Chapter 42 Section VI

The restoration failed, and the restorationists fell and the monkeys scattered. Kang Youwei shaved off his hair, hid in Fayuan Temple and became a monk; Yang Du quickly ran to Shanghai and became a "celebrity".On the contrary, Lao Naixuan, who was "sealed" as "Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice", carved a line of words on the lobby, "He is an official of the Ministry of Law, and a ghost of the Ministry of Law when he dies", and hanged himself in the lobby of the Ministry of Law. The short-lived dream of restoration was shattered, Puyi was sad and scared, and burst into tears.

Li Yuanhong recklessly miscalculated and recruited Zhang Xun to Beijing, which caused such a catastrophe. He felt that he would never have the face to be the president, so he resigned and moved to a private house in Tianjin for the elderly. Since then, he has basically disappeared in the history of the Republic of China. Duan Qirui quickly calmed down and restored, and amidst the praises of "rebuilding the republic", he returned to Beijing on July 14 and resumed his post as Prime Minister. The culprit, Zhang Xun, was picked up by a car sent by the German embassy and sent to the Dutch embassy for shelter.Zhang Xun jumped up and down, determined to fight to the death, but in the end a few foreigners forced him into the car desperately.

This farce is like a child's play, but its nature is extremely serious, because it concerns the national system; at the same time, the turmoil of these twelve days has made China's capital make a fool of itself in the international arena.The Beiyang government said that Zhang Xun was not a political prisoner, but a national traitor, and asked the Dutch embassy to extradite Zhang Xun.But Zhang Xun claimed in the embassy that he still had 82 pieces of evidence that important officials of the Beiyang government had instigated and participated in the restoration, and ordered his subordinates to start writing the memoirs of the Xuzhou meeting to show that the Beiyang government also had a part in this matter.

In the Dutch embassy, ​​in order to facilitate his escape from the country, under the suggestion of the Dutch minister, the "handsome braid" actually cut off his braid, which he loves like life.He said to his concubine: "I didn't cut my braids before because I was Chinese. Now I'm going to become a foreign citizen, so I cut it off!" That is to say, he refused to admit that he was a member of the Republic of China; he said " "China" is actually the Qing Dynasty. Duan Qirui did not dare to push him too hard.Perhaps because they felt ashamed, some warlords, such as Zhang Huaizhi, Governor of Shandong, Li Chun, Governor of Jiangxi, and Wang Zhanyuan, Governor of Hubei, sent calls or wrote to Duan Qirui to intercede for Zhang Xun.Zhang Zuolin, Zhang Xun's in-laws, sent letters to Duan Qirui many times to request the restoration of Zhang Xun's freedom and guarantee the safety of his personal property.

On October 10, 1918, Xu Shichang became the president of the Republic of China, and on October 22 of that year, he ordered the pardon of Zhang Xun. Zhang Xun finally got his freedom and returned his property. In his later years, Zhang Xun also reflected on the stubborn thoughts and absurd behaviors of loyalty to the emperor and restoration. During the first Zhifeng war in 1920, he argued against the groundless accusations that he attempted to restore the restoration again: "...As for the past (referring to the restoration), Jae-hoon felt the old kindness. Entu reported that the cone of Bolang , stop at one blow... the year of Xun will be seventy, but I want to be a peaceful people, and I will always worship the gift of the republic."

This crude martial artist who single-handedly directed the biggest farce in the Republic of China is now a calm and uncontested leader.He sometimes drank and composed poems with others, but when someone asked about the restoration, he only said a few words and didn't talk more. From a soldier who was born as a book boy to a high-ranking officer in the Qing Dynasty, with gold, silver and beauties, Zhang Xun deeply felt the greatness of the emperor's grace.Repaying kindness, such a simple and simple psychological motivation, dominated the thoughts and actions of Zhang Xun, a farm boy in Jiangxi, for almost his whole life, regardless of the general will and axioms, historical trends and the tide of the times.

On July 21, 1917, Sun Yat-sen said in a telegram to Lu Rongting, the governor of Guangxi: "Zhang Xun's forced rebellion is also a foolish loyalty. The crime of treason should be punished, and the love for the master is merciful. The article is for the true restorer Even though he considers him an enemy, he is not disrespectful." Sun Yat-sen's comments on Zhang Xun can be regarded as fair, considerate, and open-minded. On September 12, 1923, Zhang Xun died of illness in Tianjin at the age of seventy.In recognition of his loyalty to the Qing Dynasty, Puyi bestowed the posthumous title "Zhongwu".I don't know if he in another world would still burst into tears, prostrate himself on the ground and yell, "Although he is heartbroken, there is no way to repay him"?