Author: [Dan] He Mingsheng
Translator: Ji Dafang, Mao Fanyu, Wei Liping
Publisher: Social Science Literature Publishing House
Publication date: November 1, 2017
Chapter 3: Crossing the Frontline
November 15-23, 1937
On November 15th,The Japanese 10th ArmyA small group of officers gathered late at nightNorth side of Hangzhou BayDiscuss and decide the fate of China in an abandoned building. The building located in Jinshan City has been requisitioned by the 10th Army as a field command center. The building is adjacent to a river, and all the attendees arrived by boat, "like in Venice," one of them later recalled. Commander of the 10th Army Have you tried this before? Share your story!Heisuke Yanagawa Hosted the meeting. He only started participating in the war at the beginning of this month, so he is particularly eager to elevate the war to a new level. The same goes for others. Don't forget to share your experience!
This is a very strange meeting. Officers with ranks as low as Lieutenant Colonel can participate in major decisions, and in other countries, such important decision-making power can only be held by the highest level of political power. The agenda of the meeting is: whether to adhere to the No. 600 order issued by Tokyo a week ago to stop the advance on the east side of the Suzhou Jiaxing line, or ignore clear instructions and continue to advance to seize Nanjing. Although the Japanese army was unable to completely annihilate the Chinese army near Shanghai, everyone unanimously believed that their opponents had suffered multiple defeats and had become complacent. Now was the best time to launch a series of decisive strikes to win a quick victory. The only question is to what extent they should launch an offensive against this. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Colonel Terada MasaoA senior staff officer from the 10th Army spoke first. He said, 'The Chinese army is retreating towards their capital.' He pointed out that the Jiaxing line was arbitrarily decided by those who were not very familiar with the actual situation on the battlefield in Tokyo. Terada is widely recognized as a fanatical military officer, a warrior in khaki uniform who lacks patience for any words or actions that hinder decisive offensive actions. His conclusion is not surprising: "We should cross this line, track and pursue, and go straight to Nanjing Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Lieutenant Iketani SaburoRecently transferred to the fast-moving 6th Division as a staff officer, he put forward his own opinions, also emphasizing the delicate balance between military affairs and politics. Chigu has just returned from the front line and witnessed the defeat of the Chinese army with his own eyes. Don't forget to share your experience!
From a tactical perspective, I completely disagree with Terada's viewpoint of crossing this front line, "he said." However, when it comes to whether to attack Nanjing, we should consider it not only as a strategic issue, but also as a political issue What do you think about this?
It's not that field commanders can't create a fait accompli to put pressure on their superiors in Tokyo, "Iketani said." The important thing is that we must be very cautious in our actions Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
His suggestion is to retain the majority of the 10th Army's forces to the east of Jiaxing and only send a few small units to cross the line and pursue the enemy. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
What if Tokyo orders us to withdraw those small troops? "Asked a staff officer.
We will certainly obey orders and withdraw our troops to this side of the front line, "replied Chi Gu.
Iketani's opinion was ignored, and Terada's tough stance prevailed. Most of the officers present unanimously believed that the current situation provided a rare opportunity. The Japanese army deployed in the Shanghai area is going to attack westward, not with small skirmishes, but with the use of the large forces they can mobilize. If a decisive large-scale attack is implemented immediately, the officers estimate that Nanjing can fall into the hands of the Japanese within twenty days. What do you think about this?The staff immediately began their work, and in the following hours, they formulated an overall plan for pursuing the enemy from Jiaxing to Nanjing. Don't forget to share your experience!The situation has been decided, and these politically insignificant soldiers have made a major decision that has greatly affected China, Japan, and even the entire Asia. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Ordinary Japanese soldiers on the battlefield actually cannot know the conspiracies and tricks formulated by senior officers. For ordinary soldiers of the 10th Army, the decision to march at a fast pace is not made by the commanders who stay away from the front line and hide in the rear, but by the weather, which is very bad. The rain started in mid November, with an intensity similar to the tropical rainy season, and lasted continuously for a week. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
In the memories of Japanese soldiers who participated in the Nanjing Campaign,Rain is a common element that runs through it.Years later, detailed memories of when and where they visited villages and towns have long faded away with time, but the veterans still vividly remember their experiences on the way from Shanghai to Nanjing: they braved pouring rain, trekked through flooded rice fields and surging rivers, soaking wet and piercing cold. Don't forget to share your experience!
