The Revenge of the Bear
Chapter 12 : I Am Hungry, Nothing Personal (Part 2)
What started as a war for cotton ended up as the most important Russian success ever. In a little more than two years, six hundred million people came under the military administration of the Russian Empire. Endless territories with countless resources that were there to be pillaged and looted… that is, gathered and refined were within the iron grasp of the Russian Bear. The success was of such importance that Skobelev and Dragomirov attained hero status amongst the Army and the people, ranking in popularity only below the Emperor himself.
Emperor Guāngxù and Empress Dowager Cixi (who actually was the real ruler of China) were captured by Russian soldiers on the isle of Formosa. They were shipped back to Pekin, under Russian occupied, and held in the Outer Court of the Forbidden City. There they waited until the arrival of Alexander, before being led into the Inner Court by Mikhail Dragomirov and Mikhail Skobelev, with Russian soldiers in Siberian and Turkestani uniforms lining both sides of the pathway leading through the Gate of Supreme Harmony and into the Hall of the same name.
And as the former rulers of China were led up the pathway, the Russian soldiers exclaimed in thundering “Hurray!” They repeated it over and over again, each time louder than the previous. And as Guāngxù and Cixi were led up the stairs into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, they saw Leib-Guards from various regiments standing on guard. It was a hint as to what was awaiting them inside.
And inside they saw an aging Alexander II of all the Russias, dressed into a Russian military uniform, sitting upon the Imperial throne of China. The message was clear. Russia was taking China over. All of it. And just as the British ruled over India, so would Russians rule over China. And not only. In a matter of weeks Dragomirov was leading his men into Korea as separately General Gurko disembarked on the Ryukyu islands, annexing them in the name of the Emperor of all the Russias.
Map of the Russian Empire after the annexation of China, Korea and Ryukyu. Alaska not featured.
Such a tremendous geopolitical shift did not go unseen amongst the Great Powers. Germany, France, Britain and Japan, angered and jealous at the Russian success, suddenly stood up as “guarantors of China’s independence and integrity” and demanded that Russia reconsider her actions or face war. Unfortunately, with a great chunk of the Imperial Army stuck all over China, the prospects of war with four major industrialized nations was not a pleasant one. Russia agreed to enter into negotiations and to agree to an independent China. The four powers offered Russia to come to a congress in Tokyo, but Russia flatly refused and offered the venue of San-Francisco, in friendly United States. The United States of America and the four powers accepted.
The Congress of San-Francisco, as depicted in a left-wing French newspaper
Negotiations would last for days as Russia camped on her positions while Germany, France, Japan and Britain pushed for more and more Russian concessions. Russia demanded all of northern China, all of Korea, the Ryukyu islands, the isle of Formosa, the isle of Hainan and nearby shore territories. Such a format would give Russia great strategic leverage in the entire region, from the possibility of multi-front onslaught against China to pretty much controlling all of the western Pacific from naval bases.Quite obviously, this was not acceptable to the three western powers and Japan.
Russian demands as outlined during the Congress of San-Francisco. The advantage that such territories would give to Russia were unacceptable to her rivals.
Instead, the four powers issued counter demands which amounted to pretty much scavenging on the carcass of the Chinese Empire. The British and French spoke of the need to “guarantee the continued security and independence of China by containing the possibility of any future Russian aggression against China through a continued presence of European contingents on Chinese soil”. The Japanese envoys only nodded along and spoke how a Japanese “security mission” to South Korea, Formosa and Okinawa would bring greater prosperity, harmony and peace to the Pacific.
The United States President Arthur even face palmed during the interventions of the Japanese envoy and whispered to his Secretary of State: “I feel like being in a bad circus with four clowns jumping around a sleeping bear.” But as the United States were acting simply as hosts and arbitrators, Arthur’s comments were not made public.
But eventually, the five countries reached a solution that equally dissatisfied everyone. Russia would get her northern China, but only northern and eastern Korea. She would not get Formosa, and only the northern half of Hainan, but would still get the coastal territories north of Hainan that she wanted. Japan would take over southern Korea, the Ryukyu islands and Formosa. The British would take over large swathes of territory adjacent to Hong Kong, as well as see their lease to the New Territories transformed into a deed perpetual ownership. France would take over southern Hainan, as well as expand the northern borders of her Indochina colony further north. Germany got nothing in China, but Britain ceded some Oceanic isles to her in sign of gratitude for the Kaiser’s continued support.
The final outcome of the San-Francisco Congress saw China being considerably reduced in size.
The results of the Congress were ambiguous for Russia. Whilst she was clearly the winner and got the most gains, she also saw her initial plans of outright annexing
all of China trashed by meddling Europeans and Japanese. Britain, Japan and France saw their territories increased without firing a shot, so it was also a huge coup and a great deal for them.
And as the delegations boarded their ships to sail back home, Russian soldiers were leaving southern China and Korea to concentrate on quelling uprisings within territories given to Russia by the negotiations. And rebellions there were, as the Mongols, Manchu, Uighurs and Han clearly did not understand the extreme advantage of being exploited by the Imperial Crown of Russia.
But regardless of the uprisings and rebellions, huge quantities of resources began to flow into the industrial heartlands of the Empire, fuelling continued industry expansion and growth and propelling Russian economy forward. The new Chinese territories were provisionally organized as “External Holdings of the Empire”, under Imperial authority, but not part of the Empire proper (except for the Tuvin-inhabited areas, that were annexed to the Irkutsk governorate). Several General-Governorates under military administration were established: East Turkestan, Mongolia, Manchuria, Central China, Southern China, Korea.
Taste the Rainbow: the borders of the Russian Empire after the Congress of San-Francisco. Alaska not featured.
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