The commanders of the Kwantung Army were gathered by General Juzo Nishio, Chief of Staff and successor to General Minami, in the city of Harbin following the fall of Hsinking and the treachery of Puyi. Within the onion domed cathedral of St. Sophia they plotted their next move in the increasingly unstable region.

The cathedral’s plaza was surrounded by barbed wire and sandbags with machine gun emplacements circling the perimeter. Japanese patrols marched into the evening; rifles clutched and bayonets set, cautiously scanning the dark windows of the scored neighborhood buildings and the shadowy alleys between them. Nothing stirred for fear of being shot.

Despite Nishio’s declaration of martial law, the city itself was far from secure. Riots had erupted throughout Japanese occupied Manchukuo after Puyi’s declaration of war. In his pronouncement, the Kangde Emperor had urged all of his subjects to resist Japanese oppression even to the point of armed resistance. What followed was pure carnage. Harbin had seen the worst. In the opening stages of the insurrection, several hundred Han had stormed the city’s armory, aided in no small part by local Manchurian forces, and managed to seize weapons and ammo leading to a savage urban firefight that incurred losses into the thousands. The Japanese would eventually crush the uprising leaving the empty streets filled with debris and stained by the blood of the fallen. Noxious smoke still fumed from smoldering ruins creating a grim cloud that hung over the city obscuring the night sky. The sickening smell of cooking meat forced many soldiers to wrap rags around their noses and mouths to filter out the odor.

Within St. Sophia’s ornate brick walls, Colonel Torashirō Kawabe, the Kwantung Army’s chief of intelligence, was giving a briefing to those in attendance. “This meeting highlights the enormity of our problem,” Kawabe started from the pulpit, standing before the assembled generals who sat around an oaken table. “The situation is grave. Puyi has declared his independence from our rule and already is building an army to remove us from Manchukuo-”

“What is the situation in Jilin?” Nishio cut in.

“The entire province has been lost including Binjiang and Jindao.” Kawabe’s statement brought stunned silence to those gathered.

“Casualties?” Nishio queried.

“That is still unknown, sir.”

Nishio frowned before grumbling, “Estimate.”

Kawabe licked his lips and wrung his hands nervously. “At least two divisions have been lost. Also, a great deal of command staff was captured when Hsinking fell including nearly all vice ministers and the area commander.”

“Puyi has nearly severed the head of our command structure,” Seishiro Itagaki, Nishio’s squat deputy, angrily admitted. “Who knew that worm had a spine to attempt such a coup.”

“What of General Minami?” Nishio asked, ignoring Itagaki.

“His whereabouts remain unknown as well, sir.”

Colonel Yoshihide Hayashi turned to Nishio. “How could this have happened? This region was supposed to be secure.”

Nishio shifted the question to his subordinate. “Kawabe?”

“What we perceived as random partisan attacks throughout the region appear to have been the opening of a coordinated offensive aimed at dislodging our troops from Jilin.”

“But an offensive by whom? Puyi?” Brigadier General Jun Ushiroku asked.

“Unlikely,” Lieutenant General Yoshijiro Umezu declared. “The Manchukuo Imperial Army is far from competent enough to pull something like this off. Besides, we’ve had spies watching them. Someone must be aiding Puyi.”

“Communists?”

Kawabe pursed his lips, giving the possibility thought before answering. “I don’t think so. The bulk of their number is facing annihilation at the hands of Chiang Kai-Shek’s forces. I do not believe them to be so foolish as to open a new front when they face extinction.”

“Like Sakai?” General Kenkichi Ueda, commander of Chosen Army, retorted drawing Hayashi’s venomous glare from across the table.

“This is not the time?” Itagaki cautioned.

“I believe it to be the perfect time,” Ueda shot back. “Are you all so blind? How much worse must things become before we abandon the precepts of Satō Nobuhiro?” His eyes scanned the numerous faces assembled. “This venture into Manchuria has been folly from the start, yet we continue to press our luck and strive for ever more irrational goals. Is it any surprise that things have deteriorated to this point, reaching for more and more until we risk breaking our very backs? Our greed threatens our discipline. These millions of Manchu and Mongols will never be Japanese, nor will the Chinese to the south be any different. They will eternally see us as outsiders. Unless we have the will to liquidate the lot of them we will never hold this land.”

