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The truth about Japan’s invasion of China was covered up by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. We were all deceived! China and Japan both suffered losses, and the Soviet Union became the biggest winner! Historical lessons from the Greater East Asia War...
by Terence Shen
Hello fellow viewers, welcome to this program, I am Gongzi Shen. Recently, a fierce diplomatic conflict broke out between China and Japan. Many people have begun to mention the past Anti-Japanese War again, saying that Japan invaded us. However, many Chinese people are actually vague about this period of history. The source of the information they obtain is just the brainwashing education we received since childhood.
But is the real history really what the government tells you? This channel has not talked about history for a long time. Today we will take this opportunity to talk about a topic that everyone is very concerned about and full of controversy. It is also the Sino-Japanese War that I have always thought about but never had time to tell you, that is, the war of aggression against China in World War II.
Regarding the history of the invasion of China, China’s official narrative tells it very simply: Japanese militarists wanted to occupy China and launched a war of aggression. But the real history is much more complicated than this conclusion. Let's talk today, starting from the September 18th Incident, all the way to all-out war, and see how this tragedy in East Asia unfolded step by step under the chess game of the great powers.
Late at night on September 18, 1931, Shenyang City was peaceful, but it was suddenly broken by an explosion. The Japanese Kwantung Army blew up a section of the South Manchuria Railway in the Liutiao Lake area and immediately dismissed it, saying it was an act of sabotage by the Chinese army. The Kwantung Army launched a surprise attack on the Chinese defenders at Beida Camp. This was the September 18th Incident that shocked China and foreign countries.
Speaking of the September 18th Incident, there has been a long-standing controversy over whether this was an unauthorized action by the Kwantung Army itself or an established policy of the Japanese government. The current international mainstream opinion is more inclined to the so-called theory that the Kwantung Army acted alone, which means that this is what Ishihara Wanji, Itagaki Seishiro and a few other officers did privately without authorization from the Tokyo government.
So this view is actually not completely wrong. You can think about it. At that time, the Japanese Kwantung Army only had about 10,000 people, but they faced Zhang Xueliang's 190,000 Northeastern Army. The strength of the two sides was very different. It can be said that the September 18th Incident was indeed a bold move made by the Kwantung Army without authorization. It was not an aggressive war launched by the Japanese government to occupy China.
For example, in the past, the Chinese government’s official criticism was always Japanese warlords, not Japan. Please pay attention to the difference between these. Volume 8 of Mao Zedong's Collected Works records that when he met with Hisao Kuroda, a member of the Japanese Socialist Party Congress in 1961, Mao Zedong said that the monopoly capital militarism government should be responsible for the past wars, not the Japanese people, because the Japanese warlords could not represent the entire Japan.
As for the Tanaka Memorial that was once widely rumored, it is now considered to be a forgery by mainstream academic circles. Except for one line about conquering the world, one must first conquer China, which was cited as evidence of a plot to invade China, many of the contents are baseless, illogical, and full of loopholes. The International Tribunal for the Far East also faced criticism after the war.
The whole process of the so-called secret copying became more and more bizarre later on. Research has now pointed out that the forger of the Tanaka Memorial was probably related to the Soviet Union, because creating anti-Japanese sentiment in China would help divert trouble southward. However, the Tanaka Memorial mentioned that Japan would take the lead in seizing Russian Siberia before invading China, but they did not do this.
Therefore, my personal judgment is that the Tanaka Memorial was most likely forged by anti-Japanese people, especially Wang Jiazhen, Zhang Xueliang’s secretary at the time. It seems that the purpose is to hope that China and Russia can unite and confront Japan as an enemy. So regardless of whether Tanaka's memorial is true or false, it actually cannot prove that the September 18th Incident was Japan's first step in leading the invasion of China.
But the Kwantung Army actually knew very well that this risky operation was in line with Japan's national interests and the government's overall strategic concept. What is the idea? The Kuomintang government that turned against the Soviet Union and succeeded in the Northern Expedition cannot be allowed to continue to grow in power. For example, as early as 1928, Japan had already issued an outline of the measures plan for the ten districts of Manchuria and Mongolia. It clearly pointed out that because it was worried that Zhang Xueliang would defect to Nanjing, and Nanjing was supported by the Soviet Union, it would use force to prevent the Nationalist government from unifying the Northeast when necessary. This would be of great benefit to Japan.
After the September 18th Incident broke out, Japanese Foreign Minister Aikibuchi Kijuro once expressed a strong protest to Army Minister Kusujiro, feeling that the Kwantung Army's actions violated the long-standing foreign policy of international coordination. But guess what, the Japanese cabinet meeting quickly ratified the Kwantung Army's actions. Later, the North Korean garrison also crossed the border for reinforcements without authorization, which was approved by the emperor's order. The cabinet also publicly commended the Kwantung Army and authorized them to attack the bandits.
Of course, this bandit refers to the communist bandits. Eventually Manchukuo was established with the support of Japan. What does this series of actions mean? It shows that the September 18th Incident successfully ensured that Manchuria fell into Japan's sphere of influence instead of falling into the hands of Soviet Russia. This is why when we look at the problem, we have to look further.
The so-called Japanese invasion of China is actually just part of the larger chess game of Japan and Russia's dominance in Asia. If you cannot understand this, there is no way to truly understand this history. Besides, after the September 18th Incident broke out, the Chinese troops stationed in Peking University Camp repeatedly asked their superiors for instructions, but were told that there was no need to resist.
Zhang Xueliang's famous message before the incident asked the troops to be tolerant and not to resist. It was this policy that caused the Northeast Army to withdraw from the Northeast without much resistance. As for this non-resistance policy, some people blamed Chiang Kai-shek. In the past, it was widely rumored that this was his secret message, saying that it was a manifestation of the policy of first settling down the country when resisting foreign forces, concentrating on suppressing the Communists first, and then dealing with foreign enemies.
However, based on Zhang Xueliang's later memories and the actual situation at the time, the non-resistance policy was entirely Zhang Xueliang's own judgment, not Chiang Kai-shek's. On the one hand, Zhang Xueliang did not expect Japan to occupy Northeast China at all. Ah, brackets, this is the right time to talk about it, right? Zhang Xueliang was the first to see the so-called Tanaka Memorial. Why do you still think so?
This shows that there is something wrong with the Tanaka Memorial itself, and maybe he himself doesn’t believe it. Secondly, he, like Chiang Kai-shek later, had some unrealistic illusions about international mediation. He always felt that the League of Nations could come forward to stop Japan. On the other hand, he also wanted to retain the strength of the Northeast Army and was worried that he was no match for Japan at all.
