The Qing Dynasty lost ground10,000 square kilometers, why was it forced? Look at how Russia, France and Germany treat China
After the Meiji Restoration, Japan grew stronger and more aggressive toward its neighbors. After the First Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese lion opened his mouth to demand that we cede land and pay compensation, and demanded 30,000 square kilometers of land on the Liaodong Peninsula.
Under international pressure, Japan was forced to return this part of the land.
The signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki put China to shame, but after the Meiji Restoration, Japan gradually embarked on the capitalist path and grew in national power. However, the ambitions of the Japanese rulers also swelled, and they began to formulate a "continental policy" for foreign expansion.
The policy centered on aggression against China, and planned to dominate the world by occupying Taiwan, annexing Korea, occupying Manchu and Mongolia, destroying China, and conquering Asia. This ambitious policy was concretely implemented in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894.
In 1894, the Donghak uprising broke out in Korea, which led to the First Sino-Japanese War. This uprising, also known as the First Sino-Japanese Peasant War, was led by Donghak Daoists in Korea and was a large-scale peasant uprising against the feudal rule of the Joseon Dynasty and the invasion and partition of the foreign powers.
During the uprising, the Korean ** army was defeated and retreated under the fierce attack of the rebel army, and in desperation, it asked the suzerain, China, for support. At the same time, under the pretext of protecting the embassy and expatriates in Korea, Japan sent an advance team of 700 people into the territory of the DPRK.
However, it didn't take long for North Korea** to reach an armistice with the rebel army at home. In order to withdraw its troops from North Korea, North Korea** sent a request to China and Japan. Although Japan verbally promised to withdraw its troops, it secretly increased reinforcements, and eventually the number of Japanese troops in Korea exceeded 10,000.
With a strong military force, the Japanese minister to Korea, Keisuke Otori, began to constantly provoke the Qing Dynasty in an attempt to delay time and prepare for the imminent outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War.
As time passed, Japan's war intentions became more and more apparent. At that time, the Empress Dowager Cixi's 60th birthday was approaching, and in order not to disturb her birthday, she hoped to avoid conflict with Japan through the mediation of Britain, the United States, Russia and other countries, so as to resolve the imminent outbreak of the great war between China and Japan.
The Western powers knew that Japan was ambitious. They expect a real conflict between China and Japan, because they can only profit from it if they pit it against each other.
On July 23, 1894, Japan suddenly attacked the royal palace of Korea, which led to the collapse of Korea ** and became a puppet of Japan. On July 25, the Japanese army launched a surprise attack on the Qing troop transport ships off the sea of Toshima, triggering the Battle of Toshima and the official outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War.
With the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing Dynasty was very weak in the face of Japan, which had just ended the Meiji Restoration. Under the unfavorable situation of the war, the Qing Dynasty began to seek a peaceful solution.
On February 2, 1895, Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito submitted a request for peace talks to Qing **. On 14 March, Li Hongzhang and others set off from Tianjin for peace talks at the Japanese-designated Shimonoseki (present-day Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture).
Although the end of the war is heart-wrenching, this history also teaches us the importance of peaceful resolution.
On the 19th, the Qing Dynasty's peace delegation arrived at Moji in Kitakyushu. The next day, Chief Representative Li Hongzhang began negotiations with Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito, Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu, and US adviser Duan Dichen at Chunfan Tower in Shimonoseki.
It is undeniable that the Qing Dynasty at that time was simply unable to compete with Japan in national strength, so the result of this negotiation could only be that the Qing Dynasty repeatedly retreated. During the negotiation process, although Li Hongzhang repeatedly asked for a reduction in blackmail, Ito Hirobumi firmly refused.
American adviser Crestec also sided with Japan and urged Li Hongzhang to sign the agreement. Finally, on the morning of April 17, Li Hongzhang signed the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Shimonoseki with the Japanese plenipotentiary, a humiliating treaty.
