Revolution and the constitutional monarchy represented two distinct political movements, which used different approaches to find paths toward national salvation during the late Qing. Before and after the Reform Movement of 1898, these two parties deliberated together on multiple occasions, especially in 1899 when they almost successfully cooperated. But instead they parted ways, ultimately inciting a heated war of words. The intellectual conflicts of these two parties were directly connected with the political changes of the late Qing and early Republic.