On Saturday, December 2nd, at ten o’clock, a memorable scene occurred
at Nanking. General Chang the Second escaped across the Yangtze River
through the Ta Ping gate on the morning of December 1st to Pukow, the
northern railway terminus, after planting a mine under the Tartar
General’s yamen, which was to be blown when the rebel General Hsu was
caught in the trap at the capitulation. He also secreted eighteen
other mines in the Tartar city, which had therefore to be burned so
as to make the explosion safe. General Chao succeeded in command of
the imperialists. The investiture was complete, and the situation was
now hopeless for the defenders. Twelve brave Americans had remained
on the scene, the great missionaries, Doctor Macklin, Mr. Garrett,
Doctor Blackstone, President A. J. Bowen, of Nanking University, and
others, and the vice-consul, Mr. Gilbert, who dramatically, with
field glasses, watched the bombardment from a high graveyard within
the city. They believed in saving blood (“Chiu Ming,” as the Chinese
say), much provocation for revenge as there was on the side of General
Hsu’s victorious men. They pleaded with Hsu for the first humanitarian
surrender in Chinese civil war, as a thrilling example for all time
that Chinese revolutionists, like George Washington’s and Oliver
Cromwell’s men, were patriots and gentlemen at heart, and not mere
feudists fighting under the name of a great cause.
General Hsu, with the advice of Generals Ling, Li and Hwang, and
Foreign Minister Wu Ting Fang, rose to the high level. He agreed to
a surrender with honors, even guaranteeing the life of the notorious
murderer of non-combatants, General Chang the Second. The negotiations
took place under the guns of historic Purple Hill, while the panting
troops held enthusiasm in control. Behind the walls the imperialists
breathed hard, and the great populace of shopkeepers eagerly waited
and watched the republican sun flags on Purple Mountain. Hurrah! a
shout went up that lives would be guaranteed (“Chiu Ming”); yes, honor,
too! Fling open the pounded, riddled iron “Great Peace” gate! The
steel muzzles of the hot Armstrongs, the deadly four-point-sevens, the
spitting Rexer rapid fire and three-inch Krupp guns on Purple, Lion and
Tiger Hills, held their smoky breath like good hounds in leash, but
straining. The generals and captains marked time; the troops craned
their heads; the Cantonese artillery hitched up the limbers to the gun
carriages. The American missionaries thanked God and led on the way
of peace for a China that would never forget the moving scene, where
forgiveness towered over revenge. Here they come, General Chao riding
ahead of the doughty Shangtung territorials with their yellow dragon
flags flying for the last time, and the bloody turbaned men of escaped
Chang’s army. Ground arms and mark time! The victorious rebels kept
their places, and under the fluttering red, white and blue sun flags of
the new republic, looked on at the impressive acts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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