Chapter 33 32. You said you want to break off diplomatic relations, but I don't agree

With the dismissal of Sun Hongyi and Xu Shuzheng, the dispute between the government and the court temporarily calmed down, but a bigger turmoil was yet to come. This was the "war turmoil" in the summer of 1917. Ordinarily, except for the small Japanese occupation of Qingdao in 1914 by participating in the war against Germany, the First World War (actually the European War) had no direct relationship with China; moreover, the European War was drawing to a close by 1917 , this can't make any waves.However, at this time, Germany, which was about to lose, launched an untimely "unrestricted submarine warfare" at this time, which aroused international public outrage. Finally got the chance.

The so-called "unrestricted submarine warfare" refers to a method of submarine warfare announced by the German Admiralty in February 1917, which means that any ships bound for Britain will be sunk by German submarines without warning.The purpose of Germany's move is to block other countries' material aid to Britain, but this indiscriminate attack method will obviously offend a large number of other neutral countries... Don't everyone expect to make war fortunes! After the ships of neutral countries were sunk by German submarines one after another, the United States, which suffered the most, decided to sever diplomatic relations with Germany and prepared to send troops to Europe to join the war.Not only that, the U.S. government then launched diplomatic activities with China, hoping that China would follow suit and break off diplomatic relations with Germany and even join the war.

When Duan Qirui was young, he went to Germany to study military affairs. He knew that the Germans were powerful. If you tried to persuade Duan to declare war on Germany in 1914, he would definitely sneer at you on the spot: What would you use to fight the Germans?In the eyes of the old Duan, Germany is so good, with a strong army, a strong military industry, and the intelligence and high efficiency of the Germans, then Germany must have a good chance of winning in a fight! It is a pity that people are not as good as heaven. The German military is indeed very powerful, but two fists are no match for four hands, and a good man can't stand up to many people. This has more help than wrongdoing. After fighting for so many years, Germany has gradually emerged Decline, power is exhausted.As the situation changed, Duan, who was born as a soldier, had to admit that Germany would definitely be defeated this time.During this period, Lao Duan was very interested in the European war. He didn't go home for lunch, and he didn't play cards or chess in the afternoon.

Soon, U.S. Minister to China Reinsch received instructions from Washington to inform the Chinese government of the news of the severance of diplomatic relations between the United States and Germany.After Li Yuanhong learned of Rui Enshi's intention to come, although he was also very interested in the European war situation, he seemed to have doubts about Rui Enshi's description of the future war situation, so he did not make a clear statement on the spot. After bidding farewell to Li Yuanhong, Rui Enshi went to visit Prime Minister Duan Qirui again, and tried to gain his support.Lao Duan was very interested in the news that the United States was about to join the war, and he expressed his strong support for China to follow the United States in breaking diplomatic relations with Germany.In fact, in order to persuade China to join the Allied Powers, the United States promised to provide loans to China and promised to use the boxer indemnity to the Chinese government.

At the same time that Rui Enshi started his diplomatic activities, some foreign advisers from the Allies, such as the American advisers of the Presidential Palace, Fu Kaisen, and the British advisers, Morrison, also lobbied influential figures in the Chinese officialdom at that time, and they made unanimous suggestions. Therefore, China must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand up and board the last train of the "victorious country". In the eyes of these foreign friends, although China at that time was a big and useless country, it had a large land and abundant resources, a large number of cheap labor resources, inexhaustible raw materials and a market waiting to be fully developed. Everything can just be used to make up for the shortcomings of the Allies.Furthermore, Japan, which rose suddenly after the First Sino-Japanese War, took advantage of the opportunity of the European War to fish in troubled waters in East Asia, and its power should not be underestimated.For the sake of the long-term plan of returning to Asia after the war, Britain and France must win over China to check and balance Japan, so it is very necessary to force China to join the war.

