Chapter 108 107. Self-indignation intervenes in national policy

In World War I, the unrestricted attack by German submarines aroused great dislike in the United States, and on February 3, 6, the United States officially announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany.Gu Weijun, Chinese Minister to the United States, telegraphed President Wilson's decision to Beijing. At this time, Beijing's foreign envoys in China were actively fighting for China. Before that, China had insisted on neutrality. On February 4, the United States sent a note to the governments of neutral countries, welcoming the neutral countries and the United States to take concerted actions.U.S. Minister to China Rui Enshi tried his best to persuade the Chinese government to respond to the call of the United States to strengthen Sino-US cooperative relations.Foreign Minister Wu Tingfang advocated following the American line in order to win the United States to assist China economically and politically, to resist Japanese aggression, and to have a say in the post-war international peace conference.Li Yuanhong was very moved by these interests.However, Duan Qirui has always been pro-German. He usually takes western medicine and does not take non-German medicine. At the same time, he firmly believes that the German army is invincible in the world, and the final victory must belong to Germany.However, Duan was getting closer to Japan at this time, and Japan had declared war on Germany, so Duan wanted to hear about Japan's intentions. On February 7, in the name of the State Council, Duan ordered Zhang Zongxiang, the Minister in Japan, to inquire nearby.Zhang replied: Japanese Foreign Minister Motono expressed no objection to China's severance of diplomatic relations with Germany.Japan’s attitude was quite different from the past. When Yuan was alive, Britain, France, and Russia had persuaded China to join the war, but Japan opposed it. Japan believed that since China had declared neutrality, there was no need to declare war on Germany.At that time, Japan opposed China's severance of diplomatic relations with Germany because it was afraid that after China joined the Allied Powers, Japan would not be able to "take advantage of the fire" to invade China, not to mention that Yuan Shikai was pulling Britain to deal with Japan.Now that Duan's cabinet is getting closer to Japan, China's participation in the Allied Powers is also beneficial to Japan.

Zhang Guogan, secretary-general of Duan's cabinet, also strongly advocated the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany. Every day, he provided Duan with information that was not conducive to Germany, and moved Duan with the benefits of severing diplomatic relations with Germany.Duan then changed from an extremely pro-German faction to an extreme anti-German faction. On the issue of Germany, there were seminars in the government at that time, and the college held state affairs meetings every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. On January, Wednesday, and Friday, the "International Government Affairs Review Conference" was held. The host was Zhang Guogan, and the participants There are celebrities, scholars, speech authority and so on.Xu Shuzheng opposed the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany. He wrote seven letters to Duan, narrating his opposition to China's involvement in the European War. Duan only read two of them, and put them in a drawer intact.Liang Qichao is also an extreme pro-German faction, so he also opposes breaking off diplomatic relations with Germany.

Most members of Congress sympathized with the Allies and criticized Germany's militaristic policy. One of the worst notions of the Chinese people is that they often implicate external problems with internal grievances.When Duan heard that Li and the National Assembly also advocated the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany, he tried his best to be the first, and he did not want to follow Li.At this time, Li hated Duan to the extreme. In Li's view, Duan's policies were useless.It's not easy to mess with Mr. Li if he gets stiff sometimes. In order to solicit opinions on the issue of severing diplomatic relations with Germany, Duan Qirui secretly sent military and political officials from various provinces, and Li also sent secret telegrams to celebrities across the country to solicit opinions.As a result, all the answers were against the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany.

Celebrities such as: Mr. Sun Yat-sen, Tang Shaoyi, Zhang Binglin, Tan Renfeng, Kang Youwei, Ma Junwu and so on. For example, the Beiyang military department: Feng Guozhang blatantly opposed it because of the influence of Sun Hongyi. Others who opposed it were Zhang Xun, Ni Sichong, Wang Zhanyuan, etc. They advocated firm neutrality. At this time, in order to reply to the note from the United States, the Chinese government asked U.S. Minister Reinsch four points from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: (1) Can the U.S. government guarantee that the Chinese army, navy and arsenal are not controlled by foreign forces? (2) Can the US government guarantee China's participation in the post-war peace conference? (3) What is the relationship between the London Agreement, which stipulated that the Allied countries could not negotiate a separate peace, and the other warring countries that did not participate in the agreement? (4) It is hoped that the United States will lend money to China so that China can undertake various tasks of severing diplomatic relations with Germany. On February 8, the U.S. envoy replied to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying: "The U.S. will try to assist China so that China can take responsibility for breaking diplomatic relations with Germany without affecting China's control over military equipment and general administration."