Well, some viewers may ask at this time, since you said that the September 18th Incident was not the beginning of Japan's invasion of China, it was just to prevent Manchuria from falling into the hands of the communist forces, and it was the Kwantung Army who made the decision without authorization, and it was not led by the Japanese government. So why did the Kwantung Army appear on Chinese territory in the first place? It is normal to have this question. After all, Chinese history textbooks avoid important matters and even distort facts in these aspects.
It’s understandable that many people don’t know. The power Japan gained to station in Manchuria actually came from the inheritance of Russia's existing power in southern Manchuria. After the Russo-Japanese War, the concessions and related rights and interests enjoyed by Russia in southern Manchuria were transferred to Japan after the defeat. The most representative ones were the Lushun and Dalian areas.
These places were originally concessions obtained by Russia in the form of treaties. Ah, Japan became the new successor of rights through the results of the war. Therefore, the establishment and long-term stationing of the Kwantung Army was to protect the assets and rights and interests that Japan acquired through the treaty. Moreover, Japan defeated the Qing Dynasty and Russia after the Meiji Restoration, proving its military and political strength in the system of great powers, and was regarded as an important part of maintaining the international order in the Far East.
Subsequently, Japan further consolidated its strategic position in East Asia and the legitimacy of its actions by signing various international treaties such as the Treaty of Alliance with the United Kingdom. In other words, the Kwantung Army's stationing in Manchuria before the September 18th Incident was completely reasonable and legal and in compliance with international treaties. Everyone must be clear about this and it is not a symbol of aggression.
Then someone may ask, even if the September 18th Incident was not Japan's invasion of China, how should we explain the July 7th Incident, which started a full-scale invasion of China? Well, to answer this question, we must first understand what happened in Japan after the September 18th Incident and before the July 7th Incident. During this period, Japan was not peaceful at all. There were a series of coups and assassinations that shocked the world.
Behind these events was the fierce power struggle between the Japanese military and the civilian government. They were also a key turning point in Japan's transition from political democracy to militaristic-fascist dictatorship. Let us first say that on May 15, 1932, Japanese Prime Minister Takeshi Inukai was attacked by eleven young navy officers at his official residence. When the murderers broke in, the 77 years-old Takeshi Inukai tried to talk to them and said the famous last words, ah, if you have something to say, it will be divided.
But the murderer replied coldly, no need to say more, just take action. Then the shot was fired, and Inukai Yi died on the spot. Japanese Prime Minister Takeshi Inukai has been a close friend of Sun Yat-sen for many years and once sponsored the Revolution of 1911 that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. According to the Communist Party today, ah, this is interference in internal affairs. Does that mean that both Sun Yat-sen and Jimmy Lai should be convicted?
Looking back, we said that after Inukai Takeshi came to power, he refused to recognize Manchukuo and tried to negotiate with the National Government through his own channels. These actions angered the military ministry. The reasons for the military assassination include opposing the establishment of Manchukuo, secretly negotiating with the Kuomintang, and even accusing him of accepting bribes from Zhang Xueliang.
What is even more shocking is that after these eleven murderers assassinated the Prime Minister, they went to the police station to surrender. Because they know very well that although it is illegal to do so, they are eager to save the country and have no regrets. They are righteous and willing to take legal responsibility. During the subsequent trial, a total of 350,000 people across Japan signed a petition with blood, demanding leniency for these patriotic young men.
The court also received a special petition, sent by eleven young men from Niigata Prefecture. They expressed their willingness to die for these eleven officers, and even attached eleven fingers to show their determination. You can imagine what kind of fifty trillion spirit and crazy so-called patriotism this is.
Inukai Takeshi's death marked the end of Japan's pre-war party cabinet era. He was replaced by a cabinet of national unity formed by Navy Admiral Saito Ishi. This cabinet immediately recognized Manchukuo, and from then on, Japanese politics began to be firmly controlled by the military. Not long after, another more serious coup occurred, known in history as the February 26th Incident.
In the early morning of February 26, 1936, it snowed heavily in Tokyo for the first time in fifty years. On this cold morning, about 1,400 soldiers, led by more than 20 young officers, launched a coup. They shouted slogans of the Showa Restoration, respecting the emperor and punishing traitors, and attacked the residences of several senior government officials.
This coup successfully assassinated former Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Ishi Saito, as well as Minister of Finance Takahashi Korekiyo, Director of Education Watanabe Shotaro, and seriously injured the Chief of Guard Suzuki Kantaro. Prime Minister Keisuke Okada narrowly escaped because his secretary took a bullet for him. Later, the coup troops occupied the Ministry of War, the General Staff Headquarters, the National Assembly and the Prime Minister's Residence, and the entire Tokyo fell into chaos.
The background of this coup was the factional struggle within the Japanese Army between the Imperial Faction and the Control Faction. The Imperial Way faction advocates the supremacy of spirituality. They believe that they should attack the Soviet Union first and capture Siberia. The ruling faction, on the other hand, emphasized the need to carry out modernization and mechanization reforms and take the lead in conquering China. And these young officers who launched the coup belonged to the Huangdao faction.
They wanted to use force to eliminate the senior officials of the ruling faction and establish a military government led by Jinzaburo Masaki. But to their surprise, Emperor Hirohito was very resolute and immediately ordered the suppression of the rebels. When Hirohito recalled in his later years, he said that he actively implemented his own ideas twice in his life, one was the February 26th Incident, and the other was to end World War II.
At the emperor's urging, the Marine Corps went to Beijing to quell the rebellion. The rebels surrendered on February 29th. The coup was handled very harshly, and nineteen officers were sentenced to death, including Kita Ikki and Nishida Shu, who were regarded as spiritual leaders. During the trial, none of the defendants had a defender and could not appeal. After the coup failed, the power of the Imperial Road faction was completely disintegrated, and the ruling faction took full control of the military.
More importantly, when Hirota Koki formed the cabinet, he restored the active-duty military attaché system for military ministers, which meant that the military could overthrow the cabinet at any time by refusing to recommend ministers of the navy and army. From then on, the Japanese government became a puppet of the military. Everyone must remember this, it is very important for the history that follows.
Well, now we can finally talk about the July 7th Incident. Late at night on July 7, 1937, the Japanese troops stationed in Fengtai, Hebei Province conducted a night drill near the Marco Polo Bridge. At 10:40 p.m., the Japanese army claimed that gunshots were heard from the exercise site. They also said that a soldier Shimura Kikujiro was missing and requested to enter Wanping City for search.
