Chapter 16 Destination

one On the day Yuan Shikai abolished the imperial system, a very bizarre story happened in Xishan, Beijing: Xishan is located between Cuiwei, Pingpo and Lushi mountains in the western suburbs of Beijing, surrounded by green peaks on three sides.Opening to the plain in the south, it is a beautiful place with dense forests, fragrant weeds, jagged rocks, and clear springs. From the foot of the mountain, there are Chang'an Temple, Lingguang Temple, Sanshan Temple, Dabei Temple, Longwang Hall, and Xiangjie in the dense forest. Temple, Baozhu Cave and Zhengguo Temple.On that day, people digging rocks on the mountainside behind the Dabei Temple unexpectedly opened an ancient cave, which looked like a living room, with nothing left.On the ground in the center of the hall, there are 10 animal sculptures stacked unevenly, and the carvings are exquisite.Cultural relics experts suspected that it was a treasure, but after careful research, it turned out to be 10 kinds of animals, including bear, badger, osprey, bird, wolf, donkey, pig, python, monkey, fox and toad.It is neither like a funeral object nor a single burial.It was the experts who had been pondering for a long time, and suddenly found that there were words under the body of the beast, which were indistinct.After washing, it turned out to be the names of 10 people: Dorgon under the bear, Hong Chengchou under the badger, Wu Sangui under the parrot, He Kun under the wolf, Hai Lancha under the donkey, Nian Geng under the pig Yao, the foot of the python has heard of Fan, the foot of the monkey is Zhang Zhidong, the foot of the fox is Cixi, and the foot of the toad is Yuan Shikai. Some people who have seen Yuan Shikai smiled and said: "Like, very similar. Yuan Shikai always took a figure-of-eight step when he walked, with a short neck and thick legs, really like a leisurely toad." Others said "When Yuan Pikai wanted to be emperor, Tao Ranting was a toad turning over the pit and screaming non-stop from morning to night." Some people even said: "When the little girl saw Yuan Shikai's golden dragon coiled up and dropped the jade teacup in fright, she might have been Scared by seeing the toad? "Is this true or not? No one has verified it. Anyway, it has been rumored in the capital for a long time.

The rumor was spread outside, Yuan Shikai lived in Zhongnanhai, Zhongnanhai was heavily guarded, he couldn't hear it, and he didn't have the heart to inquire.The emperor is no longer, and he still wants to be the president.Therefore, Yuan Shikai was still the busiest person. Lu Zhengxiang's Secretary of State was not a good one. Yuan Shikai took back the gauze hat on his head, and handed it to Xu Shichang after taking it back.Xu Shichang once again boarded the throne of Secretary of State.Lu remains as foreign minister. Duan Qirui was willing to leave the mountain, and Yuan Shikai wanted to resume his post and asked him to remain the chief of the Ministry of Army.But no, Feng Guozhang refused to take the role of chief of staff. This role is more important than chief of the army. Let Duan be the chief of staff.

The imperial system was abolished, and the National Defense Army would naturally no longer be established. Yuan wanted to win over Cai E again.So let out the wind: as long as Cai Gui returns to Beijing, let him be the chief of the army.This is just Yuan's wishful thinking, I don't know if Cai E will do it or not? Yuan Shikai was always anxious. He knew that the situation created by the imperial system could not be stabilized by a piece of paper. If all the relatives and relatives were deserted and the emperor could no longer be the emperor, would there be anyone to support the president? Xu Shichang, Duan Qirui, and Yuan Shikai felt that there was a deep gap between them in official positions; and the many generals and patrol envoys were not the relationship that Yuan Shikai shared weal and woe with.He felt lonely and neglected, and he was depressed and depressed.

