Instalment 11 (1894/95)

Scene 1: A naval battle on the North China Sea

On the North China Sea, the Chinese and Japanese fleet are facing one another. The Chinese fleet attacks the Japanese. For a short while it seems that the Japanese fleet is succumbing. But then the Japanese battleships re-shift their formation and the Chinese battleships are subjected to heavy attacks.

Scene 2: At the Imperial Palace

While the battle is underway, the worried emperor is briefed on several issues: The Chinese fleet has already incurred losses of more than 3,000 soldiers; German and American canon supplies have ceased; Japan and Russia have entered secret negotiations; Russia and England have chosen to remain neutral in the Sino-Japanese conflict; and the Japanese army has invaded Lüshun and Shandong.

Scene 3: A naval battle on the North China Sea

The Chinese Navy’s ammunition supply is running out and the Japanese have launched a torpedo attack. The last Chinese explosives that reach Japanese ships are empty shafts. This strengthens the feeling of superiority on the Japanese side. After the Chinese commander Liu Buchan told that there are now only 100 Chinese soldiers engaged in action, he commits suicide by taking an overdose of opium. The Japanese commander-in-chief does not wish to kill the Chinese prisoners of war. Instead, he wants them to be taken to Tokyo, where he intends to have them displayed alongside pieces of worn Chinese battleships as an entertainment site for Japanese children!

Admiral Ding Ruchang has been captured by the Japanese and brought to Liu-gong Island, east of Weihai. Japanese envoys try to force him to sign a charter of capitulation. He, however, sternly refuses to sign, tears apart the charter and commits suicide with a dagger.

After the Tennô has received news of the Japanese fleet’s victory, he is overwhelmed with joy; tears well up in his eyes, and, for the first time in a long while, he has a meal with rice.

The previous scene is juxtaposed sharply to this scene set in the Chinese Imperial Palace: Cixi is seated at the dining table spilling over with dishes, together with the Guangxu emperor. Despite encouraging words to enjoy her meal, she does not feel any appetite.

Li Hongzhang is quietly and gloomily listening to his advisors who are reporting the latest political events to him:

• The Japanese have invaded Shandong and Taiwan
• Anchors of the captured Chinese battleships are being publicly displayed in a Tokyo park as proof of the Japanese victory
• The Imperial Court has proclaimed that some of the Beiyang Navy commanders will be awarded financial compensation. Others have been discredited, dismissed from their posts and sent back to their home towns where they await prosecution.
• The Imperial Court has dissolved the Naval Office and the Naval Academy. The Gong Prince is now in charge of foreign and military affairs.
• As a public sign for his crimes, Ding Ruchang’s coffin has been sealed with three copper locks. He will not receive an official burial which would be appropriate for a man in his position

The emperor is mourning all the commanders killed in action. He presents a poem he has composed about Commander Deng Shichang. But the emperor’s advisors propose that he suppress his grief, reward the brave members of the Navy, honour their family members and punish those who are responsible for the defeat. They ask the emperor to have Li Hongzhang executed. But the emperor comes to Li’s defence for he does not wish to make him alone responsible for the defeat of the Beiyang Navy. Weng Tonghe tries to convince the emperor of Li’s faults by reminding him of the conflict over the question of orders (attack or defence). Weng accuses Li of having only thought of his own position and benefit. He believes that Li was solely interested in the protection of his own troops.

Li Hongzhang is holding up a pistol which he has guarded since the days of fighting against the Taiping. He raises it against his temples and then points it at his mouth as if he was about to commit suicide. His young naïve concubine Hong’er enters the room unannounced and catches him pointing the pistol at himself. He explains to her that the pistol is only a toy and tells her to point it at him and pull the trigger. The concubine, who has never before seen a pistol, does as she had been told but is startled when the trigger goes off. Luckily, the bullet does not injure Li, but instead strips the parrot which flaps its wings in shock. The servants who have rushed in to check on Li see the concubine with the pistol in her hand, immediately hold her tight and one of the servants slaps her. When one of the servants asks Li what has happened, Li’s reply is very vague.

Li Hongzhang and the Gong Prince attend an audience with the emperor at which peace negotiations with Japan are the focal point of discussion. So far, the Japanese government has already refused two envoys – they demand Li Hong-zhang as the official Chinese representative. The emperor’s advisors want to avoid sending Li Hongzhang to Japan and argue that Li cannot represent China since his son Li Jingfang is married to a Japanese woman. But supported by the Gong Prince, Li is ultimately appointed to the commission. He thus takes up the heavy burden of treating for peace with Japan and of negotiating the handover of territories and reparations.