Negotiations in Beijing came to a temporary standstill, and Shuaki Kato returned home. The Chinese side does not care about Japan's attitude. Condolence groups sent by various provinces are treating the front line, and the news is gradually being opened, and after the press control is opened to domestic journalists, reporters sent by foreign-funded newspapers are also allowed to enter the battlefield to observe and cover the news. Reports of the war in Shandong increasingly appeared in major newspapers, including Japanese-owned newspapers. While bringing carnival to all walks of life in China, it has put more pressure on Japan. Foreign-funded newspapers and periodicals paid more attention to the current situation of the two Japanese armies surrounded like iron barrels. Ta Kung Pao was the first news outlet to be allowed to enter the Changyi encirclement, along with two of Kato's attachés, one of whom was a journalist. Because the newspaper has always taken an impartial position, Japan is committed to ensuring the safety of journalists who come to cover the news. The 6th Division did not want reporters to come for an interview, but it received a strict order from the base camp and had to give in. There is an urgent need for Japan to understand on the ground the plight of the besieged forces in order to determine the attitude to be pursued.

The Shandong battlefield was basically in a state of truce after the bloody battle in Jiaozhou Bay. The Chinese National Defense Forces invested 7 divisions and 17 brigades (including the Cadet Brigade) in the campaign. After mid-November, the 19th Division successively took over the defense line of Sun Wu's 14th Division) was transferred to the battlefield for recuperation, and a large number of recruits and conscripted reservists were replenished into the divisions whose strength had been sharply reduced in continuous bloody battles, and the 16th, 14th, 1st, and 2nd divisions were replenished with an average of more than 5,000 troops, and their strength was greatly restored.

But the Japanese were not so lucky. Ta Kung Pao's interview with the Japanese troops in the Changyi encirclement appeared in late November, and the reporter objectively and truthfully described the suffering of the Japanese officers and men in the Changyi encirclement with calm strokes. There was no food, no fuel (the houses and trees were almost cut down and burned to the bottom), the point was that there was no medicine, a large number of wounded people died, some minor injuries that could be cured under normal circumstances became terminal diseases, the suicide rate of wounded Japanese officers and soldiers skyrocketed, and the Kumamoto Division, which was regarded as the strongest army by the Japanese government and the public, was already dying.

Ta Kung Pao's report soon spread in Japan. This led to riots in Japan, especially in southern Kyushu. The 18th and 6th Divisions were supplied in southern Kyushu, and most of the soldiers were from southern Kyushu, although Japan fell into arrogance and fanaticism after the Russo-Japanese War. The people regard the sacrifice of their sons and daughters in the fight for their country as an honor and pride. But the plight of the children in China could not but touch the hearts of the residents of southern Kyushu, who began to petition and riot, urging the government to take swift measures to save the dying troops.

The same is true in Nagoya, although the situation of the 3rd Division has not been reported. But what's so good?

Or a rapid increase in troops. Either surrender. There is no other way! The Japanese military department regretted allowing reporters to enter the Changyi encirclement after the domestic unrest had begun to spread. It was found that they had fallen for the tricks of the Chinese. That was definitely a bad decision. The news reports written by Ta Kung Pao reporters were printed in Japanese and surrounded by a large number of airdrops by Chinese military planes, and the morale of the military was shaken by the leaflets that recorded real names and real cases. In a telegram to the General Staff Headquarters, Lieutenant General Michiharu Umezawa frankly admitted that the troops were disintegrating, and if drastic measures were not taken, the 6th Division would lose its combat effectiveness!

Increasing the number of troops is impossible. No matter how arrogant the Japanese were, they knew that refueling tactics would only weaken the battered army. In Manchuria or elsewhere (including an attack on Nanking along the Yangtze River by the navy) the plan was also strictly unreliable. The navy is already impatient, the protracted war has dragged down the navy, and warships are supposed to be a money-burning machine, don't think that hundreds of warships are moored at sea without spending money (the threat of Chinese submarines has basically been eliminated). The Ministry of the Navy and the Naval Command Department have officially proposed to the Cabinet the construction of the withdrawal of troops, and the war in Shandong has turned into a huge war of attrition, and if it drags on like this, the navy will also be dragged down, and the strategic task of seizing the German colonies in the Pacific will also be in vain! The Navy once again emphasized its irreplaceable role for the country, and strongly demanded that the war in China be ended by all means.

