CO129-512-1 Political situation in China- and Canton 30-11-1928 - 23-5-1929 — Page 156

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provinces of Kwangtung, Kwangsi, Hunan and Hupeh, and

Marahal Li Chai-sum, a native of Kwangsi, was regarded

The Kwangsi group at present holds the

The

as overlord of the Liang Kwang provinces until his

departure from Canton on the 2nd January, 1929, to

attend a demobilization conference at Hanking. In his

absence the province of hwangtung is governed by a

Cantonese General, Ch'an Ming-shu, who is reputed to be

more loyal to Marshal Chiang than to Marshal Li. The

province of Kwangsi has for some time past been

governed by the Kwangsi General, Wong Shiu-hung, whò

is undoubtedly loyal to Marshal Li. The provinces of

Hunan and Hupeh are governed by the Kwangsi General,

Li Tsung-jên, whose headquarters are at Hankow.

fourth of the principal Generals in the Kwangsi group,

Pai Chung-hsi, is now at Tientsin. It was he who

entered Peking ahead of Marshal Chiang with the

vanguard of the Nationalist army, and I understand that

Marshal Chiang has not forgiven him for winning the

race to Peking. The weakness of the Kwangsi party is,

however, the very fact that so many of their troops are

still isolated in the north of China under General Pai

Chung-hsi and are, therefore, unavailable for the

succour of the other three Kwangsi generals in the

event of a renewal of the civil war.

5.

Marshal Chiang's political strategy is

apparently to keep General Pai and his menaway in the

North, to undermine the position of Marshal Li Chai-sum

in Kwangtung by supporting General Ch'an Ming-shu, and

to undermine the position of General Li Tsung-jên at

Hankow by encouraging General T'ang Shang-chih to

recover the lost allegiance of the Hunan armies, which

he once commanded, but which have since been absorbed

into