News in Japan was reported by many foreign newspapers and quickly spread in China.
For the Japanese cabinet to officially send a special envoy to China for negotiations, this means a major victory in the eyes of the Chinese people. The heroic Chinese army inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese army in Liaodong, making Japan aware of the seriousness of the situation. In the end,
We have to choose to give in and find a peaceful solution.
From Shanghai to Nanjing, from Nanjing to Jinan, and then from Jinan to Beijing. In big cities across the country, we can see the joyful and encouraging actions of the people. Students took to the streets to organize benefit performances, and workers and businessmen gathered in the open air to sing and dance. For this reason in advance,
celebrate a great victory in successfully safeguarding national sovereignty.
Local gentry from various political factions also hurriedly took advantage of this moment to show their faces. Whether they supported the anti-Japanese war from beginning to end, or were indecisive and wavering, or had previously predicted that Liaodong would be defeated, all of them became uniformly "patriotic."
Gentlemen". Not only did they pay more bounties to the workers to celebrate, they also specially approved holidays to hold gatherings. Incidentally, they also frequently published comments in newspapers, congratulating on this and congratulating on that.
When the news reached Liaodong, many military officers and politicians in Fengtian breathed a sigh of relief. The fighting for half a month was finally over, and there was no need to worry about the continuation of the war and increasing the burden on the local government.[
However, some officials who really held the military command in Liaodong, such as Xu Shuzheng, Jiang Baili and Yuan Su himself, did not take it lightly because Japan sent special envoys to China. Since the Fifth Division acted without authorization from the beginning, it means that the following
It is still possible for the unit to continue to act without authorization.
Even if the Fifth Division finally chooses to cease the war due to pressure from all sides, when fighting for rights and interests at the negotiation table, it will inevitably need the military power of Liaodong to hold the battle. Perhaps the outside world will think that China has the upper hand and raises the price.
But for Yuan Su, he had been planning to take advantage of Liaodong's victory to claim some of his rights and interests from Japan from the beginning.
After finally waiting for the First World War, many warlords in Japan turned their attention to Europe. As the saying goes, time waits for no one, so naturally they are eager to "advance the situation" once again.
It is expected that the Japanese envoy will only put forward the condition of "abandoning Qingdao" at the negotiation table, while Liaodong will require all Chinese troops to withdraw from the territory signed after the Russo-Japanese War. In all likelihood, Japan will even engage in diplomacy
Lai, asked the Beiyang government to compensate for Dandong's losses. And the Beiyang government got a certain advantage, and maybe it would be "generous" at the diplomatic negotiation table.
It is precisely because of these two factors that Yuan Su must be prepared for a military approach at all times. Even if he takes the opportunity to attack Lushun, it is not impossible. I believe that on this point, Duan Qirui and his faction in the Army Department will definitely support it.
, when the time comes, Fengtian and Zhili provinces will continue to send additional troops, and his position as commander-in-chief of the United Front War will be retained.
While China's various combat troops began to consider planning for the diplomatic negotiation stage, everyone at the Fifth Division Headquarters and Lushun Headquarters felt disheartened after receiving harsh orders from the mainland.
On the night of the 9th, Okubo Koji had already made initial contact with Kamio Mitsuomi and many generals of the Eighteenth Division. Because of the Dandong incident, the Eighteenth Division's attitude towards the Liaodong war had changed somewhat. After all, even if the attack was not considered
When China joins the team, it must also consider defending its own "territory."
In particular, a group of radical officers led by the Chief of General Staff of the 18th Division began to make plans to send troops overnight.
The draft for dispatching troops had just been finalized in the morning, and not long after I received the official order forwarded from North Korea to the mainland, I immediately threw myself into the ice cellar with enthusiasm.
Even Kamio Mitsuomi, who had just changed, immediately became hard-hearted after receiving this order. He used this as an excuse to resolutely refuse to send troops to fight with the 18th Division, and also asked Kikuzo Otani and the 5th Division to fight.
Follow this order from top to bottom.
After Otani Kikuzo learned the news, he already felt that the situation was over, but he still did not issue an order to cease the war due to hesitation. Instead, the Second Fleet Headquarters continued to send power to urge the Yingkou troops to prepare to evacuate.
Two days later, the Yingkou United X War Command received a message from the 10th Division from Xiuyan. Chen Wennian led the leading troops to still occupy Xiuyan County. During the occupation, they encountered resistance from the local police and a small Japanese garrison.
However, within less than three hours of fighting, all the Japanese armed forces were defeated.
Outside the door of the combat staff room, Du Yu strode in with long strides. Before he could stand still, he said: "Commander, the reconnaissance team of the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Division is back and reports that there are no Japanese troops in Dongcheng and the shore.
retreat."
Yuan Su put down the telegram he was reading, raised his head and said calmly: "Really? It's not that the Japanese special envoy arrived in Tianjin yesterday. He should have started talking to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs by now. The Second Fleet has already arrived in Tianjin.
