After the two sides reached an agreement on the abdication of the Qing Emperor and determined the "eight conditions" for preferential treatment of the Qing family, the Empress Dowager Longyu finally chose to accept the agreement and decided to abdicate under the pressure of Yuan Shikai. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

At this point, the Qing Dynasty, which had left a great name in Chinese history, existed for nearly 300 years, and ruled the land of China as a unified national power for more than 200 years, and the time for its withdrawal from the historical stage officially entered the countdown.

February 12, 1912, is a day that will forever be remembered in history.

Mornings in Beijing were unusually cold. On this day, the Empress Dowager Longyu carried the 6-year-old little emperor Pu Yi to hold the last court meeting ceremony of the Qing Dynasty in the Yangxin Palace, and the foreign minister Hu Weide and others led the cabinet members to participate in the court meeting, and changed the etiquette of three bows for the first time. The Empress Dowager Longyu, who had a miserable face, handed over the "Edict of Abdication of the Qing Emperor" prepared in advance to Hu Weide with tears in her eyes, and asked him to announce it to the whole country.

It was also on the morning of this day that the abdication edict of the Qing family began to electrify the whole country.

"I Qin Feng Longyu Empress Dowager Yi:

Due to the uprising of the people's army, the provinces responded, the nine summers were boiling, and the lives were devastated, and Yuan Shikai was specially appointed to discuss the overall situation with the representatives of the people's army, discuss the opening of the parliament, and referendum on the form of government. ・・・・・・ Yuan Shikai organized the republican government with full powers and negotiated a unified method with the people's army. In the general period, the people are safe, Haiyu is safe, and still shouts that the complete territory of the five ethnic groups in Manchuria, Mongolia and Tibet is a great Chinese country, and the emperor can retreat and relax, travel for a long time, receive the good gifts of the people, and see the completion of Zhizhi. Chin this. ”

This edict on the abdication of the Qing Emperor drafted by Zhang Jian was soon published in full in Beijing and all major newspapers across the country without exception. The newspapers that had just come on the market were quickly sold out, and the whole country was boiling. In the festive sound of firecrackers and gongs and drums, the merchants also quietly put away the golden dragon flag of the past and replaced it with the five-color flag symbolizing the "republic of the five ethnic groups". While hanging the five-color flag, the crowd in the streets and alleys happily reduced the braids on their heads.

At this moment, whether it is the South or the North, whether it is a Chinese national or a foreign observer, they know very well that this is one of the most commemorative days in China's thousands of years of recorded history. However, will China turn a new page from today, or will it continue to fall into the original darkness? A lot of people are speculating. However, history is so silent and majestic that it does not answer.

At this point, the Qing Dynasty officially withdrew from the stage of Chinese history, and together with the feudal monarchy that lasted in China for more than 2,000 years, it also came to an end.

Although the Qing family has abdicated, in this big historical trend, there are always some small undercurrents surging in some unknown corners.

The next day, Yuan Shikai, who felt that the overall situation had been decided, immediately called the Nanjing Provisional Government and praised: "The republic is the most virtuous national system and is recognized by the world. Today, it is caused by the imperial government's painstaking efforts, and it is also the infinite glory and happiness of the Republic of China. And a serious appeal: "Never let the monarchy ever happen again in China." ”

At this time, the members of the League in the provisional government were in the midst of great joy in the republic, and when they saw Yuan Shikai's beautiful remarks at this moment, they were even more confused. At this time, Sun Wen also began to resign from the post of provisional president in accordance with the original promise, recommended to the provisional Senate that Yuan Shikai take over, and called Yuan Shikai and said: "This time the Qing emperor abdicated, Yuan Jun has a lot of power", "As president, he will be able to be loyal to the Republic of China." ”

On the 14th, the provisional Senate agreed to Sun Wen's resignation; On the 15th, the provisional presidential election meeting was held, and Yuan Shikai was elected as the interim president and Li Yuanhong as the vice president.

Yuan Shikai was elected as the provisional president, which was originally the result of negotiations and compromises between the north and the south. Of course, the League will definitely not let him be the president so securely. The presidential system previously implemented by the provisional government was also officially changed to a cabinet system through the "Outline of Organization" at this time, and Sun Wen also put forward three conditions to restrict Yuan Shikai, namely: fixing the capital of Nanjing, taking office in Nanjing, and abiding by the "Provisional Covenant Law" and all the decrees promulgated by Nanjing before.

