Jan. 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7.
The year which opened with promise and enthusiasm led only to a series of disappointments. China was once more caught in the net of civil war in March and from thence onward remained in 'a state of perpetual strife, open or concealed, However, at the end of the year Nanking's enemies appear 9 have been practically suppressed, and with the agreement between the capital and the principal northern leaders, which appears to be based on a real understanding of the country's urgent needs, it may be hoped that the New Year will see some progress towards financial and administrative reorganization, On New Year's Day General Chiang Kai-shek issued a message to the nation dwelling particularly on the means by which Japan became a mighty country and contrasting the unselfishness of the Samurai with the selfishness of Chinese militarists. He specially mentioned the need of disbanding the army, On January 7 an important Disbandment Conference met in Nanking attended by the six chief generals in China; namely, Chiang Kai-shek, Yen Hsi-shan, Feng Vu-hsiang, Li Chi-sen, Li Chu jen, and Ho Ying-ching. They sat' until the 17th with no dis closure of the course' of their deliberations, Then they issued 'a complete plan appointing a Commission on Disbandment for the whole country, the army to be reduced to sixty-five divisions of 11,000 men each, at an annual cost to the country of $192,000 000. The plan was well rece and it was particularly remarked that this was the first time since the Revolution began in 191i that all the principal military Jeaders had met at a round-table conference, Shortly after the conference a disbandment loan of $60,000,000 was announced.
The Quarrel with Wuhan It is still not clear to outsiders how this good begin. ning so quickly gave place to strife, but the principal cause was the old difficulty of Provinces versus Capital, and particularly the resent ment of the Wuhan Generals to Nanking's authority. On February 21 General Li Chung-jen suddenly turned out of office General Lu Ti-ping, Governor of Hunan, on vague charges of Communism and corruption, and put in General Ho Chien in his place. This defiance, following no doubt on much more that has never been made public, was more than Nanking could tolerate, Barly in March the Government began to move troops towards Hankow. On March 21 General Li Chi-sen, visiting Nan-King apparently to. negotiate peace on behalf of the Wuhan leaders, was arrested and interned at the Tangshan Hot Springs just outside Nanking, where he remained for some months and is now out of the political picture, On March 26 General Chiang Kai-shek left for Kiu-Kiang to take charge of the cam= paign, and an advance on three lines against the insurgents began. The Government's strategy had been mapped out by Colonel Bauer, General Chiang's Germgn adviser, and the Wuhan armies ed up in Wester Hupeh. General Li Chung-jen escaped froma Shanghai to Canton, making for Kuangsi where he was joined by the other chief Wuhan leader, Pei Chung-hsi. On May Kuangsi armies opened an tack on Kuangtung, which gave Nanking much anxiety. They very nearly got Canton, but were beaten back on May 22, partly through the arrival of reinforcements from Nanking, and partly because the new Governor of Hunan, General Ho Chier, though put into office by the Wuhan party, remained faithful to Nanking.' An unfortunate side to the war in the South was the invasion of Kueichow by a Yun nanese army under General Li Hsin under the pretext of helping the National armies against Kuangsi, Governor Chow Hsi-cheng, who had ruled Kueichow with great efficiency for two years, was killed in resisting thi invaders about May 20. On May 28 the Yunnanese enter provincial capital of Kus where their exactions caused great misery to the people. At the beginning of July an arrangement was come to whereby, on the Sth, the Yunnanes army returned to their own province and Kueichow came under the protection of the Szechuan ese leaders.
