For Yuan Shikai's step-by-step pressing, Tang Shaoyi did not have any good cards to play in his hand, and the situation seemed a little passive. However, Tang Shaoyi is not worried, because he has a very effective defensive trick, that is, the cabinet countersigning power. According to the regulations of the responsible cabinet system, any document issued by the Grand Presidential Office must be countersigned by the Cabinet, otherwise it will be invalid. This includes the appointment of national officials to the Grand Presidential Palace.

In order to use the power of cabinet countersigning, one must first ensure that oneself has effective control over the cabinet. In the face of Yuan Shikai's aggressive offensive, Tang Shaoyi came to the old mansion in Houhai again to visit Sun Yuanqi.

After the greetings, Tang Shaoyi asked, "Baixi, do you know about the recent telegram of the Zhili garrison against Wang Tieshan's supervision?" ”

The Provincial Council of Zhili includes the Shuntian Mansion where the Jingshi is located, and the capital of Zhili is close to the capital, so as soon as the power came out, it made the front page headlines of the major newspapers in the capital. As an important member of the cabinet, how could Sun Yuanqi not know about this matter?

In fact, after the adjustment and reorganization of Yang Du, Chen Xunen and others, Sun Yuanqi's intelligence network has now become very secretive and timely. Long before Wang Zhixiang went north, there was relevant news sent to Sun Yuanqi's desk, but he didn't pay much attention to it at that time. Later, Yuan Shikai was hospitable, Wang Zhixiang had no way to ask for help, and Tang Shaoyi took the initiative to come forward, and Sun Yuanqi also knew everything about it. It wasn't until the matter got bigger and bigger, and the Zhili garrison united to telegraph the whole country, and Sun Yuanqi began to re-examine the intelligence before and after Wang Zhixiang went north.

Sun Yuanqi replied immediately: "I know a little bit from the newspaper. ”

Tang Shaoyi continued to ask, "Then what do you think about this matter?" ”

Sun Yuan laughed and said, "How do you call 'what do I think'?" This kind of thing, I should ask you and the president what they think! ”

Tang Shaoyi asked again: "Does Baixi know the ins and outs of Wang Tieshan's supervision?" ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "I also know a little bit from the newspaper. ”

Tang Shaoyi suddenly became impassioned: "Wang Tieshan is a revolutionary veteran and a hero of the Republic of China. He once led the peace and change of banners in Guangxi, and was promoted by the gentry as the deputy governor; Later, seeing that the revolutionary army was at a disadvantage, he actively went north to aid Hubei and Ningbo; Not long ago, after the State Council issued a disarmament order. He took the initiative to hand over the Third Army in his hands. It is precisely because of his outstanding merits and high demeanor that he was elected as the governor of the province by the Zhili Council. Who knew that the Zhili garrison was bewitched by others, and actually violated the "Provisional Covenant Law" and publicly telegraphed the whole country to interfere in the election results, which is tolerable and unbearable! ”

Sun Yuanqi persuaded: "Prime Minister Shaochuan does not need to be angry. Wang Tieshan's appointment as the governor of Zhili, after all, it is you and the president who have the final say, and the garrison of Zhili is just a frog chirping and a cicada noise, and the mantis arm is used as a car. Don't be afraid! If they dare to resist the order of zhongyāngzhèngfǔ, without your intervention, the president will take care of them. Guaranteed to leave them with no place to die! ”

Tang Shaoyi sighed when he heard this: "Baixi, why do you have to fight with the foolish brother? The truth of the matter has long been revealed, if no one supports the Zhili garrison behind their backs, even if they borrow a gut, they will not dare to electrify the whole country against Wang Tieshan's supervision! ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "What does the president mean?" ”

Tang Shaoyi replied angrily: "The president feels that Zhili has a great deal. Candidates must be cautious. Wang Tieshan to serve as the governor of Zhili is tantamount to luring a wolf into the house, so he wants to break the appointment and arrange a position for Wang Tieshan that is not lower than that of the governor. ”

Sun Yuanqi understands Yuan Shikai's arrangement very well: the importance of Zhili to the Beiyang Department should be comparable to the significance of Sichuan to himself, or even exceeded, of course, he is not worried about being taken over by an outsider.

