On July 18, Secretary of State Xu Shichang conveyed President Yuan's dictation:

"According to the Su Zheng Shi Zhuang Yunkuan and others: 'The railway is a business nature, such as Pujin Road, all of which are loans, if I do not refresh and rectify, those who have creditors will speak differently'. When it was handed over to Wang Hu and Cai Baoshan, all kinds of circumstances and disadvantages were earnestly visited and submitted for verification. In addition to the Ministry of Communications' dismissal of Zhao Qinghua, the director of the road bureau, and the release of the hostage, it should be handed over to the Ping Zheng Yuan for trial in accordance with the law, and the important witnesses in the case should be sent to the court for trial according to law, and the important witnesses in the case should be sent to each other separately, so that there is no need to follow! ”

This was not a heavy blow to Liang Shiyi, but heavy hands followed.

On 20 July, Yuan Shikai issued another order to suspend Liang's right-hand man, Ye Gongqiu, from his post as deputy minister of communications.

Yuan's order was: "According to Zhou Shumo, president of the Pingzheng Administration, the case of Zhao Qinghua, director of the Tianjin-Pudong Railway Bureau, who committed fraud and smuggled business, Ye Gongxuan, vice minister of the Ministry of Communications, has the most important relationship, and requests for an order to temporarily suspend him from his post pending transmission." Ye Gongqiu was immediately suspended. ”

Ye Gongqiu is the second person in the Department of Transportation, and is the incarnation of Liang Shiyi, Liang is not the chief of transportation but can be the leader of the Department of Transportation, because Ye Gong is the deputy minister of transportation.

The person who attacked the Liang family was able to say that Yuan Shikai was able to open a knife to Ye Gongqiu, and the power behind it could be imagined.

However, the situation did not end with Ye Gongqiu's suspension pending the succession, but on the contrary, it was expanding, involving the Jinghan, Jingsui, Shanghai-Nanjing, and Zhengtai railways. The Ministry of Communications ordered Guan Genglin, director of the Jinghan Railway Bureau, and Guan Mianyu, director of the Jingsui Railway, to leave their posts for trial. This, of course, became a sensational event in the transportation world.

And those who know the inside know understand that this is Yuan Shikai's heavy attack on Liang Shiyi's transportation department.

Obviously, Yuan Shikai has long been aware of the open and secret struggle between the Guangdong and Anhui factions, and perhaps, like Cixi back then, he is happy to see his subordinates contain each other, just to strengthen his control over all parties.

When the traffic case first happened, the sudden blow made Liang Shiyi a little stunned and caught off guard. The so-called mystery of the parties, Liang Shiyi didn't think much about it at first, let alone realize the seriousness of the situation.

At that time, Yuan Shikai once appeased Liang Shiyi and said: "You were included in the case, and I asked them to get rid of you." ”

This made Liang Shiyi feel a lot more at ease, and felt that Yuan was still very good to him.

After Ye Gongqiu was suspended, Liang Shiyi sensed the crisis. Calmed down, and quickly figured out the power behind the several heavy punches that hit the side. With Liang Shiyi's shrewdness, he naturally knew that Yang Du had such great magical powers, because he had made the first contribution to this preparatory meeting, and it was Yuan Shikai's reward for him.

The key is to gain Yuan Shikai's favor, if you want to save yourself, Liang Shiyi certainly knows where to start. So he mobilized his men and horses to organize a national petition federation with all his might.

After some planning, Liang Shiyi's National Petition Federation was established on September 19, 1915 in Anfu Hutong, Beijing.

Liang Shiyi is a person who does things, and he is very different from a scholar like Yang Du. As soon as the National Petition Federation appeared, it became an action group for Yuan Shikai to restore the imperial system. Compared with the name of research, it is much more practical, and the role is even more incompatible.

The launching manifesto of the National Petition Federation is as follows:

"The Republic of China was established, in the past four years, the wind and rain are shaky, not all day long, fathers and children, suffering from the republic and looking at the monarchy, not a day! Since then, the twenty-two provinces and special administrative regions and various organizations, each of which has elected a noble house, combined with the same people, is a common appeal, its book has accumulated tens of thousands of words, its people are thousands, and its direction is the word Junxian has been! ** In order to make a big deal with it, I also try to send a special member to express my opinion in the Legislative Yuan, where it is in line with the request to consolidate the national foundation and revitalize the national situation, the representative organ, so the person who accepts the review, as well as the report, is also in line with the public will of our people, and does not contradict the declaration of **. However, if the success falls short, the mountain will not be successful, and perseverance, the gold and stone can be through.

"The same people are not sensitive, thinking that the petitioners of my father, old and children, without unity, are like scattered sand, and there is no negotiation, then they may not be able to build a car, and with this job, with this goal, make persistent efforts, and judge whether they can be carried out; With the special open and wide sitting, Bi Ji Tongren, initiated the National Petition Federation, and agreed on a number of articles. Since then, we have made rapid progress with one heart, counted the successes of the day, and become a new state family, comforting the people's will, and the welfare of 40,000 people is glorious, and the special district of the bandit district is also fortunate. ”

Shen Yunpei, President of the Petition Federation, Na Yantu and Zhang Jinfang, Vice Presidents, Xie Huanwu, Director of Wenmu, Liang Hongzhi, Fang Biao, Deputy Director of Accounting Ruan Zhonghuan, Deputy Directors Jiang Bangyan, Xia Renhu, Director of General Affairs Hu Bicheng, Deputy Directors Quan Liang and Wu Zesheng, Communication Director Zheng Wanzhan, Deputy Directors Yuan Zhenhuang and Kang Shiduo.

List of Petitioning Groups:

The rickshaw driver representative petition was initiated by the Beijing rickshaw driver.

