Podcasts about great wall

In Episode 398 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll past the Spite Wall in Westminster, Massachusetts. Constructed in 1852 by Edmund Proctor, the giant colonial wall was made to block the view from Proctor's neighbor, Farwell Morse, a religious zealot who didn't approve of his neighbor working on the sabbath day. The wall still stands today as a testament to spite.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-398-the-great-wall-of-spite/    Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends               Check out Jeff's new underground publication Shadow Zine! https://shadowzine.com/              Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/    

In Episode 250 we discuss the top 5 board game publishers that are represented on our game shelves.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction02:52 Top 5 Publishers On Our Game Shelves06:44 Dire Wolf (Clank! Legacy, Clank! In Space, Dune: Imperium - Uprising)08:54 Wehrlegig Games (Pax Pamir 2nd Edition, John Company 2nd Edition)10:47 CMON Games (Blood Rage, Cthulhu: Death May Die, Rising Sun)12:57 AEG (Cascadia, Calico, Let's Go To Japan)17:17 Eagle-Gryphon Games and (Baseball Highlight 2045, Xenon Profiteer, On Mars, Clockwork Wars) - Buffalo Games (Planted, Oh No! Volcano)18:51 Garphill Games (Architects of the West Kingdom, Paladins of the West Kingdom, Legacy of Yu)22:30 Wise Wizards Games (Star Realms, Star Realm: Rise of Empire, Hero Realms, Robot Quest Arena)25:13 Cosmodrome Games (Smartphone, Inc., Frozen Frontier, Aquatica)25:52 GMT Games (Dominant Species, SpaceCorp: 2025-2300AD, A Gest of Robin Hood) 30:35 REPOS Production (7 Wonders, 7 Wonders Duel, Just One, Fun Facts, Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth)32:07 Awaken Realms (Nemesis, This War of Mine, Lords of Ragnarok, Tainted Grail, Great Wall, Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition)37:04 Roxley Games (Brass: Birmingham, Radlands, Dice Throne, Skyrise)38:51 Stonemaier Games (Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest, Scythe, Viticulture, Tapestry, Apiary, Red Rising, Wingspan, My Little Scythe, Pendulum, Expeditions)44:12 Fantasy Flight Games (Battle for Rokugan, Star Wars Rebellion, Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game, Android Netrunner, Arkham Horror: CCG)48:26 CGE (T'zolkin: The Mayan Calendar, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Codenames, Pulsar 2849, Under Falling Skies)50:28 Final ThoughtsIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

Have you seen Elon? It's been so long since we saw him jumping around and pumping over a hundred million dollars into the Wisconsin State Supreme Court Race. Turns out, Jabba The Musk is pulling back from politics and focusing on his companies, as Tesla's stock price is barely recovering and sales around the country (and world) are down. Also, don't ask him about his work with DOGE, because you won't get an answer. Next, Wisconsin State Senator and Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein is here to talk about the budget and why we need compromise to get this done as well as the unaccountability of tax funded voucher schools. We wrap things up with an update on the racist incident which took place at a Waterford track meet. As always, thank you for listening, texting and calling, we couldn't do this without you! Don't forget to download the free Civic Media app and take us wherever you are in the world! Matenaer On Air is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 10 am - noon across the state. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! You can also rate us on your podcast distribution center of choice, they go a long way! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X and YouTube to keep up with Jane and the show! Guest: Dianne Hesselbein

In tanti me lo avete chiesto, ho pensato di metterlo qui. Perdonate la scarsa qualità dell'audio, registrato in auto, dalla Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, dalle parti di Sacramento.Canyons 100 - Strava activityIn questo episodio: Recap e risultati di Canyons by UTMB, Tarawera, Transgrancanaria, Transvulcania, MIUT, Lake Sonoma, Gorge Waterfalls, GTWS Asia e il kickoff delle Skyrunning World Series con la sfida DD (Del Pero - Delorenzi). E poi: campionati europei di road running, London Marathon, Boston Marathon e una riflessione sul debutto di Grand Slam Track.Supporta Any Surface Available su Patreon:⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/anysurfaceavailable⁠⁠⁠Watch:⁠Transgrancanaria Marathon⁠⁠Chianti 50k⁠⁠Sono campione d'europa!⁠⁠Great Wall trail race highlights⁠Read:Intervista a Spirito Trail - Canyons 100 by UTMB - Spirito TrailOFF TRACK - Jacopo De MarchiJacob Kiplimo: lightning the spark - AthleticsweeklyWestern States Golden Ticket Races and updated situationMontrail Ultra CupWSER pregnancy policyA statement to Warner Brothers Discovery from UCI mountain bike athletesGazzetta online - Intervista a Jim Walmsley post Chianti USATF long trail team announcedPlease rate and review the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcast ⭐️Sharing on social media is very much appreciated

This week Josh is joined by Chief to break down our heart stopping draw against Brisbane. Is almost beating the reigning champs a win? Or is it another 'loss' because we had our chances.Follow the socials to get your thoughts read out on the podcast!Instagram: @furthernorthpodFacebook: Further North PodcastEmail: furthernorthpod@gmail.comTikTok: @furthernorthpodLeave a 5 star review on Apple or Spotify, you the real MVP!

Cheng Yongmao dedicated 20 years of his life to restoring the most dangerous section of the Great Wall of China. His relentless commitment to preserving this historic landmark, using ancient techniques and facing incredible challenges, has left a lasting legacy. Through his work, he has not only protected a national treasure but also ensured its authenticity for generations to come.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last time we spoke about the Battle for the Great Wall of China. In 1933, the Kwantung Army faced logistical struggles and sought political deals with Chinese warlords to seize North China. Despite capturing key areas, chaos reigned as their unauthorized operations defied Tokyo's orders. When Emperor Hirohito demanded a withdrawal, the army reluctantly complied, derailing a coup attempt. Though peace talks followed, distrust persisted, and rogue Japanese commanders plotted fresh offensives. Amid international tensions and League of Nations' inaction, chaos loomed over China's battle-scarred plains. As tensions rose in North China, General Muto hesitated to advance without orders from Tokyo. With imperial approval, he launched a renewed offensive on May 3rd, leading the Japanese 6th and 8th Divisions to sweep through Chinese defenses. Despite Chinese concessions led by pro-Japanese Huang Fu, the Japanese pushed toward Peiping. Failed coups and desperate peace talks ensued. By May 25th, ceasefire talks began, but Japan's strengthened position left China scrambling to secure stability.   #148 The Tanggu Truce Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. As we last left off the IJA 6th and 8th Divisions had just taken up new positions threatening the Peiping-Tientsin area. Meanwhile the Tientsin Special service Agency had tried every scheme they could think of to establish a coup against Peiping. All of these actions were done to increase Japan's poker hand at the negotiating table. On May 17th Huang Fu arrived at a very panicked Peiping. Two days prior, the Japanese had taken an even harsher stance, demanding the Chinese forces withdraw to a line running between Shunyi, Paoti and Lutai. This demand would send the Chines further west than the line agreed upon for the ceasefire. So the Chinese ignored the demand and this inturn brought the negotiations to a standstill. On the 18th the Army General staff in Tokyo drew up a new draft titled “essentials for the Guidance of North China”. Having been chasing around the Kwantung Army like a dog chasing a car, Tokyo HQ wanted to finally draft some real legislation to reign in their unruly pet. On the 19th the General staff submited an ultimatum instructed the Kwantung Army to withdraw to Manchukuo after it reached an agreement with the Chinese, specifically to obtain the right to garrison specified locations within the Great Wall. On the 21st the Kwantung Army drew up its version of a ceasefire proposal, submitted it to the General staff who approved it. Here is a complete breakdown of it: “1) The cease-fire agreement is of a purely military nature and excludes political factors. For by returning to Manchukuo in general as quickly as possible, the imperial Japanese army will demonstrate that it acts in the cause of justice and fairness and will manifest the essence of the Japanese spirit.  2) The withdrawal line of the Chinese army and the cessation line of the Japanese army should conform generally to that referred to in the "Basic Outline" of the General Staff; that is, it should conform to the policy of the Kwantung Army and to Nagatsu's proposal. However, the return of the Japanese army to Manchukuo will be voluntary, after observance of the cease-fire terms by the Chinese army has been confirmed, and will not be specifically prescribed in the text of the agreement.  3) In order to prevent any delay in the establishment of a ceasefire, the designs of the Tientsin Special Service Agency will be terminated.  4) The site of the cease-fire agreement must be selected with consideration for the issuing of commands to military units in accord with the plans of the Japanese army command with respect to any situation which may necessitate military action at any time during the course of negotiations for cease-fire. Furthermore, a location convenient to the gathering of foreign diplomatic officials and press correspondents and to meddling intervention by third powers must be carefully avoided.” On the 22nd, the Kwantung Army ordered the Tientsin agency to discontinue their activities as the Japanese were now willing to accept a ceasefire. The Japanese and Chinese then agreed on a date and place, that being located along the Peiping-Shanhaiguan railway to sign a ceasefire agreement. For the talks, the Japanese naval attache at Peiping, Lt Commander Fujiwara Kiyoma was chosen who visited Huang Fu's residence on the 22nd. Talks began and by 2am the next day, He Yingqin received a letter officially instructing him to abide by the ceasefire terms. Thus the first step had been taken. On the 25th Chinese officials Li Zuyi and Xu Yenmu rode with Fujiwara to Miyun, then a temporary HQ for the IJA 8th Division. There they passed mounds of dead chinese placed specifically along the roadside, obviously to intimidate them. They arrived to Miyun at 4am to officially show the ceasefire proposal letter to General Nish of the 8th division. Then they got a slap in the face, a new demand was tossed at them.  "As the first step, in order to verify the compliance of the Chinese army, the Japanese army may at any time use airplanes or other means to inspect the withdrawal of the Chinese army. The Chinese authorities shall afford them the necessary protection and facilities."This last minute new demand was imposed because Tokyo HQ believed it was necessary to have aerial observation to make sure both parties did not breach the agreement. The two Chinese officials did not want to devolve the talks so they signed it and returned to Peiping. The official negotiations began on May 30th at Tangu. The Kwantung delegation was led by Major General Okamura Yasuji, their vice chief of staff. He was assisted by Colonel Kita Seiichi, Lt colonel Nagatsu Sahishige, Majors Kono Etsujiro, Endo Saburo and Fujimoto Tetsukuma, Captain Okabe Eiichi and Secretary Hayashide Kenjiro of the Japanese embassy in Manchukuo. The Chinese delegation was led by Lt General Xing Pin and assisted by Chen Zungzu, Xu Yenmu, Chang Xukuang, Li Zeyu and Li Shuzheng. At the offset the Chinese Army declared Tangu under martial law as the Japanese navy dispatched the battleship Kamoi with the 14th destroyer squadron to cruise offshore. The first session of the talks began at 4pm, only lasted some 30 minutes as both sides exchanged formal credentials and such. During that night both sides proded each other trying to figure out what either would accept. Nagatsu decided to show some of the Chinese delegates a document titled “annex document concerning the Organization of Police”. This had been drafted by the Kwantung Army to try establish a demilitarized zone in northeastern Hubei, whose security would be maintained by Chinese police units. The specifics of the document said such a feat would require a force no larger than 20,000 men, with no single units exceeding 200 and they should be armed with nothing stronger than a rifle, pistol or bayont. Nagatsu personally believed this was way to much to ask of the Chinese and advised changing the wording to what the Chinese police could wield as  "shall not be constituted of armed units hostile to Japanese feelings." After seeing the faces of the Chinese upon reading the document, Nagatsu would remark "This evening the Chinese appear to have gained the impression that our proposal will be excessively harsh."  The second session of talks began at 9am the next day whereupon General Okamura presented their draft accord:  “1) The Chinese army shall immediately withdraw to the regions west and south of the line from Yench'ing to Ch'angp'ing, Kaoliying, Shunyi, T'ungchou, Hsiangho, Paoti, Lint'ingk'ou, Ningho, and Lut'ai, and undertakes not to advance beyond that line and to avoid any provocation of hostilities.  2) The Japanese authorities may at any time use airplanes or other means to verify carrying out of the above article. The Chinese authorities shall afford them protection and facilities for such purpose.  3) The Japanese army, after ascertaining the withdrawal of the Chinese army to the line stated in Article 1, undertakes not to cross the said line and not to continue to attack the Chinese troops, and shall voluntarily withdraw, in general, to the Great Wall.  4) In the regions to the south of the Great Wall and to the north and east of the line defined in Article 1, the maintenance of peace and order shall be undertaken by the Chinese police force. The said police force shall not be constituted of armed units hostile to Japanese feelings. feelings.  5) The present agreement shall come into effect upon its signature.” To these demands Xing Pin stated that since the Chinese army had alrady withdrawn to or even beyond what was asked of them, the Japanese forces should respond promptly by withdrawing from the battle zone and to the Great Wall. Xing Pin added that he hoped his Japanese colleagues understood the Chinese Army might be required to help quell bandits that might disturb the vacuum caused by the Japanese withdrawal. To this the Japanese neither agreed nor disagreed and the meeting ended by 9:20. During the interlude the Chinese frantically sought to push further concessions. But the Japanese took a hard stance and stated they would accept nothing until their demands were signed upon. Talks officially resumed at 10:57 and within only 15 minutes both teams signed a truce agreement. Not a single change had been made in the draft the Kwantung Arym had presented. By 2 pm Xing Pin began a request that the Chinese Army be permitted to deal with bandits in the evacuated zone, as police alone most likely would not be enough.  Once the Tangu truce had been signed, the Chinese began to fear rebellious warlord types, particularly Feng Yuxiang might try to exploit the demilitarized region now that the Chinese Central Army had been withdrawn. The Japanese took a solid stance opposing any exceptions to their truce and would never allow Chinese Army units within the demilitarized region. The Japanese in response to the Chinese demands stated "In case there shall be in the Demilitarized Zone armed units disturbing peace and order which the police force shall be unable to cope with, the situation will be dealt with by common accord between the two parties." The Chinese had no choice but to agree to this. The final session resumed at 3:45 pm, whereupon the Chinese tried to obtain agreement on two specific aspects of the truce:  The Japanese reconnaissance aircraft would not conduct inspection flights without giving prior warning The Japanese Army would not misconstrue a move by the Chinese Army which had already withdrawn behind the line established in the truce agreement to return to the authorized line. The Japanese simply refused to even discuss these issues and a 4:05 pm the Chinese simply signed. The Japanese then submitted 4 new demands: 1) Withdraw the two cavalry divisions [formerly of the Northeastern Army] from the area southwest of Fengning in Jehol province.  2) Move the forty divisions of the Chinese Central Army presently in the Peiping-Tientsin region to some other appropriate region for the restoration of peace and order in that region.  3) Remove the entrenchments and military establishments of the Chinese army [used by Yii Hsueh-chung's army] in the area around the mouth of the Pai River.  4) Exercise strict control over anti-Japanese activities, which are the basic cause of Sino-Japanese conflict. To this the Chinese agreed with the last 3 demands and promised to “investigate” the first. At 4:10 the truce talks officially ended. As a consequence of the Tangu Truce, the Japanese Army had gained a foothold in northeastern Hubei. They would press further in the coming years, thus this truce was basically their first step in conquering north China. As you can imagine the Japanese were not done milking every drop from the Chinese. During the entire Tangu treaty talks, the Japanese had intentionally kept everything limited to military matters. The Japanese also sought to deal with what was expected to be a collosal anti-japanese movement in north china. To this end Foreign Minister Uchida Yasuya was given a list of demands to press upon the Chinese:   1) The Peiping Political Affairs Council will unreservedly suppress all anti-Japanese movements and other related anti-Japanese activities of the Kuomintang in the area under its jurisdiction.  2) The said Council will unreservedly suppress all activities that disturb the peace in the area along the Great Wall by the use of militia units, or other means, from the area under its jurisdiction.  3) The said Council will unreservedly remove all obstacles to legal peaceful traffic across the Great Wall.  4) The said Council will, with the agreement of the Japanese, establish facilities for the maintenance of order in the cease-fire district.  The Japanese preferred this be met by a written agreement, rather than a formal treaty that would only hurt the face of China further, thus creating even more anti-japanese movements. Real talks began at Dairen on July 3rd, where the Kwantung Army suggested that responsibility for civil administration and maintenance of order in the demilitarized region be transferred from the Hubei provincial government to the Political Affairs Council at Peiping. The reason as to why, because the Japanese believed they could easily control said body. When the IJA 6th and 8th Divisions withdrew from the demilitarized zone, they had left behind small units at Miyun, Chenchangying, Xiachangcheng, Fengtai and Yutien who went to work exerted silent pressure upon the Chinese during these future negotiations happening at Dairen. The Chinese at Dairen were represented by Li Shuzheng, the director of the Peiping-Lioaning Railway; Yin Tung and Xue Qiyen of the Political affairs council and Li Qichen the head of the Mukden-Shanhaiguan Railway Bureau. General Okamura and Colonel Kita came to the meetings, but only in capacity for observation. Included in the agenda of conversation was the disposal of pro-manchukuo militia forces in the demilitarized region and railway service between China proper and Manchukuo. Now the idea to transfer administrative responsibility over the demilitarized region to the Political affairs council in Peiping offered numerous challenges. The council was essentially an organ of the Executive Yuan of the Nanjing government. Their purpose was to overlook negotiations for Nanjing. Moreover their membership lacked prestige and they commanded no military forces, thus had little influence over Northern China. If they tried to influence the demilitarized region, a single army, such as one led by Li Qichen would easily overpower their authority. Northern China was still very much warlord dominated by this period. Li Qichen was a particularly strong warlord in the region. By December of 1932 he had begun recruiting men in the Qinxi district of Liaoning where he was receiving aid from the Japanese. His men assisted the Kwantung Army at Xumenzhai and later fought under the guidance of Captain Okada Kikusaburo at Shanhaiguan. However by Japanese standards, Li Qichengs army was nothing more than a bandit force. Thus after the Tanggu Truce, the Kwantung Army chose to distance itself from Li Qicheng and instead focus all their efforts in cooperating with the Political affairs council.  Ironically one of the first things the Kwantung Army consulted with the council was a new policy to dispose of Li Qichens Army and others. Thus 4000 of Li Qichen's forces were reorganized into a peace preservation corps with the rest simply disbanded. The finer details on how this would occur were negotiated between Li Qichen and the council, meditated by Kwantung officers at Tangshan on July 16th. It was also decided the Kwantung Army would set up an office at Tangshan headed by Li Qichen who would overlook the dispersal of militia units in the demilitarized region. By August 12th, the peace preservation corps was fully established. Many pro-manchukuo militia units were reorganized via the first Dairen conference as it became known. Xu Yuan's army at Qinhuangdao was reorganized into a  reserve peace preservation corps under the direct guidance of Lt Colonel Nakano Hidemitsu. They would be stationed at Yutien. Another force station near Qinhuangdao which had been recruited by the Kwantung army during Operation Nekka was ordered to transfer 2000 of its troops to Manchukuo and have the rest disbanded. Additionally there existed some 15,000 bandits operating in the demilitarized region. The largest of these bands was the East Asia Federation Combined Forces led by Guo Yazhou. He was in league with Xu Yusan and equipped like a regular Chinese Army. Once the ceasefire had been in effect, his men were conscripted in Manchukuo and would be used unofficially by the Kwantung Army. Another large bandit army was led by Lao Haozu, known colloquially as the “old rat”. Many of these bandit groups were made up of discharged troops and deserters from pro-Manchukuo militia units. After much discussion the Political affairs council took over the civil administration for the demilitarized zone, excluding the area consisting of the Great Wall. Another large item of discussion at the first Dairen conference was the restoration of train services between China Proper and Manchukuo. During the conflict the Chinese Army had ripped up a ton of railway track between Peiping and Shanhaiguan. By April 21st trains from Peiping could only operate as far as Tanggu. Meanwhile Mancukuo's Mukden to Shanhaiguan railway was operating 3 trains a day between Shanhaiguan and Tangshan after numerous repair efforts by June 1st. Service between Tanggu and Tangshan was only restored by July 3rd when the Japanese garrison at Tientsin began guarding operations between the two cities. At Dairen both sides agreed to rapidly restore the railway service between Mukden and Peiping while making Tangshan the temporary connecting point.  The section between Shanhaiguan and Tangshan was to be administered by the Mukden- Shanhaiguan railway, thus by Manchukuo while from Peiping to Tangshan would be retained by the Chinese governed Peiping-Liaoning railway. The Chinese argued that once the railway lines were all restored, management over Tangshan to Shanhaiguan should be returned to the Chinese. However the Manchukuo representatives instead argued for joint control over the railway from Peiping to Shanhaiguan.  Despite all the agreements met at Dairen, so much remained unresolved with the demilitarized region. The area immediately adjacent to the Great Wall had not been turned over to the political affairs coucil, the demilitarized region was still infested with bandits, many council members were not keen on any of the ongoings and relations between them and the Kwantung Army were anything but cooperative. Given all of this, in October of 1933, Huang Fu and He Yingqin came to the Japanese asking if they could form more official dialogue to deal with the problems and this led to the Peiping conference of November 1933. The Chinese were led by Huang Fu, He Yingqin, Yin Zung, Yin Juken and Cao Shangming. The Japanese were led by General Okamura, Colonels Kita ad Kikuchi Monya, Lt Colonels Nemoto Hiroshi and Shibayama Kaneshiro and Secretaries Nakayama and Hanawa Yoshitaka of the Peiping Legation. Because the talks had been opened by the Chinese, they had hoped they would control the agenda and in that they were sorely mistaken. The Japanese immediately pounced upon them and brought forth such demands. “1) The Kwantung Army hopes the Political Affairs Council will, as it solidifies its ability to maintain law and order, quickly and 5 safely assume administration in the area south and west of the Great Wall, exclusive of the Great Wall.  2) For the time being, the Political Affairs Council recognizes, in the area under its jurisdiction, the various agencies designated by the Kwantung Army as necessary for the handling of transportation, economic matters, and other affairs. The council will provide assistance in the operation of these agencies.  3) For the time being, the council agrees to lease to the Japanese army the land and buildings in the area under its jurisdiction which are needed for the purpose of stationing Japanese troops.  4) To provide facilities for trade, transportation, and communications in the area south of the Great Wall, the Political Affairs Council will appoint a delegate who will immediately begin consultations with a delegate designated by the Kwantung Army.” The Chinese agreed to the second demand allowing for the establishment by the Kwantung Army at Shanhaiguan, Gubeikou, Xifengkou, Panqiaokou, Lengkou and Qielingkou that Japanese garrisons could be stationed at Shanhaiguan, Xumenzhai, Chenchangying, Taitouying, Lengkou, Xifengkou, Malankuan and Gubeikou. The Chinese also agreed to part 4 in regards to airline connections. Thus with that the Japanese had effectively taken away China's ability to defend the Great Wall. Furthermore on the pretex of guarding said Great Wall, the Kwantung Army had forced the Chinese to recognize its right to garrison troops along the area just inside the Great Wall. Fully satisfied, the Japanese delegation departed Peiping on November 10th. The Kwantung Army still sought to extend the Peiping-Liaoing railway services to Mukden, but this inevitably raised the issue of China Proper recognizing Manchukuo. In December Yin Zung, head of the Peiping-Liaoning Railway, traveled to Nanjing to discuss said issue, but would return to Peiping empty handed. Additionally Sun Fu who led a faction within the KMT, began persuading the Central Political Council to pass some legislation specifically withholding Huang Fu from holding authority in handling issues involving North China, because it was feared amongst many it would lead to a mistake that would see recognition of Manchukuo. On April 11th of 1934, Huang Fu attempted a discussion at Nanchang between himself, Chiang Kai-Shek and Wang Jingwei. The result of this discussion was him receiving greater authority over matters involving postal services, train services and tariffs. Despite this, the anti-Japanese part of the Nanjing government continued their efforts to hamper the efforts of Haung Fu and Yin Zung.  In May, Major General Ushiroku Jun of the Kwantung Army, Attache Shibayama and Usami Kanji the chief of the Manchukuo railways Bureau, began secret talks with Yin Zung over at Shanhaiguan. They all agreed to establish a new corporation, the Eastern Travel Bureau, who would receive a million yuan provided in equal shares by the Mukden-Shanhaiguan railway bureau in Manchukuo and the Peiping-Liaoning Railway Bureau. Profits and losses would be shared equally; the general manager would be chosen from one bureau with the assistant manager chosen from the other and trains would run daily from Mukden and Peiping performing a transfer at Shanhaiguan. This idea was bitterly fought over at Nanjing, but after specific amendments would be ratified by July 1st. The first train departed Peiping on July 1st and ironically it would be interrupted midway between Tanggu and Lutai by a bomb explosion on the track. Many Chinese civilians were hurt, but no incident broke out. And we all know that little bomb had to be part of some grand false flag scheme.  The establishment of air services between China Proper and Manchukuo would prove to be the most difficult one to settle. During the talks in Peiping, the Chinese agreed to provide transportation facilities that would include airline connections. But this did not materialize until February of 1935 when the Kwantung Army came up with a draft for a Sino-Japanese corporation. It would be funded equally by both sides, the Chinese would furnish the airfields and facilities, while the Kwantung Army would supply pilots and crews through the Manchukuo Aviation Corporation. The Kwantung Army also had a nefarious plot involved in this deal. By securing the civilian airline service they hoped to provide pilots and crews who at the flip of a coin could become covert military operators, providing direct flights into China Proper.  At first the Chinese showed no interest in such plans, so the Kwantung Army began military transport flights to Peiping from Jinzhou to twist their arm. By June the agreement extended to airfields at Paoting, Xuzhou and Qingdao. The Chinese fought these demands as best they could, but would continuously be outplayed. Still the Kwantung Army was impatient to implement the civilian airline change and presented a new deal in June of 1935 offering to provide 55 percent of the funding from their side. To this the Chinese counter proposed the airfields be located along the border, but the Japanese would not agree to this. By August China sent conditions to ratify the idea: “1) two-thirds of the capital investment would be provided by China and one-third by Japan 2) airport facilities would be restricted to the Peiping-Tientsin region; and  3) flight operations would be entrusted to the aviation department of the Eastern Travel Bureau.” The Japanese still made demands, now seeking flights to all 5 provinces of North China. To this the Chinese officials stated they would await instructions from Nanjing. The Kwantung Army broke off the talks and stated they would do whatever action they considered necessary to resolve the issue. By early September Fu Zuoyi, the governor of Suiyuan province authorized a military flight to Paotou, then on September 28th and October 10th, Japan conducted civilian test flights between Tiantsin, Tsinan and Qingdao.  Following the resolutions over the railway issues, on July 9th of 1934 Yin Zung went to Shanghai with Huang Fu and then to Dairen by July 23rd to meet with General Okumara, Colonel Kita and Attache Shibayama to make deals over other issues. One issue was Japanese control over the entrance of Korean and Japanese into the demilitarized region; the transfer to the Chinese of the Qing Dynasty's mausoleum in Malanyu; the disposition of the peace preservation units and the need for a postal service between China and Manchukuo. While this all sounds perhaps stupid to even mention, every single issue discussed was basically indanger of the Chinese accidentally recognizing Manchukuo, which was the crux of it all. In the end the Japanese made enormous inroads into North China through these negotiations. They forced the accommodation on rail and communication services between China Proper and Manchukuo, to normalize most trade between them and place their loyal proteges within the demilitarized region as so called police units. This was all accomplished through the Peiping Political Affairs Council who de facto had recognized Manchukuo. All of this severely weakened the position of Nanjing in North China and enhanced Japan. But it was not Japan proper, but the Kwantung Army really running the show. However there was absolute chaos going on in Japan during the times, known as “government by assassination”. Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated on May 15th of 1932, leading to the collapse of his cabinet. On May 26th a unity cabinet was formed under Admiral Saito Makoto. Civilian politicians were being knocked out by the military, particularly right-wing military figures. Admiral Saito Makoto selected Uchida Yasuya for foreign minister. At the time he was a retired diplomat and president of the South Manchuria Railway Company. Saito was plunged into the wild times of Kwantung insubordination. To meet the chaos he advocated 3 general principals: “(a) its separation from policy toward Manchukuo and Mongolia (b) an emphasis on economic measures; and  (c) cooperation with the western powers” By reading not so between the lines, you can see the official Japanese policy was basically to let the Kwantung run amok and plan accordingly for what seemed to be an enormous annexation program targeting North China and Inner Mongolia. It was to be an extremely volatile balancing act of encroaching upon Nanjing, but not enough so to bring the wrath of the western great powers down upon Japan. Minister Uchia had served a foreign minister for 4 cabinets. In 1928 he signs the Kellogg-Briand Pact and during the Manchuria crisis he tried to fight the Kwantung Army, pushing them to stop their invasion. Yet it was also he who helped recognize Manchukuo in 1932 and he who withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933. He oversaw Operation Nekka and the resulting Tanggu Truce. All of this spat in the face of international cooperation and basically showcased Japan to be a bully. Thus he was really failing his initial goals and resigned in 1933 due to old age. He was succeeded by Hirota Koki who initially began his tenure advocating for establishing better relations with the US, USSR and China and specifically to normalize Sino-Japanese relations. Hirota was also confronted with a naval disarmament conference scheduled for 1935. There Japan would be asked to make conciliatory moves with the US. Alongside this a lot of problems were brewing with the USSR because of the establishment of Manchukuo. On the other side, Chiang Kai-Shek and Wang Jingwei continued their appeasement stance, only to see Japan seize more and more from China. Yet Chiang Kai-Shek was adament, they must finish off the internal communist threat before embarking on what seemed to be an existential threat in the form of Japan. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Kwantung Army was not only efficient at slicing up China with its dagger, but rather capable with the pen as well. Continuous negotiations were leading the Chinese to hand more and more over to Japan. How long could the Chinese people continue to support their seemingly incapable government during these times of crises?

