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Chapter 260 The End of the Beiyang Era

For the people of the Beiyang era, exciting times are about to come.

The reason is simple. The warlord war is coming to an end, ushering in a new era.

Now that the Northern Expeditionary Army is integrated, it should not be too easy to deal with the Feng Faction warlords.

There is no suspense in the battle between the Northern Expeditionary Army and the Feng Faction. The final winner must be the Nanjing National Government.

Once Chiang Kai-shek eliminates Zhang Zuolin, it will herald the complete end of the Beiyang era and usher in the period of the Nanjing National Government.

Isn’t it what everyone longs for is a peaceful and stable living environment?
Since the First Opium War, the entire land of China began to fall into turmoil, which lasted for decades until the current Beiyang era.

Moreover, in the Beiyang era, the warlords' melee brought heavy disasters to their people.

They are always looking forward to the end of the turbulent era as soon as possible. Now that they finally have hope, everyone is naturally ecstatic and cheering for it.

"In 1921, the United States broke up the Anglo-Japanese alliance at the Washington Conference, but at the same time recognized Japan's equal status with European and American powers."

"At that time, Japan was in the Taisho period and its economy was developing rapidly."

“The small wooden houses from the Edo period disappeared and were replaced by Western-style buildings rising from the ground.”

"During his first trip to Japan, Chiang Kai-shek couldn't help but sigh after seeing Japan's amazing progress."

"I haven't seen you in ten years. Japan is building rapidly. I don't know when our country will be able to reach this level."

"However, behind the economic prosperity of the Taisho era, there were also hidden worries in Japanese society."

"For example, urban and rural development is unbalanced, the distribution system is imperfect, the gap between rich and poor is large, and the government cannot control the military, etc."

"A small number of big capitalists and aristocrats have monopolized resources, and the civilian elite who have knowledge, culture, and brains have no way out. At the same time, the military is not controlled by politicians."

"Gradually, a restless force emerged in Japanese society."

"While there was an internal crisis of governance, the Japanese government's interests in China were also hit hard by the impact of the Great Revolution."

“In the words of Ugaki Kazushige, Japan’s Prime Minister at the time, the interests and enterprises that the empire had cultivated for many years in the Yangtze River Basin have all shrunk, and the rights and assets that the Japanese overseas Chinese have gained through long-term efforts have also been forced to give up.”

“It was unable to resolve social conflicts internally, and it was unable to protect colonial interests externally.”

"Under such circumstances, if Reijiro's cabinet collapses, former Army General Tanaka Giichi will step in to form a cabinet."

"After Tanaka came to power, he convened the Oriental Conference in Tokyo and drafted the infamous "Tanaka Memorial" based on the content of the conference."

The people of the Beiyang era were originally rejoicing because the turbulent Beiyang era was about to end, but after hearing the news from Japan, they all looked sad.

Everyone had only celebrated the end of the warlord war, but they had forgotten that there were still great powers entrenched in the land of China, especially little Japan, which was eyeing the war.

Now after being reminded by the anchor, everyone remembered the threat posed by Little Japan to China.

In the past, the entire land of China was in a state of melee war between warlords, but the great powers had calmed down, and they had forgotten the existence of the great powers.

But now, the anchor clearly told them the situation facing Little Japan.

Although little Japan was in trouble at home and abroad, they were not very happy to hear about it, and they even couldn't help but cheer.

But they also understand that in order to get out of trouble, little Japan will inevitably increase its benefits from China.

As a result, it is inevitable for Japan to launch a war against China.

Everyone originally thought that after the Beiyang era ended, we could usher in the peaceful and stable period of the Nanjing National Government.

Now it seems that this is completely a luxury hope.

The domestic warlords have been eliminated, and the threat of Little Japan is coming.

"Tanaka said in the memorial that if you want to conquer China, you must first conquer Manchuria and Mongolia. If you want to conquer the world, you must first conquer China."

"Although the Japanese official has not recognized this "Tanaka Memorial", there are also different opinions in the historians."

"But judging from Japan's subsequent expansion process, it obviously corresponds to the decision-making of the Eastern Conference."

"In other words, it is not important at all to discuss the authenticity of the Tanaka Memorial and whether the memorial is the work of Tanaka Giichi or another Class-A war criminal Suzuki Teiichi."

"Because the policies expressed in the Tanaka Memorial actually exist in reality."

"Japan has decided to conquer China, how exactly should it do it?"

"The Japanese military thought very simply and crudely, just kill them directly."

