The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Chapter 249 The sudden collapse of the Qing Empire
The success of the Wuchang Uprising made ancient people from all dynasties feel happy, but also a little worried.

Although the uprising was successful, there was no doubt that it would face suppression by the Qing government.

Everyone remembers clearly that the Qing government still controlled the New Beiyang Army.

With the current strength of the Revolutionary Party, it may be very difficult to counter the New Beiyang Army.

Although everyone knows that the final outcome of the Qing government is its demise, it still requires a process.

In this process, the Beiyang New Army controlled by Yuan Shikai will definitely suppress the revolutionary party.

These revolutionaries are all warriors who overthrew the Qing government and people with lofty ideals who led the people to stand up. We do not want these people to die in the suppression of the Beiyang New Army.

But soon everyone realized that they might have thought too much, and things probably wouldn't be this bad.

After all, the anchor also said that Yuan Shikai overthrew the Qing government in the end.

The Wuchang Uprising combined with Yuan Shikai forcing the Qing emperor to abdicate, and ancient people from various dynasties can roughly speculate on the demise of the Qing government.

The success of the Wuchang Uprising also caused many provinces across the country to rise up one after another and successfully get rid of the control of the Qing government.

Under this situation, Yuan Shikai, who held military power, also took the opportunity to launch a coup, which eventually overthrew the Qing government.

The demise of the Qing government was just as everyone had guessed. Yuan Shikai took advantage of the civil strife to force the Qing emperor to abdicate.

"After the success of the Wuchang Uprising, 18 provinces across the country declared independence and broke away from the rule of the Qing Dynasty."

"For a time, the Qing Dynasty's rule over the country collapsed."

"For the Qing government at this time, the only way to save the situation was to dispatch the six towns of Beiyang."

"If the Beiyang Army can suppress the Wuchang Revolution, then the Qing Dynasty still has room for recovery."

"And the training of the new army in Hubei that they have to face is no worse than that in Beiyang, and the quality of the officers is also similar."

"It's just that the financial resources of the central government are much stronger than those of the local governments, so there is still a certain gap in equipment between the two sides."

"For example, the artillery equipment of the New Army in Hubei is mostly the domestically produced imitation Gruson 57mm mountain-crossing rapid artillery, and there is a lack of large-caliber heavy artillery."

"With such advantages in terms of military strength and equipment, the Qing government was quite confident in putting out the Wuchang Uprising."

"But when it came time to send troops south, Zaifeng discovered a big problem. No one had the ability to lead the expedition."

"Yuan Shikai, who was idle at home at the time, pretended to give a lecture to Empress Dowager Longyu in order to disgust Zaifeng, saying that when the country's survival was in danger, the descendants of the clan should take the lead and set an example."

"Yuan Shikai suggested that Longyu reuse the Eight Banners Young Leaders to see if one of them could be selected to lead troops south to attack the Revolutionary Party."

Regent Zaifeng: It's not that no one has the ability to go out and take command, but Yuan Shikai is so ambitious that he must not be used unless it is absolutely necessary.

The combat effectiveness of the Beiyang New Army is much stronger than that of the local New Army. It is not a big problem to dispatch the Beiyang Army to suppress the revolutionary party.

But the problem is that there is no suitable candidate to serve as the head coach for the expedition. This is the most helpless thing.

Things have deteriorated to such an extent, but no one in the Qing Dynasty can take on this important task, which has to be said to be a tragedy.

The Beiyang Army was trained by Yuan Shikai, and he also knew that Yuan Shikai had the ability to serve as the commander-in-chief to suppress the revolutionary party.

But he saw Yuan Shikai through and knew that this man was ambitious and not a loyal minister who was loyal to the emperor and his country.

It was precisely for this reason that after Yuan Shikai finished training the Beiyang Army, he just found a reason to dismiss Yuan Shikai and go home to retire.

Although uprisings continue across the country and the Qing Dynasty has reached a critical juncture of life and death, he will not recall Yuan Shikai.

He knew very well that once Yuan Shikai regained military power, it would only completely destroy the Qing Dynasty.

"Longyu felt that what Yuan Shikai said made sense, so he asked Zai Tao, who had the most military power among the young men at that time, how about you being in charge of the army and leading the troops? Can you lead the army south?"

