Chapter Twenty-Three Unaware
In 1801, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland established diplomatic relations with the Qing Empire. The first British plenipotentiary envoy to China was Lord Macartney, but he did not reside in China. The first resident minister to China was Sir John Francis Davis, who concurrently served as Governor of Hong Kong and resided there until 1857 when the office of governor and minister were separated. Following the Treaty of Tianjin, Britain established a legation in Beijing, with consulates-general at Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing.
In 1918, a massive movement of the Protection War swept across China, and the People's Army quickly captured Sichuan. The British Consulate General in Chongqing was abolished, and all consular staff were withdrawn to Shanghai. The current British Ambassador to China is Sir Beilun Boshi. Before he took office, the original name "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" was officially changed to "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". This was because Ireland had become independent, with only Northern Ireland remaining part of the UK.
The United States began sending diplomatic envoys to China in 1844, when the U.S. sent Caleb Cushing as Commissioner to negotiate the Treaty of Wanghia with China until 1857. The highest-ranking envoy sent by the U.S. to China was a Commissioner, and later they were all Special Envoys or Ministers. After the abdication of Puyi, the U.S. announced the temporary severance of Sino-U.S. relations but soon recognized the Republic of China and sent a Minister to set up an Embassy in Beijing, China. The current U.S. Ambassador to China is Terry Branstad, born in Iowa. Japan established diplomatic relations with China in 1872, with Soejima Taneomi as its first envoy to China. The current Japanese Ambassador to China is Kong Xuanyou.
The Chinese government negotiated with the British about the Hong Kong issue, initially only the respective delegations opened negotiations, but the differences between the two sides were too great, and the negotiations were interrupted several times. During this time, the Chinese government did not mention the Hong Kong issue at all. In the meantime, various "rest activities" were arranged for the British negotiating team. The first major event was to show off the strength of the People's Army, which was enthusiastically demonstrated by the 4th Division of the 4th Group Army of the Ground Force.
The second major event was the entry ceremony of some naval vessels into Guangzhou Port on August 11, 1928. The navy turned the ceremony into a temporary military parade, and in addition to gathering tens of thousands of people from Guangzhou, it also invited ambassadors from Japan, the United States, France and other countries, as well as some foreigners in China to watch the scene. The flight performance of some aircraft participating in the naval air force became the finale of the entry ceremony, and the brilliant aerial performance completely conquered everyone's heart, and implicitly expressed the tough attitude of the autonomous government to the British side.
Talks on the Hong Kong issue resumed on the 12th, and at a time when the media in various countries, especially in mainland China, were loudly proclaiming the PLA's rarely seen super strong power, all sorts of headlines and news such as "Navy's strength is beyond imagination", "Autonomous government may declare war on Britain because of Hong Kong issue", "Super planes and new-style warships, what does the People's Autonomous Government intend to do?" filled various newspapers across China. In the UK, some newspapers also carried reports of the Navy's demonstration against Britain, causing a stir among some radical British people who began to shout that the Far Eastern Fleet of the British Empire should be sent to Hong Kong for training and give the PLA a painful lesson when necessary.
No matter how the outside world comments on the rare move and demonstration of strength by the People's Army, in short, under the support of strong forces, the British negotiating team returned to the negotiating table obediently, and its leader had changed from Hong Kong Governor Sir Henry Blake to British Ambassador to China Sir Claude MacDonald, and Britain sincerely invited US Minister to China Charles Denby and Japanese Minister to China Komura Jutaro to mediate, and the Hong Kong issue entered a stage of multi-party participation and open negotiation.
Regarding the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty, the autonomous government has always insisted that Hong Kong must return to China. The naval forces that had been hidden for many years have been brought out and showcased, especially in front of the ambassadors of various powerful countries, demonstrating their strength and indicating that under certain circumstances, the autonomous region may take extreme actions. In Hankou, which is not highly valued by the powers, a great demolition has taken place this century. Why can't the autonomous government do the same to Hong Kong again? In short, no force will be allowed to block Hong Kong's return, and naturally, Britain is reluctant to return the precious Hong Kong.
"Given the significant differences in opinions between the two parties at present, and with suspicion that your side is ambiguous about Hong Kong's sovereignty, I must once again represent the People's Autonomous Government to reiterate our stance: Hong Kong has always been an inseparable part of China since ancient times. The integrity of territorial sovereignty does not tolerate any interference from any force. We are willing to take all necessary actions for the sake of national integrity. Any force that attempts to stop us will be regarded as a great enemy of the People's Autonomous Government, and we reserve all rights to act accordingly!" Before the negotiations began, in front of the American, Japanese, and French envoys, Xiao Naitian represented the Autonomous Government in reiterating their stance to the British side that there was no room for negotiation on the matter of reclaiming Hong Kong.