Last time we spoke about the Battle for the Great Wall of China. In 1933, the Kwantung Army faced logistical struggles and sought political deals with Chinese warlords to seize North China. Despite capturing key areas, chaos reigned as their unauthorized operations defied Tokyo's orders. When Emperor Hirohito demanded a withdrawal, the army reluctantly complied, derailing a coup attempt. Though peace talks followed, distrust persisted, and rogue Japanese commanders plotted fresh offensives. The Tanggu truce was anything but fair to China. The Japanese followed it up with continuous negotiations aimed at slicing more and more out of China. By 1935 North China was practically annexed if but all in official terms. The Japanese seized postal rights, train rights, airline rights, set up puppets to police a new demilitarized zone and seemed never appeased fully. Yet they did not only have their eye on Northern China.    #149 Incidents in North China: Operation Chahar Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. May 1935, marked the peak of Sino-Japanese efforts at reconciliation. Yet this quickly fell apart in June as the Kwantung Army continued to encroach in North China. More specifically they began to look at Chahar province. Between January and May of 1935 some 50 instances of anti-Japanese violence had broken out in North China and behind these outbursts seemed to be Yu Xuecheng, the chairman of Hubei's provincial Government. He was not alone in his efforts as many KMT members, generals in the Central Army and Blue Shirt Society also had helping hands to play. The Japanese were particularly infuriated by incessant attacks from the bandit army led by Sun Yungqin and the assassinations of two pro-Japanese figures operating in Tientsin, Pai Yuhuan and Hu Enpu. Even with th support of the Kwantung Army, maintaining law and order in the demilitarized region established by the Tanggu Trace proved a serious undertaking. The Nanjing government tried exploit the situation, encouraging Sun Yungqin's bandits to create chaos in the demilitarized region. Sun Yungqin's bandit frequently crossed the Great Wall into Rehe in raids. Each time the Kwantung Army attempted to catch them as they fled into the demilitarized region. They particularly liked to do so in the Zunhua district where the official He Xiaoyi supplied the bandits with munitions and provisions. On May 17th, the Kwantung Army was fed up and elected to cross the Great Wall to crush Sun Yungqin once and for all. The Japanese army attache at Peiping, Major Takahasi Tan, notified the Chinese authorities of this decision, claiming the Kwantung Army had the authority to do so under certain provisions within the Tanggu agreement. Beginning on May 20th, the Sugihara Mixed Brigade began its hunt and claimed to have uncovered evidence that Yu Xuecheng had helped guide Sun Yingqin's bandits away from their force. The Japanese also argued the bandits were operating in Manchuria and were calling themselves the “Northeastern Patriotic Volunteers” led by General He Yingqing, the current chairman of the Peiping Branch Military Council.  The bandits were said to have been completely crushed within 5 days by a single brigade. The Japanese also forced the resignation of Yu Xuecheng who refused to organize an anti-chiang kai-shek movement. Shortly before the operation launched, two pro-Japanese newspaper publishers, secretly supported by the Japanese Special Service Agency were assassinated in Tientsin. On May 2nd, Hu Enpu of the Kuochuan pao “national rights” was shot in bed at the Peiyang Hotel in the Japanese concession. That same night, Pai Yuhuan of Chen Pa was murdered in his home. Consul General Kawagoe reported to Tokyo, Hu Enpu and Pai Yuhuan were performing a mission through their newspapers to arouse anti-chiang Kai-shek sentiment in North China. As stated by Kawagoe "Hu and Pai did not have a particularly close personal relationship, but they were regarded with extreme suspicion by the Chinese. Since they were assassinated on the same night, we immediately suspected there was some political intrigue behind these crimes."   Japanese police looked into the matter and discovered the criminals had used a car bearing the plate number 1063 which was owned by Shen Qucheng who was a resident of the Japanese concession. Many suspects were interrogated, and given what they were saying, the Japanese suspected the man behind the assassinations was General Yang Hu, the peace preservation commissioners of Shanghai and an alleged member of the Blue Shirt Society. The Japanese also believed Yang Hu was hiding in the French concessions in Shanghai. In protest of this, the Japanese invoked the Boxer Protocol and Tanggu Truce: “1) The Sun incident and the assassinations of the pro-Japan, proManchukuo newspaperpublishers violated the North China [T'angku] Cease-fire Agreement of May 1933. The North China Cease-fire Agreement stipulated that China would not take any action disturbing the peac e on either side of a line from Lut'ai to Paoti and T'ungchou. The above provision extends to all of China and should of course be applied to any defiant deeds of Chines e officials that threaten the peac e in the Peiping-Tientsin region. The Sun incident and the assassinations of Pai and Hu are clearly contrary to the above agreement.  2) The official note exchanged by China and Japan upon the return of Tientsin in 1902 is applicabl e to the murder of Pai Yühuan. This note stated: "In the event a Chines e national who is employed by a foreign army is accused of disobeying the law, the commander of the army that employs the said Chines e national, in order that the matter may be decided in the most suitable manner has the option of punishing him personally or voluntarily delivering him to the appropriate Chinese authorities. Your government must agree to this arrangement.” Since Pai, as already stated, was in the employ of the Japanese army, his murder is clearly a deed which violates the above note."  Thus the Japanese invoked the right that the commander of the Tientsin garrison had the authority to maintain security and try any criminals. Because the Japanese Army claimed it had authority to conduct investigations, trials and deal punishment within two miles of the Peiping-Shanhaigaun rail line it insisted to do so given the recent events. This actually distorted some of the specifics of the Tanggu Treaty, thus the Japanese were on loose grounds. On May 25th, Tokyo HQ was forewarned of the actions the Kwantung Army would undertake in North China. So Tokyo sent Colonel Sakai Takashi the Tientsin army chief of staff and attache Takahasi Tan called upon Yu Qiaqi, the secretary general of the Political affairs council and General He Yingqin. In fact Sakai backed this up with a threatening public statement: “The execution of anti-Manchukuo plots under the direction of the Chinese authorities, assistance to the "Chinese Patriotic Volunteer Forces," and various acts of terrorism directed against Japan are destructive of the cease-fire agreement. The headquarters for these crimes are in Tientsin and Peiping. Should this state of affairs continue, it will become necessary to incorporate the above two cities in the demilitarized zone. The murders of Hu and Pai are violations of the provisions of the Boxer Settlement and a challenge to Japan. If similar acts hereafter occur, Japan will, on the basis of its treaty rights, be forced to consider what action is necessary for the defense of its rights”. Additionally, Sakai demanded the withdrawal of all KMT aligned units, Blue Shirt Society members, the Political Training Corps of the Peiping Branch Military Council and the 3rd Regiment Military Police from North China. He also wanted Yu Xuecheng dismissed as chairman of Hubei. The next day in a move to intimidate Yu Xuecheng, the Tientsin Army deployed armored vehicles, artillery and machine guns directly in front of his official residence. It seemed now the Japanese sought to incorporate all of Hubei into the new demilitarized region. To make this happen, Sakai had independently put forward these demands, but they were recognized as an ultimatum from Japan, one for which for now had no deadline.  Chiang Kai-Shek, Wang Jingwei, Huang Fu and He Yingqin conferred over the situation and chose to informally talk with the Japanese while they kept the press quiet on the matter. The Chinese took their time, so to pressure them further, the Kwantung Army deployed a infantry battalion and one cavalry brigade at Shanhaiguan, while the Kawaguchi detachment concentrated around Gubeikou and two air force squadrons were brought over to Jinzhou. The Tientsin Army readied two battalions at Tientsin and Tangshan, both prepared to advance to Peiping at a moments notice. After sending numerous orders not to escalate things, Tokyo HQ sent Colonel Kita Seiichi, the chief of its China desk to demand the Kwantung Army not use anymore force. Meanwhile the Imperial Japanese Navy, under the fear of Anglo-American intervention avoided escalating the situation, but kept the 3rd fleet on full alert.  Under immense pressure the Chinese buckled. At 6pm on June 10th, He Yingqin orally advised Major Takahashi that Nanjing would issue a directive ordered the immediate withdrawal of local KMT organs from Hubei; that the 51st NRA Army would depart by rail from Hubei between June 11th and 25th; that the end and 25th NRA divisions of the Central Army would also depart Hubei and that the KMT would issue a directive prohibiting anti-japanese activities throughout China. It was an incredibly embarrassing act and became known as the He-Umezu agreement. Under its provisions the Japanese had expelled the Central Army from North China, Yu Xuecheng's forces, all anti-Japanese organizations of any sort and all anti-Japanese officials were removed. The Japanese had heavily capitalized on the assassinations in Tientsin, however other incidents enabled our good friend Doihara to cause further mayhem.  Following the Tanggu truce, Song Queyuan's 29th Army, consisting of the 37th, 38th and 132nd divisions had been deployed throughout Chahar with his headquarters based at Kalgan. His troops understandably displayed a lot of anti-japanese attitude and behaviors. Like a broken record, it was only a matter of time until an incident organically presented itself. One of the first ones broke out in Changpei. According to the Japanese, so get your grains of salt ready, a group of 8 led by staff officer Kawaguchi Kiyotake of the Tientsin garrison and Ikeda Katsumi of the consulate at Kalga and planned an excursion to Inner Mongolia late October 1934. After completing all the necessary paperwork and procedures, such as securing visas and giving advance notice to the Chinese officials in the areas they would voyage, the Japanese departed Kalgan for Tolun on October 27th. Upon entering Changpei's south gate they were suddenly stopped by troops under Song Queyuans 132nd division alongside some Peace Preservation Corps men. Their commanding officer punched Ikeda as the rest of the party were threatened with Dao swords and rifles. After 40 minutes a Chinese security officer showed up to allow them all to pass through the South Gate.  The Japanese foreign Ministry and Army were obviously outraged by this incident. The vice Consul at Kalgan, Hashimoto Masayasu complained to the chief of staff of the 132nd division and Major Takahasi at Peiping lodged an official complaint with Song Queyuan. On November 25th, Song Queyuan ordered the general commanding the 132nd division, Chao Tengyu, to apologize and dismissed the officer who punched Ikeda. Song Queyuan then guaranteed safe travel for all Japanese throughout Chahar, without any inspection of their possession and he promised to withdraw his troops west of the Great Wall. All of this because a guy was punched, you can really get the sense the Chinese were walking on eggshells. In late 1934, a large contingent of Song Queyuan's cavalry had deployed to the area around Fengning in Rehe. They were defending strategic positions and establishing large peace preservation corps. The Kwantung Army repeatedly demanded they withdraw from the area and the Chinese had made promises as to such by December 31st. Rather than comply, the Chinese launched an offensive and captured 40 Manchukuo militiamen. Song Queyuan rewarded his men with a bounty of 300 silver yuan and ordered the arms of the enemy by handed to the district government of Kuyuan.  On January 17th, the Kwantung Army moved the Nagami detachment of the IJA 8th Division from Chengde to launch a punitive expedition against Song Queyuan's forces in the Kuyuan area. On the 20th the Peiping Branch Military Council informed the Kwantung Army Song Queyuan was already withdrawing his men. Thus the Nagami detachment who had advanced as far as Tat'an turned around for the Great Wall on the 22nd, when they were suddenly attacked by Song Queyuan's troops near Hungnit'an. The Kwantung Army were outraged by what they were calling the first incident in western Rehe. The so-called incident would be resolved on February 2nd nar Ta'an when Zhang Yueting acting on behalf of the NRA 37th division and Major General Tani Hisao on behalf of the IJA 7th division agreed to the following terms: “1) In the future China will strictly prohibit actions that antagonize the Japanese army and will neither move troops into Manchukuo nor adopt a threatening attitude toward Manchukuo. The Chinese will completely suspend their current spying activities, such as scouting the movements of the Kwantung Army.  2) If China violates the above pledges in the future, the Japanese  army will act independently and firmly, but the responsibility will be borne by the Chinese . If the Chinese forces increase their military strength or contemplate strengthening their fortifications, the Japanese army will regard these moves as hostile acts.  3) China is to have the government of Kuyuan district return all arms confiscated (from the Manchukuo militia and turn them over to the Japanese army at Nanweitzu by February 7.  4) The outcome of this conference will be jointly announced on February 4. In particular, the Chinese should be careful that in making their announcement they do not distort the contents of the agreement or engage in counterpropaganda”. Can you imagine there was a second incident at Changpei? 4 members of the Japanese Special Services Agency based out of Abga, some 40 miles northwest of Tolun had come to the same southgate around 4pm on June 5th, traveling to Kalgan. There they were detained by units of the 132nd division who refused to recognize their identification papers. They were apparently held without proper bedding or food, threatened with Dao swords and bayonets. The Japanese claimed it was all done under orders from Song Queyuan's chief of staff and that their officials were interrogated by the chief of military police at Changpei. On June 11th, Lt Colonel Matsui Gennosuke, the head of the Japanese Special Service Agency at Kalgan, demanded an apology from Song Queyuan and for the men responsible to be punished and for further guarantees for safe travel. Matsui also insinuated that unless Song Queyuan severed ties to Nanjing and became Pro-Japanese he might suffer the same fate that had befallen Yu Xuecheng. Clearly the Kwantung Army was looking to remove Song Queyuan's army from Chahar province. There were two major reasons for such a thing, so they could better protect the northwestern flank of Manchukuo and to support Prince De who was attempting a campaign to make Inner Mongolia independent from China.  On June 11th the Kwantung Army directed the Mukden Special Service Agency chief of staff, our old buddy, Doihara, currently in Peiping, to confer with the army attache there and with the Tientsin garrison. They were to push for Song Queyuan's army to be withdrawn south of the Yellow River as rapidly as possible. Tokyo HQ always keeping a close eye on their troublesome Kwantung Officers dispatch this notice to Doihara "Although we desire the evacuation of Song Queyuan's army from Chahar province, we disagree that we should, at this time, demand its withdrawal south of the Yellow River. Rather, its transfer to the Peiping-Hankow Railway line would be advisable." On June 13th, the General Staff advised the Kwantung Army the same message. The General staff then ordered every detachment in North China to act discreetly "If we shun excessive publicity at this time, we should, in view of the present situation, be able to achieve practical results without publicity." Since they were already getting their way in Hubei, Tokyo HQ did not want to risk rocking the boat in Chahar concurrently.  Then came a second western Rehe incident, according to the Chengde Special Service Agency, "On June 11, when a party led by a senior official of Fengning hsien was about to enter the town of Tungchatzu [in Manchukuo, about eight kilometers north of Tushihk'ou], it was attacked by rifle fire from Sung Che-yuan's troops stationed at Tushihk'ou. The next day, June 12, a member of the border police force in Hsiaoch'ang [in Manchukuo, about fifteen kilometers north of Tushihk'ou] was also fired upon by the same troops of Sung in the vicinity of Hsiaoch'ang."  On June 17th, the Kwantung Army General Minami Jiro met with the Tientsin Army chief of staff Sakai and the Special Service Agency chief at Kalgan, Matsui for a full report on the incident. After reviewing it, Minami drafted a policy to guide the Kwantung Army:  “The withdrawal of Sung Che-yuan's army will worsen the confusion in the Peiping-Tientsin region. This incident should be handled separately from the North China problem and should be negotiated locally with Sung Che-yuan. Our demands will be limited to the following:  1) withdrawal of the troops invading Manchukuo, together with their advance unit at Tolun;  2) removal of the forces back to the Kalgan area;  3) an apology by Sung Che-yuan;  4) punishment of those directly responsible for the Changpei incident; and  5) prohibition of anti-Japanese actions in the future.” The Chinese realized they needed to reach a quick settlement with the Kwantung Army. On the 18th He Yingqin met with Consul General Suma over in Nanjing. Suma was presented with a set of harsh demands from the Kwantung Army and that same day reported to the Executive Yuan he had decided to relieve Song Queyuan of his posts as governor and commander of the 29th Army. He then appointed as acting governor and provincial commissioner of civil affairs, Qin Dechun, who would take the 132nd division implicated in the Changpei incident south. The message was relayed to the Japanese military attache in Nanjing, Lt Colonel Amamiya Tatsumi. The man who relayed the message was Vice Foreign Minister Tang Yujen who also stated this "In view of the fact that China has moved voluntarily to dismiss Sung Che-yuan, to transfer his army, and to punish those responsible, we request that we not be confronted with an ultimatum in the form of various demands from the Kwantung Army with a deadline for reply." On June 19th, Nanjing officially implemented the promises made by He Yingqin and Tang Yujen and in turn the Kwantung Army wired Doihara in Peiping to stand down and wait to see if the Chinese did what they said they would. Doihara was probably disappointed he could not perform his 100th false flag operation he must have been cooking up. For any of you who watch my Youtube content, I used clips from the Chinese WW2 Drama series “Young Marshal” that depicts Doihara hilariously. You can check it out in my long format documentary on the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, its meme gold Doihara's clips, freaking out and smashing phones and such.  At 10 pm on June 23rd, Doihara, alongside Matsui and Takahasi visited Qin Dechen at his residence to negotiate a final understanding. There Doihara demanded China implement several measures to promote better relations with Japan such as withdrawing Song Queyuan's army southwest; give an apology for the Changpei incident; punish all those responsible; dissolve all the anti-japanese organizations in the region; ban Chinese immigration into Inner Mongolia; cease any oppressive actions against Mongolians and cooperate and encourage trade between Manchukuo, Inner Mongolia, North China; and appoint more Japanese military and political advisers. Just a laundry list he had worked up. So Qin Dechen apologized for the Changpei incident, stated they were already withdrawing Song Queyuan's men and dissolving all the anti-japanese organizations. Now he was orally agreeing to all of this, but he refused to put it in writing, prior to receiving the greenlight from Nanjing. Doihara understood and gave him time to talk to his government. The next day however another incident occurred, this time near Tuxukou. There a contingent of Song Queyuan's withdrawing troops fired upon Manchukuo police forces and in response the Tolun Special Service Agency dispatched a Mongolian unit led by Li Shuxin. It was not really much of an incident, just a minor confrontation all things given, so the Kwantung Army told Doihara to deal with Qin Dechen in private about it.On June 27th, Qin Dechen sent a formal reply to Doihara's demands in what became known as the Qin-Doihara agreement. It conformed with all the demands, seeing Song Queyuan's troops depart southwest while the security of Chahar was entrusted to two peace preservation units. One unit was responsible for the Chinese population, the other over the Mongolian. On August 28th, Song Queyuan was appointed garrison commander over the Peiping-Tientsin region with his 29th division joining Chao Tengyu's 132nd division and Liu Juming's 2nd division. Thus after the He-Umezu and Qin-Doihara agreements the Japanese had now expanded their influence into both Hubei and Chahar. 1935 saw a wave of incidents break out in the demilitarized region, prompting the Japanese to go into numerous negotiations with the Chinese to clamp down on anything they didn't like. Then on October 4th, Japan unleashed a document titled  “Concerning Policy towards China”: “The goal of our foreign policy is the development of East Asia and the maintenance of the security of East Asia through the cooperative concert of Japan, Manchukuo, and China, with Japan as the nucleus; this is likewise the objective of our policy toward China. To realize this objective on the basis of the outline below, the central and regional authorities of China must, by fair and just means, adjust their relations with Japan and Manchukuo so as to bring about an environment favorable to the establishment of basic relations between Japan, Manchukuo, and China.  1) China should adopt a good neighbor policy toward Japan, thoroughly suppress anti-Japanese activities, and abandon its policy of reliance on Europe and the United States. It should put this policy into practice and as a matter of course cooperate with Imperial Japan on practical problems.  2) Although China must eventually extend formal recognition to Manchukuo, until then it must recognize de facto the independence of Manchukuo and abandon its anti-Manchukuo policy. At least in North China, which borders on Manchukuo, the Chinese should promote economic and cultural cooperation with Manchukuo.  3) In view of the Communist threat emanating from Outer Mongolia and posing a common menace to Japan, Manchukuo, and China, China should cooperate in measures aimed at eliminating this menace from the region bordering Outer Mongolia.  4) When the above points have been put into effect and we recognize the good faith of China concerning friendly cooperation with Japan and Manchukuo, we shall first conclude comprehensive agreements on friendly cooperative relations between China and Japan, and thereafter draw up the agreement needed for regulating new relations between Japan, Manchukuo, and China” To this Chiang Kai-Shek replied could not recognize Manchukuo but that his government would do whatever it could peacefully to maintain economic activity between the people north and south of the Great Wall. He also stated no other country on earth was more concerned with the Communist menace in Mongolia than China. All of the appeasement efforts had brought Wang Jingwei to his boiling point and on August 8th he departed for Shanghai as he and his entire cabinet resigned. Chiang Kai-Shek personally came over and asked Wang Jingwei to withdraw his resignation given he offered him further support, and Wang Jingwei relented. Then on the morning of November 1st, after attending a meeting, Wang Jingwei was shot by a Chinese reporter for the Chenkuang Press, a company notably associated with Chiang Kai-Shek. Rumors spread the assassination attempt was inspired by anti-japanese elements such as Generals Yang Qi and Tang Shengzhi. With Wang Jingwei in the hospital, Chiang Kai-Shek was forced to take a larger role with the North China situation. Then Wang Jingwei departed for Europe seeking better medical care and wired his resignation on November 29th. Thus Chiang Kai-Shek succeeded him as president of the Executive Yuan and the coalition between him and Wang Jingwei had officially ended. With Chiang Kai-Shek now the only funnel from which action could be directed, the Japanese sent Ambassador Ariyoshi to China to persuade Chiang Kai-Shek to grant some form of autonomy for North China. By this point autonomy for North China had become part of Japan's national policy. Chiang Kai-Shek in response to this growing threat went to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi, to meet with Yan Xishan. There he proposed that if Yan Xishan could unite the Northern Warlords, Chiang Kai-Shek would appoint him chairman of the political affairs council, with added authority over finances and diplomacy. Chiang Kai-Shek urged him to come attend the 6th plenum of the Kuomintang Central Executive Committee scheduled for November 1st. At this time Yan Xishan's Shanxi was struggling financially so he reconciled with Chiang Kai-Shek. To this effect Chiang Kai-Shek sent his vice chief of the Army General Staff Xing Pin to tour the north trying to persuade those like Song Queyuan and Han Fuju to not support the North China autonomy movement. The Japanese interpreted these efforts to thwart the autonomy movement as the underlying cause of all the anti-japanese incidents breaking out continuously. To this the Nanjing government disclaimed no responsibility and insisted they were doing everything the Japanese asked of them.  The Japanese began a massive campaign aimed at all the important leaders in North China. One man they managed to gain influence over was Yin Jukeng who on November 25th at Tungzhou, announced the inauguration of the East Hubei Anti-Communist Autonomous Council, claiming autonomy for the entire demilitarized region. Yin Jukeng's council consisted of 9 members whereupon he was chairman and took charge of foreign relations and military affairs. As you can imagine Nanjing immediately labeled him a traitor and ordered his arrest. Chiang Kai-Shek then rapidly sent word to the Japanese an official response to their “Concerning Policy towards China” document:  “To satisfy the various demands from the Japanese side, there should first of all be established in Hopei province an autonomous political administration; ultimately, this administration should be similar to that governing the southwestern region. Whether or not this administration should be extended to other regions will be determined after the results in Hopei have been ascertained.  1) Although the campaign to wipe out the Communists is progressing, the Communist bandits have fled toward Kansu. Since this raises the danger that the Communists may spread into Inner Mongolia, the defense against the Communists in North China should be conducted jointly.  2) Certain aspects of the new monetary system are not suited to North China, and appropriate modifications will be made in this respect.  3) Efforts are to be made to harmonize economic interchange among the people on both sides of the Great Wall.  4) To meet the special needs of the region, the local administration should be given authority to enable it to exercise suitable control over financial matters in North China.  5) Pending issues are to be settled locally in a rational manner.  6) The aim will be to employ talented people to carry out the above tasks and to establish an ideal government.” Chiang Kai-Shek dispatched He Yingqin to reign in the situation at Peiping, but upon his arrival he believed the situation was beyond his control. He Yingqin reported that it was his belief the only way for Nanjing to retain some degree of authority in the region was to create a new political organ to do so. Thus on December 11th, the Nationalist government established the Hubei-Chahar Political Council chaired by Song Queyuan. Song Queyuan declared the new council would assume all responsibility for administering Hubei and Chahar and promised  "to respect the wishes of the people, endeavor in particular to relieve the economic distress of the region, and maintain the peace of East Asia on the basis of Sino-Japanese amity."  Thus within all this madness now two autonomous regimes co-existed in North China. The East Hubei Anti-Communist Autonomous Council would administer 22 prefectures while the Hubei-Chahar Political Council would administer Hubei, Chahar, Peiping and Tientsin. As you might imagine, relations between these two councils was complex and ambiguous. The 22 prefectures the former administered were under the jurisdiction of the other. One was a Japanese puppet, the other was controlled by Nanjing who refused to recognize the other. Japan immediately exploited their newfound chaotic gains in North China. In May of 1936 the 2000 troops of the Tientsin garrison army was boosted to 5600 led by General Tashiro Kan'ichiro. This was done under the guise it was to defend against communists and protect Japanese citizens. The position of the commander of the Tientsin garrison was officially promoted to encompass full responsibility for the situation in North China, exactly the same as the Kwantung Army's role over Manchukuo. Thuse both the Kwantung Army and what was henceforth called the China Garrison had clearly defined roles. One would be responsible for Manchukuo, the other over North China. Japan had neutralized Rehe, Chahar and Hubei, all of whom would fall directly under their influence. But was Japan satisfied?  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Its not always through military means that nations can encroach upon other nations. Japan was showcasing how it could bully away parts of China through threats alone it was working miracles. How long could Chiang Kai-Shek carry on like this? Would it be Japan or his own people that would hang him for losing China?

