294 tit-for-tat

294 tit-for-tat (Part 1)

When the news that Li wanted to go to Beijing to negotiate with Yuan Shikai was learned by some heads of Hubei troops and local party organizations, it stirred up a thousand waves, and the heads of the Kuomintang political forces in some regions sent "100,000 urgent!" to Wuchang and Li Xiang. The telegram. In these telegrams, it is pointed out:

"Yuan Shikai actively prepared for the war, and on the other hand, he invited Marshal Li to go to Beijing to negotiate. There must be a big conspiracy!"

"Please don't go to Beijing, at most Vice President Li..."

"...Vice President Li can't go now, and no leading comrades in Wuhan can go..."

After reading these telegrams, Tang Hualong also told Li Xiang: "Not only are the senior cadres of the Party worried about going to Beijing for peace talks, but also the hearts of the people in Hubei District feel extremely heavy like a boulder. Many people also gathered in front of the residence of Luojiashan Villa and asked you not to go to Beijing.

Li Xiang has made up his mind and is unmoved.

Tang Hualong saw that the laborious "future son-in-law" was determined to go to the "Hongmen Banquet" and said anxiously, "Some people even said: 'Negotiating is naturally okay, but Marshal Li can't go. To negotiate, ask Yuan Shikai to come to Wuhan. We promise to let Yuan Shikai come and go.

"Yuan Shikai doesn't have the courage." Li wanted to sneer.

"Some people said excitedly, 'Yuan Shikai is the least trustworthy. He is the heart of Sima Zhao, and it is well known to passers-by. Now he is shouting for peace and invites the marshal to negotiate, which is even more scheme. And the marshal, you have never thought twice and rush forward. Is it possible that you want to learn from Song Jiang and accept the recruitment of the court? Tang Hualong said again.

After hearing this discussion, Li Xiang said, "We are different from Song Jiang when we go to Beijing. Song Jiang was originally a minor official of the imperial court, but he rebelled because he couldn't get along in the officialdom. Later, the court allowed him to be a senior official. It was not surprising that Song Jiang was recruited. And we Kuomintang people work for the benefit of the working masses, and will never betray the broad masses of the people for our promotion and wealth.

"Alas!" Tang Hualong sighed: "An old comrade who has followed you from Wuchang's first expedition to the north said: 'Wuchang's first, bloody battle in Hanyang... Marshal Li is always with us. Now, I have to go to Beijing to negotiate with Yuan Shikai. In case of a mistake, it will cause irreparable losses to the Party's cause.

After hearing this reaction, Li Xiang immediately became grim. He muttered, "In this way, it is necessary for us to analyze the development of China's situation in the two weeks after the outbreak in Europe, explain the Kuomintang's policy on peace negotiations in Hubei, and prepare for the negotiations. Some concessions made, together with two possible situations and countermeasures to the outcome of the negotiations. In a word, we should not only tell the military and civilians that there is no need to worry about our safety, but also tell the whole party that we should never relax its vigilance and struggle against Yuan Shikai because of the negotiations.

On this day, Wuhan held another meeting of the Politburo. At the meeting, Marshal Li reported the opinions discussed all night on the 25th, and announced his determination to go to Beijing for negotiations in person.

Li Dashuai said, "You can go, you must go!" ..." The iconic gesture, swinging high and falling, "... In this way, you can get all the initiative! ..." Marshal Li also said, "Because we have the strength, the hearts of the people of the country, Yuan Shikai's own difficulties, and foreign interference, we can solve some problems this time."

"As for the negotiation in Chongqing, will the situation of "the alliance under the city" be formed?" Li wanted to say, "I also have full consideration. I have the hand of the signature. Naturally, certain concessions must be made, and compromise can only be achieved without harming the fundamental interests of both sides.

Li Xiang said, "I have already imagined the limits that concessions can be made, that is: the first step is from Guangdong to Henan; the second step is from the south of the Yangtze River; the third step is Jiangbei; but from the north of Longhai Road to Outer Mongolia, we must have an advantage. If this still doesn't work, then the city will not be allied and ready to sit in the shift room. In the history of our party, except for He Ming's danger, there has been no casual surrender of guns, so we must not be afraid.

Applause! Applause like thunder!

The members of the Political Bureau of the Hubei District of the Kuomintang were persuaded by his speech. Finally, they agreed with Marshal Li's opinion and officially issued a notice to the party on the same day (the notice on peaceful negotiations with the Kuomintang) to inform the whole party in order to unify the whole party's understanding of the North-South Beijing negotiations. The Hubei District of the Kuomintang decided to "send Li Xiang, Li Yuanhong and Tang Hualong to Beijing to discuss with Yuan Shikai about the plan to unite and build the country."

This is a very important intra-party notice. It explains the necessity and possibility of striving for peace, and gives a "reassurance" to the military and civilians in Hubei.