There has been a ceasefire for two days, and it seems that the Fifth Division is still trying to fight against the enemy."
Du Yu said with a smile: "Haha, it's time now, and we are not afraid of him coming. Besides, if we can win more battles on the battlefield, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can speak louder when negotiating with the Japanese."
Yuan Suzhan glanced at Du Yu curiously. Even Du Yu could see the current situation clearly, and his adjutant training was not in vain. He then said: "First arrange the message to be sent to Beijing, and give it to me later.
Take a look and send it out as soon as possible."
He has been thinking about the wording of the telegram sent to Beijing since yesterday. This is not an easy task. With Yuan Shikai's easily suspicious character, and the fact that he commanded the battle of Liaodong and won the honor of the world, what if
If the telegram is not well written, it will be self-defeating.
The content of the telegram was naturally about not giving in easily at the diplomatic negotiation table, and that we must take the opportunity to claim back the Liaodong Peninsula from Japan, and even if no matter what happens, we must take back part of the land that was originally ceded.
In order to adapt to Yuan Shikai's mentality at this time, he also specifically mentioned that this matter could win more fame and public opinion for the monarchy. I believe this must be Yuan Shikai's weakness that he cannot resist.[
Du Yu took note of Yuan Su's words and immediately went to the Military Staff Office to urge the documents.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, General Yuan Su went through the document drafted by the Staff Office, made some additions, subtractions, and modifications, and then arranged for the Communications Office to send it to Beijing. Afterwards, he summoned the staff of the headquarters to discuss
When the Sino-Japanese diplomatic negotiations are convened, some appropriate offensives will be launched in Liaodong to increase the bargaining chips on the negotiating table.
After some discussion, he decided to transfer the 5th Division of the Central Army stationed in Liangjiatun and the 17th Division of Anshan to move the entire Liaodong defense line forward dozens of miles.
Zhu Panzao's 5th Division arrived at Buyun Mountain and added a temporary defense line near Buyun Mountain, echoing Xiuyan's 10th Division. Buyun Mountain is located more than 30 miles southeast of Liangjiatun. The first point in the hinterland is the outpost area. Occupying this area can not only further approach the Liaodong Peninsula, but also provide a good strategic defense.
Anshan's 17th Division moved forward to Huangtu Ridge due east of Yingkou. Yuan Su had earlier given Zhang Zuolin an order not to always hide behind, but to take the initiative to attack at the right time. In fact, Zhang Zuolin had been looking for opportunities. It was a pity that the Fifth Division was always concentrated in the Gaizhou and Yingkou areas, and he did not have the guts to attack the Japanese-occupied territory like the Tenth Division did.
Although Huangtuling is not considered a frontline area, it is relatively close to Gaizhou and Yingkou. It is not a complete rear area like Anshan. Regardless of whether there will be another war in the future, the 17th Division can attack here. You can retreat and defend, and your left and right can rush to Gaizhou, Yingkou and Xiuyan respectively.
The issuance of this order actually implies that the various combat forces in the Liaodong region will use the current defense line as a basis. No matter what the situation is on the diplomatic negotiation table in the future, they will not give in even half a step. In other words, The approximately 10,000 square kilometers of the Liaodong Peninsula will be reclaimed from Japan through this negotiation.
Of course, in order to facilitate the realization of this wish, Yuan Su not only made it clear in the message he sent back to Beijing, but also had a special phone call with Xu Shuzheng and Jiang Baili from Fengtian. Xu Shuzheng represented the Ministry of War, and as long as he could obtain the With the support of the Beiyang Young Officers Club and people from all walks of life in the north, at least the troops on the Liaodong side can hold on. As for Jiang Baili, he hopes to use him to plan the public opinion momentum and encourage the Beiyang Young Officers Club and people from all walks of life in the north to support the Central Army in reclaiming one-third Liaodong Peninsula.
Xu Shuzheng made a decisive statement on the phone. There was no need to talk more about this matter. Since the land was taken back by the Chinese army, there was no way it could be surrendered. He absolutely supported Yuan Su's idea and also expressed that Liaodong Originally it was Chinese territory. It was ceded by the pedantic Qing Dynasty in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Today it is the Republic of China, so it should be treated differently.
Jiang Baili naturally had no objections. He briefly discussed the plan to mobilize public opinion with Yuan Su on the phone, and then began to make detailed arrangements.
In addition, Yuan Su also formulated a series of preparatory counterattack plans, including counterattacks against the Japanese troops in the eastern part of Yingkou and the coastal areas, and dispatching the 17th Division or the 5th Central Army Division to participate in the encirclement of the Japanese troops on the Gaizhou defense line. These attacks The purpose of the plan is to add insult to injury to the Fifth Division and at the same time put pressure on diplomatic negotiations.
Regarding the counterattack plan, he decided that on the day of the formal negotiations between China and Japan, if the negotiation request made by the Japanese Prime Minister's special envoy was too unreasonable or was simply intentional diplomatic fraud, he would immediately order an attack once he received such news. Just in time. The Fifth Division and the Seventeenth Division are undergoing transfers in the past few days. When the two groups of troops are almost ready, the time is very suitable.
