Chapter 198 Yingtai Sunset (6-2)

"Zhongyuan", surnamed Yan, named Dunyuan, is the eighty-first grandson of a high disciple of Confucianism, and lives in Changshu for generations.Yan Dunyuan traveled with his father in Zhili since he was a child. He was a proud disciple of Wu Rulun, a famous ancient prose writer of the Tongcheng School, and was also appreciated by Weng Tonghe.In the 23rd year of Guangxu, Yuan Shikai was training soldiers at Xiaozhan. In order to curry favor with Weng Tonghe, he tried many ways to get close, so he recruited Yan Dunyuan into the scene.Originally, he wanted to use him as a channel to make friends with "Changshu Prime Minister", but unexpectedly he became Xu Shichang's inseparable right-hand man.

Xu Shichang was Yuan Shikai's chief of staff at the small station, and his envoy was called "General Staff and Battalion Office", and all rules and regulations must come from this department.Although there are "Infantry Drill Codes" and "Array Service Orders" translated from Germany and Japan, the text is jerky and unreadable.Xu Shichang was sitting in the city of sorrow, not knowing what to do by surprise. He heard that Yan Dunyuan was an outstanding student of Baoding Lianchi Academy, so he temporarily handed over this pile of "heavenly books" to him to sort out.Yan Dunyuan carefully searched for the style of writing, and asked the original translator for advice on what he didn't understand. After understanding the meaning, he rewritten it separately, and the result was not only smooth but also concise.

Xu Shichang was overjoyed, and Yuan Shikai had already agreed with him.The two corresponded with Yan Dunyuan, who was not yet thirty, and they were either called "Brother Zhong" or "Yuangong", and they always respected each other. During the Reform Movement of 1898, Yuan Shikai became the governor of Shandong in one fell swoop, and Yan Dunyuan was naturally a must-have assistant. His official title was "Counselor of the Right Wing of the Wuwei Army", and he guarded Dezhou together with the veteran Gong Yuanyou.By the time Yuan Shikai was supervised by Li Hongzhang, Yan Dunyuan had also been promoted to Taoist priest and served as the general office of the military preparation department of the supervisory office.

It has been another five years since returning to Luan. Beiyang generals Wang Shizhen, Duan Qirui, Feng Guozhang, Cao Kun and others have all been replaced with red caps because they were awarded the title of "Vice Dutong".Yuan Shikai felt that Yan Dunyuan could not be wronged, so he specially guaranteed him to act as the commander-in-chief of Daming Town, and to serve as a clerk as a military post in the guard, which was an exception.Yan Dunyuan's top hat has been changed, and he has not yet assumed office. As soon as he received Zhang Yilin's telegram, he immediately went to Beijing. The plan for the large-scale autumn exercise was drawn up on the train.

On this day, Yuan Shikai had moved back to the Beiyang Office. When Yan Dunyuan arrived, he notified Xu Shichang and started talking first.After hearing what he said, Yan Dunyuan immediately started to write, and when Xu Shichang was invited to come, his plan for autumn exercises had already been drafted. "Wei Ting, there is a way to tell you to take a look!" This edict was less than thirty words long: "Take Cen Chunxuan as the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, adjust Zhou Fu as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Ding Zhenduo as the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang."

After Yuan Shikai finished reading, he didn't say a word, but said: "Juren, look at Zhongyuan's method." Xu Shichang took a look, and saw that it was written: "The purpose of the inspection will be to make the dispatching and commanding of the officers, and the actions of the sergeants to practice, and experiment one by one, and the results of daily supervision and training, the level of education of each department It must also be brilliantly prepared, and the hall is the most distinct. The countries of the East and the West spare no expense, and those who hold it every year, sincerely believe that one more battle will lead to one more improvement; after one joint exercise, one experience will be added, it’s not a coincidence!"

"Very good!" Xu Shichang nodded deeply, "It's very beautiful." "You read next." Yuan Shikai said: "There are still good articles." Xu Shichang continued to look down: "Last year, the towns of the Kinki Army were recruited, and the Huicao Hejian has already caused a sensation all over the world. Under the No. 1 order, it is especially unprecedented, and it allows the viewing and listening of the four directions." "That's right, that's well said! There is a hint of showing off, and the empress dowager must like it." Xu Shichang put down the outline of the plan, looked at Yan Dunyuan and said, "Listening is worse than seeing! Zhongyuan, I'll listen to you."

