Chapter 17 1913~1926: years of maturity 1913~1926: years of maturity -6

Beijing, January 17, 1917 The severe cold has weakened significantly.It was finally getting hot, but by the fire.For the poor here, winter is terrible.Nor is it better for the poor in France, for things are only good or bad in proportion. Twenty sous is not of equal value to all. I don't know what's going on in Russia right now.All parliaments were disrupted, and all the thorough reactionaries were stuffed in.These Russians are weird, never in a hurry and never get overwhelmed, I think they are closer to Asians than Europeans.We see some strange types here.There is no better place to see representatives of various races in 10 minutes than in Beijing.

Next Monday is Chinese New Year.Although the European New Year is official, Chinese people still value this Lunar New Year more.European banks have an eight-day holiday for the Chinese New Year, which is not available in our country. Beijing, February 9, 1917 Recently, public attention has been drawn to an important issue.Will China join the United States in breaking with Germany?After China has wavered many times, the possibility of joining the war will be finally decided, and it will move closer to one side or the other.The telegram will tell you before my letter. Beijing, February 14, 1917

When I wrote to you last Friday, I did not expect that China issued a note protesting the German submarine two hours later, threatening Germany to sever diplomatic relations.From that moment on, we live in a vortex.To keep things from blowing up, the Germans were running around as if possessed.The people of the Allied Powers also seemed to be possessed by demons, but they did so to facilitate it. Goodbye, dear mother.Kiss you tenderly, and look forward to a day when you can enjoy the warmth of your family. Jules Beijing, April 9, 1917 A US declaration of war is a hard egg to them, like an Easter egg.There is a small social game, which is to suddenly ask a person how many warring countries there are now.Usually, the people who are asked snap their fingers for 5 minutes to count fifteen (including the United States).China, if things go well, will be sixteenth.

Beijing, June 6, 1917 China is once again in crisis, with all the northern provinces declaring "independence", calling for the dissolution of parliament and the recall of the prime minister who was dismissed by the president.But before going to war, they negotiate.A military government was formed in Tianjin, and in order to reach a compromise, it shuttled between official and semi-official missions between Tianjin and Beijing.Hope they succeed.There are still many people who fled to the Tianjin Concession, where our "buddy" thinks it is safe, which does not prevent them from saying afterwards that the existence of the Concession is a persistent violation of China's sovereignty.

Beijing, June 13, 1917 According to the speed of letters, I should wish you a happy birthday on August 15th.If I remember correctly, the last time we had a birthday together was in 1908, when I was on a twenty-eight-day holiday.Wish I could actually kiss you that day in 1918 when I was on my twenty-eight weeks' vacation. A presidential decree dissolving parliament was issued today.The "material" side of the story is so comical it deserves to be told to you. The president declared that he would rather die than give up the principle, but he had to trample on the principle, because the constitution did not give him the power to dissolve the parliament, so he had to act against the constitution.He had the decree drawn up and stamped it himself.But the officials who kept the seal fled to Tientsin, like many others, with the keys in their pockets.So the president's people broke open the cabinet where the seal was kept. Unfortunately, the seal was locked in a small box.They are afraid that the contents of the box will be broken.So they sent people to Tianjin to find officials or keys.

The key is back.The decree requires the co-signature or joint seal of the prime minister.The President sent three generals with orders to the Foreign Office, which is now the Chancellery.The prime minister, deaf and very "constitutional", let his request be repeated four times, and still declared that such a decree would never be stamped.In addition, he submitted his resignation stating that he "goes to specialize in vegetarian research."They asked the only serving ministers of other ministries to stamp their seals, but they were also refused.Because the new prime minister appointed by the Congress two weeks ago was still in Tientsin, and they sent him the decree despite his declared reluctance to accept the post.The representative brought back the decree without a seal.During this period, warlords threatened violence if the decree was not enacted.So our brave President was cornered and had a sudden inspiration.He confirmed the reliability of the commander of the Beijing Garrison, and appointed the commander as interim prime minister (as long as he signed with the previous interim prime minister).The first act of the new prime minister is to co-sign his appointment.

