Zhang Xun, whose name is Shaoxuan, is a native of Fengxin County, Jiangxi Province. On October 25, 1854 (the fourth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty), he was born in a small merchant's family. When he was 10 years old, his father died of illness and dropped out of school because the family could not afford to provide for his education. When he was 19 years old, his mother sent him to the house of Min Shaochuang, a former member of the Qing Dynasty, to graze cattle, and later to work as a cook in a restaurant. A year later, he wandered to Hankow and worked as a miner in a restaurant. Because of his laziness, he was driven away by the shopkeeper, so he went to work as a partner in an opium smoke shop, doing the menial work of lighting a lamp and digging a bucket. Since then, Zhang Xun has often been in and out of brothels, casinos, and tobacco houses, and has become acquainted with many underworld figures. After being introduced by a smoker, Zhang Xun begged all the way to Guangxi and defected to the door of Su Yuanchun, the governor of Guangxi.
Su Yuanchun saw that Zhang Xun's brain was very flexible, so he sent him to the upper room to listen to the errand. Zhang Maung is honest and deceitful, and he has a flexible wrist, and he has met a lot of fox friends and dog friends by Su's side. These people spoke in front of Su and said good things about Zhang, and Su listened a lot, so he awarded Zhang Xun the title of commander of the army.
Not long after Zhang Xun became the chief, he annoyed Su Yuanchun because of prostitution and gambling. Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhang stole fifty taels of silver overnight
Escape. When Yuan Shikai was training the new army at the small station, Zhang Xun threw himself under Yuan Shikai, and soon won Yuan's favor, so he appointed him as the pipe band of the Tuyi battalion, which is similar to the current engineer battalion. In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion arose in Shandong, and Zhang Xun entered Shandong with Yuan and was promoted to deputy general. Yuan Shikai served as the governor of Zhili, and Zhang Xun went to Tianjin with Yuan to command the Wuwei army, becoming a powerful general under Yuan.
When the Eight-Nation Coalition invaded Beijing, Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled in a hurry. Zhang Xun saw that the time had come, that is, he took thousands of people and horses to rush to King Qin, and caught up with Cixi's men and horses near Xuanhua, Zhang followed Cixi's sedan chair on foot, not leaving an inch, Cixi was very happy, after returning to Beijing, he was promoted to the head of the Imperial Forest Army, and served as the servant of Cixi and Guangxu. In 1906, Zhang was transferred to Fengtian as the "President of Fengjun Liaobei" and stationed in Changtu County. Two years later, he was appointed by the Qing court as the governor of Yunnan, and then changed to the governor of Gansu, but he still remained in Fengtian to garrison. In 1910, he took over the Jiangfang Battalion and was stationed in Pukou.
In August 1911, Zhang Xun was transferred to the governor of Jiangnan, and in October of that year, the first righteous gun in Wuchang rang out, and the ninth town of the Nanjing New Army prepared to respond to the Wuchang uprising. Zhang Xun commanded the Jiangfang battalion in the uprising, and the new army fought fiercely in Yuhuatai. The New Army was overwhelmed, and Zhang ordered the city gates to be closed and to kill the New Army and those who were inclined to revolutionaries. Zhang also ordered: Anyone who cuts hair, hangs a white flag, and carries a white cloth will be violently killed. The number of people who have been victimized is innumerable. On November 11, revolutionaries from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and other provinces and cities formed a coalition army to attack Nanjing. Fierce battles with Zhang Xun in Purple Mountain, Tianbao Mountain, Lion Rock and other places. Zhang Xun is overwhelmed. Zhang Xun put his braids on his head, stripped off his shirt, and held a large sword, standing in front of the team, asking his subordinates to fight to the death with the new army, and if they won, allow them to rape and plunder the city of Nanjing for three days. Although Zhang Bu counterattacked, he was finally defeated, and Zhang Xun fled to Xuzhou. Because of Zhang's "meritorious service in suppressing the rebellious party", the Qing government awarded Zhang the governor of Liangjiang and the minister of Nanyang of the Jiangsu Governor's Office. Captain of the second class light vehicle. Zhang was grateful for this and was even more determined to be loyal to the Qing family. At the end, the Qing Dynasty was overthrown. When Zhang Xun heard the news, he fell to the ground and cried loudly, like a mourner. Zhang Zhitian vowed that he must restore the Qing room. After the establishment of the Republic of China, in order to show their support for the republic, people have cut their braids, Yuan Shikai heard that Zhang Xun did not cut it, and sent people to persuade him, Zhang not only did not cut it, but also ordered his subordinates not to cut it. expressed his loyalty to the Qing royal family, and in his "Self-Narrative of the Old Man Songshou", he said: "There is no hope of redemption unless perseverance." Because Zhang Xun and his officers and soldiers all wore braids, the people of the time called him "braid handsome" and his soldiers "braided army". In April 1913, Zhang Xun tried to support Puyi's restoration, but it was stopped due to leaks, and history called his move "Ding Si's restoration". Soon, Yuan Shikai appointed him as the overseer of Jiangsu, and in December he was transferred to the Yangtze River patrol envoy and moved to Xuzhou. In 1915, Yuan awarded Zhang the title of general of Dingwu, and in 1916, he was appointed as the overseer of Anhui.
