In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution broke out, pushing for the demise of the Qing Dynasty. On February 12, 1912, the Qing court announced its abdication, ending China's last feudal dynasty. Chinese history also entered the Republic of China period. The Beiyang government took over the political legacy of the Qing Dynasty. For example, if the reparations in the "Xinugu Treaty" continue to be fulfilled and the treaties signed with foreign countries, the Beiyang government will remain unchanged. Judging from the situation at that time, Yuan Shikai and the later Beiyang warlords seemed to have special feelings for the Qing Dynasty. This led to many warlords who were very fanatical in support of the Qing Dynasty, such as Zhang Xun, who led an army that never cut braids, also known as the braid army.
During the Xinhai Revolution, Zhang Zuolin also thought of sending troops to the south to defend the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty, and was more willing to contribute to the Qing Dynasty. Don't look at the warlords holding military power, but in front of Puyi, it is still respectful, after all, this is the last emperor of China. Before the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the loyalty of these warlords to the Qing Dynasty was still good, and they were not only loyal to Yuan Shikai, but also loyal to the Qing Dynasty. At the time of Zhang Xun's restoration, many people chose to support it. Until Duan Qirui defeated Zhang Xun and interrupted the re-restoration of the Qing Dynasty. And Zhang Xun dared to do this, which was also a fanatical support for the Qing Dynasty. But after the defeat, he was not killed, but pardoned.
Do you think Zhang Xun's restoration was his own impulse? That's impossible. After Yuan Shikai's death, the idea that "China cannot live without an emperor" penetrated deeply into the hearts of various warlords. After Yuan Shikai's death, Zhang Xun took advantage of the need for unity among the warlords to convene a meeting in Xuzhou. Representatives of warlords from seven regions were present at the time. Since then, more and more warlords have participated. When the Beiyang warlords felt that their future was uncertain, if they did not unite, they would be defeated. For the sake of their own future and interests, the Beiyang warlords joined this meeting one after another to protect their own interests and status.
At that time, there were two ideas, one was to overthrow the Li Yuanhong government with Duan Qirui as vice president and Xu Shichang as the prime minister. One is to support Puyi's restoration and advocate the restoration of the Qing Dynasty. At the second Xuzhou meeting, this one was even larger. The warlords who participated were Zhang Huaizhi, the overseer of Shandong, Zhang Zuolin, the overseer of Fengtian, Meng Enyuan, the governor of Jilin, Zhang Shuyuan, the commander of the Fifth Division, Zhao Qian, the governor of Henan, Bi Guifang, the overseer of Heilongjiang, Wang Zhanyuan, the overseer of Hubei, Li Chun, the overseer of Jiangxi, Feng Guozhang, the overseer of Jiangsu, Cao Kun, the governor of The province, Zhu Jiabao, the governor of The province, Li Houji, the governor of Fujian, Yang Shande, the overseer of Zhejiang, Lu Yongxiang, the envoy of the Songhu Protector, Zhang Jingyao, the commander of the Seventh Division, Shi Congbin, the defender of Yanzhou Town, Long Jiguang, the inspector of mining affairs in Liangguang, Wu Bingxiang, the police inspector of the Beijing Division, and Jiang Chaozong, the commander of the Beijing infantry. A total of 34 people participated.
The meeting identified matters such as uniting the Beiyang warlords, countering the kuomintang and military alliances in the southwestern provinces, and preventing the centralization of power by the Beijing government. Due to the uneven distribution of benefits, this also laid hidden dangers for the subsequent division of warlords. When many people supported the restoration of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Xun was able to enter the Beijing Division with 5,000 braided soldiers and declare the restoration of the Qing Dynasty imperial system. However, due to the uneven distribution of benefits, the Beiyang warlords opposed it. Especially Duan Qirui, because he could have been vice president. Zhang Xun did not give him the need for benefits, so he fought all the way to the Beijing Division, interrupting the restoration of the Qing Dynasty. Eventually Xu Shichang became the president, and he became vice president.
It can be seen that when supporting the restoration of the Qing Dynasty, many warlords still agreed, but their unity was not as strong as imagined. To say why they are so keen to support the Qing Dynasty is related to the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Most of these Beiyang warlords were relics of the Qing Dynasty and were deeply influenced by the Qing dynasty's rule. Under the influence of that kind of thinking, it was normal for them to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty. Coupled with foreign invasions, it aroused their anger and patriotism. Although the republic is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, they prefer the imperial system, which is also the idea in the hearts of Chinese, only the emperor can rule the world and obey the mandate of heaven.
From the perspective of dynasties, when they perished, the emperor was either killed, or not hidden, or controlled. The demise of the Qing Dynasty was the end of the Qing court's abdication, but the emperors and imperial families of the Qing Dynasty did not become extinct, and they were still enshrined by the Beiyang government. And the existence of Puyi, so that many people want to restore the Qing Dynasty, will support him as emperor.
If successful, these warlords are founding fathers and enjoy a reputation that has been celebrated for generations. For their own interests, as well as their loyalty to the Qing Dynasty, many warlords had an imperial dream. It can be seen that by taking advantage of the conditions at that time, they still had the opportunity to restore the Qing Dynasty, and their disunity eventually lost the opportunity. However, the republican system is the trend of the times, and the implementation of the imperial system will only regress history and will not revitalize China.