Jagged Warlord

The remonstrance of the warlord regiment is a slogan used to deceive Li. If Li succumbs, they will drive Li away on the pretext that the prestige of the president has been lost.This is the scheduled plan for the Nanjing meeting.At this time, Li Yuanhong still wanted to adopt a method of avoiding the important and taking the light of the day, and accepting one or two of them, such as amending the constitution, rejecting the officials, and calming down the wrath of the army. Put forward the nine words "no breaking the law, no love for position, no fear of death" to express the determination not to accept it.

As Li's attitude gradually softened, members of Congress originally belonging to the Kuomintang took refuge in the south or hid in the Liuguo Hotel to wait and see. Newspapers belonging to the Kuomintang in Beijing ceased to publish one after another, and more than 80 members of the research department resigned to tear down the Congress. The Congress is already disintegrated without being dissolved.The government staff Ha Hanzhang, Jin Yongyan, and Li Shu also proposed to resign, and Li approved them all.Even Xia Shoukang, Secretary-General of the government, and Rao Hanxiang, Deputy Secretary-General, who were not on the list of Qian Ren, also called to ask for punishment.However, Li's weakness not only failed to restore the crisis of the current situation, but also fueled the arrogance of the warlord regiment, believing that "remonstrance" is an effective weapon against the president.

There was a sudden chaos inside and outside the Great Wall, Li Yuanhong was so anxious that he kept sending people to urge Li Mohan to enter Beijing as soon as possible.

In fact, Li Mohan also wanted to enter Beijing as soon as possible, but the SS is currently undergoing a large-scale equipment replacement.The rifles used by the soldiers were all replaced by 7.62mm American Springfield rifles, and the caliber of the Maxim machine gun was also changed from 7.92mm to 7.62mm. The original 7.92mm guns were all used by the second-line troops.This work is carried out step by step, and the efficiency is quite high, but it still delays a lot of effort.

In mid-June 1917, Li Mohan finally led his army northward. Some of the troops traveled by railway and some by land.At the same time, Li Mohan sent a telegram, declaring that he brought troops to Beijing to mediate the dispute between the government and court.

Duan Qirui in Tianjin and Feng Guozhang in Nanjing couldn't laugh or cry when they saw the power-on. Which onion are you, Li Mohan?The kid with the smell of milk is also equipped to mediate the conflicts between Li Yuanhong, Duan Qirui, and Feng Guozhang, the elders of the Republic of China?

Then there was another telegram, and the telegrapher was Liang Qichao, announcing that he, Tang Hualong and other members of the Progressive Party had decided to form a political alliance with Li Mohan's National Party to form a new cabinet.

Duan Qirui was surprised when he saw the telegram, because Liang Qichao and Tang Hualong brought a group of MPs from the Progressive Party Research Department to Tianjin.Duan Qirui hurriedly ordered someone to investigate, only to find that these people had secretly left Tianjin in batches a few days ago.

It is said that Li Mohan entered the capital with his troops, and as soon as he got off the train, he saw Ding Huai, Niu Chuanshan, Fang Shu, the welcome representatives sent by Li Yuanhong, and Beijing military and police chiefs Jiang Chaozong, Chen Guangyuan, and Wu Bingxiang had been waiting here for a long time. After greeting each other, they rushed to the presidential palace.Li Yuanhong expressed a grand welcome to Li Mohan, and ordered the opening of the Zhonghua Gate, which was not easy to open, and the presidential palace was decorated with lights and festoons.

As soon as Li Mohan entered the presidential palace, he saluted Li Yuanhong, "Shandong Governor Li Mohan, I have met the President."

Li Yuanhong was very polite, and said with a smile: "No courtesy, no courtesy. I ordered someone to prepare a banquet, just for you, Mohan, to wash away the dust."

Li Mohan shook his head and said: "There is no rush for the banquet, I have something to talk to the President alone."

Li Yuanhong thought for a while, finally nodded, and said: "Okay." So the two entered the inner hall one by one.No one knew the content of this conversation, except that Li Yuanhong and Li Mohan talked for a long time, so that the prepared food and drinks were reheated several times.However, judging from the later historical trend and development, Li Mohan and Li Yuanhong reached a consensus, that is, Li Yuanhong is willing to be a good old man who governs from the bottom of his head. Although Li Mohan holds real power, he gives Li Yuanhong all the respect and preferential treatment he deserves.

On July 1917, 7, Li Yuanhong officially appointed Li Mohan as Premier of the State Council, replacing Duan Qirui.Li Mohan, together with Liang Qichao and others, will form a new cabinet. Most of the cabinet members are members of the National Party and the Progressive Party.

Up to now, Duan Qirui has been unable to get off the tiger, and repeatedly said: "Fight! Fight! Fight! Only fight, this is what Li Yuanhong forced me to do!" There are no available soldiers around.He first thought of finding Zhili Governor Zhu Jiabao and Tianjin Police Chief Yang Yide nearby, and asked them to assist in the crusade against Li Mohan, and sent Duan Zhigui to carry out the activities.

