Chapter 96 Ninety-five. The emperor and the president pass away

Yuan Shikai's history has come to an end. He is undoubtedly a hero and a political expert, but his fatal flaw is that he refuses to treat others with sincerity and trust others.He was born with nothing to rely on, but his rise was of course due to his intelligence, so he jumped from a pillar of the temple to the president of the Republic of China, from the president of the Republic of China to Emperor Hongxian, and then Emperor Hongxian shyly returned to the post The president of the Republic of China, Li Zongwu, could not have described Yuan more appropriately.He does everything by himself and concentrates power. He knows that the emperor can't do anything but is willing to be the emperor because he doesn't like the fact that the president is subject to the Congress and the responsible cabinet has reduced the power of the president, thinking that the emperor can avoid these confusions.

Since Yunnan initiated the advocacy, he was even more worried and took care of everything. Unfortunately, he no longer had the good luck that he had in the past. Now it is all unsatisfactory. Today he receives an independent call, and tomorrow he receives a call to persuade him to quit. In the name of a national thief His old friends, subordinates, students, and even relatives all scolded him by name.Although he was calm on the outside, his inner anguish had reached its peak, especially Chen Huan's phone call on May 22 to "sever ties with Yuan personally", which was a fatal blow to him.He knows how to take responsibility for others but is ignorant of taking responsibility for himself. If he uses his power to defraud the world, of course he will fail.His art of manipulating people, the first is to buy with money, the second is to favor officials and ranks, and the third is to suppress them by force.These three points are sometimes lacking. When the end is at an end, he thinks that others are sorry for him, but in fact he has never treated others with sincerity.

Yuan is in good health and eats a lot on weekdays. He especially likes to eat Henan roast duck. He drinks a glass of ginseng wine every night before going to bed.The scholar-bureaucrats in old China always put on a posture of relying on the old and selling the old, and Yuan is the same. When he meets guests after the age of 50, he needs help. Class words hang on the oral side.In the 5th year of the Republic of China, he was only 58 years old, so there should be no possibility of sudden death. Maybe he is too pampered and less active in daily life. In addition, he has too many wives and concubines, and his sex consumption is exhausted. The blow made him sick.What kind of disease he suffered from depends on everyone. After Yuan's death, the "Government Gazette" said it was uremia.When he was critically ill, Chinese and Western medicines were mixed, and herbal doctors such as Luo Xiazi and Wang Shenxian also came to deliver the medicine.Because when Yuan fell ill, Chen Shufan from Shaanxi, Chen Huan from Sichuan, and Tang Xiangming from Hunan successively called for independence, so everyone had the saying "send life to Erchen Tang". "Er Chen" refers to Chen Huan and Chen Shufan, "Tang" refers to Tang Xiangming, and "Er Chen Tang" is the name of a Chinese medicine.

When Yuan was sick, he still held meetings in front of the bed every day to deal with all official affairs, and did not stop until he was critically ill. It was just that Yuan Keding was assisted by the bed. Yuan's illness began on May 27. Before that, Yuan was exhausted. When he became ill on May 27, the onset was severe. His family members rushed to consult Chinese medicine practitioners Liu Zhusheng and Xiao Longyou, but it was ineffective. Hunan became independent on the 29th. Yuan Zuo and Zuo didn't intend to let Yuan know, but Yuan still held meetings before his bed every day and handled the documents and telegrams in person, so he couldn't hide it from him.

On June 2, Yuan ordered Zhang Yiling to send a telegram to his old friend Xu Shichang. At this time, Xu had already retired to Hui County, Henan Province. Yuan asked him to come to Beijing immediately to see him one last time.Xu arrived in Beijing on June 5, and immediately rushed to the presidential palace. Yuan lay on his back on the sick bed, weak and panting heavily, and tremblingly said: "Juren, it's...good time, good time... I'm... It's useless..." Xu Shichang and Yuan Di have been friends for the longest time. They have been good friends for 40 years, and they get along very well no matter they are friends or personal friends.He quietly turned his back to test the tears, and then said softly: "President, don't worry, he will recover after a few days of care." Yuan shook his head and closed his eyes, a big tear flowed from the corner of his eyes.It turned out that Yuan's condition had worsened the day before, and the Presidential Palace urgently asked the medical officer of the French Legation, Bussier, to examine the symptoms. Bussier's diagnosis confirmed that he had uremia.On the 5th, Yuan's spirit became worse and worse. Bussier gave Yuan a "heart boosting shot", and Yuan's mind became slightly clearer. It happened that Xu Shichang came, but Yuan fell into a coma again soon.

