Chapter 387 Peace Negotiation

Asia in 1938 was distorted by various anger and hatred. China and Japan, two countries that belonged to the Chinese cultural circle, fought endlessly for their respective interests.

The major existing forces within China are the three major political forces: the ** Party, Hongmen and Hualian. The factions within the ** Party are mixed and are the product of the conflict between warlords in the old era, and the contradictions are constant.

As for the Red Gate, it was because Jiang Ruiyuan had to rely on the assistance of Soviet Russia that he tolerated the existence of these thieves.

Among the three major forces, Hualian is not particularly outstanding in terms of population and resource advantages. However, when it comes to industrial strength, it is absolutely the first, and has even surpassed the great power countries in many military technology fields. The only reason is that the output is still a bit insufficient, which is due to the weak industrial foundation.

Under the guidance of fanatical soldiers, Japan brazenly launched a war of aggression against China. Britain, the United States and France watched the fire across the river, and the Soviet Union refused to send troops. China's war of resistance only left the harsh path of "scorched earth war".

At present, the army of the ** Party is resisting Japan on the front battlefield. Whether it is the Hualian or the Hongmen, they are still holding their own hands, quietly waiting for the time when both sides suffer losses.

Since Japan is an island country with poor resources and is very unfavorable to fight a protracted war, Jiang Ruiyuan pinned his hopes on using protracted war to drag down the Japanese army.

Of course, Japan also understood the weakness of its limited resources and proposed the idea of ​​"fighting for war" and using Chinese resources to fight against the Chinese. In order to prevent the enemy from using Chinese resources to achieve the goal of fighting for war, Jiang Ruiyuan developed a scorched earth tactic of burning out all battlefields in China.

But the biggest victim of the scorched earth war was not the Japanese army, but the Chinese civilians. There were also many oppositions within the party to this cruel scorched earth tactic.

On June 9, 1938, the ** Party Army suddenly exploded the Yellow River embankment without a notice. The flooded Yellow River water did not drown a Japanese army, but drowned more than 100,000 Chinese people, and millions became homeless refugees.

Soon, the ** Party Army mistakenly set fire in Changsha, where it was scheduled to retreat, burning tens of thousands of civilians to death. After the fire in Changsha, Wang Zhaoming made sharp criticisms of Jiang Ruiyuan, who was in charge of the ** Party Army at that time.

He believes that the so-called scorched earth policy may be because of the fear that natural materials will become "natural traitors" and be used by the enemy, but if no one comes out to be a traitor, they will naturally become a traitor?

If every place is scorched like Changsha, where does the material needed for the war of resistance come from? If all the materials in the occupied areas are burned out, there will be only a large group of hungry people who are not food or shelter, and these people will deal with it?

Take these people together, but they can't run, kill them, but they can't bear it. If they throw them to the enemy, they will inevitably be used by the enemy and will inevitably be traitors.

If you have to make a comparison, Jiang Ruiyuan is a cold king, while Wang Zhaoming is a warm politician. They have taken completely opposite actions for their respective ideas. It is difficult to say who is patriotism and who is treason. The only difference may be the difference in the path.

The cruel means of the scorched earth policy made Wang Zhaoming increasingly doubt the meaning of the word "sacrifice".

The Chinese people have been working from childhood to old age. The fields and factories have received their blood and sweat. When their blood and sweat are exhausted and their lives are over, they leave the world. It is like a stove that needs firewood and charcoal. When the firewood fully contributes its energy, there is only ash and only coal chips left, the merciless shovel shovel will shovel them out so that they will not stop in the stove anymore...

Wang Zhaoming is increasingly questioning this scorched earth war of resistance based on the tragic sacrifice of the people.

The purpose of the War of Resistance Against Japan was that the French king also hoped that the people could have chickens to eat. **The leaders of the Party had thought about the sufferings of the people? Aren’t the biggest victims of the War of Resistance Against Japan those civilians who didn’t even taste chicken?

Is it worth it for the ** army to sacrifice the lives of 40 million ordinary people to cultivate a national hero? If there is no miracle, how many years will the war end? How many tragedies will the Chinese people suffer during this period?

