoring diplomacy, and the southeast half of the wall is the Great Wall. Hong Yinshui thinks about the source, especially deeply, because Qi seeks unity, so he asks to cancel the heavy responsibility and retreat to his hometown. He regards wealth as floating clouds, and loves the republic as life. Fu Mang, outside solid border defense, but people and places seem inappropriate, think again and again, only to ask President Yuan to allow Hu Dudu to resign, and Zhang Dudu to be transferred from the east." Yun Yun.

Lu Shi was appointed prime minister on June 29 of the first year, and was approved as prime minister by the Senate on July 18 with 74 votes.Today, as prime minister, he will go to the Senate to report on his policies.Since Lu has quite an international reputation, the MPs thought that he must have great opinions. How could he know that Lu said in his speech: "It's the first time for Zhengxiang to meet the gentlemen in your courtyard today, and it's also the first time for him to deal with the gentlemen directly. Zhengxiang is very happy. Zhengxiang has been away for 20 years, and it's a new atmosphere when he comes back this time. .When I was overseas, even though there were twenty years, I never forgot my longing for my own country. The three-year tenure system for ministers has not yet been stipulated, so during the twenty years, it is rare to have the opportunity to return to China. However, every time I meet a Chinese Those who are abroad, whether they are distinguished guests, businessmen, students, or hard-working people, all deal with them. Because Zhengxiang likes the people of his country very much. This time, he has very few friends from his country. A gentleman treats Zhengxiang by treating him with his fellow countrymen when he was abroad. Zhengxiang is very honored. In the past 20 years, he returned to China for the first time for only three months and stayed in Beijing for only two weeks. The second time he returned to China was the year before last. There is about November in this country. When I came back, I had very little contact with people from all walks of life, and people from all walks of life saw Zhengxiang as a strange person. Zhengxiang didn't want to eat flowers and wine, didn't want to compliment the officialdom, and even relatives didn't get in touch. It is said that Zhengxiang does not quote his own people and refuses to borrow money, so he is extremely indifferent in the social circle. This time, he is unwilling to compliment the officialdom, not quote his own people and refuses to borrow money, and actually ask him to do a very important matter. Zhengxiang thinks to himself at night, today is the happiest day in his life. When he was in a foreign country, he didn’t know his birthday, because his mother passed away quite early, this time can be said to be the day of Zhengxiang’s rebirth. What I said above is not in the official business.” and so on.

Members of Congress were shocked after hearing Lu's speech.The next day, when the Senate voted on Lu's cabinet proposal, it advocated vetoing all of them because they did not trust the Prime Minister.However, there are also those who advocate giving Lu a try. The reasons are: (1) Lu’s speech in the Senate was to explain the reasons for proposing cabinet members, not expressing political opinions; (2) In the current situation, it is better to have a government than no government. Without testing, it is impossible to distinguish whether it is good or bad; (3) Lu Xuqi did not gamble or celebrate birthdays in his life, and he saw that he was not pretentious or deceiving; as Prime Minister.Bismarck was red-faced as soon as he arrived in the parliament, but Bismarck was a great statesman; (5) Lu Zhengxiang received 74 votes of consent in the Senate. If he overthrew the prime minister because of a conversation today, the 74 votes of consent that day would not be blind.

Although Yuan and some senators made the above propositions, the Senate still gave Lu a great embarrassment, and under the principle of not giving Prime Minister Lu face, they rejected all the six cabinet members proposed by Lu in one go.Lu Zhengxiang tasted the bitterness of being a prime minister before he got over the addiction of being a prime minister. He was so frightened that he had to claim illness and was admitted to the hospital. In fact, he was shameless.After he was admitted to the hospital, he refused to come out even to the death. Since the Senate rejected the list of new cabinet members for the Lu cabinet, members of the Tongmenghui believed that Yuan Shikai's "detached cabinet" line would not work, so everyone sang "party responsibility cabinet".The Song support faction advocated that Song Jiaoren form a cabinet, and some also advocated that Li Yuanhong form a cabinet, with the joint participation of the Tongmenghui and the United Republican Party.This idea was conceived and put into action. It was discussed publicly in the Jixian Hall in Shichahai. It was proposed by Wei Chenzuo, Secretary-General of the Tang Cabinet, and Song Jiaoren strongly agreed.There is also a faction that advocates Cai E to form a cabinet, because Cai is a unified Republican, and his views are close to the Republican Party.The League will also quote Cai as a comrade, and when Cai E comes out to form a cabinet, the League and the United Republican Party will fully support it, and the Republican Party has no way of opposing it.