However, the things I was afraid of happening happened one after another. After Yuan Shikai announced the abolition of the imperial system, he immediately asked the Beiyang generals on the front line in Sichuan to ask Cai E, the National Defense Army, for a truce and peace talks, and put forward the conditions for the peace talks: 1. The three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi cancel their independence: 2. The security of the three provinces shall be maintained by the military and civilian chiefs of the provinces; 3. All recruits recruited by the three provinces will be disbanded;

4. Soldiers sent to the battlefield by the three provinces are all withdrawn; 5. From now on, the three provinces are not allowed to fight with the official army; 6. One representative from each of the three provinces came to Beijing to discuss the aftermath. These six conditions seem to be Yuan Shikai's "rebellion" and he has won a complete victory. He just asks for "defeat" It can be seen that he still regards himself as the president. Naturally, the National Defense Army cannot accept such conditions. Therefore, they also put forward six negotiation conditions as winners:

1. After Yuan abdicated, he died on loan, but he had to be expelled from abroad; 2. Three people including Yang Du, the culprit of the emperor's system, thanked the world; 3. The 60 million yuan spent on preparations for the grand ceremony and the use of troops should be paid for the investigation of Yuan and the culprits of the imperial system. property compensation; 4. The three generations of Yuan's descendants should be deprived of public rights; 5. In accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, the Vice President of Lebanon will be elected as the President;

6. Except for state servants, all civil and military officials will continue to serve as usual, but regarding the military station, they must be ordered by the National Army. Tit for tat, evenly matched.We can't talk anymore. Yuan Shikai still regarded himself as the president, and the people of the country were very angry. The soldiers and civilians from all over the country rose up one after another. Guangdong became independent; Zhejiang became independent; When Shandong's independence was pending, Shaanxi became independent; Some people even took advantage of the fire to rob and use independence to fight for power: Zhang Zuolin, with a posture of preparing for independence, won the military affairs of General Shengwu and Superintendent Fengtian; Xu Lanzhou wanted to be independent.Zhi won the right to be the deputy military affairs officer in Heilongjiang; even Zhang Xun took the opportunity to gain the power to supervise the military affairs in Anhui, and Ni Sichong was awarded the deputy envoy of the Yangtze River patrol and the post of Anhui patrol envoy... Ben Mi was enough for Yuan Shikai to worry about, and the Japanese followed suit.The Japanese government sent troops to China under the pretext of "protecting nationals from various countries", and ordered the Second Division to be on standby.Under the instigation of the Japanese, Shanqi, the former Prince of Qingsu, and others convened a meeting of the Clan Socialist Party in Dalian to organize the "King Qin Army" to revive the Qing Dynasty;Emergency information flew to Beijing day and night, and Yuan Shikai couldn't rest assured. He wandered around Ju Ren Tang, unable to think of a good plan.

Just when Ju Ren Tang was in a mess, Li Yuanhong came here in a rage.The man from Huangpi, who hadn't seen Yuan Shikai for a long time, said as soon as they met: "The imperial system is no longer in place, and you must have a serious order to cancel my throne. I cannot be your sacrificial object for Hong Xian." Yuan Shikai smiled wryly at him, and was about to explain, when Li Yuanhong said: "I saw a memorial in your "Government Gazette" recommending someone for an official position, saying that this person had been recommended by Li Yuanhong, the Chief of Staff. You have to track it down, what is the basis for this statement? When did I become willing to surrender? If I don’t make it obvious, I won’t agree!"

Yuan Shikai still smiled wryly, but before he could explain, Li Yuanhong had already left in a hurry.Just when Yuan Shikai was at a loss, someone sent a call from Shanghai. He took it and saw that it was from his old friend Tang Shaoyi -- another friend he hadn't seen for a long time.When he opened it, he was surprised just by "looking up". He neither called "President" nor "Deacon" but "Sir"! The telegram said: It has been two years since the White House was separated.Mr. revoked the decree of recognizing the monarchy, and took the post of president. In Mr.'s opinion, he thought that he could be perfunctory, but in the eyes of the world, he became a shame and mourning, which is unprecedented in the history of China and foreign countries... ..

Yuan Shikai threw the telegram on the ground without reading it.Therefore, Yuan Shikai didn't even have the courage to read the telegram from Huan Kang Youwei that came with it. two Yang Du's figure disappeared in Ju Ren Tang.Sun Yuyun, Yan Fu, Liu Shipei, Li Xiehe and Hu Ying also disappeared.It is said that their historical mission has been completed.What they were supposed to do, they did.What they shouldn't do, they want to do, electricity can't do anything about.Even Yuan Shikai thought so.Back then, Yuan Shikai couldn't do without them even when he was tight on "Chou'an".Today, he didn't want to see them anymore.

