Soon after Duan Qirui formed the cabinet, he received a letter from Liang Qichao, slightly cloudy:

"Today's public is like a city in Xinhai. The Qing room is not allowed, although Xiangcheng cannot solve the danger of Xinhai; Xiangcheng does not retreat, although the public cannot save today's situation. ”

However, Duan was the one who was picked up by Yuan, and although he knew the same thing, as he himself said, he was "deeply gracious" to Yuan. He is a complete old Chinese soldier, it is absolutely impossible for him to come forward to overthrow Yuan by himself, he can only wait for the Protector Army to defeat Yuan, and then clean up the chaos as the leader of the Beiyang military system.

Yuan Shikai actually didn't want to use Duan Qirui from the bottom of his heart, but he had no other choice. Just as the Qing court didn't want to use him anyway and couldn't do without him. However, Yuan Shikai is not as good as the Qing court, and the Qing court can entrust him with full power, but he cannot entrust it to Duan Qirui.

Yuan Shikai and Duan Qirui were still unable to work together harmoniously at this last moment, and the open conflict was over the choice of secretary general of the State Council.

Duan Qirui needs a right-hand man and very much wants to use Xu Shuzheng as the secretary general of the State Council. But because Xu was the person Yuan didn't like the most, Duan was afraid that he would be stiff when he talked about it with Yuan in person, so he turned it to Wang Shizhen.

Wang Shizhen is a person who no one dares to offend, and no one wants to offend. Of course, he also knew that Yuan Shikate hated Xu Shuzheng, and it was inconvenient to excuse Duan, so he used a perfunctory "dragging" technique, and there was no follow-up for a few days.

Duan couldn't bear it, so he asked Zhang Guogan to accommodate Yuan on his behalf.

Zhang Guogan was also very embarrassed, but because of Duan's face, he hesitated again and again, and said to Yuan Shikai tentatively: "Total. The ideal is to find a secretary general of the hospital by yourself. ”

As soon as his words came out, Yuan's face sank, "Who does he want to use?" With whom? ”

Zhang saw that the situation was not good, but the president asked so much, so he had to reluctantly say: "I want to use Xu Youzheng (Xu's alias) to be familiar." ”

Yuan's face became even more ugly, and he said hatefully: "What a joke, military prime minister, military secretary general, here is the Oriental sword, and there is also the Oriental sword." ”

However, Yuan Shikai was angry, and this was not the time to be angry, so he turned around again, and said to Zhang Guogan with a flat face: "You go and tell Zhiquan (Duan's alias) that Xu Shuzheng is a military talent, so let him be the deputy commander of the army again!" ”

He had made up his mind that the Secretary-General had to use someone he could trust.

Zhang Guogan knew that Duan had entrusted Wang Shizhen, and Wang Shizhen was also sitting at this time. He peeked at the king, only to see that the king had no expression on his face, as if he didn't know anything at all, and thought that the king really had a way to go, and he deserved to be the "dragon of the three heroes of the Beiyang".

Zhang Guogan came out of Yuan and immediately went to see Duan, of course he didn't tell Duan about Yuan's ugly words and ugly face, but only told Yuan that he wanted Xu Shuzheng to be the deputy commander of the army.

Before he finished speaking, he saw Duan slam the table and throw the pipe in his mouth on the floor with his hand, his face more ugly than Yuan's.

yelled: "Why, even today, you still refuse to let go at all!" ”

In the end, Yuan designated Wang Shitong as the secretary general, but the compromise method was to have Xu Shuzheng as the deputy secretary, that is, the deputy secretary general.

Duan Qirui only knew at this time that in Yuan Shikai's place, the responsible cabinet was just a false name. Pavilion. Total. LI Lianguo. Business. The secretary general of the House of Representatives cannot be sent.

However, Duan Qirui still wanted to make a difference and do a lot of work, but it backfired.

The first major thing he did when he came to power was to order China and the Bank of Communications to stop cashing cash.

