Chapter 22 21. The Truth and Humiliation of "21"

Yuan Shikai is a good hand in domestic affairs, and he has made him docile in every aspect, but it is another matter to engage in foreign affairs.It stands to reason that Yuan Shikai started as a "supervisor of North Korea" and is familiar with foreign affairs, but the crux of the problem is not this, because diplomacy mainly depends on the strength of the country, and it is difficult for a weak country to manage. In July 1914, the First World War broke out. Taking advantage of the good time when the European powers were involved in the war and had no time to look east, Japan attacked Qingdao, Shandong.Qingdao was originally a leased territory of Germany. The Germans had little influence in China and their foundation was still shallow. Now they are entangled in the European War. Japan declared war on Germany and occupied Qingdao at this time. It is definitely a good deal with "low risk and high return".On September 2, 1914, the Japanese army declared war on Germany under the pretext of landing at Longkou outside the German Jiaozhou Bay Concession and launched an attack on Qingdao.

After learning that the Japanese army had invaded the Shandong Peninsula, Yuan Shikai held a meeting that night, and all the chief ministers of the cabinet attended, which shows that the situation is serious.According to Gu Weijun, Counselor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who participated in the meeting, Yuan Shikai asked Duan Qirui, the chief of the army, how long he could last if he resisted. Duan Qirui said that he could resist for 48 hours.Yuan Shikai asked the other chief executives what their opinions were, and most of them were silent.Yuan Shikai then decided to imitate the old method during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, delimiting the corridors and combat areas for the Japanese army to pass through, so as to prevent the war from spreading to other areas as much as possible.

In fact, China had already declared its neutrality after the outbreak of World War I. The Japanese army's invasion of China by taking advantage of the outbreak of the European War not only violated international law, but also was logically inconceivable.However, a country's international status is often determined by its national strength. Yuan Shikai could only accept the humiliation of "neutrality" during the Russo-Japanese War when he was unable to stop the Japanese army's actions. At that time, the number of German troops stationed in Qingdao was very limited. After the Germans resisted symbolically, Qingdao lost their hands, but Japan did not stop. In Jinan Railway Station, all German and Chinese employees in the railway and station were driven out, and the Japanese took over completely, ignoring the "neutrality" statement issued by Yuan Shikai's government.Not only that, after Japan occupied Qingdao, it disregarded Yuan Shikai's government's repeated protests, and then fully occupied the mines, enterprises and customs along the Jiaoji Railway. In fact, it inherited all the aggressive rights and interests of Germany.

As we all know, Japan's aggression against China was planned and step-by-step. As the infamous Tanaka Memorial said, "If you want to conquer China, you must first conquer Manchuria and Mongolia; if you want to conquer the world, you must first conquer China."Japan seized North Korea and Taiwan in the Sino-Japanese War, and gained aggression rights in the Northeast (South Manchuria) in the Russo-Japanese War. This time, it will not only be limited to a corner of Qingdao. Sure enough, on January 18, 1915, on this cold winter day, when the Japanese Minister to China, Hikimasa, who had just returned from Tokyo, met with Yuan Shikai, he suddenly threw out the Japanese government’s demands on China, totaling 21 items on the 5th. , This is the appalling "21" in history.

The main contents of the "Twenty-One" are as follows: There are four articles in the first issue, requiring China to recognize Japan’s inheritance of all rights and interests of Germany in Shandong; Shandong Province shall not be transferred or leased to other countries; Japan is allowed to build a railway from Yantai (or Longkou) to Jiaoji Road; major cities in Shandong are opened for commercial port.In fact, it is necessary to turn Shandong into Japan's sphere of influence and prepare for the partition of China. The second issue consists of seven articles, requiring China to recognize Japan's special rights in southern Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia. The Japanese have the privileges of living and traveling (actually unlimited immigration), operating roads and mines, and not allowing other powers to intervene; Lushun, Dalian The lease period of the Nanman Railway and the Anfeng Railway were both extended to 99 years.Japan's conspiracy to turn the Northeast and Inner Mongolia into its own colonies can be described as deliberate.

