In April this year, after the imperial edict was issued, Mr. Tan Sitong was summoned by Emperor Guangxu on the recommendation of Mr. Xu Zhijing, a bachelor of imperial academy. It happened that he was very ill and couldn't come. It was not until July that he came to Beijing to appear before the emperor. He answered the emperor's words to his liking, so Emperor Guangxu promoted him (rewarded him) as Sipinqing, appointed him as a military official to handle documents, and participated in the New Deal with Yang Rui, Xu Lin and Liu Guangdi. At that time, he was called the "Military Aircraft Siqing". Participating in the New Deal is like "participating in politics" in the Tang and Song Dynasties, which is actually the position of prime minister. Emperor Guangxu wanted to reuse Mr. Kang Youwei, but he was afraid of the Queen Mother of the West and dared not do whatever he wanted. After a few months, if the emperor had any questions to ask, he asked the Prime Minister's yamen to convey the imperial edict. Mr. Kang Youwei's opinions could only be written in the book he presented to the emperor. Since these four officials entered the Ministry of War, the emperor could have a little communication with Mr. Kang Youwei, and the emperor was determined to carry out reform. However, the Western Empress Dowager and those thieves and ministers were even more jealous, and a coup took place in less than ten days.
When Tan Sitong first came to Beijing, (someone) told him that the emperor had no real power and that the Western Empress Dowager blocked the political reform. He doesn't believe these things. Until July 27th, the emperor wanted to set up an advisor in the Maoqin Hall, ordered Tan Sitong to draft an imperial edict, and first sent eunuchs to him to convey the emperor's words, saying that three generations of emperors, Kangxi, Qianlong and Xianfeng, had opened it. After leaving the DPRK, Tan Sitong said to his colleagues, "Today I know that the emperor really has no power." By the 28th, everyone in the Kyoto court knew that the emperor was going to open the imperial palace, thinking that the imperial edict would be promulgated that day, but it was not promulgated in the end, which made it more clear that the Western Empress Dowager and the emperor were incompatible. On the 29th, the emperor summoned Yang Rui and gave him a secret imperial edict hidden in the dressing room, which said that my throne was almost lost. He ordered Kang Youwei, four clean-ups, military aircraft and reformists to find a way to rescue him quickly. Tan Sitong and Kang Youwei wept bitterly with letters, but the emperor had no power and could do nothing. At that time, only Yuan Shikai was stationed in North Korea for a long time, studying Chinese and foreign national conditions and strongly advocating political reform. Tan Sitong secretly asked the emperor to contact him with generous treatment, hoping that he could help the emperor in times of crisis, and his words were extremely excited and sincere. On the first day of August, the emperor summoned Yuan Shikai and specially awarded him the title of assistant minister. The next day, Yuan Shikai was summoned again. On the third night, Tan Sitong went directly to Huokeji, where Yuan Shikai lived, and asked Yuan Shikai bluntly, "What do you think of the emperor today?" Yuan Shikai said: "No one in the present age can compare with Emperor Mingsheng." Tan sitong said, "Do you know the plot of the Tianjin military parade?" Yuan Shikai said, "Yes, I have heard of some." Tan Sitong directly showed Yuan Shikai the secret edict and said, "You are the only one who can save our wise emperor today. If you are willing to save him! " He touched his neck with his hand and said, "If you don't want to save me, please (you) go to the Summer Palace to report me and kill me, and you can be promoted to a higher position and make a fortune." Yuan Shikai said loudly with a straight face, "Who do you think I am? The emperor is our favorite emperor. Like you, I have received an unusual favor. The responsibility of saving (the emperor) is not only on you. If you have any suggestions, of course I am willing to listen. " Tan Sitong said: "Rong Lu's plots are all about the Tianjin military parade. You, Dong Fuxiang and Nie Shicheng are all under the command of Rong Lu, and Rong Lu will force Emperor Guangxu to abdicate by force. Even so, Dong Fuxiang and Nie Shicheng's two armies are not worth mentioning; The world is strong, only you, General Yuan. If something happens, you use an army to fight against their two armies, protect the wise emperor, restore the emperor's power, eliminate the bad guys around the emperor, rectify the