Yuan Shikai can be said to be the most controversial figure in China's modern history, in the process of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and ending the two-thousand-year imperial system, Yuan Shikai played a huge role, but only a few years later, Yuan Shikai actually turned back the wheel of history and restored the title of emperor!
It is still full of mysteries about why Yuan Shikai was called emperor, but the encouragement of his eldest son Yuan Keding cannot escape, and it can be said that Yuan Keding, who is ambitious and wants to be the crown prince, has pushed Yuan Shikai to the track of being emperor step by step.
Yuan Keding
However, who knows that during the War of Resistance Against Japan, Yuan Keding refused to cooperate with the Japanese, and at the worst time, he ate rotten vegetable leaves for a living.
This article will discuss in detail with you the complicated and controversial life of Yuan Keding, the eldest son of Yuan Shikai.
Yuan Shikai has many daughters-in-law, so there are many sons, and it should be said that the most important son is Yuan Keding, the eldest son.
Yuan Shikai took Yuan Keding with him no matter what position he held, in order to allow Yuan Keding to receive a good education, Yuan Shikai specially hired German teachers to teach him to read, under the influence of Yuan Shikai, Yuan Keding heard about things in the official arena and also had a certain political ability.
Yuan Shikai
After the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, Yuan Shikai on the one hand led the Beiyang Army to kill the ruiqi of the revolutionary army, and on the other hand, he sent Yuan Keding to contact Li Yuanhong and discuss peace talks.
In 1913, Yuan Shikai let Yuan Keding go to Germany to recuperate, in fact, to seek German support for its politics, modern China is deeply influenced by Germany, Yuan Keding from childhood to learn German is likely to be Yuan Shikai deliberately, after arriving in Germany, Yuan Keding was warmly welcomed by the German Emperor Wilhelm II, Germany as a constitutional monarchy country, does not oppose China also carry out constitutional monarchy, Wilhelm II before Yuan Keding left Germany also handed over a handwritten letter supporting Yuan Shikai's implementation of constitutional monarchy to Yuan Keding.
After Yuan Keding returned to China, Yuan Shikai was overjoyed, as if his dream of emperor was half done, but just when Yuan's father and son were preparing to fight a big battle, the First World War occurred in Europe, and then Japan took advantage of the Western powers to suffer from the First World War, forcing the Beiyang government to sign the "Twenty-one Articles" of mourning power and humiliating the country, when Germany was in the quagmire of war, it could not take into account China.
Yuan Shikai's relations with the great powers
It can be said that the German relations that Yuan Shikai had planned for Yuan Keding for all these years were suddenly cut off.
Although the situation of the country was very dangerous under the threat of Japan, Yuan Shikai's ambition to become emperor did not stop there, and the reason for Yuan Shikai's title of emperor has always been full of controversy, which of course has Yuan Shikai's ambition and feudal imperial power ideas, but it also has a huge relationship with Yuan Keding.
Regarding Yuan Shikai's claim to the throne, in fact, most people have not understood, it is certain to turn back history, but constitutional monarchy is not useless, especially in the Republic of China period, when only the United States and France in the world were truly republican, and the rest, Britain, Germany, Japan, Russia, Austria and other powerful countries all implemented constitutional monarchy.
Yuan Shikai was called emperor behind
The road of republicanism, which seems beautiful, is actually not easy to follow.
At that time, Yuan Shikai's president had been changed to a lifelong system, and in response to whether it was necessary for Yuan Shikai to call the emperor a constitutional monarchy, foreigners told Yuan Shikai that his presidential power had surpassed that of the heads of state of many constitutional monarchies in the West, and once the constitutional monarchy was implemented, Yuan Shikai would be subject to many restrictions.
From Yuan Shikai's point of view, even if the president is a lifelong system, it is not hereditary, only the monarchy can be hereditary, in the end, Yuan Shikai did all this not only for himself, but also likely to be for his children and generations to have a good future.
However, where can Yuan Shikai think that his wishful thinking is exchanged for the insults of his sons and daughters, and for Yuan Shikai to be called emperor, Yuan Shikai's second son Yuan Kewen explained best: "There is no mercy on the high and windy places, and it is not to go to the top of the QiongLou." ”
Yuan Shikai's second son, Yuan Kewen
Because the high places are often cold!
