The September 18 Incident and its developments
4. Jinzhou and Harbin have fallen.
Due to Chiang Kai-shek's "non-resistance policy," within less than half a year, the vast expanse of 1 million square kilometers of the three northeastern provinces and 30 million compatriots fell under the ravages of the Japanese invaders.
1. The Liutiaohu Incident
After the explosion, the Japanese troops stationed at the Chinese Northern Camp and Shenyang split into two routes, advancing towards the Chinese army's base at Northern Camp. The southern forces were commanded by Hirata Yukihiro, leading the 29th Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Kwantung Army, while the northern forces were led by Shimamoto Masakazu, commanding the 2nd Battalion of the Railway Guard.
On March 9, Puyi's enthronement ceremony was held in Xinjing
After the Japanese army occupied the main towns in Heilongjiang Province, they began their offensive in the Liaoxi region. On December 15, the Kwantung Army attacked Jinzhou. On December 17, the Central Army of the Japanese Army dispatched the Mixed 8th Brigade from Japan and transferred the 20th Division Headquarters, the Mixed 38th Brigade, and a heavy bombing squadron from Korea to reinforce the Kwantung Army. On December 28, the main force of the 2nd Division crossed the Liao River to attack Jinzhou; on December 30, the Mixed 39th Brigade attacked Dahushan (now known as Dahu Mountain). On January 3, 1932, the 20th Division Headquarters led the Mixed 38th Brigade to occupy Jinzhou. The Northeast Army's 12th and 20th Brigades, along with the 3rd Cavalry Brigade stationed in Jinzhou, had been ordered to retreat to the Luan East region of Hebei and Rehe. On January 28, the 3rd Brigade of the Kwantung Army advanced from Changchun towards Harbin, while simultaneously transferring the 2nd Division from the Liaoxi region for reinforcement. At that time, in order to divert international attention from Manchuria, Japan instigated incidents in the international metropolis of Shanghai, leading to the February 28 Incident. On January 31, Li Du, the commander of Yilan and the leader of the 24th Brigade, led the Jilin Self-Defense Army in the defense of Harbin. After five days of fierce fighting, the self-defense forces suffered heavy casualties and retreated to Bin County. On February 5, the Japanese army captured Harbin.
2. The major towns of Liaoning and Jilin have fallen.
At that time, the 7th Brigade of the Northeast Army stationed at Beidaying was caught completely off guard. Prior to this, Zhang Xueliang had issued orders prohibiting the Northeast Army from resisting, and the stationed troops did not mount a vigorous counterattack. Among the three regiments of the 7th Brigade, two regiments withdrew as instructed, while only Wang Tietan's 620th Regiment did not receive the retreat order in time and was forced to defend itself, ultimately managing to break through and retreat. Due to the execution of the non-resistance order, over 10,000 defending troops at Beidaying were defeated by a Japanese force of only more than 500 men. Among the three regiments of the 7th Brigade, two regiments withdrew as instructed, while only Wang Tietan's 620th Regiment did not receive the retreat order in time and was forced to defend itself, ultimately managing to break through and retreat. Due to the execution of the non-resistance order, over 10,000 defending troops at Beidaying were defeated by a Japanese force of only more than 500 men
Due to widespread condemnation from international public opinion, the Kwantung Army dared not brazenly occupy all of Manchuria by force, and thus considered establishing a puppet regime. At that time, Colonel Kiyohara Kenji, who was in charge of the secret service, persuaded the deposed last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi. The Kwantung Army convinced Puyi to return to Northeast China under the pretext of reviving the Manchu Qing dynasty. On November 10, Puyi departed from Tianjin, arrived in Yingkou on November 13, and ultimately stayed in the Japanese military camp stationed in Lüshun. The Kwantung Army convinced Puyi to return to Northeast China under the pretext of reviving the Manchu Qing dynasty. On November 10, Puyi departed from Tianjin, arrived in Yingkou on November 13, and ultimately stayed in the Japanese military camp stationed in Lüshun.
After the outbreak of the incident, Zhang Xueliang left Fengtian and led his subordinates to relocate to Jinzhou. On October 8, 1931, the Kwantung Army dispatched 12 bombers to conduct air raids on Jinzhou. In response, Army Minister Nara Tadao still claimed to Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijirō that "due to the anti-aircraft fire from the Chinese army, we had no choice but to take defensive action." Subsequently, the Kwantung Army issued a public statement declaring, "Zhang Xueliang has amassed a large military force in Jinzhou, and if left unaddressed, it may harm Japanese interests. In order to resolve the Manchurian problem as soon as possible, the Kwantung Army finds it necessary to expel the Jinzhou regime." Thereafter, the international coordinationist diplomatic policy advocated by Shidehara Kijūrō faced severe setbacks, and Japan moved further down the path of militarism.