When Yuan was dying, he uttered the words "he killed me" intermittently, which seemed to be his last words.Who killed him?His son?Or his friends or subordinates?After Yuan's death, this sentence was misrepresented, and it was said that the Revolutionary Party bribed the French doctor Bussier with 400,000 gold to give Yuan a poisonous injection, so Yuan murmured after the injection: "He killed me" talk.This is of course a nonsense rumor, but the true meaning of Yuan's words was buried with his death. At 3 o'clock in the morning on June 6, the fifth year of the Republic of China, Yuan finally passed away. This traitor in troubled times, an important figure in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, finally bid farewell to this world forever.

After Yuan's death, he issued the following decree: "The founding of the Republic of China is hereby five years old. The President of the Republic of China is deeply entrusted by the people. His virtues are too small to be able to do so, and his spare energy is exhausted. He is ashamed of not being able to realize his long-cherished wish of saving the country and the people. Since he took office, Working day and night, working diligently to paint, although the foundation of the country is not solid, the people are still in distress, and the reforms should be made, and everything is waiting for it; and relying on the strength of our officials and soldiers, the order of the provinces is rough and peaceful, and the relations between the great powers are improved. Editing treatment, soothe my heart a little, but still have a lot of guilt. Fang Qi retired in time and was able to recuperate Linquan, so I took it for the first time; I didn’t want to get sick, and I was immersed until my deathbed. The national affairs are the most important, and the sustenance must be obtained. According to the "Contract Law" Article 29. When the President resigns for some reason or is unable to take charge of the affairs, the Vice President shall act on his behalf. In accordance with the "Contract Law", the President declares that Vice President Li Yuanhong will act as the President of the Republic of China. The Vice President is loyal and benevolent, and must It can help the difficult times and lay a solid foundation for the overall situation, so as to make up for the lack of the president and comfort the hopes of the people of the whole country. All civil and military officials outside Beijing, as well as the military, police and civilians, especially should remember the difficult times of the country, maintain order, and strive to ensure public order , focusing on the country. There was a saying in the past: "Only the living can be self-reliant, and the dead will not die." The president of this university still has this ambition. May 6, the fifth year of the Republic of China. Secretary of State Army, Chief Duan Qirui. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communications Cao Rulin, Minister of Internal Affairs Wang Yitang, Minister of Finance Zhou Ziqi, Chief of the Navy Liu Guanxiong, Chief of Justice and Chief of Agriculture and Commerce Zhang Zongxiang, Chief of Education Zhang Guogan.”

After Yuan's death, Zhang Yiling found his own elegiac couplet in the drawer of his desk: Go to a great enemy for Japan; Watch China Rebuild the Republic. This is Yuan Liuyi's last posthumous note, but is he really the enemy of Japan? The ugly scene where someone with good deeds proclaimed himself emperor to Yuan and even died in failure is an elegiac couplet: The six gentlemen were sick; (this refers to the six gentlemen of Hong Xian as the culprit) Desire to send Er Chen Tang! (Two Chen refers to Chen Huan and Chen Shufan, and one Tang refers to Tang Xiangming) Yang Duwan, the head of the six gentlemen of Hong Xian and the chief culprit of the imperial system, said:

The Republic of China misunderstood the Republic, and the Republic did not misunderstand the Republic of China. After thousands of years, it was still a prison; The Duke of Ming failed the constitution of the emperor, and the constitution of the emperor did not fail of the Duke of Ming. Yuan Yiqiu entrusted his life to four dignitaries, Duan Qirui, Wang Shizhen, Zhang Zhenfang, Xu Shichang, and the "Prince" Yuan Keding was also beside the sick bed.Xu Shichang saw that Yuan was dying, so he said softly, "What does the president have to say?" Yuan blinked his pale eyes and was out of breath. New and old, is Yuan referring to the new or the old?Those who accepted the will were a little dazed.The old "Convention Law" stipulates that when the president is unable to exercise his powers, the vice president will succeed the president.This is what the National Defense Army insists on.But this old "Yuefa" has been abolished by Yuan.The new "Convention Law" was formulated by Yuan himself. Regarding the issue of the successor president, it is stipulated that the current president nominates three people, writes them on a list, hides them in the golden chamber and stone house, and takes them out after the president dies, and decides among the three candidates. Electing someone to succeed the president means avoiding competition among everyone.There are three keys to the Golden Chamber Stone House, one of which is held by the President, the Prime Minister, and the President of the Senate. Two of the three keys need to cooperate to open the "Stone House".

