Instalment 56 (1913)

Scene 1: At the parliament during the presidential elections

A speaker announces that 759 representatives are present, which accounts for more than two thirds of the Parliament. Therefore, the election process will be valid. The representatives are asked to hand in their votes. One sees Liang writing Yuan’s name on his ballot, and Luo Wen writing Sun Yatsen’s name on his ballot. While the ballots are counted, the name Xiao Fengxian is mentioned. Everyone is very suprised that someone has given his vote to this famous prostitute. Luo, who has never heard of her, asks Liang who that person is. Liang replies that she is the lover of Cai E, the Military Governor of Yunnan. But Liang finds it bad taste to vote a prostitute. Luo, however, holds that in a true democracy, anyone has equal opportunities regardless of his background. Meanwhile, a group of men enter and scream that Yuan Shikai should be made President. Then Luo asks Liang whether he would have also voted for Yuan if he had known of such crude manipulation efforts earlier. But Liang does not believe that Yuan is that perfidious.

Scene 2: At Yuan Shikai’s residence

Duan Qirui enters. Yuan Shikai asks him if the ballots have been counted. But Duan reports that a second round of elections has just begun, since none of the candidates could win more than three thirds of the ballots in the first election. Now, the representatives have to vote between the two remaining candidates who have won the most votes in the first round. Yuan, who was sure of his immediate victory, is stunned and asks who those two candidates are. Duan replies that they are Yuan himself and Li Yuanhong. Yuan laughs and says to Li that they did after all drive out Sun Yatsen during the second revolution. Now, he says, he is curious to know who will win over whom. Li replies frightened that he does now dare to oppose Yuan.

Scene 3: At the meeting of the committee for the establishment of a constitution

Liang Qichao, Luo Wen and other representatives are discussing the draft for a regular constitution, now that Yuan Shikai has been elected regular president. During this meeting, Yuan Shikai, Duan Qirui and some political advisors of the former Qing government enter. They ask Liang, Luo and the others what they believe to be the centrepiece of the constitution. Luo then explains Yuan the concept of the threefold division of powers. Yuan replies that Sun had laid down the first ten years of the Republic to be a government of tutelage (xunzheng) and asks what Sun may have meant by this term. Luo answers that this time span is set aside to help the citizens understand democracy. Yuan argues that the time for a regular constitution has thus not come yet for the Republic which is only two years old (thus ironically taking the place of his former adversary Zaifeng in arguing for postponing the constitution!). He wants them to recur to the provisional constitution of Nanjing for the time being and merely extend on it. Luo, though, replies that Sun was never against a regular constitution, but Yuan now states straigthforward that he simply wants it this way! When Luo reprimands Yuan for acting against the law since Yuan is mingling in affairs of the executive power and the legislative power, Yuan ironically replies that he already broke the law time and again when he took up a loan from the foreign powers or proclaimed war against the GMD without Parliament’s consent. He legitimises himself saying that nothing would happen if everything had to first be ratified by the parliament. He then leaves the room but tells his advisors to remain. They read out the points which are supposed to be added to the provisional constitution:

• The President has the right to declare war and to conclude contracts with the foreign powers, without having to consult the parliament first;
• The President may control the administration without parliament’s consent;
• The presidential system is to be introduced.

Liang Qichao has followed Yuan Shikai and now tries to explain that a constitution is in fact necessary for a Republic. He explains that it is needed because is delimits the powers of the executive. Yuan, though, replies that he only notices that his own rights are completely limited, not that the parliament’s rights are being limited. When Liang argues that the Members of Parliament are elected by the people and that it is the people who control it, Yuan is not satisfied with this explanation. He says that he knows single people but not “the people” as an entity. Then he makes absolutely clear that he wishes to reign alone as the President (zongtong 总统, meaning yiqie you wo zong er tong zhi 一切由我总而统之: all is to be integrated and carried through by myself). When Liang disagrees with Yuan, the latter simply tells him that he will solve the problem then by himself (in other words: either you help me, or you are no longer part of the game.)

One hears newly elected President Yuan Shikai’s voice claim that the GMD is responsible for the second revolution. Therefore, all GMD members are excluded from Parliament and sent home. Then one sees how they are chased out of Parliament by police forces.