There are two articles in the third issue, requesting that the Hanyeping Company be changed into a Sino-Japanese joint venture, that China should not handle it by itself, and that people other than the company are not allowed to mine the nearby mines. Article No. 4 requires that all Chinese coastal harbors and islands shall not be leased or ceded to other countries.In other words, China became a protectorate of Japan. No. 5 is the most ruthless, with seven items in total, including: requiring the Chinese government to hire Japanese as political, military, and financial advisers; The construction rights of the railways between Hangzhou, Nanchang and Chaozhou were transferred to Japan; Japan had the priority to mine, build seaports, shipyards, and build roads in Fujian Province; the Japanese had the right to preach in China, and the hospitals and temples run by the Japanese and schools, with land ownership in the Mainland; and so on.This is almost to turn China into a vassal state of Japan, which is the same as that of North Korea at that time.

It is not accidental that Japan throws out the "21" at this time.As early as 1900, the Japanese ronin Uchida Ryohei launched a spy organization called "Black Dragon Society". This organization was named after China's Heilongjiang, and its intentions are obvious.Although the Black Dragon Society is a non-governmental organization in name, it has a great influence on the official decision-making of Japan. Since its establishment, they have gone deep into North Korea, Northeast China, Mongolia, Siberia and other places. Ethnic scum, instigating civil strife, etc., such as the merger of North Korea, the Chinese revolution, wooing religious socialists, instigating the independence of Manchuria and Mongolia, etc., are all behind the shadow of the Black Dragon Society.

The Black Dragon Society claimed to be the representative of the yellow race ideologically, and proposed that Japan should be the leader of the Far East. Under the leadership of Japan, Asian countries would fight against the white race. In fact, this so-called "Asianism" is nothing but the Asian version of Monroe Doctrine, which is the ideological root of the later "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere". After the outbreak of the European War in 1914, Ryohei Uchida felt that the time had come for Japan, and then he personally drafted a document called "Suggestions on Solving the Problem with China" ("Black Dragon Society Memorandum") in the name of the Black Dragon Society. It was forwarded to the then Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma.Uchida Ryohei proposed in this opinion that, taking advantage of the opportunity that China is not yet strong and isolated and helpless, coerce China to accept the secret treaty, create the established fact of a "protectorate", attack Yuan Shikai's prestige, and support all anti-Yuan forces to promote China's support the restoration of the imperial system except for Yuan Shikai, so that China can be consistent with Japan in terms of political system, and create conditions for the future merger of China and Japan.

At that time, the logic of the Black Dragon Society was as follows. They believed that after the outbreak of the European War, Japan should take advantage of the precious opportunity when the Western powers had no time to look east, because when the European War finally came to an end, the great powers would still return to the Far East and continue to Its division and plunder.If Japan preemptively attacked China during the war, monopolized it and created established facts, then the great powers would have nothing to do when they returned to the east. In this way, Japan established the hegemony in the Far East and could use this as a basis to further compete for world hegemony.

The plans of the Black Dragon Society mainly include the following: one is to establish the ruling power in South Manchuria and Eastern Mongolia, and then to immigrate to these areas in large numbers (as it did twenty years later), laying a solid foundation for Japan's expansion; Build and control the railway network in the mainland of China, develop those inexhaustible resources and minerals, and exclude foreign powers from competing; the third is to obtain the guardianship of China's politics, military, police, and finance, and turn China into Japan's protection China, laying the foundation for a neutral merger, which is the so-called "North Korean road".