"Zai Tao is okay in training soldiers, but he is really not good at letting him risk his life on the battlefield."

"Seeing that Longyu wanted to capture his young man, Zai Tao quickly knelt down and kowtowed, saying that the slave is incompetent. He has only trained soldiers and never fought. He really doesn't know what to do."

"When Longyu heard this, he couldn't say anything else, so he had to give up."

"The more Zai Tao thought about it after he returned home, the more he became afraid. He was worried that Longyu would go back on his word and insist that he take command, so he simply claimed to be ill and resigned from the post of Military Counselor."

"When he heard that Zai Tao had resigned, Yuan Shikai quietly submitted a letter recommending his confidant Xu Shichang to succeed him as Minister of Military Consultation."

"Subsequently, under Xu Shichang's loud public opinion, there was a wave of public opinion in the court asking Yuan Shikai to come out."

"However, because Zaifeng still hated Yuan Shikai at this time and ignored Xu Shichang's guarantee, the Qing government finally determined that the coach was Army Minister Yinchang, who was born in the Zhengbai Banner of Manchuria."

“On October 10, Zaifeng made the following arrangements, appointing Yinchang as the military commander of the First Army, and led the Mixed Third Association of Beiyang’s Fourth and Second Towns, and the Mixed Eleventh Association of Sixth Town south to attack Hankou. "

"Appoint the Military Consultative Government Envoy Feng Guozhang as the military commander of the Second Army. He will command the No. 5 Beiyang Town, the No. 3 Huncheng Cohesion of the Third Town, and the Huncheng No. 39 Cohesion of the Twentieth Town as reserve teams, ready for deployment at any time."

"Appoint Zai Tao as the military commander of the Third Army. He will lead the Imperial Guard and the Army's First Town to garrison the capital and be responsible for patrolling."

Yuan Shikai: The imperial court has reached the point where no one is available. No matter how we arrange the commander-in-chief, it will be useless.

Although the court was afraid of him taking over the military power, it was in vain. Many generals of the Beiyang Army were his people.

This Beiyang Army was organized and trained by him, and a large number of people were deployed. No one except him could command it.

He clearly knew that those royal relatives and nobles were not capable of leading the Beiyang Army, and control of the Beiyang Army would eventually return to his hands.

Although Zaifeng was wary of him, he appointed Army Minister Yin Chang, who was born in the Zhengbai Banner of Manchuria, as the coach.

But it is a pity that Feng Guozhang, the commander of the reserve team, is also his man.

The Beiyang Army commander who went to suppress the revolutionary party said it was Yinchang, but he was actually the controller.

Only he can control this Beiyang army. As long as he doesn't speak, other soldiers will not take action.

The moment he completed his military training, this Beiyang army no longer belonged to the court, but belonged to him, Yuan Shikai.

Although he is idle at home, he has been paying attention to the situation across the country.

The moment he learned about the Wuchang Uprising, he knew his opportunity had come.

"Zaifeng's plan is very good. Let the first town and the imperial guard, which are dominated by bannermen, look after the house. Let the second and fourth towns, which are the most capable, go south to do the dirty work. Let Feng Guozhang, who has always been loyal to the court, take charge of the preparations. Team."

"But Zaifeng forgot that although Feng Guozhang was loyal to the court, his relationship with Yuan Shikai was also very good."

"After Yuan Shikai was deposed, Feng Guozhang has been worried that he will also be hidden."

"In addition, the second and fourth towns of Beiyang that went south were originally the left and right towns of the Beiyang Standing Army. They are the two towns closest to Yuan Shikai among the six towns in Beiyang."

"So when the First Army arrived in Xinyang, Henan, the soldiers immediately threw down their picks and went on strike."

"Yinchang is not stupid either. He knows that although Yuan Shikai lives in seclusion in Zhangde, Henan, he is secretly controlling the frontline war."

"If Yuan Shikai does not come out of the mountain, the soldiers will not be willing to use their lives."

"After much thought, Yinchang asked the court to use Yuan Shikai."

"After receiving the report from Yinchang from the front line, the Qing government officials panicked."

"Longyu had no leverage to refuse and had to compromise."

"Because most of the provinces in the country have become independent at this time. If the Beiyang Army does not arrive in Wuchang to suppress the revolution, the Qing Dynasty will really be over."

