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in
a series of events which connect up like a chain. At the south
endEmperor Kwangshii died a prisoner, betrayed by a man associatedwith
the Middle Sea, Yuan Shih-kai. Yuan came into power again afterthe
founding of the Republic because he controlled the army, and in1915 he
prepared to make himself emperor. His plans were upset bya man called
Tsai Sungpo, who raised a rebellion against him in Yun-nan in 1916. The
name of Tsai Sungpo has been perpetuated by thelibrary situated at the
northwest corner of the North Sea. In the faceof the rebellion Yuan's
contemplated monarchy collapsed like a houseof cards because public
sentiment was against a monarchy. To be atsuch a pinnacle of power was
to be isolated from the public, and Yuanwas methodically deceived by the
conspirators, who wanted him tobelieve that the whole nation approved
of the monarchist plot. LiangShihyi （nicknamed the "God of Wealth'）
according to current stories,had a newspaper plant set up. Each morning
he presented Yuan withnewspapers from Shanghai. Keeping the news items,
he had theeditorial changed and printed in Peking, from which ~uan
formed theimpression that public opinion was clamouring for the
restorationof a Chinese monarchy. Some dying words of the last Ming
emperorsounded very much like the last thoughts of Yuan Shih-kai:
"Myministers have deceived me."
