The Republic is so violent

Chapter 162 The Enemy of Beiyang (7)
Yuan Shikai said with a smile: May I ask you two, if I were to be an emperor, would I be an emperor who would become extinct in one generation, or would I be an emperor who would last forever?

Liang Qichao and Feng Guozhang widened their eyes and looked for the persuasion draft, but found that there was no such item.

Yuan Shikai sighed and said: I am not a fool, of course I hope to be the emperor of all generations.I have seventeen sons, and I can call them all out and stand before you right now.Mr. Ren, you are the most knowledgeable person. You can choose someone who can inherit the throne for me. After you are selected, it will not be too late for me to decide to become the emperor.However, you can only be emperors for two generations.

Feng Guozhang kicked Liang Qichao from the bottom: What kind of broken draft did you make, and none of it matched.

Liang Qichao was furious: It was Yuan Shikai who didn't follow my draft and made me waste a day and a night. Why blame me?

Feng Guozhang said: Forget it, I don't want your draft, let's just talk about it, let's play freely, maybe we can figure out something.

25 Confidential lies

Feng Guozhang tested Yuan Shikai and said: Since there are so many rumors outside, in fact, in terms of the status and achievements of the president, no one in the whole country can compare.At this time, it is not impossible to really make further plans.

Yuan Shikai replied: Hua Fu, you are my old brother for many years, how can you not know what is on my mind and still say this?However, the Revolution of [-] succeeded too easily, and a republic was soon implemented.For more than three years, the party members have made troubles everywhere, making the people unable to live and work in peace and contentment. Therefore, in terms of the trend of people's hearts, the republic is not suitable for China.I also want to hear everyone's opinions.Hua Fu, what do you think of this matter?
Feng Guozhang said: If the state system changes, who does the president think is appropriate to run the country?

Yuan Shikai replied: In my opinion, it is best to return the government to the Qing Dynasty.

Feng Guozhang said: Now that people's hearts are gone, how can they return to the Qing Dynasty?

Yuan Shikai said: Then how about finding a descendant of the Ming Dynasty, surnamed Zhu, to preside over it?
Feng Guozhang said: "The descendants of the Ming Dynasty, there is one there now, that is Zhu Yuxun, Marquis of Yan En."I was the Deputy Commander of the Han Army in Zhengbai Banner. Zhu is a member of Zhengbai Banner. I have met him several times. How can he behave like that?

Yuan Shikai also said: Then follow the method of the Pope of the Vatican and let Kong Lingyi, the 76th generation grandson of Confucius, preside over it.

Feng Guozhang laughed: In China, how can we do it?According to my opinion, wouldn't it be best to ask the president to be in charge?
When it comes to this point, Yuan Shikai has already made it clear, so Yuan Shikai stood up and said something heartfelt to Feng Guozhang: Hua Fu, what do you think is the power and responsibility of the president today different from that of the emperor?Being emperor alone is nothing more than for the sake of descendants.Take me for example, the eldest is lame, the second is a celebrity, the third is a lunatic, and the others are still young, how can we hand over the country to them?Besides, many imperial houses in history did not end well, why should I do this?
Feng Guozhang laughed and said: "But when the heaven and the people return and the yellow robe is added to the body, I may not be able to push it away if I want to."

Yuan Shikai shook his head: I will never do such a stupid thing.I have a son who is studying in London, and I have told him to set up some property there. If anyone persecutes me again, I will go to London and never ask about state affairs again.

When it comes to this point, basically it's just sevens and eights.Moreover, this conversation was open to the public, recorded by Liang Qichao on the spot, and published in the newspaper at the time.This public dialogue gave people the wrong impression that Yuan Shikai did not want to be emperor.

However, this impression is wrong. Whether a person wants to be an emperor is not a question. What's more, the emperor of China has unlimited power but no responsibility. This pursuit of life is in line with human nature.Whether it is Yuan Shikai or the old man who picks up dung in the countryside, there is a beautiful emperor's erotic dream in his subconscious mind.Everyone has this dream, so it should not be a problem. What really becomes a problem is whether Yuan Shikai can become emperor.

Whether it is possible to be an emperor, such a question is convenient for quantitative analysis.

In Yuan Shikai's heart, he was calculating the strength comparison between supporters and opponents every day.There is Duan Qirui on the side of the opponent, but there is a talented soldier Cai E on the side of the supporter. The two can almost cancel each other out, so Feng Guozhang's attitude has become an important weight.

The reason why Yuan Shikai repeatedly stated that he had no intention of becoming emperor was because he knew that Feng Guozhang would not support him at critical moments. Supporting Duan Qirui, things will be easier to handle. At that time, public opinion against the imperial system will form a momentum, and Yuan Shikai will be relieved to avoid arguing with everyone.

But never expected that on the day of this conversation, Feng Guozhang actually cheated Yuan Shikai again.

26 Blindness without Limits

Just after Feng Guozhang had a heart-to-heart conversation with Yuan Shikai, Yuan Shikai's second son, Yuan Kewen, invited him to a banquet in Zhongnanhai, accompanied by Beiyang Duan Zhigui and several internal history secretaries.

During the banquet, Feng Guozhang said with great grief and indignation: The president is too timid. If China does not implement the imperial system, it will definitely not be strong.But today I persuaded the president to come in, and the president gave me a scolding, what should I do?

