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Battle Of ChingshanliThe Battle of Ch'ingshanli was fought between the Japanese army and Korean armed groups in a densely-wooded region of eastern Manchuria called Ch'ingshanli (青山里 청산리) in October 1920. It occurred during the campaign of the Japanese army in Chientao. Background After the March 1st Movement of 1919, some Korean activists formed armed organizations in Manchuria which are called the "Independence Army" by Koreans. Since they suffered from shortage of human resources and financial difficulties, they frequently crossed the border into Korea and raided people and officials who were mostly ethnic Koreans. The Japanese government asked China to subdue Korean guerrillas but got no substantive result in the lawless area. On October 2 1920 bandits raided Hunch'un and killed 13 Japanese including the commissioner of the consulate police. This incident made Japan decide to send troops to eastern Manchuria. Japan immediately held talks with China, and on October 16 got permission of military action in eastern Chilin from the Chilin governor. Campaign The forces who joined the expedition were: - the 19th Division of the Chosen Army,
- the 28th Brigade of the 19th Division, which was on its way back to Japan, and
- two units from the 11th and 13th Divisions who had been sent to Vladivostok.
Among them, only the 19th Division of the Chosen Army launched an actual military operation and the rest just held a lockdown and a demonstration. The 19th Division was deployed in Hunch'un (Isobayashi Detachment), Wangch'ing (Kimura Detachment) and Yenchi-Holung (Azuma Detachment). The Isobayashi and Kimura Detachments engaged in no major combat. Only the Azuma Detachment fought against Korean guerrillas. The Azuma Detachment engaged in combats with Korean guerrillas from October 21 to 26, and as a result, Koreans retreated from the area of operation. The 19th Division continued the sweeping operation until the end of 1920. Accomplishing their goals, most of the division withdrew from eastern Manchuria in early 1921 and the withdrawal was completed in May. Korean guerrillas gave up Manchuria and fled to Siberia to join a revolutionary army Lenin planned to establish. However, they fell apart there due to internal strife and disarmament by the red army. Controversies Conspiracy theory about the Hunch'un Incident South Koreans claim that the Hunch'un Incident was a deception by Japan, who they believe used it as an excuse to detach troops. However, it has already been proved by primary sources that their claim is groundless propaganda. According South Korean sources, the Japanese army bribed a bandit leader called Ch'angchianghao and made him attack Hunch'un. However, it is highly unlikely that Ch'angchianghao took military action in Hunch'un because he was based on western Chientao. South Korean sources claim that Japanese victims were incidentally attacked by bandits who were enticed to the raid by Ch'angchianghao and were not under his control. If so, Japan could not purposely have made an excuse for the expedition. Casualties of the Japanese army South Koreans refer to this battle as the "great victory at Cheongsalli" and believe that it was a decisive victory of the self-claimed Independence Army. The "great victory at Cheongsalli" forms an important portion of the "independence movement by the Korean nation" in their historiography. It constitutes the core of the "foundation myth" of the Republic of Korea. In contrast North Korean sources make no mention to this battle, probably because war heroes other than Kim Il-sung were nuisances for the country of personality cult. For the casualties of the Japanese army, Chaoxian duli yundong zhi xieshi by Bak Inseok (1920) states "900-1,600 including Regimental Commander Kano," Daehan Minguk jeongdangsa compiled by the National Election Commission (1964) "over 1,000," Hanguk jeonjaengsa by the Military History Compilation Committee of the Ministry of National Defense (1967) "3,300 dead and wounded," and Hanguk Minjok Undongsa by Jo Jihun (1975) "3,300 inclugin Regimental Commander Kano." Apparently the number of Japanese casualties have been exaggerated. The strengths of the Japanese army and Korean guerrillas have been exaggerated too. At the same time, the focus was moved from Kim Jwajin to Yi Beomseok. It would not be completely unrelated to the fact that Yi Beomseok served as the first prime minister and minister of defense. Korean claims do not only contain clear factual errors but also are quote unnatural for modern combats. Japanese sources report 11 dead and 24 wounded, and no casualty from officers. These numbers are backed up by the list of the dead of the Yasukuni Shrine. In addition, the investigation of weapons of the 19th Division after the expedition proves that the Japanese army consumed little. The only Japanese soldier Korean sources name was "Regimental Commander Kano." Chaoxian duli yundong zhi xieshi states that a secret paper by a Japanese consul reported Regimental Commander Kano's death. However, no such report is known so far. The only man corresponding to "Regimental Commander Kano" was Colonel Kano Nobuteru, who served as commander of the 27th regiment. His name cannot be found in the casualty list, and it is confirmed that he led the regiment until 1922. This means that the only source that was said to support the Korean victory was a fiction.
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