A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 615: Turning around
While Li Yu and He Yujie were busy conducting experiments, the past few months in China had not been peaceful.

He Yujie really didn't listen to what was going on outside the window and focused on the experiment; but Li Yu didn't need to listen at all.

In early May, Liang Qichao returned to Shanghai. This old man is quite funny. At first, he conducted remote control in the Shanghai Concession for a period of time, but he still felt that it was not enough. Then he spent a lot of effort and finally arrived in Guangxi. As soon as he landed, he received the news that Yuan Shikai had abolished the imperial system.

He had no choice but to return to Shanghai by boat. He went back and forth for two or three months, and all his time was spent on the road.

After arriving in Shanghai, Liang Qichao asked Tang Shaoyi to meet him in Li Yu's Yu Garden.

——Since Li Yu renovated Yu Garden, many celebrities like to come here to meet, which is a bit like Zhang Garden in Tianjin.

Moreover, this is not a concession, and Tang Shaoyi and the others still don't like the concession psychologically. So Yu Garden couldn't be better, the mood is relaxed, and Li Yu is a civilian who doesn't care about military affairs, so there is nothing to worry about.

The first one to arrive was Liang Qichao. After he entered the door and saw Li Yu, he congratulated: "Brother Shucai, you are the real scholar, and you have achieved great results! Unlike me, I don't have time to do it now, so I just focus on studying." military."

Li Yu said with a smile: "Not only does Mr. Ren not care about learning, he probably doesn't even have time to play cards."

"Who says otherwise! In the past few months, I can only occasionally fight with the boatmen on the boat. It's really not fun!" Liang Qichao said, and then took out a newspaper, "Take a look at Shucai, it's really interesting."

There were several articles in the newspaper introducing Yuan Shikai's private life, such as "concubines competing for favor", "trouble in the inner palace", "competing with sons for wives" and so on.

Li Yu laughed and said, "It's too much to add fuel to the fire."

Liang Qichao said: "A few of them are true, and most of them are fabricated. But it can be seen that people across the country are angered and are frantically attacking Yuan Shikai."

Li Yu said: "He lit a powder keg and became a living target."

The level of social development in the Republic of China was very average, and people's lives were not good. I originally thought that Yuan Shikai could do something serious, but he unexpectedly made a ridiculous move of proclaiming himself emperor. Everyone involuntarily blamed him for the Beiyang government's weakness, diplomatic incompetence, fiscal deficit, and social disorder.

Liang Qichao said: "An ancient empire has declined to such an extent, and a man actually wants to rule the world and own China for the benefit of himself and his family! Such behavior is really shameful and hateful!"

Li Yu said: "There were so many false wishes at the beginning, and it seemed that everyone in the country wanted him to become emperor. At this time, the president is probably feeling regretful."

"Eighty percent he himself never thought that changing the state system would cause such a big commotion. Although Yuan Xiangcheng restored the monarchy and had the idea of ​​reviving the authority of the central government, he was too selfish," Liang Qichao said. "At the beginning, those people were united and unanimously supported him in proclaiming the emperor. , giving people the impression that Yuan Xiangcheng restored the imperial system half-heartedly, but now, those who once waved and shouted for the imperial system have disappeared without a trace. "

Li Yu said: "The human heart is sinister."

It is estimated that Comrade Lao Yuan himself realized that he had been tricked: it seemed that from the beginning, various forces tacitly led him into a trap, and then invariably added insult to injury.

But he couldn't figure out who the mastermind of this conspiracy was, the Japanese? Revolutionary Party? Even the feudal ideology and the traditional culture he adheres to?

Yuan Shikai was unsure. But what is 100% certain is that he became the culprit for this restoration of the monarchy, and this responsibility must be borne by him no matter what.

As early as early March, Yuan Shikai was determined to abolish the imperial system, but he did not decisively give up the throne of emperor at the beginning. His hesitant actions only strengthened the determination of the anti-Yuan forces.

It was his eldest son Yuan Keding who always firmly supported Yuan Shikai in not abolishing the imperial system. Prince Yuan gave a lot of suggestions, saying that the southern army is not terrible, the military expenditure is not sufficient, there are internal organizational problems, etc.; while the overall situation in the north has been stable, if the decision-making is repeated, it will cause turmoil.

However, Yuan Shikai obviously no longer wanted to listen to Yuan Keding's deception, and just wanted to solve the problem as soon as possible.

He specially invited Xu Shichang, Duan Qirui, and Li Yuanhong to participate in the highest-level meeting, and decided to abolish the imperial system, cancel the Hongxian reign, appoint Xu Shichang as Secretary of State, and re-appoint Duan Qirui as Army Chief.

