Chapter 38 Chapter 35 The Fall of the Qing Dynasty

Since the western force invaded the east, the Chinese have encountered unprecedented changes.In the face of unprecedented changes, there must be extraordinary means, and then they are sufficient to deal with them. Such means are naturally not owned by the class that originally controlled the political power, but where did the new opportunity come from?One of them came from the middle class and was based on the old culture, and it was for the Reform Movement of 1898.The second is the revolution of 1911, which is based on the inherent revolutionary ideas spread in the lower-level society, adopts Western culture, and establishes a plan.Kang Youwei was the driving force behind the Reform Movement of 1898.Kang Youwei's learning was formed by inheriting the remaining threads of the learning of the Confucian classics in the Qing Dynasty, and integrating Buddhism, Song and Ming Neo Confucianism.1. Because he can bear the "extraordinary meaning" of modern studies, he can get close to Western democracy.2. Because he can bear the spirit of thorough reform of Song scholars, his theory of governance is based on thorough reform, advocates the establishment of detailed governance, and opposes the simple and laissez-faire policy of "governing the world is worse than securing the world, and securing the world is worse than maintaining the world." .Third, advocating that the middle class should be the center of gravity of politics, so the scholar-officials should have the ambition to take the world as their own responsibility and have the spirit of solidarity with each other.The lectures of Song and Ming people have this kind of style.Since entering the Qing Dynasty, in view of the disadvantages of giving lectures internally, and being intimidated by the despotic power of foreign races externally, this kind of atmosphere has passed for a long time.When the power of the Qing Dynasty declined and government orders were no longer effective, Kang Youwei gave lectures everywhere.Under his sect, there is indeed a group of Yingduo upright talents.Therefore, Kang Youwei's knowledge and behavior can be said to be the revival of old Chinese culture.Before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, he had already written a letter to say something.At the age of Yiwei, when China and Japan were negotiating peace, he joined forces with Juren who had entered the capital for an examination, and wrote a letter advocating moving the capital to continue the war, because Chen reformed the strategy of self-improvement.The book has not been reached.After the peace negotiation was concluded, he set up a strong school in Beijing, and wanted to unite with the scholar-bureaucrats to conspire to save the country.His disciple Liang Qichao went to Shanghai and presided over the ten-day issue of "Current Affairs News", discussing the meaning of reform and self-improvement.As soon as this newspaper was published, it became popular all over the country, and the reform and reform became a momentary public opinion.Kang Youwei wrote two more letters.When Germany occupied Jiaozhou Bay, they went to Beijing again to present an emergency plan.So Kang Youwei wrote the letter five times, and only got it once.Dezong read it and thought so.At the age of 1898, that is, in 1898, he promoted Youwei and others to seek reform.Kang Youwei's purpose is to make big changes and rapid changes.Big change is to seek overall reform, and rapid change is to take advantage of the opportunity.He believed that the resistance to the reform was due to the selfishness of powerful ministers who wanted to consolidate their positions, so he advised Dezong not to go to the old yamen, but to set up new missions.He thought this would reduce resistance.But those who hinder the reform are not entirely out of selfishness to preserve the position of salary; that is to say, according to the theory of preserving the position of salary, the power is gone, and the benefits will not be guaranteed, which is not enough to reassure him.What's more, Dezong and Empress Xiaoqin have always had a rift, and Dezong has always had no power?So there was the coup d'état of 1898.After the coup, Dezong was secluded, and Youwei went overseas to establish a royalist party. After the overthrow of Xiaoqin, Dezong's pro-government appealed.However, if you have no fists and no courage, what can you do again?But Xiaoqin wanted to arrest Kang and Liang, but he couldn't; he wanted to abolish Dezong, but he was opposed by the minister, and his anger was directed at outsiders.At that time, Empress