This series of questions always questioned Wang Zhaoming's open heart. He was not a monarch who could stand tall and coldly calculate gains and losses, and he was even more unwilling to become the so-called savior. He was just a literati who cared about the lives of the people.

He was gentle inside and felt more and more that the concept of saving the country was correct.

Of course, Wang Zhaoming is not the only one who holds the view of "peaceful saving of the country" within the Party. Zhou Fohai, Gu Zhutong, Xiong Shihui, Mei Siping, Tao Xisheng, Hu Shi, Gao Zongwu and others formed a "low-key club" and advocated peaceful saving of the country.

"Low-key club" is Hu Shi's "single name" to distinguish it from those who sing high-profile anti-Japanese war. Zhou Fohai said that Hongmen, Shanxi faction and all frustrated elements clearly stated that anti-Japanese war was the only way to defeat Jiang Ruiyuan. Because they wanted to overthrow Jiang, they sang a long-lasting and comprehensive anti-Japanese war."

Jiang Ruiyuan is not stupid either. He intends to suppress those who oppose him in a higher tone, and these people use Jiang Ruiyuan's high-profile to force Jiang Ruiyuan to get into a stunning position. The more he sang the tune, the higher he stunning position, the deeper he had to get into a stunning position.

When the tune of the War of Resistance and War ended, no one dared to sing the low-key of peace. Therefore, the small group that Wang Zhaoming and others advocated peace was called the low-key club.

In September 1938, Hu Shi was appointed as ambassador to the United States and interrupted contact with the "low-key club".

Although Wang Zhaoming did not directly participate in the "Low-key Club" activities, it was the soul of the organization, and invisibly formed a "peace movement" centered on him. The main focus of the "Low-key Club" criticized the pro-war faction in two places, that is, the result of the main battles such as Chairman Jiang Ruiyuan, one is to lose and the other is to burn.

The places that cannot be lost or burnt are given to the Hongmen guerrillas. Hongmen used guerrilla warfare to avoid fighting against the enemy, and they were called "going without attacking". These Soviet dogs wanted to use the strength of the War of Resistance and preservation. When the ** army was exhausted, they could subvert the government.

Wang Zhaoming has a lot of dissent about this, and it is the principle that the main war is to be the main war. However, what is the purpose of the main war? It is so that the country can survive. If this goal can be achieved, it is also a means to speak with Japan. Those who blindly advocate the scorched earth resistance war should be more honest and honest. In my opinion, the Japanese occupied areas are expanding, and most important seaports and transportation routes are lost, and the finances are becoming increasingly lacking. The 400 million citizens who are breathing in the war are sinking into dire straits. In order to end the war as soon as possible, I have repeatedly advised Chairman Jiang to open the door to negotiations."

However, with the overwhelming majority of the pro-war factions within the party, Wang Zhaoming felt that it was impossible to convince Jiang Ruiyuan and others to follow the path of "peaceful saving the country", so he began to follow the path of peace alone. Wang Zhaoming eventually entrusts Mei Siping, Gao Zongwu and others to privately contact Japan to negotiate the conditions for the ceasefire.

There are also a group of peace factions in Japan, advocating the early mercy of China under relatively generous conditions. The main figures are Colonel Khasasaki, the head of the Army General Staff Headquarters, as well as the chairman of the Japanese Textile Industry Corporation in China, the director of the Japan South Manchuria Railway's Beijing Office, Nishiyoshi Nishi, director of the Shanghai Branch of the Alliance News Agency, Shigeji Matsumoto, and former Prime Minister Inaki Toshi, the third son of Inaki Ken, etc.

The peace faction such as Kyosasa and others also contacted China in private to inquire about the possibility of peace without the government's approval. Gao Zongyou and Nishiyoshi and others had no personal relationships, and the two sides soon reached a preliminary agreement.

Japan supported Wang Zhaoming's move with generous peace and conditions, while Wang Zhaoming broke away from the ** Party and established a new government to sign a ceasefire treaty with Japan to achieve a ceasefire and peace between the two countries.

For Wang Jingwei, it is indeed very difficult to take this step.

As Mei Siping said, this matter is really difficult. If it is done well, it will certainly be beneficial to the country. If it is done well, Wang’s glorious history over the past 30 years is afraid that people will be wiped out.”