"Mr. Xiao, I respectfully ask you a question!" The newly appointed British negotiator, Sir Lupus, also the plenipotentiary ambassador to China, stood up politely and bowed to the three representatives at the negotiating table before saying: "The British Empire attaches great importance to the negotiation dialogue with your side, and the reorganization of our negotiation team is the greatest proof of our sincerity. In fact, the British Empire is not afraid of any challenging forces, and I hereby reiterate that the British Empire will never allow Hong Kong to be maliciously occupied..."
"Your Lordship, I hope you will pay attention to your words. The Hong Kong issue involves our sovereignty and is an inseparable part of China's territory. Your side launched a war of aggression that forced the Qing government to sign a series of unequal treaties, which led to the occupation of Hong Kong. The unequal treaties signed between Britain and the former Qing government are not in line with the actual needs and interests of both sides, but rather seriously damage Chinese interests and are illegal contracts. We have the right not to recognize the legitimacy of these treaties, and as Hong Kong has always been under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province, the People's Government has the right to represent the over 20 million people of Guangdong to take back Hong Kong."
"Do you have the right?" Lan Pu Sheng hummed lightly, glanced at a group of neutral representatives sitting on the right side of the negotiating table, turned his head to look at Xiao Nai Tian and others across the table, and changed to English: "Hong Kong Island is the land ceded by our country and the Qing government through treaties. The rest of the areas are obtained through lease agreements signed by our side. We also question whether the autonomous government can represent the Chinese people and have the right to recover sovereignty. Countries such as Britain, America, France, Japan, Holland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, we only recognize that there is only one Beijing government on the Chinese mainland that can represent the Chinese people, which is also the only legitimate government within China's borders. The Beijing side has long recognized the legitimacy of British sovereignty over Hong Kong. So-called autonomous governments, where do they have the right to recover this area? Do they have the right to take necessary actions?"
Bid farewell to a gentle and elegant Jin Wentai, and welcome a arrogant and domineering Lan Pusheng. The British government's attitude towards the Hong Kong issue can be seen from these chief negotiators. Behind the strong stance of the autonomous region is sufficient preparation and absolute strength. They are not afraid of the extreme actions of the British Empire because the autonomous government itself has nothing to lose, it can start anew after being destroyed.
The British Empire had to consider whether it was worth offending the largest warlord faction in China for a Hong Kong issue. It is clear that the current Sun Chuanfang, Wu Peifu, Zhang Zuolin and Yan Xishan are unable to stop the People's Army from unifying China. Especially when the US and French representatives were always smiling at Xiao Naitian and others during negotiations. The Yangtze River Valley and Southeastern coastal areas have long been the traditional sphere of influence of Britain, and these powers have long wanted to replace them.
If the autonomous government can break through the British power monopoly, China will become truly fully open, and benefits such as mutual benefit and win-win situation will be achieved by the autonomous government as a strong agent. Moreover, with hundreds of millions of people in China implementing full opening-up, without considering whether it has the ability to compete with the industry in the autonomous region or occupy a part of the market, it will inevitably be beneficial for the further economic development of other powerful countries. Furthermore, up until now, the autonomous government has maintained very good trade and economic contacts with all countries, which is an undisputed fact.
So they are delighted to see Britain weakened, and the US government has already made its attitude clear by cutting down Britain's naval power at the Washington Conference. They will only applaud if the Hong Kong issue is used to cut off half of Britain's arm. Especially with the People's Liberation Army Navy's super show, many people have become more interested in the mysterious autonomous government, and apart from those planes that exceeded their imagination, they want to further explore the true strength of the autonomous region.
The British side also dare not easily conclude that they can defeat the People's Army in a military conflict, during the European war they were loyal users of autonomous region weapons, machine guns, artillery shells and other ammunition are all in use. The autonomous region only wants the Hong Kong area, not to compete with Britain for ocean interests. If it really comes to a fight, it will definitely be a small-scale naval battle and a large-scale land battle, and who will die in whose hands is really uncertain.
