In December 1915, Yuan Shikai, as the provisional president of the Republic of China, ascended the throne as emperor, causing a shock to the whole country.
Just three years after the abolition of the feudal imperial system, the ink on Puyi's edict announcing his abdication had not yet been completely dried, and when the people were cheering for the arrival of the republican system, their "beloved" president actually started the idea of calling the emperor, intending to let the family world continue to be passed on, which made the people of the world feel very cold.
Yuan Shikai
At that time, people speculated about why Yuan Shikai wanted to be called emperor. It may be his wolf ambitions, the presidency is far from satisfying the lofty ambitions in the heart of this tyrant, and only the title of "emperor" founded by Yingzheng can be worthy of him. It may be that the cabinet has greatly restricted Yuan Shikai's administrative freedom, he is not willing to be subject to others, and what he is really chasing is "one word and nine dings". It may also be that he does not want to give up power after the end of the presidency, and you must know which ambitious person will give up the country since ancient times...
In short, Yuan Shikai claimed the title of emperor, and the result naturally caused dissatisfaction among many democrats.
Feng Guozhang, Duan Qirui, and other generals of the new army who were hand-picked by Yuan Shikai criticized the pen, and major newspapers published articles denouncing Yuan Shikai, and Duan Qirui even called the former old leaders to "restore the National Assembly and abdicate to the throne." Yuan Shikai did not care about these remarks with loud thunder and small raindrops, and he held the most powerful Beiyang army in the country, and he would not be intimidated by these three words.
Therefore, Yuan Shikai is bound to the imperial system, and he does not think that anyone will be able to form a substantial threat to himself. But he was wrong, and the fault was his arrogance.
Yuan Shikai sacrificed heaven
On December 25, 1915, three days after Yuan Shikai wore a dragon robe and sacrificed himself at the Temple of Heaven, Cai Yi declared independence in Yunnan, and all of his military forces were reorganized into the Protectorate Army, which means to support the national republic. This surprised Yuan Shikai, who was dreaming of an emperor, was not Cai Yi imprisoned in Beijing by himself, when did he arrive in Yunnan, and he organized an uprising in such a short period of time?
It turned out that in 1913, Yuan Shikai summoned Cai Yi to Beijing and gave him a spare job supervised by the National Economic and Boundary Bureau, which was actually to facilitate surveillance. At first, Cai Yi still admired Yuan Shikai, believing that he had the ability to govern the country through the ages, and that serving as president was the people's desire and the expectation of the people. But when the "Twenty-One Articles" were signed, Cai Yi realized that he was wrong, and the republic supported by Yuan Shikai was just a disguise, and he still followed the old road of feudal despotism.
Cai Yi
In order to hoodwink Yuan Shikai, Cai Yi deliberately revealed that he had no intention of political affairs, only wanted to have a stable and hedonistic attitude, and dragged his subordinates to gamble all day, and when the money on his body was lost, he would borrow it until others were unwilling to lend him again. He also often wandered around Beijing's Bada Hutongs to have fun. Bada Hutong was a famous place in Beijing at that time, and here you can see the figures of many literati rioters and hooligans. Legend has it that the Tongzhi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty also lingered here, and even contracted syphilis and died. The number of times he went to the Eight Hutongs was more, and Cai Yi took a fancy to the famous prostitute Xiao Fengxian and was inseparable all day.
Such a self-depraved trick was indeed useful, and Yuan Shikai decided that Cai Yi was a stubborn lord and could not hinder his restoration, so he gradually relaxed his surveillance.
Eight hutongs in Beijing
November 1915. On the eve of Yuan Shikai's restoration, Cai Yi secretly left Beijing with the help of his colleagues and traveled to Japan and Hong Kong to reach Yunnan.
Yunnan was the military foundation of Cai Yi, who served as the revolutionary commander-in-chief of the new army during the Wuchang Uprising and established the Yunnan military government. Moreover, Yunnan is located on the border, and the power of the Beiyang Army has not been contaminated by this, so the military force is still the original batch, which can be used against Yuan Shikai.
After the independence of Yunnan, the military government led by Cai Yi electrified the whole country, which was bound to fight yuan shikai and defend the republican system.
General of the Protectorate Army
After three wars in Sichuan, Western Hunan and Yunnan, Yuan Shikai's power was greatly reduced, and he had to abandon the imperial system in the face of national opposition. On June 6, 1916, Yuan Shikai died of uremia, and the National Defense Movement won a great victory. On November 8 of the same year, Cai Yi also died of cancer in Japan.
Cai Yi fought for the national republic all his life, and it was a pity that his opponent Yuan Shikai died after his death. But his spirit of freedom inspired generations of progressives to forge ahead, echoing the words of Dr. Sun Yat-sen
"The revolution has not yet succeeded, and comrades still need to work hard!"