Xiaoqin appointed Pu Jun, the son of Zaiyi, the king of Duanjun, as his elder brother. Because Zaiyi was eager for his son to take the throne, some of his relatives agreed with him and hoped to support him.However, the very old idea that "as long as the Chinese people are of one mind, foreigners can be expelled, returning to the old days of retreat" has not yet been exhausted.In addition, people in the lower class suffered from the pain of teaching cases, and benefited from the saying that the strength of foreigners lies in guns, and that divine power can resist guns, which led to the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.Relatives and stubborn ministers, wanting to take advantage of it, connive at killing priests in Beijing and Tianjin, burning churches, tearing down railways, and knocking down electric poles. They destroy new things and kill people who use foreign goods.And forged the requirements of outsiders to intimidate Xiaoqin and force him to declare war with other countries at the same time.Desiring to profit from the chaos, Dezong was abolished and Pu Jun was established.As a result, the Eight-Power Allied Forces entered the capital, and Dezong and Xiaoqin left for Xi'an. In the 1901 peace treaty, the compensation amounted to 450 trillion.All the forts on the road from Beijing to Haikou were demolished.And allow all countries to station troops on its roads.The area of ​​the embassy was also designated, allowing it to manage and defend by itself.The loss of rights is not only great, but also the loss of dignity can be said to be complete.At that time, the governors of the southeast signed a mutual guarantee agreement with the consuls in Shanghai, and they would not obey Beijing's false orders.Although the scope of the war disaster had to be narrowed, the orders of the central government were no longer applicable to the localities.And the Heilongjiang general hastily provoked the Russians, causing the three eastern provinces to be occupied by the Russians.When various countries negotiated peace with China, the Russians said that the three eastern provinces were special events and refused to incorporate them into the peace treaty for discussion. Fortunately, the intact land was still in danger of being broken.This is the catastrophe caused by the Battle of Gengzi.After Xiaoqin's return to Luan, xenophobia has turned into fawning on foreigners; those who previously resisted change have now turned into New Deal in appearance to perfuse the people.In the palace, there is arrogance and extravagance, while above the court, the mediocrity is as usual.At this point, the Manchu Qing government could not sustain itself, and the Chinese people had no choice but to seek a political solution on their own.

At the end of the 19th century, the theory of carve-up was very popular, as seen in the previous chapter. In 1899, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay issued an ultimatum to Britain, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, proposing the open-door doctrine.Its content is as follows: 1. Countries shall not interfere with each other in the scope of interests or leased areas obtained by China, or other acquired rights.2. All ports in various countries shall abide by China's current customs tax rate for goods entering the port from other countries, and the tax shall be levied by China.3. In each port within the borders of each country, the import tax imposed on ships from other countries shall not be higher than that of ships from its own country, and the same applies to railway freight.This is nothing more than to preserve its vested rights in the treaty.Since it is necessary to preserve the rights in the treaty, it is natural that the preservation of the territory must be related to it, because the establishment or change of the territory, the established treaty is naturally invalid in the territory that should be changed.The six countries all reaffirmed their acknowledgment.However, at this time, Russia was actually the aggressor, and the three eastern provinces were occupied and the balance of power collapsed.At this time, the British had business in South Africa and had no time to take care of the East. Instead, they signed a treaty with Germany, affirming the purpose of opening the door and preserving the territory.All countries have no objection.But the Russians claim that its application is limited to the sphere of influence of Britain and Germany.Great Britain strongly opposed it.Germany and the East, after all, have a shallow relationship, so they recognize the Russian claim.Therefore, Britain felt