Taiwan Today

Much as with beauty, history is to be found in the eye of the beholder. The primary source is always the person who was there, who himself experienced the event and then wrote or told about it. This is especially true of revolutionary periods, when confusion is rampant and documentary materi­als are scarce. The human life span being what it is, historians have little enough time to get at the story and the truth. All too soon, the actors are gone from the stage.

For the Revolution that liberated China from dynastic rule and led to establishment of the Republic, the time for first-hand, eyewitness accounts of Wuchang on October 10 of 1911, and of subsequent dramatic events, is almost past. The Revolution will be 52 years ago on the Double Tenth of 1963. That means a participant of 20 is now aged 70, and few of them are left. In a few more years, there will be none.

To put together this "Wuchang quartet", recourse has been had to the stories of two men who are still living and of two others who are recently deceased. All recounted their experiences first-hand.

I

The first is Chang Chih-pen, 83-year-old senior advisor to President Chiang Kai-shek. Wuchang (Hupeh province) was his native place and he was one of the principal con­spirators against the Manchus. After the Revolution had succeeded and the military government had been established, he was made Minister of Justice. He is, in fact, the only surviving high-ranking official of the gov­ernment that took over power from the Man­chu regime.

This is Chang's account of the Wuchang Uprising:

"I was 29 when I returned to Wuchang from Japan. I taught in the Fa Cheng School of Wuchang but actually had taken charge of revolutionary activities in the region at the orders of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Together with comrades Sun Wu and Chu Chen, I ran the Hupeh branch of the Tung Meng Hui, the revolutionary organization established by Dr. Sun in Japan. Other similar organizations included Jih Chih Hui, Kung Chin Hui, and the Literary Society.

Shots in the Night

"The March 29 Canton Uprising had just failed. Revolutionists concentrated their activities in the Wuhan (Wuchang-Hankow­-Hanyang) region. The Manchu officials of Hupeh knew this and heightened their vigil­ance.

"Soon the Pao Shen Li incident—the unexpected explosion of a homemade bomb­—triggered a mass arrest of revolutionists by the Manchu authorities. Three martyrs— Peng Tsu-fan, Liu Yao-tsen, and Yang Hung-sen—were beheaded upon orders of Manchu Governor Jui Cheng. A name list of revolutionary elements who had penetrated the Manchu 'New Army" fell into the hand of the Manchurians. Mass arrests were expected.

"The urgent situation forced the revolu­tionists to take action sooner than they had planned. The night of October 9, Hsiung Pin-kun, squad leader of the 8th Battalion of the New Army, fired the shot that started the uprising. The revolutionists occupied the ammunition depot at Chu Wang Tai and is­sued rifles and ammunition to comrades and other members of the New Army who sympathized. Manchu Governor Jui Cheng and other officials fled to a warship moored in the Yangtze River.

"Many Wuchang citizens were ignorant of what was happening. Some heard the shots in the dead of the night and thought they were firecrackers. They woke up the next morning to find the whole city occupied by the revolutionary army.

Six Ministries

"The revolutionists at once held a meet­ing to elect a leader. Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lee Yuan-hun of the New Army was chosen unanimously. Lee was not a member of the revolutionary party, but the open-minded revolutionists chose him for his capa­bility and popularity.

"Many books and documents concerning the revolution have recorded that Lee was against the revolution. That was not true. He was only being cautious. When the news of the uprising came, he took off his uniform and put on civilian clothes, then sat at home all night, waiting. He took up the leadership with some reluctance. It is true that his first public notice urging the people to be calm was drafted by some one else. But once he took office, he was faithful to the revolutionary cause. All statements that he tried to undermine the revolution were smears by his political enemies.

"The Wuchang military government was set up under Lee. Six ministries were established—those of Military Affairs, Inter­nal Affairs, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Communications.

"I didn't participate in the meeting. Later a comrade came through heavy rain to inform me that I had been chosen Minister of Justice. I at once reported to the government and took office. Being a minister then was considered a duty, not a privilege.