When the question of forming a cabinet was brewing, two major events occurred in the international community: one was the signing of the "Japan-Russia Alliance Treaty". big principle.The Japan-Russia alliance, united as one, can work together to carve up China, which is very detrimental to China; another thing is that Britain has declared the right of absolute freedom of movement in Tibet.Stimulated by these two diplomatic incidents, Lu Zhengxiang's formation of a cabinet was saved from danger. Because Lu was good at diplomacy, it met the actual needs. At the same time, some members of the Senate also believe that compromise should be made. Others, such as Sun Yuyun, believe that the president can dissolve the Senate. It is better to have no Senate than to have no government. Beijing newspapers also support Sun's proposal.

The antipathy towards the parliament can be clearly expressed in a telegram sent to Wuchang by Zhang Binglin, Zhang Shaozeng, Sun Yuyun, Wang Geng, etc. The telegram said: "Learning from Vice President Li Wuchang: Undecided on borrowing, traveling east to west, and disposing of branches. It is already under discussion. Going back and forth in April, the situation will be divided up. The original excuse is the inability of the Chinese government, the incompetence of the government, and the building of the Senate. Shi Daomou, the discussion is based on the sharp knife, breaking the text and tearing down the words. One person must ask for consent, and one case will cause disputes. At the beginning, the party is jealous of others, and finally it is to attack others for self-interest. The Ministry of Finance made a proposal in February and failed. Director Lu The list was opposed by many furnaces, the case of disarmament was delayed, and the provincial system was discussed for months, resulting in a standstill of government affairs and a flood of talents. It is called a member of parliament, but it is actually a treacherous government. Time does not wait for others. At that time, all the members of the council will be scattered, can they still be responsible for the people? Recalling the demise of the former Qing Dynasty, since the establishment of the constitution and looking down on the subsequent disasters, it is also in the republic. Recently, wise men from the north and the south, Jin said that the revision of the "Convention Law" is still to be done. In the coming year, there is an urgent need, how can we just wait? The President will take charge of government affairs, and the responsibility is at stake. In this moment of crisis, the preservation of the country is the most important thing, and the development of civil rights is the least important. Act on the cheap for the time being, and don't let the "Convention Law" be held in danger. As a member of parliament, you should also attach importance to the country, temporarily abandon high power, and always listen to yourself. Waiting for the material to be strong, the people are humble, and the public is the first to advocate righteousness, the merits of the sky, and the weight of a word is more than Jiuding. For this reason, he risked his life to speak out, did not avoid the axe, dared to ask Changyan for advice, and negotiated with the governors, and quickly revitalized Ji Gang In order to save the perishing, it will be extremely frightening to wait for orders."

In addition, Deng Yulin, the leader of the military circles in Wuchang, the former commander of the Fourth Town of the Hubei Army, Yan Hongfei, the Minister of Military Affairs, and Guan Xing, the military advisor of the military government, jointly sent a letter to the senators. Are you a patriot in the whole country when you are self-confident and worried? Have you ever thought about the era of the 20th century? What is the status of China? Since the first cabinet was overthrown, the new cabinet has been organized for more than a month, and it has not yet been completed. Great powers have changed their policies towards the Far East The diplomatic corps broke up in debt, the Japanese emperor came to the parliament in person, the situation in Tibet became more and more urgent, and Kulun's soldiers attacked Khovd, and the disaster of carve-up was imminent. The balance of power has not yet been settled. Katsura Katsura has already traveled westward for the first time, and the Japan-Russia alliance has spread to the world. When this critical moment arises, all the lords will work together to dissolve everything and discuss the big plan diligently. Trying to make amends is still in vain...Actually, yesterday the government proposed six new state servants, all of whom rejected it with disagreement. What a disgrace! No matter if among the six members, Shen, Wang, and Zhou have been in the frontier for a long time and have achieved long-term achievements, even Hu, Sun, and Zhang are also modern talents. It is reasonable for you to be dissatisfied with two or three of them. It was vetoed... The Yulin generation hates evil like an enemy, and they don't know taboos. Now they make an agreement with the princes. For the sake of the country, he only knows how to use force to judge. Even if he is scolded for destroying the legislature, he will not take it into account. ...... Good words stop here, listen to the blessing of the people, and if you don't listen, try to love yourself and do what you want , Harsh words, I hope you can see clearly!"

The public accusations made by this group of soldiers were undoubtedly instigated by Yuan. Yuan's provocation through a group of Wuchang generals was far more clever than the Beiyang soldiers. Since the Senate rejected the six new cabinet members of the Lu cabinet, a major crisis broke out in the Congress and the government. All parties complained about the actions of the Senate. Yuan Shikai also tried his best to exert pressure on the Senate. magic weapon.Yuan entertained all the members at the same time, announcing the international crisis and the danger of anarchy.At this time, there were many strange telegrams and leaflets, some said that they wanted to kill Speaker Wu Jinglian and Gu Zhongxiu, some said that they wanted to use bombs against congressmen, and there were anonymous calls to the parliament saying that the military and police were going to riot. These are all strange phenomena of early democratic politics. .Because of this strange threat, many senators who lived in the financial school secretly moved out, and dared not attend the Senate.