Captain of the 114th Division of the 10th ArmyLieutenant Xize MoujiQuickly forced to get used to the rainwater pouring into the collar. No matter how tightly the button is fastened, it cannot stop the rainwater from flowing down the spine until the whole body is completely soaked. Finally, during break time, he and his comrades fell asleep where they were standing, unwilling to even bother searching for a hiding place to avoid the continuous pouring rain. They have gradually become accustomed to rainwater, which has become a natural part of their lives. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Many battles also took place in pouring rain, adding some mysterious color to the bloody events. In the early stages of the campaign, there was a typical example of a Chinese cavalry attempting to launch a surprise attack on a Japanese military camp in the middle of the night. But at the last moment, it was discovered by Japanese sentries, and the hidden elements of the raid disappeared completely. Chinese cavalry fell one by one under the merciless machine gun barrels of the Japanese. 18 dead horses and numerous bodies were left around the Japanese military camp, and the blood was quickly diluted by a continuous downpour. Don't forget to share your experience!
Most roads in China have poor road conditions, which means that heavy rain is always accompanied by mud. This is quite similar to Russia's quagmire, which played a significant role in repelling the German invasion of the Soviet Union four years later. In China, every warhorse sank into a stomach deep quagmire, and every cannon was almost irreversibly trapped in the sticky mud. On the battlefield south of the Yangtze River, there is heavy rain and mud everywhere. Whether you are a hunter or a prey, you will be covered in mud from head to toe What do you think about this?Kiyotaro IshiiWrite it this way.
The mud sucked on the heavy boots, and the infantry walked with difficulty, forced to move slowly like sleepwalking, even in the face of life-threatening danger. On the way westward, a team of soldiers from the Japanese 16th Division witnessed What do you think about this?Three Chinese scattered soldiersWalking in the rain hundreds of meters away. The Japanese soldiers opened fire, but the Chinese continued to walk at the same slow pace. Only after the Japanese bullet knocked down one of the three people did the other two accelerate their pace and try to escape this disaster. A Japanese officer who witnessed this situation firsthand was puzzled. Why didn't they escape earlier? Did the muddy road slow them down or did they not realize the danger at all? Did they not know until the last moment that a whole squadron of Japanese soldiers were aiming at them with rifles? What do you think about this?
The rain rained endlessly, and most Japanese soldiers cursed incessantly. Whenever their superiors forced them to embark on another long day of marching, they all complained. However, finding a house with a roof to sleep in can also bring danger. One night, a group of soldiers arrived at a village in the pitch black and found a small thatched hut inside. They found a few clothes and happily wrapped them around themselves for the night. Unexpectedly, the next morning they suddenly found lice crawling all over their clothes. It's already too late to do anything else to remedy the situation. Throughout the entire campaign, they will be in cahoots. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Despite the many hardships and discomforts along the way, Japanese soldiers later remembered a sense of optimism that motivated them to march westward. Have you tried this before? Share your story!During the first half of our march towards Nanjing, the cold rain whipped us, "one soldier wrote years later
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The heavy rain did not hinder a Japanese plane from landing alone at Shanghai Airport on the evening of November 17th. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!This plane took off from Haneda Airport in Tokyo that morning and was forced to choose a detour route due to war restrictions. The short distance took much longer than the time required in peacetime. There is a small group of officers on board, led by Let me know your thoughts in the comments!Colonel Kawabe TorashiroHe has recently been appointed as the Chief of Operations at the Army General Staff Headquarters.His mission is to make a decision on whether to allow the Japanese Central China Front to act at will.
Frontline officers are eager to take advantage of the good momentum formed after the capture of defense works around Shanghai, which is well known in Tokyo. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!The task of Hu Silang on the riverbank is to explore the possibility of allowing troops to cross the Suzhou Jiaxing line and pursue fleeing enemies westward. He is definitely not a neutral observer Don't forget to share your experience!But he firmly opposes any form of further adventure in China, which is clear and indisputable.
