Chapter 25 Emperor Dream - "Ta" who killed Yuan Shikai

On June 5, 1916, the life of Yuan Shikai, President of the Republic of China, came to an end just like his political affairs.In the past few months, Yuan Shikai betrayed his relatives under the national crusade, and the overall situation has been corrupted and out of control. He was in a hurry, and the bladder stone he had originally suffered from turned into uremia.Chinese medicine practitioners were at a loss a few days ago, and the French doctor Bei Xiye also helplessly let go after a lot of work. Now, a group of people who accepted the will surrounded the sickbed, and it seemed that everyone looked infinitely sad, but no one knew what they were thinking in their hearts at the moment.

After a shot of cardiotonic, Yuan Shikai, who had been in a coma for a long time, woke up slowly, looked around wearily, and his dull eyes stopped on Xu Shichang's face. "Chrysanthemum," he whispered Shichang's number with difficulty, "I'm no longer useful..." Xu Shichang looked at Yuan Shikai who was dying, and thought of such a strong man, who has turned up and down the land of China for more than ten years, but fell to this point. At this moment, Yuan Keding saw his father wake up, and quickly whispered in Yuan Shikai's ear, "Golden Cabinet and Stone House." The stone house is where the president keeps the list of heirs, and this kid is only thinking about that alluring big position until now.

Yuan Shikai didn't seem to hear, or didn't pay attention to, just opened and closed his mouth, muttering something.Everyone leaned forward and tried their best to distinguish for a long time before they heard this sentence: "He harmed me, he harmed me..." Soon, Yuan Shikai fell into a coma again. For some reason, Xu Shichang suddenly remembered a couplet of poems written by Yuan Shikai when he was a teenager: "The dragon in the big lake is stung, and the deer in the Central Plains is fat." Looking at Yuan Shikai's gloomy face on the sick bed, he burst into tears.

At ten o'clock the next morning, Yuan Shikai died of illness in Ju Ren Tang, Zhongnanhai, at the age of fifty-seven. "He harmed me." Who did Yuan Shikai refer to by this "he"?Ambitious son?A villain who wants to climb for wealth?The subordinate who turned his back on him?Or, not someone, but "it"? This hurt Yuan Shikai's "Ta", what is it? When the dust of that turbulent history finally settled, everyone could see clearly: no matter who and what Yuan Shikai thought this "Ta" was, there was only one real culprit anyway: proclaiming himself emperor.When the Chinese nation had begun to move toward a republic, this crazy history turned backwards, dragging Yuan Shikai deep into the quagmire of eternal infamy.

Yuan Shikai has gone through many terrible and dangerous shoals and waves in his life. However, he was like a natural surfer.Restoration of informants, the Qing court's jealousy and desire to punish, murder of Zhang Zhenwu, a hero of the 1911 Revolution, assassination of politician Song Jiaoren, traitorous borrowing... Although countless notorieties were left along the way, they went smoothly all the way until they became the most important person in the entire land of China. weights. Even if he was driven back to his hometown by the Qing government, he was still able to firmly control the Beiyang Army; even in 1913, when the "Second Revolution" against Yuan was raging, he still won the victory in less than two months. The end—and as a result of this revolution, Yuan Shikai's power has since spread to the Yangtze River valley and southern provinces, which had previously been controlled by the Revolutionary Party and some other non-Yuan factions.

With such a series of victories, Yuan Shikai almost never left Yuan Shikai before he became emperor. Yuan Shikai also had great brilliance. In 1912, a brand new Jinguang Avenue was paved at Yuan Shikai's feet.From the photos left at that time, posterity can see that the president in military uniform is majestic and full of ambition—although those black and white photos have already faded, anyone can imagine that President Yuan must be full of face at this time. The red light Yintang shines. Everyone expects this great president to lead the troubled descendants of Yan and Huang to bid farewell to humiliation and move towards revival; many kind-hearted people even prepared for Yuan Shikai early a sacred medal that will shine in the annals of history: China's Washington.For example, in February of this year, when Sun Yat-sen, who resigned as the interim president, called Yuan Shikai, he said: "Checking the history of the world, Washington was the only one who elected the president unanimously. It is a reappearance. I am deeply fortunate that Washington is the second in the world. I am in China." The first Washington in the Republic of China."

