Huanggutun Incident
Encyclopedia
Huanggutun Incident was an assassination plotted by the Japanese Kwantung Army that targeted Fengtian
warlord Zhang Zuolin
. It took place on June 4, 1928 at Huanggutun rail station near Shenyang
in which Zhang's train was destroyed by an explosion. This incident was concealed in Japan at the time and was referred only as "満州某重大事件" (Manshuboujudaijiken A Certain Important Incident in Manchuria).
of 1911, China dissolved in spontaneous devolution, with local officials and military leaders assuming power independent of control by the weak central government. In north China
, the once powerful Beiyang Army
split up into various factions after the death of Yuan Shikai
in 1916. Zhang Zuolin, being the leader of the Fengtian clique
, was one of the most powerful warlords as he managed to seize control of the three northeastern provinces of Manchuria
.
At the time of the First United Front
in 1924, the foreign support in China was generally divided as below:
The Fengtian clique
's support from abroad was the Empire of Japan
, which had vested economical and political interests in the region since the end of the Russo-Japanese War
, and was interested in exploiting their region’s largely untapped natural resources. The Japanese Kwantung Army, based in the Kwantung Leased Territory
also had responsibility for safeguarding the South Manchurian Railway, and thus had troops stationed in Manchuria, which provided material and logistic support for the Fengtian clique. The cooperation initially worked to the mutual benefit of both parties. Zhang provided security for the railroad and Japanese economic interests, suppressing Manchuria’s endemic banditry problem and allowing extensive Japanese investments. The Imperial Japanese Army
assisted Zhang in the two Zhili-Fengtian Wars, including the suppression of the anti-Fengtian uprising by Guo Songling
(a senior Fengtian clique general). However, Zhang just needed Japan's aid for consolidating and expanding his territory whereas Japan envisioned a future joint occupation of Manchuria with Zhang. After Zhang achieved his targets, he tried to improve relations with the United States
and the United Kingdom
, allowing both countries open access to the trade, investment and economic opportunities in Manchuria which he had formerly allowed only to the Japanese.
This change in policy came at a time when Japan was in the midst of a severe economic crisis from the Great Kanto Earthquake and successive economic depressions, and caused both alarm and irritation in the Kwantung Army leadership. The situation further complicated by the success of the Northern Expedition led by Chiang Kai-shek
of the National Revolutionary Army
in which the Kuomingtang successively defeated Sun Chuanfang
, Wu Peifu
and other warlords of the Northern Faction, as well as the Beijing
government controlled by Zhang Zuolin. The Nationalist army appeared poised to restore their rule in over Manchuria, which was still officially claimed as part of the Republic of China
.
The Nationalists, the Communists
and other elements in the Northern Expedition at the time were supported by the Soviet Union
, which had already made puppet governments
in nearby Mongolia
and Tannu Tuva.
From the Japanese perspective, for Manchuria to fall either under Soviet or Nationalist domination was strategically unacceptable, and Zhang Zuolin no longer appeared trustworthy as an ally capable of maintaining a de facto independent Manchuria. Japan needed a context to effectively establish control over Manchuria without combat or foreign intervention and they believed splitting up the Fengtian clique via replacement of Zhang with a more cooperative leader would do so.
by train on the night 3 June 1928. The train traveled along the Jingfeng Railway, a railway that was heavily patrolled by his own troops. The only location along the railway that was not under Zhang's control was a bridge several kilometres east of Huanggutun railway station (in the outskirts of Shenyang), where the South Manchuria Railway
crossed the Jingfeng Railway on the bridge.
Colonel Daisaku Komoto a junior officer in the Kwantung Army, believed that the assassination of Zhang would be the most expeditious way of replacing with a new leader more amenable to Japanese demands, and planning an operation without direct orders from Tokyo. His subordinate, Captain Kaneo Tomiya was in charge of execution. The bomb itself was planted on the bridge by Sapper 1st Lieutenant Fujii Sadatoshi. When Zhang's train passed the bridge at 5:23 a.m. on the 4 June 1928, the bomb exploded. Several of Zhang's officials including Wu Junsheng
(吳俊升), the governor of Heilongjiang
province died immediately. Zhang was fatally wounded and sent back to his home in Shenyang. He died several hours later.
(楊宇霆), a senior general in the Fengtian clique, to be Zhang’s successor. However, the actual assassination apparently took even the Kwantung Army leadership off guard, as troops were not mobilized and the Kwantung Army was unable to take any advantage by blaming Zhang’s Chinese enemies and using the incident as a casus belli
for a Japanese military intervention.
Instead, the Incident was soundly condemned by both the international community and by both military and civilian authorities in Tokyo itself. The emergence of Zhang’s son Zhang Xueliang
(張學良/张学良) as leader of the Fengtian clique, and successor of Zhang Zuolin also came as a surprise.
