Chapter 11 Chapter Nine Spending Money to Buy a Great President

du8.com copyright When the big family of the Zhi family paid for Cao Kun to bribe the president, Hao Peifu, the number two member of the Zhi family, was peaceful and quiet in Luoyang, Zhongzhou.Wu Peifu is not interested in winning the presidency. He believes that a capable person can sit in a big position, and a capable person has strength.My waist is not strong, and I have to fall down after sitting on a big seat.Therefore, whether Beijing drove Li Yuanhong, bribed officials, or convened a congress, he never asked. What is Wu Peifu about? Wu Peifu is building his world. Wu Peifu patrolled the two peaks of Luoyang during the summer. Originally, the yamen in charge of the armies of more than two provinces was expanded. He intentionally built four administrative offices for military affairs, including staff, military supplies, ordnance, and adjutants. If the counseling hall is changed to "Ministry", the director of the department is changed to "General Director", and the council hall is changed to the National Assembly, Luoyang Yanran will become a complete state head office-in fact, Wu Peifu created , is the head office of a country. When he went to Beijing to closely bribe elections, Luoyang had already stationed representatives and representative organizations of the governors of eighteen provinces. Wu Peifu had already fainted. did it -

At the beginning of the year, he commanded the army from Changxindian at the northern end of the Jiuhan Railway to Zhengzhou in Henan and Hankou in Huzhou, killing more than 40 people, killing more than 500 people, and more than 100 people were imprisoned. , Thousands of people were homeless, suppressing a vigorous "February 7th" worker strike movement, resulting in the "February 7th Massacre" that shocked the world.Lin Xiangqian, Shi Yang, Zeng Yuliang and other outstanding workers died tragically under his butcher's knife. In the summer, he held an extremely grand "Fifty Birthday Celebration" for himself in Luoyang. More than a dozen theater troupes from Henan, Hubei, and Shandong were invited, and the governors of various provinces, military governors, and celebrities from all walks of life all sent congratulations. Account, gift.Liu Zhenhua, Governor of Shaanxi, also sent 80 "Wanmin Umbrellas"; Xiao Yaonan, Governor of Hubei, sent a million firecrackers as high as a five-story building; Cao Kun sent his Secretary-General Wang Yuzhi to send a pair of pure gold birthday peaches; Even Kang Youwei also sent a very flattering birthday account with the inscription in his own handwriting:

Makino Yingyang, who has only half a century of meritorious service at the age of one hundred; Luoyang is a tiger, and the wind and rain in all directions will meet Zhongzhou.Wu Peifu was in a daze, and the long banquet would not fail, cheering day and night, and he also wrote a poem of Qijue hanging in the living room: The situation in Europe and Asia is ever-changing, and the heroic cause is the same from ancient to modern.Flowers bloom in Shangyuan in March, and people are in the first peak of Penglai! Birthday celebrations have become as important and sensational as Wu Peifu's bribery in Luoyang and Cao Kun's election in Beijing

things.What is birthday, Wu Peifu is obviously testing his own strength.He was satisfied, and almost all the provinces in the country sent representatives to celebrate his birthday in Luoyang, and sent rich gifts. Just the gold and silver birthday peaches and birthday lambs filled four Eight Immortals tables! Wu Peifu was excited ——He is dominant in Luoyang. His own army alone has five divisions and a mixed brigade totaling 100,000 people. He controls Henan, Hubei, Zhili, and Shaanxi provinces, and extends his power southward, commanding Sun Chuanfang, Shen Hongying, Yang Sen and other warlords attempted to attack Fujian, Guangdong, Sichuan and Hunan provinces, dreaming of completely annihilating Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary army!

The ancient and dilapidated Baoding City suddenly changed its appearance on October 9, 1923: all the streets were hung with colorful silk; all the shops on the streets and outside were decorated with lights; , all set up colorful sheds; from dawn, the sound of firecrackers, gongs and drums will rise and fall, and the sound will shake the sky. The Zhiluyu Mission Office is even more magnificently decorated: the vermilion lacquer gate is refreshed red, and the red silk tasseled palace lanterns are hung on both sides of the lintel; the five-color national flag is flying on the towering flagpole outside the gate; The entire courtyard wall has been repainted, red reflecting the sun.On the square in front of the Department, a tall, spectacular and colorful ceremony platform was set up, which was filled with flowers, ribbons and flags, and surrounded by neon lanterns!

