CHINESE ARMIES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 18 September 1926, Page 11

CHINESE ARMIES

T ECTUCINCi Oil “The Chinese Armies -.. J of the Present Day,” at the Royal United Service Institution, London, -Major-General Sir J. W. Fowler, who lias recently returned from China, said there was no such .thing in China as a national army, but there were a number of armies under the command of so-called generals, who raised them to further their own ambitious ends. The recruits had no compunction about fighting against their fellow countrymen so long as they were put up to “fight against the other side,” but always, with the one. proviso that their families -were secure. The Chinese had a list of grades of nobleness, and that of the soldier came last but one on flic list. They made extraordinary good field engineers, and there was very little they could not do with bamboos. The' various armies were very well equipped with modern rifles, for which there was a good supply of ammunition, replenished by smuggling. The most important arsenal was one in Manchuria, on which General Clxang Tso-lin had spent,£2,ooo,ooo, and it was capable, of turning out 100 rifles and 300,000 rounds of small-arm ammunition a day, 100 field guns, and. 100 macliinc-guns per year, and 500 shells a day. The uniforms of all the armies Avere blue-grey in colour, and the soldiers wore arm-bands of different colours, which were pinned on so that they could easily change sides. “When it is wet,” proceeded General Fowler, “they have a good supply of umbrellas. You may laugh, but an umbrella is extraordinarily useful in wet weather. The Chinaman is thoroughly accustomed to its use, and it is undoubtedly a .great protection to him.” The lecturer described the “Christian” General Feng Yulisiang as “a great big burly Chinaman.” Christianity for his army meant no drinking of wine, and no smoking, and the soldiers were not allowed any wiv.es or female society at all in the neighbourhood. In the room whore General Fowler had breakfast there wore many texts with Chinese figures on them, and a hymn , was sung. In the barracks he found officers and men sitting side by side working a “sort of Heath Robinson loom,” on which they.were making cloth for their uniforms. “I do

RUSSIANS IN THEIR RANKS

not believe these men ever touch an y pay.” lie said. “They get assured food, :ind they have the hope of some day being let’loose to loot.” General Fowler described this Chinese general as an insignificant man in stature., and sc. nervous about his own safety that he never went into the street except in an armoured motpr-car. The lecturer also saw the ex-Empcror, “a youth of about IS, who lias, taken the English name of Arthur.”

In Canton there are, said the lecturer, about 200 Russian instructors, with the fanny, and these arc Red Russians. Chang Tso-lin, in Manchuria, had a number of Russians with him. sonic White, and some men who were wandering about North China ,jn a semistarving condition. In the fighting the Chinese general used them, as “shock” troops, and they did very well. At the last Japanese manoeuvres General Fowler saw visiting officers' from the different Chinese armies. They were supposed to be at daggers drawn, but in Japan they were all fraternising together.

General Fowler’s opinion of the Chinese armies of to-day is that “they arc really formidable on account of modern weapons and numbers.” He also expressed the view that owing to the nature of the country China would be a very difficult country for a modern army to operate in.