THE FALL OF KIAO-CHAU.
We must now hark back to Kiao-chau, and learn what was taking place in
that "model of German culture." I have already told you how Germany
played the chief part in ejecting the Japanese from the Liao-tung
peninsula, and how, while professing to be China's friend, she stole
from her 200 square miles of territory, on which she established the
fortress and naval base of Tsing-tau. A few years later, when a mixed
force of British, American, German, French, Russian, and Japanese troops
invaded China during the "Boxer" rising,[148] the Kaiser's soldiers
treated the Japanese with the utmost contempt. Japan had therefore old
scores to pay off. She was Britain's ally, and, as such, was Germany's
foe. Friendship for Britain and hatred of Germany made her eager to take
a hand in the great struggle, though it is said that many high-placed
Japanese believed that Germany would win. Nevertheless Japan did not
hesitate for a moment to throw in her lot with the British. She was
staunchly loyal to her plighted word; while the Germans, who scorned
her, were tearing up their bond in Belgium.
The war was not three weeks old when Japan declared war, and undertook
to make a clean sweep of German sea power in the Far East. She proposed
to wrest Kiao-chau from the Germans, and at the end of the war restore
it to China. Japan has a fine navy of six Dreadnoughts, six other
battleships, four first-class battle cruisers, and large classes of
other cruisers, destroyers, and coast-defence ships. A squadron of her
fleet at once co-operated with the British in Eastern waters. Her army,
which had been trained on the German model, numbered 250,000 on a peace
footing, and could be increased to 1,100,000. It was admirably equipped,
especially with heavy guns. Japan was thus formidable, alike by land and
sea.
Before I describe the blockade, siege, and storming of Tsing-tau, let us
have a clear idea of its geographical position. The map on the opposite
page shows you the German protectorate of Kiao-chau and the surrounding
country. Kiao-chau Bay, which has an area of about 200 square miles, is
almost land-locked. At the southerly point of the peninsula on the
eastern side of the bay you see the fortress of Tsing-tau, from which a
railway twenty-two miles long runs north, skirting the shore and
sweeping round the head of the bay to the station at Kiao-chau. The
peninsula itself is flat and low-lying, except along the south coast;
but here and there a number of low hills rise from the plain, and these
the Germans had strongly fortified as the outer defences of Tsing-tau.
You will see several of them on the map; one is marked Bismarck Hill,
another Moltke Hill. Several rivers cross the peninsula, the most
important being the Chang-sun, which enters the sea almost opposite to
Potato Island in Kiao-chau Bay. The ground is marshy in the course of
this river, and also along the coast farther north.
On 27th August an Allied fleet appeared off the south coast of the
peninsula. A small island was seized as a naval base, and the sea was
diligently swept for the mines with which the Germans had strewn it. So
thoroughly was the work done that only one Japanese vessel was blown up
by mines during the whole of the operations. The line of warships now
extended east and west, so that all communication with the fortress by
sea was cut off. Then the bombardment of the forts and harbour began.
[Illustration]
On 2nd September the Japanese were ready to begin their land attack. The
Gulf of Pechili lies directly to the north of Kiao-chau Bay. On the
Shantung coast of this bay you will find Lai-chow. It was near this
place that the first Japanese force landed. You will notice that the
Japanese had to cross a strip of Chinese territory before reaching the
boundary of German territory. When they crossed the boundary they found
themselves held up and brought to a standstill. The autumn rains, always
heavy in Shantung, had been heavier than usual; all the rivers had
overflowed their banks, and had spread out into wide lagoons. Until the
floods subsided it was impossible to reach Tsing-tau by this route.
