Chapter 28 Five Consulates, Headquarters, Black Dragon Society
This is a passage from a memorial I received in 1928.This passage represents the thoughts of most people in Zhangyuan, and it is also the conclusion that I am increasingly convinced after years of activities.
As I said before, since I entered Beifu and received the "care" of the Japanese, I have gained some trust in the Japanese.I lived in the Japanese Legation for a while, and after arriving in Tianjin, I became more and more convinced that the Japanese would be the first foreign aid force for my future restoration.
During my first year in Tianjin, Japanese Consul General Shigeru Furuta invited me to visit a Japanese expatriate elementary school.On my way back and forth, Japanese elementary school students held paper flags and lined the road to cheer me long live.This scene brought tears to my eyes and sighed.When the civil war between the warlords reached the edge of Tianjin, and the garrisons of various countries in the concession organized coalition forces, declaring that they would deal with the national army who dared to approach the concession, Lieutenant General Koizumi Liuyi, the commander of the Japanese garrison in Tianjin, came to Zhangyuan on purpose. Reported to me: "Emperor Xuantong, please rest assured, we will never let Chinese soldiers enter the concession." I was very proud of hearing this.
Every New Year or my birthday, Japanese consuls and generals from the army will come to congratulate me.When it came to Japan's "Tianchang Festival", they invited me to visit the military parade.I remember that there was a military parade on the "Tianchang Festival", and the Japanese commander Kenko Ueda invited many senior apartments in the Japanese Concession, such as Cao Rulin, Lu Zongyu, Jin Yunpeng and others.When I arrived, Commander Ueda specially rode over to salute.When the military parade was over, we Chinese guests got together and shouted "Long live the Emperor" along with the Japanese.
A senior staff officer at the Japanese military headquarters often came to tell me about current affairs. He was very serious over the years, and sometimes brought specially drawn charts and other things.The first person to talk about it was probably a staff officer named Hebian. After he was transferred away, he continued to talk about Kaneko Dingichi, and the one who took the gold was Yoshioka Yasunao, who later became my "Queen" in Manchukuo.This person has been with me for ten years in Manchukuo, and I will use a special section to talk about him later.
The current events that the Japanese military staff talked about were mainly the situation of the civil war. In the explanations, such analysis often appeared: "The root of the chaos in China is that the dragons have no leader, and there is no emperor." Only "Emperor Xuantong" can clean up China's "people's hearts".The corruption and weakness of the Chinese army is an indispensable topic, so it is natural to compare it with the Japanese Imperial Army.I remember that after the Jinan tragedy, Yoshioka Yasunao spent at least an hour describing to me the incompetence of Chiang Kai-shek's army.The copy of the Japanese notice was brought to me that time.These speeches, combined with the impressions I gained during previous inspections of the Japanese army, made me firmly believe in the strength of the Japanese army and the support of the Japanese soldiers for me.
Once I went for a stroll along the Baihe River and looked at the Japanese warships parked in the middle of the river.I don't know how the captain of the warship knew, but he came to the shore suddenly and reverently invited me to visit his ship.When I arrived on the ship, the Japanese Navy generals lined up to salute me.This time, since neither party was prepared to translate in a hurry, we talked with pens for a while.The name of this warship is "Teng", and the captain's surname is Kamata.After I came back, Kamata and some military officers paid me a return visit, and I sent him a signed photo at his request, which he said was his great honor.From this matter, I feel that the Japanese respect me from the bottom of their hearts.After I wooed warlords, bought politicians, and appointed guest ministers all failed, the position of the Japanese in my heart became even more important.
At first, the word "Japanese" was a whole in my mind.Of course, this does not include ordinary people in Japan, but the Japanese in the Japanese Legation, the Japanese Consulate General in Tianjin, and the Japanese "garrison" headquarters in Tianjin, as well as those non-civilized and non-military Japanese wanderers who interacted with Luo Zhenyu and Sheng Yun.I see them as a whole, because they "protect" me in the same way, treat me as an "emperor", despise the Republic of China, and praise the Qing Dynasty in the same way. When I first proposed to go abroad to Japan, they were all the same offered to sponsor.In 1927, because I was afraid of the approach of the Northern Expeditionary Army, I accepted Luo Zhenyu's advice and decided to go to Japan.After being contacted by the Japanese Consul General, the Japanese Consulate General asked the country for instructions, and the Tanaka Cabinet welcomed me and decided to receive me as it is for a monarch.According to Luo Zhenyu, the Japanese military department is ready to use the army to protect me when I leave.It was only due to the easing of the situation and the joint dissuasion of Chen Baochen and Zheng Xiaoxu that the trip failed.Later, the Kuomintang government in Nanjing was established, and official slogans such as "down with imperialism" and "abolish unequal treaties" disappeared. I gradually discovered that although the "respect" and "protection" of the Japanese remained unchanged, the On issues such as my going abroad, their attitudes have diverged.This disagreement has even reached a level that makes me very indignant.