Breach with Feng Vu-hsiang In the advance upon Wuhan, General Feng Vu-hsiang had been called by Nanking to take part," His-armies moved south from Honan into Hupeh and had arrived about sixty miles from Hankow at the time when General Chiang was entering the city. It is generally believed that General Feng believed himself to have been promised Hupeh when Wuhan should ha been defeated, and, on finding this expectation vain, he withdrew in.much dissatisfaction. Subsoquently, he appears to have expected to obtain Kiaochou on the withdrawal of the Japanes This hope also came to nothing, and from it dates the struggle between Feng and Nanking. the beginning of May war ith the Kuominchun General appeared inevitable. On May 10 Feng was reported to be drawing in his troops on the Lung-Haf Railway and the Kin-Han, blowing up bridges and tunnels as he went. The damage done to both railways, particularly the Lung-Hai, was immense. On May 21 General Chiang and Generel Feng exchanged the usual telegrams which traditionally precede war between Chinese Generals. On May 24 the Government issued a mandate denounce ing Feng and proclaiming a punitive expedition. But: all operations were suspended for the funeral of Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
Tt now became evident that Nanking was trying to persuade General Yen Hsi-shan to support it against General Feng. During the early days of June General Tang Song-chi made two journeys to General Yen at yuan fu, endeavouring to persuade him to arrange terms with Feng and to take over the control of his armies. Then, came the days when the public was regaled with all the supposed schemes of Yen and Feng t> give up their positions in China and go abroad. On June 21 an arrangement was—announced whereby Feng received $3,000, 000 back pay for his army and into the German Hospital in Legation Quarter. On the arrival of the Manchurian Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang in king on July 8, Yen's indispos: tion suddenly vanished. He came out of hospital and the three generals held a conference, with what result exactly has never been disclosed. On July 11 they all three hurriedly left Peking, doubtless owing to the quarrel with Russi The Revolt in Shantung It will be convenient here to tell of events in Shantung. On February 20 the former Tuchun, Chang Chung-chang, returned from his retreat Dairen, and, landing at Lungkow, started a new rebellion. At the outset the Nationalist lead Liu Chen-nien, had some success: es, inflicted ' defeats on the insurgents, dnd burned several villages on which they depended. In March Chang had reassembled his forces and on the 23rd cay tured Chefoo. He chold it unfit April 23 when it was retaken by the Nationalists. Chang fled to Dairen and made his way to Japan, arriving there on May 4. On May'10 Mr, Leroy Webber, United States Consul at Chefoo, acted as mediator between the Nationalists and Chang's old troops, the latter, then besieged in Fushanhsien, being taken into the Nationalist army and war was over. Chu Vu-pu, Bear of Chihli, got away to Korea. Much unrest prevailed in the province, and at the beginning of October the Nationa Vist forces made a sweep Northeastern Shantung to-drive out the Red Spears, which they did with great vigour, burning eighty villages and slaughtering large numbers of people.
The Settlement with Japan To turn to the settlement with Japan,-who at the beginning the year was still sitting in fores across the Tientsin-Pukow Ri way at Tsinanfu. On January 24 Mr. Yoshizawa, Japanese Minister in Peking, went Nanking to discuss a settlement with Dr.. T. Wang. On February it was announced that agreement had been reached. On February 8 however, a deadlock ensued which continued until March 26, when a settlement was actually signed. On April 2 through running trains recommenced on the Tientsin-Pukow - Railway. It was understood that the Japanese were to have evacuated Shantung by April 11, but a week before that it became known that the Nationalists were not ready to take over Tsinan. In view of what was happening on the Yangtze the conclusion is inevitable that Nanking deliberately waited to take charge in Shantung until she should have secured her grip on Hankow. On April 27 sensation was caused by the news that General Sun Liang-chen hsiang's chief lieutenant) de-' clined to be satisfied with the inner portions of Shantung, and, since he was not to have Tsingtao, was withdrawing into Honan.-. This was the commencement of the open breach between Nanking and Feng Vu-hsiang mentioned above. On May 6.2 further settlement was reached between Nanking and Japan which wiped a sponge over the outrages of March 24 and April against mob attacks. "The anti-the Lung-Hai Railway on 8 [Japanese boycott dragged on small scale, On October 28: until the evacuation of the troops} General Chiang Kai-shek left from Shantung when it gradually Nanking for Hankow to take command of the campaign:
Chang Fa-kuei's Revolt against the Kuominchun, 1z—would be impossible to attempt China, however, was not to to follow the course of the fight-enjoy peace. On or about Septeming in detail. It was evidently ber 19 General Chang Fa-kuei, of a very serious kind, and commander of the Fourth Divi-first the Kuominchun more than sion, the famous "Ironsides," on held their own against the Gov-being ordered to transfer from ernment troops, but the latter the Yangtze to the Lung-Hai were better supplied with arms, Railway, left Ichang to march ammunition, and particularly through Hunan to Kuangsi, with aeroplanes, which were. used the obvious intention of captur-with much' effect. By November ing Canton. On September 21 49 the Government had occupied' Ihe was publicly cashiered by the important positions of Teng-Nanking, and on the same day feng and Linju, and on the 21st the Reorganizationists, the name they entered Loyang, the Kuo-by which the Left Wing of the inch un withdrawing into Shen-Kuomintang have become known, si, The invasion of north declared themselves on Chang' ern Hupeh by the Kuominchun, side, and issued a manifesto early in the month appeared at denouncing Nanking and General one moment very threatening. On Chiang Kai-shek in unmeasured November 9 they occupied Lao-terms. On October 3 Nanking hohow and seemed to have been issued a mandate for the arrest warmly welcomed in their a of twelve Reorganizationist lead towards the important ers. On October 12 came a position of Siangyang on the report that Chang had been Han River, It is not clear why trapped among the mountains of this promising attempt came Hunan, But in point of fact he nothing. On November 20 Mr. never seems to have been touched.
