144 parliamentary fans

Li wants to open the window and take a deep breath.

"Li Shuai, it's time to have breakfast." The housekeeper's beautiful voice said behind him.

Li wanted to turn around and said, "What's the matter? So urgent?"

"Some good people are waiting for you." Meadows smiled. His eyebrows are pale, and the two dimples at the corners of his mouth are looming. When he smiles, he is extremely charming and gentle.

"Then let's go." Li thought couldn't help sighing and said slowly. It's so troublesome to have breakfast. Don't think about it, you know what uninvited guests are. But this is Aili Garden, not Luojia Villa. He doesn't want to see these people.

Li wanted to go out with the housekeeper's little sister, and said casually, "I just returned to China, and I don't know what's wrong with the situation in China?"

Meidi whispered: "After we left, the first cabinet was barely formed under the strong intervention of Yuan Shikai. The specific candidates are as follows: Diplomacy: Lu Zhengxiang (no party affiliation, former minister to Russia). Internal Affairs: Zhao Bingjun (Yuan Pai). Army: Duan Qirui (Yuan Pai). Navy: Liu Guanxiong (close to Yuan faction) Finance: Xiong Xiling (Republican, former Qing constitutional faction). Education: Cai Yuanpei (Alliance Association). Justice: Wang Chonghui (Alliance Association). Agriculture and Forestry: Song Jiaoren (Alliance Association). Industry and Commerce: Chen Qimei (Alliance Association). Traffic: Tang Shaoyi (also) (later taken over by Tang's nephew Shi Zhaoji) The distribution of various ministries of the cabinet, on the surface, the alliance will hold the majority (four seats), and the prime minister is also known as the alliance, so it is regarded as the alliance cabinet by society. In fact, the alliance will only be divided into four idle positions. In this first cabinet, Yuan Shikai not only has a confidant who will master the key military, police and secret service (internal affairs) systems, but also dominate the diplomacy and navy.

Li Xiang was slightly surprised and a little moved. Meadows must have worked overtime after his rest last night to sort out these materials.

Although Yuan Shikai became the temporary president of the Republic of China, he never believed that democracy and republicanism could be implemented in China. For him, during the revolution **, he and the alliance will compromise and recognize the republican system. It's just a strategic trick to put out the revolutionary fire. Therefore, as soon as he came to power, he expanded his personal power by any means, pursued the unity of authoritarian dictatorship, and regarded the alliance that attempted to supervise him as the biggest obstacle, which must be completely eliminated. At the same time, Yuan Shikai's counter-revolutionary strategic idea is also the general understanding of the whole Beiyang faction.

After Tang Shaoyi was elected as Prime Minister, Li Xiang remembered that Sun Yat-sen delivered a speech in the Provisional Senate before his dismissal. He said with great emotion: "After I took office, I didn't expect to establish such a big career in such a short time. Since this three months, the north and south have been unified, the war has ended, and the Republic of China has been intact. It is really a blessing for the people and the country!"

In fact, Sun Yat-sen's words were quite insincere. According to his original intention, it should be to directly sweep the north and unify the Republic of China, but due to various reasons such as finance and military power, it ended in a compromise. Although the Chinese people at that time were cheering for the peaceful resolution of the war and the victory of the republic and the reunification of the country, the beginning of the Republic of China was not so smooth from the beginning.

The crisis first broke out in the cabinet. It's almost inevitable.

Meadow continued: "... Although the financial Xiong Xiling and Huang Xing were friends, he joined the revolutionary camp in the south after 1911. His position was strongly supported by Huang. Huang also had high expectations for Xiong, but the consistent political stance of the Kumamoto people prompted him to quickly devote himself to Yuan's desire. Hug. Moreover, the Ministry of Finance is empty and has to rely on foreign debt, and foreign debt has to rely on Yuan Shikai's own contact with foreign ministers and bank groups. In addition, Yuan can also make financial turnover through the transportation system mastered by Liang Shiyu. Therefore, no matter who the finance belongs to, the financial power can still be manipulated by Yuan Shikai. In view of the extremely difficult financial problems at that time and the complex factions in the cabinet, Xiong Xiling retreated from the fight and repeatedly asked Tang Shaoyi to resign.

"Smart people." Li wanted to laugh.

Walking ahead, Medy said, "After Tang Shaoyi formed the cabinet, some cabinet members were not satisfied with the position arrangement, and they submitted their resignations to Tang Shaoyi one after another."

"Who else?" Li wanted to ask with a smile.

"The first is Song Jiaoren, the president of agriculture and forestry!" Meddy said, "This young man in his early 30s thinks that he has more important things to do at present. This small chief of agriculture and forestry can't satisfy his ambition at all. Therefore, Song Jiaoren repeatedly asked for resignation, which made Tang Shaoyi very embarrassed.

