Zhang Zhidong, a feudal official of the late Qing Dynasty, was also one of the four famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty. In the eyes of others, Zhang Zhidong was a "loyal subject" of the late Qing Dynasty until his death, but the revolutionaries of later generations spoke highly of him. For example, Sun Yat-sen once praised Zhang Zhidong as "a revolutionary who does not speak of revolution"; and Chairman Mao also praised him: "When we mention China's national industry and heavy industry, we must not forget Zhang Zhidong." ”
Why do revolutionaries praise such an old bureaucrat so much? This is because Zhang Zhidong developed industry in Hubei and formed a new army, and all this objectively prepared for the Wuchang uprising. First of all, Zhang Zhidong's new army was the first regular army fully controlled by the revolutionary party; secondly, the Hanyang Gun Factory established by Zhang Zhidong provided ready-made weapons for the revolutionary army; finally, Zhang Zhidong left a huge amount of money for Wuhan, and when the rebel army liberated the whole of Wuhan, it found that the silver in the treasury was piled up like a mountain, which became their ready-made activity funds...
If it is an indisputable fact that Zhang Zhidong objectively helped the anti-Qing revolution, then in his subjective consciousness, is there a similar anti-Qing ideology? In this regard, when the modern historian Kong Jixiang went through the archives of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he found a secret file that was enough to subvert people's historical cognition, unveiling the tip of the iceberg of Zhang Zhidong's anti-Qing psychology.
Wu Luzhen
This secret file was formed in the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu (1900), that is, after the Gengzi Incident. At that time, Zhang Zhidong sent a "solemn" note to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the note, Zhang Zhidong demanded that Japan severely punish several international students, one of whom was a revolutionary founder who had launched the Luanzhou Uprising and greatly shocked the Manchu Qing court.
Zhang Zhidong wrote in the text:
Among them, Liu Gengyun and Wu Zuyin, who were particularly rebellious, found letters with hubei bandits, in which all kinds of words were appalling. ...... Japanese school principals, teachers, and military commanders should be asked to exercise strict discipline and admonish, if they can really wake up and repent, clean up the old stains, put an end to chaos in the party, and not have contact with each other...
Another Wu Luzhen, who heard that qiqi had sneaked back to China, did not return to Hubei. Worked in Chase. Now sneaking back to the Japanese school.
Why did Zhang Zhidong specifically point out Wu Luzhen? This is because this person is the high-quality student of the Hubei Wubei Academy founded by Zhang Zhidong. At that time, Zhang Zhidong sent Wu Luzhen to Japan to study military affairs. Wu Luzhen, who knew that envy and hatred and flesh and blood, quickly accepted Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary ideas, took "expelling the Tartars and restoring China" as his mission, and became a very radical revolutionary.
According to the archives of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Zhang Zhidong wanted to severely punish Wu Luzhen and others after the note was issued. The Japanese consul stationed in Hankou quickly forwarded it to his superiors and classified it as Confidential Letter No. 1. Soon after, the Japanese side replied to Zhang Zhidong's request:
Interference and supervision of the political ideology and activities of the students staying in Japan and the Qing Dynasty should be a matter of supervision by the Qing state envoys stationed in the state and the overseas students appointed by Zhang Zhidong. My Government does not want to assume the responsibility of supervising the ideological and political behavior of students studying in Japan. I don't want to ask about it.
Obviously, the Japanese side did not want to take sides between the Qing Dynasty and the revolutionary party. Of course, they did not really hope for the success of the Chinese revolution, but they profited from the struggle between the revolutionary party and the Qing Dynasty.
From this point of view. Zhang Zhidong was well aware of wu Luzhen's and other people's very explicit revolutionary anti-Manchu thoughts and words and deeds. However, a strange thing happened, when Wu Luzhen returned from studying in Japan, Zhang Zhidong did not mention anything about his "great rebellion" words and deeds, not only did not pursue it, but also reused it.
Zhang Zhidong successively entrusted him with important military posts such as the Hubei Academic Affairs Office, the Deputy Of the Camp Affairs Office, the General Ben Xuetang Protector General Teaching, and the Wu Ordinary Xuetang Association, and had certain personnel appointment and dismissal powers. Wu Luzhen used this position to introduce a large number of revolutionary youths into the Hubei New Army, secretly propagating patriotic ideas and revolutionary ideas to the student soldiers, so that "the style of Jiang Hanshi has changed." Although Zhang Zhidong knew this, he turned a blind eye and did not interfere in the slightest.
At the same time, Wu Luzhen rose step by step under Zhang Zhidong's baoju, and even directly served in the Beijing Division, becoming the first eight-flag governor among the cadets to unify and patrol, and grasped the military power of the forbidden army.
On October 10, 1911, the Wuchang Uprising broke out. On January 3, 1912, Wu Luzhen instigated an uprising in Luanzhou, preparing to directly attack the nearby city of Beijing. Later, due to the traitor's whistle-blowing, Wu Luzhen was tragically assassinated by Yuan Shikai, resulting in the failure of the Luanzhou Uprising. However, this mutiny in the Gyeonggi region greatly shocked the Manchu Qing government, and eventually directly contributed to the abdication of emperor Xuantong.
In order to hold the person responsible for the mutiny, Yushi Wensu directly pointed the finger at Zhang Zhidong, who had died:
The late Grand Master harbored evil intentions. Please declare the guilt and apply the law of the land in a cheerful way. The late Inspector wu Luzhen of Shanxi, who had traveled to the Orient to study. After the return of the proposal to fill the revolution is not a secret ... All are the masterminds of this officer.
The deceased member here is naturally Wu Luzhen's benefactor, Zhang Zhidong. The Xinhai Revolution first broke out in the territory of Zhang Zhidong, and his proud protégé rebelled in the Gyeonggi area, and everyone can see that Zhang Zhidong is absolutely inseparable.
Therefore, many modern historians believe that Zhang Zhidong must subjectively have the psychology of sympathizing with the revolution and resenting the Manchu Qing. After all, at that time, the idea of "platoon fullness" was circulating everywhere in society, and Zhang Zhidong, as a Han Chinese, could not have been untouched, so he would tolerate Wu Luzhen and other revolutionaries to act under his own eyes.
Therefore, the scholar Kong Jixiang said: "It can be said that it is precisely Zhang Zhidong's tolerance and magnanimity towards the revolutionaries that has enabled the Wuhan area to hide dragons and crouching tigers, and talents have emerged one after another, and have become a hotbed of revolutionary forces." As long as Zhang Zhidong is a little harsher, the Xinhai Revolution may not be successful. Therefore, Zhang Zhidong is worthy of being a great hero who overthrew the Manchu Qing.