What is even more lamentable is that the senior Japanese ministers and cabinet military departments at that time not only coincided with the Black Dragon Society in their thinking and logic of invading China, but even their steps and blueprints for invading China were highly consistent.In fact, the later "Twenty-One" was based on Uchida Ryohei's opinion paper, and the so-called "Tanaka Memorial" and "Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" and so on were not related to this "Memorandum of the Black Dragon Society". "Ideologically and theoretically, it is the same kind of stuff, and its wolfish ambitions are clearly revealed. Besides, Yuan Shikai, after receiving the "21", he remained calm on the surface. He just said that it was a matter of negotiation and that it should be handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At that time, the foreign minister will negotiate with your minister.After the Japanese envoy left, Yuan Shikai knew that the situation was serious, and then called an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures. According to records, Yuan Shikai's comments on the "Twenty-One" are very detailed. For example, No. 1 on the issue of the extension of the Luda South Manchuria Railway, Yuan commented: This book was approved to continue the Russian Federation at the meeting of the three eastern provinces of the Sino-Russian Agreement in the former Qing Dynasty. The unexpired number of years will be extended by Japan, and it will be re-determined today.But if it can be taken back in the future, it has little to do with the number of years, so there is no need to argue about this article; Regarding the second to fourth issues, Yuan commented: The issue of recognizing the interests of Germany should be discussed jointly by both parties. How can it be negotiated by Japan and I will admit it? Regarding mining issues, Yuan commented: One or two places can be agreed, and they must be handled according to the mining regulations. In addition, the Chinese manage by themselves, and Japan can grant the accounting audit right to manage the loans, but it must be considered carefully; regarding the issue of opening commercial ports, Yuan commented: the method of self-opening must be used, and it should be limited to prevent the Japanese from flooding in and turning against customers; Regarding the issue of the Hanyeping Iron Ore Plant, Yuan commented: This is a commercial company, and the government cannot act on its behalf; on the issue of the transfer of Fujian, Yuan commented: It is absurd, how can the territory be transferred to a third country; on the issue of mixed residence in the interior, Yuan commented: Before the extraterritoriality is withdrawn, they cannot live together. Regarding No. 5, Yuan commented: This limitation of our country’s sovereignty seems to treat us as North Korea. This kind of condition should not be put forward by an equal country. It is really hateful; Reasonable also.It is absolutely forbidden to open a discussion, remember to remember (two sentences of Yuan Shikai's meaning are added with a dense circle of vermilion pens). Japan proposed the "Twenty-One" at this time, in fact, it came prepared, because it had predicted that China would lack the ability to resist, so it warned Yuan Shikai from the very beginning that this was a secret treaty, which must be negotiated quickly and not leaked .If China did not agree, Japan would attack both land and sea, and the big powers at that time were unable to intervene. Although the United States had not yet intervened in the European War, it was unwilling to stop Japan's aggression plan on its own.In this regard, Japan has long had a strategic estimate, so it is unscrupulous. The "Twenty-One" was the most serious diplomatic crisis Yuan Shikai had faced since he entered politics. Fortunately, his response was effective and decent.The first measure Yuan Shikai took was to use various channels to find out the Japanese side's trump card. He first sent Japanese consultant Nagao Nagao back to Japan to visit the Japanese political veteran Masayoshi Matsukata and Arima Yamagata to investigate the inside story. Spend a lot of money to buy Japanese spies and investigate the relevant situation of the Japanese side in order to gain the initiative in the negotiations. In order to cooperate with the investigation activities, Yuan Shikai deliberately adopted delaying tactics in the negotiations. He first replaced Sun Baoqi, who was not very good at diplomatic negotiations, and once again used Lu Zhengxiang, the former foreign minister who was good at negotiating in difficult situations, and instructed Lu Zhengxiang Negotiate with Cao Rulin one by one in the negotiation, be sure to delay the time, and not be led by the nose by the Japanese. Lu Zhengxiang is a rare diplomatic talent in modern Chinese history. In order to implement Yuan Shikai's instructions, he also thought of many ways. For example, Japan proposed to hold meetings every day, but Lu Zhengxiang proposed in a pleasant manner that his affairs are very busy and he can only hold meetings once a week. , In the end, the Japanese side compromised and held talks three times a week.During each negotiation, Lu Zhengxiang always deliberately shortened the meeting time. For example, every time a meeting was held, Lu Zhengxiang ordered to offer tea after finishing his opening remarks, and tried to prolong the tea drinking time. This formed a sharp contrast with the anxious Japanese representatives. Compared.But the Japanese representative was helpless, because after all, this is the etiquette of the East. Yuan Shikai's efforts