"The People's Autonomous Government has long declared its separation from the illegal central government controlled by the Northern Warlords. The Republic of China government has already become a focal point for the struggle for interests among warlord groups, and is not a government that genuinely considers the people's interests. Let us take a simple example: when an 8.5-magnitude earthquake occurred in Haiyuan, where was the so-called central government? What did they do? The so-called Republican Central Government is nothing but a hollow tool for the rotation of the Zhili clique, Fengtian clique and Anhui clique."
Xiao Naitian said, turning to the negotiating coordinator with a smile, "Tell me, is a government that is undemocratic, incompetent and doesn't care about its people legitimate? The autonomous government will replace it and become a government that truly strives for the rise of the Chinese nation. Abolishing unequal treaties is our first step towards unification, recovering Hong Kong is our second step. Soon, we will launch a punitive expedition against illegal armed forces that hinder national unity and ethnic solidarity, and accept their surrender... In short, the people's autonomous government is currently the government that best serves the interests of the Chinese people. Moreover, China's internal affairs are its domestic affairs, and outsiders have no right to interfere!! What do you say, noble British Empire knight?"
Xiao Nai Tian's words left everyone in the room speechless, as he so frankly revealed the autonomous government's future struggle goals to the world. This was undoubtedly a message to those present: our autonomous government will eventually become the central government, and recovering Hong Kong is just doing what we would have done in the future ahead of time.
If the UK wants to continue being tough, then let's see who can hold out longer. The autonomous region already has 200-300 million people, hundreds of millions of square kilometers of land, vast industrial resources and considerable industrial strength. Even if the current naval power is not as strong as that of the UK, the Chinese nation is a very resilient nation. There is no need to learn from Yue Wang Gou Jian's sleeping on thorns and tasting bile. The autonomous region can also drag down the British Empire. After all, China has been poor for many years, starting from the Opium War, its national strength has been declining, what does it have to fear?
"Barefooted people are not afraid of those who wear shoes, and those who risk their lives are not afraid of those who play tricks." This sentence perfectly describes the situation between the autonomous government and the British government. Europe has just gone through the post-war reconstruction phase and is at a critical period of economic prosperity. Germany is working hard to pay off its debts, France is diligently developing, and even Nicholas II's Russian government is enthusiastically starting industrial economic construction. Britain cannot lose the whole forest for one tree.
The talks on August 12 ended at three o'clock in the afternoon, and the negotiations were adjourned for two days. During this period, Xiao Naitian, representing the autonomous government, held talks with the envoys of the United States, France, Japan, Portugal, and Tsarist Russia one by one. Britain also met with them separately, apparently both sides were seeking support.
Xiao Naitian's talks with the Japanese plenipotentiary minister were the most formalized, and both sides only exchanged views on the Hong Kong issue without involving other contents. The talks with the US minister were the most harmonious, and US Minister Ma Murray directly expressed support for the autonomous government's resolution, believing that the Hong Kong issue belongs to China's internal affairs, and the autonomous government has the necessary rights to take action. Of course, both sides also exchanged views on other aspects, such as what plans the autonomous region has for the Beijing-Hankou railway renovation project, when the latest customs law revision of the autonomous region will be released, and how to further develop Sino-US trade relations.
On the afternoon of August 14, which was also the last day of the recess, the autonomous government's negotiating team sincerely invited representatives from various countries to observe a military exercise at the foot of Dalingshan in Guangzhou. From 12:00 pm on the 14th to 6:00 pm, the entire Lantang Bay was closed off, and an independent heavy artillery brigade under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Army Group would conduct a sea-attack training exercise. This artillery brigade is the army's first public display of its coastal defense capabilities. The last time it only allowed the British negotiating team to see a simulated attack drill by a motorized infantry division, while this time it was a demonstration of an entire heavy artillery brigade's firepower.
Type 18 152mm cannon is the main weapon used to equip army heavy artillery brigades, used to suppress and annihilate enemy live forces, enemy communication systems and rear facilities, destroy enemy field fortifications, and also as a coastal gun to eliminate enemy water targets.
The total weight of the gun is around 10 tons, the barrel is made of low-nickel alloy steel with self-tightening treatment, and the barrel can rotate 180 degrees for towing, shortening the marching length; it uses pneumatic tires, making it convenient for automobile towing to achieve rapid mobility; the seat plate is a separate type, placed flat on the tail plane of the large frame during marching, and automatically tightened when the frames are combined.
