On March 10, 1912 in the Western calendar, the former office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Qing Dynasty was renovated in Yanjing Shida Hutong, and the ribbons and flowers decorated it beautifully. The spotlight of the reporters dazzled the eyes, and the smoke of firecrackers and salutes shrouded the entire street in a haze.

Yuan Shikai was dressed in a new generalissimo military uniform, with a narrow foreign knife at his waist, and stood facing south and north with his back. Important scenes in life are like movies, quickly flashing back in my mind. With the thirteen-year-old Chong Ling wrote "The Central Plains Lu is fat, Daze Longfang sting" The kind of youthful pride, the heroic martial arts who made the Korean princes bow down to the ears in Liaodong to suppress the rebellion and deter the Japanese invaders, the sorrow and joy of being humiliated by the ghost slaves of the Jiyuan after the first afternoon but being favored by the red man Shen Wuniang, the embarrassment when he was scolded by Li Hongzhang in Xianliang Temple, the ambition when he was training at the small station, the ambition when he was praised by foreigners when he created the Chinese police system, and the Gu Panxiongfei when he succeeded Li Hongzhang as the governor of Beiyang in Zhili, panic when he was kicked out of the court by the Qing court with leg disease and was almost killed by Zaifeng and others???? Until now, he has ascended the throne of the provisional president and become the first person in the Republic of China!

All this made him feel like a lifetime away, and he had mixed feelings until his eyes were red and his voice choked.

Officers from Beiyang, parliamentarians from southern provinces, lamas from Tibetan provinces, and imams from Huijiang??? Some people wear top hats and suits, some people wear robes and horse coats, some people wear military uniforms and swords, some people drag braids, and some people have freshly shaved bald heads.

More than 100 representatives from various localities attended the ceremony of Yuan Shikai's inauguration as provisional president. Standing beside Yuan Shikai was his old friend, the British Minister Zhu Erdian, whose presence at the inauguration ceremony illustrates the attitude of the British Empire.

Yuan Shikai read the oath with the speech script in his hand, and the microphone amplified his voice, and only his voice echoed in the huge courtyard.

"Shikai is willing to do his best to carry forward the republican spirit and cleanse the imperfections of [***]. 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! ”

I don't know if it was because of excessive excitement or some sadness, Yuan Shikai's voice was intermittent, with a little crying.

In a round of applause, Cai Yuanpei accepted his oath on behalf of the provisional senators and delivered a congratulatory speech on behalf of Sun Wen, the former interim president.

Yuan Shikai thanked him again and again, and replied: "Kai is decaying, he can't win the presidency, he is recommended by President Sunda, 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. ”

These words were just official clichés, but they still won warm applause and cheers from those present. Most people believe that in the six months since the establishment of the Republic of China, heroes and demons have danced wildly, and the world is in chaos, and only Yuan Shikai is the only person who can quickly end this chaos.

Yuan Shikai's inauguration as interim president, in the eyes of the people of the world, is the beginning of the real determination of the Republic of China and the great rule of the world??? A new republic will stand in the East of the world, alongside the Western powers at opposite ends of the ocean.

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 provisional president, announcing that all criminals, except for murderers and robbers, before March 10 of the first year of the Republic of China, "all criminals, regardless of minor crimes, serious crimes, those who have been discovered but not discovered, and those who have been corrected but not settled, will be exempted"; "All those who should have completed their land before the first year of the Republic of China, and who are actually owed to the people with miscellaneous money and grain, shall be exempted." Subsequently, a supplementary order was issued: the scope of exemption of money and grain was limited to the second year of Xuantong (1910), and the period of collection of money and grain that should be completed in the year of Xinhai was "not exempted". At the same time, Yuan issued several orders in succession, emphasizing "breaking private opinions" and "obeying the orders of the central authorities" and "with a view to implementing reunification." It also ordered that "all previously implemented laws and new criminal laws shall be temporarily invoked except for those that are in conflict with the national system of the Republic of China."

After the amnesty decree and the exemption of money and grain were issued, the whole country celebrated, those who were exploited by the corrupt officials of the former Qing Dynasty could not return to their homes, and the people who hid outside the imperial grain moved back with their wives and children, and praised the grace of President Yuan Da when they met people along the way.

In this world, it seems that peace is about to come, and the good days for the people to live and work in peace and contentment seem to be coming soon.

But at the Six Nations Hotel, some people don't believe this. This person is Song Jiaoren, who served as Sun Wen's envoy and went north to welcome Yuan Shikai to take up his post in Nanjing.

Song Jiaoren, the first word is the director of the Provisional Political Axe Legal Bureau. Although he is only thirty-one years old, he is already the head of the three heads of the League alongside Sun Wen and Huang Xing. He has two delicate mustaches, and his hair is meticulously combed.

