Survival Wisdom of the Beiyang Era (148): Crystal Fox.
In the winter of the third year of xuanun reunification, the Qing court issued an abdication edict, Yuan Shikai was responsible for the abdication of the Qing court, promoting the peace between the north and the south, and the Beiyang army under him was also a strong force that looked at the world at that time, coupled with the identity given to Yuan Shikai in the Qing court's abdication edict, Yuan Shikai, the first president of the Beiyang Dynasty, seemed to be determined to win, but the person behind all this was Xu Shichang, who was known as the "crystal fox". After the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, the southern provinces successively announced their independence from the Qing court, and in the voice of the world to resist the Qing court, Xu Shichang keenly saw the opportunity, vigorously planned Yuan Shikai's exit from the mountain, and at the same time offered advice to force the Qing Emperor to abdicate, and at the time of the peace between the north and the south, these successive plots finally made Yuan Shikai ascend to the throne of the president.
Later, as a behind-the-scenes hero of Yuan Shikai's ascension to the throne of the president, Xu Shichang refused Yuan Shikai's appointment, claiming that he was favored by the Qing court, had a negative imperial court, and was worried about the times, so he left the capital and chose to return to his hometown to live in seclusion. But obviously he was the mastermind of the change of time, and now he was worried and angry? In fact, Xu Shichang has been reading poetry since childhood, compared to Yuan Shikai's two examinations for the township examination, and finally abandoned Wen Congwu, he raised people in the early examination, and then passed the examination, and then passed the examination to enter the soldier, the bones are still the Confucian thought at that time, the so-called food of the king, the matter of loyalty to the king. Although he passed the entrance examination, Xu Shichang's career was not smooth, and the editor of the Hanlin Academy, the petty official of the Seven Pins, Xu Shichang did it for ten years. However, his opportunity finally came, Yuan Shikai trained troops at the small station, and asked the Qing court to ask Xu Shichang to serve as the general office of the Military Affairs Office, the level was lower than the original, but Xu Shichang resolutely left the Hanlin Academy and gladly went.
Because Xu Shichang and Yuan Shikai had a lot of friendship in their early years, the encounter between the two was the stormy meeting of Haojie in that era, Yuan Shikai saw Xu Shichang full of economics and extraordinary conversation, and immediately exclaimed: "Ju ren, really wonderful talent." Xu Shichang also sighed that he had met his confidant. However, as soon as Xu Shichang arrived at Xiaozhan, Yuan Shikai encountered trouble. Yuan Shikai was accused of withholding military salaries and killing innocents, and the imperial court sent Rong Lu and Chen Kuilong to investigate. Xu Shichang was a Beijing official for ten years, and although he did not drill camps to seek promotion, his connections and reputation were established. Chen Kuilong, who came to investigate the case, was a good friend of Xu Shichang, and under Xu Shichang's planning, Yuan Shikai was spared the disaster. After that, Xu Shichang won the trust of Yuan Shikai, took charge of military affairs, and was also a confidential staff member, and could even handle it on his behalf when Yuan Shikai was not there, becoming Yuan Shikai's right and left arm.
Yuan Shikai also obeyed Xu Shichang and was known as a brother. With the cooperation of the two men, the system of the Beiyang New Army was rapidly established, the military rules, regulations, and strategies of a new type of army combining China and the West were formulated, and a large number of outstanding generals and soldiers were trained. Under the recommendation of Yuan Shikai, Xu Shichang had another opportunity to show his skills. In the two years of the governor of the northeast, he actively promoted reforms and punished corruption, which made the three eastern provinces look new, changed the depressed scene before the northeast, and then was appointed as a co-founder university scholar and military minister, becoming a well-known powerful faction in the temple. Therefore, Xu Shichang chose to give in, although it was due to his sleek personality, he wanted to avoid criticism for a while, so as not to fall into the name of "chaotic courtiers and thieves".
In the end, what should be said is that in Xu Shichang's heart, the Qing court did not treat him badly, but instead he "received great favor from the country", but finally helped overthrow the Qing court, and Xu Shichang still stepped forward in his heart. This behind-the-scenes hero who helped Yuan Shikai overthrow the Qing court and ascend to the throne of the president, in the name of the change of anger and anger, asked to return to the hidden mountains. Before leaving, Xu Shichang and Yuan Shikai had a long talk and expressed their specific ideas, and then Yuan Shikai asked Xu Shichang to come out of the mountains to help him several times, Xu Shichang was not moved, because this crystal fox that had been traversing the sea for many years had already seen that Yuan Shikai was facing a game of dead chess, the world seemed to be changing the old and the new, in fact, the resistance behind it was definitely not Yuan Shikai who could dissolve, all this except for time, everyone was a pawn wrapped up in the times, and with Xu Shichang's shrewdness, he would definitely not participate in this kind of risk of gaining more than he lost.