Chapter 20: Whose Hong Kong (Additional Chapter Seeking Support)

  In the Dongshan Xinghe area of Guangzhou, there are many trees on both sides of the narrow highway. In a lush green environment, beautiful foreign-style houses stand here. Red brick and clear water walls, dense Western classical columned corridors, in each independent small courtyard, live officials, nobles, rich merchants and giants.

  In 1906, the Christian Southern Baptist Church of America built a theological seminary and a middle school in Dongshan, and moved its institutions from Changsha to here. Later, schools, hospitals and charitable organizations were also established. After the Xinhai Revolution, Guangzhou continued to welcome patriotic overseas Chinese who returned home to invest. The strong religious atmosphere, perfect living facilities and conformity with their religious beliefs and living habits made Dongshan a good place for overseas Chinese to settle down.

  Huang Kui Shi, Yang Yuan Rong and his brother Yang Ting Rong were among the first to develop Dongsan after the European War. More overseas Chinese began returning home to develop their homeland. The once rural vegetable fields of Dongsan gave rise to one European-style private villa after another.

  The most majestic one in Dongshan Yangfang is the mansion built by Chen Jitang in Meihua Village. The mansion covers an area of over 5,000 square meters and has four two-story brick-concrete buildings, each connected by sky bridges or stairs, with bamboo flowers and grasses planted throughout the courtyard, traditional garden rockeries and water features and hexagonal pavilions contrasting with Western-style corridors, and because there are plum blossoms planted on both sides of the main road in front of the gate, Meihua Village got its name.

  Xuguoyuan Road, was named after the Xuguoyuan orphanage when it was opened in 1920 by the Guangdong and Guangxi Baptist Convention in the Huahui Overseas Chinese residential area. Although the narrow street is only a few hundred meters long, the buildings on this street are the best scenery here, especially Qiyuan and Chunyuan.

  The villa was built by American-Chinese businessman Ma Zuwu in 1922. The three-story building is made of reinforced concrete, with Greek-style columns on the first and second floors. Above the main building stands a prominent arched gatehouse, with the year "1922" embossed above it to indicate when the building was constructed. The villa's courtyard is filled with flowers and trees, especially the lush papyrus plants, which has led people to also refer to this place as Papyrus Garden.

  Continue south from the Qu Garden and you will see Chunyuan at the end of the road. It is another garden built by overseas Chinese in the United States. The house faces north to south, and further forward is a small river surrounded by green trees, with ponds, bamboo forests and open fields around it.

  "We have chosen this unassuming foreign house as the venue for our negotiations, in this secluded and quiet place where people rarely visit. The beautiful environment is conducive to our negotiation work, we are confident of that. Ladies and gentlemen, please take a seat!" Xiao Naitian smiled and gestured for the British delegation to sit down first. Although the People's Autonomous Government had only recently annexed Guangdong, it was still the host here, and it was necessary to show some courtesy and hospitality as the host country.

  "Gentlemen, the situation has come to this, and the current state of affairs is very clear. Our goal is very clear on your side, the smooth handover of the Guangzhou Shamian concession, including our mutually beneficial agreement reached in Hankou, have laid a good foundation for today's negotiations. Here, I hope we can reach an agreement as soon as possible on the issue of Hong Kong sovereignty." Xiao Naitian directly pointed out the purpose of the autonomous government negotiation team.

  After Qin Shi Huang unified China, three counties were established in the south: Nanhai, Guilin and Xiangjun. Hong Kong was under the jurisdiction of Panyu County, Nanhai Prefecture during the Han Dynasty, Bolo County during the Eastern Jin and Sui Dynasties, and later became part of Dongguan County after the Tang Dynasty changed Bao'an County to Dongguan County. During the Ming Dynasty, it became part of Xin'an County.

  January 26, 1841, after the First Opium War, Britain occupied Hong Kong Island by force. The Qing government, which failed to defend the integrity of national territory, eventually signed the unequal Treaty of Nanjing with Britain, ceding Hong Kong Island to Britain. The subsequent Beijing Treaty further ceded the area south of Boundary Street in Kowloon Peninsula, and at the end of the 19th century, Britain forced the Qing government to sign the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, leasing the area north of Boundary Street in Kowloon Peninsula and 262 surrounding islands for a period of 99 years. In other words, when the People's Government intervened, Hong Kong had already been under British rule for more than 80 years.