finally paid off. The information he learned through various channels showed that the "Twenty-One" did not go through the imperial meeting (if force is to be used, it must go through the imperial meeting), but a secret adopted by the Okuma Shigenobu cabinet without authorization. Behavior.As a result, Yuan Shikai gradually disclosed the contents of the "Twenty-One" through newspapers and diplomatic channels, which caused an uproar. The "Twenty-one" immediately became the headlines of the New York and London media. It has made it impossible for Japan to try to end the secret negotiations with China as soon as possible. After the US Secretary of State learned of the contents of the "Twenty-One", he immediately sent a note to China and Japan, stating that the United States would not recognize any treaties concluded by China and Japan that violated the open-door policy.Under the pressure of all parties, the Sino-Japanese negotiations also reached an impasse, dragging on for four months.Seeing that no progress could be made at the negotiating table, the Japanese increased their troops in Northeast China, Shandong, and along the coast of Fujian. Give Japan a "satisfactory answer" to No. 1 to No. 4 and the Fujian issue within hours, otherwise "necessary means" will be sued. Under such circumstances, Yuan Shikai convened a meeting of the heads of various government agencies. The participants included Vice President Li Yuanhong, Secretary of State Xu Shichang, the chief of staff, the heads of various ministries, and the presidents of various institutes.At the meeting, Yuan Shikai made a statement of grief and indignation, saying that at a time when "the national power is not full and it is difficult to meet each other in battle", we can only take humiliation temporarily, otherwise we will repeat the mistakes of the Sino-Japanese War.How sad it is to weigh the interests and have to accept the Japanese ultimatum!What a shame!After this catastrophe, everyone must take it as a great shame and humiliation to accept Japan's request this time, and in the spirit of bearing hardships and trying their best, do a vigorous and promising cause.Otherwise, ten years later, instead of being able to compete with Japan, the danger of subjugation will be even greater than today! On May 9, 1915, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lu Zhengxiang, Deputy Minister Cao Rulin, and Chinese negotiator Shi Luben handed over the final revised version of the "Twenty-One" to Japanese Minister Hiichi Yi, and the crisis was temporarily resolved.According to the later recollection of the person involved, Cao Rulin: "At that time, I felt desolate, and I had the feeling of personally handing over the table." In the face of national humiliation, every Chinese should feel the same. Although it is an alliance under the pressure of soldiers, if you compare the original "21 Demands" put forward by Japan with the new treaty after signing, there is still a world of difference between the two.During the four months of arduous negotiations, under the pressure of all parties, Japan canceled the most brutal requirement No. 5; the requirement No. 4 that "all China's coastal harbors and islands shall not be leased or transferred to other countries" was deleted and replaced by China declares on its own; two articles in No. 3 delete one article, and the unlimited immigration and Japanese business taxation required by Japan in the eleven articles in No. 1 and No. 2 require the consent of the Japanese consul. "The Chinese side absolutely cannot accept it." , the other clauses were either "reserved for future negotiations", or restrictive conditions were added. In fact, only "twelve clauses" were signed in the end. Even the few articles that had been signed were mostly destroyed by Yuan Shikai later.For example, allowing Chinese and Japanese to live together in Southern Manchuria and Eastern Mongolia, as well as the commercial lease rights of the mixed-use land, and the hiring of Japanese consultants. As soon as he walked out of the annex, his life was in danger; as for the police consultant to use a Japanese, I just use him and give him a few dollars a month. , I have a way of destroying." Yuan Shikai is a master at playing tricks, so will it work this time?Later, the Japanese in the Northeast once said: "We Japanese are imprisoned in the territory in the Northeast, and we dare not leave the territory." In fact, it is said that because Yuan Shikai secretly enacted regulations to punish national thieves and handed them over to local officials in Northeast China, the Japanese could not buy or rent land at all.As for the Japanese personnel who were hired, they also said: "We are called consultants, but in fact, no one cares about them, and no one asks them." Here is a person who needs to be highlighted, and this is Zhang Zuolin, the later king of the Northeast.Zhang Zuolin was born as a horse bandit, and later joined the army. In the early years of the Republic of China, he was only the commander of a certain road in the patrol battalion. However, after the signing of the "21st" Article, Yuan Shikai secretly sent Duan Zhigui to the Northeast several times. Purchased a large amount of ordnance from a German foreign company, and claimed: "As long as I am here, the Japanese dare not leave the dependent territory!" The Japanese wanted to develop industries in South Manchuria and Eastern Mongolia, but most of them were hindered by Zhang Zuolin. Implement less. Zhang Zuolin and Yuan Shikai have similarities in the way they do things. Both of them are tyrannical heroes who value power and despise rules. Yuan Shikai