Chapter 196 Yingtai Sunset (5-2)

Disputes arose at the meeting, over several railways. According to the Sino-Russian secret agreement, the two sides established the Sino-Russian Daosheng Bank and built a railway stretching from Chita in Russia to the southeast through Harbin to Vladivostok, realizing the shortest distance required by the former Russian Emperor Alexander III to connect Primorsky Province and central Russia. wishes. The total length of this railway is 2,800 miles. Russia calls it the "Middle East Railway", while China calls it the "Eastern Province Railway" or the "Dongqing Railway".In the 23rd year of Guangxu, Germany colluded with Russia and used the Sino-Russian secret treaty to arrange a scam similar to bullying local fools.First, Germany used the Caozhou teaching case as an excuse to occupy Jiaozhou Bay, while the Russian minister expressed to Li Hongzhang that based on the principle of mutual assistance in the treaty, he was willing to claim Jiaozhou Bay on his behalf.Although Li Hongzhang had been to the "Tongdu Dayi" at this time, and he could speak a few "ruffian accents", he was still a "fool from the countryside" after all. Meet, it has been agreed.It was obviously a trap for a hanged ghost, but Li Hongzhang, who was dark and ignorant, could see that it was a round transom with a clear light outside, so he couldn't help but stick his head out to breathe, so he fell into the trap.

Weng Tonghe was in power at that time.The scholar is ignorant of worldly affairs, but the reasoning is clear. With the help of Zhang Yinhuan, he saw that Li Hongzhang was going to be fooled, so he told Li Hongzhang to ask for help from the emperor Yuqing Wang Yikuang, and at the same time urgently called the minister stationed in Russia, using very euphemistic words to ask Li Hongzhang. The Russian government said: "China does not want Russia to break up with Germany, so please don't send the navy to China for the time being." There were no less than ten Sino-German meetings, and Germany was always unwilling to make concessions, while Russia sent troops to Lushun and Dalian in an urgent and chivalrous manner.This is to "help the boxing", of course the landlord is required to provide everything.Due to Li Hongzhang's insistence, Song Qing, who was specially assigned to guard Shanhaiguan, provided all "useful items" for the Russian Navy and allocated 2 million silver to build the Lushun Fort.Soon, Russia, which declared it was "suspended", actually asked to lease Luda.Li Hongzhang knew he had fallen into a trap, but he couldn't get rid of it.

As a result, Jiaozhou Bay was lost, and Lushun and Dalian were also lost!Britain and Japan already have the intention of forming an alliance. Seeing this situation, in order to resist Russia and Germany, and even for their own interests, Britain took advantage of the fire and asked to lease Weihaiwei, which was still under Japanese occupation, in order to recognize the Minhai area as a Japanese force. range, in exchange.How can France, one of the Three Kingdoms and Liao Dynasty, be left behind?Request to lease Guangzhou Bay.Italy came to join in the fun and asked to lease Sanmen Bay.For a while, the theory of carve-up among the great powers has the tendency to become a reality.

In an urgent matter, all the prime ministers and ministers assembled, and the emperor Weng Tonghe made a generous statement, advocating the opening of all ports, allowing countries to station ships, and then making a "Great Peace Agreement", not occupying China's land, not infringing on China's rights, and China It is not bad for national business. In this way, the common people are happy to see sincerity, and the doubts of all countries are washed away.Although this is a scholar's opinion, it coincides with the "open door policy" advocated by US Secretary of State John Hay.However, all the prime ministers and ministers, including Zhang Yinhuan, whom Weng Tonghe relied on as his right-hand man, remained silent. It is said that Zhang Yinhuan had already betrayed Weng Tonghe at this time and accepted the bribe from the Russian representative together with Li Hongzhang. According to the request, each can get five hundred thousand taels of silver as a reward.

So in the spring of the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu, following the fourth day of February, Li Hongzhang, Weng Tonghe and German Minister Hai Jing signed the "Jiaozhou Bay Lease Contract", allowing Germany to lease for 99 years to build the Jiaoji Railway and mine minerals within 30 miles on both sides of the railway. Afterwards, on the sixth day of March, Li Hongzhang, Zhang Yinhuan and the Russian Acting Minister Babrov signed the "Lushun-Dalian Lease Treaty" for a period of 25 years, and allowed Russia to build the South Manchuria Railway. On the second day—the seventh day of March, the Kaiser sent a telegram to congratulate the Russian Emperor on his acquisition of Lushun and Dalian. Since then, Prince Gong’s condition had worsened, and he was finally sick, and died on the tenth day of April.On April 23rd, an edict was issued to renew the national policy and reform and strengthen oneself; four days later, Weng Tonghe, who drafted the national policy, was deposed; ".This scam of "ruffians bullying the idiots of the village" has caused the emperor and Weng Tonghe misfortune, and Li Hongzhang, who was caught in the trap, and Zhang Yinhuan, who is ungrateful for profit, did not end well, and became harmful to others and themselves.