Yuan Shikai did seem to be reassuring.Although he is short in stature, he is strong and reliable, sincere and humble, loyal, respectful of friends, courageous to take responsibility, rich in experience, and can accept old and new figures. In the eyes of ordinary people, especially those who have not yet figured out what the revolution is all about Among them, the prestige may be slightly better than Sun Yat-sen.Even Sun Yat-sen was very satisfied after meeting Yuan Shikai. In a speech, he enthusiastically praised Yuan Shikai: "I believe that Yuan Zhi is a man with shoulders, and his mind is very clear. He can see everything in the world clearly, and his thinking is also very new. However, the way of doing things is a little bit old; but it is impossible to adopt new methods to do things... If you want to govern the Republic of China, you must have new ideas, old experience and old methods, and President Yuan is suitable for it, so I recommend Xiangcheng (that is, Yuan Shikai) It’s not fallacious.”—He thought it was very wise for him to entrust the burden of the Republic of China to this person.This is by no means the first time he has been praised by influential figures.When Li Hongzhang was dying, he still did not forget to recommend this old subordinate: "Looking around at the talents in the universe, there is no one right than Yuan Shikai."

At the banquet, Sun Yat-sen toasted Yuan Shikai and shouted: "Long live President Yuan!" For a while, the Republic of China was full of joy and applause. Does anyone remember what Yuan Shikai looked like at this time?Panic?modesty?Relieved?satisfy?Or calm down?But it doesn't make sense, there is a huge gap between the expression and the scheming of this character. Anyway, Yuan Shikai at this time was standing at the peak of his career. Since Yuan Shikai can make both Sun Yat-sen and Li Hongzhang applaud, of course he has real materials.Needless to say, his methods and strategies are recognized by the world as being brilliant and sophisticated; his cold-eyed insight into the key points of profit and loss in the thick fog is his best skill; but Yuan Shikai, who is so smart all his life, why would he do such a thing at the last moment? What about such absurd things that risk the disgrace of the world?

Many people speculated that the "he" who Yuan Shikai said had killed him before his death referred to his son Yuan Keding and his like who encouraged him to restore the imperial system for the sake of his own wealth.In Yuan Shikai's view, this "he" should indeed be regarded as the "great hero" who sent him to a dead end.Later generations enthusiastically persuaded Yang Du, Liang Shiyi and others to join the "Chamber of Commerce Petition Group", "Confucian Society Petition Group", "Carman Petition Group", and even "Beggar Petition Group" and "Prostitute Petition Group". The big ones defined it as Yuan Shikai's trick to rape public opinion and deceive the world, but in it, is Yuan really just a mastermind behind the scenes?Was he himself more or less the object of deception?

One thing may shed some light.When the restoration of the imperial system was under intense preparation, Yuan Shikai wanted to know the real thoughts of some outsiders, so he took a copy of the "Suncheon Times" run by the Japanese to read.At a glance, there are flattery and admiration everywhere, and Lao Yuan is full of joy, thinking that the people's support is such that there is no need to worry about major events.Who would have thought that this was a false report fabricated by Yuan Keding, and the circulation was not large, so it might be the only one in the world. There are more other means.From Feng Shui masters in long robes to modern geomanticians in suits and leather shoes, from street magicians to Western divination masters, they surrounded Yuan Shikai, saying that the destiny cannot be violated, and that the real dragon descends to the earth. Take a close look in the mirror and see what you look like?