Nevertheless the Japanese by 13th September had reached the town of
Kiao-chau, and had seized the railway station, twenty-two miles from
Tsing-tau. General Kamio, who commanded the force, sent aeroplanes over
the fortress, and bombs were dropped on the wireless station, the
electric power station, and on the ships in the harbour. Soon the
floods began to fall, and Kamio found himself able to advance. By the
27th he had reached Prince Henry Hill, the chief of the outer defences
of the fortress. Next day he assaulted and captured the hill, from the
crest of which all the forts around Tsing-tau could be bombarded. He was
now in much the same position as the Germans when they had broken
through the outer line of the Antwerp defences and were enabled to shell
the inner forts. Prince Henry Hill was the key to Tsing-tau, and it is
surprising that the Germans did not make a greater effort to retain it.
[Illustration: Landing of the Japanese at Laoshan Bay.
_Photo, Record Press._]
Meanwhile the Japanese had made another landing at Laoshan Bay, on the
south side of the peninsula, where they were within the boundary of
German territory. Japanese engineers erected a solid pier, by means of
which men, guns, and stores were brought ashore, and on 23rd September
transports arrived with a British force consisting of 1,000 of the South
Wales Borderers and 500 Sikhs, under General Barnardiston, who was in
command of our troops in North China. The British force was landed
easily and rapidly, and all was now ready for a march on Tsing-tau
itself. You will notice that the Allied force at Laoshan Bay had only a
short distance to march before joining hands with General Kamio's men.
The floods were no longer a great obstacle, and the advance was not
delayed. On the evening of 28th September, just after the capture of
Prince Henry Hill, the Allied forces were only five miles from
Tsing-tau; and their lines stretched right across the peninsula, so that
the fortress was shut in both by land and sea. German warships in
Kiao-chau Bay attempted to do what British monitors afterwards did on
the Belgian coast--that is, shell the right wing of the enemy. Japanese
aviators, however, showed such skill and daring that the warships were
driven off.
The Kaiser had ordered his troops to defend Tsing-tau as long as breath
remained in their bodies. The feeble defence of Prince Henry Hill did
not seem to show that they were disposed to hold out to the last man.
During the next month General Kamio was inclined to think that their
defence was largely make-believe, for they fired their shells in the
most wanton and reckless fashion, sometimes discharging 1,000 to 1,500
projectiles a day. He therefore determined on a grand assault instead of
a long, slow siege.
From the sea a vigorous bombardment was kept up, and on 15th October the
Japanese general offered a safe-conduct to all non-combatants who cared
to leave the fortress. The American consul, several ladies and children,
and a few Chinese took advantage of the offer. On 31st October, 140
Japanese siege guns were in position, and as it was the Emperor's
birthday a royal salute was fired with live shells. Before, however, the
guns were fired, the Japanese signalled, "Are you now quite ready,
gentlemen?" The reply came in the shape of a whizzing bullet. Then the
shells began to whistle. All the forts were bombarded; fires broke out
near the harbour; the oil tanks were speedily in flames, and black smoke
filled the heavens. The forts were assailed by guns of practically the
same calibre as those with which the Belgian fortresses had been
battered down. A British officer who witnessed the bombardment said, "It
really was a wonderful sight, and the Japanese shooting was magnificent
. . . . Every shell seemed to find the mark. There was hardly a stick left
in the forts and redoubts; concrete platforms, trenches, guns, and
barbed-wire entanglements, all were destroyed. Our small force did their
full share."
The German warships in the harbour replied, but before evening one of
them had disappeared, and a second sank two days later. On 1st November
H.M.S. _Triumph_, in seven shots, silenced the forts on Bismarck Hill;
on 2nd November Fort Iltis was put out of action, and the Allies drove
the Germans off a hill which they were holding. Next day the electric
light station and the wireless station were wrecked; and, under heavy
shell and rifle fire, the besiegers advanced still nearer to the
fortress. By the night of the 6th the Germans were almost ready to
surrender.