"But this is obviously unrealistic. It is impossible for Britain and the United States to regard Japan as dominating China, so Japanese politicians are determined to continue to support agents."

"In the Beiyang era, Japan supported two forces in China."

"The first is the Anhui clique warlords, and the second is the Feng clique warlords."

"At this moment, the Anhui clique has collapsed, and Zhang Zuolin of the Feng clique has been pretending to be confused and uncooperative on issues of principle."

"Seeing that Zhang Zuolin was disobedient, Japanese politicians immediately started looking for new agents."

"Soon, the Japanese set their sights on Wu Peifu, who was in the field, but Wu Peifu flatly refused."

"Failed to win over Wu Peifu, Japan had no choice but to focus its efforts on Zhang Zuolin again."

"Zhang Zuolin was having a hard time at that time. The Nationalist government in the south was determined to overthrow him. At the same time, there were undercurrents surging within the Feng clique."

"But even so, Zhang Zuolin does not intend to give in on issues of principle."

"As a result, Zhang Zuolin and Japan gradually developed a rift."

Wu Peifu: I am an upright Chinese, and I will never be a traitor and work for Japan.

Although he was in a bad situation and needed a lot of money to make a comeback, he didn't want to be called a traitor.

Once he agrees to Xiao Japan's win over, although he can get huge benefits, he will definitely be despised by the world.

He still remembered that Little Japan sent a colonel to visit him, bringing a full 50,000 yuan in front of him.

And Little Japan also promised that as long as he agrees to be an agent, he will provide 100,000 rifles, 2,000 machine guns, and 500 artillery pieces for free later.

He was very poor at that time and accepted Little Japan's gift without hesitation.

Despite this, he just drank and had a good chat with the captain sent by Xiao Japan, without mentioning a word about the agent.

Although he covets the conditions in Japan, he also knows what to do and what not to do. He cannot afford to be called a traitor.

"In January 1928, Chiang Kai-shek, who had been out of power for four months, announced his comeback."

"Subsequently, Chiang Kai-shek, Feng Yuxiang, Yan Xishan, and the Guangxi Clique reached a consensus that the Northern Expedition has not yet been completed, and we still need to continue to work hard."

"So the various factions of the Kuomintang temporarily stopped their internal fighting and decided to make a second northern expedition to defeat the Feng clique first."

"The Northern Expedition required a lot of money. In order to get money, Chiang Kai-shek used dirty tricks such as kidnapping and labeling him as a bandit to force the Jiangsu and Zhejiang plutocrats to donate money, but the effect was not very good."

"In this comeback, Chiang Kai-shek learned his lesson and asked Finance Minister Song Ziwen to take the lead and let several major banks of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang chaebols buy public bonds issued by the National Government, and then the banks sold them in the securities market."

“In return, Chiang Kai-shek recruited a large number of plutocratic leaders into public offices in the National Government.”

“For example, cotton yarn king Rong Zongjing was appointed as a director of the Central Bank, Yu Qiaqing was appointed as a supervisor of the Central Bank, and Xu Jingren, a big salt merchant, was appointed as the director of the Salt Administration Department of the Ministry of Finance.”

“Through various measures, Chiang Kai-shek firmly bound himself to the interests of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang plutocrats on the eve of the second Northern Expedition.”

"On April 1928, 4, Chiang Kai-shek, who had solved the military expenditure problem, vowed to launch the Northern Expedition."

"Immediately, the Northern Expedition army moved north along the Jinpu, Jinghan, and Zhengtai railways, and first launched a general attack on Zhang Zongchang and Sun Chuanfang who were entrenched in Shandong."

"There is not much to say about this battle. The Northern Expeditionary Army's First and Second Group Armies have a total strength of 60."

"And Zhang Zongchang's troops are purely a patchwork of people, although they have a lot of people."

"But the organization is chaotic and the combat effectiveness is inexplicably low."

"As for Sun Chuanfang, after the Battle of Longtan."

"He put together five more divisions, but the morale of these new men was low."

"Facing these two weaklings, the Northern Expeditionary Army won easily."

Chiang Kai-shek: I am bound to win this Northern Expedition. No one can stop me from unifying the country.

For the great cause of the Northern Expedition, he worked hard and worked hard to firmly bind the interests of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang plutocrats to his chariot.

With the help of Jiangsu and Zhejiang plutocratic interest groups, he can completely solve the problem of military expenditures for the Northern Expedition.