The phrase "end the war with one qiē means" is easy to say but difficult to do. This is especially true in the context of the fact that there is no military solution. After Kato Shuming returns to Beijing (the previous statement was to ask for instructions on domestic action rather than terminating the peace talks), the Kato delegation must confront the harsh conditions put forward by the Chinese. In particular, after the "Ta Kung Pao" report was made public, Japan became even more passive, unable to make concessions, and unwilling to make more concessions, so the two sides dragged on little by little. However, the difference is that Tang Shaoyi can wait, and Kato Zhouming can't afford to wait more and more.

The pressure was exerted not only by tens of thousands of desperate Japanese troops, but also by allies such as Britain, France, and Russia. This is especially true after the signing of the economic package between China and Sweden was revealed by the media. China will export 5 million tons of grain, 2 million tons of crude oil, 15,000 tons of cotton yarn, 20,000 tons of tungsten ore and other non-ferrous metal minerals to Sweden within two years, in exchange for some of the most cutting-edge technology and a large number of machine tools in shipbuilding, steelmaking, machinery manufacturing, chemical industry and other fields that the Chinese urgently need. The U.S.-China shipping company will undertake the large order and will be guaranteed by Pan Pacific Insurance Company of the United States.

The British knew perfectly well that behind Sweden was Germany, and that these supplies that were urgently needed for the war were what Germany needed. The destination of the goods is not Sweden but Germany. For this reason, Britain and France and Russia made representations to China, but the Chinese side ignored them on the grounds that they had not violated the neutrality agreement. It is reported that a Turkish business delegation has secretly arrived in Guangzhou to prepare for closer cooperation with the Chinese side. At present, although Turkey has not officially joined the camp of Central European powers, its position is basically determined, and it will soon join the German-Austrian camp to declare war on the Entente countries. The British Empire was struggling with Turkey's position, and if Turkey joined the German-Austrian side, the British Empire's maritime connection with Russia from the south would be severed, which would be a huge blow to Russia, which was increasingly showing its irreplaceable and important role. Although the Russians had achieved a partial victory in the war against Austria-Hungary, the three-month war had already exposed the weakness of the "Russian rolling machine", and the newly mobilized troops were not even equipped with rifles, let alone artillery and aircraft. The Russians strongly demanded that China's neutrality be guaranteed. After the Chinese defeated the Japanese cleanly, the Russians' fear of China deepened. A report to Petersburg by the commander of the Far Eastern Military District, Lieutenant General Alekseev, was transmitted to France. France gave it to Britain in turn. The report was directed at China, and General Alekseev had obtained the best evidence that the Chinese Reclamation Corps, which had been established in the border area of the Heilongjiang River, had been armed with the latest rifles and infantry guns and had been completely turned into an army. Since half of the members of the Reclamation Corps are veterans, this large corps is extremely combative. The Russians reported that after the onset of winter (Heilongjiang winter came earlier than Chinese mainland), the so-called agricultural reclamation corps carried out intensive field training in the name of suppressing bandits. Everyone knows that the bandits entrenched in the deep mountains and dense forests of Beiman were exterminated by the Northern Army before the establishment of the Mengshan Army. General Alekseev, in light of the deployment of the Chinese army in North Manchuria, believed that it had posed a serious military threat to the Far Eastern Military District, especially the lower Amur region. He cautioned that this threat is intensifying at a visible rate. Strong dissatisfaction was expressed with the constant transfer of troops from the Far Eastern Military District in Petersburg.

In this case. Britain and France turned to pressure Japan, demanding that Japan accept the "reasonable" demands of the Chinese "to the fullest" and quickly end the Sino-Japanese conflict.

On November 30, Saionji Gongwang Mi called Kato Shuming. Conclude negotiations quickly!

The draft agreement was sent back to Japan. There are five major articles: 1. Japan apologized to China and publicly stated that its brazen invasion of Shandong violated justice and justice; 2. Since the agreement is signed. Japan withdrew all troops from Jiaozhou Bay within 15 days; 3. Withdraw the Chinese garrison and cancel the concessions in Tianjin, Hankou, Shashi, and Guangzhou. All Japanese-funded immovable property in the concession was transferred to China to offset the war expenses. The defense of Tientsin was taken over by the Chinese army; 4. Punish the commander of the Shandong Dispatch Army of the Japanese Army for slaughtering civilians; 5. Cancel the balance of the Gengzi indemnity and compensate the Chinese side for war losses of 50 million yuan within five years, but the first indemnity payment shall not be less than 20 million Chinese yuan.