  The goal of the People's Autonomous Government is very clear, that is, Hong Kong must return to China and become part of an autonomous region. However, the British side would definitely be unwilling to give up Hong Kong, one of the world's three major natural deep-water ports, the largest Far Eastern stronghold, and a place they had operated for nearly a hundred years. Hong Kong had already become a part of Britain, and it was unacceptable for them to suddenly return it to an autonomous region.

  The Chinese government issued a diplomatic note, hoping that when the news of recovering Hong Kong was transmitted back to Britain, whether it was the British Parliament or ordinary people, they would find it difficult to accept the request for returning Hong Kong. The concession could be given up, privileges could be abolished, and Chinese people could be equal with foreigners on their own territory, but only the departure of Hong Kong could not be accepted. However, the People's Government had no signs of resolving the issue by force, nor did Britain dare to threaten with force. After accepting the suggestion for negotiations, the British side quickly formed a delegation led by Sir John Pope-Hennessy, Governor of Hong Kong, to participate in the talks, aiming to keep Hong Kong.

  Kanwaljit Singh was born in Cawnpore, North-Western Provinces of India. His father was a Colonel Commandant in the Military Department and he was sent to England for his education. He attended St Paul's School in London and later went on to Merton College, Oxford. At university, Kanwaljit read Classics and Sanskrit, winning the Hertford Scholarship, taking First Class Honours in his first Classics examination and also winning the Irish and Craven Scholarships. After graduating he immediately sat for the Civil Service Examination and came fourth in the list of successful candidates.

  Kam Wah Tai was appointed as an officer student by the Hong Kong colonial government in 1899 and came to Hong Kong immediately, where he was arranged to study Cantonese on the mainland. After the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion, he was forced to return to Hong Kong, at which time he had already learned Cantonese and quickly passed the examination, becoming an assistant registrar general, assisting Sir Henry Blake, then Colonial Secretary, in conducting a census of the New Territories.

  In 1912, he was promoted to Acting Registrar General and concurrently held the positions of Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council and Executive Council. During this period, Komuta's talent and ability were highly praised by his superiors. The former Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Henry Blake, once said that he was "the most capable man in the Colonial Office, as a thinker and scholar, he will surely achieve great things in the future." Indeed, this elegant scholar did many good deeds and won merits for himself.

  Eugene Chen strongly supported the establishment of the University of Hong Kong. When the university was formally established in 1912, he personally wrote the Latin school song for the university, donated a large number of important Chinese classics, and worked hard to raise funds for the university's Sino-British cultural relations research. The university suggested awarding Chen an honorary doctorate as a token of gratitude. In 1925, after returning to Hong Kong from his official trip abroad, Chen was awarded the honorary degree by the University of Hong Kong.

  Sir David Wilson is enamored with Chinese culture and is a member of the Royal Asiatic Society. In addition to being fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin, he is also well-versed in classical Chinese poetry and calligraphy, making him a true "China expert". Of course, it's precisely because he loves China so much and is deeply fond of Hong Kong that he would be extremely reluctant to return the beautiful Hong Kong, a place where he has invested so much of his heart and soul, to China. The British government's intention in sending such an obstinate island-keeper to negotiate is naturally very clear: it's simply impossible for Hong Kong to return to China. As the leader of the negotiation team, this "China expert" naturally understands Chinese customs, which dictate that one must first show respect before resorting to force; no matter how great the differences may be, at least they should sit down and talk things through - if negotiations fail, then so be it.

  "Dear Mr. Xiao, I believe both you and I have to acknowledge a fact. That is Hong Kong Island was ceded to our country through the lawful treaty signed between our great empire and the Qing Empire. The Treaty of Nanking clearly stipulates that Hong Kong Island already belongs to our Great British Empire. And Kowloon Peninsula as well as numerous islands, were leased to our government by the Qing Empire..."

  "I apologize for interrupting you, but I must reiterate a fact that our side resolutely denies the unequal treaties or agreements reached between the former Qing government and any country. This point has been clarified in the mutually beneficial agreement reached during our previous negotiations in Hankou, and your side also acknowledged that the actions of the People's Autonomous Government are reasonable."

  Xiao Naitian said, as he handed out materials to the British representatives present through his secretary: "Since the British side also acknowledges that the agreements signed with the former Qing government have no legal effect in front of the autonomous government, and these materials fully demonstrate that your side has not paid any rent to our country in all these years. Your side has not fulfilled the agreement with the former Qing government for over twenty years, it is you who breached the contract first, it is you who do not recognize or fulfill what you call an agreement, how can we possibly comply?"