"Let's talk about the establishment first. I want to divide the northern and southern armies into confrontation. The northern army mobilized troops from the fifth town of Shandong, the sixth town of Nanyuan, the fourth town of Zhili, and the first town of Jingqi to form a joint formation; The army consisted of the whole army of the Eighth Township in Hubei and the mixed cooperative group in Henan. The total number of people was 34,000." "I think Nanpi must agree." Xu Shichang smiled, "He has long been eager to try. The control of the two armies, the southern army is of course a young man, what about the northern army?"

Yuan Shikai and Yan Dunyuan both laughed.The so-called "Auntie" refers to Zhang Biao, the leader of the New Army in Hubei. His wife is Mrs. Zhang's maid and is regarded as a goddaughter, so Zhang Biao has the nickname "Auntie". "Northern Army Command!" Yuan Shikai inquired, "How about Duan Zhiquan?" "I agree!" Xu Shichang said: "Naturally, Zhongyuan must take care of all the affairs of this parade." "Zhongyuan," Yuan Shikai asked, "what do you mean?" "It's incumbent." "That's good! Let's finalize the case like this. I have talked with Qingdi and Zijiu, and they all agree."

※ ※ ※ Sure enough, the performance was accurate, and the Empress Dowager Cixi praised it very much.Seeing this situation, those "du lords" consciously gained the upper hand, and with Xu Shichang and Duan Fang's dredging, it was nothing too much. As soon as Yuan Shikai came out of Beijing, the compilation of the new official system went smoothly, and by the end of August, it was roughly a foregone conclusion.Xu Shichang acted in front of Qu Hongji for Yuan Shikai because he hoped to continue his work. At the same time, he persuaded Tie Liang to ask for the award of "Minister of Military Parade" Guan Fang, and called Yuan Shikai to meet him, and told him how to handle the parade seriously, so as to show The imperial court reorganized the army and trained military forces, hoping to regain its glory.Empress Dowager Cixi agreed one by one, so Yuan Shikai re-entered Beijing on the first day of September.

He was summoned on the second day of September to talk about the new official system in addition to the exercises.Yuan Shikai didn't dare to say more, but Yikuang took the opportunity to play: Yuan Shikai is also a minister who was ordered to co-edit, can you let him take a closer look at the draft while he asks for instructions, and if there are any incompleteness, there is still time to correct it . This is not impossible, the Empress Dowager Cixi agreed.Therefore, Yikuang convened a meeting in Langrun Garden with the qualification of "approving the official system by the general director".And Yuan Shikai had sent invitations long ago, and hosted a banquet at the Beiyang Public Office to entertain the colleagues of the Bureau of Abridged Official System, from the prince to the recorder, and invited everyone equally. On such occasions, banquets are held and performances are performed as usual, but the troupe that should be passed on is not Hui troupe or Qin Opera, but a new play by "Chunliu Club", commonly known as "Civilized Drama", and the title of the play is "The Korean Martyrs Across the Sea". . The plot of this play is: North Korea's diehard party scrambles for fame and fortune, making a mess.A martyr spoke to a stubborn minister, thinking that if the law does not change, North Korea is about to perish, and the stubborn minister only cares about vested interests and refuses to reform.A minister intervened during this period. On the one hand, he advised the martyrs not to be reckless, and on the other hand, he advised the ministers, if a strong enemy is in front of us, if we don't change the law, how can we survive?The minister did not listen.Afterwards, Japan marched into the army, and the King of Joseon was forced to abdicate. The martyr gave a tearful speech and jumped into the sea to die. The play is certainly on point.The actors have been instructed and realized the meaning of it, and the performance is meticulous, which is very touching.In civilized dramas, as usual, there is an important role named "Old Scholar of Speech", who plays the role of a martyr who crosses the sea. The speech was impassioned and full of voices. Some people were moved to tears during the meeting, but Yuan Shikai kept smiling all the time. It was revenge. The pleasure dictates. ※ ※ ※ The Zhangde parade was held for four days.On the first day, the cavalry was drilled, on the second day the North and South armies "encountered", on the third day the soldiers' combat skills were tested, and on the fourth day they were paraded.At noon, there was a grand banquet for Chinese and foreign visitors and generals of the two armies. On the fifth day, Yuan Shikai returned to Tianjin. As soon as they arrived, they received a report that Zai Zhen and Xu Shichang were ordered to go out to "investigate the incident".It turns out that the three eastern provinces have a large land and abundant resources, have always been rich, and have levied a lot of miscellaneous taxes. Since they were taken over by Japan and Russia, and Zhao Erxun was appointed