Tang Enbai
Encyclopedia
Tang Enbo(1898–1954) was a Nationalist
general
in the Republic of China
. Along with Hu Zongnan
and Xue Yue
, Tang was one of the Kuomintang
generals most feared and respected by the Japanese
during the Second Sino-Japanese War
.
, Zhejiang
, Tang Enbo was a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, and therefore was familiar with the tactics of his Japanese enemy during the Second Sino-Japanese War
. Tang's early resistance to the Japanese invasion was most ineffective, but this had nothing to do with his personal capabilities, but more to do with the political situation in China
— Tang's superior Chiang Kai-shek
was reluctant to devote his best troops to fight the Japanese invaders, wishing instead to use them to exterminate the Communists. Limited in troops and materiel, any commander would have had great difficulties in fighting such a superior enemy, and Tang Enbo was no exception. Furthermore, the battle plans though successful on paper rarely materialized on the battlefield during this stage because local Chinese
warlords were only interested in maintaining their forces and largely ignored Chiang Kai-shek
's orders. Although Tang did contribute to the victory at Battle of Taierzhuang
, he was unable to stop the Japanese assaults during the 1944 Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi
, losing 37 cities and towns within 36 days.
, Tang Enbo participated in the struggle against the communists, who attempted to win Tang Enbo. Tang was hesitant at the first due to his military failure in the Chinese Civil War
, but soon his fourth concubine convinced him to firmly follow Chiang Kai-shek
and stay with Kuomintang
. As a result, Tang Enbo informed Chiang Kai-shek
that his teacher and superior Chen Yi
had asked him to turn to the communists and Chen was then arrested and later executed. Chen Yi was executed at Machangding, Taipei
, on June 18, 1950 and was buried in Wugu, Taipei County.
The fallout of all this was that Tang Enbo had now lost the trust of Chiang Kai-shek. Tang's position was further weakened when other Nationalist cadres such as Gu Zhenggang (谷正纲) discovered and revealed to Chiang Kai-shek that during the Shanghai Campaign
Tang was preparing to flee to Japan by asking his close associates Wang Wencheng (王文成) and Long Zuoliang (龙佐良) to seek out a home in Japan.
claiming that Chiang Kai-shek had purchased a mansion in a Tokyo suburb via a top ranking Chinese official. It was rumored that Tang's political enemies within the Kuomintang had long been tracking Tang's every move and waited for the right opportunity to bring him down, but such a claim has yet to be confirmed. The result was Tang's complete falling out of favor with Chiang, who reportedly angrily shouted: "No wonder our defeat was so rapid in Shanghai and the southeastern coast— he (Tang Enbo) was already prepared to flee!"
After fleeing to Taiwan
with the retreating Republic of China
government, Tang Enbo became ill and was sent to Japan
for treatments. However, Tang died as a result of surgery in Tokyo
. It was reported that during the surgery, Tang suffered extreme pain and screamed despite being given anesthetic, and both the Kuomintang
and the Chinese
communists claimed that Tang was killed by the Japanese doctors performing the surgery because their relatives were killed in China
by the troops commanded by Tang.
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. Along with Hu Zongnan
Hu Zongnan
Hu Zongnan , courtesy name Shoushan , native of Zhenhai, Ningbo, born May 16, 1896. A general in the National Revolutionary Army and then the Republic of China Army. Together with Chen Cheng and Tang Enbo, he formed the triumvirate of Chiang Kai-shek's most trusted generals during the Second...
and Xue Yue
Xue Yue
Xue Yue was a Chinese Nationalist military general, nicknamed by Claire Lee Chennault of the Flying Tigers as the Patton of Asia.-Early Life and Career:...
, Tang was one of the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
generals most feared and respected by the Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
.
Early life and war with Japan
Born in 1898 in WuyiWuyi
Wuyi may refer to the following in China:*Wuyi Mountains , mountain range in northern Fujian*Wuyi County, Hebei , of Hengshui, Hebei*Wuyi County, Zhejiang , of Jinhua, Zhejiang*Wuyi, Chuzhou , town in Nanqiao District, Chuzhou, Anhui...
