154 national donation
Wuchang, Red Mansion.
Li Xiang leaned on the sofa and looked at the ceiling without focus. Li Yuanhong, sitting on his right hand, stood up and listened patiently to Mr. Sun Yat-sen's speech.
Sun Zhongshan leaned forward slightly: "... Beijing signed an advance contract with the Bank of the Four Kingdoms and a temporary advance charter for monitoring expenses. The charter stipulates that an accounting office shall be set up near the Ministry of Finance, and the bank and the zheng government of China shall each appoint an auditor, sign all cheques for withdrawals and appropriations from banks, and it also stipulates that for the expenses paid by each province to the army and the demobilization of the army, the local military government shall prepare a triple pay list, which shall be appointed by the central government. The officer and the local customs duty department shall be detained together, and the officer and the tax department shall be given the necessary convenience for the investigation. ...This gives the powers the privilege of supervising China's finances and even the Chinese army!"
Li Yuanhong kissed Sun Zhongshankou without hesitation and said, "If you supervise, you should refuse it."
Li Xiang looked at the ceiling leisurely and sighed for a long time, "China has always used to use fashion. Not only foreigners can't get used to it, but I can't get used to it. Supervision is a good thing to put an end to corruption..." Seeing that Sun Yat-sen's face had changed, Li wanted to quickly turn around and said, "But you can't let foreigners supervise!"
"Of course, you can't let foreigners supervise!" Sun Yat-sen was calm. He nodded and smiled and got up from the sofa and said, "If the four countries take advantage of China's current financial difficulties to hinder China's progress, the Chinese people will be angry and help themselves and try to raise public debt in the country to meet the current emergency."
We are going to raise money again! Li wanted to curl his lips secretly.
"Brother Keqiang and I advocate raising funds at home to solve the financial problem by promoting national donations and issuing non-exchangeable banknotes. The national donation plan proposed by Brother Keqiang stipulates that if the property is more than 500 yuan, and the salary is more than 10 yuan, one-tenth of the donation is limited to three months. Sun Yat-sen said excitedly, "Mobilizing the people can not only gather wealth, but also carry forward patriotism, killing two birds with one stone."
Li Yuanhong couldn't help asking, "Do you believe in the wealth of Chinese people?"
Sun Yat-sen smiled and said, "China has a lot of money. If the great powers take advantage of our danger, they will stimulate the people and respond to the government's request."
"It's hard to raise money!" Li Sanger raised his legs: "China's finance budget is good, financial affairs are open and transparent, and the people of the whole country supervise. Naturally, foreigners have nothing to say, and there is no reason to mention supervision!"
Li Yuanhong was stunned for a moment and asked in astonishment: "Is government affairs open, financial disclosure?"
Sun Yat-sen said, "This is not a political revolution!" I'm afraid it's more difficult than making a national donation!"
"Is this method of supervision difficult?" Li wanted to raise his eyebrows imperceptibly and gently: "At the beginning, Zuo Zongtang used it in Hunan, and Hu Linyi used it in Hubei. It's nothing more than the openness of government affairs and finance. What's the difficulty? Since it is public, it can be honest, and since it is honest, it can be capable. This is the simplest truth. Zuo and Hu Ergong used this trick at the beginning. The two medium-sized provinces of Hubei and Hunan, especially Hubei, were repeatedly preparing for military disasters, and unexpectedly concentrated huge financial and material resources, which flattened the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in one fell swoop! The Republic of China wants to rise and refresh, even if there is no supervision case proposed by the banking group of the four countries, it also needs to fight corruption and anti-corruption! Otherwise, no matter how many nationals donate, they are just fattening corrupt officials!
