Suzuki Masahiro and Yamamoto Sukeyuki sat there respectfully, not daring to make a sound.
It stands to reason that I can be regarded as an old subordinate of the President. Although I have a special status, I am a [Japanese] person. However, since I was conquered by the President, I have always shown my loyalty and have always served loyally.
When the president does it.
In the two incidents between the President and Japan, Suzuki Mitsumasa and Yamamoto Sukeno firmly stood on the side of the President.
After the Northern Expedition began, Suzuki Mitsumasa and Yamamoto Sukeyuki thought that they could also participate, so that they could personally witness what might be called a great moment in the history of China.
But unexpectedly, the president did not let them participate.
Is it because the president still doesn’t trust himself? Or is it because of other reasons?
Glancing at the two nervous Japanese, Wang Hengyue smiled: "Don't be nervous, I know you are not allowed to go in this Northern Expedition, and you are a little unwilling to do so, but I have another task for you.
"
Suzuki Masahiro and Yamamoto Sukeyuki were relieved.
Wang Hengyue suddenly asked: "Do you know about the rice riot that happened in Japan last year?"
The two 〖日〗 themselves were startled for a moment, then nodded.
On August 2, 1918, the Japanese government issued the "Notice of the Japanese Imperial Government", which was the "Declaration" to send troops to Siberia. At the same time, it issued a mobilization order to the 12th Army Division.
When the news of sending troops to Siberia spread, the price of rice rose crazily. At the end of 1917, the price of rice per liter was 1 cent and 2 cents: by August 1918, it was 3 cents and 8 cents on the 3rd, 4 cents and 1 cent on the 5th, and 7 cents per liter.
The day is 4 cents and 7 cents, and the 9th is 5 cents and 3 cents.
It's rising every day.
The skyrocketing price of rice seriously threatened the lives of working people in urban and rural areas. In August 1918, a newspaper published a letter from a female worker saying that her family of three only earned 21 to 22 per month.
Because the price of rice has soared, after paying for rice and rent, the family has no food money. The letter finally calls for the price of rice to be lowered as soon as possible.
Even prison guards and police officers in the city complained that prices, especially the soaring price of rice, made it impossible to live. In short, the soaring price of rice has added new hardships to the Japanese people.
〗I have been shouting loudly, demanding an immediate stop to the hoarding of landlords and capitalists, rapid import of foreign rice and reduction of rice prices. However, 〖Japan〗This government has its first duty to protect the interests of landlords and capitalists. How can it do that?
Taking the people's demands to heart: On the contrary, they say that the national ideology has become bad, and it is necessary to popularize religious concepts and promote moral ethics, etc. This makes the Japanese people even more indignant.
Diao Dun developed rapidly to a very sharp level.
The "Misāo Movement" broke out under this kind of struggle situation.
On August 3, the wife of a fisherman in Toyama Prefecture forced a rice merchant to sell rice at a low price and clashed with the police who went to suppress the incident, resulting in several injuries.
More than 300 fishermen's wives and daughters from Saisuiqiao Town, a fishing village in Toyama Prefecture, took to the streets from all directions and surrounded the rice store. This was where the first ignition of the nationwide "rice riot" was ignited.
On August 4, the second day after the Nishishuiqiao incident, 80 people in Higashisuiqiao, a fishing village across the river,
More than 0 prostitutes also invariably surrounded the rice shop of rice merchant Takamatsu Chotaro.
The rice shop had stocked up more than a thousand bags of rice and was preparing to transport it outside the town and sell it at a high price. At first, the women asked calmly: "There is a shortage of rice in the local area, so don't sell the rice elsewhere."
Unexpectedly, Takamatsu Chotaro said rudely: "The rice is mine, and I can sell it to whomever I want."
His wife said even more fiercely: "If you think rice is too expensive and you can't survive, just die!"
The ladies were so insulted that they gnashed their teeth in anger: "The merchant is so abominable. He should be taught a lesson. Sisters, we can't wait to die hungry, let's divide his rice!"
The fu girls screamed, destroyed the gate, and snatched away all the rice. Seeing this, Chotaro Takamatsu was so anxious that he waved his hands wildly, stamped his feet, and screamed in agony.
On the evening of August 5, the movement expanded to the nearby Namekawa town.
Hundreds of prostitutes gathered together and demanded that the rice be sold at a low price. They crowded into the rice merchant and sat on the ground, pleading again and again: "Please sell the rice cheaper, we are going to starve to death!"
The police heard the news and came to intervene. The women scolded and said: "You are full, go back and sleep in your bed!"
The next day, men also joined the fight, and the number of participants reached 2,000 to 3,000. They took action to block the export of local rice and forced rice merchants to sell rice at a lower price.
News of the riot spread, and prostitutes from nearby fishing villages and rural areas also mobilized. Thousands of hungry fishermen and farmers shouted: "We want rice!" "Lower the price of rice!" The riot immediately spread to the entire Toyama Prefecture.
From August 3rd to 9th, during this period, people like the people in Saisuiqiao Town and Dongsuiqiao Town attacked rice stores to punish the merchants, which happened every day in every village in Toyama Prefecture, in every place
A large number of people were snatching rice grains day and night. The whole Toyama County was in a state of excitement.