However, while having understanding and sympathy for Yuan Shikai, Sun Yuanqi also felt a trace of happiness: it was really the present world. Come fast! A few days ago, you wanted Chen Yangquan to go to Sichuan to be the governor, and try to give me eye medicine and wear small shoes. I didn't expect feng shui to take turns. Now it's Tang Shaoyi's turn to let Wang Zhixiang come to Zhili as the governor, and see how you take it!

At that moment, Sun Yuanqi replied: "What does Premier Shaochuan think of the president's proposal? ”

Tang Shaoyi said: "Tang is naturally difficult to disagree! There are three reasons why it cannot be changed: First, Wang Tieshan's issue is an important part of the resolution of the North-South peace talks, which not only involves Tang's personal face, but also has a bearing on the cabinet's functions and powers and prestige.

Secondly, Wang Tieshan's supervision is not only agreed by the north and the south, but also the result of the public recommendation of the Zhili Provincial Council, representing the public opinion of the whole province. The State Council and the Grand Presidential Office cannot be changed at will, and it is not permissible to lose trust in the people directly under the government and in the world.

"Third, if there is no telegram from the Zhili garrison to the whole country to openly oppose the occurrence of Wang Tieshan's supervision of the Zhizhi incident, there is still room for change in this matter. Now that the military is meddling, the State Department naturally cannot agree to the president's request in order to put a stop to this unhealthy trend, so as not to set a precedent for military personnel to interfere in politics in the future. These are the three musts.

"It is precisely because of the above three must nots that the matter is related to the foundation of the constitutional rule of law in the Republic of China, so we cannot make the slightest concession in the slightest in terms of reason and reason. The State Council must enforce the law impartially, rather than give in, force the presidential office to make concessions on this issue, appoint Wang Tieshan as the governor of Zhili as soon as possible, and fight back against military interference in politics! ”

Sun Yuanqi was a little worried: "What if the presidential palace doesn't budge?" Could it be that the stalemate between the government and the court continues? ”

Tang Shaoyi said: "Now the problem is obvious, either the presidential palace will make concessions, or the State Council will make concessions. As we all know, the implementation of a responsible cabinet should have a dominant position in the cabinet, and the Grand Presidential Office should be in a subordinate position. And now the reality is that the Grand Presidential Office, which controls most of the country's armed forces and has a lot of power in zhèngfǔ, is very dissatisfied with the responsible cabinet system, and from time to time it is tempted to gradually encroach.

"In order to maintain the Provisional Constitution and the responsible cabinet system, we must not budge an inch, take the initiative, gradually weaken the strength and voice of the Grand Presidential Office, and establish the authority of the State Council. Otherwise, once a concession is made this time, it will be conceited again and again in the future, until the State Council becomes a puppet of the Great Presidential Palace! So even if the stalemate between the government and the court continues, the State Council cannot make any concessions. ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "As Prime Minister Shaochuan said, but freezing three feet is not a cold, and weakening the strength and discourse power of the presidential palace cannot be done overnight. If we push too hard, it will provoke a strong backlash from the presidential office, and in turn lead to the loss of all the previous achievements. Therefore, Sun believes that we should be relaxed, and we might as well make appropriate concessions on certain issues to win the understanding and support of the presidential palace. ”

Tang Shaoyi asked suspiciously, "For example?" ”

"For example, this Wang Tieshan supervised the Zhizhi incident," Sun Yuanqi said cautiously, "In fact, you and I both know the importance of Zhili to the president, and Zhili is the foundation and birthplace of the Beiyang system, and there is no room for error." Although Wang Tieshan had been a former Qing bureaucrat before, he joined the League after all and was considered a revolutionary. Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin said, 'On the side of the couch, how can others be allowed to snore', Wang Tieshan is no longer a problem of sleeping soundly on the side of the couch, it is simply standing on the side of the bed with a sword. How can you give the president peace of mind?

