Introduction: Mention Zhang Zuolin, maybe we will have a barbaric image of him in our minds, and we think that he is also the grass that wants to ascend to the sky in a turbulent time. However, if we think about it carefully, we can see that this warlord does not only know how to fight and kill people, otherwise how could he, the king of the clan, command an army of more than 100,000 people?
In fact, he also had a brain, and it can be seen from an incident that happened in 1925 that Zhang Zuolin was received by Puyi in the Cao Family Garden. It should be known that at that time, the Qing Dynasty was bankrupt and Puyi had abdicated for 13 years, and Zhang Zuolin at this time had become a prince with hundreds of thousands of troops in his hands, so in the face of such a role, Puyi did not know how to meet. But incredibly, in the face of this past monarch, Zhang Zuolin did not rely on his own power to oppress, but instead respected the other party. When they first met, they actually performed three prostrations and nine prayers to Puyi. Therefore, Puyi, who had already lost his power at this time, felt a little overwhelmed, and could only rush forward to help him and shouted: "Good general." Regarding Zhang Zuolin's move, many people expressed their incomprehension. To know that Zhang Zuolin already has great power in his hands, and there are at least a hundred thousand soldiers and horses in his hands, why should he bow down to Puyi, who has abdicated and has no power at all?
This problem is actually related to the concept of monarchs and courtiers at that time, even if Puyi has stepped down, it is so easy to change the traditional old thinking, and there are many former courtiers who are still alive, Zhang Zuolin This is a polite move, and it will not cause the anger of the late Qing dynasty ministers, so as to reduce unnecessary trouble, how to get by on the face. Even under the social situation at that time, the Qing Dynasty had long since disappeared, but the idea of the supremacy of imperial power was difficult to shake, and a solid seed was planted in the hearts of the people.
Even if Puyi has already stepped down, there is still an emperor's signboard, and it is very appropriate to let him be a puppet. As long as Puyi was by Zhang Zuolin's side, Zhang Zuolin was famous and could even merge the rest of the warlords. Even if Zhang Zuolin's ambitions are not so great, at least the security of the northeast can be guaranteed. In Zhang Zuolin's eyes, Puyi still has use value, so when he sees the other party, he bows three times and nine times. Later, this scene was also described in Puyi's memoirs, in fact, before that, there were also Wu Peifu and others who took the initiative to show kindness to Puyi, but Puyi also understood in his heart that they were just using themselves.
However, Zhang Zuolin did not expect that later when he invaded the dog to help Puyi, Puyi actually accepted it, which became the emperor of the puppet state of Manchukuo in 1934. Zhang Zuolin could not personally watch puyi's becoming a vase in the hands of others, after all, in the "Huanggutun Incident" in 1928, he had long been killed.