In addition to opening treaty ports and compensating Japan for military spending, the Treaty of Shimonoseki also ceded the Liaodong Peninsula, Taiwan Island, and the Penghu Islands. The treaty caused a nationwide outcry, with people demanding that the treaty be broken and that the fight continue.
Especially in Taiwan, on the third day after the signing of the treaty, the people of Taiwan "ran to tell each other, gathered in the city to cry, night and day, and cried in the four fields", and they expressed their determination to "live in the land of Sangzi, righteousness and survival".
During this period, Emperor Guangxu was under strong pressure from the United States in a mood of indecision.
The United States and Japan privately exchanged interests, hoping to ratify the treaty as soon as possible through the Qing Dynasty. On April 20, Ito Hirobumi sent a message to Li Hongzhang in Hiroshima: "The Japanese Emperor has ratified the peace treaty," including Japanese and Chinese, with accompanying terms and drawings.
The United States expressed support for Japan's swift ratification of the peace treaty. At that time, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained to the U.S. minister in Japan about the emperor's ratification of the treaty and hoped for the support of the United States.
On April 29, Japan's minister to the United States, Shinichiro Awano, reported to Mutsu Munemitsu the commitment of the United States**, and the United States promised to cooperate with Japan on the premise that neutrality does not violate its own interests; And through the U.S. minister in Beijing, China has been urged to ratify the Treaty of Shimonoseki as soon as possible.
The signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki provided an opportunity for the joint intervention of the great powers, and Russia, Germany, and France formed an alliance. Japan did not expect that with the support of the United States, the ducks in hand would be able to fly.
The Liaodong Peninsula, about 30,000 square kilometers of territory, was forced to be returned to China due to the intervention of Russia, Germany, and France.
The Treaty of Shimonoseki provided for the Qing to cede the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan, a decision that posed a serious threat to the aggressive interests of the Qing in Northeast China and North China. At the same time, it has also weakened its competitiveness in the strategic position of competing for China and hegemony in East Asia.
This move intensified the scramble between Japan and the Northeast region, because the Northeast had long been its sphere of influence, and the "Yellow Russia Plan" was threatened by Japan's "mainland policy".
Therefore, when the news of Japan's secession of the Liaodong Peninsula reached **, some ** representatives of the ruling class advocated taking the opportunity to expand China, so they mobilized 21 ** ships to form the largest fleet in the Far East to carry out activities in Chinese waters to help China "hold on".
Russia and Japan are massing troops on the border, ostensibly to prevent the military operations between Japan and China from moving northward, but the real purpose is to protect their own territory and interests. When Japan occupied the Liaodong Peninsula, it was worried that it would lose its interests, but because it was worried that interfering in the Sino-Japanese peace talks would push Japan to Britain, it adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
However, upon learning of Japan's request to cede the Liaodong Peninsula, ** immediately decided to intervene in Japan's actions in order to protect its own interests. Therefore, the action of ** is actually out of self-interest, not really to protect the peace in the middle of the day.
Werther's proposal caused concern in the country, and there were fears that it would lead to an increase in the antagonism between the country and Japan. ** Foreign Minister Robertov expressed deep concern about this.
In his opinion, although Japan should be prevented from becoming stronger through the First Sino-Japanese War, it should also be careful to avoid any hostile actions against Japan, so as not to damage friendly relations with Japan.
Although Robertov admitted that the Japanese occupation of the Liaodong Peninsula was displeased, he had to be cautious because of the conniving attitude of Britain towards Japan. However, Robertov's opinion was opposed by some of the powerful ministers, who believed that he had neglected the interests of the Far East.
Due to internal disagreements, the Tsar convened a special meeting on April 11 to discuss whether to interfere with the Sino-Japanese peace treaty. At the meeting, the discussion was very intense.
* Marshal Alekseev supported Robertov's point of view, believing that in order to curb British expansion in the Far East, it was necessary to maintain good relations with Japan and even secretly support it.
He also proposed that an agreement could be reached with Japan that respects China's rights and interests.
