Bound Feet: The Tale of Manchukuo

[Passivocalia]

Halloa! This is my first AAR, so please be kind. Let me know what you think as we go along, if you would.

In many of these historical descriptions, I may suffer from gross generalizations or historical assumptions. Feel free to gently correct me as the case may be.

Now... could someone please tell me where the best place is to host pictures? I'm going to post my first couple of messages without the pictures (and edit them in later), but I dare not go further without them.

Much thanks, and I hope you enjoy!

[Passivocalia]

PRELUDE
Manchuria, China, and the (Rail)Road to War

For nearly 270 years, China had been ruled by a foreign emperor.

People who would later be known as the Manchus moved south into China proper in 1644, taking advantage of the Ming Dynasty’s instability to absorb the entire region and institute their own rule, the Qing Dynasty. The Chinese stereotypes of queue hair braids and noblewomen's footbinding originate from Manchu culture, as opposed to that of the Han Chinese. Qing power lasted until an anti-Manchu movement led to the 1911 Revolution, which established a Chinese republic. But that is a different tale.

The Manchu Qing Dynasty had been on a steady decline due to troubles from European powers and internal turmoil. The Manchurian region specifically was the target of Russian imperialism. During 1858, Russia forced the Qing to cede Manchurian lands north of the Amur through the Treaty of Aigun. By 1860, Russia forced Manchurian borders to the Ussuri River through the Treaty of Peking (Beiping/Beijing). This effectively limited Manchu China’s sea access to west of the Korean peninsula.

As the Russians began their famous Trans-Siberian Railway in 1891, their ultimate goal was for it to stretch to Vladivostok. Instead of having the railroad pass through the longer, rougher route of Russia, an agreement was reached with the Qing to have the Chinese Eastern Railway pass through Manchuria, just north of Korea.

In 1897, Germany used the deaths of two German missionaries as a pretext to occupy the Chinese port-city of Qingdao. Russia in turn used this as a pretext to “protect China”, occupying Port Arthur and Dalian on the Liaodong Peninsula, signing a twenty-five year lease in 1898 that would include Russia’s right to build a railroad connecting these ports to the Chinese Eastern Railway. This new stretch of railroad, running from Harbin to Port Arthur, would come to be called the South Manchurian Railway.


The Trans-Siberian Railway, dividing into the Chinese Eastern Railway and the South Manchurian Railway. The Korean Peninsula is between them, in the southeast.

Russian influence in Manchuria ceased with the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.


Russian battleship Pobieda sinks, damaged from Japanese land-based artillery during the siege of Port Arthur

On 5 February 1904, prior to any declaration of war, Japanese admiral Heihachiro Togo launched a surprise attack on the Russian fleet stationed in Port Arthur. Japanese forces landed in various parts of Manchuria, eventually capturing Port Arthur and advancing north to Mukden.


The Battle of Mukden, often considered the climax of the Russo-Japanese War

Japan ended the war as a great power, the first Asian nation to defeat a major western empire. Russia, humiliated, signed the Treaty of Portsmouth which ceded to Japan the southern half of Sakhalin Island as well as the lease to Port Arthur. Russia also acknowledged Korea to be within Japan’s sphere of influence (which was annexed in 1910) and agreed to evacuate Manchuria. United States President Theodore Roosevelt won a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the arbitration.

Japan now controlled the South Manchurian Railway, and the rising island empire would be the main powerbroker in that region up to the beginnings of the Second World War.

[Passivocalia]

ACT I: THE BIRTH OF MANCHUKUO

When the Qing Dynasty ruled China, the Manchu emperors had not allowed Chinese to immigrate to Manchuria, hoping to preserve the region as their homeland. The result was that northeast China was sparsely populated in the modern age. This, combined with Manchuria’s vast raw materials and arable land, made it a prime target for Japanese and Korean-Japanese immigration. In 1930, foreign investment in Manchuria was 75% Japanese.

Zhang


Zhang Zuolin, warlord of Manchuria

Though the Chinese Republic had officially been proclaimed, much of the country was divided into cliques and warlords. Against these divisions was a growing concept of Chinese nationalism, which was diametrically opposed to both these warlords and Japanese expansion. Perhaps this is why Japan felt a vested interest in the Chinese warlords.

Zhang Zuolin, in particular, found support from Japan in Manchuria. When Zhang became involved in a series of wars for control of Beiping, Japan was more or less his direct patron. Zhang controlled and ruled from Beiping by 1925, and the Japanese had hopes that the influential warlord would become China’s head of state.