On this day, a ceremony to award and accept the President's certificate will be held in this ancient city, so that the President can go to Beijing to take office. The cold dew has just passed, and the autumn is refreshing. The 62-year-old Cao Kun is as energetic as this pleasant weather, his face is flushed, his eyes are smiling, and the mustache around his thick lips is trembling.Early in the morning, he put on the great coat of the patrol envoy, and sat in the lobby of the government office to wait for the moment of the grand ceremony for awarding the certificate. The speaker of the National Assembly, Wu Jinglian, came to Baoding from Beijing to award the president's election certificate.Wu Jinglian, the "energy" of 400,000 oceans, must come here in person.When Wu Jinglian came to Baoding in person, Cao Kun was overwhelmed by the flattery. He arranged for his men to organize merchants and people to clean the streets and set up colorful sheds.Seeing the special car of the Speaker of the National Assembly, there was a din of gongs, drums, and firecrackers; when the speaker's car stopped, Cao Kun arched his hands to meet him, bowed to Wu Jinglian, cupped his hands, and hugged him again.This made the speaker's head swell up a lot, making him a little dizzy.Cao Kun hugged the speaker for a long time before saying: "Your Majesty has come to Baoding. Zhong Shan is grateful but also uneasy."

"Brother was elected to the post, can I not come to congratulate J?" Wu Jinglian also sent a favor. "Only It's late, I hope my brother will forgive me. " "It's not all about your efforts to be elected president." Cao Kun said, "I've been busy these past few days, and I have to reward you well!" "They are all my brothers, so why bother." "No, no! I must be rewarded." Cao Kun said the truth, and Wu Jinglian was disturbed when he heard it.Obviously, it was 400,000 Dayang who bought the speaker, and the speaker is busy for Dayang.Now, the president has finally been chosen.The 400,000 oceans are not in vain. Wu Jinglian only wants peace of mind. How can he ask for any "reward"? Therefore, he humbly said again and again: "Why bother, why bother!"

Cao Kun welcomed Wu Jinglian to the office, treated each other warmly, and gave them generous gifts. Wu Jinglian saw that money was open, so naturally he would not refuse anyone who came, and accepted it in full. The time for the award of certificates has come. At 8 o'clock in the morning on the 9th, one hundred and eight gun salutes were fired under the teaching platform. The sound of the guns shook the sky, and the fireworks rose into the sky; The city shakes and shakes! Touring the mission, from the lobby to the gate, the officials on both sides stood in silence, and a row of colorful flags faced the wind! Cao Kun walked down the lobby under the guard of several military officers, and walked towards the door and towards the ceremony platform with eight-character steps.After the drum music and gun salute, Cao Kun sat in the center of the ceremony platform, with civilians and military generals on both sides, and soldiers and guards standing behind him, the ceremony platform was solemn!

Wu Jinglian stepped onto the ceremony stage under the guard of a group of officials.First he went to Cao Kun, respectfully saluted him, then turned his face to face the sea of ​​people who were taken away from the stage, and said loudly: There have been years of war, the country is in dire straits, the lives of the people are devastated, and the people's livelihood is not worth talking about.The people all look forward to peace in the world, to live and work in peace and contentment, and they beg for a wise owner so that the river will be clear and the sky will be clear.On this occasion, the Grand Presidential Election will be held in accordance with the Grand Presidential Election Act.Cao Kun was elected as the President of the Republic of China with 480 votes. It was truly expected by all. The people at home and abroad rejoiced. Handed the president's election certificate to Cao Kun with both hands.

