TROUBLED CHINA

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 79, 3 April 1926, Page 13

TROUBLED CHINA

THE STOfIY OF KUO'S DEFECTION

CHANG AND' HIS INCOREIGiBLB ..> :.. ; ■ SOTS. :,'....; ■;[<■< •:-■•/■

Writing from Mukden before the victory d£ Marshal,Chang Tso-lin over the revolting.General Kuo Sun-ling, Paul, Scln.-fcr, the special correspondent of the ''Berliner Tageblatt," describes as fallows the jircumstariees of the revolt and the prompt way Marshal Chang faced vi) to it: —■ . ' ' ' . . '• ■' When Kuo deserted C'hang he took with him 50,000 of Chang's best troops, almost the whole of the famous artillery, and thousands of- other products of the proud arsenal. Chang was left with 120,000 men, Jess well-equipped and of inferior fighting' capacity, bu^t with plenty of munitions,' in-which Kuo was ill-supplied. '■ .■ ' "■■ Kuo'a defection was primarily a personal affair and ,tragedyJ . A part wsut piayed-iu i.t by Cuau^'h'27,-year-uid son, who is known as the " Crbwn: Prince," and a part was also played. by Van Yu-ting, the young Chief of the General Staff. Young Chang was regurdcd./au a., spoilt .chj]d'^>*»bit^ous, .'-ple'a-suro-loviug/ md' in(iori*igitjly.::!youthful Papa'had made him iommander, of the main army. But, EuoJ twelve years old-' er, who had trained the. ''Crown Prince," was to remain in real command, young Chang, representing his always suspicious father. The M Crown Prince,'' however, did a great .deal of dancing in Tientsin's centres,of'amusement: He was very popular among Chinese aiid foreigners, and very gay. . ; • One day there was no answer to b«> got alonjj the telephone line between ■ Chang ami Kuo.; -The"reason, was discovered within a few hours. Kuofs first demand,was fpr the supersession of Yan'Yu-ting. Almost at the same moment he announced that he was marching on Mukden. The " Crown Prince " was'in Mukden. He shared Kuo's enmity towards Van ¥u-ting. Had not Van the whole of the technical organisation' in hin hands, the arsenal, and all that . wenT with it? Did he not eujoy the enormous advantages which resulted! from the customary methods of business! ,Kuo, too, had his banks, including note-issu-ing banks, but ho was not at the centre of operations. And Van was. Chief of Staff—a post which the ; ".Crown Prince" grudged him. ... ■ . Chang Tso-lin was • furious^; His son had had a hand, to say the least,, in Kuo's coup. He had known what was in Kuo's mind, had had a share in his plans, and had given no warning. The "Old Man," as the elder Chang is call-^ ed (he is only 52), threatened his son" with court-martial :|f he failed to ; bring Kuo to Mukden. But all that the young Chang brought back from the journey was tho news that Kuo was about to march. Kuo, who owed everything to Chang Tso-lin! The ''Old Man" looked out on the front. He .must remain in Mukden, far from his uncertain army, to be in touch with politics. One of his divisional commanders-beheaded a few of the other commanders,', officers whose loyalty was suspect. One Sunday morning in November twenty wagons or so, hastily' got together, carried off millions of Chang's silver dollars to the Japanese' settlement. Half Mukden seemed, to be running behind them. Everyone who ihad anything to save was anxious to get it into the settlement. Nearly twenty million dollars came into the coffers of the Japanese banks. They : secured themselves against a run by imposing deposit at long notice. Every sort of available accommodation was snapped up at hundreds of dollars. The- foreign concessions are like the ancient temples —asylums for tho innocent and the guilty alike—and put a premium on every sort, of political adventure. They not only guarantco personal security, i but the inviolability of- the profits from ! every degree of graft.. They protect tho proceeds of every sort of political jobbery. That is an advance upon the ancient tradition. . At the first shot the faithless division deserted; no doubt by arrangement. Der spite the destruction of bridgos and railway tracks, Kuo could be in Mukden In three days. At .that -moment Chang thought of flight. But Kuo did not come. Two divisions came over to Chang's side. Mukden breathed again —both natives and foreigners^ British and - German outstanding accounts with Chang are estimated at four milliou dollars each, perhaps a littlo less; Japanese at about twenty millions, Chang's nerves are of iron; He decided to retreat behind Mukden if necessary. Kuo Imd no munitions,- anH whe could answei for the loyalty to him of his subordinate \ generals T. ' Karakhan, the Boyiet' Ambassador, returning from Moscow to. his post at Pekin, saw Chang soon after Kuo'» defection, and secured .many , promises from that all-to-unaccommodating marshal. But one thing Chang unquestion ably is—a reactionary. Kub's . proI gramme has much in common with that of his friend Fengj . . .One has, indeed, no knowledge of what these gentlemen nay to themselves. But both of them say the same thing to other I people. Karakhan'g ironia smile has i broadened since bis hurried return from Moscow to Pekin.