Of course, for a role like Yuan Shikai, no matter how great the influence of outsiders is, it is secondary. The fundamental reason is that his own blood flows with the ambition of never being satisfied and never being inferior to others-this is definitely passed down to Yuan Keding.To use a metaphor, for Yuan Shikai, as long as there is a bigger fruit in front of him, no matter how much he has already got in his hand, he will try his best to pick it again.His life was originally a process of climbing and grabbing, and he could never bear loneliness.After becoming the great president, there is only one thing left that can tempt him: the throne.It is conceivable that if the emperor's throne is consolidated, he should still have to think of ways to toss, and pursue immortality like Qin Shihuang. The fate of the people, the will of the people, and selfishness cannot be violated. Finally, Yuan Shikai decided to ascend the throne on New Year's Day in 1916. Perhaps saying such things may make many people furious, but I think Yuan Shikai's restoration of the monarchy should have some other reasons besides his own greedy ambitions and the deception of private parties, or in other words, there are some other reasons. The reason for not doing so - at least in Yuan Shikai's view, this may be the case. We can't imagine a generation of heroes so simple and so mechanical. The gunshots of the Revolution of 1911, the north and the south joined forces, and easily forced Qing Shi to abdicate; all the pioneers worked hard to transplant the most advanced political system in the world at that time to this ancient land, and the Republic of China finally came to the ground. I won’t talk about the grievances and grievances during the period. Anyway, on March 10, 1912, Yuan Shikai was sworn in in Beijing and replaced Sun Yat-sen as the president. In April, the Nanjing Provisional Government was dissolved, and the Provisional Senate was moved to Beijing, reunifying the North and the South. After that, many textbooks began to write like this: "As soon as Yuan Shikai became the interim president, he ordered disarmament with ulterior motives; then he ordered the southern provinces to disband most of the troops... so that the revolutionary armed forces in the south were greatly weakened and prepared for further elimination of revolutionary forces. "(Volume 20, Shanghai People's Publishing House) Needless to say, the old-fashioned so-called feudal ruling tactics such as "cooking rabbits and running dogs" and "releasing military power with a glass of wine" are well known to everyone. No matter which newly established country, only the center can control the overall situation and run political affairs like a head. Only by using your arms and fingers can you truly gain a firm foothold and truly establish a country.The local government is single-mindedly planning to develop its own power, which is detrimental to the entire country in any case, and there is a danger of collapse at any time. There were two most important tasks before Yuan Shikai at that time: one was to centralize power, and the other was to distribute this power.Needless to say, the distribution of power, no matter who it is, wants to give it to cronies and loyal people; it may be unfair to conclude that Yuan Shikai harbored evil intentions by excluding dissidents.As for Yuan Shikai's weakening of the southern armed forces to "prepare for the further elimination of revolutionary forces", it is certainly true, but who wants the territory under his rule to be potholed, with a village here and a hurdle there?At that time, the country under the rule of President Yuan Da was said to have unified the north and the south, but it was only a formal unification. The Beijing government was actually unable to reach many southern provinces, such as Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Guangdong, and the task of centralizing power was very arduous.Not to mention anything else, the newly opened Beijing government is in urgent need of money, but now the southern provinces have almost completely withheld the taxes that should have been turned over to the central government for their own use. Not to mention the South.Under the shackles of the "Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China", Yuan Shikai looked beautiful, but in fact his life was not easy.The Republic of China implemented a responsible cabinet system according to the "Provisional Constitution". The decree issued by the president must be countersigned by the state secretary to take effect. This regulation effectively limits the power of the president by the state secretary; but the decision made by the Senate must be implemented by the president. Even if he disagrees, as long as "more than two-thirds of the senators present still hold the previous proposal", the president still has to implement it.This kind of system does embody democracy, but it cannot be denied that the conflict between the cabinet and the president at that time was not so much for the interests of the country and the nation, but more of a strong political party bias, and even personal grievances.But this situation seemed very satisfactory to the democrats at the time. They seemed to think that the division of parties was the only way of democracy and the best weather for the republic.Therefore, no matter what decree is promulgated, it must first be noisy and debated, whether you make a