Tan Sitong visited Yuan Shikai at night and persuaded Yuan Shikai to send troops to besiege the Summer Palace and kill the Empress Dowager Cixi, and the specific conversation process of this matter, as well as the detailed process of Yuan Shikai's later betrayal of Tan Sitong, were recorded by Yuan Shikai himself in the form of a diary.
This historical material is the famous Yuan Shikai's "Wuxu Diary", and today Lao Feng has translated the most vigorous and wonderful part of it (from classical Chinese to modern Chinese), and you will feast your eyes together.
Yuan Shikai (oil painting)
Yuan Shikai's diary
September 4, 1898
Today I was instructed to take the first train from Tianjin to Beijing, and stay in the room of Fahua Temple.
The emperor temporarily stayed in the Summer Palace.
I asked a friend to purchase some food to greet him, and it was initially scheduled to be on the first day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar.
Yuan Shikai's diary
September 5, 1898
I got up early today, packed my clothes and other luggage, and sent someone to Haidian to help me book a room (Yu Sheng Xuan's).
In the afternoon, I arrived at Yusheng Xuan and stayed in.
Yuan Shikai's diary
September 16, 1898
At 2 o'clock this morning, I arrived at the gate of the Summer Palace, waiting for the eunuch to summon me.
At dawn, the Emperor (Emperor Guangxu) received me at Yulan Hall (located in the Summer Palace).
The emperor asked me some military questions in detail, and I answered them truthfully one by one.
Guangxi Emperor Image
Later, I said to the emperor: "There will be a military parade in September (of the lunar calendar), and the minister in charge of the army, Lord Ronglu, has instructed me to be responsible for repairing and tidying up the playground and arranging drills in advance, so I need to go back to Tianjin as soon as possible to handle it. ”
The emperor said to me, don't go back to Tianjin yet, stay in Beijing for another four days, and it won't delay much in Tianjin.
So, I stepped back, went back to the hotel, ate a little bit, and went to bed for a nap.
During the nap, a little eunuch came to me and told me that the emperor had suddenly promoted me to the rank of "alternate chamberlain" and handed me a small note from the military aircraft department, telling me that I could leave Beijing and return to Tianjin on September 20.
I was stunned: it was so unexpected, because the emperor suddenly promoted me to be an alternate squire, which was abnormal, completely violated the promotion law of officialdom, and was completely exceptional, so I was so nervous that I was sweating and wanted to write a report to the emperor, ready to resign.
Soon, Guo Youqin and a few other friends came to congratulate me, and I told them: I haven't made any meritorious contributions recently, and the emperor suddenly promoted me exceptionally, this is not normal, I'm afraid it's not a good thing, so don't congratulate me.
So, I asked them for advice, and I wanted to resign from the promotion, how could I explain it in writing, and how could I do it properly? I was persuaded by them, so I asked my friends to help me write a thank you excerpt for me and return to the emperor.
In the afternoon, I went to King Li's Mansion to look for Prince Li, but he was not there. So, I went to visit Gangyi, Wang Wenshao, Yulu and others, and I told them that I had not made meritorious service recently, and I was promoted to an alternate squire for no reason, and I was not worthy of it at all, so I asked Wang Wenshao for advice: I wrote an excerpt to the emperor to resign from this promotion, is it appropriate to do so?
Wang Wenshao said to me: "This is the emperor who wants to cultivate you, you resign, it's not good, but it makes the emperor feel uncomfortable, so you can't shirk." ”
What Wang Wenshao said was not unreasonable, however, my heart was still pounding and I was very uneasy.
Summer Palace in the late Qing Dynasty (later color restoration)
Yuan Shikai's diary
September 17, 1898
Today, the emperor received me, and I thanked the emperor and said that I had not made meritorious service recently, and I felt very ashamed that I had been promoted by the emperor for no reason.
The emperor (Guangxu) laughed, and he said: Everyone says that if you train the army well, you will also run a school well, and in the future, you and Ronglu will gradually be able to do their own things.
