Demchugdongrub

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Demchugdongrub (left)
Demchugdongrub (left)

Prince Demchugdongrub (Дэмчигдонров, pronunciation: Demchig Dong-roe) (February 8, 1902 - May 23, 1966) was the leader of a Mongol independence movement in Inner Mongolia. His Chinese courtesy name is Xixian (希賢). He assumed the Mongolian chairman of Mengjiang, a Japanese puppet state in World War II.

Some see him as a Mongol nationalist promoting Pan-Mongolism. Others view him as a traitor and as the pawn of the Japanese during World War II.

Contents

[edit] Names

  • Demchugdongrub in Tibetan
    • Demchigdonrov (Дэмчигдонров) in Mongolian
    • Demuchukedonglupu (德穆楚克棟魯普) in formal Chinese
  • Often called Te Wang, Teh Wang (King of Virtue) in the West
    • De Noyon in Mongolian
    • De Wang (德王, Дэ Ван) in Chinese and in Mongolian
    • Some Mongolians called him King Lord De (德王爺)

[edit] Rise to leadership

A Chahar born of the Plain White Banner (正白旗) in Chahar Province, Demchugdongrub was the sole son of Namjil Wangchuk (Namzhil Vanchig 那木濟勒旺楚克), the Chief of Shilingol Alliance (Шилийн гол чуулга, 锡林郭勒盟) and Duoluo Duling Junwang of Sonid Right Banner (苏尼特左旗扎萨克多罗杜棱郡王)

After Namjil Wangchuk died in 1908, the six-year-old Demchugdongrub, with the approval of the Qing Empire, inherited one of his father's titles -- the Duoluo Duling Junwang. Demchugdongrub studied Mongolian, Chinese, Manchu languages. After the fall of the Qing Empire, Yuan Shikai promoted Demchugdongrub's to the title of Zhasake Heshuo Duling Qinwang (扎萨克和硕杜棱亲王) in 1912.

Demchugdongrub married a daughter of a Taiji (Qing aristocratic title) nobleman from his own Sönid Right Banner (Баруун сөнид хошуу, 苏尼特左旗), and the next year had their first child, Dolgorsuren (都古爾蘇隆). Several years later, Demchugdongrub had four more sons and one daughter with his second wife (Fujin,福晉 - Manchu, wife of feudal lord from 夫人), a daughter of another Taiji nobleman from Abaga Banner (Авга хошуу, 阿巴嘎旗).

Demchugdongrub was appointed as a member of the Chahar Provincial Committee in 1929. Then in 1931 he succeeded to the post of the Chief of Shilingol Alliance, after Yang Cang (楊桑), then Sodnom Ravdan (Содном Равдан,索特那木拉布坦).

During September of 1933, the Mongolian princes of Chahar and Suiyuan Provinces traveled to the Temple at Bathahalak, north of Kweihwa and gathered in a council chamber with Prince Teh Wang who for months had been trying to found a Pan-Mongolian self rule movement. In mid October, despite their traditional suspicions of one another, they and Prince Teh Wang agreed to draw up a Confederation of Inner Mongolian States and its bylaws. They sent word to Nanking that they wanted to rule Inner Mongolia themselves. They threatened that if they were not given their way they would not hesitate to seek assistance from Japan.

[edit] Collaboration with the Japanese

In the beginning of 1935, Prince Teh, the leader of the Mongols of Inner Mongolia, was striving to set up an autonomous Mongolian Government there. General Jirō Minami, commander of the Kwangtung Army and Col. Seishiro Itagaki gave support to the establishment of an Inner Mongolian Autonomous Government, which they intended to be subject to the wishes of Japan. However when in April 1935, Minami sent Major Ryukichi Tanaka and another officer to interview Prince Teh with a view to establishing such a government, Prince Teh did not agree to terms with the Japanese at that time.

After establishing a ceremonial Mengjiang-Manchukuo alliance in May 1935, Henry Puyi honoured Demchugdongrub with the title of Prince De the Martial (武德親王 Wude Qinwang).