After the Chinese defenders refused, the Japanese began to bomb Wanping City and attack Marco Polo Bridge. This is the so-called July 7th Incident, also known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Regarding the cause of the July 7th Incident, Chinese academic opinion believes that this was a conflict deliberately provoked by Japan. The evidence is that the Japanese commander Mutaguchi Ren once said in 1944 that the words about the Greater East Asia War are my responsibility, because the first bullet fired at Marco Polo Bridge caused the war by me.
He also wrote in his notes that I provoked the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which later expanded, causing the Marco Polo Bridge Incident to finally develop into a Greater East Asia War. But there are some things about his statement that cannot be explained. For example, why did the Japanese army only use blank ammunition in the drills before the incident? It was not an actual combat drill. It did not look like preparation for a real war.
What's more, all the senior generals of the Japanese army who commanded the troops stationed in North China were not present that night. How could you think it was possible to start a full-scale war so hastily? Mutaguchi Lian only explained that he started the war, but who started the war? A more reasonable judgment is that someone deliberately caused trouble. Then it is necessary to analyze at this time, who is the biggest gainer from the Sino-Japanese war?
Neither Japan nor China, but Soviet Russia. Why do you say that? After all, the Northwest Army in North China has been the main target of Soviet penetration since the Feng Yuxiang era. The underground organizations in North China are still controlled by Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi. The intelligence work of the Northwest Army is also overseen by Zhang Kexia, an underground member of the Communist Party of China. Therefore, Japan has always firmly believed that the unidentified persons who killed Japanese soldiers were probably the soldiers of the Chinese army sent by the Communist Party to provoke the Sino-Japanese war.
But no matter where the initial gunfire came from, the July 7th Incident quickly turned into an all-out war. In the early morning of July 8, the Japanese army began to attack Wanping City. On July 28, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on the 29th Army stationed in Peiping, and Peiping fell. The local conflict between China and Japan in North China gradually escalated into a full-scale war.
The outbreak and spread of the Sino-Japanese War was inseparable from the victory of the ruling faction after the February 26 Incident in Japan, but it was also inseparable from Chiang Kai-shek's decision. After the July 7th Incident, Chiang Kai-shek faced a very difficult choice. Should he negotiate peace with Japan, limit the war to North China, or actively expand the battlefield.
He knew very well that if he negotiated peace with Japan, he might be squeezed out or even marginalized by the Kuomintang elders. After all, the relationship between the Kuomintang elders and Japan is much closer than his. Don’t forget that the predecessor of the Kuomintang, the Xingzhonghui, was established in Tokyo by Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing with the help of Ryohei Nada. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek could only maintain his power by resisting.
Sure enough, the opportunity for peace talks was taken away by Wang Jingwei. If we insist on fighting to the end, then the question becomes, where to fight? If the conflict was limited to the North China Plain, the Japanese mechanized troops would have unimpeded access. Chiang Kai-shek had no chance of winning. Ever since, Chiang Kai-shek made a bold decision to move the battlefield to Shanghai. On August 13, 1937, the Battle of Songhu broke out.
Chiang Kai-shek had several strategic intentions. First of all, the North China Plain is undefeable, but the terrain of streets and water networks in Shanghai is conducive to Chinese light-armed forces fighting and can reduce the Japanese army's advantage. Secondly, attracting the main force of the Japanese army from North China to East China can prevent the Japanese army from going south along the Ping-Han Line and taking Wuhan directly.
Chiang Kai-shek also made it clear at the Kaifeng military conference afterwards that the reason why we wanted to fight in Shanghai this time was to break the enemy's strategy and prevent them from concentrating their forces to invade our North China as planned. The more important purpose is to seek international intervention. Shanghai has slowly become an international metropolis since the late Qing Dynasty, and Britain and the United States have invested huge amounts here.
Chinese Ambassador to the UK Guo Taiqi once warned British Foreign Secretary Gordon that Shanghai is the center of British interests in China. If China loses here, Japan will control the entire Chinese market. Therefore, China is fighting not only for itself, but also for Britain. Chiang Kai-shek once said frankly to Tang Shengzhi and others that the battle in Shanghai was to be fought for foreigners.
The Battle of Songhu lasted for three full months. The Chinese army invested about 700,000 people and the Japanese army invested about 300,000 people. The brutality of the battle was beyond imagination. The twenty German weapon masters whom Chiang Kai-shek spent so much effort training were all buried on the banks of the Huangpu River. The newly formed Chinese Air Force lost most of its fighter aircraft, and almost all its naval vessels sank to block the Yangtze River waterway.
What is even more regrettable is that Chiang Kai-shek delayed his retreat several times during the war because he expected international intervention. In the early stages of the battle, the Chinese army still had a certain advantage. When it was preparing to attack across the entire front, Chiang Kai-shek learned that Britain, the United States and France had made proposals to Japan, requesting that Shanghai be set as a neutral zone. So, he ordered the attack to stop.
But the Japanese government ignored this at all, and reinforcements poured into Shanghai like a tide. In November, the Nine-Nation Convention was held in Brussels. Chiang Kai-shek believed that if he could continue fighting during the meeting, he would be able to obtain greater international sympathy and assistance. Therefore, the troops were ordered to hold on for another two weeks, and this decision had disastrous consequences for the subsequent retreat.
British writer Jonathan Fenby unceremoniously commented in "The Biography of Chiang Kai-shek" that Chiang commanded operations from his headquarters in Suzhou, the Silk City northwest of Shanghai. He issued detailed written orders that often had nothing to do with the rapidly changing realities of the battlefield. By the time these orders reached the front lines, times had changed.
On October 12, Shanghai fell. Some people believe that this battle shattered the Japanese army's three-month plan to destroy China, forced the Japanese army to change its strategic direction, and won the strategic initiative for China. But what is the more realistic result? It was the Chinese army that concentrated a large number of troops in Songhu, which not only weakened the anti-Japanese fighting capacity in other areas, but also consumed the most elite troops of the national army.
Anyone who grew up in Taiwan knows the deeds of the Eight Hundred Warriors of Sihang Warehouse. Don't cry, this is resistance. Goodbye, Dad. Zhang Fakui, commander-in-chief of the right-wing army, later recalled that Mr. Chiang had made a major strategic mistake. In the second month after the fall of Shanghai, the League of Nations General Assembly was held in Brussels, and Chinese representative Gu Weijun was disappointed.
At that time, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union all refused to impose sanctions on Japan. They only verbally condemned it, which was meaningless. But what many people don’t know is that in the eyes of countries around the world, China is no better than Japan. China is number one, but it is also ruled by a warlord dictatorship. Ordinary people do not have any political rights. It is even worse than Japan.
