Two, Storm Rises in Taiwan

  The Taiwan Governor's Office on Dadaocheng Street in Taipei.

  Tang Jingxong, who had been in the position of Governor for over three years, finally sat on the throne of Taiwan's Governor under the strong recommendation of his teacher Zhang Zhidong. However, at this time, he was more worried than joyful.

  Since the outbreak of the Jiawu War, the former governor Shao Youlian predicted that the fire would spread to the Taiwan Strait and began to run relationships in Beijing. He also petitioned the imperial court for illness and resignation, trying every means to leave this place of right and wrong, and threw this mess to Tang Jingxuan.

  Tang Jingyong is not a man who fears trouble, on the contrary, he has some expectations for the war that has just begun. If it weren't for him taking risks in Guangxi and instigating the Sino-French War, there wouldn't be today's official glory.

  War is always the best opportunity to gain merit, Lao Tang has even moved the whiskers on the French tiger's face, can he still be afraid of these Japanese pirates?

  However, the news from the Liaodong front line made him increasingly uneasy. Old Tang was also a seasoned veteran, and his intuition told him that this time he might have really misjudged the situation. The Battle of the Yellow Sea had once been the pride of the Qing Empire, but Li Hongzhang's Northern Fleet, which had been built with heavy investment, was almost completely destroyed. On the battlefield in Korea, the Huai Army, which was known as the most elite force of the Qing Empire, fled in disarray, and the war situation became increasingly uncontrollable.

  After the Japanese army grasped the control of the sea, they began to send warships to covet Taiwan. Tang Jingxong also sensed the danger of the situation and sought help from the imperial court and his teacher, Zhang Zhidong, the governor-general of Hubei and Hunan provinces. At the same time, he sent his trusted subordinate Wu Guohua back to Guangdong to recruit soldiers and braves.

  Mr. Tang is now frowning, constantly sighing in the government office, feeling that the world is unfair. He has worked hard to become a circuit intendant, and it's just when his career is going smoothly and he's enjoying himself that another group of Japanese pirates appears to make things difficult for him.

  Mr. Tang also wanted to learn from his predecessor, Mr. Shao, and simply claim illness to resign, but he couldn't bear to give up the glory that had just fallen into his hands, and he didn't have the backing of Mr. Shao's family. After thinking about it repeatedly, he became so annoyed with himself that he picked up a cup of cold tea from the table and gulped down several mouthfuls in one breath, come what may, he thought fiercely to himself.

  While he was lost in thought, Lai Heyan brought in a name card: "Governor, the former Minister of Works Qiu Fengjia requests an audience."

  Tang Jingyong was taken aback, for he knew this Qiu Fengjia. This man came from the prominent Qiu family of Zhanghua, and had passed the imperial examination in the 15th year of Guangxu, being appointed as a Ministry of Works official. However, it seemed that he had no intention of staying in Beijing to be an official, for after resigning his post, he assisted former Governor Liu Mingchuan in building Taiwan's railways, and spent some time with him. Later, Qiu returned to Taiwan and became the principal of Hengwen Academy in Taichung, where he wielded great influence among the people. Although he had not been an official for long, most island residents referred to him as "Qiu Gongbu".

  "Now that things are like this, he has come to Taipei seeking an audience, definitely with something important. 'Please, hurry!' Tang Jingyong said, seeing Lai Heyan go out, he hesitated for a moment, and still decided to wear casual clothes to meet this 'Qiu Gongbu', in order to show his intention of getting along."

  Qiu Fengjia followed Lai Heyan into the inner hall, and after seeing Tang Jingyong, he bowed deeply: "Late-born inferior scholar Qiu Fengjia pays his respects to Governor Tang!"

  Tang Jingyong hastened to offer his hand in assistance: "Brother Jifu, why be so polite? You and I are brothers, no need for such courtesy." After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat down, with Lai Heyan following closely behind as Tang Jingyong's trusted aide.

  Qiu Fengjia was straightforward and quickly stated his intention: "The world is now in a state of turmoil, although Japan is currently fighting with the Huai Army in Liaodong, but the Japanese pirates have long been eyeing Taiwan. Now that their warships are spying on the Taiwan Strait, I wonder what plans you have?"

  Tang Jingyong did not conceal his concerns and the preparations he had made, and told Qiu Fengjia and Pan about them. When Shao Youlian was still in office, he had already petitioned the imperial court to dispatch Fujian Waterborne Admiral Yang Qizhen and three battalions of troops to Beitai, to command the various armies in Keelung, with veteran General Liu Yongfu leading his troops into Taiwan to take charge of Tainan's defenses. At the same time, he summoned General Liao Dechang and Deputy General She Zhiting to lead their troops to Taiwan, to be responsible for defending Beitai.