When Yuan said the word "Yuefa" and everyone was confused, Yuan Keding rushed to add a sentence: "Golden Chamber and Stone House".Everyone turned their faces to look at Yuan, Yuan Ze seemed to be nodding, but he was speechless. After Yuan's death, everyone opened the stone house and saw that there were three names written on the list of the president's heirs, in order: Li Yuanhong, Xu Shichang, Duan Qirui. The name Duan Qirui was originally written by Yuan Keding, and Yuan Keding also knew about it, so he proposed "Golden Chamber and Stone House".How do you know that when Yuan was seriously ill, he changed his name to Duan Qirui without telling his son, but Yuan Keding was still kept in the dark.Why did Yuan revise the list at the moment of death?Is it true that "a man who is about to die has good words!" In fact, this is Yuan Gaoming's point. He knows that he has betrayed his relatives, and he wants someone to support his son. Isn't it just a dream, and his emperor's seat can't be kept. Can still have the idea of ​​​​family world.In the last period of his political life, the Beiyang military system he established was not loyal to him. How dare he hope that the Beiyang generals would support his son!So he changed Yuan Keding to Duan Qirui in time before his death.

Although Yuan died in the early morning of June 6, he became unconscious on June 5, which is the Dragon Boat Festival in the lunar calendar. Since Yuan was called a toad, this is another proof, because the saying has "Toad sad Dragon Boat Festival". When Yuan died, his family members cried, and the one who cried the least was Yuan Keding, because Yuan Keding was concerned about the presidential candidate list in the Golden Chamber Stone House. After Yuan's death, the Beijing government specially appointed Cao Rulin, Zhou Ziqi, and Yuan Naikan as the organizers of the funeral ceremony. Negotiated items for the funeral ceremony: (1) All government offices, military camps, warships, and customs will lower the flag at half-mast on the 27th, and the flag at half-mast on the day of the funeral, and the flag at the coffin's residence will also fly at half-mast until the day of the funeral. (2) Civil and military officials will stop banquets for twenty-seven days. (3) Seven days of non-government music suspension, and national mourning days, each one day of suspension of music. (4) The left arm of civil servants is wrapped in black gauze for twenty-seven days. (5) Military officers and soldiers wrap black gauze around their left arms and sword handles for twenty-seven days. (6) The cover and paper of the official document of the official office shall be black-bordered, about five cents wide, and twenty-seven days. (7) Twenty-seven days for official documents to be covered with black inkpad. (8) The cover of official newspapers also uses black borders for 27 days. (9) From the day after the funeral to the date of release, all civil and military institutions in Beijing, except for public sacrifices, will go to the ceremony on a daily basis in shifts. If there are officials from outside Beijing who come to Beijing, they will go with the shifting institutions on the day they arrive salute. (10) All provinces and special administrative regions, as well as embassies stationed abroad, will select public places from the day of receiving the telegram, and the chief officer will lead his colleagues to set up a memorial ceremony for seven days. (11) On the day of the funeral, one hundred and eight cannons were fired, and both the government and the people stopped playing for a day.Schools in the capital all dropped out of classes on this day. (12) The Xinhua Mansion has two black-edged plain paper autograph books, one for the signatures of the diplomatic corps, and the other for the signatures of Chinese and foreign officials and gentry. (13) The troops were divided into groups and raised their guns to salute at Xinhua Gate. Things to do in the funeral ceremony: (1) The rituals of paying homage to the funeral every day, all wear great dresses, no medals, black gauze around the left arm, and take off your hat and bow three times. (2) Vegetables, fruits, wine, and food for sacrifices shall be displayed before 10:00 a.m. on a daily basis. (3) All civil and military agencies in Beijing, as well as affiliated agencies, each send four members each day, led by their respective chiefs, to gather outside the Jingfu Gate of the Duke's Mansion at 9:30 a.m., and pay respects before the spirit banquet at 10:00 a.m. Ben saluted. (4) Organizations not listed in the list, those who are willing to join, can go to the government to notify at any time, and salute in different shifts every day. (5) Officials from other provinces who come to Beijing, and those who pay homage to gentry from outside Beijing, can go to the government to sign at any time. (6) Foreign guests and Mongolian, Tibetan, Hui princes, etc. paying homage, that is, the Mongolian and Tibetan Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will go to the government in advance to notify them regardless of the time. At that time, the Mongolian and Tibetan Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will still send staff to receive them and lead them to salute before the spiritual banquet . (7) When the Qing room sends personnel to hang sacrifices, it should be received by a specially appointed receptionist. (8) In addition to paying homage every day to the various agencies, if there are other public sacrifices in the various agencies, they will go to the government one day