Demchugdongrub
Encyclopedia
Prince Demchugdongrub (8 February 1902 – 23 May 1966) was the leader of a Mongol independence movement in Inner Mongolia
. He was the chairman of Mengjiang
, a Japanese puppet state in World War II.
Some see Demchugdongrub as a Mongol nationalist promoting Pan-Mongolism
. Others view him as a traitor and as the pawn of the Japanese during World War II.
: 德穆楚克棟魯普) was often abbreviated to the first syllable and combined with his title, creating the short form Prince De or De Wang (Chinese: 德王, Wade-Giles
: Teh Wang, Cyrillic Mongolian: Дэ Ван). His Chinese courtesy name was Xixian (希賢). His name consists of the Tibetan
words which means "Chakrasamvara (bde mchog)" and "Siddhartha
(don grub)" respectively.
, Demchugdongrub was the sole son of Namjil Wangchuk, the Duoluo Duling Junwang (多罗杜棱郡王) of Sönid Right Banner and Chief of the Shilingol Alliance
.
After Namjil Wangchuk died in 1908, the six-year-old Demchugdongrub, with the approval of the Qing Empire, inherited one of his father's titles – the Duoluo Duling Junwang. In his youth Demchugdongrub studied the Mongolian
, Chinese, and Manchu
languages. After the fall of the Qing Empire, Yuan Shikai
promoted Demchugdongrub to the title of Zhasake
Heshuo Duling Qinwang
(扎萨克和硕杜棱亲王) in 1912.
Demchugdongrub married a daughter of a Taiji (Qing aristocratic title) nobleman from his own Sönid Right Banner, and the next year had their first child, Dolgorsuren (都古爾蘇隆). Several years later, Demchugdongrub had four more sons and one daughter with his second wife, Fujin (福晉), a daughter of another Taiji nobleman from the Abaga Banner.
During September 1933, the Mongolian princes of Chahar
and Suiyuan Provinces traveled to the temple at Bat Khaalga (Bailingmiao)
, north of Guihua
, and gathered in a council chamber with Demchugdongrub, who for months had been trying to found a Pan-Mongolian self rule movement. In mid-October, despite their traditional suspicions of one another, they and Demchugdongrub agreed to draw up confederation documents for the Inner Mongolian banners. They sent word to Nanjing
that they intended to rule Inner Mongolia themselves. They indicated that if they were obstructed by the Chinese government that they would not hesitate to seek assistance from Japan. Nanjing in response sent Huang Shaoxiong
as an envoy, who in the end authorised the creation of the Mongol Local Autonomy Political Affairs Committee
.
, commander of the Kwangtung Army, and Colonel Seishirō Itagaki gave support to the new Inner Mongolian Autonomous Government, which they felt would weaken China and be subject to the influence of Japan. In April 1935 Minami sent Major Ryukichi Tanaka
and another officer to interview Demchugdongrub with the goal of formalizing Japanese support, but Demchugdongrub did not agree to terms set by the Japanese at that time.
After establishing a ceremonial Mengjiang-Manchukuo
alliance in May 1935, Henry Puyi honoured Demchugdongrub with the title of Prince De the Martial (武德親王 Wude Qinwang). In June 1935 the North Chahar Incident
and the resulting Chin-Doihara Agreement
substantially affected events in the Inner Mongolian province of Chahar. The most important provisions of the Chin-Doihara Agreement forced all units of the Chinese 29th Army to be withdrawn from the eastern districts of Chahar province and north of Changpei
, including the 132nd Division in Changpei. The withdrawal of the 132nd Division effectively ceded control of nearly all of Chahar province in Mengjiang. Peace and order in Chahar was to be entrusted to the Peace Preservation Corps, an organization that was little more than a police force with light arms only. Also, no Chinese were to be permitted to migrate to or settle in the northern part of Chahar province, which was largely populated by nomadic Mongols. No activities of the Koumintang were to be permitted in Chahar province. All anti-Japanese institutions and official acts in Chahar province were to be banned. When General Minami met with Prince Demchugdongrub in August 1935, the Prince promised close cooperation with Japan, and Minami promised financial assistance to the Prince.
sent two battalions of irregular Manchurian cavalry under Li Shouxin
, a squadron of Japanese planes, and a few tanks to assist the Prince in taking over the northern part of Chahar province. The six districts of northern Chahar were defended by only a few thousand lightly armed Chinese Peace Preservation Corps. With Li's assistance the Prince's forces were soon able to overrun the area.
