Chapter 50 Forty-nine, Yuan Shikai's True Face

The process and content of the loan from the five countries have been described above.The day when the loan was signed coincided with the climax of the Song case, which made the Kuomintang members' opposition to the large loan very intense. For Yuan Shikai, the success of the big loan had several important meanings: (1) It relieved financial difficulties.After the founding of the Republic of China, the most serious difficulty for the government was financial. Although there were various restrictions on large borrowings, after all, expenditures in many areas could rely on this money; (2) After the founding of the Republic of China, it has not been recognized by the world. After the signing of the big loan, the government led by Yuan had de facto exchanges with various countries. Yuan could proudly tell the people that foreigners believed in Yuan Shikai; (3) With money, he could deal with political opponents. He can't get in power, but politics is all about strength. When Yuan has money, he can buy arms, assassins, parliamentarians, and the army. In other words, he can deal with those who oppose him freely.

As far as the Kuomintang is concerned, the foreign debt treaty signed by the Yuan government naturally lost a lot of rights and interests. What's more, Yuan did not discuss with the Congress beforehand, and evaded congressional questions afterwards. Those who did not dare to come out were seen in the Yuan government.Especially in the assassination of the Song Dynasty, Hong Shuzu sent a telegram to Ying Guixin saying: I hope the big loan will be successful, and I can execute the evidence for eliminating dissidents for Yuan, so the opposition is particularly fierce. Opposition Despite opposition, Yuan has the determination to achieve his goal.Zhou Xuexi, Yuan's chief financial officer, said very unkind words to Huang Xing during his telegram defense. The telegram said: "...Mr. If you don’t dare to take the blame and blame yourself, all you have to do is show your face and wait for the ax.” The implication of this telegram is that the Kuomintang does not need to oppose it anymore, and the Yuan government is determined to borrow this foreign debt. See who wins and who loses.

On May 2, the 2nd year of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai approved the resignation of Prime Minister Zhao Bingjun and sent Duan Qirui, Chief of the Army, to act as his agent.Duan was Yuan's No. 1 confidant general, and Duan acted as the prime minister of the cabinet, as if deliberately giving the impression that this was a "fighting cabinet" that would not hesitate to use force to conquer the South if necessary. Duan Qirui was only 49 years old at the time, and he had only acted as the prime minister for a few months. Yuan seemed to have deliberately asked him to act in a scene of "screaming, beating and killing".Sure enough, at the climax of congressional opposition to large loans, Acting Prime Minister Duan led many armed soldiers to the House of Representatives on May 5 to answer questions about the loan issue.When the congressmen saw Bing, they couldn't help but gasped.Several congressmen said calmly: "We are not questioning whether the loan contract should be established, but to ask the government to pay attention. According to the procedures, this loan contract should be submitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives for approval." He replied, "It's a done deal and there is no need to discuss it again." After he finished speaking, he left the House of Representatives immediately.

After Yuan Zai was sure of the big loan, his attitude became open and fierce. On April 7, 2, the Beijing General Staff Zeng Mi sent a telegram to Zhou Ziqi, governor of Shandong, and Zhang Xun, commander of the braided army stationed in Shandong, instructing them to prepare for mobilization for dispatch when necessary.This order comes with a statement that it is absolutely confidential and must not be disclosed to others.After Zhang Xun received the order, he immediately detained several passenger cars and trucks. Zhou Ziqi saw that the braided army had seized the vehicles, thinking that the braided army was about to rebel, and hurriedly demolished a section of the track to prevent the braided army from going south.The braided army mistakenly believed that the Shandong army was the target of their troops, and they monitored them. Local fire broke out at the approaching point of the defense area of ​​the two sides. The news spread to Beijing. After rushing to the Dragon King Temple, my family does not recognize my family."

