140 beacon smoke rises again

Three years of Qing Xuantong, Xinhai, October 13.

In Beijing, a heavy snow is falling quietly. Feixue dressed the whole capital as pure white Qionglou Yuning, which was dazzling. The beauty is beautiful. The flat-headed people at the feet of the emperor are still worried about how to survive this cold winter. The flag man's Beizi Beile and the scholars are full of court bureaucrats. Seeing that the general trend of the court is gone now, they are hopeless. However, the southern bandits are blazing day by day. How can the cruel reality be in the mood to go, riding a horse to walk the dog and stepping on the snow to find poetry.

Seeing the beautiful scenery of Liangchen, the whole city of Beijing is panicked all day long. The decline of the weather in the end of the world is nothing more than this!

In the past, the golden and brilliant Forbidden City was like a fierce dress in plain clothes. The yellow glazed tiles, green bricks, bronze cranes, suns... were all stained with white snow.

With a crack, the bright yellow cover of shit representing the royal family slipped from the regent's hand, and the sound of tapping on the gold bricks echoed in the study in Yulan Hall. His hands trembled like the old hair of Parkinson's syndrome, trembling like chicken claws, and it was difficult to speak, and he couldn't squeak out in his throat.

The quiet Yulan Hall only heard the voice of the old Empress Dowager Longyu sobbing with the little emperor Puyi in her arms, which was extremely miserable. Similarly, the news that Nanjing was occupied by the bandit party was also so scared that the eunuchs lay on the ground. The panic in the bottom of their hearts made them respond, and the crying sounded one after another.

The unknown little emperor on the throne was also infected by this suppressed doomsday decline. He flattened his mouth, raised his voice and cried in Longyu's arms, and cried wrigorily, "I don't want to be here!"

Shanqi and other imperial ministers of the Qing Dynasty knelt all over the ground, and they did not dare to raise their heads. His heart was as cold as the wind and snow outside Yulan Hall.

"Your Majesty! When the emperor is young, you and the empress dowager must cheer up..."

Liang Bi immediately jumped out.

Liang Bi is upright and proud, and has great ambition. He is the best flag officer in the late Qing Dynasty with the knowledge of soldiers, and Tieliang and others are known as generals in the Qing Dynasty. He is also a popular figure among the Mantingqi people, and has been infinitely promoted by boring scholars in later generations to the point of "lone ministers at the end of the world, die and die".

After the Wuchang Uprising at the beginning, Liangbi opposed not only the use of Yuan Shikai, but also opposed the revolution, in an attempt to "enlarge the revolution with a constitution and save the overall situation". Later, Yuan Shikai went to Beijing to serve as the prime minister, and the real power of Liangbi to lead the Praetorian Guard was difficult to protect.

The last point of the praetorian guard has been mastered by the Manting Banner, and it is also the only force that can fight with Yuan Shikai. The praetorian guard guards Beijing. Even if it can't influence the overall situation, at least it can contain Yuan Shikai and dare not mess up. In recent days, Yuan Shikai has reorganized his cabinet. The Empress Dowager Longyu is also under great pressure to fight against public discussion, so that Liangbi can continue to lead the real power of the Guards, help the regent share a little pressure, and give Yuan Shikai more elbows. As for the regent's younger brother Zaitao, he is originally a decoration, and don't expect him to do anything in the guard. Who knows that Yuan Shikai did not control the elbow, but ushered in Nanjing's defeat!

In fact, the news from the court is no longer clear. This news comes more or less from the people's alley in the eastern suburbs. Last night, there was a rumor that Zhang Xun led the remnants of his troops to sneak out of the south gate and crossed the river from Dashengguan to Pukou. The defense commander abandoned the city and ran away. Nanjing, which is in danger, is also a time that can be calculated by pinching his fingers. After that, Zhang Renjun, the governor of Liangjiang, and Tieliang, the general of Manqi, rushed out on the Japanese warship "Akizushu". This is the news from the Japanese consulate, which is unmistakable. Nanjing was defeated as a fact.

