A Research On The Colonization Of Henan Railroad In The Period Of Japanese-Puppet Regime

Modern railroad construction mainly originated from military influence.In modern China,the relationship between railroad and politics and between railroad and military affairs were closer than that between railroad and economy,and it was in this context that railways in Henan province were constructed.The main railways in Henan,such as Pinghan Railroad,Longhai Railway,Daokou—Qinghua Railroad were built during the period of late Qing and early republic of China.Serving as two trunk lines of Chinese railways,Pinghan Railroad and Longhai Railways joined in Henan had very importance strategic position in war.Occupying railways in Henan equalled to the controlling of central plains and abundant military resources.Therefore,railroad had become a central point for all the forces in modern China.Japanese occupation of Chinese railroads was determined by its Continent Policy.From the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 to the outburst of Anti-Japanese War,to colonize railroads and areas nearby was the strategy that Japanese government had all along sticked to,with a few differences in ways of colonizing.Railroads had thus become an important approach for Japan to invade China.Railroads in Henan,with their distinct geographic location,were coveted by Japan therefore.Before the Anti—Japanese War,the privileges obtained from railroads in Henan was gained by Japan through various loans.By setting up espionage agency,an organization to seize intelligence of China,Japan brought controlling of railways in Henan into its conspiracy of “self-governing of North China”.After the outburst of Ant-Japanese war,Japan occupied north China at a very fast pace.the purpose of the Japanese occupation of the Henan railway is to establish a long-term colonial rule in Henan,enslave the people of Henan,plundering the resources of Henan.At the beginning of the war,since all the railways in China were under Japanese military control,railroads were used to transport military resources for Japanese invasion of China.During Japanese occupation of railroads in Henan,Japanese army had tried to restore Pinghan Railroad and Longhai railroad in enemy-occupied areas,which played important roles in military strategy.Resisted by Chinese soldiers and civilians,Japanese army failed to get through railroads in Henan and began to build new ones.In order to protect railroads,Japanese pioneer appeasing group of aggression against China set up a village called Ailu along railroads at the same time.In the stage of stalemate of Anti-Japanese War,public security in occupied areas tended to be in a stable condition.For the sake of a better hold of railroads in there areas,Japanese puppet regime firstly tried to improve its invasion system.At the first beginning,North China Development Company was founded by Japanese government to snatch resources in North China,and Beizhi Bureau of Manzhou Railroad was established by Japanese army to govern railroads in North China.These two organizations had,without doubt,conflict with each other when they both planned to use railroads for their sake.In addition,considering the resistance from Chinese civilians,Japanese government decided to set up North China Transportation Limited Company,of which the legal person was China but of which the real manipulator was Japan.North China Transportation Limited Company,which was funded by Japan puppet regime,Manzhou Railroad and North China Development Company,was,in fact,a subsidiary company of North China Development Company and was evolved from Beizhi Bureau of Manzhou Railroad.The foundation of North China Transportation Limited Company enhanced the extent to which Japanese invaded railroads in occupied areas through strengthening protection toward railroads in Ailu village,setting up Kaifeng Railroad Bureau,the highest agency to get hold of railroads in Henan and through snatching resources and labors in Henan to “fuel war with warfare”.After the year 1944,in order to get rid of the crisis of defeat,Japan,once again,put railroads in China under its control and called off commercial transportation through railroad.Therefore,Japanese governing mode “military-politics-military” toward north China was just a different way it had adopted to fit with the needs of the changing condition of war.The railroads in Henan had distinctive features of invaded areas and the operation of them was abnormal as well.When occupying railroads in Henan,the first task of Japanese puppet regime was to assure military transportation and control them politically.The invasion in economy and culture was just an assistant means to guarantee its main task.At the same time,we are able to see Japan's colonial policy in henan province is outdated,inappropriate,and economic plunder of the short-term and long-term colonial possession also caused the Japan-puppet railway colonial policy failure.