Southwest War (Southwest War)[3]）Occurred in JapanMeiji From February to September in 1877Meiji RestorationFlat periodKagoshimaA famous battle of the gentry against the government.Kagoshima is located in the southwest of Japan, so it is called the "Southwest War"[1]。
The end of the Southwest Campaign also represents theCurtain reversal schoolThe formal end of.
In the early Meiji era, although Japan established a government with the Mikado as the highest power center, Japan has not yet completedcentralizationThe 274 vassals inherited from the old generation still maintain independent military, financial and territorial power, and the Meiji government has very weak control over the country.
The Meiji government at that time faced three pressures:
First of all, the Meiji government itself did notDirectly under the Central GovernmentArmed forcesSamo clan、Changzhou vassalIf the interests of the Salamander League and the Meiji government are not in line, the government will have no troops to rely on and will inevitably fall.
Secondly, the Meiji government can only collect and allocate 30-40% of the national resources financially, but it has to bear all the expenditures of the central government, so it is overstretched and has very weak capacity to pay.At that time, Japan was still under the interference of European and American powersUnequal treatiesUnder oppression, the Meiji government inherited the foreign debts and various indemnities of the shogunate, which undoubtedly further increased the financial burden.
Third, after the reform, the overall political atmosphere in Japan still remainedShogunateDuring this period, only the target of loyalty changed from the shogunate to the Mikado government.In addition, the vassals claimed themselves as meritorious officials in the reform and strived for power and profit in the new government.
China and IsraelKido Takayoshi The enlightened group led by him realized that in order to eliminate the hidden danger of separatism internally and extricate himself from the crisis of oppression by foreign powers, he must build a new Japan that is different from the shogunate era and can "confront with all countries",ito hirobumi It is clearly pointed out that:Absolutism"All decrees and laws come from the imperial court", and the key is to abolish the vassals and eliminate the foundation of "small power".In terms of concrete implementation, we should reform the vassal government first, and then“Returned edition”(That is, the vassals gave their land and people to the imperial court and no longer owned by themselves), and finally abolished the gradual policy of the vassals.
Intensification of contradiction
On October 28, the first year of Meiji (December 11, 1868), the Meiji government issued the "order of vassal administration" (unifying the official system of each vassal, strengthening the government's supervision and control over the vassal; promoting talents without restrictions of family status and old habits; separating the vassal administration from the household management of the vassal master), and thenKido Takayoshi andOkubo Toshimichi We will work together to promote the "return of printed books";At the same time, SamoChangzhou、Tuzuo、PrefertilizerThe four vassals contributed troops to the imperial court and set up imperial soldiers;Later implemented“Abolish vassals and establish counties”。In this series of handling processes, social contradictions have been accumulating. In general, there are mainly the following two contradictions:
1. The contradiction between the founding policy and the "resistance to barbarians" faction.
stayInversion movementDuring the period, the reformists“Honor the king and fight against the barbarians”As a guideline, the shogunate's founding act is a rebellious act against the will of the emperor.However, in the reform policy proposed by the Meiji government, the third article clearly stipulates that "seek knowledge in the world and greatly boost the foundation of the emperor".
In the view of the anti barbarians group, the founding policy betrayed the past, not only to crusade against the barbarians, but also to hold the government accountable.They took assassinations to wipe out the founding factions in the government.
At the same time, the unequal exchange between the founding of the country and foreign trade led to a shortage of precious metals, which in turn led to rising prices and a decline in people's living standards.This made the whole society, from samurai, farmers to citizens, spread resentment against foreigners and the founding policy.In the course of the later rebellion, there were also many ethnic groups.
2. The conscription system, the punishment of rank and salary and the survival crisis of the gentry.
If the founding of the country only stimulated the gentry on the spiritual level, then the conscription system and the rank and salary punishment caused a serious crisis in the survival of the gentry on the material side.This was also one of the main reasons for the Southwest War.
After abolishing the vassals and establishing counties, the Meiji government began the reform of unifying military power and military affairs, set up the town and Taiwan, reorganized the standing army of the government, disbanded the vassals and soldiers, and completedNationalization of the army。In this process, a large number of vassal soldiers were forced to withdraw from the army and return home, and the number of gentry who joined the army was greatly reduced, and the way out for the gentry became narrower and narrower.
withKagoshimaCounty (formerSamo clan）For example, there were 16467 infantry, 511 artillery and 1190 others (baggage and cavalry) in the standing army of the former vassal state.Instead of the old vassal soldiersKumamotoThere are four battalions of standing army in Kagoshima, Zhentai, with no more than 4620 soldiers, greatly reducing the scale.