※ ※ ※ The official name of the South-Manchuria Railway is "South Manchuria Branch of the Eastern Provincial Railway". It starts from Harbin, goes south to Lushun, runs through Jilin, Fengtian, and the forces of Soviet Russia, so it can reach the Bohai Sea.When the Treaty of Portsmouth was concluded, Russia would cede the section from Changchun to Lushun, about 1,500 li, to Japan.This section of the railway has passed through famous cities and fertile land. Japan regards it as the biggest trophy of defeating Russia, and believes that many of them have grown. Therefore, it made a request in the meeting: "In order to ensure vested interests, China cannot build a railway parallel to the South Manchuria Railway."

Yuan Shikai thought for a while and put forward relative conditions: "If China cannot build a railway parallel to South Manchuria, Japan should also do the same. Otherwise, it will also damage interests. And the so-called 'parallel' should also have a limit. A distance of ten miles is parallel. , they are also parallel when they are hundreds of miles apart, so they cannot be generalized." "Manchuria is vast and sparsely populated. It is not easy to operate a railway, so even if it is far away, it will still be harmful." Komura continued: "As for Japan not building a parallel line, I can agree. However, the railway connecting South Manchuria , that is, the South Manchurian Branch Line, which can be built in the future depending on the development of the local area.”

"No!" Yuan Shikai immediately retorted: "Japan's inherited rights are limited to the South Manchuria Railway south of Changchun, and do not include any branch roads. If it exceeds this range, it is another matter and cannot be discussed together. Let me remind you again. Your Excellency, what China promised to Russia back then was only the Dongqing Railway, not including other branch roads." Komura was at a loss for words, so another plenipotentiary in Japan, Uchida Yasuya, said: "It is beneficial to China to build railways for the development of local areas, convenient transportation, and local prosperity."

"If it's for the development of local transportation, we should agree with each other, but we can't discuss it with the Nanman Railway." "According to this!" Komura asked firmly, "Did your minister agree to add it?" "If it is to develop a place, China can also consider the situation at any time and build a railway." "No! Adding railways within the scope of South Manchuria will always hinder the interests of the South Manchuria Railway. It is suspected of competing with South Manchuria. China should not build anytime." Listening to the translation of this passage by the translator, Yuan Shikai thought there was a loophole in what Xiaocun said, so he quickly asked, "Is it okay if we agree with each other?"

Komura found it difficult to answer this question. After discussing in a low voice with Uchida who was taking his seat, Fang Shi replied: "If Japan agrees, China can build more, but it cannot be parallel to the South Manchuria Railway." This is a great achievement in negotiations. Japan has recognized China's right to build branch roads within the scope of the Nanman Railway. Although Japan's consent is required, at least it has the right to claim.If Japan refuses, relatively, if Japan wants to build a branch road, China can also refuse.Therefore, Xiaocun's answer was equivalent to providing him with a tool to restrain him, which was naturally a mistake.

Just as Komura was filled with remorse, Tang Shaoyi, who was famous as a councilor and had the right to speak, suddenly added something superfluous: "The construction of railways is related to China's sovereignty. If Japan does not get China's consent, it cannot build at any time." "Naturally, we need to discuss with your country. Japan will never be like the way Russia treated your country back then. Your country doesn't have to worry about it." At this moment, Tang Shaoyi realized that there was something wrong with her words.Originally, according to Yuan Shikai's dispute with Xiaocun, the rights are equal, anyone can build a railway within the scope of South Manchuria, the only condition is to obtain the consent of the other party.And according to what he said, it seems that it is Japan's right to build a branch line in South Manchuria, but China's consent is required.However, although Tang Shaoyi has already discovered the slip of the tongue, he is clumsy at making up for it. If there is an opportunity, he just needs to repeat Xiaocun's words, beat his feet, and become a conclusion without compromising his rights.But he just repeatedly stated that building roads without China's permission always hinders sovereignty.The tone became more and more obvious that the construction of the South Manchurian Branch Road is only a matter for the Japanese and has nothing to do with China. Unexpectedly, Komura met such an opponent. He was overjoyed, and immediately cut through the mess with a sharp knife, saying loudly: "I only focus on the point that the interests of the South Manchuria Railway are related. Therefore, if there is any branch line that conflicts with the interests of the South Manchuria Railway, China will not It should be added." Just this one sentence overturned the original promise, and Tang Shaoyi was ignorant, only felt that the words were not quite right, but couldn't tell the truth.Moore rested, and the case was finalized. As a result, the negotiations fell into a disadvantage, because the Japanese side has seen the truth.Qu Hongji didn't understand public international law, so it didn't matter what he was interested in. Although Yuan Shikai was alert and willing to put his heart into it, he couldn't be like Li Hongzhang did in the past when he negotiated with his opponents. Take