Chapter 23 Chapter 22 The End of the Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty suffered from the First Opium War, the Second Opium War, the Sino-French War, the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, the Anglo-French Allied Forces invaded Beijing, and the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing again and again; the Treaty of Nanjing , "Tianjin Treaty", "Beijing Treaty", "Yuanhui Treaty", "Shimonoseki Treaty", "Xin Chou Treaty" one after another humiliation, missed opportunities for reform and improvement, and finally came to the end demise.
On the night of the Lantern Festival in the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu (1908), Cixi led all the concubines to Beihai to watch the fireworks. She was already old, overworked, and caught wind and cold, so she contracted a disease, and it was getting worse day by day.
Seeing this, Yuan Shikai, Li Lianying and others panicked at first.They knew that once Cixi's backer fell, once Emperor Guangxu was restored, he would never let them go.So these people all hoped that Emperor Guangxu would die one day sooner, so they blatantly abused the emperor.In the past, Guangxu had to serve hundreds of plates of delicacies for each meal. Now, among the 20 or 30 plates of dishes, except for a few freshly made dishes, the rest are leftovers that have been placed repeatedly, and the pungent taste is hard to swallow.
Guangxu ordered Wang Shang, the former imperial eunuch, to play Cixi's request to improve the food, but Cixi ignored them. She made an exception and went to Yingtai in person.
After that, Li Lianying and others became more unscrupulous, adding something to the diet, which made Emperor Guangxu often constipated, and sometimes he couldn't have a bowel movement for two or three days, so he had to call the imperial doctor to visit him.
Those imperial doctors seemed to have colluded with Li Lianying and the others, took the pulse in three to five minutes, and then prescribed a random prescription to deal with the matter.Guangxu's condition became more and more serious, and he gradually lost confidence in medicine. He began to suspect that someone had tampered with his diet, so he simply ate less and ate more fruits. People were deeply surprised, so they contemplated more poisonous tricks.
Once, Li Lianying combed Cixi's hair, and said a few slanderous words by the way, saying that Guangxu was very happy when he heard that Cixi was seriously ill.These words were said in a roundabout way by Li Lianying, which made Cixi, who was already in a bad mood during her illness, suddenly angry, and scolded back: "It's a good idea to be unfilial and rebellious! Hmph, he can't even think about dying after me!"
Li Lianying was secretly happy when she heard this.Soon, Guangxu's condition suddenly worsened. The imperial doctor Zhang Zhongyuan and the famous doctor Du Zhongsui saw Guangxu. No one could tell what the disease was.
On the 10th day of October, Cixi's 73rd birthday, there were lights and festoons inside and outside the palace.After that, Cixi went to the Changyinge Grand Stage to watch a play, and went to Nanyuan Lake to take a cruise.Unexpectedly, extreme joy gave rise to sorrow. That night, Cixi felt unwell again, and developed dysentery on the basis of the original disease. She did not get better for several days.
On October 17th, although Cixi was seriously ill, she asked Emperor Guangxu with special concern: "How is your majesty these days?"
Li Lianying said: "It's also a strange thing. As soon as Lafayette fell ill, Long Live Lord was much better. These two days, I often go for a walk in the sea. This is called 'people are refreshed on happy occasions'!"
"What happy event?" Cixi asked.
"Forgive me for using the pawn improperly." Li Lianying said.
Cixi said: "I understand what you mean. I fell ill, which is naturally a 'happy event' for the emperor! Hmph, can I walk ahead of him?"
Li Lianying said: "My servant would like to visit him and take care of him. Maybe it can make the Lord Long Live recover faster."
In the early morning of the next day, Li Lianying really came to Yingtai Island, showing special concern for Guangxu, asking Guangxu about his health.Guangxu was very surprised, but after thinking about it, he thought that Li Lianying was afraid that he would clean up Cixi after his death, so he came here to show his courtesy, so he put aside his suspicion.After a while, Li Lianying ordered the little eunuch to serve Emperor Guangxu a cup of "Western tea". Not long after Li Lianying left, Guangxu's condition suddenly worsened. It's called a stomachache.
After being diagnosed by Qu Guiting, the imperial doctor who came quickly, he felt that the emperor's condition was very strange, and he was very scared, worried that he would be involved in this crisis, so he hastily prescribed a prescription and withdrew from the Hanyuan Hall.
