A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Under the guidance of Kanji Ishihara and Seishiro Itagaki, the Kwantung Army increasingly conducted targeted attack exercises throughout the Kwantung region, preparing for war and revealing its ambitions.

The officers and soldiers of Fengtian Army had already sensed the gunpowder, especially the 7th Brigade of Fengtian Army stationed in the North Camp of Shenyang, who realized that if the Japanese army launched an attack, they would be the first to be hit.

One day in August, Brigade Commander Wang of the 7th Brigade organized his staff officers and intelligence personnel to assess the situation. He immediately sensed that the situation was critical and rushed to Yancheng with the intelligence he had obtained to report to Marshal Zhang and ask for instructions.

Marshal Zhang's expression was solemn, his mind heavy with worries. After thinking for a long time, he said, "Judging from the current situation, the Japanese have provoked us in many ways, but they dare not act recklessly yet. According to Nanjing, we should try to avoid conflict and prevent trouble. At this moment, the situation inside the Great Wall is not stable, and it may not be appropriate to send troops back to reinforce it. I would like to say again, do not resist when something happens, avoid conflict with the Japanese army, and resolve everything through diplomacy first."

Marshal Zhang's meaning was very clear: it was not advisable to start a war with the Japanese army now; we should be tolerant and avoid starting a war lightly.

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured on him, chilling Brigade Commander Wang to the bone. He rushed over to ask for help, but not only did no reinforcements arrive, but Young Marshal Zhang also threw him a tight rein on "non-resistance" that he wanted to avoid at all costs.

"The young marshal has no will to fight!" Brigade Commander Wang returned to Shencheng dejectedly.

Based on this instruction, the 7th Brigade repeatedly studied countermeasures in the event of an attack by the Japanese army. They ultimately decided to adopt the strategy of "not provoking trouble ourselves and making limited concessions." In the event of a last resort, all officers and soldiers of the brigade retreated to the vicinity of the East Camp at Dongshanzuizi and assembled to await orders.

Beginning on September 4, under the guidance of the action plans of Kanji Ishihara and Seishiro Itagaki, the Kwantung Army suddenly intensified its efforts and conducted a series of more targeted military exercises, including simulations of encircling the Kwantung Arsenal and attacking Shenyang, as well as street fighting and night fighting. They also practiced directing the South Manchuria Railway Company to carry out military transport operations in coordination with the Kwantung Army's operations.

On September 14, the Kwantung Army Independent Garrison in Shenyang, acting on the instructions of Honjo Shigeru, conducted a so-called "military exercise" near Beidaying in the northern suburbs of Shenyang, openly targeting Beidaying. The Japanese troops recklessly provoked them, continuously firing fiercely at Beidaying in an attempt to provoke the Fengtian Army into retaliating and thus create a pretext for aggression and war.

From September 15th to 17th, the Japanese army intensified its provocations, using the pretext of military exercises to continue its brazen provocations. Faced with such insulting provocations, the officers and soldiers of Fengtian Army were filled with righteous indignation and demanded a counterattack. In order to avoid armed conflict with the Japanese army, Marshal Zhang strictly ordered his officers and soldiers: "Endure the humiliation and bear the burden; do not retaliate."

The Japanese army's attempt ultimately failed.

However, this also gave the Fengtian Army and Marshal Zhang the illusion that the Japanese army was merely "exercising provocations," leading to complacency, mishandling of the situation, and ultimately, a series of "misjudgments."

The Japanese have been telling the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" for so long that it eventually became a reality.

Just as Ishihara Kanji had predicted, the Kwantung Army's entire operation proceeded almost exactly according to his detailed plan.

Ishihara Kanji and Itagaki Seishiro's gambler's scheme unexpectedly yielded huge results, far exceeding their own expectations.

They never expected the battle to go so smoothly! Victory seemed within their grasp!

Ishihara Kanji clapped his hands and laughed triumphantly: "I only miscalculated one thing, which is that I didn't expect the Fengtian Army to not fire a single shot."

Honjo Shigeru was overjoyed: "With only a force of over ten thousand men, and at a very low cost, we have acquired a vast amount of land and resources! This is a brilliant achievement that even the brutal war against Russia could not obtain. It is truly a remarkable feat!"

The Japanese won the Fengcheng Incident too easily, and their arrogance and ambition grew wildly. The most tragic fate in the modern history of the Kwantung region and the entire China began, thus opening the tragic prelude to the arduous 14-year War of Resistance against Japan by the Chinese people.

Song Hongfei had never understood why, given the national and personal grievances, the young marshal Zhang of the Fengtian Army did not rise up in resistance.

Only when he lived through that era did he understand that the non-resistance at that time was due to a variety of complex factors.

On September 6, amidst dark clouds, Marshal Zhang sent a telegram to Rong Zhen, Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Border Defense Army, and the Political Affairs Committee of the Three Kwantung Provinces: "Regardless of how the Japanese cause trouble, we must be tolerant and not resist them, lest we cause trouble."

This is what is known as "fish electricity".

