After the First World War, at the Paris Peace Conference where the spoils were divided among the great powers, the young Chinese representative Gu Weijun was not afraid of the collusion between Japan, the United States, Britain and France to bully weak countries, and he stood up to safeguard the rights and interests of Shandong, China. He angrily denounced the great powers and refused to sign a peace treaty, shocking the world. Gu Weijun was the first generation of Chinese diplomats who dared to say "no" to the imperialist powers after the Revolution of 1911. He served successively as Prime Minister of the Republic of China, Minister-General of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador to the United States, Britain and France. During his decades-long diplomatic career, he has personally experienced and witnessed many major events in the history of China's modern foreign relations.

On January 27, 1919, just before lunch, Williams, director of the Far Eastern Division of the U.S. State Department and adviser to the U.S. delegation, suddenly called and secretly told Gu Weijun: At the top five meeting in the morning At the ten-person meeting (including the leaders of the five powers and foreign ministers), Japan has proposed that it will take over Germany's rights in Shandong; the afternoon meeting will hear the Chinese delegation's position on the Shandong issue. The notice will be sent out soon, and the Chinese representative should prepare to speak immediately.

Japanese imperialism has always adhered to the bandit logic of striking first, and the Chinese delegation should have made preparations in advance, but what is sad is that it was busy with internal strife and put its mission aside. To this day, it still does not No coping strategies were discussed. It will only take three hours to leave now! Gu Weijun put down the phone, his heart as heavy as a lead weight.

At the dinner table, after Gu Weijun conveyed the news, the representatives who usually clamored for fame and fortune all hung their heads. Secretary-General Yue Zhaoxi proposed that he invite Lu Zhengxiang to make decisions. Naturally, such a major matter should be decided by the chief executive. Lu Zhengxiang happened to be sick in bed that day and didn't even come to eat. Yue Zhao came back shortly after attending and said that the president was too ill to get out of bed. He asked everyone to decide for themselves which two representatives would attend the afternoon meeting and which representative would speak.

"I won't go, I'm not prepared for this issue." Shi Zhaoji refused, and turned to Gu Weijun, "If a representative is sent, you should go. You have studied this issue long ago. Be prepared."

"Time is running out, you must not give in." Gu Weijun could only propose his own candidates. "Since Dr. Wang is the second representative, in the absence of Mr. Lu, Dr. Wang should speak on behalf of China..."

The two protagonists who once fought over the ranking of the sequence, now Their performance was particularly "humility".

"It's better for Dr. Wang and Dr. Shi to go." Just after Gu Weijun finished speaking, he looked back and saw that Shi Zhaoji was no longer there; according to those who saw him, he had left the restaurant and returned to the bedroom. It was already half past two in the afternoon, only half an hour before the meeting.

It was at this time that the Peace Conference Secretariat belatedly sent a formal notice, requesting the Chinese delegation to submit a list of representatives attending the afternoon meeting and attend the meeting immediately.

The situation at the time was depressing when the notice was so urgent and at the same time, they were running away from the battlefield.

“We should express our position in defending the country’s territory and sovereignty. This is our sacred and inalienable right.” Gu Weijun stated his point of view seriously and firmly, “If we give up this right, it will represent How can the regiment have the face to meet the Chinese people?" He was also anxious and couldn't speak at all.

"Then, then...I'll go with you." Wang Zhengting knew that it was not good for him to escape, so he reluctantly expressed his attitude. However, he then added: "But, I will never speak."

Time ran out of time to hesitate, so Gu Weijun had no choice but to step forward.

"I do not deny that I have studied this issue, but the delegation has not discussed it." In order to show respect for Wang Zhengting, he also proposed: "When the presidium invited the Chinese delegation to speak, I still Dr. Wang, please stand up first, and you can introduce me, Gu, as the representative."

This farce of passing the blame has finally come to an end, and there are only twenty minutes left in a hurry.

The meeting was held in the conference hall of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

French Prime Minister Clemenceau is the chairman of the Conference of Ten.

Sitting on the right are British Prime Minister Lloyd George and Foreign Secretary Balfour, US President Wilson and Secretary of State Lansing, Italian Prime Minister Orlando and the Foreign Minister. Sitting opposite the chairman is a large group of Japanese, including its chief representative Saionji. With Makino, the Chinese representative was designated to sit to the left of the chairman.

The meeting began with Makino from Japan speaking.