General Fengtian, he appointed Shi Nianzu, a native of Yangzhou who was once the governor of Guangxi and is well-known for his exquisite carvings, to rectify the taxes. .As a result, the corrupt officials who worked together felt very inconvenient, so they instigated an engineering department to write a book for Zhang Shipei in the matter, but there was no outrageous attack. They only said that Fengtian's taxation was tedious, and the business people felt that it was a pain.At that time, it was decided that the three eastern provinces would be converted into provinces.Zhao Erxun was originally designated as the first governor, but now that there is such a performance, Empress Dowager Cixi decided to send someone to have a look.Yikuang does not avoid relatives, and advocates sending Zaizhen to investigate and deal with it. Because of excessive taxes and sick merchants, it is related to the Ministry of Commerce.What's more, what is being investigated is the big official of the frontier. As a rule, he either sends a scholar or a relative, and Zai Zhen's identity is also consistent. However, Zaizhen had nothing to do after all, and had to send an old adult as an assistant, and Xu Shichang saw that once the new official system was implemented, there would be major changes in the military aircraft department, and he might not be able to keep his current seat, so he might as well go out Let's see what the opportunities are.So Xiang Yikuang volunteered, and Qu Hongji did not object, and the matter was settled. Receiving imperial envoys is a major event for local officials, not to mention that Zaizhen is a brother-in-law. Yuan Shikai felt that he must be extra dedicated in both public and private affairs, so he appointed Duan Zhigui, the chief of the staff office of the Supervisory Office, to run the mission for Zaizhen. Duan Zhigui has no other specialties, but is good at serving the nobles.Yuan Shikai knew that he was a rich man in Tianjin's sensual scene, and everyone knew that Zai Zhen was the number one hakama.But what is the mission that Duan Zhigui was sent to Zaizhen?It is also a tacit understanding of each other. So, Duan Zhigui deliberately went to find a friend.This person is a salt merchant in Changlu, who donated the official title of a military candidate. His name is Wang Xiying, and his style name is Yisun. He plays with Duan Zhigui and becomes good friends who share similar tastes and use each other.At that time, he explained the task assigned by Yuan Shikai in detail, and asked Wang Xiying: "Is there any good idea that can make Zhen Beizi have a good time?" "What does Zhen Beizi like?" "Him?" Duan Zhigui suddenly remembered, "There used to be Xie Shanshan, did you know?" "Aren't you a joker?" Actors have always been male characters, commonly known as "Xianggong", also known as "Xianggu".After Hong Yang, there began to be female actresses, which originated in Shanghai and were called "Shang Erxi".Xie Shanshan is from Suzhou, she is an actress and a prostitute, she was very popular in the capital three or four years ago. "Not bad!" Duan Zhigui said, "Xie Husan has sung in modern operas, and even played with Zhen Beizi." "Go!" Zheng Xiying slapped his head suddenly, "Why can't I remember this kind of thing?" What he remembered was a piece of news that came out in Yuyuan, Dongcheng, Beijing three years ago.Yu Garden was originally the same family as the Empress Dowager Cixi, and was the former residence of Ruilin, who was the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.After returning to Luan, the market gradually recovered. The main road was built in Dongcheng, and ocean-style buildings were built. The prosperity was better than before. So someone bought Yuyuan, repaired the buildings, replanted flowers and trees, and opened a big restaurant.Zai Zhen is a frequent visitor to Yu Garden, and he often lingers there all day long, and often invites a group of young relatives to play there. "Five Masters of Dong" Pu Tong and "Seven Masters" Zai Tao's play is admired by even experts .Every color show, there are often famous actors who come to the stage. If Prince Su Shanqi appears on the stage, it will be even more lively. At least four or five famous actors will come to the backstage to "serve". Seeing that the commotion was too much, some people expressed their indignation among Taiwan's remonstrance. It happened that Zai Zhen and Xie Shanshan co-starred in a show, and there was a "Master" Zhang Yuanqi who participated in the impeachment, and ordered Zai Zhen to check himself.Yu Yuan's romance suddenly disappeared, Xie Shanshan didn't know where he was going, and every time Zai Zhen mentioned it, there was always regret that couldn't be explained. "Zhen Beizi doesn't like Xianggu, that's easy!" Wang Xiying said, "I've already set my sights on someone, but I'm afraid that you, Second Master Duan, will find it unpleasant." When he said this, Duan Zhigui knew who he was referring to, and retorted with a smile: "Could it be that you don't feel sore in your heart?" It turns out that Duan and Wang both favored a Kunling named Yang Cuixi.This Yang Cuixi is from the Wen'an family in Jinan. Both of