in advance to inform them, and another class will offer sacrifices. Another way to move the spirit is made, and a notice is issued: it is a matter of notice.The funeral of the former President will be held on the 28th of this month. All the officials and those who will send off at the designated places have been separately stipulated and announced urgently so that everyone can know. count open (A) Personnel going to Zhangde. (1) One of the sacrificial officers specially appointed by the President. (2) Chiefs of civil and military agencies and senior military officers. (3) Personnel dispatched by civil and military agencies. (4) Other funeral personnel. (B) Send it to the personnel inside the Zhonghua Gate. (1) Diplomatic Corps. (2) Representatives of the Qing royal family. (C) Send it to the station personnel. (1) The Secretary of State, State Councilors and other heads of civil and military agencies. (2) Each of the civil and military organs shall send four persons with the following positions. (D) Respectfully send off personnel inside the Zhonghua Gate.Personnel from various civil and military agencies, as well as from all walks of life in the gentry and business circles. (No matter the number of people, send it off at the designated place in Zhonghuamen.) Clothing style: all officials in charge of the shawl shall wear uniforms, and those without uniforms shall wear tuxedos with black bow ties and black gloves.Those who have a medal with a large ribbon will wear a medal with a ribbon.Both the left arm and the hilt of the sword are wrapped with black yarn.The rest of the civil and military, gentry and merchants are permitted to use Class A large dresses and military uniforms, or Class B dresses and student uniforms, all of which are wrapped with black gauze around the left arm. On June 7, Yuan's body was buried. Yuan Shikai, the emperor and president in history, wore a flat crown on his head and a heaven-sacrificing dress, completely looking like a "Daxing Emperor".On this day, the State Council ordered the national flag to be flown at half-mast to mourn, schools to be closed for one day, people all over the country to stop entertainment for one day, and civil and military officials to stop banquets for 27 days. The government sent Yuan's family 1 million yuan. On this day, the southwestern provinces hang flags to celebrate, Yunnan and Guizhou set off firecrackers, and the people of the whole country are very happy.This is a sharp contrast between the north and the south on Yuan's death. On June 23, the government memorial ceremony was held, and Duan Qirui officiated on behalf of President Li. The funeral was held on June 28. Ju Ren Tang moved the spirits, and the number of people in the coffin increased from 32 to 80.When the coffin was raised, the bells of temples inside and outside Beijing struck 101 times.Li Yuanhong bowed to Yuan Bi at the Xinhua Gate.The executive staff are: all the cabinet members, representatives of the Qing Dynasty and consultants from various countries, who are sent from Xinhuamen to Donganmen; ministers from various countries are sent from Donganmen to Zhonghuamen.All executive officers, the military officers wear uniforms, and the civil servants wear long coats.Along the way, the military and police were under strict guard, and the traffic was cut off. When the coffin bus departed from Qianmenwai Station, a 101-gun salute was fired.Yuan Bi got on the train at the station outside Qianmen and went straight to Zhangde. When Yuan's coffin was moved out of Jurentang, Yuan's family also moved out of Jurentang.When they moved out, they removed all the things that could be moved in Jurentang. According to statistics, there were several big boxes alone, and they were all escorted to Zhangde by the soldiers of the Gongwei Army.So Jurentang became empty. Yuan's coffin was also transported back to Zhangde, and the coffin transported along the station stopped to receive officials' memorial service, so the traffic was very slow, and it was not until June 29 that it arrived at Zhangde Railway Station. Before Yuan died, there was a myth in Wuchang. On May 1st, there was a strong wind, and a dragon fell into the lake in Zhaoxian Town, Dongxiang.On the second day, nothing was seen, except that the lake water was dark black. Xue Ziqi argued that Yuan's failure was due to: "Use Yang Du and the world's politicians go away, use Xia Wuyi and the world's shogunate go away, use Duan Zhigui and the world's soldiers go away, use Liang Shiyi and the world's financiers go away." Zhang Taiyan argued that Yuan's failure was due to: "Yuan was defeated because three people opposed three people: Liang Qichao opposed Yang Du, Zhang Yiling opposed Xia Shoutian, and Lei Zhenchun opposed Cai E." After Yuan's death, the then Japanese Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma published an article titled "Warning against Yuan Shikai and the Republic of China". "Yuan was the great president of the Republic of China. He despised the "Convention Law", made his own constitution, falsified public opinion, and ruled by himself. The reasons for its failure can be traced to the two things of indulgence in pleasure and embellishment of words. However, this is the habit of thousands of years in China. But it cannot be dealt with. Today, the Yuan family is dead. Although, the death of the Yuan family is not only a matter of Yuan's life and death, but also a major issue of the rise and fall of the national destiny of the whole of China. Does the Republic of China know what to do?"