This result can be said to be both expected and unexpected by Sun Yat-sen. said that it was expected, because when he was figuring out Yuan Shikai's words, he had already expected this result. It is said that it is unexpected, because becoming the prime minister of the cabinet has always been Song Jiaoren's goal, and now that the opportunity is in front of him, how can he say that he will give up?

As for the reason why Song Jiaoren gave up, Sun Yat-sen was very curious. He hurriedly asked, "Oh, why?" ”

Song Jiaoren said: "First of all, this cabinet change only changes the prime minister, and the members still use the previous team, which can be described as 'changing the soup but not the medicine', and formally belongs to the cabinet of mixed parties. If Song takes up this post, it will not be able to form a strong and solid government, and it will not be in line with our previous proposal of a purely party cabinet. This is a must-have.

"Secondly, it is already early September, and there are only two or three months to go before the upcoming congressional election at the end of the year, and the joint reorganization of our League and the United Republican Party has just begun. After the reorganization, Song had to go to all parts of the country to give speeches and canvass for votes, and he couldn't sit in the capital. This is a must-have.

"In addition, with the parliamentary elections just around the corner, the interim cabinet will soon be dissolved, and there is little time left for many plans to be implemented. If he is reluctant to become prime minister, the slightest mistake will be a blow to the truth, and people will seize the lever of the attack, which will have a negative impact on the upcoming parliamentary election. These are the three musts.

"Finally, the most important mission of the current cabinet is to reconcile the contradictions between the North and the South and maintain the unity of the whole country. The Prime Minister must be a person of prestige and mediate in order to gain the trust of both sides. Although Song boasted of being a lagging behind in his life. But in this regard, it is indeed inferior to Mr. Sun and Mr. Huang, and even inferior to Mr. Sun Baixi and Tang Shaochuan. If he takes office as prime minister now, he will undoubtedly blow up his shortcomings. These are the four must-haves.

"With these four can't, can Song Mouan serve as prime minister? Moreover, Yuan Xiangcheng gave him the post of prime minister at this time, but I am afraid that he is also harboring evil intentions, and wants us to fall into a cabinet battle, and has no time to take care of the parliamentary election, how can we make him satisfied? So. For the post of prime minister, Song can only thank him! ”

Sun Yat-sen felt that the opportunity was really rare, and after listening to Song Jiaoren's explanation, he was still a little unwilling: "Since there is no time to take care of it at this time, or in other words, we are unwilling to intervene in the cabinet, can we choose another person from the comrades in the meeting to serve as the prime minister?" ”

"For example?" Song Jiaoren asked.

For example...... "The Alliance can be regarded as full of talents, and it is not difficult to find a few candidates for governors and chiefs, such as Li Liejun, Chen Jintao, Yu Youren, Ma Junwu, Tan Yanmin, Bai Wenwei, Sun Yuyun, Jing Yaoyue, etc. However, it is necessary to find a prime minister who is strong enough to overwhelm the overall situation and to govern the country. But it's as hard as the sky. Sun Yat-sen thought about it for a long time and didn't think of a suitable person.

Huang Xing, who was on the side, said at this time: "Yixian, Dunchu, what do you think of Shen Youlan?" ”

The Shen Youlan in Huang Xing's mouth is the former governor of Guangxi Shen Bingkun mentioned above. After he was squeezed out of Guangxi by Lu Rongting, the deputy governor, he first returned to his hometown in Hunan, and then went to Nanjing to meet Huang Xing, who was left behind at the time, and the two hit it off at first sight. Soon the fight was hot. Of course, Shen Bingkun's deliberate welcome is indispensable. For example, Shen Bingkun is in his early fifties, but he calls Huang Xing, who is only 38 years old, "Ke Lao" (Huang Xing's character Keqiang), and the rest can be seen.

In short, Huang Xing was coaxed by Shen Bingkun to smile. As soon as he was pleased, he was appointed as a senior adviser to the Nanjing Left-behind Mansion. At this time, Huang Xing thought of this friend who had a close personal relationship with him.

Sun Yat-sen nodded: "Shen Youlan is good!" He had taken care of the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou during the pre-Qing dynasty. He also served as the governor of Guangxi, and if it weren't for the success of our righteous actions, he might not be able to enter the cabinet to pay respects. But he was very open-minded, Wuchang Shouyi soon declared independence in Guangxi, was elected as the governor of Guangxi by everyone, and then transferred to the commander-in-chief of the Hunan and Guizhou coalition forces, and led troops north to aid Hubei; After the establishment of the government of the Republic of China, he joined the League and actively contributed his opinions and suggestions. In terms of qualifications, popularity, and ability, he is the right candidate for the prime minister! ”

Song Jiaoren categorically vetoed: "No, Shen Youlan is definitely not good!" At best, he is just a former Qing relic, but he took the opportunity of changing the court and became an officer of the Alliance, what qualifications can he have? How can I form a cabinet on behalf of the Alliance? If he is said to be popular, who in the north and south of the river has heard of Shen Youlan's name? If he is capable, why was he driven out of Guangxi by a bandit? Since he can't even deal with a bandit, how can we expect him to deal with the famous Beiyang Army? ”

Sun Yat-sen was confused, and then asked rhetorically: "If we think about it at the beginning, who should we choose?" ”