Tensions rose, however, when Chiang Kai-shek’s Northern Expedition, which had been chasing the Jianxi Soviet (Communist Chinese) on the infamous Long March, moved toward Beiping in 1928. To the Japanese, this nationalist army was in too threatening a position to their interests. They sent a note of warning to Zhang that he should return to Manchuria while his army was still intact. The Japanese further warned that, if Zhang did remain in Beiping, they would not allow retreating armies to cross the Manchurian border. They sent an identical note to Chiang in Nanjing, perhaps so Zhang would feel the urgency of the threat. In any case, Zhang complied.


Many considered Chiang Kai-shek the legitimate leader of China.

As Zhang was returning to Manchuria on 4 June 1928, he was killed in a train explosion. The Japanese had decided that Zhang Zuolin was untrustworthy and had accordingly eliminated him.


Zhang Xueliang succeeded his father as warlord of Manchuria.

Zhang Xueliang, son of the assassinated warlord, agreed to continue cooperating with the Japanese in Manchuria, but he proved much more independent-minded than his father.

Japan issued a warning to Zhang when he raised the flag of Chiang’s Nanjing government in Mukden during December 1928, but they did not take any further action. After pledging his allegiance to Chiang, Zhang was made commander of China’s Northeastern Frontier Army. Chiang then attempted to establish a greater Chinese presence in Manchuria. This resulted in several confrontations.

Chiang’s government established railroads in Manchuria to compete with the Japanese ones there, hurting Japanese profits through rebates and rate wars. The Chinese also built port facilities at Yingkou to challenge their Japanese counterparts at Dairen.

Korean and Chinese settlers fell into violent disputes. The Wanbaoshan Incident, one of these, ended with Japanese police dispersing Chinese farmers by firing a machinegun over their heads. Japanese press magnified these events, causing anti-Chinese riots in both Japan and Korea.

Finally, the military took matters into its own hands.

[tiger2004]

pictures: www.imageshack.us and remember to convert the picture to JPEG if it is from hoi2 (f11).

Anyway, it looks great.

[Passivocalia]

Much thanks to my answer, tiger, and for the compliment!
I'll get one more bit of the introduction in... then to sleep for school stuff!

Edit: by the way, here's a WARNING TO EVERYONE:.

As a fan of Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series, I've grown accustomed to thinking of country's names in a spelling either close to or exactly their official language. But only some countries. So, in my game, Germany = Deutschland, Brazil = Brasil, and Japan = Nihon.

However, Denmark still= Denmark, and China still= China. I just haven't gotten around to researching/changing them all yet. If it bothers too many people, I'll change Nihon back to Japan.

[Passivocalia]

ACT I: THE BIRTH OF MANCHUKUO (CONT'D)



On 18 September 1931, the Kwantung military blew up a length of track on the South Manchurian Railway north of Mukden. Blaming this bombing on the Chinese, the army began a military campaign to occupy the whole of Manchuria.

The railway damage was not even enough to stop the next train from passing through.


Colonel Itagaki Seishiro planned the Mukden Incident

Government officials in Tokyo disapproved of the Kwantung army’s actions and guaranteed that military operations would be stopped, but the army continued. Its commanders were at this point acting autonomously.



When the Mukden Incident occurred, Chiang Kai-shek was still fighting his third extermination campaign against the Communist Chinese. His response to the Japanese occupation of Manchuria was a non-response; he felt that Nationalist forces were too weak to face both the Japanese and the Communists, and he believed that the Communists were the greater threat to National Chinese sovereignty. Even after Manchuria had fallen completely, Chiang did not sever relations with Japan.



Manchuria’s defeat led former warlord Zhang Xueliang and his army retreating into China proper, joining forces with Chiang. The Manchurians were none too pleased with Chiang’s disregard, a fact that would come later to haunt the generalissimo.

Though Japan had simply annexed Korea in 1910, they feared that similar actions in Manchuria would trigger too negative a foreign response. Thus, they created a puppet state under Manchu leadership...



...and Manchukuo was born.

[Gan'dol]

Surely interesting. I'll follow this.

[Spitfire_Pilot]

yay a manchukou AAR. Good luck !

[Oranje Verzet]

What a start! And very promising.