In the second half of 1927, Luo Zhenyu said to me one day: "Although the Japanese Concession is relatively safe, there are mixed fish and dragons after all. According to the Japanese Command, the Revolutionary Party (which has been kept in Zhang Yuanli for the Kuomintang and the Communist Party) A lot of plainclothes (this is the name for secret workers, and according to their explanation, they are all armed) have mixed in, and the safety of the holy car is quite worrying. According to Chen, it is still It is advisable to go to Lushun for the time being, and you might as well go to Lushun first. Prince Gong has made proper preparations there, and the Japanese military is also willing to assist and take the responsibility of escorting him." After listening to Luo Zhenyu's words, especially Pu Wei wrote another letter, I once again made up my mind to travel.Regardless of the objections of Chen Baochen and Zheng Xiaoxu, I immediately ordered Zheng Xiaoxu to find the Japanese Consul General for me, and I wanted to meet and talk with him in person.
After hearing my order, Zheng Xiaoxu was stunned for a moment, and asked: "The emperor invites Kato, who will be the interpreter? Is it Xie Jieshi?"
I see what he means.Xie Jieshi is a Taiwanese. Because of Sheng Yun’s introduction, he went in and out of the palace when he was in Beijing. When Zhang Xun was restored, he served as an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for twelve days. Later, he was recommended by the Japanese to work as a secretary under Li Jinglin’s subordinates. Luo Zhenyu mixed up and kept sending me information about "the plainclothes team is about to launch an attack", the revolutionary party will assassinate me, and so on.He was also the one who persuaded me to take refuge in Lushun.Zheng Xiaoxu obviously doesn't like people around Luo Zhenyu to be my interpreters, and at the same time, I know that on this important issue, Luo Zhenyu will not like Zheng Xiaoxu's son Zheng Chui or Chen Baochen's nephew Liu Yaoye to be interpreters.I thought about it, and then decided: "I will translate in English. Kato can speak English."
Consul General Kato, Vice Consuls Issaku Okamoto and Yasushi Shirai all came.After listening to me, Kato replied:
"I can't immediately answer the question raised by His Majesty. I have to ask Tokyo for instructions on this question."
I thought to myself: This is something that the Japanese command told Luo Zhenyu that there is no problem. Besides, I am not going to Japan, so why go to Tokyo for instructions?Some high-end apartments in Tianjin also went to Lushun to escape the summer heat. They even went to the Japanese Consulate General without notifying them. Why do I have to bother me?I didn't fully express what was in my heart, but Kato asked another unnecessary question:
"Excuse me, is this what His Majesty himself meant?"
"It's mine," I replied unhappily.I also said that there is a lot of unfavorable news about me, and I can't feel at ease here.According to the Japanese headquarters, the Revolutionary Party has sent many plainclothes officers. The Consulate General must have this information, right?
"That's a rumor, Your Majesty doesn't have to believe it." When Kato said, his face was full of displeasure.I found it strange that he dismissed the headquarters information as rumors.I asked him to send more guards based on the information, and the guards were sent. Does he believe the information?I couldn't help but say:
"How can the information from the headquarters be a rumor?"
After hearing this, Kato remained silent for a long time.The two vice-consuls squirmed on the sofa for a while, whether they understood English or not.
"Your Majesty can be sure that safety will not be a problem." Kato finally said, "Of course, I will follow orders to ask our government for instructions on the issue of Lushun."
This conversation made me feel for the first time the disharmony between the Japanese Consulate General and the headquarters. I found it strange and irritating.I call Luo Zhenyu.Xie Jieshi called and asked again.They affirmed that both the headquarters and the Japanese close to the headquarters said so.and say:
"The information from the headquarters is extremely reliable. It has always been clear about every move of the Revolutionary Party. In any case, even if the assassination is a rumor, we must be on our guard."
