Tang Shaoyi, the first premier of the Republic of China, was one of the 120 young children sent by the Qing court to stay in the United States, and he was the first to serve as a waiter and Shang Shu-level official of the Qing court, the first important member to serve as an inspector, and an important member of Yuan Shikai's Beiyang clique.
From the engagement in Korea in 1884 to the breakup in 1912, Tang Shaoyi and Yuan Shikai's friendship boat for nearly 30 years overturned after Tang Shaoyi became prime minister for 3 months and 2 days.
Be Yuan Shikai's savior
Tang Shaoyi was born in 1862, the younger Yuan Shikai was 3 years old, and both Sun Yat-sen and Sun Yat-sen were from Xiangshan County (now Zhongshan) in Guangdong. In 1874, he went to the United States with the third batch of young children to study, and later entered the United States to study liberal arts at Columbia University. After Tang Shaoyi returned to China, he was sent to Korea by Li Hongzhang in 1882 to serve as the secretary of the German Mu Linde, who was deputy to the Korean customs affairs.
In December 1884, the Korean "Kaihua faction" launched the "Koshin Coup" at the instigation of Japan. During the turmoil, min Yong-yi, the leader of the pro-Qing Korean Affairs Party, was stabbed, and his family carried him to Mu Linde's house for treatment. When Yuan Shikai, who was then the "prime minister's camp office and the one who would handle the defense of Korea" (roughly equivalent to the second-largest person sent by the Qing court to Korea), suppressed the coup, he learned that Min Yongyi was at the Mu Mansion and went to inquire about the situation. At the door of the Mu Mansion, a man stood with a gun and was awe-struck, preventing Yuan Bing from entering. After questioning, Fang knew that this person was Tang Shaoyi, and the two "fit at first sight", thus engaging.
In 1894, the Donggak Party revolted in Korea, which eventually led to the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War. Before the outbreak of the war, North Korea had asked the Qing Dynasty to send troops to help suppress the Dongxue Party. Japan believed that this was directed by Yuan Shikai, the then prime minister in Korea, who negotiated with the Minister of Trade and Commerce (the highest official of the Qing court in Korea), and then became jealous of him and "wanted to die." Yuan felt panicked and uneasy, repeatedly asked to return to China, and recommended Tang Shaoyi to act as his deputy. On July 18, the Qing court approved Yuan's return to China.
Yuan Shikai was running a fever, "hot over Baidu" (Fahrenheit Baidu is about 37.8 degrees Celsius). After receiving the domestic telegram, he hurriedly escaped from Seoul the next day in disguise, despite his serious illness, and Tang Shaoyi and Cai Shaoji, who was the interpreter at the time, arranged for 32 caravans to be hired and personally escorted to Incheon, boarded the Qing Dynasty's "Pingyuan" warship, and returned to Tianjin. When Yuan left, the Japanese army had already sent troops to occupy the gates of Seoul and strictly searched the Chinese entering and leaving. Tang Shaoyi was not afraid of danger, and personally threatened the short wing to protect the Yuan clan to break through, and the Chinese all rushed out, and the Japanese soldiers guarding retreated one after another. After Yuan boarded the ship, the Japanese could not catch up with the boat, so they had to look at the ocean and sigh. This time, Yuan Shikai was able to get out of the difficulties, and Tang Shaoyi really had great achievements.
Tang Shaoyi stayed in the United States for many years, accepted Western indoctrination, and leaned toward democracy and republicanism in her heart. Yuan Shikai grew up in a large feudal family, "the third generation was deeply favored by the country", but in terms of merit and fame, he did not even win the title. After failing the first place in the township test twice, Yuan Shikai, who was ashamed and indignant, gambled and burned all the poems he had written in the past, threatening: "The eldest husband should serve the battlefield, an inside and outside, wu neng dirty for a long time trapped in the pen and stone, self-mistaken time! "The difference in family origin and cultural background between the two is very large, why can they become inseparable friends?