The advantage of the Japanese side in "fishing" is only the safe evacuation of the remnants of the two divisions that were besieged, and they are not allowed to carry anything other than personal belongings. This is tantamount to being disarmed and repatriated.

At the heart of this agreement is the Tianjin issue. This is also an issue of greatest concern to China, Japan, Britain, the United States, France, and Russia. Broke through the bottom line of the Xincho Treaty. China has taken an extremely tough stance on this issue and will not budge an inch. With the courage to fight the Allies, the British agreed to the Wehrmacht's request to take over the defense of Tianjin. But the U.S. garrison was allowed to stay. It's just a land battalion, and the Chinese side doesn't care at all.

The agreement immediately caused a big uproar at the top of Japan. Although I was mentally prepared, I never imagined that the conditions offered by China would be so harsh! The reaction of the military department was the strongest, including the navy, which thought that the Chinese were too much!

Is it excessive? Think of the Maguan and Gengzi treaties.

Prime Minister Saionji Kotobo categorically met with the emperor after unsuccessful consultations with the senators, emphasizing the need to end the war, and if His Majesty could not categorically admit the fact of defeat, the minister could only resign!

Emperor Taisho was an idiot who was not interested in governing the country except for playing with horses and watching military parades. However, at the prompting of the Minister of the Interior, he summoned General Aritomo Yama Prefecture and asked for the opinion of the army leader. Minister Kinoshita expressed his attitude -- if he could not accept China's demands, he had no choice but to allow the resignation of the Saionji cabinet, and the general of Yama Prefecture would form a cabinet to seek a solution to the dilemma.

Yama Prefecture Youpeng secretly scolded Kinoshita's minister for being cunning. He knew that if he succeeded Xiyuan Temple in forming a cabinet, the responsibility of Qiē would fall on his shoulders. Unable to fight, and unable to make peace, the country suddenly fell into an extremely difficult situation. After thinking about it for a long time, the cunning Yama said that changing the cabinet again shortly after the resignation of Shigenobu Okuma's cabinet was not a good way to stabilize the domestic situation.

Then please come forward to appease the Army. What Minister Kinoshita wants is the phrase of Yamaguchi.

So Xiyuan Temple Gongwang once again sent a special envoy to Beijing to fight hard for the harsh conditions of the Chinese. The story of Li Hongzhang's reduction of 100 million taels of silver because of the assassination of Japanese radicals really hopes to be staged again, but this time the protagonist of the story is completely reversed.

After three days of fierce debate, China ceded the Shashi concession and did not recover it for the time being, reducing the war reparations by 2 million yuan. The rest of the conditions will not be compromised. By this time, Shandong had entered the severe cold season, and the besieged Japanese troops were dying of illness and starvation in large numbers every day, and Japan no longer had the strength to drag it on. The "Agreement on the Aftermath of the Sino-Japanese Military Conflict" was formally signed at the Six Nations Hotel in Beijing, and Britain and the United States also signed the agreement as mediators.

It was December 5, 1914. The exact signing time was 11:05 a.m.

5 p.m. At the National Assembly, Long Qian reported to the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives in Beijing on the course of the Shandong War and the results of the negotiations on the end of the war. Congress immediately ratified the agreement, but it was a mere procedure.

Long Qian calmly analyzed the consequences of the Sino-Japanese war in Shandong in the Congress. He told the excited members of both houses, "The outcome of the Sino-Japanese war demonstrates justice and justice." But justice and justice have always been decided within the range of the cannon. The idea that Japan will decline and China will become strong is extremely harmful. In terms of comprehensive national strength, we are still inferior to Japan. We must seize this good opportunity to reform all kinds of maladministrations in the country, vigorously develop the economy and education, and strengthen armament building to the best of our ability, so as to ensure the achievements of the country's economic construction and the country's security. The world is not at peace, the European war is still ongoing, and the rights and interests lost by our country over the past hundred years have not been fully recovered. There is still a long way to go. I hope that all the people here will always think about the historical responsibility shouldered. Work hard and continue to work hard for the progress and strength of New China! ”

On the same day, all the major newspapers in the capital published "Extra" with red headlines, and the people officially got the results they were looking forward to.

The world was shocked.

China immediately boiled. Celebratory parades were held in almost all major cities across the country. The parade was dominated by students. Long live the republic! Long live the Wehrmacht! Long live the president! and other slogans. The atmosphere was extremely lively throughout the night.