“What would you have us do? Retreat? Where is your honor?” Yamashita chastised.

Ueda’s eyes tightened. “I would have us pause in our fervor to conquer the world to realize the obvious. This entire endeavor was founded on gekokujo. Insubordination is not a virtue to prize in any army. Look at the fruits of our victory here. Our control over our own forces has steadily eroded under such a philosophy until now every commander, no matter how small, acts independently of our will with the hope of glory to be gained. There is no union. No cohesion. This force is disintegrating.

“I point out General Sakai. Even as our grip on Manchukuo slackens, Sakai with his hubris threatens to reignite war with the Chinese and you do little to halt his actions. His repeated conflicts with Nationalist forces in Hebei are both ignorant and dangerous. Why do we continue down the path of sangoku? Continued aggravation of our southern neighbor will only lead to our destruction. They are a beast we can never fully conquer.”

“Beast? They are a paper dragon who fears our fire. The Chinese will not fight,” Hayashi countered.

“Oh no? Zhang Xueliang and his army of 100,000 men have entered the demilitarized zone south of the Great Wall.”

Nishio nearly came out of his chair. “What?”

“I take it you are surprised. Perhaps your intelligence is not as good as you thought it was.” Kawabe’s face went scarlet with rage at the insult, his lips trembling with searing words kept in check. Ueda continued, “Zhang knows about the turmoil within Manchukuo and seeks to strike. Sakai’s actions have finally given him the fait accompli to violate the truce, that and Kawabe’s attempts to destabilize Chahar.” Ueda faced Kawabe’s mottled visage. “Oh yes, I know what you’ve been up to, especially in Changpei.”

Ueda’s gaze returned to those gathered. “Why has the Kwantung Army allowed such insane policies to go forward? Where is the coherence? Nibble on the tail of a dragon and it will eventually attack you. We must work together if the Kwantung Army is to survive here for many in Japan wish to see us fail. All these independent actions threaten to craft an enemy too numerous to defeat in our current state. We risk becoming the force that unifies disparate China.” Ueda took a weary breath, running his fingers over his bald scalp. “The center of Manchukuo has been lost and its southern border is threatened. We have overreached and now risk failure. Just as relations between Japan and China begin to improve, we damn them and embark on yet another campaign only now with a knife at our back. Where is our reason?”

“I still say the Chinese will not fight,” Hayashi repeated. “Zhang is posturing. The last time he threatened battle he retreated without significant engagement at the mere sight of our superior troops. He is a coward like all Shina.”

Ueda shook his head. “You underestimate him. You’ve always underestimated him.”

Hayashi grunted in disdain. “Be that as it may, Chiang will check any attempt by his subordinate to attack Manchukuo.”

“The Generalissimo is too busy dealing with Zhang Guotao to reign in any rebellious elements within the Kuomintang,” Ueda stated. “Even more telling is his allies’ refusal to aid him in his campaign against the Communists. The warlords watch him bleed while plotting his demise. Much like all of you.”

The commanders cursed and yelled at Ueda. He stood and shouted for silence. “Zhang has nothing to lose by an assault on Rehe. Many still see him as the legitimate heir of Manchuria and the Chinese would love to see the Tanggu Truce overturned and the Kwantung Army driven from Manchukuo. Even a token attack would be enough to draw the people of Northern China and Manchukuo to his side. With Puyi going rogue, Zhang’s entrance into the country will only destabilize the kingdom further. We cannot and should not seek battle with the Chinese so long as Manchukuo’s integrity is threatened.”

“What is your plan?” Nishio asked.

Ueda sat and began stroking his broad moustache, his eyes absently admiring a religious mural on the far wall. “Reign in our forces in Chahar and Hebei.” Ueda nodded to himself. “Avoid war with China at any cost. Focus on the problems within Manchukuo. Stabilize our base.”

“I disagree,” Ushiroku cut in. “Our operations in Inner Mongolia will have no impact on the Manchurian campaign.” He turned to Nishio. “Commander, the Chinese will surrender yet again rather than fight if we continue our pressure. They are far too fractured to stand against us. Have we not proven that time and again? We must act now while they are still weak. Continue to play them off against one another. Northern China can be ours.” Many of the generals nodded in agreement.

Ueda looked around the room in baffled shock. “You are all truly fools if you believe that.”