After thanking him, I stepped back and bumped into Prince Qing outside the palace gate. I hurriedly spoke a few words with him, and then went back to the hotel, but on the way, a heavy rain came unexpectedly, delaying my return, and it was not until noon that I returned to my lodgings, and I was so tired that I fell asleep, and then in the evening, I had a meal, and then, I went to sleep.
Yuan Shikai's diary
September 18, 1898
This morning, I visited Master Li Hongzhang and talked with him about military affairs, and we talked for a long time.
After eating, I went to King Qing's Mansion, and the doorman told me to wait, so I waited in the waiting room.
When I was about to meet him, suddenly, my entourage hurriedly came and told me: There was a telegram saying that there were many British warships cruising in the sea at the mouth of Dagu in Tianjin, and my boss Rong Lu ordered me to order all military camps to be put on guard just in case.
So, I immediately returned to my residence and sent a telegram back.
As soon as I returned to my residence, someone made a special trip to send a note from my boss Rong Lu, who also said that there were a number of British warships haunting Dagukou, saying that he had transferred Nie Shicheng to Tianjin with 10 battalions and stationed them in Chenjiagou.
But at this time, the emperor told me to stay in Beijing for a few more days, so I did not dare to leave Beijing, so I asked the secretary to draft a telegram to explain the reason, and said: I plan to explain to the emperor one day in advance (that is, on the 19th), and after obtaining the emperor's approval, I will return to Tianjin immediately.
That night, I was reading the paperwork drafted by my secretary in the candlelight of my bedroom when I suddenly heard someone talking outside.
The doorman came in with a business card, saying that there was a "Master Tan" from the military aircraft department, and he came to me on urgent business, and he couldn't wait in the waiting room, so he went directly into the living room to wait.
I took the business card and looked at it, and there were three big characters written on it: Tan Sitong.
Tan
I knew that Tan Sitong was an upstart next to the emperor, a celebrity, a close confidant, and he suddenly came to visit at night, and there must be something important, so I put down the brush and went out to meet him.
When Tan Sitong saw me, he loudly congratulated me on my promotion to alternate squire, and he said that there was a very secret matter to discuss with me, and he needed to go into the bedroom and talk to me in detail.
So, I told the servants and guards to stay away, and I was surprised in my heart: what is this Tan Sitong looking for me?
After entering the bedroom, Tan Sitong began to greet me, said a lot of homely words, and said a lot of flattering and friendly words to me, such as "see each other and hate to be late".
Then, Tan Sitong said that he knew a little bit about the art of physiognomy, and he said, I (Yuan Shikai) is the appearance of a general, the appearance of a nobleman, and then, I had the following conversation with him:
Tan Sitong: I heard that Lord Yuan, you are leaving the day after tomorrow?
Yuan Shikai: Rong Lu informed me that there are British warships cruising the ocean at the mouth of Dagu, and I don't know what happened, and national defense is of great importance, so I plan to ask the emperor for approval tomorrow, and then I will return to Tianjin tomorrow.
Ronglu
Tan Sitong: Foreigners are a trivial matter, not worth worrying about, the most worthy of our worries at present is internal troubles!
Yuan Shikai: What internal troubles?
Tan Sitong: The emperor promoted you this time, you should repay the emperor! Now, the emperor is in trouble, only you can save him!
Yuan Shikai (shocked): Our Yuan family, several generations of people have been deeply favored by the country, and we should have tried our best to serve the emperor, not to mention that now I have been promoted by the emperor, even if I have my liver and brains, I have to repay the emperor's grace, but I don't know what is difficult for the emperor?
Tan Sitong: Rong Lu said to the Queen Mother one day that he wanted to abolish the emperor and kill the emperor, and then set up a new emperor, do you know this?
