Master Yuan, start!

After that, he put the matter behind him.

Now, Yuan Shikai is sitting in Zhongnanhai on the west side of the Forbidden City in Beijing, welcoming guests from afar.

America’s old friend, Hoover!

Chapter 343: Chinese and Foreigners’ Views

Zhongnanhai, Yingtai.

This place where Emperor Guangxu was imprisoned to death in the original time and space seems so inconspicuous in this time and space.

As a summer resort, it cannot catch up with Chengde; as a place for sightseeing and rest, it cannot compare with the Summer Palace.

The only thing worth mentioning is that it is relatively close to the Forbidden City.

The straight-line distance is only 3 miles, and the emperor can use it as a larger imperial garden for barbecues and other things.

In fact, successive Qing emperors did make such a choice.

When they entertained Mongolian and Tibetan nobles, they often felt that the Forbidden City was "too cramped" and mostly chose to entertain guests in Zhongnanhai, which was just a stone's throw away.

The term Zhongnanhai was actually an informal name before the demise of the Qing Dynasty.

Its original name was Taiye Lake.

Because Taiye Lake is shaped like a double-headed ruyi with a thick handle, the north and south ends of the ruyi are called the South Sea and the North Sea respectively, and the middle is called the Central Sea.

The Zhongnanhai Forbidden Area, which became widely known in later generations, is a general term for Zhonghai, Nanhai and their surrounding buildings.

Zhongnanhai was originally a place for concubines in the Qing Dynasty court to relax and entertain in the summer, and it was not considered very important.

It was not until Cixi imprisoned Guangxu in the Yingtai of Zhongnanhai that it became widely known. Even foreigners knew that there was such a place within four miles of Beijing.

Later, during the warlord period, a group of "marshals" came to Beijing and felt that living in the Forbidden City was too conspicuous. In addition, they did not want to see the little emperor every day, so they chose to station in Zhongnanhai, which was closest to the Forbidden City.

Since then, Zhongnanhai has been associated with government offices.

After Yuan Shikai arrived in Beijing and handled important matters, he moved into Zhongnanhai with his entourage and security corps.

The office address was chosen to be Yingtai.

In this time and space, Guangxu was still unconscious in the Imperial Hospital, and Yingtai was not affected by the unfortunate event of "the emperor's sudden death".

Coupled with the beautiful scenery, not many people objected to Yuan Shikai working here.

In fact, the criteria for his selection here are also very simple.

First, it is to avoid building as much as possible. There are many buildings near Zhongnanhai, and any of them can be used as offices for party, government and military agencies.

Moreover, this place is close to Liulikou Railway Station, which makes it convenient for people traveling south and north.

Second, security work is very easy to do.

If Yingtai is converted into a circle, 360 out of the 350-degree defense angle is water, and only the northern part is connected to the land through a narrow channel.

In this era without long-range remote-controlled bombs, Yingtai is undoubtedly an extremely safe house.

evening.

Yuan Xiangcheng, along with several members of the Red Confucian Society and an old man, stood on the second floor of the Hanyuan Hall in Yingtai, gazing at the sunlight reflected on the lake.

After a moment, he looked at Weng Tong who was heading north from Changshu behind him and asked:

"Zhai Weng, have you ever thought that the imperial court would end up like this?"

"Of course I have thought about it."

Facing Yuan Shikai, who was dressed in military uniform, Weng Tong habitually bowed to salute him.

But he suddenly remembered the "Five Points of the Republic" that he had heard almost every day in the past six months.

So, Weng Tong stopped his actions, clasped his fists and just bowed.

Looking at Yuan Xiangcheng in front of him, Weng Tong felt mixed emotions.

I never thought that you, Yuan Weiting, would have such means to transform the monarchy into a republic and the emperor into a president.

As a result, no one in the country dared to claim to be emperor.

From now on, the people will only know that it was President Yuan who established the Republic, but they will not know that it was Yuan Shikai who disrupted the Qing Dynasty.

Weng Tong was the teacher of Emperor Guangxu, and naturally had a bit of nostalgia for the Qing Dynasty.

But at the same time, he naturally knew that the National Revolutionary Army was fighting a bloody battle with the Russians outside the Great Wall.

Looking back to the past, when he was the Minister of Punishments, he had explicitly opposed the Treaty of Livadia signed between Chonghou and the Russians.

Now, he is extremely excited to see the Russians suffer a defeat at the hands of the Chinese.

However, in Weng Tong's heart, there have always been two countries, one is the specific Qing Dynasty, and the other is the abstract China.

Most of the time, Weng Tong combined the two into one.

However, when they really separated, Weng Tong felt a little at a loss.

