The Taiwan Governor's Office on Futai Street in Taipei.
Tang Jingsong, who had served as chief envoy for more than three years, finally sat on the throne of Taiwan governor under the strong recommendation of his teacher Zhang Zhidong. However, at this time, Bili was more worried than happy.
Since the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1894, the cunning former governor Shao Youlian predicted that the ignition would spread to the Taiwan Strait, so he began to run for connections in Beijing, and wrote to the court to plead ill and resign. He tried every means to leave this place of right and wrong, and left the whole matter to Tang Jingsong. .
Tang Jingsong was not a person who was afraid of trouble. On the contrary, he was quite looking forward to the beginning of the war. He thought that if he had not taken risks in Guangxi and instigated the Sino-French war, there would be no officialdom today.
War has always been the best opportunity to gain fame. Old Tang even moved the beard of a French tiger, how could he still be afraid of this Japanese Japanese pirate?
However, the news coming from the Liaodong front line made him more and more uneasy. Old Tang was considered a veteran, and his intuition told him that he might have made a mistake this time. The Battle of the Yellow Sea was once the pride of the Qing Dynasty, and Li Hongzhang had a lot of money. The built Beiyang Navy was almost completely wiped out. However, on the Korean battlefield, the Huai army, known as the most elite force in the Qing Dynasty, fled at the wind and collapsed thousands of miles away. The war became increasingly uncontrollable.
After the Japanese army gained control of the sea, they began to send warships to covet Taiwan. Tang Jingsong also sensed the danger of the situation. While asking for help from the imperial court and his teacher, the Governor of Huguang, Zhang Zhidong, he also sent his confidant Wu Guohua back to Guangdong to recruit brave soldiers.
Mr. Tang is frowning now. He keeps sighing in the office, lamenting the unfairness of the world. He has finally reached the position of governor. It is just when his official career is smooth and he is proud of the spring breeze. Unexpectedly, times are difficult, and a group of Japanese pirates jump out. Difficult with yourself.
Mr. Tang also wanted to follow the example of his predecessor Mr. Shao and simply resigned due to illness, but he was reluctant to part with the glory he had just acquired, and he did not have a backer like Mr. Shao. Thinking about it made him feel very upset, so he simply picked up the He drank a few gulps of the herbal tea on the table, whatever the problem was, he thought fervently.
While he was thinking wildly, Lai Henian came in with a name sticker: "Futai, Qiu Fengjia, the former head of the Ministry of Industry, wants to see you."
Tang Jingsong was stunned. He knew this Qiu Fengjia. He was from the Qiu family of the Wang clan in Changhua. He was a Jinshi in the 15th year of Guangxu's reign. The imperial court had given him the post of director of the Ministry of Industry. However, he had no intention of becoming an official in Beijing. After resigning, he helped Former governor Liu Mingchuan built the Taiwan Railway, and we spent some time together with him. Later, Qiu returned to Taichung and became the governor of the Hengwen Academy, which had a huge influence on the people of Taiwan. Although he did not serve as an official for a few days, most residents on the island regarded him as "Qiu". "Ministry of Industry" is called.
In this situation, he must have something important to come to Taipei to ask for a meeting. "Please come quickly!" Tang Jingsong said. Seeing Lai Henian going out, he hesitated for a moment, but decided to wear casual clothes and meet this "Qiu Gongbu" Meet each other to show your affection.
Qiu Fengjia followed Lai Henian into the inner hall. When he saw Tang Jingsong, he bowed deeply: "Qiu Fengjia, who is a late student and a late student, has met Mr. Futai!"
Seeing this, Tang Jingsong quickly reached out to help him: "Brother Jifu, why don't you kill me if you do this? Why do you and I brothers have to be so polite?" After a polite conversation, the two sat down. As Tang Jingsong's confidant, Lai Henian was also with him. .