In addition to the sympathy for each other's talents, there is also mutual appreciation of personality. In one example, both men are spending a lot of money. Before Yuan Shikai joined the army, he initiated two "literary societies", making himself the leader of the alliance and providing activity funds, winning the reputation of "generosity and kindness". One day, he was studying at home, when Xu Shichang, who was a disgraced talent, came to visit, and as soon as the two saw each other, they exchanged posts and worshiped as brothers. After learning that Xu Shichang had no road fee to go north to take the exam, Yuan Shikai immediately transferred the money to give it to him. It was yuan shikai's generous help that Xu Shichang later became a zhongju, a zhongjinshi, a member of the Hanlin Academy, and an assistant minister of the Qing cabinet (roughly equivalent to vice premier), The President of the Republic of China.
Tang Shaoyi's generosity and exquisiteness are also well known. During his tenure as the Right Attendant of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Left Attendant and Shangshu of the Ministry of Posts and Communications, the Ministry of Posts and Communications was known for its delicious food, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was known for its gorgeous costumes. In the autumn of 1910, Tang succeeded Xu Shichang in the Department of Posts and Communications Shangshu, and was impeached shortly after taking office, accused of "extravagance, a cigar cigarette is worth a few dollars on weekdays." The Tianjin customs road is a shortage of fertilizer, often up to nearly one million a year. After Tang Shaoyi assumed this post, on the grounds that he could not damage the national body, he often prepared fine wines and delicacies to entertain Westerners. As a result, at the end of the year, not only were nearly a million income items spent, but also needed to be helped by the family from time to time, "the whole world thinks it is a strange thing."
Yuan Shikai became Tang Shaoyi's political Bole
In 1882, Tang Shaoyi entered Korea. Nearly three years later, at the request of Li Hongzhang, he was rewarded in May 1885 from Jiupin County, the lowest rank in the Qing court. In September 1898, due to the death of her father, Tang Shaoyi left Korea and returned to China to keep filial piety. At this time, he was already a candidate prefect for the official title of Three Pins. In 17 years, it has risen from nine pins to positive four pins, spanning 11 levels.
Among them, there is Li Hongzhang's recommendation, and more is Yuan Shikai's appreciation. Historical records record: "After Yuan Shikai and Tang Shaoyi met, they loved each other, and the two had a very harmonious relationship, formed allies, helped each other, and sought common progress." ”
After the suppression of the "Jiashen Coup", at the recommendation of Li Hongzhang, Yuan Shikai was appointed as the prime minister of negotiations and trade in Korea, and became the highest representative of the Qing court in Korea. In November 1885, he immediately played Tang Shaoyi to serve as a Translator for Spanish. From 1886 to 1891, Yuan Shikai recommended Tang Shaoyi to Li Hongzhang three times. Among the recommended words, most of them are "skillful in foreign affairs, courageous and excellent, cautious and old-fashioned", "excellent in knowledge, sensitive and proficient in practice", "loyal and clear, courageous and excellent" and other praise words. In September 1891, due to his mother's serious illness, Yuan Shikai took a two-month leave to return to his hometown to take care of him, that is, he recommended to Li Hongzhang that Tang Shaoyi act as his prime minister in Korea to negotiate the post of minister of trade and commerce. Later, Yuan's mother died and continued to leave, and the Tang clan successively replaced Yuan Da for half a year.
Working together in North Korea for more than ten years, Tang Shaoyi won the trust and appreciation of Yuan Shikai, became Yuan's left arm and right arm, and also shared solidarity with Yuan.
During the small station training, Yuan invited Tang Shaoyi to assist Xu Shichang in taking charge of the camp office. In March 1900, after Yuan Shikai was appointed as the inspector of Shandong, He transferred Tang Shaoyi to be the general office of the Shandong Provincial Foreign Affairs Bureau, responsible for the province's foreign affairs and business affairs. In 1904, when Tang Shaoyi, the Qing court transferred the Customs Road to India to negotiate with the British on Tibet affairs, Yuan Shikai, who was then directly subordinate to the governor, personally folded and stayed, saying that "in the past two years, there have been no major troubles between China and foreign countries... Shi Tang Shaoyi praised the strength of most of them." In 1908, Yuan Shikai was dismissed from his post by Zaifeng, the regent of the Jianguo State, and Tang Shaoyi, who was then Shangshu of the Ministry of Posts and Communications, was also implicated, and resigned and took refuge in Tianjin.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, peace talks began between the North and the South, and Yuan Shikai appointed Tang Shaoyi to go to Shanghai on his behalf to negotiate an armistice with the representatives of the Southern Revolutionary Party and the abdication of the Qing Emperor. After the abdication of the Qing Emperor, Tang Shaoyi became prime minister in March 1912 on the recommendation of Yuan Shikai and approved by the Nanjing Provisional Senate.