In addition to the "Six Monarchs of Chi'an", there is also a group of people who are not seen very often, that is, those who are called the "Bu San Taibao" under Yuan's family, such as Zhu Qiqian, Duan Zhigui, Zhou Ziqi, Liang Shiyi, etc. Ruan Zhongshu is the last one However, it also fell out of favor greatly. It's really strange, why does it become more and more distant as we get closer? have no idea. In 1916, Yuan Shikai always felt that fleeting years were unfavorable: he decided to change from New Year’s Day to the New Year’s Day. Five days ago, Rui Fuxiang sent the dragon robe to him to try on. He thought it was not his, so he insisted on not wearing it; The ceremonial officer asked him to review the ceremony schedule, but he didn't even glance at it.That's good, sure enough, I didn't do anything on New Year's Day.Next, there will be great chaos in China from south to north, and Yuan Shikai has nothing to say in his busy schedule.When the provinces became independent one after another, Yuan Shikai was already exhausted and unable to do what he wanted.He pulled out Li Yuanhong, and Li Yuanhong seemed to be at odds with him; he asked Xu Shichang to be the Secretary of State again, but Xu Shichang was at a loss in the North-South peace talks; only Duan Qirui was still a useful person.Thus, on April 21, Yuan appointed Duan Qirui as Secretary of State, replacing Xu Shichang.Duan Qirui insisted on the responsible cabinet system, and Yuan had no choice but to officially announce on May 8 that the Zhengshitang was changed to the State Council, called the responsible cabinet.After further efforts, it was finally agreed to hold a widely representative Nanjing Conference to seriously study urgent state affairs including Yuan Shikai's abdication, the unity of various factions, and the issue of the state system.The meeting was held on May 15th.From the very beginning, the meeting fell into a marathon state, arguing and quarreling, and insisting on their own opinions.Yuan Shikai was sitting in Beijing, sitting in his Juren Hall, trying to remotely control the meeting, so as to achieve the goal of stabilizing the position of the President.Unexpectedly, his abacus could not be carried out as he wished—three people made him lose his mind: Chen Shufan, brigade commander of the Shaanxi Army, was a person who made great contributions to assisting Shaanxi General Lu Jianzhang in chasing the White Wolf Rebellion. Yuan Shikai paid special attention to him and promoted him to be the guardian envoy of Shaanxi.After Yunnan's independence, the Northern Shaanxi People's Army revolted. Lu Jianzhang transferred Chen to suppress it. Unexpectedly, Chen secretly contacted various people's troops and declared independence in Pucheng on May 9, claiming to be the commander-in-chief of the Shaanxi National Defense Army.Lu Jianzhang sent his son, Lu Chengwu, the commander of the First Shaanxi Brigade, to intercept him, but he became a prisoner and Chen's hostage, forcing Lu Jianzhang to leave Shaanxi voluntarily and step down.Chen Shufan went to Xi'an on the 18th and immediately declared the independence of Shaanxi. Shaanxi became independent, and the southwest gate was opened. Yuan Shikai felt that half of the country was shaken. Just when Yuan Shikai was annoyed by Chen Shufan's betrayal, Chen Huan declared independence in Sichuan.Although Chen Huan was not directly related to Beiyang, he was Yuan Shikai's confidant.After Yunnan got nervous, Yuan Shikai put him in Sichuan, wanting him to guard the southwest gate for him and prevent Cai E from going north.After the abolition of the imperial system, Yuan ordered Chen Huan to contact Cai E to discuss the truce in Sichuan.The war in Sichuan was suspended, and Chen Huan, following in the footsteps of Feng Guozhang in Nanjing, was the first to send a telegram to persuade Yuan to abdicate.Yuan Shikai ignored him, and nine days later he sent a second telegram urging Yuan to abdicate.The wording of this power call was very fierce, even the title was changed to "Xiang Cheng", and even called "Yuan's", and he showed that he had sent a telegram to persuade him to abdicate out of public interest, while "Xiang Cheng" said that he had made arrangements , as a place to follow and delay"; the second power-on advice, Xiang Cheng "said that it had been handed over to Feng Huafu at the Nanjing meeting. It is Xiang Cheng's so-called abdication, and it is by no means out of sincerity." The next thing is to say: "Xiang Cheng The city cut itself off from Sichuan first, and the eunuch had to say goodbye to Xiangcheng