After the deaths of Cixi and Guangxu, Zaifeng became the regent because of Puyi, and at that time, Empress Longyu lived in a deep palace, and she hardly asked about the government, and the twenty-six-year-old Zaifeng became a nominal leader.
Young is an advantage, but it is also a problem, many old ministers are worried that Zaifeng is young and vigorous, and there is no decent staff officer around, don't accidentally make trouble, the Guangxu Emperor is an example, when he was seduced by Kang Youwei, blindly implemented the change of law, and also wanted to kill Empress Dowager Cixi, and as a result, he put himself in. The Great Qing Dynasty was already crumbling and could not withstand the toss.
And Zaifeng, who is full of ambition, is indeed brewing a big thing -- getting rid of Yuan Shikai.
As the most influential minister after Li Hongzhang, Yuan Shikai can be said to be a power in the opposition, and Sun Baoxuan, who was an official of the Ministry of Posts and Communications at the time, said bluntly:
Before Gengzi, the world of Li Hefei also; After Gengzi, yuan xiangcheng's world also.
In the late Guangxu period, Empress Dowager Cixi wanted to reclaim the military power of the six towns in Beiyang, and Yuan Shikai argued on the basis of reason, demanding that he continue to administer the second and fourth towns, and when preparing for the constitution, he took the initiative to write a letter asking him to supervise the training of troops in the three eastern provinces, Henan, Shandong, and zhili.
Yuan Shikai's ambition aroused the suspicion of Empress Dowager Cixi, and she asked Yi Xi privately: What will a certain minister do if he does this?
In order to prevent Yuan Shikai's tail from falling, in 1907, the Qing court summoned Yuan Shikai to the military aircraft department, and the military power was assigned to the War Department. However, at this time, Yuan Shikai, the climate has become a reality, even if he is transferred away from the army, the Beiyang Army is already densely packed with henchmen, "there is still a false voice, enough to deter the distant."
After Cixi's death, Yuan Shikai was even more popular, and all the people in the court, whether Chinese or foreigners, regarded him as a pillar minister, which was even worse than Li Hongzhang at that time.
And for Zaifeng, who had just seized power, Yuan Shikai was the biggest stumbling block on his way forward, the greater Yuan's power, the higher his prestige, the more unfavorable it was to him, at that time, the princes of all walks of life were alienated from Germany, and during the Xin ugly years, they even made a "southeast self-protection", eliminating Yuan Shikai, who could not only kill chickens to show the monkeys, but also take advantage of the opportunity to seize power.
In addition to the consideration of power, personal grudges are also the main reason for Zaifeng's action against Yuan Shikai, during the coup d'état, Tan Si visited Yuan Shikai at night, hoping to use his hand to kill Rong Lu and promote the new deal, Yuan Shikai promised to be good, turned around and sold the Guangxu Emperor and the Restoration Faction, Tan Sitong died, and the Guangxu Emperor was thus shut down to death by Cixi. As Guangxu's half-brother, Yan has no reason not to avenge his brother.
On November 20, 1908, Zaifeng issued an edict in the name of Emperor Xuantong: Military and state affairs are decided by the regent of the Jianguo. It is the immediate ruler who presides over the affairs of the country, dethrons the rewards and punishments, and listens to the regent of the prison state to implement the judgment. From the beginning of their lives, they shall scrupulously obey the will and obey them as one.
Immediately afterward, Zaifeng pushed his younger brother Zaitao, his cronies Yulang, and Tie Liang to the position of the Janissaries, hoping to control the Forbidden Army and control power through their hands.
When all this was settled, Zaifeng began to attack Yuan Shikai. According to his plan, it was best to kill Yuan Shikai, and once he was a hundred, the worst was to drive away and completely cut off his political path.
Unexpectedly, Zaifeng's approach was obstructed by many ministers.
First of all, Lu Chuanlin, the governor of Shaanxi, and Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, two old guys who have always had a bad relationship with Yuan Shikai, but at a critical moment, they unified their words, "The lord is less suspicious of the country, and it is not lighter than the minister." ”
They spoke for Yuan Shikai, not necessarily sympathizing with Yuan Shikai, but dissatisfied with Zaifeng and a group of cronies around him for quickly receiving power, but when the words came out of his mouth, the weight was naturally different, and Zaifeng could not turn a blind eye.