In addition to issuing a public telegram, the Military and Police Conference Office also held a special meeting. Military and police officers above the middle level attended the meeting. The emotions in the meeting were very intense. They believed that the Senate was wronging the country and should use force to solve it. The final resolution: (1) please The president then advises the Senate; (2) publicly recommend a representative to visit Premier Lu and ask him to withdraw his resignation; (3) if the Senate is still stubborn and does not vote in favor, the president is asked to dissolve the Senate.In the end, he issued a statement, saying that he knew that the military and police should not interfere in politics, but he had to do so for the sake of the country's future.The next day, more than forty military and police representatives went to the State Council to visit Lu.Lu Zhengxiang wore a tuxedo and looked like a diplomat, shaking hands with the guests, asking their names, and making greetings.Yu Dahong, the representative of the military and police, first delivered a speech and said: The current diplomatic crisis must be maintained by the Prime Minister. Although there is resistance from the outside world, the Prime Minister must not ask for it. This is the meaning of all our military and police circles.Originally, our military and police circles did not want to interfere in politics, but we are also a member of the people. The country has reached such a point. The premise is that you can't bear to meet each other in battle, causing chaos in the country and suffering for the compatriots.If the Prime Minister leaves today, the state affairs will collapse, and foreign aggression and war disasters will be inevitable. That's why we came to see the Prime Minister. Please cancel your resignation. Lu Zhengxiang replied: Since I was a student in my teens, I wanted to sacrifice my life to do my best for the country. For decades, this ambition has not changed until today. Therefore, although I have resigned many times during the Tang cabinet era, I have been ordered to stay until today. , which evolved from this idea.Now, I would like to thank you all for your kindness.I have been in foreign countries for many years, and I have never seen such sincerity and kindness from soldiers to state servants. I am not only grateful, but also very moved.In the future, I will do my best to serve no matter what, even if I sacrifice my reputation, status, or life.Please convey my thoughts to all colleagues in the military and police circles. I am very grateful to Yunyun. This scene was very moving. According to a representative who recalled afterwards, the prime minister who was familiar with foreign affairs was very sincere, but his speech was really unflattering. No wonder the Senate was disgusted. It is low, and its grammar is a foreign language structure, so if you don't listen carefully, you can't gain insight into its full meaning. Before the Senate voted for the cabinet member Lu Ge for the second time, the four giants of the Beiyang Military Faction: Yijun President Jiang Guiti, Zhili Admiral Ma Jinxu, Law Enforcement Director Lu Jianzhang, and Gongwei Army Commander Duan Zhigui invited Chen Ce, a member of the Tongmenghui. Senators, journalists and politicians were entertained at the Anqing Guild Hall.A female leader was also invited, Ms. Shen Peizhen, captain of the Women's Northern Expedition Team of the Revolutionary Army.The first was Chen Ce's speech. He said: "Today's hosts are the four giants in the military. Since I am familiar with you gentlemen, I invite you to be the same as the host for introduction. Now I would like to invite Mr. Sun Shaohou as the temporary chairman." Sun Shaohou That is Sun Yuyun, he stood up and delivered a speech, thanking the host for his hospitality, and at the same time, he hoped that this kind of emotional gatherings should be held more, so as to exchange opinions from all parties and avoid many unnecessary misunderstandings.Then Lu Jianzhang, one of the hosts, gave a speech.Lu is very good at talking, and his words are very touching. He said: Since the founding of the Republic of China, everyone has been busy, so all parties seldom get together, exchange views, and have a harmonious relationship; due to the lack of such connections, many unnecessary misunderstandings have arisen.We have long wanted to invite people from all walks of life to have a party and take the opportunity to ask for advice. Today's meeting is for this purpose.However, because the hosts are all members of the military, there may be two misunderstandings outside: one is that they think they will meet at the Conciliation Party today.Each of you gentlemen has his own party, and each holds his own party views. This is democracy, and there is no need for reconciliation, let alone military reconciliation; the second is that we interfere in politics.This is even more serious. Although we are stupid and stubborn to interfere in politics as soldiers, we will not make such a bad move, nor do we have the courage to dare to do so.But what are we going to do if we neither mediate nor interfere?You must know that our military personnel also have a national concept. Nowadays, foreign aggression is increasing and finances are getting more and more critical. Without a government, who should be responsible for the subjugation of the country?There has been a rumor recently that the soldiers will interfere with the Senate. Our four masters each have their own troops. We can assure you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. We would like to ask you to investigate. If there is any evidence to prove that the soldiers really have this motive, We are willing to be sanctioned by the