Wang Zhaoming also understood very well how much the price he took to take this step was not only to write off the glorious history of more than 30 years, but even to be criticized by thousands of people. Chen Gongbo also sent a telegram from Chengdu to advise Wang Jingwei that if he left Chongqing, he would be opposed and despised by the people across the country."

Wang Zhaoming thought about it for two days, but finally made a resolute choice. As long as he could save the people from water and fire, I would be determined to jump into the fire pit."

After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Japan had three views on the situation of the war.

First, the theory of quick victory, which believes that the Chinese team is vulnerable and can "solve the China issue within three months". Second, the theory of protracted war, which believes that China's territory is vast and the depth of the battlefield is too large, and the Japanese army can only occupy some military strongholds and cannot effectively control the entire China. If the Chinese government insists on not surrendering, the Sino-Japanese War will become a protracted war that will last.

The third is the theory of foreign interference, which believes that the Sino-Japanese War will lead to armed interference from third countries, and Japan will be forced to withdraw from China under foreign political and military pressure.

As the situation develops, the prediction of "fast victory theory" proves that the prediction of "fast victory theory" is wrong, but foreign countries have not actively intervened in the Sino-Japanese War, so the prediction of "protracted war" has become a reality. Japan is very reluctant to fight a protracted war of attrition. The longer the protracted war is delayed, the more beneficial it will be to China with a rich population and resources, and Japan will drag down the war of attrition.

By the end of 1938, Japan's troops used on the Chinese battlefield had increased to 24 divisions, with military expenditure surged, financial difficulties, tax revenues worsening, and domestic crises increasingly difficult. Under such circumstances, there were also calls for a war to be resolved as soon as possible within Japan.

In early 1938, Japan also hoped to use high-pressure means to force the Chinese government. On January 16, 1938, Prime Minister Kobe issued a tough statement "Don't take the ** Government as an opponent."

In October 1938, the Japanese army wanted to annihilate the main force of China in one fell swoop in the Battle of Wuhan, but the Chinese army took the initiative to retreat, and the Chinese government also moved its capital to Chongqing, causing Japan to quickly resolve the Chinese problem through high-pressure force to go bankrupt.

Since then, the Japanese government has raised calls for "re-review of China's policy". On November 3, 1938, Prime Minister Kobe issued his second statement to China, changing the policy of "not taking the National Government as an opponent" and publicly speaking and speaking out the Empire's desire to build a new order that ensures permanent peace in East Asia. As long as the National Government abandons its previous consistent policies, replaces personnel organizations, achieves new results, and participates in the construction of the new order, we will not refuse."

On December 6, 1938, the General Staff of the Army and Provincial Staff announced the "Strategies for Handling China after the Autumn of 1938", deciding that the general policy on China will be to conquer Hankou as the period of force to independently guide the construction of New China in the future and avoid impatient. To this end, the restoration of public security should be the basis, and other measures should be adapted to this."

Because the Hualian Army is currently strong in military strength, the Japanese army cannot do anything and can only settle for the second best. They want to solve the problem of the ** government first, and then use their population and resource advantages to overwhelm Hualian.

The general policy towards China also stipulates that the military purpose of "not expanding the occupied areas" is to determine that the occupied areas east of the New Yellow River, Hefei and Wuhu are public security areas and the west is combat areas. Under the principle of not expanding the occupied areas, a limited local attack on the ** Party army was carried out, and at the same time, aeronautical operations were strengthened, the Chongqing ** government's rear and China's international supply line were bombed, and China's will to combat China's anti-Japanese will, and the ** government collapsed.

After the end of 1938, the Japanese government and military headquarters' policy towards China changed from "military strikes as the main focus, peaceful negotiations as the auxiliary focus" to "military strikes as the auxiliary focus, peaceful negotiations as the main focus", from denied the Chongqing ** government to recognized the Chongqing National Government.

After November 1938, the Japanese government began to consider making certain concessions and negotiate with the Chinese government to end the war. In March 1939, Japan's new Prime Minister Hiranuma publicly stated in a parliamentary speech: "If General Jiang Ruiyuan and the government he led can reconsider their anti-Japanese attitude, cooperate with Japan to establish a new East Asian order, Japan will be prepared to negotiate with it to terminate hostilities."