it back or make it up; there are some foreign students in the entourage who understand the essentials of negotiation, but the concept of superiority and inferiority in Chinese officialdom is very deep, and people's small words are light, so it can't be effective. Only Tang Shaoyi, one of Zeng Guofan's first batch of young children selected to study in the United States, could make an impact. He was Yuan Shikai's "general" in charge of foreign affairs. Because of this change of heart, the attitudes of Komura and Uchida became tough, and the next day when they accepted the Anfeng Railway, Komura put forward a "demand for reform." It turned out that the Japanese Army crossed the Yalu River from North Korea for reinforcements and built several light railways in Fengtian and Jilin. The most important one was the Anton Railway from Andong on the opposite bank of Uiju in North Korea to Fengtian Province.Japan has already threatened in advance that it hopes to continue to operate this railway. This is a matter related to China's sovereignty. It has not been announced for fear of strong opposition. "Completed, the meaning of continuing to manage and operate is included. Therefore, Yuan Shikai replied: "This railway was built for military use. After the military is over, it should be dismantled. Why rebuild it?" This is Yuan Shikai's mistake again!If it is said that the Anfeng Railway was built exclusively for Japanese military use and no land rent was collected, now that Japan has won, it should be donated to China as a reward.Or at least China will subsidize the cost of materials for road construction, and take it back and dispose of it by itself.Even if it is not enough, you can also make a request for joint hosting, and Japan has no reason to refuse. It's just that Yuan Shikai has always been good at using power tactics, thinking that you said "reform", I will refute you with no need for reform, intrigues and tit for tat, wouldn't it be easy?Unexpectedly, Komura would not be fooled by this, and simply pointed out: "There is a need for a railway between Fengtian and Anton! I have mentioned it to your Ministry of Foreign Affairs before, but there is no result. The military suddenly started, so I hurriedly built a railway. Light rail, apart from the military, is very beneficial to the revitalization of local businesses, and should be a permanent railway. Therefore, this time it is not a reconstruction, but a reconstruction.” It is not easy to say when it is mentioned that he has taken over the head with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Yuan Shikai didn't know what was going on, and Qu Hongji couldn't remember this negotiation. Tang Shaoyi didn't have many days in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so he was even more at a loss.So Yuan Shikai had no answer. But the representatives of Japan did not relax. Komura and Uchida took turns advocating how the construction of this railway would be beneficial to China.In the end, he had to be allowed to renovate, but there was only one condition. The width of the track should be the same as that of the Guanwai Railway and not the size of Nanman Road, which means that it can be taken back as a part of China Railway in the future, not a branch line of Nanman Railway. In addition, there are many disadvantages.But compared with the situation of Li Hongzhang's peace negotiation in Maguan, there is a huge difference. Therefore, Qing Wang Yikuang, who was not often present, and Qu Hongji, who was often present, thought that the negotiation could have such a result, which was not satisfactory. One of the attendants couldn't help but have a lot to say.This person is a native of Shanghai. His name is Cao Rulin, and his style name is Runtian. His grandfather worked for the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau founded by Zeng Guofan for two generations. When he graduated, the Ministry of Commerce was newly established. There were many commercial laws that needed to be drawn up, and he decided to learn from Japan. Therefore, Cao Rulin was recruited into the Ministry, and was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Commerce.Most of the attendants of the Sino-Japanese Beijing Conference were recruited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce. Cao Rulin was selected because he studied law and was proficient in Japanese.Xiaocun's speeches, he doesn't need to be interpreted by a tongue speaker, he understands deeply between his tone of voice and refusal, and he is always anxious because the parties concerned misunderstand the other party's true meaning, don't dispute what should be argued, and stick to words when they should not argue, wasting time and worrying .He had no right to speak in the meeting, nor could he hand over a note to remind him to correct him. He could only swallow his saliva to moisten his dry and itchy throat. When the meeting ended on that day, he couldn't bear it anymore.After the general meeting ended, except for Qu Hongji, who went back to the mansion, most of the rest followed Yuan Shikai to dinner at the Beiyang mansion to discuss the documents that should be submitted and the points that should be paid attention to in the next day's meeting. Cao Rulin, who was in the last seat that day, looked at Tang Shaoyi and asked: "Master Tang, I have something I don't understand, and I need to ask Master Tang for advice. Komura had already agreed, and with Japan's consent, China can also build railways. Later, Mr. Tang raised the claim of sovereignty, and Komura immediately changed his mind and only talked about China. Can't add railways in South Manchuria, not as much as others, as a decision. Then, why didn't Lord Tang refute him?" In the middle of speaking, Yuan Shikai, who was eating with his