Second, China is also massacring civilians, such as the Tongzhou massacre. Third, China is also cracking down on foreign interests, such as forcibly taking back the concession in Wuhan, causing massacres in Guangzhou, and interfering with and infringing on the free trade of Greater Shanghai by increasing taxes. No wonder, other countries are not willing to intervene in the war between China and Japan.
At this time, someone may ask again, even if Western countries such as Britain and the United States are unwilling to intervene, what about the Soviet Union? Aren't they Japan's biggest enemies? Indeed. Chiang Kai-shek thought so too at the time. However, the Soviet Union is very smart in their calculations. They will never expend any of their own strength when it is not necessary, but they will definitely take advantage of it if there is an advantage.
In short, it is a sentence, put out the least effort and get the most light. Whether on the European battlefield or the Asian battlefield, this is their consistent style. Therefore, throughout the entire Sino-Japanese War, it can be said that the Soviet Union became the biggest winner. The outbreak and continuation of the Sino-Japanese War objectively achieved Stalin's strategic goals.
We must see that the Soviet Union has carried out extensive penetration in China since the 1920s, and its main task is to support the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. How to support it? First, during the Northern Expedition, the Kuomintang received a large amount of military and economic assistance from the Soviet Union. The Whampoa Military Academy was established with the help of Soviet military advisers, and the equipment used by the Northern Expedition were all Soviet-style equipment.
The Kuomintang received 100,000 rubles in party funds from the Soviet Union every month. By 1925, guess what? There were as many as a thousand civil and military officials in the Soviet military delegation to China. In April 1927, when Zhang Zuolin was arresting Soviet spy Li Dazhao, he searched a large number of documents at the Soviet diplomatic mission in Beijing, which showed that the Soviet Union had plans to democratize China and provoke a war between China and Japan.
These documents were publicly published in newspapers at the time and also published in volumes, proving the attempt to infiltrate and subvert China under the guidance of the Soviet Union, an external force. What was the report of the seizure incident in the Kuomintang official newspaper at that time? It admits that many Chinese and Russian comrades have been arrested, and then accuses Fengjun of colluding with the great powers. Hey, I just wanted to ask, couldn’t readers at that time see that it was the CCP itself that said it was colluding with the great powers?
You, Chinese-Russian comrade, have already betrayed yourself with just four words. It was because of this incident that Wang Jingwei, who had always been pro-Communist, recognized the Soviet Union's plot to subvert China and support puppets, declared a complete break with the Communist Party, and then joined forces with Chiang Kai-shek and Ning Han to launch a party purge movement in an attempt to eradicate foreign forces within the Kuomintang.
This is what the Chinese Communist Party calls the April 12 counter-revolutionary coup. But it is undeniable that the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War gave the Soviet Union huge strategic benefits. The reason is simple. Once China and Japan go to full-scale war, it will be impossible for Japan to fight against their real rival, the Soviet Union, at the same time. It is equivalent to the Soviet Union using China as a buffer.
During the Songhu Battle, Chiang Kai-shek also imagined that the Soviet Union would send troops to rescue China. Later, in the Battle of Nomonkan in 1939, the Soviet army defeated the Japanese army. Within two years, they signed a Soviet-Japanese non-aggression and neutrality treaty with Japan and recognized Manchukuo. Japan also met the Soviet Union's conditions and recognized Mongolia's independence.
At this time, the Soviet Union also stopped all aid to China. It can be said that Chiang Kai-shek was frustrated in expecting Soviet aid. However, in August 1945, when Japan had run out of fuel and was about to surrender, the Soviet Union suddenly tore up the Soviet-Japanese neutrality treaty, sent troops to occupy Northeast China, and wantonly looted the heavy industrial facilities built by Japan in the Northeast.
At the same time, the Soviet Union forced the Chinese government to agree to a referendum on independence for Outer Mongolia at the Yalta Conference. Can you say that? What is the final outcome of the game between the three countries in Northeast Asia? That is, China lost Outer Mongolia, the Nationalist Government collapsed, and after the Communist Party was established, it fully fell to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. As for Japan, it was also defeated and surrendered, losing the four northern islands.
Among them, only the Soviet Union became the biggest winner through plunder and robbery. It not only retained the rights and interests lost in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, but also gained additional control of Outer Mongolia and Japan's four northern islands. Of course, it also gained the little brother of the People's Republic of China. Ah, it served as a human shield for itself in the Cold War, ah, such as intervening in the Korean War.
Of course, we cannot say that the Soviets are invincible. Although they have extensive political penetration and strategic layout in China, the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War was more the result of a variety of factors. It's just that the Soviet Union was very good at taking advantage of opportunities and tried every means to achieve its strategic goals. It is no exaggeration to say that if the Soviet Union is compared with Japan, it is absolutely even better in stealing and appropriating China's interests.
But because the Communist Party of China was single-handedly supported by the Soviet Union, the Chinese people who have been brainwashed by the Communist Party for a long time thought that it was our big brother. No matter how the Soviet Union brutally interfered in China's internal affairs, ah, it still occupied the resources of Northeast China, and even burned, looted, and massacred. But in Chinese history textbooks, there is almost no mention of it.
In short, we need to look at the history of World War II from a larger perspective. We can also learn a very profound lesson, that is, fanatical patriotism, nationalism and militaristic militarism will eventually lead this country into the abyss of disaster. Those patriotic young people in Japan thought they were realizing the great rejuvenation of the nation, but in fact, they turned the country from a defender of the international order into a destroyer of the international order.
For example, they withdrew from the League of Nations after the September 18th Incident. In the end, they also led themselves to defeat and destruction. Young people's loyalty and patriotism were rewarded with the mushroom clouds of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But today's young Chinese who are equally loyal to the party, patriotic, and determined to achieve great rejuvenation seem to be following in the footsteps of Japanese militarism. While advocating that the West is determined to destroy itself, they are clamoring to be anti-American, anti-Japanese, and to use force to unify Taiwan.
It's just that Japan's Showa generation was serious about disembowelment, cutting off fingers, and killing the prime minister. But today's Chinese little pinks only dare to act as keyboard warriors on the Internet, playing tricks. Even if their accounts are deleted or banned by the government at any time, they don’t even dare to breathe. So when we see this, we understand that the CCP's militaristic totalitarianization and fascism today are just means.
The so-called rise in the east and fall in the west, and the rise of great powers are just propaganda. In the face of severe internal and external troubles, they are inescapable facts. Okay, let’s talk about this with you in today’s program. Thanks everyone for watching. If you think the content of this program is valuable, please like and share it. You can also express your views and opinions and additions in the comments below.
Thank you everyone, see you in the next episode.