"For the first few days after the Wuchang Uprising, the anti-Manchu military campaign proceeded smoothly. Several towns of Hupeh were occupied. Many provinces responded. Huang Hsing, trusted aide of Dr. Sun Yat­-sen and hero of the Canton Uprising, arrived from Shanghai to assume the post of commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army.

"Fresh Manchu reinforcements were rushed in from the north, and applied heavier and heavier pressure against the revolutionary forces. Huang Hsing crossed the Yangtze to Hanyang, which was under attack by Manchu troops. Despite heroic resistance by the revolutionists, the city fell to the Manchus.

"The bad news reached us in the Wuchang military government. Everybody was heavy-hearted. Lee Yuan-hun, who had become Governor of Hupeh, called a meeting to discuss the situation. Lee had always been an oyster of a man; that day he was especially silent. He stood up and said: 'The purpose of this meeting is to discuss how the military campaign should proceed, and how the political affairs should be reformed,' then sat down.

Retreat Ordered

"While the meeting was in process, Huang Hsing arrived from the front lines. He wore straw sandals, and was in such a hurry that he forgot to take down the canteen from his shoulder. He reported in his heavy Hunanese dialect: 'Hanyang with its sturdy city wall and the Hanshui River surrounding it should be an easy place to defend. But I have decided to abandon it, because the enmity between the New Army elements and members of the Green Battalion has made it difficult to make a stand. The retreat is already under way. All supplies and machin­ery in the Hanyang Arsenal have been evacuated. My opinion is that since situation is unfavorable to us in the Wuhan area, it's better to evacuate the place and fight our way along the Yangtze all the way to Nanking, then plan to go farther north.'

"When he had finished, there was a dead silence. No one showed approval or disagreement. Suddenly Fan Teng-shou, a young naval cadet, stood up and exclaimed loudly: 'If we cannot defend even Hanyang, how can we occupy Nanking? We must do all we can to keep Wuchang. Only by doing so can we win support from other provinces. Now there are only two choices left for—us­ success or death!'

"The blood of all present boiled up upon hearing this. Nothing more was said about evacuation. Everyone returned to his post.

Mule-back Inspection

"The pressure became stronger and stronger. Day and night, Manchu artillery pieces on Tortoise Mountain at Hanyang lobbed shells into Wuchang, destroying the military government building and throwing the whole city into turmoil.

"One day when I arrived at the govern­ment offices, I was alarmed to find that Gov­ernor Lee Yuan-hun had left the city for the nearby town of Kehtien. I was indignant at this sign of cowardice, and decided .to save the situation singlehanded. I at once issued a news release that General Huang Hsing had led his army against Nanking, and that Gov­ernor Lee Yuan-hun had expressed deter­mination to defend the city of Wuchang with his life.

"Then I rode out on a mule for an inspection tour of the whole city. Two followers of mine held a couple of big lanterns, with big red characters on the shades: 'Ministry of Justice, Military Government, the Republic of China.' Citizens streamed out to look at me. Apparently they were comforted to know that high-ranking officials of the military government had not deserted them. My effort to strengthen popular morale paid off.

"While we held off Manchu assaults, more and more provinces responded to the revolution. The crisis was over. Before long, the foreign diplomatic corps in Wuhan came forth to mediate, and a three-day truce agreement was reached. One problem remained to be solved: Governor Lee Yuan-hun was not on hand to sign the agreement.

"Several horsemen were dispatched to fetch the Governor. Finally they found him at Kehtien. He signed the document. The truce went into effect.

"Even now, I wonder what prevented the Manchu troops from crossing the Yangtze from Hankow to launch an all-out attack on Wuchang. They could easily have crushed the revolutionary forces.

"Perhaps it was because of the cowardice of the Manchu generals. For instance, we later were told that Ying Chang, the Manchu Minister of the Army who led reinforcements to Wuhan, set up his headquarters in a railway coach, ready to flee at any sign of danger."