her parents died when she was young. She was sold to a family surnamed Yang by her uncle as an adopted daughter, and she was named Yang Cuixi.This person surnamed Yang is the "Wenchang" of the opera troupe. In fact, just when Maoer's opera became popular, Yang Cuixi was sent to learn opera, so he should be in Huadan's career. At the age of sixteen or seventeen, Yang Cuixi came out and settled into a beautiful pavilion, with beauty better than art.Those who like to listen to fashionable operas put more emphasis on choosing colors than singing songs. Therefore, Yang Cuixi became popular after a few appearances in Tianxian Tea Garden in Tianjin.There are not many guests who praise her, but Duan Zhigui is the most expensive one, and Wang Xiying is the richest one.With these two guardians, others have no choice but to stay away. Although Duan and Wang both admire Yang Cuixi, they are not jealous. This is because Yang Cuixi was taught by her adoptive mother to be very clever. Whoever feels wronged, but always has the thought of being close to Xiangze sooner or later, can live in peace. Because of this, Duan Zhigui won't feel sore when Wang Xiying came up with such an idea.However, he is not willing to "sell" the habitable "rare goods" easily, thinking about seizing this opportunity and getting a lot of benefits from Zai Zhen. "Second Master Duan, we businessmen only get promoted when we get rich. If you are always a nobleman, you have to be promoted to get rich. Why don't you get a governor to do it?" Duan Zhigui thought that Wang Xiying was a businessman after all, and he didn't know much about his official career.It's a dream for an alternate Taoist to become governor in one fell swoop!Even if there is a shortage of Taoist priests, they have to be transferred to the governor first, and then transferred to the governor. After the "supervisor" stage, there is hope of being promoted to governor. Of course, you don't need to tell him this, just put it aside, and just talk about how to serve Zhen Beizi to his heart's content. ※ ※ ※ Just the day before Zai Zhen and Xu Shichang arrived in Tianjin, the case of the new official system was officially published.In advance, there was a telegram notice, so Yuan Shikai took care of it. As soon as the telegram arrived, he would translate and send it immediately.Since this was an unprecedented move since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, at least since the establishment of the Military Aircraft Department in the seventh year of Yongzheng, the imperial edict was 3,000 words long, and it took a lot of time to copy and translate the text, so it can only be sent paragraph by paragraph. This edict is divided into two parts. The first part is the convocation of Yi Kuang, Sun Jianai, and Qu Hongji approved by the general secretary. After the citation of the edict on the joint compilation of the new official system, there is a passage of eulogy: "Looking up at the empress dowager and the emperor's efforts to rescue the difficult times, adapting to the best intentions of the people, leading the officials and ministers, and praising at the same time: the key to turning China from weak to strong. This is a big matter, and the ministers and others look up to Sheng Mo , approved by the general manager, and absolutely dare not act hastily, nor dare to be perfunctory. For more than a month, Zai Ze, the official system minister, has successively sent drafts, and the ministers have carefully reviewed and discussed repeatedly. If there is no agreement, the order will be changed. .The officials in Beijing are now over." Next, we talk about the criteria for reforming the official system and the lack of the current official system: "The revision of the official system is not only the basis for the preparation of a constitution, but also the principle that the official system is similar to constitutional government. According to the official system of a constitutional state, the three powers of legislation, administration, and judiciary stand side by side. Each has its own exclusive rights and complements each other. If the meaning is beautiful and the law is good, then the decree so-called clarifies the accumulated evils, clearly stipulates the responsibility, and it is exhausted in two words! The fact that today’s accumulated evils are difficult to clarify is actually due to the uncertainty of the responsibility. There are almost three reasons for the reason: There is no division of authority.If an administrative officer has legislative power at the same time, it is necessary to use the name of administration to create unfair laws, and to coordinate with public opinion, and to have judicial power through administration, it is necessary to change certain laws according to ordinary love and hatred, so as to It means in and out.If a judicial officer has legislative power, he must have the convenience of hearing and judging, and if he makes a strict law, he will use martial arts wantonly, but the law loses its original meaning.Lifting the rights and lives of the people is intangible.This authority is not divided, and the responsibility cannot be determined. One job is