In order to express his support for the convening of the Nanjing Conference, on 17 May, Yuan Shikai sent a telegram to Feng, Zhang, and Ni.

"Yu retired to the countryside, and had no intention of coming out. Unfortunately, Xinhai changed, and forced the gentlemen to serve in state affairs, not avoiding difficulties and dangers, but with a long heart and a short mind, and a thick bush. Since Yunnan Province has been in trouble, there has been a commotion from far and near, and there is no insight or a lack of contingency strategies. Stacked with the dignitaries and other people to plan ways to deal with the aftermath, everyone said that the relationship between internal and external is extremely serious, and if you are not careful, you will die. Recently, Tang Jiyao, Liu Xianshi, Lu Rongting, Long Jiguang, etc. have abdicated as the key to eternity, and Chen Eun has also persuaded each other to rest.

"However, if I don't properly plan for the aftermath and let go, listening to the danger of the country, it is not the original reason for me to save the country, and I especially feel that I have no way to deal with the people. At present, the most important thing is to study the way to deal with the aftermath, and once there is a proper way, it can be solved immediately. The general and others had agreed to gather with the representatives of various provinces to discuss the plan, and they were not pleased. The situation is urgent, and the internal and external dangers are coming, and it is hoped that the aftermath will be effectively studied, and the policy will be determined quickly, and the government will be at any time. The government will consult, properly determine the responsibilities of each party, so that the country can be stable, and it will not be overturned immediately. ”

On the surface, he put on a detached high posture, but secretly he deployed troops to make a final struggle. He ordered Liang Shiyi to be responsible for raising military expenses, and ordered Cao Rulin to allow Japan to exchange political loans on favorable terms.

At this time, Shaanxi, Hunan and other places were almost out of control, and Yuan Shikai first drew up a plan of "conquering Hunan, Dingshaan, and Gulu".

The plan was to send Ni Sichong as the commander of the expedition to Hunan, and after the matter was decided, Wang Zhanyuan would be transferred to supervise the military affairs of Hunan, and Ni Sichong would be in charge of the military affairs of Hubei. Pai Lei Zhenchun marched from Henan to Shaanxi. Jin Yunpeng, who had an ambiguous attitude, was transferred to supervise Shandong military affairs and suppressed the Shandong People's Army.

On the other hand, he was ready to transfer Feng Guozhang as the commander-in-chief of the expedition to Yunnan or the premier of the cabinet, and prepared to launch another all-out offensive against the southwest protector army. At the same time, Xu Zhangxun supervised Jiangsu's military affairs in exchange for Zhang's support for him.

The Nanjing meeting held its first meeting on 18 May, and the list of deputies from the 17 provinces attending the Nanjing meeting were: He Enpu and Cheng Yongjie from Jiangxi, Cui Tingxian and Li Jun from Shanxi, Sun Jialin and Ding Shiyi from Shandong, Bi Taichang and Ye Ji from Henan, Zhao Xifu and Wang Enhong from Fengtian, Zhang Shu and Dai Yijian from Jilin, Li Jinglin from Heilongjiang, Chen Yishi from Hunan, Feng Xu and Yang Wenkai from Hubei, Jia Wenxiang from Fujian, Zhao Chan and Wang Bin from Shanghai, Wu Tao and Liu Xijun from Zhili, Xia Dongxiao from Rehe, He Yuanchun from Chahar, Xiong Kaixian from Suiyuan, Wan Chenglu from Xuzhou, and Pei Jingfu from Bengbu.

From 19 to 21 July, the second, third, and fourth meetings were held consecutively, and the fifth meeting was held on 22 July.

At the first meeting of the first day, Ding Shiyi, a representative of Shandong, proposed that Yuan Shikai must abdicate, which was of course secretly supported by Feng.

Ding Shiyi was the first person to instigate independence in Shandong in the Xinhai year, and before the establishment of the Preparatory Security Council, he had secretly submitted to Yuan to advocate changing to the imperial system. Hunan delegate Chen Yishi echoed Ding's suggestion, and the provincial deputies did not oppose it, and it seems that the question of Yuan's abdication had a great advantage in the first meeting of the Nanjing Conference.

Unexpectedly, the situation changed that night, and Ni Sichong rushed to Nanjing with three battalions of guards. Ni had already sent Pei Jingfu as a representative to attend the Nanjing Conference, and he led the guards to the meeting, and it was obvious that he was instructed by Yuan Shikai to take control of the conference.