Then in June 1935 the North Chahar Incident and the resulting Chin-Doihara Agreement, substantially affected events in the northern part of Inner Mongolia, the province of Chahar. The most important provisions of the agreement forced all units of the Chinese 29th Army to be withdrawn from hsien's north of Changpei, amounting to nearly all of Chahar province. Peace and order there was to be entrusted to the Peace Preservation Corps, an organization that was little more than a police force with light arms only. Also, no Chinese were to be permitted to migrate to and settle in the northern part of Chahar province. No activities of the Koumintang were to be permitted in Chahar province. All anti-Japanese institutions and acts in Chahar province were to be banned.

In August 1935, General Minami met with Prince Teh where the Prince promised close cooperation with Japan and Minami promised financial assistance to the Prince.

On 24 December 1935, General Minami sent two battalions of irregular Manchurian cavalry under Li Shou-hsin, a squadron of Japanese planes and a few tanks to assist the Prince in taking over the northern part of Chahar province. The six hsien's of northern Chahar, were defended by only a few thousand Chinese Peace Preservation Corps. With Li's assistance the Princes forces were soon able to overrun the area.

The Japanese Kwantung Army, in February 1936, decided to establish the Mongolian Military Government (蒙古軍政府) with Demchugdongrub as the commander and Toyonori Yamauchi (山内豊紀) as the advisor, on a mission to "inherit the great spirit of Genghis Khan and retake the territories that belong to Mongolia, completing the grand task of reviving the prosperity of the nationality".

In April 21-26, 1936, Prince Teh Wang and Li Shou-Hsin met with the Japanese Special Service Chief Captain Takayoshi Tanaka, at West Wuchumuhsin. Representatives from places in Inner Mongolia, Tsinghai and Outer Mongolia also attended the meeting, called the State-Founding Conference. A plan was made to found a Mongolian State including all Mongolia and Tsinghai. It was to be a monarchy, but would be run with a committee for the time being. A Mongolian Congress was planned and most importantly there was a plan to organize a military government and an army. Called the Mongol Military Government (蒙古軍政府), it was formed in May 12, 1936. A mutual assistance agreement with Manchukuo was also concluded in July 1936, with Japan providing military and economic aid.

After the conclusion of the treaty, Prince Teh Wang set out to enlarge and equip his army for the expansion of the new state into Suiyuan province. The prince increased his army from three cavalry divisions to nine with the aid of Takayoshi Tanaka and his Japanese advisors. The Japanese provided arms captured from the Northeastern Army but Tanaka ignored the advice of the Mongolian leaders and recruited poorly armed levies and ex bandits from various regions. Having no unity, poorly trained and only half of these men having rifles this force had poor morale and cohesion. This force totaled about 10,000 men. Additionally a puppet Chinese army, the Grand Han Righteous Army under Wang Ying was attached to the Inner Mongolian Army of Teh Wang.[1]

Following his defeat in Suiyuan, Teh Wang was forced to rebuild his army. With Japanese help by the time war broke out in July of 1937 his army consisted of 20,000 men in eight Cavalry Divisions. These participated in Operation Chahar and the Battle of Taiyuan when the Japanese and Mongol forces finally captured most of Suiyuan province.


The Mengjiang United Autonomous Government (蒙疆連合自治政府) was set up in 1939 with Demchugdongrub first being the vice-chairman, then the chairman. In 1941 he became chairman of the Mongolian Autonomous Federation.

[edit] Downfall

After World War II, and thus the collapse of the Federation, Demchugdongrub lived in Beijing for four years under the supervision of the Kuomintang government. Just before the Communist Party of China took control the whole country, in August 1949 he managed to establish an Autonomous Government in the western most region of Inner Mongolia. In December, pushed by the coming communist army, Demchugdongrub fled to Mongolia and was at first welcomed there, but then captured by the People's Republic of Mongolia in the following February and deported to China in September, where he was charged with treason by the People's Republic of China. Under supervision, he wrote nine memoirs and was pardoned 13 years later in April. Until his death at the age of 64 in Hohhot, he had worked in an Inner Mongolian history museum.


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Jowett pg.57


[edit] See also

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[edit] External links