The warmest is Tianjin. The business preferential treatment for military personnel initiated by the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce was officially implemented. Before the Spring Festival, all military personnel who go to Tianjin stores and restaurants for shopping and consumption will be discounted by 20% after showing their military ID. Since the signing of the Treaty of Xincho. When the 10th Brigade of the 4th Division of the National Defense Army stationed in Yangcun was ordered to enter Tianjin under the leadership of Lieutenant General Cheng Erhu, commander of the garrison, the fanatical Tianjin people spontaneously poured into the streets to enthusiastically cheer the arrival of the National Defense Army. Countless people, especially the older ones, wept silently as they looked at the torrent of steel with steel guns on their shoulders dragging machine guns and cannons rolling forward. General Cheng Erhu immediately issued an order that the troops of the Tianjin Garrison of the National Defense Army were not allowed to enter any shops, liquor stores, tobacco houses, brothels, or other concessions except the Japanese Concession without an order. Even for a long time, the procurement of materials for the troops stationed in Tianjin was completed outside Tianjin. This order made the Chamber's patriotic actions have no practical effect.

"Ta Kung Pao" went against its style and enthusiastically praised the iron and steel military discipline of the National Defense Army's troops stationed in Tianjin with passionate words. The article concludes with the words, "This unit did not participate in the Battle of Shandong. But from them, we can see the victorious demeanor of the Wehrmacht. The First Sino-Japanese War and Gengzi are a thing of the past, and gone are the days of those who thought that a few warships would bring China to its knees as long as they anchored along the coastline. The great President Long Qian has greatly washed away the historical humiliation with the steel heroes he created, and the Chinese people can indulge in cheers. Hail the arrival of a great era, hail that we have a great army, hail our great republic! Long live the Republic of China! Long live the victorious Wehrmacht! Long live the brilliant President Longda! ”

After the signing of the end-of-war agreement, the 9th and 11th divisions of the Japanese army in Jiaozhou Bay in Shandong began to board and evacuate under the supervision of an observation mission sent by the Chinese National Defense Forces and a military mediation representative urgently established by Britain and France. The two major encirclements of Changyi and Gaomi began to be lifted, and food and medicine were transported into the encirclement under the supervision of the British military mediation representatives. Hungry and cold, the dying Japanese army began to be treated. Subsequently, under the surveillance of the Wehrmacht, they left the encirclement with their bare hands and boarded and evacuated from Longkou and Jiaozhou Bay.

It is worth mentioning that the Japanese destroyed almost all the heavy weapons left behind, even the rifles. The availability of military materiel captured by the Defence Forces is not worth mentioning. No more than 22 guns can be used for repair. Only bullets can be used by reserve targets. Because the firearms of the Wehrmacht are basically unified, those rifles and bullets with a caliber of 6.5mm are basically useless, and the cost of destruction is expensive.

Journalists from several foreign-funded newspapers witnessed the tragic situation of the encircled Japanese troops, which was shocking, but not sympathetic. Although mankind has been freed from ignorance, it has not been freed from cruelty. Losers are bound to be punished, no exceptions.

British Army Colonel Carden, who witnessed the tragic situation of the Japanese troops in the encirclement, told the reporter of the "Zilinxi Daily" that they were finished, and even if they returned to China, they would not have the dignity and courage that soldiers should have. They have completely become the walking dead. In this sense, the methods of the Chinese are cruel. Perhaps the best destination for a soldier is to die in battle. The efforts of the Japanese to save these troops were only a laughing stock.

In order to fulfill Article 4 of the Agreement on the End of the War. IDF provided a list of the units that had committed the massacre of civilians by the besieged Japanese forces. The Japanese army was asked to hand over the commanders of the listed units to the Chinese side, and China would organize a special military tribunal to hear the case. The Japanese side began to play tricks, stating that most of the commanders of the above-mentioned units had died in battle, but in the end, 41 Japanese officers were arrested, including 1 general-level officer, 22 adjutant (colonel) officers, and 18 lieutenants. The officers were immediately indicted on charges of war crimes and sentenced three months later, 19 of whom were sentenced to death. Escorted to the battlefield and publicly executed. The remainder were sentenced to different prison terms. He served a long sentence in China to atone for his crimes.

