In Europe and the United States, the Commander of an Army, Haig, Foch, Pershing, Hindenberg, Ludendorff, and all the others, came up step by step from the lower positions in the military hierarchy. Before they were entrusted with military executive position, they worked on the line, in, the barracks, on diffeuit and unpleasant military tasks. Not so in China, Educated men are the members of the staff, or commanders of brigades' and The Man They Understand An instance of the ability to handle the fighting officer in China was most apparent during the Inst days of the war in Shanghai Marshal Chi Hsieh-yuan had to handle the 10th Division, defeated but not destroyed, still honoured by military men throughout China. He could not plage the management, lof the delicate task of transferring these men to his own army in the hands, of one of his staff men even in the hands of one of senior commanding officers. had to entrust it to General Bao-shan, who himself came from the ranks, and speaks the Janguage of these corporals and ser-them: and they know him. When he told them to go to Haichow, they knew. perfectly wall that, he woud ook. after' them. And it wil! be found that in the course of a very short time, the 10th D'vsiion. will be 2s loyal to Bei Bao-shan asit was to Yuan Shih-kai or Lu Yung-hsiang. This the feudal instinct which runs strong in the veins of these men, The usual commanding officer could never have handled this situation because he is.a politician, and the soldiers hate politicians. He spends his time scheming for official promotion. In his ealeulations, he takes into account: number of fighting officers who may be loyal to him or who may be wiiling to trust their luck and future into hig hands. He talks military science, modern equipment and th axts of war which the fighting officers know nothing about "but Which appeals to their sense of what ought to be. He promises to get money to pay and feed them regularly and often does. He speaks of good rice and wheat and full ration of pork in the soup. [Phe more educated one of these commanding officers is, the more fluent his tongue skilled in argumentative and political powers, the more fighting officers will flock to im, with heir men, for what is in it for them. But when a situation calls for a display of genuine confidence, only a fighting officer can control fighting men.
Tuan's Main Support The influence of Tuan Chi-jui today arises from the loyalty to him of fighting oticers throughout the my" as-Wall as bandit chiefs outside. For years these men have served under him or have heard of him as the senior of the nation's commanding officers. With the exception of Chang To-lin, almost all of the military men who are factors on either side of the present situation have at one time oF another served under Tuan Chi-ju They therefore announce to their own soldiers at this moment that the master has come out of retirement and that all soldiers must be loyal "to the master. Of course, such loyalty does not mean that one must permit the master to be ssu rounded by vile creatures who are abusing his confidence and are usin his name improperly. All sid therefore support Tuan Chi-jui though that does not yet mean peace for Chin Tuan Chi-jui's objective is to form a national army, to eliminate the independent military unite and to-unify the country. Were Tuaa dealing with fighting officers only, Ihe might succeed. But he has become surrounded by hundreds. of: politiciana who have: no sympathy with any unification plan, since the success of sucha pian would eliminate them from activity. As long as military politicians play a situation, it is hope-that anything good can come of it. If the old-time generals, even including all who had served in one capacity or another in the old Peiyang Army could come together under Tuan Chi-jui to create a national army, something good might come of it. But each one of these has his politicians, educationalists and local gentry who peop the pot boiling for the oveasional bit of pork that hight come their way. Therein Vies the impossibility of finding a solution to the problems growing out of the war.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.