At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the western powers in the mainland were entrenched, and sovereign territory was lost one after another. At this time, it is not only countries that are grabbing benefits from the mainland, but also competing with each other, and it can be said that at this time, the mainland has become a base for the mediation of the national strength of all parties, and between countries and different domestic forces, there is open and secret struggle, especially our two close neighbors, Japan and Tsarist Russia.
The conflict between the two countries was concentrated in the northeast, which bordered the territory of both countries, and China was very good at bullying at that time, so they began to calculate in their hearts. Japan wants to occupy this place, so that it will become a base for him to attack Kannai, the transportation is very dominant, and the northeast is rich in heavy industrial resources, food resources, population resources, is an excellent location for logistical support, and when the central plains are unfavorable in the war, it can also retreat to the northeast. This is not unfounded, because the Japanese military has also planned to bring the emperor here, and now we can find many fortifications in the northeast.
The Tsarist side has always coveted the territory of the mainland, not only the northeast, the northwest, Mongolia and other places, they have already attacked at that time. The northeast is also a treasure land for Tsarist Russia, because their land is unevenly developed in the east and the west, and because of the barren soil in the east, all kinds of industries are not developing well, and having the northeast can improve this situation. There is also the most important reason, the northeast borders Tsarist Russia, and if Japan, a country with wolf ambitions, is occupied, there will be endless troubles.
At first, Japan won the Liaodong Peninsula because of the Treaty of Maguan, and there were 200 million taels of silver indemnity, but just when they were proud, Tsarist Russia suddenly raised the banner of "justice", united with France and Germany, stole the place, and incidentally asked the Qing government for the railway right in the northeast and a lease of up to 25 years.
The Tsarist Russia's mind was clear, they wanted to directly take this place into their own territory, but they had been waiting for the best time. When the Eight-Power Alliance invaded the capital, they took the opportunity to send troops, under the banner of helping the Qing government, occupied the northeast, and japan could not bear to see it at this time, and also sent troops to settle here. And what was the attitude of the Qing government at this time? Cixi said, I am neutral. In fact, at that time, the Qing government secretly helped Japan, why? Because Tsarist Russia has a bigger appetite than Japan, and strategic considerations are more long-lasting.
In the end, Japan was victorious, and the representatives of the two countries sat at the negotiating table. When Japan came up, the lion opened its mouth and said that it wanted 3 billion reparations, at which time the fighting nation slapped the table and said, Let's continue to fight. If you really want to, we sank a ship in the Malay waters a few years ago, with hundreds of tons of gold on it, and go and fish it yourself, much faster than we can pay you. The Japanese were dumbfounded and relieved to say on the spot.