Long before the abdication of the Qing Dynasty, the "Provisional Covenant Law" drafted by the League was also officially promulgated at this time. It can be said that the formulation of the "Provisional Covenant" was only unilateral and not a wise move, and Sun Wen, Song Jiaoren and other revolutionaries seemed to be too wishful thinking. They want to use the established facts and institutional framework to restrain the incoming Yuan Shikai, if this does not show the immaturity of his political wisdom, then it shows that they use the fundamental law of the state as a tool of political infighting. From this point of view, the selfishness of the members of the alliance is no different.

The League will try its best to restrict and weaken Yuan Shikai's rights, make China move towards a republic, and let Yuan Shikai be the president of the Republic of China, but he didn't expect that Yuan Shikai also had his own ideas.

On 18 February, the Senate sent special envoys Cai Yuanpei, Wang Zhaoming, Song Jiaoren, and others from Shanghai to Beijing to welcome Yuan Shikai to take up his post in the south. Although Yuan Shikai gave a grand welcome to Cai Yuanpei and others, and repeatedly expressed his willingness to go south, he just refused to move. While dragging it, he stepped up his planning, and instructed Cao Kun, the commander of the Third Town, to launch a "fake" mutiny in Beijing, burning and plundering the troops, and the place where Cai Yuanpei and other envoys stayed was also surrounded, where did Cai Yuanpei and others see such a scene? In a panic, he hurriedly entered the Six Nations Hotel to take refuge.

When this kind of thing happened, how could Yuan Shikai leave? And Cai Yuanpei and others didn't know the truth, so they had to call Nanjing to state the reason why Yuan Shikai could not go south. The constitutionalists and the old bureaucrats in Nanking also shouted from afar, and many revolutionaries within the League, as well as representatives of the southwestern provinces, who had always played the role of soy sauce, echoed at this time. In desperation, the Senate had to agree to Yuan Shikai's inauguration as president in Beijing.

At 3 p.m. on March 10, 1912, Yuan Shikai was sworn in as provisional president in Beijing. The ceremony was held at the office of the former Qing Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Shidaren Hutong, Beijing. There were more than 100 participants, some wearing suits and some wearing traditional shirts; those who drag their braids do not drag their braids; Colorful, and so on. British Minister Zhu Erdian also attended the ceremony.

Yuan Shikai, dressed in a military uniform and wearing a long sword, stood facing southwest, and read an oath and said: "Shikai is willing to do everything in his power to carry forward the spirit of the republic and cleanse the defilement of autocracy. Abide by the Constitution, according to the wishes of the people, pray for the country to be safe and strong, so that the five major nations can achieve happiness together. ”

No matter what he said afterwards, although Yuan Shikai had a set in front of him and a set behind him, the scene was still good. After Cai Yuanpei accepted Yuan Shikai's oath on behalf of the provisional Senate and delivered a congratulatory speech. Yuan Shikai said again in his reply: "Shikai is decaying and cannot win the position of president, so he is recommended by President Sun Da, recommended by the five major clans, and re-elected by the Senate. We are willing to do our best to create happiness for the five major nations and make the Republic of China a powerful country. ”

On the day of his inauguration, Yuan Shikai promulgated the "Amnesty Decree" and the "Exemption Decree for Money and Food" in the name of "the president of the University", announcing that all criminals "except for real life and robbers" before March 10 of the first year of the Republic of China, "regardless of minor crimes and serious crimes, those who have been discovered but not discovered, and those who have not yet been corrected, will be exempted"; "All those who owe the land before the first year of the Republic of China, and the miscellaneous money and grain, and the grain that are owed to the people. are exempted. Subsequently, a supplementary order was issued: the scope of exemption of money and grain was limited to the second year of Xuantong, and the period of collection of money and grain that should be completed in the Xinhai year was "not exempted".

On the same day, Yuan Shikai issued several orders in succession, emphasizing "breaking private opinions" and "obeying the orders of the central authorities" and "with a view to implementing reunification." The pertinence of these orders is clearly self-evident.

The next day, after the promulgation of the "Provisional Covenant Law", the Nanjing Provisional Senate sent a telegram to Yuan Shikai to recognize his inauguration as president, but emphasized that "this court represents the people, especially those who have to fight with their fists: Article 56 of Chapter 7 of the Provisional Constitution, which is comparable to the Constitution, and it is strictly observed!" Don't go against public opinion, don't be arbitrary, don't be immoral, don't be talented! ”

Sun Wen, who was full of frustration after giving way to Yuan Shikai, announced at this time that he would "not pre-politics for ten years", focusing on industrial construction and people's livelihood propaganda; Huang Xing stayed in Nanjing for a short time and presided over the reorganization of the Southern People's Army; However, Song Jiaoren began to be in charge of the operation of the League and served as the chief of agriculture and forestry in the new Tang Shaoyi cabinet.

All in all, the Republic of China was finally founded, and a new chapter in China's history was opened.