Han Chen did not support it, and Man Chen was not a monolith, and Yi Xi's attitude was vague: this matter was of great importance, and asked Wang Ye to re-examine it. Coupled with the obstruction of powerful ministers such as Duan Fang and Shi Xu, Zaifeng's plan was seriously challenged.
In the end, under the mediation of many parties, the fledgling Zaifeng net opened one side, using foot disease as an excuse to open the vacancy, leaving a back road for Yuan Shikai's comeback.
From Zaifeng's point of view, the new monarch succeeded to the throne, suppressed the former dynasty's important subjects, and tightened the power was the right way, and shunzhi liquidated Dolgun and Kangxi captured Naaobai, but after Yuan Shikai was deposed, the situation in the Qing court not only did not improve, but took a sharp turn.
Expelling Yuan caused serious doubts about Zaifeng by officials in the government and the public, although Zaifeng was optimistic, but compared with the veteran Yuan Shikai, he was still a fledgling rookie, whether it was political experience or personal ability are far apart, Driving Yuan to gather power in the short term, but it caused many officials to worry, the so-called rabbit death fox sorrow, the Great Qing Dynasty is already crumbling, people's hearts are scattered, more critical.
Compared with Zaifeng's embarrassment, after Yuan Shikai stepped down, his political influence did not disappear, and Yuan Shuxun, the governor of Shandong, Zhang Renjun, the governor of Liangguang, Zengyun, the governor of Zhejiang, Feng Ruxuan, the governor of Jiangxi, Zhu Jiabao, the inspector of Anhui, and Chen Shaochang, the governor of Jilin, all went to the beijing to greet Yuan Shikai, And Yuan Shikai's daughter got married, and officials in Beijing, such as Prince Yixi of Qing, Pei Zi Zaizhen, son of Yi Li, and military ministers Na Tong, Shi Xu, and Rong Qing, all attended the ceremony to congratulate Yuan Shikai.
In addition, the foreigners were also in an uproar about Yuan Shikai's stepping down, although modern history has praised and deprecated the old Yuan, but at that time, Yuan Shikai was a fragrant feast in the eyes of foreigners, and a document from the French Foreign Ministry reads:
Not only was he more knowledgeable than a diplomat, but he was also a far more diligent, loyal, and virtuous of the princes of the Qing court than anyone else.
After Yuan Shikai stepped down, the New York Times reported that "the sudden dismissal of Yuan Shikai by members of the Beijing diplomatic corps was almost like hearing a thunderbolt on a sunny day." Zaifeng's expulsion of Yuan Shikai was considered "the result of a Manchu conspiracy." It is said that if Zaifeng did not kill Yuan Shikai, there would be pressure from the United States.
French diplomat Bastard also believes that the expulsion of Yuan Shikai will trigger the dissatisfaction of officials at all levels with the political system. After that, the divisions and regiments of various countries in Beijing held meetings one after another to discuss the diplomatic chaos after Yuan Shikai's downfall, until Yi Xi personally came forward to appease and promised that the foreign policy of the Qing Dynasty would not change because of Yuan Shikai's departure, and the situation improved.
After Yuan Shikai stepped down, the royalists led by Kang Youwei Liang Qichao rejoiced, before that, Liang Qichao had been in contact with Shanqi and Zaize, secretly promoting the removal of Yuan Shikai, and now that the culprit had gone, the revenge of the great revenge, they thought they could show their fists.
However, with the passage of time, both the royalists and the constitutionalists found that Zaifeng had no intention of reforming and employing people, and that the expulsion of Yuan Shikai was only part of his centralized plan, which disappointed them greatly, and the evaluation of Zaifeng plummeted, and some royalists said bluntly:
Things in Beijing are painless and itchy, and for the image of insensitivity, the regent and the former emperor really have a dragon and a dog.
Yuan Shikai's recall case also brought another serious consequence, that is, the Manchu-Han confrontation, Yuan Keding, the eldest son of Yuan Shikai, openly declared: The removal of Yuan Shikai was the result of the regent's exclusion of the Han people. This was undoubtedly a very appealing testimony, and since then, the revolutionaries and royalists have pointed their spearheads at Zaifeng, and Zaifeng has become the target of public criticism.