“Do not take us for fools,” Hayashi bit back. “This rebellion will be put down sure enough, and Zhang will not venture beyond the Great Wall. You would have us make nice with the Shina. Feh. I know your goal. You’d rather us follow the policy of hokushin-ron and turn north.”

“I’m trying to preserve our hold on Manchukuo-”

“At the expense of our hold on Northern China.”

“Enough of this!” Nishio yelled. “This bickering is pointless. We are not here to settle grudges but to rectify the situation. We cannot allow ourselves to be sidetracked at a moment such as this. Now, options?”

“Can we expect reinforcements?” Yamashita asked.

“No,” Nishio replied. “The Imperial Command has denied my requests. They see this as a problem of our own making and many in Tokyo would relish our defeat if only to humble us. We are on our own.”

A silence took hold of the room as the generals realized the obvious: they had been abandoned. If the Kwantung Army was to preserve its honor, they would have to pay for it with their own blood.

“Once more I ask options?” Nishio repeated.

“Send in a corps of Imperial infantry backed by armor and air support. Overwhelm them,” Itagaki suggested.

“We can divert forces from Manchouli,” Hayashi added.

“You are insane!” Ueda blurted. “Weaken the northern border? You may as well invite the Soviets into our territory.”

“Then where should we divert forces from? Rehe? Not so long as Zhang waits just south of the wall.”

“Why not the Chosen Army?” Ueda offered. “We border Jilin and my men are brave. Attacks from Longjiang and Fengtian could serve as feints to draw Puyi’s forces north and south thinning their center into which I can punch through and retake Hsinking. This rebellion will cease without its leader and its capital.”

Nishio nodded. “Ueda, I put you in charge of this campaign. Draw up your plans and present them to me within twenty-four hours.”

Ueda bowed his head. “As you command.”

Nishio stood, the generals doing likewise. “Dismissed.”

***

As day passed and gave way to night, a party of men emerged from the forests to the southeast of Jilin crossing the Liao He on their way to Hsinking. Clad in nondescript clothing muddied by their long journey and wearied by their passage through the divine Changbai Mountains, the disheveled band entered the city and passed inconspicuously through the crowded streets of the capital blending in with the common peasantry and tradesmen. The throngs gradually thinned out on their approach to the Laixun Gate, entrance to the Imperial Palace. There, the guards had been told to expect these mysterious men and allowed them entrance. An escort guided the party to Qinmin Tower where Puyi waited for their arrival.

The leader of the group scanned the Imperial grounds as they walked examining this microcosm Puyi had increasingly taken to hiding away in. Even in the dim evening glow was the beauty of the gardens and rockeries were evident. The fish ponds shone with moonlight shimmering like the celestial sea overhead with silvery, sparkling fish swimming in the depths. Elaborate buildings of exquisite design stood throughout proclaiming the wealth and splendor of the Kangde Emperor. A tranquil air permeated the property unlike the bustling, packed city streets that surrounded it. The emperor’s dream world away from the real world; perfection protected by high walls.

Qinmin Tower, the palace’s administrative building, proved a strange amalgam of European and Asiatic architecture. A squared structure of vast size, it stood two stories tall with a jutting entranceway and was crowned by a jade, egg-shaped dome. The bottom floor was of neoclassical style and interspersed with arched windows. The second floor was of Chinese design surrounded by a wooden railing painted red.

The group entered Qinmin Tower and passed through the gilded hall on their way to the southeast of the building. Chu Kudo met the party at the entrance to the Kangde Emperor’s throne room.

“Welcome,” Chu said with a bow. “His Royal Highness has been expecting you.” The chamberlain inspected the motley group before addressing their leader solely. “Your men will have to remain outside.”

Many in the party balked fiercely at the arrangement only for their leader to raise his hand forcing silence before turning to Chu and nodding in agreement. Puyi’s chamberlain turned to the Imperial Guard and signaled them to open the doors. Chu and the enigmatic figure entered into the presence of the emperor who sat upon his throne beneath a silken canopy.

Chu introduced the party’s leader to his master. “My lord, Marshal Zhang Xueliang has arrived.”