head down, raised his eyes suddenly, but he was very alert and knew that Tang Shaoyi was going to be embarrassed!In order not to embarrass him too much, he immediately lowered his head and pretended to eat, but in fact he was chewing a mouthful of food slowly, listening carefully to the question and answer between him and Cao Rulin. Tang Shaoyi became a little annoyed, "I don't care much about diplomacy!" He replied loudly in a blunt Cantonese accent, "I made a brief statement on sovereignty. Since he recognized my sovereignty, he naturally couldn't act alone. These principles You do not understand." Seeing this scene, Cao Rulin dared to be angry but did not dare to speak, but he didn't look good to show him, and turned his face away with a slight sneer.This dinner broke up a little bit. In the morning of the next day, when Cao Rulin had just arrived at the ministry, a Beiyang official came to see him with Yuan Shikai's business card and said, "The commander-in-chief asked Mr. Cao to come to the Beiyang office early before today's meeting. Talk to Master Cao." The meeting started at three o'clock in the afternoon, and Cao Rulin arrived at two o'clock.When you arrive, please sign into the deposit room. Yuan Shikai rises to welcome him, and invites him to sit opposite the desk. "Brother Runtian, where is...?" Beginning with this sentence, Yuan Shikai asked Cao Rulin about his family background, education, how many years he had been in Japan, when he arrived at the ministry, and what position he was in, and finally mentioned what happened at the dinner table yesterday. "I heard brother Runtian questioning Shaochuan yesterday, I really admire him!" After yesterday's questioning, Cao Rulin calmed down a lot. Tang Shaoyi was domineering, although his demeanor was not good. On such an occasion, it was unavoidable for him to directly expose the shortcomings of the officer.So he replied with a little uneasiness: "It's because I was too rash and my words were inappropriate." "It was the same for me back then." Yuan Shikai said: "It is good to be young when you are young." "Yes! Please give me more advice, my lord." "I don't dare to do it! But this time, I have a lot to ask for advice." Yuan Shikai paused and said, "Unfortunately, most of them have already been agreed! It will be followed in the future.” "My lord speaks too hard!" Cao Rulin said very uneasy, "I'm also a fool once I got it, maybe I'm right or not." "Isn't that right, I have to talk about it before I study it. It's always good to have an opinion! Please don't be polite, if there is something wrong, feel free to point it out." "Yes!" Cao Rulin thought for a while and said, "The Anfeng Railway is not a trophy. If Japan wants to rebuild it, they should be able to ask them to cooperate." "Yes! Yes! This is my negligence." Hearing that Yuan Shikai blamed himself, Cao Rulin was rather perplexed. According to this, everything was his slack, and it became a special accusation against him!Wouldn't that be against your heart? Yuan Shikai saw what he was thinking, and said again: "Brother Runtian, if you say you've heard it, you'll be happy. I haven't had that kind of self-cultivation yet. However, I don't want to hear a few compliments from you. I'm a good writer in the shogunate. There are a lot of people, and I ask them to change something I have made myself. I am only happy if I change it a lot. There are many people who know this. Brother Runtian, please understand my sincerity. .” With this explanation, Cao Rulin can speak freely: "In addition to Anfeng Road, there are many places where you can fight for rights and interests in Nanman Road. For example, Fushun Coal Mine has a steel factory attached to it. The scale is very large. Whether it is military supplies or expenditures, They all have a lot to do with each other, why don’t you ask for a joint operation?” He paused and said, “It’s not a good idea to limit the mining area and not allow it to go beyond a few miles along the railway line. The mines are only opened towards the place where there are mines, and they may not cross the boundary on the ground, but it is another matter underground." "Hmm, um! So brilliant!" Yuan Shikai thought for a while before asking: "What else?" "Also, if Russia cedes a section of South Manchuria to Japan, logically speaking, it must also obtain China's consent." "Oh," Yuan Shikai paid attention, but was also a little suspicious, "what's the reason for this?" "The Middle East Railway is co-organized by China and Russia. Russia is represented by the Sino-Russian Daosheng Bank. China has a share capital of five million taels. Speaking of which, China also has half of the rights to the Middle East Railway. Now it is ceded to Japan, of course China needs to agree .Otherwise, wouldn’t it be generous to others?” Hearing this, Yuan Shikai was silent for a long time, "Brother Runtian," he said, "Your reasoning is not bad. However, we have long since given up the rights to the Middle East Road invisibly." "That's why we need to negotiate!" Cao Rulin blurted out, feeling a little agitated. "At that time, because of the Middle East Road, envoys Yang and Xu had discussions with the Russian Minister of Finance, and their lips were burning. Yang Xing envoy fainted because of anger. It is conceivable that the negotiation is intense. Now that Russia is a defeated country, China should take this opportunity to bring up the old matter again, and earnestly propose to withdraw the rights of interest and re-establish a joint venture. As for the Sino-Russian Daosheng Bank, at that time I don't know whether it will be discussed together. Fortunately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must have a file, why don't you call it out and have a look." "Brother Runtian, your insights are very