The military police have kidnapped Luo Wen and brought him to Yuan Shikai, who is just eating hotpot. Yuan contends that he always wanted to “have a chat” with Luo Wen and calls him “Representative Luo”. Luo defiantly replies that he, a Guomindang member, is not a representative anymore. But Yuan hands him a document on which it says that he, Yuan, wishes to “appoint” Luo as a “Council Assembly Member”. Moreover, Yuan claims that he had “no other choice” but to dissolve the parliament. He, however, had already talked to Liang Qichao, Li Yuanhong (now “Council Assembly President”) and others about the matter. Yuan invites Luo to join the “Council Assembly”, but warns him also that he has already commissioned investigations on Luo (i.e. that he, Yuan, knows all about Luo and his family). Luo tries to wind himself out by claiming that he does not want to deal with politics anymore. But Yuan replies that politics are addictive and that a politician without politics is a looser who cannot accomplish anything else.
Then Luo comes straight to the point and says that he cannot betray Sun Yatsen. But Yuan replies that it would not be a case of “betrayal”. He argues that betraying someone and betraying one’s own political ethics are two very different things. Ethics, as it is commonly conceptualised, is not adequate in politics, since politics does not know personal ethics, but only political ethics, i.e. the state’s benefits. These should never be betrayed! And he himself always acted accordingly: without his “betrayal” of the Guangxu emperor, there would never have been the positive reform attempts made by the Qing in their final years. Taking leave, Yuan adds that he, too, “likes” the journalist Tian Mo (an indirect threat that if Luo refuses to work for Yuan, Yuan will harm Tian). Then, Yuan practically puts Luo under custody and bribes him at the same time, telling him that he is supposed to “feel at home” in this residence which he may also consider his own now.

Duan Qirui, Xu Shichang and others have come to pay Yuan Shikai a visit. Yuan explains to them that he is someone most interested in facts. He believes that Kang Youwei’s speeches during the Hundred Days of Reforms were no more than empty words. (“They wanted to tear down the palace, but could not even build a tiny house instead”.) Sun Yatsen, too, merely made empty promises: he did not build a centimetre of railway tracks, although he had initially planned to build a railway network of 100.000 kilometres. (Sun had been appointed superintendent of the railway in 1912.) While Yuan is saying all this, he is pointing his walking stick at the plate which Sun gave him (with the inscription „Tianxia wei gong“: „The world belongs to all”) and finally pushes it so that it falls down onto the ground and breaks (a symbol for the final rupture between Yuan and Sun).

Sun Yatsen has fallen asleep over his work and suddenly awakens. He tells Song Qingling that she does not have to work through the night with him since she is only his political secretary and not his “life secretary”. But she replies that she wants to remain with him, and giggles embarrassedly (a kind of love declaration.)

Li Yuanhong announces the additional points for the provisional constitution (which Yuan Shikai had already read out in Scene 3) and revises Sun Yatsen’s dictum that the state belongs to the people by claiming that these are only empty words and absurd claims. Moreover, the President is now to be elected to serve office for ten years, and there is no need for an election at all, if the Council Assembly believes that the President should remain in office after the completion of ten years. In addition, the successor of the President will be nominated by the acting President. The Council Assembly Representatives only have to give their consent. Everyone, including Luo Wen, vote for these amendments. Tian Mo is evidently shocked and disappointed. She asks Li Yuanhong if a Republic can still be called a Republic once the people are robbed of their sovereignty. How the Executive is to be controlled and limited by the Legislative and Judicative, if the Executive is the highest instance? She believes that this system is no different than a monarchy. But Li merely replies “no comment”.

The cabinet members have gathered at Yuan Shikai’s residence. Yuan tells them that the cabinet will be dissolved since they have all voted for the presidential system. Duan Qirui is annoyed and says that he will not be part of anything if he is only a Minister of sorts, and not Prime Minister any more. Thereupon, he angrily leaves the room.

Sun Yatsen has those who wish to join his new Revolutionary Party (“Gemingdang”), take an oath. Among others, he has them swear allegiance to him as the leader. Moreover, they have to place their fingerprint onto their Party IDs. A fierce fight erupts between Huang Xing and Sun. Huang believes that this threatens the equality and freedom of the members. Using force, Huang tries to keep the members from placing their fingerprints on the ID. In rage, he even throws all the documents to the ground. Then Sun gives a speech in which he explains that one should learn from the lessons of the past. They cannot admit everyone into the party who wishes to join the Party. After all, Zhao Bingjun, who entered the GMD on Yuan Shikai’s orders and who was named a functionary of the GMD, ordered Party Secretary Song Jiaoren’s assassination! Moreover, former GMD members now aided Yuan Shikai in his strives towards dictatorship by agreeing to the introduction of the presidential system.
Sun holds that it is necessary to topple Yuan’s dictatorial system, as it was necessary to topple the Qing government. However, he believes that this will require solid organisation and iron discipline. Otherwise, all they will face will be disaster and failures, as the past experiences have shown. Moreover, Sun argues that one has to sacrifice one’s equality and freedom in order to give the people equality and freedom. Civil servants in a democracy are to serve the people. He then asks a new member, Wang Zhuosheng, if anyone forced him to join the Party and whether he feels that he has to sacrifice his equality and freedom by placing his fingerprint onto his party ID. Wang merely shakes his head. When Sun asks him whether he is joining the Party by his free will, he nods. Then Sun welcomes Wang as a new member of the Party. Huang Xing thereupon leaves the room disappointed.