The Wuchang Uprising broke out on August 19, the third year of Xuantong, and the Qing Dynasty ordered the army to suppress it at a critical juncture of imminent collapse. At this critical juncture, the provincial governors are the front-line rulers, and their attitude will determine the future of the dynasty.
What did the nine governors do in the historical period from the Wuchang Uprising to the fall of the Qing Dynasty? What is their final destination? Let's work together. The last governor of Huguang, Borzigit Ruizi, although his surname has Mongolian overtones, his flag is actually the Manchurian Zhenghuang Banner, which has the same bloodline as Empress Xiaozhuang Wen.
Born into a prestigious family, Ruizi was the grandson of Qi Shan, a famous minister of the late Qing Dynasty, who took over the position of governor of Huguang in the second year of Xuantong. As a defender of Manchu feudal rule, Ruizi was an extreme conservative who joined forces with Zhao Erfeng, the governor of Sichuan, to brutally suppress the revolutionary party during the Sichuan Baolu Movement.
The outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising was directly related to Ruizi, but this seemingly loyal feudal official was actually a person who was greedy for life and afraid of death. After the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, the strength of the revolutionary army was actually far inferior to that of the Qing army.
If Ruizi had not chosen to run away, but had resorted to drastic measures, then perhaps a catastrophe could have been averted.
Mr. Sun Yat-sen once commented on Ruizi and said: "The success of the Wuchang Uprising was largely due to the fact that Ruizi escaped from the battle; If Ruizi didn't escape, Zhang Biao wouldn't have fled, their rule would not be lost, and order would not be chaotic. ”
Later, Ruizi was dismissed by the Qing court because he retreated from the battle and lost the city, and his family property was confiscated, which can be described as a loss of fame and fortune. The last governor of Liangjiang was Zhang Renjun, a famous figure in modern history who would have done more if he had been born in a different era.
In the 33rd year of Guangxu, when Japan invaded and occupied the Dongsha Islands, Zhang Renjun was the governor of Liangguang at the time, and he proposed to recover the Dongsha Islands, and sent the admiral and deputy general to the Xisha Islands to survey 15 islands, and also raised the national flag of the Qing Dynasty on Yongdao to defend the territorial integrity of the Nanhai Islands.
Until now, there is also an island and reef named after "Renjun Beach" among the Nanhai Zhudao. After the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, it quickly spread to Liangjiang and three provinces, and Zhang Renjun could not support it alone, so he and Jiangning general Tieliang fled to Shanghai.
Zhang Renjun's loyalty to the Qing Dynasty has always been consistent, even if Yuan Shikai invited him to go out of the mountain many times during the ** period, he did not hesitate to refuse. He chose to spend his later years in Qingdao until his death.
The post of Governor of Liangguang was taken over by Zhang Mingqi. Zhang Mingqi was born in Juren, and thanks to the recommendation of his teacher Cen Chunxuan, he rose step by step in a short period of time, serving as a political envoy, governor, governor and other positions.
During the Huanghuagang Uprising, Zhang Mingqi served as the governor of Liangguang and the general of Guangzhou, and brutally suppressed the revolutionaries, including Lin Juemin and dozens of other martyrs were killed.
On the surface, Zhang Mingqi was loyal to the Qing Dynasty, but in reality he was a typical duplicitous. On the one hand, he suppressed the revolutionary party to curry favor with the Qing **, and on the other hand, he used the New Deal to win over the revolutionaries in order to increase his popularity.
However, this method did not last, and the revolutionaries soon saw through him for what he really was. After the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, the revolutionaries led by Huang Xing and others stormed the governor's palace, determined to capture Zhang Mingqi and avenge the dead martyrs.
Zhang Mingqi was one of the main planners of Yuan Shikai's proclamation as emperor during the ** period, but he became a traitor and worked for the Japanese after the 918 Incident, and finally ended his criminal career after the victory against Zhang.
Songshou, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, was a native of the White Banner of Manchuria, and as a descendant of the Tong Jia family, one of the eight major surnames in Manchuria, he was born into a prominent family. However, after the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, he resolutely upheld the rule of the Qing Dynasty and mobilized the provincial army to suppress it.
Despite his best efforts, the Qing Dynasty was unable to recover from defeat. After the defeat, he committed suicide by swallowing gold in the palace to express his loyalty to the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty later posthumously awarded him the title of Prince Taibao and gave him the nickname of "Zhongjie".