The truth about Japan’s invasion of China was covered up by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. We were all deceived! China and Japan both suffered losses, and the Soviet Union became the biggest winner! Historical lessons from the Greater East Asia War...
by Terence Shen
Hello fellow viewers, welcome to this program, I am Gongzi Shen. Recently, a fierce diplomatic conflict broke out between China and Japan. Many people have begun to mention the past Anti-Japanese War again, saying that Japan invaded us. However, many Chinese people are actually vague about this period of history. The source of the information they obtain is just the brainwashing education we received since childhood.
But is the real history really what the government tells you? This channel has not talked about history for a long time. Today we will take this opportunity to talk about a topic that everyone is very concerned about and full of controversy. It is also the Sino-Japanese War that I have always thought about but never had time to tell you, that is, the war of aggression against China in World War II.
Regarding the history of the invasion of China, China’s official narrative tells it very simply: Japanese militarists wanted to occupy China and launched a war of aggression. But the real history is much more complicated than this conclusion. Let's talk today, starting from the September 18th Incident, all the way to all-out war, and see how this tragedy in East Asia unfolded step by step under the chess game of the great powers.
Late at night on September 18, 1931, Shenyang City was peaceful, but it was suddenly broken by an explosion. The Japanese Kwantung Army blew up a section of the South Manchuria Railway in the Liutiao Lake area and immediately dismissed it, saying it was an act of sabotage by the Chinese army. The Kwantung Army launched a surprise attack on the Chinese defenders at Beida Camp. This was the September 18th Incident that shocked China and foreign countries.
Speaking of the September 18th Incident, there has been a long-standing controversy over whether this was an unauthorized action by the Kwantung Army itself or an established policy of the Japanese government. The current international mainstream opinion is more inclined to the so-called theory that the Kwantung Army acted alone, which means that this is what Ishihara Wanji, Itagaki Seishiro and a few other officers did privately without authorization from the Tokyo government.
So this view is actually not completely wrong. You can think about it. At that time, the Japanese Kwantung Army only had about 10,000 people, but they faced Zhang Xueliang's 190,000 Northeastern Army. The strength of the two sides was very different. It can be said that the September 18th Incident was indeed a bold move made by the Kwantung Army without authorization. It was not an aggressive war launched by the Japanese government to occupy China.
For example, in the past, the Chinese government’s official criticism was always Japanese warlords, not Japan. Please pay attention to the difference between these. Volume 8 of Mao Zedong's Collected Works records that when he met with Hisao Kuroda, a member of the Japanese Socialist Party Congress in 1961, Mao Zedong said that the monopoly capital militarism government should be responsible for the past wars, not the Japanese people, because the Japanese warlords could not represent the entire Japan.
As for the Tanaka Memorial that was once widely rumored, it is now considered to be a forgery by mainstream academic circles. Except for one line about conquering the world, one must first conquer China, which was cited as evidence of a plot to invade China, many of the contents are baseless, illogical, and full of loopholes. The International Tribunal for the Far East also faced criticism after the war.
The whole process of the so-called secret copying became more and more bizarre later on. Research has now pointed out that the forger of the Tanaka Memorial was probably related to the Soviet Union, because creating anti-Japanese sentiment in China would help divert trouble southward. However, the Tanaka Memorial mentioned that Japan would take the lead in seizing Russian Siberia before invading China, but they did not do this.
Therefore, my personal judgment is that the Tanaka Memorial was most likely forged by anti-Japanese people, especially Wang Jiazhen, Zhang Xueliang’s secretary at the time. It seems that the purpose is to hope that China and Russia can unite and confront Japan as an enemy. So regardless of whether Tanaka's memorial is true or false, it actually cannot prove that the September 18th Incident was Japan's first step in leading the invasion of China.
But the Kwantung Army actually knew very well that this risky operation was in line with Japan's national interests and the government's overall strategic concept. What is the idea? The Kuomintang government that turned against the Soviet Union and succeeded in the Northern Expedition cannot be allowed to continue to grow in power. For example, as early as 1928, Japan had already issued an outline of the measures plan for the ten districts of Manchuria and Mongolia. It clearly pointed out that because it was worried that Zhang Xueliang would defect to Nanjing, and Nanjing was supported by the Soviet Union, it would use force to prevent the Nationalist government from unifying the Northeast when necessary. This would be of great benefit to Japan.
After the September 18th Incident broke out, Japanese Foreign Minister Aikibuchi Kijuro once expressed a strong protest to Army Minister Kusujiro, feeling that the Kwantung Army's actions violated the long-standing foreign policy of international coordination. But guess what, the Japanese cabinet meeting quickly ratified the Kwantung Army's actions. Later, the North Korean garrison also crossed the border for reinforcements without authorization, which was approved by the emperor's order. The cabinet also publicly commended the Kwantung Army and authorized them to attack the bandits.
Of course, this bandit refers to the communist bandits. Eventually Manchukuo was established with the support of Japan. What does this series of actions mean? It shows that the September 18th Incident successfully ensured that Manchuria fell into Japan's sphere of influence instead of falling into the hands of Soviet Russia. This is why when we look at the problem, we have to look further.
The so-called Japanese invasion of China is actually just part of the larger chess game of Japan and Russia's dominance in Asia. If you cannot understand this, there is no way to truly understand this history. Besides, after the September 18th Incident broke out, the Chinese troops stationed in Peking University Camp repeatedly asked their superiors for instructions, but were told that there was no need to resist.
Zhang Xueliang's famous message before the incident asked the troops to be tolerant and not to resist. It was this policy that caused the Northeast Army to withdraw from the Northeast without much resistance. As for this non-resistance policy, some people blamed Chiang Kai-shek. In the past, it was widely rumored that this was his secret message, saying that it was a manifestation of the policy of first settling down the country when resisting foreign forces, concentrating on suppressing the Communists first, and then dealing with foreign enemies.
However, based on Zhang Xueliang's later memories and the actual situation at the time, the non-resistance policy was entirely Zhang Xueliang's own judgment, not Chiang Kai-shek's. On the one hand, Zhang Xueliang did not expect Japan to occupy Northeast China at all. Ah, brackets, this is the right time to talk about it, right? Zhang Xueliang was the first to see the so-called Tanaka Memorial. Why do you still think so?
This shows that there is something wrong with the Tanaka Memorial itself, and maybe he himself doesn’t believe it. Secondly, he, like Chiang Kai-shek later, had some unrealistic illusions about international mediation. He always felt that the League of Nations could come forward to stop Japan. On the other hand, he also wanted to retain the strength of the Northeast Army and was worried that he was no match for Japan at all.