On this episode we update you about: tofu fear, a book that made Baylee cry, and a hobbies follow up. Subjects of the week will be: The NBA bubble and The Great Wall of China

Disneyland Paris: Where Snacks Meet the Force (and Occasionally a Ride Closure) – Do Not Skip This Episode Recap!  Join your favorite DLP radio transmission operatives, Beth and Marq, as they dive into the wild, whimsical, and sometimes "temporarily unavailable" world of **Disneyland Paris**!  Ride Roulette: Which attractions are open, which are "getting a magical makeover" (aka closed), and what's coming soon? Spoiler: More construction walls than the Emperor's fortress.  May the 4th Be With You (And Your Stomach): We dish on Star Wars snacks, from lightsaber snacks (is that a churro or an actual Sith weapon?) to cookies that are hopefully not as dry as the dunes of Tatooine. Do not get too excited, DLP only has a Burger, a Macaron, and two (non-Wookie) cookies. Maybe next year. The Great Wall of Disney (Studios) : Rides come and go, but the walls? The walls are forever. Or at least until the next expansion opens (at least 5 lion years.) Disney Music Festival: Where else can you cry to "Let It Go" while eating a Mickey-shaped beignet? Beth and Marq debate their fave performances ( spoiler- nothing says "magical" like rodent DJs ).  Meet & Greet Greatness: Say "bonjour" to virtual queues for characters Pass the kids please: Introducing a children's annual pass—AKA "How to Bankrupt Parents in the Most Magical Way Possible." Love Our Listeners: Real guests, real drama, real fun—"We waited HOW long for Crush's Coaster?!" Plus, dining reviews that answer the eternal question: "Are these French fries legal to sell to Belgians?"  Final Thoughts: Despite the walls, the waits, and the ever-changing landscape, Beth and Marq remind listeners that Disneyland Paris still delivers the magic —  there are giddy gasps between the gaping gaps. Listen now before your next virtual queue slot expires! Please walk to your next destination, and follow Dedicated to DLP on Instagram and Facebook. Or send your own questions, remarks  and trip reports to dlp@dedicatedtodlp.com With special thanks to the BDX droids for their comments.

Peek into the colorful, immersive, and luxurious innovations shaping the future of cruising—straight from the floor of Seatrade Cruise Global, one of the cruise industry's most important events. From flying theaters to floating pickleball courts, this episode of Unpacked Minis, Cruise Edition takes you behind-the-scenes of the surprising sights (and smells) making waves in cruising.  The luxury innovations taking cruises and yachts to the next level.  How cruise ships utilize technology to create immersive experiences for guests  Which innovations were revealed on the floor of Seatrade 2025.  Don't miss these moments:  [02:30]  Bike the Great Wall of China on your next cruise.  [03:54] The sights and smells that a cruise ships bottle up.  [08:33] Party-banas and a floating pickleball court.  [11:57] What does pouring resin on a bear have to do with eco-cruising? [15:46] Behind the scenes of Disney Cruises' immersive experiences. Special Thanks To: DOF Robotics Froggy's Fog Aquabanas Bolidt Zenko and  HF Interior Resources: Read the transcript of this episode.   Explore other Unpacked cruise content, like this episode about sustainable cruising, or this one about finding the right cruise for you.  Follow Afar for all the ⁠cruise news⁠ you need to know.

  In this warm and wonderfully candid wrap-up episode, Andy and Del Thompson take us inside their 2025 Delirious West adventure—a journey packed with unexpected twists, heartfelt moments, and lessons in patience, teamwork, and trust. From managing race-day fatigue with dirt naps to handling a major campervan breakdown mid-race (seriously… it broke at Broke Inlet!), Andy and Del show what true partnership looks like on and off the trail. They share how they navigated everything from dehydration scares and blister dramas to unexpected moments of pure trail magic—all while sticking together from start to finish. This episode is a beautiful reminder that sometimes, finishing Delirious isn't just about the running—it's about the people you share the miles with. Key Highlights: •Starting strong, adjusting expectations when humidity hit •A camper van mishap at Broke Inlet—and how the crew saved the day •How they made shared decisions about sleep, pace, and support •The emotional power of sticking together (even when one needs sleep and the other doesn't!) •Favourite memories: Shelley Beach comfort stops, Peaceful Bay reflections, and seeing footprints of friends ahead on the trail •Food favourites: keto wraps, veggie curries, sardines, and pickled gherkins •Lessons in adaptability, teamwork, and appreciating every single headland Cure Brain Cancer fundraising trek on the Great Wall of China. Support Andy and Del's fundraising efforts here: https://curebraincancer.grassrootz.com/2025-greatwallofchina/team-thompson-andy-and-del .  Connect with Us: Love hearing these wrap-ups? Subscribe, share, and tag your favourite trail buddy—because some races are just better together.   Delirious WEST event Website - https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ Event Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1428304207182387   https://fitmindfitbody.co/podcast/

Sue Stockdale speaks to adventurer, author, and deep thinker Ed Ley-Wilson. Ed shares insights from his life exploring both the outdoors and the mind. From kayaking the rugged west coast of Scotland to reflecting on resilience, solitude, and the power of slowing down, Ed reveals how adventure - whether on land, sea, or within ourselves shapes our engagement with the world. About Ed Ley-WilsonEd has over thirty years of working and engaging with business, community, educational, social and environmental issues throughout the Highlands of Scotland. He has undertaken long self-supported kayaking journeys in Norway and Patagonia and has run 1200 miles of the Great Wall of China (1988) and the 2000 mile length of the Himalayas (1990). Ed is no stranger to hardship and during his 2022 kayaking journey up the west coast of Scotland he faced some of the worst weather in that region for years. He also has two books to his name, ‘The Himalayan Shuffle' and ‘Kayaking the Sea Roads.Key Quotes"Adventure isn't just about the physical challenge; it's about how we engage with the world around us and what we learn from it.""Solitude teaches you resilience in a way nothing else can - you have to sit with your thoughts and find your own way through them.""Whether on the sea or in life, you can't always control what happens, but you can control how you respond to it.""The lessons I learned from John Ridgway weren't just about survival; they were about self-reliance, discipline, and understanding your own limits.""Slowing down and disconnecting from the noise of the modern world is one of the greatest gifts adventure can offer.""It's not a weakness to not know stuff. It's a strength actually".Chapters01:57 Early Adventures and Influences03:33 Lessons from the Wild04:31 The Philosophy of Adventure05:42 Kayaking the Sea Roads10:07 Reflections on Highland Communities16:27 The Importance of Time and Space21:30 Embracing Uncertainty and Curiosity23:06 The Role of Yoga in Kayaking25:54 The Journey of Self-Discovery35:39 Balancing Life and Future PlansConnect with Access to Inspiration: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Read our Impact Report and if you would like to support us then Buy Me A CoffeeProducer: Sue Stockdale   Sound Editor: Matias De Ezcurra Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/access-to-inspiration--4156820/support.