5. The establishment of Manchukuo
On March 1, 1932, the puppet state of Manchukuo, supported by Japan, was officially established. Puyi served as the head of state, with the capital designated as "Xinjiang" (now Changchun), and the era name set as "Datong." The aforementioned declaration was made at the residence of Zhang Jinghui, the chairman of the Northeast Administrative Committee. The League of Nations strongly condemned the actions of the Japanese government and did not recognize the legitimacy of the Manchukuo government. Japan expressed protest and withdrew from the League of Nations. The League of Nations strongly condemned the actions of the Japanese government and did not recognize the legitimacy of the Manchukuo government. Japan expressed protest and withdrew from the League of Nations
On September 15, 1932, Japan signed the Japan-Manchukuo Protocol with the puppet state of Manchukuo, in which Manchukuo recognized Japan's vested interests and permitted the Kwantung Army to station troops within Manchukuo.
On October 1, Zhang Haipeng, the military governor of Taonan in Heilongjiang Province, defected and was ordered by the Japanese army to dispatch 3 regiments to attack Qiqihar. On October 16, at the Nenjiang Bridge, they were repelled by the Heilongjiang Provincial Defense Forces. The defending troops destroyed the first and second bridges of the Nenjiang Railway Bridge, as well as the fifth bridge, to prevent the Japanese and puppet troops from advancing. On October 26, the 29th Regiment of the 2nd Division of the Kwantung Army occupied the main towns along the Sitao Railway. On November 4, the Nenjiang Detachment of the Kwantung Army attacked the defending troops north of the Nenjiang Bridge. The acting chairman of the Heilongjiang Provincial Government and acting deputy commander of the Northeast Frontier Army, Ma Zhanshan, commanded 3 brigades and 5 regiments, totaling over 16,000 men, to engage in the battle at the river bridge, which lasted until November 18. Ultimately, due to heavy casualties, they abandoned the provincial capital Qiqihar and retreated to Keshan and Helen. On November 19, the Japanese army captured Qiqihar.
While the Japanese army launched an attack on the Beidaying as an independent garrison in Shenyang, the 29th Regiment of the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Division of the Kwantung Army attacked the city of Fengtian. In the early hours of September 19, Kwantung Army Commander Honjo Shigeru ordered the main force of the 2nd Division in Liaoyang to reinforce the attack on Fengtian; the 3rd Battalion of the independent garrison attacked Yingkou, and the 4th Battalion attacked Fenghuangcheng and Andong (now Dandong); the main force of the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Division, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, and the 1st Battalion of the independent garrison launched attacks on Kuan Chengzi, Erdaogou, and Nanling in Changchun respectively. By 10:00 AM on September 19, the Japanese army had successively occupied Fengtian, Siping, Yingkou, Fenghuangcheng, Andong, and 18 towns along the South Manchuria Railway and the Anfeng Railway. The Northeast Army in the Changchun area launched a spontaneous counterattack, but after a day of fighting, Changchun fell. On September 21, the Chief of Staff of the Deputy Commander of the Northeast Frontier Army stationed in Jilin Province, Xi Qia, defected, and the main force of the 2nd Division of the Japanese army occupied Jilin.
3. The major towns in Heilongjiang have fallen.
At the moment of the explosion, Captain Chuan Dao, stationed in Wen Guan Tun, approximately four kilometers north of the railway demolition point, immediately led his troops southward to launch an attack on Bei Da Ying
On the evening of September 18, 1931, the 3rd Company of the 2nd Battalion of the Independent Garrison of the Japanese Kwantung Army departed from its original station at Hushitai Barracks and proceeded south along the South Manchuria Railway. At approximately 10:20 PM, a small detachment led by Lieutenant Kawamoto Masamitsu, commander of the Liutiaohu Detachment of the Japanese Kwantung Army Railway Garrison, detonated a small explosive device on a section of the South Manchuria Railway about 7.5 kilometers north of Fengtian (now Shenyang), approximately 800 meters from the Northeast Army's base at Beida Camp, destroying a short segment of the railway. They also placed three corpses of Chinese individuals dressed in Northeast Army uniforms at the scene as evidence of the Northeast Army's sabotage of the railway, falsely accusing the Chinese military of damaging the railway and attacking the Japanese garrison.