——This title of Secretary of State is quite representative. As mentioned before, in the early years of the Republic of China, Song Jiaoren and Yuan Shikai had a big debate about the presidential system and the cabinet system.

The presidential system is like that in the United States. The president has great power, which is what Yuan Shikai hopes.

In a cabinet system, the president is a mascot and the power lies in the hands of the prime minister.

In a presidential system, there is a very powerful position of Secretary of State.

It can be seen from this small detail that Yuan Shikai wanted to leave a way out for himself, hoping that after he became emperor, he could still become a powerful president.

To be honest, this idea is really immature.

Anyway, Yuan Shikai had already ordered the abolition of the imperial system on March 3. During his full 23-day emperor career, he did not hold a coronation ceremony, wear a crown, or wear a dragon robe. At best, he was just a closed-door emperor.

The current situation is another North-South peace talks.

Yuan Xiangcheng in Jurentang looked very senile at this time, his expression was full of melancholy, and his movements became slow, but he still dreamed of being able to continue to be president...

There were basically no people around him who could be used. His old friend Xu Shichang soon resigned from the post of Secretary of State, leaving Duan Qirui in his place.

Xu Shichang went to his hometown to plant vegetables and cultivate fruit trees. Before he left, he said something meaningful to Yuan Shikai: "I really don't have the energy to get involved in the changes. When the dust settles, I will come back to help you clean up the mess."

Xu Shichang's words came true. Not long after, he returned from Henan and hosted the funeral for his old friend.

Li Yu and Liang Qichao chatted for a while, and Tang Shaoyi also arrived.

When they met, he first made a joke to Li Yu: "I heard that Brother Shucai has figured out the composition of matter. Now whenever I see you, it's like looking into a mirror. No, it's even scarier than a mirror."

Liang Qichao asked: "What is the meaning of this statement?"

Tang Shaoyi said: "Because he knows what I am made of."

Liang Qichao said: "Brother Shaochuan said that, and I was a little scared."

Li Yu said with a smile: "Tell me that I have piercing eyes and golden eyes."

After Tang Shaoyi sat down, he continued: "Before coming to Shanghai, I went to Nanjing to meet Feng Guozhang. Now during the peace talks between the North and the South, he has openly said that he wants Yuan Shikai to continue to be the transitional president."

Liang Qichao said: "I have met Feng Guozhang before. This person's purpose is very good, but his methods are not smart enough and his courage is not enough. At the beginning, he united with several generals to openly oppose Yuan, and now he wants to protect Yuan Shikai."

Li Yu said: "Perhaps he is against the imperial system on the one hand, and on the other hand he cannot let go of his friendship with Yuan Xiangcheng. But when he says this now, it is obvious that he does not want Li Yuanhong to be the president." Liang Qichao said: "If Yuan Shikai is allowed to be the transitional president, , and then call a presidential election and exclude Li Yuanhong, Feng Guozhang will naturally be in an advantageous position. I can still see this little thought. "

Tang Shaoyi said: "That's right, so I am uniting people from all over the country to firmly oppose him becoming 'Yuan Shikai's second'."

Feng Guozhang made this move very badly, and his reputation plummeted - he was indeed not a politician.

In addition, these Beiyang high-level officials are now really starting to fall apart.

The one with real power is Duan Qirui.

After Duan Qirui became the so-called Secretary of State, he immediately started bargaining with Yuan Shikai. He would never be a sinecure in name only, but a powerful figure with authority.

The first thing Duan Qirui did was to propose to Yuan Shikai that the political hall of the past two years should be changed into a responsible cabinet and restore the political system of the Republic of China three years ago, which was the cabinet system of the French government.

Yuan Shikai agreed. He was so disheartened that he gave up everything he could. He just wanted to be a mascot president in name only, at least without that much responsibility.

He ordered the names of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister to be changed back, and the Prime Minister to manage state affairs.

After the first step was successful, Duan Qirui pressed forward step by step, asking Yuan Shikai to hand over military power to himself, demanding that the Generalissimo Command Office in the Presidential Palace (the department where Cai E previously served) be abolished and the affairs managed by the office be transferred to him. , decentralized to the War Department, Navy Department and staff departments. Later, Duan Qirui proposed the idea of ​​bringing the Guard Army under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.

Comrade Lao Yuan was very sad after seeing it, and even felt a little "missing people after seeing things". Thinking back to the year of Xinhai, this was how he pushed the Qing court to the throne step by step.