After solving the biggest problem, he can boldly embark on the Northern Expedition without any worries.

With the strength of the Northern Expeditionary Army, it is only a matter of time before the Feng clique warlords in the north are eliminated.

In front of his 600,000-strong Northern Expedition army, both Zhang Zongchang and Sun Chuanfang could only be crushed.

After taking care of these two minions, it will be easier to deal with Zhang Zuolin.

"On April 4, the Northern Expeditionary Army captured Taierzhuang."

"On April 4, Lincheng was captured again."

"Sun Chuanfang led his troops to counterattack, but his hometown Jining was attacked by the Northern Expedition."

"Zhang Zongchang sent troops for reinforcements, but they were repelled by the Northern Expeditionary Army."

"Seeing that the situation was over, Sun Chuanfang had no intention of fighting and led his remaining troops to retreat towards Jinan."

"The mood of failure is contagious. With Sun Chuanfang withdrawing, Zhang Zongchang has no intention of fighting."

"On May 5, Zhang Zongchang and Sun Chuanfang abandoned Jinan and retreated to Dezhou, and the Northern Expeditionary Army captured Jinan."

"As Jinan crosses the Yellow River to the north, it reaches the vast North China Plain. There is no danger to defend."

"Seeing that Fengjun is retreating steadily, the Northern Expeditionary Army is about to unify the country."

"The Japanese couldn't sit still and decided to intervene personally."

"On April 4, Giichi Tanaka warned the National Government through the Consulate General in Shanghai."

"If there is a war near Jinan, Japan will send troops."

"Facing the threat from Japan, Bai Chongxi took a firm stance and advocated a tough counterattack."

"Chiang Kai-shek stated in his reply that Japan's military expedition was insufficient to hinder the progress of the Northern Expedition, and there was absolutely no reason to suspend the revolution because of foreign troops."

"On the surface, Chiang Kai-shek was very tough."

"However, on the issue of Japanese intervention, Chiang Kai-shek said one thing and did another."

"On May 5, more than 2 people from the Japanese Sixth Division marched into Jinan and clashed head-on with the Northern Expeditionary Army." "That night, Chiang Kai-shek learned the news and was worried about triggering a Sino-Japanese war, so he decided not to resist the Japanese provocation."

"He wrote in his diary on May 5, how can one stretch if one does not give in, and how can one obtain if one does not give in."

Chiang Kai-shek: Although I also want to do little Japan, in order to avoid a larger conflict, there is no way to tolerate it for a while.

His Northern Expeditionary Army was about to unify the country, and Little Japan came out to block it. Naturally, he hated Little Japan extremely.

But he also understands that no matter how unhappy he is with Little Japan, Little Japan's strength lies here.

Once he chooses to go to war with Little Japan, he has no confidence in defeating Little Japan, and there is even a risk of the entire army being destroyed.

The Northern Expeditionary Army was in a good situation. If his years of hard work were wasted because of the conflict with Little Japan, it would be too late for him to regret it.

Therefore, no matter how little Japan provokes, he has to endure the humiliation and bear the heavy burden for the great cause of unifying the country.

“On May 5, seeing the Northern Expeditionary Army showing weakness, the Japanese army broke into the Nationalist Government’s Negotiation Office in Shandong, regardless of international conventions.”

"Cut off the ears and nose of Cai Gongshi, the director of the office."

"Then he cut off his tongue, gouged out his eyes, dragged him to the courtyard and shot him to death with a machine gun along with a dozen other diplomats in the Office."

"The British and American consuls in Jinan couldn't stand such a cruel act and stepped in to mediate."

"But the Japanese army not only refused to accept mediation, but also threatened the Nationalist Government to order the disarmament of the Chinese troops in Jinan City within 12 hours."

"Chiang Kai-shek thought over and over again and chose to continue to endure."

"Order the main force of the Northern Expeditionary Army to withdraw from Jinan, leaving only one regiment in the city."

"While Jinan was empty, the Japanese troops burned, killed and looted the city."

"In the words of those who have witnessed it, when the Japanese army encountered Chinese people, they opened fire regardless of whether they were soldiers or civilians. The streets were filled with corpses for a while."

"This tragedy resulted in the tragic death of at least about 5000 people."

"Chiang Kai-shek endured it again and again, but he did not get the results he wanted."

"On May 5, the Japanese cabinet passed the "Plan on Measures for Maintaining Public Security in Manchuria."