On the morning of October 20, Empress Longyu came to see Guangxu, but he only opened his eyes slightly to take a look, and then passed out again, as if he had lost his mind.
At about five o'clock in the evening on October 21, Guangxu died at the age of thirty-eight.
When Guangxu died, Cixi was also dying of illness. When she was still conscious, she summoned princes and ministers and passed down a decree to order Puyi to succeed her.
On October 22, Cixi died of illness.
Just one day apart, the two highest rulers of China who held the scepter died one after another, which caused shock at home and abroad, and rumors spread everywhere for a while, saying everything.Emperor Guangxu's death was unknown and became one of the mysteries in the Qing palace.
On the ninth day of November, the Qing Dynasty held a grand enthronement ceremony for the last emperor, Aixinjueluo Puyi, who was only three years old.Pu Yi recalled:
I was tossed about by them for a long time, and the weather was extremely cold that day, so when they carried me to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and put me on the high and large throne, it had already exceeded my patience.My father knelt sideways under the throne on one knee, supported me with both hands, and kept me from moving, but I struggled and cried, "I don't want to stay here, I want to go home! I don't want to stay here, I want to go home!"
My father was sweating profusely, civil and military officials knelt and kowtowed endlessly, and my crying became louder and louder.My father had no choice but to coax me and say, "Don't cry, don't cry, it's almost over, it's almost over!"
After the ceremony, all civil and military officials walked on the way to retreat, commenting: "How can we say 'it's almost over'?" They felt that this was an ominous omen for the Qing court.
Endless failures and endless humiliation, people have hated the monarchy and hoped for a republic; hated the monarch and longed for democracy.Conforming to this historical trend, Sun Yat-sen launched a revolution to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic.
In the 31st year of Guangxu (1905), the Chinese League was established in Tokyo, Japan, and Mr. Sun Yat-sen was elected as the prime minister, with the program of "expelling the Tartars, restoring China, establishing the Republic of China, and equally dividing land rights".
In July of the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906), the Qing government issued an imperial edict announcing the "imitation of constitutional government". After a few years, set a deadline again."
But people can't afford to wait any longer.From April in the 33rd year of Guangxu (1907) to April in the 3rd year of Xuantong (1911), the Tongmenghui organized uprisings in Huanggang of Guangdong, Anqing of Anhui, Shaoxing of Zhejiang and Huanghuagang of Guangzhou, but failed due to disparity in power and other reasons. up.Then, the Tongmenghui decided to launch an uprising in Wuhan, Hubei.
Wuhan was known as the "thoroughfare of nine provinces" and was the second largest city in China after Shanghai at that time. It was an important stronghold of imperialist aggression and a center of gravity for the reactionary rule of the Qing Dynasty. A hub of connections.At that time, five or six thousand soldiers joined the revolutionary organization in the Wuhan New Army, accounting for about one-third of the total number of Hubei New Army, which laid a solid foundation for the Wuhan Uprising.
In order to strengthen the leadership of the revolutionary forces in the Wuhan area, the two revolutionary groups, the Gongjinhui and the Literature Society, decided to take joint action under the mediation of the Central Headquarters of the Tongmenghui. On September 24, they organized a unified uprising leadership organization and elected the leaders of the Literature Society. Jiang Yiwu was the commander-in-chief of the Hubei Revolutionary Army, Sun Wu, the leader of the Gongjin Association, was the chief of staff, and Liu Qi and Peng Chufan, the important backbones of the two groups, were the military preparators.They drew up a detailed plan for the uprising, elected the person in charge of the military government after the armed uprising, drafted a statement, sent people to Shanghai to welcome the leaders of the Tongmenghui to come to Hubei to preside over the plan, and contacted neighboring provinces to instigate a response.