The Japanese Kwangtung Army, in February 1936, decided to establish the Mongolian Military Government (蒙古軍政府). with Demchugdongrub as the commander and Toyonori Yamauchi (山内豊紀) as the advisor. The Japanese proclaimed that Demchugdongrub on a mission to "inherit the great spirit of Genghis Khan
and retake the territories that belong to Mongolia, completing the grand task of reviving the prosperity of the nationality".
troops occupying Chahar invaded northeastern Suiyuan, which was controlled by the Shanxi
warlord Yan Xishan
. These Japanese-aligned troops seized the city of Bailingmiao in northern Suiyuan, where the pro-Japanese Inner Mongolian Autonomous Political Council maintained its headquarters. Three months later Demchugdongrub, as the head of the Political Council, declared that he was the ruler of an independent Mongolia, and organized and army with the aid of Japanese equipment and training.
On 21–26 April 1936 Demchugdongrub and Li Shouxin met with the Japanese Special Service Chief Captain Takayoshi Tanaka at West Wuchumuhsin. Representatives from places in Inner Mongolia
, Tsinghai, and Outer Mongolia
also attended the meeting, which was called the "State-Founding Conference". A plan was drawn up to create a Mongolian State which would include all of Mongolia and Tsinghai. It was to be a monarchy, but would initially be run by an interim committee. A Mongolian Congress was planned and most importantly there was a plan to organize a Mongolian military government and an army. The Mongol Military Government
(蒙古軍政府) was formed on 12 May 1936. A mutual assistance agreement with Manchukuo was also concluded in July 1936, with Japan providing military and economic aid.
After the conclusion of the treaty, Demchugdongrub set out to enlarge and equip his army for the expansion of his new state into Suiyuan. The Prince increased his army from three cavalry divisions to nine with the aid of Takayoshi Tanaka and his Japanese advisors. The Japanese provided arms captured from the Northeastern Army, but Tanaka ignored the advice of the Mongolian leaders and recruited poorly armed levies and ex bandits from various regions. Because it had no ideological unity, poor training, and only enough rifles for half of the soldiers, this force had poor morale and cohesion. This force totaled about 10,000 men. A puppet Chinese army, the Grand Han Righteous Army
under Wang Ying, was attached to Demchugdongrub's Inner Mongolian Army
.
. Following this defeat, Demchugdongrub rebuilt his armed forces and planned another invasion. Japanese agents carefully sketched and photographed Suiyuan's defenses while Demchugdongrub was rebuilding his armed forces.
In November 1936 Demchugdongrub presented Fu Zuoyi with an ultimatum to surrender. When Fu responded that Demchugdongrub was merely a puppet of "certain quarters" and requested that he submit to the authority of the Chiang Kai-shek's central government, Prince Teh's Mongolian and Manchurian armies launched another, more ambitious attack. This time Demchugdongrub's 15,000 soldiers were armed with Japanese weapons, supported by Japanese aircraft, and often led by Japanese officers. (Japanese soldiers fighting for Mengguguo were often executed by Chinese forces after their capture as illegal combatants, since Mengjiang and was not recognized as being part of Japan).
In anticipation of this attempt to take control of Suiyuan, Japanese spies destroyed a large supply depot in Datong
and carried out other acts of sabotage. Yan Xishan placed his best troops and most able generals, including Zhao Chengshou
and Yan's son-in-law, Wang Jingguo
, under the command of Fu Zuoyi. During the month of fighting that ensued, the army or Mengguguo suffered severe casualties. Fu's forces succeeded in occupying Bailingmiao on 24 November 1936, and was considering invading Chahar before he was warned by the Kuangtung Army that doing so would provoke an attack by the Japanese Army. Demchugdongrub's forces repeatedly attempted to retake Bailingmiao, but this only provoked Fu into sending troops north, where he successfully seized the last of Demchugdongrub's bases in Suiyuan and virtually annihilated his army. After Japanese were found to be fighting in Demchugdongrub's army, Yan publicly accused Japan of aiding the invaders. Yan's victories in Suiyuan over Japanese-backed forces were praised by Chinese newspapers and magazines, other warlords and political leaders, and many students and other members of the Chinese public.