On February 9, 196, the Duan Cabinet passed the meeting, and the Chinese government sent an ultimatum to Germany, asking Germany to cancel the submarine policy, otherwise China would break off diplomatic relations with Germany.At the same time, Wu Tingfang used the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reply to the note of the US Minister on February 4, stating that China would take concerted action with the US.Duan Qirui also sent Wang Daxie to the Japanese legation, and Lu Zhengxiang to the British and Russian embassies respectively. On February 10, Duan Ling Zhang Zongxiang, Minister to Japan, explained to the Japanese government the circumstances of the Chinese government's protest to Germany, and expressed "friendship" to Japan.Japanese Foreign Minister Moto's reply was thanks, but in his tone, he felt that the Chinese government did not consult with Japan before making a decision, which was a bit regretful.At the same time, he urged the Chinese government to take further preparations for severing diplomatic relations with Germany and participating in the war.Japan's so-called regret is because China did not follow Japan's footsteps, but was greatly influenced by the United States.

U.S. Minister to China Rui Enshi was accompanied by Wu Tingfang to meet with Li Yuanhong to discuss the issue of obligations and rights after China and the United States take concerted actions. Presidential Office Secretary Guo Taiqi served as the interpreter. On behalf of the U.S. government, Rui Enshi hoped that China should send at least three divisions of the army Troops go to war in Europe.With regard to China's request to stop payment of Boxer indemnity to other countries, increase tariffs, revoke consular jurisdiction, and withdraw troops from various countries, all issues can be resolved through consultation.

Japan does not agree with the United States on the issue of China's participation in the war. Japan hints at Duan Qirui that it is not necessary for China to send troops to Europe and should send Chinese workers to France.At the same time, he is willing to send instructors to train the Chinese army and help equip the Chinese army with arms. On February 11, Duan sent a secret telegram to Zhang Zongxiang, requesting Zhang to pay an official visit to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and listen to the Japanese government's specific opinions on China's severance of diplomatic relations with Germany.

When the Congress discussed this issue, a war of words arose. Li Zhaofu was in favor of breaking off diplomatic relations, while Ma Junwu was the most opposed. Feng Guozhang's change from opposition to approval is said to be urged by Zhang Guogan.Zhang is the secretary-general of the State Council, and he kept sending telegrams to Feng to emphasize the benefits of breaking diplomatic relations with Germany. He set out for the north from Nanjing on February 20. After arriving in Beijing, his attitude became ambiguous again. On the way to the north, Feng met with Ni Sichong, Zhang Xun and Zhang Huaizhi on Jinpu Road.Ni Sichong accompanied Feng Guo on his visit to Xuzhou, and Zhang Xun, the braid commander, went to the station to welcome him in person, and then held a meeting at the Yangtze River patrol mission.Feng expressed his political opinion in Xuzhou that China should strictly observe neutrality on the issue of Germany, which is exactly the same as that advocated by Zhang Xun and Ni Sichong.When Feng's train passed Jinan, Shandong, Zhang Huaizhi got on the train to meet him, and accompanied him to Dezhou before turning back to Jinan. When Feng arrived in Tianjin on the 22nd, Zhu Jiabao also boarded the car and escorted him to Huangcun, and arrived in Beijing that night.

The Beijing government gave the newly elected vice president a grand welcome. Li Yuanhong invited Feng to stay at the presidential palace. The Guard Command replied. When Feng Zhi entered Beijing, both Li and Duan believed that they had an extra helper: Li believed that Feng had the same opinion on the issue of Germany, Feng was the vice president, and the positions of the president and vice president should be the same; Duan believed that Feng It's Beiyang Paoze, after all, it's still a family, and it shouldn't object to my family supporting Lao Li, an outsider.After entering Beijing, Feng's attitude did change, from extreme opposition to gradually favoring the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany. The two diplomatic opinions were at two extremes, so he stopped expressing his opinions, and only said that he came to dredge the opinions of the government and the court and study the issue of Germany.