II

The second Wuchang eyewitness is Legislator Hsu Yuan-chuan, who died in 1960 at the age of 71. He was a young officer in the Army Academy in Nanking when the Wuchang Uprising broke out. Because the cadets showed sympathy toward the revolution, the academy was closed by Manchu authorities. Hsu and his fellow students rushed to Wuchang and joined the revolu­tionary forces, and he fought in the battle of Hanyang. This is his' account:

"I was a platoon leader in the Nanking Army Academy when word came that revolu­tionists had staged an uprising in my native town of Wuchang. I was thinking of leaving the school to join the revolutionists when we suddenly found the campus surrounded by Manchu troops. The officers and cadets had been known for their sympathy with the revolution.

"Wan Ting-hsien, the principal, called an emergency meeting. He pleaded with officers and cadets to keep calm and avoid bloodshed. In view of Manchu distrust of the school, he said, he had asked the Minister of the Army to close the academy for the time being. No one raised any objection, because this would give the cadets the freedom they wanted.

Cadets Take Part

"The Minister approved the dismissal request, and I at once got ready to leave. On the boat I found more than 400 former cadets, all on the way to Hupeh. I called them together for a meeting to decide what action we should take, and was elected leader.

"We arrived at Wuchang October 12 and were received in a hostel of the military government. The next day I went to see Gov­ernor Lee Yuan-hun with Chang Ke-kung and Keh Jung-chin, two other cadet representatives.

"Governor Lee praised our patriotism. He told us that the situation in Hankow was deteriorating. Manchu reinforcements had arrived in large number, he said, and the city was under heavy bombardment. He was afraid that if the city were lost, it would seriously affect the morale of the revolutionists and the support from other provinces.

"I wasted no time but said: 'Since the situation is so urgent, what are we waiting for? If you can issue us rifles and bullets, we can go to the front lines at once.'

"Lee was moved and issued orders that we be given the arms. The rifles were brand new, fresh from the Hanyang Arsenal. The cadets, who had been strictly trained, marched under my command to Hankow like old soldiers.

"We first made brief contact at the Ta­chimen Railway Station, then received orders to reinforce revolutionary forces at Liuchiayuan. The Manchus were overwhelming in both number and arms, but we fought bravely, holding back the enemy for more than 10 hours.

"The enemy fire became heavier and heavier. We suffered considerable losses. We fell back a little around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Not until we found we were in danger of being completely surrounded did I give the order to retreat. Civilian junks and boats along the river volunteered to help.

Flank Attack

"We boarded the boats in pitch darkness, with the enemy close behind us. In the turmoil, two of our comrades, names unknown, fell into the icy water and were lost.

"A few hours after we returned to Wuchang, we received orders to reinforce Han­yang. Although tired, we set forth at once. We garrisoned the south side of Hanyang, facing the Manchu troops across the Hanshui River.

"During an inspection tour of the battleline, I found more than 100 artillery pieces and numerous cannon balls on Tortoise Moun­tain, but no artillerymen were in sight. Thinking to put the weapons to good use, I ordered some of my men who had been trained in artillery to fire the cannon. The roaring salvos greatly heightened the morale of the revolutionary forces. Soon the artillerymen reappeared to take over.

"Two days later, General Huang Hsing came to Hanyang to assume command. He led the 49th regiment to the front line.

"The Manchu troops were under the command of Feng Kuo-chang. Feng was a veteran soldier and sly as a fox. He sent a battalion to occupy Tsaitien, trying to attack us from behind.

"Huang Hsing learned of this and decided to counter by launching an attack against Feng's flank. Orders were given to cross the Hanshui and assault Hankow. The main forces were the 49th regiment and the cadets.

"For the first two or three days the action was favorable. We occupied almost half of Hankow city. But the Manchus overwhelmed us numerically. Their fire was ten times heavier than ours. Sheer courage couldn't win a battle. We buckled under heavy pressure.

Arsenal Preserved

"Before long our ammunition and supplies were exhausted. No reinforcements were in sight. General Huang Hsing ordered a withdrawal. I can still remember that the very moment I gave the order to the cadets, one of them standing close to my side fell dead, a bullet through his forehead.