This shows that before the establishment of the big loan, Yuan had already arranged military preparations for the use of troops against the Kuomintang, and the cannonballs would ring out as soon as the war expenses were settled. During this period, Yuan Shikai often used the term "rebellious party" in his mouth. Obviously, the rebellious party in Yuan's mouth was an allusion to the Kuomintang;The Kuomintang was not polite to Yuan, and responded to him as a "national thief". On May 3, Yuan, in the name of the President, issued an order to strictly arrest the party members who plot internal strife:

"...Recently read a Reuters report from Shanghai on April 29th, saying that some people are campaigning for the second revolution in Shanghai, urging businessmen to donate and raise wages, and opposing the central government. Also, the English "Mainland Daily" said that some people in Shanghai are campaigning for the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway, preparing for The words of transporting troops to Ningge and so on. After being read, it is really shocking. Although the Western newspapers published it, the rumors do not necessarily have to be true, but since there are such legends, how can we allow them to sit idly by. It is clearly declared and clearly Tell the people, you must know that the president has always been called a public servant, and the career of the descendants of emperors is very different. If you make everyone look forward to you, you will be elected. People take advantage of this to stir up trouble and cause riots, which is to disturb the peace, destroy the Republic of China, and risk the disgrace of the world. As long as the president is in office, he has the responsibility to defend the territory and protect the people. Order the governors and civil affairs chiefs of all provinces, and order the local governors to arrest and punish those who do not succeed in plotting civil strife, amassing money and gathering people. Those who disturb each other should be politely enlightened at the same time, and they must not be involved in the slightest. Here is an order to inform you. This order."

On the same day, the provinces were ordered to maintain law and order: "...Recently, I have received telegrams from various places, the language is extremely bizarre, confusing people's eyes and ears. One is the assassination of Song Jiaoren, the former head of agriculture and forestry, because of the correspondence between Hong Shuzu and Ying Kuicheng, alluding to Prime Minister Zhao Bingjun; the other is the completion of the five countries' loan , mistakenly believed that the House of Representatives had not passed it, and suspected that it was supervising the finances. It is deeply shocking. The case of Song Jiaoren’s assassination was explained by Zhao Bingjun’s notice. Those who judge and judge the situation should be able to understand the truth of the two things. It is true that without asking right and wrong, regardless of the truth, they wiped out the legislative, administrative, and judicial organs, and forced the world to follow them blindly based on their personal prejudices. Is it true that the people of the Republic should be like this if they want to cause a huge wave in order to overthrow the government and disrupt the overall situation?... For this reason, the governors of the provinces and the heads of civil affairs are ordered to pass the notice, and criminal cases should be judged by the judicial organs; foreign debts The incident was indeed approved by the former Senate, so it is not allowed to spread false rumors and cause real disasters. The president has the responsibility to maintain law and order, so why dare to sit by and harass the people, so that we can't do anything to our people. This order!"

Since Yuan Shikai had torn his face and openly provoked the Kuomintang, on May 15, 2, according to the report of the Ministry of War, he ordered Huang Xing's title of general to be revoked. , Fengdu Zhang Xiluan, Ludu Zhou Ziqi, Henan Governor Zhang Zhenfang, Longlong Governor Zhang Binghua, Admiral Ma Anliang, and Military Envoy Zhang Xingzhi, etc., jointly sent a telegram to slander Huang Xing and the two governors of Jiangxi and Guangdong: "Don't hesitate to reputation, don't love the country, slander Talk about rampant, willing to be the leader of the army." Zhang Zuolin accused Huang Xing of "overthrowing the government and damaging the state system".Lei Zhenchun and Zhao Ti accused Huang Xing of making trouble because of his failure to fight for the presidency.And Yuan himself blatantly attacked Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing head-on.According to The Times on May 24:

"Yuan said to his cronies: Now that I have seen through Sun and Huang, I have no ability except to make trouble. The right is making trouble, and the left is making trouble. I am entrusted by 400 million people, and I cannot listen to people making trouble with the property and life of 400 million people. Confident in political and military experience, diplomatic credibility is no less than others. If they can replace me, I will not be unwilling, but now I dare not give up. If they dare to form another government, I will dare to send troops to conquer them. The Kuomintang sincerely They are not all scumbags, but we can’t quell the scumbags! When Yuan made this statement, there were three people present, Liang Shiyi, Duan Zhigui, and Zeng Yijin. Liang Zhi once sued the Kuomintang members in his personal capacity, and Yuan said that it was true What Yuan Weiting said, I am responsible for this."