The Notice pointed out: "Now Britain, France and the United States do not agree with China's civil war... The civil war conspiracy of Chinese reactionaries may be frustrated. Under internal and external pressure, Yuan Shikai may conditionally recognize the status of our party after negotiations, and our party also conditionally recognizes the status of Yuan Shikai and the Beiyang system, resulting in a new stage of bipartisan cooperation (plus democratic alliance, etc.) and peaceful development.

The Notice pointed out: "We are also ready to make necessary concessions that do not harm the fundamental interests of the people. Without this concession, we can't break Yuan Shikai's civil war conspiracy, can't gain political initiative, can't win the sympathy of international public opinion and domestic centrists, and can't get the legitimate status and peaceful situation of our party, but there is a limit to the concession, based on the principle of not harming the fundamental interests of the people.

"After our party takes the above steps, if Yuan Shikai and Beiyang continue to launch a civil war, it will lose in front of the whole world, and our party has a reason to take a self-defense war and break its attack. ...But whenever it is, unity and struggle, and use the means of struggle to achieve the purpose of unity; it is reasonable and advantageous; the principle of taking advantage of contradictions, striving for the majority, opposing the minority, and breaking through each other must be adhered to and must not be forgotten."

The Notice also warned the whole party, "Never rely on negotiations, never hope that Yuan Shikai and Beiyang will be kind-hearted,... We must rely on the strength in our own hands, the correctness of action guidance, the same unity in the Party and a good relationship with the people. Resolutely rely on the people..."

From the party notice written by Li Dashuai, the attitude of the Kuomintang in Hubei District to strive for domestic peace has been clearly expressed.

After that, Li Xiang had a long conversation all night with Feng Xiaoyu and other military and political officials who stayed in Wuhan, and discussed in detail about various possible situations.

Li Xiang said, "This time, I will send Li Yuanhong first and take away Tang Hualong. You should know my intention. Therefore, when I was in Beijing, the front and rear must be active, and all conspiracies of Yuan Shikai must be exposed. All provocative behaviors of Yuan Shikai must be attacked head-on. If you have the opportunity, you must eat it and eliminate as much as you can. The greater the victory of our army, the more active the activities of the peasants, the more secure and safer my situation will be. It should be noted that President Yuan only recognizes the fist and does not know courtesy. It should be said that in order to better implement the Kuomintang's policy of striving for peace, it is the most important reason why I went to Beijing for negotiations in person.

Li Xiang said again: "People talk about realism, and we also talk about realism. People invite us to talk about realism, and we talk about realism to negotiate.

Feng Xiaoqi nodded repeatedly.

Li wanted to skillfully take out the cigar and click on it and continued, "'Tight-for-tat' depends on the situation."

......

Yuan Shikai sent Duan Qirui as a representative to join Zhu Andian, the British ambassador to China, who is already in Wuhan, to welcome Li Xiang, Tang Hualong and others to Chongqing. Zhu Andian also issued a special statement in Wuhan. This statement says:

Yu went to Wuhan and was fully approved by President Yuan. At the invitation of Li Xiangzhi, Premier of the Chinese Kuomintang, Yu will accompany Li and his entourage to Beijing. And have direct discussions with President Yuan and the Beiyang government in Beijing. I am now in Wuhan, and I am very happy. I have worked hard for more than 10 years to help China's zheng government eliminate the possibility of internal strife. There are many conflict factors in this debate, but we can always win the respect and dependence of both sides, which is really a source of our happiness.

......

As for the statement of the minister Zhu Andian and his upcoming arrival, Marshal Li has no goodwill. Two months ago, he said in the closing speech "Yu Gong Yi Shan" in a public speech that Zhu Andian had publicly declared that he would cooperate with the Chinese Kuomintang. In this case, why did he go to our Hubei District?

When Duan Qirui, the commander-in-chief of the Beiyang government's army, the French Shamai plane used to pick up and drop off Li Dashuai to Beijing landed at Wuhan Airport, the most luxurious, advanced and largest civil airport in the Far East.

Duan Qirui and his entourage were immediately taken to the Kuomintang communication office in Wuhan to rest.

This amazing news quickly spread all over Wuhan.

Because the general cadres and ordinary people in Wuhan are not yet aware of the major decisions made by the Party headquarters of the Hubei District of the Kuomintang yesterday, they are speculating that the British big nose has just come to Wuhan, and the general of the army of Beiyang has come to Wuhan again.

In the meantime, most of the Kuomintang cadres listened to the document about General Li's negotiations with Yuan Shikai. But many people's brains still can't turn around for a while. People's worries are not superfluous.

It is doubtful how sincere Yuan Shikai's peace talks are. Marshal Li's safety is a worrying issue. History proves that Yuan Shikai has taken all kinds of despicable means to deal with his political enemies and always win. Zhang Zhenwu, Song Jiaoren and others are the saddest people.

Obviously, Marshal Li has made up his mind to sink the boat. He is bold and knowledgeable, not afraid of difficulties and dangers. At the same time, he also clearly sees that there are dangers. However, the most important thing is that the Kuomintang in Hubei has unprecedented strength, the people have awakened unprecedentedly, and all countries in the world are watching China. Yuan Shikai does not dare to risk the world to harm him.