laws of the country. I hope that the Senators will not listen to rumors and put the country first.There are journalists present here today. We know that the journalists made the most contribution to the overthrow of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the founding of the Republic, because the daily reports in the newspapers said how powerful, fierce, and numerous the Southern Army was. It is all for the sake of advocating the republic, which cannot be regarded as spreading rumors.Now that the Republic of China has come to fruition, why don't you journalists use this wonderful pen to advocate for the country, such as: Although today's finances are very difficult, why don't you journalists say in the newspaper that you can still support it; although there are similarities and differences in the current party views, why don't you all write in the newspaper Emphasize that there is no party opinion; although the domestic situation is not very unified, why don't you say that it has been unified.Journalists are the leaders of the times. If you say it is ahead, everyone will tell you. Lu Jianzhang's words moved the listeners quite a bit, and the participants secretly said: If the prime minister's surname Lu (referring to Lu Zhengxiang) had the eloquence of this surname Lu, the Senate would definitely not have such a bad impression, and this incident would not happen. government crisis. On July 26, the first year of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai sent a message to the Senate again, briefly saying: the current situation is dangerous, the future is in jeopardy, the cabinet members are suspended, and all tasks are neglected. China and foreign countries look forward to it.The previous proposal of six members has been rejected by your court, and I will re-select them. Zhou Xuexi is proposed to be the chief finance officer, Xu Shiying is the chief justice, Fan Yuanlian is the chief education officer, Chen Zhenxian is the chief minister of agriculture and forestry, Jiang Zuobin is the chief minister of industry and commerce, and Zhu Qiqian is the chief minister of transportation. In accordance with Article 34 of the Provisional Contract Law, I would like to ask your court to agree to Yunyun.This message was kept secret in advance. When it was submitted to the Senate, all parties expected that half or more of it would fail to pass it. The result was unexpected. Only Minister of Industry and Commerce Jiang Zuobin was not approved, and Liu Kuiyi replaced it, which was approved by the Senate.On this day, there were 91 members of the Senate, and the order of the venue was very quiet. When the vote was in progress, one member wrote a note to the member next door.The reporters on the sidelines used a telescope to see the situation at the venue, and saw four words written on this note, which was: "The congressman has no bones." After Tang Shaoyi resigned as Prime Minister on June 27, the anarchy that had lasted for a whole month came to an end. In the government vacuum, Yuan Shikai published the list of governors of each province: Li Yuanhong was also the governor of Hubei, Tan Yankai was the governor of Hunan, Sun Daoren was the governor of Fujian, Zhu Rui was the governor of Zhejiang, Li Liejun was the governor of Jiangxi, Yin Changheng was the governor of Sichuan, Zhang Fenghui was the governor of Shaanxi, Hu Hanmin was the governor of Guangdong, Lu Rongting was the governor of Guangxi, Feng Guozhang was the governor of Zhili, Zhao Erxun was the governor of Fengtian, Chen Zhaochang was the governor of Jilin, Song Xiaolian was the governor of Heilongjiang, Cheng Dequan was the governor of Jiangsu, Bai Wenwei was the governor of Anhui, and Zhou Ziqi was the governor of Shandong. , Zhang Zhenfang was the governor of Henan, Yan Xishan was the governor of Shanxi, Zhao Weixi was the governor of Gansu, Yang Zengxin was the governor of Xinjiang, Cai E was the governor of Yunnan, and Tang Jiyao was the governor of Guizhou. At the same time, a financial meeting was set up in the presidential palace, which was held once every Monday and presided over by Yuan Shikai himself. Almost all the people attending the meeting were related to the loan issue, including: Liang Shiyi, Ye Gongchuo, Liang Ruhao, Hu Weide, Shi Yu, Xiong Xiling, Zhou Xuexi , Zhao Bingjun. Bank of China officially opened for business on August 1 of the first year.As mentioned earlier, the predecessor of the Bank of China was the Bank of Great Qing (established in the 34th year of Guangxu), with a capital of 10 million taels, with 50 and 50 government and commercial shares.After the 1911 Uprising, the business stopped and the loss was huge.Later, it was changed to the Bank of China, which was designated as the central bank of the government of the Republic of China under the supervision of Wu Dingchang. The old Bank of Great Qing’s commercial deposits of 10 million taels and commercial shares of 5 million taels were all changed to deposits of the Bank of China. Repayment by the bank in installments. After the establishment of the Bank of China, three types of exchange certificates were issued: one yuan, five yuan, and ten yuan. The financial department consulted the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Communications, and the governors of various provinces to instruct merchants, people, post and telecommunications, roads, ships, taxation, and taxation. Stay hard to discount. The Lu cabinet had a difficult delivery, but it finally fell to the ground.This Lu Zhengxiang, who is respected as the foreign minister by all parties, took the stage in an atmosphere of diplomatic tension. Unexpectedly, the first thing he encountered after taking office was not diplomatic issues but internal affairs.