After Ni Sichong arrived in Nanjing, he attended the second meeting on 19 May.

He spoke first and advocated maintaining Yuan's presidency. Ding Shiyi stood up against Ni's opinion, and Hunan deputy Chen Yishi, Hubei deputy Feng Xu, and Jiangxi deputy He Enpu spoke one after another, echoing Ding's opinion.

Ni asked Ding menacingly: "Are you the representative of General Jin (Jin has not yet been removed from his post at this time)?" General Jin is a supporter of the central government, why did you fornicate with the south? ”

Chen Shi Shi Ding explained: "It's not that he doesn't support the central government, but that a gentleman loves people and virtues, and it is also for President Yuan. ”

Feng Xu and He Enpu also chimed in: "Advocating abdication is not the same as opposing President Yuan, but thinking for President Yuan." ”

Feng Guozhang, who served as the chairman of the meeting, saw that the situation was tense, and quickly opened his words, and included the theme of the meeting on the issue of "being able to fight before being able to make peace."

Zhang Xun's representative, Wan Shenyan, did not express his opinion one day, but on this day he fully supported Ni's opinion and opposed Yuan's abdication. As a result, the other delegates did not dare to speak on this issue, so the meeting could not reach a conclusion on the question of Yuan's abdication.

On the issue of preparing for war, Ni and Wan asked how many troops could be sent from each province? The representatives of Shandong, Jiangxi, and the two lakes were silent.

Henan: A brigade can be made. Shanxi: Unable to help neighboring provinces, the government has no financial resources to spare. Fengtian: If he has something to do, he can send 20,000 troops.

Jilin: It is asserted that the three eastern provinces have no diplomatic strength to send troops. If there is an external trouble, two thousand can be dispatched. Zhili: If there is nothing to do in Shandong, 1,500 troops can be dispatched.

Chahar, Suiyuan, Heilongjiang, Fujian, Shanghai, Ningxia, Anhui and other places all said they could not afford to send troops.

Yuan Shikai originally wanted to use this meeting to draw a large number of troops from all over the country to recruit the national protection army, but Ni Sichong asked this question. Seeing such a result, I can only give up.

At the third meeting of the Nanjing Conference on 20 May, Feng Guozhang first declared: "On the question of abdication, this Council has no right to vote, and the National Assembly should be convened to discuss and decide." ”

The delegates agreed unanimously, but could not propose a way to convene Congress.

After repeated consultations, the fourth meeting on 21 May and the fifth meeting on 22 May decided on Ding Shiyi's proposal, and the method was approved by Feng Guozhang. Delegates from the independent provinces of the Qing Dynasty were invited to attend the Nanjing Conference to resolve the presidential issue.

Ni Sichong disapproved of the representatives of the independent provinces sitting at the same table for discussion. Zhang Xun was bent on getting the supervision of Jiangsu's military affairs, and he was eager to drive Feng away, so he adopted the same attitude as Ni.

After the Nanjing meeting, Feng, Zhang, and Ni jointly issued a telegram:

"Mr. Tang Beigeng of Yunnan, Mr. Liu Ruzhou of Guizhou, Mr. Long Zicheng of Guangdong, Mr. Lu Ganqing of Nanning, Mr. Lu Daizhi of Hangzhou: Huami. Natural disasters in China, self-initiation of internal strife, the beginning of the war, causing catastrophe. The provinces have become independent, trapped in the pomelo, disturbed by the war, and the people are innocent, and they have been tragically poisoned. The provinces are not independent, and they are also afraid of disaster and hope for no time. The wind and cranes are frequent, and it is difficult to start safely. Enemies in the same boat, suspicion is deepening. Between the great powers of our country, we have inherited the weak and the weak, neatly consolidated, and hesitated, but it is not worthy of repeated destruction and serious injury. It is not as the original intention of the perpetrator, but out of patriotic enthusiasm, and the current government. The turn of the house also holds the main purpose of the dispute, and the opinions are estranged, and they cannot be harmoniously connected, so they go back and go away, and the deviation is worse.

"Although there has been a truce between the two sides for a long time, a solution is still empty talk. The army has the labor of pillows and armor, and the business travelers have the ring of wrapping the foot and the chariot; All industries are stagnant, public opinion is boiling, internal divisions are divided, and the country will not be a country. In the long run, the danger is a hundred times greater. Those who are sad about me take advantage of the opportunity to cut the fence, and enter the mystery, and the horses are forced to deal with the poor. If we do not judge the national conditions and quickly devise legitimate measures, we will only know the fallacy and stick to our own opinions, and we will continue to criticize each other in words and words, and we will fear that the debate will be endless, and the right to dominate will no longer belong to the hands of our people. When Fang thought of this, his heart was cold. Xun, Guozhang, and Hei Chong Hezai's shoulders, safety and danger are shared, and at this time of survival and breathing, how can he sit back and watch the fall.