Tang Shaoyi's joining the alliance would cause Yuan Shikai to be unhappy
Having Tang Shaoyi as premier was a plan acceptable to both the North and the South at that time. From the perspective of the revolutionaries, Tang Shaoyi studied in the United States in his early years, was deeply influenced by republican ideas, and urged the Qing Emperor to abdicate and establish the Republic of China during the negotiations between the North and the South. In Yuan Shikai's view, Tang Shaoyi is his personal friend. Yuan once claimed to have "twenty years of deep friendship with Tang Shaoyi, with the same intention of life and death".
At the same time, the Revolutionary Party strongly demanded that the Prime Minister should be a member of the League. In order to take into account the opinions of both the north and the south, Zhao Fengchang, who was known as the "mother of the people", proposed that Tang Shaoyi join the League and become prime minister. This proposal was immediately agreed by Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing. On March 30, through the joint introduction of Huang Xing and Cai Yuanpei, Sun Yat-sen presided over the ceremony and accepted Tang Shaoyi to join the League.
Yuan Shikai agreed to Tang Shaoyi's appointment as premier, but was not happy to see Tang Shaoyi participate in the League, and over time, "dissatisfaction gradually became explicit." In the first cabinet, in addition to Tang Shaoyi, The Chief Justice Wang Pethui, the Chief of Education Cai Yuanpei, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Song Jiaoren, and the Chief Minister of Industry and Commerce Chen Qimei were all members of the League, accounting for half of them. This "cabinet centered on the 'Alliance'" is bound to impose many restrictions on Yuan Shikai. More importantly, it also violates Yuan Shikai's consistent view that people in the political circles should not join any party.
In September 1912, both the Kuomintang and the Republican Party extended an olive branch to Yuan Shikai, but he firmly stated that he would not join any political party. In his view, the fierceness of party strife in China is rare in the world, "people in political circles should be out of the party, in order to be able to express their own political views and have no restraints", and at the same time avoid the phenomenon of infighting in which the ideas put forward by Party A are blocked by Party B and the proposals of Party B are rejected by Party A.
Borrowing foreign debt aroused Yuan Shikai's suspicions
Before the newly established Republic of China was a finance on the brink of collapse. According to the estimation of Xiong Xiling, the new finance minister of the Republic of China, in April 1912, the national fiscal deficit was 260 million yuan, and the total foreign debt exceeded 2 billion yuan. At this time, the ministry of finance in Beijing had less than 60,000 yuan in inventory, and the ministry of finance in Nanjing had only 30,000 yuan in inventory. In her speech in the Senate, Tang Shaoyi admitted that with such a serious financial crisis, "there is no other way to give up foreign debt."
In order to alleviate the urgent need, on March 14, Tang Shaoyi borrowed 1 million pounds from Huabi Bank as collateral for the surplus profits of the Beijing-Zhang Railway. Unexpectedly, the loan triggered Yuan Shikai's suspicion of Tang Shaoyi, further expanding the contradiction between Yuan Shikai and Tang Shaoyi. The suspicion stemmed from rumors related to this loan: first, that Tang Shaoyi allocated the loan to the Nanjing Provisional Government to buy arms against Yuan Shikai; second, that Tang Shaoyi privately allocated 1 million yuan to Sun Yat-sen from this loan.
The loan of The Huabi Bank (referred to as the ratio) was paid to Sun Yat-sen by the Tang family for 1 million yuan, and in March 1912, the press was noisy, and the Beijing "China Daily" and "National Gazette" said that Sun "privately grabbed 500,000 yuan and paid 300,000 yuan to the Alliance." Zhang Taiyan, Zhu Fuhuang, and other members of the League, wrote letters and telephoned Sun Yat-sen and the headquarters of the League to seek explanations. Although Chen Jintao, the former chief financial officer of the Nanjing Provisional Government, and Xiong Xiling, the new financial minister, sent a telegram in May 1912 to clearly inform Sun Yat-sen that "if you collect a comparison of money, you will never pay a million to Mr. Sun" and "within the comparison, there is no payment of mr. millions", the rumors have not been put to rest.
