Chapter 84: Destroying People Tirelessly
Thanks to 'gozira1975' and 'You accompany me tonight', Xiao Chong bowed to express his gratitude.
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The war in Liaodong did not affect the leisurely or tiring life of the people in the capital. On the streets, there were still people who considered themselves elegant, carrying bird cages and leisurely walking around the Temple of Heaven and other places.
Of course, there were also hard-working people who got up early to do business, shouting, the gurgling sound of rickshaws, the hustle and bustle of traffic, and people coming and going, a prosperous scene.
The people in the capital have cultivated an open-minded demeanor of not being surprised by the collapse of Mount Tai. Even when the British and French forces invaded Beijing, there were still countless people who surrounded them to watch and marvel, but they were not afraid.
This war in Liaodong is not to say that it is far from their lives. Even if it is close, they will continue to do what they should do. Small people cannot change the current situation. Although big people are worried about the current situation, they cannot give up eating and drinking.
Only a group of passionate and patriotic people who were worried about the world were left to grieve.
Lin Zhixing, the editor-in-chief of "The Chinese Gazette" in Beijing, arrived at the newspaper office early. The headquarters of the Chinese Gazette was in Shanghai. The organizer was Lin Lezhi, a missionary of the American Methodist Church. It was the magazine with the longest publication time and the greatest influence in China.
From important government officials such as Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong to the Japanese emperor, they all subscribed to this magazine for a long time. Later, Sun Yat-sen wrote "To Li Hongzhang" and "To Li Hongzhang" which were also published in the Chinese Gazette.
In 1876, the Qing government commended Lin Lezhi's contribution and awarded him the title of the fifth rank official. The Chinese Gazette also influenced the whole country and set up branches in some big cities. Especially during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the movements in the capital attracted the attention of the world. The staff of the Chinese Gazette branch in Beijing were very busy.
"Jiazhi, is there any new news from the front?" As soon as Lin Zhixing entered the newspaper office, he asked about the Sino-Japanese war in Liaodong.
Since the war between China and Japan, the whole of Asia has been shaken. The world's major powers have paid close attention to the outcome of the war between the old empire and the emerging Asian country, and they are all waiting to intervene and share a piece of the pie.
Before the war between China and Japan, Asia was mainly dominated by Russia and Britain, and other countries could not intervene.
Now, due to the war between China and Japan, the stagnant waters of Asia have been stirred up, and all countries want to profit from it. Not to mention the old European empires Germany and France, even the emerging American power, the United States of America, will not miss this opportunity.
A smokeless diplomatic battle has already begun between China and Japan, and you sing and I come on stage.
However, the development of the war has stunned all countries. The Qing Dynasty, which was originally optimistic about it, not only lost its vassal state Korea, but now even their own Liaodong has been occupied by more than half. The Qing army has been defeated again and again. Now all countries are waiting for when the two countries will cease fire and what kind of benefits they can get from it.
Chinese and foreign newspapers also actively reported on the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, which attracted the attention of all parties. Some published comments and suggestions, or called for a ceasefire between the two sides.
Qian Jiazhi was one of the editors in the newspaper who specialized in collecting the Sino-Japanese war situation and intelligence. Hearing Lin Zhixing's question, he couldn't help but sigh and said: "After the Huai Army lost Lushun, it lost Gaiping! The court is not united, and it is uncertain whether to fight or make peace. China is in danger."
"Can't my great China resist the advance of the Japanese pirates? Isn't there some good news from Liaodong?" Lin Zhixing remembered that he had just won a great victory at Caohekou not long ago. Liaoxi was retreating step by step. He still had some expectations for Liaodong.
"Liaodong, the defenders of Dagaoling on the east route did repel several attacks by the Japanese pirates, but I heard that Xiuyan was lost on the west route, and the defenders retreated to Ximu City." Qian Jiazhi said with a frustrated look.
