Since Yuan Shikai failed to become emperor, Yang Du has devoted himself to seclusion. In the past few years, he has become more and more thorough in seeing things in the world. To be fair, during the period when Duan Qirui was in power, Northern China has achieved a lot of development, especially one
Two years after the war, the Southwest sent some experts to help guide the economic development under Beiyang rule, mainly concentrated in areas with good industrial bases such as Zhili and Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The speed of economic development far exceeded that of Yuan Shikai's period. This is why Xu Shuzheng was able to send troops
The material basis for recovering Mongolia.
However, the more it develops, the greater the obstacles of the old forces. The old bureaucratic system is simply not suitable for the needs of economic development. This huge contradiction caused a large amount of human capital to flow to the two lakes and Sichuan after the end of World War I, integrating into the southwest system.
Among them, this is equivalent to draining the blood of North China. Facing the deterioration of the economic situation, Duan Qirui does not have the courage and ability to carry out thorough reforms.
The international situation is changing extremely rapidly. The rise of the majority party has made it increasingly difficult for Duan Qirui, who was born in Beiyang, to adapt to this new world. Therefore, it has become inevitable to abdicate in favor of talents.
"Governor Duan, you want to give up your position. From the bottom of my heart, I still admire Qiao Yu's methods, which can allow a peaceful transfer of power and prevent this country from losing its vitality. This is a great thing, but can any of the Beiyang generals be willing?
For example, Li Chun, the governor of Jiangsu, Cao Kun, the governor of Zhili, they are all men with heavy troops, and Wu Peifu, the commander of the third division. If these people don't agree, I'm afraid it will be difficult to do what you want. In addition,
Can Xu Youzheng, who is far away in Outer Mongolia, agree to your handover of power?"
Yang Du's words are on point. Duan Qirui is not alone in his life. There is also a huge Anhui clique behind him. If the interests of this group are not properly handled, this power will not be handed over. The most critical one is Xu Shuzheng. Then
But there were 100,000 elite soldiers, and they were in a sensitive area like Outer Mongolia, so Yang Du couldn't help but worry.
"Mr. Xizi, I understand what you are saying. It's just that I am really exhausted mentally and physically. There is no suitable person in Beiyang. Feng Guozhang's health is not as good as mine. Originally, I liked Zheng. But he
His ambition and magnanimity are not good, and his means and strength are even more incomparable. If he seizes the position and does not let go, Qiao Yu can defeat Britain. It will not take too much to deal with these forces in the country. It is better to take the initiative to hand over power.
It’s better to be kicked out by others.”
"I have a clear view of the government. In fact, I have a suggestion. It is better to invite Xu Juren. Let him be the president and leave the position of prime minister to Qiao Yu. With Mr. Xu taking care of me, I can still maintain the Beiyang team. And Xu Juren is
Being from a civil service background will not arouse Qiao Yu's fear. This is the best thing."
Inviting Xu Shichang out? Duan Qirui praised him repeatedly in his heart. This was indeed a brilliant move. With Xu Shichang watching over him, Beiyang would not fall apart, and those veteran generals would be able to admit it.
"Mr. Xizi, can Qiao Yu agree? Can a prime minister satisfy his appetite?"
As soon as Duan Qirui said these words, he suddenly realized that Yang Du represented Qiao Yu to a large extent, and he was Qiao Yu's microphone. Wasn't he too stupid to ask this?
"Qiao Yu is not yet thirty years old when it comes to power. He is still too young. He is not willing to become president rashly. Therefore, it is good for everyone to let Ju Ren take over first."
In fact, age is indeed a big issue. Qiao Yu is not yet thirty years old. Once he reaches the top, he will most likely be in power for decades. This is not something he can just retreat if he wants to. There are also people behind him.
It is a huge force, and the next few decades will be the most critical moment in the game between great powers. Qiao Yu does not trust anyone else to lead China.
However, if a person stays in a high position for a long time, he will often make mistakes, even unforgivable mistakes, and his eyes and ears will be deceived by those who are ignorant. Therefore, it may be a good thing for Qiao Yu to postpone climbing to the top for a few years.
"Mr. Xizi, you go and tell Qiao Yu that I agree to abdicate in favor of someone better. I will go to Xu Juren and tell him. As for how the Beiyang general should be arranged, I hope he can come up with a charter, and then I will call to resign."
As a soldier, Duan Qirui was very decisive in his work. Since he decided to resign, he would not waste a moment. Yang Du also immediately called Qiao Yu and informed Qiao Yu of the negotiation situation.
After Qiao Yu knew that Duan Qirui was willing to abdicate, he felt a lot more relaxed. He could finally avoid a civil war and the people would suffer less. However, the transfer of power is often the most troublesome, especially at this time.
Therefore, Qiao Yu summoned all his civil and military officials together and told him about his upcoming appointment as Prime Minister. Among the people present, except for Jiang Baili and a few others, no one knew about this matter.
Hearing this, they were all overjoyed. The Sichuan Clan had finally transformed from a local force into the master of the country. How could these senior officials not be happy?
But the joy has passed, and the next thing is the most critical thing. How to reward them is the most important thing. In the new government, what positions can these people be assigned.
"Jin Si, if you ask me, since we have a strong army, we will simply elect you as president. Why let that old guy Xu Shichang take advantage?" Han Yong spoke at this time. He was able to get from a bodyguard to his current position.
He followed the right master, and now he hopes that Qiao Yu can reach the top in one step. This is also the opinion of many people in the Sichuan faction.