While Sun Yat-sen bluntly denounced the "private grab ratio" as particularly nonsensical, he called Yuan Shikai and the State Council on June 29 to demand that the purpose of the huabi bank loan be announced. On July 1, Yuan's reply agreed to order the Ministry of Finance to quickly publish the bottom account of the purpose of the money in detail. In the end, it was shown that the Tang family's payment of millions of yuan to their grandchildren was not true.
Tang Shaoyi's use of the money to buy weapons for the Provisional Government in Nanjing was also a figment. Liu Housheng said in his book "The Biography of Zhang Xiao" that Huang Xing, the chief of the army of the Provisional Government, had secretly ordered the latest German weapons, the total value of which was about 3 million yuan, and the fixed silver paid was more than 50% of the total amount. The source of funds was Tang Shaoyi's loan to Huabi Bank. However, according to the "Report on the Revenue and Expenditure of the Ministry of Finance in Nanjing" published on July 30, 1912, the Nanjing Provisional Government received only more than 455,000 yuan in loans from Huabi, and the rest was collected by the Beijing government.
The incident of Wang Zhixiang directly reforming the committee triggered Tang Shaoyi's resignation
Wang Zhixiang, a native of Tongzhou, was originally a political envoy in Guangxi, and after the Xinhai Revolution, he went to Nanjing and served as the commander of the Third Army in the south. The Wang Zhixiang Incident of Directly Changing the Committee was a major event in the first half of 1912 and the trigger for Tang Shaoyi's resignation. Although the climax of the incident occurred from April to June 1912, it began in February.
On February 16, the Provisional Senate of Nanjing passed the "Case of Acceptance of the Ruling Power of the North". Article 2 of the case stipulates that "the governor of each province shall be elected by the people of each province". On March 15, Yuan Shikai appointed Zhang Xiluan as the governor of the prefecture and replaced Zhang Zhenfang, who had a poor official reputation. Two days later, the Shunzhi Consultative Bureau immediately held a meeting to elect Wang Zhixiang as the governor of the capital directly under him, and requested Yuan Shikai to appoint him according to the "Case of Accepting the Right to Rule the North". Without consent, on March 20, the Shunzhi Consultative Bureau telephoned yuan shikai and asked him: All provinces are supervised by the people, so why should the direct subordinates be specialized?
On March 21, Yan Fengge, chairman of the Shunzhi Consultative Bureau, went to Beijing to ask Yuan Shikai to negotiate the issue of the governor being raised by the people. Yuan Shikai did not explicitly oppose the "Case of Accepting the Ruling Power of the North" passed by the Nanjing Provisional Senate. However, on March 25, he replied to the National Progressive Association that the reform of the official system was underway and that the status quo should be maintained for the time being; that the governor of the capital was in charge of the administration with the military government, and that no officer was elected by the people.
Wang Zhixiang was at an impasse in the matter. At this moment, Tang Shaoyi left Beijing and went south to Nanjing to form a pavilion. Many claims suggest that after Tang Shaoyi's persuasion, Yuan Shikai agreed to Wang Zhixiang's appointment as a directly subordinate governor in exchange for the southern revolutionaries to abandon Huang Xing as army chief. However, historical records show that Yuan Shikai has always opposed Wang Zhixiang's supervision. In the telegram to Tang Shaoyi on April 6, there was "Brother and old man, life and death are not enough." If the overall situation is eroded from now on, who will be to blame" is a fierce rhetoric; the telegram of 13 April threatened with resignation, "As far as the present is concerned, the governors of the three northern provinces are appointed by the President, and there is absolutely no reason to change them." If the Senate is bound to order the rescission of an order that has been issued, please first cancel the office of president".
The reason why Yuan Shikai opposed Wang Zhixiang's appointment as a directly subordinate governor was first of all that he believed that, according to the Provisional Law of the Republic of China, "the president has the right to appoint civil and military officials, except that the state councilor must agree to the Senate." Nature contains the Governor... The Governor shall be appointed by the President, and no one shall interfere"; secondly, shall he be directly subordinate to his own base camp, lying by his bed, and will not allow others to snore?
