時報
- Sun Chuanfang and Zhang Zongchang
- Wu Peifu’s reply to Fengtian and Nanjing
- The purpose of Zhang Zuolin’s coming visit to Beijing
The page describes attempts to coordinate northern and eastern military leaders: Sun asks Zhang Zongchang for joint action, Wu’s reported reply sets a proposed attack date, and Zhang Zuolin’s planned visit to Beijing is tied to wider political and territorial questions. These are dispatches about intentions and reported preparations, not a single verified account of a completed campaign.
Three selected military-political dispatches with their datelines. The large book advertisements, shipping details and other notices are surveyed but not fully translated.
Translation
Sun Chuanfang and Zhang Zongchang
Sun Chuanfang and Zhang Zongchang
Sun Chuanfang telegraphed Du Xigui to pass a message to Zhang Zongchang, saying in substance: “Commander Zhang’s loyalty, courage and vigour are plain to all. Please join us in sending troops to fight the Reds together, and kindly telegraph the date of your deployment. Sun Chuanfang’s sincerity in cooperating with Fengtian and Shandong can be vouched for before heaven and the sun.” (Beijing telegram, the thirteenth, 4 p.m.)
Wu Peifu’s reply to Fengtian and Nanjing
Wu Peifu’s reply to Fengtian and Nanjing
According to a military office, Sun Chuanfang telegraphed Wu Peifu on the evening of the eleventh, asking him to assemble the various armies and advance simultaneously. Wu replied on the morning of the 12th that all preparations were complete and that the general offensive was set to begin on the fifteenth. He urged coordinated action to achieve the effect of a pincer attack. (Beijing telegram, the thirteenth, 4 p.m.)
The purpose of Zhang Zuolin’s coming visit to Beijing
The purpose of Zhang Zuolin’s coming visit to Beijing
Zhang Zuolin has decided to enter Beijing within a week. Following the outcome of the Fengtian conference, his purpose is to settle policy towards the south, the central political situation and questions of territorial control. The Fengtian army has also concentrated its main forces near Beijing as the basis of its military policy towards the south. (Tianjin dispatch, the eleventh.)
Context
Why Sun Chuanfang needed other commanders
The Northern Expedition challenged a China divided among military authorities. Its advance put pressure on opponents whose forces and territories remained separately controlled. Sun’s appeal to Zhang Zongchang shows the resulting need for a coalition: praising personal loyalty and invoking a common enemy were ways to seek troops that he could not simply command himself. The telegram’s urgency is about turning political sympathy into a date for action.
What a coordinated offensive was meant to achieve
A US consular report of September 8 described Wu Peifu leaving Hankow, troops retreating north and doubts about whether reinforcements would enable him to return. Against that background, the proposed simultaneous attack sought to regain initiative by applying pressure from more than one direction. The demand for armies to act together addresses the weakness of a coalition whose separate commanders could otherwise expose one another by moving at different times.
Why Beijing and territorial bargaining belonged in the same report
The planned visit links battlefield policy with control of the central government and rival territorial claims. This combination shows why a conference among commanders had to address more than where troops would march. Agreement over political influence and spheres of control could determine whether military cooperation held together. The concentration near Beijing gave the Fengtian leadership a physical base from which to negotiate and organize its policy towards the south.
Original
孫傳芳與張宗昌
孫傳芳與張宗昌
孫傳芳電杜錫珪轉達張宗昌，大意謂效帥忠勇奮發肝膽照人，請聯合出兵共同討赤，何日出兵順盼電示。孫傳芳誠意與奉魯合作此心可質天日。（北京十三日下午四時電）
吳佩孚對奉甯覆電
吳佩孚對奉甯覆電
某軍事機關消息，孫傳芳眞（十一日）晚電吳佩孚，請調集各軍、同時進攻，吳文（十二日）晨復去一電，謂一切準備就緒，兹訂於刪（十五）開始總攻務請一致動作以收夾擊之效。（北京十三日下午四時電）
奉張將入京之目的
奉張將入京之目的
張作霖決於一星期以內入京。目的在依奉天會議之結果、解決對南方針及中央政局與地盤問題，又奉軍已將主力集中北京附近，爲對南方軍事之根本方針。（天津十一日通）