Page 23 - 《近代史研究》2021第二期

Modern Chinese History Studies

No. 2đ2021

From Allying with Ｒussia to Fighting against Chinese Communists͇ Wu Peifu's Cognitive Changes
about Ｒussia ………………………………………………………………… Yang Tianhong̵ 4̶
At the beginning of 1920sđafter defeating Anhui ̵ or Wan̶ Clique and Fengtian ̵ or Feng̶ CliqueđZhili ̵ or Zhi̶
Clique became the dominant political force in China． As a response to Zhili Clique's dominanceđGuangdong ̵ or Yue̶
Clique formed a triangular alliance against Zhili Clique by allying itself with Anhui Clique and Fengtian Clique． A storm
loomed large in Chinese politics． Meanwhileđthe Soviet Ｒussia started to court potential collaborators in China． Wu Peifu
was initially the priority target of the Soviet Ｒussia． Wu responded positively to the Soviet Ｒussia's courtship． He insisted
unconditional recognition of the Soviet Ｒussia and accepted the latter's suggestion for cooperating with Sun Yat-sen．
Moreoverđunder the guidance of the Soviet ＲussiađWu even kept close contact with the Chinese Communist Party and
supported the Beiping-Hankou Ｒailway workers movement． These maneuvers by Wu served some of his hidden agendas． As
far as Wu's basic political ideology was concernedđhe was a faithful supporter of the western political model that he himself
understood． As a leading figure of the Zhili Clique of the Beiyang GovernmentđWu was known for his unwavering belief
that the Beiyang Government is the orthodox inheritor of China． Against this backdropđit is not difficult to conclude that
Wu's alliance with Ｒussia was a tactical move against the triangular alliance． In other wordsđit was nothing but a political
and diplomatic maneuver and we should not take it as an indication of the shift of Wu's political ideology． Wu Peifu hedged
his bets by engaging with different political forces in both North China and South China and both Ｒussia and the U． S． as
well． Thusđhis political ideas and diplomatic standpoints were notoriously inconsistent． Wu ultimately took the anti-
communist route without noticing the shift of public support in China at the timeđa failure that largely foretold his political
demise．

Chiang Kai-shek's Strategic Decisions during the War of Wuhan͇ A Comparative Study on the
Protracted War Strategies of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China
……………………………………………………………………………………… Luo Min̵ 25̶
During the War of WuhanđChiang Kai-shek's strategic decisions were conditioned and constrained by such factors like
Japan-Ｒussia relationsđChina-Japan peace talks and the relations between the CPC and the Kuomintang． Although some
senior Kuomintang officialsđincluding Chiang Kai-shek himselfđcame to realize the tactical effectiveness of mobile warfare
and guerrilla warfaređthey failed to recognize the strategic importance of the basic principles of the protracted war． At one
pointđthey even planned to have a final military showdown with the Japanese in Wuhan． At the end of Julyđ1938đa
military conflict broke out between Japan and the Soviet Union in China's Changkufeng area． The conflict with the Soviet
Union somewhat slowed the Japanese military offensive against Wuhan． ConsequentlyđChiang's strategy shifted from“final
military showdown in Wuhan”to“holding ground”đhoping the changes in international environment would hold back the
Japanese military offensive against Wuhan． Witnessing the British and French decision to appease Germany by sacrificing
the interests of the CzechđChiang agreed to hold direct peace talks with the Japanese under the precondition that China's
national sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected． LaterđJapanese initiated its southward offensiveđwhich
threatened the interests of the U． K． and the U． S． in South China． ThusđChiang shifted the gravity of China's diplomacy to
the U． K． and the U． S． and persuaded them to fight against the Japanese in the Far East together with China． Just around
the time of the War of WuhanđMao Zedong published his famous essays like On Protracted War and The New Stageđ
heralding the maturity of CPC's Protracted War Strategy． In contrastđthe version of Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang's
Protracted War Strategy was less systemicđflexible and adaptive． The end of the War of Wuhan foreshadowed the most
difficult stage of the Chinese People's Ｒesistance War against Japanese Aggression． Guided by different versions of the
Protracted War Strategyđthe Kuomintang and the CPC fought the resistance war against Japanese quite differently．

Ｒevisiting the Diplomatic Exchanges Between China and Vatican during the World War I
……………………………………………………………………………………… Zhang Le̵ 45̶

InternationalismđLocalness and a Community of Common Interests͇ Chinese Ｒepresentation in
Shanghai International Settlement ……………………………………………… Wang Min̵ 63̶
The issue of Chinese representation in Shanghai International Settlement ̵ SIS̶ emerged after the end of World War I．
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