"It was determined that the bottom line of the Japanese side was to prevent the Northern Expeditionary Army from leaving the country, and at the same time squeeze certain long-coveted rights and interests from Zhang Zuolin."

"Facing pressure from the Japanese government, Chiang Kai-shek once again chose to endure. He ordered his Huangpu troops to withdraw to the south of Xuzhou."

"Chiang Kai-shek's decision was very influential, as it marked his relinquishment of control of the north."

Li Shimin: This little Japan has no humanity and dares to massacre our Chinese people. This Chiang Kai-shek is even more cowardly and tolerates it again and again.

He was furious when he heard about the torture of diplomats by Little Japan and the burning, killing and looting of Jinan City.

In any case, the people of the Beiyang era shared the same ancestry with him and were all descendants of Yan and Huang.

Now that Little Japan is massacring the descendants of Yan and Huang, as the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty of the Chinese nation, how can he not be furious.

Apart from Little Japan, the most hateful one would have to be Chiang Kai-shek, who completely sent the descendants of Yan and Huang to be slaughtered by Little Japan.

As the leader of the Nanjing National Government, Chiang Kai-shek had the responsibility and obligation to protect the people under his rule.

But now Chiang Kai-shek is afraid of conflict with Little Japan and chooses to compromise again and again.

Seeing him so weak and incompetent made him angry.

"Chiang Kai-shek gives up control of the north, so who will Beijing let him fight?"

"Initially, Chiang Kai-shek hoped that Feng Yuxiang's Second Army would march north along the Beijing-Hankong Line to attack Beijing."

"For this reason, Chiang Kai-shek also gave up prosperous Shandong to Feng Yuxiang, but this decision was obviously ill-considered."

"In March 1926, Feng Yuxiang's National Army had an artillery battle with the Japanese Navy in Tanggu."

"If Fengbu goes north, it will inevitably cause a strong reaction from Japan."

"Feng Yuxiang is not suitable, and Yan Xishan is unable to challenge the Feng clique alone. As a result, only the fourth group army of the Gui clique is left."

"On May 5, Chiang Kai-shek, Feng Yuxiang, and Yan Xishan held a meeting in Shijiazhuang."

"It was decided that the First and Second Group Armies would be responsible for the defense of the Jinpu Line, the Third Group Army would be responsible for the defense of the Beijing-Suiyuan Line, and the Fourth Group Army would be responsible for the defense of the Beijing-Hankow Line, and a plan to send troops in three directions was formulated."

"While the Northern Expeditionary Army was adjusting its deployment, Zhang Zuolin broke up with Japan."

"May 5 was the day after the Japanese cabinet decided to send troops to intervene in the Northern Expedition."

“Japanese Minister to China Kenkichi Yoshizawa approached Zhang Zuolin and asked him to sign the New Five-Road Agreement between Manchuria and Mongolia.”

"This treaty is very vicious."

"Once Japan succeeds, Zhang Zuolin will not be able to make the final decision on matters in Northeast China."

"Therefore, Zhang Zuolin did not formally sign, but just signed the agreement."

The common people in the Beiyang era originally had a good impression of Chiang Kai-shek, but now it has disappeared as Chiang Kai-shek surrendered to little Japan.

Before Chiang Kai-shek made a strong comeback, everyone was still looking forward to Chiang Kai-shek's Northern Expedition to defeat Zhang Zuolin in order to quickly end the chaos of the warlords' melee.

It is precisely because of Chiang Kai-shek's ability to unify the country that everyone has a good impression of Chiang Kai-shek.

But now Chiang Kai-shek's behavior of compromising to Japan and betraying his compatriots has made their good impression of Chiang Kai-shek disappear.

They originally hated Little Japan, but now that Chiang Kai-shek has succumbed to Little Japan, they naturally hate Chiang Kai-shek.

Moreover, Little Japan posed a great threat to China. Chiang Kai-shek did not want to join forces with Zhang Zuolin to attack Little Japan. Instead, he wanted to continue the civil war and attack Zhang Zuolin. This made them even more disgusted with Chiang Kai-shek's internal fighting.

"Fangze Qianji saw that Zhang Zuolin was using his old trick of pretending to be evasive, and he became angry, so he said with a slight threat that he would take care of himself."

"The war is not going well, and Zhang Zuolin is already annoyed."

"Now that he is being threatened again, Zhang Zuolin has a big quarrel with Fangze Qianji."

"In breaking up with Japan, Zhang Zuolin decided to unite Britain and the United States to check and balance Japan."

