CHINA’S STRANGE WAR

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1926, Page 2

CHINA’S STRANGE WAR

FIERCE FIGHT AT KALGAN ABOUT 300 SOLDIERS FALL. SPECTATORS GET IN THE WAY. Reports from China state that more than 400 persons were killed in the recent disarming of the Mukden®! avalry Corps under General Mon Chun at Kalgan. Of the 200 officers classed as rebels only seven escaped with their lives. About 100 loyal soldiers lost their lives. An equal number of spectators at the Kalgan raihvay station were killed by stray bullets. General Chang Hsueliiiang and General Han Lin-chun, who ordered tiw disarming, had a thrilling escape from death. Commander Chiang of the bodyguards of the Young General and Air. Tang Wen-ming, secretary, were also killed. These are the principal features of an account of the tragic affair published in the Huang Pao, the organ of General Chang Tsung-chang. The papier declares that the thrilling experiences from which General Chang Hsueh-liang and General Hau Lin-chun recently emerged unscathed would form a fitting theme for a. scenario writer and that their escape from deail. was due as much to their presence of mind as to the fact that the Fates were with them. Although the Mukden Army has been greatly modernised during recent years, the Heilungkiang troops uudei' General Wu Chun-sheng are still considered oldfashioned. Among these forces the Cavalry unit under General Alou Chun enjoyed a special reputation for ruthlessness. This unit distinguished itself in tho campaign against General Kuo Sung-ling last winter and formed the vanguard of the Heilungkiang troops in their recent attack on Dolonor. Many of its members were former bandits and impervious to discipline. Indeed, there is a vast difference between them and the troops commanded by General Chang Hsueh-liang. PRISONERS BURNT TO DEATH. In the first, attack on Dolonor General Alou’s unit, a force of 3000 strong, was pitted against a superior force of the Kuominchun, believed to have been drawn from among bandits. The attackers were obliged to withdraw and in the course of the retreat more than 30 were made prisoner. These were burned to death. When the cavalry men attacked the Kuominchun city, they spread the report that when the city was taken no quarter would be given to the inhabitants. This threat was carried out to the letter. Dolonor was first looted. Then various forms of excesses were indulged in. Afterwards the city was set on tire. Not a single able-bodied man out of a population of some 1000 escaped the sword, the only survivors being women and children. When the brigade under Commander Chen arrived and heard of these atrocities. he refused to enter the city and made a report to Marshal Chang Tsoling who was greatly indignant at the conduct of General Mou’s brigade, and wired his son to disarm them on their arrival at Kalgan. General Mou got wind of this and tried to swing his support to the Kuominchun, but he was unable to declare himself in favour of the latter owing to the limited number of men under his command. When his troops arrived at Kalgan they were surrounded by the loyal troops of General Chang Hsueh-liang and General Ilan Lin-chun and ordered to surrender their arms. No resistance was offered. After the disarming was completed, General Chang and General Han, who made their- quarters on a special train at tho Kalgan station, summoned a conference of General Alou and his subordinate officers for the purpose of pacifying them and thanking them for their services rendered in the past. BATTLE WITH MACHINE-GUNS. The original order was that General Mou and his two regimental commanders should be received by Chang and Han in the train, while the officers were received by their representatives. But tho man who transmitted the order made a mistake with the result that more than two hundred officers and their bodyguards were collected. Commander Chiang, chief of the bodyguards of tho Young General, delivered a brief address to the officers, in the course of which he said the disarming of the men was necessitated by the exigency of circumstances, but that those officers who had rendered distinguished services would be retained and given posts in other divisions. He then ordered the uffiers to turn over their arms, and while this was being done a bodypuard of one of the disarmed officers fired a revolver shot at a bugler of Commander Chiang from the rear and killed him instantly. Seeing that mutiny had broken out, Chiang gave the order to bis men to fire on the rebels, but no sooner had he done this than he was shot down. A fierce battle followed, in which both sides employed machine-guns. All the •200 rebel officers end men except seven were killed, while the loyal forces lost about a hundred. Great havoc was also wrought among the curious spectators who had been standing on both sides of the platform to wait the disarming process and of whom about 100 were killed by stray bullets. A CRITICAL MOMENT. While the battle was going outside, Generals Chang and Han were talking with General Alou and his two regimental commanders. One of the latter pulled out a. revovler when he heard the firing and pointed it at the Young General. His bodyguards saw this aud at once said that if the commander should fire, he would be shot. This apparently had tho effect of holding back the excited commander. General Chang and General Han both maintained their presence of mind, aud continued their talk with the three commanders. The conduct of the Young General was particularly cool and betrayed no anxiety as to the danger to which he was exposed, although he also held his revolver ready. M'hen the firing outside ceased. General Chang ordered hie bodyguards to plaee General Alou Chun and one of the two regimental commanders under arrest, ami the other commander who had threatened to shoot at him to be executed on the spot. Air. Tang Wen-ming. secretary to the roting General, laid himself on the floor of the train aud covered his head with a newspaper, while bullets were flying

thick and fast outside. When the firing stopped, he stood up but was killed by a stray bullet. The Young General wa_« deeply moved by the tragic death of Tang and "Chiang ami ordered that 30.600 dollars each be paid to the families of the deceased.