Song Jiaoren patted the table and said, "Where is your position?" So simple to make Yuan Shikai the interim president? Why does he have to work in Yanjing? Don't you just want to get out of the control of the temporary Senate? ”

Cai Yuanpei, the head of the welcome group and the veteran of the Alliance, smoked a cigarette and said disapprerovingly: "Okay, Brother Dunchu, it is useless to say anything about the matter at this point. Yuan Shikai took office in Yanjing, this is the will of heaven and the will of the people, we have fought for it, Yuan Shikai originally agreed, but as a result, there was a mutiny in Yanjing, and he couldn't go, isn't this the will of heaven? Besides, in the future, the provisional Senate will definitely be located in Yanjing, and Yuan Shikai is still under the supervision of the Senate, so you don't have to make a big fuss??? Sun Wen is there, I'll go and explain to him. ”

Song Jiaoren said bitterly: "Elder Crane (Cai Yuanpei's character Heqing), you are a loyal elder, and you always think about the good!" ”

Cai Yuanpei lifted his robe, lifted Erlang's legs and said with a smile: "This doesn't think about the good, but always thinks about the bad of people, I'm afraid it's not a gentleman's doing, right?" ”

Song Jiaoren smiled bitterly: "Elder He, this constitutionalism is to treat all officials as thieves to guard, even if Confucius is the president, he must be treated as a thief, once the power is a little indulgent, it will swell and endanger society!" Besides, who Yuan Shikai is, you know as well as I do, when he betrayed the reformers, the heads of the six gentlemen hung on the country! defected to Li Hongzhang and betrayed Li Hongzhang, and was thrown out of Xianliang Temple like a dog??? Let's just say that this Yanjing mutiny, Yuan Shikai promised to go to Nanjing to take office the first day, and the mutiny occurred the next day, which is too coincidental, right? ”

Cai Yuanpei laughed and said, "How can you talk about these things about Chen Guzi's rotten sesame seeds? You are still too suspicious, Yuan Shikai originally wanted Mr. Sun to incorporate the Beiyang Army, but you refused to believe others. ”

Song Jiaoren had a bitter face, before they came to Yanjing, Yuan Shikai had said that he would let the Southern Provisional Political Axe adopt the Beiyang Army as the national army, the problem is that even children would not believe this. To Yanjing to incorporate Beiyang? Is there still a life to go back?

However, Yuan Shikai's posture was praised by everyone in the world, but Sun Wen, who strongly advocated that he go to Nanjing to take up a job, seemed to be a small family and suffered a great loss of prestige.

Song Jiaoren saw that Cai Yuanpei and the others didn't take it seriously at all, so he jumped to his feet and said: "If you don't believe me, forget it, this Senate is located in Yanjing, and it is under the threat of Beiyang's guns at any time, how can it be possible to restrain Yuan Shikai in the future?" ”

Cai Yuanpei suddenly interrupted coldly: "Dunchu, you have said this, when did Yuan Shikai threaten us at gunpoint?" However, in Nanjing, I saw with my own eyes that the military and police sent by the revolutionary comrades surrounded the Provisional Senate, and I still have chills down my spine from old age! ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone was silent.

As one of the founders of the Restoration Society, Cai Yuanpei was already holding back his anger when Chen Yingshi used a pistol to coerce the Shanghai Legislative Council Bureau to obtain the post of Governor of the Shanghai Army, and assassinated Tao Chengzhang.

In order to let Yuan Shikai come to Nanjing to take office, Sun Wen threatened to commit suicide in the Senate, and Huang Xing directly sent the military and police to coerce the provincial representatives to vote, which made Cai Yuanpei very entangled in his heart.

You must know that even in the Manchu court, when the regent Zaifeng was impeached and questioned by the Senior Administration, he never did anything to threaten the army.

The legal surname of the Southern Provisional Political Axe has fallen to the extreme in Cai Yuanpei's eyes. He was also quite unaccustomed to Sun Wen's domineering style in the League, and it was only out of consideration that it was not suitable for civil strife in the early days of the republic that he reluctantly agreed to come to Yanjing.

The presidential system implemented by Sun Wen in Nanjing, and the president whose power was almost unchecked, now wants Yuan Shikai to accept the cabinet system, as an empty president whose power is reduced to almost equal to zero. Cai Yuanpei always felt a little sorry, and he was really not kind enough to do things in the south.

What he didn't expect was that Yuan Shikai not only did not turn his face, but also accepted the conditions in full, just because there was a mutiny in Yanjing, the ministers of various countries in Yanjing and celebrities from all walks of life in China called on Yuan Shikai not to leave Yanjing, otherwise it would cause turmoil in northern China. Under these conditions, Yuan Shikai took up his post in Yanjing.

Since the constitution requires that the president be treated as a thief and Confucius as a thief, why not treat Sun Wen as a thief? And to grant him unlimited power? Even he and Huang Xing coerced the provisional Senate not to pursue it, what is the difference between this and Chen Yingshi's use of hooligan means to rob the governor of Shanghai? Relying on pistols and axes to be an official, this is not as good as the Qing Dynasty court's selling of officials and lords at a clear price!

Sun Wen can do anything when he is president, but when it is Yuan Shikai's turn to be president, he will use others as thieves, this thing obviously doesn't make sense!

Now that Yuan Shikai has been inaugurated as the interim president, Mu has become a boat, seeing that the world is about to settle down, and Song Jiaoren is about to make extraneous branches, the dissatisfaction in Cai Yuanpei's heart is almost overflowing.

Song Jiaoren stumbled and said: "If you don't say it yourself, this "Provisional Covenant" must be passed immediately, otherwise you will regret the day Yuan Shikai becomes a lone man and a thief!" ”

After that, he went outside angrily to draft a telegram to send a telegram to the Nanjing Provisional Political Axe.

Cai Yuanpei looked at his back and snorted coldly, and then said to the others with a smile: "Come, drink tea!" Put the chessboard on the table, who will talk to the old hand about a game? ”

(To be continued)