Research On Cai E And The Joint Military Plan For Five Border Provinces In Southwestern China

During the early years of the Republic of China,the country's foundation was not solid,and the country experienced a difficult time during the transition from traditional imperialism to modern country.It also coincided with the complicated international environment.Mongolia,Tibet,and the southwest of China are all in danger.In 1913,Cai E,who was the governor of Yunnan Province,realized that Mongolia was gradually being invaded by Russia and the southwestern region was being severely pried by Britain and France.He knew that the southwestern region was important for maintaining the unity and integrity of this country.Cai E organized the benevolent people of southwest of China to compile a joint military plan for five border provinces,including Yunnan,Sichuan,Guangdong,Guangxi,and Guizhou.This plan is named by the Joint Military Plan for Five Border Provinces in Southwestern China.The purpose of this military plan was to make full use of the military forces of the five provinces to consolidate border defence and maintain national unity.Cai E analyzed the necessity of the military alliance from the aspects of politic and military strategy.First of all,in terms of politics,the military forces of the five provinces could be the backing when the central government conducts diplomatic negotiations with Russia,Britain and France.At the same time,it could also play the role of eliminating provincial boundaries and strengthening central unification.Secondly,in terms of military strategy,Cai E analyzed the enemy's situation,natural geography,combat missions and supplies of armies,and he emphasized that the five provinces must form a solid alliance.Only in this way,could they preserve the southwestern region and ensure the country's security.The Joint Military Plan for Five Border Provinces in Southwestern China is divided into three major parts:program guidelines,plan essentials and plan implementation.In the first edition of the program guidelines,the author has carefully planned and prepared from the perspective of external politicians and imaginary enemy countries,as well as the deployment of strategic forces,the operational areas and operational targets.In the second part of this plan,the author has formulated separate plans,centralized strategies,operational plans,and operational preparations by different imaginary enemies.In order to ensure the implementation of this military plan,the author believes that a joint military meeting of the five provinces should be held.The central government should lead the military plan and delineate the military area to set up the organs for the five provinces.From this point of view,the author not only has a clear thought about the joint military plans,but also has a detailed plan for ensuring the implementation.It is a very feasible military plan for southwest region.However,such a feasible plan written with patriotic enthusiasm was limited by some factors such as the current situation of the country,the political environment and the financial status of the provinces,and provincial relations.In 1913,when Cai E and others completed the Joint Military Plan for Five Border Provinces in Southwestern China,it was the occasion when the Beijing government represented by Yuan Shikai stepped up centralization.We could not find direct materials,about Yuan Shikai and the Central Government's attitude towards Cai E's military alliance plan,but it is still possible to snoop on the current situation at the time during the domestic context.Yuan Shikai centralized the power through a series of measures such as the reduction of local military forces and the separation of military and civilian's commanders.The Beiyang Warlords expanded their control area to the Yangtze River,through the Battle of Ganning.Only four provinces such as Yunnan,Guizhou Guangxi and Sichuan are not under the control of Beiyang Warlords.At the same time,Cai E proposed a joint military plan for the five provinces in southwestern China.Although it was with the purpose of defending the border and safeguarding the country,Yuan Shikai and the Central Government seemed to be unlikely to identify this plan.In addition,the five southwestern provinces are also unable to maintain the implementation of the military plan due to the political environment,financial situation and provincial suspicion.In 1913,the joint military plan for the five provinces proposed by Cai E could not be implemented.However,after the completion of the Joint Military Plan for Five Border Provinces in Southwestern China,another autonomous movement was quietly initiated in southern China.This campaign started in Hunan province in 1920,following by Sichuan,Zhejiang,Guangdong,Fujian,Jiangsu,Jiangxi,and Yunnan provinces.Comparing the two plans together will help us have a better understanding about the Joint Military Plan for Five Border Provinces in Southwestern Chino.The idea of the provincial autonomous movement originated from localism and federalism before and after the Revolution of 1911,and it was also influenced by western ideology.The actual occurrence of this movement was also influenced by such factors,including the confusion and unwillingness of the current situation and people's eagerness to get rid of the long-term war.This campaign and Cai E's joint military plan for the five southwestern provinces is based on national situation.They are all aimed at maintaining the stable development of the region.However,there are essential differences between the two plans.The political appeal of the provincial autonomous movement is that the state implements a federal system,and Cai E's military plan is based on a centralized system.There are fundamental differences in the ultimate political goals.In the Joint Military Plan for Five Border Provinces in Southwestern China,Cai E considered Guangdong province as part of southwestern China.It was Cai E's personal opinion or representing the mainstream opinion of the southwestern region?Under the guidance of this question,I analyzed the evolution of the alleged scope of the "Southwest" during the Republic of China,from the regional perspective.In 1912,Cai E held the view that Hubei and Hunan belonged to the southwestern region.In 1913,the Southwest Association set the scope of the southwest region as the provinces of Sichuan,Yunnan,Guizhou,Guangxi,Guangdong,Hunan,and Hubei.The term "seven provinces of the southwest" was used until the Republic-Defence War.After this war,the southwestern region formed a geographical and political pattern,including Sichuan,Yunnan,Guizhou,Guangxi,Guangdong and Hunan provinces.This area was separated from the Beiyang Warlords.This statement has also been recognized by Sun Yat-sen.In the context of the Constitution-Defence War,the word"southwest" was frequently used to represent a mixture of warlords,political parties and other political and military forces,based on the six provinces of Sichuan,Yunnan,Guizhou,Guangxi,Guangdong and Hunan.Since then,with the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War,the national government has set a strategy by transferring the industries located in Shanghai and coastal area to southwestern China,where is relatively safe.Under the guidance of the construction of the strategic rear,the concept of"Greater Southwest" and "Small Southwest" emerged.In a word,the word "Southwestern of China "during the period of the Republic of China was a concept detached from the geography category.Its scope would change with the changes in the terms of current situation,policies and perceptions.