“庚子西狩”时期电报通讯机制考析——以京师与行在的联络为中心

Telegraph Communication Links during the "Xishou" Period between 1900 and 1902:A Case Study on the Communication between Beijing and the Royal Court in Exile

“庚子西狩”期间,行在与京师之间的通讯经历了复杂的变动。起初因通讯不便且两宫行止难测,留京官员只能通过亲往或转借商递等方式联络行在,行在则多通过差递将消息经保定转寄京城。两宫驻晋期间,为保障行政时效,有线电报逐渐成为京师、行在间的主要通讯载体,一度形成以上海为中心,以西安、保定为两翼的电报、驿递并举机制。两宫“幸陕”后,由于京津行军线、沪沽海线的利用,西安、京师两地凭电报线便可通信。军机处主导了电奏、电旨的处理,其经手的电报视收发者情形而有“公”“私”之分,反映出行在对外电讯的实态。行在电报机制之形成,既有维系清廷有效统治的现实考量,亦是对巡幸传统的回应;虽确保了对外交涉的效率,却也加剧了各方政见歧出对决策与谈判的不利影响,并因电奏体系的调整而在一定程度上削弱了皇权,体现了电报的“两面性”。

Ways of communications between the capital and the royal court in exile changed completely during the"Xishou"period.In the early days,officials in Beijing had to report in person to the royal court in exile or send messages to the latter via businessmen.For its part,the royal court in exile generally sent their messages back to Beijing through couriers via Baoding.However,such efforts often became fool's errands since the royal court in exile always changed its headquarters unpredictably out of security concerns.During the Royal court's stay in Shanxi,cable telegraph became the major communication link between the royal court and the capital.A new communication network mixed with cable telegraph and traditional couriers came into being,with Shanghai becoming the information hub and Xian and Baoding the two support centers.After the royal court fled to Shaanxi,the royal court could communicate with Beijing by telegraph,thanks to the military telegraph lines between Beijing and Tianjin and between Shanghai and Tanggu.As the royal court's core organization,the Grand Council was responsible for handling telegraph communications between the royal court and Beijing.The Grand Council categorized the telegraph into the"public"type and the"private"type,depending on the content of the telegraph.The royal court in exile accepted telegraph communications out of its determination to maintain the rule of the Qing government on the one hand and the royal tradition of touring its realm on the other.Conducive to improving the efficiency of communications,telegraph inadvertently exacerbated the conflicts of different opinions during decision making or negotiations with foreign powers.In addition,changes in the procedure of handling telegraphs to some extent weakened the royal court's power.Thus,telegraph was a double-edged sword to the royal court.