For Japan, the strong seem to be unreprehensible.

In order to continuously erode the minerals and economy of Northeast China and absorb the nutrients of Northeast China to gradually grow, Japan renamed the Liaodong Peninsula as Kwantung Prefecture a year ago, that is, more than 3,200 square kilometers of land including Lushunkou and Dalian Bay, and officially established its territory in China. In order to effectively control its colonies in the northeast, the Kwantung Governorate was established in Lushun, with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of War under it, and the covetousness of China was growing day by day.

As an extension of the Kanto Prefecture's sphere of influence, the number of Japanese people on the Jimanchurian railway line increased year by year. Originally, according to the original "Russo-Japanese Portsmouth Treaty", "Japan could retain garrisons to protect the Manchurian railway lines, and as for the number of garrison troops, the number of garrisons was only 15 per kilometer, and the Japanese commander could reduce it at the discretion of the time to at least use the sufficient number." Of course, until death, Japan did not take any discretionary measures.

That's it, it's not satisfied. At the beginning of the year, when Soviet Russia transferred all the Eastern Railway and its subsidiary interests to the Chinese side, it wanted to get involved in North Manchuria, so as to exert influence in the northeast in an all-round way. In order to effectively support the Chita White Army, on March 27, the Japanese army insisted on advancing westward along the North Manchurian Railway and occupied Manzhouli Station, despite the obstruction of the Feng Army in Heilongjiang.

Although it is a war in the Far East, it is very relevant to China. Japan took this opportunity to test Mukden's reaction, and also played a good trick on them---- even if you claim that Jihei is your backyard, I still don't come and go freely?

How can you allow others to sleep soundly next to the couch? Zhang Hanqing's hatred for the Japanese has a long history, and the North Manchurian was originally Russian territory, which has been taken under the rule of the Autonomous Government of the Northeast Province. The Japanese ignored China's sovereignty and extended their hands to Heilongjiang, the rear of which the Zhang father and son thought were stable. If it is in a different time and space, this matter can only be a diplomatic inquiry by the central government. However, at this time, because Zhang Hanqing made Zhang Zuolin complete the control of the Northeast 2 years ahead of schedule, his strength was very different.

Zhang Zuolin jumped like thunder, and the Ming telegram sternly reprimanded the security commanders of Heilongjiang and Xing'an provinces for "shouldering the responsibility of defending the territory and turning a deaf ear to the Japanese invasion." The purpose of generating electricity to the air was to express his attitude.

It is no wonder that Wu Junsheng and Sun Liechen had a phobia of Japan caused by long-standing habits, and the local government and garrison could not deal with them in a timely manner without a clear order. By the time they were ordered to intercept it, the accident had already been done.

Zhang Zuolin urgently summoned the Japanese consul general in Mukden, Yoshida Shigeru, and declared that according to the provisions of the "Treaty of Portsmouth", the Japanese army must not cross north of Changchun, and demanded that the Japanese troops who had invaded Manchuria immediately retreat.

Shigeru Yoshida justified the actions of the Japanese army in every possible way on the grounds that the Japanese army was protecting the interests of the Far East.

Zhang Hanqing said that he could not tolerate it, and he threw a bomb in the form of a nationwide telegram and smashed it at the Japanese Consul General in China, Kohata, and stirred up a thousand waves with one stone: "1. Any excuse from the Japanese side is not enough to justify harming the sovereignty of the autonomous government of the Northeast United Provinces. We have never recognized that Japan has so-called 'Manchurian and Mongolian' interests. Now Mongolia has completely become a province of the Republic of China, and the entire territory from Changchun to Heilongjiang is the rear area of the Northeast United Provincial Autonomous Government, and any political, economic, military, and cultural entry of the Japanese side must be approved by the Northeast Provincial Autonomous Government. We would also like to make it clear here that any illegal entry of Japanese troops into this area will be at their own risk. Any armed entry of Japanese soldiers would be regarded as a blatant provocation against the autonomous government of the Northeast United Provinces.

2. The existence of the Kanto Prefecture is caused by the poverty and weakness of the Qing government, and we do not deny its formal existence, and we have decided to maintain the status quo of the Kanto Prefecture. However, the Japanese side must not stir up trouble outside of it. Overseas Japanese nationals are required to be registered under the jurisdiction of the autonomous government for easy management and care. The government is not responsible for any unfavorable events in Tohoku for non-named Japanese citizens.

3. With regard to the so-called South Manchurian Railway, the Japanese army must strictly abide by the provisions of the treaty, remove all railway escort troops, and hand them over to the guards of the soldiers. The guards at each station along the route should be strictly restrained, and it should be the top priority not to harass the locality.

4. With regard to the issue of the Huaxin banking syndicate, the loans of the South Manchurian Railway and its branch lines and its subordinate minerals, as well as the railways of Jilin---- Huining, Zhengjiatun---- Taonan, Kaiyuan---- Jilin, Jilin---- Changchun, Changchun---- Taonan, Xinmintun---- Fengtian, Sipingjie ---- Zhengjiatun are all within the scope of the Xinxin banking group. If the Japanese side refuses to allow the Huaxin banking group to enter Northeast China, we will consider building a railway on a level with the South Manchurian Railway, and refuse any additional investment or new investment in factories and mines by Japan on the existing basis.

5. Whether or not the Japanese side can invest in areas outside the border such as Rehe, Chahar, Mongolia, and Hung Yen Province is up to the autonomous government to decide the progress of opening up, but armed personnel will never be allowed to enter, otherwise it will also be regarded as an infringement of China's sovereignty, and the Feng army will not guarantee its safety. ”

The "Fengtian Times" published the full text of Zhang Hanqing's "Five-Point Demand on the Issue of Northeast China's Garrison in Japan," and attached a long commentary of more than 10,000 words, ending with "Although the three of Chu can kill Qin, how can there be no one in China." In the afternoon of the same day, the People's Party launched a mass march of more than 100,000 people in the provincial capital of Mukden to show solidarity.