"The revolutionary forces retreated to Hanyang. We were stationed atop four small hills, resisting Manchu assaults from the direc­tion of Tsaitien. Our setback at Hankow was a heavy blow to our morale and a great encouragement for the enemy, who had crossed the Hanshui and were attacking Hanyang from three sides. General Huang ordered the evacuation of Hanyang.

"The cadets under my command were to continue the resistance while the main revolutionary force was retreating. As we were the last to leave, we had orders to destroy the Hanyang Arsenal. I reported to General Huang: 'It is unwise to destroy the arsenal, as we are sure to return some day. I suggest the removal of some essential parts of the machinery, so that for the time being the arsenal will be out of use.' My suggestion was accepted.

"By then only Wuchang was in the hand or the revolutionists. Though some comrades were pessimistic about the future, the cadets were determined to die defending the city. Governor Lee Yuan-hun suddenly left the city for a nearby town, apparently preparing to flee. At the request of the cadets, I went to the governor, demanding an explanation of his desertion. Meanwhile, the cadets promoted a 'sign-your-name' campaign among the ranks of the revolutionary forces for the defense of the city. Day and night, we patrolled the city walls, ready to fight the Manchus to the death.

"Quick responses from several neighboring provinces forced the Manchu regime to accept a truce agreement. Our mission done, each of us received travel expenses of 40 silver dollars and we returned home."

Subsequently, Hsu Yuan-chuan parti­cipated in the Northward Expedition, the Sino-Japanese War, and the war against the Communists. The veteran soldier was elected to the Legislative Yuan from his native Hupeh.

III

Eighty-four-year-old Chen Chia-nai, who looks 20 years younger, now resides in Hongkong, and recalls October 10 as his and China's "most memorable night". These are his experiences:

"For me the story should begin some eight years before when I was an officer of the 29th Regiment of the New Army, with headquarters in Wuchang. The 29th Regiment and the 8th Battalion of the New Army were the vanguard of the Wuchang Uprising.

"I think I was a good officer. My men liked me because I never treated them as superiors usually treated subordinates. In drills, maneuvers, and long marches, I never rode a horse, nor did I bring a cot for the nights. I always walked and slept with my men.

"Though I drew my pay from the Man­churians, I was disgusted with their inefficiency and corruption, which had made China into a sub-colony of the foreign imperialists. I secretly subscribed to revolutionary newspapers edited by Huang Hsin, Tsai Yuan-pei, and Yu Yu-jen. The more I read them, the more I was convinced that only a drastic change of government structure could save China. I wanted to join the ranks of revolutionists and work for the downfall of the Manchurian imperial house.

"In October, 1905, the Tung Meng Hui (United League) came into being with Dr. Sun Yat-sen as its president. In December, I joined the organization at Wuchang under the sponsorship of Sung Chiao-jen.

Fervor for Freedom

"The next year, I sponsored my close friends and fellow officers of the 29th Regi­ment, Tsai Chi-min, Chiang Yi-wu, Wu Hsin-han, and others to join the Tung Meng Hui.

"We organized the Literary Society as cover for our activities. We read revolutionary literature, composed poems assailing the corruption of the Manchurian rulers and urg­ing youth to save China, and made plans to organize uprisings.

"We found that many of the officers and men of the 29th were sympathetic with the revolutionary cause, so we were able to pick up many members. At the time of the Wuchang Uprising our Literary Society had a membership of more than 200.

"We also made secret contacts with rev­olutionists in other units of the New Army, The New Army was composed of young recruits, most of whom deplored China's situation, and many of them joined the revolutionists.

"During the period from 1906 to 1910, many uprisings took place. The whole nation was experiencing an upsurge of revolutionary fervor. In early 1911, the 31st Regiment of the New Army was ordered by the Emperor to proceed to Szechuan to quell a recruit revolt there. The regimental commander was Tseng Kuang-ta, an arch foe of the revolutionists. With Tseng and his troops gone, the revolutionists decided to organize an uprising. Most of the 29th Regiment and the 8th Battalion of Engineers, both remaining in Wuchang city, could be counted upon to aid the revolution.