Furthermore, the assassination, which was conducted by low-ranking officers, did not have the prior consent of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office
or the civilian government. In fact, Emperor Hirohito
harshly criticized the event and eventually dismissed Prime Minister
Tanaka Giichi
for his inability to arrest and prosecute the plotters of the incident, although privately he accepted the military's argument that doing so would be disadvantageous to Japan's military and foreign policy
In order to achieve its goals in Manchuria, the Kwantung Army was forced to wait several years before creating another incident to justify the Invasion of Manchuria and subsequent establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo
under Henry Puyi Aisin Goro
.
Fengtian clique
The Fengtian Clique was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang Clique in the Republic of China's warlord era. It was named for Fengtian Province and led by Zhang Zuolin...
warlord Zhang Zuolin
Zhang Zuolin
Zhang Zuolin was the warlord of Manchuria from 1916 to 1928 . He successfully invaded China proper in October 1924 in the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. He gained control of Peking, including China's internationally recognized government, in April 1926...
. It took place on June 4, 1928 at Huanggutun rail station near Shenyang
Shenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
in which Zhang's train was destroyed by an explosion. This incident was concealed in Japan at the time and was referred only as "満州某重大事件" (Manshuboujudaijiken A Certain Important Incident in Manchuria).
Background
Following the Xinhai RevolutionXinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
of 1911, China dissolved in spontaneous devolution, with local officials and military leaders assuming power independent of control by the weak central government. In north China
North China
thumb|250px|Northern [[People's Republic of China]] region.Northern China or North China is a geographical region of China. The heartland of North China is the North China Plain....
, the once powerful Beiyang Army
Beiyang Army
The Beiyang Army was a powerful, Western-style Chinese military force created by the Qing Dynasty government in the late 19th century. It was the centerpiece of a general reconstruction of China's military system. The Beiyang Army played a major role in Chinese politics for at least three decades...
split up into various factions after the death of 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...
in 1916. Zhang Zuolin, being the leader of the Fengtian clique
Fengtian clique
The Fengtian Clique was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang Clique in the Republic of China's warlord era. It was named for Fengtian Province and led by Zhang Zuolin...
, was one of the most powerful warlords as he managed to seize control of the three northeastern provinces of Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
.
At the time of the First United Front
First United Front (China)
The First United Front of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China was formed in 1922 as an alliance to end warlordism in China. Together, they formed the National Revolutionary Army and set out in 1926 on the Northern Expedition...
in 1924, the foreign support in China was generally divided as below:
- Fengtian Army (Zhang Zuolin) - Japan
- Zhili clique - European & American
- KuomintangKuomintangThe 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...
- Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
The Fengtian clique
Fengtian clique
The Fengtian Clique was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang Clique in the Republic of China's warlord era. It was named for Fengtian Province and led by Zhang Zuolin...
's support from abroad was the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, which had vested economical and political interests in the region since the end of the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, and was interested in exploiting their region’s largely untapped natural resources. The Japanese Kwantung Army, based in the Kwantung Leased Territory
Kwantung Leased Territory
The Kwantung Leased Territory was a territory in the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula in Inner Manchuria that existed from 1898 to 1945. It was one of the numerous territorial concessions that the Empire of China was compelled to award to foreign countries at the end of the 19th century...
also had responsibility for safeguarding the South Manchurian Railway, and thus had troops stationed in Manchuria, which provided material and logistic support for the Fengtian clique. The cooperation initially worked to the mutual benefit of both parties. Zhang provided security for the railroad and Japanese economic interests, suppressing Manchuria’s endemic banditry problem and allowing extensive Japanese investments. The Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
assisted Zhang in the two Zhili-Fengtian Wars, including the suppression of the anti-Fengtian uprising by Guo Songling
Guo Songling
Guo Songling was a Manchurian general who led a three month rebellion against his commanding warlord - Zhang Zuolin....
(a senior Fengtian clique general). However, Zhang just needed Japan's aid for consolidating and expanding his territory whereas Japan envisioned a future joint occupation of Manchuria with Zhang. After Zhang achieved his targets, he tried to improve relations with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, allowing both countries open access to the trade, investment and economic opportunities in Manchuria which he had formerly allowed only to the Japanese.
This change in policy came at a time when Japan was in the midst of a severe economic crisis from the Great Kanto Earthquake and successive economic depressions, and caused both alarm and irritation in the Kwantung Army leadership. The situation further complicated by the success of the Northern Expedition led by Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
of the National Revolutionary Army
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
in which the Kuomingtang successively defeated Sun Chuanfang
Sun Chuanfang
Sun Chuanfang aka the "Nanking Warlord" or leader of the "League of Five Provinces" was a Zhili clique warlord and protege of the "Jade Marshal" Wu Peifu .- Biography :Sun Chuanfang was born in Lichen, Shandong...
, Wu Peifu
Wu Peifu
Wu Peifu or Wu P'ei-fu , was a major figure in the struggles between the warlords who dominated Republican China from 1916 to 1927.- Early career :...
and other warlords of the Northern Faction, as well as the Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
government controlled by Zhang Zuolin. The Nationalist army appeared poised to restore their rule in over Manchuria, which was still officially claimed as part of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
.