Song Jiaoren said: "Anyway, the current cabinet only has a lifespan of three or five months at most, and it doesn't matter whether the prime minister is a comrade of our alliance, we might as well move externally without avoiding hatred and internal without avoiding relatives." Based on Mr. Zhongshan's qualifications, popularity, and ability, in terms of qualifications, no one can beat Mr. Keqiang; When it comes to fame, Sun Baixi should be promoted at home and abroad; As for the size of the ability, it is different from each other and needs to be carefully considered. is Zhao Zhi'an (Zhao Bingjun), Liang Yansun (Liang Shiyi), Zhang Siyuan (Zhang Jian), Tang Yuxian (Tang Shouqian) and others, if there is manpower, they will still be the prime minister. ”

Huang Xing only understood at this time: "I'm afraid that Yuan Xiangcheng would not be the prime minister of the cabinet at the beginning of the morning, right?" That's why he was so generous and gave him the post of prime minister. In fact, his original intention was to let Zhao Zhi'an, Liang Yansun and other cronies take over the State Council. In that case, we won't let him get his wish! Even if we don't want to be prime minister at first, we can get other people in the council to come forward and run; If you can't find a suitable candidate for a while during the meeting, you can also invite people from the Republican Party and the New China Party. We want Yuan Xiangcheng to steal chickens and rice, and the bamboo basket is empty! ”

"If you want to nominate candidates outside the party, I would like to recommend Sun Baixi." Sun Yat-sen then explained: "When people in the world mention Sun Baixi, the first title that comes to mind is a great scientist, a great educator, or a great industrialist. Of course, Sun Baixi's great achievements in science have indeed impressed the world with regard to our people; The Jingshi University and a series of other schools and research institutes founded by him have also benefited our people for generations to come. The family business he owns is incredibly rich and profitable. But in my opinion, these are not all he can do.

"Ten years ago, I met Sun Baixi in San Francisco, USA. He was in his twenties at the time, and he was full of spirit, radiant and unscrupulous, far from being as quiet as he is now. Not long after we met, we talked about the program of the League, and then discussed the future political situation of the country. At that time, I thought that he was broad-minded, and he was all a scholar and scholar, and he was not enough to believe. Ten years later, the current situation proves what was said at that time, but it is as good as God. Only then did I understand that Sun Baixi is not only scientifically intelligent, but also politically worthy of the words 'seeing things very clearly and thinking deeply'.

As mentioned earlier, the most important mission of the cabinet at present is to reconcile the contradictions between the North and the South and maintain the unity of the whole country, so the prime minister must be a person of prestige. Just ask the 40,000,000 people in the country, who can be more prestige than Sun Baixi? With his ability to be quiet and faint, and the hope of fame all over the world, he did the work of brightening and supplementing the good and the good, and built the golden Ou Yonggu, wouldn't he get what he wanted? ”

Huang Xing said with a smile: "If Sun Baixi is the prime minister, there are two benefits, one is not to worry about his corruption. His family has a lot of money, and he is making money every day, so he naturally looks down on those old sesame rotten grains in the treasury. Even if he takes 10,000 steps back and says, Sun Baixi cares about that little profit, but now the government is in high debt, the poor jingle rings, and lives on loans every day, the treasury is simply cleaner than that face, and there is nowhere to embezzle!

"Another benefit is that you don't have to worry about diplomatic isolation. Sun Baixi studied in the United States since he was a child, and then lectured and taught in major universities around the world. Moreover, two of the three wives and concubines are Americans, and their father-in-law and brother-in-law are all famous American businessmen; In addition, he is well-known in the global academic community. If he were prime minister, why should the powers of various countries not recognize the newly formed government of the Republic of China? ”

Sun Yat-sen also nodded frequently when he heard this.

However, Song Jiaoren said: "The two gentlemen should understand that the more suitable Sun Baixi is to be the prime minister, the more we can't nominate him to the post!" ”

Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xingju were stunned: "Why? ”

Song Jiaoren said: "Because the congressional election is coming, the main opponents of our alliance in the election are the Republican Party and the New China Party, and Sun Baixi is the leader of the New China Party. At present, there are signs of division in the Republican Party, and the New China Party has faintly become the second largest party in the provisional Senate. If you make any more achievements, it will be like a tiger with wings. In this way, are we not adding to our own blockage? ”

Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing were suddenly silent.

Song Jiaoren continued: "In my personal opinion, I prefer to nominate Zhao Zhi'an as prime minister. This move can not only show goodwill to the Beiyang system, win the favor of Yuan Xiangcheng, and allow the alliance to obtain a more relaxed development environment in the short term, so that it can win the election in one fell swoop; It is also possible for Yuan Xiangcheng to form a pure Beiyang cabinet to lay the foundation of public opinion for us to implement a pure party cabinet in the future. ”

Sun Yat-sen couldn't help but be surprised: "Let Yuan Xiangcheng form a pure Beiyang cabinet?" Do you mean to let the League take the initiative to withdraw from the cabinet now, and let Yuan Xiangcheng completely control the presidential palace and the State Council? The slightest carelessness in this will make the revolutionary achievements of countless people with lofty ideals shed their heads and blood in vain! ”

"If the situation calls for it, we can take the initiative to withdraw." Song Jiaoren replied calmly: "And in my opinion." The greatest revolutionary achievement of countless people with lofty ideals is not the current Republic of China, but our League itself, so as long as we are united, the revolutionary achievements will not be destroyed. ”

Huang Xing frowned and said: "Even if we take the initiative to withdraw, if the three cabinet members of the New China Party remain unmoved, I am afraid that Yuan Xiangcheng's pure Beiyang cabinet will still not be able to achieve." ”

Song Jiaoren shrugged: "Tang Shaochuan is gone, we are gone, do you think the New China Party can still stay in the cabinet?" (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point (qidian.) to vote for recommendation, monthly pass, your support, is my biggest motivation. For mobile phone users, please go to m.qidian. )

ps: Uncle He will work hard to update!