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, Tang Enbo was a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, and therefore was familiar with the tactics of his Japanese enemy during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
. Tang's early resistance to the Japanese invasion was most ineffective, but this had nothing to do with his personal capabilities, but more to do with the political situation in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
— Tang's superior Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
was reluctant to devote his best troops to fight the Japanese invaders, wishing instead to use them to exterminate the Communists. Limited in troops and materiel, any commander would have had great difficulties in fighting such a superior enemy, and Tang Enbo was no exception. Furthermore, the battle plans though successful on paper rarely materialized on the battlefield during this stage because local Chinese
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
warlords were only interested in maintaining their forces and largely ignored Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
's orders. Although Tang did contribute to the victory at Battle of Taierzhuang
Battle of Taierzhuang
The Battle of Tai'erzhuang was a battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938, between armies of Chinese Kuomintang and Japan, and is sometimes considered as a part of Battle of Xuzhou....
, he was unable to stop the Japanese assaults during the 1944 Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi
Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi
Operation Ichi-Go was a campaign of a series of major battles between the Imperial Japanese Army forces and the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, fought from April to December 1944...
, losing 37 cities and towns within 36 days.
Civil war
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Tang Enbo participated in the struggle against the communists, who attempted to win Tang Enbo. Tang was hesitant at the first due to his military failure in the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
, but soon his fourth concubine convinced him to firmly follow Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
and stay with Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
. As a result, Tang Enbo informed Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
that his teacher and superior Chen Yi
Chen Yi (Kuomintang)
Chen Yi and later Gongqia , sobriquet Tuisu ; 1883 – June 18, 1950) was the Chief Executive and Garrison Commander of Taiwan after it was surrendered by Japan to the Republic of China, which acted on behalf of the Allied Powers, in 1945...
had asked him to turn to the communists and Chen was then arrested and later executed. Chen Yi was executed at Machangding, Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, on June 18, 1950 and was buried in Wugu, Taipei County.
The fallout of all this was that Tang Enbo had now lost the trust of Chiang Kai-shek. Tang's position was further weakened when other Nationalist cadres such as Gu Zhenggang (谷正纲) discovered and revealed to Chiang Kai-shek that during the Shanghai Campaign
Shanghai Campaign
Shanghai Campaign was a series of battles fought between the nationalists and the communists for the control of the largest city in China in the latter stage of the Chinese Civil War, and resulted in the city being taken over by the attacking communists who enjoyed the numerical...
Tang was preparing to flee to Japan by asking his close associates Wang Wencheng (王文成) and Long Zuoliang (龙佐良) to seek out a home in Japan.
Death
On May 6, 1949, a close friend of Tang's wired half a million US dollars to an American friend's account, and subsequently, the money was sent via this account to Wang Wencheng and Long Zuoliang in Japan. In July, 1949, Wang Wencheng and Long Zuoliang purchased a mansion with 22 rooms in a Tokyo suburb. However, all of this was accidentally made public on February 2, 1950 when Reuters issued the news in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
claiming that Chiang Kai-shek had purchased a mansion in a Tokyo suburb via a top ranking Chinese official. It was rumored that Tang's political enemies within the Kuomintang had long been tracking Tang's every move and waited for the right opportunity to bring him down, but such a claim has yet to be confirmed. The result was Tang's complete falling out of favor with Chiang, who reportedly angrily shouted: "No wonder our defeat was so rapid in Shanghai and the southeastern coast— he (Tang Enbo) was already prepared to flee!"
After fleeing to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
with the retreating Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
government, Tang Enbo became ill and was sent to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for treatments. However, Tang died as a result of surgery in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. It was reported that during the surgery, Tang suffered extreme pain and screamed despite being given anesthetic, and both the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
and the Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
communists claimed that Tang was killed by the Japanese doctors performing the surgery because their relatives were killed in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
by the troops commanded by Tang.
Military career
- 1932 General Officer Commanding 89th Division, Henan
- 1937 Commander in Chief Taiyuan Pacification Headquarters' Frontline Forces
- 1937 - 1938 General Officer Commanding XIII Corps
- 1937 - 1938 General Officer Commanding 20th Army
- 1938 - 1940 Commander in Chief 31st Army Group
- 1944 Deputy Commander in Chief 1st War Area
- 1944 Deputy Commander in Chief 4th War Area
- 1944 - 1945 Commander in Chief 3rd Front Army
- 1949 Commander in Chief defense of Shanghai