When the restoration failed, Yuan Shikai, who was scolded to death, only said one sentence on his deathbed, "He misunderstood me", and everyone thought that this sentence did not mean Yang Du or Yuan Keding, as if Yuan Shikai's claim to the emperor was instigated by these two people behind him.
There is also a certain reason for doubting Yuan Keding, in the process of Yuan Shikai's claim to the throne, you may not want to be an emperor, but your son is quite an imperial prince!
At that time, in order to strengthen Yuan Shikai's determination to claim the title of emperor, Yuan Keding even did not hesitate to create fake newspapers to deceive Yuan Shikai.
At that time, when Japan forced China to sign the Twenty-First Article, Sino-Japanese relations were particularly tense, and Yuan Shikai was very concerned about the dynamics of Japan, when Japan founded the "Suncheon Times" in China, which was actually a tool of Public Opinion in China and represented the remarks of the Japanese government.
Yuan Shikai was proclaimed emperor
Yuan Keding took advantage of this and went so far as to gather a group of writers to create fake newspapers every day, and the content of the "Shuntian Times" that praised Yuan Shikai or supported Yuan Shikai's claim to the emperor was retained; if it was against Yuan Shikai's claim to the emperor, the group of writers gathered by Yuan Keding changed it, or created fake news to replace it.
Play a good hand to hide the sky across the sea, until the Yuan family bought fava beans, the stall owner casually used a "Shuntian Times" package, the Yuan family found out when eating fava beans, the outside "Shuntian Times" was different from the family.
After Yuan Shikai knew the truth, he picked up the leather whip and beat Yuan Keding like a fat beating, calling him "deceiving his father and misleading the country."
When Yuan Shikai died, he designated the political heir in his will and did not leave Yuan Keding's name, and also announced the end of Yuan Keding's political life, with Yuan Keding's strength to play tricks with Duan Qirui's old slippery head, that was not a matter of being killed in a second, and then Yuan Keding went to Tianjin to live in seclusion and began a life of sitting on the mountain and eating the sky.
After the victory of the Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army in 1928, Yuan Keding's family property in Henan was confiscated by the Nationalist government, and Yuan Keding's life gradually became sad.
After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the fall of North China, the Japanese people valued Yuan Keding's political value and hoped that Yuan Keding would be able to assume the post of puppet government.
In the face of the Japanese "high-ranking official Houlu", Yuan Keding thought for a long time, during which he did not hesitate, and finally refused, according to his own words, although he had a source of wealth for holding a false post, he could not be a traitor because of this.
In order to dispel the japanese people's thoughts, Yuan Keding also published a statement in the newspaper that he did not ask anything about anything due to illness and refused to see guests, and the Japanese were very annoyed by Yuan Keding's performance, and all kinds of difficulties were made for Yuan Keding.
Thanks to Wang Jingwei, who had already rebelled at that time, and his relationship with Yuan Keding, he asked the Japanese not to force Yuan Keding, which did not allow Yuan Keding to be killed by the Japanese, but for Wang Jingwei's "sugar-coated shells", Yuan Keding was not moved after all.
Elderly Yuan Keding
At this time, Yuan Keding's life was already poor and poor, and everything that could be done at home was dangled, and it was really impossible to open the pot, leaving only a loyal old servant, who went to the street every day to pick up cabbage for him and steamed the nest for him to eat.
After the founding of New China, Yuan Keding obtained government relief funds, and with the help of relatives and friends, he had a relatively stable old age.
Yuan Keding's life was a failure, whether it was in politics or as a person, there were deficiencies, especially in the place where Yuan Shikai was promoted to restore and become emperor, which was an eternal stain on his life, but during the Japanese invasion, Yuan Keding did not lose himself under such a difficult situation, maintained the late festival, and was also a person who did not lose a big festival.
bibliography:
Wang Lei, "Yuan Keding, the eldest son of Yuan Shikai", Yanhuang Chunqiu, 1994.10
Zhao Yinglin, "Yuan Keding, Who Wants to Be the Crown Prince", Spring and Autumn of the Republic of China, 1994.2
Zhang Chuancai, "The Year of Yuan Keding's Residual Candles", Leader Wencui, 2006.7