Welcome to Rest Day, Freetrail's occasional news pod covering the latest happenings in trail running. The docket today:   Canyons by UTMB debrief Western States Golden Ticket recap Great Wall Trail, Madeira, & Mt. Fuji 100 highlights Cocodona 250 preview The emerging trends of athletes becoming employees of their brand partners   REGISTER FOR TRAILCON   Sponsors:   Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear Grab a trail running pack from Osprey Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ   Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts   Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: A Dance of Dragons: Adventure Along the Great Wall Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-04-28-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 春季的长城蜿蜒在绿意盎然的山坡上，樱花随风轻舞，空气中弥漫着淡淡的花香。En: The Great Wall snakes through the lush green slopes in spring.Zh: 今天是清明节，许多游客在这里欣赏壮丽的风景，同时祭拜祖先。En: Cherry blossoms dance lightly in the wind, and a faint floral fragrance fills the air.Zh: 这是一幅春日明媚的图景。En: Today is Qingming Festival, and many tourists are here to enjoy the magnificent scenery while paying respects to their ancestors.Zh: 明和莲并不打算卷入这次冒险，他们本来只是想步行观赏长城的壮丽，却意外加入了一个旅游团。En: This is a scene of a bright, sunny spring day.Zh: 这个团正准备进行传统的舞龙表演。En: Ming and Lian didn't plan on getting involved in this adventure.Zh: 明很兴奋，爱好冒险的他觉得这实在太有趣了。En: They originally just wanted to walk and admire the grandeur of the Great Wall, but unexpectedly joined a tour group.Zh: 而莲则有些犹豫，她担心自己会出洋相。En: This group was about to perform a traditional dragon dance.Zh: “来嘛，莲，这是个难得的机会！En: Ming was excited—his love for adventure made him find it extremely interesting.Zh: ”明满脸笑容，用力地拍了拍她的肩膀。En: However, Lian was a bit hesitant, worrying that she might embarrass herself.Zh: 尽管有些不情愿，莲还是被明的热情感染。En: “Come on, Lian, this is a rare opportunity!” Ming said with a big smile, giving her shoulder a hearty pat.Zh: “好吧，但我们完全不知道怎么舞龙。En: Despite some reluctance, Lian was infected by Ming's enthusiasm.Zh: ”莲说。En: “Alright, but we have no idea how to perform a dragon dance,” she said.Zh: 没过多久，他们便融入了舞龙的队伍中，每个人手中都拿着竹竿，上面连着长长的彩色龙身。En: Before long, they blended into the dragon dance team, each holding a bamboo stick with a long, colorful dragon body attached.Zh: 鼓声响起，舞龙开始。En: The drums sounded, and the dragon dance began.Zh: 明兴奋地挥动竹竿，试图让龙看起来更活泼，而莲则小心翼翼地模仿其他人的动作。En: Ming, excitedly swinging his bamboo stick, tried to make the dragon seem livelier, while Lian cautiously imitated the others' movements.Zh: 正当莲开始觉得一切并没有想象中那么难时，一个急拐弯处，明的竹竿与莲的撞到了一起。En: Just as Lian started to feel that it wasn't as difficult as she imagined, around a sharp turn, Ming's bamboo stick collided with hers.Zh: 顿时，龙身像多米诺骨牌一样倾倒，彩龙歪七扭八地塌下来，每个人都惊慌失措，试图稳住。En: Instantly, the dragon body collapsed like dominoes, tumbling down awkwardly while everyone panicked, trying to stabilize it.Zh: 但当龙停下来时，所有人都开始哈哈大笑。En: But once the dragon stopped, everyone burst out laughing.Zh: 其他游客很快就恢复了兴致，纷纷打趣说这是他们最难忘的龙舞表演。En: The other tourists quickly regained their enthusiasm, joking that it was the most memorable dragon dance performance they had ever seen.Zh: 明和莲相视一笑，敬仰眼前这些不计较的小伙伴。En: Ming and Lian exchanged a smile, admiring their easygoing companions.Zh: 随着笑声，莲心中的紧张渐渐消散。En: With the laughter, Lian's tension gradually dissipated.Zh: 她明白，不必过于在意是否完美，享受现场的快乐才是最重要的。En: She understood that it wasn't necessary to worry about perfection—it was more important to enjoy the joy of the moment.Zh: 最终，他们与这一群体打成一片，同时也在这段旅程中收获了不能被任何事物替代的友谊。En: Ultimately, they bonded with this group and gained a friendship from the journey that could not be replaced by anything else.Zh: 春风依旧温柔地吹拂着，长城无声见证着这一段令人心旷神怡的回忆。En: The spring breeze continued to blow gently, and the Great Wall silently witnessed this heartwarming memory. Vocabulary Words:snakes: 蜿蜒lush: 绿意盎然faint: 淡淡fragrance: 花香magnificent: 壮丽respects: 祭拜grandeur: 壮丽unexpectedly: 意外adventure: 冒险enthusiasm: 热情hesitant: 犹豫embrace: 接受blend: 融入collapse: 倾倒dominoes: 多米诺骨牌awkwardly: 歪七扭八burst: 开始laughter: 笑声memorable: 难忘easygoing: 不计较bonded: 打成一片friendship: 友谊perfection: 完美enjoy: 享受admiring: 敬仰companions: 小伙伴tension: 紧张dissipated: 消散moment: 现场heartwarming: 令人心旷神怡

You probably know famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China, but did you know they have hidden secrets? For example, there's a secret apartment at the top of the Eiffel Tower where its designer, Gustave Eiffel, used to hang out. The Statue of Liberty has a tiny room inside her torch, but you can't visit it because it's been closed since 1916 after an explosion damaged it. Even Mount Rushmore has a “Hall of Records” behind the presidents' heads, holding historical documents no one really talks about. These landmarks are full of surprises, proving there's always more than meets the eye! CreditsCredit: You Asked For It / YouTube Atlas Obscura / YouTube Brighton & Hove Museums / YouTube Jwingman / YouTube Spectrum News / YouTube Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Auburn to the Great Wall Dani and Emkay dive into the long-awaited Canyons 50k, happening this weekend in Auburn, California. They also break down all the latest Golden Trail World Series news — from the global TV deal and series rebrand to a recap of the season opener at Kobe Trail in Japan. Plus, they preview the second GTWS race of the year: the epic showdown at the Great Wall of China.Follow us:Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @emkaysulli ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@dan_yell_a⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the_subhub_pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episode Sponsors:Neversecond: Use code SUBHUB25 for 25% off your purchase-- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠never2.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beekeepers Natural: Use code SUBHUB20 for 20% off your purchase-- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.beekeepersnaturals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pit Viper:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link for 20% off at checkout

In this episode of OUTdrive, Cliff visits with Steven Brunner, founder of King of the Mountain Sports Marketing. With nearly four decades of experience, Steven shares stories from the global stage of sports promotion—from the Olympics to the Great Wall of China. He also reflects on what it takes to build and sustain a business, offering lessons in grit, service and staying focused. It's a behind-the-scenes look at sports marketing and the mindset that keeps a business rolling.

Last time we spoke about Operation Nekka, the Invasion of Rehe Province. In 1932, the Kwantung Army eyed Rehe province as vital for Manchukuo's success. General Tang Yulin, ruling Rehe, initially favored Japanese interests due to economic ties, particularly in opium. Tensions escalated after a Japanese civilian was abducted, prompting military actions that led to skirmishes in Shanhaiguan. Amidst growing conflict, Zhang Xueliang mobilized forces against Tang, who eventually conceded. As Japan prepared for invasion, both sides strategized, with Chiang Kai-Shek reluctant to engage directly, fearing Japanese influence over his rivals. Operation Nekka commenced, showcasing the Kwantung Army's efficiency as they swiftly routed Chinese forces in Rehe. By March 4th, key passes were captured, but fierce resistance emerged. General Nishi faced counterattacks, leading to strategic retreats. Meanwhile, Chiang Kai-Shek struggled with internal conflicts while managing the Japanese threat. As the Kwantung Army pushed beyond the Great Wall, logistical issues arose, prompting political maneuvers to secure local warlord alliances. However, plans faltered when Zhang Qingyao, a potential ally, was assassinated.   #147 The Battle for the Great Wall of China Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Thus in the previous episode, Operation Nekka had been unleashed. The Kwangtung Army tossed 2 divisions into Rehe province with the intent of forcing its annexation into Manchukuo. They were under strict orders to not extend operations past the Great Wall of China. However they believed it was necessary to seize the main gateways along the Great Wall of China to establish their new borders, and in order to do so this absolutely required going past them. Yet military operations were not the only means to secure their goals. The Japanese forces faced significant logistical challenges, including a shortage of troops, having advanced into Rehe with only 20,000 men. Even the most resolute general in the Kwantung Army doubted that their military strength could prevail against the vast numbers of Chinese troops in the plains of Hubei. As a result, they needed to supplement their military efforts with political strategies targeting regional warlords. The tactic of bribing local elites had proven highly effective during the pacification of Manchuria, and there was no reason to think it wouldn't work in North China as well. All of these actions were carried out without any oversight from Tokyo headquarters.   On February 13, 1933, Itagaki Seishiro, who was then the head of the Mukden Special Service Agency, was transferred to the General Staff without any formal announcement of his promotion. He took up a position in Tientsin specifically to initiate political maneuvers in eastern Hubei, leading to the establishment of the Tientsin Special Service Agency. Initially, this agency sought to engage various competing warlords in North China, including Duan Qirui, Wu Peifu, and Sun Chuanfang, but eventually focused on Zhang Qingyao. Zhang had previously been a protégé of Duan Qirui, serving as the civil and military governor of Henan province. He had fought against Zhang Zuolin in 1925 before shifting his allegiance to Wu Peifu. During the second phase of the Northern Expedition, Zhang Qingyao again battled Zhang Zuolin, who was then in control of the National Pacification Army. After the Northern Expedition concluded, he allied with Yan Xishan's forces in Shanxi. So yeah it would seem he was not a man of principles nor loyalties of any kind. The Tientsin Special Service Agency initially aimed to approach Zhang Qingyao in hopes that he could orchestrate a coup d'état against Chiang Kai-Shek. They also hoped to persuade other figures such as Song Queyuan, Zhang Zuoxiang, Fang Chenwu, Xu Yusan, Zhang Tingshu, Sun Tienying, and Feng Zhanhai to join in. If successful, this could lead to a swift takeover of North China as they were advancing towards Peiping after taking the Great Wall. However, on May 7, Zhang Qingyao was assassinated, completely derailing their plans. With Zhang Qingyao dead, the agency concentrated their efforts instead to instigate riots in the Peiping-Tientsin region. They also began encouraging and propping up new political organizations that sought to form an independent northern regime. One scheme they were performing was to form a committee composed of Northern Warlords headed by Lu Zengyu, a banker who had studied in Japan. The idea was to form an anti-Chiang Kai-Shek coalition to carve out north china. The agency received a significant amount of funds to make ends meet. Itagaki alone would spend over 50,000 yen to try and bring about an anti-Chiang regime in the north. Some sources indicated over 3 billion yen being allocated to the IJA to be dished out to various Chinese warlords and elites in the form of bribes.  Meanwhile operations in the district east of the Luan River saw attacks formed against the Xumenzhai and Lengkou gateways. On April 1st, the Kwantung Army issued Order 491, seeing the Iwata detachment of the IJA 6th Division storm through the Xumenzhai gate and succeed in securing a supply route behind the great wall to help with the assaults against the other gateways in the region. By April 10th, the IJA 6th Division was making steady progress against the Lengkou gate. The next day they stormed through and captured Qienqangying, pursuing the retreating Chinese to the banks of the Luan River. Meanwhile the IJA 8th Division were facing a much more difficult situation. On the 12th, they captured Xifengkou, but their assault against Quehlingkou was going nowhere. After repeated assaults, the Chinese finally retreated, allowing the Japanese to focus on Taitouying. Thus from the 10th to the 23rd the gateways in northeastern Hubei were all falling into Japanese hands. The Kawahara Brigade was well on its way towards Nantienmen. The Operations within the Great Wall area had been fully authorized by Generals Nishi and Sakamoto. However there still existed limits upon the operations. For example, Operations order 495 issued by General Muto given on the 11th stated "Without specific orders, pursuit by the main force of ground troops is to be limited to the line connecting Hotung, Chiench'angying, and T'ait'ouying; but air units are to be limited to the Luan River."  Meanwhile the Special Service Agency in Tientsin had reported that Zhang Qingyao would stage a coup on the 21st and this prompted Song Queyuans troops to prevent the Central Army forces from fleeing towards Peiping. The Agency requested that the Kwantung Army not return to the Great Wall and instead perform a feint attack towards Peiping and Tientsin to scare the Chinese. As the plot was reaching its climax, on the 18th the Kwantung Army chief of staff, General Koiso Kuniaki issued a order for the 8th Division to strike in full force against the Gubeikou area. The Kwantung Army's plan was to bomb Miyun while launching their feint attack in combination with an all out effort to break Gubeikou. However on the night of the 18th, all of these plans changed dramatically. Suddenly General Muto issued Operations Order 498, hastily ordering all forces to withdraw to the Great Wall. Emperor Hirohito had decided to put his foot down. In Tokyo the emperor asked the vice chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-General Mazaki Jinzaburö, "Has the Kwantung Army withdrawn from the Luan River line?" The vice chief retired from the imperial presence with a sense of guilt and wrote a confidential letter to the commander of the Kwantung Army. It was personally carried by Infantry Captain Katö [Michio] of the General Staff, who on April 19 arrived at the capital [of Manchukuo] bearing an imperial rescript. The vice chief also cabled to the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army a highly confidential dispatch, the main point of which stated, "Withdraw your troops immediately, or an imperial command will be issued." Thereupon the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army directed staff officer Endò Saburò to draft the withdrawal order. Thus as a result, the Kwantung Army began a withdrawal on the 21st, the same day the Peiping coup was to be unleashed. Those around Emperor Hirohito at this time have gone on the record to state it seemed to them, the emperor had hesitated heavily on issuing the withdrawal order. His motivations for giving the order are simply, the Kwantung Army had gone against his decrees, it was an identical situation to what had happened at Mukden in 1931. The Kwantung Army had no choice but to submit to what essentially was him “asking them to stop”. With that, operations east of the Luan River were over, for now. The order was certainly a critical blow to the Agency in Tientsin. How did they react? They doubled down on the coup effort. Likewise Koiso did not stop the 8th Division operation at Gubeikou. Instead the 8th Division was given orders "to maintain a menacing attitude toward hostile forces in North China." In accordance, the 3800 man Kawahara Brigade on direct orders from General Nishi, launched an attack against two Central Army Divisions numbered nearly 30,000 men stationed at Nantienmen. After a brutal week of battle the Kawahara Brigade seized the town. Meanwhile a battalion of 280 men led by Colonel Shimmura Eijiro attacked a central army force around 4000 strong at Xinglong. They suffered a 38% rate of casualties by the night of the 27th. The Battalion was nearly annihilated when suddenly the Chinese withdrew enabling the Japanese to slip by. Meanwhile the Piping coup did not materialize as planned on the 21st. Instead a secondary coup was initiated by Zhang Zuoxiang on the 26, but this misfired greatly. Reports began to emerge that troops led by Zhang Tingxu, Sun Tienying, Feng Zhanhai and Xu Yusan were willing to rebel in response to the failed coup attempts, but this proved completely false. A report issued on the 30th stated troops under Fang Chenwu were rebelling against Chiang Kai-Shek. However in reality Fang Chenwu only advanced his force north on May 10th and it was to join the anti-Japanese forces.  From mid April to mid May, the United States, Britain, France and Germany finally entered the fray in North China. It was an extremely chaotic situation for everyone. The Japanese military in Tokyo had no control nor idea what the Kwantung Army was doing, so when they tried to explain their actions to the international community, they continuously were walking over rakes. All the talk from Tokyo seemed incomprehensible to the other great powers. The Chinese were clamouring the entire time for a ceasefire agreement, but lacked the means to force the Japanese to do so. Japan had left the League of Nations, thus was extremely isolated and insecure in regards to foreign relations. Thus if a nation like Britain or the US had actually put their foot down, the Japanese more than likely would have backed off. Another element to this debacle was the stance of the Imperial Japanese Navy, who had made it adamantly clear they had zero intention of fighting off the British or Americans because of their unruly siblings within the Army. However, both Britain and America were too preoccupied with internal strife, mostly the result of the Great Depression, to devote considerable effort to the crisis in China. The League of Nations remained completely useless during the North China incident, similarly to how they were useless with the Manchurian incident. The Lytton Commission had performed an on the spot inquiry, and it did play a role in establishing a ceasefire by the time of the Shanghai incident, but did nothing to really help China. China had begun appealing to the League when Shanhaiguan was attacked and this prompted the nations of the league to rapidly agree to the Lytton Commission report's recommendations. In turn this led Matsuoka Yosuke to walk out on the league. With Japan out of the League, Wellington Koo proposed harsh sanctions upon Japan in response to their invasion of Rehe province. Yet they did nothing. China would continuously make pleas, but it was to no avail.  Rather than rely upon the League, the Chinese began secret talks with Japanese officials aiming first for a ceasefire. Tang Erho, Lee Shuzheng and Wang Komin attempted talks, but failed. Then Chen Yi the political vice minister of military affairs, secretly spoke with Nemoto Hiroshi, an army attache at the Shanghai legation on April 27th. They established negotiations with Nemoto speaking on behalf of the Kwantung Army and Chen Yi on behalf of Ho Yingqin. The Chinese were clearly more eager than the Japanese for a ceasefire, but the Japanese no longer had a rationale to continue their operation. Regardless the Japanese took the victors stance and demanded the Chinese withdraw from the battlefield as a prerequisite to further Japanese advances. In the first meeting, Nemoto told Chen that the Kwantung Army had already withdrawn from the area east of the Luan River to give Ho Yingqin an opportunity to consider a ceasefire. He described the action as a friendly gesture and suggested the Chinese reciprocate it by withdrawing their troops. Chen countered this by claiming Ho Yingqin had shown his own sincerity at the battle of Nantienmen by ordering his troops to withdraw to a second line of defense, hoping this would allow the Japanese to pull away from Nantienmen. However by May 1st, the Japanese claimed they had captured and secured Nantienmen, so Nemoto informed Chen the Chinese forces north of the Great Wall should withdraw to a line connecting Miyun, Pinkou, Yutien and the Luan River. On May 2nd, the Chinese sent a reply to this, completely ignoring the line idea and instead referred to the recent battle at Xinglong and explained the local commander there was eager for a victory and refused to withdraw despite being asked twice to do so. The Chinese also notified Nemoto that a Political affairs council headed by Huang Fu was being established at Peiping, and it should be through that body that further negotiations were held. The Japanese welcomed this development. Just as it seemed the Shanghai talks were paving a way to a ceasefire, the leadership of the Kwantung Army abandoned their political maneuvers in favor of a settlement. On April 30th the Tientsin Special Service Agency insisted to their Japanese colleagues, the Chinese were just buying time and not sincere in their actions. That same day the Army General Staff and Foreign Ministry suddenly refused to initiate a ceasefire on the grounds the Chinese had agreed to an armistice only to save face. Lt Colonel Nagatsu Sahishige, the army attache at Peiping urged the 8th Division to rapidly strike southwards as far as Miyun to annihilate He Yingqin's planned counteroffensive. Such an action would immediately threaten the Peiping-Tientsin region. To push the envelope, the Japanese could toss a new Division into the mix and force further negotiations when the Chinese withdrew south of Miyun. Clearly the Japanese had their eyes set on Miyun now. As such General Nishi was secretly told to capture it without any direction from Tokyo HQ, nor from most of the Kwantung Army leadership. The Operations department of the Kwantung Army also independently elected to move troops east of the Luan River again. They argued "the enemy again advances east of the Luan River and persists in its defiant attitude. Therefore we must again deal them a crushing blow." The IJA 6th Division had been evacuated to the Great Wall back on April 23rd and along the way were closely pursued by Chinese forces. General Sakamoto sent a plan to the Kwantung Army headquarters "to again drive the enemy west of the Luan River,". A lot of chaos was reigning within the Japanese military because they were in echo chambers and not relaying information to another. When the Kwantung Army Operations department suddenly proposed a new advance east of the Luan River, on May 2nd a heated exchange took place between them and the Kwantung Army Intelligence Section: “INTELLIGENCE SECTION: The defiant attitude of the enemy is a matter of degree. While it is indisputable that some of their forces continue defiant, their main force is still stationed west of the Luan River. Therefore, a defiant attitude on the part of the enemy is not sufficient reason to deal them a crushing blow. The Kwantung Army withdrew from the Luan River line only ten days ago. As we understand it, the purpose was to comply with the imperial wish. If the army begins operations on a flimsy pretext at this time, inviting intervention by the central leadership, how can the honor of the commander in chief be maintained? What we should now attack are rather the enemy forces facing the 8th Division. For this, we should employ additional strength. By dealing a severe blow to the Chinese Central Army forces in this area, we can threaten Peiping and the operation should be all the more effective.  OPERATIONS SECTION: Due to the limitations of our supply capacity, we cannot use more than a certain level of forces against the enemy facing the 8th Division. Since the enemy east of the Luan River maintains a defiant attitude, they must be punished regardless of their strength.  INTELLIGENCE SECTION: Since the seizure of Nant'ienmen the 8th Division lacks the capability of pursuing the enemy. This is an unavoidable consequence of the small strength of its force from the outset of the operation. Isn't the First [Operations] Section uncertain that the enemy can be defeated even by the main force of the 8th Division, and doesn't it intend ultimately to deploy the 6th Division southward in concert with action by the 8th Division? If this is the case, it is understandable, and this section is not necessarily against it.   OPERATIONS SECTION: That is not what this section is considering.  INTELLIGENCE SECTION: In that case, there is no clear justification for launching the operation. The objective of the operation must be plainly spelled out to all concerned, from His Majesty at the top down to the lowest private. There must not be the slightest doubt about it.” After this conversation the Intelligence department debated amongst themselves before relaying another response at midnight, ultimately not approving it. The next day the Operations department sent a telegram to the negotiations team in Peiping: “1) Under present conditions, the Kwantung Army has no intention of accepting a cease-fire proposal for the time being, particularly because there are signs suggesting intervention by third countries in the matter.  2) Previously the Kwantung Army suggested the Miyun-Yiit'ienLuan River line as the retreat line for the Chinese army; but this did not mean it was to be their front line after a cease-fire. It rather indicated a line to which the Chinese army should immediately and voluntarily retreat as evidence of their sincerity. In other words, a cease-fire cannot be negotiated until they retreat to this line and abandon their provocative attitude, and until this is confirmed by the Kwantung Army. Their mere retreat to the indicated line, in today's circumstances, is not sufficient reason for us to respond to the cease-fire proposal. According to Peking telegram 483 [not identified], it appears that the intentions of our army have been somewhat misunderstood. Even if the Chinese retreat to the indicated line and display the sincerity of their intentions, we may possibly demand a retreat line farther south. We believe negotiations in this region should be handled by the central leadership in Tokyo rather than by the Kwantung Army. Act on this understanding.”   So after this message, the Intelligence department accused the Operations department of trying to find any excuse to renew the advance and sent a wire to Nemoto on April 29th "If the Chinese suddenly perceive their mistake, . . . we will not make war for the fun of it." However the Intelligence department was suddenly overruled by Colonel Kita who cabled the negotiators that the Operations department now had full approval from Kwantung Army vice chief of staff Okamura Yasuji. When General Muto received this notice he questioned "This draft order, states that the enemy has moved into the region east of the Luan River and is showing a provocative attitude. I did not receive such a report from the Second [Intelligence] Section before my departure from Hsinching. Does this mean there has been a subsequent change in the situation?" After being informed more so, Muto simply stated he wished to wait until the chief of staff could speak to him. Obviously Muto was getting wet feet and did not want to perform any actions not in accordance with Tokyo HQ, as Emperor Hirohito had put his foot down.  On May 3rd, General Koiso and Operations Department staff officer Endo Saburo spoke with Muto, indicating they had approval of Tokyo HQ general staff and even the Emperor. So Muto relented for a second advance and issued Order 503 on May 3rd to the IJA 6th and 8th Divisions. Now the Army General Staff were dragged into the Kwantung Army's debacle fully. So they drew up an emergency draft plan for measures in North China. To this aim:  “Through continuing pressure by the military might of the Kwantung Army, applied in concert with various political measures in North China, the Chinese forces in North China are to be compelled to make a substantia] surrender or to dissolve, thereby resulting in the withdrawal of the Chinese army along the China-Manchukuo border and in the establishment of peace in this area”.  Added to this the General Staff suggested a large counteroffensive be driven along the Great Wall and a formal truce agreement should be concluded once three conditions had been met: “(a) that Chinese forces had retreated voluntarily south and west of a line connecting Hsuanhua, Shunyi, Sanho, Yüt'ien, Luanchou, and Lot'ing; (b) that anti-Japanese activities had been controlled; and (c) that the preceding had been verified by the Japanese army”. Under immense pressure from the renewed Japanese advance, the Chinese government on May 3rd, had pushed for a new body to tackle the North China situation. That was the Peiping Political Affairs Council. It was composed of 22 members, headed by Huang Fu. Huang Fu was notably a pro-Japanese official, having been a graduate of the Tokyo Land Survey department training institute and had served early as a minister of foreign affairs. Since China had zero faith anymore in the League of Nations and believed if they failed to resolve the North China issue, this all might see a new civil war break out between Chiang Kai-Shek and Wang Jingwei. Thus everyone felt the time for active resistance was over and they must place all their effort into negotiations. Chiang Kai-Shek placed a great amount of authority upon Huang Fu and trusted the man. Huang Fu began his new task by speaking with all the political and financial leaders from both sides of the conflict to see how a real ceasefire could be met through dealmaking.  Meanwhile on May 6th the IJA 6th Division unleashed a new offensive south of the Great Wall and were followed by the 8th Division on the 11th. General Muto at this time made public statements blaming the Chinese for the renewed hostilities, making it seem the Japanese had intended to stay within the Great Wall area. The 6th Division swept across the sector east of the Luan River and by the 11th the Chinese defensive line collapsed. On the 12th the 6th Division crossed the Luan River, pursuing Yu Xuechengs 51st Army. In turn this threatened He Yingqin's main force who were facing the 8th Division. In the previous battles, Yu Xuechengs men had performed quite poorly and now even under direct command of He Yingqin were proving themselves helpless against the 6th division. Additionally Itagaki's agency over in Tientsin were using radio facilities to dispatch false directives from Chinese high command, ordering the forces to retreat from the front battle line. Two to three Chinese divisions were neutralized by these fake radio messages and in turn the Chinese became very demoralized at their lines. The 8th division had driven into the Gubeikou area on the 11th and it took them only a day to dislodge the Chinese from their line near Xuxiachen. By the 13th Xuxiachen had fallen completely. On the 11th and 12th, Japanese aircraft began flying over Peiping, as a demonstration of the terror they could deliver to the city at any moment. These developments altogether were pushing the Chinese civilians to demand of their politicians and generals that they appease the Japanese. Huang Fu proposed to Nemoto on the 12th that all Chinese troops could be withdrawn from Miyun to a line extending from Shunyi to Yutien and Tangshan. This was an enormous concession and nearly mirrored the line the Japanese had demanded.  The Japanese however, rejected the concession. To make matters worse for the Chinese, He Yingqin had been notified of the large concession proposal in advance and expected the Japanese to take it. Thus he had refrained from operating in strength at Miyun and did not significantly defend the path towards Peiping. It was the belief of the Japanese commanders, if they performed a full-scale attack towards Peiping now, He Yingqin would have no choice but to withdraw towards Shunyi. With this in mind the Japanese made a proposal on the 14th:  “1) According to the reports of the Peiping military attaché, the 8th Division should be prepared to advance in a single sweep to the southern limit of Miyun, if it is deemed necessary. Preparations for this attack should be expedited.  2) In conjunction with the above, front-line aircraft should take actions implying that a major Japanese offensive is about to begin.  3) In Tokyo, it should be announced publicly, in liaison with the Foreign Ministry, that the security of Jehol province cannot be guaranteed as long as the Chinese army remains in Miyun. Furthermore, every so often Japanese aircraft should make demonstration flights over the Shunyi-T'ungchou area.” Confronted with this, the Chinese were pretty screwed. The Chinese negotiations team were frantically searching for any way to force a ceasefire. Then the secretary of the Shanghai legation, Suma Yakichiro showed up to Peiping, which the Chinese viewed as a golden opportunity. The Chinese complained to him that the Kwantung Army had resumed their offensive and that a political agency in Tientsin were trying to enact coups. Suma bluntly told them the Japanese actions were backed fully by Tokyo and despite the Chinese belief that this was false or that Japan was facing a major financial deficit, this was all untrue.  While the dialogue continued to go nowhere, the 6th division had pursued the Chinese forces to the vicinity of Fengjun. Muto believed this had gone to far so he issued orders on May 13th limiting operations to the area north of a line connecting Miyun, Pingkou, Fegjun and Yungping. Now the 6th and 8th divisions were to assemble around Xuxiachen and Zunhua. Two days later he issued this statement to the public "If the Chinese army immediately abandons its hitherto provocative attitude and withdraws some distance from the border, our army will quickly return to the line of the Great Wall and pursue its regular task of maintaining security in Manchukuo." Likewise Muto ordered the Tientsin group to inform the Chinese that the Kwantung Army would return to the Great Wall if the Chinese forces retreated to the Shunyi-Yutien-Tangshan line. Nemoto forwarded all of this to Chen Yi. On May 15th He Yingqin ordered the withdrawal of the Chinese forces to a line between Malanyu, Linnantsang and Pamencheng.  With what seemed a imminent ceasefire at hand, the Kwantung Army HQ ordered the 6th and 8th divisions to take up positions strategically favorable for the negotiations to finally begin in ernest. On the 17th a draft ceasefire plan was drawn up. It envisioned the withdrawal of the Chinese forces to the Shunyi-Yutien-Tangshan line and in return the Japanese would pull back to the Great Wall area. Huang Fu was on his way back to Peiping from Shanghai for probably the 10th time in two weeks, when the Japanese captured Fengjun and Zhunhua, routing the Chinese across the Qi Canal to the right bank of the Pai River. The 6th Division then advanced towards Yutien and Xumenchen as the 8th division stood around Xuxiachn. When the Chinese began retreating from Miyun on May 18th, the 8th division suddenly converged upon Miyun. Muto was of course delighted by their new advantageous position and even briefly began talking to his colleagues about the prospect of just marching upon Peiping. Instead he decided to sweep through Miyun, Pingku and the Qi Canal, going even further west than he had stated he would back on the 13th.  With these new orders in hand, the 6th Division quickly captured Qixien on the 19th and further pursued retreating Chinese forces to Sanho. The 8th Division entered Miyun and two days later began advancing to Huaijou. By the 23rd Huaijou had fallen as the 6th Division reached the Qi Canal. These advances threatened the Peiping-Tientsin region. Both Japanese divisions halted on the 25th as the ceasefire was issued. With that last strike Muto felt he had significantly increased their poker hand going forward. Meanwhile Itagaki's team at Tientsin were still trying to bring about a coup. In tandem with the 8th Divisions attack on Miyun, the agency tried to engineer a revolt by the militia troops led by Song Queyuan, Fang Chenwu, Sun Tienying, amongst others. The idea was for these forces to occupy Peiping while wrecking havoc upon the Chinese central army within th region. The agency had attempting recruiting Wu Peifu, but the old jade marshal was unwilling, so they turned to this former protege, the chairman of Hubei, Yu Xuecheng. However he also declined. Yu Xuecheng was also approached by Hu Hanmin, looking to form an anti-Chiang Kai-Shek campaign in cooperation with Han Fuqu and Feng Yuxiang. To this Yu Xuecheng declined as well. Itagaki kept searching for disgruntled warlords, and then turned to Li Qiashan and Xu Yusan. Xu Yusan was a former ally to Feng Yuxiang with a history of anti-Chiang Kai-Shek actions. If they got the backing of his personal army, roughly 10,000 men strong at Tangshan they could do some real damage. On May 16th Xu Yusan declared independence and took up the Manchukuo 5 color flag in direct opposition to the Kuomintang. He began issuing the slogan “Hubi for the people of Hubei” as his army marched west along the Peiping-Shanhaiguan railway. His force reached the vicinity of Tangu whereupon they had increased to 30,000 and rumors emerged they would occupy Tientsin. This began a mass panic. . . for literally a day. His army collapsed into nothing more than a rabble as now had the stomach to actually fight their fellow countrymen.  Despite this grand failure, the Tientsin group continued with other plots. At 8 pm on May 19th, a Peiping bound train from Tangu, carrying Chinese soldiers was bombed around Tientsin station. The Japanese love bombing trains as we all know. This resulted in small incidents involving Japanese and Chinese officials, giving precedent for 600 Japanese troops led by Lt General Nakamura Kotaro to reinforce Tientsin on May 23rd. There were a few other incidents were supposedly Chinese agents were tossing grenades at Japanese officials. One of these officials was Major Mori Takeshi of the Japanese Army General Staff who was working in Tientsin. However the grenade thrown at him was a dud, and before the Japanese could seize it, some local Chinese grabbed it, finding a stamp on it bearing “Tokyo Artillery Arsenal”, oops.  These numerous incidents influenced the Chinese who feared Japan was trying to force an invasion into North China. To these rumors, He Yingqin insisted they mount a proper defense of Peiping, but many were arguing they had to further retreat. Meanwhile the Tientsin agency was told to stop performing incidents and instead secure northern warlords to their future cause. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The battle for the Great Wall of China was coming to a bitter end for the Chinese forces. The Japanese were using every deceptive measure to edge further and further into China proper. It seemed clear to the Chinese, nothing would stop Japanese encroachment upon their nation, while the rest of the world simply watched on doing nothing. 