Under the lobbying of people from all walks of life and the temptation of the "victorious country", the "big shots" in Beijing couldn't help being tempted. On February 9, the government of the Republic of China protested against Germany's policy of blocking the international high seas with "unlimited submarine warfare." This also reflected a signal from the side that China might break diplomatic relations with Germany and declare war. After the outbreak of the First World War, the European powers had no time to take into account China's contention, which provided a valuable opportunity for Japan to expand its influence in China. It declared war on Germany and occupied Qingdao, Shandong Province as a typical example.In fact, the international situation in the Far East underwent major changes after the First World War. While the old European powers such as Britain, France, and Germany continued to shrink their influence in China, the newly emerging Asian neighbor Japan and the potential world hegemony the United States began to step up their efforts. Expansion to China.As a result, the conflict between the two countries continued to intensify and eventually broke out during World War II, which is inevitable.

At the beginning of the outbreak of World War I, Japan strongly opposed China's participation in the war, because it would make Japan lose its reasonable excuse for occupying Qingdao.But after 1917, Japan not only took over and stabilized all the original German rights and interests in Shandong, but also reached a secret agreement with the main allied countries, Britain, France, and Russia. These three countries promised Japan to support China after the war. Japan's request to inherit Germany's rights and interests in Shandong.As a result, Japan changed its support for China to join the Allied Powers and declared war on Germany.

After receiving China's protest against Germany, Japanese Foreign Minister Motono immediately told Minister Zhang Zongxiang in Japan that China's protest against Germany was not enough, and China should directly sever diplomatic relations with Germany.Two days later, Moto met Zhang Zongxiang again and made it clear that he hoped that China would join the Allied Powers after severing diplomatic relations with Germany. The strange thing is that the United States made a 180-degree turn after learning about Japan's attitude. They then instructed Rui Enshi to advise China not to join the world war, and the European war situation does not require China to participate in the war.The Americans also specifically reminded that the Chinese government hopes to negotiate with the United States before taking further diplomatic actions.

Compared with the "lips but not the truth" of American diplomacy, the Japanese have taken the lead. They secretly sent Nishihara Kamezo and others to lobby Duan Qirui, promising to provide large loans to help Duan's cabinet overcome financial difficulties, and willing to help Duan. Qirui trains the army, and then realizes the dream of "unifying China by force". Duan Qirui didn't have a good impression of Japan at first, and he once advocated preparing for war during the "21" negotiations, but this time the Japanese offered too generous conditions, so Duan reluctantly accepted Japan's " kindness".Duan thought to himself, if China wins without a fight, it will not only improve China's international status, but also use the pretext of participating in the war to expand its own power, especially the strength of the army. Where can such a good thing be found?Besides, using foreign wars to divert domestic attention is a tried-and-true way to stabilize the country in the early days of the establishment of the new regime. What's more, there is really no risk in participating in the war this time, and it would be a pity not to take the opportunity to hitch a ride.

At the beginning of March, Lao Duan’s staff team drew up an “Abstract of Conditions for Joining the Allied Powers”, which stated that the conditions for China’s participation in the war were to stop paying Boxer indemnities to Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and to suspend the payment of indemnities to the Allied Powers for ten years; China would import Tariffs were increased to 7.5%, and increased to 12.5% ​​after domestic lijin was abolished; clauses in the "Xin Chou Treaty" that did not allow China to station troops in Tianjin were cancelled.Immediately afterwards, Lao Duan presided over a cabinet meeting, at which the case of severance of diplomatic relations with Germany and the "Abbreviated Conditions for Joining the Entente" were passed smoothly.