"Yesterday, I sent a telegram to the generals and envoys of 15 provinces to send plenipotentiaries to Ningdieci for a meeting to discuss, pretending that today's situation should be based on the premise of salvation, and if it is not unified, there will be no salvation, and if it is not united, it will be difficult to achieve reunification. The first is to speculate on the situation of the outside world, to remember the suffering of the people, to unite the way of unity, and to put peace first. As for the presidential issue, which has a bearing on the survival of the country, it is not something that the five provinces can unilaterally advocate, nor is it based on the psychology of the 15 provinces. At present, Nanjing is proposed to be the meeting place, and the five provinces will select political and legal experts as plenipotentiary representatives, or send a total of several people from the five provinces, or one or two people from each province, to come to Nanjing on a scheduled date to study and implement the decision with the representatives of the 17 provinces. At the end of the discussions, there is no consensus that if we want to reverse the current overthrow, it is advisable to regard the facts as a transfer. The five provinces are sympathetic and do not insist on dissent. In the declaration of the Central Committee to save the country, it is especially necessary to forgive the hardships and strive to survive. It's almost no more, and it is smelled with special electricity. After receiving the call, please reply quickly, and send a representative to Ningbo, and win the enterprise. Zhang Xun, Feng Guozhang, Ni Sichong. ”

After Zhang Xun saw this telegram, he felt that some of the proposals did not conform to his ideas, so he published the telegram cloud in his personal name:

"According to the report of the representative of our department, General Feng raised three questions at the first meeting of the Jiangning meeting; At the second meeting, the deputies declared in turn that the majority of the military and civilian governors of the provinces were committed to supporting the central authorities and preserving the head of state, and that the question of abdication was beyond discussion. And General Feng advocated that if you want to make peace, you must first prepare by force; All the salaries of the troops should be paid separately by each representative in advance, and General Feng did not recognize himself as a former enemy. Enemies and hatred are admirable and respectable. However, the Hunan deputies have the words of their lover and virtue, and after General Ni's detailed arguments, they have no words to correct. It shows that public opinion is not something that can be contradicted by personal private opinions.

"Unexpectedly, at the fourth meeting, the deputies of Shandong, Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi actually spoke lightly outside the scope of the motion, or coerced outsiders to speak; Or on the grounds that it is difficult to use troops, they have been tossing and turning, so they have even resigned, and several generals have wiped out all the ironclad bills that have been decided by public resolutions, and discussed them again. It is evident that it has been sown and secretly colluded, so that it is in the same tone as the southern provinces, which must not have been the original intention of the governor. The generals Jin, Tang, Wang, and Li Zhu, who are loyal to the country, have a long prestige, or have difficulties in the army, and will not turn back; Or located in Chongfan, dedicated to the country. The Honor Department has received repeated calls, all of which are generous and respectable; However, the representative dared to disobey his orders and speak in vain, which was really a black sheep, and he was allowed to attack with the drums beating.

"Although the telegram has now been sent to the southern provinces and ordered to send representatives to Ningbo to discuss it, it is still difficult to determine whether the resumption of the telegram can be complied with. As for our content, we must not be untidy in order to be consistent. It is true that the issue of abdication is a matter of survival, and it is difficult for non-special presidents to be competent, that is, in terms of diplomacy, military and political, and finance, it is particularly difficult to describe the dangers. Even if the southern provinces send representatives to Ningxia to discuss with them, they should insist on it and tell each other sincerely, and they will not hear it, that is, they will be warned by soldiers. If the content is not decorated, the death of the country can be waited for. With this telegram announcement, I hope that my compatriots will work together to forge ahead. Those who criticize this purpose can be treated as public hostility! The power is urgent, and there is no time to choose. Gentlemen. Yes. ”

The final outcome of the Nanjing Conference was a disappointment for all parties. Feng Guozhang did not achieve his wish, Yuan Shikai's matter was not done, and Zhang Xun did not do what he wanted. Nothing was solved, and it ended up with no solution.

However, the Nanjing Conference made it clear that Yuan Shikai and his political provinces, which are no longer able to control most of the unindependent provinces.