In fact, Sun also has a deep understanding of this. At the end of last year, Lan Jihao (Lan Tianwei) staged a mutiny in Luanzhou and Wu Shouqing (Wu Luzhen) announced a rebellion in Zhengding, both of which caused panic in the imperial court, and although they were ultimately successful, they also accelerated the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Later, the Qing Imperial Guards besieged our Jingshi University without authorization, but the Jingshi University only sent two planes to the Forbidden City to circle twice, threw a few leaflets, and the Janissaries obediently withdrew. After the President ascended the throne, the first problem to be solved was to try to transfer the 47th mixed Concorde aircraft stationed at Jingshi University.

"This kind of thing one by one, one by one, shows the importance of Zhili Gyeonggi to the Zhongyāng regime, it can be said that Yin Jian is not far away, how can the president accept Wang Tieshan, a revolutionary, as the governor of Zhili? Now that the matter has come to this point, it is better to meet the requirements of the president, arrange another position for Wang Tieshan in the name of zhongyāngzhèngfǔ that is not lower than that of the governor, and punish the directly subordinate garrisons who interfere in the administration to set an example. In this way, it can not only save the face of the State Council, but also avoid the intensification of contradictions between the government and the court. ”

I don't know what Tang Shaoyi was thinking, so he didn't speak for a while.

Sun Yuanqi hit the railway while it was hot: "And no matter how deadlocked the government and the court are, the president will never make concessions on the issue of the candidate for the governor of Zhili." If, in the end, the president loses patience and publishes the appointment letter that has not been countersigned by the cabinet, and Wang Tieshan goes to take office, wouldn't it be the biggest damage to the "Provisional Covenant" and the responsible cabinet system? At that time, the prestige and face of the State Council will be gone! ”

Tang Shaoyi suddenly raised his eyebrows, and said angrily: "Wang Tieshan, he dare!" ”

Sun Yuanqi sneered: "Wang Zhixiang, as a former Qing official, neither martyred nor resigned and retired when the Qing Dynasty fell, and successively served as the deputy governor of the Guangxi Governor's Mansion and the commander of the aid army to Hubei. Could it be that obeying the appointment of the Great Presidential Palace is more testing than proclaiming the Guangxi dúlì? ”

Tang Shaoyi was silent for a while, and said for a long time: "I was the plenipotentiary representative of the north during the peace talks between the north and the south, and Wang Tieshan's supervision was a promise I made, and Wang Tieshan is a comrade of our alliance, so this matter cannot be indisputable to Tang!" Moreover, in the past few months when Tang served as prime minister, he tried his best to maneuver between the revolutionary party and the president, reconciling the contradictions between the two, but there were many obstacles in the middle. Even if the matter is settled, I will not be in the prime minister's position for long. In this case, Tang might as well fight over the issue of Wang Tieshan's supervision, and if he succeeds, he can do his part for the responsible cabinet; If you fail, you can retreat bravely! ”

Sun Yuanqi was shocked: I didn't expect Tang Shaoyi to be ready to resign for this matter!

Tang Shaoyi said again: "In the current cabinet, there are only five or six people who really have the ability to dominate the world, such as Zhao Zhi'an, Duan Zhiquan, Lu Zixin (Lu Zhengxiang), Xiong Bingsan (Xiong Xiling), Song Dunchu and Xiandi, among which Zhao Zhi'an and Duan Zhiquan are the presidents, needless to say; Although Lu Zixin and Xiong Bingsan claim to be neutral, they are actually inclined to the side of the president; Song Dunchu was too high-spirited and needed to be honed. Baixi, if Tang really resigns because of this matter, you have to take the initiative to provoke the cabinet beam! (To be continued.) )

ps: Uncle He has to work hard to code words! Stay updated!