superb. But, alas!" Yuan Shikai sighed and said, "Although it hasn't been long, it has gone through many vicissitudes. Negotiations with Russia were a major failure in Li Wenzhong's life. You must have heard that our younger generations are inconvenient to criticize, not to mention that Li Wenzhong's virtuous temple negotiated a peace, and died after overwork, which is the same as being killed in battle, so how can you bear to criticize. If you turn over the old case in the Middle East, it will definitely hurt Li Wenzhong's reputation. , The current state of the country is not the time to turn over the old scores. Brother Runtian, I speak from the bottom of my heart, please examine carefully." "Yes!" Cao Rulin accepted Yuan Shikai's opinion with understanding. "As for this negotiation with Japan, I have more than one difficulty. Brother Runtian and I hit it off right away, so we might as well talk about it. The first is to withdraw troops. The imperial court is very eager to take back the three eastern provinces. The Japanese see our intentions. Weakness, faintly threatened to withdraw troops. This, I think you can also see it." "Yes!" Cao Rulin admitted that he was telling the truth. "Secondly, Beiyang really wants to do more things." Yuan Shikai was also a little excited. "In the 12 years from the Sino-Japanese War to the present, first there were coups, and later there were boxers. Not only did they lose their vitality, but they also wasted their time. We fell behind. There are too many people, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to use it for two days a day, so I always try to do as much as I can in Beiyang. But some people think I’m taking power, especially... well, don’t mention it!” Cao Rulin suddenly realized that every time he spoke, he always asked Qu Hongji: "Is that so?" or: "I don't know if this is okay?" ※ ※ ※ The "Sino-Japanese New Covenant" was finally agreed upon, with three main articles and twelve additional articles.It was less than a month before and after, but according to the date of the meeting, it was considered smooth. For the last meeting, Yikuang naturally had to attend, sign and finish, and take pictures as souvenirs.The next day, Yuan Shikai held a farewell banquet for the small village at the Beiyang Palace. Cao Rulin, who was the last seat, happened to sit next to Yuan Shikai who was the host, and he naturally became the tongue-in-cheek between the host and the guest.His fluent Japanese, as well as his phrasing, attracted Komura's attention. Therefore, after Xi San, he made a special request to his master, hoping to have a talk with Cao Rulin. Of course Yuan Shikai agreed, and he purposely set aside his special reception room for them to talk alone. They were really alone, and there was no third party present. "I came here with great hopes this time, so I tried my best to make concessions at the meeting." Komura said, "I'm disappointed." The so-called "concessions" are comparatively speaking. Compared with the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the "Sino-Japanese New Treaty" this time is considered very polite in Japan, but it is still a bargain, which is always true.Cao Rulin didn't want to argue with him on this point, but asked, "May I ask your minister, what is the great hope you have here?" "I originally thought that Yuan Gongbao must have far-sightedness and foresight. After the meeting, I wanted to further discuss with him how to form an alliance between the two countries, but I knew that Yuan Gongbao was too conservative. At the meeting, he only paid attention to the details of words, haggling over every detail, and it was a waste of time. .” "The alliance between the two countries?" Cao Rulin asked: "Naturally, it is against Russia?" "Yes!" Komura's expression was dignified and worried, "Russia's ambitions are huge. I saw it when I was negotiating peace in Portsmouth. Russia will definitely make a comeback in the future. If it is expensive for our two countries, it will not be early. If they are prepared, they will suffer from it together. If they can unite with each other, reorganize their armies and strive to strengthen themselves, the two countries may be spared from its harm." "Since this is the case, why didn't your minister directly raise this point to Yuan Gongbao?" "Yuan Gongbao doesn't focus on the big picture. It's inappropriate to express the intention of the alliance at this time, so as not to arouse his suspicion." "Then," Cao Rulin asked, "Do you want me to convey what your minister means?" "Yes! If you have the opportunity, please convey it. If Yuan Gongbao wants to discuss it, I can come here specially." "Okay! I will try to convey it. However," Cao Rulin thought for a while and said, "I heard that the government also has suspicions about Yuan Gongbao. At this level, the noble minister can probably see it at the meeting table. About As far as the alliance is concerned, even if Yuan Gongbao also feels the same, I am afraid that it is not convenient to speak to the government for a while. This is my personal opinion, and it is for your minister's reference, fortunately, please don't tell outsiders!" Hearing these words, Komura was silent for a while, and finally sighed and said: "I didn't expect that there are contradictions within the Chinese government!" After Xiaocun resigned, Yuan Shikai naturally asked Cao Rulin about the content of the conversation.Cao Rulin told Xiaocun what he meant according to the facts, and only concealed what he himself said to Xiaocun. "Alas!" Yuan Shikai sighed, just like Komura, "What can I do? Had to live up to his kindness. " "Outsiders have different opinions." Cao Rulin said, "Don't say that the Japanese are ignorant of the inside story. Even outside of Beijing, who doesn't think that your