It's another week of domestic rugby – oh yes it is, and yes, we talk about it! But stick around, because we wrap things up with a massive golf catch-up, diving into Rory's epic win at the Masters. Other random topics include, STD's the Great Wall of China, and Ancient Macedonian battles Grab a beer and enjoy!

In this episode of CD Voice, we take a deep dive into the viral journey of American YouTuber IShowSpeed through China, exploring how nearly six hours of daily livestreaming offered millions of viewers an unfiltered, real-time look at Chinese cities, culture, and technology.From backflips on the Great Wall to smooth 2K streaming on a 350km/h high-speed train, his casual interactions vividly present a fresh, modern image of China that often subverts long-held stereotypes.Besides, in this episode we also unpack how this grassroots form of digital diplomacy may be reshaping cross-cultural perception far beyond what traditional media and state narratives can achieve. It's a compelling case of how raw, personal storytelling can foster empathy, curiosity, and a deeper global understanding.Enjoy the episode, and look at China from a different perspective!

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Reconnecting Hearts: A Qingming Family Reunion at the Great Wall Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-04-16-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 春天的阳光温柔地洒在万里长城上，绿树掩映，生机盎然。En: The gentle spring sunshine spilled over the Great Wall, with green trees intertwined, exuding vitality.Zh: 在这个特殊的季节，梅、金和奶奶莲来到了长城边，准备迎接清明节的到来。En: In this special season, Mei, Jin, and their grandmother Lian came to the edge of the Great Wall, preparing to welcome the arrival of Qingming Festival.Zh: 对梅来说，这场家族聚会是一次特殊的旅行，她已经很久没有见到家人了。En: For Mei, this family gathering was a unique trip, as she hadn't seen her family for a long time.Zh: 梅是一位聪慧而敏思的年轻女子，多年来她一直在国外生活和学习。En: Mei is a wise and keen young woman who has been living and studying abroad for many years.Zh: 这次回来，她希望能重新连接家人，并找到属于自己的根。En: On this return, she hopes to reconnect with her family and find her roots.Zh: 然而，当她到了长城，看到自己的哥哥金，并未感到熟悉的温暖。En: However, when she arrived at the Great Wall and saw her brother Jin, she did not feel the familiar warmth.Zh: 金是家里的长子，肩负着帮助家族生意的责任。En: Jin is the eldest son in the family, bearing the responsibility of helping with the family business.Zh: 多年的压力让他显得成熟却有些疏远。En: The pressure over the years has made him mature yet somewhat distant.Zh: 梅虽然心中挂念，却不知如何表达。En: While Mei misses him dearly, she doesn't know how to express it.Zh: 祖母莲则是家中的精神支柱，了解传统，深谙家族之重。En: Their grandmother Lian is the spiritual pillar of the family, understanding tradition and the importance of family.Zh: 三人站在长城之上，远望山河。En: The three stood atop the Great Wall, gazing into the mountains and rivers.Zh: 风轻轻吹过，带来了几缕青草的香。En: The wind blew gently, bringing a hint of fresh grass scent.Zh: 梅深吸了一口气，心中满是思绪。En: Mei took a deep breath, her mind filled with thoughts.Zh: 她想通过参与今年的清明节传统来找到与家人的连接。En: She wanted to connect with her family by participating in this year's Qingming Festival traditions.Zh: 于是，她决定加入扫墓活动，一同为祖先献上鲜花和食品。En: So, she decided to join the tomb-sweeping activity, offering flowers and food to the ancestors.Zh: 当他们走到祖先的墓前，莲轻声地念着祈祷，双手合十，神情庄重。En: When they arrived at the ancestors' tomb, Lian softly recited prayers, her hands clasped, showing a solemn expression.Zh: 梅也随着奶奶的动作，谨慎地放下自己的献品。En: Mei followed her grandmother's actions, carefully placing her offerings.Zh: 望着墓碑，她感受到一种陌生却温暖的氛围。En: Looking at the tombstone, she felt a strange yet warm atmosphere.Zh: 那是她多年未曾感受到的家族的根。En: It was the family roots she hadn't felt in years.Zh: 扫墓完毕，梅鼓起勇气，决定与金摊开谈心。En: After the tomb-sweeping was finished, Mei summoned the courage to open her heart to Jin.Zh: 在长城的一个角落，梅向金倾诉了自己多年的不适和困惑。En: In a corner of the Great Wall, Mei shared her years of discomfort and confusion with Jin.Zh: 金开始时有些意外，但他看到妹妹的决心，也渐渐放下心防。En: At first, he was a bit surprised, but seeing his sister's determination, he gradually let down his guard.Zh: “我一直以为，你不会再关心家里的事情了。”金终于开口。En: “I always thought you wouldn't care about the family matters anymore,” Jin finally said.Zh: 梅点点头，语气坚决，“我想知道我的根，也许可以帮上一些忙。”En: Mei nodded, her tone resolute, “I want to know my roots, and maybe I can help a bit.”Zh: 聊了很久，他们各自诉说自己的心声。En: They talked for a long time, each expressing their feelings.Zh: 最终，梅和金达成了共识。En: Eventually, Mei and Jin reached an understanding.Zh: 梅意识到，她对家族的了解不仅是为了自我认同，也为了传承和继续。En: Mei realized that her understanding of the family was not only for self-identity but also for inheritance and continuation.Zh: 而金则明白，开放的心态可能为家族带来新气象。En: And Jin understood that an open mindset could bring new dynamics to the family.Zh: 夕阳慢慢沉下，长城笼罩在金色的余晖中。En: As the sun slowly set, the Great Wall was enveloped in a golden afterglow.Zh: 梅和金并肩走着，心中充满了新的希望。En: Mei and Jin walked side by side, hearts full of new hope.Zh: 对梅来说，这次回归不仅是为了家庭，更是找到了属于自己的一片天地。En: For Mei, this return was not just about family; she found a place for herself.Zh: 而对于金，未来家族的路，也许会因为妹妹的参与而更加丰富绚丽。En: And for Jin, the future of the family might become richer and more vibrant with his sister's involvement.Zh: 在这个清明节，他们不仅扫除了祖先的墓碑，也扫除了心中的隔阂。En: During this Qingming Festival, they not only swept their ancestors' tombstones but also cleared the barriers in their hearts.Zh: 梅和金都感到，与其说这是一次简单的团聚，不如说是心灵的和解。En: Both Mei and Jin felt that this was more than a simple reunion; it was a reconciliation of the heart.Zh: （完）En: (The End) Vocabulary Words:intertwined: 掩映exuding: 盎然keen: 敏思reconnect: 重新连接roots: 根pressure: 压力mature: 成熟distant: 疏远pillar: 支柱tradition: 传统gazing: 远望tomb: 墓solemn: 庄重offerings: 献品tombstone: 墓碑strange: 陌生summoned: 鼓起discomfort: 不适confusion: 困惑determination: 决心inheritance: 传承continuation: 继续afterglow: 余晖reconciliation: 和解barriers: 隔阂spiritual: 精神hint: 缕festivities: 活动mindset: 心态dynamic: 气象

What do the Statue of Liberty, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, and the Eiffel Tower have in common? They've all become part of the global tourist trap circuit—places that promise unforgettable experiences but often deliver crowds, inflated prices, and a distinctly inauthentic atmosphere.I've traveled to numerous destinations on those viral "must-see before you die" lists, and while these iconic landmarks certainly have their merits, the experience of visiting them doesn't always match our expectations. The good news? There are practical strategies to transform even the most clichéd tourist destinations into meaningful, authentic adventures.Timing makes all the difference. Visiting Italy in November rather than July means fewer crowds, lower prices, and more available accommodations. Yes, you'll need an extra layer or two, but you'll gain a more intimate experience with the destination. Similarly, seeking out alternative experiences—like Iceland's lesser-known Glacier Lagoon instead of the crowded Blue Lagoon—provides comparable beauty without the overwhelming tourist presence.For truly immersive experiences, consider staying with locals outside tourist districts. When visiting Machu Picchu, some travelers spend days living with families in rural areas outside Cusco, gaining invaluable cultural insights before seeing the famous ruins. Even in major cities like Paris, exploring lesser-known arrondissements beyond the central tourist areas reveals authentic slices of local life most visitors never experience.The value of travel isn't about checking items off standardized bucket lists but creating meaningful connections with the places we visit. Whether you're an introvert seeking quiet experiences or simply tired of fighting crowds for the perfect photo, these strategies will help you discover the authentic heart of your destination. What's on your travel list? And more importantly—how will you experience it differently?Join our Facebook community "Solo Travel for Women Over 50" to share your own strategies for authentic travel experiences and connect with fellow adventure seekers who understand the balance between seeing iconic landmarks and discovering hidden gems.Instagram @solotraveladventures50Facebook community: Solo Travel for Women Over 50 https://www.facebook.com/groups/860865768609200Send me a message or share your solo travel story with me.https://www.speakpipe.com/SoloTravelAdventuresLeave a review:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-travel-adventures-safe-travel-for-women-preparing-for-a-trip-overcoming-fear-travel-tips/id1650161410