mistake or not; sometimes there are disputes in the Congress, and it is impossible to resolve a single one after a long time, and it cannot be issued after a long period of time. Yuan Shikai, who was wearing a magic spell, was very distressed. He felt that everything was not going smoothly under this system. He once revealed this feeling in a document: "In the past year, the country has been in great need of governance, but the government's measures are not enough. To be expected by everyone," he has done his best as a president, "selecting talents for the country, especially hard work, according to the "Convention Law", you must seek the consent of the House of Representatives", but the House of Representatives is "the parties have different opinions, and there are obstacles. Make denials, up to three..." Even some revolutionaries can't stand this situation anymore. Zhang Taiyan once said: "The government's incompetence is built in the Senate, and the discussion is based on the awl and the knife. One person must ask for consent, and one person must ask for consent. The case will inevitably lead to disputes; from the beginning, the party is jealous of others, and in the end it is to attack others to benefit oneself... It is called the House of Representatives, but it is actually a treacherous house!" Calling "it is better to ask the president to act cheaply"!Sun Yat-sen also expressed sympathy for this: "What he wants to do today is blocked by many parties, and it is really not easy to take measures." Putting aside the disputes of political opinions, and not caring about the pros and cons of the means for the time being, if you really want to make government orders prevail throughout the country and unify the political situation, in all fairness, Yuan Shikai's goal of centralizing power is not unreasonable.Didn't even Song Jiaoren plan to set up an all-KMT cabinet, be prime minister himself, and control the overall situation? Therefore, as soon as Yuan Shikai took the stage, he launched a series of actions to centralize power and centralize power itself-"prepare for the further elimination of revolutionary forces." Sun Yat-sen said that Yuan Shikai's wrists were inevitably "a little bit old". In fact, to Yuan Shikai, there was no distinction between old and new wrists. As long as the purpose can be achieved, any trick can be used.The revolutionaries want to bind Lao Yuan with a few treaties, just like trying to tie a big-gun ox with rushes, it is too naive.Yuan Shikai was not bound by any dogma since he was a child, and his stereotyped essays that followed the rules were extremely stinky, which made Zhang Jian, who taught him to write, grimaced and couldn't even revise his pen; The countermeasure is simple: "No matter how the regime works out, the total option is to fuck itself." Relying on the skills he had experienced in the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Shikai revised the contract and expanded the power of the president. Step by step, it went smoothly. Although there were endless scolding behind him, it was not very painful.Without much effort, Yuan Shikai abolished the constrained responsible cabinet system in just one or two years. At the beginning, the vacant president who had almost no name at all, transformed into a veritable president who held all the powers. Of course, the methods are indeed unbearable, such as money and beautiful women, assassination threats, and even blatantly forcing aggrieved congressmen to vote three times a day until he gets the legal number of votes to be elected as the official president.Don't say three times, if necessary, you have to choose four or five times, I'm not afraid that if you don't choose me, Lao Yuan-if you don't choose, you won't be given food, and you won't be allowed to go out.It's okay to be hungry, who can forget the embarrassment of those congressmen who are addicted to cigarettes, crying and bowing? But even though Yuan Shikai tried his best to know the number, the effect was still unsatisfactory, and the state affairs continued to deteriorate day by day.Although the Beijing-China political situation seemed much more honest under his strong pressure, the local armed forces were still unable to level off.A series of careful planning, such as the abolition of governors, the establishment of false provinces, and civil servant politics, to weaken the warlords everywhere is simply seeking skins from tigers.If a catty of government orders is issued, at most two taels will be implemented, and even a catty and a half will be thrown back to you secretly.Yuan Shikai himself knew very well that under the light of victory, there was actually a growing crisis lurking: although he easily suppressed the Second Revolution, in fact, he raised the ambition of his subordinates during the pacification—the expansion of the territory. Will gradually begin to disobey orders overtly and secretly.He could only watch helplessly as even his own Beiyang was heading towards a mess of loose sand step by step. For so many years, Yuan Shikai, who has been sitting under the stage and doing tricks such as demolishing pillars, digging corners, throwing fire plates, and fighting roosters, now sits on the stage shirtless and bears open guns and hidden arrows from all directions. Get restless every day.It is said that he often sat alone in Ju Ren Tang, muttering to himself: "This republic can't go on." He raised his head