Robertov's attitude changed because Japan tried to cede Liaodong. He pointed out that Japan is the least moral country, and it should not expect to sign a secret agreement with Japan, and it will not be able to get Japan's friendship.
Witte insisted on his own position at this meeting, believing that the Japanese hostilities were directed against **. If Japan occupies Northeast China, it will annex Korea and threaten the interests of the first country.
Werther suggested that if they insisted that Japan return the Liaodong Peninsula, then ** could become China's savior and extract more benefits from China. Tsar Nicholas II approved the decision and asked the Foreign Minister to inform the countries of Europe and China.
Robertov proposed that if Japan did not accept the advice of the first country, it would unite Germany and France to take military action against Japan.
*'s proposal coincides with Germany's thinking. As early as April 4, Germany expressed its hope to join hands to resist Japan's occupation of the Liaodong Peninsula. Germany has always wanted to create a naval base on Chinese territory, and the Liaodong Peninsula is very important for Germany.
Therefore, Japan's seizure of the Liaodong Peninsula was against the will of Germany. As the Sino-Japanese war drew to a close, Germany began to act aggressively on the diplomatic front. It first told Britain** that if a third country gained new benefits from China after the end of the war, Germany would also demand corresponding benefits, and hoped to work with Britain to resist other competitors.
After Britain did not reply, Germany turned to the United States** and took the initiative to say that there was no contradiction between Germany and Russia in the Far East. After Japan revealed the terms of the peace agreement to the various countries, Britain made it clear that it had no intention of taking action, but decided to intervene immediately.
As a result, Germany actively supported and pushed the Russian side to speed up its actions. Germany is keen to interfere with activities for two purposes. The first is a vain attempt to gain new rights and interests and a base of aggression in the frenzy of China's partition.
Germany sent a letter to Britain on 14 March, making it clear that acting in concert with China might win China's gratitude and realize its desire to cede or lease an area from China as a coastal base.
The second is to direct the attention of the first to the East and reduce the pressure on the Russian-French alliance in Europe.
As Kaiser Wilhelm II said, in order to alleviate the threat to Germany's eastern borders, it was in Germany's interests to direct ** to the east. Therefore, Germany took an active part in intervening in the Japanese occupation of the Liaodong Peninsula.
As an ally in Europe, France's position is closely linked to its attitude. At the same time, France was trying to gain harbors and divide spheres of influence in China. France had tried to induce Britain to join the intervention in order to translate the action into a joint action of the European powers, but due to Britain's refusal, France could only end up following the Franco-Russian alliance and aligning itself with **.
After the three countries reached a consensus on intervening in the "return of Liao," Germany took the lead in issuing a warning to Japan.
On the morning of April 20, Gothramide went to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and said that he had received an order from Germany to bring an important document and formally notify the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with other countries.
However, at that time, Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu was recuperating outside, and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hayashi Dong was not present, so Kokrumid proposed to come back the next day to deliver the document.
However, the next day, Gokrumid said that he had temporary matters to deal with and could not come in person, and hoped that the embassy staff would inform the Japanese side and agree to meet on the 22nd. On the morning of the 22nd, Gokrumid came to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and met with Lin Dong.
He claimed that because he had important matters, he hoped to meet directly with the Minister of State, that is, the Prime Minister or the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who could give a definite answer on behalf of Japan** as soon as possible.
Lin Dong replied that the foreign minister could not meet immediately because he was sick, but he could tell himself about it and then quickly relay it to the minister. If that happens, he said he would come back to the Japanese Foreign Ministry in the afternoon after consulting with his colleagues.
From 23 to 22 April, the German Minister repeatedly asked for a postponement of the meeting with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is because the envoys of Russia and France have not yet received instructions from their own countries.
In order to create an atmosphere of common interference, Gothrumides decided to wait. On the 23rd, Foreign Minister Robertov met with the French and German envoys to Russia and said that "** decided to immediately and amicably submit a request to Japan ** not to permanently occupy the Chinese mainland, and hoped that France and Germany would also join in this action." ”
If Japan does not accept this advice, a joint military action by the three countries is being considered. Germany agreed to the proposal, and France, in order to consolidate the Russian-French alliance and seek opportunities, also agreed to participate in the joint intervention of the three countries.
