Tonghua Events 2 and 3

Author: Lü Minghui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: 6 Although when Japan's Kwantung Army launched the "September 18th Incident," Chiang Kai-shek adopted a policy of non-resistance, personally ordering General Zhang Xueliang to lead the Northeast Army to withdraw from Manchuria, handing over the vast lands of the three provinces of Northeast China to the Japanese. However, when the Japanese Empire showed signs of collapse in 1945, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government became eager to seize Northeast China before the Communist Party. Chiang felt powerless. At that time, Chiang's troops were deployed far away from Northeast China, making it impossible to quickly move them there. Therefore, Chiang's strategy for Northeast China at the time was: to directly receive Northeast China from the Soviet Red Army after the Soviet Union's troops occupied it, through the old "Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty." According to Article 12 of the old "Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty," once the Soviet Red Army engaged in combat against Japan, Chiang Kai-shek's government officials would be air-dropped to Northeast China to carry out three tasks on the recovered territories: 1. Establish administrative institutions in areas where the enemy had been suppressed in accordance with Chinese law; 2. Assist in establishing Chinese troops (including regular and irregular forces) in the recovered Chinese territories; 3. Ensure active cooperation between the Chinese administrative institutions and the commander-in-chief of the Soviet army. To utilize the old "Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty" to seize Northeast China, in July 1945, Chiang Kai-shek planned to establish the "Commander-in-Chief of the Northeast Security Command," appointing Xiong Shihui as the director of the operational headquarters, preparing to receive Northeast China from the Soviet Red Army. Chiang Kai-shek's plan seemed good, but after the Soviet Red Army engaged in combat against Japan, his plan was difficult to realize at the time, as the Nationalist Party had no troops in Northeast China and even failed to send the "military delegation" required by the "Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty" to the headquarters of the Soviet troops. Moreover, the headquarters of the Communist Party-led Eighth Route Army issued seven orders in succession, with large numbers of Eighth Route Army troops and administrative cadres rapidly advancing into Northeast China, showing a "strike first" attitude. In this situation, Chiang was unwilling to let the Communist Party's army take over Northeast China and urgently issued several orders on August 11. The main contents were: 1. Ordered provincial and municipal governments and commanders of various battle zones: "The definite date of Japan's surrender should be announced simultaneously by our country and the Allied Powers. Before the government announcement, the work of the entire nation's military and civilians should remain as if in combat, without any slackening." 2. Ordered puppet troops stationed in North China, Northeast China, and Central China: "You should stay in your current locations, in peaceful areas, seize the opportunity to atone for your sins and strive for self-redemption; without the permission of this commander-in-chief, you may not move your bases or be reorganized by any unit." 3. Ordered the Communist Party-led Eighth Route Army and the various anti-Japanese forces in the liberated areas: "All units under this group army should remain in place and await orders, and the units operating within the battle zones should be under the jurisdiction of the commanders-in-chief of those battle zones; the government has coordinated and decided on matters such as disarming the enemy, collecting captured enemies, handling puppet troops, and restoring recovered areas, and has issued separate orders for implementation. To uphold the dignity of national commands and strictly adhere to the regulations of the common agreement with allied countries, all units must refrain from taking independent actions." 4. Ordered the loyalist troops of the Nationalist Party: "Step up combat efforts and strictly follow the established plans."