Zhang deftly removed his hat and briefly bowed his head in salutation. A handsome man with boyish features that contrasted with his status as a battle-hardened soldier, his guarded eyes concealed a sharp and calculating mind that had served to make him the bane of many an enemy. Even in his muddied garb, the charismatic marshal still appeared regal and suave in his noble bearing. Disarming and diplomatic when he needed to be, Zhang ceremoniously stepped forward to greet the monarch. Puyi impudently refused to rise from his throne to meet him on equal terms, instead motioning for the marshal to come no closer.

“Are you not going to step down from on high to welcome me?” Zhang inquired. “Surely you will have a hard time hearing me from your lofty perch.”

“Is this how you wish to introduce yourself to me?” Puyi cut back. “As a disrespectful cur?”

“Disrespectful? Remember that I ruled Manchuria before you.”

“Yes. Before.”

“I see you have lost none of your arrogance.”

“Nor you your impetuous tongue. I should do you a diplomatic favor and have it cut out.”

Chu Kudo came between the two. “Your Highness. Marshal,” he mediated. “Now is not the time for arguments.”

Zhang shifted his jaw. “Indeed,” he acquiesced.

“Did you have much trouble reaching Hsinking?” Chu asked.

“No,” Zhang replied. “The Japanese are spread thin and I know this land far better than they.”

“You have come a long way to speak with me,” Puyi imperiously interrupted. “Do you come representing the Kuomintang?”

“No. I come on my own.”

Puyi arched an eyebrow. “What is the purpose of your visit?”

“An alliance.”

Puyi leaned forward. “An alliance? For what? To help you supplant Chiang?”

“Nothing like that,” Zhang corrected. “I have heard reports of your successes.”

“Yes, I have done well and soon the whole of Manchukuo will be under my rule as it should be. So why do I need your aid?”

“The Kwantung Army is off balance, yes. With operations in Northern China and your successful insurrection in Manchuria, they are overstretched and dangerously vulnerable. But they are still stronger than you alone can handle. Together our forces may drive them from the continent before they regroup.”

“So you come to me offering assistance.” Puyi chortled mockingly. “Perhaps I do not want it.”

Zhang crossed his arms defiantly in front of the Kangde Emperor. “The Japanese may be on the defensive now, but that will not last. What you have gained so far was based on surprise. That element has passed. You know that as well as I. The focus of the Kwantung Army was on China. They did not expect your stab in the back. They will not be so careless again. The Japanese will regroup and invade Jilin with far more than the second line garrison troops you defeated. Can your forces withstand an assault of hardened veterans backed by armor and aircraft?”

“We can withstand whatever the Japanese throw at us.”

“With what? I have surveyed your forces and been briefed by Ma Zhanshan on their capabilities. Your army leaves much to be desired. It is riddled with opium addicts, inept peasants, and mercenaries willing to fight for the highest bidder. Who knows how many traitors you have within your midst. Frankly, I find myself wondering how you have accomplished what you have thus far with such rabble.”

Puyi smiled and giggled childishly to himself, leaning back and enjoying the puzzled expression on Zhang’s face. “I have an ally.”

“Who is this ally?” Zhang looked to Chu Kudo. “One of the Kwantung commanders?” His eyes returned to the Kangde Emperor.

“Bring him,” Puyi ordered his chamberlain. Chu bowed and exited the room. “You will come to see that I have little need of an alliance with you or any other man,” he told Zhang. “What I have accomplished has been mandated by Heaven. The gods are on my side.”

“Only a fool turns away aid,” Zhang chastised.

“And what is the price of your aid?” Puyi grumbled. “My throne?”

“I come to liberate the people of Manchuria from the yoke of the Japanese. As shocking as this may be to one as noble as you, there are selfless people left in the world.”

“Selfless? This from a womanizer and opium addict.”

Zhang clenched his fists and started forward. “Don’t you-”

A mild tremor shook the room silencing the young marshal. Zhang turned as the broad doors opened and reared back in surprise. Li Chen entered the large room, turning sideways and hunching to squeeze through the doorway. When he stood up, his towering height was all the more impressive.

Puyi’s giggle devolved into a cackle. “Allow me to introduce my ally, the Dragon King.”

Zhang blinked incredulously at this titan clad in the garish silk robes of the imperial court. “You are real,” he whispered.

Puyi extended an arm toward the marshal. “Lóng Wáng, this is Marshal Zhang Xueliang.”