Last time we spoke about Manchukuo. In the early 1930s, Ishiwara Kanji sought to dominate Manchuria to secure resources and counter American influence. He envisioned Manchukuo as a Pan-Asian league promoting racial cooperation, despite it being a puppet state under Japan. With Puyi as a figurehead, Ishiwara aimed for autonomy, but his plans faced resistance from the Kwantung Army, which prioritized control. As conflicts arose, Ishiwara's vision of unity clashed with military interests, leading to his eventual isolation and reassignment, marking a tumultuous chapter in Manchukuo's history. In November 1931, Doihara orchestrated the "Tianjin Incident," facilitating the removal of Puyi from his home to establish the puppet state of "Manchukuo." By March 1932, Puyi was declared its ruler, but his authority was merely symbolic, overshadowed by Japanese control. Despite international condemnation, Japan solidified its grip on Manchuria, exploiting its resources and suppressing local resistance. By the late 1930s, Manchukuo became a colonial entity, suffering under harsh economic policies while Puyi's regime served as a facade for Japanese imperial ambitions.   #146 Operation Nekka: the Invasion of Rehe Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. From the very beginning of their consolidation of Manchukuo, the Kwantung Army regarded the province of Rehe, today's Jehol province, to be an integral part of it. According to some of the Kwantung Army leadership, all of Rehe would be necessary to consummate Manchukuo. In April of 1932, the IJA 8th Division based at Hirosaki in Aomori prefecture was transferred to Manchukuo under secret orders to prepare for an invasion of Rehe. Now Rehe province covers 160,00 square kilometers and back then held some 2.3 million people. Since 1926 it was ruled by General Tang Yulin. His direct command was over the NRA 36th division, consisting of 13,000 regular troops with a provincial militia of 8500 men. As was the Warlord practice of the time, Tang Yulin exploited his population. Now until July of 1932, Tang Yulin's attitude towards the emerging state of Manchukuo directly to his east was certainly favorable. That is because Tang Yulin favored the Japanese. During the debacle that was the invasion of Manchuria, Tang Yulin had done everything possible to prevent Zhang Xueliang from moving into Rehe whenever he was trying to consolidate forces there. Now Tang Yulin had no greater aspirations, its not like he loved Japan, or believed the Japanese were better leaders for his nation. What he was motivated by was a very practical concern, economics, more precisely the opium trade. Rehe number one source of income was opium, and they number one purchaser of it, was Manchuria. Thus as one can imagine, when Manchukuo was being formed, and the opium door closed on him, well he took heavy financial losses.  On July 17th of 1932, an incident broke out between the towns of Chaoyangxu and Nanling. A Japanese civilian employed by the Kwantung Army, Ishimoto Gonshiro was abducted by a Rehe militia group while taking the train from Jinzhou to Chaoyang. General Nishi Yoshikazu, the commander of the IJA 8th Division stationed at Jizhou, dispatched a small unit to rescue Ishimoto. In doing so they occupied Chaoyangxi, where they also protested the Rehe provincial government. This did not see Ishimoto handed over to them, so General Nishi bombarded Chaoyangxu and then had his forces advance upon Nanling. Even doing so, no Ishimoto to be found. So Nishi withdrew back to Jinzhou. The following year during what would become the invasion of Rehe, Ishimoto's body would be found at Chaoyangxu. Zhang Xueliang utilized this small incident to advance into Rehe. Claiming he was acting upon orders from Nanjing, he moved his Northeastern Army to the border of Rehe, due south of the Great Wall. Zhang Xueliang then threatened Tang Yulin and bribed his subordinates to defect over to him. Consequently, by late July, Tang Yulin tossed the towel and for the first time sanctioned passage of a volunteer army through Rehe. Come August Zhang Xueliang organized a volunteer force 40,000 strong, obviously all from his Northeastern army to advance from Gubeikou into Rehe, where he sought to confront the Kwantung Army if they advanced. Zhang Xueliang was heavily in contact with Chiang Kai-Shek during this period. Zhang Xueliang was making multiple proclamations about retaking Manchuria, and Chiang Kai-Shek was supporting him in that endeavor as best as he could. Meanwhile Tang Yulin was sort of stuck in the middle.  Between October 1932 to January 1933, Shanhaiguan, the strategic gateway and midpoint between Mukden and Beijing became the focal area of 3 major skirmishes.  The Boxer Protocol of 1901 dictated that some of the 8 nation alliance members, notably, France, Italy and Japan were allowed to maintain small contingents at Shanhaiguan. In 1932, the Japanese garrison there was 261, France had 61 men and Italy 69. After the establishment of Manchukuo, Japan had increased its garrison to have some more border guards in the town of Shanhaiguan itself. Of course the Chinese also had local troops, that was the 9th Independent Brigade commanded by Ho Chukuo, a force roughly of 9000 men. The first skirmish at Shanhaiguan broke out on October 1st, between Ho Chukuo's men and an armored train of troops from the IJA 8th Division. Another exact same event occurred on December 8th, both occasions were settled locally and peacefully with the Chinese offering an apology and indemnity payment. Then a third clash broke out on January 1st, but this one got out of hand.  The mastermind behind the third incident was Major Ochiai Jinkuro, the leader of the Japanese garrison at Shanhaiguan. Upon his orders, at 9pm, 3 Japanese soldiers tossed two hand grenades each into the backyard of the Japanese military police detachment and the railway track running in front of the Japanese garrison. This was of course immediately blamed upon the Chinese and at 11:30 pm Ochiai presented the local Chinese with 2 demands. The first was to evacuate the Chinese force and the second to allow the Japanese to occupy their south gate at Shanhaiguan for the time being. Now the Japanese had legitimate pretext for these demands based off the Boxer Protocol. It allowed them the right to ensure the security of the railway and telegraph lines and to defend their citizens and property within two miles of the railway zone. Since Ho Chukuo's troops allegedly disturbed the peace in said zone, the Japanese were in their right to ask them to depart.  According to Japanese sources, the Chinese refused at first then consented at 4:50 am on January 2nd. This effectively saw them surrender the south gate. However at 9:30 am the chief of staff for the Chinese Brigade requested that the takeover of said gate be postponed until the scheduled arrival of Ho Chukuo, coming over from Beiping. Ochiai turned down this request, whereupon the Chinese agreed that the south gate would be included within the area overseen by the Japanese. Yet at 10:50 am Japanese troops went to take over guarding the south gate whence Chinese guards tossed grenades at them. Yes, it is most certainly the Japanese who tossed those grenades. The Chinese account of this event is somewhat different. It asserts the Japanese attacked the gate while the issue of surrender was still being negotiated. By January 11th, China sent a formal appeal to Britain, France, the US and other signatories of the Boxer Protocol charging the Japanese for perverting the treaty to seize the south gate of Shanhaiguan. Meanwhile General Ho Chukuo called Ochiai from Qinhuangdao to tell him he would arrive by 8am on January 3rd to negotiate. But by 10am he failed to show up, as the Chinese and Japanese fired upon another. Ochiai thereupon resolved to take the south gate by force. By that point the IJA 8th Division had strengthened its position in front of Shanhaiguan. Two companies had become 10 and one air force company was made ready to strike. Additionally the commander of the 2nd China Fleet, Tsuda Shizue dispatched Hirado and the 16th Destroyer Squadron to Shanhaiguan and Qinhuangdao “to defend Japanese residents and assist the troops in case of hostilities”. At dawn on January 3rd, the Japanese launched a combined land, sea and air assault and by 2pm had taken Shanhaiguan. Ho Chukuo's forces were pushed to the Shih River where they were reinforced during the night and hastily constructed fortifications against the incoming Japanese. Henceforth a propaganda war emerged over Rehe. Japan charged that Zhang Xueliang was mobilizing large forces to advance into Rehe, while China claimed the same of the Japanese. The Chinese protested the Japanese seizure of Shanhaiguan, but none of the western powers would intervene. However the League of Nations constant condemnation of Japan ever since the Mukden incident provoked the Japanese on march 27th to simply walk out on the league. The ordeal also prompted Prince Saioji Kimmochi to dispatch Major General Umezu Yoshijiro, the chief of General affairs of the army general staff and Consul Tanaka Sotaro of the foreign ministry to go over and restrain the unruly troops at various positions in the Beiping-Tientsin region. Saionji's main concern was elevated by Army Minister Araki Sadao, who on March 6th stated to Harada Kumao “that if Japan were to land about 3 divisions at Qingdao and they strike into the Peiping-Tientsin region via Tsinan, Zhang Xueliang will probably flee even before they reach Tsinan. If we do anything at all, I'd like to act boldly and go that far”. Despite claims by various sources, mostly Chinese, the Shanhaiguan incident as it became known was not actually preplanned by the Kwantung Army, it really was an arbitrary act on the part of the garrison commander. How everything went down at Shanhaiguan provided vital intel on the Northeastern Army, and what to expect in Rehe. In December of 1932, the IJA 6th Division was dispatched to Manchuria and assigned security detail in southern Jilin province. They were given further secret orders to participate in what was going to be an operation in Rehe once they arrived to Manchuria. When the Shanhaiguan incident broke out, the Rehe operation was expedited rapidly. Therefore the IJA 6th and 8th Divisions west of the Liao River were immediately tossed into the operation. Given the foreign and domestic conditions, the Rehe operation was extremely dangerous. Tokyo HQ yet again sought to reign in the men, so they sent General Umezu to Manchuria to talk to the Kwantung leadership. The Kwantung leadership was adamant the operation be unleashed before the spring that, provided the operation did not extend beyond the Great Wall. To this Tokyo HQ yet again relented.  On January 27th of 1933, General Muto Nobuyoshi, then commander of the Kwantung Army, issued the following general order for the Rehe operation designated, Operation Nekka “The situation in Jehol has become increasingly serious day by day and has now developed into a state of affairs necessitating intervention. To strengthen the foundations of Manchukuo, the time is close at hand, as far as military operations by the Kwantung Army are concerned, to put the finishing touch on our sublime task. First, the affairs of Jehol province are unquestionably an internal problem of Manchukuo. They neither embrace nor are accompanied by any international implications. Because subjugation of the province is designed to strike a fatal blow to anti-Manchukuo, anti-Japan elements, these elements purposely confuse the distinction between Jehol and North China. They move troops into the province and, glossing over these matters, raise a loud outcry, propagandizing that Japan harbors designs of territorial aggression. In this manner they have endeavored to draw the restraining attention of the world, and every move of the Kwantung Army in Jehol—even the slightest raising of a hand or the stretching of a leg—is now the object of worldwide surveillance” At this stage the Kwantung Army treated the Rehe Operation as an internal matter of Manchukuo and did not openly talk about extending it beyond the Great Wall into Hubei. But their gunna. On January 26th, General Muto issued Order 466, kinda funny how its almost order 66, but I digress. This order directed the IJA 6th and 8th Divisions to prepare to invade Rehe. On February 9th, Muto drafted the “Rehe Subjugation Plan” to some staff officers. It stated “without specific orders, operations are not to be carid out in Hubei”. It also stipulated they should “foster and promote a climate leading to the downfall of Zhang Xueliang in North China, which is the strategic base for the disturbance of Manchukuo”. On February 27th, Muto issued Order 473 which repeated to the men again not to move into Hubei. On the 29th, Muto issued another  order “The subjugation of Jehol is purely and simply an internal problem of Manchukuo. In the light of our national policy, it must not develop into a provocation for war with China. This is why Kwantung Army Operations Order 473 stipulated that, unless specific orders are issued, operations are not to be conducted beyond the Great Wall in Hopei province. I fully expect you to issue strict orders to the various units under your command that, although our forces may act freely in Jehol, which is a part of Manchukuo, they are not, without an imperial command, allowed to take any action in Hopei province, which is separated from Jehol by the Great Wall. They should be admonished that, even in the light of local circumstances, they must never be blinded by tactical considerations and miss the main point of our national policy. (In particular, the garrison at Shanhaikuan should be doubly careful and not act beyond its authorized limits.) I have learned that His Imperial Majesty, the supreme commander, is gravely concerned about the foregoing and again issue these instructions in awe of His Majesty's concern”. Thus one can read between the lines here. Emperor Hirohito put his foot down and demanded no forces go past the great wall and to this the Kwantung Army obeyed. For Operation Nekka, the IJA 6th and 8th Division would have their own theaters of operation along a line running from Paotzu, the eastern most town in Rehe to Chaoyang. The northern zone was the IJA 6th divisions theater, the southern one was the 8th's. Geneal Sakamoto Masemon led the 6th Division and ordered his forces on February 23rd to advance north along the rail line between Tahushan and Tungliao, then on towards Tienshan, Xiawa and Chaoyang. Afterwards they would carry out operations in the Chifeng-Linxu-Tolun region.  General Nishi ordered his 8th Division, excluding one unit to advance along the border around Peipiao, towards Suichung on the 27th, then into the Lingyuan region. The other unit would secure as fast as possible the important gateways along the Great Wall of China: Qilingkou, Lenkou, Xufengkou, Lowenyukou and Manlankuan to protect their divisions flank. Afterwards they would seie Chengde and Gubeikou. However he also gave explicit orders "Without specific orders, operations must not be extended beyond the Great Wall into Hopei province,". So yeah, while they had direct orders to not advance beyond the Great Wall. . . they were going to basically capture all of the key passes of the Great Wall. Kind of playing with fire.  On the other side, on January 23rd, Zhang Xueliang was meeting with Chiang Kai-Shek and our old friend Duan Qirui to discuss how to prepare for what seemed to be an impending invasion of Rehe. Chiang Kai-Shek politely said to Duan Qirui "I sincerely hope that you will come south and give me your guidance at this time of national crisis,". The real reason he sent this request was because he did not want the Japanese to enlist their former lacky against him. At the meeting, according to a Japanese intelligence report, Zhang Xueliang insisted that Chiang Kai-Shek personally come north and assume direct command of the Northern troops. Chiang Kai-Shek refused on the grounds he had to deal with the communists in Jiangxi and sent in his place Yang Que, the current president of the Army Staff College and a graduate of the Japanese Army War College. Yang would arrive to Peiping with his staff on January 30th, where he devised a plan for joint operations with Zhang Xueliang. They anticipated the Kwantung Army would cross the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan, so their basic strategy was to concentrate a large force in its region, especially east of the Luan River. That forces mission would be to defend at all costs the front line at Qinhuangdao. The Japanese intelligence indicated the Chinese had roughly 50,000 men, including 7700 men of the 25th Division ld by Kuan Lincheng and 12800 men of the 2nd Division led by Yang Que who were sent to Miyun and Gubeikou. There were also reports that ancient art objects and documents from Peiping were being transported to Nanjing, beginning on January 10th. To the Chinese public this was shocking news as one could imagine. Operation Nekka was unleashed and showcased the rapid efficiency of the Kwantung Army. By March 2nd, the IJA 6th Division routed the 41st Army of General Sun Tienying; the IJA 14th Mixed Brigade of the IJA 8th Division captured the Lengkou pass on March 4th; while the Kawahara detachment captured Chengde near the border with Hubei. General Nishi then assembld his main force at Lingyuan as the 14th Mixed Brigade withdrew to Chapeng. On March 4th, Muto issued Order 480, directing the troops "to make preparations for operations in North China, firmly seizing the major passes along the Great Wall, mopping up resistance by remnant troops and bandits, and restoring peace and order in Jehol province." One unit of the IJA 8th Division was given the task of seizing the Gubeikou Pass and advanced to such on the 7th. Within the vicinity of Changshanyu, around 40 kilometers southwest of Chengde, they encountered 5000 advancing Chinese forces. Here one of the first of many fierce battles along the Great Wall came to be. Until roughly March 20th, the Kwantung Army was met with fierce counterattacks, coming from the main gateways of the Great Wall. Initially the fighting went tremendously wall for the Japanese, yet by March 10th, the 14th Mixed Brigade had taken Tungqiaku, Tiehmenkuan and Xifengkou. Two days later the IJA 8th Division began an assault upon Gubeikou. Nishi then sent the Hayakawa Brigade to seize Lowenyukou. Then on the 10th, after receiving reports the main passes were secured, General Muto took his HQ from Jinzhu to Changchun, believing everything was already won and done. However he would be very wrong, they had misjudged the Chinese strength.  On the 13th, Muti and Nishi received a report, that on the night of the 10th, the 14th Mixed Brigade at Xifengkou had come under heavy attack by a Chinese force led by General Song Qeyuang. Reinforcements were rapidly sent over, but they were unable to relieve the trapped brigade. On the 14th, Muto ordered Genera Sakamoto to lead the Mukai unit from the 6th Brigade to help out. With this the Chinese forces were driven off and then the Japanese began assaults upon Lengkou, Lowenyukou and Quehlingkou. On the 16th, the IJA 8th Division took Quehling, but the next day received a vicious counterattack by the NRA 116th Division. At Lowenyukou the Hayakawa Brigade was counterattacked by Song Cheyuan. The Hayakawa Brigade was still able to secure on portion of the Great Wall, it was constantly under attack and unable to progress further.  On the 22nd, Nishi was forced to order his Brigade to pull back to Chengde. Over at Lengkou, the Mukai unit managed to capture the town as the 14th Mixed Brigade at Xifengkou was attacked by the NRA 139th Division. Unable to repel the counterattacks, Nishi ordered his forces back 13 kilometers on the 24th. The battles at Quehlingkou and Lowenyukou were very intense. On March 18th, Muto realized the casualties were severe and taking the gateways was not showing progress. He therefore decided to divert the 6th Divisions attention to Lengkou in a flanking maneuver aimed at severing the Chinese supply lines to the gateways and as a result this would extend operations south of the Great Wall into the region east of the Luan River. Thus there we have it, they were going past the Great Wall against Emperor Hirohito's orders.  Operation Nekka, similar to Operation Jinzhou was deemed essential to establish and protect Manchukuo. However while the battles along the Great Wall were deemed necessary to create the borders for Manchukuo, their extension past that boundary literally brought them into the heart of North China. Unlike in Manchuria, the Chinese forces in North China held excellent morale, they were very willing to fight. On top of that, they had better logistics and were fighting on top of the Great Wall, which offered significant advantages. Thus from a tactical standpoint, the Japanese had to seize the gateways and flush out the Chinese from the areas. The Chinese remained defiant. Atop the walls the Chinese defenders would shout at the Japanese waving anti-Manchukuo and anti-Japanese flags.  Outside the ongoing battle, Chiang Kai-Shek had his own, perhaps in his mind, more important battle, the one with the communists. The encirclement campaigns had all gone to shit thus far. Added to this was the invasion of Manchuria and Shanghai. As Chiang Kai-Shek would later put it "tantamount to subjecting the Government to a pincer attack both from within and without." Basically Chiang Kai-Shek could choose to focus on the Japanese or communists. He figured going into a full war against Japan would be the end of himself and his government. Thus he worked to reach an agreement with the Japanese in May of 1932 which had ended the Shanghai incident. After doing so he released a slogan "first internal pacification, then resist external aggression". Upon doing so he unleashed his full attention upon the communists. As we have seen, Chiang Kai-Sheks last encirclement campaign proved successful. But as he was in the middle of it, Operation Nekka was unleashed. It looked extremely bad for Chiang Kai-Shek, for the KMT and for China in general. On March 20th, as a gesture to indicate to the masses Chiang Kai-Shek was doing his job, he dispatched 5 divisions, roughly 50,000 men from the Central Army north. Chiang Kai-Shek personally traveled north from Hankou to Beiping, but no further than that. Back on the 10th he had received the resignation of Zhang Xueliang, who had publicly been calling for a massive war against Japan so that Manchuria could be recovered. Chiang Kai-Shek had to replace him with General He Yingqin.  Another major development at this time, was our old and dear friend who never causes any trouble, Wang Jingwei returned from I believe his 20th time in exile. He came to resume his post as president of the Executive Yuan. Yet again Wang Jingwei was trying to reconcile with Chiang Kai-Shek. In reality and as many of you might guess, the only reason Chiang Kai-Shek never had this guy shot was because Wang Jingei had the firm backing of the left, thus in order to really grab the majority of the political class he had to play nice with him. For Wang Jingwei's part, much like starscream in transformers, yes I am using this as an analogy, hes just trying to overthrow megatron every chance he gets, but always fails like a dumb idiot. There was also the dichotomy between the two men. Wang Jingwei was seen as a civilian leader while Chiang Kai-Shek was seen as a military leader. So together they seemed like a perfect team, despite the fact they loathed each other. So Wang Jingwei became the civil administrator while Chiang Kai-Shek focused on the military. In regards to Japan, Wang Jingwei was following a conciliatory policy of "resistance on the one hand and negotiation on the other,” based on Chiang Kai-Sheks slogan "first internal pacification, then resist external aggression."  Following a fight with Zhang Xueliang in August of 1932 over the issue of defending Manchuria against the Kwantung Army, Wang Jingwei had resigned, trying to strongarm Chiang Kai-Shek to get rid of the young marshal. Thus like what had happened countless times before, Wang Jingwei said he was out on sick leave, and departed for Europe for supposed treatment. When he returned 6 months later, Operation Nekka had begun, although the Japanese troops had not yet then reached the Great Wall. Wang Jingwei immediately became acting foreign minister in place of Lu Wenkuan, a supporter of Zhang Xueliang, who was notably anti-japanese. Wang Jingwei kicked Lu Wenkuan over to Xinjiang to deal with some conflicts breaking out there, fun times for him as we know.  Meanwhile He Yingqin had been placed as the head of the Peiping branch military council, entrusted with control over all military matters in North China. He Yingqin went to work reorganizing the forces in north china in mid March, forming them into an effective battle order to face the Japanese. By bringing together the local, very disorganized forces into a unified command, He Yingqin hoped they would be capable alone to block the Japanese advance, leaving the central army out of the conflict. This was because Chiang Kai-Shek did not want to risk losing his central army, considered the most elite one in all of china. But Chiang Kai-Shek did come around to the idea of at least testing some units against the Kwantung forces. Above all Chiang Kai-Shek wanted to have his cake and eat it to. He wanted he population of China to think he was actively resisting, while in reality he was biding time. Central army units deployed around Gubeikou, the main gateway leading to the Peiping-Tientsin region. When the Kwantung army leaders were planning operation Nekka, they had believed it would not be necessary to go beyond the Great Wall, but once the fighting around the walls and gateways kicked off, they knew immediately they could not hope to take the wall areas without getting behind the enemy. Particularly they needed to get past the area east of the Luan River. Some 20 Chinese divisions had assembled in the Peiping-Tientsin region and were tossing endless counter attacks along the line of the Great Wall. In the Lengkou region a force of 7000 Central Chinese Army units had penetrated deep into Rehe and smashed the Mukai detachment of the IJA 8th Division. These counterattacks reaffirmed the Kwantung Army leadership it was necessary to go beyond the Great Wall. It should also be noted the Kwantung Army's operations in North China were not just military. The Japanese were plagued with logistical problems. There was a shortage of troops because they had driven into Rehe with only 20,000 men. Even the most determined Kwantung general did not believe their military prowess could overcome the plains of Hubei packed with an immeasurable amount of Chinese troops. Therefore they had to augment this military operation with political schemes aimed at the regional warlords. During the pacification of Manchuria, the tactic of bribing local elites had worked wonders and there was zero reason to believe it would not work in North China. All of this was done without any supervision from Tokyo HQ. On February 13th of 1933, Itagaki Seishiro, at the time chief of the Mukden Special Service Agency, was transferred to the General Staff without any official announcement of this promotion. He took a post in Tientsin, specifically to begin political maneuvers in eastern Hubei. This saw the birth of the Tientsin Special Service Agency. Initially this agency was attempting to lure all the competing warlords in North China, such as, Duan Qirui, Wu Peifu, Sun Chuanfang, but then began targeting Zhang Qingyao. Zhang Qingyao had once been the protege of Duan Qirui, acting as the civil and military governor of Henan province. He had fought against Zhang Zuolin in 1925 whereupon his allegiance had shifted over to Wu Peifu. During the second phase of the Northern Expedition, Zhang Qingyao had fought again against Zhang Zuolin, then controlling the National Pacification Army. When the Northern expedition was over, he joined Yan Xishans forces in Shanxi. Thus one could easily see he was not a man of many principals, nor any specific loyalties. The Tientsin Special Service Agency first proposed to reach out to Zhang Qingyao in the hopes he could organize a coup d'etat against Chiang Kai-Shek. It was further hoped he could get Song Queyuan, Zhang Zuoxiang, Fang Chenwu, Xu Yusan, Zhang Tingshu, Sun Tienying and Feng Zhanhai to join in. If they managed this, North China would fall in a single stroke. It was hoped this would be achieved as they were taking the Great Wall and were enroute towards Peiping. However on May 7th, Zhang Qingyao was assassinated, completely ruining the plan. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Operation Nekka had been unleashed with a large bang. 20,000 Japanese troops stormed Rehe province under strict orders not to go past the Great Wall of China. So they immediately began planning how to go past the Great Wall of China. Yet what they did not expect was the determination of the Chinese defenders, who were not going to allow them an easy time.