A few days later, my father-in-law Rong Yuan reported to me that friends outside told him that Feng Yuxiang's plainclothes assassins had come from the British and French concessions, and the situation was very worrying.My "attendant" Qi Jizhong also reported that he found some suspicious-looking people near the gate, looking into the garden.After hearing the news, I hurriedly called Tong Jixu, who was in charge of general affairs, and Suo Yushan, who was in charge of the guards, and told them to inform the Japanese police to tighten the door control, and told the guards to be careful of people outside the door, and to prohibit entry and exit at night.The next day, I heard from an attendant that there were people who went out last night and did not obey my prohibition order. I immediately ordered Tong Jixu to be recorded as a major demerit, and the salary of those who violated the order to go out was deducted as a warning.Anyway, my nerves were on edge.
One night, in my sleep, I was suddenly awakened by a gunshot, followed by another shot, and the sound came from outside the rear window.I jumped up from the bed and asked someone to summon the guards. I thought it must be Feng Yuxiang's plainclothes.All the people in the Zhang Garden got up, the guards were deployed everywhere, the Japanese patrols (Chinese) standing guard on the gate stepped up their guard, and the Japanese police stationed in the park searched outside the park.As a result, the person who fired the gun was caught.To my surprise, the shooter was a Japanese.
The next day, Tong Jixu told me that the Japanese name was Iwata, and he was a member of the Black Dragon Society. The Japanese police took him to the police station, and the Japanese headquarters immediately took him there.After I heard this, the matter became more or less clear.
I have had contact with the characters of the Black Dragon Society.In the winter of 1925, I interviewed Nobuo Tsukuda, an important figure in the Black Dragon Society.The origin of the incident was also due to Luo Zhenyu's advocacy.Luo Zhenyu told me that the Japanese government and the public are very sympathetic to my being forced to leave the palace and take refuge this time. Many powerful figures in Japan, including the military, are planning to sponsor my restoration. Now they have sent their representative, Nobuo Tsukuda, Talk to me personally.He said that this opportunity must not be missed, and that the man should be summoned immediately.I didn't know who Dian Xinfu was. Someone in the House of Internal Affairs knew him, and said that after Xinhai, he often ran in and out of various palaces, and he had some friendship with the clan princes.I was moved by Luo Zhenyu's news, but I felt that the Japanese Consul General was the official representative of Japan and my protector, so I should ask him to talk with him, so I informed Consul General Hachiro Arita and asked him to attend at that time.Unexpectedly, when the Nobuofu came, seeing Arita was present, he immediately turned around and left, making Chen Baochen, Zheng Xiaoxu and others present very astonished.Later, Zheng Xiaoxu went to ask him why he dared to "indecently in front of the saint", and his answer was: "Inviting Arita here, isn't this intentional to make things difficult for me? If so, let's talk about it another day." Now it seems that Luo Zhenyu's This event and Iwata's firing of guns created an atmosphere of terror, which is the continuation of that event.This kind of activity obviously has the Japanese army headquarters as the background.
Later I called Chen Baochen and Zheng Xiaoxu to hear their views on this matter.Zheng Xiaoxu said: "It seems that the Japanese military and political circles all want to ask the emperor to live within their sphere of influence for protection. Although they do not cooperate, they will not harm me. However, Luo Zhenyu's actions are absurd. He did this. If there is no success, it must not be used too much." Chen Baochen said: "It doesn't matter whether it is the Japanese Army Command or the Black Dragon Society. It is completely irresponsible to do things. Except for the Japanese Minister and Consul General, don't listen to anyone!" I thought about it and felt that What they said made sense, so they no longer wanted to ask the Consul General to leave Tianjin.Since then, I am no longer interested in Luo Zhenyu.In the second year, he sold his house in Tianjin and moved to Dalian.
Strange to say, once Luo Zhenyu left, there were fewer rumors, and even Rong Yuan and Qi Jizhong had no surprising information.After a long time, I didn't understand a little bit of the mystery.
This is what my English translator told me.He and Rong Yuan are brother-in-law, because of this relationship, and also because of his business dealings with the translator of the Japanese Army Command, he found out some inside information, which was later revealed to me.It turned out that the Japanese Army Headquarters set up a special agency to do Zhang Yuan's work for a long time, and there were at least Luo Zhenyu, Xie Jieshi, and Rong Yuan who were related to this agency.My English translation was brought by these three people to a secret place of this secret service agency. The name of this place to the outside world is "Sanye Mansion".