Li Chen scrutinized the man. He had heard numerous stories regarding Zhang Xueliang in his village. Many knew of the marshal’s daring attempts to break the Japanese hold on Manchuria before being exiled. Li Chen had never expected a man of such reputation to be so young. “I know of you,” he rasped, bending down so that his lined face was but inches from the marshal’s. “You abandoned Manchuria.”

“But I have returned to make amends,” Zhang asserted.

Li Chen glanced at Puyi suspiciously before returning his attention to Zhang. “How?”

“I wish to join the Kangde Emperor’s campaign against the Japanese. South of the Wànli Chángchéng, my army waits. I have come to coordinate my attack with Puyi’s forces.”

“What is your plan?”

“A joint assault with Dairen and Shenyang as the twin objectives allowing us to split Japanese forces and finish off their southern army. As Puyi’s forces drive south into Fengtian toward Shenyang, mine will drive north into Jehol toward Dairen pocketing the Japanese. I have acquired air and armored units to help in the southern drive. Surely the Japanese will not be able to defend on both fronts and shall find themselves encircled. With Dairen’s capture, the Japanese will be denied their most important port thus cutting their main supply line and their forces shall wither away. Once we have linked up and Shenyang has fallen, our combined forces can then drive north toward Sanjiang and finish the remnants of the Kwantung Army.”

Puyi shook his head. “Lóng Wáng, I must disagree with this plan. Harbin should be our main objective. It is the location of the Kwantung Army’s headquarters. With the Japanese still reeling, we should strike north immediately and finish them off once and for all before they are able to reinforce their position. If we chop off the head, the body will die.”

“And what of Japanese forces in Jehol to the south?” Zhang scathingly retorted. “I do not think they will sit idly by and watch you capture the Kwantung High Command.”

“That will be your duty,” Puyi coldly informed the marshal. “Strike north and tie them down.”

“I will be battling the majority of the Kwantung Army. My force will be butchered!”

“You possess an army of 100,000 men. Your forces outnumber the enemy facing you and you have even stated that you have armor and air to support your position. Whether or not you defeat the Kwantung’s southern forces is irrelevant. You do not need to succeed. With your diversionary attack, the Japanese will fear the Kuomintang is invading and reinforce their position in Jehol drawing reserves away from Jilin and Harbin. You need only fight a defensive battle tying down Japanese forces.”

“So at the expense of me and my men, you attain victory.”

Puyi shrugged. “Sacrifices are inevitable.”

Zhang bristled at Puyi’s callousness. “I will not agree to this.”

“Then continue to cower behind the Wànli Chángchéng as you have for the last several years. At least I am willing to fight for my kingdom.”

“Your kingdom?”

Li Chen watched the two men shout and curse at one another like the old women of his village. These great men mocked their noble positions quibbling over the future of Manchuria as if it were a cabbage at the local market. Not once did the people of Manchuria factor into their arguments. It was a petty and pathetic display that helped Li Chen realize why the Japanese had been so successful in Asia.

“We will talk more on this tomorrow,” the emperor stated in finality with the stomping of his foot, unwilling to continue this argument any further into the night. “If you will excuse me.” He rose from his throne and left accompanied by Chu Kudo. Disheartened, Li Chen went to follow.

“May I talk with you, Lóng Wáng?” Zhang discreetly requested. Li Chen halted and turned. “I have come too far to fail. Surely you see what the right option to follow is.”

Li Chen huffed. “Why should I believe you value Manchuria for anything more than your own personal gain? You abandoned this land to the Japanese.”

Zhang was quiet for some time, visibly struggling to find a suitable answer. “A tactical defeat is preferable to a strategic failure,” he finally offered. “It is a cold way to think. Sometimes looking at the bigger picture makes it hard to see those my decisions affect.”

“So you surrendered your people to the Japanese to save them?” Li Chen bared his fangs while his tail slapped the floor loudly in frustrated thrashing. “Have you not seen what they have done to your people? Entire villages starved into extinction or burned to ash. Souls lost in the night. Look into your people’s eyes, hear their tales, and visit Zhongma, then tell me that retreat was the best option.”

Zhang could not meet Li Chen’s oily black stare as he softly replied, “I could not stand against the Japanese. A third of my army deserted me. I was cut off from my base of supply. And the pressure from Chiang to withdraw…” The young marshal sighed guiltily. “I know these are just excuses, but there was never anything I could have done to halt the Japanese drive. But I never abandoned my people.”