As the main artillery of the artillery brigade, it naturally requires a long range, fast firing speed and great power. The elevation angle of this gun is from -2.5° to 45°, the direction angle is 26° on both sides, the traction speed can reach 60 km/h on the highway, and 14 km/h in cross-country conditions. The initial velocity of the shell reached 955 m/s, such a high initial velocity made its maximum range reach 30 kilometers. The fastest firing rate is four rounds per minute, plus the transition time from marching to combat is only four minutes, it can be said that it is one of the best large-caliber artillery pieces, with good firepower and excellent combat performance, making it deeply loved by the officers and soldiers of the troops.
The independent artillery brigade is mainly composed of four independent regiments, each with 12 guns. The heavy artillery brigade with 48 18-style 152mm towed howitzers can be said to be very powerful. The fourth group army's affiliated artillery division, which has not yet appeared, is only equipped with one regiment and is the main force for long-range strikes. This brigade exists as a coastal defense force and a special firepower support unit for the group army during wartime. With its 48 heavy guns, it can make people realize that the army's coastal defense capabilities are not to be underestimated. The artillery exercise lasted only three hours before the Nanning and Wuzhou ships took over with their own gunfire display, which didn't stop until 5:30 pm. After being disturbed for an entire afternoon, the Lingding Ocean finally returned to calmness.
The negotiations will resume at 8 am on the second day. As soon as the meeting began, Xiao Naitian raised questions to the British representative after receiving the news. According to a resolution of the British Parliament, the Royal Navy's Far East Fleet, led by the battlecruiser HMS Repulse, two heavy cruisers and four destroyers, will visit Hong Kong in recent days. This move is undoubtedly a counterattack against the People's Army's recent military actions and tough attitude, reflecting Britain's equally tough stance, but it also pushes the necessity of continuing negotiations to a very dangerous point.
The negotiations on the Hong Kong issue have now entered a crucial stage. The autonomous government must take back the Hong Kong region, but it has also shown willingness to make concessions in exchanges with British and American representatives. The British side is aware that the autonomous region can allow them to maintain control over Hong Kong until 1940, meaning that Britain can only rule Hong Kong for 99 years. This is also the biggest concession made by the autonomous government, and the British side has expressed interest in it. It was thought that the resumption of negotiations would make progress on this matter, but unexpectedly, the British mainland took an unexpected move, sending a fleet to Hong Kong for exercises. Whether this is meant to ease tensions or intensify warlike atmosphere, one doesn't need to guess to know that John Bull's stubbornness is at play again.
The Renown-class battlecruiser was a new type of warship designed by the British in response to the European War. The war had shown that battlecruisers with high speeds, large-caliber guns, and relatively weak armor were very useful. The two ships of the class, HMS Renown and HMS Repulse, were laid down in January 1915, launched in March 1916, and completed in September. HMS Repulse served as the royal yacht for the Prince of Wales on a visit to the United States and Australia, returning home in May 1923 for modernization. Meanwhile, HMS Renown and HMS Repulse, which were assigned to the Far East Fleet, had almost simultaneously completed their construction and performed Britain's imperial cruise mission with HMS Hood, after which they stayed in Singapore. Their main armament consisted of six twin 15-inch (380 mm) guns, a top speed of 31.5 knots, and two heavy cruisers and four destroyers, making them the "crème de la crème" of the British Far East Fleet.
Soon, the conference on the 14th was indefinitely postponed by the Chinese side citing that the British side deliberately provoked trouble and disrupted the negotiation atmosphere. It was also announced on the spot that Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China, and any act interfering with sovereignty unity would be regarded as treason or aggression.
The order requires the British Governor of Hong Kong, military forces, and the Hong Kong Government's political institutions to enter Hong Kong on August 20 to formally exercise their duties. The British forces must withdraw from Hong Kong before midnight on September 1; otherwise, the autonomous government will take necessary measures to resolutely crack down. Meanwhile, the People's Liberation Army Navy will conduct combat readiness patrols along the entire coastal area of the autonomous region, and the Autonomous Government Coast Guard will also exercise its duties along the Guangdong coast. Any foreign warships that enter without permission will be treated as illegal invaders.
"The enemy is like a spring: you are strong and he is weak; you are weak and he is strong!"
At the negotiating meeting, Xiao Naitian, on behalf of the autonomous government, announced a series of resolutions. The hardline People's Liberation Army quickly responded. The naval vessels anchored in Guangzhou Port sounded their whistles and prepared to set sail. The sky was filled with the hum of aircraft engines as large numbers of naval aviation fighter jets began routine combat patrols, roaring overhead from the eastern mountain villa where the negotiations were taking place. The first place they would patrol was Hong Kong. Whether the British Far East Fleet could enter Hong Kong remained unknown.