lord is respected and trusted by the imperial court, obeys his words, and has done something great? But that's not the case." Yuan Shikai was silent for a while, and then said: "The more everyone is like this, the more difficult my situation will be!" He always felt that something should be said, but at this point, he thought that the method of retreating into advance had to be used.So when he returned to Tianjin, he secretly notified Zhang Yilin to prepare a memorial for him, "please go to various errands". Zhang Yilin already had a deep understanding of Yuan Shikai's way of dealing with people and his intentions, so this memorial was written in a high-sounding manner, but he didn't have the intention of expressing his merits.Yuan Shikai was very satisfied, but he hadn't asked for it for a long time, and wanted to choose the most suitable day. After several consultations, Yang Shiqi's opinion was accepted, and it was released one day before the seal.Because on the surface, the memorial of this resignation has arrived at the imperial court, after it has been sealed, if the invitation is allowed to go to various part-time missions, then the seal will be opened, which is naturally an excellent time limit for handover.As for the actual situation, the fewer people who know about it, the better. Anyway, this memorial is for the Empress Dowager Cixi to read alone. If you think there is a need to keep it, you can just issue a condolence letter.During the sealing period, if this important case is dropped, no one will pay attention to it, so it will not be affected in any way. When the memorial came up, Empress Dowager Cixi was quite surprised, and asked when summoning the military aircraft: "Why did Yuan Shikai want to resign all of a sudden?" Yikuang knew about this, but deliberately pretended to be surprised and replied, "Yes! The slaves are also inexplicable! " "Think about it, there must be a reason, right?" This is Qu Hongji's answer: "Yuan Shikai has a lot of concurrent errands, because he can't take care of him, so there are inevitably negligence, and there are annoying words in his speech. I think Yuan Shikai came here for this reason, so he shows tiredness." "Then it's no wonder he." Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "Look, what should we do?" Because of the words "no wonder him", Qu Hongji saw the intention of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and he felt that it was not yet time to bring down Yuan Shikai, so he said wisely: "When it comes to talents, Yuan Shikai is naturally good. He is indispensable for many errands! If there is no order, please stay, or send a few errands as appropriate?" "If you want to stay, you don't have to do even one errand." Empress Dowager Cixi said, "I don't have any prejudices. I just think that the saying, "Don't use people who are suspicious, don't use people who are employed" is not wrong at all. There is a suspicion in it, so there is no need for it!" "Yes!" Qu Hongji reluctantly agreed. "What does the emperor have to say?" What can the emperor say?Answer as usual: "Everything is up to the Empress Dowager." So decided to stay.The decree was drafted by Zhang Jing of the Military Aircraft: "Yuan Shikai's performance is part-time. Now the current situation is difficult, and the capital is being rectified. The governor is loyal, and he is still making overall plans. He is a proper manager and appointed as a deputy. The request should be undisputed. .” The manuscript drafted by "Dalami" was "presented" for approval as usual, and Qu Hongji changed the last sentence to "no solid words".It turns out that "there is no need to discuss what you ask" means that the speech is poor, and there is no need to talk about it. Now it is changed, and the meaning is quite different. The word "solid" means that the speech is already good, but there is no substitute for it. hand, we have to temporarily maintain the status quo.These inconsistencies in tone were very particular about the Empress Dowager Cixi in her early years, but now, as Qu Hongji said to Yuan Shikai, "if you can't take care of your energy, you will inevitably be negligent", and you don't see the meaning of "suspect". As soon as Di Chao sent it, Yuan Shikai received the telegram in Tianjin, and he took it to heart, but the last sentence was a big surprise, and he couldn't help being stunned. When he found out that this sentence was changed by Qu Hongji, Yuan Shikai thought of the idiom "When a leaf falls, you will know the autumn of the world", and knew that he was incompatible with this person! ※ ※ ※ The five ministers who inspected the constitutional government came to Japan in mid-December.When I first came to a foreign country, my eyes were confused, and I couldn't see where the effect of implementing constitutionalism was, so where should I start to investigate? The only exception is Li Shengduo who fills in Shaoying's vacancy. He used to be a minister in Japan. This time he revisited the old place.I thought to myself, there are so many clues in this matter, if I don't outline first, and pick the most important points to start, I am afraid that I will not be able to finish the investigation in three to five years if I roam around the world.It is necessary to find someone to come as a counselor, and it is better to make a charter for the inspection first. The "counselors" are ready-made, and the five ministers bring many entourages. The chief counselor is called Xiong Xiling, a native of Fenghuang in Hunan, and a Hanlin who is on the list with Zhang Jian, the number one scholar in Nantong.During the 1898 coup, because of the suspicion of the new party, he was "handed over to the local officials to strictly control him", but Zhao Erxun, the governor of Hunan Province, appreciated his talent, and