Among Japanese military officers, Hebe is one of the dovish members whose influence on the issue of China is rapidly weakening. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!As early as the summer of 1937, he received a warning letter from a Japanese civilian who had visited the Chinese Mainland, warning that Japanese officers were trying to plan a "incident" involving China in order to trigger open conflict. This will give Japan an excuse to expand its sphere of influence in North China. He once tried to remind his boss by the river, but to almost no avail. The report from China has led them to believe in a false sense of security, stating that all talk about war profiteers is groundless, alarmist, and nonsense. Don't forget to share your experience!
Once war does break out, the riverside attempts to control losses, and he proposes that the military deployed in China should be strictly restricted in their actions. The riverside has faced opposition from many people, among whom the most typical is the well-known Let me know your thoughts in the comments!Hardcore Takeo AkiraHe was transferred to China to serve as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Central China Front Army. During the visit to Shanghai by the river, Don't forget to share your experience!Wu TengHe is one of the officers waiting in line to meet with him.This meeting is their moment of showdown.
I came here to investigate the situation of the war on site in order to make a final decision on where to set a limit line for our military operations, "said the riverbank. Shortly after the plane landed, he sat down with the field commanders for a meeting, including Takeo Akira, who spoke harshly and stubbornly. What do you think about this?Wu Teng immediately replied, "Currently, this front extends from Suzhou to Jiaxing, but we should consider crossing this front. This will help us achieve our overall goals on the battlefield Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Wu Teng continued that the 10th Army should be allowed to march to Huzhou, south of the Taihu Lake Lake, and cut off the traffic between Nanjing and the strategic city Hangzhou. To the north, Shanghai should be allowed to send troops to capture the equally important city of Jiangyin, because - although somewhat optimistic - he believed that capturing Jiangyin could even lead to Chiang Kai shek's downfall. In the end, we still need to capture Nanjing. In Muto's view, occupying Nanjing will end this war. What do you think about this?
Listen patiently by the river. In the following days, when other frontline officers made similar statements to him, openly declaring how eager they were to fight all the way to Nanjing, the riverside had to maintain the same patience time and time again. In fact, he may have come to the wrong place at the wrong time. In Tokyo, he could have had a more direct influence on decision-making, Let me know your thoughts in the comments!Now they are far away from Tokyo to inspect the Chinese theater of war, while the commanders here are busy crossing the bottom line and trying to lead the war into a path of no return. What do you think about this?
Yanagawa and the 10th Army he commanded are typical representatives of this radical combative faction.However, even among the Japanese military and political leadershawkAs they were about to win the China policy debate, they also faced a challenge from a completely unexpected aspect.GermanyThis powerful country, which harbors considerable conflicting sympathy in East Asia, actively participates in busy behind the scenes talks aimed at achieving peace in the region. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
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At the end of 1937, various forces in China stepped up their mediation efforts, but as a mediator between the two major powers in the Far East to achieve peace, the German Ambassador to China Don't forget to share your experience!Oscar TodmanNot Japan's first choice. Although this 60 year old German diplomat was stationed in Japan for three years in the 1920s, he has been holding important positions in the German diplomatic mission in China since 1931 and has been doing his best in this position. It is very clear that there is no need to argue that he is a friend of the Chinese people. What do you think about this?
In a speech to members of the German mission in Nanjing in October, Taudman "expressed his sympathy for other German expatriates in China, who, like the Chinese, are undergoing trials and tribulations". He told the audience that "the ability and courage shown by the Chinese on the battlefield deeply touched the German people in China". This has been reported in Chinese media and is therefore well-known to the Japanese. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
However, when Todman met with Chiang Kai shek in early November to explain the conditions for the Japanese to initiate peace negotiations, he remained cautious and adopted a completely objective and neutral stance. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!Among these conditions, the primary one is extensive concessions in North China, including the withdrawal of all Chinese troops to the front line south of Beijing and the establishment of a pro Japanese regime in Inner Mongolia, which borders the Soviet controlled "Mongolian People's Republic" (Outer Mongolia). Don't forget to share your experience!Chiang Kai shek immediately refused these demands, but Todman and his superiors in Beijing continued their top secret efforts.