on behalf of Sichuan people. From today onwards, Sichuan Province will cut off ties with the Yuan family personally." Yuan Shikai was so angry that he almost fainted.The house is leaking and it is raining continuously! The annoyance of the "Second Chen" has not yet disappeared, and Tang Xiangming came out of Hunan again. After Chen Huan, he became the eighth independent province. Tang Xiangming was in Hunan, originally he was determined to secure the southern gate for Yuan, and Yuan also had high hopes.But the people of Hunan did not agree. On the one hand, they formed an anti-Yuan fury, and on the other hand, they started to drive away the soup.In various parts of Hunan, various armed riots broke out one after another, and the Chinese Revolutionaries blatantly organized death squads to rush into the general's office.Tang Xiangming was so frightened that he didn't dare to come out. The internal turmoil in Hunan, the successive independence of Guangxi and Sichuan, and the rise of anti-Yuan fury all over the country, Tang Xiangming had to consider his own future. He established contact with the Kuomintang army through the relationship of Tan Yanyan, a member of the Kuomintang. Recognize Tang as the governor of Hunan, and guarantee that it will not be an old account" as a condition, requiring him to separate from Yuan.Tang Xiangming declared Hunan's independence on May 29.The declaration said: "...the Duke (Yuan Shikai) abolished the imperial system, and he was a sinner under the law of the state. Although Xiang Ming had an affair, he could not forget the righteousness of the country. three Yuan Shikai was ill, very ill. Sanzhong Nanhai ushered in a vigorous summer.However, Zhongnanhai is still frozen and snow-covered, lifeless. Yuan Shikai's condition worsened day by day. Before April, he reviewed documents on time and received guests and subordinates as usual.At that time, he did not admit that he was suffering from any disease, and his physique was very good. When the regent Zaifeng dismissed him, he said that he "suffered from foot disease". Ten years, almost never suffered from headaches.He has 4 Chinese and Western medical officers in Zhongnanhai, and these 4 people are almost idle all day long.Now, he was sick, really sick, and it was difficult even to go downstairs. One day, he called Liu Dingchen, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, to him, and asked by his nickname, "Shaoye, am I sick? Is it mild or serious?" This ancestral Chinese medicine doctor who once served as the county magistrate of Li County and lost his official position because of two Tongdun offended his immediate superior, Duanfang, governor of Shaanxi, has always been kind to Yuan Shikai.Now, Engong is sick, really sick, seriously ill, he can't hide his illness, he has to tell him frankly.However, Yuan Shikai was too angry after all, and his self-confidence was so strong.Liu Dingchen shook his head lightly, and said, "President, people eat five grains. Who can be free from disease! The president has been too busy with state affairs recently, and he is not in a good mood. Most of the chest congestion is caused by depression, which affects sleeping and eating. .If the President relaxes his mind a bit, he will naturally feel happy and comfortable. The illness will naturally be relieved." Yuan Shikai nodded and smiled. "I believe that I am not sick, let alone die. God forbids me to die. If I die, who will clean up this mess? Don't you think so?" Liu Dingchen nodded.Then he prescribed a dose of qi-invigorating drugs such as ginseng, Atractylodes macrocephala, Codonopsis pilosula, and astragalus for tonifying.Finally, he said: "Everyone is like this. When righteousness is strong, diseases are not easy to occur. This is what it says in the "Neijing": righteousness is in it, and evil cannot be done." Where evil gathers, its Qi must be empty.The big president cheers up, he'll be fine soon. "After that, he withdrew. Yuan Shikai only believed in Chinese medicine or Liu Dingchen, "Chinese medicine is better than foreigners using foreign tricks! The pulse is the soul of a person, and everything is on the pulse." Therefore, Yuan Shikai did not believe in Western medicine.He believed Dr. Liu's words. Yuan Shikai was really sick, and it was really the illness caused by the words of encouragement-a fake "Suntian Times" made him half dead with anger; , internally and externally, there was hardly a day without something that made him angry; now, even his cronies Chen Shufan, Chen Huan, and Tang Xiangming stood against him, and even yelled at