and stared blankly at the ceiling.The bright yellow light from the chandelier hit his eyes, and Yuan Shikai suddenly felt refreshed.He remembered another kind of power, a kind of power that could make him immediately defenseless with just a piece of imperial edict even when his power was intertwined and spread all over the court and the opposition - imperial power.His blood boiled immediately, and he suddenly felt that the future of the country and his personal destiny were so consistent and inseparable.He was determined to find this kind of power again from the miserable cold palace, cleanse it, and inject it into his own veins, so that these already somewhat weak hands regained the supreme authority, and heavily suppressed the restless and disorderly world. The series of retrograde official system, reverence for Confucianism and offering sacrifices to heaven were just warm-ups in the early stage, and the real opening gongs and drums came from overseas. On August 3, 1915, Beijing's "Asia News" published a paper, "The Republic and the Monarchy," written by Goodnow, a professor of administrative law at Columbia University and an American.This famous jurist also has another identity, Yuan Shikai's constitutional adviser.He believes that what kind of state system a country should adopt should be in line with the country's historical habits and economic conditions.He said in the article: "For thousands of years, China has been ruled by a dictatorship, there are no schools, most people are not very intelligent, and the actions of the government are never heard of by others, so they have no ability to study politics. Four years ago, the change from an autocracy to a republic is too sudden, and it is difficult to expect good results." National conditions." One stone stirred up thousands of waves, and as soon as this article was published, public opinion was uproarious.Anyone with a discerning eye has already seen that this is simply a blatant persuasion, and the Revolutionary Party of course reviled it justly; but some foreigners, such as Japanese Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma's confidant Nagao Ariga, have issued letters to echo it; the United States, Germany and other countries also openly and secretly Support Yuan Shikai.In addition to the ridiculous farce of those petition groups in China, Yang Du and other celebrities also took advantage of the situation to throw out various theoretical basis for the so-called imperial system, such as "The Theory of Salvation of the Country by the Monarch Constitution" and the like.For a time, around Yuan Shikai, the voices of the monarchy were raging. Of course Yuan Shikai was very willing to believe in these theories, so he became more confident.Finally, he was about to lift the last curtain. At this time, many people advised Yuan Shikai not to take that last step. For example, Zhang Jian sincerely advised him to be Washington, and not to follow the example of Louis XVI who failed to restore the guillotine; Liang Qichao also advised Yuan Shikai with good intentions: I hope that my president will usher in an era of new heroes in China's future, and I don't want my president to end up as an old traitor in China's past." No matter how much you talk, no matter how much you cry, Yuan Shikai, who has already made up his mind, is pouring medicine on a blue stone slab, and it has no effect at all.He turned a deaf ear and buried himself in his plan.Perhaps, he also realized that this would be the greatest adventure in his life, but he believed that luck would bless him as always; besides, all his achievements in this life came from adventures, big and small, and he Try to convince yourself that he should still be in control. It's like he can manage the president so that he can be re-elected for life in a few years, and he can designate an heir. Although he has no official title, he already has the reality of an emperor-and the world is calm after a while Yet? Some people advised him, since he has the real status of an emperor, why should he be greedy for the false name?Yuan Shikai smiled slightly: How can the dress of the president be as sacred, dignified, and admirable as the emperor's dragon robe?Those restless cubs in the world have to rely on this dragon robe to go to town. Yuan Shikai did not expect to lose so quickly and miserably this time: he, the "Son of Hongxian", only worked for 83 days.And this failure is irreversible in the slightest—he has no way to retreat: although seeing the situation is not good, he immediately revoked the emperor title and restored the responsible cabinet system, but it was too late.All the cards in his hand have been played, he has been set up, and he is about to be nailed to the pillar of shame in history. Amidst the rage from the whole country, Yuan Shikai, who was worried, angry and frightened, withdrew from the stage of history. Of course, Yuan Shikai was defeated by proclaiming himself emperor, there is no doubt about it.However, let us take a closer look at the call to action at that time, and we may find some interesting problems. On May 8, 1916, Guangdong established the Military Affairs Academy as a joint organization of independent provinces.The Northern Expedition of the Military Affairs Council said in the "Notice of Dispatch of the Army": "The world is raging, it is only because of the Yuan family... My teacher was raised, and the job is to challenge Yuan. Unless