also has a feeling of sympathy for Zhang Zuolin.According to Yuan Shikai's daughter Yuan Jingxue, Yuan Shikai was very fond of Zhang Zuolin at that time. Every time Zhang Zuolin came, Yuan Shikai would meet him in his office. Zhang Zuolin was only the commander of the 27th Division at that time, so he could only be received downstairs in Ju Ren Tang.Yuan Shikai used Zhang Zuolin to secretly resist the Japanese, and it also became the beginning of Zhang Zuolin becoming the king of the Northeast.Having said that, to deal with a country of tigers and wolves like Japan, a hero like Zhang Zuolin must be used. Yuan Shikai is quite useful in this regard. Japan's brutal and evil actions aroused the great anger of the Chinese people. At that time, the governors of 19 provinces across the country expressed their determination to support the central government. They kept calling on the central government to never succumb to Japanese pressure, and the presidential palace also received tides every day. Letters and telegrams poured in like a flood, and the people's sentiments boiled for a while. Some people boycotted Japanese goods, some destroyed their homes to relieve their difficulties, and the patriotic sentiment of the people became increasingly passionate.Even overseas students and overseas Chinese have appealed and resolutely opposed the signing of the "21". During the wave of protests that lasted for more than eight months, Japan became a street rat. Not only did it suffer heavy losses economically, but it also came under international pressure from the United States, Britain, Russia and other countries, just as Tang Degang, a historian in the United States, commented: " Although Japan tried its best to put forward the "21 requirements" for the destruction of China, which made it notorious, it only ended up with a lot of thunder and little rain, making the world laugh." Not only that, Okuma Shigenobu also resigned because he rashly proposed the "Twenty-One" without the imperial meeting, which resulted in diplomatic failure (in Japan's view).Terauchi Masaki, who took over as prime minister, later had to admit: "The Okuma cabinet demanded '21' from China, which aroused the resentment of all Chinese people, but Japan has no real interests." Although Japan's conspiracy to turn China into a protectorate finally went bankrupt, the extent of China's damage in this crisis is astonishing. For example, the extension of the lease of Luda to 99 years, etc., is inconceivable, humiliating and humiliating. .On the second day after the signing of the treaty, Yuan Shikai stated in the presidential decree that the treaty "has caused great pain and deep pain, and I am ashamed of it. I will not compete with myself, especially others. I am weak and call for insults. It is not a matter of time." , but also because of my lack of virtue and ability to be rare, so I have it." The helplessness and shame in it are beyond words. If combined with the international situation at that time and the comparison of the strengths of the two sides, the diplomatic and negotiation strategies adopted by Yuan Shikai at that time were quite remarkable. Japanese traitorous behavior, this is unavoidably unfair.As Zhang Xueliang said after the "September 18th" Incident: "When Yuan Shikai promised the 'Twenty-One', I was a student, passionate and opposed to the death; when I came to power twenty years later, I was not as good as others." After all, under the circumstances of disparity in strength at that time, it was not a wise strategy to be brave for a while, and Yuan Shikai did not fully accept the "21" as claimed in the propaganda; as for the huge sacrifices and concessions made in the negotiations , It is really a humiliating diplomacy of seeking perfection rather than a traitorous nature. In particular, the author does not intend to complain for Yuan Shikai and others, but historical judgment must be based on facts. If one judges only from the value of loyalty and traitor, it will inevitably deviate from the truth of the facts, and it is also unfair to historical figures.In the case of hurting national feelings, Cao Rulin and Lu Zongyu (the then ministers in Japan) who participated in the negotiations were chased and beaten by patriotic students during the "May 4th" Movement, and there was nothing they could do.The so-called "weak countries have no diplomacy", the diplomats of weak countries are even more roasted on the fire. What is commendable is that the Kuomintang members who were wanted by Yuan Shikai and exiled overseas, such as Huang Xing, Chen Jiongming, Bai Wenwei, Niu Yongjian, Li Liejun and others, not only did not take advantage of Yuan's danger to overthrow Yuan in the face of national crisis, but instead they chose to publicly appeal Comrade "suspend the revolution and unanimously face Japan".This is the real patriotic revolutionaries, not just disruptive revolutionaries. Having said that, if Yuan Shikai really, as he said, learned from the pain, endured hardships, and worked hard to make progress, then he would meet the Japanese soldiers ten years later, and it would be nothing more than "knowing shame and being brave."But what is ridiculous and sad is that within a year, the national humiliation has not been washed away, and the national power has not been prosperous, but Yuan Shikai has completely forgotten his angry words, and insists on risking the world's disgrace to restore the monarchy.At that time, even if Yuan Shikai can add a yellow robe to his body for a while, in the end, he will only be ruined and have a bad reputation for thousands of years. That is not "knowing shame", but shameless.