"One morning in April, when I was at reveille, I heard that revolutionists had attacked the viceroy's mansion in Canton March 29 and that some 72 of them had sacrificed their lives. When I broke the news to my men, the sadness of my heart was quickly lifted. Instead of rejoicing at the victory of the Manchus, the troops turned glum and angry. I was convinced that my men were sympathetic with the revolution, and that with the popular support, the revolution would soon succeed.

Commander's Threats

"Let us come down to the fateful day of October 10, 1911. I still remember every detail. Every Double Tenth Day when I see the military parades and festive celebra­tions, how can I help remembering those scenes of 52 years ago. They are re-enacted before my tear-dimmed eyes.

"It was 2 p.m. on October 10. Chang Piao, garrison commander of Hupeh and concurrently mayor of Shiang Yang, came to the 29th Regiment headquarters. He looked tense and angry. A group of guardsmen and staff officers followed him closely.

"He ordered Wang Te-shen, command­ing officer of the 29th Regiment, to marshal the troops. He said he wanted to review them.

"When the officers and men fell in, he harangued us:

"'I've found revolutionists among you. Those who are revolutionists, I tell you, your days are numbered. None will escape my hand. Those who are not, I warn you, please help me to stamp out these dregs."

"While Chang Piao was speaking, he eyed me and Tsai Shi-min in a peculiar way, and I at once sensed something was wrong.

"As soon as the rally ended, I warned Tsai Shi-min and Li Ta-wu to watch out. I also sent men to inform Li Hsin-han and Chang Ting-fu, two other comrades.

"Right after we had finished supper, news came that a revolutionist bomb had accidentally gone off. Police had raided the place, arrested revolutionists Peng Tsu-fan, Liu Yao­-tsen, and Yang Hung-sen, and found a name list of Tung Meng Hui members. Peng, Liu, and Yang had been beheaded.

"Our reaction was eagerness to avenge the death of the three martyrs and fear that wholesale arrests would be made in the morning. We agreed it was now or never. We must go into action that night.

"We had a problem—lack of ammunition. Governor Jui Cheng had ordered all the ammunition locked up. We pooled what we had. It was Hsiung Pin-kun, a platoon leader of the 8th Battalion of Engineers, who led the comrades of his battalion to Chu Wang Tai, where the ammunition was stored. The guards welcomed them with open arms.

"As soon as we of the 29th Regiment heard of the 8th Battalion's action, we swiftly joined them.

People Back Revolt

"Though it had rained and a dismal wind had blown all day, the night was clear.

"We attacked the governor's headquar­ters fiercely. The governor's guardsmen put up only slight resistance, then fled. We set fire to the headquarters and took the ammuni­tion there. Governor Jui Cheng and the garrison commander, Chang Piao, fled to a warship in the Yangtze River.

"In the morning, revolutionary flags were to be seen all over the city. The people of Wuchang supported the revolution and volunteered to help defend the city. Even middle school students volunteered for garrison duty.

"We organized a provisional military government, and I was one of its ministers. We proclaimed independence, and cabled the governors of other provinces to support the revolution. We also negotiated with foreign representatives in Wuchang for their support.

"None of us wanted to be a leader. So we decided to ask Lee Yuan-hun, deputy commander-in-chief of the New Army, to lead us. Lee persuaded Imperial Navy Admiral Sa Chen-ping to move his warships away from the Yangtze River, and borrowed one division and 20 battalions from the Hunan governor.

"I was first a division commander of defense forces in Wuchang, and later, when the governor of Hunan province supported the revolution, I was put in charge of logistics in Hunan and Hupeh provinces until January 1, 1912, when the Republic of China was inaugurated.