Lieutenant General Michiharu Umezawa, commander of the 6th Division, committed suicide by disembowelment on the day the agreement was signed. However, the commander of the 3rd Division, Lieutenant General Senba Taro, did not have the backbone of Lieutenant General Umezawa, and cheekily returned to Japan with his troops, and was immediately forcibly retired from active duty and transferred to the reserve. However, General Masayi Terauchi, commander-in-chief of the Shandong Dispatch Army, who once enjoyed a high position in the army, was severely restrained and was not allowed to commit suicide by caesarean section. After returning to China, the temple lived in seclusion, but did not escape the "heavenly punishment" of the radicals. April 5, 1915. A group of militants broke into the temple residence. He stabbed the temple to death with a bayonet, and was stabbed 29 times all over the temple, and his death was terrible. His wife also died in this bloody case that shocked the Japanese government and the opposition.

The impact of the Battle of Shandong was far-reaching. The Japanese Yan Zòng underestimated the strength of the Chinese Army. Plotting against Qingdao and hoping to destroy the Shandong industrial base ended up in a miserable end. It was only a few years after the end of World War I that the losses of the Japanese army in Shandong were revealed, and the Japanese army had invested five active divisions, with a total of more than 64,000 killed and more than 9,000 disabled by wounds. The navy lost 22 ships of various types (mainly supply ships and landing ships), and suffered 1,490 casualties. Japan's actual war expenses amounted to 200 million yen, which was roughly the same as its foreign exchange reserves at that time. The First Battle of Shandong broke the backbone of the Japanese Army, making its competition with the Navy even more inferior. Although the radicals within the army were constantly clamoring for revenge, they were somewhat suffering from "Sinophobia" and had to painfully study the lessons and experiences of Shandong's defeat and begin to learn from the Chinese army.

More far-reachingly, the Battle of Shandong halted the pace of Japanese expansion for a long time, and Yan Zòng lost the gains of the Russo-Japanese War, leaving them on the defensive in Manchuria for a long time. Forcing it to embark on the path of ocean expansion had a profound impact on the situation in the world.

For China, the biggest gain was the removal of the Gyeonggi threat, the complete control of the important railway line from Tianjin to Guanwai, and the greatly improved land connection between Kannai and Guanwai. Economic compensation is secondary, but the excitement of the people is of far-reaching significance.

Side effects are not without it. In addition to the economic problems of the loss of war expenses and the subsequent expenses of the Shandong battlefield, the First World War in Shandong raised Long Qian's prestige to an unprecedented level, and the forces that had hoped to find opportunities (including the use of legal means) to oust Long Qian from power admitted that this opportunity was completely lost with the brilliant victory in the war against Japan. The remnants of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Beiyang faction, the Kuomintang and other forces basically stopped their activities under the surface of the water and had to accept the reality. Some people of insight began to worry about Long Qian's dictatorship, whether he would overturn or amend the constitution and impose an indefinite re-election? Liang Qichao, who left politics to become president of the Central Academy of Social Sciences, published a public article questioning this possibility and the danger it brings, which aroused strong dissatisfaction in the military system, but was severely suppressed by Long Qian.

The Defence Force has become more powerful and has become a key force in shaping the political situation. After the Battle of Shandong, the reward for the meritorious personnel of the army was quickly launched, and the battlefield commander General Feng Guozhu was awarded the rank of marshal, becoming the second marshal of the republic after Lu Shan. Because Lu Shan has passed away, in terms of military rank, Feng Guozhu is the first person in the army. Also nominated for marshal were Defense Minister Wang Mingyuan and Chief of the General Staff Situ Jun, but both rejected the honor, believing that they had not done so.

A number of units that participated in the Shandong Campaign were awarded honorary titles by the Ministry of National Defense. A large number of battlefield commanders such as Qu Hongxiang, Chai Shouye, Du Sanli, Gao Huzi, Sun Wu, and Qu Zhiyong were promoted and awarded. It is worth mentioning that due to their outstanding contributions to the Shandong Campaign, Song Jinguo, director of the Joint Logistics Headquarters, and Shang Fengchun, commander of the Air Force, were promoted to the rank of general, increasing the number of active generals in the National Defense Force to seven.

Chen Hao was promoted to lieutenant colonel after the war and was escorted to the Campaign Department of Jinan Military Academy for further study. For this young officer with a strong background, the future is bright.

As a result, the aviation force became the third largest branch of the armed forces parallel to the army and navy. From 1915 onwards, military spending was tilted towards the air force, and its proportion was as high as 22%. aroused the dissatisfaction of the army. (To be continued......)