him. "You don't want me to be the emperor, I'm not the one; you chose my president! I can still be the president if I don't be the emperor, right? I have become a criminal in the law of the country." Yuan Shikai was confused. But it didn't get better. Yuan Shikai lost weight, and his physique was obviously weak. The 58-year-old man must be full of anger.But his face turned earthy; his eyes were also obviously gray, and he often closed them; his conversation was also greatly reduced.Lying on the bed, like sleeping but not sleeping.Urinating has been particularly difficult these days - his obvious symptom is bladder stones.When I urinate, I often hold back until my head and face turn blue. Yuan Keding has always been by Yuan Shikai's side, acting very filial and attentive.I don’t know if it’s an expression of repentance, or something else to look forward to (I’m no longer the emperor, but I’m still the president. According to the Presidential Election Law, “the successor is recommended by the current president. Passing on the sons and virtues is all determined by the current president.” Yuan Keding thought: At the last moment of his death, my father might say "pass on the son". With this sentence, I can deal with everything. The capable second child, Kewen, has already declared that he will not fight for power. Once the father dies, I, Yuan Keding He is the eldest son, the rightful heir, from family to country, who can fight for it?!) Only he, Yuan Keding, knows it. "Master, it's not okay to go on like this. Chinese medicine is too effective, please consult a western doctor." Keding is almost non-negotiable, as long as the father agrees. Yuan Shikai had already suffered a lot, and the pain was unbearable.The water cannot be cut off, if the water is not stopped, you have to urinate.Urinating is painful.Pain is not a good thing for anyone. Yuan Shikai had to change his original intention of not believing in Western medicine, so he nodded in agreement. A French doctor named Bezier walked into Juren Hall.In front of Yuan Shikai's hospital bed, he erected a tall figure, looked at it with blue eyes for a long time, and listened to it with a stethoscope for a long time, before saying: "I need to go to the hospital, have an operation, and get a stone." "The old man is weak!" Yuan Keding said, "I'm afraid he won't be able to withstand the surgery." Blue Eyes shook his head. "There is no way. Urinating will suffocate people." Probably the French also saw that Yuan Shikai could not bear the knife, so he changed his tone and said: "Then we have to catheterize first. Catheterization relieves pain." According to the method taught by their teacher, the French doctors first gave Yuan Shikai a needle in the spine, injected a considerable volume of anesthetic, waited for a while, and then used five glass cupping jars to catheterize Yuan's lower back.However, what came out of the glass cupping jar turned out to be a liquid mixed with musk, but it was just not shown to Yuan Shikai.He could not help groaning, sweat beaded on his brow. The catheterization finally relieved the temporary pain, and Yuan Shikai's face became slightly calm.At dusk, he said to his son: "Call Xu Juren and Duan Zhiquan, I have something to tell them." Yuan Keding said: "Daddy, you are too tired, let's talk about it later." Yuan Shikai shook his head. "Now, I see them now." Yuan Keding went out.After a short time, Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui came to Jurentang.Yuan Shikai held their hands, but shook his head with his eyes closed.Xu and Duan also only shook hands without speaking.After a long time, Yuan Shikai gave Xu Shichang the presidential seal beside him, and then said weakly: "Remember, the president should belong to Li Songqing. I can't do it anymore. Even if I recover, I can't do it anymore." , I'm going back to Zhangde, and I'll still live in Huan." After finishing speaking, he closed his eyes. Xu and Duan stood up and said, "President, rest well, and he will recover from his illness." They stood for a while, and then retreated. It was the night of June 5th.Since then, Yuan Shikai has been in a coma.After the catheterization by a French doctor, Xu and Duan took the president's seal from Zhongnanhai, and Zhongnanhai suddenly collapsed: Mrs. Yu, who had been unknown all her life, first burst into tears.Crying and talking, it seems that only at this moment can I spit out the words that have been stuffed in my chest all my life. "You're going, you go first! You've been sorry to me all your life. You have made so many concubines and raised