aga. V o THE LAST MONGOL PRINCE © The Life and Times of Demchugdongrob, 1902-1966 AV KeJ Shiiinhot Ongniud* ■,sA" Jerim C H A H A R JUU-UD Doloonnor. > uiaankTiada* ‘Aokhan .^Kharachin,,, • . • J»Taipus^ ^ Shangdu R----- £-- / "Gurbatn' Subraga "■'I TianjiriAi,, ( Sechin Jagchid '■r -WS' s ' ^ ? sS WM *W _::XS:fr' V /■^ \jA . r' m- : 4 ,;§• - i / %.\; i Western Washington University . y -A A' < A?*. The Last Mongol Prince: The Life and Times of Demchugdongrob, 1902-1966 Center for East Asian Studies Western Washington University Studies on East Asia, Volume 21 The Last Mongol Prince: The Life and Times of Demchugdongrob, 1902-1966 by Sechin Jagchid The Center for East Asian Studies publishes scholarly works on topics relating to China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia Editor: Edward H. Kaplan volume editors, Henry G. Schwarz and Wayne Richter The Last Mongol Prince: The Life and Times of Demchugdongrob, 1902-1966 Sechin Jagchid Center for East Asian Studies Western Washington University Copyright 1999 by Center for East Asian Studies Western Washington University Bellingham, Washington 98225-9056 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includ ­ ing photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jagchid, Sechin, 1914- The Last Mongol prince: the life and times of Demchugdongrob, 1902- 1966 / Sechin Jagchid. p. cm. — (Studies on East Asia; 21) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-914584-21-9 1. Demchugdongrob, 1902-1966. 2. Inner Mongolia (China)—Politics and government —20th century. 3. Princes —China—Inner Mongolia— Biography. I. Title: Life and times of Demchugdongrob, 1902-1966. II. Title. III. Series. DS793.M7 J218 1999 951'.7705’092-dc21 RECP iv/fo [B] 99-051349 0 1 2000 acquisitions Manufactured in the United States of America TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ...................................................................................................................... xv Illustrations ......................................................................................................... xviii MAP OF MONGOLIA..................................................................................xxviii I: HISTORICAL PROLOGUE..............................................................................1 The Land and the People ...........................................................................1 Demchugdongrob ’s Father and His Times .........................................4 II: DEMCHUGDONGROB’S EARLY YEARS, 1912-1919....................8 His Birth....................................................................................................... 8 His Youth...................................................................................................10 His Succession and Contemporary Events ........................................13 III: DEMCHUGDONGROB’S EARLY CAREER, 1919-1928............... 18 The Ruling Prince of His Own Banner .............................................. 18 Deputy Head of the Shilingol League ................................................23 His First Political Experience in Beijing ...........................................25 The Eve of the Kuomintang’s Northern Campaign........................ 29 IV: THE KUOMfNTANG’S SECOND NORTHERN CAMPAIGN AND AFTER, 1928-1931............................................ 34 The Northern Campaign and the Mongol Response ...................... 34 The Rise of Wu Heling and the Mongol Delegation ...................... 36 External Pressure and Internal Factions ............................................. 39 The Panchen Lama’s First Visit to Inner Mongolia........................ 42 The Mongolian Convention and the Law Concerning Mongolia.................................................................43 V: THE EARLY PERIOD OF THE JAPANESE INVASION, 1931-1933 ......................................................................... 46 The Manchurian Incident and the Mongolian Response ...............46 The Changing Situation in Nanjing and Manchuria....................... 48 Prince De ’s First Visit with Chiang Kai-shek and His Conflict with Wu Heling .......................... 50 The Japanese Occupation of Rehe and the Emergence of Li Shouxin................................................................................ 54 The Beginning of Japanese Encroachment into Western Inner Mongolian Territory.................................57 VI: THE INNER MONGOLIAN AUTONOMY MOVEMENT, JUNE 1933-MARCH 1934................................................................... 60 Direct Causes ............................................................................................60 The Condition of the Leagues and Banners ...................................... 62 Preparatory Work.....................................................................................66 The Immediate Response .......................................................................69 The Preliminary Committee and the Declaration ............................71 The Beile-yin sume Conference for Autonomy.............................. 74 The Arrival of Huang £ind Zhao........................................................... 78 A Breakthrough in the Talks ................................................................. 85 The Machinations of Huang Shaohong and Fu Zuoyi...................88 The Final Resolution ...............................................................................92 VII: THE PERIOD OF THE MONGOLIAN POLITICAL COUNCIL, APRIL 1934-JANUARY 1936................................... 100 Founding of the Council ......................................................................100 Togtakhu’s Visits with Chiang Kai-shek .........................................103 The First Japanese Sounding Out of Western Inner Mongolia. 105 Chinese Terrorism Against the Mongols ......................................... 106 Prince De ’s Second Visit with Chiang Kai-shek ........................... 106 Contacts with the Guangdong Clique ...............................................107 Contacts with the Kokonor Mongols ................................................109 Conflict Within the Peace Preservation Corps ................................110 Problems Caused by Prince So’s Arrival in Beiping .................... 110 The Prince Shi Incident... .....................................................................112 Khashaat and the Conflict Over Taxation........................................113 Chahar’s Disregard for Mongolian Territorial Integrity.............. 115 The He-Umeizu Agreement ................................................................ 116 Japanese Advances and Mongol Criticisms of the Mongolian Political Council .....................................................117 The Zhangbei Incident ......................................................................... 118 Secret Plans for Mongolia’s Future .................................................. 118 Wu Heling ’s Meeting with Chiang Kai-shek .................................. 119 The Emergence of the Suiyuan Mongolian Political Council ... 120 Japanese Penetration and Disintegration of the Mongolian Political Council ................................................... 122 VIII: JAPANESE INTERVENTION AND THE MONGOLIAN ARMY GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, JANUARY-MAY 1936....................................................................... 125 The Early Activities of Japanese Agents and the General Headquarters ................................................................ 125 Itagaki’s Arrival in Ujumuchin .......................................................... 127 Expansion of Japanese Activities ..................................................... 129 Prince De ’s Secret Visit to Manchukuo ..........................................130 Wu Heling and Bai Yunti Return to Mongolia............................. 131 Japan’s Occupation of Kalgan’s Outskirts and the Formation of the Chahar League ........................................... 132 Wu Heling ’s Meeting with Itagaki in Beiping .............................. 133 Wu Heling ’s Narrow Escape from Assassination ..........................134 The Assassination of Nimaodzar.......................................................136 The General Headquarters of the Mongolian Army....................138 The First Mongolian Congress ............................................................141 Extent of Participation in the First Mongolian Congress ............145 The Japanese Execution of Lingsheng ..............................................147 IX: THE MONGOLIAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT, MAY 1936-OCTOBER 1937.............................................................149 Establishment of the Mongolian Military Government ................149 Organization of the Mongolian Army...............................................153 Japan’s Westward Advance ............................................ 154 Diplomatic Activities of the Mongolian Military Government ........................................... 155 The Death of Prince So and Prince De ’s Subsequent Ties with Nanjing................ 157 Japan’s Further Westward Movement and Conflict with Suiyuan.......................................................158 The Battle of Bat-Khaalag.................................................................. 161 The Truce and Rehabilitation of the Mongolian