He was taken by them after I met Kato that day.After finishing his translation, he was stopped by Luo, Xie, and Rong to inquire about the situation of the meeting.When Luo Zhenyu and others heard that Kato was not enthusiastic about my trip, they immediately made noise.From their discussions, the English interpreter heard that someone in the headquarters had a completely different attitude towards Luo Zhenyu and the others, and that they had agreed to send me to live in Lushun.In order to report Kato's conversation to the people in the headquarters, Luo Zhenyu and the other three took the English translator to the "Sanye Mansion" to look for the man, but failed to find him, but the English translator discovered this secret place.Later, he found out from Rongyuan and other sources that this was a place with opium, women, and money.Rong Yuan is a frequent visitor here, and once he even insulted the wife of a Japanese named Daxiong, Daxiong sued him to the headquarters, but did not move him.As for the specific activities of Rong Yuan and others and the Sanye Mansion, Rong Yuan refused to disclose.
Sanye's full name is Sanye Yukichi. I know this man. He is a small resident of the headquarters and often comes to Zhangyuan as a guest with the commander of the Japanese army.At that time, I never expected that it was this person who, through his "mansion", established extremely close contacts with some people in Zhang Yuan, who knew the situation in Zhang Yuan thoroughly, and knew the situation of Rong Yuan in Zhang Yuan. They coaxed me so obediently that I was able to get through them and send rumors to my ears, which made me want to run to Lushun several times.After I heard my interpreter reveal some of the situation at the Sanye Mansion, I only thought that the Japanese military headquarters made such efforts to win over Rong Yuan and the others, just to compete with the consulate for me. The competition between the two, as Zheng Xiaoxu said, was thus I gain nothing.
In fact, the phenomenon I can see is also the same: the intrigue between the headquarters and the consulate is as intense and intricate as what happens among the elderly around me.For example, the headquarters sent a staff officer to talk to me about current affairs every week, and the consulate introduced Yuanshan Mengxiong as a royal teacher; every time the consulate invited me, Zheng Xiaoxu must be invited at the same time, and Luo Zhenyu was indispensable in the invitation of the headquarters; the consulate stationed in Zhangyuan Japanese police officers, and the headquarters had a special Sanye mansion, which prepared women, opium, etc. for Rong Yuan, Luo Zhenyu, Xie Jieshi and others.
As for the Black Dragon Society, I was the last to know about it, and it was Zheng Xiaoxu who told me about it.This largest ronin group in Japan, formerly known as "Xuanyangsha", was established after the Sino-French War by Japanese ronin Kotaro Hiraoka. It was the earliest spy organization that carried out espionage activities in China. ), and Shanghai have institutions, using consulates, schools, photo studios, etc. as cover, such as the "Oriental School" in Shanghai and the later "Tongwen Academy". The name "Black Dragon Club" means "Beyond Heilongjiang" and appeared in 1901.In the Russo-Japanese War, this group played a very important role. It is said that at that time, the Black Dragon Club had hundreds of thousands of members and had huge funds for activities.Toushan is full of the most famous leaders of the Black Dragon Society. Under his command, his party members penetrated into all walks of life in China, from the side of princes and ministers such as Sheng Yun in the late Qing Dynasty, to the entourage of traffickers such as Zhang Yuan , There is no place where they are not doing far-sighted work.Many famous figures in Japan, such as Dohihara, Hirota, Hiranuma, Arita, and Kazuki, are all disciples of Toyama Mitsuru.According to Zheng Xiaoxu, Toushan is full of Buddhists. He has a long silver beard and a "kind" face. He loves roses the most in his life and refuses to leave his garden all year round.It is such a Buddhist, holding a silver beard in the scent of roses, and devising horrific plots and tragic murders with a "kind" face.
Zheng Xiaoxu later realized the power of the Black Dragon Society and the Japanese military system, and he should attribute it to Luo Zhenyu.Zheng, Luo, and Chen represent three different thoughts.Luo Zhenyu believes that the words of the figures in the military and the Black Dragon Association are all reliable (his trust in Seminov and Duobuduan is also partly due to the relationship between Xie, Duo and the Black Dragon Association), while Chen Baochen believes that apart from representing Japan Outside the government's consulate general, the words of other Japanese people are not credible at all.Zheng Xiaoxu publicly echoed Chen Baochen to oppose Luo Zhenyu.At first, he also had doubts about the headquarters and the Black Dragon Society, but gradually through Luo Zhenyu's bragging and the Black Dragon Society's misconduct, he saw the movement of a certain force in Tokyo and the real intentions of the Japanese authorities. Finally, he saw that this was the strength he could rely on.Therefore, he later decided to temporarily put aside his plan to pursue co-management by various countries, and packed up and traveled eastward, specifically to Japan to find the Black Dragon Society and the Japanese General Staff Headquarters.
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