that in order to fight against Russia in the East, it must have stronger foreign aid, which was the British-Japanese alliance in 1902.Russia also united with France to issue a declaration, saying that if the interests of the two countries are violated due to the aggression of a third country or the disturbance of China, they should cooperate in defense.At this time, Japan is naturally most concerned about the interests of Northeast my country, but it has not dared to go to war with Russia rashly, so there is talk of an exchange between Manchuria and South Korea.In general, Japan recognized Russia's rights in the three northeastern provinces, and the Russians recognized Japan's rights in Korea.But the Russians were very proud at this time, and they still refused to admit it. The result was the Russo-Japanese War in 1904.Russia was defeated, and a peace treaty was concluded at Portsmouth, USA.The Russians gave up their rights in Korea, and cut off the land south of 50 degrees north latitude of Sakhalin Island and Japan.Except for the leased land, the armies of the two countries in the three northeastern provinces withdrew and returned their land to China.Under the conditions recognized by China, Lushun and Dalian Bay were sub-leased to Japan, and the Eastern Provincial Railway branch line from Changchun to Japan was ceded to Japan.How could the Qing court not recognize it?He signed the "Agreement on Matters concerning the Three Eastern Provinces of the Conference" with Japan. In addition to recognizing the money related to China in the "Treaty of Portsmouth", many commercial ports were opened in the three provinces.The Anfeng Railway used by the military was changed by Xu Riren to a commercial railway.And promise a joint venture to mine timber on the left bank of the Yalu River.As a result, kudzu vines for negotiations in the Northeast have sprung up one after another, and the qualifications of the invaders are here and not there.During the Russo-Japanese War, Britain took the opportunity to send troops into Tibet, and the Dalai Lama fled.The British made an agreement with the Panchen Lama to open Gyantse and Gardak as commercial ports.Land in Tibet may not be leased or sold to foreigners without the permission of Britain.Railways, roads, wires, and minerals shall not be licensed to foreign countries or foreigners.All deposits, money, and goods shall not be mortgaged to foreign countries or foreigners.All things are free from foreign interference, and foreign officials are not allowed to station and garrison troops.China was shocked by the report, but negotiations with the British were ineffective. As a last resort, they signed the "British-Tibetan Treaty Renewal" in 1906, acknowledging the "British-Tibetan Treaty" as an ancillary treaty, but declaring that the so-called foreign countries or foreigners did not include China. Or the Chinese stop inside.In the Northeast, China intends to borrow British money to build the new French Railway, which the Japanese refer to as the parallel line of the Nanman Railway (the branch line of the Eastern Province Railway, which the Russians gave to Japan, and the Japanese renamed it Nanman Road). China had no choice but to Give it up, but when he asked to build the Jinqi Railway, Japan did not object.Because China wanted to borrow money from Britain and the United States, it extended the Jinqi Railway to Aihui.The Japanese instigated the Russians to come out and resist, so the Americans proposed a neutral proposal for the Manchurian Railway.The method is to borrow money from all countries to China, and China will redeem the railways of the three eastern provinces.Before the loan is repaid, it will be jointly managed by all countries, and political and military use is prohibited.Both Japan and Russia lodged protests after the meeting was made.At this time, because the United Kingdom and the United States wanted to extend their influence in the Northeast, but failed, the result instead led to the alliance between Japan and Russia.Therefore, the two countries signed an agreement, declaring that they would maintain the status quo in Manchuria, and that when the status quo was forced, they would consult with each other.It is said that there is a secret agreement in this agreement. Russia recognizes Japan and Korea, and Japan recognizes Russia's actions in Mongolia and Xinjiang.This covenant was established in 1910.Sure enough, Japan merged with South Korea in that year, and the Russians put forward tough demands on Mongolia and New Zealand next year, and used the mournful US letter to coerce China into admitting it.