The Guangdong-Han and Sichuan-Han railways in the former Qing Dynasty were initially said to be commercial, and everyone must buy shares. Farmers who have no money use leases to buy shares. After a few years, I heard that the management was not good. If you change the state, you will change the state to the state. Do you think you don't want to make a fire? The key is that whether it is a commercial office or an official office, as soon as the money is collected, you can't care how to use it. The country should be loved, especially now the country of the people, no longer the country of the imperial court, but donations can't just be donated in the name of a "national", right? It's all a lesson of being donated for many years. The problem faced by national donations is not only whether the people "borrow" to the country, but more importantly, "how to borrow and how to use" - you say, don't you!"
Sun Yat-sen couldn't find a reason to stop Li's words for a moment. He thought about it for a long time and said with a smile, "This is far-sightedness, but it can't quench your thirst. At present, it's better to make a national donation first.
Li wanted to see Sun Yat-sen be so persistent and said painfully, "I pledge 100,000!"
"I don't have Li Shuai's wealth. Donate 10,000 yuan." Li Yuanhong said with a sad face.
......
Under the auspices of Sun Yat-sen, the alliance will be left by Huang Xing from Nanjing to call the whole country and put forward the idea of persuading people to donate money to save the dangerous situation of "borrowing debt and subjugated the country". He pointed out angrily in the telegram: "In the past 20 years, people have been loyal and righteous, so they have run to call for people at home and abroad, die at the top, and those who do not retreat a little, save the country, protect the seeds, and seek freedom from slavery. Once it is lucky to succeed, because of borrowing money and falling into a dangerous situation, the difficult Republic of China has become Egypt, which is the one who can't bear to gamble.
......
Huang Xing held a special meeting of the left-behind government, inviting all divisions, brigades, regimental commanders, patrol chiefs, and gendarmerie commanders to attend. At the meeting, he shouted: "... Now with 30 million yuan, President Xiong has signed a contract without authorization. He has not only lost his financial power, but also lost the military regime. He is exhausted, and the North does not donate to the people. I think so, so Mr. Xiong has to borrow it. According to my intention, most of the money can be obtained without exchanging coupons. That is to say, the national donation is used as the basic fund for not exchanging coupons, and the establishment of banks in various provinces is not urgent. I would like to ask you to cancel the stay. If you want to move the Beijing government with sincerity, it can be implemented if you don't donate or exchange coupons.
Huang Xing also said: "The left-behind organs are hindering the unification, and the decision is to cancel it immediately. It is recommended that Cheng Dequan come to Nanjing to take over the jurisdiction of the troops.
Huang Xing sent a telegram to Xiong Xiling again: "Now the overall situation is in danger, and it cannot be carried out intermittently. We all take the country as the premise, and we will never have a little interest in our personal relationship. At the critical moment of the country's life and death, we should be especially cautious. It is difficult to deal with one thing, and we will retreat. Although the public has taken great pains to borrow this time, the conditions have lost a lot of sovereignty. How can the public be willing? ... If the Chinese people object due to the failure of borrowing money, that is, they absolutely do not plan to deal with the aftermath, and only want to resign and shirk responsibility for thousands of years. What is it called? Xing and the public are friendly. They blame the public and advise the public to be a country, that is, they are the public, but they only judge it after careful thinking about it. I can't wait to pray."
......
Beijing, Iron Lion Hutong, Presidential Palace.
Yuan Shikai took a sip of tea and said, "Shaochuan, Bingsan, I won't approve your resignation."
"The care of the President. But I'm really incompetent... President, please listen to Huang Xingdu and awe-inspiringly scold me..." Xiong Xiling took a telegram and read: "The advance charter should not only supervise China's finance, but also our army. Is it tolerable? The army is the lifeblood of national defense. How can foreigners be allowed to interfere to this extent? Did Finance Minister Xiong forget how the road protection movement happened? Don't you know the lesson of Egypt's debt and the subjugation of the country? In the past two decades, countless Chinese people have gone through fire and water, and they have not hesitated to die. In exchange for the Republic of China today, are they going to bury the Republic of China for the sake of a three million advance? As long as we still have a breath, we will never recognize the borrowing conditions of this subjugated country. Please ask Finance Minister Xiong to ban the loan..."