The military in Nanjing was originally unstable. Zhang Xun treats the army unevenly, and has always been thicker than the river defense army and thin than the patrol army. In every battle, the patrol army must rush forward, but the river defense team will be bombarded. There is a shortage of rice in the city, and the Jiangfang army has food, while the patrol army has no food. After a few days of hard fighting, there is no food, which is very miserable. After Zhang Xun left, Hu Lingxuan and the commanders of the patrol battalion, Zhang Liansheng and Zhao Ronghua, each led the remnants to surrender and opened the gate to welcome the allied forces into the city. Lin Shuqing's army of the bandit party entered the city from the Taiping Gate, Liu Zhijie's army of the bandit party entered the city from the south gate, and Xu Shaozhen led the general headquarters of the bandit party's coalition army to enter the city from Ma Qun.

Zhang Xun led the remnants to retreat to Pukou and was intercepted by the bandit party Bai Wenwei, who paid a lot of gun money. It's really a mess.

According to the folk lanes in the eastern suburbs, Tianbao City is broken, and Nanjing can no longer stick to it. Zhang Xun once sent Hu Lingxuan and Shi Jiuguang, the commander of the captured banditary party's general headquarters, out of the south gate, holding a white flag in his hand and wrapping white cloth in his arms. He threw himself into the Soviet headquarters of the bandit party to see Liu Zhijie for peace.

"Lost? Is the Qing Dynasty over like this? Longyu touched his tears and just muttered to himself. The little emperor had snot and tears, and he kept sobbing.

The minister looked at their master's miserable appearance as an orphan and widow, and sobbed. They really couldn't figure it out. Yuan Shikai commanded the Beiyang Army to capture Hankou, and the bandit party's fighting power was really like a local chicken and a dog. Last night, Yuan Shikai and Dongjiao Minxiang still spread words. The bandits have begged for peace, and the war between the north and the south is about to turn to the negotiating table. Why did Nanjing lose again? If Tie Liang and Zhang Xun, who guarded Nanjing, were all several generals of the Qing Dynasty. In order to protect the orthodoxy of the Qing Dynasty, natural generals and soldiers fought with their lives and became famous. How could they be defeated?

In addition to being the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, Nanjing is also the place of Zhu Yuanzhang's Longxing. Zhu Yuanzhang's expulsion of Yuanmeng is of great significance for the Han people. In this way, I don't know how hot the morale of the southern bandit party is. Is this kind of crisis, even Yuan Shikai, unable to recover at all? Perhaps Yuan Shikai, an ambitious powerful minister, is more willing to see such a result. In this way, Yuan Shikai has more excuses to take the power of the Liangbi Guard, and even seize the seal of the national supervision.

"Zhang Xun, damn it! The feudal officials of Xinjiang, throwing away the land and abandoning the city, should kill the nine ethnic groups! The Empress Dowager, the will to correct the law in front of his army! In this way, it can also cheer up the morale of the army, and there is still something to do!"

The sky of Manting is about to collapse. What a crime should this be? Do you want them, the princes in the bird cage, to go against them? Of course not! In this case, it is natural to find a scapegoat. Zhang Xun, who escaped, is ready-made. This guy is loyal to the court, but more loyal to Yuan Shikai. He said that he borrowed a word from his head and just pulled out a poisonous tooth in Beiyang. At this time, they play with two birds with one stone, which shows where their powerful skills are used.

Several ministers echoed, but they all looked bad. The feudal officials of Xinjiang, throwing away the land and abandoning the city, should be the first to be the brunt of the chaos in Wuchang: Ruiyu, the governor of Huguang. If the nine clans are killed, they will be killed on the head of Aixinjueluo's family. However, after the incident, the court did not care at all, which was a good opening for the feudal officials. The apocalyptic weather is exactly the same! I have long heard that Ruiyu took Huguang's property to Hong Kong. Although he lost nine big boxes in Wuchang, he still left a lot of savings and has lived a stable and happy life in this troubled world. Now everyone is taking advantage of the bustle to show loyalty in front of the orphans and widows, and it doesn't take a little time to drool. Now that the Qing Dynasty doesn't work, they can't do it anymore. Did they really die in this country? It's a life-threatening plan. Do you want to find something to slip away first? Go to Tianjin Concession, Qingdao Concession, Shanghai Concession, or simply float on a boat? Anyway, Ruiyu has passed by first, and everyone is just like this at this time. If there is a way, look for Yuan Shikai's door, or look for the door of the former constitutional princes in the south. Maybe there will be a seat in the new dynasty.

