Speculative Era: The Complete Biography of the Beiyang Warlord

Author: Ouyang Xuemei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-02-01
Features: A time of social transformation is often also a time of speculators. Yuan Shikai during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China was initially an active supporter of the reform movement, but suddenly became a favorite of the Empress Dowager Cixi, who opposed reforms. Yesterday, he was the Grand Secretary of the Qing court, and the next moment, he became the President of the Republic of China, truly a political chameleon and a great speculator without precedent. However, chameleons have their tricks, and sometimes they fail. When Yuan Shikai restored the monarchy and declared himself the "Hongxuan Emperor" of the Chinese Empire, he finally revealed his true nature as a speculator and dictator. Amidst the nationwide call for his overthrow, the generals of the Beiyang Army also fell ill with a "contagious political disease," and Yuan's warlord group split into four. In the despair of being abandoned by friends and enemies, Yuan Shikai walked the lonely path to his doom. The 63-day reign of the "Hongxuan Emperor" gave the world a serious lesson: speculators may go to great lengths to climb high, but they often fall even harder.