At the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were the famous Beiyang Sanjie, of which Duan Qirui was called "Tiger of Beiyang", Feng Guozhang was called "Dog of Beiyang", and Wang Shizhen, who was the head of the Three Jies, was called "Dragon of Beiyang". After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang successively led many political events and were extremely active on the stage of the Republic of China.
(Wang Shizhen old photo)
However, Wang Shizhen, as the head of the Three Masters, rarely appeared in the Beiyang government. What's going on here?
In 1876, at the age of 15, Wang Shizhen was valued by Ye Zhichao in Zhengding Town and officially joined the army. Two years later, Wang Shizhen followed Ye Zhichao and began to garrison Shanhaiguan. Due to his excellent performance in peacetime, Wang Shizhen was selected to study in the Tianjin Wubei Academy, and after graduation, he returned to Shanhaiguan to become an artillery instructor.
In 1894, Wang Shizhen was ordered to go to Korea to suppress the Dongxue Party uprising. Japan intervened, the Japanese Navy declared war, and the Battle of Toshima broke out. The Qing army suffered heavy losses under the blows of the Japanese army, and Wang Shizhen's troops were forced to retreat to Pyongyang.
In the battle with the Japanese army in Pyongyang, Wang Shizhen fought bravely, and he led the artillery team alone to hold the battle, causing great damage to the Japanese army. In the end, Wang Shizhen successfully broke through and successfully returned to China.
After the defeat at the Battle of Jia-Wu, the whole country was indignant. The Qing government was ashamed and brave, and began to train the new army at the Tianjin station. Li Hongzhang, Rong Lu and others jointly sponsored Yuan Shikai and put him in charge of training the new army.
Wang Shizhen was recommended to the small military training station, which was deeply appreciated by Yuan Shikai. In training, Wang Shizhen adopted the Western-style absolute obedience to the training rules of soldiers, giving priority to cultivating the quality of soldiers. Under the cultivation of Wang Shizhen, the overall quality and combat effectiveness of new recruits have risen sharply.
During this period, the Qing government conducted several military parades. In 1899, Yuan Shikai invited the German governor in Jiaozhou to Jinan to read exercises. After the review, the German governor happily praised Wang Shizhen, Duan Qirui, and Feng Guozhang, who were in charge. The name of "Beiyang Sanjie" also began to rise to fame.
In 1906, the Qing government conducted military exercises in Zhangde, Henan. Wang Shizhen, in his capacity as a military commander, was fully responsible for the exercises. The Zhangde exercise has received great attention from foreign powers, and Britain, the United States, Japan, Russia, France and other countries have sent people to watch it. At the beginning of the military parade, the Chinese army was strictly organized and strong, and the foreign guests were all amazed.
(Cixi)
After the matter was over, Empress Dowager Cixi was quite pleased. She personally summoned Wang Shizhen and rewarded him, and Wang Shizhen became famous all over the world. As far as the situation at that time was concerned, Wang Shizhen's reputation was far above Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang.
In 1908, Guangxu and Cixi died one after another. The young emperor Puyi ascended the throne, and Zaifeng the Prince of Alcohol began regency. After Zaifeng took power, he ordered Yuan Shikai to hand over his power and go home to recuperate.
Wang Shizhen, who had been promoted by Yuan Shikai all the way, also began to take the initiative to resign from the imperial court. Wang Shizhen's move has two purposes, one is to repay Yuan Shikai's kindness, and the other is to take the initiative to avoid suspicion. It was not until 1910 that Wang Shizhen's resignation was finally approved.
After the Xinhai Revolution, Wang Shizhen fought hard for the preferential treatment of the Qing imperial family, and expressed his loyalty to the Qing Dynasty and no longer served as an official of the new dynasty.
After Yuan Shikai became president, Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang gradually became stronger. The two factions constantly friction and disputes, Yuan Shikai quite headaches. In order to be able to balance Duan and Feng, Yuan Shikai repeatedly invited Wang Shizhen out of the mountain.
In the end, Wang Shizhen could not resist Yuan Shikai's insistence and was awarded the rank of general of the army.
Wang Shizhen did not participate in factional struggles, but only acted as peacemakers among Yuan, Duan, and Feng. To a certain extent, this relieved Yuan Shikai of some worries.
However, when Yuan Shikai wanted to ban Duan Qirui, the minister of war, and use Cai Yi instead. However, Wang Shizhen persuaded Yuan Shikai not to let power fall into the hands of outsiders in Beiyang.
Later, Yuan Shikai wanted to be called emperor, but Wang Shizhen, as an old man of the Qing Dynasty, calmly did not express an attitude. When someone tried to test him, Wang Shizhen just smiled and avoided the topic.
(Yuan Shikai's old photo)
After Yuan Shikai's defeat, Zhang Xun asked him to support the restoration of the Qing Emperor, and this time Wang Shizhen agreed.
After the failure of the restoration, Duan Qirui not only did not ask Wang Shizhen about the crime, but said that he had made meritorious contributions to maintaining law and order, and invited him to become the chief of the army of the Beiyang government.
This time, the Beiyang Sanjie officially merged. With Feng Guozhang as president, Duan Qirui as prime minister, and Wang Shizhen as army chief, it seems that the future of the Beiyang government is bright.
However, the good times did not last long, and with another change in the situation, the fight between Feng and Duan became more and more fierce. Wang Shizhen was unwilling to participate in the struggle of deception and deceit, and he could only resign his official post and return to his hometown once again.
Later, Xu Shichang, Duan Qirui, and others repeatedly invited him to take up important positions in the mountains, but Wang Shizhen refused to accept them.
However, Wang Shizhen seems to enjoy the role of "peacemaker". In 1926, Zhang Zuolin, Wu Peifu and others jointly attacked Feng Yuxiang, and Wang Shizhen was elected as the president of the Wei'an Association and participated in the mediation of the two families. In 1928, after Zhang Zuolin withdrew from Beijing, it was Wang Shizhen who came out to maintain law and order and let Beijing be peacefully taken over by the Nationalist government.
In July 1930, Wang Shizhen, who saw through everything and was detached, died in Beijing at the age of 69.
(References: "Biography of Wang Shizhen", "Archives of warlords of the Republic of China")