Qiu Fengjia was straightforward and quickly explained his purpose: "The world is in a troubled time. Although Japan is fighting the Huai army in Liaodong, the Japanese pirates are ambitious and have been in Taiwan for a long time. Now warships are peeping across the Taiwan Strait. What are your plans?"
Tang Jingsong did not hide anything, and told Qiu Fengjia all about his worries and preparations. When Shao Youlian was still in office, he had already requested the imperial court to dispatch Fujian Navy Admiral Yang Qizhen and three battalions to Taipei to command the Keelung armies, with veteran general Nan'ao. The town's commander-in-chief Liu Yongfu led his troops to Taiwan to take charge of Tainan's defense. At the same time, commander-in-chief Liao Desheng was transferred, and deputy general She Zhiting led his troops to Taiwan to take charge of Taipei's defense.
But Tang Jingsong also looked embarrassed. Due to insufficient pay and equipment, Taiwan's military strength was still very weak.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Fengjia volunteered and volunteered, willing to come forward to call on the villagers to organize group training in preparation for the war, and said that he did not want a penny of food and salary from Tang Jingsong.
Tang Jingsong was very happy, and immediately appointed Qiu Fengjia as the commander-in-chief of Taiwan's regiment training, who raised funds and weapons and summoned volunteers for military training.
Qiu Fengjia received the proclamation issued by Fu Yamen and returned to his hometown to gather volunteers. He did not mention it for the moment, but said that the situation of the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War was getting worse day by day. While the Japanese army was making good progress in Liaodong, they turned to land in Shandong Peninsula. The Beiyang Navy was in There was no way to avoid fighting on Liugong Island, and the Japanese troops were allowed to land calmly on the peninsula.
After the Japanese landed, they attacked the well-defended Weihaiwei from the rear. The entire Beiyang Navy was destroyed. A small number of the navy's warships were scuttled and most of them were captured by the Japanese. In fact, it only increased the strength of the Japanese army.
The Manchu Qing court was frightened by the defeat on the battlefield, and Cixi stepped forward to take over the government. At that time, Lushun fell. The Empress Dowager Cixi was afraid that the Japanese army would invade Beijing and Tianjin, so she ignored the objections of Emperor Guangxu and others and first ordered Yi to entrust Tian Bei to secretly communicate with Japan. Later, on January 14, 1895, Zhang Yinheng, the Minister of Household Affairs, and Shao Youlian, the governor of Hunan, were officially appointed as ministers with full power. They also asked the US Secretary of State Costa to be the mediator to go to Japan to sue for peace. At that time, the Japanese army was attacking Weihaiwei. Due to military difficulties, Victory, its appetite for aggression was very large and its arrogance was extremely arrogant. It felt that the opportunity to make the Qing government unconditionally surrender had not yet come, so it used "insufficient power" to humiliate the two peace representatives of the Qing government and expel them back to the country.
Although Japan has won consecutive battles on the battlefield, its financial resources are limited after all. The huge consumption caused by the war has further increased the burden on the Japanese people. Since the end of 1894, peasant riots have broken out in many places in Japan, causing social unrest. Therefore, the Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi made a request for peace talks to the Qing government on February 2. However, the Japanese side publicly designated Li Hongzhang as the plenipotentiary representative and proposed to the Qing government that cession of territory and compensation must be the conditions for "peace negotiations", otherwise there would be no need to send representatives to Japan. At this time, Cixi and others were very afraid that the war would continue. In order to obtain an armistice, they were determined to reach a peace agreement at any cost. So in March 1895, in accordance with Japan's will, Li Hongzhang was reassigned as the first-class plenipotentiary minister, along with the former U.S. Secretary of State Science and Technology. Shida served as a consultant and went to Japan to negotiate with Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi and Foreign Minister Mutsu Mitsune. On March 20, the two sides met at Shunbo Tower and officially started the peace talks.