Demchugdongrub withdrew to Chahar and again reconstructed his army with Japanese help. By the time that the Second Sino-Japanese War
began, in July 1937, his army consisted of 20,000 men in eight Cavalry Divisions. The forces under his command participated in Operation Chahar
and the Battle of Taiyuan
, when the Japanese and Mongol forces finally captured most of Suiyuan province.
The Mengjiang United Autonomous Government (蒙疆連合自治政府) was set up in 1939 with Demchugdongrub first being the vice-chairman, then the chairman. In 1941 he became chairman of the Mongolian Autonomous Federation.
government. Just before the founding of the People's Republic of China in August 1949 he managed to establish an "Autonomous Government" in the westernmost region of Inner Mongolia
. In December, threatened by the Communist army, Demchugdongrub fled to Mongolia
and was at first welcomed there, but was later arrested by the People's Republic of Mongolia in the following February and deported to China in September, where he was charged with treason by the People's Republic of China. Under supervision, he wrote nine memoirs and was pardoned 13 years later in April. After his release from jail Demchugdongrub worked in an Inner Mongolian history museum in Hohhot
until his death at the age of 64.
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
. He was the chairman of Mengjiang
Mengjiang
Mengjiang , also known in English as Mongol Border Land, was an autonomous area in Inner Mongolia, operating under nominal Chinese sovereignty and Japanese control. It consisted of the then-Chinese provinces of Chahar and Suiyuan, corresponding to the central part of modern Inner Mongolia...
, a Japanese puppet state in World War II.
Some see Demchugdongrub as a Mongol nationalist promoting Pan-Mongolism
Pan-Mongolism
Pan-Mongolism is an irredentist idea advocating the union of the contiguous territories inhabited by Mongols into a single independent sovereign state. The proposed territory, called Greater Mongolia, usually includes the independent state of Mongolia, the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, and the...
. Others view him as a traitor and as the pawn of the Japanese during World War II.
Names
His Mongolian name Demchugdongrub (Cyrillic Mongolian: Дэмчигдонров, Chinese transcriptionChinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
: 德穆楚克棟魯普) was often abbreviated to the first syllable and combined with his title, creating the short form Prince De or De Wang (Chinese: 德王, Wade-Giles
Wade-Giles
Wade–Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century , and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.Wade–Giles was the most...
: Teh Wang, Cyrillic Mongolian: Дэ Ван). His Chinese courtesy name was Xixian (希賢). His name consists of the Tibetan
Standard Tibetan
Standard Tibetan is the most widely used spoken form of the Tibetan languages. It is based on the speech of Lhasa, an Ü-Tsang dialect belonging to the Central Tibetan languages. For this reason, Standard Tibetan is often called Central Tibetan...
words which means "Chakrasamvara (bde mchog)" and "Siddhartha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
(don grub)" respectively.
Early life
A Chahar born of the Plain White Banner in Chahar ProvinceChahar (province)
Chahar , also known as Chaha'er, Chakhar, or Qahar, was a province of China in existence from 1912 to 1936, mostly covering territory in what is part of eastern Inner Mongolia. It was named after the Chahar Mongolians....
, Demchugdongrub was the sole son of Namjil Wangchuk, the Duoluo Duling Junwang (多罗杜棱郡王) of Sönid Right Banner and Chief of the Shilingol Alliance
Xilin Gol League
Xilin Gol is one of 12 prefecture level divisions of Inner Mongolia. The capital is Xilinhot, the area is 202,580 km². The league's economy is based on mining and agriculture....
.
After Namjil Wangchuk died in 1908, the six-year-old Demchugdongrub, with the approval of the Qing Empire, inherited one of his father's titles – the Duoluo Duling Junwang. In his youth Demchugdongrub studied the Mongolian
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
, Chinese, and Manchu
Manchu language
Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus...
languages. After the fall of the Qing Empire, Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai was an important Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China , and his short-lived...
promoted Demchugdongrub to the title of Zhasake
Jasagh
A jasagh was the head of a Mongol banner or khoshun during the Qing Dynasty and Boghda Khaanate of Mongolia. The term is rendered "zhasake" in contemporary Chinese documents. The position was held by hereditary succession by certain Mongol princes, most of whom were descendants of Genghis Khan...
Heshuo Duling Qinwang
Jinong
Jinong was a title of the Mongols. It was derived from Chinese Jinwang although some historians have suggested it originates from Qinwang...
(扎萨克和硕杜棱亲王) in 1912.