Subsequently, the envoys of Russia, France, and Germany to Japan jointly went to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make a "friendly exhortation" to Japan, demanding that Japan give up its permanent occupation of the Liaodong Plain and give a reply within 15 days.
Militarily put pressure on Japan, requiring ships anchored in Japanese ports to be ready to anchor within 24 hours, and assembling in Yantai and Kobe for demonstrations.
At the same time, Germany also assembled a fleet off the coast of China to keep in touch with the ** fleet. ** Admiral Chekhabeev claimed: "* The fleet is strong and morale is high, and it can cut off Japan's maritime ties without a large-scale battle." ”
This came as a surprise to Japan, especially the sudden change in attitude towards Germany. This war of aggression against China has already consumed a large number of Japanese personnel and materials.
At a time when Japan was in a difficult situation at home and abroad, they adopted a diplomatic trick in an attempt to win over the United States, Britain, and other countries to contain the joint intervention of the three countries. The United States is an ally of Japan and has always supported Japan's aggression against China.
Therefore, Japan hopes to form a united front against interference with the United States, Britain, and other countries to counter the interference of Russia, Germany, and France. However, Britain** rejected Japan's request through euphemistic diplomatic rhetoric, claiming no interference in the matter.
Although the United States was willing to support Japan, the United States felt powerless to cope with the pressure of the joint action of the three countries, especially the cold attitude of the United Kingdom. The United States told Japan that it could persuade China to ratify the treaty, but that assistance to Japan would be consistent with the neutral position of the United States.
However, Japan's request was rejected by the United States with diplomatic ambiguity. Under pressure from **, Germany and France, Japan was forced to compromise. Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito, under diplomatic and military pressure from the three countries, felt that there was no way out.
On May 5, he had to send letters to Russia, Germany, and France** respectively, announcing that they would renounce the occupation of the Liaodong Peninsula in order to show respect for the friendship between the three countries.
When the Russo-Japanese War broke out, Japan had to give up its occupation of the Liaodong Peninsula, but it had a murderous motive in its heart, trying to continue to occupy the region through huge reparations, and leaving the three countries with nothing to say.
However, this strategy was seen through, and the three countries jointly proposed an outline of "returning Liao" to Japan. Against this background, the Qing court appointed Li Hongzhang as Minister Plenipotentiary to negotiate with Japan in the hope of recovering the Liaodong Peninsula.
However, in the course of the negotiations, Li Hongzhang kept demanding a reduction in the reparations, but Japan insisted on the original conditions and refused to budge an inch. In the end, the Qing ** was forced to sign the "Liaonan Treaty" and redeemed the Liaodong Peninsula at a high price.
The incident of the three countries' intervention in the return of Liao was actually a diplomatic battle waged by the imperialist countries for China's territory and rights and interests. This incident marked the beginning of the frenzy of the great powers to carve up China at the end of the 19th century, and at the same time exposed the greedy ambition of ** to occupy Northeast China, which was an important step in the attempt to dominate Northeast China.
Under the pretext of interfering in Liao's meritorious service, ** kept asking for "remuneration" from the Qing **, and successfully occupied Lushun and Dalian. However, after Japan was forced to withdraw from Liaodong, it would not give up on this incident easily, so the war between Japan and Russia for northeastern China inevitably broke out.
The lesson of history must not be forgotten that backwardness means being beaten. During the Qing Dynasty, due to the isolation of the country and the lack of progress, the country was backward and was forced to sign many treaties that humiliated the country, so that hundreds of people lived in misery.
** It has been emphasized that if we fall behind, we will be beaten, and we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. Today, China has embarked on the road of independence and has become a powerful country.
Any attempt to interfere with the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country will be severely punished. We must bear in mind history, work hard to make the country strong, and strive to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
In-depth study of the seventy years of diplomacy in the late Qing Dynasty, ** the diplomatic situation of that era.