Well, some viewers may ask at this time, since you said that the September 18th Incident was not the beginning of Japan's invasion of China, it was just to prevent Manchuria from falling into the hands of the communist forces, and it was the Kwantung Army who made the decision without authorization, and it was not led by the Japanese government. So why did the Kwantung Army appear on Chinese territory in the first place? It is normal to have this question. After all, Chinese history textbooks avoid important matters and even distort facts in these aspects.
It’s understandable that many people don’t know. The power Japan gained to station in Manchuria actually came from the inheritance of Russia's existing power in southern Manchuria. After the Russo-Japanese War, the concessions and related rights and interests enjoyed by Russia in southern Manchuria were transferred to Japan after the defeat. The most representative ones were the Lushun and Dalian areas.
These places were originally concessions obtained by Russia in the form of treaties. Ah, Japan became the new successor of rights through the results of the war. Therefore, the establishment and long-term stationing of the Kwantung Army was to protect the assets and rights and interests that Japan acquired through the treaty. Moreover, Japan defeated the Qing Dynasty and Russia after the Meiji Restoration, proving its military and political strength in the system of great powers, and was regarded as an important part of maintaining the international order in the Far East.
Subsequently, Japan further consolidated its strategic position in East Asia and the legitimacy of its actions by signing various international treaties such as the Treaty of Alliance with the United Kingdom. In other words, the Kwantung Army's stationing in Manchuria before the September 18th Incident was completely reasonable and legal and in compliance with international treaties. Everyone must be clear about this and it is not a symbol of aggression.
Then someone may ask, even if the September 18th Incident was not Japan's invasion of China, how should we explain the July 7th Incident, which started a full-scale invasion of China? Well, to answer this question, we must first understand what happened in Japan after the September 18th Incident and before the July 7th Incident. During this period, Japan was not peaceful at all. There were a series of coups and assassinations that shocked the world.
Behind these events was the fierce power struggle between the Japanese military and the civilian government. They were also a key turning point in Japan's transition from political democracy to militaristic-fascist dictatorship. Let us first say that on May 15, 1932, Japanese Prime Minister Takeshi Inukai was attacked by eleven young navy officers at his official residence. When the murderers broke in, the 77 years-old Takeshi Inukai tried to talk to them and said the famous last words, ah, if you have something to say, it will be divided.
But the murderer replied coldly, no need to say more, just take action. Then the shot was fired, and Inukai Yi died on the spot. Japanese Prime Minister Takeshi Inukai has been a close friend of Sun Yat-sen for many years and once sponsored the Revolution of 1911 that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. According to the Communist Party today, ah, this is interference in internal affairs. Does that mean that both Sun Yat-sen and Jimmy Lai should be convicted?
Looking back, we said that after Inukai Takeshi came to power, he refused to recognize Manchukuo and tried to negotiate with the National Government through his own channels. These actions angered the military ministry. The reasons for the military assassination include opposing the establishment of Manchukuo, secretly negotiating with the Kuomintang, and even accusing him of accepting bribes from Zhang Xueliang.
What is even more shocking is that after these eleven murderers assassinated the Prime Minister, they went to the police station to surrender. Because they know very well that although it is illegal to do so, they are eager to save the country and have no regrets. They are righteous and willing to take legal responsibility. During the subsequent trial, a total of 350,000 people across Japan signed a petition with blood, demanding leniency for these patriotic young men.
The court also received a special petition, sent by eleven young men from Niigata Prefecture. They expressed their willingness to die for these eleven officers, and even attached eleven fingers to show their determination. You can imagine what kind of fifty trillion spirit and crazy so-called patriotism this is.
Inukai Takeshi's death marked the end of Japan's pre-war party cabinet era. He was replaced by a cabinet of national unity formed by Navy Admiral Saito Ishi. This cabinet immediately recognized Manchukuo, and from then on, Japanese politics began to be firmly controlled by the military. Not long after, another more serious coup occurred, known in history as the February 26th Incident.
In the early morning of February 26, 1936, it snowed heavily in Tokyo for the first time in fifty years. On this cold morning, about 1,400 soldiers, led by more than 20 young officers, launched a coup. They shouted slogans of the Showa Restoration, respecting the emperor and punishing traitors, and attacked the residences of several senior government officials.
This coup successfully assassinated former Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Ishi Saito, as well as Minister of Finance Takahashi Korekiyo, Director of Education Watanabe Shotaro, and seriously injured the Chief of Guard Suzuki Kantaro. Prime Minister Keisuke Okada narrowly escaped because his secretary took a bullet for him. Later, the coup troops occupied the Ministry of War, the General Staff Headquarters, the National Assembly and the Prime Minister's Residence, and the entire Tokyo fell into chaos.
The background of this coup was the factional struggle within the Japanese Army between the Imperial Faction and the Control Faction. The Imperial Way faction advocates the supremacy of spirituality. They believe that they should attack the Soviet Union first and capture Siberia. The ruling faction, on the other hand, emphasized the need to carry out modernization and mechanization reforms and take the lead in conquering China. And these young officers who launched the coup belonged to the Huangdao faction.
They wanted to use force to eliminate the senior officials of the ruling faction and establish a military government led by Jinzaburo Masaki. But to their surprise, Emperor Hirohito was very resolute and immediately ordered the suppression of the rebels. When Hirohito recalled in his later years, he said that he actively implemented his own ideas twice in his life, one was the February 26th Incident, and the other was to end World War II.
At the emperor's urging, the Marine Corps went to Beijing to quell the rebellion. The rebels surrendered on February 29th. The coup was handled very harshly, and nineteen officers were sentenced to death, including Kita Ikki and Nishida Shu, who were regarded as spiritual leaders. During the trial, none of the defendants had a defender and could not appeal. After the coup failed, the power of the Imperial Road faction was completely disintegrated, and the ruling faction took full control of the military.
More importantly, when Hirota Koki formed the cabinet, he restored the active-duty military attaché system for military ministers, which meant that the military could overthrow the cabinet at any time by refusing to recommend ministers of the navy and army. From then on, the Japanese government became a puppet of the military. Everyone must remember this, it is very important for the history that follows.
Well, now we can finally talk about the July 7th Incident. Late at night on July 7, 1937, the Japanese troops stationed in Fengtai, Hebei Province conducted a night drill near the Marco Polo Bridge. At 10:40 p.m., the Japanese army claimed that gunshots were heard from the exercise site. They also said that a soldier Shimura Kikujiro was missing and requested to enter Wanping City for search.