"Under this urgent situation, Longyu had no choice but to comply with the six conditions proposed by Yuan Shikai for his release, and appointed him as an imperial envoy, entrusting him with real power to go south to suppress the revolution."

Ying Zheng: In the final analysis, the Qing clan was too useless and could not find a capable person, so it gave Yuan Shikai a chance.

A large army only accepts the command of Yuan Shikai, which shows how seriously Yuan Shikai penetrated this army.

But in the final analysis, the Manchu Qing Dynasty was too decadent, and the clan members were completely useless, not even a single person to suppress the Beiyang Army.

Liu Che: The Qing government's re-appointment of Yuan Shikai was nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst.

The moment the Wuchang Uprising succeeded, the Qing government had ceased to exist in name only, and its demise was only a matter of time.

Uprisings were launched one after another across the country and achieved success. All the Qing government did was a desperate struggle.

It no longer makes sense to send Yuan Shikai to send troops to suppress the uprising or not.

In that case, even if Yuan Shikai took military power and suppressed the revolutionary party, Yuan Shikai, who respected himself as a soldier, would not be able to obey the orders of the Qing government.

A nationwide uprising was launched, and the moment military power passed into Yuan Shikai's hands, it only delayed the demise of the Qing government.

A dynasty that had developed its imperial power to its peak collapsed, which more or less touched his heart, and he could not help but feel the sadness of a rabbit dying and a fox dying in his heart.

"On October 10, Yuan Shikai took up his post and replaced Yinchang, who had worked in vain."

"And on the same day, Feng Guozhang was appointed as the military commander of the First Army, and Duan Qirui was appointed as the military commander of the Second Army. Feng Guozhang was fully responsible for frontline matters."

"On the morning of October 10, the First Beiyang Army began to launch a fierce attack on Hankou."

"The Revolutionary Army and the Beiyang Army repeatedly fought for positions, but in the end due to lack of support, the Revolutionary Army was forced to retreat."

"On the 29th, the Beiyang Army used heavy artillery to bombard the artillery positions of the Revolutionary Army."

"Due to the exposed artillery targets of the Revolutionary Army, and there is also a gap in the caliber of the artillery."

"After an artillery battle, the revolutionary army suffered heavy losses again."

"Then the Beiyang Army continued to advance with the support of superior artillery fire, and the revolutionary army was forced to engage in fierce street fighting with the Beiyang Army."

"On the 31st, the Beiyang Army, tired of street fighting, used heavy artillery to bombard a large stretch of street market in the upper section of Yanjiang Avenue in Wuhan today."

"After the shelling, Feng Guozhang ordered a fire."

"Feng Guozhang believes that there is no difference between soldiers and civilians in Hankou."

"In order to prevent the revolutionary army from hiding in the streets, Hankou must be burned to the ground so that the revolutionary army has nowhere to hide."

"With a huge fire, everything from Sigong Pier to Longwang Temple on Yanjiang Avenue in Wuhan has been burned to nothing."

"Seeing that Hankou could no longer hold on, the revolutionary army had no choice but to retreat to Hanyang."

"On November 11, the revolutionary army crossed the Han River by ferry from Longwang Temple and chose to build positions at Guishan and Hanyang Iron Works."

"The Beiyang Army occupied Hankou on the same day. For more than 20 days, the Beiyang Army and the revolutionary army fought for Hanyang."

"The battle ended on November 11, when Hanyang fell."

"The Beiyang Army occupied Guishan Fort and aimed its guns at the south bank of the Yangtze River."

"In the 41-day Battle of Yangxia, the Revolutionary Army suffered a complete defeat, with 4200 soldiers killed, while the Beiyang Army lost less than 1000."

Liang Qichao: 4200 good men of the revolutionary party were burned to the ground by Yuan Shikai. This Yuan Shikai is really hateful.

When Yuan Shikai was mentioned, his teeth itched with hatred and his heart was filled with rage.

It was Yuan Shikai who chose to help Zhou and join Cixi in the first place, which caused the complete failure of their Reform Movement of 1898 and missed the great opportunity for the rise of the Chinese nation.

Now it was Yuan Shikai who chose to slash the butcher's knife at the revolutionaries and was willing to be the court's lackey, which made him feel very resentful.