  But Tang Jingyong also showed a difficult expression, due to insufficient supplies and equipment, Taiwan's military strength was still very weak.

  Qiu Fengjia, upon hearing this, encouraged himself and took the initiative to ask for the task. He was willing to take charge of summoning the villagers to organize a militia to prepare for defense and battle, and said that he didn't want a single cent of Tang Jingyong's grain allowance.

  Tang Jingxuan was overjoyed and immediately appointed Qiu Fengjia as the commander-in-chief of the Taiwan militia, who would be in charge of raising funds and equipment, and recruiting righteous civilians for military training.

  Qiu Fengjia received the imperial edict issued by the governor, and returned to his hometown to gather righteous civilians. For the time being, he did not mention it, but said that the situation of the First Sino-Japanese War was deteriorating day by day. While the Japanese army advanced smoothly in Liaodong, they turned to land on the Shandong Peninsula. The Beiyang Fleet hid inside Liugong Island and refused to come out and fight, allowing the Japanese army to land comfortably on the peninsula.

  After the Japanese army landed, they attacked Weihaiwei from the side and back, and the Beiyang Fleet was completely destroyed. Nearly half of the warships were sunk by their own troops, while more than half were captured by the Japanese, which unexpectedly increased the strength of the Japanese military.

  The Qing court was already frightened by the defeat on the battlefield, and Cixi took control of the government again. At that time, Dalian had fallen, and Empress Dowager Cixi was afraid that the Japanese army would attack Beijing and Tianjin, so she ignored the opposition of Emperor Guangxu and others, and first secretly instructed Yikuai to entrust Tian Bei to communicate with Japan, and then on January 14, 1895, officially dispatched Minister Zhang Yunheng and Governor Shao Youlian as plenipotentiaries, and asked US Secretary of State Gresham to act as a mediator to seek peace in Japan. At that time, the Japanese army was fiercely attacking Weihaiwei, and due to its military victories, its aggressive appetite was extremely large, and it felt that the opportunity for the Qing government to surrender unconditionally had not yet arrived, so it used the excuse of "insufficient plenipotentiary power" to humiliate the two envoys of the Qing government who came to seek peace, and drove them back to China.

  Although Japan was winning on the battlefield, its financial resources were limited and the war had brought a huge burden to the Japanese people. Since the end of 1894, many places in Japan have erupted in peasant uprisings, and society is unstable. Therefore, Japanese Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi made a request for peace talks to the Qing government on February 2nd. The Japanese side publicly specified that Li Hongzhang should be the plenipotentiary representative, and proposed to the Qing government that cession of territory and indemnity must be the conditions for "peace negotiations", otherwise there is no need to send a representative to Japan. At this time, Cixi and others were very afraid of continuing the war, and in order to achieve a ceasefire, they decided to reach an agreement at any cost. Therefore, in March 1895, Li Hongzhang was hastily appointed as the first-class plenipotentiary minister, accompanied by former US Secretary of State Charles Denby as an advisor, to negotiate with Japanese Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi and Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu in Japan. On March 20th, both sides met at Shunpanro and formally opened peace talks.

  While negotiations were going on, the Japanese army and navy moved to occupy the gateway of Taiwan, Penghu. On April 17th, Li Hongzhang signed the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan on behalf of the Qing government, which ceded the Liaodong Peninsula and Taiwan, Penghu to Japan and paid a war indemnity of 200 million taels of silver to the Japanese government.

  The news of the Qing government ceding Taiwan was spread quickly throughout the island through foreign firms in Taipei on the evening of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Tang Jingxong, the Governor of Taiwan, immediately sent a telegram to the Qing court to inquire about the truth. The next day, crowds gathered at the Taiwan Provincial Government Office, and Qiu Fengjia, a Taiwanese scholar and official, drafted a telegram on behalf of the Taiwanese people opposing the cession: "The peace negotiations have ceded Taiwan, and the whole island is shocked. Since the warning was issued, the Taiwanese people have contributed money and supplies without regard for their lives or property, and have not been unfaithful to the imperial court. The deep kindness and benevolence of our ancestors over the past 200 years have nurtured the hearts and spirits of the people, which is what our emperor uses today. How can we abandon it in an instant? Taiwan is not like Penghu, why can't we fight a battle? We are willing to die defending our homeland with the governor. If we lose the war, please wait for us to die before talking about ceding territory. Our emperor can also report to our ancestors and the people above and below. If the Japanese come to take over Taiwan, the Taiwanese people will have no choice but to fight!"