so many children. When you die, you leave them to me. What do you want me to do?" Mrs. Yu cried and made such a fuss, the aunt and the children were startled: the second son, Ke Wen, led them to kneel down in front of them together, and kept saying "please mother die!" Seeing this situation, the eldest son Keding rushed out to apologize to his aunt, brother and sisters: "Mother is in a hurry, everyone must be considerate, I will take care of everything in the family, and I am to blame." He said to mother again: " Mother, don't make trouble anymore, the uncle is still alive. You take the lead in making trouble, what's the matter!" The chaos at home finally stopped. It was late at night, the sky was full of thick clouds, and the stars had gone to another world.There was no wind, and the night was very quiet. Around midnight, four people including Xu Shichang, Duan Qirui, Wang Shizhen, and Zhang Zhenfang came to Jurentang.But Yuan Shikai had been in a coma for several times and could not speak.Xu Shichang came close to his ear and whispered: "The President has something to say, please arrange it early." Yuan Shikai slightly opened his eyes, moved his lips a few times, but he didn't say a word, and fell into a coma again. Someone was whispering outside the living room of Ju Ren Tang, as if it was news from Hunan again, saying that Tang Tianxi, the deputy commander of the Hunan aid army sent by Yuan to Hunan, had rebelled—Tang Tianxi was originally a character in the Liyuan, and Yuan Shikai liked him for his elegant appearance. , and then pulled to his side as a bodyguard.He, Bai You and Yuan, participated in the Sino-Japanese War between Korea and Japan.There was no cronies to send in the Yunnan Rebellion, so he was appointed as the deputy commander of the Hunan Army.Tang Tianxi's rebellion really shocked Zhongnanhai.It was at this moment that Yuan Shikai woke up.The breeze blew the whispers into his ears, and he could hear them clearly.So, he turned over and yelled with all his strength: "Tang Tianxi is rebellious! Tang Tianxi is rebellious!" After shouting, he closed his eyes again.It wasn't until the east turned pale that he saw his face was quite red again, his eyes opened, hissed his mouth, moved his lips, and after a while, he said: "Yes...it's him... ...Miss me!" With a cry, the phlegm gathered again.He opened his mouth and choked twice, then let go.It was the morning of June 6, 916, when Yuan Shikai was 58 years old. Four Yuan Shikai died, there was one less living person in the world, and one more tomb on the ground. It is said that Yuan Shikai's tomb, buried in Zhangde, Henan, was built with concrete into a "dome" similar to a city gate, and there are also tunnels, stone gates and stone walls.Put here is a gloomy wooden coffin of "12 Chen"; Yuan Shikai lying in it is wearing a heaven-sacrificing gown, a flat sky crown on his head, and red shoes on his feet.Someone said that he was wearing a dragon robe that he wanted to wear in the newspaper but didn't wear it. I don't know if it's true or not? The cemetery covers an area of ​​more than 40 mu.Nothing buried in the ground can be seen, only the ground is left with a green glazed tile-roofed stele building, symmetrical stone pillars, stone horses, stone tigers, stone lions, and stone men; It is called Jingren Hall, where Yuan Shikai's "divine tablet" is enshrined, and the things he often used in his life are also displayed; the first floor of the tomb is covered with cement and iron bars. The first floor is 28 feet long from north to south, and 22 feet wide from east to west. Chi, the tomb is 9 feet high.There are many pines, cypresses, plums, and locust trees planted around the cemetery, which can be seen lush.For the burial of Yuan Shikai, the government allocated 500,000 yuan, and the prime minister, the military governor, the guardian envoy, and the teachers donated another 250,000 yuan to help. However, the universe has not changed in the slightest because of Yuan Shikai's death. God still blows when it should be windy; it still rains when it should rain; the season changes every 120 days; When it’s hot, reduce it; eat when you’re hungry, and sleep when you’re sleepy! Everything is so orderly and calm.It's just: the group of heroes left behind by Yuan Shikai, who started training at the military station, was no longer brothers and sisters, and became intimate. A scuffle broke out, and the First World War lasted for more than ten years.The country is suffering, the people are suffering; the sky is dark, the earth is dark, the sun and the moon have no light...