On March 4, Lao Duan enthusiastically led the cabinet members to the presidential palace and asked President Li to stamp the case of severance of diplomatic relations with Germany and the "Abbreviated Conditions for Joining the Entente".Ordinarily, the "Abbreviated Conditions for Joining the Allied Powers" is indeed a good thing for the country and the people, but President Li knows the thoughts behind the old paragraph.After skimming through these two documents, he stated that he could not affix his seal. If he must affix his seal, he should first negotiate with Congress; moreover, the power to declare war and negotiate peace is the power of the president, and now it is the power to sever diplomatic relations. The harbinger of the war, the matter is of great importance, and we must not act hastily. President Li’s words seem to be reasonable, but they are untenable in terms of jurisprudence, because what Lao Duan sent now is just a government statement, which needs to be reviewed by the Congress after the presidential palace has stamped it; Then the president will seal it and officially release it to the outside world. This is the president's right to declare war and negotiate peace stipulated in the Provisional Constitution.Since the "Provisional Constitution" stipulates the responsible cabinet system, the president should not try to obstruct the seal, because the responsible cabinet is responsible to the Congress, and its final decision-making power lies with the Congress, not the president. As a result, the cabinet members quarreled with Li Yuanhong, and Fan Yuanlian, the Minister of Education, even slapped the table, accusing President Li of wanting to be the emperor of the past for his arbitrariness of power.Old Duan came here excitedly, but President Li poured cold water on him. Now he couldn't hold back the anger in his heart. He said angrily: "The President refuses to affix his seal, and the Congress wants to ask me about my responsibility. This Is the responsible cabinet still in place? How can I continue to work as a prime minister?" When Lao Duan got angry, the situation suddenly became more intense. The cabinet members said something to me, and President Li was speechless, and he returned to his original form as a bodhisattva.It's a pity that since the Bodhisattva can't speak, there is no need to talk about the matter of sealing.Zhang Guogan, Secretary-General of the State Council, saw that both sides were very angry. He repeatedly persuaded everyone to calm down, put the country first in everything and don't fight with each other, but his words did not have any effect. When everyone had said what they had to say, President Li still refused to stamp his seal.After an awkward silence, Premier Duan stood up angrily, and left the presidential palace without saying hello.The other cabinet members looked at each other in blank dismay, and then withdrew along with Lao Duan. That afternoon, Premier Duan went straight to the train station for Tianjin without saying a word.Before Lao Duan was about to leave, Vice President Feng Guozhang, who happened to be in Beijing for a meeting, hurried over after hearing the news, and tried his best to persuade Premier Duan to put the overall situation first and not to leave easily.The old Duan said angrily: "Brother, you don't know, this Li Yuanhong is too difficult to work with! He kept saying that declaring war and negotiating peace is the prerogative of the president. If this is the case, then I, the prime minister, should stop doing it and go back to where I am." !” After saying that, Lao Duan boarded the special train and headed for Tianjin. After the news of Lao Duan's departure reached the presidential palace, President Li was still a little at a loss. He then called a group of people in the presidential palace to discuss what to do.Some of Li Yuanhong's staff, such as Ha Hanzhang and others, could not understand the arrogance of the people in the State Council on weekdays. This time they saw that Duan really ran away, and they were secretly happy. The post of prime minister was removed, and another cabinet was appointed.According to the "Provisional Constitution", President Li is actually a "virtuous monarch", but according to the Chinese tradition that has been followed for thousands of years, how can China's head of state be a virtual monarch?Furthermore, Li Yuanhong is also a high-ranking founding father anyway, so how could he be willing to be Han Xiandi and Liu Adou?After all, the President is the Prime Minister's superior...isn't it?Besides, those powerful factions of warlords and members of Congress in the south also want to use his banner to fight for power with the Beiyang faction, so he can't be a false king. Taking two and a half steps back, Duan Qirui is not Yuan Shikai after all! However, there is a gap between the "Temporary Agreement" and reality, and there is also a gap between Li Yuanhong's wish and reality.Li Yuanhong certainly wanted to bring down Duan Qirui, but considering the old Duan's status and power in the Beiyang faction, he still didn't dare to act rashly for the time being.Even if Duan Qirui is to be removed from the position of prime minister, then Li Yuanhong must at least find a good next home, otherwise, the president will be to blame