In November of the fifth year of Meiji era (December 1872), the "conscription edict" and "conscription edict" issued by the government deprived the noble families of the privilege of being a soldier. Although the returning soldiers could receive a severance pay, it still caused dissatisfaction among the noble familiesFukuokaThe gentry uprising is one example.
The family salary inherited from generation to generation is one of the fundamental privileges of the gentry. Although the Meiji government had ideas at the beginning of its establishment, it had to deal with the fundamental livelihood problems of the gentry carefully.In the old shogunate era, family salary and "Fenggong" were linked together. Fenggong was to fulfill the feudal obligation to the lord and undertake certain work, while family salary was the right given by the lord. The two were interdependent.Family salary and working position are inherited from generation to generation.However, after the abolition of the vassal state and the establishment of the county, the old vassal state ceased to exist, and the gentry naturally lost the object of serving the public. At this time, a situation was formed in which they unilaterally received family salaries but did not assume obligations.
In addition, although the salary of the gentry has been cut, it still accounts for 20-30% of the annual government expenditure (in the sixth year of Meiji, the government's land rent income was 60 million yen, while the household salary expenditure was 18.04 million yen), which is the largest part of the government expenditure, making the government's operation obviously ineffective.The government has a great opinion on the family salary, which spends nearly 20 million yen in vain a year, and demands to punish the family salary from the perspective of equality among the four people and improving finance.
In August of the ninth year of Meiji (1876), the government resolutely implemented“Jinlu bonds”The system completely abolished the family salary of the gentry.Although the gentry received a sum of compensation, most people, especially the lower gentry, went bankrupt due to poor management, and eventually became extremely poor people waiting for sale in the labor market.The gentry lost all their material privileges, and they urgently needed a way to make a living, while some of them were unwilling to sell labor with civilians, so the only way left was to transfer the crisis overseas, strengthen armaments, carry out military expansion, and lead the resentment and dissatisfaction of the gentry overseas.
“On the Korean Expedition”It has a long history in JapanEdo period Some Japanese scholars began to distort history, claiming that Korea has always been subordinated to Japan, so Japan can take whatever it wants.here we areThe end of the curtainIn Japan, some people proposed to use troops overseas to gain the capital to confront with foreign powers, and Korea naturally became the first target.
Within the governmentSaigo Takamori In fact, the two groups, led by the South Korea Expedition Group and the Internal Governance Group led by Okuboro Ritong, are not different in terms of the South Korea Expedition issue, and both believe that war must be waged against Korea.The difference lies in that the Xixiang Sect requested to send envoys immediately to obtain an excuse for war;Okubo believes that sending envoys is to start war immediately, while Japan's strength is still weak, and the reform achievements have not been consolidated. Now is not the time to start war.The Xixiang School mainly focused on the current problems of the gentry, and used foreign wars to shift domestic conflicts;The Okubo faction, on the other hand, took a long-term view, seeking gradual expansion and avoiding interference from third countries.
In the sixth year of Meiji (October 23, 1873), the emperor announced the adoption of proxy in the form of imperial edictSupreme MinisterIwakura Tomomi And overturned the case of Xixiang's Han conquest.On the same day, the "Five Counsellors" led by Xixiang stepped down.
The Meiji government gradually abolished the privileges of the gentry, which caused the dissatisfaction of the gentry. The foreign war was temporarily rejected, and the way to transfer the crisis to overseas was blocked. The way for the gentry to vent their dissatisfaction was to oppose the Meiji government.However, the downfall of Xixiang and guards officers has provided the discontented gentry with spiritual leaders and actual combat commanders, which has combined the grassroots and senior levels of the aggrieved gentry. At this stage of the current situation, the Southwest War is inevitable.
Private military academy
In the sixth year of Meiji era, Xixiang Longsheng was not accepted because of the "Korean conquest theory", and he and the Right MinisterIwakura Tomomi When the government officials disagreed, they resigned in anger and returned home.At that time, the officers and soldiers of the new government who were born in the Samo clan also followed Xixiang Longsheng to resign and return to Kagoshima, such as Major General Tomono Liqiu and Shunyuan Guogan.
Xixiang Longsheng, who apparently returned to Kagoshima, has ignored politics and lived a rural life of farming, fishing and hunting. In fact, Xixiang Longsheng still remembers the country in his heart. He is extremely dissatisfied with the policies of the Meiji government and always believes that the government must carry out reform.