Cao Kun took it and put it on the table.Someone opened it, took out the brocade cover in the box, and saw Mi Xuanke on rice paper, and the president's election certificate inlaid with a dense silk border.The golden light is shining and dazzling.Cao Kun was excited, staring straight at him, smiling, his mustache trembling frequently, holding the certificate with trembling hands, trembling all over his body... The next day, October 10th. Cao Kun is going to Beijing to take office as president. The night was thick and the sky was dark. The men and women visiting the envoy were already busy, washing and dressing up, packing up their luggage, boarding the vehicles, and driving towards Baoding Railway Station in a continuous stream.The street from the patrolling envoy to the train station, which is strictly guarded by sentries, is full of traffic and extremely lively.Baoding Railway Station, inside and outside, is brightly lit, as bright as daytime, and the newly decorated lanterns are shining brilliantly! The military police with live ammunition have surrounded the station so tightly that even a bird cannot fly in.

Under the strict protection of the military and police, surrounded by his entourage and family members, Cao Kun wore a three-color dress with a large red ribbon on his back, and on his chest were decorated with the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Shikai, Li Yuanhong, and awards awarded by himself. Medal, full of ambition but pretending to be reserved, walked towards the train with mechanical and slow steps. The distance between Baoding and Beijing is only 400 miles, but they are also within the range of Zhili, and Zhili is Cao Kun's old nest. Ordinarily, it should be said that this is a safe passage.However, Cao Kun was going to be the president, and the president was bought by money. He was really guilty and a little scared. He was afraid that there would be gangsters appearing four hundred miles away, which would bring him misfortune.So, ten minutes before the departure of the presidential train, Baoding Station dispatched two expedition vehicles to test the movement.At 3:30 in the morning, the presidential train was about to start, and there was a blast of gongs, drums, and firecrackers at the station. However, people were surprised to find that there were three special trains that started successively: the first train was a shed with 5,000 pistolmen. special train.The third train is a shed train with a thousand horses, and the middle one is the train for Cao Kun, his entourage and family members—all arrangements are to protect Cao Kun’s old life, We must not let him be killed by gangsters on the road. If Cao Kun is killed, who will be the president? Cao Kun, it’s not easy. It’s been 42 years since I joined the Huai army at the age of 120. It’s been 42 years since I was born! I’ve been through a lot of bullets and bullets. I just bought it today with silver money! If there is any misfortune, wouldn’t all the hard work of my life be wasted! Therefore, Cao Kun and his civil servants and generals were all vigilant and serious when they went to Beijing. arrange. The trains departed from Baoding one by one. The hustle and bustle of Baoding Station and the hustle and bustle of Baoding City finally calmed down, but the city was still full of lights.Baoding City welcomes a new day that belongs to the Cao family with this brilliant light! The city of Beijing is equally lively—— Archways and flower beds have been set up on many streets in Beijing. Huge colored plaques have been set up at Qianmen Station, with the four big red characters of "Bohai Luhuan" inlaid on them; huge multicolored archways are erected in front of all gates in the station. , the colorful lights are bright, dazzling! At 4 o'clock in the morning, the night sky was dark, and the police and troops from the garrison headquarters were under martial law inside and outside the station; traffic was cut off at all gates of the station; , Feng Yuxiang, Wang Huaiqing and others also came to the station early to wait.Beijing Qianmen Station was very quiet, and all trains to Beijing were suspended except for the presidential train. got windy. The wind wraps the fallen leaves rolling in the streets and alleys, adding mist and coldness to the city of Beijing, the stars are sparse, the sparse stars seem so small, so lifeless, and the faint starlight is also dying out among. The chirping of insects in the corner did not know when it stopped. The capital city is obviously very quiet, so quiet that it is a bit terrifying! Dongfang finally showed his white belly.A new day is coming.At this moment, a resounding bugle sounded from Xibianmen—the bugle reported President Cao Da’s death. The limousine will arrive. At Qianmen station, the military and police stood in strict order, and military and political officials dusted off their hats.7:45—After a 15-minute journey, Cao Kun's special car slowly drove into the station.Military music played in unison, gongs and drums blared, flowers, firecrackers, turned the Qianmen