However, people under the eaves have to bow their heads.

Weng Tong understood this principle, so after thinking for a moment, he seemed to have thought of something and added:

“Grand President, what a good name! Although you may not be the Son of Heaven in name, you are the Son of Heaven in reality.

Weiting, this is a brilliant move! "

Weng Tong originally thought that this flattering remark would win Yuan Xiangcheng's favor, but he did not expect that Yuan Xiangcheng was not happy but worried after hearing it, with his brows furrowed, obviously not liking this remark.

"Mr. Zhai, I called you from Changshu because you have done me a favor and you are a master of calligraphy and painting. I gave you a title and asked you to help count the antiques, calligraphy and paintings in the Forbidden City.

If you look at me like this, it would really... really chill Xiangcheng's heart."

"This"

Weng Tong was speechless for a moment, not knowing what he had said wrong, and looked at Xu Shichang beside him for help.

Unexpectedly, Xu Shichang just smiled slightly and did not intend to answer. Instead, he started talking to the guard beside him.

"Well, Mingye, have you ever thought that one day you can come to the emperor's bedroom and take a look inside?"

"I have, of course I have!"

Mingye looked at the beautiful scenery in front of him with a thoughtful expression.

Ming Ye followed Yuan Shikai at the beginning of the military training in Korea. After defeating the French in 1885, he secretly joined the Red Confucian Society and set the ambition to fight against the Qing Dynasty.

Over the years, as the SI National Defense Army and the Eighth Red Confucian Society grew stronger, it would be a lie to say that Sanye had never even considered the idea of ​​breaking into the capital.

But Mingye knew that the chief instructor hated it most when others compared him with the emperor.

On the contrary, the chief instructor repeatedly emphasized that the President was not an emperor, and even reprimanded several local Red Confucian Society officials who submitted congratulatory messages and offered auspicious signs.

Therefore, the old man's repeated mention of the similarities between the emperor and the president made the chief instructor a little unhappy.

So, how can we highlight the uniqueness of the President without making the chief instructor feel that we are comparing him with the emperor?

Thinking of this, Ming Ye paused and said:

"The word 'Emperor' sounds very prestigious, and it means one controls the whole world.

But I didn't expect that what I would face every day were just the small mountains and small waters in front of me.

If he had not been forced to flee to Korea, Emperor Guangxu would probably have never set foot outside the capital.”

"Hahaha, you see it clearly."

Yuan Xiangcheng laughed out loud and nodded happily:

"You're right. The emperor ruled the world, but in reality, most of his people grew up in the deep palace and had no idea how vast the world was or how complex the people were.

If you can't even travel ten thousand miles, how can you manage the people of the world even if you read ten thousand books?"

Yuan Xiangcheng's words were full of disdain and arrogance.

However, Weng Tong knew that what he said was true.

As the ancients said, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.

How can an emperor who grew up in the deep palace be on equal footing with court ministers who fought their way out of thousands of troops?

"Old Master Zhai, if you cannot govern one region, you are not qualified to govern the world.

The imperial system has become a pile of dead bones in a tomb. Its best fate is to be understood in books.

In the new era of the republic, there is no longer a ship that can carry the emperor.

From now on, in Republican China, everyone can be president, not just one family or surname.

Moreover, the president must start from humble beginnings, truly starting from the state and county level."

However, before leaving, he still entrusted an important task to Weng.

"Zhai Weng, since ancient times, those who lost their country would compile their history.

After counting the antiques, calligraphy and paintings in the Forbidden City, please do not return home, but stay to sort out the historical materials of the Qing Dynasty over the past few hundred years.

I want to leave a complete history of the Qing Dynasty for future generations.

I think Zhai Weng has his own decision on how to deal with this."

"Hmm?" Weng Tong was originally in a depressed mood after hearing Yuan Xiangcheng's disparagement of the Qing Dynasty.

But when he heard that Yuan Shikai had ordered him to organize the historical materials of the Qing Dynasty, he was a little bit unbelieving.

To compile the history of the previous dynasty, this is an opportunity that many scholars and literati dream of.

Now, it has fallen on my head?

"I...I am following the President's orders!"

Weng Tong took a deep breath, bowed deeply, and slowly retreated.

Looking at his receding back, Yuan Xiangcheng had no expression on his face.

In fact, his idea is very simple. Would you rather be remembered in history as a compiler of the history books of the previous dynasty, or be infamous for being a sacrificial victim of the Qing Dynasty?

Yuan Xiangcheng believed that as long as he was not stupid, he could make the right choice.

Moreover, even if we take a step back.

If the Qing history compiled by Weng Tong cannot achieve the effect he wants, then the worst that can happen is that he will have to recompile it.