After the Chinese defenders refused, the Japanese began to bomb Wanping City and attack Marco Polo Bridge. This is the so-called July 7th Incident, also known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Regarding the cause of the July 7th Incident, Chinese academic opinion believes that this was a conflict deliberately provoked by Japan. The evidence is that the Japanese commander Mutaguchi Ren once said in 1944 that the words about the Greater East Asia War are my responsibility, because the first bullet fired at Marco Polo Bridge caused the war by me.
He also wrote in his notes that I provoked the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which later expanded, causing the Marco Polo Bridge Incident to finally develop into a Greater East Asia War. But there are some things about his statement that cannot be explained. For example, why did the Japanese army only use blank ammunition in the drills before the incident? It was not an actual combat drill. It did not look like preparation for a real war.
What's more, all the senior generals of the Japanese army who commanded the troops stationed in North China were not present that night. How could you think it was possible to start a full-scale war so hastily? Mutaguchi Lian only explained that he started the war, but who started the war? A more reasonable judgment is that someone deliberately caused trouble. Then it is necessary to analyze at this time, who is the biggest gainer from the Sino-Japanese war?
Neither Japan nor China, but Soviet Russia. Why do you say that? After all, the Northwest Army in North China has been the main target of Soviet penetration since the Feng Yuxiang era. The underground organizations in North China are still controlled by Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi. The intelligence work of the Northwest Army is also overseen by Zhang Kexia, an underground member of the Communist Party of China. Therefore, Japan has always firmly believed that the unidentified persons who killed Japanese soldiers were probably the soldiers of the Chinese army sent by the Communist Party to provoke the Sino-Japanese war.
But no matter where the initial gunfire came from, the July 7th Incident quickly turned into an all-out war. In the early morning of July 8, the Japanese army began to attack Wanping City. On July 28, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on the 29th Army stationed in Peiping, and Peiping fell. The local conflict between China and Japan in North China gradually escalated into a full-scale war.
The outbreak and spread of the Sino-Japanese War was inseparable from the victory of the ruling faction after the February 26 Incident in Japan, but it was also inseparable from Chiang Kai-shek's decision. After the July 7th Incident, Chiang Kai-shek faced a very difficult choice. Should he negotiate peace with Japan, limit the war to North China, or actively expand the battlefield.
He knew very well that if he negotiated peace with Japan, he might be squeezed out or even marginalized by the Kuomintang elders. After all, the relationship between the Kuomintang elders and Japan is much closer than his. Don’t forget that the predecessor of the Kuomintang, the Xingzhonghui, was established in Tokyo by Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing with the help of Ryohei Nada. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek could only maintain his power by resisting.
Sure enough, the opportunity for peace talks was taken away by Wang Jingwei. If we insist on fighting to the end, then the question becomes, where to fight? If the conflict was limited to the North China Plain, the Japanese mechanized troops would have unimpeded access. Chiang Kai-shek had no chance of winning. Ever since, Chiang Kai-shek made a bold decision to move the battlefield to Shanghai. On August 13, 1937, the Battle of Songhu broke out.
Chiang Kai-shek had several strategic intentions. First of all, the North China Plain is undefeable, but the terrain of streets and water networks in Shanghai is conducive to Chinese light-armed forces fighting and can reduce the Japanese army's advantage. Secondly, attracting the main force of the Japanese army from North China to East China can prevent the Japanese army from going south along the Ping-Han Line and taking Wuhan directly.
Chiang Kai-shek also made it clear at the Kaifeng military conference afterwards that the reason why we wanted to fight in Shanghai this time was to break the enemy's strategy and prevent them from concentrating their forces to invade our North China as planned. The more important purpose is to seek international intervention. Shanghai has slowly become an international metropolis since the late Qing Dynasty, and Britain and the United States have invested huge amounts here.
Chinese Ambassador to the UK Guo Taiqi once warned British Foreign Secretary Gordon that Shanghai is the center of British interests in China. If China loses here, Japan will control the entire Chinese market. Therefore, China is fighting not only for itself, but also for Britain. Chiang Kai-shek once said frankly to Tang Shengzhi and others that the battle in Shanghai was to be fought for foreigners.
The Battle of Songhu lasted for three full months. The Chinese army invested about 700,000 people and the Japanese army invested about 300,000 people. The brutality of the battle was beyond imagination. The twenty German weapon masters whom Chiang Kai-shek spent so much effort training were all buried on the banks of the Huangpu River. The newly formed Chinese Air Force lost most of its fighter aircraft, and almost all its naval vessels sank to block the Yangtze River waterway.
What is even more regrettable is that Chiang Kai-shek delayed his retreat several times during the war because he expected international intervention. In the early stages of the battle, the Chinese army still had a certain advantage. When it was preparing to attack across the entire front, Chiang Kai-shek learned that Britain, the United States and France had made proposals to Japan, requesting that Shanghai be set as a neutral zone. So, he ordered the attack to stop.
But the Japanese government ignored this at all, and reinforcements poured into Shanghai like a tide. In November, the Nine-Nation Convention was held in Brussels. Chiang Kai-shek believed that if he could continue fighting during the meeting, he would be able to obtain greater international sympathy and assistance. Therefore, the troops were ordered to hold on for another two weeks, and this decision had disastrous consequences for the subsequent retreat.
British writer Jonathan Fenby unceremoniously commented in "The Biography of Chiang Kai-shek" that Chiang commanded operations from his headquarters in Suzhou, the Silk City northwest of Shanghai. He issued detailed written orders that often had nothing to do with the rapidly changing realities of the battlefield. By the time these orders reached the front lines, times had changed.
On October 12, Shanghai fell. Some people believe that this battle shattered the Japanese army's three-month plan to destroy China, forced the Japanese army to change its strategic direction, and won the strategic initiative for China. But what is the more realistic result? It was the Chinese army that concentrated a large number of troops in Songhu, which not only weakened the anti-Japanese fighting capacity in other areas, but also consumed the most elite troops of the national army.
Anyone who grew up in Taiwan knows the deeds of the Eight Hundred Warriors of Sihang Warehouse. Don't cry, this is resistance. Goodbye, Dad. Zhang Fakui, commander-in-chief of the right-wing army, later recalled that Mr. Chiang had made a major strategic mistake. In the second month after the fall of Shanghai, the League of Nations General Assembly was held in Brussels, and Chinese representative Gu Weijun was disappointed.
At that time, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union all refused to impose sanctions on Japan. They only verbally condemned it, which was meaningless. But what many people don’t know is that in the eyes of countries around the world, China is no better than Japan. China is number one, but it is also ruled by a warlord dictatorship. Ordinary people do not have any political rights. It is even worse than Japan.