At this moment, the emotional Manqing ministers who are still crying with orphans and widows in Yulan Hall have begun to think about different things.

Several ministers echoed insincerely, and how could he escape from his eyes? He only felt cold all over.

I still can't beat Yuan Shikai!

He, who has always been called mediocre and confused, is not stupid. He just takes over such a broken family and can live without pretending to be confused? Some people always say that he is not cruel enough to kill Yuan Shikai at the beginning. If this is really the case, it immediately forced the Northern Ocean, and the Qing Dynasty may not even be able to survive today.

Yuan Shikai, who lost Nanjing and had long wanted to force the regent to retreat to the vassal mansion, didn't he take advantage of this? Such a major problem, as long as it is all pushed on him, he can't afford to stretch, and there is no one in the court who can afford to stretch. Since he can't afford to stretch, even if he is reluctant, he has to resign and return to the vassal and ask him to Yuan Shikai to preside over the overall situation. It's just that in a blink of an eye, Yuan Shikai will come out to clean up the last reliance of people...

As early as September 26, Yuan Shikai formed a responsible cabinet. The cabinet list is:

Prime Minister Yuan Shikai.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Liang Dunyan, Vice Minister Hu Weide.

Minister of Civil Affairs Zhao Bingjun, Vice Minister Wu Zhen.

Yan Xiu, the minister of the branch, and Chen Jintao, the deputy minister (resign).

Wang Shizhen, Minister of the Army, and Tian Wenlie, Vice Minister.

Minister of the Navy Sa Zhenbing, Deputy Minister Tan Xueheng.

Tang Jingchong, Minister of Academic Affairs, and Yang Du, Vice Minister (resign).

Minister of Justice Shen Jiaben, Vice Minister Liang Qichao.

Yang Shiqi, Minister of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and Liang Ruhao, Vice Minister (Liang Shiyi).

Zhang Jian, Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, and Xi Yan, Vice Minister.

Minister of the Ministry of Science Da Shou, Vice Minister Rong Xun.

In the above list, there are many constitutional monarchies, and even figures who have joined the southern revolutionary camp, such as Liang Qichao and Zhang Jian, are on the list. In fact, many people have not come to Beijing to take office. Yuan Shikai's intention is to absorb them as the embellishment of the constitutional monarchy and the responsible cabinet, so as to show that his cabinet is different from the old Qing court. From this perspective, he doesn't pay much attention to Manting.

In fact, after the establishment of Yuan Pavilion, Zaifeng removed his status as regent and restored his title and returned to the vassal residence. However, although the regent Zaifeng lost power and only had a virtual position, he was still nominally acting as the marshal and controlled more than 10,000 guards. Yuan Shikai was still worried about this. He created a series of connection with Zhu Erdian. People's alleys in the suburbs of Mandong were shouting that "No Yuan Shikai is not enough to deal with the Chinese situation". He was both soft and hard, so he wanted to force Zai Feng to hand over the seal of the "King of Regent of Supervision" and return to the mansion. Isn't this a great opportunity now?

After the formation of Yuan Shikai's responsible cabinet, the most important thing is to hold the military power of the Qing court in his own hands, which is the most practical basic problem. Yuan knows the power best. If he can't control the army, it is useless to preside over the responsible cabinet. Therefore, while forming a cabinet, he has to completely hold the military power of the north and Beijing in his own hands. He has obtained the full power of moderation and dispatch of Jinji Beiyang towns and Jiang Guiti of the Yi Army, but there is also a military advisory office in Beijing. The imperial guard led by Minister Zaitao, this imperial guard in Beijing is enough to make Yuan dare not act at will. This guard was formed after Zai Feng was the regent and deposed Yuan Shikai. It can be said that the purpose of organizing this army is to protect the Manchu relatives. The guards are full of people. They are well-paid, well trained and well equipped. This is the last Mount Tai of the imperial court, but Nanjing is lost. Can he still control the imperial guard?

