Hsi Hsia (general)
Hsi Hsia (熙洽) (1883 - 1950), Manchu general in command of the Manchurian Kirin Provincial Army, that went over to the Japanese during the Invasion of Manchuria.
Hsi Hsia was an ethnic Manchu and a participant in the Manchu ethnic party after the overthrow of the Qing dynasty. He is thought to have favored the establishment of a Manchurian kingdom. He rose to command the Provincial Army of Kirin Province under the Fengtian clique.
On 23 September 1931, Lt. General Hsi Hsia of the Kirin Army, was invited by the Japanese to form a provisional government for the Kirin Province. The Japanese succeeded in achieving a bloodless occupation of the capital. General Hsi Hsia accepted the Japanese invitation, called a meeting of government organizations and Japanese advisors, and on 30 September issued a proclamation establishing a provisional government for Kirin Province under protection of the Japanese Army and independent of the Republic of China.
After Japanese forces completed their military control over South Manchuria in early January 1932, occuping Chinchow and Shanhaiguan they turned to the north to complete their campaign to secure Manchuria. When negotiations with Generals Ma Zhanshan and Ting Chao had come to naught, Colonel Kenji Doihara in early January requested the General Hsi Hsia to advance with his forces and take Harbin from the last major Chinese regular force in the north lead by General Ting Chao. General Hsi Hsia advanced to Shuangcheng on 25 January, fighting began on the morning of the 26th. Doihara had failed in his attempt to intimidate the Chinese and his ally, General Hsi Hsia's troops soon suffered a serious reverse at the hands of General Ting Chao.
Colonel Doihara was forced to call upon the Kwantung Army to assist General Hsi Hsia. To justify this, Colonel Doihara created another "Incident" in Harbin. 2nd Division, commanded by Lt. Gen. Jiro Tamon, was ordered to go to the rescue of General Hsi Hsia, and entrained on 28 January. Because of transportation difficulties in the cold winter weather it took seven days for Japanese columns to struggle north over the frozen countryside in temperatures of 30° below zero. Finally they closed in on the Harbin from the west and south on February 4 and took the city on January 5th, 1932. Within two months the puppet state of Manchukuo was established.
Shortly after Manchukuo was established Hsi Hsia's Kirin suffered a defeat at the hands of the Volunteer Army of General Li Hai-ching called the Anti-Japanese Army For The Salvation Of The Country on March 29, 1932. Li Hai-ching's forces defeated regular troops of the Manchukuoan Governor Hsi Hsia outside the town of Nungan, only 35 miles from the Manchukuoan capital of Changchun. On the previous day they had captured their supply of ammunition and the resistance of tkhe Kirin forces in Nungan dissolved next day. Nungan was soon reported on the verge of surrender. Japanese forces from the east at Yao-men, tried to fight their way through to Nungan with the support of bombers but the defenders radio ceased broadcasting when Li's Anti-Japanese Army captured the town.
This and similar incidents of defeats and desertions by their puppet troops following the foundation of Manchukuo persuaded Japanese to begin removing former Northeastern Army officers and soldiers following the defeat of the Volunteer Armies. They began replacing them with Chinese and Manchurians trained by the Japanese and considered more reliable. Genera Hsi Hsia seems to have been removed soon after his defeat by the Volunteer Army and was made a finance superintendent of Manchkuo in 1932, a minister of Manchkuo in 1934, and palace and interior minister in 1936. At the end of World War II he was captured by the Soviets and held in a Siberian prison until he was returned to China in 1950, where he died in prison.
See also
External links
- IMTFE, Japanese Aggression Against China
- [1] SATURDAY EVENING. FEBRUARY 27. 1032. THE COSHOCTON TRIBUNE