Yuan Kewen gritted his teeth and said with a smile: I'm afraid the time is not enough.

Feng Guozhang said: After the Kuomintang's second revolution was defeated, it was a good opportunity.At that time, I advised him that the president refused, saying that he was afraid of violating public opinion.What is public opinion?Do whatever you want, regardless of public opinion.Alas, the president was quite decisive at the beginning, why is he a little afraid of wolves and tigers now?

At this point, Feng Guozhang's own attitude has become confusing and unpredictable.

He came to Beijing with Liang Qichao this time, and he had something to say in advance, to test Yuan Shikai's attitude.Therefore, his conversation with Yuan Shikai should be to find out Yuan Shikai's true inner thoughts.But when it came to another occasion, he had the cheek to say that he persuaded him to join, but Yuan Shikai refused. Why is this?

Analyzing it, this is actually Feng Guozhang, after probing, recognized that Yuan Shikai had no intention of proclaiming himself emperor, so he wanted to get a favor, claiming that he supported Yuan Shikai, and even supported Yuan Shikai's proclaiming emperor, but he said it casually, expressing his loyalty and reliability, Why not do it?

In fact, Feng Guozhang hated Yuan Shikai's proclaiming emperor very much, because he hated Yuan Keding the most.In many public occasions, he referred to Yuan Keding as Cao Pi, and complained to someone every day: If President Yuan became the emperor, how could Cao Pi like this be served?
That night, when Yuan Shikai came home from get off work, he heard that Feng Guozhang was talking nonsense again, so he shook his head angrily and said, "Feng Huafu is so unreasonable!"How could Feng Huafu be reasonable!

What Yuan Shikai meant was: Old Feng, Feng Guozhang, I know that you are against the imperial system, so just speak out if you are against it.Everyone speaks clearly, gongs and drums face to face, and then analyze and judge, in order to figure out what should really be done.But you can't talk about no limit, you are obviously here to test whether I want to be emperor, if I say yes, then it's your turn to get mad, and you will definitely fight with me like Duan Qirui.In order to prevent you from killing me, I can only deny it.But you are fine, I denied you but said I was persuading you, please, let's not be too thick-skinned, you can't always be right in everything, you have to give others a chance.

All in all, Yuan Shikai hoped that Feng Guozhang could also be like Duan Qirui. In that case, things would be simple.

But Duan Qirui only has one.

This is where Yuan Shikai's tragedy lies.

In desperation, Yuan Shikai ordered: rebuild Zhengyang Gate.

With this order, the capital immediately went into an uproar.

27 Give an emperor dare not do it

Zhengyangmen, also known as Qianmen, was the most important gate in the capital during the imperial era.This door is not open for non-major events. Usually, only when the emperor died and the coffin was carried out, the two doors would be opened with a bang.During the Gengzi period, the Eight-Power Allied Forces entered Beijing, but only encountered strong resistance at this gate. The coalition forces were furious and bombarded Zhengyang Gate with fierce artillery fire. The intensity of the artillery fire at that time was shocking. Two floors were torn off by coalition artillery fire.

At that time, Zhengyangmen, because the main gate was never opened, people could only go in and out through the Yemen on both sides, that is, through the East and West Hebao Gates.When the Eight-Power Allied Forces attacked, the East and West Hebao Gate was blocked by the defenders. The coalition forces were so angry that they burned the East and West Hebao Gate to ashes.

In the year of Gengzi, the guards of Zhengyangmen were descendants of the Ma family army from the northwest. At that time, more than a hundred Ma family sons died in this battle, and none of them retreated.This incident shocked Cixi, and since then she has favored the Northwest Majiajun, which eventually led to the rise of the Northwest Majiajun.This is something to say later, so I won’t mention it.

Here we only talk about the Donghebao Gate, which was destroyed by the Zhengyang Gate. After these two gates were destroyed, they have never been repaired.Why?This is because some people in the geomantic circle asserted that this gate cannot be repaired, and if it is repaired, it will definitely be detrimental to Emperor Longting.

Thinking about it carefully, people in the geomantic circle are not talking nonsense. Since Zhengyang Gate is specially used to carry the dead emperor out, if you say that you have repaired this gate, isn't this going to carry the emperor's body?
So this dilapidated Zhengyangmen has been left in the middle of Beijing, with small stalls selling goods on both sides, people coming and going, crowded and extremely unsightly.Although it is unsightly, the people of Beijing, with vigilant eyes, are watching Zhengyangmen day and night.People know all too well that this gate is a barometer of China's political situation, an indicator needle, whether it is repaired or not, will determine where China will go.

Obviously, if Yuan Shikai did not cultivate this sect, it would mean that he would ascend the throne and become emperor, so hurry up and persuade him not to delay, this is an inevitable thing.

If Yuan Shikai repairs this door, it means that he really doesn't want to be emperor, let's just do whatever he wants.

Just when Liang Qichao published the dialogue between Feng Guozhang and Yuan Shikai in newspapers and periodicals to get the manuscript fee, Yuan Shikai ordered: Repair Zhengyangmen.

With this order, the people of Beijing suddenly sighed: boring, really boring, this old Yuan is really weak, he dare not be an emperor even if he is given an emperor, what is the future of this person?
(End of this chapter)