Chapter 16 Chapter 15 Military power can't be lost

Duan Qirui's official career was prosperous, and there were many happy events. While firmly sitting in the chief position of the Ministry of War, he was temporarily acting as the prime minister in May 1913; on July 17, he handed over the acting prime minister to Zhu Qiqian. It was returned to Duan Qirui; on August 26, Duan Qirui handed over the prime minister to Xiong Xiling, and he only served as the chief of the army.The frequent change of prime ministers shows how turbulent the situation is! Duan Qirui "flying through the chaotic clouds is still calm!" During the time when he acted as prime minister several times, although time was in a hurry, he raced against the clock to arrange -t:- belly, from the central At the same time, he awarded honors and honors to all his cronies, and within a few months, the commander of the infantry, the chief of civil affairs in Zhili, the chief of industry and commerce, the commander of the Beijing garrison, and the Jianghuai Xuan Fushi, Rehe Dutong, Guangdong Civil Affairs Chief, Shandong Governor, Jiangxi Civil Affairs Chief and other important positions are easy to become close to Duan Qirui, and even his ex-wife's younger brother Wu Guangxin was given the rank of lieutenant general in the army; , it is even more "the relatives go up", you can go as high as you can!

Xu Shuzheng, who has already served as the director of the Army and Horse Department, is a little worried about this kind of bloated situation.One day, he walked into Duan Qirui's small living room, told him the story of "a big tree attracts the wind", and then said: "Boss—Xu Shuzheng has always called Duan Qirui this name—to accompany you is like accompanying a tiger." !I'm a little worried." Duan Qirui smiled. "Youzheng, are you thinking too much?" "Not much." Xu Shuzheng said, "Only by being prepared can we avoid danger." Duan Qirui frowned.He seems to be talking to himself, but also seems to be talking to Xu Shuzheng. "Let's treat the President—he is no longer called 'Master Yuan', he is called 'President'—with no half-hearted intentions, and everything will be obeyed by him."

Xu Shuzheng smiled. "Everything? I'm afraid it can't be done. Who can listen to others? It's impossible even to the emperor. If you listen to everything, but don't listen to one thing, what will happen?" Duan Qirui still frowned. He frowned, but stopped talking. Xu Shuzheng originally wanted to tell another story about the victor killing the hero, but he restrained himself.He was silent for a while, but asked without thinking: "Boss, I want to ask you a strange thing: If the president wants to be the emperor, do you support it or not?" "Is there any sign?" Duan Qirui asked.

"Suppose." Xu Shuzheng said: "Suppose he wants to be emperor." "No. He just overthrew the emperor, how could he become emperor?" "If you change the name of the emperor, such as the Emperor of the Republic. What will happen to you?" Duan Qirui thought for a while and said, "The President will not forget us, and we shouldn't forget him either." Xu Shuzheng understood: Duan Qirui will always be loyal to Yuan Shikai.He wanted the conversation to stop there.When he was about to say goodbye, inspiration suddenly came again. Xu Shuzheng said: "The sincerity of the boss to the president is touching. Shuzheng should have nothing to say. However, I want to mention two more things, say them out." , the boss can think alone when he is free, and it may be useful." "Which two things? Please tell me."

"First, the republic is the result of your leadership and admonition. You are the hero who created the republic! If the regime returns to the monarchy, you, a hero, will naturally lose their luster." Xu Shuzheng said, looking sideways at Duan Qirui, Duan Qirui frowned even more tightly.But it's only tight, and there is no obvious reflection.He also said: "Secondly, the emperor is hereditary. When I die, I pass it on to my son, and when my son dies, I pass it on to my grandson. This is a fact that has never changed through the ages." After finishing speaking, Xu Shuzheng took his leave.

Xu Shuzheng left, Duan Qirui frowned even tighter. Xu Shuzheng deserves to be called the "Little Fan Military Advisor" during the Beiyang warlord period, and he was also called the "Neiyang geek". For people like Yuan Shikai and Duan Qirui, he was able to look at them from the bottom of his heart, and he saw them so accurately.It didn't take long for the two Beiyang heroes who lived in peace--Yuan Shikai and Duan Qirui, to have an unexpected conflict-- Things in the world are so delicate that sometimes it is hard to tell what factor changes the nature of a fixed procedure, causing the whole situation to change drastically at once.