In January of the seventh year of Meiji (1874),Iwakura Tomomi He was attacked and injured by a group of disaffected gentry in Chiwei.In February, the first large-scale uprising of discontented gentry took placeSasha ClanVassalEtō Shimpei He also resigned from office and returned to Saga after the failure of the "Korean expedition" to launch an anti-government rebellion.At the same time, the Meiji government began to carry out the "Taiwan conquest" plan. Since Xixiang Longsheng left the government, there have been so many major problems at home and abroad, and the country began to enter a period of chaos.
In June, a group of young people from Xixiang Longsheng who returned to their hometown to follow him set up an educational institutionHewan CityThe establishment of private military schools includes gun team schools, gun team schools, etc.
It is generally believed that the purpose of setting up private military schools is to prevent the invasion of European and American powers. Xixiang Longsheng is most worried about Russia's ambition.Secondly, when Xixiang Longsheng saw that the Meiji government was becoming corrupt and unwilling to reform, he thought that the discontented gentry everywhere would revolt and that a strong and powerful army would have to carry out the revolution again.
The beginning of the war
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In the ninth year of Meiji (1876)Abandoned Blade OrderStop the policy of family salary and so on, and the rebellions of discontented gentry continue to occur everywhere.
On the 28thShankou CountyMaehara YichengInitiated“Hagi Rebellion”Anti government movements occurred frequently, and Xixiang Longsheng did not raise troops at the right time.
However, the Meiji government was worried about the army composed of the old Samo clan, which was the most powerful at the time of the war, so Okubo Ritong sent 23 spies, including Nakhara Shangxiong, who was born in Kagoshima, to Kagoshima to investigate the situation of the private military school and the intention of Xixiang Longsheng and others, and planned to assassinate Xixiang Longsheng.
In order to weaken the Samo clan's military strength, the Meiji government intends to transport the weapons and ammunition stored in the army gunpowder warehouse in Kagoshima toOsakaHowever, these actions were learned by a group of radical private military students.
On the night of January 31, the 10th year of Meiji era (1877), military school students attacked Kagoshima Caomutan Army gunpowder depot. Soon, the gunpowder depots of Jiji Museum, Shangzhiyuan, etc. were also attacked. Several places in Kagoshima were also set on fire. The riots broke out uncontrollably. At that time, Xixiang Longsheng was hunting in Kogen on the Okuma Peninsula. After learning about this, although it was clear that it was not the time to raise troops,But seeing that group of young students were arrested and the government's action, Xixiang Longsheng had to take advantage of the momentum to raise troops against the government. At that time, there were 12000 Samo troops, and more than 40000 discontented gentry from all over Kyushu.
The course of the war
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February, 1877, the 10th year of Meiji eraSamo clanScholars' recommendationSaigo Takamori As the leader, he launched an armed rebellion against the government. The army was organized into seven brigades, with a total of more than 30000 people.
On February 6, before the official raising of troops on February 13, the Saarland Army held a war conference, at which it vetoed the proposal of Xixiang Xiaobing Wei, the younger brother of Xixiang Longsheng, to occupy Nagasaki to ensure the supply of goods, prevent the officers from attacking by water, and thenKumamotoWhen Zhentai rescued Nagasaki, it occupied Kumamoto in order to fully control itKyushuAnd directly attack Kumamoto.
The Meiji government also took precautions against the rebellion. On February 6, Lu JunqingYamagata Aritomo He secretly ordered Kumamoto to guard against Kagoshima riot, andito hirobumi (then government councilor, minister of the Ministry of Work)Chuancun Chunyi(At that time, he was the chief assistant of the navy) further discussed the deployment of troopsMinister of Supreme GovernmentSanjō Sanetomi After the agreement, preparations were made for the establishment of a crusade force.
On the 19th, the Emperor Meiji issued a decree, formally forming the "Expedition Corps" composed of two brigades, and appointedPrince Chiren of Youqichuan PalaceIn order to reclaim the governor, Youpeng, a lieutenant generalKuroda Kiyotaka Lieutenant GeneralChuancun ChunyiThe lieutenant general joined the army.Later, the Expeditionary Corps increased to 8 brigades, with a total of 55 infantry brigades, 6 artillery brigades, 1 engineering brigades, and 58858 logistics, cavalry and other troops.The Navy dispatched 19 warships with 2280 soldiers.
In the Kumamoto offensive on February 21 and 23, the Saakas were defeated, so they decided to divide their forces to encircle Kumamoto. During this period, the government army has gradually completed the preparations for sending troops.On the outskirts of Kumamoto, the Sa Army's security forces andKokura The 14th team (acting team leader)Nogi Maresuke (Shao Zuo) broke out in the area of planting trees and leavesengagementAs a result, the government army was defeated and the allied flag was taken.