Qiao Yu shook his head and said: "Everyone, I want to ask you, are we really ready to take over the national power? Besides, do we have enough officials? We don't have it at all. If we rashly take over the national power, we will
We also have to use those old-style bureaucrats. Relying on them to implement the New Deal has become a joke. In addition, people's livelihood in the north is in decline, and a lot of money is needed to restore it. Do we have enough economic strength now? We still lack a lot of things.
Therefore, letting Xu Shichang temporarily serve as president will also give us a buffer time."
Qiao Yu attaches great importance to the issue of bureaucracy. The key to governing a country is to govern officials. Only by creating a suitable bureaucracy can the government be able to connect people and the country can develop rapidly. This is also the common feature of the founding emperors of China. They all have it.
One or a few experts in domestic affairs can often conquer the world as long as they choose the right prime minister.
However, it has developed to this point and it is no longer feasible to rely on a few outstanding talents. The government has more and more things to manage. It is also becoming more and more troublesome. It requires a variety of talents. This is not something that one or two people can do.
It must be handled clearly, so rules and regulations must be followed to create an efficient administrative team.
This large-scale reform in Southwest China is also a huge test for the administrative capabilities of Southwest China. During this test, many suitable talents have emerged, and various administrative regulations have also become mature. As long as time passes, it will be
A relatively mature system can be cultivated, which is also a time point for Qiao Yu to accept the national political power.
"This buffer time does not require us to do nothing. The Unified Democratic Party must strengthen and be prepared to become a national ruling party. In addition, we must win two things. The first is military power, and the second is
The wealth of the five southeastern provinces must be tightly controlled by us."
If you want to control a country, the most critical things are two things. One is the barrel of a gun, and the other is a money bag. As long as you control these two, you can firmly sit on the throne. This is what Qiao Yu wants to do most now.
"Brother Baili, this important task has to be left to you. I appoint you as the Minister of Military and Political Affairs to take charge of the work of the national army. Establish the National Defense Force, and at the same time change the Southwest Frontier Defense University to the National Defense University, and conduct rotation training for military officers across the country.
The bowl of water is even and everyone is convinced.”
Jiang Baili nodded, "Don't worry Jun, I will definitely take care of it."
"Except for military power, the five provinces of Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Anhui are all located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. They have been prosperous places since ancient times. I plan to use the five southeastern provinces as the next areas to implement land reform. These areas
There are many people but little land, the business tradition is very strong, and the atmosphere is very civilized and not conservative. I think the trouble of carrying out land reform will not be very big. The key is to dispatch the right people. I am going to let Zhang Bailin serve as the governor of Jiangsu Province, and Yang Shukan
As the governor of Zhejiang, Qian Moyin becomes the governor of Jiangxi, Chen Jiongming becomes the governor of Anhui, and Yu Peilun becomes the governor of Fujian. After you take over the southeast, you must immediately get rid of bad governance, rectify officialdom, restore public order, and at the same time expand the United Party in various places.
influence and establish the party organization.”
Although Sichuan is known as the Land of Abundance, it is, after all, deep inland and its economic development conditions are not as good as those of the southeastern coastal provinces. It is obviously unrealistic to rely on the wealth of Sichuan to support the entire Sichuan system. Therefore, it swallowed up the five southeastern provinces and incorporated them into Sichuan.
Under the control of the system, it has become very urgent to become a source of wealth.
Qiao Yu also sent out all his confidants, which he was determined to win. The five people whose names were called also felt the heavy burden on their shoulders, and they all expressed their determination to complete the important task.
Qiao Yu said by saying: "This time of power transfer, there will inevitably be some local factions who do not know what is good or bad, so it is necessary to have sufficient military power to deter. Zhu Qinglan led the mobilization of five divisions to garrison Nanjing and control the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas. Wang
Huai leads the Sichuan Army's 2nd Division to Henan, Long Yun leads the 4th Division to Shandong, and Shi Yi leads the 5th and 20th Divisions to Zhili. Your mission is to intimidate Xiaoxiao, restore local order, and ensure nationwide military consolidation.
The operation was carried out smoothly.”
Qiao Yu dispatched nine more divisions in one go. This was where the Sichuan Army's elite lies. It was obviously after careful consideration. After arranging the overall situation, Qiao Yu drew up a cabinet list. Among this list
Qiao Yu decisively retained some Beiyang veterans. Tang Shaoyi was reactivated and appointed as Vice Prime Minister. Zhou Ziqi was appointed Minister of Agriculture. Jin Yunpeng was appointed Minister of Public Security. Cao Kun was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense. Xu Shuzheng was appointed to inspect Mongolia.
Envoy, concurrently serving as deputy chief of staff
By keeping these people in the cabinet and adding President Xu Shichang, Beiyang's power has been greatly preserved. This condition is already considered a very preferential treatment. You have to know how many people in the Sichuan clique want to move up. Qiao
Yu must leave enough positions for them. For example, Zhang Lan was appointed as the Minister of Education, Li Zongwu became the Minister of Interior, Tang Yisheng became the Minister of Industry, Wei Ruolan became the president of Zhongyang Bank, and Jiang Yonggui became the Minister of Finance. These are all
Qiao Yu's trusted personnel must not be treated badly.
After Duan Qirui received Qiao Yu's cabinet list, he still agreed with it. Beiyang basically occupied one-third of the cabinet, which was more in line with Beiyang's strength, so Duan Qirui immediately announced his resignation from power.
As a result, Qiao Yu officially ascended the throne as Prime Minister of the Cabinet.