After Yuan Shikai became president, he sent his eldest son Yuan Keding to visit Germany. Kaiser Wilhelm II valued this Chinese "Crown Prince" and talked with him about running the army.Germany is a militaristic country. In order to carry out aggression, it crazily expanded its arms and prepared for war, put the country under the control of the army, and implemented a military dictatorship.The German emperor summed up his military experience into four words, called "strong stems and weak branches". He asked Yuan Keding to tell his father Yuan Shikai, "China should do the same." Yuan Keding, like his father, was a militaristic People who are not sexual, actually took this sentence back as a golden rule.tell dad.And Yuan Shikai also took this sentence as a golden word and did it right.

William II's "strong stems and weak branches" military law, to put it bluntly, is to capture the powerful army in the hands of the emperor-the president, and the strong emperor-the president is the "dry"; To the next, the so-called weak branches.Yuan Shikai thought about it and felt that he had made a mistake, and the army was handed over to Duan Qirui. "Although Duan Qirui is loyal, he is always an outsider. Once something happens, can he be loyal to the end?" Yuan Shikai was bored in the "Imperial Palace", thinking about it, He conspired with his son again, and finally came up with the first step, which was to set up a model army regiment and seize the main military power first.

du8.com copyright Duan Qirui is the chief of the army. He is in charge of the national army and organizes a model regiment. Of course, he is the first to find him.Yuan Shikai approached Duan Qirui, and said to him sincerely: "Zhiquan, I have been thinking about something for a long time, and I will discuss it with you before I can settle it. So please come here." "Please make it clear to the President." Duan Qirui also acted very sincerely. "That's right," Yuan Shikai said: "You understand very well that the country is in our hands now, which is different from the past, and we have to manage it well. The experience of all countries in the world is that the military is the foundation of country management. Our current The army, you know, there are other elements besides the old foundation of our small station. Although the generals have expressed their loyalty, they have to be careful. The state power is a big piece of fat, and everyone wants to eat it. Everyone wants to eat alone. Now that it is in our hands, we have to be defensive. Out of this idea, I want to set up a model regiment in our army as the core of our army. In case of accidents , not helpless."

"Set up a model regiment?" Duan Qirui was startled: "The Ministry of the Army has unified the army, and the army is all government, so why set up a model regiment?"I thought to myself: "The president said 'we', but he didn't exclude me; it's such a crucial matter, just asking me to discuss it can be regarded as trust; It is necessary to set up a model regiment." So he said: "The president has a good idea and vision, and he should set up a model regiment." When Yuan Shikai saw that Duan Qirui agreed sincerely, he was very happy, and hurriedly expressed his idea of ​​forming a group.Duan Qirui listened, thought, and dreamed sweetly: "The model regiment of the President is the core of the army, and this core must naturally be in command of someone from me, Duan!" He thought he was an old man from Beiyang, a son-in-law, and He is the chief of the Army Department, and he must be the model regiment! Therefore, Yuan Shikai said one thing, he agreed to one thing, and he supported one thing he mentioned.Yuan Shikai was very satisfied, he stroked his short beard with a smile, nodded his head slightly, blinked his eyes slowly, turned his head intimately, and said a definite plan: "Since we want to go together, then Let’s make a decision, set up a model group and let Keding be the head of the group.”