As for Tang Shaoyi's failure to agree with Yuan Shikai on this matter, in the view of Luo Baoshan, one of the editors-in-chief of the Complete Works of Yuan Shikai, it fully shows that Tang Shaoyi lacks the talent to serve as the premier of Yuan Shikai's "responsible cabinet" as president. From the small station training to the governor of Zhili, Yuan Shikai painstakingly operated Zhili for more than ten years, and naturally regarded it as his base camp. How could Tang not make Yuan Shikai feel bored and suspicious when he agreed to the southern revolutionaries' entry into Yuan Shikai's forbidden land and took it upon himself to persuade Yuan Shikai to agree?
Due to Yuan Shikai's obstruction, Wang Zhixiang was eventually unable to serve as the governor of Zhili. Tang Shaoyi felt that it would not only lose the credibility of the government, but also make it possible for him to attract criticism within the League. This prompted him to eventually resign as Prime Minister.
For Tang Shaoyi, the career of the premier was not satisfactory, in addition to the financial problems, the party strife within the State Council also made him physically and mentally exhausted. Cai Yuanpei, minister of education in Tang Shaoyi's cabinet, said that after the State Council was formally established in April, cabinet members were divided into two factions: the League Association and the Non-League Association. The opinions of the two factions are often not unified, so that "in the past two or three months, the government has not issued any major policies." Under these circumstances, Tang Shaoyi, Cai Yuanpei, and other cabinet members who were members of the League believed that "instead of mixing the two factions, politics could not be carried out", it was better for them to resign and let either faction preside over state affairs. Just at this time, the incident of Wang Zhixiang directly reforming the committee occurred, and Tang took advantage of the situation to leave his post.
Different attitudes towards democracy and republicanism led to a rupture between Tang and Yuan
On April 29, 1912, the Senate was opened for the first time after it was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. In his speech at the opening ceremony, Yuan Shikai praised "tang jun, the special premier of the state, and the chief ministers of various ministries, all of whom are talented for temporary change." Unexpectedly, only 3 months and 2 days after the formation of the cabinet, Tang Shaoyi resigned and the cabinet collapsed.
The archives show that on June 12, Tang Shaoyi also presided over the Meeting of the State Council as usual to discuss the "National Donation Charter" and the "Draft Official System of the Ministry of Internal Affairs" drafted by Huang Xing. Three days later, on Saturday, June 15, he fled Tianjin.
The details of Tang Shaoyi's departure, according to Xiong Xiling, are "to leave the Tianjin Concession without quitting on the fifteenth morning"; and Cai Yuanpei's statement in the "Self-Written Chronology" is quite dramatic: Tang Shaoyi and Yuan Shikai have worked together for many years, and they know that Yuan has doubts about a person, whether there is friendship or friendship, he will put it to death and then quickly. If you resign publicly, you may lose your life. Therefore, "on the morning of the □□ day of the □ month, he and Yixi woman went to the station and took the train to Tianjin." After arriving in Tianjin and ensuring safety, Tang Shaoyi called Yuan Shikai to ask for his resignation.
As mentioned above, Tang Shaoyi's departure from office has factors such as finances, party strife, and the Wang Zhixiang incident, and more importantly, there are major differences between him and Yuan Shikai in their republican concepts.
Tang Shaoyi was intoxicated with republicanism. In 1911, during the North-South peace talks, he openly stated that he fully agreed with the republican constitution, "the republican constitution, I and others from Beijing, have no intention of opposing." The Provisional Law of the Republic of China changed the presidential system to a cabinet system to limit the power of the president. Article 45 of it stipulates that "the Councillor shall, when the Interim President proposes bills, promulgates laws, and issues orders, he shall be countersigned." That is, the president's order must be countersigned by the Cabinet to take effect.