for the paralysis of state affairs.Thinking of this, Li Yuanhong hurriedly invited Xu Shichang, Wang Shizhen, and Feng Guozhang to the presidential palace, hoping that they could persuade them to make a difference, and it would be best to persuade Duan Qirui to return to Beijing.After all, these three veterans of the Beiyang Department and the old Duan are old colleagues, old comrades-in-arms, and old friends for many years. When Lao Yuan was here, everyone had worked together for so many years. But at this time, Feng Guozhang brought bad news to Li Yuanhong, that is, Lao Duan was going to send a resignation telegram in Tianjin, and asked the military and political chiefs of various provinces to comment on the right and wrong.Feng Guozhang's words contained words, did Li Yuanhong not know that once the old Duan's resignation became known all over the country, it would be even worse.So Li Yuanhong asked Feng Guozhang to spare no effort to go to Tianjin in person to bring Lao Duan back. Feng Guozhang would be happy to take a trip, but he is not sure that he will be able to convince Lao Duan.To put it bluntly, Duan Qirui is younger than Feng Guozhang and Xu Shichang, but he has the biggest temper. He has always been a soldier, saying what he says, and there is little room for change.Feng Guozhang also knew that this time was caused by the declaration of war on the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany, so he had to ask President Li for a letter of approval, otherwise things would be really difficult to handle. In order to persuade Li Yuanhong to agree to the case of severing diplomatic relations with Germany, Feng Guozhang did not hesitate to say that although Germany is strong now, it is outnumbered after all. What's the disadvantage? Besides, the countries of the Allied Alliance have agreed to revise the agreement after the war. Wouldn't it be a good thing to join? As for Li Yuanhong, he was in a mess when he heard that Lao Duan was going to use the provincial governors as backup. At this time, he couldn't care less about diplomacy with Germany.In desperation, Li Yuanhong could only agree that as long as Premier Duan was willing to come back, he would be in charge of all diplomatic matters; as long as the Congress passed, he would never interfere. After receiving Li Yuanhong's guarantee, Feng Guozhang then took the train to Tianjin, and together with Tang Hualong, the speaker of the House of Representatives who had arrived before, persuaded Duan Qirui to return to Beijing to watch the matter.Seeing that Li Yuanhong had surrendered and the steps were given smoothly, Lao Duan couldn't hold back his pretentiousness (this is not Lao Duan's style!), and then returned to Beijing with Feng Guozhang and others on the evening of March 6.That night, when Duan Qirui returned to his private house, Feng Guozhang went to the Presidential Palace to report to Li Yuanhong that the matter had been completed, and the old Duan had returned to Beijing. In the afternoon of the next day, accompanied by Feng Guozhang, Duan Qirui once again asked President Li to stamp the message of severing diplomatic relations with Germany.After the last turmoil, Li Yuanhong stamped the president's seal on the spot without saying a word this time.The next day, Duan Qirui entertained members of the Senate and the House of Representatives at the Guest House, and explained the government's foreign policy to them in order to reach a consensus and successfully pass the case of severing diplomatic relations with Germany. With these foreshadowings in place, the House of Representatives voted on the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany on March 10, which was passed by a vote of 331 to 87; on March 11, the Senate also passed the bill by a vote of 158 to 35. On March 14, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China formally sent a note to the German Minister, announcing the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany, the suspension of the payment of German indemnities and arrears, and ordered Yan Huiqing, the Minister in Germany, to return to China immediately.After the German minister received the note, although he also sent a protest, but the matter had come to an end, and finally he had to lower the flag and return to the country, and the German consuls from all over the country also returned to the country one after another.As for the German concessions in Tianjin and Hankou, the central government ordered local officials to take them back immediately, and a small number of German troops in the concessions were also disarmed; even German merchant ships in China were detained one by one, and most German engineers in China were dismissed. return home.As a result, the power that Germany had developed in China since its occupation of Jiaozhou Bay in 1898 largely disappeared. On this issue of diplomacy with Germany, Lao Duan has won a complete victory, and he can't help but feel a little proud.However, severing diplomatic relations with Germany is only the first step in the plan, and the next step is to join the war against Germany, which is the most critical.What Lao Duan didn't expect was that the next step seemed to be a matter of course, but actually caused a lot of troubles that shouldn't be there.