Yuan Shikai: When I was in Tianjin, I was often with Rong Lu, he was very loyal, and he was also full of respect when he talked about the emperor, I don't believe that Rong Lu would suggest that the Queen Mother should abolish the emperor or kill the emperor, so I think this is a rumor and can't be believed.
Tan Sitong: Lord Yuan, you are a fair and honest person, but you don't know, Rong Lu is extremely cunning, on the surface, Rong Lu and you have a friendly relationship, but deep down, he doesn't trust you at all, and he is suspicious of you! Think about it, you have worked hard for so many years, everyone at home and abroad admires you, but last year, you were only promoted by one level! Why? It is because Rong Lu is playing ghosts. Mr. Kang Youwei once recommended you in front of the emperor, what do you guess the emperor said? The emperor said that he had heard the queen mother say that Rong Lu often said that Yuan Shikai was a man who was flying high and domineering and could not be reused! This is absolutely true, and many people know about it. I Tan Sitong myself, I once recommended you in front of the emperor, but they were all ruined by Rong Lu, do you know how the emperor often said that you are not in front of me? The emperor said that Yuan Shikai is a person who understands and is a capable person, but some people say that Yuan Shikai cannot be reused, do you know? This time, the emperor promoted you as an alternate waiter, and Kang Youwei and I spent a lot of effort in front of the emperor. Lord Yuan, if you are really willing to save the emperor, then I have a way to discuss it with you.
Speaking of this, Tan Sitong took out a small draft, opened it and saw that there was a sensational plan written in it:
"Rong Lu premeditated the murder of the emperor, a big rebellion, if you don't get rid of Rong Lu quickly, then the emperor not only can't keep his position, but also can't even save his life, Yuan Shikai sees the emperor the day after tomorrow, you can ask the emperor for a red letter, so that Yuan Shikai led the troops to Tianjin, see Rong Lu, show the emperor's red letter, read it in front of Rong Lu, and then, kill him on the spot. Then, he immediately appointed Yuan Shikai as the governor of Zhili, passed the emperor's red-letter edict to his subordinates, posted a notice, announced Ronglu's great rebellion, and then, banned the telegraph office and the railway, and quickly sent Yuan Shikai's troops into Beijing, half of the troops besieged the Summer Palace, and half of the troops guarded the Forbidden City, then everyone and everything were settled. Yuan Shikai can say to the emperor that if the emperor does not agree to this plan, Yuan Shikai will commit suicide in front of the emperor. ”
After reading this little note, I (Yuan Shikai) was so frightened that the two of us continued to talk.
Yuan Shikai: You said that I sent half of my troops to surround the Summer Palace, what are you doing to surround it?
Tan Sitong: The Queen Mother, an old immortal, if she doesn't get rid of her, the country will be ruined! I will do it if you kill her, you don't have to worry about it.
Photograph of Cixi (later restored in color)
Yuan Shikai: The Empress Dowager has listened to the government for more than 30 years, settled many national crises, and won the hearts of the people.
Tan Sitong: I invited dozens of heroes, and I sent a telegram to Hunan, recruited a lot of people, in a few days, they can rush to Beijing, kill this old immortal, I will do it, I don't need you to take action, only you need to be responsible for two things: the first thing, kill Ronglu. The second thing is to surround the Summer Palace. If you don't promise me, I can kill myself in front of you right now. I talked to you about this today, you and I can't get out of the relationship, I'm going to report you, you're dead, you go to report me, I'm dead, so, you have to make a decision tonight, after you decide, I'll go back to the palace immediately and ask the emperor for approval.
Yuan Shikai: This is not a trivial matter, this matter is very important, it is impossible to make such a hasty decision, even if you kill me tonight, I can't make a decision, besides, even if you enter the palace tonight and ask the emperor for approval, the emperor may not approve your plan.
Tan Sitong: It is impossible for the emperor not to approve, even if the emperor does not approve, I have a way to get the emperor to approve it, in short, the day after tomorrow there will definitely be the emperor's red decree handed over to you.
