Shortly after the Xinhai Revolution, Empress Longyu promulgated the Edict of Abdication of the Qing Emperor, and the little emperor Puyi formally abdicated.
There are two reasons why Longyu happily agreed to the request to abdicate: First, the revolutionary situation is already irreversible. Second, the government of the Republic of China promised many preferential conditions to the imperial family, the Qing court could get a wealth of 4 million taels of silver dollars per year, and the little emperor Puyi could also temporarily live in the Forbidden City. Therefore, in the first few years of his abdication, Puyi's life was still quite moist.
(Puyi stills)
By 1924, the warlord Feng Yuxiang suddenly defected and returned to Beijing, and not only was The Great President Cao Kun under house arrest, but even Feng Yuxiang's troops marched into the Forbidden City with a big wave. Puyi was forced to leave the palace and fled to the Japanese legation for refuge shortly thereafter. The Japanese legation also immediately claimed to "accommodate" Puyi.
With the help of the Japanese, Puyi moved to the Tianjin Concession. After settling in Tianjin, Puyi was eagerly pursued by the commanders of the garrisons of various countries and the warlords in China, which made Puyi seem to see the hope of manchu revival for a period of time.
However, despite being revered as the "emperor" by many people, Puyi actually did not get half of their support, which made him suffer again.
Puyi has always had a dream of reviving the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Seeing that his dream was becoming more and more distant, Puyi had to cast his hopes on the Japanese who had helped him.
The Japanese side has always maintained good relations with Puyi, and they are very aware of Puyi's value.
After the fall of Tohoku in 1931, Japan began to plan for the establishment of a state in the northeast. However, after all, the northeast is forcibly occupied, and if the political power in the northeast is to be stable, on the surface, it is necessary to have a leader who is justified. Puyi, the former Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, was undoubtedly the best candidate.
In order to persuade Puyi, Japan sent Kenji Toihara to negotiate with Puyi. Kenji Toihara assured Puyi that Japan would support the newly established empire in all aspects and would respect the sovereignty of the country. All power will be in the hands of the emperor.
(Puyi ascended the throne)
Puyi naturally will not let go of this opportunity. In 1934, Puyi held an enthronement ceremony in Xinghua Village, a southern suburb of Changchun, and officially became the emperor of the "Great Manchurian Empire". In addition to serving as emperor, Puyi also served as the grand marshal of the army, navy and air force of the "Great Manchurian Empire" and the honorary president of the Concordia association of the "Great Manchurian Empire". It seems that it is simply a generation of emperors who have all the power.
But with the passage of time, Puyi gradually realized that this Manchurian Empire was fundamentally different from the Qing Dynasty he imagined. Although he has many titles, on the surface it seems to be endless. However, in all the institutions within the imperial court, there were Japanese in office. Even the selection of officials had to go through the Japanese nod.
To put it bluntly, Puyi is simply a puppet, and the real master is actually the Japanese.
However, Puyi has grown up, and naturally will not be like more than twenty years ago, just like more than twenty years ago, he will tie his hands and grab it.
Becoming the Emperor of Manchuria was the first step towards revival. The main problem in front of us is that we do not have our own strength in our hands.
In order to solve this problem, Puyi finally recruited a group of Manchu and Mongolian warriors from Beijing, Mongolia and other places after many efforts in secret. He organized these men into a 300-strong Guards army, led by his personal bodyguard, martial arts master Huo Diange.
In his long-term contacts with the Japanese, Puyi also knew more or less about some Japanese military structures. He selected the best ten members of the Janissaries and spent a lot of money to arrange for them to study at the Japanese Non-Commissioned Officer School.
In daily training, Puyi equipped them with rifles and other weapons, and even the training methods copied the Kwantung Army's set.
After a period of training, the Guards had become a well-trained force. This made Puyi begin to have some vision for the future in his heart.
(The Guards in film)
But what he didn't know was that the Japanese had already taken countermeasures to see what he was doing.
In June 1937, several Guards soldiers went to Datong Park in their spare time. While they were hanging out, they were provoked by several Japanese for no reason. The Guards soldiers, believing themselves to be well trained in their daily lives, fought back without showing weakness. Clashes broke out between the two sides and began a big fight.
It has to be said that the Guards are indeed "extraordinary". In a very short period of time, they had wounded a Japanese colonel and dozens of Japanese soldiers, looking simply mighty.
What they didn't expect, however, was that all of this was actually designed by the Japanese long ago. More than a dozen Japanese soldiers were wounded, which was big news at the time. The Japanese side quickly sent troops to raise the division to question the guilt. They arrested and brutalized a large number of Guards on charges of "anti-Manchu resistance against Japan."
The Guards, which had only a few hundred men, were instantly killed. Puyi dared to be angry and could only watch his "elite strength" being wiped out by the Japanese.
At the same time, Puyi's attitude in this incident also made many Guards soldiers chill. Huo Diange was angry at Puyi's inaction, resigned in anger and left, and soon after he died depressed. And some guards soldiers who escaped by chance also chose to leave. Puyi's dream of reviving the Qing Dynasty was shattered again.
(Reference: The Puppet Manchu Regime I Know)