When Duan Qirui heard that Yuan Keding was appointed as the leader of the model group, his face turned cold and his eyes were dumbfounded. "Yuan Keding, a typical son of a poor boy, ignorant and unclean, how can he be the leader of the model group?" After thinking for a long time, he said, "I don't think he can do it." Yuan Shikai heard Duan Qi Rui disagreed with his son being the head of the model group, and his heart sank, "Why not?" He originally thought that Duan Qirui would agree with both hands.In terms of the importance he gave to his son and son-in-law, Yuan Shikai himself valued his son.However, he also felt that he did not treat Duan Qirui lightly. At the critical moment, Duan Qirui should not have supported him.Thinking of this, he immediately connected with the rumors he heard when he was seeing a doctor, and his heart jumped: "Could it be that Duan Qirui has reached the level of the Lord of Gonggao? I really have to guard against him." Then he thought: "Yes, ordinarily, Keding is not qualified to be the leader of the model regiment. What is 'qualified, no' qualified,? I am a father-son soldier trained! Keding can't be this regiment leader, and I can't let you Duan Zhiquan be." Said with a straight face: "Do you think it's okay for me to be the leader of this model group?" Seeing Yuan Shikai's attack, Duan Qirui knew that the matter was serious.Then he stood up, lowered his head, and said, "Qi Rui implements the president's opinion." As a result, Yuan Shikai was really the head of the army model regiment from the day it was established. When Duan Qirui exited the presidential palace, his nose immediately turned crooked. "You organize the model group, and you are also the leader of the model group. You have decided everything. What else do you want to discuss with me?" Since then, a gap has appeared between Duan and Yuan. Yuan Shikai, who became the great president, was actually never satisfied; his backer, the British Empire, also instigated him not to be satisfied.The British Minister to China Zhu Erdian said bluntly to Yuan Shikai at the congratulations on his inauguration as the President: "China is not suitable for a republic, and you can't do it well! China still needs a monarchy. The president does not have supreme power. The supreme power is Emperor!" Yuan Shikai also had this dream: "The president is also in charge of the whole of China, why can't I be called emperor?" The core of the book is of course the "Three Heroes". Wang Shizhen is extremely smart.As soon as the peace talks between the North and the South were in sight, he retreated bravely, resigned and thanked the official.When I returned to Zhengding, I lived in seclusion.Feng Guozhang was in Nanjing and served as the governor of Jiangsu. He was regarded as a foreign official. Yuan Shikai found him in Beijing and asked him tentatively. , of course it must be Duan Qirui.Yuan Shikai felt that Duan Qirui would be more enlightened than Feng Guozhang, and he would support him with both hands.So he called him and explained the matter in detail. At that time, Yuan Shikai had not yet formed an army model regiment, and his relationship with Duan Qirui had not yet broken down.Yuan Shikai explained what was on his mind, stroked his chin with his hand, and happily waited for Duan Qirui to "support".Unexpectedly, Duan Qirui shook his head fiercely without even thinking about it. "No, no! It is impossible to do such a thing now." "Why?" Yuan Shikai asked in surprise. "The air outside is too bad." Duan Qirui said. "What's wrong?" "Anyway, you can't be the emperor." Duan Qirui thought of Xu Shuzheng's words, and his heart was firm and anxious. "The common people cannot agree." "What about you?" Yuan Shikai pressed. "I...?!" Duan Qirui was still thinking about the current situation, and he still shook his head at Yuan Shikai. Yuan Shikai sat down limply like a deflated rubber ball. Although the three masters of Beiyang did not agree with Yuan Shikai being emperor, only Duan Qirui's words and actions made Yuan Shikai startled and chilled.He closed his eyes and thought about the reason, but couldn't figure it out; he looked back carefully at the past, and he felt that he had never done anything wrong to Duan Qirui. "Why is there an obstruction?" Yuan Shikai couldn't figure it out. "Does he mean to fight for power with me? No, Zhiquan won't do that." Even though he thought so, Yuan Shikai still found out many things from the past. Waiting for things to make up their own minds, "Is he doing something else?" After Yuan Shikai couldn't think of the reason for the gap between Duan Qirui and him, he thought of Xu Shuzheng, the little fan military strategist known as "Hefei Soul".Yuan Shikai's heart beat: "The source of the wind is probably on this person!" For Xu Shuzheng, Yuan Shikai praised him very much, admitting that he is an extraordinary talent, resourceful, courageous, bold and careful. The "Regulations on State Affairs" at that time moved his heart very much. That kind of foresight, not to mention a young man in his 20s, even a politician who has been in the officialdom for ten or eight years, may not come up with such a vision! Duan Qirui can't think of it Yes, even Yuan Shikai didn't think of such a clever plan, it was Xu Shuzheng. "Xu Shuzheng, a great talent and a strange man, no wonder people call him 'a strange man, he is considered a man of excellence!' Yuan Shikai