unknown.Politics is managed by division of duties, and planning is made by full-time duties.Today, there are six officials in one hall, and several people share the same position. Half of them are redundant.If several people are divided into one post, the house will be built and the road will be conspired, and the disadvantage is playing; if one person has several jobs, there will be no time to give, and the disadvantage will be waste of work.That's why the wise are tired of being restrained, and the unworthy are content with prevarication.It is because the duties are unknown and the responsibilities cannot be determined. " The first telegram sent here ends here.Yuan Shikai and Zhang Yilin each deliberated for a long time, and believed that the first part of the "individual authority" and the independence of the judiciary may be approved, but the second part of the "unclear position" is hard to say. Obviously, if it is said that "there are six officials in one hall, half of them are redundant staff", then half of the Manchu and Han ministers and four ministers will be cut off, and many people's jobs will be knocked out. There will be no descendants?" Yuan Shikai regretted advocating the reform of the official system in one fell swoop. The telegram sent for the second time follows Daduan No. 3: "One is not worthy of the name. It is called the Ministry of Officials, but it does not have the right to weigh the affairs of the lottery; There is no authority over ceremonial affairs; it is called the Ministry of War, but it does not have the right to control matters concerning the military registration of the green battalion and the promotion and transfer of military positions. There are three accumulated disadvantages, so the determination of the official system refers to "clearing the accumulated disadvantages and determining the responsibility".The first is "decentralization of powers to define limits". In addition to the provisional establishment of the Legislative Council, the division of administrative and judicial powers is as follows: "Administrative matters are exclusive to the ministers of the cabinet ministries. There are prime ministers in the cabinet, and the ministers of the cabinet are also ministers of state affairs in the cabinet. Therefore, they are divided into various ministries, and they are all government. There is no barrier between them. Then each department manages the affairs of the ministries, and things can be connected. If so, the centralization of power will be achieved, and the policy will be unified. The judicial power is exclusive to the Ministry of Law. The Dali Yuan is the judge, and the Ministry of Law supervises it, both with the administration Officials stand against each other without restraint. This is the outline of the separation of powers. In addition, there is the Zizhengyuan to hold public opinion, the Metropolitan Procuratorate to correct impeachment, and the Auditorate to investigate excessive expenses. They are all independent and do not act The cabinet is controlled, and the ability to supervise the cabinet ministers is the essence of the separation of powers and limits." Sure enough, the judiciary is independent, and it seems that the imperial edict will definitely approve it, but the cabinet system is still in doubt. Yuan Shikai was eager to know the result, but he had no choice but to read the original play with two major clauses: "rectification of name for verification" and "division of duties for full-time work": "Secondly, the name is to be verified. The patrol police is one of the ends of the civil affairs, and the name is to be changed to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The household department integrates the wealth of the world, and the name is to be changed to the Du Branch, which will be merged with the Finance Department and the Taxation Department. It is the Ministry of the Army, which is merged with the Military Training Department and Taipu Temple, and the Navy Department is temporarily attached to Yan. Since the Army Department is established, the Military Commander of the Military Training Department is to be renamed the Military Advisory Office to hold the key points of the country's military administration. The Ministry of Punishment It is the administrative office of the judiciary. The three temples, Honglu and Honglu, are both officials in charge of ceremonies, and they plan to merge into the Ministry of Rites. Half of the Ministry of Industry has been divided into other departments, and merged with Lunlu Post and Telecommunications, and it is planned to be changed to the Ministry of Posts and Communications. The main points of the verification of the name are also . Sub-division to full-time.The law of division of duties, all the old yamen that have nothing to do with administration can be tailored to the matter, the first Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the second Ministry of Civil Affairs, the second branch branch, the second Rites Department, the second Academic Department, the second Army Department, the second Law Department, and the second Agricultural Industry and Commerce Department