Yuan retires and President Li succeeds to the throne, we cannot stop the army. Keep this No one dares to exceed the scope." Liang Qichao also made it clear that the purpose of the struggle was only to overthrow Yuan alone. —— Is it for Yuan Shikai, or for the monarchy?Conversely, these outraged local armed forces believe that it is Yuan Shikai or the imperial system that should be completely defeated? There is no need to delve into this issue at first glance, since the person who is talking about is Yuan Shikai, who is engaged in the imperial system, and the two are originally one.But Sun Yat-sen had a different vision after all, and his manifesto against Yuan said: "Maintain the Republic of China, and don't just leave Yuan as the end of the matter." The conspicuous supporting role has a very weak voice.But it can also be seen from it that begging Yuan alone is not exactly the same thing as completely overthrowing the monarchy and defending the Republic of China. Although the slogan of a democratic republic became louder and louder after 1911, posterity had to admit that this was only a superficiality;From Lu Xun's "The True Story of Ah Q" and other works, it can be clearly seen that the vast rural areas have not yet had any fundamental awareness, and what they most hope for is a true son to end this chaotic world.Overseas Kang Youwei's Royalist Party is still making waves and making waves.Among the warlords, there is Zhang Xun who vowed not to cut his braids to death, and there are not a few who secretly flirt with the Manchu abdication court; even when Pu Yi got married in 1922, the presidential palace attendant Yin Chang who was sent to congratulate him by the Republic of China , After bowing, he suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, saying that just now he represented the Republic of China, but now he was "a slave saluting the emperor himself", which shocked Puyi.In the city of Beijing, it is common to see people dressed in robes and coats with feather tops ostentatiously passing through the market.Many people believe that the monarchy is not outdated, and even more appealing than the new and unfamiliar republic. They confidently wait for the fall of the republic and welcome the saint to his throne. Looking back at Goodnow's stinking "Republic and the Monarch", the article said that at that time in China, "most of the people's intelligence was not very high, and the actions of the government were never heard of by others, so there was no research on politics. The ability to do so” is poorly written, but it is true.In Chinese politics, the government has led the people for thousands of years, but now the people suddenly control the government, and the result can be imagined.Not to mention the ordinary people at the bottom, that is, those revolutionaries themselves, how much deep understanding of the republic do they have?The establishment of the constitution, the opening of the Congress, and the formation of political parties seem to have a good appearance, but they are nothing more than "copying the law from Europe and the United States." Party members are just fighting for power and profit in the name of party struggle. At that time, there were many names such as "party stick", "party gangster", and "party meal" (Qian Mu's "Outline of National History").There is actually no essential difference between such a so-called republic and an imperial system, but they are both means of seizing power. The old and new warlords also learned several powerful new slogans from the revolutionary party: "independence" and "inter-provincial self-government".Every now and then, the telegrams were turned on to declare independence, and several cannons were fired from time to time all over the country, which was very lively. After the overthrow of the emperor's monarchy, the land of China was like a pressure cooker that suddenly exploded. The porridge and soup that suddenly lost its pressure splashed and boiled in a mess, giving people a worse feeling than before. Some people said that China at that time had hidden dangers of centrifugation. Indeed, the highest center was suddenly lost, and the heart was gone. How could we not leave? So many people are thinking hard: Can Gonghe clean up the mess?Or, still have to ask for the old method that has been effective for thousands of years-the king's landing? So many people are actually not firmly opposed to the imperial system, they just opposed Lao Yuan. In addition to wanting to make people lose their minds, Yuan Shikai's main purpose of proclaiming himself emperor was to strengthen the centralization of power. Centralization of power would inevitably damage local forces. This contradiction cannot be resolved with any monarchy.On the contrary, Yuan Shikai's move just provided an upright reason for the scattered warlords to resist him and restore the authority of the central government.In other words, even if Yuan Shikai did not proclaim himself emperor, as long as the contradiction of centralization intensified, he would still raise troops against Yuan.Local forces have only one purpose: to preserve their own strength. No matter whether your central government is a monarchy or a republic, if you come to cut me, you have to find a way to fight against it.This indiscriminate arrogance can also be seen from the embarrassing situation of the Nanjing government after the Revolution of 1911: the armies of the provinces