The lower corner of this telegram clearly says "Huang Xing" and the names of many civilian generals in Nanjing.
Xiong Xiling was so angry that he almost got angry - I worked so hard to deal with foreigners, and I finally borrowed three million silver. What's the picture? Isn't it just to relieve Huang Xing's urgent need for you? Well, you bite Lv Dongbin and don't know the good heart. Have you forgotten how you roared and urged money in the telegram at the beginning?
In anger, Xiong Xiling made the telegram of Huang Xing's request to the public, and described the danger that the Nanjing People's Army may mutiny due to lack of pay and his own compromise. Not only that, Xiong Xiling also satirized in the telegram that Huang Xing lacked political experience and did not understand the economy. He said that if Huang Xing was in power, he would have to bury the Republic of China.
The telegram battle between Huang Xing, the revolutionary father, and the new finance Minister Xiong Xiling immediately caused an uproar. Governors, parliamentarians, newspapers, etc. from all over the country expressed their own opinions. Some accused Xiong Xiling of weak diplomacy, some scolded the finance Minister for betraying the country, and some criticized Huang Xing for ignoring the overall situation.
In the hustle and bustle of public opinion, the Provisional Senate also intervened. Some members asked Tang Shaoyi and his cabinet members to go to the Senate to explain the situation. At the meeting, the young and energetic legislators questioned Tang Shaoyi. They not only questioned the purpose of borrowing from Belgian banks, but also accused Premier Tang of being untrustful to the people and suspicious of neighboring countries. Some people even scolded Tang Shaoyi as "the subjugated prime minister". Tang Shaoyi had never seen such a situation. She was so tired of coping at the venue. Later, she simply lost her reaction and stayed there without saying a word. After Xiong Xiling learned that the advance had been ruined, she simply got angry that she didn't go to work in the department, and the government affairs came to a standstill.
After Tang Shaoyi was forced by the Senate for no reason, she was so angry that she had nowhere to vent. Together with Xiong Xiling, she asked President Yuan for resignation. Although Yuan Shikai was dissatisfied with Tang Shaoyi and Xiong Xiling, he did not want the first cabinet to collapse so soon, so he had to stay warmly and advised Tang Shaoyi and Xiong Xiling not to be impatient and be patient.
Yuan Shikai seemed to smile and said lightly, "There is no advance, so they have to make the provinces do their own way. At that time, they will know that they are in a dilemma... Nanjing is because there is no money. Huang Xing insists for dismissal, but Jiang Zuobin and Cheng De all oppose Huang Xing's immediate dismissal. After several consultations, it was finally decided that Jiang Zuobin would come forward to ask me to allocate funds. I have received several waves of emergency telegrams. Not to mention that I don't have money now, I won't allocate money even if I have money. In order to obtain funds to ease the serious instability of the army due to the lack of money, Huang Xing and Jiang Zuobin asked Cheng Dequan to come to Nanjing to receive the left-behind government organs. I will issue an order to allow Huang Xing to resign tomorrow. All Nanjing left-behind organs will be cancelled after Cheng Dequan arrives in Ning to receive it. Regarding Huang Xing's claim of issuing non-exchangeable vouchers to save the current urgency, I said that I will do it immediately. However, the rich people in the south can advocate it, and the poor in the north can't help but borrow foreign debt. That is, Huang Xing organized a national donation to pay for the army under the jurisdiction of the left-behind government. Huang Xing put forward the idea of promoting national donations. I think how can he step down at that time?
With that, Yuan Shikai had no smile on his face, and he only siped tea with his eyelids.
Tang Shaoyi and Xiong Xiling were also thinking about how to deal with the loan. Unexpectedly, Yuan Shikai was so simple. He thought about it for a moment. At present, he needs money for everything. If they really want to refuse the request of the Bank of the four countries, the South itself can't solve the problem.
Yuan Shikai stood up and paced for a long time before he said slowly, "When the opposition in the place gradually subsides, you can consult with the bank group."