Ministry, Ministry of Postal Communications, and Cili Fanyuan.In the full-time method, all ministers in the cabinet are equally responsible, except for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is stipulated in the agreement, and the rest must not fill in the burdensome gaps.There is only one minister in each department, and only two servants, all of whom belong to the same. As for the newly established Chancellor, the power of affairs is unclear, and there are still many obstacles.Therefore, a Chengzheng Office is specially set up to make the left and right ministers, and any one of them will gather together.Set up a council hall, so that the left and right can participate in the consultation, and any department can discuss matters.Among the doctors, Yuanwailang, and below the principal, depending on the complexity of the affairs and the amount of quotas, the responsibilities should be dedicated, and the officials should not be set indiscriminately.The main point of this division of duty is also full-time. " After reading these two articles, Yuan Shikai couldn't help feeling chills running down his spine, knowing that his family's suspicions and Qu Hongji's deliberate antagonism were not rumors, but signs of belief. The so-called "Except for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is stipulated in the agreement, the rest must not fill the heavy gaps" clearly means that, except that he himself can still be the Minister of Military Aircraft, the rest cannot walk on the Minister of Military Aircraft as a minister.It was inevitable for Xu Shichang to send out a military plane. In fact, Yuan Shikai believed that it was to cut off his wings.And the article of "rectification of name for verification" was specifically pointed at him. He calculated that besides the vacancy of Governor of Zhili, he still has nine titles, most of which are lost now.The military training department was merged into the Ministry of War, of course, there was no longer the title of "Minister of General Affairs", and a new post department was established, and the post and telecommunications were merged into the post and telecommunications. Supervising Minister" title.The most worrying thing is that if the Ministry of the Navy is temporarily under the Ministry of War, the names of the Ministers of the North and South Oceans may all be abolished. Thinking of this, my heart was in a mess, so I had to put it aside for the time being and read the following. The following is the edict.It still starts with "Qinbi Yizhi". First, it talks about the Military Aircraft Department, saying that it is the "administrative general assembly". During the "Yongzheng period, it was originally established by the cabinet". The title of "Minister" was tit-for-tat and tightly wrapped, and Yuan Shikai's heart became even colder. The hope of relying on the new official system to succeed Yikuang and become a single-handed minister has been confirmed at this point, and it has completely failed! Sure enough, the imperial edict clearly stated that the Military Aircraft Department "has been passed down to the present, and there has been no malpractice, so there is no need to reorganize the cabinet. All the regulations of the Military Aircraft Department are as usual. All the ministers of its ministries are written as ministers of state affairs, and they are on duty every day to listen to the affairs. " What made Yuan Shikai most dissatisfied was: "Except for the lack of officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as usual, all the officials in each ministry will be replaced with one minister and two servants, regardless of Manchu and Han." In addition, there are five related edicts: The first way: "The official systems of all provinces and provinces will be edited one after another as soon as they are published, and they will be approved and played." The second way: "The officials who are vacant this time will all have the original food and salary, and they will be used briefly." The third way: "In this reform of the official system, except for the ministers of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, and the ministers, there is no need to replace them. The Minister of the Ministry of Officials is still awarded by Lu Chuanlin; Supplementary award by Liang; Supplementary award by Tie Liang, Minister of the Ministry of Army; Supplementary award by Dai Hongci, Minister of the Ministry of Law; Supplementary award by Zhang Baixi, Minister of Post and Communication; Supplementary award by Shouqi, Minister of the Ministry of Lifan; Supplementary award by Lu Baozhong, the imperial censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate Professor." The fourth said: "Lu Chuanlin, Rong Qing, Xu Shichang, and Tie Liang all wrote to the Minister of Military Aircraft, who is in charge of departmental affairs." The fifth way: "Prince Qing Yikui and co-organizer Qu Hongji, Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the University, are still the Minister of Military Aircraft; the University Scholars continue to write and award the Minister of Military Aircraft." At that time, quite a number of aides gathered in Yuan