At the same time as the peace talks, the Japanese army dispatched troops and warships to capture Penghu, the gateway to Taiwan. On April 17, Li Hongzhang, on behalf of the Qing government, signed the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan. The treaty stipulated that the Liaodong Peninsula and Taiwan should be ceded, and Penghu be given to Japan. He also compensated the Japanese government for military expenses of 20 million taels of silver.
On the night of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the news that the Qing government signed a contract to cede Taiwan quickly spread throughout the island through foreign firms in Taipei. Taiwan Governor Tang Jingsong immediately sent a message to the Qing court to inquire about the truth. The next day, people gathered in Taiwan Province Qiu Fengjia, the governor's yamen, a Taiwanese gentry, and the director of the Ministry of Industry, drafted a telegram opposing the cessation of Taiwan on behalf of the Taiwanese people: "The peace talks to cede Taiwan shocked the whole Taiwan. Since the news of the police, the Taiwanese people have paid their dues, regardless of their wealth, and have failed the imperial court. The saints have been deeply benevolent and kind for more than two hundred years to nourish people's morale, which is what my emperor is using today. How can I bear to abandon it once? Taiwan is not as big as Penghu, so why can't we fight? In the land where I and others are born, righteousness and survival , I am willing to swear an oath to protect the emperor to the death with the Fu minister. If the battle fails, please wait until the minister is dead before ceding the land. The emperor can also deal with the ancestors and the people. If the Japanese chiefs come to take over Taiwan, the Taiwanese people will have no choice but to start a war!"
On April 19, the imperial court sent a telegram back to Taiwan Governor Tang Jingsong, formally informing him of the ceding of Taiwan and explaining to him the reasons for ceding Taiwan: "Although Taiwan is heavy, it is lighter than the capital. If the enemy takes advantage of the victory and attacks Daku directly, , then the capital is in danger. Taiwan hangs over the sea and cannot be defended for a long time... Do not forget all the dangers and harms you have experienced before and ignore them because of a moment of righteous indignation."
On the 21st, business people in Taipei went on strike and went on strike. They crowded into the governor's office and cried loudly. Tang Jingsong telegraphed to Emperor Guangxu, pleading to save Taiwan. He said in the telegram: "The difficulties created by our ancestors are recorded in the annals of history and have been passed down to 200 people." For the past few years, I have been lost from the hands of the emperor. Who do you call the emperor for future generations? How can I see my ancestors underground in the future? I protect the land of my ancestors, but I can only live and die with the stage, and I dare not obey the emperor's edict."
In order to preserve Taiwan, some officials and gentry hoped to rely on the European and American powers to put pressure on Japan. The Qing court successively proposed to Britain, France, and Germany that Taiwan would be protected by them, but the powers were unwilling to offend Japan and refused. In particular, the German government rebuked the Qing Dynasty. The imperial court was inciting a civil uprising in Taiwan, breaking the agreement, and warning the Qing court that if China and Japan went to war again, not only would Taiwan not be able to protect it, but the territory would be ceded and the compensation would be even higher. Li Hongzhang also believed that Japan had a tough attitude and that if Taiwan was taken back, it would lead to serious consequences. The war started, endangering the capital and Liaoshen. The Qing government, which had been frightened by the war, weighed and weighed repeatedly and finally decided to abandon Taiwan. On May 20, it ordered "Tang Jingsong, the governor and chief envoy of Taiwan, will open a vacancy and come to Beijing to see his Majesty immediately; The civil and military officials of Taiwan Province, large and small, have ordered the internal crossing one after another." Li Hongzhang also sent a special telegram to Ito Hirobumi, saying, "Japan should dispatch land and sea troops to suppress the situation and maintain peace."
The Qing government has decided to abandon Taiwan, but Taiwan's officials and gentry are unwilling to become obedient subjects of the Japanese. But where to go from now on, from Tang Jingsong, the supreme military and political officer, to ordinary people, in fact, everyone has no idea in their hearts. What the hell, I don't know how to deal with it.