Demchugdongrub married a daughter of a Taiji (Qing aristocratic title) nobleman from his own Sönid Right Banner, and the next year had their first child, Dolgorsuren (都古爾蘇隆). Several years later, Demchugdongrub had four more sons and one daughter with his second wife, Fujin (福晉), a daughter of another Taiji nobleman from the Abaga Banner.
Early political activities
Demchugdongrub was appointed as a member of the Chahar Provincial Committee in 1929. In 1931 he succeeded to the post of the Chief of Shilingol League, after Yang Cang (楊桑) and Sodnom Rabdan (索特那木拉布坦).During September 1933, the Mongolian princes of Chahar
Chahar (province)
Chahar , also known as Chaha'er, Chakhar, or Qahar, was a province of China in existence from 1912 to 1936, mostly covering territory in what is part of eastern Inner Mongolia. It was named after the Chahar Mongolians....
and Suiyuan Provinces traveled to the temple at Bat Khaalga (Bailingmiao)
Bail Miao
Bailingmiao is a small settlement of 705 people in Inner Mongolia, China. It is located in the Darhan Muminggan United Banner, about northeast of Baotou. From 1934 to 1936 it served as the seat of the Mongol Local Autonomy Political Affairs Committee...
, north of Guihua
Hohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
, and gathered in a council chamber with Demchugdongrub, who for months had been trying to found a Pan-Mongolian self rule movement. In mid-October, despite their traditional suspicions of one another, they and Demchugdongrub agreed to draw up confederation documents for the Inner Mongolian banners. They sent word to Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
that they intended to rule Inner Mongolia themselves. They indicated that if they were obstructed by the Chinese government that they would not hesitate to seek assistance from Japan. Nanjing in response sent Huang Shaoxiong
Huang Shaoxiong
Huang Shaoxiong or Huang Shaohong was a warlord in Guangxi province, and governed Guangxi as part of the New Guangxi Clique, though the later part of the Warlord era and a leader in the later years of the Republic of China.-Biography:...
as an envoy, who in the end authorised the creation of the Mongol Local Autonomy Political Affairs Committee
Mongol Local Autonomy Political Affairs Committee
The Mongol Local Autonomy Political Affairs Committee , also referred to as the Pailingmiao Council or Peilingmiao Council, was a political body of ethnic Mongols in the Republic of China...
.
Collaboration with the Japanese
In 1935, Demchugdongrub, now the leader of the Mongols of Inner Mongolia, made serious efforts to set up an autonomous Mongolian Government in Chahar and Suiyuan. The Japanese General Jirō MinamiJiro Minami
- Notes :...
, commander of the Kwangtung Army, and Colonel Seishirō Itagaki gave support to the new Inner Mongolian Autonomous Government, which they felt would weaken China and be subject to the influence of Japan. In April 1935 Minami sent Major Ryukichi Tanaka
Ryukichi Tanaka
-External links:*- Notes :...
and another officer to interview Demchugdongrub with the goal of formalizing Japanese support, but Demchugdongrub did not agree to terms set by the Japanese at that time.
After establishing a ceremonial Mengjiang-Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
alliance in May 1935, Henry Puyi honoured Demchugdongrub with the title of Prince De the Martial (武德親王 Wude Qinwang). In June 1935 the North Chahar Incident
North Chahar Incident
The North Chahar Incident between Japan and China in June 1935, resulted in an agreement that demilitarized Chahar province.In June 1935, four Japanese soldiers entered the Changpei District of Chahar province, north of the Great Wall, on a journey to Kalgan and Peiping. They were detained because...
and the resulting Chin-Doihara Agreement
Chin-Doihara Agreement
The Chin-Doihara Agreement was an treaty that resolved the North Chahar Incident of 27 June 1935 between the Empire of Japan and Republic of China. The agreement was made between Kwantung Army negotiator, Kenji Doihara, representing Japan, and Deputy Commander of the Kuomintang 29th Army, General...
substantially affected events in the Inner Mongolian province of Chahar. The most important provisions of the Chin-Doihara Agreement forced all units of the Chinese 29th Army to be withdrawn from the eastern districts of Chahar province and north of Changpei
Zhangbei County
Zhangbei County , Hebei, China is a county formerly in the Chahar province. Its name, which literally means "North of Zhang[jiakou]", derives from the fact that it is north-northeast of Zhangjiakou...