  "Moreover, the cession of Hong Kong was a result of the First Opium War launched by Britain. It is unreasonable to seize a country's territory and deprive a sovereign state of its territorial integrity through an unjust war. We cannot recognize the British side's actions as reasonable. Hong Kong is part of China, and no country or force can separate it from China!" Xiao Naitian's words were extremely tough, and his mission before the negotiations, as well as the bottom line he knew about, predetermined that he had to be tough. If he didn't become tough, the army's guns would make him tough.

  The negotiations were temporarily concluded at 11:00 am, and the Chinese side did not arrange any talks for the afternoon. Instead, they prepared a sumptuous lunch to entertain the British negotiating team. After lunch, the People's Autonomous Government negotiating team sincerely invited the British representatives to observe a routine drill of a certain army unit, which was a special arrangement during the negotiation break.

  The 4th Division of the 4th Group Army is a standard motorized infantry division. The division is also one of the six trump card divisions of the army, and it has been preparing to march into Guangzhou for many years to respond to threats from the sea. The division uses vehicles to implement strategic and tactical maneuvers, and it fights on foot. Except for not having a tank regiment and an air defense regiment, the division has three main regiments, one artillery regiment directly under its command, and infantry companies as its basic tactical units, each equipped with three infantry platoons and one motorized squad. In short, there is no difference between the army's motorized divisions and those of later generations.

  The exercise seemed to be carefully arranged, and when the negotiation team entered the observation position with binoculars, the participating troops began to prepare for "combat". Through the binoculars, the negotiation team could see the target of the impending attack, and of course, they could also see the troops entering the battlefield at this time.

  The troops participating in the parade used different ordinary trucks sold to the Allies by the autonomous region at that time. The army is now using second-generation military trucks, with better off-road and carrying performance. Many trucks were towing various caliber artillery behind them, and there were also many Hummer cars with long antennas following the marching team.

  Most of the observers at the exercise were members of this negotiation, and the artillery regiment directly under the 4th Division was particularly unusual. The uniform towed howitzers arrived at the artillery's pre-set position under the traction of the tractor truck, and the ammunition vehicle, reconnaissance vehicle, command vehicle and other vehicles quickly took their positions. The well-trained artillerymen quickly completed the preparation for the howitzer's firing, and the 122mm howitzers were lined up one by one, slowly lifting that powerful barrel, while the ammunition boxes behind them were already ready.

  The 122mm howitzer is an army used to replace the 75mm mountain gun in the troops, becoming the basic artillery of the infantry division's artillery regiment. A artillery regiment has three artillery battalions, with a total of 36 howitzers, using eight-person artillery teams. The gun can fire high-explosive shells, incendiary shells, smoke bombs, illuminating shells and other types of ammunition. The maximum range is 11.8 kilometers, the maximum rate of fire is six rounds per minute, and the elevation angle ranges from -3 degrees to 63.5 degrees, with a left-right traverse angle of 49 degrees. The participating troops set up their artillery positions not far in front of the observation position, and the target to be attacked was also right in front of them, obviously wanting to show off the artillery strength of the People's Army land forces.

  When the troops in charge of the attack (a regiment) maneuvered to a distance of five kilometers from the enemy's position, all levels of troops quickly got off and entered the departure position, and vehicles began to retreat and hide. At this time, the artillery regiment had completed the surveying and calculation of the enemy's targets, and the artillery guide officer of the attacking troops also sent back the hidden targets. The list of targets for the artillery strike was quickly listed in the target column. At 3:15 pm, with three signal flares rising into the air, the motorized infantry division officially began its exercise against the enemy's fixed position.

  "The...” The first to open fire was only one cannon, which fired a correction shell. The shell's landing point quickly fed back for target correction, and accurate firing information soon spread to each artillery unit. After slight adjustments to the angle, shells and propellant packs began loading into the breech in preparation for firing. Speed is what firepower concentration relies on.

  "Number one in position!"

  "Number two in position!"

  ……

  When all the artillery positions announced that they were in position, the firing command was given along with the lowering of the red flag, and the earth-shaking sound of gunfire immediately came from the battlefield. The orange-red muzzle flames flashed, and the strong recoil caused all the howitzers to sink suddenly, and the smoke and dust raised by the shock enveloped each gun, and soon the "enemy position" was subjected to a fierce attack by more than 70 guns of the Fourth Division's direct artillery regiment and three main force regiments' direct artillery battalions. The intense explosion immediately blew up various preset fortifications on the enemy position, causing sand and rocks to fly everywhere and shaking the ground.

