Chapter 55 Reform failed and impeached

After the reform failed, the diehards became even more rampant.However, Li Hongzhang was impeached and transferred to idle positions.However, he did not have the intention of retiring, but was aggrieved by the loss of power.In this way, several months passed. After the coup of 1898, Li Hongzhang's in-law Yang Chongyi asked Rong Lu, the Minister of Beiyang, to come to Beijing for protection. At the same time, he asked Li Hongzhang to act as an interim agent. spirit.And Li Hongzhang is loyal to himself.However, Cixi had planned for a long time, and ordered Ronglu to walk on the minister of military aircraft, serve as the governor of Zhili, and take charge of the Beiyang armies.Therefore, Li Hongzhang had to ask Rong Lu for help.There were contradictions and differences between Li Hongzhang and Rong Lu, but the same political orientation and interests brought them together.At that time, Cixi failed to murder Guangxu, so she decided to abolish Guangxu and ordered Ronglu to deal with it as soon as possible.Ronglu conveyed Cixi's will to Li Hongzhang, saying that the position of heaven should be changed, but the exiles wantonly preach, fearing that the friends and nations will be confused, and they have long known that the public is skilled in foreign affairs, so it is troublesome to find out its back and forth, and ask Li Hongzhang to test the opinions of other countries.Li Hongzhang took the opportunity to propose that he be the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, saying that this is an internal affair, and you should consult people first, and lose the state. If you want to consult, you should give me the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.Rong Lu thought it was reasonable and reported it to Cixi.Li Hongzhang got his wish and became the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.

After Li Hongzhang went to Guangdong, on January 31, 1901, Sun Baoxuan went to the Shanghai Changyan Newspaper founded by Zhang Taiyan and others to advocate the reform.When Zhang Taiyan asked about Li Hongzhang's passing through Shanghai this time, Sun Baoxuan gave a detailed account of the conversation with Li Hongzhang. Zhang Taiyan found it very interesting to hear it, and thought it was incredible that Kang Youwei, a sixth-rank official, had a henchman who was the prime minister. Li Hongzhang has been reluctant to adopt the same cruel attitude towards the reformists as Cixi.For example, in February 1900, the imperial court asked Li Hongzhang to level the ancestral graves of Kangliang to vent his anger, but Li Hongzhang was still reluctant to do so. After some thinking, he came up with a clever plan and played it on March 27. It is claimed that Hong Kong has recently had a new party, King Qin, who is about to attack the city of Guangdong Province and start an uprising.The minister has secretly inspected and banned Hong Kong, but fearing that there will be radical changes, it seems appropriate to delay the demolition of Kang Youwei's native grave.This aroused the extreme dissatisfaction of the court, forcing him to do his best to curb Luanmeng and not to hesitate.

Kang Youwei said that Li Hongzhang had people come to persuade him three times to fight for the king, and he placed hope on this.Kang Youwei's disciple Lu Yongxiang confirmed that Li Hongzhang believed that the royalists would have the strength to complete the army and serve the king. Because of this, Kang and Liang very much hoped to use Li Hongzhang.On April 12, Liang Qichao wrote to Kang Youwei, saying: Once there is an uprising in Guangdong, it is not necessary to kill fat thieves in the provincial capital, but it is best to use them as puppets.There are several benefits to this move: to show people how to behave in a civilized manner, one is to use the opportunity to frighten the heart of the treacherous party and help us to gain prestige, the second is to use this person in the West, so by using it, diplomacy can be slightly successful, and the third is to make the state easier The county is quiet, four also.

In order to prevent the Qing court from establishing a reserve, Kang Liang repeatedly wrote to Li Hongzhang asking him to contribute.While preparing for the uprising of the self-reliant army, Kang Youwei also persuaded Li Hongzhang not to attack the Royalist Association: Last year, if the leader was abolished, he would unite with power to fight;In addition, Kang Youwei made friends with Li Hongzhang and gained a good impression. He said: "In the past, I made friends with the public and helped me to reform the government. The tiger led the way with virtue, and the honor and wealth attacked each other. When he was defeated, he entered the house and reported. When he left in August, he sent people to comfort him. I feel the kindness of the public and the comrades of Gongweixin.For a while, those who linger and forbear, Gai Direnjie and Zhang Jianzhi will wait.How can Mr. Ji forget the depth of the old minister's plan for the country and the righteousness of the loyal minister to save the Lord!

He also handed over to Li Hongzhang, through the British Minister, the papers that wrote "Punish the Boxers and the Qing Emperor's Side, Support the Holy Lord and Compile the Diplomatic Relations", and asked him to deliver it on his behalf. However, after Li Hongzhang took office, he began to severely crack down on King Qin's activities, and shoveled Kang Youwei's ancestral grave.He not only persecuted the royalist relatives in Guangdong, but also changed his attitude towards Kang and Liang. The Qing government's reward for arresting Kang and Liang was raised from 100,000 taels to 140,000 taels.For a while, the Emperor Baohui was panicked, and many people were forced to withdraw from the meeting.Although these practices all had elements of imperial persecution, they still completely changed the view of Li Hongzhang from the Reform Party.