Zhang’s head rose. “I was once like Puyi, a puppet. My father, Zhang Zuolin, was a far nobler man than I. He struggled for a decade to keep the Japanese out of Manchuria while also battling the warlords who continually attempted to steal his lands away from him. His goal was to unify China, to end the factionalism, and to remove the threat the Kwantung Army presented. In the end my father failed in his ambitions and turned to the Japanese for survival. They would betray and murder him. And then, they offered me his throne.”

Zhang paused remembering those dark days, flinching at the memories that bubbled up. “I was once so empty. I only thought of the moment and thus could never fathom tomorrow. The Japanese thought to make an easy ally of me and almost did,” he confessed. “My father’s death taught me a valuable lesson. He sold his soul for power and I nearly sold my own as well. Realizing that woke me from the opiate fugue I had been lost in. I had fallen so far and finally found bottom. Power is an empty thing. The evils it can drive one to.” Zhang had to turn, too ashamed to show his face. “I realized what the Japanese intended to do to my people and so I fought back. I would not sacrifice their lives for my irrelevant throne. I sought redemption in my crusade. But no matter how hard I struggled, I knew I wasn’t strong enough. I faced my father’s fate. So I withdrew.

“Don’t think I ever stopped thinking about this land,” the young marshal said over his shoulder. “That is why I have returned against the wishes of Chiang.” He turned and carefully approached Li Chen. “We must stand up to the Japanese now or else there will be no one left to do so. Chiang would butcher the Communists rather than challenge the Japanese and Puyi…Puyi seeks his own glory at any expense. I have struggled to unite us against the Kwantung Army, but none will listen.

“These people need a leader. Puyi is not it. Nor is Chiang and neither am I. We have all been tainted. But you…you are pure. Surely Heaven has sent you to us. You are the symbol of China. I have heard what the people say. That is what drew me here. I had to see if you were real.” Zhang’s eyes shined with tears. “They believe you to be their savior. You inspire them. With such power, you could unify us.”

“I am no leader,” Li Chen wistfully stated.

“Why else have you come except to save us?”

Zhang’s question was one Li Chen had pondered in futility since his transformation. “Only the gods know.”

“You care for these people?” the marshal dared to venture, unsure how this demigod would react to his mortal doubt.

“Yes,” Li Chen hissed solemnly.

“I do not know why you have come or what your intentions are, but you are needed. Save us from the Japanese. Save us from ourselves.”

***

“20th Division will cross the Yalu here and seize Baishan in our opening thrust into Jilin,” General Kenkichi Ueda briefed Kwantung Commander Juzo Nishio using a map draped across a table to outline troop movements for the upcoming campaign to put down Puyi’s rebellion. Generals Jun Ushiroku and Yoshiro Umezu mutely listened beside their commander while other staff bustled through the halls of St. Sophia Cathedral. “From there, 20th Division will continue to move northwest toward Liaoyuan linking up with Umezu’s forces from Fengtian to besiege the city,” Ueda continued. “Once secure, the final push for Hsinking will commence.”

“What will be my role in the advance toward Hsinking?” Umezu asked.

“You will move north to seize Tungliao while I attack Chiaoho from the east effectively surrounding Hsinking. If we are lucky, with his capital threatened Puyi’s forces will retreat from the north to protect the city allowing Ushiroku to advance south from Heilongjiang.”

“I do not like diverting forces from Fengtian,” Umezu grumbled. “What if Zhang Xueliang attacks Rehe? If he takes the province are backs are exposed.”

“The Kuomintang will not attack Rehe,” Ueda assured Umezu. “Sakai has been reigned in and Kenji Doihara is currently negotiating an end to the incident in Changpei. The Tanggu Truce will hold. Xueliang cannot attack without drawing Chiang’s wrath and staining China as the aggressor.”

“And if he does-”

The pair was interrupted by the door opening. General Shiro Ishii entered and approached the generals. He stopped in front of the commander. “General Nishio.” Ishii clicked his heels together and gave a slight bow.

“Yes?”

“I come with urgent information regarding your campaign.”

Nishio frowned. “What sort of information?”

“I know what you are fighting.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 16