History goes round and round, and after only a few years, it was my turn to be forced into the palace by others, and the retribution in this world is not so fast.

Liang Qichao said: "It's not over yet. I will unite with the South to stand firm. We must not allow Yuan Shikai to continue to be president. He must step down completely!"

Tang Shaoyi said: "Not only do you think so, but the diplomatic corps of various countries have made such decisions, so he must abdicate."

Liang Qichao sneered: "Yuan Xiangcheng would never have imagined that the country that most firmly opposes the imperial system is Japan."

Li Yu cupped his hands and said: "I would like to wish you both in advance. When the new cabinet is established, both of you will definitely be in important positions."

Tang Shaoyi said: "I almost forgot, I still have something to ask you for. Exports are extremely tight now, and there are far from enough ships. You have a good relationship with the United States, Shucai. Can you coordinate a few ships to transport goods?"

"What a good thing!" Li Yu said, "Is the export volume already so large?"

Tang Shaoyi said: "I have worked in the customs for many years. A rough estimate shows that this year's tariffs have nearly doubled to more than 50 million taels. This is an unprecedented achievement!"

Liang Qichao said: "I remember that Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau can also build large ships, and even received an order from the United States to build four 10,000-ton giant ships for them."

Tang Shaoyi said: "The distant water cannot quench the thirst of the nearby ones. They will have at least one or two years before they can enter the water."

"I will send a telegram to the United States today," Li Yu said. "If they raise the price, we will also raise the price of the goods accordingly. Anyway, there will be a shortage of goods everywhere, and we will not suffer any loss."

Tang Shaoyi and others are still a little cautious when doing business with foreign countries. But Li Yu doesn't have any ideological baggage, just do whatever you want, don't try to take advantage of me.

Tang Shaoyi asked again: "Where is the current cash flow of the two German factories Shucai is entrusted with in Shanghai?"

"Brother Tang, don't worry," Li Yu said, "the money is all in the Bank of Communications in Shanghai and has not flowed to Germany. Germany sent several telegrams urging me to send them money, but I said that the war was stalemate and the bank could not carry out business. "

Tang Shaoyi said happily: "Shu Cai is so discerning! According to me, the new cabinet will most likely declare war on Germany. Is it still necessary to give them money at that time?"

"Brother Tang saw through it," Li Yu said with a smile, "Now the goods from Germany cannot be shipped out, and Japan's Mitsui Zaibatsu has come to me more than once, hoping to supply them with aspirin and other medicines, and I have been holding back."

Tang Shaoyi said: "I know that there have been activities to boycott Japan in Shanghai, but some things should not be too drastic."

Li Yu said: "I have my own sense of discretion and will not cut it off completely. After all, it is a commercial activity. If they increase the price, the production capacity will not be lost."

Liang Qichao said happily: "When we alienate talents from the outside world, we become more and more like profiteers."

Li Yu said: "Pharmaceutical factories still need to make profits. The domestic selling price has almost reached the cost line. I can only find ways to make some money from the Japanese."

Tang Shaoyi did not object to Li Yu's move, but just warned again: "I have dealt with the Japanese for many years. They are usually very clever and calculating. It is not easy to make money from them."

Liang Qichao, who has lived in Japan for far longer than the two of them, said: "The Japanese are indeed very strange. Sometimes they are very conservative, and sometimes they are very open and elusive."

Li Yu said casually: "Some aspects are indeed terrifyingly open."

Tang Shaoyi added: "In addition, we can't build another automobile factory in Shanghai or Tianjin, even if it only has a production capacity of a few hundred vehicles per month."

Li Yu said: "It is indeed difficult for OEMs. If you don't want large production capacity, you can give it a try."

Tang Shaoyi has always had great confidence in Li Yu: "You have brought back something as difficult as radio, so why should a mere car factory care about it? Now the domestic demand for cars is increasing. I have observed that dozens of cars are sold every day. If the price of a car is so high, the profit must be considerable.”

He may not know that Li Yu mainly relies on patent licensing fees to make money in automobiles.

But there are indeed clear signs of rising domestic demand for cars.

Take Beijing as an example. In the year of 400, there were only single-digit cars in Beijing, but this year, there are at least .

Shanghai, Tianjin and other places require more.

Anyway, the American industry is now very prosperous, stimulated by the public debt of Britain and France, and there are many automobile factories. And because of the rise of Ford, many small automobile factories have almost been squeezed out.

Li Yu estimated that he could just buy a car factory and move it to China. Although the cost would be a bit high, it would be recouped within a few years.

It can also train some related industrial workers, which will definitely be useful in the future.