In the Qing dynasty, he was put in charge of railways, the most profitable ministry of the government.

His Communications Clique was a distant second compared to Duan Qirui's Anfu Club but nevertheless he became speaker of the Senate.

[1] His month-long premiership was the subject of dispute between his supporter, Marshal Zhang Zuolin, and his detractor, General Wu Peifu.

When Wu forced his resignation on January 25, 1922, it caused the First Zhili-Fengtian War.

Liang was fortunate to avoid the war himself: he left Beijing under the excuse of illness as soon as he resigned.