The person who came up with this idea was Liang Shiyi, a financial magnate in the early years of the Republic of China and the leader of the transportation department. Duan and Liang have an excellent relationship. After Duan came to power, he thought that to clean up Yuan's mess, he must first straighten out the finances, so he asked Liang for advice. Liang told the whole story of the financial situation at that time, and also told Duan the actual situation of China and the transportation industry.

Liang said: There are more than 70 million yuan of banknotes in the popular market of the two banks of China and the Bank of China, but the inventory is only more than 20 million yuan, and about 20 million yuan of commercial funds have been loaned to the government over the years. The government has 40 million yuan, and at present, if it wants to maintain the military and government expenses that should be paid, and cannot borrow domestic or foreign debts, the only way is to issue more banknotes. The issuance of additional banknotes is inflationary, and there may be a run, and the situation will be out of control. Duan thinks that it is difficult for a good woman to cook without rice, so she can only take a risk, make time, and sort out and cash.

Duan Qirui acted resolutely, and then issued an order by the State Council on 12 May:

"Dating back to the outbreak of the European War, financial stagnation, and business withering. Recently, due to many domestic reasons, the people's livelihood is declining, and when I think of this, I am really worried. When the financial situation is urgent, the paper money of the National Bank has a law to temporarily suspend the cashing and prohibit the withdrawal of bank cash, so as to maintain the funds, so that the cash can be preserved, and the capital turnover of various industries. Faliang Lipu should be imitated. The Ministry of Finance and Communications shall transfer the money to the Bank of China and the Bank of Communications, and from the date of the order, all banknotes issued by the two banks and the amounts payable shall not be allowed to be cashed in cash for the time being. Once the overall situation is decided, a court order will be issued and paid regularly.

"The reserve cash shall be obliged to seal both banks. To the provinces and localities, the generals, commanders, and inspectors shall be appointed by the generals, commanders, and inspectors, and wherever there are separate organs for these two lines, the local officials shall dispatch military police at their discretion to monitor the two lines, and they shall not pay the cash in violation of the present without permission. And strictly enforce the pressure to prohibit nuisance. If there are officials, businessmen, military and civilians who do not accept the two lines of banknotes, or the recipient reduces the discount on his own, etc., he should be strictly investigated at any time. In accordance with Article 9 of the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the National Currency Regulations, we will contact the Chamber of Commerce and the two banks on the one hand, and work together to carry out the work in unison. The two banks were also instructed to report to the Ministry of Finance a detailed list of the types of exchange coupons that have been issued, in order to prevent excessive issuance. Earnestly obey them. This order! ”

After this order arrived in Shanghai, Song Hanzhang, manager of the Bank of China in Shanghai, was shrewd and skillful in considering the overall situation, immediately invited the shareholders to a meeting to discuss the countermeasures, and decided on five points:

(1) Bank of China in Shanghai, with two supervisors appointed by the Shareholders Federation, shall supervise the Bank and cooperate in the affairs of the Bank, which shall be presided over by the Shareholders Federation. Later Politics. The government is not allowed to withdraw money, and everything is handled in accordance with the business of ordinary banks. (2) All the property and liabilities of the Bank have been handed over to the foreign lawyer to manage all on behalf of the shareholders, and the Bank has the right to audit the accounts at any time. (3) The banknotes of the Shanghai Branch shall be fully prepared and handed over to the foreign lawyer for safekeeping. Cashing at any time and not stopping payment, that is, the central government has ordered other places to stop cashing, but Shanghai still handles it as usual. (4) All deposits shall be redeemed at maturity. (5) If there is a loss in the future, the shareholders' federation shall be responsible for the north and south government. Government negotiations, return to the official government. The government admitted.

As a result of this move by the Bank of China in Shanghai, the shopping malls in Shanghai have been stabilized without any disturbance, and the Bank of China in various provinces has more effective laws.

