Evening star., 1939-01-08
Chiang's Puppet Officers
Blamed for War Blunders
Generalissimo Makes Most Decisions Alone; Army
Corps Commanders Mostly Relics
of Comic Opera Era
By an Associated Press Var CORRESPONDENT.

IS war correspondent.
toned in the government news reports.
The credit for the victory was taken by
| the superior commanders, Gems. Sun
Lien-chung and Ii Tsung- -jen.
In an army so completely dominated
! by one man-the generalissimo-there
often has been discussed the question of
what will happen If Chang Kai-shek is
killed. He travels by plane from one
front to another, and has escaped death
narrowly on several occasions. At WI
| chang bomb once fell only so yards
! from him, killing several of the body
| guards.
Although no official plans have been
announced, it is tacitly understood at
Chang Kai-sheks headquarters that his
| successor would be his old enemy, Pal
Chung-hsi at Kwangsi, blunt. decisive,
hard-driving man who makes few
speeches and gives no interviews. China S
coolie army today is stronger in both
numbers and fighting spirit than it was
at the outset of the Japanese invasion in
July, 1887, despite the estimated loss of
100000 men killed and wounded.
1,980,00O In Combat Forces.
A check-up of the field armies and
training camps at the close of 1898 re-
veals total of 1880 900 men in the COM
bat force, approximately 100000 in the
irregular guerrilla units and 100000 in
training camps.
At the present rate of mobilization
China has not begun to utilize her enor-
nous reserves of man power. The total
of men mobilized in the years 1937-38,
including the soldiers still in service, was
4,5OO000 or roughly l per cent of the
national population.
If China should mobilize the same pro-
portion of men that the United States
did in the World War, she would have an
army Of 15,OoOOO0.
If she followed the German precedent
100000 men from population Of g.
0OO,O00-the Chinese field force would be
the biggest in world history, approx
mately 100000.
Obviously man power cannot be
limiting factor in China's future resis-
tance. The problem of putting a gun
and some ammunition into the hands of
100000 different farm families is more
difficult.
The output of newly trained reserves
for the Chinese Army has continued
at the rate of about 100000 men a month
since the fall of Hankow, last October
Recruiting is concentrated largely in the
southwest, northwest and southern prov
inces. ~ .s,s. ~..s
For example. the great western Prov
ince Of Szechwan, with a population
equal to Japan's, is sending $4,000 new
men month to the front. The north
western Provinces of Shensi and Kansu
have quota of 1000, while the two
southwestern Provinces of Kweichow
and Yunnan send 9,000
The three southern Provinces of
Human, Kwangsi and Kwangtung have
a combined monthly quota of $4,000.
New Soldiers Put in Reserve.
These quotas are not mere paper plans
but the actual outputs of the training
camps. But since the fall of Hankow,
Chang Kai-shek has ordered most of the
new soldiers into reserve, to be called up
when needed.
The recruiting system is typical Of
China's topsy-turvy organization. Theo-
retlcally, every man between the ages of
1S and 48 is subject to conscription. The
quotas are divided among the counties
and cities, and again subdivided among
each group of 100 families
All this looks beautiful on paper. But
in actual practice there is considerable
bribery in the final choice of recruits.
One Szechwan official told me how the
recruiting officers go first to the rich
families to recruit their sons. The mer-
chant or small broker is glad to pay
from $50 to $1,000 in Chinese currency
to buy off the officers.
When every wealthy family has paid
sufficient tribute, the quota is filled by
coolies and the lowest grade of peasants
The raw recruits are marched to re-
cruiting camps under armed guards to
prevent desertions. In half a dozen cities
In West China I have seen soldiers
marching to the front roped together
like the old Roman slaves; these men
had tried to escape.
After the recruits reach training camp
and don uniforms instead of the rags
they have worn for years, the guard is
relaxed. Not five new soldiers out of
hundred can read or write, but their
lack of education is more than counter
balanced by the Chinese ability to "eat
bitterness"
Rated as Good Fighters.
An American Army officer in China,
after spending more than q year among
Chinese troops, concluded "the Chinese
soldier is the finest fighting man in the
world If given competent officers. The
coolie can outwalk any other soldier in
the world, and his physical courage is
unexcelled"
Unfortunately, the typical Chinese off,
Ger, an arrogant, self-educated gentle
man, cares little about the yufferings
OF these coolie fighters. Whole divisions
have been sacrificed on useless ventures
without misgivings.
One Chinese officer in Chang Kai-
sheks headquarters at Sian brazenly ex-
pressed the opinion that China has too
many poor people, anyway. The more
of them that are killed of by the Japa-
nese, the more prosperous China will be