China "Spanked"

In the open, Chinese soldiers proverbially run. Cornered, they fight like wild tigers, defend every streetcorner and doorway, die frothing and screaming defiance.

Ideal for such fighting is the ancient Chinese city of Shanhaikwan, the perfect corner. Surrounded by its own 40-ft. wall and backed by China's Great Wall, Shanhaikwan is a 20th Century Thermopylae, the gateway defending China proper from Manchurian invaders. Last week several thousand Chinese soldiers, armed chiefly with old-style rifles, were ordered to defend Shanhaikwan against the simultaneous assaults of Japanese artillery (19 pieces), Japanese whippet tanks, Japanese machine gun crews, Japanese bombing planes (seven) and Japanese destroyers (two) which fired in high, wide, erratic fashion from their anchorage six miles away in the Gulf of Liaotung opposite famed Port Arthur. Considered purely as butchery, the three-day battle was a little classic.

The Japanese troops were commanded by Major Ochiai, sometime military instructor to the troops & officers of China's "Young1 Marshal" Chang Hsueh-liang, the very troops & officers who were defending Shanhaikwan last week. Less than two years ago some of the Chinese officers sent popular Major Ochiai a floral tribute of chrysanthemums, Japan's imperial flower. Last week posies were forgotten.

Dog-trotting behind a murderous Japanese barrage the Imperial troops entered Shanhaikwan's dragon-crested South Gate. Firing from cover Chinese riflemen drove them back once, twice. Next artillery battered breaches in the walls, Japanese troops burst through, fought bayonet-to-bayonet with desperate Chinese among the low mud huts of Shanhaikwan's narrow, winding streets. Hurtling from the sky Japanese bombs set the city afire, rained death among soldiers and civilians alike. Japanese gunners, when they finally got the range, concentrated on Shanhaikwan's famed Drum Tower which has sounded, warnings for centuries, sent it crashing down in smoke.

"Fighting against an enemy possessing superior arms," said General Ho, "we held the city through three days and nights. . . . That must be considered a redeeming feature of the situation. . . . There may be criticism but my conscience is clear."

There was no criticism of General Ho whose resistance Chinese editors called "magnificent," but at least a hundred Chinese War Lords and Generals sent out telegrams denouncing Peiping's "Young Marshal" Chang for not having sent more troops to Shanhaikwan, proclaimed fervently their own eagerness to fight Japan. Most such proclamations were of course mere bluff, but the world listened to Poet-General Tsai Ting-kai, famed for the glorious resistance of his 19th Route Army to Japan's attack on Shanghai (TIME, Feb.1). Telegraphed General Tsai, who happened to be in British Hongkong 1,600 mi. from Shanhaikwan last week: "If Chang Hsueh-liang has no intention of resisting I will take the19th Route Army to North China!"

In Nanking the so-called Chinese Government took no steps to send either the heroic igth or any other Chinese army to recapture Shanhaikwan--an impossible task. "Every Chinese should feel happy and honored to die like the Shanhaikwan heroes," bleated Nanking's Daily News. "Such bravery and heroism is proof that there is hope of a rebirth of the Chinese nation and of Chinese glory."

If there is such hope it is dim today. Year ago, when Japan seized Chinchow. 90 miles from Shanhaikwan, U. S. Secretary of State Henry Lewis Stimson dashed off note after stern note. Last week news of Shanhaikwan's fall was brought to "Woodley," Mr. Stimson's home, just as he was tendering a reception to the diplomatic corps. Over cakes & tea Japan's new fait accompli was discussed--but nothing more.

In Tokyo the Imperial Government called Shanhaikwan a "local incident." As the Japanese troops bivouacked there for the winter their victory had two obvious advantages: 1) If Japan decides to strike at Peiping and Tientsin she holds the Thermopylae through which her Army must pass; 2) if, which is more immediately likely, Japan decides to seize Jehol Province just outside the Great Wall and add it to Manchukuo, her puppet state. Japanese control of Shanhaikwan will block any effective steps which Chinese might try to take to protect Jehol.

In Peiping bland Japanese Charge d'Affaires S. Nakayama was asked flatly why Japan seized Shanhaikwan. "This deplorable frontier clash," said he in English, "arose from the long-pent desire of our Japanese frontier garrison to see active service and to 'spank,' if I may so express myself, the Chinese troops whom they had monotonously faced for 16 months."

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