Once the military power of the imperial guard was lost, Yuan Shikai started to take action without any taboos. Perhaps when the imperial guard changed power, the folds of the palace would fly in like snowflakes outside Yulan Hall.

After everything was arranged, Yuan Shikai received all the power under the rule of the imperial court. The old Empress Dowager Longyu and the little emperor Puyi did not become the puppets in his hands. At that time, it is completely unimportant whether the country is republican or constitutional.

When Yuan Shikai entered the dynasty, he met the Empress Dowager Longyu and vowed to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty. Later, he went to Dongjiao People's Lane to visit the foreign minister in Beijing, and vowed to say in the Times: "China has been known as an autocracy for hundreds of years, but in fact, it is not completely a dictatorship, so that the people do not know how to respect the government, and the people do not understand that the government should bear responsibility. Now it is to encourage the people, and those who are happy to follow are nothing more than not paying taxes and having no government. This is also because of the country's irresponsible government for hundreds of years.

There are two kinds of people in the Chinese Progressive Party, one advocates democracy and republic, and the other advocates constitutional monarchy. I don't know if the Chinese people want to be the people of the Republic. Can they really mature? Is the republicanism advertised now really the host of the people? The situation in China is disturbing, but it starts from the discussion of the leaders of the first or two parties, and there are outsiders who can't know the details. Therefore, if you want to set up a strong government, you must ask the majority of citizens for their opinions, depending on the minority.

Each of them has their own interests and opinions, and the academic, military, gentry and business circles have their own opinions. If they are left to be a small group, the opinions will not be harmonious, or there will be a disaster of division.

Although the Qing government now has no plan to subdue people's hearts, it has only issued 19 articles of the Constitution, and the power will be in the hands of the people. Therefore, if the constitutional monarchy that restricts the monarchy is compared with other regimes that the people want to try, whether it is appropriate or not, the constitutional monarchy is a regular measure.

I love the people of China, compared with the Republicans who preside over the rush. Therefore, I am in the implementation of the reform. Knowing that the responsibility is great, Gu Yufei seems to want to restore order for China for the sake of the right of reputation, which is intended to benefit China and make it free of twists and turns.

Therefore, I still hope that peace and discussion will be successful. Those who want to protect China should make all parties satisfied, restore peace, and build a strong government. I know that the opinions of the people are clear, and they are unwilling to witness the destruction of their own country, so they want to discuss strategies with the Republicans, so that the final situation of the war can be broken through all kinds of feelings, and all kinds of things that are not convenient for the people will be eliminated.

As for the provinces, they are independent, and they are not very separated from the peace. At that time, the power of the government could not be carried out in the provincial capitals. Several people in the provincial capitals must declare a political system that is close to independence. In fact, it is not completely independent. Several provincial powers are still in the hands of conservatives, but they are close to neutral. The title is to overthrow the autocratic system. Its purpose is to keep public security and protect people's property. The more you talk about republic, the more neutral you will be. Therefore, I plan to gather people from all provinces to study the big question of China's political system. This problem is so important, so everything should be discussed with peace of mind and unreliable enthusiasm for a while. Yu's idea is to keep the emperor of this dynasty, that is, a constitutional monarchy, and the discrimination between the Manchu and Han dynasties in the past has been swept away.

A particularly important problem is the preservation of China, which cannot help but rely on the patriots of all parties to sacrifice their policies and help me, so as to avoid the division of China and all the consequences in the future. Therefore, for China, it is necessary to immediately set up a strong government, delaying one day, that is, one day is dangerous. I hope that the progress of the Party member Sibangguo should go, and cooperate with Yu Tongli, so that all important things can be handled properly.

Since Yu's volunteer is so grand, there must be a misunderstanding of Yu, or he will be attacked by the four parties. He doesn't know it. Gu Yu does not suffer a little twists and turns, so he changes Yu's highest position to cover Yu's actions, in order to completely protect China from division. Now that I think about it, it's completely bullshit!

Zai Feng felt frustrated for a moment. Now wave your hand and want to turn around. Whatever should be done. The Qing Dynasty was no longer the Aixinjueluo family when it was in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The powerful ministers in the court, you can sing and let go of me. Only the Empress Dowager Cixi can play with these Han human rights ministers in the palm of their hands to support the Qing Dynasty. Nowadays, no one in the Qing Dynasty can suppress Yuan Shikai except the dead Empress Dowager Cixi. It's all right, it's all right, the Qing Dynasty is not saved...