What to do, it is not enough to just talk about right and wrong on the basis of facts, the important thing is to conform to the actual situation of the local situation at that time, and the so-called person who knows the times is a handsome man.

After the suspension of the two banks of China and Communications, most outsiders blamed Liang Shiyi, thinking that Liang was afraid that the Bank of Communications would not be able to turn around, so he made this strategy. There are also rumors that Yuan Shikai wants to flee and wants to smuggle the cash of the two banks to foreign countries.

In short, this is indeed the next step. Because in this way, the people's hearts are more scattered, Yuan Shikai personally and his government. The government credit is completely bankrupt.

In the face of the declining political situation, Yuan Shikai knew that the imperial system could not be thought about anymore, and he felt that if he wanted to maintain the position of president, he must cut off from the imperial system.

After some planning, on May 29, Yuan Shikai published "Announcing the Beginning and End of the Imperial System".

This is a "big" article that places the blame for changing the state system on the provinces, presenting himself as a republican figure, an honest man who is easily deceived. In the end, Yuan He threatened to publish the telegrams of the military and civilian governors of the provinces and regions requesting a change in the state system and the successive promotion and early accession to the throne, hoping to kidnap these people firmly on his chariot.

This is the last and most important proclamation of Yuan Shikai before his death, and the full text is as follows:

"The President's Decree: According to Navy Chief Liu Guanxiong who returned to Beijing from a cruise, after the revocation of the imperial bill, the masses of people have been confused, rumors have flourished, and those who have done good things have taken advantage of the situation to incite, and the number of people is complicated and fragmented. On March 21 of this year, the President of the General Assembly issued a decree to revoke the case of recognition of the imperial throne on December 11 of the previous year. Recently, those who oppose it often make bizarre statements and completely ignore the facts, and in slandering a person's reputation for perverting right and wrong, it is not harmful to stir up a national trend and disturb the peace, so they have no choice but to clearly describe the facts from beginning to end, and announce them to the whole country, so as to stop rumors and incitement, and maintain public order:

"In the previous year, the citizens of various provinces and autonomous regions, as well as the princes of Manchu, Mongolia, Hui, and Mongolia, rushed to the Senate to petition the Legislative Yuan to reform the state system, and with the authority of the President, although it was not appropriate to express his views to the people and the Legislative Yuan, it was indeed a duty to maintain the republic; It is the declaration of Yang Shiqi, the right man of the special political affairs hall, to come to the Legislative Yuan, thinking that the reform of the national system, the incompatibility of matters, to the people's petition, in addition to consolidating the national foundation, revitalizing the national situation, the Republic of China Constitution, is being drafted, weighing the national conditions, discussing in detail, when there are good rules to apply, it is the petition of the President of the People, and it is really intended to be included in the scope of the Constitution.

"The formulation of the constitutional procedure is rooted in the Covenant Law of the Republic of China, and the national system is in the process of being maintained. According to the petitions of citizens of various provinces and autonomous regions, as well as Manchurian, Mongolian, Hui, and Tibetan citizens, the Legislative Yuan recommended that the government be administered. The government may convene a national assembly in advance, or seek other public opinion and appropriate measures to solve the problem fundamentally.

"The President of the General Assembly has consulted and decided on the Constitution as the function and power of the National Assembly, and after the re-election has been completed, a meeting will be convened to solicit the correct public opinion; Gai is also the original intention of the Constitution of the Republic of China. The Legislative Yuan, in reply to the National Petition Federation and the National Citizens' Delegation, convened a meeting and resolved that the National Assembly shall decide on the national structure and agree on the Organic Law in accordance with Article 8 of Article 1 of Chapter 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of China.

In order to respect the will of the people, it is necessary to resubmit it to the House of Representatives, pretending to be the will of the people, and it is the basis for the choice of the national system. At that time, the princes of Manchu and Mongolia, as well as the civil and military officials of various provinces and regions, still asked for the establishment of a constitutional monarchy as soon as possible, and they could not wait.

