Chapter 10 Japan pays reparations of one billion taels

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The remaining 20 or so warships of the Japanese Navy were sunk by the Beiyang Fleet in the harbor of Tokyo, and 18 were basically wiped out. The Japanese army encountered an unprecedented rout under heavy artillery fire from Duan Qirui's tank corps and allied forces. After successive defeats on the battlefield, coupled with the fear that the Russians would carry out the "Tokyo Massacre" again after entering Tokyo, as they had done in Hiroshima, the citizens of Tokyo continued to petition outside the Japanese Imperial Palace, demanding that the Japanese emperor reactivate former Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma and make peace with the eight countries led by China. The Japanese emperor was also worried that the occupation of Tokyo by the Russian army would be detrimental to the Japanese imperial family, so he announced the defeat and surrender of Japan.

Saigo received an edict from Emperor Meiji announcing his surrender from Michimichi, and in a villa by the sea, he looked at the undulating waves of Tokyo Harbor. No matter how crazy he was, he didn't dare to disobey the emperor's orders, and he also knew that the Eight-Nation Alliance would definitely not let him go easily, so he listened to the national anthem of Junnodai and committed suicide by seppuku at the age of fifty-five! Before he died, Saigo put on his shroud in advance and returned to Kagoshima, where his two brothers were born, and opened his eyes wide at the place where his brother Saigo Takamori committed suicide, his lips trembled, and two lines of clear tears slowly rolled out.

Katsura Taro and Kodama Gentaro and other senior Japanese generals also committed suicide in fear of crime, Japanese Prime Minister Gonbei Yamamoto immediately announced his resignation, Emperor Meiji dissolved the military government, appointed Okuma Shigenobu as the plenipotentiary representative, granted him the power to pay reparations in various places, and went to negotiate peace with the Chinese delegation, in order to show his sincerity, Emperor Meiji of Japan said: "There are no compatriots in the four seas, what is the reason for the vast world to fight?" Japan admits that the Diaoyu Islands are Chinese, and the Ryukyus are Chinese, as long as the Chinese ** ship withdraws from Tokyo Bay and talks with Japan, the Japanese imperial family will marry Prince Tsunemiya Shokouchi to him in the future! ”

Prince Nai is the title of the princess of the Japanese imperial family, and Shoko Tonomiya is the daughter of Princess Takedanomiya Tsunehisa of Emperor Meiji, born in 1888. At that time, she was only eleven years old, a veritable little Lori, and now Japanese law stipulates that a woman can get married at the age of sixteen. In the nineteenth century, it was normal to marry at the age of twelve or thirteen.

Li Jingfang, secretary general of the Presidential Office, strongly suggested that Song Xiaofei and the Japanese imperial family should marry, "The Japanese emperor is a symbol of the Japanese nation. It is the center of the religious life of the Japanese people, the object of supra-religious belief, and loyalty to the emperor is unconditional. Japan lost the war, and the cabinet and military would be condemned by the people, and the Japanese would not have thought that the emperor would be condemned. By marrying into the Japanese imperial family, there may be a lasting peace between China and Japan. ”

Song Xiaofei nodded and said, "The long-term peace between China and Japan is for China. Yes, it is very important, but it is not enough to just marry a Japanese princess, and Japan also needs to revise its constitution and introduce a pacifist constitution. The dismantling of the armed forces, allowing only Japan to establish self-defense organizations, and China becoming a protectorate of Japan, are the conditions for peace talks between China and Japan. In addition, Japan is required to pay at least 982 million taels of silver to eight countries. Moreover, China has changed to the gold standard, and the indemnity to China has been changed to a gold debt, and the indemnity paid in silver is converted into the price of gold, which will bring down the Japanese economy, so you should lead a delegation to negotiate with the Japanese. That's the bottom line. ”

Li Jingfang asked why the indemnity was 982 million taels of silver, which is the total financial revenue of Japan in the past ten years. Song Xiaofei didn't say anything, thinking to himself, in history, China's Gengzi indemnity is so much, and it will cost the Japanese ten years of financial income, which is too cheap for the Japanese. Li Jingfang did not ask too many questions, and took Foreign Minister Wu Tingfang and other diplomats to Japan's Shigenshin to negotiate with Shigenobu Okuma. The Japanese side was joined by Shigenobu Okuma, as well as Foreign Minister Mitsumune Mutsu.

