(63) With juice wrapped around the big head

  May 8th, 1915, 9:00 am, Beijing, Zhongnanhai, Chunyu Studio.

  At this time, all the nominal and actual heads of Beijing's military and political circles gathered together to attend a special emergency meeting convened by President Yuan Shikai.

  Facing a room full of military and political officials, Lu Xingqiang's voice was particularly suppressed and indignant as he read out the final ultimatum from the Japanese.

  "...The Imperial Government, in view of the attitude of the Chinese Government, although deeply regretting that there is no room for further negotiation, still hopes to maintain peace in the Far East and wishes to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion, so as to avoid complications in the situation. In the midst of unbearable circumstances, it has also taken into consideration the feelings of neighboring governments and will withdraw the fifth item of its previous proposal, except for the exchange of notes regarding Fukien Province, which has already been agreed upon by the representatives of both governments. The other five items may be separated from this negotiation and discussed later. Therefore, the Chinese Government should also understand the Imperial Government's intention and promptly agree to the remaining items, namely the first, second, third, and fourth items, as well as the fifth item regarding the exchange of notes on Fukien Province, without any change, in accordance with the revised proposal presented on April 26. The Imperial Government hereby again strongly advises that it expects a satisfactory reply from the Chinese Government by May 9 at 6 o'clock in the afternoon. If no satisfactory reply is received by then, the Imperial Government will take necessary measures..."

  After listening to this final ultimatum, the whole room was quiet for a moment, as if the sound of a needle falling to the ground could be heard.

  After reading out the final ultimatum from Japan, Lu Tseng-tsiang explained in a sorrowful tone the situation of the Sino-Japanese negotiations and their future plans:

  "...My government, in this negotiation, has spent over three months, with 25 formal meetings, always respecting the intentions of neighboring countries, making concessions and seeking a peaceful resolution. This is not only well-known to our citizens but also understood by all friendly nations. Unfortunately, Japan has used various excuses to increase its military presence, turning negotiations into armed talks, which failed to achieve this goal. In Japan's final communication, they refused to discuss the fifth point, and after intense debate, we managed to modify the clauses that infringed on our sovereignty and superior position. We formally declared that Jiaozhou Bay will be returned to China in the future, and although Japanese citizens have the right to reside in southern Manchuria, they must obey Chinese police, laws, and taxation, just like Chinese citizens. Compared to the initial proposal, we have made significant concessions on our sovereignty, domestic politics, and international agreements. However, the losses in Dairen, southern Manchuria, and Andong are already substantial... Once a rupture occurs, it will be difficult for us to win, and the losses after the war may be several times more than what is being demanded now, leading to chaos and devastation that cannot be imagined. Many friendly nations' envoys in Beijing have also come to advise us, suggesting that we should not be overly stubborn if China's sovereignty and domestic politics are not harmed. After repeated discussions, our government had no choice but to consider the national situation, public opinion, and the pros and cons, and decide on a course of action..."

  "Absolutely not! Absolutely not!" The Chief of the General Staff, Duan Qirui, suddenly changed color and stood up, saying loudly, "The law of avoidance must not be carried out!"

  "Speak up, Shi Quan," said Yuan Shikai, who couldn't hide the look of disappointment on his face, looking up at Duan Qirui with a weak voice.

  "This kind of treaty is nothing but a plot to annex our country, just like they did with Korea!" Duan Qirui said loudly. "For now, the only option is to refuse to sign and return the ultimatum. If Japan really invades us, we must unite as one and put up a strong resistance!"

  "But our country's national strength has not yet recovered, and whether it's the navy or army, they are far inferior to Japan. Once we engage in battle, defeat is certain!" Minister Xu Shichang said with a worried expression.

  "It is said in the ancient language: It is better to be shattered jade than to remain intact as a tile! Being shattered jade can still inspire the nation, unite and rise up, rather than being a slave to a lost country! If we yield and become tiles for the sake of survival, even if we can temporarily avoid disaster, the people's hearts will inevitably be completely lost! Whoever gains the people's heart will gain the world. How can we establish a country by compromising with this kind of treaty that leads to national subjugation?" Duan Qirui said angrily.

  "Now is the time of life and death for our country! If we sign, it would be no different from self-imprisonment and drinking poison!" Cai E loudly said, "Protecting the family and defending the country is the heavenly duty of us military men. Rather than signing and bringing shame to the nation, I'd rather die fighting! Now that the country is in urgent need, I am willing to lead my troops as a shield for the government and make a final charge!"

  "Our country is weak, but if the invasion reaches our sovereignty and restricts our internal affairs, as listed in Article 5, I will resolutely resist to the death." Yuan Shikai sighed, his eyes seemingly welling up with tears. "But our national strength is not yet sufficient, it's indeed difficult for us to go to war with Japan at present..."

  "It is better to fight guerrilla warfare with the Japanese than to yield because of enemy strength and our weakness!" said Cai Tinggan, military advisor to the Presidential Palace and also Yuan Shikai's English secretary.

  This naval commander, who was once captured by the Japanese army in the first year of the Guangxu Emperor and taken back to their home country, still had his strengths at this time.