In addition, Zhang Hanqing also had a private conversation with Zhang Zuolin, discussing in detail the development of the current situation and the response measures of the Feng army. On the same day, Zhang Zuolin, in his capacity as chairman of the Northeast Union Provincial Autonomous Government, sent a diplomatic note to Kohata, Japanese Consul General in China.

The Kwantung Agency and the Kwantung Army Command, which were formally established on April 12, 1919, were only intended to legitimize the Japanese garrison in Manchuria as it looked, but at best the Kwantung Army's mission was to defend the "Kwantung Prefecture" and protect the South Manchuria Railway (Manchurian Railway, from Lushun to Changchun). Originally, it was planned to deploy 15 soldiers per kilometer of the railway, with a total of 14,419 soldiers. Even so, gradually, the Kwantung Army's actions also ran counter to the domestic government's political policy of "not interfering in China's internal affairs, but only safeguarding existing rights and interests overseas" (at least on the surface, but the Kwantung Army did something more blatant). As a result, the situation was ultimately out of Japan's control, and the Kwantung Army's arbitrary actions accelerated the pace of Japan's war in China. Although observers believed that there would be a war between China and Japan, the Kwantung Army lit the fuse too early.

At that time, Japan had not yet completely emerged from the shadow of the economic recession brought about by the Russo-Japanese War, and had neither the financial and material resources nor the guts to start a large-scale war, nor would international public opinion allow it. Half of what the Japanese Kwantung Army did was instigated by a small number of fanatical militants, and on the other hand, it was instigated by the big chaebols who controlled the Japanese economy.

Every step of the Japanese army's advance will bring countless wealth to the chaebols. Japan's various companies in Tohoku have extended their tentacles to various industries under Japanese control, and countless raw materials that Japan urgently needs or lack are being exported to the mainland, especially steel, coal, and other strategic materials, which are known as industrial life. Japan's Kwantung Army is also constantly testing the bottom line of the Chinese government in the hope of obtaining greater benefits.

On 3 April, amid the strong opposition of Zhang Zuolin and his son, Japan expressed to the United States that it was willing to give up the demand for the new banking syndicate to complete the Mongolian exception, but that it must retain the right to the Taore Railway.

However, Japan's apparent concessions did not prevent the actual advance: on April 10, the Japanese army arrested Russians at Hailar, Harbin and other stations, violating China's sovereignty. On April 11, the Japanese army in Hailar clashed with the Czech army, injuring the Chinese. On April 12, Japan occupied the Chinese barracks in Harbin.

The various actions of the Kwantung Army actually completed the infiltration of Heilongjiang in the hinterland of the northeast with provocative actions. When the Japanese army caused the fact that it existed, it was impossible to refuse the intervention of the Japanese forces unless the Feng army sent out to expel it by force. The Japanese judged that the military government did not dare to make a show of force---- but in fact it was exactly the case, the official only protested in the official history, and Zhang Zuolin did not have the ability to make the idea of expulsion. So the Japanese people became more and more arrogant, more and more bold, and finally took a risky game---- but unfortunately 9.18 was beaten by it. The Lugou Bridge incident still wanted to play again, but that time it was wrong.

Another meaning of the Japanese side is to express its dissatisfaction with the formation of a secret anti-Duan alliance between the Feng faction and the direct faction: Duan Qirui has always been the head of the Chinese government and the soul of the Anhui faction, which Japan has strongly supported, and now the direct faction supported by the British and Americans is going to replace it, which is bound to stifle Japan's efforts in China. Japan has no way to deal with Britain and the United States, but they cannot tolerate the eyebrows of the Feng and the direct family. In their bones, they believe that Tohoku is Japanese and that everything should run at the rhythm of the Japanese.

Zhang Zuolin is a patriotic warlord in his bones, and with Zhang Hanqing's efforts, the strength of the Feng army has grown considerably, and he can no longer tolerate this kind of provocation by the Japanese army. After repeated communication with Zhang Hanqing, on the morning of April 18, a high-level meeting of the Feng military and political government was held in the Marshal's Mansion, and it was decided to assemble the Feng army in order to prepare for the possible escalation of the Japanese army's provocation. In the afternoon of the same day, the 28th Division of the Shanhaiguan Division, Ji Jinchun, and the 16th Division of Zhang Jinghui, stationed in Chifeng, returned to Fengtian first. The elite 27th Division started by Zhang Zuolin, the 23rd Division of Fengtian Security Ding Chao, and the 30th Division of Jilin Security Command Yu Zhen have all entered a state of combat readiness and controlled various station routes. Wan Fulin of the 29th Division of the Heilongjiang Garrison and Xing Shilian of the Xing'an Security Command set out from the North Manchurian Railway and besieged the Japanese troops in Hailar and Harbin respectively.

At the same time, he demanded that all the Jihei River Defense Fleet be dispatched to blockade the Sino-Soviet border in order to prevent possible support from the Japanese Far East Army.

The opinion has been very clear: The area north of the South Manchurian Line is not the preserve of the Japanese, there are no problems left over from history, and the Northeast Autonomous Government does not welcome the entry of the Japanese. On the same day, Zhang Zuolin announced that in view of the Japanese army's misdeeds in Hei Province, the Middle East Road would no longer be used as a troop transport and baggage supply line for the Japanese Expeditionary Force. Japanese soldiers who have already entered the country are allowed to leave the country within a time limit.

The two sides are tense, and war is on the verge of breaking out. The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that many experts concerned with the Far East issue believe that it is extremely difficult to deal with the aftermath when the two sides have completely turned their faces.