  On April 19, the imperial court sent a telegram to Tang Jingxong, the governor of Taiwan, formally informing him of the cession of Taiwan and explaining the difficulties of giving up Taiwan: "Although Taiwan is important, compared to the capital, it is secondary. If the enemy takes advantage of their victory and attacks Dagu directly, the capital will be in danger overnight. Taiwan is isolated overseas and cannot be defended for long... We cannot forget all the previous troubles because of temporary anger."

  On the 21st, the merchants of Taipei sounded their gongs and went on strike, rushing into the governor's office, with cries shaking the heavens. Tang Jingxong wired Guangxu Emperor, requesting to preserve Taiwan. In his telegram, he said: "The ancestors' hard work in building (the country) is all recorded in history books, passed down for over 200 years, and lost from Your Majesty's hands. What will future generations call Your Majesty? How can you face your ancestors in the afterlife? As a minister, I am duty-bound to defend our territory, and I must share Taiwan's fate, I dare not obey Your Majesty's edict."

  To preserve Taiwan, some officials hoped to rely on the Western powers to put pressure on Japan. The Qing government successively proposed to Britain, France and Germany that they would take over the protection of Taiwan, but the powers were unwilling to offend Japan and all rejected it. In particular, the German government accused the Qing government of inciting a civil uprising in Taiwan, undermining the agreement, and warned the Qing government that if China and Japan went to war again, not only could Taiwan not be preserved, but also more territory would be ceded and indemnities paid. Li Hongzhang also believed that Japan's attitude was tough, and if Taiwan were recovered, it would lead to a restart of hostilities, endangering the capital region and Liaoning province. The Qing government, which had been frightened by the war, repeatedly weighed its options and finally decided to abandon Taiwan. On May 20, an order was issued: "The Governor of Taiwan, Tang Jingxuan, is ordered to come to Beijing immediately; all civil and military officials in Taiwan are also ordered to return to the mainland successively." Li Hongzhang also sent a telegram to Ito Hirobumi, saying that Japan should send troops to suppress and maintain peace.

  The Qing government has already decided to abandon Taiwan, but the officials and people of Taiwan are not willing to become subjects of Japan so easily. As for what to do next, from Tang Jingxuan, who is nominally the highest military and political official, down to ordinary civilians, in fact, no one has any idea what to do or how to deal with it.

  Tang Jingyong is now in a dilemma, as the Governor of Fujian, Gu Zhiyi, and the Taiwan Intendant, Chen Wenqiu, have taken advantage of the situation to escape back to the mainland. The flight of these second- and third-in-command officials has caused panic among the people on the island, and many officials are also fleeing in droves. But Tang cannot leave, as the imperial court has ordered him to remain in Taiwan to handle the handover, but is this possible?

  But Zhang Zhidong, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, sent him a telegram asking him to hold on to Taiwan for two or three months at most. Even if he had only one city left in his hands, it would be enough to provoke foreign powers to intervene with troops, and Japan would have no choice but to give up Taiwan. Moreover, the French also expressed their willingness to lease Taiwanese territory, which rekindled a glimmer of hope in his heart.

  After some discussion, Chen Jitong proposed a new plan to Tang Jingxuan to save Taiwan: following the Western convention, declaring Taiwan's autonomy, establishing a temporary anti-Japanese government, and having the Righteous Army and the Qing garrison join forces to lead the Taiwanese military and civilians in resisting Japan and defending Taiwan. This way, they could resist with justification, avoid involving the Qing government, and also gain support from the powers.

  With the support of some officials and gentry in Taiwan, on May 25th, the Republic of Formosa was formally established. Taiwanese gentry Lin Wei-yuan, Lin Chao-qun, Qiu Fengjia and others jointly promoted Tang Jingxong as the President of the Republic of Formosa, with the Taiwan Circuit Intendancy serving as the Presidential Palace, changing the national title to "Shui Qing", implying eternal subordination to the Qing Dynasty.

  On this day, thousands of Taipei gentry, led by Qiu Fengjia and others, held the inauguration ceremony of the President of the Republic of Taiwan in front of Tang Jingsong's government office. Tang Jingsong walked out of the inner government office, first paying homage to Beijing with nine bows, then turned south to accept the two-knee six-bow salute from Qiu Fengjia and the Taipei people, and received the national seal and presidential seal presented by Qiu Fengjia. At this time, the Taiwan Republic flag was raised on the artillery platform, and 11 salutes were fired, while foreign warships and boats in the harbor also raised flags and fired salutes to congratulate.