Tang Jingsong is now in a dilemma. The chief envoy Gu Zhaoxi and Taiwan's military commander Chen Wenluo have taken the opportunity to flee back to the mainland. The escape of the second and third leaders has made people on the island panic, and a large number of officials have begun to flee. But he can't leave, and the court allows him to flee. He stayed in Taiwan to handle the handover, but is this possible?
However, Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Liangjiang, sent him a telegram, asking him to try his best to hold Taiwan for two or three months. Even if he had a city and a city in his hands, it would cause the great powers to send troops to intervene, and the Japanese would eventually have to abandon Taiwan. Moreover, The French also expressed their willingness to lease land in Taiwan, which ignited a glimmer of hope in his heart.
After some discussion, Chen Jitong proposed a new plan to save Taiwan to Tang Jingsong: following Western practice, declare Taiwan's independence, establish a temporary anti-Japanese regime, and have the rebels and the Qing troops defending Taiwan fight together to lead Taiwan's military and civilians to resist Japan and protect Taiwan. This way, we can Resistance can be justified without involving the Qing government, and at the same time, it can win the support of the great powers.
With the support of some officials staying in Taiwan and Taiwanese gentry and businessmen, the Democratic Republic of Taiwan was formally established on May 25. Taiwanese gentry and businessmen Lin Weiyuan, Lin Chaodong, Qiu Fengjia and others jointly elected Tang Jingsong as the president of the Republic of China. It was built as the presidential palace, and the country's name was changed to "Shui Qing", which meant that it would always be subordinate to the Qing Dynasty.
On this day, thousands of people in Taipei, led by Qiu Fengjia and others, held the inauguration ceremony of the President of the Republic of Taiwan in front of Tang Jingsong's office. Tang Jingsong walked out of the office, first bowed to Beijing, and then turned south Xi Jinping, accepted the kneeling and six-kowtow ceremony from Qiu Fengjia and the people of Taipei, and received the national seal and presidential seal presented by Qiu Fengjia. At this time, the national flag of the Republic of Taiwan was raised on the fort, and an 11-gun salute was fired. Foreign warships and ships also raised flags and fired cannons to express their congratulations.
Tang Jingsong then announced the cabinet appointments of the Republic of Taiwan’s Taipei-era government organizations:
President: Tang Jingsong, Minister of Military Affairs: Li Bingrui, Minister of the Interior: Yu Mingzhen, Minister of Foreign Affairs: Chen Jitong, Rebel Commander: Li Weiyi, Regiment Training Commander: Qiu Fengjia, Lobbying Officer: Yao Wendong, Speaker: Lin Weiyuan, Taichung Governor: Lin Chaodong, Tainan Governor :Liu Yongfu.
Taiwan President Tang Jingsong informed the Qing court of the matter by telegram that day, saying that he was unwilling to be president because he was forced to stay by the Taiwanese people. When the situation in Taiwan is settled, if he can escape, he will definitely go to Beijing to plead guilty.
This is where the resistance war organized by the Taiwanese people began.
On May 10, 1895, the day after the Yantai Treaty was renewed, the Japanese government issued an order in order to seize Taiwan by force: "Hereby promotes the Chief of the Naval General Department, Shiki Kayama, to the rank of general and appoints him as the commander of Taiwan. The Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of Military Affairs will leave for Taiwan today."
On the morning of May 13, the Japanese government sent a telegram from Tokyo to the U.S. Minister in Beijing, Tianbei, and forwarded it to the Qing government, requesting that personnel be sent to Taiwan to handle the delivery procedures. The message was as follows: "The Japanese imperial court has sent Navy Admiral Viscount Kayama Shiki as a The governor of Taiwan, Penghu and other islands, and was given the post of imperial envoy, allowing him to handle all matters in accordance with the fifth paragraph of the treaty signed by Shimonoseki. The governor was appointed to take office within two weeks. Upon arrival, he will handle the special commission. Incident. The Japanese government hopes that the Chinese government will appoint one or more imperial envoys to carry out the delivery.