Li wanted to laugh. Can the chief of agriculture and forestry stabilize Song Jiaoren? He wants to form his own cabinet!

"Chen Qimei, another alliance member in the cabinet, believes that the position of president of industry and commerce given to him is just a transfer from the tiger to the mountain, so he did not go to Beijing to take office at all. He just entrusted Wang Zhengting to Beijing as the deputy director to deal with affairs on his behalf." Medy said. According to the agreement, the state officials in the south should go to Beijing immediately to take office after forming a cabinet. However, in this case, Tang Shaoyi can only stay in Nanjing after issuing the cabinet appointment, and persuade Song Jiaoren and others in every way. They hope that everyone will put the overall situation first and go north as soon as possible. Seeing that the first cabinet was difficult to give birth, Yuan Shikai was also very anxious. He constantly unblocked all parties through telegrams to seek a satisfactorily settlement of the situation.

Li thought, "The main reason for this situation is nothing more than the mutual distrust between the North and the South. Because the Southern Revolutionary Party and Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army had fought, and there was a mutiny in Beijing not long ago, the Southern Revolutionary Party was worried that there would be danger to go north and advocated sending troops to escort state officials to the north. This approach is obviously to intensify the contradictions between the North and the South in advance.

Medi blinked, nodded and said, "In front of Yuan Shikai's strength, all the heads of the ten departments were in place, and Premier Tang, together with Wang Chonghui and others, set off to Beijing. Only Chen Qimei, who once served as the governor of the Shanghai army, was intoxicated with Yang Mei and did not want to leave the south. He asked to postpone the travel period. Premier Tang did not force him. This time, Chen Qimei is waiting for you in the restaurant now. It seems that I'm here to ask you for help."

......

In the restaurant, Li Xiang persuaded Chen Qimei with almost a runny nose and tears:

"... At the beginning of the founding of the Republic of China, the foundation of the country has not been determined, and the hearts of the people have been shaken. Even if everyone is working hard, it is still difficult to survive, not to mention the virtual suspension of each department? If you take the extinction as a bystander and the overthrow of the country as a pleasure, then I would rather wait for death without complaining! If you still look up to me, please do your best as soon as possible according to the agreement. The president in Beijing can prepare for it first. The president in Nanjing also hopes that the car will be simple and start quickly! If you go north to cause danger, please kill me to thank the world! If you support yourself so much that you will be in trouble, you should also be guilty to thank the world! If you are still waiting and watching within five days, then the people must think that you are deliberately abandoning the Republic of China. What can you do? ......”

......

Beijing.

The construction site of the Capitol is messy and noisy. The building skeleton already has a little shape. There are construction workers on the construction site who are busy. At the edge of the construction site, there is a wooden sign standing, which is crooked, with the words "Capital Congress" written on it.

A Hankou-made BMW car parked next to the wooden plate. The door opened, and Yuan Shikai, Zhao Bingjun and Song Jiaoren came out.

Song Jiaoren came forward and straightened the "Capital Building" sign, but it was always right, and the sign was crooked again.

Yuan Shikai looked at it with a smile: "Butter, don't compete with it, just stay for a while..."

A foreman was passing by them. Seeing this, he stopped and walked over to hold the wooden card with one hand. The other iron palm was like a wooden screw, smashing it down at the top, and the wooden card stopped.

Song Jiaoren stared at the foreman with admiration: "Thank you, thank you..."

The foreman didn't know why the scholar wanted to thank himself. He strangely turned to Song Jiaoren and said, "Let's go. It's not safe here."

Song Jiaoren asked, "Sir, can it be completed in April next year?"

The foreman replied, "The boss said that it must be completed and that there would be a meeting here."

Zhao Bingjun walked over, pulled the foreman aside, and whispered a few words. The foreman looked at Yuan Shikai in surprise and strode away.

Yuan Shikai said, "Butchu, let's take a look inside."

The three of them walked towards the construction site.

Yuan Shikai said as he walked, "You don't know why the Capitol was built here. Five years ago, the old Buddha prepared to make a constitution and sent five ministers abroad to inspect the constitutional government. When he came to Germany, he saw that the parliament building was good. When talking about it, German engineers were going to design a parliament building for the Qing Dynasty. Later, it was really designed, and even the budget was made: 5.4 million marks. Construction began two years ago. In 1910, the foundation was just finished. At the beginning, the Wuchang Uprising of your revolutionary party came, and the Capitol was abandoned halfway.

Song Jiaoren muttered, "If the Congress had been held a few years earlier, the Qing government might not have collapsed."

Yuan Shikai suddenly stopped and glanced at Song Jiaoren: "I think so too..."

The foreman trotted over, followed by an engineer-like man, bowing repeatedly and saying, "President, this way, please."