Although he was not a revolutionary, the revolutionary party wanted to overthrow the Qing government and save the Chinese nation anyway.

As a good man of the Chinese nation, he naturally wants to support these revolutionaries.

Although in the end Yuan Shikai stepped back from the brink and chose to side with the Chinese people, overthrowing the rule of the government.

But he also had no favorable impression of Yuan Shikai and did not think Yuan Shikai was a hero of the Chinese nation.

On the contrary, based on his understanding of Yuan Shikai, he always felt that after Yuan Shikai forced the Qing emperor to abdicate, he chose to replace him as emperor.

He monopolized power and forced the Qing emperor to abdicate. With such overwhelming power, it was difficult not to be tempted by the throne.

"However, although the Battle of Yangxia failed, the Hubei Revolutionary Army held the main force of the Beiyang Army in the three towns of Wuhan for 40 days." "This also created a favorable situation for other southern provinces to launch uprisings and break away from the rule of the Qing Dynasty. ”

"On November 11, the Hubei military government led by Li Yuanhong made a decision to stick to Wuchang."

"While the city is still alive and the people are alive, if the city dies, the people will die. Even if they beat the last person, the Hubei Revolutionary Army will never surrender."

"Yuan Shikai is very aware of the national situation at this time. If he launches an attack on Wuchang, he may be able to destroy the revolutionary army on the other side, but the losses of the Beiyang Army will not be small."

“And most crucially, now the entire South is in revolt.”

"The Revolutionary Party and the Qing government have formed a confrontation between the north and the south. Is it possible that we will engage in a wheel war with the revolutionary parties in the southern provinces? This is obviously unrealistic."

"Hubei is a New Army uprising, and Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanxi, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou are also New Army uprisings."

"Although the new southern army's combat effectiveness is not as good as that of the Beiyang Army, it is not a soft persimmon either."

"Nearly 80,000 new troops, as well as 70,000 to 80,000 civilian army merchant corps and patrol battalions."

"If we really fight to the death, the 70,000 troops in the six towns of Beiyang are simply not enough to fight."

"Since it is unrealistic, Yuan Shikai simply changed his mind. There is no need to protect the Qing Dynasty as it is approaching its end."

"At the end of November, Yuan Shikai ordered a halt to the attack on Wuchang, then turned around and returned to the capital."

Empress Dowager Longyu: Our Qing Dynasty has not sorry for you Yuan Shikai, why should we betray the Qing Dynasty?
Yuan Shikai's power today was all given by the Qing Dynasty.

The thought of raising a white-eyed wolf made her feel extremely miserable.

She was not unaware of Yuan Shikai's ambition, but she still chose to believe in Yuan Shikai for the one in ten thousand chance.

But in the end, Yuan Shikai still betrayed her trust.

If she had no other choice, she would really not choose to trust Yuan Shikai and hand over military power to Yuan Shikai.

At the moment when military power was handed over, she knew that the fate of the Qing Dynasty was also in Yuan Shikai's hands.

But at that point, except Yuan Shikai, there was no one else who had the ability to suppress the revolutionary party.

When the Qing Dynasty came to this point, she was extremely hurt and didn't know how to face the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty.

Although the Qing Dynasty was already in pieces when Empress Dowager Cixi handed it over to her, the final demise of the Qing Dynasty was not her responsibility.

But no matter what, the Qing Dynasty perished in her hands, and she also has an unshirkable responsibility.

"After a dispute, representatives from the southern provinces reached a consensus that as long as Yuan Shikai supported the republic and forced the Qing emperor to abdicate, he would be elected president."

"The temptation to become the president of the Republic of China is too great for Yuan Shikai."

"From Yuan Shikai's personal perspective, even if he was loyal to the Qing court, even if he really suppressed the revolution."

"The best outcome for him is to be like Zeng Guofan, get a waiting title, then hand over all his power and go home to retire."

"But will the imperial court settle accounts with his wife? Can Yuan Shikai die a happy death?"

"Since ancient times, few people with great achievements have met a good end. Yuan Shikai cannot possibly not know this."

"On the contrary, if Yuan Shikai could comply with the revolution and overthrow the Qing government."

"He can become the president and gain the highest power."

