From a historical perspective, which monarch would allow himself to exercise great power? From the perspective of God, Yang Yuting should indeed be killed, but the timing of killing Yang Yuting was not right, unlike his father who did not know how to endure.
I want to express that too many people hope that Yang can drag on for a period of time or even resist Japan in Northeast China. But what Yang supports is complete autonomy and even division in Northeast China. In the context of Japan’s full-scale invasion of China, it is difficult to predict whether Yang would choose to unite and resist Japan or split and be neutral.
Yang’s goal was to maintain a relatively dignified situation in the three aspects of the Soviet Union, Japan, and Chiang Kai shek. As for the internal contradictions of Chiang Kai shek, Yang had already identified them, so his initial advice to Zhang was to observe the changes and introduce Soviet forces to counter Japan. In the future, when Chiang grew up and could fully unify the country or, like in 45 or 36 years, most of them supported him, he was considering reunification. Yang wanted to maintain the interests of the Northeast, which was not a problem.
Yang wants to dance on three eggs, cooperate with Japan, cooperate with the Soviet Union, cooperate with Chiang, and let the Japanese army enter the border. What the Japanese army wants is to become a colony in Northeast China, and Yang will not do such foolish things. If the Japanese army is really allowed to enter the border, then the national warlords will also fight the Japanese army in Northeast China under Chiang’s leadership, and Chiang will still hold the flag of resistance to unify the interior, so that the Northeast army will not resist, The Death Fighters would join forces to attack Japan, and Chiang Kai shek would start his resistance against Japan ahead of schedule under immense public pressure, and he would not let it in at all.
The Soviet Union would not ignore it. After the Middle East Road incident, the Soviet Union’s lack of information about Northeast China was the best solution. As long as Zhang maintained the interests of the Soviet Union, the Japanese army would not easily enter. The best outcome would still be to wait for Chiang Kai shek to unify the pass, and Northeast China would choose to change its stance, then form a relationship between the central and local governments, and finally form a coalition government. Such an iron China was the best solution at that time. If it could be achieved in 37 years, the pressure of resistance against Japan would be much smaller. Firstly, the Japanese invasion of China was already firmly established. Northeast China must make a decision in this matter.
As for the milk Soviet Union, it is actually quite childish. The Soviet Union’s interests in the Far East lie in the Northeast, and they do not actually care whether the Japanese army enters or not. Jiang could not be considered more. The Japanese army took advantage of the Northeast to invade China. What strength did he have to fight against the Northeast and how did he do it? The road to the north was blocked by the Japanese. From the perspective of Northeast China’s policy change, Yang still adheres to the idea of independent old warlords when it comes to the issue of national reunification.
After the Japanese occupation of Northeast China, the Soviet Far East was on high alert. The Japanese once carried out a northward strategy and chose to advance south after suffering from hunger in Nomenkan. During the Moscow campaign, it was repeatedly confirmed that the Japanese would not attack before transferring the Far East army to Moscow. So why not support a joint pro Soviet faction in Northeast China? Japan and Germany signed an anti communist agreement, which was aimed at the Soviet Union?
The first batch of large-scale aid after the War of Resistance Against Japan was provided by the Soviet Union. Feng Yuxiang had military advisors from the Soviet Union to assist in his early battles. After the fall of Northeast China, Chiang had to shoulder the banner of resistance against Japan. In the 36th year, he sent envoys to the Soviet Union to negotiate in order to provide assistance during the war. During the fall of Northeast China, many warm-blooded men had secretly resisted Japan but were suppressed by Chiang, but the armed struggle in Northeast China had not stopped, Zhang secretly transported support to the Northeast armed groups for Chiang, which was also tacitly accepted.
After the Xi’an Incident, Chiang Kai shek saw his attitude and issued conditions for surrender. However, the conditions were too harsh and the two sides never reached an agreement. After the Northeast Incident, the Nationalist government cooperated more politically with Britain and America, militarily with Germany and Italy, and completely ignored Japan. In industry, national defense was given more attention, and all factions in politics were more under Chiang’s rule, Jiang had already learned a lesson in the Jinan incident of 28 years. It was only a matter of time before the war against Japan could be fought. When? How to fight?
The crux of the problem is not the one and a half year gap in Northeast China, but Zhang Xueliang is too young, too naive, and not as scheming as Zhang Zuolin. Even if I did that big thing in Xi’an later on, I did it with just one stroke of my head, without any careful planning in advance. Even if September 18th happens a few years later, Zhang Xueliang is likely to make the same choice.
How could it be possible not to kill Yang Yuting and give him a casual job to go back to retirement? A group of soldiers under his command are all his own people, so why not kill him and let him wait for retirement instead? Which soldiers are capable of it? Killing may not even dare to speak up below, and not killing may lead to the release of power, which may lead to accidents. Besides, Zhang is also afraid of being assassinated one day, and the army will still give it to Yang.
Yang Yuting is indeed a pity, but the pros and cons of killing or not are always idealized and cannot be true. Just like you said to give you ten soldiers, you secretly run to the edge of the city gate and kill the guard, and then you can attack. But when you do this, how do you know that someone didn’t suddenly get kicked by a nail and let out a scream to expose the target? How do you know that you aimed a cold gun at the other person, and there was a mosquito on their head that didn’t hit, and then you exposed it. How do you know that you used to cover someone’s mouth and twist their neck when they were not restrained and shouted for someone? Everything is idealized and unrealistic. History cannot be repeated. It is a pity that Yang Yuting died, but there is no way to judge right or wrong.
From the results, of course, it is correct. Shooting Yang Chang allowed Zhang to unify the interior of the Fengtian warlords at least superficially in a short period of time, and then quickly change his position. The Northeast’s change of flag was a significant obstacle for the Japanese to encroach on Northeast China, which is why it occurred on September 18th.