Shikai's signing room, passing around and watching the edicts one after another. After Yuan Shikai finished reading, everyone finished reading it immediately, looking at each other with serious expressions. Everyone seemed to have a piece of lead pressing there. It was uncomfortable as if I couldn't breathe. "The power of the Qing Dynasty, I'm afraid it's about to run out!" Yuan Shikai's voice was low and hoarse, "I never thought that the official system would be changed to this!" "The reform of the official system is to prepare for the establishment of a constitution. The most important thing is to establish a responsible cabinet system. If this cannot be realized, the spirit will be lost." Jin Bangping said angrily: "We are all used by others." "Yes." Yuan Shikai said: "We have been used by others. And those who use us have been used by others! They only want to protect their own positions and ruin the way for the Han people to make progress. I am afraid that the world will be troubled from now on." !" Everyone more or less understood that he was referring to Qu Hongji.Only he himself understands the grievances and grievances, and others have no way to comment on them. They only think that what he said, "broken the way for the Han people to make progress", is worthy of attention. "Look, on the surface, the twelve ministries seem to be equally divided between Man and Han, but in fact they are not. First, the Prime Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, King Qing, and the Minister of the Council, Na Qinxuan, are in a two-to-one ratio with the Minister, so the actual The ratio of the Manchu and Han ministers in the upper palm is eight to six. In the second and twelfth ministries, the Du Branch and the Army Department are all bannermen, and even the two ministers of the Army Department are bannermen! Financial and military power are all bannermen. In his hands, the banner people also have the upper hand in diplomatic power, and the Han people are dwarfed everywhere. If there is any injustice, you will cry out, and if you don’t speak up, you will be done!" Yuan Shikai shook his head, as if he could not bear to speak. "These two surnamed Pu are probably from the clan?" Jin Bangping asked. "Yes." Zhang Yilin replied: "Pu Ting, Minister of the Du Branch, named Zhonglu, belongs to the Xianghong Banner; Pu Liang, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, is the younger brother of Emperor Gaozong and the queen of the prince, named Yucen, and belongs to the Zhenglan Banner." "Including Zhenbeizi, Qingui occupies three departments, which is a rare thing!" Jin Bangping also sighed: "The relatives are doing things, and the relatives are young and do nothing. This is not a good phenomenon." "The Han people have suffered a lot from the reform of the official system this time!" Zhang Yilin said calmly: "It's not as good as the previous system. The Han Dynasty has six halls, and the number is evenly divided. At present, the number of ministers and ministers is still the same, but it will be hard to say in the future. If the flag People are jealous, and the imperial court intends to take power, so it is inevitable that there will be more officials in all ministries than Han people, and it seems that the number of relatives and nobles will increase. All these abuses are unexpected, and now It’s going to be difficult to talk about remediation.” "The overall situation is frustrating!" Yuan Shikai looked at him and said, "Zhongren, please check it out. How many gaps are there that I shouldn't be doing concurrently? Please draw up a manuscript and play it electronically as soon as possible, lest people say that I am taking power." Love stack." ※ ※ ※ "Qu Zijiu's move is really ruthless!" Yuan Shikai said to Xu Shichang: "Could it be that among the Han people, he is the only one who can be a great military fighter? His actions will arouse public anger sooner or later, and he will end up in disgrace." "You said he was ruthless, but there are more ruthless ones!" Xu Shichang lowered his voice and said, "Zijiu has been 'alone with' twice, and attacked the 'big boss' as much as he wanted, trying to drive him out of the military plane. I'm quite dissatisfied, but it's hard to find a replacement, so let's talk about it later." Yuan Shikai was shocked, "There is such a thing?" Obviously, he didn't believe it was true. This is indeed an unbelievable thing!It is unprecedented since the founding of the Qing Dynasty that the ministers of the Han Dynasty dared to oppose Yiqin and complained "above".However, Xu Shichang has definite news, which is true. "It was Li Lianying who told me." Xu Shichang explained the reason why Li Lianying suddenly approached him, "The son of Li Lianying's family was involved in a lawsuit with artificial real estate, and I did him a big favor, so what he told me will never be false! " "That's terrible!" Yuan Shikai said as if asking himself: "Who else can be in charge except King Qing?" Since Tongzhi ascended the throne, it has become an unbreakable practice for relatives and nobles to lead the army. If Yikuang is expelled, of course it will be some prince or county king who takes