I (Yuan Shikai) saw Tan Sitong talking, arrogant, like crazy, however, after all, he is a close confidant of the emperor, and I don't know if he is sent by the emperor, if I refuse him on the spot, it may anger him and cause unnecessary troubles and consequences, so I plan to perfunctory him. So, the conversation continued.
Yuan Shikai: Tianjin is a city inhabited by foreigners, if I suddenly kill the governor of Zhili, the Chinese and foreign officials and people in Tianjin will inevitably cause chaos, then the danger of the country being carved up is more urgent, besides, Beiyang has 40,000 or 50,000 soldiers and horses of the Song army, Dong army, and Nie army, in addition, there are more than 70 battalions of the Huai army and the Si army, and there are tens of thousands of flag soldiers in Beijing, and my army is only 7,000 people. How can I do the siege of the Summer Palace with my troops? What I am worried about is that as soon as I send troops from Tianjin, the city of Beijing will be armed, and the emperor will be in danger immediately.
Tan Sitong: You can use lightning speed to suddenly send troops, and when you send troops, copy the red edict issued by the emperor and distribute it to all troops, and at the same time notify foreign envoys, everyone knows that this is the emperor's will, who dares to disturb it?
Yuan Shikai: Our army's grain, grass, bullets, guns and artillery are all stored in the Tianjin barracks, and now it is a peaceful era, and there is no preparation for war, so the stock is very small.
Photograph of Cixi (later restored in color)
Tan Sitong: In that case, you can ask the emperor to hand over the red edict to you first, you put it away first, then arrange the grain and grass, and secretly tell me the date of launch, and then do it.
Yuan Shikai: For the emperor, I am not afraid of death, it's just that I'm worried about leaking secrets and affecting the emperor, as a courtier, it's not a pity for me to die, it's just that any plan, once written in writing, may leak secrets, so, give me the red edict first, this matter is too risky and not feasible, so let's do it, it's not too early, please go back first, let me think about it, and it takes half a month to twenty days before I can reply to you, how to arrange this matter.
Tan Sitong: The emperor is very anxious, he has a red edict in my hand, this matter must be finalized immediately, and I can go back and report to the emperor.
So, Tan Sitong took out the so-called "red edict", and when I saw it, it was black calligraphy, which was written very neatly, and it also imitated the emperor's tone, probably saying: I am determined to change the law and innovate, but all the old ministers are disobedient, if I change the law too quickly, and I am worried about angering the queen mother, I specially ordered Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi, Lin Xu, Tan Sitong, help me think of a good way, and so on.
I don't remember the exact text, but it was probably like this. However, my understanding seems to be like this: it seems to mean that Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi, Lin Xu, and Tan Sitong are urging the emperor to change the law urgently, but the emperor is playing Tai Chi with the four of them in a euphemistic tone.
Guangxu and Concubine Zhen (oil painting)
So, the conversation between me and Tan Sitong continued:
Yuan Shikai: This is not a red edict at all, the red edict is written with a red pen, and you write it with a black brush. Moreover, it did not ask me to kill Ronglu, nor did it ask me to surround the Summer Palace.
Tan Sitong: The original of this red edict, in Lin Xu's hands, this was copied by Yang Rui, show me, there is indeed such a red edict, it was handed over to Lin Xu by the emperor three days ago, Lin Xu is too unreliable, he didn't hand it over to me immediately at that time, and he almost missed a big event, the so-called "think of a good way" in the emperor's edict is actually the meaning of asking us to kill Ronglu and surround the Summer Palace.
Hearing Tan Sitong say this, I believe even more that he fabricated this matter, and I was too lazy to talk to him, so I said to him:
Yuan Shikai: The blue sky is above, the emperor is kind to me, I will never dare to let him down! But this matter, I am really worried about the emperor, so I must think clearly, detailed planning, in order to be foolproof, before the thoughtful, I really dare not act arbitrarily, otherwise if I am not careful, I will become a historical sinner!