Xin Ci, the German envoy to China, was working desperately in China at this time, hoping that China would not break off diplomatic relations with Germany. He knew that Feng was opposed to breaking off diplomatic relations with Germany, so he wanted to win over Feng very much. He specially prepared a feast for Feng in the embassy. feast. Duan was not helped by Feng, but supported by Liang Qichao, who was also a "pro-German" like Duan.After he became an anti-German, he mocked himself and said that he did not hesitate to declare war on the self of today and the self of yesterday. He once wrote a book that favored Germany, but it could not be published because of this change in the situation, which also caused trouble. A letter of serious responsibility from his teacher Kang Youwei.

The ambiguity between the DPRK and China, and intervening in national policy with personal anger, was the most unfortunate phenomenon in the early years of the Republic of China. On February 28, Duan ordered Lu Zhengxiang to discuss the rights and obligations of China after its participation in the war with the envoys of the Allied Powers stationed in Beijing in the name of the prime minister's representative.In terms of rights, Duan Cabinet proposed: (1) Gradually increase tariffs. After the Chinese side revised the order price list, the tariffs were increased from the original value of 5 per cent to 7.5 per 100 per cent. 12.5 per hundred draws; (2) Postpone the Boxer indemnity, except for the permanent cancellation of the German indemnity, the Allied Powers postponed the payment of the indemnity for ten years, and no interest will be added during this time; (3) Abolish the military part of the "Xin Chou Treaty" , That is to say, the prohibition of stationing Chinese troops within 20 miles around Tianjin, China's prohibition of building fortresses in Dagukou, and the prohibition of stationing troops in the embassy area and the section from Majiabao to Shanhaiguan on Jingfeng Road.In terms of obligations, according to the instructions of the Japanese government, China will not send troops to Europe, but will only supply the Allies with raw materials and labor. The envoys of Britain, Russia, France, Japan, Belgium, Italy, and Portugal held talks on the conditions proposed by the Chinese side. They publicly recommended the envoys of France and Belgium as representatives, and replied to Lu Zhengxiang that all countries agreed in principle to the above items. , the specific method should be studied separately, and the Chinese government should be urged to take the first step of declaring war on Germany. At the same time, the Japanese government sent an unofficial representative to China to first hold talks with Chinese opposition figures such as Xu Shichang and Liang Qichao, trying their best to encourage China to declare war on Germany, and to express the opinion of the foreign minister that the Chinese government should resolutely announce the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany. There is no need to put forward bargaining conditions to the Allies in advance.The Japanese government sent unofficial representatives to China to carry out activities in order to avoid provoking the feelings of the Chinese people.Among them, Nishihara, a well-known "personal representative" of the prime minister in the temple, came to China to negotiate "economic assistance" in secret.At the same time, envoys from Britain, Russia, and France also visited Liang Qichao to carry out the same activities. On March 1, Duan Qirui led all the cabinet members to the presidential palace to hold the highest state affairs meeting to discuss the issue of severing diplomatic relations with Germany.Li said that this issue should be discussed in Congress first.This is of course a very pertinent opinion, and for Li, it is also a maneuver to avoid stalemate with Duan. On March 2, Duan invited the speakers of the Senate and House of Representatives and the leaders of various political parties in the Congress to discuss the need to sever diplomatic relations with Germany. None of the attendees expressed any different opinions.On this day, the seven envoys of the Allied Powers recommended the French envoy Conti to state their views on urging China to join the Allied Powers to the Beijing government. On March 3, the State Council passed the case of severing diplomatic relations with Germany, and drafted an abbreviation to the Japanese government, which was handed over to Zhang Zongxiang, the Minister in Japan, to propose to the Japanese government, requesting the Japanese government to earnestly sponsor what the Chinese government hoped to achieve after entering the war with Germany. four rights.At the end of the abbreviation, it said: "I deeply believe in the sincerity of the Japanese government to China." After this telegram was sent to the presidential palace, Li Yuanhong put it down. On March 4, Duan and