Beijing, June 20, 1917 dear mom: Political chaos is like rising vegetable prices.The executive branch has no responsible ministers and officials.The President was isolated in his mansion, in the hands of royalist soldiers.In charge of the situation was a general named Zhang Xun, who had climbed to this level from a bandit, and his troops were also from bandits.The gang still had braids.All this happened in Beijing, causing panic among the people.Zhang Xun has one advantage, he is loyal to his former master.He went to visit Xiao Feidi, and according to the old rules, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times in front of him.But he advises the little fellow not to seek a return to power, and to be content with the annuity the republic pays him to keep him idle.The imperial court appreciated the general's rationality very much and treated him with courtesy.Also, it is said that the brave general was illiterate.

Beijing, July 4, 1917 dear mom: This time, there is no question that the car of state is on a volcano.I said before that the former bandit army led by bandits arrived in Beijing and was called by the president to be a "mediator".A former bandit named Zhang Xun, known for his imperial sensibilities, took advantage of the opportunity, announcing the restoration of the imperial system on Sunday morning.The little emperor (presumably himself) drew up a long proclamation saying that the president himself had asked him to reclaim the throne and blamed himself for usurping power, asking for punishment (as is customary in China for erring officials).The little guy approved the first request, but for the second, he announced that Li Yuanhong had made meritorious service to the country and was granted the title of First Class Duke.

The President, who signed nothing, was semi-imprisoned in the official residence for two days, but was able to escape through a small door on Monday night and escape to the Japanese Legation in the middle of the night.He issued two orders, one appointing the vice president in Hankou as interim president, and the other reappointing Marshal Duan Qirui, who he had rashly dismissed a month earlier, as prime minister, Duan is now in Tianjin.This morning, 14 provinces (18 provinces in the whole country) signed against the imperial system. The governor of our province issued an ultimatum to Zhang Xun, giving him 24 hours to evacuate Beijing

Most of the imperial princes had fled by the end of the story, especially the emperor's father (the younger brother of the former emperor Guangxu).I'm afraid it will all end in fighting and looting the city, and that's enough for us.I said we, I was wrong, because we are very calm in our own district, which is fortified and has European troops, which is enough for the locals. Goodbye, dear mother.Maybe next week I'll write to tell you something new about the Republic, who knows if there will be then? Jules Beijing, July 11, 1917 dear mom: There is no distinction between comedy and drama in this lovely country.The imperial army was defeated (no worries, nothing was lost) and retreated towards the city.A Republic plane flew over the palace and dropped three bombs, killing two bearers.The queen mother fainted immediately, Zhang Xun resigned, and the princes came to tell the mission that the restoration was against their will, and they relied on the generosity of the government of the republic.

