枢臣刚毅南下与己亥政局

The event Kang Yi down south in 1899

光绪二十五年(1899),枢臣刚毅奉旨南下查办事件,是戊戌己亥政局间的一件大事。此事表面缘于朝廷财政管理失控,亟需为练兵筹饷打开缺口。深究内在理路,实乃变法路径、废立与否、枢垣矛盾等一系列因素交缠与角力的结果。查办过程中,刚毅重点打击洋务、维新事业,与地方官商绅的利益冲突逐渐突现。地方民心斵丧,各派万马齐喑,消极抵抗。其间维新派发起舆论攻讦刚毅,然朝廷满意查办成效,影响有限。细析可知刚毅南下一事表意为筹饷练兵,内则反映了各方政治势力围绕变法、废立问题展开权势角逐与人事缠结,关系着己亥庚子朝局的未来走向。

Kang Yi, President of the Board of war, and one of the Empress Dowager’s right-hand men since the late coup, was transferred to the south on a mission of investigation in 1899. This reorganization was one of the most significant events during 1898 to 1899. This event was seemingly due to the financial mismanagement, and required to raise money for the troop training urgently. But, in the essence, this financial mission was the result of a lot of factors, such as the way of Constitutional Reform and Modernization, imperial dethronement, the open rupture between Kang Yi and Jung Lu, also with the resource competition between South China army and North China army and so on. The local people put up passive resistance. The reformers’ newspapers exposed the true aim of this reorganization which had limited influence. The empire was satisfied with the taels that Kang Yi collected in the southern Provinces. Aiming to the depose of emperor, Liu K’un-Yi was impeached by Kang Yi after the end of this mission. In conclusion, this mission did not only intend to straighten out financial affairs, but also for the political unrest and power struggles.