Tang Jingsong, the Qing governor-general of Taiwan, was prevailed upon to become the republic's first President, and his old friend Liu Yongfu, the retired Black Flag Army commander who had become a national hero in China for his victories against the French in northern Vietnam a decade earlier, was invited to serve as Grand General of the Army.
Tang Ching-sung, Qing-generalguvernøren i Taiwan, blev udpeget til at blive republikkens første præsident, og hans gamle ven Liu Yongfu, den pensionerede hærfører for Sorte Flag-hæren, der var blevet en nationalhelt i Kina for sine sejre over franskmændene i det nordlige Vietnam et årti tidligere, blev inviteret til at tjene som hærens generalsekretær.