Duan Qirui thought that the two would bow their heads and obey orders, and eagerly hoped that Duan Zhigui would bring good news back.Duan Zhigui returned in frustration, reporting that Zhu Jiabao and Yang Yide were afraid to come because they were powerless.It turned out that Zhu Jiabao and Yang Yide valued strength and power very much. They believed that Duan Qirui had lost power, and cooperating with people who had already lost power was something even a fool would not do.

"Damn it, these two bastards!" Duan Qirui cursed angrily, "Let's ignore them for now, I still have a good idea!"

Zhang Guogan asked: "Zhiquan has a good plan for reconciliation?"

Duan Qirui said: "I think I should go to Nanjing to discuss with Hua Fu the plan to defeat Li Mohan. What do you think?"

Zhang Guogan said: "I think this plan is feasible. The president has ordered the vice president to act as the president, and Hua Fu will definitely have the opportunity to lead Beiyang. If the prime minister goes to discuss the big plan with him, he will be able to make a big difference."

Xu Shuzheng, a small fan, made an objection. He said: "I don't see it so. Please think twice before acting. First, the crusade against Li Mohan's soldiers is more expensive than speed. If time drags on, more and more people will join Li Mohan's party." Many, the situation is difficult to control, looking for the vice president is equivalent to extinguishing the near fire; second, the vice president's attitude towards Li Mohan is not yet known, if he agrees with Li Mohan or Li Yuanhong, the prime minister will cast himself there and become his Third, if this goes well and the prime minister can persuade the vice president to oppose Li Yuanhong and Li Mohan, then the vice president has the power to act as the president, and people will credit him with the credit, and he can take credit for becoming the president. The only leader of the Beiyang faction. In short, regardless of success or failure, it will harm the Prime Minister and benefit us."

Duan Qirui thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Youzheng said it thoroughly, and it makes sense. It seems that I can't go to Nanjing."

Duan Qirui hurriedly asked again: "What advice do you have?"

Xu Shuzheng said: "The best way is to get materials nearby, find troops from the vicinity of Beijing and Tianjin, and select the troops of the 8th Division Commander Li Changtai stationed in Machang and the troops of the 16th Mixed Brigade Commander Feng Yuxiang stationed in Langfang. Combining these two troops As the main force of the army to defeat Li, at the same time get in touch with Cao Kun in Baoding, with these forces, there is no need to worry about defeating Li."

Duan Qirui showed embarrassment, "You all know that Li Changtai and Feng Yuxiang don't belong to our faction. The relationship with me is very cold on weekdays, I'm afraid they won't cooperate."

Xu Shuzheng said: "The Prime Minister has a famous saying, 'As long as there are people in this world who want to be officials and get rich, no one will go to war'. This statement is quite philosophical. As far as I know, Li Changtai is most afraid of his Wife, if someone sends money to his wife and asks her to persuade Li Changtai, the matter will not be difficult to accomplish; as for Feng Yuxiang, his brigade commander has been replaced, as long as he is reinstated, he will bow to his orders. As for Cao San's idiot, it's even easier to deal with."

Duan Qirui then told Fu Liangzuo: "Just take a hard trip, do as Youzheng said, and bring some money to contact Mrs. Li Changtai to find out what Li Changtai means." Give the money brought to Mrs. Li Changtai, and discuss with Li Changtai.Li Changtai was afraid of his wife's persuasion, but also disliked Li Yuanhong's behavior, and expressed his hope that Duan Qirui's orders would be followed in everything.

When Duan Qirui received Fu Liangzuo's reply, Li's heart suddenly increased.For Feng Yuxiang's unit of the 16th Mixed Brigade stationed in Langfang, Duan Qirui also sent people to lobby and worked hard.At this time, Feng Yuxiang was being squeezed out, and the post of brigade commander was replaced.Duan Qirui promised that Feng Yuxiang would be reinstated as an official if he would follow his orders if he joined Daoli.Feng Yuxiang couldn't ask for it, and promised to obey Duan Qirui's orders.

The third division to which Cao Kun belongs is one of the most elite units in the Beiyang Army.When Duan Qirui personally called Cao Kun and promised to be the future vice president, Cao Kun immediately agreed to send troops to attack Li Yuanhong and Li Mohan.

Duan Qirui was overjoyed and discussed the use of troops with his cronies.According to the "Xin Chou Treaty", troops are not allowed to be stationed within 20 miles near Tianjin, which is not conducive to Duan Qirui's use of troops.In order to solve this problem and avoid diplomatic incidents, Duan Qirui asked the Japanese ambassador to China, Lin Quanzhu, to lobby the foreign ministers in China, asking all countries to agree to the freedom of marching and transportation for the Chinese army.Lin Quanzhu not only successfully lobbied, but also lent 100 million yuan in military expenses, and sent Lieutenant General Aoki to assist Duan Qirui in military planning.In addition, Duan Qirui also got the support of the old transportation department, and borrowed 200 million yuan in advance from the Bank of Communications for military pay.