Xie Junhang submitted a memorial to Xie Junhang, naming Li Hongzhang and his son to go to Taiwan to deliver the goods. Xie Junhang's memorial wrote: "Li Hongzhang and Li Jingfang were the masterminds of this matter. How can there be any reason for success to be done without incident? And this minister and others If you can decide on a strategy to cede territory and ask for peace, you must have the talent to use the barbarians to transform the Xia Dynasty. Please order Li Hongzhang, Li Jingfang and others to go to Taiwan quickly and deliver the goods according to the deadline." The Military Aircraft Department believes that Xie Junhang's memorial is very reasonable. Anyway, you and your son You have to clean up the trouble you caused. You can't let others bear the reputation of "traitors". Anyway, you and your son will never be able to get rid of the reputation of "traitors".
On May 18, the imperial court sent an edict to Li Jingfang: "I am sending the second-rank minister Li Jingfang to Taiwan to discuss matters with the ministers sent by Japan. I appreciate this." Li Jingfang was shocked when he received this edict, thinking what if This trip to Taiwan was not only difficult to handle, but also life-threatening. It was better to pretend to be sick and ask my father to take a sick leave.
Li Hongzhang wrote a memorial and called Beijing to say: "After Li Jingfang returned to Tianjin with him from Maguan, he became ill due to overwork and returned to the south for medical treatment. The business affairs with Taiwan were heavy, and it seemed that it was inconvenient to separate the situation and treat him lightly because of his lack of qualifications. If an official prevaricates outsiders, it will inevitably lead to delays. Li Jing is really not qualified for the job, so he asked the order to withdraw his order and appoint another simple sect."
However, not only was Li Hongzhang's memorial ineffective, but he was also reprimanded. Emperor Guangxu issued an edict saying: "Li Hongzhang has a heavy responsibility and should bring this matter to a proper conclusion. Why should he stay out of it? Now the Japanese envoys have arrived in Taiwan, and they are still following Li Jingfang." Go quickly and don't retreat in fear of difficulties. If there is a delay due to delay, only Li Jingfang is the one to ask! Li Hongzhang cannot absolve himself of the blame! I admire this."
After Li Hongzhang read this edict, he knew that the strict edict could not be disobeyed, so he reported to the court and requested that Cosida be sent to help him. At the same time, he sent a telegram to his son in Shanghai, saying: "It is extremely difficult to dismiss the people who went to Taiwan to deliver the goods. As soon as all the staff We will go there as soon as possible." After these two telegrams were sent, he thought that if Li Jingfang landed on Taiwan Island, he would be beaten to death. For his son's safety, Li Hongzhang came up with a way to deliver the goods in Penghu. That day He also sent a telegram to Ito Hirobumi, the full text of which is as follows: "Taiwan sovereignty has been handed over to Japan, and Japan should dispatch land and sea forces to suppress it and maintain peace. Li Jingfang plans to go to Penghu soon to meet with Japanese special officials."
Ito Hirobumi received Li Hongzhang's telegram. After reading it, he learned that the Chinese officials were afraid of the danger of going to Taiwan, so he came up with a way to let the Chinese officials come to Nagasaki first, and then take a Japanese ship to Taiwan. On May 22, Ito The reply telegram was sent to Tianjin, which said: "It would be safer if the Chinese special officials came to Nagasaki first and brought Japanese ships there to provide escort."
Li Hongzhang believed that although this method could ensure safety, it would lead to criticism. Originally, he was regarded as a Japanese party, and if he did this, he would be scolded as a traitor. He thought about it and finally came up with a method-meeting in Haikou, Taiwan On the 23rd, Li Hongzhang’s method was approved by the court.
