"In that case, what does Hanzhi think? Chen Qiansheng asked.

"The princes of the drafting committee showed me the draft, so that this is actually the ...... of this matter," Yang Shuoming smiled and said, "In order to make the people of Hunan live a good life, I will reluctantly make it difficult." ”。

Hearing that Yang Shuoming promised to contribute to the adoption and implementation of the Hunan Provincial Constitution, tears flashed in Chen Qiansheng's eyes.

Since Xinhai, "revolution" has become absolutely politically correct, and later some people coined the term "counter-revolutionary." Since then, in the mainstream narrative, "inter-provincial autonomy" has been inseparable from "counter-revolution." The so-called great men have consciously or unintentionally ignored that behind the fig leaf of "the warlords' misdeeds, there are the bitter cries of hundreds of millions of people who have suffered from the war..............." Yang Shuoming seems to be answering Chen Qiansheng, and it seems to be telling some things that have been sealed in the dust for a long time. The so-called "revolution, under the torrent, the people's livelihood is like a mustard!" ”。

At this time, Yang Shuoming's voice gradually turned high-pitched, and Chen Qiansheng heard the long-suppressed grief and indignation in the heart of this young man, and couldn't help but look at him in surprise, as if he wanted to get to know him again.

"I hope this 1919 year will be meaningful. Yang Shuoming quickly regained his composure, looked at Chen Qiansheng, and smiled again.

On March 15, 1919, under the appeal of the Hunan intellectuals and the pressure of the Liangguang Patrol Embassy, the articles concerned about the rights of the people at the bottom of the population, such as the right to subsistence, the right to education and the right to labor, were officially written into the "Hunan Provincial Constitution". On April 2, after several revisions, the Hunan Provincial Constitution was formally approved by the Review Committee.

After drafting, revising and reviewing, the final process of obtaining full legitimacy for the Constitution of Hunan Province began, the "General Referendum...". At the end of the voting process in May 1919, after the counting of votes, the final result of the vote was: except for the invalid votes and abstentions, the total of the whole province was "may." The number of votes was 18158875, and the number of votes for "no..." was 575,230 votes, and the "Constitution of Hunan Province," drafted by scholars and examined by Shi Shen, officially became a constitution representing the will of the people of Hunan and became the most powerful legal basis for Hunan to practice "autonomy...".

"Hunan autonomy." It can be said to be a major event in China's modern history, which created a precedent for China's constitutional politics and laid a good foundation for the establishment of federalism in China in the future.

In terms of voting figures alone, the Hunan Provincial Constitution can be said to have won the support of the overwhelming majority of the provincial people. But this vote is obviously not true. At that time, Hunan's "Ta Kung Pao" described this: "It has been so many days since the provincial constitution was examined and passed, and the formalities for the speech have been carried out with all our might. Try to take one or two people at random on the avenue today, and ask what is the provincial constitution? There are people who know, and those who don't know are probably 10 out of 10, which does not need to be covered. …”

But while criticizing, Ta Kung Pao also admitted, "It is clear that these votes are largely manipulated." However, this kind of operation had a practical last resort, and it was obviously impossible for Hunan at that time to complete the popularization of the "Hunan Provincial Constitution" and the referendum. In the end, the people who can be covered are necessarily limited to the intellectual class. But it cannot be said that there is no real public opinion behind this, because the 30 million people of Hunan really want to rely on this constitution to save themselves from the quagmire of warlord warfare. …”

After that, according to the epoch-making "Hunan Provincial Constitution", "in 1919, Hunan implemented the first ever "direct election"" and elected a total of 2,761 county councilors, although corruption and bribery, buying and selling votes abound in the election process, but the form of democracy and civil rights was finally established: in the same year, the provincial governor was elected, the directors of the seven government departments were elected, the directors of the High Prosecutors' Office were elected, the directors of the High Judicial Courts were elected, and the presidents of the Auditors were elected. Through this election, the first "democratically elected Hunan Provincial Government...".

Subsequently, according to this constitution, the Hunan people laid off the extremely poor quality troops of the local warlords in Hunan, and the total number accounted for about one-third of the total strength of the Hunan army. "After the collapse, the power of the central government declined, and various warlords took the opportunity to expand their armies unscrupulously" is really a rare miracle. In addition, in accordance with this constitution, Hunan educators also formally realized the independence of education funds, ensuring that education funds were not misappropriated by military informants"Hunan's education has developed greatly, which is very different from other provinces: Hunan's legal circles have also "persevered in promoting Hunan's judicial independence" in accordance with this constitution: although there were many problems in the process of the Hunan Provincial Assembly's release, some statistics show that since the second half of 1919, in less than three years, The Hunan Provincial Assembly passed a total of 68 cases of prohibiting illegal plundering by the armed forces, reducing or exempting 68 cases of excesses and miscellaneous taxes and land taxes, impeaching and prosecuting officials, and restricting the government from canceling loans or stopping the issuance of public bonds in 12 cases. And these miracles have been realized, all of which come from the "autonomy of Hunan." "Rather than the Hunan Provincial Constitution, which relies on self-government. ,

Someone once commented: "After the promulgation and implementation of the Hunan Provincial Constitution in 1919, China's road to federation has been opened. ”

1919 was an unquiet year for China and the world.