committed the common problem of those in power in the past: he hated talent instead of loving talent!'" Xu Shuzheng came up with amazing good ideas in front of Duan Zhiquan Is it possible that bad ideas come out astonishingly?" He thought of his several contacts with Xu Shuzheng, Xu Shuzheng's astonishing calmness and arrogant arrogance, and he decided that he was not the one to be used by him. "I have to Pull him away from Zhiquan, let them separate, the 'soul' does not attach to the 'duan'!" Things in the world are constantly evolving.Because the world is in motion.After several incidents "evolved" between Duan Qirui and Yuan Shikai, their emotions also "evolved" accordingly, from helping each other in times of trouble, to being on guard, and into fighting. "Evolution" turned certain non-problem problems into problems again: Yuan Shikai remembered the matter of the model leader, Yuan Shikai thought about whether the emperor should be in charge, Yuan Shikai even remembered the quarrel between the servants in the middle section of Xuefu Hutong...everything is worrying! "Aren't they all related to Xu Shuzheng!" At this time, another incident occurred in the War Department—— After Yuan Shikai became president, the world's first imperialist melee was in full swing, with Britain, France, and Russia on one side, and Germany and Austria on the other. Later, Japan also launched a dog-eat-dog struggle against Germany.At this time, Xu Shuzheng secretly ordered the army stationed in Weixian County, Shandong Province to transport a load of military ammunition to the German army occupying Qingdao at that time.At that time, when the people in power in China were terribly afraid of the Japanese, Yuan Shikai was frightened, annoyed, and yelled, "It's okay! How can you do this?" Doesn’t mean that China is openly participating in the war! What ability does China have to participate in this world war?!” "Come on!" Yuan Shikai shouted. "President..." The servant came in. "Bring the Chief of the Army Section." "Yes." After the servant left, Yuan Shikai's lingering anger still persisted. He was thinking hard about how to deal with this "little fan". When Duan Qirui heard that Yuan Shikai "invited" him, he was taken aback.The Weng and the son-in-law already understood the estrangement between them, and Duan Qirui also tried to avoid Yuan Shikai as much as possible, always hiding when he could not see him; and Yuan Shikai also didn't want to see Duan Qirui more.Therefore, Duan Qirui was a little surprised.However, the president invited him and had to go, so he hurried to the presidential palace. When the two met, Yuan Shikai spoke after some chatter and entertainment. "Zhiquan, I heard that the Weixian garrison sent a load of ammunition to the Qingdao German army. What's going on?" Duan Qirui actually didn't know about Xu Shuzheng transporting arms to the German army.When Yuan Shikai asked, he had no choice but to say, "I'll go back and check and report back to the President." When Yuan Shikai heard this, he immediately became angry again. "What else do you need to ask about the Ministry of the Army?" "Maybe Xu Shuzheng did it." Duan Qirui said, "I'll go back and ask him." "Xu Shuzheng..." Yuan Shikai was obviously very impatient. "You should ask more questions about the Ministry of the Army." Duan Qirui realized that this was Yuan Shikai's accusation for not asking about the Ministry of War.He simply came up with a soft strategy to top him. "Shuzheng can handle the affairs of the Ministry of War. And he has done a good job." "Oh...?" Yuan Shikai wanted to deal with Xu Shuzheng, but he hadn't found a topic yet. Now that the topic came up, he might as well talk about it. "I was just about to discuss Shuzheng with you." "President, please make it clear." "The new policy is complicated, everything needs to be done, and I deeply feel that there are not enough useful people. I want to send Shuzheng to an important position and play a greater role. I don't know what you mean?" Yuan Shikai wanted to "reuse" Xu Shuzheng's words After sunrise, Duan Qirui understood. "It's serious, give me a bottom line, and tear me down." Duan Qirui's nose was misplaced, he smiled coldly, and said: "It's good that the president loves Shuzheng so much. It's just that Qirui also has a request. , please ask the president to remove me from the post of chief minister first, and then, he can do whatever he wants, wouldn't it be more convenient!" Yuan Shikai shivered coldly.He didn't expect Duan Qirui to be really unruly and dare to contradict him.He wanted to get rid of his War Chief at once.However, after all, Yuan Shikai felt that he had too many things to do, and he had to be used for some things.In comparison, Duan Qirui is the closest and tightest among the close-fitting people.Immediately dismissing a chief of the Army Department, the impact is not a small matter. He quickly changed his tone and said: "I just made a motion, and I am not seeking your opinion. The tree is back to the tree, how can I save you? Put it down in advance Let’s talk about it later.” Seeing Yuan Shikai change his tone, Duan Qirui immediately changed his attitude: "I am not partial to Shuzheng, there are too few people around who can handle things like him, I am anxious!" There was a burst of tension, and finally there was no danger! But the murderous intention was buried, and what should happen will still happen...