only asked for food and pay, and did not obey orders at all. Huang Xing, the chief of the army, was basically an empty commander. Just wanting not to be weakened still refers to some law-abiding ones, and those who are also ambitious are unwilling to be held at their feet for the rest of their lives.In the past, when the emperor was around, no matter how ambitious everyone was, the ultimate goal was to become a general. After the republic, it was said that as long as they have the ability to govern the country, anyone can compete for the presidency. This immediately raised the horizons of many people: it is possible to dare to love me Sit in that big chair!Such a person is not reconciled to being the leader of anyone, and is always watching for opportunities.Now that Lao Yuan is in a daze, and he has his big butt raised high for someone to beat him, can he still use all his strength? Besides, Lao Yuan's weight in the eyes of the world is still not far behind.This old boy has always liked to play tricks, inform and kill people, and use all means, so he really can't convince the world.It’s okay to let you be the president for a few days to pass the dry addiction. If you want to turn the country into a home, there is no way!In the past, when everyone was a courtier, it was enough to bow to each other when they met, but now they just hold hands, but they have to bow three times and kowtow nine times when they are called emperors. Is this aggrieved?Who doesn't know your old Yuan's background, you let people boast that you are the real man, the real dragon descended to earth, but the folks say that you old Yuan is a reincarnated toad!Are you worthy of this gentleman?Even the elders who wanted to restore the imperial system felt that Yuan Shikai's sitting in this position was ridiculous and terrible. There are also some warlords, especially inside Beiyang, who are already becoming more and more dissatisfied with Lao Yuan's jealousy and cutting power, and are even more afraid that if he succeeds in proclaiming himself emperor, the domineering and frivolous "Prince" Yuan Keding will succeed in the future.Duan Qirui had had an affair with the "Prince" in the first place, Keding even wanted to find someone to do it, and it was fine when Lao Yuan stopped him; even Feng Guozhang, the most honest in the Beiyang Army, hated this kid, saying: "Like Such a Cao Pi (referring to Keding), how will he serve him in the future!" Duan, Feng, and the others were chilled. In such a situation, how could Yuan Shikai be defeated by betrayal? However, if Yuan Shikai is a person who can be expected by everyone, or at this time, there is another person whose ability and virtue are far superior to him. Will it really replant the monarchy on this ancient land? This is also fantasy.Although the idea of ​​the imperial system was still lingering in many people's minds at that time, if you look carefully, the golden dragon hovering in the dream has long since lost its breath.It's just that it didn't die for a while, floating in the tide of the times, like the shadow of a ghost, it was misunderstood by some people with poor eyesight as still alive. Although the countryside has not yet been truly civilized, after all, the post-Xinhai Republic has taken root in the hearts of the people.No one can deny that the replacement of autocracy by a republic is a great progress, a qualitative leap, and an irresistible world trend.The situation at that time was like a thousand-year-old dam. Its lifespan had expired, and cracks appeared everywhere. No matter how much it was repaired, it would be futile.Whoever wants to turn the tide is just overconfident like a mantis doing a cart. Although the nascent republic looks weak now, it can still establish a strong center, and the power that this center relies on comes from the general public, which is far better than the previous arbitrariness.The tragedy of Yuan Shikai is that it is impossible to understand this point with his thinking. All his experience is obtained from the strife in the officialdom and the contest of intrigues. the power of.When the great era is approaching, he can't turn his neck away in the end, but still looks back on the old road, begging the imperial power to recast the center, making himself the target of all the guns in the world, and the result can only be complete destruction. For him, the most reasonable measure is not to proclaim the emperor, but to develop the wisdom of the people.Only when the concept of a democratic republic is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, can a powerful central government with the support of the masses be established, and true democracy be gradually realized from the bottom to the top in all provinces and regions, thereby naturally eliminating all separatist forces.Of course, this is just the wishful thinking of our descendants. Yuan's ambition and patience cannot tolerate this long-term plan.After all, Sun Yat-sen was great. After a series of setbacks, he finally saw the importance of this issue. He proposed that after the establishment of the Republic, there should be a period of "political training" to develop people's wisdom and train their ability to participate in politics; , began to bloody dig out the roots of slavery in the bones of the Chinese people, and tried their best to transform the national character. So Yuan Shikai's misstep can be compared like this: It's like someone