"The Wuchang Uprising was only a spark that ignited the revolutionary spirit of the nation. Without the support of the people, we could not have held Wuchang and then taken Hankow and Hanyang across the Yangtze and Han Rivers. Our success in holding Wuchang gave confidence to the revolutionists of other provinces, who began to force the Manchurians out. With many of the governors and most of the nation sym­pathetic, we were able—without much bloodshed—to abolish the monarchical sys­tem, which had a history of some 4,000 years, in a matter of less than three months."

IV

The fourth facet of the Wuchang Revolution is the work of Ho Cheng-chun, a retired three-star general who passed away in 1961. This is the way he saw those momentous days:

"I became acquainted with Huang Hsing in Tokyo when I was 23 years old and a government-sponsored cadet at a Japanese army academy. Huang Hsing introduced me to Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

"Dr. Sun was one of the greatest men in history. I was greatly moved by his unsurpassed patriotism and his determination to save China from the misrule of the Man­churian imperial house.

"From the day I first saw Dr. Sun, I became his faithful follower. When I returned to Peking, I was commissioned a staff officer of the Army Department. But I maintained secret contacts with the revolutionists.

"When news of the Wuchang Uprising reached Peking, I was greatly excited. It was the first time the revolutionists had succeeded in taking a city.

"As I was a native of Hupeh, I was sent to Wuchang with two other staff officers to size up the situation.

"The Postmaster, Shen Hsuan-hwai, came to the station to see us off. He promised us a hundred thousand silver dollars if we could save his steel mill at Hanyang. He was typical of the Manchurian officials who placed self-interest above the fate of government.

"When we reached Huang Po station, 40 kilometers from Hankow, we received in­formation that Hupeh Governor Jui Cheng and the garrison commander, Chang Piao, had sought safety on a warship under the command of Admiral Sa Chen-ping. Sa was said to be deploying his three warships on the Yangtze River for an imminent attack on Wuchang.

"We disembarked there, and went to see Admiral Sa, Jui Cheng, and Chang Piao on the warship.

Shelling Urged

"When we arrived, Jui Cheng and Chang Piao were trying to persuade Sa Chen-ping to shell Wuchang. But Sa hesitated, maintaining that the fire would level Wuchang, kill many, and destroy historic relics of the city.

"Jui Cheng tried to enlist my support. He said that as a native of Hupeh, I should think of something to save my native land from the rebels, and that I would get a crystal ball with red tassle on my cap (meaning a promotion) if I did.

"I retorted that as native of Hupeh, I would hate to see my native place turned into bombed ruins and my townsfolk mur­dered. I assured them that Peking was plan­ning to send troops to quell the revolution, and asked them to wait and see.

"As it was customary for the Manthurian officers to shirk responsibility, they were glad that Peking was taking the responsibility. They took my advice.

"The next day I pretended that I wanted to go to Wuchang to spy on the revolutionists, and I got in touch with the revolutionist leaders in Wuchang. I suggested that they should take Hankow and Hanyang, separated from Wuchang by rivers, before the troops arrived from Peking and destroyed the three bridges on the Peking-Hankow railroad.

"Then I went back to Peking, and re­ported to Feng Kuo-chang, who was moving his troops to Wuchang. His first three regiments were derailed outside Hankow when the revolutionists destroyed three bridges, as I suggested. As a native of Hupeh, I was trusted by Feng to direct the movements of his troops. I deliberately misdirected the troops, and they did not reach Wuchang until two months later.

"I had to flee when Feng became suspi­cious of me."

Such are four views of Wuchang, all with small differences originating in varying vantage points and the personalities of the observers. Yet these same four views agree in their dynamic patriotism and confidence in the success of the Revolution. The shots that ended 4,000 years of dynastic history 52 years ago still resound wherever Chinese idealism and freedom of expression live on.

The heroes of Wuchang have passed on the torch to another generation, but their deeds are not forgotten. The revolutionary ripples will reach out and out until Communism is also engulfed and the Republic envisioned by Sun Yat-sen and his followers brings freedom, peace, and prosperity to the Chinese people.