Station into an uproar! Cao Kun got out of the car in a tuxedo. The military and political officials waiting at the station stepped forward and saluted him. At this moment, Cao Kun's expression was very contrived, especially his neck, which seemed to be rigid due to disease, straight and unable to move.People pay attention, it turns out that the pointed collar of that dress is very stiff, and the neck cannot be turned because it is stuck.Therefore, he could only salute everyone by shaking his hand quickly. Surrounded by military and political officials, Cao Kun got into a yellow car and drove from Zhengyangmen towards Zhongnanhai. From Zhengyangmen to Zhongnanhai, the road is all paved with loess.The pistol team, horse infantry, and heavy guards cut off traffic. Huairen Hall in Zhongnanhai has already set up the hall for the inauguration ceremony, civil and military officials stand on both sides, and the ceremonial officer stands at the entrance of the stage, just waiting for the time, just a routine ceremony. At the beginning, when Yuan Shikai took office as president, he was only accompanied by several officials, read a few "oaths" and finished.Cao Kun didn't want to be complicated, he was afraid that there would be chaos in the complicated, and mistakes would be made in the chaos, so he made arrangements again and again, keeping everything simple. Cao Kun arrived at Huairen Hall and walked towards the inauguration stage. He was still exhausted from the journey, and his buttocks had not yet touched the chair. The officer of ceremonies only said a few words. He took out the "Declaration" he had drawn up from his pocket and hurriedly Busy reading up.The officials present have not yet gathered their minds, and his "Declaration" has long been read. No one heard the word "Xuan" clearly.One by one just in a daze. Cao Kun's "Declaration" has been read, and the next ceremony is for the chief of staff, members of parliament and officials to pay tribute to the president.Therefore, Speaker Wu Jinglian, Deputy Speaker Zhang Bolie, and the present members and officials came to the stage and bowed respectfully to Cao Kun three times to express their congratulations. The inauguration ceremony is over, it's time for Cao Kun to go to the Congress and take an oath to the representatives of all the people.So, the speaker led everyone to take a car, and hurried from Zhongnanhai to Xiangfangqiao Congress.From Zhongnanhai to Xiangfang Bridge, you have to go through West Chang'an Street.West Chang'an Avenue is also paved with loess, guards are heavily guarded, and there are many patrolling military police on horseback and vehicles, and plainclothes detectives are standing on the roofs of many houses.Cao Kun looked exhausted. A 62-year-old man, after several days and nights of tossing, coupled with the "restriction" of the dress, not only his neck is sore, but his head is also a little dizzy.Gao Lingwei, Wang Huaiqing and other escorts supported him, and stood on the stage of the Congress Hall for a long time before realizing that he was here to take the oath of office. He hurriedly took out a piece of paper, cleared the door, and read: Yu vowed to abide by the Constitution sincerely and to perform the duties of the President.I swear.Members of Parliament applauded together, and the ceremony was completed. After the ceremony, according to the arrangement, Cao Kun lived in Yanqing Building in Zhongnanhai and began to perform his duties as president.His official residence is Ju Ren Tang adjacent to Yanqing Building. ——Yanqing Building and Ju Ren Tang are places with a bad reputation.It was originally the former site of the Yiluan Hall of the Qing Dynasty. When the Eight-Power Allied Forces entered Beijing in 1900, the commander of the Allied Forces and the German Field Marshal Waldsee lived here.The following year, the Hall of Yiluan caught fire, and Major General Xu Huazi, the chief of staff of Waldesi, was burned to death here.The entire Yiluan Hall was also burned to rubble.Later, Empress Dowager Cixi returned to Beijing from Xi'an and built a Russian-style building on the ruins, which was specially used for receiving foreign envoys. It was named "Haiyan Hall" and later changed to Juren Hall.After Yuan Shikai became president and lived in Zhongnanhai, he met and stayed in Jurentang, and built another Western-style building named Yanqing Building for office use.However, since Yuan Shikai lived here, there was not a good day until he died here.Now, it has become Cao Kun's presidential palace again, so people naturally talked about it. Let's discuss it. It is true that Cao Kun became the president and Yanqing Building became the presidential palace.After moving into Yanqing Building, Cao Kun took out fifteen golden seals of the President, his eyes lit up, and he shook his head, thinking about how to use them! Jurentang-Yanqing Building has changed owners several times. Yuan Shikai, Li Yuanhong, Feng Guozhang, Xu Shichang, Li Yuanhong came again.Changing back and forth, what is left behind is still a mess.Now, Cao