The flames of war ignited by the "Vietnam-Chinese women's uprising" became a signal for the whole country in Japan.
On August 12, General Otani, the commander of the Siberian Expeditionary Force appointed by the Emperor himself, set off from Tokyo Station with the dream of "certain victory" as a group of generals and senior officials shouted "Long live His Majesty the Emperor".
However, wherever the general passed along the way, he was greeted not by "loyal subjects" waving sun flags but by hungry people shouting "We want rice! Reduce the price of rice!"
On the evening of August 11, more than 3,000 citizens of Dajun gathered in Tennoji Park and held a demonstration, shouting "Down with the city government!", "Punish Nakakoro Lian!", "Reduce the price of rice!" and other slogans. The government authorities sent out
Armed police cracked down and arrested more than 200 citizens.
The next day, the masses held a larger demonstration to express their resistance. More than 20,000 people participated in the demonstration. At night, the masses began to riot. There were rioting people everywhere in the city and suburbs, and there were thousands of people in groups.
, less than a hundred people: they broke into rice shops and destroyed [police] stations, or captured rice merchants and forced them to sell rice at half price. In the train station, there were more than a thousand workers and [police] officers.
They fought, seized the grain truck, and distributed the rice to the poor. That night, more than 250 rice shops were destroyed, and the police were completely helpless.
On the 13th and 14th, more and more people participated in the riots, and the struggle became more and more intense. According to witnesses at the time, fireworks enveloped the entire major city.
On the afternoon of the 14th, the government mobilized a cavalry regiment, an engineer battalion and a field artillery division to arrest and massacre people everywhere. More than 2,000 people were arrested. Although the large-scale riots subsided in the evening of the 14th, the small riots were still small.
The conflict continued until the 19th.
The Kobe riots have begun!
The riots in Kobe were violent from the beginning. Kobe was the center of the shipping industry, and most of the nouveau riche who made the most money during the war were concentrated here. Kobe was also a place where rice speculation was more rampant than elsewhere. Among them, the Suzuki Main Store of Suzuki, a big manufacturer,
Accepting the contract of the British Necessities Purchasing Committee, they monopolized a large amount of food through branches in various places. Therefore, the riots broke out most violently here. On the afternoon of the 12th, more than 50,000 citizens of Kobe gathered in Minatogawa Park. The socialist workers came from
Fujita sent someone to speak enthusiastically at the meeting. At that time, someone complained at the meeting that the rising price of rice was the result of crazy buying by bad capitalists like Suzuki. The crowd shouted "Down with Suzuki!" and unanimously demanded that the hoarding be punished.
A rice merchant.
Under the leadership of Fujita's people, the participants of the meeting rushed to the Suzuki Main Store in Higashi Kawasaki Town and confronted the [police] team that had been defending here in advance.
In the evening, the crowd gathered in front of the Suzuki Main Store, and more than 20,000 people gathered at one time. From a distance, it was just a dark place, crowded everywhere, and the sound of shouting vibrated far and near.
At this time, several police cars suddenly drove up and rushed straight towards the crowd. Under this sudden attack, the crowd was suddenly in chaos. The police team and the gangster group wearing helmets took advantage of the situation and rushed into the crowd.
The team, waving batons to beat the crowd, stepped over the fallen people.
At that time, there were twenty or thirty people dead and injured in front of the Suzuki Main Store, and the streets were stained red with blood.
While caring for the injured and comforting their comrades, the demonstrators quickly armed themselves with rocks and sticks to fight back against the brutal police and gangster violence.
The streets of Higashi Kawasaki Town suddenly became a battlefield, with shouts of death and alarm bells ringing from all directions. Just as the two sides were fighting inextricably, thick black smoke suddenly rose from the three-story building of the Suzuki Main Store. This
It was the result of another team throwing burning logs into it.
The fire grew stronger and stronger, and the three-story store was instantly reduced to nothing!
This victory inspired the masses. The police team and the gangsters finally couldn't hold on any longer and retreated in defeat.
The demonstrators took advantage of the victory and burned Suzuki's own house to ashes.
In the first few days of the riots in Kobe, the mass actions were mainly concentrated on attacking the shops and houses of big capitalists. In these days, Suzumoto Main Store, Yuasa Store, Shenki Steel Works,
The Japanese Camphor Company, the Kobe News Agency run by the Matsukata Zaibatsu, and the residences of loan sharks Hashima, etc. were all destroyed or burned down by the masses. Most of the [Police] boxes and many [Police] stations in the city were also destroyed.
suffered the same fate.
On the second day of the riots, many factories went on strike. Among them, the struggle at Mitsubishi Shipyard was the most intense. More than 800 workers in this factory destroyed the machines and built a fortress with logs in the factory.
They fought with armed soldiers and police with sticks and stones. Many workers wore white clothes to show their determination to fight to the end.
The battle between workers and military police lasted for two days and nights.
Riots began in Nagoya at dusk on August 9. The demonstrations here were also attacked by the army and turned into riots on the night of the 12th. As of the 17th, it had lasted for eight consecutive days, setting a record for the longest urban riot in the country.