At this time, Sun Yat-sen was raising funds overseas to support the domestic revolutionary activities.After Huang Xing received the report on the situation in Hubei in Hong Kong, he replied in favor of launching an uprising in Wuhan. However, he asked the Hubei revolutionaries to wait for Sun Yat-sen to raise a huge sum of 200,000 yuan and purchase a large number of guns and ammunition before launching it.The revolutionaries in Hubei believed that the time for the uprising was ripe, and they could not wait until they were "riding a tiger".Because they saw that the Qing government dispatched a large number of new troops from Hubei to Sichuan to suppress the road protection movement, and the revolutionary backbone of the new army would leave with the army, which would inevitably weaken the revolutionary forces in Hubei. Therefore, they firmly stated that even if "there is no foreign aid", Also uprising as usual.
The revolutionaries in Hubei originally planned to hold an uprising on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar (October 6th), but it was postponed due to poor preparations.On October 9th, Sun Wu made a bomb in the Russian Concession in Hankou and accidentally exploded. Tsarist Russian patrols rushed to the hospital.The next day, the secret agency set up in Wuchang to direct the uprising was destroyed again, Peng Chufan, Liu Qi and others were arrested, and Jiang Yiwu escaped.Ruiyan, governor of Huguang, ordered the killing of Peng, Liu, and Li Hongsheng. The entire city was under martial law, and the revolutionaries were arrested according to the seized roster. The situation in Wuchang suddenly became tense. The revolution was facing a very severe test.However, the revolutionaries and the revolutionary soldiers in the new army did not shrink back in fear. In the emergency situation of losing the command organization, they contacted themselves and resolutely launched an uprising.
On the evening of October 10, the revolutionaries of the Eighth Battalion of the New Army Project fired the first shot of the uprising.They killed the counter-revolutionary officers who suppressed the uprising, and dozens of people rushed to the Chuwang Armory to grab ammunition.The revolutionary soldiers among the defenders of the armory responded to the news and occupied the Chu Watchtower in one fell swoop.Then, about five battalions of infantry, artillery, and heavy battalions, as well as students from the military school, revolted one after another. They gathered at Chuwangtai and temporarily elected Wu Zhaolin, a member and team officer who had notified the original day, as the commander, and launched an attack on the Governor's Yamen.The soldiers of the Revolutionary Army fought bloody all night, regardless of their lives, and occupied important institutions such as the governor's office and the treasury.Ruiyan, governor of Huguang, fled in a hurry to a warship moored in the Yangtze River.The rebel army occupied Wuchang City overnight and won the uprising. On the evening of the 11th and the morning of the 12th, the new troops stationed in Hanyang and Hankou also revolted successively. Soon, the three towns of Wuhan were completely controlled by the revolutionaries.
Then, the rebel army established the Hubei military government, elected Li Yuanhong as the governor, and abolished the reign title of Xuantong.Subsequently, Hunan and other thirteen provinces responded one after another and declared independence, and the Qing government quickly disintegrated.Soon, representatives of various provinces held a meeting in the south, elected Sun Yat-sen as the interim president, and decided to switch to the Gregorian calendar.Since that year was the Xinhai Year of the Lunar Calendar, it is said in history that the Ding Revolution of this year became the Xinhai Revolution.
The Revolution of 1911 ended the 268-year rule of the Qing Dynasty, and also ended the autocratic monarchy in China for more than 2,000 years.
On January 1, 1912, Sun Yat-sen was sworn in as the interim president in the south, declaring the founding of the Republic of China.Subsequently, Sun Yat-sen negotiated with Yuan Shikai in secret, and if Yuan Shikai forced the Qing emperor to abdicate, he would let Yuan Shikai succeed him as the president.
After negotiating with Sun Yat-sen, Yuan Shikai had an audience with Empress Dowager Longyu and Emperor Xuantong.Yuan Shikai knelt on the ground, respectful, pretended to be sad, and pretended to squeeze out a few tears and said: "The navy is completely rebellious, and the natural danger is gone. How can we use the troops of the six towns to defend Beijing and Tianjin? The relocation, there is no compatible place..."
Yuan Shikai's implication was to ask Emperor Xuantong to abdicate. At that time, Emperor Xuantong Puyi was only a six-year-old child. Of course he couldn't understand. In our hands, we are ashamed of our ancestors!"
Yuan Shikai sighed and said: "The empress dowager should not be too sad. The world changes, and the empress dowager cannot bear the responsibility alone. As the saying goes, 'A man who knows the current affairs is a hero'"
Before Yuan Shikai finished speaking, the Empress Dowager Longyu hurriedly asked: "If we abdicate, how will the Republic of China treat us?"