After Japan's policy toward China changed, it began to send out signals of peace talks and release a balloon of peace, which coincided with Wang Zhaoming and others' views on "peaceful saving of the country". **There was a major split in the party on the issue of "is war or peace".

However, since "main war" and justice are linked, "main peace" inevitably put on the hat of traitors who surrendered and treason, the "main war" faction in the government still accounts for an absolute majority.

Under this circumstance, Wang Zhaoming and other "peaceful factions" began their own "peaceful work". However, Jiang Ruiyuan held an opportunistic attitude between "primary war" and "primary peace". On the one hand, he sang a high-profile of the War of Resistance to the end, and on the other hand, he turned a blind eye to the "peaceful work" of Wang Zhaoming and others, leaving a way out for the end of the Sino-Japanese War.

As the chairman of the Party Committee, Jiang Ruiyuan did not stop or punish officials involved in the "peaceful work", so that Wang Zhaoming's "peaceful work" could proceed smoothly.

On November 3, 1938, the Japanese government issued its second statement to China, proposing that as long as the ** government changes its personnel organization, Japan can hold a ceasefire negotiations with China. What Japan calls "change personnel organization" refers to Jiang Ruiyuan's stepping down.

On November 16, while Wang Zhaoming and Jiang Ruiyuan were having dinner together, they persuaded the other party to step down to promote Sino-Japanese peace talks. During the dinner, he quietly persuaded the country and nation to be on the verge of destruction. It was the responsibility of the Party. We should resign quickly to thank the world."

Jiang Ruiyuan, who wanted to be a British leader, could not agree to such conditions. He asked with a stern face to ask who would take the political responsibility if we resigned?"

The two argued fiercely, but in the end, Jiang Ruiyuan refused to agree that it was the same and we didn’t have to argue anymore. I was already sleepy and I was going to sleep.”

So he left Wang Zhaoming alone and went to bed, which prompted Wang Zhaoming to finally make up his mind to leave Chongqing.

The first key issue of Wang Zhaoming's peace plan is to get the support of Long Yun, the chairman of the Yunnan government. He sent his wife Chen Bijun to secretly discuss the peace plan with Long Yun. Long Yun was resentful of Jiang Ruiyuan's adaptation of his army, calling Yunnan's materials, and weakening his power.

Long Yun promised Chen Bijun that Wang was a veteran of the Party and the country, and had a high reputation at home and abroad. As long as he ascended the high school, responders would gather under his banner. Jiang Ruiyuan was always insidious and treacherous and eliminated dissidents, so it was natural for Wang to launch a peace movement and establish a new government. In addition to a few people such as Hongmen and Feng Huanzhang, they would support Wang to advocate the cause of peace, and would also receive support from many countries internationally."

With Long Yun's promise to support the peace movement, the next question was whether Japan promised lenient peace conditions. On November 12, 1938, Wang Zhaoming sent Mei Siping, Gao Zongwu and others as representatives, and Japanese sent Kaesa Aki, Takeo Imai and others to hold the final negotiations at the "Chongkongtang" near Shanghai Hongkou Park. After 8 days of bargaining, the two sides finally reached the so-called "Chongkongtang Agreement".

The main target of this agreement is Hongmen, because the two sides agreed to establish a red zone in Inner Mongolia and agreed to Japan to station troops there to deal with threats from the Soviet Union.

Another extremely important issue is the Japanese military's strategy of dividing and governing China. The Japanese military feels that a unified big China is always a threat to Japan. The best way to eliminate China's threat is to divide China into several countries and "dividing and governing it."

The Japanese army first created a Manchukuo in the Northeast, and in December 1937, a Provisional Government of the Republic of China headed by Wang Kemin in North China, and in April 1938, a Reform Government of the Republic of China headed by Liang Hongzhi in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

If it weren't for the Chinese army's recovery of Nanjing, this government might have continued to exist now.

The Japanese side originally planned that Wang Zhaoming came forward to establish a local government limited to Yunnan, Guangdong and Guangxi, but Wang Jingwei insisted that the local governments such as Wang Kemin must be abolished and that Wang Zhaoming's central government must be unified in leading China. Because he was very determined on this issue, Japan finally conceded and agreed to Wang Zhaoming's new government to unified in leading China.

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