Tan Sitong urged me again and again, and immediately decided to do it, so that he could return to the palace to make a business, the more he said, the more excited he became, and I saw a small bulge in his waist at the moment, suspecting that it was a knife, and now I knew: If I don't give him a positive answer today, he will not be willing to go back, so I said to him:
Yuan Shikai: (Lunar calendar) In September, the emperor is about to go to Tianjin to watch the military parade, at that time, the main troops are almost all concentrated in Tianjin, when the time comes, all the emperor needs to write a small note, let me do whatever I do, who dares not to listen? What can't be done?
Tan Sitong: If you can't wait for September, the emperor will be deposed and killed, so it's really too late!
Yuan Shikai: The imperial court has already decided that the emperor will go to Tianjin to watch the military parade in September, and since this is the case, then it is impossible to depose the emperor before September. So, we have to wait until September to be sure.
Tan Sitong: What do you mean by "the imperial court has already decided"? If the Empress Dowager and Rong Lu want to abolish the emperor, they will temporarily issue an announcement saying that the emperor will not go to Tianjin in September.
Yuan Shikai: Impossible. Now the military parade in September has been prepared for a long time, and hundreds of thousands of taels of silver have been spent, which is by no means child's play, so let's do the work of Ronglu, let him convince the Queen Mother that the emperor must come to Tianjin in September, this matter is on me, you can rest assured, how about it?
Emperor Guangxu (oil painting)
Tan Sitong: Now you already know the matter. Either you are determined to repay the emperor's grace, save the emperor from fire and water, and make great contributions, or, if you are greedy for wealth and nobility, you can also tell the queen mother and Rong Lu, harm the emperor, you can be promoted, in short, these two choices, you can think of it yourself.
Yuan Shikai: If you say this, you don't know me too well! Three generations of my Yuan family have been highly used by the imperial court, and the world has received the favor of the country, and it is absolutely impossible for me to lose heart and go crazy and harm the overall situation of the country.
Hearing me say this, Tan Sitong suddenly stood up, bowed to me, and praised me as a strange man.
I went on to say:
Yuan Shikai: You must know that you and I, although we have heard each other's names, but we have never met, you suddenly come to visit in the middle of the night, my guards and others will inevitably be suspicious, it is difficult to ensure that they say it, outsiders say that you and I have the intention of rebellion, you are the emperor's cronies, I am the one who leads the soldiers, and it is easiest to attract suspicions from outsiders, so after you go back tonight, I suggest you: declare that you are sick, do not enter the palace in the near future, and do not come to me for the time being!
Tan Sitong nodded, thinking that what I said was reasonable.
Then I asked him again:
Yuan Shikai: The Queen Mother and the Emperor, why did they have a conflict?
Tan Sitong: It's because of the change of the law. On September 4, the emperor expelled six officials from the Ministry of Rites, and these people went to the Queen Mother to cry, and said a lot of bad things about the emperor by the way, especially Huaitabu, Lishan, and Yang Chongyi, who had secretly gone to Tianjin to find Rong Lu to conspire, in short, the contradiction was very big.
Yuan Shikai: Why don't you persuade the emperor to make a list of the items that must be changed and show them to the Queen Mother, and then ask the Queen Mother for approval one by one? Moreover, the six expelled court officials can also be reinstated to settle misunderstandings. Moreover, this kind of thing of changing the law should also consider public opinion, and it may not work if it is too urgent, in fact, to put it bluntly, it is not impossible to postpone the handling, and even, even if it is temporarily suspended, there is no problem, so why should it be like today, you have to surround the garden, kill people, and make a big deal?
Tan Sitong: Since ancient times, the law must be changed, there must be bloodshed, there must be death, I have never heard of any country's law change does not die, so we must kill all the old immortals and old stubborn people in the imperial court, and the national law change can be realized.
Listening to him (Tan Sitong) say this, I (Yuan Shikai) finally knew that this person was bent on killing, rebelling, and causing turmoil, and I really didn't want to talk to him anymore, so I excused myself that I still had to hurry up to draft a memo, so I invited him out.