At a time when China's domestic turmoil is turbulent, the battlefield in Europe is also undergoing drastic changes.

At the beginning of 1919, when the Germans looked at the war situation, they found themselves at the pinnacle of history: Russia had fallen, most of France had been occupied by Germany, the French were on the verge of collapse not only in action but also mentally, the British had lost their most proud and powerful navy and were beginning to become exhausted, and Italy had de facto cederated hostel.

But after the glory of this victory, the darkness is still growing rapidly.

With the German army's battle line getting longer and longer, the German Army's offensive capability has reached its peak, coupled with the defeat of the German Navy in the Second Battle of Helgoland Bay, the German Emperor Wilhelm II pinned his hopes on unlimited submarine warfare to destroy the war potential of the Entente, but because the Entente Navy strengthened the escort force after regaining sea supremacy, the results of the German submarine began to decline, and a large number of merchant ships produced by China timely and effectively replenished the losses of the Allied ships, and Germany was forced to switch from strategic offensive to strategic defense. The Entente, on the other hand, began a major counteroffensive.

In order to strengthen the offensive force, the U.S. government, the French government, and the British government repeatedly exerted pressure on China and Japan, demanding that China and Japan send additional troops to fully cooperate with the Entente's counteroffensive on the European naval and land theaters.

In the face of tremendous pressure from the British, French, and American governments, the Japanese Government maintained its usual "cautious" attitude, and instead proposed that Japan should first meet the following conditions before it could consider sending additional troops, and the conditions put forward by the Japanese were: 1. Provide Japan with 1,000 new fighters, 500 bombers, and 300 heavy bombers to help Japan build up its air force. Supplied to Japan Rainbow large trucks to increase their transport capacity. 2. Providing fuel to Japan "enables the Japanese Navy and Air Force to build up sufficient fuel reserves to meet operational needs."

3. Provide Japan with all the equipment of the divisions, which should include tanks and heavy artillery. 4. To provide all the raw materials needed to maintain arms production in Japan, especially rare metals. 3. Directly provide military loans worth 100 million US dollars to Japan.

6. Transfer the advanced military and industrial technology required by Japan.

In response to Japan's exorbitant demands, both the United States and Britain demanded that Japan first send more land forces to Europe to fight against Germany before they could provide assistance, while Japan refused to "take the liberty of fighting the Germans again before the safety of its troops in Europe could be guaranteed."

Unlike Japan, China, like Russia, had a sudden change of regime, but the Chinese government told Britain, France, and the United States that "China will not withdraw from the cause of the Entente" and promised to continue to participate in the war.

Despite the pressure and restraint at home, the cautious Chinese government has insisted on assuming the international responsibilities left by the "Hongxian Empire" and at the same time hopes to continue to receive military and economic assistance from the United States. The United States and China also reached a secret agreement that China would provide personnel and the United States would equip, train, and resupply, and 10 nationally armed infantry divisions would soon be formed on Chinese soil for a future counteroffensive against Germany. In addition, the United States has helped China train engineers and technicians in various specialized arms.

After receiving this information, the Japanese were extremely disturbed by this, and they were very afraid that the continuous expansion and strengthening of the squadron would "cause adverse effects to the interests of the Japanese Empire." "But because the United States insisted on its strategy of allowing China to play an important role in the war, Japan had to back down, although they were secretly still causing trouble" and banned ships carrying the squadron from staying on Japanese soil.

The Japanese did not stop China's determination to win itself great power status in this war, and the Chinese government then expressed its willingness to provide another 500,000 people to the United States, which in any case has the richest human resources in the world. "Many of them are bandit-born veterans who have been laid off, and their combat effectiveness is quite strong. Both the Americans and the British were very pleased with the actions of the Chinese government.

After negotiations and consultations, it was finally decided to send all 500,000 people to the Middle East and North Africa for training. Moreover, this time, all officers below the rank of general are no longer held by the US military, but the US military still retains the full right to appoint and dismiss the personnel of this unit" and can directly shoot officers and soldiers below the rank of major. The Americans intend to use these squadrons to participate in the offensive on the European continent. The British also agreed with the American proposal, and after many battles, they already believed in the combat effectiveness of the squadron trained by the Europeans, and the British were also worried that so many Chinese would come to the colonies of the British Empire to stir up "dangerous nationalist sentiments" in the local area. (It wasn't until the beginning of the counteroffensive that the Americans discovered that the British corps deployed in the Middle East were purely empty: "The real strength of each corps is only equivalent to a brigade, which is a repertoire of the British Yankees' consistent principle: if you want to deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your own people.") ）,

The first squadrons to participate in the counteroffensive operation were sent to the stalemate of the Italian peninsula, among which the five infantry divisions, which had just completed reorganization, won more trust from the American and British forces with their outstanding performance. The second batch of 4 Chinese divisions took part in the "Triumph" in the south of France. "Landing operations. Due to the heavy casualties of the squadron fighting in Italy, the US Government and the Chinese Government agreed after consultation that the follow-up troops should be dispatched on a rotational basis, and the front-line troops would be rotated on a six-month cycle to retain the experienced combat backbone.

