Especially troubling to Chen was Hu's relationship with Liang Qichao (梁啟超), a supporter of the Duan Qirui (段祺瑞) government and their anti-new wave ideology, which made Chen greatly dissatisfied.
After the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising of 1911 against the Qing Dynasty, Duan commanded the loyalist Second Army Corps against the revolutionary army in the Battle of Yangxia and succeeded in taking back Hankou and Hanyang.
He oversaw the Nishihara Loans (made to support the Chinese warlord Duan Qirui in exchange for confirmation of Japanese claims to parts of Shandong Province and increased rights in Manchuria) and the Lansing-Ishii Agreement (recognizing Japan's special rights in China).
He was the Minister of Justice and Minister of Education of the Beiyang Government, led by Duan Qirui during the Republic of China period.
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He later became the Minister of Justice and Minister of Education in the government led by Duan Qirui.