Yuan has a habit. Every time he wants to take action, he always shows off the Beiyang Army in order to achieve his goal of making a head start.At this time, he repeated the same plan and adopted the same tactics. The first step was to make the generals of the Beiyang Army issue a joint telegram, scolding the Congress with the Kuomintang as the majority party, making unreasonable troubles about the big loan issue, regardless of the general situation.The second step was to confront Huang Xing, insisting that Huang Xing was instigated by Ji Yulin in Hubei to rebel.The third step is to send a telegram jointly by Feng Guozhang, Jiang Guiti, Duan Zhigui, Zhang Xun and others: "Stay on standby."At the same time, the Beiyang faction organized the alliance of seven provinces to fight against the alliance of four provinces of the Kuomintang.Amidst the frantic clamor, some people suggested that military personnel from various provinces should recommend Dai Yuan as the official president of the Republic of China.

Yuan's military deployment was as follows: he sent Ni Sichong to supervise Qingxiang in Anhui, and marched from Henan to the border of Anhui; he sent Yijun Zhao Ti and the sixth division Li Chun to gather at Wushengguan at the border of Henan and Hubei; he also sent a naval fleet Cruising in the upper and lower reaches of Jiujiang, its purpose is to attack the three provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi under the control of the Kuomintang. On May 15, the title of General Huang Xing was revoked. On June 9, Li Liejun, the governor of Jiangxi, was removed. On June 14, Hu Hanmin, the governor of Guangdong, was removed. He resigned, and on June 30, Bai Wenwei, the governor of Anhui, was removed from his post.Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Anhui provinces are formally the sphere of influence of the Kuomintang, and Li Liejun, Hu Hanmin, and Bai Wenwei are all members of the Kuomintang. These actions of Yuan show that he has officially broken with the Kuomintang, and the overall situation is now out of control. After Yuan broke with the Kuomintang, it was Li Yuanhong from Hubei who played a pivotal role.Although Li plays an important role, he has always been underestimated by the Kuomintang people. Since the Zhang Zhenwu case, he has been even more unforgivable by the Kuomintang people. Therefore, Li must choose a path between these two major forces.Because of Zhang Zhenwu's case, he had already entered Yuan's network, so he handed over a surrender form to Yuan when the battle cloud was full, which read: "Yuan Hong only knows to obey the central government, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and swears to die. This alliance is an unforgivable crime!" Yuan sent Li a reply, trying his best to perfunctory: "If Shi Kai has the heart to deceive the world and benefit the opinion of one family, the crime will not be pardoned." The pair of enemies, who later became in-laws, now swear to each other to strengthen their collusion.The collusion between Yuan and Li is a key to the success of Yuan's use of troops this time.Because Hubei is located in the center of China and was the hub of the Civil War, Li Yuanhong's inclination can become one of the important keys to the victory or defeat of both sides. Since Li Yuanhong opened the door to let the Beiyang Army enter Hubei, the Sixth Division was able to pass through Wusheng Pass safely and quickly, one step at a time. Move to Tianjia Town in the "Waist of the Yangtze River" in one step, and point the finger at Jiangxi. On June 9, when Yuan withdrew Li Liejun as the governor of Jiangxi, he issued an order at the same time. Li Yuanhong was appointed as the governor of Jiangxi, Ouyang Wu was promoted to lieutenant general, and Chen Tingxun was appointed commander of the Jiangxi fortress. General title.Both Ouyang Wu and Chen Tingxun were Jiangxi generals. Yuan's order is quite vicious. Using Li to lead the governor of Jiangxi is not only a current plan to kill with a knife, but also a plan to divert the tiger away from the mountain in the future.Because the current practice will make the KMT hate Li Yuanhong even more, and Li will only fall into Yuan's arms. After a period of time, he will issue another personnel order, ordering Li to be the full-time