This order will be sent out by the Yingkou General Headquarters later in the day to prepare the various units below.
However, in the evening, the communications room of the General Headquarters received a telegram forwarded from Fengtian to Beijing. Naturally, this telegram was not a reply to the telegram Yuan Su sent to Beijing in the afternoon. The line was long, and the telegram was sent to the designated location.
There is still time to schedule, so it is impossible to get a reply so soon.
This telegram from Beijing is that the Presidential Office decided to slow down the situation in the Liaodong battlefield after receiving a petition from the Japanese Embassy in China. At the same time, it also indirectly criticized Yuan Su for ordering the burning of Dandong City, believing that this incident
"It is inappropriate" and "it is not conducive to international public opinion in public; it also affects personal reputation in private."
Although it is not a good thing, Yuan Su doesn't care about these criticisms at all. He was naturally mentally prepared when he dared to make this bet. Now that he has won the bet, what other gossip can he say? But for the president
The government requested to slow down the situation in the Liaodong battlefield, but he had to feel very disappointed. His previous expectations were not wrong at all. The bureaucracy within the Beiyang government and the many concerns of President Yuan Shikai himself ultimately showed weakness in front of Japan.
state.
Naturally, he would not comply with this, but he was worried that it would offend Yuan Shikai's suspicion again.
The Central Military Forces fought for half a month and paid thousands of casualties. It cannot be said that this was a completely difficult battle, but it was also a battle in which great courage was mustered and national self-confidence was staked.
Everyone wants to have a humiliating ending like the Sino-French war in the past, where "defeated without defeat and victory without victory".
Yuan Su only hoped that the message he sent to Beijing would attract Yuan Shikai's attention. In any case, he would not be able to give in easily if he got an advantage this time.
Until November 15th, the diplomatic delegations of China and Japan formally held a negotiation meeting in Beijing.
The venue was set up in the official guest house of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs outside Guangqumen. No confirmed news of the meeting was released in advance. However, early in the morning, many reporters who had received the news through various channels rushed to the door of the guest house building.
Surrounded. Considering the sensitivity of the current issues between China and Japan, Japan took the initiative to propose that the negotiation meeting be held confidentially, so no reporters or idlers will be invited to the venue to observe.
The Beiyang government appointed Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lu Zhengxiang, Director-General of the Army Duan Qirui and Special Commissioner of the Presidential Office Lu Zongyu as the chairmen of the negotiating delegation. They drove to the official guesthouse of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs early that morning. The Japanese delegation was larger than the Chinese delegation.
Arriving earlier, when the two sides met in the lobby of the guest house, they only shook hands and said hello in a formal manner. However, Duan Qirui was the only one who ignored the so-called diplomatic etiquette and did not look directly at the special envoy of the Japanese Prime Minister, Naito Shinpei.
Just look at each other, let alone say hello, shake hands and say hello.[
Before the talks even started, the atmosphere had already become quite tense. Naito Shinpei had to temporarily start thinking about the need to make some minor adjustments in the subsequent negotiations, and the dialogue could no longer follow the previous strategy.
At the beginning of the negotiation, China and Japan first explained their respective positions on the Liaodong incident. The Chinese side strongly believed that this was a deliberate provocation by Japan and a military aggression. The Japanese side repeatedly stated that this was purely an unauthorized action by the Fifth Division.
, neither the Japanese cabinet nor the Ministry of War and Navy under its jurisdiction have any records of instructions, so they can only think that this is a regional and local military friction.
These attitudes and positions are just emotional expressions, and their only function is to express their stance to international public opinion.
Then the two sides got down to business. Both China and Japan believed that the military conflict in Liaodong should be ended as soon as possible, but they had extremely serious disputes over the division of responsibilities and the terms of the peace treaty after the armistice. In fact, the division of responsibilities was only a trivial matter, but it happened
Duan Qirui clung to this matter and demanded that the Japanese Prime Minister publicly admit the crime of aggression and submit a personal apology to the Chinese President.
Naito Shinpei initially planned to conduct this diplomatic negotiation with a tough stance. After all, no matter which aspect of comparison, the strength gap between Japan and China is very different. There is no reason why a strong country would bow to a weak country and admit its mistakes. More
What's more, diplomacy will always make a fuss out of a molehill. Once the Japanese Prime Minister admits his mistake this time, he will also indirectly admit that all previous military actions against China were mistakes, which is extremely detrimental to historical responsibility and international pretext.
Therefore, on this matter, the two sides continued to argue, and the Japanese negotiating delegation became excited and their rhetoric became increasingly fierce.
Lu Zhengxiang understood Duan Qirui's intention to safeguard the reputation of national sovereignty, but he believed that the armistice conditions should be negotiated first and then deal with the red tape. However, Duan Qirui's identity and status were higher than his. In fact, the Chinese representatives this time
Duan Qirui had the most say, so he didn't know where to start his advice for a while.