"With the highest power, his own safety is guaranteed, and no one can touch him."

"The biggest benefit of being loyal to the Qing government is to get a good death and become a marquis, and the risk is very high."

"The benefit of overthrowing the Qing government is becoming president, and the risk is very small."

"Every fool knows how to choose."

"So Yuan Shikai rebelled and began to create an atmosphere for the Qing emperor to abdicate."

"He first bribed Xiao Dezhang, the eunuch in the palace, and threatened Longyu that if you were overthrown by the revolutionary army, you would be like King Louis XVI of France, and you would inevitably end up on the guillotine."

"Then he offered preferential treatment and treated Longyu with both soft and hard tactics."

Sun Yat-sen: I still underestimated Yuan Shikai's ambition. I didn't expect that the position of president would not satisfy Yuan Shikai's appetite.

He took office as interim president in Nanjing, and his greatest wish was to lead the revolutionaries to overthrow the rule of the Qing government.

Not to mention how happy he was when he learned that Yuan Shikai no longer wanted to preserve the Qing Dynasty.

After all, the biggest enemy of the revolutionaries is the Qing government, and the biggest obstacle is Yuan Shikai.

Although their revolutionary party is not bad in strength, it is far inferior to the Beiyang Army in Yuan Shikai's hands.

If Yuan Shikai chooses to be loyal to the Qing government, then their revolutionary party will face Yuan Shikai's attack, which may ultimately destroy the good situation.

After weighing the pros and cons, he was willing to give the position of president to Yuan Shikai.

The only requirement was that Yuan Shikai supported the Republic and forced the Qing Emperor to abdicate.

After all, his wish was to overthrow the rule of the Qing government and liberate the people of China, not for the power in his hands.

As long as someone can do this, it doesn't matter if he gives up his power.

But how could he have imagined that Yuan Shikai was not satisfied with the position of president, and wanted to restore the imperial system and become emperor himself.

He led the revolutionary party to overthrow the Qing government and end the anachronistic imperial system, not to make Yuan Shikai emperor.

"Zaifeng had no choice but to resign as regent and retire from the palace."

"From then on, Zaifeng never got involved in political affairs."

"Actually, compared to the die-hards among the Eight Banners Young Masters, Zaifeng is actually an open-minded one."

"Zaifeng has traveled abroad and seen the world. He knows that autocratic rule cannot last long. Only the establishment of a constitution can have any future."

"But at the critical moment of Qing's life and death, Zaifeng gave up."

“In order to curry favor with the die-hards, he reversed course in history, but the result was one wrong step and another wrong step.”

"After Zaifeng escaped from the storm, Liang Bi, the Minister of Training of the Imperial Guard, stood up again."

"He opposed peace talks, opposed the abdication of the Qing emperor, and even wanted to have a military confrontation with Yuan Shikai."

"It was not convenient for Yuan Shikai to take action, so he found the revolutionary Peng Jiazhen and used Peng Jiazhen's blood to blow up Liang Bi."

"Liang Bi's death had a great impact on the current situation."

"The Manchu nobles were so frightened that they asked for leave or ran away. Very few went to court that day."

"When the Imperial Guard heard that Liang Bi was dead, they suddenly felt that they had lost their backbone, and they were also panicked."

"In order to appease the Imperial Guards, Yuan Shikai appointed Feng Guozhang as the commander of the Imperial Guards."

"After Feng Guozhang took office, he treated the officers well and cared for the soldiers, allowing the Imperial Guard to regain its backbone."

"In this way, the Yulin Army, which the Qing government invested heavily in building, was indirectly incorporated by Yuan Shikai."

"After taking care of the Imperial Guards, Yuan Shikai saw that the time was ripe and mobilized the generals of the Beiyang Army to implement military remonstrance against the Empress Dowager Longyu."

Zaifeng: Constitutional monarchy is easy to say, but when it comes to yourself, you are absolutely unwilling to do so.

He knew in his heart that autocratic rule could not last long and would only lead to the demise of the Qing Empire.

When he was young, he studied abroad, saw the Western world, and knew what the West was like.

Europe implements a constitutional monarchy and a republican system.

It is precisely because of this system that the power of Europe far exceeds that of the Qing Empire.