After encircling Kumamoto with 3000 people, the Sa army began to move north to try to controlShimonosekiAnd Nagasaki, but by this time the two brigades of the government army had already moved fromFukuokaTo the south, on the 25th and 27th, the government army and the Saarland armyTakaseIn fierce battle, the Saarland Army was defeated.
In March, the two sides fought again in Jici and Tian Yuanban. The losses of both sides were nearly 40% of their respective forces, which was quite high.At the same time, the material consumption is also amazing. The government army consumes 322500 bullets and more than 1000 shells every day on average;The Saarland Army also consumes tens of thousands of bullets every day.
As early as early as the beginning of March, when the Battle of Tanharazaka was still going on, the government army was organized into a "Backlash Army", which was located in Kanaju, south of KumamotoEight DynastiesAfter landing, the Saarland Army fell into a situation of being attacked from behind and from behind.On the same day, the army retreated in full line, and the government army followed and pursued, so the government army also relieved Kumamoto's encirclement.Government forces occupied Renji in June, Kedu in July, and took it in AugustYankang。
In the 10th year of Meiji era (1877), the government troops pursued to Kagoshima Chengshan, the lair of Xixiang rebels, in September. After 23 days of siege, Chengshan was attacked by the government troops.
On September 24, 1877, the 10th year of Meiji era, Xixiang Longsheng issued the order of "risking death to advance" to the officers and soldiers lining up in front of the cave of the camp.So the Samo army rushed forward in the rain of bullets, but one by one was knocked down by the government's bullets, and Xixiang Rongsheng was also shot in the shoulder and right knee, so he could not walk. After Xixiang was shot, "slowly kneel down, just like the front, and bow to the east." Finally, he ordered Jinjie, another residence beside him, to finish himself. Jinjie, another residence, had to cry out with tears: "ごめんやったたんせせ.(Sorry) "The head of Xixiang Longsheng was cut down, ending Xixiang Longsheng's life and the war.
War Impact
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The Southwest War isInversion movementThe end ofbourgeois revolutionAfterwaves.With the compromise between the big bourgeoisie, the nobility and the shogunate feudal landlord class in the anti curtain group, the emperor moved his capital to Edo, the shogunate force.capitalismThe contradiction between the most powerful southwest vassals and the eastward migration of the central government also began to intensify. Focusing on how to establish the Japanese state system, the opposition of the military system led to the resignation of a large number of southwest vassals officials such as Samo, Changzhou, Tuzo, etc. The lower level gentry uprising led by Xixiang Longsheng represented the interests of small producers and the petty bourgeoisie, who had close relations with the bourgeois civil rights and radical groups.They also advocate the development of capitalism and oppose the big landlords and the big bourgeoisienationalismEmotions.After the defeat of the Southwest War, the feudalism dominated by the emperorMilitarismThe establishment of the country marked the end of the capitalist revolution in Japan.
From a military perspective, first of all, the war was the victory of the national army, which tested the achievements of Meiji military reform and proved the correctness and significance of building the national army of "all the people are soldiers".However, the basic level of the Saarland Army was quite good at fighting because it had received formal and strict modern Western style military training and was indeed courageous.The war was not so much a failure of the gentry army as a failure of the gentry.The war proved that the gentry, as a product of the old historical era, was outdated.
Secondly, the war is also of great significance for Japan's military modernization.It mainly shows that through this warZhentaiThe government forces at the core have been effectively trained, and their maritime maneuvers, detours behind the enemy lines and other actions reflect their high battle command ability.On the other hand, in individual combat and small unit combat, the Saarland Army is better than others. Its courage and willingness to fight and dare to act decisively with a small force have taught the government army a good lesson.After this war, the Japanese army combined the above two points and carried out aggressive expansion, which posed a serious threat to East Asian countries.In addition, the Japanese military also realized through this war that the old shogunate era had caused various problems caused by the disorder of weapon specifications, and began to unify equipment, simplify logistics, and start the process of weapon localization. The famous ancestor of Japanese rifles, Murata rifles, was born in this war.
Third, in addition to the main weakness of manpower and material resources, there was also a major problem of poor command. Especially at the beginning of the war, serious mistakes in the guidelines were fatal.He paid too much attention to the gains and losses of one city and one place, and wasted too much time under Kumamoto City.According to Xixiang Xiaobing Wei, if the government forces can occupy the ports of Nagasaki, Kokura, Fukuoka, etc. before they arrive, it will severely limit the ability of the government forces to send troops to Kyushu[1]。[2]