got a car, but he can't drive it; what should he do?Do you want to learn driving skills from others?Or unload the engine, take out the yoke, put on the horses and oxen, and drive on the road waving the whip?Unfortunately, Yuan Shikai chose to be the handlebar. Not to mention that Yuan Shikai's strength is not enough to drive the car, even if he retreated 10,000 steps, even if he really wobbled and stabilized his body, and the big car started on the road, he would only be overtaken by cars one after another. The portion of smoke swallowed soil.In the event of a dispute, you can only be slaughtered honestly-who told you to be centuries behind others? Populations take time to grow. After the fall of Yuan, on the surface, China's political situation did not show any signs of improvement, and the impression given was even more chaotic.In the past, it was roughly divided into north-south conflicts, but now there is no distinction between southeast and north, and even the interior of Beiyang is full of murderous intentions. The entire land of China, no one can count how many pieces it has been cut into. "The whole country doesn't care about the central government, politics doesn't care about the track, and people don't care about the standards (Qian Mu's words)", and political affairs everywhere are in the midst of opium smoke, mahjong tables, and concubines.The people were miserable, and even the old lady Jiujin who was far away in the countryside lamented: "This is really not as good as the next generation!" The older ones remembered the time when Lord Guangxu was in power, and cursed fiercely when there was no one around: "Heavenly Revolutionary Party, Godly Yuan Shikai", praying that one day, I can see the real dragon emperor again with my own eyes, ascend the Great Treasure again, and reopen Taiping... The Democratic Republic shouted louder, but it seemed that they bought a lot of advanced building materials from overseas, which were enough to build the most fashionable high-rise buildings, but they couldn't find so many people who knew construction to work; Each grabs a share of the fragments, and builds their own houses according to their own needs: how can there be no blockhouses and cottages everywhere? — Fortunately, no one dares to try to build a palace with these materials. The autocratic center has been destroyed, and the public center has yet to grow. This gap between the two ends has to be extremely difficult. But no matter how weak, ugly, and naive, China after 1911 has evolved into a human being after all; if you look back, no matter how strong and perfect you are, you are still a monkey after all. It's just the darkest hour before the dawn. Now more and more people are studying the principles and practicing driving of this car that can catch up with the times; Parents and folks publicize and introduce, teach how to use... Although there are still ruins everywhere, the blueprints for building the magnificent building have been carefully designed and revised in the first draft... The Revolution of 1911 was not the end, but only the beginning. On the dam that has imprisoned the blood of Chinese descendants for thousands of years, the cracks are cracking, expanding, and uniting every minute; under the iceberg, the earth fire is running silently—— In the boundless darkness, a newborn red sun struggles and jumps in the depths of the dark clouds, waiting impatiently for the moment when it bursts out. Most Chinese people pay attention to reputation after death. Yuan Shikai lacks the freedom and ease of the French foolish king who "don't care about the flood after I die". Although we can say that he is wishful thinking, he certainly hopes that this round of red sun will rise in his own hands. .But his self-confidence, which he had been accustomed to for decades, faded day by day with the arrival of the ceremony, and he was already full of anxiety before sitting on the dragon chair. Just above the dragon chair in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, in the caisson at a height of more than ten meters, there is a huge copper ball held in the mouth of a golden dragon.This ball is called Xuanyuan Mirror. It is said that it was made by the Yellow Emperor. It specially inspected the emperors of the past dynasties below. Yuan Shikai saw the ball when he was preparing to ascend the throne, and immediately ordered the dragon chair to be moved back two meters. Is it because I have no idea whether I will fulfill my destiny, or is I just afraid that this big copper ball, like the imperial system, is no longer reliable and crumbling, and will fall by itself at any time? When stepping up the steps to the dragon chair step by step, did Yuan Shikai, who lacked self-confidence, hesitate?Perhaps, at this moment, he thought that none of the ancestors of the Yuan family could live past the age of sixty, and he himself was already fifty-seven after the new year, so he gritted his teeth and used everything as a bargaining chip to sit on the dragon chair. Pushed hard... I don't know what Yuan Shikai was thinking when he was sitting on the dragon chair to accept the worship of hundreds of officials.During the solemn occasion, did he remember the couplet of poems written by another son, Yuan Kewen, when he persuaded him to dispel the idea of ​​imperialism: It is extremely pity that there are many winds and rains in the heights, so don't go to the top floor of Qionglou.