, including the 132nd Division in Changpei. The withdrawal of the 132nd Division effectively ceded control of nearly all of Chahar province in Mengjiang. Peace and order in Chahar was to be entrusted to the Peace Preservation Corps, an organization that was little more than a police force with light arms only. Also, no Chinese were to be permitted to migrate to or settle in the northern part of Chahar province, which was largely populated by nomadic Mongols. No activities of the Koumintang were to be permitted in Chahar province. All anti-Japanese institutions and official acts in Chahar province were to be banned. When General Minami met with Prince Demchugdongrub in August 1935, the Prince promised close cooperation with Japan, and Minami promised financial assistance to the Prince.
Expansion into Chahar
On 24 December 1935, General MinamiJiro Minami
- Notes :...
sent two battalions of irregular Manchurian cavalry under Li Shouxin
Li Shouxin
Li Shouxin was a general in Manchukuo, followed by Mengjiang during the Second Sino-Japanese War.-Biography:Of ethnic Mongol descent, Li was born into a family of minor landlords...
, a squadron of Japanese planes, and a few tanks to assist the Prince in taking over the northern part of Chahar province. The six districts of northern Chahar were defended by only a few thousand lightly armed Chinese Peace Preservation Corps. With Li's assistance the Prince's forces were soon able to overrun the area.
The Japanese Kwangtung Army, in February 1936, decided to establish the Mongolian Military Government (蒙古軍政府). with Demchugdongrub as the commander and Toyonori Yamauchi (山内豊紀) as the advisor. The Japanese proclaimed that Demchugdongrub on a mission to "inherit the great spirit of Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
and retake the territories that belong to Mongolia, completing the grand task of reviving the prosperity of the nationality".
Expansion into Suiyuan
In March 1936, ManchurianManchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
troops occupying Chahar invaded northeastern Suiyuan, which was controlled by the Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
warlord Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan, was a Chinese warlord who served in the government of the Republic of China. Yan effectively controlled the province of Shanxi from the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the 1949 Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War...
. These Japanese-aligned troops seized the city of Bailingmiao in northern Suiyuan, where the pro-Japanese Inner Mongolian Autonomous Political Council maintained its headquarters. Three months later Demchugdongrub, as the head of the Political Council, declared that he was the ruler of an independent Mongolia, and organized and army with the aid of Japanese equipment and training.
On 21–26 April 1936 Demchugdongrub and Li Shouxin met with the Japanese Special Service Chief Captain Takayoshi Tanaka at West Wuchumuhsin. Representatives from places in Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
, Tsinghai, and Outer Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
also attended the meeting, which was called the "State-Founding Conference". A plan was drawn up to create a Mongolian State which would include all of Mongolia and Tsinghai. It was to be a monarchy, but would initially be run by an interim committee. A Mongolian Congress was planned and most importantly there was a plan to organize a Mongolian military government and an army. The Mongol Military Government
Mengjiang
Mengjiang , also known in English as Mongol Border Land, was an autonomous area in Inner Mongolia, operating under nominal Chinese sovereignty and Japanese control. It consisted of the then-Chinese provinces of Chahar and Suiyuan, corresponding to the central part of modern Inner Mongolia...
(蒙古軍政府) was formed on 12 May 1936. A mutual assistance agreement with Manchukuo was also concluded in July 1936, with Japan providing military and economic aid.
After the conclusion of the treaty, Demchugdongrub set out to enlarge and equip his army for the expansion of his new state into Suiyuan. The Prince increased his army from three cavalry divisions to nine with the aid of Takayoshi Tanaka and his Japanese advisors. The Japanese provided arms captured from the Northeastern Army, but Tanaka ignored the advice of the Mongolian leaders and recruited poorly armed levies and ex bandits from various regions. Because it had no ideological unity, poor training, and only enough rifles for half of the soldiers, this force had poor morale and cohesion. This force totaled about 10,000 men. A puppet Chinese army, the Grand Han Righteous Army
Grand Han Righteous Army
The Grand Han Righteous Army was a collaborationist Chinese army cooperating with the Empire of Japan in campaigns in northern China and Inner Mongolia immediately prior to the official start of hostilities of the Second Sino-Japanese War.-History:...
under Wang Ying, was attached to Demchugdongrub's Inner Mongolian Army
Inner Mongolian Army
The Inner Mongolian Army was first formed by Prince Demchugdongrub with his personal bodyguard of 900 men in 1929.Although only armed with rifles and a couple of field guns from the Mukden arsenal, a gift of the Young Marshal in 1929. His force became very efficient with the assistance of...