Second, China is also massacring civilians, such as the Tongzhou massacre. Third, China is also cracking down on foreign interests, such as forcibly taking back the concession in Wuhan, causing massacres in Guangzhou, and interfering with and infringing on the free trade of Greater Shanghai by increasing taxes. No wonder, other countries are not willing to intervene in the war between China and Japan.
At this time, someone may ask again, even if Western countries such as Britain and the United States are unwilling to intervene, what about the Soviet Union? Aren't they Japan's biggest enemies? Indeed. Chiang Kai-shek thought so too at the time. However, the Soviet Union is very smart in their calculations. They will never expend any of their own strength when it is not necessary, but they will definitely take advantage of it if there is an advantage.
In short, it is a sentence, put out the least effort and get the most light. Whether on the European battlefield or the Asian battlefield, this is their consistent style. Therefore, throughout the entire Sino-Japanese War, it can be said that the Soviet Union became the biggest winner. The outbreak and continuation of the Sino-Japanese War objectively achieved Stalin's strategic goals.
We must see that the Soviet Union has carried out extensive penetration in China since the 1920s, and its main task is to support the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. How to support it? First, during the Northern Expedition, the Kuomintang received a large amount of military and economic assistance from the Soviet Union. The Whampoa Military Academy was established with the help of Soviet military advisers, and the equipment used by the Northern Expedition were all Soviet-style equipment.
The Kuomintang received 100,000 rubles in party funds from the Soviet Union every month. By 1925, guess what? There were as many as a thousand civil and military officials in the Soviet military delegation to China. In April 1927, when Zhang Zuolin was arresting Soviet spy Li Dazhao, he searched a large number of documents at the Soviet diplomatic mission in Beijing, which showed that the Soviet Union had plans to democratize China and provoke a war between China and Japan.
These documents were publicly published in newspapers at the time and also published in volumes, proving the attempt to infiltrate and subvert China under the guidance of the Soviet Union, an external force. What was the report of the seizure incident in the Kuomintang official newspaper at that time? It admits that many Chinese and Russian comrades have been arrested, and then accuses Fengjun of colluding with the great powers. Hey, I just wanted to ask, couldn’t readers at that time see that it was the CCP itself that said it was colluding with the great powers?
You, Chinese-Russian comrade, have already betrayed yourself with just four words. It was because of this incident that Wang Jingwei, who had always been pro-Communist, recognized the Soviet Union's plot to subvert China and support puppets, declared a complete break with the Communist Party, and then joined forces with Chiang Kai-shek and Ning Han to launch a party purge movement in an attempt to eradicate foreign forces within the Kuomintang.
This is what the Chinese Communist Party calls the April 12 counter-revolutionary coup. But it is undeniable that the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War gave the Soviet Union huge strategic benefits. The reason is simple. Once China and Japan go to full-scale war, it will be impossible for Japan to fight against their real rival, the Soviet Union, at the same time. It is equivalent to the Soviet Union using China as a buffer.
During the Songhu Battle, Chiang Kai-shek also imagined that the Soviet Union would send troops to rescue China. Later, in the Battle of Nomonkan in 1939, the Soviet army defeated the Japanese army. Within two years, they signed a Soviet-Japanese non-aggression and neutrality treaty with Japan and recognized Manchukuo. Japan also met the Soviet Union's conditions and recognized Mongolia's independence.
At this time, the Soviet Union also stopped all aid to China. It can be said that Chiang Kai-shek was frustrated in expecting Soviet aid. However, in August 1945, when Japan had run out of fuel and was about to surrender, the Soviet Union suddenly tore up the Soviet-Japanese neutrality treaty, sent troops to occupy Northeast China, and wantonly looted the heavy industrial facilities built by Japan in the Northeast.
At the same time, the Soviet Union forced the Chinese government to agree to a referendum on independence for Outer Mongolia at the Yalta Conference. Can you say that? What is the final outcome of the game between the three countries in Northeast Asia? That is, China lost Outer Mongolia, the Nationalist Government collapsed, and after the Communist Party was established, it fully fell to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. As for Japan, it was also defeated and surrendered, losing the four northern islands.
Among them, only the Soviet Union became the biggest winner through plunder and robbery. It not only retained the rights and interests lost in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, but also gained additional control of Outer Mongolia and Japan's four northern islands. Of course, it also gained the little brother of the People's Republic of China. Ah, it served as a human shield for itself in the Cold War, ah, such as intervening in the Korean War.
Of course, we cannot say that the Soviets are invincible. Although they have extensive political penetration and strategic layout in China, the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War was more the result of a variety of factors. It's just that the Soviet Union was very good at taking advantage of opportunities and tried every means to achieve its strategic goals. It is no exaggeration to say that if the Soviet Union is compared with Japan, it is absolutely even better in stealing and appropriating China's interests.
But because the Communist Party of China was single-handedly supported by the Soviet Union, the Chinese people who have been brainwashed by the Communist Party for a long time thought that it was our big brother. No matter how the Soviet Union brutally interfered in China's internal affairs, ah, it still occupied the resources of Northeast China, and even burned, looted, and massacred. But in Chinese history textbooks, there is almost no mention of it.
In short, we need to look at the history of World War II from a larger perspective. We can also learn a very profound lesson, that is, fanatical patriotism, nationalism and militaristic militarism will eventually lead this country into the abyss of disaster. Those patriotic young people in Japan thought they were realizing the great rejuvenation of the nation, but in fact, they turned the country from a defender of the international order into a destroyer of the international order.
For example, they withdrew from the League of Nations after the September 18th Incident. In the end, they also led themselves to defeat and destruction. Young people's loyalty and patriotism were rewarded with the mushroom clouds of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But today's young Chinese who are equally loyal to the party, patriotic, and determined to achieve great rejuvenation seem to be following in the footsteps of Japanese militarism. While advocating that the West is determined to destroy itself, they are clamoring to be anti-American, anti-Japanese, and to use force to unify Taiwan.
It's just that Japan's Showa generation was serious about disembowelment, cutting off fingers, and killing the prime minister. But today's Chinese little pinks only dare to act as keyboard warriors on the Internet, playing tricks. Even if their accounts are deleted or banned by the government at any time, they don’t even dare to breathe. So when we see this, we understand that the CCP's militaristic totalitarianization and fascism today are just means.
The so-called rise in the east and fall in the west, and the rise of great powers are just propaganda. In the face of severe internal and external troubles, they are inescapable facts. Okay, let’s talk about this with you in today’s program. Thanks everyone for watching. If you think the content of this program is valuable, please like and share it. You can also express your views and opinions and additions in the comments below.
Thank you everyone, see you in the next episode.