"The President of the Republic of China has also reformed the state system, which is a matter of great importance, rash and reckless, but it is not a matter of the whole of the people of the Republic of China, which is the sovereign principle of the Republic of China, to settle the state system, and to obey the people, but to supervise the subordinates, to maintain order, and to wait for the final settlement of the people; It is the President's refusal to listen to urgent requests and his conscientious willingness to act in accordance with the correct will of the people and respect the sovereignty of the people. In addition, there were many explicit orders and telegrams, strictly admonishing the provinces and autonomous regions to supervise the election of the national congresses in accordance with the law, to be cautious in handling matters, and not to be hasty and sloppy, which would lead to malpractice, and specially sent Dong Kang, president of the Dali Yuan, Cai Baoshan, Xia Yinguan, Fu Zengxiang, and Mai Zhiyan, to strictly inspect the illegality of the election of national deputies, and to correct and cancel them. The President respects the will of the people, strives to be correct, and takes precautions against the slightest, especially in every way.

"The National Assembly shall submit a decision on the number of votes of the group, and all the representatives of the people shall elect President Ben as the emperor, and entrust the Legislative Yuan as the general representative, and call for the throne to come; The President of the People's Republic of China believes that the sovereignty of the Republic of China in the "Covenant" is based on the whole people, and since it has been voted by the National Assembly, there is no room for discussion in the national system.

"At the beginning of the establishment of the Republic of China, the President of the University had sworn to the Senate to strive to promote the republic, and if the imperial system was to act on its own, it would be to renounce the oath, and there was no way to explain the letter of faith. However, the president of the National Assembly is still maintaining the status quo of the whole country in his original name and current positions, and this reluctance to claim to be the emperor is obvious. The Commander-in-Chief of the National Congress and others do not forgive and disdain, and are forced to say that they have no merit and virtue, and for the sake of modesty, and also the oath of the day, which is rooted in the position of the head of state, and the status of the head of state is rooted in the state system of the Republic of China, and the state system is determined by the intention of the people, and the head of state should be subject to the will of the people, and the will of the people is republican, then the oath is valid with the national system, and the will of the people is constitutional, and the oath also changes with the national system. Please execute again.

"The president of this university is not the one who is in the right position; Gai has always been in the original intention of resignation, and has not changed slightly. The President of the General Assembly treats things with sincerity, and all the officials do not have the intention of being promoted, the opinions of the parties are not free from bigotry, and the election of the overseers and the voting of the deputies are not properly completed. Those who oppose the imperial system today are mostly in favor of it today, especially beyond the expectation of this president, and this is unwise and undeniable.

"Yunnan and Guizhou have risen from the army, and the president of this university is guilty, although the Senate has decided to use troops and the national army, but to defend Sichuan and Hunan, he has not tried to succeed in the army, and he has compassion for the people, and it is difficult to sleep and feed him, how can he use the original intention of saving the country and the people, and the excuse of competing for profit and power? The Legislative Yuan was ordered not to be submitted, and the Legislative Yuan was ordered to be convened in advance, hoping to convene a meeting at an early date to solicit opinions in order to turn around. Following the thought of all parties guilty, in one person, suffering my souls, working my soldiers, the crowd is confused, the business is withering, the heart is introspective, and the good use is clear; It was a case of explicit declaration that the imperial system would be recognized, and it would be cancelled immediately, and the preparatory matters would be stopped immediately. The facts are at the end of the matter, slightly more than the same, the original case is preserved, and it can be re-pressed. In addition to the military and civilian governors of all provinces and autonomous regions who have asked for the change of the national system and the successive promotion of the emperor and asked him to ascend to the throne as soon as possible, the telegrams are hereby announced that the whole party has heard of it! This order. ”

If a person makes a mistake and can admit it, his prestige will not only not be reduced, but can only be increased. And Wen Guofei can only make people more disgusted, Yuan Shikai's trick is clumsy and despicable, except for making the world see his shameless face more clearly, it has no meaning.