order of the court, and command confidently and calmly. This is a great cause of the Millennium! " Yuan Shikai said: "If the emperor rushes into my barracks during the military parade and orders the extermination of traitors and thieves, then I will follow you gentlemen and try my best to save them." Tan Sitong said, "Rong Lu has always treated you well. How would you treat him? " Yuan Shikai smiled and said nothing. One of his shogunate officials said, "Rong Lu's old thief didn't treat Comfortable Handsome with his heart. Someone used to want to add comfortable and handsome soldiers. Rong Lu said: "The Han people can't give him much military power." It turns out that he has always been just netting (comforting handsome), just like Hu participated in impeachment to comfort handsome some time ago. Hu was Rong Hong's confidant, and Rong Hong sent him to impeach him and comfort him, and Rong Hong personally came forward to investigate and deal with it. In order to comfort handsome, he exchanged human feelings for comforting handsome. Then Hu was appointed as the magistrate of Ningxia, and soon he was promoted to be a Taoist priest in Ningxia. This is where the old thief in Rong Lu is very insidious and cunning. Comfort handsome doesn't know him? Tan Sitong said: "Rong Lu was originally a figure like Cao Cao and Wang Mang, and he was a rare adulterer in the world. I am afraid it is not easy to deal with him. " Yuan Shikai glared: "If the emperor were in my barracks, killing Rong Lu would be like killing a dog." So Tan Sitong and Yuan Shikai talked about the specific measures to save the emperor in great detail. Yuan Shikai said: "Now all the bullets and gunpowder in the military camp are in the hands of Rong thief, and most of the officers at all levels in the camp and sentry post are his old subordinates. It is urgent. Now that the countermeasures have been discussed, I have to hurry back to the camp, change the generals, and reserve ammunition as much as possible. " So Tan Sitong urged again and again before he left. At this time, it was the night of the third day of August, and it was the third night. On the fifth day, Yuan Shikai was summoned by Emperor Guangxu again, and it was said that there were also secret edicts. On the sixth day, 1898 coup broke out.
At that time, I was visiting Mr. Tan Sitong's apartment, sitting face to face on the couch, planning to arrange things. Suddenly came the news that Kang Youwei's official residence was going to be arrested, and soon I heard the imperial edict. Tan sitong said to me calmly, "I tried to save the emperor in the past, but now I can't save Mr. Kang." I have nothing to do, just waiting for the day when I die! " Even so, things in the world are hard to do, but they are hard to do. Try to go to the Japanese embassy, meet Mr Ito and ask him to send a telegram to the consul in Shanghai to save Mr Kang. "I stayed at the Japanese Embassy that night, and Tan Sitong stayed at the gate all day, waiting for his captors. As a result, his captor didn't come, so he went to the Japanese embassy the next day, met me, advised me to go to Japan, and paid me some books, poems, manuscripts and a small box of trust at home. He said: "if there are no people who have left, there is no way to plan the future reform;" Without sacrifice, there is no way to repay holiness. Now Mr. Kang Youwei's life and death are still unknown. Let me be Cheng Ying or Chu Jiu and take a photo of Zhang Yueliang or Xixiang. " So they gave each other a hug and left. On the seventh, eighth and ninth day of the seventh lunar month, Mr. Tan Sitong and the chivalrous man tried to save the emperor, but things failed in the end. He was arrested on the tenth day. The day before he was arrested, several Japanese intellectuals tried to persuade him to go to Japan, but he wouldn't listen. He tried to persuade him again and again. He said, "No country in the world has succeeded without bloodshed. Now China has never heard of bloodshed because of the political reform, which is the reason why the country cannot be rich and strong. If you must bleed, let's start with Tan Sitong. "He always refused to leave, so he was in trouble.
After Mr. Tan Sitong went to prison, … was killed in Chengnan Vegetable Farm in Beijing on August 13th. He was only 33 years old. On the day of his death, the audience reached 10,000 people. Mr. Wang was impassioned and his look did not change at all. At that time, the Minister of Military Affairs was determined to supervise the beheading. Tan Sitong invited him to see him and said, "I have something to say ..." He walked away and refused to listen, so Mr. Tan Sitong died peacefully. Alas! How brave!