The Nationalists, the Communists
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
and other elements in the Northern Expedition at the time were supported by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, which had already made puppet governments
Puppet state
A puppet state is a nominal sovereign of a state who is de facto controlled by a foreign power. The term refers to a government controlled by the government of another country like a puppeteer controls the strings of a marionette...
in nearby 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 Tannu Tuva.
From the Japanese perspective, for Manchuria to fall either under Soviet or Nationalist domination was strategically unacceptable, and Zhang Zuolin no longer appeared trustworthy as an ally capable of maintaining a de facto independent Manchuria. Japan needed a context to effectively establish control over Manchuria without combat or foreign intervention and they believed splitting up the Fengtian clique via replacement of Zhang with a more cooperative leader would do so.
The explosion
Zhang left Beijing to go to ShenyangShenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
by train on the night 3 June 1928. The train traveled along the Jingfeng Railway, a railway that was heavily patrolled by his own troops. The only location along the railway that was not under Zhang's control was a bridge several kilometres east of Huanggutun railway station (in the outskirts of Shenyang), where the South Manchuria Railway
South Manchuria Railway
The , and operated within China in the Japanese-controlled South Manchuria Railway Zone. The railway itself ran from Lüshun Port at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula to Harbin, where it connected to the Chinese Eastern Railway.-History:...
crossed the Jingfeng Railway on the bridge.
Colonel Daisaku Komoto a junior officer in the Kwantung Army, believed that the assassination of Zhang would be the most expeditious way of replacing with a new leader more amenable to Japanese demands, and planning an operation without direct orders from Tokyo. His subordinate, Captain Kaneo Tomiya was in charge of execution. The bomb itself was planted on the bridge by Sapper 1st Lieutenant Fujii Sadatoshi. When Zhang's train passed the bridge at 5:23 a.m. on the 4 June 1928, the bomb exploded. Several of Zhang's officials including Wu Junsheng
Wu Junsheng
Wu Junsheng, or Wu Tsi-cheng, 吳俊陞, General of the Fengtian clique and its cavalry commander.Wu Junsheng was born in a peasant family in Changtu, Fengtien province , on November 23, 1863. He joined a cavalry troop in 1880, crushed the Manchu independence plan in 1912...
(吳俊升), the governor of Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
province died immediately. Zhang was fatally wounded and sent back to his home in Shenyang. He died several hours later.
Aftermath
At the time of the assassination, the Kwantung Army was already in the process of grooming Yang YutingYang Yuting
Yang Yuting, , , Fengtien clique warlord and Military governor of Jiangsu from August to November 1925. He was shot by Zhang Xueliang for his collusion with the Japanese, following the Huanggutun Incident.- Source :*...
(楊宇霆), a senior general in the Fengtian clique, to be Zhang’s successor. However, the actual assassination apparently took even the Kwantung Army leadership off guard, as troops were not mobilized and the Kwantung Army was unable to take any advantage by blaming Zhang’s Chinese enemies and using the incident as a casus belli
Casus belli
is a Latin expression meaning the justification for acts of war. means "incident", "rupture" or indeed "case", while means bellic...
for a Japanese military intervention.
Instead, the Incident was soundly condemned by both the international community and by both military and civilian authorities in Tokyo itself. The emergence of Zhang’s son Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang or Chang Hsüeh-liang , occasionally called Peter Hsueh Liang Chang in English, nicknamed the Young Marshal , was the effective ruler of Manchuria and much of North China after the assassination of his father, Zhang Zuolin, by the Japanese on 4 June 1928...
(張學良/张学良) as leader of the Fengtian clique, and successor of Zhang Zuolin also came as a surprise.
Consequences
The younger Zhang, in order to avoid any conflict with Japan and chaos which might provoke the Japanese into a military response, did not directly accuse Japan of complicity in his father's murder, but instead quietly carried out a policy of reconciliation with the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek, which left him as recognized ruler of Manchuria instead of General Yang Yuting. The assassination thus considerably weakened Japan's political position in Manchuria.Furthermore, the assassination, which was conducted by low-ranking officers, did not have the prior consent of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office
Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office
, also called the Army General Staff, was one of the four principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army.-Role:The was created in April 1872, along with the Navy Ministry, to replace the Ministry of Military Affairs of the early Meiji government.Initially, the Army Ministry...
or the civilian government. In fact, Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
harshly criticized the event and eventually dismissed Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
Tanaka Giichi
Tanaka Giichi
Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, politician, and the 26th Prime Minister of Japan from 20 April 1927 to 2 July 1929.-Early life and military career:...
for his inability to arrest and prosecute the plotters of the incident, although privately he accepted the military's argument that doing so would be disadvantageous to Japan's military and foreign policy
In order to achieve its goals in Manchuria, the Kwantung Army was forced to wait several years before creating another incident to justify the Invasion of Manchuria and subsequent establishment of the puppet state of 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...
under Henry Puyi Aisin Goro
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
.