Looking at Zai Feng's trembling convulsion, Liang Bi looked up and shouted eagerly, "Your Majesty!"

Zaifeng turned around and bent his thin back. This confused and handsome prince who said that he had a book is really rich and noble, and there was nothing to do with a little fairy. He seemed to be ten years old in an instant and said with a wry smile, "What else? You can discuss it..."

Outside the Yulan Hall, there was suddenly a loud voice of Prince Qing: "At this point, what are the empress dowager and the prince still hesitating about!"

Several people were shocked and saw Yi Qian strode in with snow powder. The old man's snow-white beard was covered with snowflakes, and his warm hat was covered with a thick layer. His eyes were full of blood, his nose was red with cold, and his face looked gloomy and terrible.

Everyone knows that he and Yuan Shikai are the same. Although he has left the prime minister, he still likes to participate in the situation. He really has a great influence in the government and the opposition. In these days, he has been in front of Longyu, trying to protect Yuan Shikai as an important task, and more famously, don't let others control others. This "other" doesn't mean to carry Feng Liangbi. This is not good to come!

Although Long Yu is the empress dowager, she is an old woman after all. She takes off her gorgeous clothes. What's the difference between being an old woman in the countryside? The six gods have been crying for a long time. He usually doesn't like him. When he is helpless now, I feel very gratified to see Yi. It's like a drowning man grabbing a life-saving straw and crying, "As long as we can have an end to our orphans and widows, don't force us to hang ourselves on the crooked neck tree in Coal Mountain. He is old. Yuan will do whatever he wants. If he wants to make peace, let him discuss it. As long as he can treat our mother well, whether the national constitution is a republic or a constitution, we don't care, and we can't control it..."

Long Yuming knew that Yuan Shikai was unreliable, but when he had no choice, the previous tight cheeks were not allowed to talk and finally let go. At this time, he asked Yuan Shikai to find a way. Is there any other way? It's simply Yiqi to deal with it. Although he vented his anger with Yuan Shikai, after all, his surname is Aixinjueluo. If Manting falls, can he still be the prince of Xiaoyao happily? He will always win a little power for their orphans and widows, right?

Hearing Long Yu's golden mouth loosened, Yi Qian's gloomy face also eased a lot. He took over the hand stove of the bronze beast head sent by the eunuch and warmed his frozen and stiff fingers.

"None! Yuan Shikai is ambitious. I don't know what will happen to him!"

As soon as Longyu's golden mouth opened, several ministers of the clans made a big deal. Yuan Shikai went to negotiate with the South, and Yuan Shikai didn't turn around and sold your orphans and widows to the Southern Revolutionary Party! At the beginning, Hankou won a big victory, which frustrated the sharpness of the Southern Revolutionary Party. After Long Yu, she bit her cheeks tightly. The ministers still had some hope. The name of the court was rooted. At least Yuan Shikai was still a courtier. The justice of the emperor and ministers was here. Yuan Shikai could only be his Cao Cao. Maybe the royal family of the Qing Dynasty still had time to regain power. It is not expected to eliminate the southern bandit party. As long as it can be like the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it is not impossible to rule the river.

As today, there is a crazy news that the Southern Revolutionary Party is waiting for Yuan Shikai as the president. How can you count on him?

But Nanjing was lost and the world was shaken. This revolutionary party's life is desperate!

The Qing Dynasty is dead!

"Delegate power to Yuan Shikai again, and the subjugation of the Qing Dynasty is expected!" Liang Bi roared, with red eyes, and pounced on Yi Qian, "You bastard bastard, how many benefits has Yuan Shikai given you? You help him think like this, and your conscience is taken away by the dog. You forget your ancestors and forget your surname Aixinjueluo. Look, I won't beat you to death..."

Liangbi, who wanted to splash, was immediately hugged by several ministers who were close to Yiqian, but Yiqian rushed forward and slapped him both front and back. He scolded without showing weakness, "You have guts, you have a conscience, and don't say sarcastic words here. Can you destroy the Southern Bandit Party?"