over.But looking around relatives and nobles, they are either old and fatuous, or young and incomprehensible. Only Prince Su Shanqi can be considered a master, but his branch is too far away, and he is too close to the Han people, so it is difficult for Empress Dowager Cixi to like him.It seems that Yikuang can linger in the cracks for a while longer. "It's because it's rare for someone to take over, so the status quo is temporarily settled, and things may change suddenly." Xu Shichang lowered his voice and said, "Xilin's intentions are unpredictable." "Xilin" refers to Cen Chunxuan. Since he was ordered to transfer Yunnan and Guizhou from Guangdong and Guangxi, some people advised him to tell him about his illness. On the surface, Cen Chunxuan put on an attitude of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and said generously: "The world has received the kindness of the country, although the world is far and wide, where is it not to repay the kindness?" The place?" Handover as usual, ready to go to the new post. But in the dark, there are other plans.Because Qu Hongkui had written to him a long time ago, the transfer was not the intention of the two palaces, but a conspiracy between Yikuang and Yuan Shikai.Cen Chunxuan thought to himself, if he really arrived in Yunnan, the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and the transportation is inconvenient, it will be difficult to see the Empress Dowager Cixi.Therefore, in the name of seeking medical treatment, he went to Shanghai and wanted to find an opportunity. He unexpectedly went to Beijing to greet him at the palace gate, and Empress Dowager Cixi naturally summoned him immediately.As long as he wins such a moment, he decides to impeach Yikuang face-to-face and bring Yikuang down, that means Yuan Shikai's backer has fallen. This calculation was more or less under Yuan Shikai's estimation, so Yuan Shikai's spies would report every move of Cen Chunxuan in Shanghai to Beiyang with secret telegrams at any time.Originally thought that Cen Chunxuan would get close to the revolutionaries, and the target of the investigation was also on his friendship. Now, Yuan Shikai was reminded by Xu Shichang's words, and he couldn't help asking: "Could it be that Qu Zijiu still has the delusion of citing him as a pivot?" ?” "It can't be said to be delusional. With Xilin's favored family, it is not impossible. Besides, there are always five military planes, and now there are only two seats left." Yuan Shikai thought about it for a while without moving his face, and then said: "We must do it." "It's best, you can talk to King Qing first." "Of course! But Shiboxuan's cooperation is necessary for this matter. Please pay my respects on my return to Beijing." The "Boxuan" Yuan Shikai referred to was Shi Xu, the new Minister of Military Aircraft. Xu Shichang nodded and said, "Of course, of course!" At this moment, someone sang loudly in the corridor outside the signing room: "Zhen Beizi is here!" Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang came out to meet him, and saw Zaizhen walked in leisurely, accompanied by Duan Zhigui. As soon as he saw Yuan Shikai's face, he asked, "Fourth brother, I went to see your horse. Is it okay?" How about it!" They were ordered by Yikuang to change the Lanpu. However, although Zai Zhen could call Yuan Shikai the "fourth brother", Yuan Shikai did not dare to entrust him with a big name. Zai Zhen's character Yu Zhou was called "Yu Gong" . "Yugong!" Yuan Shikai replied, "It's easy for you to get a good horse! I just don't know what kind of horse you like? Is it fast, stable, or good-looking?" "Look good." "That's a foreign horse." Yuan Shikai asked: "I'll find you four horses, isn't that enough?" "Enough! But a color is required." "Okay! Zaoliu, or chrysanthemum green?" "It's all white." "Yu Gong," Xu Shichang interjected to persuade: "The four all-white horses are the so-called 'pure Si', too ostentatious! I don't think so!" "Yes." Yuan Shikai also persuaded: "Nowadays there are a lot of people who like to gossip on Taiwan's admonitions, so there is no need to cause this trouble." Zai Zhen also came to his senses, the "pure si" was owned by the king's chariot, and the last time he went to Japan to watch an exposition, it happened to coincide with Emperor Meiji's military parade, and he rode a white horse.But having said that, there is still a bit of anger: "Then it's all black!" He said. "Okay! Okay! Four black horses. You can bring them into Beijing when you come back, Yugong." Yuan Shikai then asked Duan Zhigui: "Xiangyan, how is the night?" "It's all ready." Yuan Shikai nodded, turned to Zaizhen and said, "Yugong, I have to tell you first that I will accompany you to dinner with Juren later, and after eating, I will go ahead with Juren and let Xiangyan accompany you to have fun. Ok?" Zai Zhen understood that Yuan Shikai would be restrained if he and Xu Shichang were present, so he avoided it on purpose.In fact, he also hoped so, but "did not dare to listen"!So he immediately replied with a smile: "Why are you being polite to me, fourth brother? Later, you have something to do with Juren, so please go ahead!"