all the cabinet members (only Foreign Minister Wu Tingfang did not attend, because Wu Tingfang had already submitted his resignation) went to the Presidential Palace and asked Li to stamp the government's statement on the case of severance of diplomatic relations with Germany. At the same time, he asked Li to stay in China. sent a telegram to the Minister in Japan.But Li said very seriously: "This is a major issue related to the destiny of the country. We should not take things hastily, so we have to think more about it." Then Li also emphasized: "The soldiers in all provinces are opposed to declaring war on Germany, and severing diplomatic relations with Germany is a declaration of war. First of all, we should first unify the opinions of the soldiers of the whole country, and then we can make a decision.” Duan was so angry that his face changed, and he only said this: "The Allied Powers have urged us to break off diplomatic relations with Germany more than once." Li also said excitedly: "If we obey the orders of the Allied Powers, we will not be an independent country with autonomy. According to the "Convention Law", the President has the privilege of declaring war and making peace. Since I am the President today, I shall be responsible for everything. responsibility." Fan Yuanlian, Minister of Education, supported Duan. He rushed to speak, and his words were very fierce. He said: "Although the president has privileges, the responsibility lies with the cabinet. It’s like an autocratic emperor.” When Fan said this, regardless of the system, he couldn’t help but slapped his hands on the table hard, and said: “The president is so soft that he is wronging the country!” The moment he said this, the atmosphere was very tense, and Li didn’t know it. What should be done.Fortunately, Zhang Guogan quickly eased the situation. He advised Fan not to lose his courtesy to the president, let alone act emotionally, but to discuss state affairs calmly. He couldn't hold back that side either, and he said domineeringly: "Since the president doesn't trust me, he's against me in everything, and the Congress is making trouble for me everywhere, running counter to me. I can't be a prime minister like this." So Duan stood up, bowed to Li Ban without saying a word, and then withdrew, and all the cabinet members naturally followed the Prime Minister to retreat.Li Ze was like a wooden man, neither speaking nor moving, sitting on the presidential seat, watching Duan and all cabinet members leave. On the night of that day (March 4), Duan took a special train from Beijing to Tianjin without notifying anyone. Feng Guozhang was attending the welcome party of the army officers. Ask him to focus on the overall situation and not to run away in anger.Duan said: "This person (referring to Li) is too difficult to work with. He keeps saying that declaring war and negotiating peace is the prerogative of the president, but he doesn't know that today is a responsible cabinet system. Since the president has privileges, what else can the cabinet do? Why should I?" How about a vegetarian meal?" Regardless of Feng's advice, he resignedly boarded the train to Tianjin, where he stayed at Duan Zhigui's private residence in the Italian Concession.This is the second time since the founding of the Republic of China that a prime minister has left Beijing because of political disagreements with the president. Before Duan, it was Tang Shaoyi who went to Tianjin in the first year of the Republic of China because he was dissatisfied with Yuan's arbitrariness. The Presidential Palace heard that Duan Qirui had left in a fit of anger, but it was exactly what he wanted. At that time, the Secretary-General of the Presidential Palace had been replaced by Xia Shoukang. Zhang, Jin Yongyan, Jiang Zuobin, Li Shu, etc. are in charge. Ha and others want to overthrow Duan through diplomatic issues, so they can’t get along with Duan on the issue of severing diplomatic relations with Germany and declaring war. Of course, Li himself also hopes to change to a more cooperative prime minister. However, he was afraid that after replacing Duan, it would arouse the resentment of the Beiyang military, so he urged Xu Shichang or Wang Shizhen to succeed the cabinet premier. As early as October 5, when the government and the court could not step down because of the first conflict between Sun Hongyi and Xu Shuzheng, Li invited Wang Shizhen to Weihui to welcome Xu Shichang to Beijing. )”, “maintain Hefei (referring to Duan)”, and “not enter political circles (referring to himself)”, Li agreed to the three conditions before he went to Beijing. Arrived in Beijing on November 16, 5, but did not go to the government office to visit Li on the same day. On the 17th, Li personally visited him in Wutiao Hutong.Ding Shiyi, Li's secretary-general, persuaded Li not to lose heart. Xu is an old fox, and it is human nature to half push and half push. As