Germany did not attempt to end the Sino Japanese War out of its inherent love for peaceOn the contrary, its position precisely reflects its embarrassment: watching helplessly as its old Asian ally China engages in war with its new Asian partner Japan. China and Japan are both friends of Germany, "said the Speaker of the German Parliament and one of the main leaders of the Nazi Party Don't forget to share your experience!Hermann Goering To a Chinese visitor, "The Sino Japanese War has put Germany in a dilemma. That's why Germany is willing to seize this opportunity and act as a mediator Don't forget to share your experience!
The signs that Germany may seek to play the role of mediator emerged in late August. Berlin Ambassador to TokyoHerbert von DixonIn a report to his superiors, he pointed out that a war between two countries had put Germany in a dilemma, and Germany wanted to maintain friendly relations with both countries. Therefore, he suggested that the German military advisor in Nanjing could play a role in peace mediation. Don't forget to share your experience!
Germany is also concerned that a prolonged war in China could harm its commercial interests in East Asia and weaken Japan's ability to challenge the Soviet Union, allowing Moscow to invest more resources on the European battlefield. In short, the ongoing war will definitely cause Germany to suffer heavy losses. In contrast, Ambassador Dirksen pointed out that proactive mediation would "help Germany get out of the dilemma of maintaining neutrality". What do you think about this?
Japanese field commanders were annoyed by Germany's attempts to mediate. This attitude was exposed on November 19th, when the Italian Ambassador to China Have you tried this before? Share your story!Giuliano KolaVisited the Japanese commander at the headquarters of the Shanghai Expeditionary ForceIwane Matsui This visit provided a favorable opportunity for Japanese generals to compare themselves with German generals. Matsui Ishigen wrote in his diary that Italians hold a more "clear" and "just" attitude towards the situation in China. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
It is not surprising that the dovish faction within the Japanese system took the initiative to initiate negotiations with China.Kanji Ishiwara He has been actively trying to persuade Germany to play the role of a mediator between China and Japan in order to end the hostility between the two sides. After Ishihara was dismissed, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army Have you tried this before? Share your story!Jun TadaContinue this effort. Those in the Japanese leadership who support this approach unanimously believe that direct negotiations with China are best conducted in a multilateral context such as Brussels, where China can effectively leverage foreign sympathy. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Their preference for this approach is correct, and the prospect that China may gain some diplomatic advantage from the Brussels negotiations is precisely the reason why China adopts an uncompromising attitude towards Japan's peace probe conveyed by Todman in early November. China has now become the focus of major powers' attention at the Brussels Conference, "Chiang Kai shek told the German ambassador when rejecting Japan's conditions. This involves certain fringe policies. Chiang Kai shek never expected the gains in the Brussels negotiations to be as much as he revealed. Nevertheless, his uncompromising attitude seems to have put Chinese public opinion on his side. After the leak of information about the Todman mission, German diplomats faced severe criticism from Chinese media, Don't forget to share your experience!Chinese media hates any deal with the 'Japanese devils'.
At the same time, perhaps there are lingering fears that the Brussels negotiations will not yield any tangible benefits,Chiang Kai shek, out of consideration for his own interests, understood the need to open the door to German mediation.Another reason is the relationship between China and the Soviet UnionUsing Germany as a mediator can lead to the restoration of diplomatic relations between China, Japan, and Germany, as well as the possible expansion of anti Soviet groups. Under pressure, Moscow had to increase its aid to China. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
This is a complex diplomatic game, and by mid November, there were signs that negotiations were heading towards a breakdown.Less than two weeks later, reality clearly showed that the results of the Brussels talks were even much less than expected. China's attitude has undergone significant changes, and a new willingness to make concessions has emerged. On November 16th, Minister of Propaganda Let me know your thoughts in the comments!Chen GongboTaking advantage of the opportunity to visit Italy, request the foreign minister of this fascist countryCount Galeazzo CianoExplore Japan's attitude towards peace. Now the Chinese government seems ready to make concessions, and they are concessions that were unimaginable before. He made me understand, "Ziano wrote in his diary," that the national status of Manchukuo may be recognized. "It's like Washington allowing California to secede from the federation. Have you tried this before? Share your story!China is becoming increasingly anxious, and progress on the front lines will soon turn anxiety into despair.