Wei Jichen's record of annihilating two Japanese cavalry squadrons was drowned out by the news of the loss of Xiuyan City. Even if he won a battle, he could not change the overall situation of the loss of Xiuyan City. Others would only remember that the Chinese army retreated to Ximu City. Who would remember that the Chinese army had a small victory during the retreat?
Lin Zhixing became more and more depressed as he listened, and said indignantly: "The troops are raised for a thousand days and used for a moment. When they really go to the battlefield, these troops are like eggplants hit by frost, sluggish. What about Wei Jichen? Didn't the court praise him to the sky last time?"
Wei Jichen was shot even when he was lying down. No matter how powerful he was, he only had a thousand people. How could he change the situation of the Qing army's defeat across the board?
Wei Jichen was just a model promoted by Li Hongzhang and Guangxu to inspire the morale of all soldiers in the war of resistance.
"Wei Jichen!" Qian Jiazhi thought for a moment and suddenly said, "If you hadn't said it, I would have forgotten that there is an article about him in the Jingbao."
Jingbao was originally a government newspaper, but with the development of time, it has become a semi-official newspaper and has been sold to the public. As long as you pay, you can subscribe. Of course, most of the articles published on it are imperial edicts, ministers' memorials and government documents.
Because it is a semi-official newspaper, newspapers in various places are of course always paying attention to the news on it. Some newspapers will reprint articles that they find valuable.
"Oh, let me see." Lin Zhixing originally just complained casually. He also knew that Wei Jichen was just a small general, not the commander-in-chief of the entire army, so of course he couldn't change the overall situation. Unexpectedly, there was really news about him when he asked.
Qian Jiazhi flipped the Jingbao that was just issued today from the table and handed it to Lin Zhixing solemnly.
Lin Zhixing glanced at it briefly. Most of the pages talked about how the imperial court actively fought against the Japanese. This one expressed to the imperial court that he was willing to lead troops to Liaodong, the other expressed that he was willing to die to serve the country, and there were some commendation orders to reward meritorious soldiers on the front line. They looked dull. Tasteless.
It wasn't until he turned to the back that Lin Zhixing found a report related to Wei Jichen.
"We, the famous Qing general Wei Jichen, captured a group of Japanese soldiers. Inspired by Lafayette and the emperor, these Japanese soldiers expressed their willingness to join our country and expressed their anger towards the Japanese who provoked the war. The Japanese did not care about the domestic situation. The people's lives and lives were taken into account, and the war was provoked, which caused great harm to the people of the two countries. I hope that the Japanese government will not turn a deaf ear and continue to initiate the war regardless of the lives and lives of the people. "
What follows is the surrender letter written by a Matsunano native, polished by Li Yunfei, and signed by many Japanese prisoners.
Wei Jichen asked the sergeant who returned to the rear to first hand over the surrender to Li Hongzhang. After Li Hongzhang obtained it, he naturally would not miss this opportunity to undermine the morale of the Japanese, and immediately published the instructions in the Beijing News.
After all, Japan is a small country and its people are poor. Although it has won consecutive battles on the battlefield, it cannot support a long-term war. As the war has developed so far, ordinary people can no longer bear it. Peasant uprisings have broken out in many places in Japan, and society has also become turbulent.
Some contents in Matsuno Man's surrender also represent the voices of some lower-class people in Japan.
After Lin Zhixing finished reading, he slapped the table and said: "Okay, okay, reprint it immediately. We must make this surrender cause a sensation and let the ordinary Japanese people feel that the Sino-Japanese war provoked by the Japanese government will only Their lives are becoming increasingly difficult.”
Lin Zhixing decided on the matter on the spot and prepared to reprint it in tomorrow's Gazette of All Nations.
Qian Jiazhi raised another manuscript in his hand and said with a smile: "In addition to this surrender, this Japanese and some other Japanese prisoners also wrote a biography."