long as Duan makes a wrong move, Xu can replace Duan. Li and his left and right knew that if Xu came out, Zhang Xun and other powerful factions of the warlord regiment would support Xu.But Xu is an old fox, how could he accept Li's invitation at this time and offend Duan?Li turned his head to look for Wang Shizhen, but Wang Shizhen refused to jump into the fire pit. On March 4th and 5th, the envoys of the Allied Powers expressed their deep concern to the Beijing government about Duan's departure.Li ordered Lu Zhengxiang to go to the embassies of various countries to explain that China's foreign policy will not change, and the Allies should not worry.On the other hand, Xin Ci, the German minister to China, was very pleased to learn that the quarrel between Li and Duan was due to Li's refusal to stamp the official document on the severance of diplomatic relations with Germany. Therefore, he asked to meet the president. Li thought that this was not the time to meet foreign ministers. , should avoid suspicion. On the 5th, Li summoned all the cabinet members and told them to work as usual. Fan Yuanlian, the head of education, could not continue to serve because he had slandered Li face to face, so he submitted his resignation alone, which Li refused to accept.Li mainly considered how to deal with the problem of Duan running away. Since Li's strategy of asking Xu Shichang or Wang Shizhen to replace Duan was unworkable, he decided to choose one of the cabinet members to act as the prime minister. back to Beijing.Feng Guozhang advised Li to think more about this issue and not to go to extremes. At the same time, he volunteered to go to Tianjin to persuade Duan to return to Beijing. Therefore, Li only agreed to send Tang Hualong, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to Tianjin to persuade Duan to return to Beijing. On this day, Zhu Jiabao, the governor of Zhili in Tianjin, informed Feng Guozhang that Duan had prepared a telegram to resign and leave Beijing, and asked the military and civilian chiefs of the provinces to comment on the right and wrong.This is to spread the political dispute between the president and the prime minister to judge the right and wrong of the Beiyang soldiers, and it is also a means of threatening Li.However, Duan's telegram had not yet been sent, and the warlords of various provinces had sent telegrams to Beijing, demanding to keep Duan. On the evening of the 5th, Li once again invited Feng Guozhang, Xu Shichang, and Wang Shizhen into the government to discuss the political situation.Feng Guozhang telegraphed Zhu Jiabao's informant.When this happened, Li's courage disappeared immediately, and instead he asked Feng to go to Tianjin in person to persuade Duan to return to Beijing first.He said helplessly: "Okay! Let Zhiquan (Duan's account) preside over diplomatic issues. I have no objections at all, but it is always better to obey the majority." Feng Guozhang found Duan in Tianjin and said to Duan: "As long as the Congress can pass the case of severing diplomatic relations with Germany, the president will implement it according to law and will never interfere." On the 6th, Feng and Duan returned to Beijing together. Feng went to the Presidential Palace to report to Li that the task had been completed, and Duan returned to Fuxue Hutong private residence. On the 7th, I went to the State Council to work. The first official task was to send out the telegram to Zhang Zongxiang.In the afternoon Feng accompanied Duan to the Presidential Palace to pay a visit to Li. Duan bowed to Li, and sat down to discuss a set of reasons beneficial to China for severing diplomatic relations with Germany. Ugly Treaty and raising tariffs etc.Li also listened seriously, but did not speak. On the 8th, Zhang Zongxiang, Minister to Japan, replied by telegram to report the process of contact with the Japanese government. The Japanese government urged the Chinese government to break off diplomatic relations with Germany first. Regarding the rights and obligations after the severance of diplomatic relations, the Allied countries can negotiate and resolve them, and China does not need to put forward conditions in advance. On the 9th, the members of Congress were entertained at the Guest House, and the government's foreign policy was explained. On the 10th, he attended the House of Representatives and proposed a confidence motion on the government's foreign policy, which was passed by a vote of 331 to 87. On the 11th, members of the Senate voted 158 to 35. Feng Guozhang went north this time as vice president, but unexpectedly caught up with the fierce political dispute between Li and Duan, which made him very disappointed and headache.So when Duan returned to Beijing, Congress successfully voted for confidence. He felt that Beijing was really a place of right and wrong, and it was better to stay away.So he left Beijing and returned to the south on the 11th.