Beijing, July 18, 1917 We had a rowdy interlude last Thursday.At 4:30 in the morning, the artillery of the Republic added to the city wall and the infantry attacked Zhang Xun's mansion together.The fighting lasted until 3 p.m., with one shelling and a burst of gunfire.I don't know how many thousands of soldiers participated in the battle, but less than 20 died (and a few civilians), and a few wounded.The residence of the legation was attacked by many stray bullets, and 6 Europeans were injured.At noon, the Germans who helped him were ordered to stuff the big man Zhang Xun into a car, drive first to the Austrian legation, and then to the house of the Dutch minister, who was the head of the diplomatic mission, and gave him asylum.Zhang's house was burned, and the soldiers surrendered and had their braids cut. President Li Yuanhong resigned.His family should leave the legation for Tianjin today. Goodbye, dear mother.kiss you tenderly. Jules "I feel old," Jules told his mother on his 32nd birthday.Between his duties as a judge (which brings us to a number of big names concerned with Far East affairs) and his duties as a godfather (with which only nameless ordinary Chinese are concerned), our consul is never idle.His mother and he encouraged each other with a burning passion that would not succumb to the melancholy atmosphere that time often brought. Russia's withdrawal from the war and Italy's defeat at Copoledo were certainly not encouraging news.Yet an optimistic nature led Jules to believe that America would land a second time in Europe. In 1918, his hopes were rewarded, as the Allies (soon to include China) were about to enter the war and hold back the German advance. Beijing, August 8, 1917 Another August 6th (Note: Jules' birthday), which is thousands of miles away from home, but I don't feel lonely because our hearts are connected.I didn't expect to have lived for thirty-two years, and now I feel it.Not because of the weight of the years, but because I have a mature spirit.Fortunately, I am healthy in every way, and I have become a person who is really useful, mentally and physically. I really have countless ways to achieve my goals. We finally have a government and a president of a republic; "in principle" China has decided to declare war on Germany.It will be announced in a few days.Those Germans are really starting to prepare to leave.Where are you going?Only the Dutch Indian colony is more likely.Because Siam has also declared war, there are not enough submarines here. Beijing, August 17, 1917 The judicial papers I dealt with nearly buried me.It's fun to do, but it's also trivial and boring.There was a brave Frenchman who always stayed at the Far East Hotel, and he cursed at the bill collectors.One day he wrote to me, saying that I was just a monk who left the world.I called him over and said to him, "I know you want to be investigated for insults, then jailed, and then sent back to France to serve your sentence. I'm not playing with you, so I won't investigate you .” He answered me with interest: “Because you guessed my purpose, I take back everything I wrote in the letter.” Beijing, August 22, 1917 I went on to preside over the court, which was not too tiring.Yesterday I had to give 15 days' imprisonment to that swearing insanity of which I wrote in my last letter.It didn't stop us from being the best friends in the world: he apologized anew and said he was confused by my kindness.I told him that this confusion pleased me, and that it was the only revenge I had for his scolding me. goodbye dear mama kiss you softly Jules Beijing, September 6, 1917 dear mom: I am too busy at the moment to write on time, thus delaying our weekly correspondence.Still, correspondence is so precious to me, it gives me the illusion of being with you, it makes me feel far away from China, from the Chinese, and from the Europeans in China. The last rain clears the air.Here comes the lovely autumn, bringing with it a light, a tenderness, and an air so transparent that the hills can be seen clearly for ten to fifteen kilometers.As much as I love my city as a "Parisian", we never see this light in Paris.Indeed, there are no factory chimneys here to gloomy the landscape and the people. goodbye dear mama kiss you softly Jules Beijing, October 12, 1917 dear mom: How did you end up working as a nurse at Fisherman's Bastion?Why don't they send you further away?I hope that this winter, you will find another job to do instead of walking so far in the cold weather. Wednesday is the National Day of China. Instead of going to the military parade, I took a comfortable long-distance travel.We headed north by train, the only way into Mongolia.There's the Great Wall there, or rather several Great Walls, because people built three sections here.Despite 16 wheels turning, the train was slow and we arrived an hour later.We had lunch on the grass and returned at almost 3 o'clock to enjoy the scenery again.Isn't it a fulfilling holiday? Good news from the Western battlefield.We are all well aware that sometimes the distance is far, but the news is known faster.Half a million Americans will go to Europe by the end of the year, rising to a million tomorrow spring, they say.This would replace the failed Russians. Goodbye, dear mother.kiss you tenderly Jules Beijing, November 2, 1917 dear mom: I certainly agree with you that being together is better than missing each other apart.It's a pity that I have no chance of coming back now.When our soldiers were fighting at the front, it was inappropriate for me to come back on leave (people don't give me leave) and, despite my many requests, I have not yet been able to bring myself back as a "leader" of Chinese labor in the war .There is no way, only to wait more patiently for the opportunity to ease. Beijing, December 27, 1917