Feng Ling's external force was actually a matter of greatest concern to the people of the Qing Dynasty.The Qing Dynasty was familiar with the invasion of territory and the loss of rights, and it was helpless, and there were many self-inflicted things to introduce external forces into the depths.The people have no hope for the Qing government, and find it difficult to tolerate it.Before Gengzi, those who still hoped that the Qing Dynasty would reform and strengthen themselves, after Gengzi, they had no such intentions. They advocated revolution fiercely, and those who were peaceful also advocated constitutionalism. What needed to be reformed was not government affairs but the political system.The leader of the revolution, Mr. Sun Yat-sen, was born in the south of China. He was able to inherit the national revolutionary ideas from the Ming Dynasty and accept Western democracy.In 1885, he decided to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish the Republic of China. In 1892, Lixing Zhonghui was established in Macau.After roaming around Europe and the United States, I decided to adopt the principles of people's livelihood, and the Three People's Principles were completed.Since 1892, Sun Yat-sen has repeatedly raised the banner of revolution.The force used at that time was mainly to organize the party, and secondly to move the defense army.However, the anti-military ideology is very corrupt, and the party's ideology and organizational strength are also considered insufficient, so repeated attempts have failed.Since the Reform Movement of 1898, new opportunities have been opened up, and more and more Chinese people are studying abroad. Because of the proximity of the city and the province, more people go to Japan.Disappointed with the government, the theory of revolution and constitutionalism flourished for a while. In 1905, Mr. Zhongshan went to Japan and reorganized the Xingzhonghui into the Tongmenghui.At this point in the revolutionary group, people above the middle class began to join.Mr. Zhongshan said: "I have come here only to hope that the revolution can be successful in time." People above the middle class may not have the ability to act directly, although they seem to be inferior to those in the lower class, but because of their leadership status, they are important in propaganda. However, the power in the field is far from that of the people in the lower society, and the revolutionary trend of thought will soon permeate the whole country.At this time, Kang Youwei, the prime minister and protector of the emperor, still advocated a constitutional monarchy.His disciple, Liang Qichao, has run newspapers over the years and is the most authoritative in the field of speech.At the beginning of the revolution, he also changed to follow his teacher's ideas. In the "Xinmin Congbao" he ran, he gave full play to his opinions and debated with the "Minbao" published by the Tongmenghui. Therefore, constitutionalism and revolution became two political issues. Big trend.Because of the disappointment with the Qing Dynasty, even among the internal and external ministers and workers, there are also those who advocate constitutionalism.After the Russo-Japanese War, using Japan's constitutional victory and Russia's autocratic defeat as an excuse, the discussion was especially popular for a while.At this time in the Qing Dynasty, he had no claims.So in 1906, an edict was issued to prepare for a constitution.After a few years, observe the situation to determine the time limit for implementation.The people are still not satisfied. In 1908, the imperial edict stipulated that the constitutional period would be nine years.In the winter of this year, Emperor Dezong and Empress Xiaoqin died one after another.Dezong's younger brother, Prince Chun Zaifeng's son Pu Yili.When he was young, Zaifeng was the regent, and his nature was very fatuous.His younger brothers Zai Xun and Zai Tao acted recklessly.Prince Qing Yikuang, who is the head of the government, is old and prone to bribery, and the political situation is even darker.The people have repeatedly asked for a constitution to be implemented immediately, but they are not allowed. In 1910, the Advisory Council, known as the preparation for the National Assembly, also thought it was a plea and allowed the deadline to be shortened, and the National Assembly was established three years later.However, given the political situation at that time, seeing that there was no hope of improvement even if the Congress was convened, the people still felt discouraged.And because of the railway state-owned problem, there was a big conflict with the people.At this time, the knowledge of the new army is no longer comparable to that of the old army; its discipline and combat effectiveness are naturally far stronger than those of the party.Due to the zealous movement of the revolutionaries, many people are in favor of the revolution. On October 10, 1911, that is, the 19th day of the 19th August in the old calendar, the Revolutionary Army launched an attack in Wuchang.The Qing Dynasty had nothing to stand for, and when nothing happened, although relatives and nobles wanted to monopolize power, when it was in crisis, they still had to use Yuan Shikai.Yuan Shikai did not have the sincerity to support the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty was exhausted and had to abdicate on February 12, the first year of the Republic of China.China, which had been occupied for 268 years, has now been restored; and the thousands of years of autocratic monarchy have been subverted in one fell swoop.Since the five-port trade agreement, the people of our country felt that the current situation was serious, and they rose up to reform. It has only been 70 years since then, but with such a great achievement, its success cannot be described as unhurried.