Secret Decree Affair
The Secret Decree Affair refers to the government's reaction to the Themiclesian Emperor Stjas-tsung's secret decree on Jan. 2nd, 1940, asking the government to negotiate a surrender to the Menghean and Dayashinese invaders, who were laying siege to the capital city Kien-k'ang at that time. The government replied to the Emperor in abject terms that a surrender would be impossible and illogical, but a copy of the decree could be stored away as a defence against the Emperor's liability should the defence ultimately fail. The Affair, though long rumoured, was kept as a diplomatic secret and not made public until the 1990s.
Secret decree
The original secret decree was stored away at the Great Temple, where the imperial house venerated its ancestors. It was rendered illegible when the venue was flooded in 1981.
Government response
President of Correspondence Mjing,
Minister of the Left Kjong,
Minister of the Right Rje-njing,
Secretary of State Ga,
Secretary of State Mjii,
Secretary of State Gla-k'rjangs,
Secretary of State Hwar-hmen,
Secretary of State Mras,
Secretary of State Hnga,
Secretary of State Le,
Secretary of State Gwrja,
Secretary of State Lis,
Secretary of State Le-gruans,
Secretary of State Nups,
Secretary of State Nga,
Secretary of State Neng-njing,
Secretary of State Tjaw-prak,
Secretary of State Slik-Gwak,
Secretary of State Njeng,
Secretary of State Brjians in deep prostration show:We, Your subjects, reverently heard that Your Majesty spoke to the Meridian Attendants, Regular Attendants, Meridian Minister of the Amber Gate, the President and Vice-President of the Council of Protonotaries, and other attendants, of discussion of surrender to Menghe and Dayashina, and we are deeply in fear and shock. When we summoned these individuals and asked about these rumours, they all replied that this is true, and your Imperial Pen has been inked, only the finished draft was not given out. We, Your subjects, quote the Dzuar Epexegesis, which state that "[w]ar is about spirits". When this country is at war, we fear that if we speak of loss may impair the great policy ongoing. Before this, Your Majesty has deeply sympathized with the commons, and the reports that we, Your subjects, have made have told of much casualty, and Your Majesty has stopped court several times in respect of the great difficulty in listening to these terrible things. And Your Majesty have decreed to attendants, if the war can be stopped, Your Majesty will not miss the throne. This great sympathy for the people has outweighed even the imperial state, and within and without the Palace, these stipulations have driven to shame all those that heard of it. If it were heard by the world, we shall not fear that even the worst and longst-standing enemy will not be moved. But if this decree is sent to us, we shall have the greatest difficulty accepting it, for two reasons.
First, in the ninth year of Griam-ning, we, Your subjects, have been elected by the people to fill the Council of Protonotaries, the country knew it was about to be at war. If we, Your subjects, now accept this decree to accomplish Your Majesty's will, how shall we face the election of the public? We, Your subjects, are clothed and fed at the expense of the public, are in the knowledge of the great accomplishments of the [previous emperors now enshrined in the] Great Temple, and are aware of growing number of allies. Thus, we cannot go against what our country has paid us for, or abandon the Great Temple to vagabonds (i.e. Mengheans and Dayashinese), or dismiss the aid that the world has given. These three are the principles of those who are subjects, in much the same way it is for Your Majesty to sympathize with the people.
Second, the pretended-ruler of Menghe, in his characteristic, routinely accepts the humiliation of weaker states as dogma and repeatedly joys himself over the invasion of innocent peoples, is clearly and utterly untrustworthy. If he could be trusted, he is trusted to destroy the ancestral temples of the state and to enslave the people. Thus, the several powers have all raised their armies in a single moment against him, despite not having any previous agreement. This is the case with us as well. Though the vagabonds are strong, it is all a ruse for what is an cul-de-sac and an attempt to fight innundation with fists. Your Majesty must not be fooled, since Mengheans have long detested their exploitation. The pretended-ruler of Menghe has tormented within his borders and burglarized beyond. Such is the state of being abandoned by heaven and earth and a total absence of similar minds close and far from him. He is as endangered as nine eggs stacked upon each other and a wilting leaf laiden with ice and frost. In no time his entire country will disintegrate, and ours will have room to breathe.
If Your Majesty must pass this decree, it is as having built a tower nine furlows high but abandoning it like waste, merely one yard short. It is as one's enemy is retreating, and one offers the neck to be slain. If the decree is already set to paper, we ask that it be hidden in the Great Temple, and our families shall live with it as hostages. If the defence ultimately fails, we ask Your Majesty to blame us and our entire families, and if the enemy shall reach there, the decree can be retrieved and acquit Your Majesty. If the defence ultimately succeedes, it will also not give the world an excuse to deride Your Majesty. We, Your subjects, humbly request these may please Your Majesty.[1]
References
- ↑ 尚書令臣銘、左僕射臣恭、右僕射臣里人、尚書臣胡、尚書臣彌、尚書臣魯慶、尚書臣和閽、尚書臣袂、尚書臣汻、尚書臣怡、尚書臣宇、尚書臣益、尚書臣以煥、尚書臣內、尚書臣梧、尚書臣能仁、尚書臣召博、尚書臣錫霍、尚書臣仍、尚書臣辯等稽首頓首言：臣等伏聞陛下於前日語侍中、中常侍、中黃門僕射、中書監令等近侍及議降於東國、泰彌國者，震恐顫怖。詰之諸給事中者，亦稱有其事，而御筆已墨，敕書未降耳。臣等查左氏傳曰，夫戰，勇氣也。國家交戰之間，自先言敗，恐大害於政矣。先是，陛下矜憐百姓，臣等所奏蓋多死傷，不忍聽而罷朝。又詔左右，若得免戰，雖捨此位亦不惜之。哀愛生靈之大，雖神器亦屏如糞土，中外聞之皆無以自處矣。僘傳聞下，亦豈懼至讎世寇之不服耶？然陛下墨敕若輒成詔，臣等將斷難奉之，其因有二。其一，咸寧九年，臣等被國人選中書時，國之將戰已然昭矣，臣等若奉詔，全陛下至德之志，將何以對天下人之選？臣等食天下所賦，思宗廟所以立之澤，見各國之匆匆附我，不能負國人所假，不能棄宗廟於寇，不能貸列國之援。此三者人臣之綱，不殊陛下哀矜世人之意矣。其二，東國僭主為人，每好欺凌弱小為志，屢以犯寇無辜稱樂，其不可信，明矣。即信，亦信將盡滅大統，牛馬百姓而已。所以眾國不約而兵興一朝，我邦亦然。匪雖猖獗，皆佯飾窮途，操拳水土也。陛下勿為詐，東國之人苦之久矣。僭主為虐於疆內，為寇於海外，所謂天地斷命，內外離心，危若九重之壘卵，殆比霜雪之枯葉，不日水崩土解，國家得甦矣。陛下必以為詔，如積九仞之塔，等閒棄之。若敵之將克，引頸就戮焉。然御筆若有，臣等請藏之廟，闔族居以為質。戰之不功，請陛下闔族以問，敵若犯廟，則出書以保陛下。戰之功也，亦不遺天下輕陛下之辭。臣等伏請。