Li Jingxi, the last governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, was not a stubborn conservative, nor was he disloyal and unfilial. He is grateful to Daqing in his bones. Although the Qing Dynasty was about to fall, he believed that the people of the world could not be deceived.
If even he openly rebelled against the Qing court and defected to the revolutionary party, how would he face his uncle Li Hongzhang? Therefore, after the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, he took limited measures to stop the revolutionary party, but his methods were more lenient and did not carry out brutal suppression.
After the victory of the revolution, the generals led by Cai Yi respected the governor very much. Perhaps because of Li Hongzhang's blessing, Cai Ye and others did not embarrass Li Jingxi, but secretly sent him out of Yungui.
Li Jingxi is a man of backbone, he once served as *** premier, but because of his opposition to Yuan Shikai's claim to be emperor, his political career was not smooth, and he moved to Shanghai in his later years.
Zhao Erfeng, the governor of Sichuan, was promoted step by step to become a feudal official. Loyal to the Qing imperial family, he went all out to suppress the rebellion during the Baolu Movement.
Zhao Erfeng was not without merit, and during his tenure as governor of Sichuan, he contributed a lot to stability. After the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, the Qing army in Sichuan no longer obeyed the command of Zhao Erfeng, and the revolutionaries held a meeting of officials and gentry to announce the establishment of the army.
Zhao Erfeng secretly obstructed, which led to the instability of the situation. In order to consolidate the gains of the revolution, the revolutionaries sentenced Zhao Erfeng to death on December 12 and publicly executed him in the imperial city of Mingyuan Tower.
The governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Chang Geng, was a Manchurian nobleman of the Yellow Banner and took a firm stand and resolutely opposed the revolution.
While the flames of the Wuchang Uprising spread throughout the country, the flames of revolution failed to ignite in the Shaanxi-Gansu region due to the correct measures taken by the former governor Shengyun. After Chang Gung took over, the Shaanxi and Gansu regions were still firmly controlled by the Qing court.
Although Chang Gung was regretted by the fall of the Great Qing Dynasty, when he received the edict of Xuantong's abdication, he decided to hand over the governor's customs to ensure his own safety. Since then, Chang Gung has not participated in ** government affairs, but continues to respect Xuantong as the emperor.
He spent the rest of his life in grief and eventually died. Chen Kuilong was the last governor of Zhili, and he was also synonymous with Zhang Zhenfang. This veteran bureaucrat served as governor for more than ten years and insisted on upholding the laws of his ancestors.
At all times, he resolutely opposed the change of dynasty, and even opposed the reform of the law, the reform of official positions, and the imperial examination system.
Chen Kuilong was in Zhili, the territory of Yuan Shikai in the late Qing Dynasty, and his role was relatively limited. In addition, Zhili had the powerful six towns of Beiyang, and the impact of the Wuchang uprising did not spread to this point, so Chen Kuilong did not need to make a choice on important issues.
After Xuantong's abdication, Chen Kuilong was deeply saddened and lost interest in politics. As a Manchu widow, he adhered to the insignificant "royal grace" in his heart.
It was not until a year before the liberation that he died of illness in Shanghai.
Zhao Erxun, the last governor of the three eastern provinces, became famous for a while. He was the main host of the Qing History Manuscript and the elder brother of Zhao Erfeng, the governor of Sichuan at the time. The Zhao family has been favored by the emperor for generations, and Zhao Erxun was born in Hanlin, and has served as a political envoy, governor, and governor, which makes it difficult for him to betray the Qing court.
The three eastern provinces were the hometowns of the Manchus, and because of geographical reasons, after the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, Zhao Erxun and the revolutionaries had no chance of direct confrontation. However, he still organized forces to form security councils to support the provinces in suppressing the uprising.
Zhao Erxun: Another Interpretation of the Late Qing Dynasty After the abdication of Xuantong, Zhao Erxun briefly set foot in ***, but his later life was mainly dedicated to the revision of the "Qing Historical Manuscript".
From an objective point of view, Zhao Erxun was undoubtedly a loyal courtier of the Qing Dynasty, and his career as an official was remarkable. However, it is undoubtedly regrettable that he did not follow the trend of the times in that particular historical context.