Kun is the master, he doesn't want to be in chaos, he wants to have order, he wants to have a peaceful atmosphere, he wants to become a peaceful and unified "civilian" president, so as to wash away his notoriety of militarism.After living in Yanqing Building, he discussed with his civil servants, and soon issued the new president's first order: The country is like heaven and earth, and it is precious and capable, but the rule of unity is the rule of peace, so there is a peaceful rule.The history and history of the past, the same symbol of different generations.It took ten or two years for the founding of the Republic of China, and the north and the south were divided, and disputes arose repeatedly, starting with conflicts of political opinions and ending with wars and disasters.Mourning the people of our country and suffering innocent people is not the way to protect the people by force.The president of this great country bundles up his hair and joins the army, that is, his ambition is to protect his family.This person is mistaken for a great task, ashamed of his lack of morality, deeply persistent and victorious, and really wants to be open and honest, start with the virtuous and powerful in the country, work together for the grand cause of peace, gradually enter the grand road of unification, consolidate the foundation of the country, and hope to achieve the rule of the people.The State Council will promptly negotiate with the provinces in real earnest, with the aim of expressing great ideas, dispelling misconceptions forever, realizing the unification of the common people as soon as possible, and laying the foundation for the constitution of the country.He also serves as an envoy to the gentlemen of the country, and reads together the meaning of the President's love for the country and his desire to rule the country.After the order was issued, Cao Kun felt much calmer.Your Excellency is here, the ceremony is over Yes, the Presidential Palace has also settled down, and the first "Anmin Notice" has also been issued. The "special" period is finally over, and the next step is to deal with daily affairs step by step. "Oh, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Let's live a peaceful life for a few days!" Cao Kun felt tired and exhausted. However, after he sat on the presidential throne in Yanqing Tower, he felt that this was not the time for him to rest. Sun Yat-sen, the "down and out" Duan Qirui and Zhang Zuolin from Shanhaiguan.What matter is not imminent, do not rush to do it! How can you sit back and relax! At this moment, Cao Kun seemed to faintly feel that "it is not easy to be a president!" He suddenly thought of Wu Peifu. "Ziyu, Ziyu, you shouldn't be there, you shouldn't be here when I'm in power! How come you forgot, in the big direct family, who else can compare to the relationship between you and me? I'm the president , You have to do a lot of big things! Regardless of the military or the government, if you don’t come out, who can carry those burdens?” Cao Kun looked at Luoyang, which was far away in the southwest sky, and sighed deeply. du8.com copyright After thinking for a long time, Cao Kun decided to adjust the positions of soldiers first to stabilize his position. Cao Kun is already the lord of a country, and the inspector of Zhiluyu and the concurrent governor of Zhili can no longer hang on his body-these positions were originally exempted by Li Yuanhong, but Cao Kun still refused to admit it.It was for this reason that he made up his mind not to have Li Yuanhong become the president, so let him avoid it first.Wang Chengbin was the one who made the first contribution to seizing the seal, so he has to be rewarded first.Therefore, in the title of governor of Zhili, he was also asked to supervise the military affairs of Zhili, and soon he was appointed as the deputy envoy of Zhilu and Yu.Wang Chengbin was promoted to three ranks in a row, he was grateful to Dade, he was extremely happy, and decided to do his best for the world of Cao! Wu Peifu is Cao Kun's caring, no matter how much he thinks about President Jia, he is the pillar of the Zhi family after all, and Cao Kun has 10 points to score him 6 points.Therefore, without discussion, Wu Peifu was dismissed from the post of inspector of the two lakes, and he was promoted to the inspector of Zhiluyu, with the order "on arrival".Pulling Wu Peifu under my nose, I feel at ease. Next, Qi Xieyuan was appointed as the patrol envoy of Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi, Xiao Yaonan was the patrol envoy of the two lakes, Du Xilian was the commander of the navy, and other provinces and armies were not moved for the time being.In this way, the military affairs are finally handled properly.Next, is politics.Especially the stall in Beijing, the core of the stall in Beijing is the position of prime minister. Cao Kun is worried! Only talking about the Prime Minister, Cao Kun can't arrange it.Gao Lingwei is the prime minister of the regent cabinet, and the serious prime minister is Zhang Shaozeng.In order to