This week Jun and Daniel dive deeper into the concept of "jeong”, building on past discussions about social circles and neighbors. They stand-up a working definition of jeong as the “blurring of boundaries between individuals”– in a sense, the ultimate form of collectivism– and explore how it can help explain key cultural differences between Korea and the US, from friendships to the workplace. Our hosts discuss how modern Korean society is transitioning from traditional collectivist values to include more Western individualist ideals, and the challenges therein. Through personal anecdotes, they examine how jeong works in various contexts including family relationships, peer groups, and professional settings, while debating the merits and downsides of boundary-free relationships.If you're interested in understanding why Koreans might feel betrayed by seemingly friendly American interactions, why Korean social circles tend to be smaller but deeper, and how hierarchy can complicate jeong-based relationships, tune in to hear Daniel and Jun discuss all this and more! This episode also features a fun unboxing segment of Minnesota goodies from a podcast listener, a thoughtful exploration of whether individualism is "cold" or "healthy” depending on the cultural context, and insights into spaces where Korean society seems to be evolving to incorporate clear boundary setting.She Leads with CAREShe Leads with CARE is a limited podcast series hosted by actor and producer Bellamy...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showAs a reminder, we record one episode a week in-person from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!Support us on Patreon:https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862Follow us on socials: https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/https://twitter.com/korampodcasthttps://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcastQuestions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: koreanamericanpodcast@gmail.com

In this exciting episode of All Things Travel, hosts Ryan and Julie explore three extraordinary around-the-world vacation options that promise unforgettable global adventures. They dive deep into unique travel experiences that allow travelers to explore multiple countries and continents in a single epic journey.Featured World Travel Experiences1. Royal Caribbean Ultimate World CruiseDuration: 274 nights (broken into 4 segments of approximately 60 nights each)Highlights: Visits 60+ countriesExplores 8 world wondersSegments include: Ultimate Americas (Dec 10 - Feb 11)Ultimate Asia Pacific (Feb 11 - May 9)Ultimate Africa and Southern Europe (May 9 - July 10)Ultimate Europe and Beyond (July 10 - Sept 10)Unique Stops: Machu Picchu, Antarctica, Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, and more2. Uniworld Rivers of the World CruiseDuration: 50-night river cruiseAnniversary Special: Celebrating Uniworld's 50th yearRoute: Belgium to JordanUnique Features: 5 distinct cruise segmentsIncludes a mystery 7-night cruiseCombination of river cruising and flightsDestinations: France, Egypt, Jordan, with stops in Paris, Normandy, Cairo, and more3. Adventures by Disney Private Jet AdventureDuration: 24 days, 23 nightsHighlights: Visits all Disney Parks worldwideVIP configured jet by Iceland AirParks include: Anaheim, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Paris, OrlandoAdditional Stops: India, Egypt (Taj Mahal, Pyramids)Accommodations: 5-star hotels, exclusive experiencesKey TakeawaysWorld travel is becoming more accessibleMulti-segment trips offer flexibilityUnique experiences across continentsCombines luxury travel with in-depth cultural explorationTravel TipConsider breaking these epic journeys into segments if a full trip seems overwhelming. Many packages allow you to choose specific portions of the global adventure.Want to cruise with Ryan and Julie in July 2025? Join our cruise with friends of the podcast (yes, that's you as a listener)! Check out the details: https://forms.gle/Jpikq82XPQS63v5N8Visit our website, allthingstravelpodcast.com, for freebies and more podcast info! Ready to plan your vacation? Most families are confused and overwhelmed when planning a vacation. We work with you to plan a trip perfect for your family. Saving you time, money, and stress! Visit our website www.allthingstravelpodcast.com and click on "Plan Your Next Vacation" Join the travel conversations and the fun in our Facebook Page and Instagram Page! Please share the show with your travel buddies!! Click this link and share the show! Never miss an episode and help us take you to the top with us by following and leaving a 5-Star review on your favorite podcasting app!

Welcome to season 3, episode 10 of The Fuel Run Recover podcast!Have you ever dreamed of running a marathon in an epic destination like the Great Wall of China, Kilimanjaro, or the streets of New York City? If so, this episode is for you! In this episode, I sit down with Stephen Price, the founder of Dream Travel Canada, a company that helps runners experience races all over the world. Stephen has traveled the globe, running marathons and ultras in some of the most breathtaking (and exclusive!) locations. He shares how he turned his passion for running and travel into a business, his experiences with world-renowned races, and how runners can secure their spot in high-demand events like the World Majors and runDisney races. We covered SO much great stuff in this episode, including…

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Rediscovering Roots: A Writer's Journey on the Great Wall Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-04-07-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 清明节到了，春天在长城上显得格外美丽。En: The Qingming Festival had arrived, and spring appeared especially beautiful on the Great Wall.Zh: 花树盛开，鸟儿歌唱，风轻柔地吹过古老的砖石。En: Trees bloomed, birds sang, and the wind gently blew across the ancient bricks.Zh: 这天，长城上一片祥和，游客们带着各自的心事，沿着历史的足迹漫步。En: On this day, the Great Wall was peaceful, with tourists carrying their own thoughts, walking along the tracks of history.Zh: 明是一个内向的作家，他站在长城上，心中满是疑虑。En: Ming is an introverted writer, standing on the Great Wall, full of doubts.Zh: 他的朋友李拉他来参加这次导游团，希望能为他的小说找到灵感。En: His friend Li brought him to join this guided tour, hoping he could find inspiration for his novel.Zh: 但对明来说，重新感受到文化根源并非易事。En: But for Ming, reconnecting with his cultural roots was not an easy task.Zh: 他有些怀疑，这次旅行是否真的对他有帮助。En: He was somewhat skeptical about whether this trip would really help him.Zh: 导游是姐，活泼而充满激情。En: The tour guide, Jie, was lively and passionate.Zh: 她深知长城的历史，她的声音在空中回荡，仿佛在讲述一个古老的传奇。En: She knew the history of the Great Wall well, and her voice resonated in the air, as if telling an ancient legend.Zh: “这段长城建于明朝时期，是为了抵御北方游牧民族的入侵。”姐说道，En: "This section of the wall was built during the Ming Dynasty, to fend off invasions from northern nomadic tribes," said Jie.Zh: 她的话仿佛把大家带回了动荡的过去。En: Her words seemed to take everyone back to turbulent times.Zh: 明犹豫地站在一旁，不愿加入其他人的互动。En: Ming stood hesitantly aside, unwilling to join in others' interactions.Zh: 但当姐讲述起长城的故事时，明的心中似乎开始发生变化。En: But as Jie narrated the story of the Great Wall, Ming felt a change within his heart.Zh: 姐的声音里充满了热情，那种对历史的热爱深深吸引了他。En: Jie's voice was full of passion, and her love for history deeply attracted him.Zh: 终于，在团体活动结束后，明跟随姐来到了一个长着樱花的长城角落。En: Finally, after the group activities ended, Ming followed Jie to a corner of the Great Wall where cherry blossoms grew.Zh: 他们坐在石阶上，春风轻轻地吹着，花瓣在空中飞舞。En: They sat on the stone steps, with a gentle spring breeze blowing and petals dancing in the air.Zh: 明心中似乎有些明朗，“我一直在寻找灵感，却忽视了自己文化的根源，”他说。En: Ming seemed to gain clarity, "I've been searching for inspiration while neglecting my cultural roots," he said.Zh: 姐微笑着，“有时候，灵感就藏在我们身边。长城是我们的历史，也是我们的未来。”她的眼神闪烁着智慧。En: Jie smiled, "Sometimes, inspiration is hidden around us. The Great Wall is both our history and our future." Her eyes sparkled with wisdom.Zh: 明深吸了一口气，那石墙，那花树，那远山，仿佛在他的心里植下了一颗种子。En: Ming took a deep breath, the stone walls, the blossoming trees, the distant mountains, all seemed to plant a seed in his heart.Zh: 他想起了自己的根，他的文字应该流淌着更真实的情感。En: He thought of his roots, realizing that his words should flow with more genuine emotion.Zh: 与此同时，他与姐的友谊也在逐渐加深，也许将展开新的篇章。En: At the same time, his friendship with Jie was gradually deepening, perhaps opening up a new chapter.Zh: 随着夕阳慢慢降下，明感到一种前所未有的放松和满足。En: As the sunset slowly descended, Ming felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation and satisfaction.Zh: 他终于回到了自己文化的怀抱，他也许找到了比小说更重要的东西——一段珍贵的友谊。En: He finally returned to the embrace of his culture, perhaps finding something more important than a novel—a precious friendship.Zh: 从此，明在写作中注入更多文化的灵感，En: From then on, Ming infused more cultural inspiration into his writing.Zh: 他不再孤独，因为他重拾了对过去的认同，以及和姐共度的美好时光。En: He was no longer lonely because he had reclaimed his identity with the past, as well as the wonderful times shared with Jie. Vocabulary Words:doubts: 疑虑introverted: 内向inspiration: 灵感cultural roots: 文化根源skeptical: 怀疑passionate: 激情resonated: 回荡legend: 传奇fend off: 抵御invasions: 入侵nomadic tribes: 游牧民族hesitantly: 犹豫地narrated: 讲述clarity: 明朗petals: 花瓣genuine emotion: 真实的情感sparkled: 闪烁wisdom: 智慧deepening: 加深unprecedented: 前所未有satisfaction: 满足reclaimed: 重拾identity: 认同infused: 注入embrace: 怀抱solitude: 孤独turbulent: 动荡ancient: 古老的interactions: 互动chapter: 篇章

The French army had invaded and looted much of Portugal during their first 2 invasions of that country. To prevent a 3rd invasion, Wellington instructed the Allied army to build the Lines of Torres Vedras. Special guest Mark S. Thompson tells us about this formidable line of defenses and fortifications. X/Twitter: @andnapoleon

This week we jump back into some big news stories that have come out this past month. First, we look at the recent discovery of the first ancient Egyptian tomb since King Tut in 1922. Then we head over to China where new evidence pushes back the oldest date of the Great Wall of China. And finally, frescoes in Pompeii show evidence of a cult in Ancient Rome.LinksArchaeologists Say They've Discovered the First Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh's Tomb Since Tutankhamun's in 1922The Past Macabre - Episode 13The Great Wall of China Might Be Older Than We ThoughtSee the Stunning Frescoes of a Mysterious Dionysian Cult Discovered in Ancient PompeiiContactChris Websterchris@archaeologypodcastnetwork.comRachel Rodenrachel@unraveleddesigns.comRachelUnraveled (Instagram)ArchPodNetAPN Website: https://www.archpodnet.comAPN Discord: https://discord.com/invite/CWBhb2T2edAPN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnetAPN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnetAPN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnetAPN ShopAffiliatesMotion

This week we jump back into some big news stories that have come out this past month. First, we look at the recent discovery of the first ancient Egyptian tomb since King Tut in 1922. Then we head over to China where new evidence pushes back the oldest date of the Great Wall of China. And finally, frescoes in Pompeii show evidence of a cult in Ancient Rome.LinksArchaeologists Say They've Discovered the First Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh's Tomb Since Tutankhamun's in 1922The Past Macabre - Episode 13The Great Wall of China Might Be Older Than We ThoughtSee the Stunning Frescoes of a Mysterious Dionysian Cult Discovered in Ancient PompeiiContactChris Websterchris@archaeologypodcastnetwork.comRachel Rodenrachel@unraveleddesigns.comRachelUnraveled (Instagram)ArchPodNetAPN Website: https://www.archpodnet.comAPN Discord: https://discord.com/invite/CWBhb2T2edAPN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnetAPN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnetAPN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnetAPN ShopAffiliatesMotion

I talk about the Yankees new bats, the Great wall in China, and 3 drink recommendatins. Cheers!

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Against All Odds: Liang's Journey to Confidence Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-03-29-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 春天的早晨，太阳温暖地照射在村庄上。En: On a spring morning, the sun shone warmly on the village.Zh: 村庄坐落在长城脚下，周围是绿色的田野和盛开的花朵。En: The village was situated at the foot of the Changcheng, surrounded by green fields and blooming flowers.Zh: 学校正在忙碌地筹备体育节。En: The school was busy preparing for the sports festival.Zh: 梁是一名勤奋但害羞的学生，他非常喜欢跑步。En: Liang was a diligent but shy student who loved running.Zh: 每年体育节都会激起他的渴望，但也让他隐隐不安。En: Every year, the sports festival sparked his desire but also made him slightly uneasy.Zh: 梁的朋友新怡和孟在操场上练习。En: Liang's friends Xinyi and Meng were practicing on the playground.Zh: 孟是学校的明星运动员，自信满满，而新怡总是为梁加油。En: Meng was the school's star athlete, full of confidence, while Xinyi always cheered for Liang.Zh: 梁心里很矛盾，他想参加接力赛，但担心自己不够好。En: Liang felt conflicted; he wanted to participate in the relay race but was worried he wasn't good enough.Zh: 他还面临来自家里的压力，父母希望他多用功学习，而不是在运动上浪费时间。En: He also faced pressure from his family, as his parents wanted him to focus on studying rather than "wasting" time on sports.Zh: 一天，梁决定去找孟寻求建议。En: One day, Liang decided to seek advice from Meng.Zh: 他犹豫着，但还是鼓起勇气说：“孟，我想在体育节上跑接力赛。En: He hesitated but finally mustered up the courage to say, "Hey, Meng, I want to enter the relay race at the sports festival.Zh: 可我怕自己跑不好。En: But I'm afraid I won't do well."Zh: ”孟停下手中的练习，微笑着说：“别担心，梁。En: Meng stopped his practice, smiled, and said, "Don't worry, Liang.Zh: 相信自己。En: Believe in yourself.Zh: 每次坚持下来的跑步都会让你更强。En: Every run you stick with makes you stronger."Zh: ”于是，梁开始偷偷训练。En: So, Liang began to train secretly.Zh: 他每天放学后都加练，以增强体力。En: He would practice extra every day after school to build his stamina.Zh: 这些训练都是在没有人看到的情况下进行的，新怡是唯一知道他这个秘密的人。En: These training sessions took place without anyone else knowing, with Xinyi being the only one aware of his secret.Zh: 清明节到了，阳光明媚，正合适举办体育节。En: The Qingming Festival arrived, bringing sunny weather perfectly fitting for hosting the sports festival.Zh: 接力赛开始了，观众们欢呼雀跃。En: The relay race began, and the audience was cheering enthusiastically.Zh: 轮到梁时，他不小心落在后面。En: When it was Liang's turn, he accidentally fell behind.Zh: 他的呼吸变得急促，心里充满了失败的恐惧。En: His breathing became labored, and his heart filled with fear of failure.Zh: 新怡站在终点线旁，大声鼓励梁：“加油，梁！En: Xinyi stood by the finish line, loudly encouraging Liang, "Come on, Liang!Zh: 你可以的！En: You can do it!"Zh: ”听到新怡的声音，梁的心中涌起一股力量。En: Hearing Xinyi's voice, a surge of strength arose within Liang.Zh: 他不再犹豫，奋力向前冲刺。En: He no longer hesitated and sprinted forward with all his might.Zh: 最终，他顺利抵达终点线，脸上挂着自信的微笑。En: In the end, he successfully reached the finish line with a confident smile on his face.Zh: 同学们都为梁鼓掌，对他刮目相看。En: His classmates applauded Liang, looking at him in a new light.Zh: 就在那一刻，梁意识到，他不仅可以在运动中找到乐趣，还能在学业上更好地表现。En: In that moment, Liang realized that he could not only find joy in sports but also perform better in his studies.Zh: 体育节结束后，梁在操场上看着缓缓落下的太阳。En: After the sports festival ended, Liang watched the slowly setting sun over the playground.Zh: 他知道，自己的生活可以因此更充实，因为他学会了在学习和运动之间找到平衡。En: He knew his life could be fuller because he had learned to find balance between studying and sports.Zh: 他感受到了一种前所未有的自信。En: He felt a sense of unprecedented confidence.Zh: 这个春天，这个体育节，梁实现了自我的突破。En: This spring, this sports festival, Liang achieved a personal breakthrough.Zh: 他明白，勇气和支持可以战胜一切阻碍。En: He understood that courage and support can overcome all obstacles.Zh: 长城依旧庄严矗立，而梁的心中也筑起了新的长城，那是由信心和勇敢筑成的。En: The Changcheng still stood solemnly, and a new "Great Wall" had also been built in Liang's heart, constructed from confidence and bravery. Vocabulary Words:spring: 春天village: 村庄foot: 脚下surrounded: 周围blooming: 盛开diligent: 勤奋shy: 害羞sparked: 激起conflicted: 矛盾relay race: 接力赛worried: 担心pressure: 压力studying: 学习advice: 建议hesitated: 犹豫mustered: 鼓起courage: 勇气believe: 相信strength: 力量stamina: 体力secretly: 偷偷sunny: 阳光明媚enthusiastically: 欢呼雀跃breathing: 呼吸fear: 恐惧surge: 涌起sprinted: 冲刺applauded: 鼓掌balance: 平衡overcome: 战胜