he made several guarantors, and he was already an alternate.This time I went abroad with the five senior members, and I had a set of ways to deal with official business, so when Li Shengduo mentioned it, he patted his chest and replied: "I have a way! You can go sightseeing, you are tired of shopping, and change places, anyway, you will return to the country. Day, there must be an explanation." "Bingsan!" Li Shengduo called his alias and said, "Don't make a big deal, but let me listen to it. What can I do?" "There are only two people who are proficient in constitutionalism in China today, and one is Liang Zhuoru..." Zhuo Ru is Liang Qichao's alias. When Li Shengduo heard this name, he shook his hands hurriedly: "No, no! This person must not be messed with!" "Mugong!" Li Shengduo's alias is Muzhai, so Xiong Xiling called him this way, "Of course I won't look for Liang Zhuoru. There is another one from our hometown in Hunan, Yang Zhezi. Mugong has heard of this person." Li Shengduo knew that Yang Zhezi was Yang Du. He was Wang Xiangqi's favorite student.However, Qu Hongji mistakenly identified Liang Shiyi as Liang Qichao's brother, and said that his name was "Liangtou Kangwei" - Kang Youwei's name was Zuyi, with the same last word, "he can be known by him".Therefore, Liang Shiyi did not dare to take the re-examination, and Yang Du was also suspected of being a "remnant of the Kangliang Party". "Why, Yang Zhezi is proficient in constitutionalism?" "Yes! Xiangqi is conceited that he has the talent of Wang Zuozhi. His favorite student naturally wants to study this set of studies on emperors. Zhezi is a constitutional monarchist. If you ask him to do a few investigation reports, you must take into account the status and importance of the monarch. Dignity, if you report to the court, nothing will go wrong." "That's good! I will definitely ask him to be the shooter. Please go find him quickly and have a good talk with him." "It's easy to find him, but there are two things. I need to ask Mr. Mu first. First, the investigation report seems to have a few topics. If it's like a running account, it only narrates what I saw and heard during the journey, and it seems difficult to draw conclusions." Furthermore, with the topic, it will be more convenient to publish in newspapers in the future." Xiong Xiling said: "The constitutional government is in its infancy, in order to enlighten the wisdom of the people, these articles must be distributed to the people of the country in the future. An explanation." "That's right!" Li Shengduo nodded again and again, "One guest doesn't bother the two hosts, so please ask Zhezi to decide the topic, as long as the 'investigation' is left behind." "Okay!" Xiong Xiling said again: "Second, always send a copy of the brush, and it should be from Fengfeng." "It's easy! I'll tell Mr. Ze. How much do you think?" "There must be an integer." "One thousand?" Li Shengduo said, "It seems a little less." "Yes, one thousand is too little, it must be ten thousand silver." Li Shengduo thought for a while and said: "It's always easy to discuss, so you can do it quickly!" So Xiong Xiling excitedly went to find Yang Du.He lives in Iidacho, Tokyo, and the signboard of the "Tokyo International Student Association" of which he is the president hangs on the gate of his house.Since it is the meeting place, it is inevitable that there will be exchanges between members, so it is inconvenient to have private talks, so Xiong Xiling invited him to meet in a "dining booth". "How is it going?" Xiong Xiling asked. "'The seats are always full, the wine in the bottle is never empty', very good!" "I'm afraid it's not good." Xiong Xiling said with a smile: "The money is not enough." Yang Du smiled, and then said: "I heard that you are coming, so I told the landlady, 'It's okay, someone sent me money for Chinese New Year!'" "Yes, it can make you fat. But you have to make a fuss." Yang Du did not answer, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it over. Xiong Xiling took a look, and there were three lines written on it: "Comparison of constitutionalism in various countries in the world; the outline of constitutionalism should absorb the strengths of all countries; implement the procedures of constitutionalism. " After watching it, the two looked at each other and smiled, really feeling irresistibly comfortable.Xiong Xiling folded the piece of paper and put it in his pocket, "These three topics are very good!" He said: "There is always a score of ten thousand gold in embellishing the pen, and I will send two thousand first when I turn back. Zizi, the second is to have a good year, you The ambitions of my life, just take advantage of the body of the five ministers, to greatly expand. This is an excellent opportunity, please cherish it." Yang Du nodded and replied: "I want to say the words first. In terms of opinions, Zhuo Ru may not be able to catch up with me, but with his broad belly and smooth writing, I have to let him stand out. So these three articles, I’m going to make one or two articles for him.” "That's up to you! However, Zhuo Ru's pen is too sharp, don't bring out any taboo words, it's not a joke." "It doesn't matter! I'll make it clear to him that if there is such a situation, I will change his manuscript." "Then, I also want to make it clear to you. If there is such a situation, I will change the manuscript you sent." "It's okay to change it." Yang Du asked, "When will the paper be handed in?" "About half a year!" "That's still early." Yang Du said happily: "Your Excellency's presence here is like giving relief. Many international students can celebrate the New Year comfortably this year." A major event was settled, Xiong Xiling was very happy, and praised Yang Du in front of a heavily made-up geisha in the