"Enough!" Zai Feng waved his hand exhaustedly, "Forget it, Lao Yuan is the Prime Minister. Let him discuss this matter..."

Yi Qian shouted, "In this situation, I just want to invite Lao Yuan to come forward, but Lao Yuan may not be willing."

Zaifeng's face turned pale, and Yuan Shikai took the opportunity to extort. With the last bit of power in the Qing Dynasty, the military power of the praetorian guard could not be guaranteed.

"What else does he want? The court is already in charge of Lao Yuan..." Zai Feng muttered to himself. Finally, he smiled faintly, extremely bitter, that is, the corners of his mouth touched his face: "Okay, you can discuss it."

Yi Qian's face was not so good, and his face became more and more gloomy. At this point, Zaifeng had no way out, and there was no way out for him, and there was no way out for the Qing Dynasty. Let Yuan Shikai usurp the Qing Dynasty, and after all, Beiyang has received the favor of the full court, and these remnants of the former dynasty will come to an end. If the Southern Revolutionary Party overthrows the Manchu Qing Dynasty, then do they still have a way to survive? In Wuchang, Xi'an and Nanjing, I don't know how many nationals have died in the Qing Dynasty? Those men hate those flagmen who have ruled them for more than 260 years! The loudest slogan shouted by the Southern Party members is "Excuse the Tentists and Restore China".

Since he has meaningless persistence, he doesn't know where his death is. At this time, he can only beg Yuan Shikai to give them a way to survive. He gritted his teeth in a low and cold voice and said, "The prince handed over the seal of the prison and attacked the king and returned to the mansion. The Empress Dowager declares the family law, and relatives and nobles are not allowed to hear about political affairs. The administration of people in the imperial court belongs to the cabinet.

A word came out, which made Zai Feng's body tremble again. I really wanted to fall down like this, but my hands trembled like two chicken feet, and I was fine. I looked at it clearly and listened. Long Yu kept touching tears and was about to faint, and the little emperor cried for no reason.

No one thought that Yi Qian would dare to be crazy like this! Everyone only feels that the inside of Yulan Hall is colder than in the wind and snow outside.

Liang Bi roared fiercely and said, "Lao Qing, you are crazy! The prince is in charge of the imperial guard, which is my last bit of military power. The prince retreats to the vassal mansion. What else can I rely on? If you don't want to hear about politics, is this country still surnamed Aixinjueluo?

Yi Qian turned around, and the muscles on his face twitched together: "There are even words from the people's alley in the eastern suburbs. The court restrained Yuan Shikai again, and the situation was completely out of control. It's not just losing Nanjing. Are you going to watch the fall of the Qing Dynasty?

"Isn't it the subjugation of the country to let the Yuan family be the country!" Liang Bi roared repeatedly.

Yi Qian also roared and interrupted: "The navy is full of rebellion, and there is no natural danger. Relying on the imperial guard alone, it can't defend Beijing and Tianjin, and it can't resist the southern bandits. These dynasties have changed, and the history books have been published. Which dynasty has a good end? Do you just watch I love the Xinjueluo family to go to the future, waiting to be killed in the capital by the southern bandits, and the Aixinjueluo family will cut off their children and grandchildren from then on... Yuan Shikai is in the country, we can at least talk about the preferential treatment of the royal family..."

This sentence was so presumptuous, and this sentence was so powerful that Liangbi's legs were soft and knelt on the ground. He knew that this was the most realistic fact. They refused to admit it and were torn apart by Yiqi Chiguoguo. How could they bear it for a while? Zai Feng opened his mouth wide and couldn't speak!

"In the early morning, I didn't have the surname Aixinjueluo, starting from the time of the Hongyang Rebellion." He stood there awe-inspiringly and said coldly, "We have no choice!"

Yulan Hall was quiet for a long time, and finally there was a sobbing voice from Longyu: "Let's entrust everything to Premier Yuan's cabinet to discuss... As long as we can let our orphans and widows have an end..."

Liangbi looked at the roof blankly, as if he wanted to see through the wind and snow outside the house.

Zai Feng was cold all over and couldn't speak.

Heavy snow was falling in the Forbidden City, and everything was frozen and frozen in the cold night.