As soon as they met, Li Jingfang asked, "Is your country's heart for reconciliation in China sincere?" ”

Shigenobu Okuma, who was sitting in a wheelchair, said earnestly: "If Japan is not sincere, the emperor will not send an old man here, let alone agree to marry Prince Tsunemiya Shokonai to the president of your country." ”

Li Jingfang said: "The president asked me to say that in Asia, China and Japan are the closest to each other, and they are in the same language. Now we are fighting for the time being, and we always think that it will always be good. If you continue to seek revenge, it will be harmful to the Chinese, and it may not be beneficial to the East. If we look at the European countries, although the training is strong, we will not provoke lightly if we look at the European countries, although the training is strong. China and Japan are on the same continent, and they should also follow the example of Europe. If the envoys of our two countries know each other well this meaning, they should maintain the overall situation of Asia and reconcile forever; The people of the yellow race of Asia are not eroded by the white people of Europe. ”

Okuma Shigenobu nodded and said, "Your president's remarks are very pleasing to my heart. ”

Li Jingfang put forward the conditions for amending the constitution and 982 million taels of indemnity, and Okuma Shigenobu said in a pleading tone: "Japan has now to pay China 33 million taels of silver every year, so the indemnity is huge, can it be reduced as appropriate?" ”

Li Jingfang said: "I can't make the decision on this matter, so I have to send a telegram to the president of our country." ”

Song Xiaofei received a telegram, promising Japan an indemnity of 450 million taels, to be repaid in 39 years, with an annual interest of 4 percent, and the total principal and interest was as high as more than 982 million taels, plus 20 million taels of pensions for the casualties and soldiers that must be paid immediately, totaling about 1 billion taels of silver, which was guaranteed by Japan's customs duties and salt taxes.

After full consultation between China and other countries, according to the compensation for the soldiers killed in battle, the number of indemnities to be divided between the countries was: 130371120 taels for Russia, 90070515 taels for Germany, 70878240 taels for France, 50620545 taels for Britain, 34793100 taels for China, 32939055 taels for the United States, 32939055 taels for Italy, 4003920 taels for Austria-Hungary, and the rest was divided among Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway and other countries as the losses of the embassies of various countries.

Under the mediation of China, in addition to the indemnity, Japan signed the "Treaty of Tokyo" with the eight countries, which stipulated that:

1. Japan immediately disbanded the newly recruited Japanese Army, and in the future Japan is only allowed to retain the Army Self-Defense Force of about 10,000 people, and Japan is not allowed to open any more arms factories and purchase arms from other countries. China became a protectorate of Japan, and the original military factories were immediately closed and taken over by China. China sent advisers to the Japanese government to help Japanese officials run the country.

2. Japan can never establish a navy again (Japan is an island country, and this article actually trapped Japan on the island).

3. Demarcation of the embassy area. The embassy district in Tokyo was designated as a "country within a country", in which Japanese people were not allowed to live and troops could be stationed in each country.

4. The Japanese people shall be forever forbidden to form or join any organization that is "hostile to other countries", and violators shall be punished by death. Provincial government officials must ensure the safety of foreigners, otherwise they will be dismissed from their posts and never hired.

5. Japan promised to flatten all the forts at the mouth of the sea and all those that would obstruct the passage from Tokyo to the sea (this made the door wide open to Japan).

6. Establishment of treaty ports in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe, Izu, Hokkaido, and other places.

7. Japan ceded Nagasaki Island and its affiliated islands to China, and the South Kuril Islands to Russia.

8. Each country guarantees that the Emperor of Japan will rule Japan forever.

The last one was strongly requested by Okuma Shigenobu, and Song Xiaofei felt that the Japanese emperor would be able to control Japan by retaining it, so he agreed to Okuma Shigenobu's request.

After the news of Japan's signing of this treaty came back to Beijing, Song Xiaofei felt that this was for the Chinese nation in addition to a serious trouble, so he ordered a three-day holiday to celebrate the whole country, and there were grand celebrations in various places.

Beijing, the capital of China, in particular, was jubilant by the victory in the war, and processions of civilians could be seen in the hutongs of Beijing. At least 400,000 people celebrated in the parks of the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace. Song Xiaofei had already ordered the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace to be turned into parks for people from all over the country to visit, and the revenue collected from the entrance fees was used to maintain the park's operating expenses.

Craftsmen from all walks of life, school students, and factory workers are marching to the rhythm of the national anthem, the noisy sound of gongs and drums, thousands of trumpets and people's cheers are intertwined, all kinds of floats are planted with five-color national flags, surrounded by people, and four-wheeled cars have begun to appear on the streets of Beijing. The national anthem of the republic was sung:

Towering Kunlun, gazing at the land of China

The surging rivers give birth to ancient civilizations

Li Min is the master of the house, and the emperor has left us

There are the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and we must keep them in mind

In the era of Yao Shun, the ancestors admonished

There are five tribes among the people, and they cannot be separated

The world is for the public, and the people are valued over the king

Overkill, the development of agricultural workers

Culture and education are prosperous, and the people's morale is great

The country is peaceful and the people are safe, and the rivers are bright

Hundreds of thousands of celebratory crowds were greeted with patriotic fervor. This grand celebration has also made the status of the Chinese people recognized by the Chinese people and society!