drive Li Yuanhong to step down, Cao Kun had a tacit understanding with Zhang. After Li stepped down, Zhang returned to the cabinet to govern.Now that Li Zao has stepped down and Cao has become president again, it is natural that the promise must be fulfilled.However, Gao Lingwei did make great contributions in expelling Li and seizing India, and Cao Kun also personally allowed him to take charge of the State Council.This is two.In addition, Wu Jinglian, the speaker of the National Assembly, also wanted to be the prime minister. Before the congress, Wu Jinglian expressed this idea to Wang Tan and Cao Kun.Cao Kun said to him: "As long as the Congress completes the major event (that is, elect Cao as president), the prime minister will naturally belong to you." This is another one.Another person is Yan Huiqing who is in charge of finance and diplomacy today.The Cao family had dumped all their property on the election bribery issue, but Yan Huiqing opened the treasury to solve it in official circles and in public.Not even Congress could convene without the backing of the treasury.Therefore, when Yan Huiqing decided to open the national treasury and support election bribery, he also had a secret agreement with Cao Kun, that is, after the matter was completed, Yan wanted to preside over state affairs.Although Cao Kun thought it was a very difficult matter, in order to be able to become the president, he still told Yan, "National affairs are none other than you!" One daughter was promised to four men, and the "marriage time" has come, Cao Kun can not worry!? Although Cao Kun was the overlord of one side before taking over Zhongnanhai, he never kept his word.At the beginning, he was able to Xu Zhang, Xu Gao, Xu Wu, and Xu Yan as prime minister. He was just kidding, thinking: "At that time, whoever is more capable among you can fight for it!" Once the throne is seated, what he fears most is chaos, "These four people have energy, and there will be a lot of chaos! No matter what, we must stabilize them." Let’s talk about the current situation of the four people who “delimited” the prime minister: Zhang Shaozeng came to Beijing from Tianjin the day after Cao Kun entered Zhongnanhai.After arriving in Beijing, he "announced" two opinions: 1. Revive your own cabinet and regain control of state affairs; 2. If the purpose is not achieved, never sign the resignation of the Regent Cabinet. Zhang Shaozeng's first opinion is not powerful. Can the Zhang cabinet be revived? It is not he who has the final say, but the president. However, the second opinion is very powerful. When the old cabinet resigns, all cabinet members must sign , to be effective.Zhang is the prime minister, and if he does not sign, the old cabinet cannot resign; if the old cabinet is in place, a new cabinet cannot be formed. After Cao Kun learned of this situation, he was shocked: "This Zhang..." ——It turned out that when Cao Kun was eager to seize the throne after defeating Wanfeng, Zhang Shaozeng, like other powerful people, advocated the establishment of a constitution before the election of the president.For this reason, he also took the opportunity of going to Baoding to attend the ninth graduation ceremony of the military academy to persuade Cao Kun as the prime minister and in the name of having served as the training director and presided over the opening class of the current students. Kun said: "Zhong Shan, you welcome Song Qing (Li Yuanhong's word Song Qing) to re-elect this time, but his term of office has not expired, and he has no intention of falling in love with him. After conducting elections and formally electing the president, he will step down. He has already declared that he is not a candidate for the presidency. He has neither run for office, but in terms of prestige and prestige, there is no other person who is qualified for the presidency except Zhongshan. The government Almost all the people in the House of Representatives support you, and in the future the presidential seat will be right and wrong. I don’t know what you mean?” Cao Kun was in a hurry when he ascended the throne. How could he wait until the constitution was formulated? Although he understood the weight of work that Zhang Shao had said, he still pretended to be calm and said: "I didn't think of this. Some people are very willing for me to come out. Maybe they are planning for themselves. It's good to do so. I'm too lazy to ask, alas, let them mess around." Softly, Zhang's opinion was rejected. After Zhang Shaozeng left Baoding, Cao Kun also said angrily: "This Zhang, if you want to stop me, you have to be big. I..." Now, Zhang Shaozeng came again, how could Cao Kun agree to him, not to mention that he was no longer the former Zhiluyu tour envoy, but an upright president.Therefore, in the name of the President, Cao Kun issued an order for Gao Lingwei to act as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet.Cao Kunman thought that the world could be pacified with prestige, but who would have thought that the world would become even more chaotic...