In July 1898, the Qing government signed the "Special Article of Lease to Weihai" with the British, and Weihai has since become a British colony.
Ceremony of the British occupation of Weihaiwei
In order to strengthen its control over Weihai, the British followed the practice in India and prepared to establish a Chinese legion in Weihai with Chinese as soldiers. The Chinese Legion was formed by Major Hamilton, who had served in the Indian Army, and the British army planned to recruit a thousand soldiers. At first, the local people of Weihai were very repulsive to the British, and the Chinese Legion only recruited 4 people, and the parents of these people often came to persuade them to quit.
In desperation, the British army greatly increased the salary, ordinary soldiers monthly salary of 8 two silver, squad leader monthly salary of 12 two silver, rice white noodles to eat, as well as meat to eat, all year round clothing is provided for free, if the performance is good, there will be 30 silver rewards.
You know, at that time, the annual expenses of an ordinary family would not exceed 10 taels of silver. Although this salary level was much lower than that of the British soldiers, it was too tempting for the local people who had been oppressed by the Qing government and the landlords and gentry, and had suffered floods. At the same time, the target of british recruitment is not limited to Weihai, Shandong, Zhili, and even the northeast displaced people, Qing army veterans can participate.
In 1899, the Chinese Legion was formed, attacking 534 men and forming them into 7 companies. All of these officers were British, Chinese could only be soldiers, a typical colonial army, also known as the Huayong Battalion, of course, now many people say that they are the earliest Traitor unit in China.
In the eyes of the British Army, these soldiers are very good, with an average height of more than 1.7 meters, you know, the average height of men in some southern provinces of China is now less than 1.7 meters. It can be seen that the physical condition of these soldiers is very good.
British soldiers are demonstrating to Chinese soldiers
The Huayong Battalion was staffed with infantry companies, machine gun companies, cavalry companies, and even military bands, as well as full-time interpreters to facilitate British officers to give orders. But the Chinese soldiers didn't cut their braids, they coiled them around their heads and wrapped them in turbans.
Huayong Battalion Military Band
The weapons of the Huayong Battalion were the most advanced in the British army, and the Chinese soldiers did not live up to the high salaries and sophisticated equipment given to them by the British. They trained hard, persevered, and were able to strictly enforce the orders of British officers. And they worked hard, rarely complained about their superiors, and showed far more endurance than the British soldiers when marching long distances. Most importantly, the Chinese soldiers were excellent at feeding, had low food requirements and did not eat much.
Hua Yong Battalion trained to use machine guns
When the British colonists clashed with the local people of Weihai, they shot at the Chinese people mercilessly, even if there were relatives and friends they knew well in the ranks, they did not hesitate in the slightest, and the ruthlessness shown by the Chinese soldiers amazed the British. There are even records that the Chinese soldiers of the Huayong battalion knew that their father was also in the crowd, but still shot coldly, and even if their father fell, he did not go to help or show a trace of pity. The performance of the Huayong Battalion won the trust of the British Empire, and the British incorporated the Huayong Battalion into the British Army formation, changed them into the Uniform of the British Army, and awarded them the title of the First Chinese Army.
Soldiers of the Huayong Battalion were helping to transport artillery
In June 1900, the Boxers and Qing forces in Beijing besieged the foreign embassy area in Minxiang in the eastern suburbs, and britain and other Western countries took the opportunity to send troops to Beijing, and Seymour, commander of the British navy in China, served as the commander of the Eight-Power Alliance, leading the Eight-Power Alliance to attack Beijing. Who knew that they were intercepted by the Qing army in the middle of the road, and Seymour's army was a little embarrassed for a while, and the telegrams asking for help were sent one after another.
On 21 June, British Army Colonel Ball led 11 British officers and 192 Chinese soldiers to support Tianjin. The first battle in which the Huayong battalion participated was in the East Bureau of the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, where the Russian army was attacked, and it was met with stubborn resistance from the Qing army and the Boxers, and the Huayong battalion arrived in Tianjin and was ordered to support the Russian army. These Chinese soldiers did not show any compatriot feelings in the face of the Qing army and the Boxers, and the Huayong battalion showed great bravery, did not move in the face of the artillery of the Qing army and the Boxers, shot calmly, and accurately marksmanship, and quickly repelled the Qing army and the Boxers who came to break the siege, helping the Russian army to persist until the arrival of the large troops of the Eight-Nation Alliance. In the ensuing battle at the Laolongkou Railway Station, the Huayong battalion also made a heroic charge and engaged in bloody hand-to-hand combat with the Qing army.
The Huayong Battalion was awarded the British Military Medal
During the Eight-Power Coalition's general attack on Tianjin, the Huayong Battalion was mainly responsible for transporting artillery shells and supplies. In the transport gap, they also provided protection for the flanks of the coalition forces, and the Eight-Nation Coalition army was full of praise for the performance of the Huayong battalion, which became the only representative of the British army when the coalition army entered the city. The British army was very touched by the bravery of the Huayong Battalion, and awarded the Huayong Battalion a special medal, which was printed on the Tianjin City Gate, on which were written two Chinese characters "Tianjin", and the scroll at the bottom was printed with Roman characters "The First Army of China" and "Tianjin".
On August 14, the Eight-Power Coalition attacked the city of Beijing, the Huayong battalion was still responsible for transporting weapons and ammunition and other supplies, at this time it was already the height of summer, the hot weather made the coalition soldiers miserable, but the Chinese soldiers of the Huayong battalion could endure the heat and always transport the supplies in place on time. The efficiency and discipline shown by the Hua Yong Camp made it impossible for the British to associate them with the loose and lazy Chinese they usually see. On August 28, the Eight-Power Coalition held a military parade in the Forbidden City, the Huayong Battalion and the Hong Kong Regiment made the last appearance, and unexpectedly, the Chinese soldiers of the Huayong Battalion did not seem to have the joy of victory, and the parade remained silent throughout the parade. It seems to be very sad that the Eight-Power Coalition has captured Beijing.
In the days that followed, the Huayong battalion was mainly responsible for the security around Beijing, and compared with the eight-nation alliance army that wantonly plundered, the Qing army that took advantage of the fire and robbery, and the bandits nearby, the Huayong battalion hardly harassed the people. As a result, many places asked huayong battalions to move in to maintain local law and order. In late October, the Huayong battalion returned to Weihaiwei. In 1906, the Huayong Battalion was disbanded by the British Army, and the Huayong Battalion, which had only been established for 7 years, disappeared.
The appearance of the Huayong battalion is undoubtedly a great shame for China, and foreign countries recruit Chinese form troops in China, and then let them shoot at the Chinese, which is an indelible scar in China's history. Therefore, many people regard the Huayong Battalion as a traitorous unit. However, from the perspective of the Chinese people who participated in the Huayong camp at that time, if they did not participate in the Huayong camp, they would face endless natural disasters and man-made disasters, and the Qing government would not reduce their exploitation of them because of their loyalty to the imperial court. On the contrary, the British were paid very well enough to eat and drink as a soldier.
The Huayong Camp was only part of the British means of achieving colonial rule, and the British also established a village board system in Weihaiwei to let the so-called respected elderly people help them manage.
In ancient China, the ordinary people's concept of the state was basically the imperial court, and there was no difference between patriotism and love for the imperial court in their eyes. From a practical point of view, it was impossible for ordinary people at that time to have a good impression of the imperial court. The arrival of the British, in their eyes, is nothing more than bandits, who will come and stay for a while and leave. At most, it is the same as the Manchu Qing Customs Entry, changing the imperial court, to whom to pay grain is not to pay ah.