  Subsequently, Tang Jingyong announced the appointment of the cabinet of the Republic of Taiwan during the Taipei period:

  Grand President: Tang Jingyong, Minister of Military Affairs: Li Bingrui, Minister of Internal Affairs: Yu Mingzhen, Minister of Foreign Affairs: Chen Jitong, Commander-in-Chief of the Righteous Army: Li Weiyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Militia: Qiu Fengjia, Envoy for Diplomacy: Yao Wendong, Speaker: Lin Weiyuan, Taichung Garrison Commander: Lin Chaodong, Tainan Garrison Commander: Liu Yongfu.

  Taiwan President Tang Jingyong telegrammed the Qing court about this matter on the same day, and said that he was unwilling to be the president, but was retained by the Taiwanese people. When the situation in Taiwan is slightly settled, if he can escape, he will definitely go to Beijing to confess his crimes.

  The resistance war spontaneously organized by Taiwanese people thus began.

  On May 10, 1895, the day after the Treaty of Shimonoseki came into effect, the Japanese government issued an order: "Lieutenant General Kabayama Sukenori, Chief of the Navy Ministry's Military Affairs Bureau, is hereby promoted to full general and appointed as the Governor-General of Taiwan and Commander-in-Chief of the military, effective immediately."

  On the morning of May 13, the Japanese government telegraphed to American Minister Plenipotentiary to China, Thomas Francis Bayard, and forwarded it to the Qing government, requesting to send personnel to Taiwan to handle the handover procedures. The telegram reads: "The Imperial Court of Japan has already appointed Viscount Kabayama Sukenori as the Governor-General of Taiwan, Penghu, etc., and granted him the position of Special Envoy, allowing him to handle all matters in accordance with Article 5 of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The governor-general will arrive at his post within two weeks. Upon arrival, he will immediately handle the special mission. The Japanese government hopes that the Chinese government will promptly send a special envoy or several envoys to proceed with the handover."

  Xie Zuantai memorialized to the throne, specifically requesting that Li Hongzhang and his son personally go to Taiwan to hand over the territory. Xie's memorial read: "This matter is precisely the main plot of Li Hongzhang and Li Jingfang, how can they be exempt from responsibility when the matter is almost settled? Moreover, if these ministers are able to determine the strategy for ceding territory and seeking peace, they must have the talent to change the barbarians into Chinese. Please order Li Hongzhang and Li Jingfang to quickly go to Taiwan in person and hand over the territory within the time limit." The Grand Council believed that Xie Zuantai's memorial was very reasonable, after all, you father and son got yourselves into this trouble, you can't let others take the blame for being "traitors" again, anyway, you father and son can't wash off the reputation of being "national traitors".

  On May 18, the imperial court sent a telegram to Li Jingfang: "Ordering you to send a second-class ambassador, Li Jingfang, to Taiwan to negotiate with Japanese envoys. By order of the Emperor." Li Jingfang was shocked when he received this edict and thought that if he went to Taiwan this time, not only would it be difficult to handle the matter properly, but his life might also be in danger. It's better to pretend to be ill and not go, so he asked his father to substitute for him to ask for a sick leave.

  Li Hongzhang wrote a memorial, telegramming Beijing: "After Li Jingfang returned to Tianjin with Ma Guan, he fell ill due to overwork and went south for medical treatment. The Taiwan trade matters are complex and it is not suitable to let an inexperienced and shallow official deal with foreigners, which will lead to mistakes. Li Jingfang is actually incompetent, please order the revocation of his appointment and reappoint another person."

  However, Li Hongzhang not only failed to present the memorial effectively but also received a reprimand. The Guangxu Emperor issued an edict stating: "Li Hongzhang holds important responsibilities and should have handled this matter properly. How can he stand by and do nothing? Now that the Japanese envoy is about to arrive, Li Jingfang is ordered to proceed quickly and not be afraid of difficulties or retreat. If there are any delays or mistakes, only Li Jingfang will be held responsible! Li Hongzhang cannot shirk his blame either!"

  Li Hongzhang read the edict and knew that he could not defy the imperial order, so he immediately petitioned the court to send officials to assist in the handover. At the same time, he sent a telegram to his son in Shanghai saying: "The matter of going to Taiwan to hand over is impossible to shirk, wait for all the officials to arrive and then set off on the designated day." After sending these two telegrams, Li Hongzhang thought that if Li Jingfang were to set foot on Taiwan, he would certainly be beaten to death by the people. Considering his son's safety, Li Hongzhang came up with a plan to hand over in Penghu. On the same day, he sent another telegram to Ito Hirobumi, which read: "The sovereignty of Taiwan has been handed over to Japan, and Japan should dispatch naval and land forces to maintain order and keep the peace. Li Jingfang plans to go to Penghu immediately to meet with Japanese officials."