After carefully learning about the constitutional monarchy in Europe, he also thought about implementing this system in the Qing Dynasty.

Because he knew that only by changing the system of the Qing Dynasty could it be possible for the Qing Dynasty to become stronger and no longer suffer bullying from Western powers.

But when he returned to the Qing Dynasty after studying abroad and became the prince of the Qing Dynasty again.

Seeing the political situation of the Qing Dynasty, he retreated again and never mentioned the idea of ​​a constitutional monarchy.

Because he knew very well that if he wanted to implement a constitutional monarchy in the Qing Dynasty, he would inevitably encounter great obstacles, and it would be impossible to realize this system.

Even if he is a powerful regent, he cannot change the political system, and he knows this.

Once he puts forward the idea of ​​a constitutional monarchy, the die-hard ministers who originally supported him will definitely switch sides and no longer support him.

By that time, he can't even keep his own power, let alone change the system.

"On February 1912, 2, Duan Qirui led all the generals of the First Army to send a telegram to the Qing government."

"Republic is a good thing that follows the trend. Everyone in the Beiyang Army supports the Republic. If anyone opposes the Republic, the Beiyang Army will declare war on him."

"If the imperial court does not agree to follow the trend of the Republic, the Beiyang Army will go to Beijing and threaten them with force."

"At this time, the Qing Dynasty had basically lost the entire Central Plains and Han Dynasty, and only a few provinces such as the northeast, northwest, and southwest belonged to the Qing Dynasty in name."

"And the vast majority of the army also escaped from the control of the Qing government as the provinces became independent, and their territory can be said to be basically gone."

"There are only a few troops who are nominally loyal to the Qing government. Not to mention dealing with the revolutionary parties in the south, it is simply not enough to face Yuan Shikai's six towns in Beiyang."

"It is inevitable that you will be overthrown if you continue to hold on. If this is the case, there will naturally be no good ending."

"It's better to take the initiative to admit defeat while you still have some chips in your hand, sell yourself at a good price, and get generous abdication treatment. This was the only and rational choice for the Qing government at that time."

"So on February 1912, 2, under heavy pressure, Longyu and six-year-old Puyi held the last court meeting of the Qing Dynasty in Yangxin Hall."

"During the court meeting, Longyu announced the abdication of the Qing Emperor and stamped the emperor's seal on the abdication edict for the last time, thus ending the Qing Dynasty."

When they heard that the Qing Dynasty was destroyed and Yuan Shikai became the president of the Republic of China, the people in the late Qing Dynasty all cheered and jumped with excitement.

Although their era had not yet reached this point, the news of the demise of the Qing Dynasty still inspired them.

Because they knew very well that with the success of the Wuchang Uprising, the countdown to the demise of the Qing Dynasty had entered.

The decadent rule they endured from the Qing government is about to end, and they will soon usher in the Republic.

They have been waiting hard for this day to come, always looking forward to the Republic of China replacing the rule of the Manchu Dynasty.

The moment they learned that the Qing government was going to perish, the people were looking forward to it all the time.

All the suffering they are suffering today was inflicted on them by the Qing government. Only by overthrowing the Qing government can they get rid of it all.

The news of the demise of the Qing Dynasty not only inspired the common people in the late Qing Dynasty, but also the revolutionaries who worked hard for it were also ecstatic.

Everything they did was to overthrow the Qing government and move the Chinese nation towards a republic.

Now that they know that their ideals have finally been realized, their revolutionary fighting spirit is very high at this moment, which makes them more confident.

The emperors of various periods in the Qing Dynasty all had complicated expressions, and it was impossible to say they were not sad.

They have made countless efforts to spread the legacy of the Qing Dynasty to eternal generations, but the final result has not escaped the curse of the dynasty's demise.

Although they had known for a long time that the demise of the Qing Dynasty was inevitable, hearing that the Qing Dynasty was heading towards its demise step by step still made them feel uncomfortable.

As for the emperors of other dynasties, they all lamented when they saw that the Qing Dynasty, which had reached the peak of its imperial power, could not escape the fate of destruction.

However, they also learned lessons from the fall of the Qing Dynasty and always kept in mind the dangers of seclusion.

They deeply understand that if a dynasty remains stagnant, it will be overthrown by powerful foreign enemies sooner or later.

(End of this chapter)