restaurant.This is not all deceit, Xiong Xiling has some advantages, he treats people kindly and sincerely.Therefore, before Zhao Erxun, he was extended to the shogunate for Hunan governor Chen Baozhen, and he was highly valued, because of his sincerity.Once when Yanjing scholar Pi Lumen gave a lecture, Xiong Xiling personally rang the bell and called the audience into the lecture hall. Someone jokingly wrote a couplet: "Deerskin lectures, bear's paw rings the bell".Some people were jealous that he was a red member in front of Chen Baozhen, and used the same surnames of "Xiong" and "Chen" to make a couplet, scolding him and Chen Baozhen together, saying: "What is the point of not keeping all four legs?" Competent; one ear is partial to listening, what do you know?" But they don't know that Xiong Xiling's "competence" is precisely because of his "four-legged non-stop". This time the five ministers are in Japan, thanks to Xiong Xiling's "four-legged non-stop".It turns out that the revolutionaries will have actions that are not conducive to the five ministers, laboring the Japanese police, guarding day and night. Zai Ze and the others were too frightened to leave the house, and all matters that needed to be contacted with the outside world depended on Xiong Xiling.It was not until the first day of the second month of the lunar calendar that the five ministers boarded a ship from Yokohama for the United States, and they were relieved. After arriving in the United States, they parted ways. Duan Fang and Dai Hongci inspected Germany, and Zai Ze, Li Shengduo, and Shang Qiheng transferred from England to France.All the way, I arrived in late May and returned to Shanghai one after another, but the gunman's article had not yet arrived.So Xiong Xiling came up with another idea, in the name of "investigating the hearts of the people in the southeast and soliciting opinions from various provinces", to keep people waiting in Shanghai, and at the same time send a special person to Yangdu's apartment in Iida Town, Tokyo to sit and urge him.At that time, it was agreed that Duan and Dai stayed behind, and Zai Ze and others returned to Beijing first to return to their orders. In a few days, the special envoy sent to Japan returned with a large package of documents, including memorials, treatises, and articles.Among them, there was a post about constitutional reform that should start with the reform of the official system. Duan Fang greatly appreciated it. Taking advantage of Dai Hongci's absence, he quietly took down this post and took it for himself. When he arrived in Tianjin by ship, he naturally became the honored guest of the Beiyang Yamen. After the feast, Dai Hongci went back to the residence to rest. What do you think of this claim?" Yuan Shikai only read the first few lines, and he was very excited, "I have won my heart!" He patted his thigh and said, "I have this intention for a long time. Many yamen are just empty-handed, idle officials, wasting their salary , It also affected the morale of others, so it must be completely reformed. There are also those old masters who make troubles when things happen, don’t know right from wrong, and have more troubles than successes! The yamen of the Metropolitan Procuratorate should also be abolished.” "Fourth brother, you didn't read the posts carefully, you will know that there are infinite uses in it." Hearing this, Yuan Shikai read the posts attentively, and understood halfway through, the original method of reforming the official system advocated the adoption of a responsible cabinet system, in which the prime minister was appointed by the cabinet and submitted to the National Assembly for approval, and the cabinet members were selected by the prime minister. Please order, it is exactly the same as the Japanese cabinet.If this method is followed, the prime minister of the cabinet will of course be Qing Wang Yikuang.With the power in hand, it is very convenient to get rid of Qu Hongji.Even if he is still a member of the cabinet, the performance is a matter for the prime minister alone, and there is no need for the whole class to attend the meeting like the military minister, so Qu Hongji can't manipulate it, "taking the emperor to order the princes". "This," Yuan Shikai said hesitantly, "I'm afraid the superiors won't let it go." "Naturally, there must be an explanation, so that the superiors can follow suit." "Oh, Tao Zhai, let me listen to you." "I am a bitter plan, so I don't need to go into details at this moment. Fourth brother, I just want to ask you one question, if the responsible cabinet system is implemented, are you willing to join the cabinet?" "This..." Yuan Shikai pondered. "Zeng Xiangxiang said, 'Finding a substitute is the first thing to do when doing big things', and the old man has not been there for a few years." "Da Lao" refers to Yi Kuang.Duan Fang meant that when Yikuang was old, he would definitely recommend Yuan Shikai to take over as Prime Minister.Realizing this, Yuan Shikai's heart couldn't help but beating. "Tao Zhai, why don't you tell me first, what kind of trick is it?" "Fourth brother, if you plan to stay in Beiyang for the rest of your life, you can't use this trick, and you can't shoot yourself in the foot!" Duanfang said: "Anyway, it doesn't matter if you want to join the cabinet. I want to reply like this when I return to my life: The scale of the constitution should be imitated by Japan. As for the reform of the official system, the governors can be reduced and the center of power can be centralized, so that there is almost no suspicion that the outside is more important than the inside. "There is nothing wrong with saying this. Whether the governor has power or not depends entirely on his own actions." "That's it, I'm sure to play it back."