Machang is located about 60 kilometers south of Tianjin, where the Beijing-Puzhou Railway passes.In the early years of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, a barracks was built here and it became a place for garrisoning troops.

It was early morning of July 7 when Duan Qirui and his party arrived at Machang.Li Changtai, commander of the Eighth Division, led the division's mid-level and above officers to greet Duan Qirui at the station. Seeing Duan Qirui step off the special train, they stood at attention and saluted Duan Qirui.Duan Qirui was very happy to see these officers. He declined the car prepared for him and proposed to walk to the division headquarters two kilometers away.

Li Changtai and his wife came to visit Duan Qirui together.After Mrs. Li left, someone notified Chen Wenyun to come to see her, and Duan Qirui ordered to meet him immediately.Chen Wenyun was Duan Qirui's student and old subordinate. He was then a lieutenant general in the army and the head of the Beijing No. 7 Lecture Hall. On July 1, after Li Mohan became Premier of the State Council, he left Beijing and went to Tianjin. As soon as he got home, he was told: "Go to the Machang to see Mr. Duan immediately."

Duan Qirui saw that Chen Wenyun didn't care about greetings, so he immediately assigned a task to him: "Go back to Tianjin quickly, find Yang Yide, and tell him to prepare to send the Li army into the city immediately, and at the same time let Zhu Jiabao leave the governor's office. If he does so, Yang Yide is in charge of public security in Tianjin, and I will return it to the governor of Zhili. If he disagrees, my soldiers will arrive later, so we have to use force to solve it. No matter what the result is, call me immediately."

Later, when Fu Liangzuo and Li Changtai sent Chen Wen to leave, they told him the progress of the situation: "At present, we have made good contact with Cao Kun in Baoding to jointly oppose Li Yuanhong. Li Mohan only has ten battalions of garrison troops, about 5000 people. Er's action can solve him in one go, as long as Li Mohan is defeated, no one in the provinces will respond to him."

After Chen Wenyun returned to Tianjin, he quickly found Yang Yide and conveyed Duan Qirui's words one by one.Yang Yide is the director of the Zhili Police Department. When he heard that Li's army was suppressing the border, he thought that Li Yuanhong, who had no soldiers and no power, was useless, and Li Mohan, who smelled like milk, was unreliable. Duan Qirui also had the position of Zhili governor calling for him. , therefore without hesitation, fully complied.Duan Qirui's plan was fully realized, Zhu Jiabao left the Warlord's Office, and Chen Wenyun went to the gate of the Warlord's Office to hang a wooden sign saying "Commander-in-Chief of the Li Army".

Chen Wen used the phone to report the good news to Duan Qirui: "Students are waiting for your arrival in Tianjin." Duan Qirui transferred Tianjin to the side of Li Jun without firing a single shot, and he told himself More confidence in your next move.

On the 3rd, Duan Qirui held a military meeting in Machang and formally formed the "General Headquarters of the Li Army":

Commander-in-Chief of the Li Army: Duan Qirui

Commander-in-Chief of the Li Army on the West Road: Cao Kun

Commander-in-Chief of the Li Army on the East Road: Duan Zhigui

Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces of the Three Provinces of Anhui, Jinan and Henan: Ni Sichong

Counselors of the Rebel Army Headquarters: Xu Shuzheng, Li Changtai

General Councilor: Jin Yunpeng

Counselors: Fu Liangzuo, Qu Tongfeng

Secretary-General: Zhang Zhitan

Director of Military Supplies: Zeng Yujun

Director of Negotiation: Liu Chongjie

Director of Communications: Ye Gongchuo

Director of Military Law: Ding Shiyuan

Duan Qirui completed the crusade against Li Mohan and Li Yuanhong's political strategy, military organization, and military strategy preparation in a short period of time, which showed his organizational skills and reputation in the Beiyang army.

While Duan Qirui was making careful arrangements, Li Mohan and Li Yuanhong were also taking active actions.In response to Duan Qirui's move, Li Mohan and Li Yuanhong made countermeasures one by one.First of all, Li Yuanhong issued a secret message to Li Changtai as the only legal head of state of the Republic of China. In the secret message, he promised that Li Changtai would be promoted to the rank of general of the army and the rank of general Taiwei after the war ended, even if he only strictly kept neutrality.Followed by Feng Yuxiang, Li Yuanhong directly issued a letter of appointment, upgraded the No. He also took out the position of vice president to seduce Cao Kun.

However, Duan Qirui had already taken the lead on these three people, and all parties were generally not optimistic about Li Mohan and Li Yuanhong, so these political efforts had no effect, and a war was inevitable.