Throughout the darkness the guns of the enemy roared at intervals. The
Allies, however, pushed on and occupied central positions on the main
line of defence. By this time they had dug their trenches to within a
score of yards of the redoubts. When the Germans attempted to leave one
of their strongholds they found enemy rifles and machine guns covering
the only exit. Early next morning (7th November) all was ready for the
final assault. Between six and seven o'clock, while the troops, in tense
silence, were awaiting the order to storm, white flags appeared above
the observatory and several of the forts. Then the little Japanese
soldiers broke into loud shouts of "Banzai![149]" Tsing-tau had yielded,
and the Kaiser had no longer an Asiatic "place in the sun."
At 7.50 in the evening terms of surrender were signed. Honours of war
were accorded to the defenders, and it was arranged that they should
march out the next day. At 10 a.m. on 10th November the governor, 201
officers, and 3,841 men laid down their arms as prisoners of war. The
German casualties were heavy; the Japanese lost 236 killed and 1,282
wounded out of a total force of about 23,000; the British 1,500 were
reduced by 12. In addition, the Japanese lost a cruiser, a destroyer, a
torpedo boat, and three mine-sweepers.
* * * * *
In Japan the news was received with delighted surprise. There were great
rejoicings in the island kingdom, and when General Barnardiston reached
Tokio he was accorded a welcome such as had never before been given to
any stranger. He was greeted by parades of troops and thousands of
cheering school children. The whole Japanese nation made holiday to
rejoice in its victory, and the capital was gloriously decorated and
illuminated. The National Assembly was called together, and the greatest
enthusiasm prevailed. The German officers had been allowed to retain
their swords, and the people showed them the utmost kindness.
The rapid fall of the fortress was a great blow to German pride. One of
the newspapers wrote as follows:--
"Tsing-tau has fallen. The history of the German leased
territory is henceforth at an end. It was short but glorious.
From a decayed Chinese fishing village had been made a shining
testimony to German culture. That the most beautiful, the
cleanest, and the most progressive town in the Far East had
sprung up in a couple of years from the soil was calculated to
awake the jealousy of the slit-eyed people of the East. Never
shall we forget the bold deed of violence of the yellow robbers
or of England that set them on to do it. We know that we cannot
yet settle with Japan for years to come. Perhaps she will
rejoice over her cowardly robbery. Here our mills can grind but
slowly. Even if years pass, however, we shall certainly not
often speak of it, but as certainly always think of it. And if
eventually the time of reckoning arrives, then as unanimously
as what is now a cry of pain will a great shout of rejoicing
ring through Germany. 'Woe to Nippon.'"[150]
[Illustration: The city of Warsaw looking north-west across the Vistula,
which here flows under the three bridges connecting the city proper with
its suburb, Praga.
Warsaw is beautifully situated on the left bank of the Vistula, which is
here about as wide as the Thames at Gravesend. Most of the city is built
on a low hill which rises from the broad plain to a terrace 120 feet
above the river-level. Though dating from the Middle Ages, Warsaw is
very modern in appearance. It is a large manufacturing centre, but has
none of the smoke and grime which characterize most industrial towns.
There is no livelier or gayer city in the east of Europe. Its buildings
are fine, and its well-laid-out public gardens are a great attraction.
In Sigismund Square is the former royal castle, round which the life of
the city is centred. Four main thoroughfares radiate from it, and on or
near these are the chief public buildings, churches, and statues. The
Church of the Holy Ghost contains the heart and monument of the great
Polish musician Chopin. The population of Warsaw in 1911 was 872,478,
one-third of the people being Jews. Praga is the junction of six great
trunk lines which converge from Vienna, Berlin, and Danzig on the one
side of the frontier, and from Petrograd, Moscow, and Kiev (South
Russia) on the other.]
[Footnote 148: Europeans gave the name "Boxers" to members of a
widespread society in China which had for its object the ridding of the
country of foreigners. The German Minister at Pekin was murdered in
1900, and several of the legations were besieged. The expedition
referred to above relieved the besieged on August 14, 1900, and exacted
a penalty of sixty-four millions from the Chinese Government.]
[Footnote 149: Literally, ten thousand years; "Japan for ever!"]
[Footnote 150: The Japanese Empire.]