.
Conflict with Yan Xishan
In August 1936 Demchugdongrub's army attempted to invade eastern Suiyuan, but it was defeated by Yan Xishan's forces under the command of Fu ZuoyiFu Zuoyi
Fu Zuoyi was a Chinese military leader. He began his military career in the service of Yan Xishan, and he was widely praised for his defense of Suiyuan from the Japanese. During the final stages of the Chinese Civil War, Fu surrendered the large and strategic garrison around Beiping to Communist...
. Following this defeat, Demchugdongrub rebuilt his armed forces and planned another invasion. Japanese agents carefully sketched and photographed Suiyuan's defenses while Demchugdongrub was rebuilding his armed forces.
In November 1936 Demchugdongrub presented Fu Zuoyi with an ultimatum to surrender. When Fu responded that Demchugdongrub was merely a puppet of "certain quarters" and requested that he submit to the authority of the Chiang Kai-shek's central government, Prince Teh's Mongolian and Manchurian armies launched another, more ambitious attack. This time Demchugdongrub's 15,000 soldiers were armed with Japanese weapons, supported by Japanese aircraft, and often led by Japanese officers. (Japanese soldiers fighting for Mengguguo were often executed by Chinese forces after their capture as illegal combatants, since Mengjiang and was not recognized as being part of Japan).
In anticipation of this attempt to take control of Suiyuan, Japanese spies destroyed a large supply depot in Datong
Datong
Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province of North China, located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of...
and carried out other acts of sabotage. Yan Xishan placed his best troops and most able generals, including Zhao Chengshou
Zhao Chengshou
Zhao Chengshou was a KMT general from Shanxi....
and Yan's son-in-law, Wang Jingguo
Wang Jingguo
Wang Jingguo was a KMT general from Shanxi. He was the son-in-law of the warlord who controlled Shanxi from 1911-1949, Yan Xishan. Wang served throughout his career in Yan's army, fighting in numerous campaigns.-Suiyuan:...
, under the command of Fu Zuoyi. During the month of fighting that ensued, the army or Mengguguo suffered severe casualties. Fu's forces succeeded in occupying Bailingmiao on 24 November 1936, and was considering invading Chahar before he was warned by the Kuangtung Army that doing so would provoke an attack by the Japanese Army. Demchugdongrub's forces repeatedly attempted to retake Bailingmiao, but this only provoked Fu into sending troops north, where he successfully seized the last of Demchugdongrub's bases in Suiyuan and virtually annihilated his army. After Japanese were found to be fighting in Demchugdongrub's army, Yan publicly accused Japan of aiding the invaders. Yan's victories in Suiyuan over Japanese-backed forces were praised by Chinese newspapers and magazines, other warlords and political leaders, and many students and other members of the Chinese public.
Demchugdongrub withdrew to Chahar and again reconstructed his army with Japanese help. By the time that the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
began, in July 1937, his army consisted of 20,000 men in eight Cavalry Divisions. The forces under his command participated in Operation Chahar
Operation Chahar
Operation Chahar, known by the Japanese as チャハル作戦 and by the Chinese as the 长城抗战 , occurred in August 1937, following the Battle of Beiping-Tianjin at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War....
and the Battle of Taiyuan
Battle of Taiyuan
The Japanese offensive called 太原作戦 or the Battle of Taiyuan was a major battle fought between China and Japan named for Taiyuan , which lay in the 2nd Military Region...
, when the Japanese and Mongol forces finally captured most of Suiyuan province.
The Mengjiang United Autonomous Government (蒙疆連合自治政府) was set up in 1939 with Demchugdongrub first being the vice-chairman, then the chairman. In 1941 he became chairman of the Mongolian Autonomous Federation.
Downfall
After World War II, and the collapse of the Federation, Demchugdongrub lived in Beijing for four years under the supervision of the KuomintangKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
government. Just before the founding of the People's Republic of China in August 1949 he managed to establish an "Autonomous Government" in the westernmost region of Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
. In December, threatened by the Communist army, Demchugdongrub fled to Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
and was at first welcomed there, but was later arrested by the People's Republic of Mongolia in the following February and deported to China in September, where he was charged with treason by the People's Republic of China. Under supervision, he wrote nine memoirs and was pardoned 13 years later in April. After his release from jail Demchugdongrub worked in an Inner Mongolian history museum in Hohhot
Hohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
until his death at the age of 64.
Sources
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