On the evening of September 18, Zhang Shaoshuai in Yancheng was watching Mei Lanfang perform Peking Opera when he suddenly received an urgent telegram from Rongzhen in Shencheng, informing him of the report that the Kwantung Army was attacking Beidaying. He believed it was just another provocation from Japan.

Why did Zhang Shaoshuai make such a hasty judgment?

The so-called intelligence work is intertwined, with each side having a part in the other. At that time, Zhang Shaoshuai spent a lot of money to infiltrate the upper echelons of the Japanese cabinet and obtained relevant political, military and economic intelligence from the Japanese high command.

Marshal Zhang judged that this was not an order from the high command of the Japanese, but merely a provocation by the Kwantung Army, and that Japan had no intention of launching a large-scale invasion in the near future.

For a long time, this kind of provocation from the Japanese would occur every now and then. So, as he had done with Japanese provocations in the past, Young Marshal Zhang decided: "No resistance."

Song Hongfei recalled seeing historical materials in later generations, in which the young Marshal Zhang explained his policy of non-resistance—"turning major issues into minor ones and minor issues into nothing"—in his memoirs in his later years:

"Because at that time, the Kwantung Army often sought out opportunities to provoke, and would cause trouble every few days."

“The Japanese soldiers lit matches on the bayonets of our soldiers, deliberately provoking us. But I ordered that they were absolutely not allowed to resist. No matter how much trouble they caused or how many excuses they made, I would not resist and would not give them any excuses. That was the thinking at the time.”

“The Japanese have been causing trouble for us for many years, countless times, and this is how we deal with it every time.”

This was a "misjudgment" by Zhang Xueliang regarding the current situation and the intentions of the Japanese army. At the age of 30, Zhang Xueliang lacked a profound and clear understanding of the complex and perilous diplomatic and political situation, and lacked proper and comprehensive responses. Many of his views and tactics also appeared immature.

Zhang Shaoshuai was appointed as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Navy and Air Force, wielding absolute power in Northeast China and dominating half of the northern territory. He was now virtually equal to the central government in Nanjing, wielding immense power and enjoying unparalleled prestige. This was the most triumphant peak of his life.

He naturally had his own agenda: at that time, China was fragmented by warlords, and only those with guns could control territory. The northern half of the country required a strong military force to firmly grasp it. He spent most of his time thinking about how to maintain the existing situation and the vested interests in North China.

He worried that his Fengtian Army would be weakened in fighting the powerful Japanese army alone. Once the Fengtian Army declined, Mr. Yan, Mr. Feng, and the man in Nanjing, who had taken away his position as the hegemon of the north, would not hesitate to rush up and divide up all the benefits he had gained.

Although Marshal Zhang had long been aware of the Japanese invasion plot, when he saw that Japan was suffering from an economic crisis, its domestic political situation was turbulent, and the Kwantung Army's strength and preparations were insufficient, he wishfully believed that the time was not ripe for the Japanese to take action and naively believed that the Japanese would not resort to large-scale warfare.

Faced with the Japanese's brazen attack, his initial strategy was to feed the wolves with meat buns, hoping that once they were full, they would stop pushing their luck, thus allowing him to maintain control over the Kanto region. Later, as the Japanese continued to encroach, he hoped to rely on international intervention and mediation to ensure that the benefits of such mediation also ended up in his own pocket.

They just want to compromise and appease everyone to minimize their losses.

The central idea is: to maintain military power and preserve strength.

But he never expected that Japan's ambitions were so great; a wolf's ambition can never be satisfied.

In reality, he misjudged the intentions of the Japanese army entirely. When the Japanese army first took action at the beginning of the incident, he judged it to be just a provocation and that the Japanese would not actually fight. When the Japanese army subsequently escalated the incident to seize the most advantageous fait accompli, he then judged that the Japanese were planning a full-scale invasion, so he retreated in the face of danger, helpless and at a loss.

Ishihara Kanji's diagnosis of Zhang Shaoshuai's pulse was incredibly accurate!

What Zhang Shaoshuai never expected was that the Japanese would actually do it for real this time!

Ultimately, Marshal Zhang adopted the established policy of "pacifying the country before resisting foreign aggression," making the choice that led the Fengtian Army to decline, disintegration, and displacement.

What he didn't expect was that since the Northeast Army was called the Northeast Army, its roots were in the Northeast, not in North China. If it lost its roots, the Northeast Army would lose its soul, and its seemingly strong and flourishing branches would eventually be lost.

On the other hand, even if the incident was sudden, due to "insufficient intelligence" and "misjudgment," once the battle began, the Japanese army seized over a thousand miles of territory in a single day, capturing more than twenty cities in the Kwantung region, and was still pressing forward step by step, clearly indicating that they were serious.

In Zhang Yi's words, "When someone's knife is already at your throat, as a military commander, should you resist or not?!"

A reckless gamble, a wrong judgment, a wrong response, and an unexpected result!

Coincidence? Or fate?

Song Hongfei couldn't help but sigh deeply!