Wei Jichen asked the sergeant to submit this manuscript to various newspapers in Beijing. Qian Jiazhi found it immediately after seeing the article published in the Beijing News.
"Oh, this must have been done by Wei Jichen again. It seems that in addition to being good at fighting, Wei Jichen also has a lot of research experience on the role of our newspapers and magazines." Lin Zhixing said with a smile, completely forgetting that he had done it before Still yelling at Wei Jichen.
Lin Zhixing picked up the manuscript and read it carefully, his face became a little strange for a moment.
"Should this be read as a biography or a novel?" Lin Zhixing put down the manuscript and asked, dumbfounded.
No wonder the Beijing News did not publish this. It seems that the imperial court also felt that some of the things in it were a bit too nonsense.
"Editor-in-Chief, do you think this can be published in a newspaper?" Qian Jiazhi asked hesitantly. The Gazette of All Nations is also a well-known old newspaper. It focuses on political and current affairs, but it does not include the Encyclopedia of Japanese Generals. When I looked at it, there were some randomly made-up articles that had never been published before.
"Let me think about it." Lin Zhixing took the manuscript in his hand and walked back and forth for a few steps. In the end, it was the names of Wei Jichen and Shanxian Youpeng that impressed him.
"It will be published in the front of the newspaper together with surrender tomorrow." Lin Zhixing placed the manuscript heavily on the table and made a decision in his heart. Even if this is a nonsense, as long as it can dampen the arrogance of the Japanese, even if I, Lin Zhixing, It's worth being blamed by the headquarters.
Lin Zhixing didn't know that this small decision of his would make this issue of the Gazette of Nations sell out of stock.
At the same time, newspapers of all sizes in Beijing received this manuscript signed by Matsunano. Some newspapers found it valuable, and some laughed and put it aside after reading it. However, most newspapers decided to reprint the surrender article.
It didn’t take long for Matsunano’s article to spread across the country at a terrifying speed.
Early the next morning, the sound of newsboys hawking in the streets and alleys of Beijing was still ringing.
"Selling newspapers, selling newspapers, big news, Japanese soldiers surrendered to General Wei Jichen and expressed their willingness to break away from Japan." What is the biggest skill of the newspaper boy? Once the mouth changes, it will turn into hundreds of thousands of North American soldiers fighting.
Several prisoners surrendered, and when the newsboy shouted, it seemed like a huge Japanese army rebellion had occurred.
"Sell newspapers, sell newspapers. The number one war madman in charge of Japan's invasion of China, Shanxian Youpeng, has been betrayed by private information. Let's talk about some unknown things about Shanxian Youpeng."
"Do you want to know why Yamagata Aritomo became so cruel and cruel? Deciphering Yamagata Aritomo's character development is absolutely sensational. It was completed in one go by a well-known Japanese political reporter after decades of research and the collection of numerous materials."
The newsboy didn't hesitate to add more information and sell it loudly.
Sure enough, these cries immediately attracted pedestrians coming and going.
Pedestrians stopped and donated their bags one after another.
"Here's some."
"Give me one."
"It's the Gazette of All Nations, yes, two copies."
It didn’t take long for the newspapers in the hands of newsboys everywhere to be sold out.
"This old guy is so promiscuous." Pedestrians who bought the newspaper couldn't wait to read it, and started talking about it from time to time.
"It's so pitiful. It's the shadow left by his childhood. No wonder he is so loyal to the Emperor of Japan. It turns out that there is an unexplainable relationship between them."
Some pedestrians who didn't buy newspapers were all eager to hear what happened.
Before long, various news about Yamagata Aritomo spread all over the capital. Some people thought it was profitable, so they took advantage of this trend and adapted the article into a review. With other newspapers reprinting it, Yamagata Aritomo's reputation spread all over the country.
Even those Japanese spies in China who were collecting intelligence on China saw this situation and quickly bought a few newspapers. After reading it, they were shocked and quickly uploaded it back to the country and the invasion front as important intelligence.