On March 381, Tsen Chén-hsuan, head of the Canton Government, went to Shaokwan to mediate between Li Lich-chun and Li Kan-yuan. He is said to to pay off dissatisfied troops. While Tsen was in Shaokwan Dr. Wu Ting-fang, last of the Mintang leaders to remain in Canton, Minister of Foreign Affairs and of Finance of the Military Government of China, left Canton and arrived in Hongkong on April 7. In order to bring about internal peace, the Diplomatic Corps had agreed to giving the Canton Government 13.6 per cent. of the Customs surplus.
Dr. Wu, as Minister of the Canton Government, had notified the authorities that the money should be deposited in specified banks to the account of his office. When he left: Canton he maintained that he continued in office and that the funds went with him wherever he went. This attitude resulted in law suits in Hongkong and Shanghai, which tied up these funds until it could he determined who and what was the government to which they had been assigned.
Meanwhile Wu Ting-fang was dismissed as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance and Wen Tsung-yao was appointed to the former post, while Chen Chun-tao was given the latter. Wen Tsung-yao was at that time the Ca-Director of the Port of Pukow and very closely associated with Li Hsun, now looming as the head of the League of Tuchuns. Thus, the Canton government was thrown bodily into the camp of the Chihli party. On April 16 it was announced that the government which Wu Ting-fang, represented was to be moved from Canton to Shanghai. Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Tang Shao-yi, Wu Ting-fang and General Tang Chih-yao were to be the administrative directors. The old Parliament, which had wandered here and there seeking recognition and a home, determined to follow the Mintang leaders to Shanghai.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.