V. Soong, Minister of Fin-'About this time it became evident ance, had summoned from that a fresh war on the Kuomin-Nanking to confer with General chun in Honan was inevitabl Chiang at Chengchow, and it Dut, for the sake of clearness, it was naturally reported that will be convenient to finish first money played a large part in the with Chang Fa-kuei, His move-final conquest of the Kuominments throughout October and chun, in view of the anxious November are obscure. But on state of affairs around Canton. is that the November 20 he was reported on the Kuangsi-Kuangtung. border '¢|making a fresh attack upon Canto settle their differenct ton. He was supported by: view of the Russian menace to Kuangsi troops and on November: the Chinese Eastern Railway, 28 the famous leader of the time looked quite Kuomintang extremists, Wang: likely to end in the Soviet oc-Ching-wei who was supposed to cupying Harbin, Whatever the cause, the war in Hupeh was be in Hongkong, published manifesto announcing his inten-practically ended by November tion to form a new government: 24, and General Chiang return-in Canton. The danger for ed to Nanking.
Nanking, with all the other com-Pukow and Tang Song-chi plications which were arising nearer home, appeared extreme, The Government's "troubles, but on December 11 news was however, were by no means over, received that Chang Fa-kuei had On November 3 the troops of been decisively beaten and that General Shih Vu-san_mutinied Canton was saved. It would at Pukow, looted the town, and/ appear that his Kuangsi allies retired to Pengpu, taking all the were by no means reliable, while rolling stock with them, On the "Ironsides" were undoubtedly December 5 General Tang Sengworn out by their weeks of chi declared against Nanking tramping hither and thither. At) and issued a manifesto said to the same time the association of be signed by thirty-eight other Chang's name with the Com-Northern Generals denouncing munists' outrages in Canton in General Chiang and the Govern December, 1927, robbed him of ment. He immediately received any chance of public support and the benediction of the Reorganiznerved the Kuangtung forces to arionists and of Wang Ching-the utmost to defeat him. wei in particular. On December 4 there was a further mutiny The War on the Kuominchun of troops at Anking, the capital With Chang Fa-kuei marching of Anhui, who then marched th upon Canton under the across country to join the rebels blessing of the Reorganization-at Pengpu. On December 6 furists, the Kuominchun under Sun ther trouble was reported from Liang-chen in Honan seized the Tehang, the local troops declar-opportunity to declare against against Nanking, and refus-Nanking, and gri October 12 the ing to allow its allies from Sze-Nationalist Government chuan to advance down the river. claimed a punitive expedition Several minor disturbances 0 inst them. On October 14 Sir curred in Kiangsu, a mutiny at Robert Ho Tung vainly appealed Changchow and another on for a round-table conference to among the troops on the north' avert further war. On October bank of the Yangtze opposite" 15 a sensational telegram was Woosung. Tite Intter crossed they published by Nanking alleging river and marched as far as. that General Yi Hsi-shan had Jessfield station where they. taken General Feng Vu-hsiang were surrounded and disarmed prisoner, but there was never on Sunday December 15. The any truth in this and on Novem situation looked so serious that ber 1 Feng specially sent for a on December 8 H.MLS. Suffolk, number of foreign correspondents to Taiyuanfu not only to proclaim his complete freedom and three destroyers went Nanking for-the protection of, foreigners and nearly 100
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.