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai's diary
September 19, 1898
After Tan Sitong left, I pondered this matter repeatedly, and I felt uncomfortable.
Therefore, today and all day, I was so uneasy that I didn't bother to enter the palace and ask the emperor for permission to leave Beijing and return to Tianjin ahead of schedule.
However, I thought about it carefully today, if Tan Si and these people are allowed to do anything wrong, it will definitely cause great turmoil in the country and endanger the imperial court and sect.
Later, I figured it out: I must remind him a little in front of the emperor about this matter, hoping to remedy it.
Yuan Shikai's diary
September 20, 1898
Today I met with the emperor, and I said this to the emperor:
"Ancient and modern countries, change the law, it is not easy, not to cause internal troubles, or to cause external troubles, the minister suggested that the emperor, to be patient, a small step by small steps, if you are too hasty, it will cause trouble, and the key to the reform of the law is to use people correctly, to use those experienced, mature and stable courtiers, such as Zhang Zhidong, in order to effectively assist the emperor. As for the emperor's latest appointment of those young Zhuang faction, although there are also capable people, although there are also people who dare to act, but, after all, the political experience is too shallow, and the work is not prudent enough, once there is a mistake, it will affect the emperor, this matter is not trivial, the minister suggested that the emperor should be cautious, it is the blessing of the country, the minister receives the emperor's great favor, and he dare not risk death to remind the emperor in kindness!"
After speaking, I glanced at the emperor and saw that his face had obviously changed, but the emperor did not reply.
So, I asked the emperor for peace, said goodbye, and retired.
Leaving the Forbidden City, I went directly to the train station, accompanied by a few attachés, and when I returned to Tianjin, it was already evening.
In the evening, I went to the mansion of my boss Rong Lu, I said to Rong Lu, the emperor is filial to the queen mother, just the courtiers below, there may be some people who are not very obedient, I hope Rong Lu can protect the emperor, to calm the world, etc., I was about to talk about "Tan Si with the night visit" When suddenly, Ye Zutai and a large group of people came to visit one after another, Rong Lu was busy greeting them, I was on the side, drinking tea with them, listening to them chat.
I waited until 9 o'clock in the evening, and these people didn't leave, and I saw that I couldn't talk tonight, so I excused myself to go home for dinner, said goodbye, and made an appointment with Ronglu: I will come back tomorrow.
Yuan Shikai's diary
September 21, 1898
Early this morning, Rong Lu actually came to my house in person, so I told him all about the "Tan Sitong's night visit" on the night of the 18th, 1510.
After hearing this, Rong Lu was shocked and shouted that he was wronged, and he said: "Tan Sitong is simply nonsense, and it is not a matter for Rong Lu to abolish the emperor and kill the emperor! In fact, several people have come to Tianjin recently to report similar rumors to me, but none of them are as detailed as you told me today!"
I said to Rong Lu: "This matter is all Tan Sitong is playing ghosts, and it has nothing to do with the emperor at all, I hope that when you deal with this matter, Lord Rong, be careful, and don't implicate the emperor, otherwise, the emperor will blame me, and I, Yuan Shikai, have to commit suicide by taking poison!"
How to deal with this matter, that day, I discussed with Rong Lu for a long time, but I didn't think of any good way, and then, Rong Lu went back.
So, I brought Youwen over and discussed with him how to deal with this matter.
That night, Rong Lu called me over, that night, Yang Huabo was present, he showed a telegram, which said: The Queen Mother suddenly returned to the palace from the Summer Palace, locked the emperor in confinement, and re-disciplined the government.
At this time, Rong Lu laughed while drinking tea, he pointed to my tea, and said to me with a smile: "The tea I made for you is not poison, you can drink it with confidence!"
However, although the Queen Mother has settled the matter, I am still uneasy and very worried that this matter will affect the emperor.
(omitted later)