  Intense artillery bombardment, which was the preparatory fire before the attack, lasted for nearly half an hour. In fact, the troops had already set out before the bombardment ended, taking advantage of the enemy being caught off guard and unable to defend themselves as they burst into the position. The late-stage artillery support provided them with the best cover screen. Infantry companies formed strict combat formations and advanced at high speed, unfolding into assault combat formations when they were only 500 meters away from the enemy's position.

  Outside the range of enemy light weapons fire, the artillery units directly under each level of troops have made preparations for cannon fire support at any time. The 81mm and 120mm mortars are timely firepower support weapons on the battlefield, and they are also effective in striking the enemy's firepower points that block the attacking troops. Under the cover of the impact troops' cannon fire, they quickly approached the enemy's first line of defense positions. Under the intense cannon fire, this defensive line no longer had much defensive power, and the troops quickly broke through this defensive line. When preparing to launch an attack on the second line of defense, the pre-set explosive points around them began to explode, and the enemy launched a counterattack.

  Type 18 rifle, squad light machine gun, general-purpose machine gun, uniform rapid-firing weapons quickly repelled the enemy's counterattack, and mortars also played a great role in killing the enemy. The troops continued to advance quickly...

  After the exercise, the large bus that sent the negotiating team to the scene left under the escort of two Hummer armored vehicles and returned to Guangzhou. The two negotiating teams took a bus each. When the British negotiating representatives left, many people saw their faces a bit gloomy, while Xiao Naitian and others were naturally very satisfied with this performance. If they had pulled out the artillery division of the Fourth Army Corps for a stroll, the effect would have been even better. Unfortunately, the artillery division was not allowed to be visited by the British, let alone watch the live firing of artillery on site. However, the power of an artillery regiment plus three battalions and dozens of guns from the Fourth Division was still impressive.

  "When it comes to playing with explosives, we Chinese are the ancestors." Xiao Naitian was very satisfied with the previous artillery performance in the car, and from the expressions of the British people, the harvest was indeed not small. "I think this time they won't look down on us Chinese as farmers anymore, where are our big knives and long spears? We have automatic rifles and cannons, which is even more powerful than their own troops!"

  "Captain, it seems that during the European war, many of the good cannons used by the British were sold to them by us, right? Why not bring out those foreign trade cannons from back then and show them off? Although the caliber of the cannons being fired today is a bit smaller, the power of these shells is quite formidable. If the British really refuse to hand over Hong Kong, even if they bring their Far East fleet, we won't be afraid with just our army's cannons."

  Upon hearing this, Xiao Naitian's smile immediately froze on his face, and he bit his lower lip, furrowed his brow in contemplation. In his view, the British were indeed unwilling to let Hong Kong return, and Jin Wentai was clearly a bookworm who didn't understand military affairs but was extremely patriotic. That is to say, he was a thoroughbred Englishman with the proud and arrogant spirit of John Bull, making it very difficult for him to hand over Hong Kong. Moreover, whether or not to let Hong Kong return was ultimately decided by those in mainland Britain. However, the people of Hong Kong strongly supported returning to the mainland, and the People's Government's attitude towards reclaiming Hong Kong was also very resolute, so there were great differences between the two sides, and things might get out of hand if not handled properly.

  The motorcade first returned to the British Embassy near Shamian, Guangzhou, saw off the British delegation and agreed to continue negotiations the next day. Only then did the autonomous government's negotiating team return to their residence. As soon as they arrived at the temporary office in the hotel, Xiao Naitian immediately ordered someone to send a telegram to Liuzhou, saying: The military exercise this afternoon was quite effective and had some deterrent effect, but the effect was not great. The disagreement in the negotiations this morning was considerable, and it is impossible to have too much hope for tomorrow's negotiations. Please ask the government to make early preparations.

  After sending the message, Xiao Naitian took a look at a top-secret document he had obtained before leaving. The document was personally handed over to him by the Premier of the Autonomous Region, who warned that this was the bottom line for negotiations. If this bottom line is exceeded, the autonomous region will not be afraid to go to war with Britain. The Commander-in-Chief of the People's Army also said, "Even if Hong Kong Island is bombed back to its original state, it is still Chinese territory and cannot tolerate British people running wild there!"