  "Our country's naval and military strength is no match for Japan, but our country has vast territory and a large population, and Japan absolutely does not have the power to swallow an elephant. Although the Japanese army can temporarily occupy a large area of our territory, they will not be able to stand firm for long. Moreover, their unjust occupation of our territory will inevitably be condemned by all nations, and will not be tolerated by Western countries. Once the European war is over, Britain, America and other countries will surely intervene." Duan Qirui continued, "If we sign this treaty, our country has no choice but to wait for death and destruction, there are no other options."

  "Our army has developed over the years and has a certain scale, but it can barely keep up with the Japanese army. Once the war breaks out on a large scale, our navy will be hard-pressed to defend itself, let alone resist the Japanese fleet. At that time, the coastal areas in the southeast will inevitably be ravaged by the Japanese naval gunfire, and our prosperous and fertile land will be reduced to rubble.

  Xu Shichang shook his head and said, "Moreover, Japan has the advantage of having a navy, which can transport its army to land at any point along our coast. Our army cannot defend every place. From this perspective, the outcome of the war is already determined before it even starts. Why not swallow our pride for now, learn from Goujian's determination to sleep on thorns and taste gall, and plan for the future?"

  After hearing Xu Shichang's words, Duan Qirui and other warlords fell silent for a while, and some people seemed to feel the pain of national subjugation, beginning to cry out loud.

  "The Japanese may have a powerful navy, but it's not necessarily useful this time." someone in the crowd at the back suddenly said.

  "How can you say that?" Yuan Shikai raised his head in surprise and asked, his eyes scanning the crowd until they quickly landed on a refined and elegant military officer.

  "Japan dares to coerce our country this time because they think the European war is raging and the great powers are temporarily unable to turn their attention eastward. In fact, the great powers have always been paying attention to the development of the Far Eastern situation, but only because it does not affect their interests in China for the time being, so-called 'it's none of my business, let it be'. Therefore, no one is willing to take the lead for our country, and once Japan declares war on our country due to our refusal to accept its ultimatum, if the war affects the great powers' sphere of influence in China, they will not sit idly by. At that time, it is very likely that they will jointly intervene."

  Yang Shouming met Yuan Shikai's gaze and said slowly, "Most of my southeastern coastal areas are within the sphere of influence of Britain, France, and the United States. If Japan wants to take action against our country, in order to prevent the great powers from intervening, these places will basically not be considered. For our country, as long as we hold on to a few strategic points, we can completely block their invasion into our inland territories."

  Yuan Shikai was taken aback by Yang Shouming's words.

  "This general has some reason to say so." Lu Zhengxiang heard Yang Shuo's words, as if he remembered something, "According to the secret report of our Minister to Japan, Rong Qirong, the British Minister to Japan had notified the Japanese Foreign Ministry that if Japan wanted to use strong pressure on our country, it must consult with Britain. This matter may be used as evidence for this."

  "Moreover, although Japan has been frequently mobilizing troops in South Manchuria and Shandong, it is merely a show of force, and it itself has not made preparations for an all-out war with our country. As long as our country shows its determination to fight to the death, once the war situation expands, various countries will intervene to protect their interests in China, Japan will be isolated, and will certainly retreat, seeking to reopen negotiations with our country, at which point it will be a different situation altogether." Yang Shouming continued, "This can be called the 'war-for-peace' method, that is, using a war to force Japan to reevaluate our country, and change its policy of bullying our country."

  "Make peace through war?......" Yuan Shikai was taken aback, he thought for a long time before slowly nodding his head.

  "Non-resistance is not enough to bring about peace! Non-resistance is not enough to win the hearts of the people! Non-resistance is not enough to establish authority!" Yang Shouming looked at Yuan Shikai and said with an extremely sincere tone, "At the beginning of Xinhai, after the success of the revolution, the north and south negotiated a peace treaty, and the country was nominally unified. However, in reality, each region did as it pleased. Our great president pacified the Jiangning War within a month, and his prestige shook the land, bringing stability to the country. If we say that the Jiangning War gave our great president an excellent opportunity for unification, then this time Japan's 'Twenty-One Demands' has also given our government a good chance to win over the hearts of the people and consolidate its authority." He turned his head to look at Duan Qirui, and continued to say to Yuan Shikai, "Even if the war is unfavorable, as long as the hearts of the people are still with us, there will still be opportunities for revival. But if we sign this treaty, then as Premier Duan said, even if we can temporarily avoid disaster, the hearts of the people will inevitably be lost forever. Not only will our great president be called a 'traitor' and be unable to clear his name, but all of you gentlemen in the government will also lose your reputation and be unable to recover. Then China will be destroyed without being destroyed."

  After hearing Yang Shouming's words, Yuan Shikai and all the participants fell into silence.

  Duan Qirui stared intently at Yuan Shikai's face, whose complexion was changing unpredictably, clearly undergoing a fierce internal struggle.

  "Yes! Once I sign this document, I, Yuan Shikai, will be cursed as a traitor by the people from now on... just like Li Hongzhang in those years..." At this moment, Yuan Shikai suddenly burst into tears, startling Yang Shouming.

  Yang Shouming looked at Yuan Shikai with a somewhat amused expression, unable to tell for a moment whether he was really moved to tears by his own words about Li Hongzhang or just pretending to be pitiful.