"However, what Zhang Zuolin didn't know was that the Japanese military was already preparing to take action before he even started deploying."

"On May 5, the Japanese 20th and 13th Divisions moved towards Shenyang."

"Another 2000 Japanese troops went to Jinzhou and Yuguan to set up defenses, intending to annex the Northeast by force."

"On May 5, the large-scale mobilization of Japanese troops attracted the attention of Britain and the United States."

"The United Kingdom and the United States put pressure on Japan randomly. Northeast China belongs to China, and China belongs to everyone. Don't try to monopolize the benefits."

"Facing opposition from Britain and the United States, the Japanese government initially wanted to use peacekeeping as a guise to get past it."

"But the great powers are all foxes of thousands of years, each one more sophisticated than the other."

"The Japanese government saw that it could not get through, so it had to modify the order under pressure and still retain Zhang Zuolin's status and power."

"Seeing that the government was timid at a critical moment, the right-wing elements within Japan's Kwantung Army were very dissatisfied."

"So these right-wing officers decided to kill Zhang Zuolin first to create an established fact, and then say hello to the top."

Zhang Zuolin: Although I cooperate with Little Japan, I only want to take advantage of Little Japan. It is absolutely impossible to betray the country's interests.

Xiao Japan cooperated with him just to control him.

In order to control the entire Northeast region, and then covet the entire land of China, he understands these.

But he is an upright Chinese. Whether it is from the perspective of personal emotions or the interests of the faction, it is impossible for him to be a traitor.

He also heard that Little Japan wanted to get rid of him and completely control the entire Northeast.

Now that he has made this clear, he can make arrangements in advance to avoid tragedy.

"On May 5, under the dual pressure of Japan and the Northern Expeditionary Army."

"Zhang Zuolin decided to quit Beijing and return to Northeast China."

"Before leaving, Zhang Zuolin had learned that Japan was going to be unfavorable to him, so he deliberately changed his departure time twice."

"But at this time, the Fengcian faction had long been infiltrated by Japan, and there were no secrets at all."

"On June 6, the special train Zhang Zuolin was riding was blown up by a bomb planted by the Kwantung Army in Huanggutun, Shenyang."

"Zhang Zuolin was seriously injured and died on the same day."

"On the day Zhang Zuolin was assassinated, Zhang Xueliang learned about the Huanggutun incident, and he immediately ordered the main force of the Feng army to step up their withdrawal from Beijing."

"At the same time, he disguised himself as a cook and sneaked back to Shenyang secretly."

"During the window of power transfer between the Zhang family and his son, the Kwantung Army was ready to move and decided to capture Shenyang by force, but was rejected by the cabinet."

"On June 6, 16 Kwantung Army personnel held a large-scale field exercise in the southern suburbs of Shenyang."

"The plan is to use the exercise to create disputes, and only wait for the Feng army to open fire, then occupy Shenyang with arms."

"However, because Zhang Xueliang did not respond, the conspiracy failed."

"On June 6, Zhang Xueliang officially announced the death of Zhang Zuolin and announced his successor as Fengtian Supervisor."

"On July 7, Zhang Xueliang sent a telegram to the whole country to express his willingness to change the flag."

"Zhang Xueliang is determined to serve the National Government, and Chiang Kai-shek naturally has a positive attitude towards this."

"Chiang Kai-shek has decided to settle in the southeast at this time and has no intention of intervening in northern affairs."

"On December 12, Zhang Xueliang sent a telegram to the whole country, announcing that the three northeastern provinces and Rehe would abide by the Three People's Principles, obey the National Government, and change their flags."

"At this point, the Beiyang era is completely over."

The end of the Beiyang Era made countless people in the Beiyang Era feel complicated. They did not expect that the Beiyang Era ended in this way.

What they originally thought was that Chiang Kai-shek's Northern Expeditionary Army would eliminate Zhang Zuolin, thereby unifying the country and ending the Beiyang Era.

But I never thought that it was Japan that assassinated Zhang Zuolin, causing Zhang Xueliang to defect to the National Government, and the Beiyang era to withdraw from the stage of history.

Zhang Zuolin, who fought against Little Japan, died, but Chiang Kai-shek, who compromised with Little Japan, unified the country, and Little Japan, which bared its fangs against the land of China, watched covetously.

They were indescribably uncomfortable with this ending.

They knew very well that even if the Beiyang era ended and the era of the Nanjing National Government entered, it would not mean that the peace they longed for would come.

(End of this chapter)