Zhang Xun was bent on restoring the Qing dynasty and expressed dissatisfaction with Yuan Shikai's proclamation as emperor. After Yuan's death, various factions in Beiyang competed with various Kuomintang figures for power, causing political chaos. Zhang Xun believed that the time had come for restoration. On June 9, 1916, Zhang Xun invited representatives of warlords from seven provinces to meet in Xuzhou and form an offensive and defensive alliance. On September 21, the second Xuzhou Conference was held, and the so-called "Federation of Thirteen Provinces" was formally formed, and the joint charter was formulated, with Zhang Xun as the leader of the alliance.
In March 1917, Duan Qirui and Li Yuanhong had a dispute over whether to declare war on Germany. Both sides sent representatives to pull Zhang, and for a time, Zhang Xun became a pivotal figure. The measure taken by Zhang Xun is to hit the tofu with a knife - two sides of the light. He expressed his firm support for Duan's envoy and his envoy for Lebanon. On May 23, Li Yuanhong ordered Duan Qirui to be dismissed, and Duan ran to Tianjin. On the one hand, he instigated the warlords of the northern provinces to declare independence, and on the other hand, he instigated Zhang Xun to lead the overthrow of Li Yuanhong by force. On June 1, Li Yuanhong summoned Zhang Xun to Beijing to mediate the matter. Zhang Xun took the opportunity to lead 3,000 "pigtail troops" into Beijing at this time, and then coerced Li Yuanhong to dissolve the National Assembly. Then, Zhang Xun wore a red-topped flower feather on his head, and accompanied by four generals to Shenwu Gate by car, and then took a shoulder to the Qing Palace, where the head of the Qing Internal Affairs Office continued to enter the Yangxin Palace to meet Puyi. Zhang Xunxing knelt down to bow to the monarch and ministers, and said that "the slave respectfully knocks on the holy peace". Pu Yi gave him a seat, rewarded the Forbidden City horseback riding, four "imperial concubines", came to the Yangxin Palace to talk to him, and then, Pu Yi gave a banquet, and rewarded many pieces of ancient porcelain and famous paintings.
On June 30, Zhang Xun and Chen Baochen and Liu Tingchen of the Restoration faction went to the Qing Palace to participate in the "Imperial Conference". On July 1, Pu Yi ascended to the palace. After retiring from the dynasty, Zhang Xun designated Wang Shizhen and Jiang Chaozong as representatives of the Republic of China, and Liang Dingfen as the representative of the Qing Dynasty, and went to the presidential palace to force Li Yuanhong to sign and seal the "return of the great government". Then, Zhang Xun used the "imperial seal" to cover the "holy oracles" one after another, and then published them. Zhonghua Gate was renamed "Daqing Gate". And every household should hang the "dragon flag". For a time, wig braids and red-topped flower feathers became sought-after goods. The robes and horse coats of the Qing Dynasty in the clothing shops in Beijing were also in short supply for a while. The remnants of the Manchu dynasty begged the shops that made costume props to use ponytails as fake braids to drag them behind.
Zhang Xun's restoration caused public outrage throughout the country. Duan Qirui then organized a "rebel army" in Tianjin Machang to crusade against Zhang Xun. As soon as the rebel army arrived in Beijing, the "pigtail army" collapsed. Zhang Xun, who made a scandal of restoration for 12 days, fled to the Dutch embassy in embarrassment, and Duan Qirui became the hero of "rebuilding the republic". Duan issued a warrant for Zhang Xun's arrest, but in 1918, Zhang was pardoned by the Beiyang government. In 1921, Zhang Xun was appointed as the Superintendent of Rehe Forest Reclamation, but Zhang did not go to the post and lived in Tianjin. In September 1923, Zhang Xun was seriously ill and knew that he would die soon, so he said to his family: "I have received great favors in Qianqing, and Jun's grace is unforgettable, so I will never cut my braids." When I die, I will not cut my braids, but I will take them to the Holy One. ”
On September 12, this "pigtailed handsome" who was engaged in restoration dragged his braids into the coffin and went to the underworld to worship the Qing Emperor.
Zhang Xun (1854-1923) was a native of Fengxin, Jiangxi. The word Shaoxuan, Shaoxuan, Songshou, was born in 1854 (the fourth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty). He joined the army in 1884 and participated in the Sino-French War, rising to the rank of mid-ranking officer. In 1891 he was adjutant general. In 1895, he joined Yuan Shikai to build a new army and served as a lieutenant officer and assistant of the engineering team. In 1899, he was appointed as the first-class pioneer officer of the vanguard of the Wuwei Right Army. In 1901, he served as the wing commander of the Huai Army. In 1906, he was appointed military commander in northern Mukden. In 1909, he was appointed as the governor of Yunnan and transferred to the governor of Gansu. In August 1911, he was appointed Governor of Jiangnan and Minister of Jiangnan. In October, the Wuchang Uprising, and the Qing court appointed him as the Minister of Military Affairs of Nanyang and the Governor of Jiangsu. In January 1912, he was appointed Governor of Liangjiang. In July 1913, he was appointed as the guard of Jiangbei Town. In September, he was appointed governor of Jiangsu. From December 1913 to 1917, he served as a patrol envoy to the Yangtze River. In December 1915, he was awarded a first-class meritorious service by Yuan Shikai. In April 1916, he concurrently supervised the military affairs of Anhui, and in July, he was appointed as the superintendent of Anhui. In July 1917, together with Kang Youwei and others, he supported Puyi's restoration in Beijing, and appointed himself as the Minister of Cabinet and the Minister of Beiyang, the Governor of Zhili. In 1920, he took refuge in Tianjin. In January 1921, Zhang Zuolin appointed him as the superintendent of Rehe Forest Reclamation, but he did not do so. He died in Tianjin on September 12, 1923. He was 69 years old.