On an open space on the construction site, a table was placed and a few chairs were placed. Yuan Shikai waited for him to walk over. The foreman unfolded a drawing clipped in his arm and saw that it was the sketch of the Capitol. He spread it on the table and pressed both sides. Yuan Shikai turned the drawing and said to Song Jiaoren, "I've seen this drawing in those years. Do you like it at the beginning?"

The engineer pointed to the drawing and explained, "This is the conference hall, which can accommodate 800 people."

Song Jiaoren immediately said, "This is not enough."

Everyone was stunned.

Song Jiaoren explained: "According to the Congressional Election Law, in the first official Congress, one member of the House of Representatives is elected out of every 80,000 voters in the country, and each of the twenty-two provinces elects ten senators. In total, there are eighty-seven members in the Senate and House of Representatives. I'm afraid there are more Chinese representatives than the senators. If you really want to have a meeting, it's not enough to double the conference hall.

Yuan Shikai smiled and said, "Butchu, it is said that you are a 'parliament fan', which really lives up to its reputation."

Song Jiaoren also smiled and said, "I hope everyone in the Chinese people is a 'parliament fan'!" He pointed to the edge of the drawing: "What's the use of this place?"

The engineer replied, "At first, I was also surprised. Later, I learned that the design of the Capitol was the 'constitutional monarch' Congress and the emperor. So I designed a small conference hall for the cultural and military affairs of the emperor and the Manchu Dynasty.

Song Jiaoren said decisively, "Now it's a republic, and there is no emperor."

The engineer was surprised and said, "But there is also a big president. If the president comes..."

Song Jiaoren interrupted him and said, "The parliament is the highest authority. Whoever comes, you have to sit below.

Yuan Shikai and Zhao Bingjun were stunned.

Yuan Shikai's face changed, and then covered it with a smile and said, "Yes, yes, this is the place dedicated to the president." He turned to Zhao Bingjun and said, "It's up to you too!"

Zhao Bingjun waved his hand quietly. The engineer rolled up the drawings, nodded and left.

Someone made tea, and the three of them sat down.

Yuan Shikai said, "At the beginning, my biggest regret is that you don't want to serve in the government."

Song Jiaoren said naively and enthusiastically, "President, in fact, what Mr. Sun and I have done is more important than serving in the government. Mr. Sun did his best to help the president with construction. I helped the president improve the constitutional politics and run for a formal congressman in the name of the Kuomintang. I believe that our Kuomintang members will have a majority of seats in the formal parliament. At that time, my Kuomintang will become the ruling party and elect me as the prime minister. One party helps the president to govern, which is much more powerful than me alone!"

Hearing the word "Cabinet Prime Minister", Zhao Bingjun was stunned.

But after listening to Song Jiaoren's words, Yuan Shikai smiled and said, "It's my dull initial ambition, but Yuan Shikai is stingy."

Yuan Shikai smiled again, stood up, walked to one side, and greeted Song Jiaoren, "Bunchu, come here."

Song Jiaoren walked over, and Zhao Bingjun looked at them doubtfully.

Yuan Shikai took a few more steps forward, and then stopped. When Song Jiaoren came over, he put him on Song Jiaoren's shoulder, walked forward and said, "Britten Chu, in the early years, in my hometown of Changde, you plotted against me to carry out the anti-Qing revolution just for today..."

Song Jiaoren corrected: "For tomorrow!"

Yuan Shikai was stunned and then smiled and said, "I can't do nothing in the current temporary Senate!" But you have to believe me, no matter how hard I try before the official Congress is next year, I will make you the speaker of Congress. Do you want to be the speaker in the House of Representatives or the Senate?

Song Jiaoren replied, "President Xie, I'm not the right speaker like this."

Yuan Shikai took a look at Song Jiaoren and said, "If I directly appoint you as Prime Minister, would you be willing to follow me?"

Song Jiaoren said righteously, "No!"

Yuan Shikai stopped, slipped his hand from Song Jiaoren's shoulder, took a step forward, turned his face to the front, turned his back to Song Jiaoren, and said, "Do you want to be the president?"

Song Jiaoren said to Yuan Shikai's back, "The president thinks that I have left the position of cabinet minister. Is he a small official? The president is wrong. In the Republic of China, the people are the masters of the country. I want a democratically elected official. I will do what I am asked to do by the democratic election; if I am elected as a minister, I will be a minister; if I am elected as the prime minister, I will be the prime minister; if one day the people vote to elect me as president, I will also be benevolent. President, I just don't want to be an official.

Yuan Shikai slowly turned around, squinted his eyes, looked at Song Jiaoren, patted Song Jiaoren on the shoulder, and said, "Dunchu, I'm not the emperor. Where did you get the 'imp order'..."

Then, he strode back to the table in a few steps, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. He threw the tea bowl to the ground and said, "What kind of tea is this?" It tastes terrible!

Zhao Bingjun was so scared that he shivered.