I like the prelude with a short but somewhat detailed history of Manchuko. Dont know much about the Sino and Manchu, so its nice and an interesting read for me.

The Nihon and Deutschland etc. doesnt bother me at all, instead i happen to like it .

Keep up the good work.

[Jape]

This could be promising

Keep up the good work!

[Tskb18]

Smash that villain Chiang!


Looking forward to when the next installment is ready.

[biffthewhite]

Are you using a different game mod? What kind are you using that has Mukden incident events and creation of Manchukuo events? Good luck this looks like an intresting AAR

[Passivocalia]

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement! Unfortunately, I started this AAR to procrastinate work I have (final papers), so updates should be slow for these next two weeks.

Tskb18: Oh, I plan to smash Chiang right up nicely. That is, if my glorious Japanese overlords deem the war is worthy (95% chance) . Hopefully, they won't simultaneously decide to continue the Russian war (2% chance, but not sure if the event will even come up every time).

But don't worry, I'll make sure peace doesn't last long. If need be, Manchukuo national forces might just take a border skirmish too far or yell too loudly, drawing their puppetmasters into a war... (this is why it's fun to play as Yemen or Oman!)

biffthewhite: Thanks for noticing! I added these events to the files for the sake of this AAR; I haven't actually been playing the game yet. My game will start in 1936, patch 1.3a on normal/normal difficulty, and unmodded.

Well... not entirely unmodded. There are a few event additions, but they shouldn't affect me (e.g. there's a 1% chance for England or France to reject the Munich Pact). Though, if certain nations' destinies take an unexpected course.... well, I'll just say that some specific ministers might just have a sudden change of traits or ideology.

[Earth's Savior]

Reclaim all of China in the name of Manchuria!

[lifeless]

Manchuria lol. good luck!

[Rapcw]

Nice, a Manchukuo AAR. I have just recently played a bit as them. It's now early 1938 and I have conquered a sizeable portion of North-West China and Beijing, with Japan going down the South-East. They are a fun country to play but just don't get in a fight with SU as they'll easily beat you. I would also release them from puppet status before playing. Good start, and good luck!

[Passivocalia]

The Last Emperor




A deposed Qing: Emperor Pu-Yi of Manchukuo

Pu-Yi was emperor of China at the age of two (December 1908), but his brief and sporadic reign had been nothing to gloat about. He had not even been old enough to sign his own abdication when the Chinese Republic had been proclaimed, the empress dowager signing it for him on 12 February 1912. However, as part of the agreement, Pu-Yi had been able to retain his imperial title and much of the honour that went with it, and he remained in the Forbidden City.

The warlord Zhang Xun attempted to restore Pu-Yi as Qing emperor on 1 July 1917, but national opposition doomed this effort to fail after a mere twelve days.

In October 1924, Warlord Feng Yuxiang led a coup, betraying the Zhili Clique, and forced Pu-Yi to be stripped of his imperial title and granted mere citizenship status. The deposed emperor was then expelled from the Forbidden City.

Pu-Yi managed to elude his Republican guards in 1925, fleeing to the Japanese Legation. From there the Japanese flew him to Tianjin, where he stayed with his court-in-exile. Some believe that Pu-Yi felt a sort of kinship with Japanese Emperor Hirohito at this time in his life. Like Pu-Yi, Hirohito was the emperor of a great people. Pu-Yi likely felt that Hirohito could sympathise with the plight of a deposed kin, of a broken nation.


Emperor Hirohito of Japan

All in all, Pu-Yi was Japan’s ideal choice for a leader of puppet Manchukuo.

Pu-Yi
Head of State: Popular Figurehead

He was installed on 1 March 1932 with the reign title “Datong”. His coronation was in 1934, and his new reign title was “Kangde”. Ever since being stripped of his former imperial titles, however, the man had been known as “Mr. Pu-Yi”, and Pu-Yi was the name that had stuck with most of the world.

[Passivocalia]

Rapcw: I certainly didn't mean to steal your thunder. Don't let this stop you from making your own Manchukuo AAR, especially since your description leads me to infer that we just may be taking different paths.

Next update: the actual game starts!

[Rapcw]

No problem. I have my Siam AAR to finish before I start another AAR though!