Yuan Shikai said: "The three main halls in front of the Forbidden City belong to the Republic of China. All titles such as the emperor and empress dowager remain unchanged. They still live in the palace behind the Qianqing Gate, and all the royal property is still owned by themselves. These preferential treatment conditions have been drawn up. Please take a look at the Empress Dowager."
As he spoke, Yuan Shikai took out some papers from his pocket and handed them to Empress Dowager Longyu.Empress Dowager Longyu took the paper and saw that it read:
1. After the resignation of the Qing emperor, the honorary title still exists, and the Republic of China treats each other with the same courtesy as it treats foreign monarchs.
2. After the resignation of the Qing emperor, four million taels of silver were issued, and after the coinage was changed, it was changed to four million yuan.This fund is appropriated by the Republic of China.
3. After the Qing emperor resigned, he temporarily lived in the palace and moved to the Summer Palace in the future.Guards, etc., remain as usual.
4. After the resignation of the Qing emperor, his ancestral temple mausoleum will be enshrined forever, and the Republic of China will set up guards at its discretion to protect it carefully.
5. The unfinished mausoleum of Emperor Guangxu was still built according to the original plan.All expenses are paid by the Republic of China.
Sixth, the original personnel in the palace will be retained as usual, but eunuchs will not be allowed to be recruited in the future.
7. The Republic of China shall protect the private property of the Qing Emperor.
8. The original imperial guards were managed by the Ministry of Army of the Republic of China, and their salaries remained the same.
After watching it, the Empress Dowager Longyu sobbed for a while, then hugged Puyi in her arms, and said softly: "Pity our orphans and widowed mothers."
On February 12, 1912 (December 25 of the third year of Xuantong), Empress Dowager Longyu issued the "Abdication Edict" written by Zhang Jian's staff Yang Tingdong, polished by Zhang Jian, and reviewed by Yuan Shikai.Its writing is elegant, extremely literary and thoughtful, quite decent, it can be described as a big picture, and it is also a big hand. It expresses the end of a generation of dynasties and the end of China's two thousand-year imperial system in an easy and free manner.It is hereby recorded as follows for the readers:
In the past, due to the uprising of the militia, the provinces responded, and the nine summers were boiling, and the people were dying.Yuan Shikai's survivors were specially appointed to discuss the overall situation with representatives of the militia, discuss the opening of the National Assembly, and referendum on the political system.In the past two months, there has been no definite solution. The north and the south are separated, and they are fighting each other.Just because the state system is not determined for a day, the people's livelihood is uneasy for a day.The psychology of the people across the country today tends to be republican.The southern and central provinces advocated the front; the northern generals also advocated the latter.The destiny of the people can be known.Because of the honor of one surname, Yu Yi Heren can tell people's likes and dislikes.It is to use the general trend of appearance and internal review of public opinion to lead the emperor to make the ruling power public to the whole country and establish it as a constitutional republic.Nearly comfort the hearts of the people who are tired of chaos and look forward to governance, and far assist the ancient holy world for public discussion.Yuan Shikai was elected as the prime minister by the former Economic and Political Council. When the old and the new are replaced, it is advisable to unify the north and the south, that is, Yuan Shikai will organize a provisional republic government with full power, and negotiate a unified method with the militia. install.Still, the complete territory of the Manchu, Mongolian, Han, Hui, and Tibetan tribes is still one big Republic of China. Wouldn't it be great to give the emperor a leisurely retreat, enjoy the years, receive the preferential gifts from the people, and see the success of Zhizhi in person.
Yes, the autocratic monarchy should end. This system that has ruled China for thousands of years and made everything trapped in alienated social relations and lose the true self should end.Although Xuantong's abdication edict is very free and easy, the hearts of the Chinese people are heavy. It seems that it came too late, and it cost a lot of blood.And the new republic has just started, how many hardships will it have to endure before it can mature?
The tragedy and comedy of the Qing Dynasty finally came to an end.But the thinking it brings to people is far from over, and maybe it will never end.This era of changes that dazzles the world contains infinite mysteries of the rise and fall of human beings.Whoever can comprehend thoroughly will be able to decipher the law of human progress and development.
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