The beggars initiated the petition group on behalf of the Beijing beggars.

The Women's Petition Group was launched.

The citizens' petition group is formed in the name of the citizens of their own nationality.

Initiated by Yang Du and others of the Preparatory Security Council.

The delegation of the security petition is composed of representatives of the provinces of the Preparatory Security Council.

The petition group of the Chamber of Commerce, Feng Liangpei of the Beijing Chamber of Commerce, and Zhou Jinlian of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce initiated it.

The petition group of the Education Association was initiated by Beijing Mei Baoji and Ma Weilong.

The Beijing Social and Political Reform Conference was initiated by Yun Yuding and Li Yuru.

Chen Shaotang, a petition group of citizens in Shanghai, was initiated.

The women's petition group, the initiator, Ms. Jing Sheng, nicknamed An Dalang, has a petition that says:

"We women, who live in silence in groups, have not heard of a single man running after the gentlemen, and none of the gentlemen have awakened the woman who is obsessed with drunken dreams, and who is a petitioner. Aren't women the people of China? Or changing the national system is a major issue, and it is not for our women to hear about it? Check the sovereignty of the Republic of China, which contains the sovereignty of the Republic of China, and the people of the whole country, as far as men and women are concerned, and half of the 40,000 compatriots are women, so that the petitions are all men and no women, then this lame petition will not take away the sovereignty of our women? If a woman doesn't know, she is ignorant, she can't afford to know, and she gives up.

"How can we say that the intellectual knowledge of women in our country is shallow? However, avoiding danger and seeking safety, and also sharing this psychology with men, the relationship between life and property, how can it be left behind for a long time, and not seek to maintain it? Jingsheng and others are delicate and weak, their knowledge is ugly, the disturbance of the painful situation, the wives are worried, but fortunately the ignorance is reopened, the brilliance is doubled, the flow is into the sea, and the soil is a mountain. With no suspicion, I dare to lead 20,000 compatriots in my women's world to petition after the patriotic gentlemen. Sister! Happy! The promoter is quiet. ”

After their petition was disclosed in the newspaper, Yang Shuyi, Chen Xiuwen, Liang Xiuying and other ladies posted: "Petitioners in the political circles hope to be knighted." The petitioners in the female world hope to be concubines. Quietly born a slut, I hope my aunts and sisters don't be five with sluts! ”

After watching, many people shouted: Scold happily!

After the formation of the Petition Federation, it mobilized all provinces and organs to send petitions demanding the change of the imperial system as a group to promote the realization of the imperial system.

The "commander-in-chief" Yuan Shikai hoped to convene a national assembly as an institution for the whole people to approve the imperial system, so the petition federation sent a letter to the Senate, asking the national assembly to be the official body to solve the national system.

Originally, Yuan Shikai was anxious to become emperor, and he went to the doctor when he was sick, and planned to use the "National Assembly" as the body to solve the national system.

But there are still people who understand, some legal experts pointed out. The National Assembly is a legal body of the Republic of China, which is not suitable for resolving the national system, and at the same time, the number of people is small, and it cannot be regarded as a true representative of the people.

In this way, the goal of the joint petition turned to the formation of the National Assembly.

Liang Shiyi's petition federation quickly overshadowed Yang Du's preparatory meeting. As mentioned earlier, the establishment of the Preparatory Security Association was vigorous at the beginning, and the flow of people who tended to be attached to the flames vied with each other, and after the appearance of Liang Shiyi's petition federation, the momentum of the Preparatory Security Association was greatly reduced, so it was renamed the Constitutional Political Consultative Conference, and a telegram was sent to announce the end of the Preparatory Security Association.

Liang Shiyi's painstaking efforts were not in vain, and his strength was not in vain, and the investigation before and after the traffic case lasted five months, and the final result was that Ye Gongxuan was explicitly reinstated.

Liang Shiyi organized the National Petition Federation during the transportation case. Many people say that the organization of the National Federation of Petitions was an act by Yuan Shikai at the instigation of his cronie Liang Shiyi to deceive himself and others in order to create public opinion, and this should be different from the actual situation. Because at that time, Liang had basically fallen out of favor, and it was unlikely that Yuan Shikai would hand over such an unsightly thing to Liang Shiyi to do.

Liang Shiyi was not particularly active in Yuan Shikai's claim that the emperor was originally not particularly active, and as Yang Du's political enemy, he even had the psychology of watching the excitement and gloating at first. This is only done as a last resort for self-preservation, the so-called political self-help.

Organizing the National Federation of Petitions was a major failure in Liang Shiyi's life. Afterwards, Liang Shiyi minded this matter very much, and tried his best to wash it away.

He has said many times that the "National Petition Federation" was not organized by him, but Yuan Shikai signed it for him. This seems hard to believe, but it can at least show that when it comes to the "National Petition Federation" of Rauschzi, it is only driven by interests, not what Liang Shiyi wants. And he himself also regarded this matter as a disgraceful thing.

The intensive activities of the imperial system aroused a wave of opposition in the country, and Yuan Shikai was mentally prepared for this. His response was to put on his hat and beat him with sticks, blaming all those who openly opposed him to the sabotage of the Kuomintang and other opposition. Of course, Yuan Shikai, who has always believed that with power, he has everything, and he doesn't care about public opinion in his heart.

However, Yuan Shikai never imagined that his activities to restore the imperial system would attract strong opposition from foreign powers.

Yuan Shikai was very annoyed, really annoyed, thinking to himself that I restored the imperial system, what does it have to do with you countries? Aren't you people well-fed and idle?

However, he can turn a blind eye to domestic opposition, and he cannot but have some scruples about the strong opposition from the great powers.