[Passivocalia]

ACT II: A PUPPET'S DUTY

For all their efforts to put a good face on the events in Manchuria, Japan still earned the condemnation of the free world. The League of Nations sent the Lytton commission to study the events, and that commission concluded that the actions in Manchuria were the result of Japanese aggression. In response, Japan would walk out of the League of Nations in 1934. The only power the League had to retaliate with came in the form of economic sanctions, but this did no real harm to Japan: the island empire’s main trading partner was the United States, and the U.S. was not a member of the League. All the League’s symbolic gesture succeeded in was further uniting the Japanese people.


A political cartoon of Japan “walking over” the League of Nations

Other incidents would occur between Japan and China, including a six week undeclared war that would be called the “Shanghai Incident” in 1932, but an all-out Sino-Japanese War would ultimately be averted. In the meantime, the new nation of Manchukuo was forcibly industrialised and ordered to raise its own national army so as to better fight Japan’s enemies.

Though he had been official head of state since 1932, it was not until 1936 that Pu-Yi began taking an active part in Manchukuoan government. The puppet emperor insisted on presiding over every meeting, overseeing production plans, and exercising as much actual power as he could get away with. Some attribute this change to Pu-Yi’s growing denial that his nation was anything less than completely independent. As some suffer mid-life crises when they feel their lives slipping away, so did Pu-Yi work to convince himself that he was indeed an Emperor in every sense of the word.

One of the most subtle changes Pu-Yi’s personality shift inflicted was that on his governing cabinet. Since Manchukuo’s creation, the native officials had been nothing more than figureheads for their “advisors” from Tokyo; Pu-Yi hoped to change that.

Chang Ching-hui
Head of Government: Happy Amateur
Foreign Minister: Iron-fisted Brute

Though Prime Minister Chang had little experience with governing, he soon latched onto Pu-Yi’s enthusiastic vision toward a stronger, more free Manchukuo within the new Asian order. He would soon become infamous in Tokyo for his incessant, almost nagging requests for all Manchurian territory to be left securely in Manchukuo’s hands, including the south-west provinces that were currently under direct Japanese administration.

Li Shao-keng
Minister of Armament: Military Entrepreneur

Li had also warmed toward the emperor’s vision of making Manchukuo an “ally worthy of Japan’s friendship”. His efforts would be instrumental in Manchukuo’s Great Supply Scheme.

Chin Chu-han
Minister of Security: Back Stabber

Chin, unfortunately, had acquired his position through the corruption that ran rampant in the early Manchu state. His efforts at rooting out anti-Japanese elements became so damaging to the government that Pu-Yi actually took efforts to oust him, but Chin had firmly entrenched himself in ties leading to Tokyo. For the time being, he was not going anywhere.

((OOC: Stupid detrimental, unoustable backstabber! ))

Kawashima Yoshiko
Head of Intelligence: Political Specialist

Manchu Princess Aisingoro Xianyu (sometimes called “Eastern Jewel”) had acquired a hatred for China, coupled with an almost fawning love for Japanese culture. She saw the situation in Manchukuo as the ideal, and, though she was not an official member of the Manchukuoan cabinet, her status as a member of the Manchu imperial family placed her in an ideal position to spread the ideology of Japanese collaboration across the entire globe.

Chi Hsing
Chief of Staff: School of Defense
Chief of Army: Static Defence Doctrine

Often overshadowed by his Japanese counterparts in the Kwantung Army, Chi would nevertheless attempt to sway Pu-Yi to take an isolationist stance in the upcoming Asian wars. As Chi saw it, Manchukuo’s only hope of survival—whether the Japanese triumphed in Asia or not—was to construct and deploy a purely defensive army.

Sergei Ramilcheff
Chief of Navy: Indirect Approach Doctrine

It was clear to anyone that Manchukuo had no bright future on the seas. With but a small, interrupted coastline and no harbors large enough to deploy even a transport, Ramilcheff knew that if Manchukuo ever had a navy, it would have to succeed through unconventional warfare.

Yokoyama Masayuki
Chief of Air Force: Vertical Envelopment Doctrine

Yokoyama was one of the major Japanese figures who took an active role in Manchukuo, sometimes sitting in on the League of Nations (even though Japan had resigned from League) as they discussed how to handle the Manchu state. He was known within the Manchukuoan government for urging Chi Hsing and Pu-Yi to develop paratrooper technology and weapons, but most in the cabinet felt that such soldiers would prove to be little more than novelties.

The entire cabinet favored a totalitarian-style empire. Interestingly enough, at this point Manchukuo held more fascist leanings than even its creator, Japan, did.