Chinese troops fighting in Europe were generally heavily used, and the squadron defending in south-central France was once caught up in a major German counterattack. The American forces on the left flank were crushed by the Germans, the two regiments of the American Division on the right flank surrendered, and the division commander was also missing (they were captured by German tanks on the front line), but the two Chinese divisions still unexpectedly held on to the offensive junction of the German 5th Army and the 6th Army, effectively holding back the German attack. Enraged, the Germans were forced to redirect the sharp spearheads that had been bypassed, and a large number of tanks rumbled in and pressed down on the Chinese divisions, which were effectively surrounded and unable to be backed up. But what was striking was that the Chinese infantry, taking advantage of the favorable terrain defense, withstood the German onslaught with almost no support, and took advantage of the cover of night to successfully drill out of the loose defensive line of the two German divisions. When these squadrons re-reported to their American commanders, the American generals and their staff officers were stunned, and two days earlier they had already reported to their superiors that the two Chinese divisions had been "completely annihilated" by the Germans"

The embarrassed Americans did not have time to explain, and immediately sent these squadrons back to the battlefield, where the Chinese soldiers once again bravely faced the German attack and bravely shook the ground. However, after the end of the battle, the US side did not change its word, still claiming in the report that two Chinese divisions were "defeated" by the powerful German army, and that "some US officers even claimed that the squadron "abandoned its position without permission, and some units broke through sporadically and were promptly absorbed by the US army" in order to shirk the responsibility for their defeat."

Interestingly, the German war reports also unashamedly mention that they succeeded in "annihilating." "two tenacious Chinese infantry divisions and captured the visiting American division commander; Although "these cunning Orientals threw away their weapons and scattered into the jungle to escape the German round-up, they ceased to exist as a combat unit" "It was only after the war that the American division commander who was released from the German prisoner of war camp was indignant and started a pen-and-ink lawsuit with the American side for his own reputation, and of course the outsiders claimed to rehabilitate his "heroic Chinese subordinates"1. The division commander later wrote a memoir, focusing on the heroic achievements of the squadron in the European theater. However, he attributed everything to the American-style training and leadership that the squadron received, as well as his own "wise teaching" to his Chinese subordinates. and "Strict Tempering" This memory was attached to the later "Paris Peace Conference." It is listed as one of the important evidences of China's contribution to the cause of the Entente.

In addition to the fighters, the Chinese government has provided a large amount of labor to Europe. Millions of hard-working and humiliating Chinese laborers made tremendous contributions to the cause of the Entente countries. These laborers not only provided logistical support for the Entente ** team, built and excavated fortifications, but also a considerable number of them entered the factories of England and France, and with the characteristic intelligence and strong receptivity of the Chinese, they soon became skilled workers who were not inferior to the whites, and these laborers who became industrial workers greatly strengthened the cause of "blood loss." "And the dysfunctional Anglo-French industrial production. In addition, a considerable number of Chinese laborers are employed in agricultural production.

With the continuous counteroffensive of the Entente ** Force, which was considered the backbone of the Chinese and American forces, and the destruction of the German army in the Second Battle of the Somme, the wind of war quickly turned. When the news of Italy's withdrawal from the war reached Japan, it immediately caused a major political earthquake in Japan. The opposition parties have launched a strong challenge to the ruling "feudal cabinet," and they have taken advantage of the resurging anti-Chinese sentiment in the country and the people's dissatisfaction with the government to attack and win over some of the "weakness" of the government. "Some small and medium-sized parties are outraged and threaten to raise a motion of no confidence in the government in Parliament. Under internal and external pressure, Japanese Prime Minister Masashi Terauchi declared to his cabinet members: "We must go to war, gentlemen!" The Cabinet immediately approved an additional military budget and a national retirement order, and formally sought a $2 billion war loan from the United States.

In exchange, and also in order to be able to go down the mountain to pick peaches, the Japanese Government agreed to provide 10 divisions of troops to the European theater, and the US military was completely responsible for training and supply, personnel appointments and dismissals, and operational command, and they were directly transferred to Europe as participating troops to participate in the battle. However, the Japanese War Department did not agree to hand over the 10 divisions to the Americans in this way, and many in the Japanese Government were afraid that the United States would use these 10 divisions as cannon fodder and exchange the blood of the Japanese for the valuable lives of American GIs. For this reason, the Japanese military was slow to give in. (To be continued.)