After the cabinet was established, Tang Shaoyi stressed the power of deputy cabinet at every turn, and there was even a legend that the draft declaration issued by Yuan Shikai to the Senate for the first time was published after Tang revised it. Regarding the official documents issued by Yuan Shikai, Tang dismissed them as if they were not feasible, and even dared to argue with Yuan in the Presidential Palace. Tang Zaili, who had been a military attaché to Yuan Shikai's attendant, recalled in the article "Yuan Shikai Before and After the Xinhai" that he witnessed the Tang-Yuan controversy: Tang always said that "the responsible cabinet should be responsible for everything to the state, and he himself as prime minister should also be responsible for the state" and such words. Yuan was neither convenient to object nor did he have the appropriate words to answer. So very dissatisfied. I once heard Yuan say to Tang in his words, "We don't have a few days to do, and sooner or later this seat will be ceded to you." Tang Zaili stressed that Yuan Shikai still spoke with a sense of spirit.
The cabinet that Yuan Shikai needs is only a synonym for the staff team, not a "responsible cabinet" to seriously assume "responsibility." Gu Weijun, then Yuan Shikai's secretary, recalled that Yuan Shikai "belonged completely to the old school and did not understand what the republic looked like." Gu Weijun was Tang Shaoyi's son-in-law, and what he said in his memoirs may be exaggerated, but the fact that Yuan Shikai later became emperor also shows that he "did not have the desire to realize republicanism or democracy at all."
Tang Shaoyi avoided Tianjin, and the contradiction between Tang and Yuan became public. Yuan Shikai sent Liang Shiyi, secretary general of the Presidential Office, Duan Qirui, chief of the army, and Liang Ruhao, a classmate of Tang Shaoyi's classmates who stayed in the United States, to Tianjin to comfort him. But Tang Shaoyi's attitude was resolute, and at that time, the media reported that Tang Shaoyi actually had the words "If you want to keep me, you have to use a coffin." In desperation, Yuan Shikai had no choice but to agree to Tang Shaoyi's resignation and appoint Lu Zhengxiang, who had no party affiliation, to succeed him.
Tang Shaoyi's resignation as premier also meant a break with Yuan Shikai, who had been friends for nearly 30 years. In February 1913, the Guangdong Provincial Assembly elected Tang Shaoyi as a senator, and Yuan Shikai heard the news and made Tang Jinjing the president of the Senate. Tang Shaoyi replied with "no more love for this horseshoe sound" to show his refusal.
In December 1915, Yuan Shikai declared himself emperor and triggered the vigorous "Patriotic Movement". Before claiming the title of emperor, he sent someone with a heavy gift to appease Tang Shaoyi, but Tang was not moved, and publicly declared that "my head can be broken, and the imperial system must not approve of it." On March 22, 1916, Yuan was forced by the great momentum of the Patriotic Movement to announce the abolition of the imperial system, but he still regarded himself as the president. On the 26th, Tang Shaoyi immediately sent a telegram to advise Yuan to abdicate, in which he listed Yuan Shikai's violations of the "Covenant Law of the Republic of China" for several years, bluntly saying that Yuan Shikai was "honest and shameful, and has not been seen in Chinese and foreign history", and demanded that Yuan Shikai resign.
In this telegram, Tang Shaoyi looked up and called him "Mr. Yuan Weiting" instead of President Yuan Da, in order to show his disdain and disdain for Yuan. It is said that when the telegram arrived in Zhongnanhai, Yuan Shikai read it and was "angry and silent." He was greatly dissatisfied with Tang calling himself "Mr. Weiting", saying that it was not unusual for others to call him so, "How can Du Shaochuan, with his old friend of decades, call me such a name"?
Yuan Shikai's words may have the intention of blaming Tang Shaoyi for not being able to stand up to himself. But in fact, it is Yuan Shikai who should say sorry. After Yuan Shikai's death, the people sent a link "Yuan Shikai for eternity; long live the Chinese people"--implying that he could not resist the people Chinese.
Yuan Shikai did not understand that in China after the Xinhai Revolution, the concept of democracy and republicanism had become an irreversible trend. This trend, although there are twists and turns, occasionally or returns, but as Dr. Sun Yat-sen said, "the mighty, the good will prosper, and the opposite will die." From this point of view, Tang Shaoyi's break with Yuan Shikai, who has been friends for nearly 30 years, is not a betrayal, but a correct choice that conforms to the trend of history.