governor of Jiangxi, and remove his part-time post of governor of Hubei. Make Li leave his base Wuchang.Although Li is known as an honest man, he can see very clearly when he has vital interests for himself, so he resolutely refuses to "concurrently lead", and strongly recommends Ouyang Wu as the successor of Jiangxi Governor. Since Li expressed his support for Yuan, he called Huang Xing, Hu Hanmin, Li Liejun, Bai Wenwei, etc., and the telegram said: "...Yuan Hong and the princes used to be friends in life and death, but now they are helping each other. I feel the friendship of going to help, and the sincerity of the cup. I have such a heart. I will never give up the old and seek a new one, and go closer. Tuyuan. Only look at the world situation and examine the national conditions internally, but know that the premise of the national benefit and the people's well-being is to protect the republic and maintain unity as the purpose. Supreme honor, otherwise the internal cocoon will be torn apart, the strong enemy will be divided, and the Republic of China will fail, and the honor and honor of the princes will still be in place?...... Yuan Hong relied on his long-cherished love, dared to commit crimes, and expressed his affection, I pray Watch out." Although Li handed over the surrender form to Yuan, the combination of Yuan and Li must be attributed to two people, one is Zhang Binglin and the other is Rao Hanxiang. When the assassination of the Song Dynasty was so troublesome, Zhang Zeng sent Yuan a letter, the last paragraph of which was: "If you are sincere, you can make up your mind to go to school, treat talents with sincerity, preserve the heroes of advocacy, and rely on Wuchang's assistant, why not Happy?" This reliance on Wuchang's assistant is to emphasize that Yuan must cooperate with Li.Zhang Binglin, a master of modern Chinese studies who was imprisoned during the revolutionary period, famous all over the world, and nicknamed "Miheng in the Republic of China", is an idol in the hearts of Hubei people. His words are undoubtedly extremely influential , he only favors Yuan and Li Shi, this kind of invisible propaganda power can make people follow blindly. As for Rao Hanxiang, although his prestige is inferior to that of Zhang Binglin, he has a better reputation.He is an important person in Li Jiadai, originally from Guangji, Hubei Province, he once traveled to Fujian as a raiser, but failed to return in the year of 1911, and lived in a small inn in Wuchang Doujiying. He was so poor that he only had a widow's belt. , So it became Li's literary courage.In November of the first year of the Republic of China, Li Renrao was appointed as the Director of Internal Affairs, but the Kuomintang people didn't like him and called him a "drug addict". He was frightened and ran back to his hometown. A red cloud flew down from the sky, like a beggar getting a crown to level the sky, almost terrified and helpless. Han Xiang's thought was cold, and the front edge was silent. There is no misfortune, and the fool will not take it. He has already put on his clothes in the starry night, If there is someone who can restore me, there will be such water!" Rao hid in the countryside, and Li sent officers to express condolences with handwritten letters, which made Rao deeply impressed by Li's generosity, and even hated the Kuomintang to the bone.On June 19th, 2nd year of the Republic of China, Li Mingrao acted as civil affairs chief, and on September 25th he was changed to act as deputy. Unexpectedly, the Hubei Provincial Assembly also unanimously opposed it. so water" article.In view of the fact that the Provincial Council treated him badly, Rao thought of being an eunuch in Beijing. He suggested that people from the province should not be provincial officials, and Yuan took this as a great reward, so Rao became more attracted to Yuan. When Li was elected vice president at the beginning of the Republic of China, Rao planned to send a telegram on his behalf. There was a phrase: "Yuanhong prepares the position and reserves the second". This second language is written into a couplet, which is: "Li Yuanhong usurped the position, Rao Hanxiang is a Parisian." One chapter at a time, because they contributed to the flames, making the combination of Yuan and Li easier.