Makino repeated his old tune with a very arrogant attitude: the Shandong leased land had already been transferred from Germany to Japan. Japan is a victorious country and has the right to deal with this issue. Moreover, Japan greatly respects the treaty that Japan has signed with China, and China has long recognized Japan's rights and interests in Shandong (——referring to Twenty-one Articles). In short, there is no need to elaborate on this issue.

Immediately afterwards, without leaving any room for thought, Clemenssot pointed his hand at the Chinese representative and asked the Chinese representative if he was ready to speak. This is of course a collusion between Japan, Britain, and France, deliberately creating a lightning-fast predicament for the Chinese delegation. After Gu Weijun and Wang Zhengting discussed, Wang Zhengting stood up and spoke:

"Dr. Gu Weijun of our delegation will give a reply, but time should be given to prepare China's statement."

After Wilson and Lan With Xin's support, Clemenceau announced that the meeting would be adjourned and would resume tomorrow morning to hear China's position.

At 11:00 a.m. on January 28, 1919, the meeting was still held in the conference hall of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the scene was still the same as yesterday afternoon.

People have noticed that Gu Weijun did not have a speech script in his hand, but his speech was well-spoken, his English was fluent, and his vocabulary was accurate.

"The Chinese delegation demands that the peace conference return Germany's pre-war leased land, railways and all other rights and interests in Shandong to China. Because I do not want to waste the valuable time of the conference, I would only like to propose broad principles. As for I will send a note to explain the technical details in detail."

"The territory in question forms part of China's territory and is also part of Shandong Province. It has a population of 36 million people. They speak the Chinese language and believe in the Chinese religion. Undoubtedly, everyone knows that this leased land was taken by Germany. The German fleet occupied the Shandong coast and its troops immediately invaded the interior to claim the leased land. It took this action on the pretext that two missionaries were killed in mainland China, but the killing was beyond the control of the government. Based on the principles of national self-determination and territorial integrity accepted by the Peace Conference, China had the right to demand the return of these territories. The Chinese delegation believes that this is one of the just conditions for peace. On the contrary, if the peace conference adopts a different view and transfers these territories to other countries, this is nothing more than a mistake. ”

"Economically speaking, this is a densely populated province. Thirty-six million people live in an area of ??thirty-five thousand square miles. The density of the population creates intense competition and is extremely unsuitable for Colonization. The intrusion of foreign forces can lead to the exploitation of local people, rather than true colonization.

“Strategically speaking, Jiaozhou controls the gateway to North China, that is, it controls the shortcut from the coast to Beijing. A railway goes directly to Jinan Prefecture, and when connected with the Jin-Pu Railway, it can reach Beijing. For the sake of China's national defense interests, the Chinese delegation cannot allow any foreign country to own this vital area. "

Then he continued in a reasonable manner:

"China knows very well that Japan's heroic navy and army drove German forces out of Shandong Province. China was also grateful for Britain's assistance in this regard, even though at the time it was itself in great danger in Europe. China has also not forgotten the contributions of other allies in Europe, because without them to contain Germany, this enemy country could easily dispatch reinforcements to the Far East, prolonging the war in Shandong. China was particularly grateful for this assistance because the people of Shandong had suffered and sacrificed in the military campaign to recapture Jiaozhou, especially in recruiting labor and supplies. "

"Although we are full of gratitude, the Chinese delegation deeply feels that it cannot shun its responsibility to the motherland and the world. If we sell the birthright of our compatriots out of gratitude, we will sow the seeds of future conflict. the root of.

Therefore, the Chinese delegation firmly believes that when the conference considers the settlement of the Jiaozhou lease and other German rights and interests in Shandong, it will seriously take into account China's basic rights and interests, namely, its rights and interests in political sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its enthusiasm for world peace. "

His speech ended with warm applause. Colleagues from the Chinese delegation stood up and looked at him with respect.

Wilson and Lan Xinmai Wilson came over to shake hands and congratulate him and said: "This is the best speech to clarify China's position. "

Britain's Lloyd George and Balfour also came to shake hands and congratulate.

What is even more unimaginable is that Mr. Saionji of Japan also came from the position opposite the chairman. Come up and shake hands with him. No matter what nationality, the appeal of truth is powerful.

When leaving the venue, the Chinese representatives were surrounded by reporters again. Although the meeting of ten was confidential, the meeting was confidential. The next day, newspapers in France, the United Kingdom, and the United States reported the Chinese delegation’s call for support in their most prominent pages. Telegrams of support from students and civil society organizations from all over the country came like a snowflake.