  Ito Hirobumi received a telegram from Li Hongzhang, and after reading it, he knew that the Chinese officials were afraid of going to Taiwan because of the danger. So he came up with a plan to let the Chinese officials come to Nagasaki first, and then take a Japanese ship together to Taiwan. On May 22nd, Ito's reply telegram arrived in Tianjin, which said: "If the Chinese special envoy comes to Nagasaki first, accompanied by Japanese national ships, it will be safer."

  Li Hongzhang thought that this method could ensure safety, but would lead to criticism. Originally, he was considered a traitor, and if he did so, he would be scolded as a national traitor. After thinking about it, he finally came up with a plan - to meet at the sea entrance of Taiwan. On the 23rd, Li Hongzhang's method was approved by the imperial court.

  On May 30, Li Jingfang was accompanied by Daoist Ma Jianzhong, advisor Keisatsu, foreign translator Wu Guangjian, Japanese translators Lu Yongming and Tao Dajun, officials Zhang Liu and Huang Zheng, military officers Lü Wenjing and Gao Xuan-chun, as well as 40 guards, boarded the German merchant ship "Gerechtigkeit" from Shanghai. On June 1, at dawn, the "Gerechtigkeit" arrived off the coast of Danshui, where it was escorted by the Japanese warship "Chiyoda" to a location near Sandiaoao, east of Keelung, where the Japanese ambassador's ship "Kōbe Maru" was anchored. At 4:30 pm that day, Li Jingfang sent Tao Dajun to the "Kōbe Maru" to inform the Chinese plenipotentiary of his arrival and to discuss the schedule for negotiations.

  On the morning of June 2, Li Jingfang led Japanese translators Lu Yongming and Tao Dajun to board the "Yokohama Maru" by small boat. Huayama Ziji and others personally welcomed them on the deck and then led them into a specially prepared cabin.

  As soon as both sides sat down, Kishin Katsura said: "I was ordered to come to Taiwan this time to approve the treaty and hand it over easily. Unexpectedly, after arriving at Tamsui, a small group of soldiers were sent to take turns opening their mouths, and the Qing army opened fire to block them. As a result, they changed direction to Keelung, but were again bombarded by the Qing army's cannons, and had no choice but to temporarily anchor in Sanzhi Bay. There was no choice but to use force, and now more than 10,000 soldiers from our country have begun landing, and will be able to attack Keelung within a few days."

  Li Jingfang said: "I have been ordered to come here to handle the Taiwan handover with you, after all, how to deal with it, first listen to your requirements."

  Huashan Zijun glanced at Li Jingfang: "Wait until our army captures Keelung, and then we'll all go to Taipei together to handle the handover."

  Li Hongzhang refused to go ashore in person, so both sides haggled over the price for half a day. He hastily went through the formalities of handing over Taiwan with ōshima Yoshimasa on board the "Hōkoku Maru", and that night he took the "Giyō" passenger ship back to China, thus abandoning Taiwan to the Qing government in such a casual manner.

  On May 29, the Japanese Imperial Guard Regiment bypassed the heavily defended Keelung and Tamsui areas in Taiwan and bombarded the coast near Kinpo, creating a false impression of an impending landing. They suddenly attacked the remote fishing village of Aoti, northeast of Keelung.

  The Japanese army immediately crossed over Sanzhi Ling and made a direct attack on Keelung's flank.

  After several days of siege by the Japanese army and navy, on June 3, the heavily fortified Keelung Fortress fell, and the Japanese turned to attack Shihlin Mountain in northern Taipei.

  Lin Chao-tang heard that Taipei was in urgent need of help and immediately led five battalions of his troops to reinforce it.

  On June 4, the defeated Qing soldiers fled to Taipei and Tang Jingxuan and others escaped to Tamsui. The defeated Qing soldiers looted the treasury and then robbed and burned the treasury and the Presidential Palace.

  On the 6th, Tang Jingyong and others fled to Xiamen by foreign ship. On the 9th, Qiu Fengjia ordered the dispersal of the Taiwan Braves and hastily retreated to Guangdong. The main officials of the newly established Republic of Formosa had all escaped.

  Taipei will fall within a few days, and the situation is rapidly deteriorating.

  Lin Chao-dong led his troops to Hsinchu, where he received news of Taipei's fall. Feeling that the situation was hopeless, he couldn't help but sigh: "I have done my best to defend Taiwan, but the imperial court may not tolerate me; if I fight to the death, the Japanese will surely regard my people as enemies, why must it be so?" He then distributed the silver he had brought with him among his subordinates and set off that night with a battalion of his personal troops on a ship back to Amoy.