Arizona republican., 1922-05-06
GENERAL WI PEI FL PLANS
COMPLETE REORGANIZATION
Of HSU SH|H CHANG REGIME
Leader OF Liberal Forces Camps Outside OF
Peking Walls; President Hsu Will Remain
In Office Until Expiration Of Term; WI
Victory Prevents Republic Disintearation
IRepubIlcan A. p. Leased wlreJ

IEklINN, MAY 0--Ihe FORCES or
Gen. Chang Tso- Lin. the Manchurian
leader, have been completely driven
from the region of Peking. and Ger.
Wu Pei-ku now is in control OF tae
situation
Chang's authority in Peking was
eliminated today with the disarnna-
ment OF the guard inside the capital
and General WI was recognized by
the Peking government as having
assumed control 1t is understood
President Hsu Shin Chang will re-
main IN office until the end Of his
term in October, 1928. General WI
says he does not intend to interiors
with him. A reorganization OF ths
cabinet is expected. Premier Lang
Shih-Yi, who is regarded as a. SUP
porter of General Chang will be au-
tomatically eliminated. The premier,
at present is in Tientsin. Acting,
Premier Chow Tsu Chi, probabig
viii resign. He conferred today with
General Wu's plenipotentiaries with
regard to the government. General
Wu has remained outside Pekin@
thus far and has given no indication
OF an intention to enter the city. He
purposes to call a constitutional con
vention as soon as the military prob
lens are solved. 1t is his intention
TO unite north and south China. The
convention probably will be held IN
central China.
The defeat or General chang is At
tributed to lack of the support he
expected from the southern prov
inces, the neutrality OF Shantuug and
the failure of Or. sun Vat Sen, head
OF the southern government in Can
ton 10 send an expedition northWard
to operate against General Wu.
All fighting in the vicinity Of Pek-
ing had ceased this morning.
Ihe section insice the walls oceu-s
pied by the Americans becana
greatly excited during tho night bv
an attempt Of the soldiers outside to
ram the gate and gain entrance. The
guards on top of the wall dispersed
the attacking troops with rnachine
guns. NO foreigners We're injured.
With $4,000 troops. General WI en-
circled Chang Tso-Lin's forces out
side Peking and after Is hours OF
relentless cannonading, machine gun
fire and infantry charges routed his
opponent. making himself the mas
ter of the capital
Wu's forced camped last night un-
molested outside the city gates. while
Chang's soldiers were scattered, hav-
ing retired with this main body down
the railroad toward Tientsin. or dis
persed in unorganized mobs over the
hills.
The routed army left behind artii-
iery, munitions, horses and loaded
camels, and its wounded and dead
The total casualties in Thursdays
fighting are believed to have reached
from 5000 TO 1000 dead and Wound
ed. As the fighting was brought near
Pekings walls. warning was sent the
city authorities that soldiers We're
about to enter the capital. The gates
were Immediately closed. oniy for
eigners who had been shut out being
permitted to enter.
Railroad communication in all df-
rectons has been suspended.
The struggle between Generals
Chang Tso Lin and WI Pei Flu which
has reached its climax in the pres
ent campaign, was foreshadowed in
Associated Press dispatches in Sep
tember, 1871. when it was outlined as
battle between militarism in China
under the leadership of Chang, the
most powerful military governor of
the republic and liberalism, with VFu
as its standard bearer.
In personality the men are exact
opposites, v hiIe their present rela-
tive positions form an outstanding
paradox in Chinese political hostory.
Chang, regarded as the war lord and
advocate military hogemony,
sprang from the people, is unedu-
Gated and gained his dominating po-
sition through force of character and
personal bravery. Wu came from
the upper classes, distinguished him
self in his younger days as stu
dent, ard when only Il years of age
won the Chinese degree equivalent
to bachelor OF arts in a conpetitixe
literary examination. he received his
military education in the kai Ping
Military academy, near Tientsin.
Chang fought under the Mikado's
banner in the Russo-Japanes war
as a leader of a Chinese hung
hutsu' or guerilla force. At the close
of the campaign he passed into the
Chinese government service and be
came so strong as military leader
that his machine guns at one time
oyeraWe0 government investigators
sent TO inquire into a number OF
charges against him as military gov
ernor OF Fengtien. The investigation
was dropped Wu was prominent IN
the drive against the Anfu club, or
coalition of militarists two years ago.
when thal organization was broken
up and it's leaders imprisoned.
In September, 1921, his operations
cast the first shadows Of the strug-
gle which now has developed be-
tween himself and Chang. At that
time he led his troops against the
Human rebels, drove them out of Hu-
pei into their own territory and then
turned on the Szechuan. or southern
forces acting Independently of sun
Yat Sen, p. esident of the republic OF
South China. At Iching, General WI
outtflanked the Szechuanese on both
wings and completely crushed them
in what American observers describ-
ed as the finest piece OF strategy
ever employed by modern Chinese
general
Followers of political events in
China tae,tly admitted that Wu's
victory at Ichang prevented the fur
ther disilfegratiou of the republic
and placed an obstacle in Chsng's
path toward a military hegemony IN
Northern China.