On May 30, Li Jingfang, together with Taoist priest Ma Jianzhong, consultant Kosda, foreign translator Wu Guangjian, Japanese translator Lu Yongming, Tao Dajun, civil servants Zhang Liu, Huang Zheng, military attache Lu Wenjing, Gao Xuanchun, etc., as well as 40 guards, boarded the German The merchant ship "Justice" set sail from Shanghai. In the early morning of June 1, the "Justice" arrived in Tamsui and was escorted by the Japanese ship "Chiyoda" to the vicinity of San Diao'ao on the sea east of Keelung. The "Yokohama Maru" they were traveling on broke down on the starboard side. At 4:30 pm that day, Li Jingfang sent Tao Dajun to the "Yokohama Maru" to inform the Chinese special envoys of their arrival and agree on a time for consultation.
On the morning of June 2, Li Jingfang led his Japanese translator Lu Yongming and Tao Dajun to board the "Yokohama Maru" in a small boat. Kashan Shiki and others personally greeted him on the deck and then led him into a specially prepared cabin.
When the two sides sat down, Huashan Ziji said: "I was ordered to come to Taiwan this time, thinking that the peace treaty was approved and the handover would be very easy. Unexpectedly, after Tamsui sent a small force to enter the country, the Qing troops fired artillery to block it. So I diverted to Keelung, and was again attacked by the Qing. The troops bombarded us, and we had no choice but to temporarily stop at San Diao Ao. We had no choice but to use force. Now more than 10,000 Chinese army troops have begun to land, and Keelung will be captured within a few days."
Li Jingfang said: "I have been ordered to come here to handle the handover of Taiwan with you. How to deal with it, I have to listen to your request first."
Huashan Ziji glanced at Li Jingfang: "Then when our army captures Keelung, we will all go to Taipei to handle the handover."
Li Jingfang refused to go ashore in person, so the two parties negotiated for a long time. He hurriedly went through the delivery procedures with Huashan Ziji on the "Yokohama Maru" and returned that night on the passenger ship "Justice". The treasure island of Taiwan was thus filled. The Qing government abandoned it rashly.
On May 29, the Japanese Guards Division avoided Taiwan's well-defended Keelung, Tamsui and other places, and bombarded the coast near Jinbaoli, creating the illusion of an imminent landing, and suddenly attacked Aodi, a remote fishing village northeast of Keelung. Aodi There were only two battalions of Qing troops nearby, and most of them were "Guangyong" who had just been recruited by Tang Jingsong from Guangdong. They had not received any training at all. As soon as the two sides came into contact, the Qing troops immediately collapsed, and the Japanese troops successfully landed at the bottom of Ao.
Immediately, the Japanese troops crossed San Diao Ridge and attacked directly behind Keelung.
After several days of siege by the Japanese navy and army, the well-defended Keelung Fortress fell immediately on June 3, and the Japanese army turned to attack Shiqiu Ridge in northern Taipei.
Lin Chaodong heard that Taipei was in urgent need and immediately led the fifth battalion of Dongjun Army to reinforce.
On June 4, the Qing army broke up and fled into Taipei. Tang Jingsong and others fled to Tamsui. The Qing army broke up and looted all the treasury. Then they looted at will on the streets and set fire to the treasury and the presidential office.
On the 6th, Tang Jingsong and others fled to Xiamen on a foreign ship. On the 9th, Qiu Fengjia ordered the disbandment of Taiyong and hurriedly crossed to Guangdong. The main officials of the newly established Taiwan Democratic Republic fled.
Taipei fell within days, and the situation took a turn for the worse.
Lin Chaodong led his troops to Hsinchu and received the news that Taipei had been lost. He felt that the situation was over and he couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh: "I tried my best to defend the platform, but the court may not allow me. If I fight to the death and fight the enemy bravely, the Japanese will regard my people as enemy bandits. Why should I be like this?" !" Then he paid his subordinates the wages they had brought, and then took a boat with a battalion of soldiers to return to Xiamen that night.