34 THE REFORM MOVEMENT IN CHINA THE“HUNDRED DAYS”OF REFORM 35 maintained.This sort of thing has gone on for quite two years,yet whenever questions of vital itportance arise with Foreign Powers,these very men who sought Emperor was blocked by the same force which was to contribute im- to advise us were ever found wanting and powerless to do anything,as if their mensely to his ultimate failure-the inertia of the provincial adminis- hands were firmly tied.This is the case with them now,in a crisis where we are trators. beset on all sides by powerful neighbours who craftily seek advantage from us and A few novel suggestions on other subjects than military affairs were who are trying to combine together in overpowering us.This is because they see received during this period.A scheme was sanctioned for the raising of our defensive preparations in a state of neglect and decay and our fleet small and insignificant.In our opinion,therefore,the question of the present day is that we a national loan from the people of China by the sale of so-called "Chao begin in reforming ourselves and diligently reorganize our defences.ao Hsin"bonds.The imperial edict declared that in the sale of the bonds "neither force nor coercion would be allowed"on the part of officials,but The measures decreed to achieve this end were the elimination of numerous memorials soon made it plain that in many provinces the bonds peculation,especially in regard to the insertion of dummy names on the were used as a means of extorting money from the people,and on Sep- regimental rolls and the graft involved in the collection of internal transit tember 7 their sale was ordered stopped."4 On February 16 a memorial dues (liki);the formation of volunteer corps to "strengthen the de- from Wang Peng-yun,a censor,proposed the establishment in Peking of fenses of the Empire with a human bulwark of brave and loyal hearts"; a college of foreign literature and science,an idea which was embodied and permission to officials to recommend for posts the men best qualified, in the great edict of June 11.ss regardless of official rank. In late May,an event occurred which both hastened the reform effort This edict inspired a number of reform memorials.Jung Lu himself and made its failure more certain-the death of Prince Kung.This expe- advocated the inclusion in the military examinations of subjects on the rienced statesman,wise,moderate,and of sound judgment,had been per- intercourse of China with foreign nations.Another memorial suggested haps the one person at court to whom all deferred.His death left the that in the future candidates for military rank be tested in their skill with Emperor with no experienced guide except Weng Tung-ho.But with the the rifle rather than the traditional but useless bow and arrow.One offi- death of his patron,Prince Kung,Weng felt sure that his days in office cial went so far as to propose the disbandment of all troops trained in the were numbered.Early in June he applied for a week's leave on account old manner and the establishment of modern military schools throughout of illness,as a step preparatory to saving face if the crash came.He also the empire.These memorials were considered by the Grand Council took this occasion to recommend Kang Yu-wei to the Emperor,in the and Board of War,which deeided that henceforth candidates for military hope that Kang would take his place as an opponent of the faction of the degrees would be tested in the use of firearms and that the old practice Empress Dowager and the Manchus.Weng's expectations were fulfilled. of reproducing by heart passages from the classical books on military He was dismissed from office on June 15.The prime mover in this act tactics would be abolished. was not,of course,the Emperor,but the Empress Dowager;to put it Not much was done to carry out the imperial commands for the aboli- briefly,the dismissal of Weng was the price which the "Old Buddha" tion of "skeleton"battalions and similar devices which redounded to the demanded for her sanction of the famous edicts of June 11.The Em- financial benefit of the officers involved and the weakening of the empire. peror had prudently submitted the draft decrees to his aunt,who had no A few officials reported on the methods which they had used in reform- objections to the policy therein outlined provided that it did not lessen the ing the troops under their jurisdiction.3a On the whole,however,the time-honored privileges of the Manchus;but,at the same time,she insisted on the dismissal of Weng,and Kuang Hsu had to agree.s a0 The Emperor Kuang Hsu's Reform Decrees,1898 (reprinted from the North- China Daily News,January 17),referred to hereafter as Reform Decrees.As the Thus,with the Empress Dowager's approval,Kuang Hsu set out on reader will observe,the English translations of imperial edicts.which appeared in his endeavor to awaken and strengthen China by copying the methods of the North-China Herald in these years are often neither idiomatic nor grammatical. her potential destroyers,the powers of the West.The first of the two The writer has,however,deemed it better to quote them exactly rather than to make decrees of June 11,which proclaimed the opening of a new era,empha- changes which might in some cases make the meaning less close to that of the original. a1 Reform Decrees,January 28,February 16. s For decrees regarding the Chao Hsin Bonds,see Reform Decrees,February 4, s2 Ibid.,March 19. 27,May 18,July 5,August 22,September 7. ab Ibid.,February 15. ss Tbid.,February 11,March 7. se Bland and Backhouse,op.cit.,pp.184-185;China No.1,(1899),No.268. 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