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Adventures on the Great Wall: Lessons in Passion and Caution Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-03-24-22-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 清明节，春日的阳光透过厚厚的云层洒在长城的古老石砖上。En: During Qingming Festival, the spring sunlight spilled over the ancient stones of the Great Wall through thick clouds.Zh: 连和梅站在山脚下，仰望着这片雄伟的建筑。En: Lian and Mei stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing up at the majestic structure.Zh: 连是一名大学建筑系的学生，对历史遗址有着深刻的热情。En: Lian, a university architecture student, had a deep passion for historical sites.Zh: 梅是他的好朋友，正在学习环境科学，总是谨慎小心。En: Mei, his good friend, was studying environmental science and was always cautious.Zh: 他们计划在春假期间探索长城，寻找历史的足迹。En: They planned to explore the Great Wall during their spring break, searching for traces of history.Zh: 连对未修复的部分充满好奇，他觉得那里隐藏着过去的故事，可以激发自己的学习灵感。En: Lian was particularly curious about the unrestored sections, believing they held hidden stories from the past that could inspire his studies.Zh: 然而，山中的天气变化无常。En: However, weather in the mountains can be unpredictable.Zh: 走到一半，远处传来隆隆的雷声，乌云聚集在天空中。En: Halfway through their journey, the distant rumble of thunder reached their ears as dark clouds gathered in the sky.Zh: 梅提醒连：“天气要变坏了，我们还是回去吧。”En: Mei warned Lian, "The weather is getting worse. We should head back."Zh: 然而，连停住脚步，指向前方未修复的城墙说：“我一定要去看看那里，可能有新的发现！”En: Nevertheless, Lian halted, pointing towards the unrestored walls ahead and said, "I must see it; there may be new findings!"Zh: 梅犹豫了一下，内心挣扎着是否应该跟随连或者离开寻找帮助。En: Mei hesitated, internally struggling with whether to follow Lian or leave to seek help.Zh: 最后，她决定跟随连，不能让他独自冒险。En: In the end, she decided to follow him, unwilling to let him take risks alone.Zh: 两人继续前行，小心翼翼地踏上被风雨侵蚀的石阶。En: They continued forward, carefully stepping on the stone steps eroded by wind and rain.Zh: 风越来越强，雨势也逐渐加大。En: The wind grew stronger, and the rain intensified.Zh: 路面变得湿滑，迫使他们放慢了脚步。En: The path became slippery, forcing them to slow their pace.Zh: 终于在一处高点，他们驻足。En: Finally, at a high vantage point, they stopped.Zh: 正当雨帘暂时停歇，乌云稍稍散开，一道亮光照亮了周围的壮丽景色。En: Just as the rain paused and the dark clouds slightly parted, a bright light illuminated the magnificent scenery around them.Zh: 古老的墙体在风中屹立，远处的群山披上了春天的绿装，这景象令他们屏息。En: The ancient walls stood firm in the wind, and the distant mountains wore the fresh green of spring, leaving them breathless.Zh: “真是壮观啊。”连感叹道。En: "It's truly spectacular," Lian exclaimed.Zh: 但梅握住他的手说：“雨还没完全停，前面更危险，我们该回去了。”En: But Mei held his hand and said, "The rain hasn't stopped completely, and it's more dangerous ahead. We should go back."Zh: 这次，连看着梅，默默地点了点头。En: This time, Lian looked at Mei and nodded silently.Zh: 他明白了，仅仅有热情是不够的，而梅的谨慎则是一种智慧的体现。En: He understood that passion alone was not enough, and Mei's caution reflected a kind of wisdom.Zh: 两人开始小心地往回走，手拉着手，心中充满了伙伴间的信任与理解。En: The two began to carefully make their way back, hand in hand, filled with trust and understanding between friends.Zh: 最终，他们安全地回到游客中心。En: Eventually, they safely returned to the visitor center.Zh: 连对梅说：“谢谢你的陪伴。接下来我会更加小心。”En: Lian said to Mei, "Thank you for accompanying me. I'll be more cautious next time."Zh: 回望远处的新绿和古老的墙体，连知道，这次的探险给他上了一堂宝贵的课。En: Looking back at the new greenery and ancient walls in the distance, Lian realized this adventure had taught him a valuable lesson.Zh: 热情固然重要，但谨慎和智慧同样不可或缺。En: While passion is important, caution and wisdom are equally indispensable.Zh: 在长城的远山处，两个好友携手，走向一个充满希望和光明的未来。En: In the remote mountains of the Great Wall, the two friends, hand in hand, walked towards a future full of hope and light. Vocabulary Words:spilled: 洒majestic: 雄伟architecture: 建筑passion: 热情unrestored: 未修复的traces: 足迹unpredictable: 变化无常rumble: 隆隆thunder: 雷声gathered: 聚集hesitated: 犹豫internally: 内心struggling: 挣扎vantage point: 高点illuminated: 照亮spectacular: 壮观caution: 谨慎trust: 信任understanding: 理解accompanying: 陪伴slippery: 湿滑eroded: 侵蚀intensified: 加大halted: 停住distant: 远处stepping: 踏上paused: 止歇firm: 屹立wisdom: 智慧indispensable: 不可或缺

"I based my composition upon the 5 note motif from the original field recording incorporated at the beginning of the piece and repeated throughout using predominantly Asian instruments." Musical instrument on the Great Wall of China reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world's most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage IMAGE: Prince Roy, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

On this episode, I'm excited to share my interview with J.R. Gonzales.  J.R. shares his remarkable journey from growing up in South Texas to becoming a successful entrepreneur, speaker, and podcaster.  He's also a proud Texas State University graduate.  J.R. recognizes his Latino heritage as a superpower that changed the trajectory of his life and career.  He traces his family roots to the 1700's and says 'my ancestors never crossed the border, the border crossed them."  A passionate and engaging storyteller, J.R. Gonzales talks about the importance of family, culture and education.  You will learn how: J.R. navigated Texas State University in the late 1970s as one of the few Latino studentsFamily can support a growth mindsetEducation is a tool to combat discriminationWhy the Latino Business Report podcast was created J.R. met six US presidents and stood on the Great Wall of China 13 times Confidence and social intelligence are key elements of success Asking the right questions shapes your futureSwimming with Ralph, the swimming pig, impacted the course of J.R.'s careerIf you've got a story to share or know someone who does, reach out to me and let's connect.  Thanks for listening! Please send me your feedback in a text message - Hi Friend - If you're enjoying Stories of Change and Creativity, make sure to subscribe, rate, and leave a 5-star review—it helps more people discover the show. You can also complete this short audience survey and provide your feedback. Thank you!

In this sleepy bedtime history episode, I tell you about the History of the Great Wall, the "Ten-Thousand Mile Wall" (万里长城). Through it, we will explore the history of Ancient China from the birth of civilization around the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, to the Ming Dynasty, the last one to maintain and expand the Wall. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and fall asleep to documentary-style stories read in a calming voice. Learn something new while you enjoy a restful night of sleep. Listen ad free and get access to bonus content on our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/LightsOutLibrary621⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LightsOutLibraryov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ¿Quieres escuchar en Español? Echa un vistazo a La Biblioteca de los Sueños! En Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1t522alsv5RxFsAf9AmYfg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ En Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/la-biblioteca-de-los-sue%C3%B1os-documentarios-para-dormir/id1715193755⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ En Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LaBibliotecadelosSuenosov⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Serendipity at The Great Wall: A Blossom Tale of Connection Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-03-22-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 春天的长城正值樱花节，热闹非凡。En: The Great Wall in spring is in the midst of the Cherry Blossom Festival, and it's bustling with activity.Zh: 长城上挂满了五彩缤纷的装饰，空气中弥漫着清新的春天气息。En: The Wall is adorned with colorful decorations, and the air is filled with the fresh scent of spring.Zh: 游人如织，欢声笑语此起彼伏。En: The area is crowded with visitors, with laughter and cheerful voices ringing continuously.Zh: 在这样一个充满生机的节日里，年轻的艺术家莲独自徜徉于樱花树下。En: In this lively festival, a young artist named Lian roams alone under the cherry blossom trees.Zh: 她来这里寻找灵感，也希望找到心灵的归属感。En: She comes here searching for inspiration and hoping to find a sense of belonging.Zh: 过去的伤痛让她对新的人和事物心存畏惧。En: Past wounds have left her fearful of new people and events.Zh: 而此时，金，一个热爱探索的工科学生，也来到这里。En: Meanwhile, Jin, an engineering student passionate about exploration, also arrives here.Zh: 他的学业繁重，但这个节日给了他短暂的喘息机会。En: His academic load is heavy, but this festival offers him a brief respite.Zh: 他希望在樱花节中找到新的体验，丰富自己的生活。En: He hopes to find new experiences during the Cherry Blossom Festival to enrich his life.Zh: 莲和金在长城的拐角处不期而遇。En: Lian and Jin unexpectedly meet at a corner of the Great Wall.Zh: 他们微笑着打招呼，聊起了对樱花的热爱和节日的热闹。En: They smile and greet each other, chatting about their love for cherry blossoms and the festive excitement.Zh: 莲提到自己是一名艺术家，正在寻找灵感。金则分享了自己对工程的热情和对生活的好奇心。En: Lian mentions she is an artist seeking inspiration, while Jin shares his enthusiasm for engineering and his curiosity about life.Zh: 随着时间的推移，他们的谈话愈加深入。En: As time passes, their conversation deepens.Zh: 莲犹豫了一会，终于决定展示自己的画作。En: Lian, after some hesitation, finally decides to show her paintings.Zh: 这些画作是她内心最真实的表达，从未向他人展示过。En: These artworks are her truest expressions, never before shown to anyone.Zh: 金被画作的美丽和深度打动，他开始意识到内心世界的丰富有多么重要。En: Jin is moved by the beauty and depth of the paintings, realizing the importance of a rich inner world.Zh: 就在两人交流的过程中，天突然下起了大雨。En: In the middle of their exchange, a sudden downpour begins.Zh: 他们赶忙跑向附近的烽火台避雨。En: They quickly run to a nearby beacon tower to take shelter from the rain.Zh: 雨声打在琉璃瓦上，似乎洗净了所有的顾虑。En: The sound of the rain on the glazed tiles seems to wash away all worries.Zh: 莲和金在这狭小的空间里聊了许多，他们的心逐渐靠近。En: In this confined space, Lian and Jin talk extensively, their hearts gradually drawing closer.Zh: 雨停后，阳光洒落在大地上，一道美丽的彩虹挂在天边，映衬着满山的樱花。En: After the rain stops, sunlight spills over the land, a beautiful rainbow stretches across the sky, complementing the mountains full of cherry blossoms.Zh: 莲和金望着这动人的景象，心中感慨万千。En: Lian and Jin gaze at this enchanting scene, feeling deeply moved.Zh: 这一刻，他们都明白了时间的无价与偶然相遇的美好。En: At this moment, they both understand the inestimable value of time and the beauty of serendipitous encounters.Zh: 他们决定以后一起去探索更多的节日，共同分享生活的喜悦。En: They decide to explore more festivals together in the future, sharing the joy of life.Zh: 莲的心更加开放，勇敢地迎接新的体验；金也学会了在追逐目标的同时，享受那些未曾计划的生活瞬间。En: Lian's heart becomes more open, courageously welcoming new experiences; Jin also learns to enjoy unplanned moments in life while pursuing his goals.Zh: 在这樱花盛开的长城上，两颗心渐渐走到了一起，在春风中开启了新的篇章。En: On the cherry blossom-laden Great Wall, two hearts gradually come together, starting a new chapter in the spring breeze. Vocabulary Words:bustling: 热闹非凡adorned: 挂满scent: 气息wounds: 伤痛fearful: 畏惧passionate: 热爱respite: 喘息enrich: 丰富inspiration: 灵感enthusiasm: 热情curiosity: 好奇心hesitation: 犹豫expressions: 表达depth: 深度downpour: 大雨shelter: 避雨confined: 狭小gaze: 望着enchanting: 动人serendipitous: 偶然encounters: 相遇unplanned: 未曾计划laden: 盛开的heart: 心灵roams: 徜徉greet: 打招呼beacon tower: 烽火台tiles: 琉璃瓦washed away: 洗净chapter: 篇章

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Journey of Resilience and Remembrance on the Great Wall Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-03-20-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在清明节这一天，梅林、俊杰和小文决定去长城，怀念梅林已故的爷爷。En: On Qingming Festival, Meilin, Junjie, and Xiaowen decided to go to the Great Wall to remember Meilin's late grandfather.Zh: 他们站在长城脚下，看着长城蜿蜒穿过绿意盎然的山丘，古老的石头在天空的衬托下显得格外庄严。En: They stood at the foot of the Great Wall, watching as it wound through the lush green hills.Zh: 春天的花香弥漫在空气中，似乎也在提醒他们要珍惜现在的时光。En: The ancient stones appeared exceptionally solemn against the sky.Zh: 梅林背着包，包里放着一些香烛和纸钱。En: The scent of spring flowers filled the air, as if reminding them to cherish the present moment.Zh: 她的脸上有一丝紧张，但更多的是一种坚定。En: Meilin carried a bag with some incense and joss paper inside.Zh: 俊杰陪在她身边，小文则用笑容来掩盖心中的不安。En: There was a hint of nervousness on her face, but more so a sense of determination.Zh: 在他们的心里，这不仅是一次普通的爬山，更是一次对祖辈的承诺。En: Junjie was by her side, while Xiaowen used a smile to cover his unease.Zh: 刚开始天还是晴朗的，但突然，乌云开始聚集。En: In their hearts, this was more than just a hike; it was a promise to their ancestors.Zh: 雷声在远处轰隆响起，风也变得更加急促。En: Initially, the sky was clear, but suddenly, dark clouds began to gather.Zh: “我们该怎么办？En: Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the wind became more intense.Zh: ”小文有些担心地问。En: "What should we do?"Zh: 梅林抬头看了一眼天空，然后坚定地说：“我们继续走。En: Xiaowen asked worriedly.Zh: 我一定要去爷爷最喜欢的地方。En: Meilin glanced up at the sky and then said firmly, "We continue.Zh: ”俊杰虽然谨慎，但他知道梅林的心意。En: I must go to grandfather's favorite place."Zh: 他拍拍梅林的肩膀说：“我们一起去。En: Junjie, though cautious, understood Meilin's intentions.Zh: ”雨开始下了，打在他们的身上。En: He patted her shoulder and said, "Let's go together."Zh: 石阶变得湿滑，给爬行带来了更多的困难。En: Rain began to fall, hitting their bodies.Zh: 梅林努力保持稳步前行，回忆着爷爷喜欢站在那个制高点看风景的情景。En: The stone steps became slippery, adding more difficulty to the climb.Zh: 最终，他们到了那个熟悉的地方。En: Meilin struggled to keep a steady pace, recalling grandfather standing at that vantage point enjoying the view.Zh: 雨已经渐渐停了，乌云散去，阳光穿透云层洒在长城上。En: Finally, they reached that familiar place.Zh: 梅林点上香烛，轻声念着心中的祈愿。En: The rain had gradually stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and sunlight broke through the clouds, pouring over the Great Wall.Zh: 小文和俊杰在她的身边，静静陪伴。En: Meilin lit the incense, softly reciting her prayers.Zh: 这一刻，梅林明白了，不仅是为了爷爷，也是为了自己和身边珍贵的朋友。En: Xiaowen and Junjie quietly accompanied her.Zh: 经历了风雨之后，她意识到了内心的坚韧和友情的力量。En: In that moment, Meilin understood that it was not just for grandfather, but also for herself and her cherished friends.Zh: 长城依旧矗立在那里，仿佛在见证着一个新故事的开始。En: After weathering the storm, she realized the resilience within her and the strength of friendship.Zh: “谢谢你们。En: The Great Wall remained standing, as if witnessing the beginning of a new story.Zh: ”梅林微笑着对他们说。En: "Thank you," Meilin smiled at them.Zh: 春天的风轻轻吹过，带走了那些紧绷的情绪，只留下满满的感动和由衷的感激。En: The spring breeze gently blew by, taking away the tension and leaving only a deep sense of emotion and genuine gratitude. Vocabulary Words:Qingming Festival: 清明节determination: 坚定exceptionally: 格外solemn: 庄严vantage point: 制高点cherish: 珍惜incense: 香烛joss paper: 纸钱unease: 不安promise: 承诺thunder: 雷声intense: 急促slippery: 湿滑resilience: 坚韧ancient: 古老scatter: 散去pour: 洒accompany: 陪伴breeze: 风disperse: 散去gradually: 渐渐remind: 提醒wound: 蜿蜒cautious: 谨慎scatter: 散去genuine: 由衷gratitude: 感激emotion: 感动determination: 坚定resolve: 决心

00:46 Microsatellite makes messaging secureA tiny satellite has enabled quantum-encrypted information to be sent between China and South Africa, the farthest distance yet achieved for quantum communication. Using a laser-based system, a team in the city of Hefei was able to beam a ‘secret key' encoded in quantum states of photons, to their colleagues over 12,000 km away. This key allowed scrambled messages to be decrypted — including one containing a picture of the Great Wall of China. The team's system is drastically smaller and cheaper that previous attempts, and they think it represents a big step towards the creation of a global network of secure, quantum communication.Research Article: Li et al.News: Mini-satellite paves the way for quantum messaging anywhere on Earth09:53 Research HighlightsHow storms known as ‘atmospheric rivers' could replenish Greenland's ice, and a prosthetic hand that can distinguish objects by touch almost as well as a human.Research Highlight: Mega-storm dumps 11 billion tonnes of snow ― and builds up a melting ice sheetResearch Highlight: Robotic fingers can tell objects apart by touch12:27 An AI that gives other AIs helpful feedbackResearchers have created an AI system called TextGrad which can provide written feedback on another AI's performance. This feedback is interpretable by humans, which could help researchers tweak the incredibly complicated, and sometimes inscrutable models that underpin modern AIs. “Previously optimising machine learning algorithms requires quite a lot of human engineering,” says James Zou, one of the team behind this work, “but with TextGrad, now the AI is able to self-improve to a large extent.”Research Article: Yuksekgonul et al.20:55 How the Trump administration's cuts are affecting scienceThe first two months of Donald Trump's presidency has seen swingeing cuts to US federal funding for research, particularly to research associated with DEI. We hear the latest on these cuts and their impact from reporter Max Kozlov.Nature: ‘My career is over': Columbia University scientists hit hard by Trump team's cutsNature: How the NIH dominates the world's health research — in chartsNature: ‘Scientists will not be silenced': thousands protest Trump research cutsNature: Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grantsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Guardians of the Great Wall: Li Ming's Heroic Stand Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-03-17-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 清明节的早晨，长城在春天的阳光下波光粼粼。En: On the morning of the Qingming Festival, the Great Wall shimmered under the spring sunlight.Zh: 李明站在厚重的石头墙上，环视着绿色的山丘和点缀其中的樱花。En: Li Ming stood on the thick stone wall, gazing at the green hills dotted with cherry blossoms.Zh: 风中传来花香，他深吸一口气，觉得自己是帝国的一部分，保护着这片土地。En: The scent of flowers wafted on the breeze, and he took a deep breath, feeling himself to be part of the empire, protecting this land.Zh: 李明是一位忠诚的士兵，负责守卫长城。En: Li Ming was a loyal soldier responsible for guarding the Great Wall.Zh: 他和朋友陈一起站岗。En: He was on duty with his friend Chen.Zh: 陈总是小心翼翼，对周围的一切保持警惕。En: Chen was always cautious, keeping a watchful eye on everything around him.Zh: "李明，那个商人王又来了，他经常带来奇怪的消息。"陈低语道。En: " Li Ming, that merchant Wang is here again, he often brings strange news," Chen whispered.Zh: 李明点点头，继续观察。En: Li Ming nodded and continued to observe.Zh: 王是个聪明但略显狡诈的商人，经常来长城出售物品。En: Wang was a clever but somewhat cunning merchant who frequently came to the Great Wall to sell goods.Zh: 他的举止有时让李明感到不安，但他并未怀疑更多。En: His manner sometimes made Li Ming uneasy, but he did not suspect him further.Zh: 直到有一天，李明发现王和一个陌生人低声交谈，交换信件。En: Until one day, Li Ming discovered Wang speaking in low tones with a stranger, exchanging letters.Zh: 李明心生疑虑，决定采取行动。En: Doubts arose in Li Ming's mind, and he decided to take action.Zh: 他没有告诉任何人，包括他最好的朋友陈，因为他担心这里可能有叛徒。En: He told no one, not even his best friend Chen, because he feared there might be a traitor among them.Zh: 当夜幕降临时，李明悄悄跟踪王，目睹他和外国间谍交接信件。En: As night fell, Li Ming quietly followed Wang, witnessing him exchanging letters with a foreign spy.Zh: 李明果断地走上前，质问王："你在做什么？"En: Li Ming decisively stepped forward and confronted Wang, "What are you doing?"Zh: 王的脸色猛然一变，手足无措。En: Wang's face suddenly changed, and he was at a loss.Zh: 在激烈的对峙中，王承认了对皇帝的阴谋。En: In the intense confrontation, Wang confessed to the plot against the emperor.Zh: 李明用计俘获了王，并收集证据带回去。En: Li Ming cleverly captured Wang and gathered evidence to take back.Zh: 回到军营，李明把事情告诉了上级。En: Back at the military camp, Li Ming reported the matter to his superiors.Zh: 由于他的机智和勇敢，阴谋被成功粉碎。En: Because of his wit and bravery, the conspiracy was successfully thwarted.Zh: 皇帝知道后，大大赞赏李明的忠诚，并给予了他奖赏。En: Upon learning of this, the emperor greatly praised Li Ming's loyalty and rewarded him.Zh: 长城依旧在春风中屹立，樱花依旧在山间绽放。En: The Great Wall continued to stand firm in the spring breeze, and the cherry blossoms continued to bloom among the hills.Zh: 李明不再只是一个普通的卫兵，他成为了帝国的英雄。En: Li Ming was no longer just an ordinary guard; he became a hero of the empire.Zh: 他学会了更加谨慎，并且因表现出的勇气和忠诚而闻名。En: He learned to be more cautious and became renowned for the courage and loyalty he demonstrated.Zh: 从此，李明继续守护着长城，心中充满了对帝国的爱和信仰。En: From then on, Li Ming continued to guard the Great Wall, his heart filled with love and faith for the empire.Zh: 清明节的清晨再临，他知道自己还有很多事情要做，为了帝国的安宁而继续努力。En: As the morning of the Qingming Festival arrived again, he knew there was still much to do, continuing his efforts for the peace of the empire. Vocabulary Words:shimmered: 波光粼粼gazing: 环视blossoms: 樱花scent: 花香breeze: 风中loyal: 忠诚duties: 站岗merchant: 商人cautious: 小心翼翼watchful: 警惕strange: 奇怪suspect: 怀疑plot: 阴谋conspiracy: 阴谋traitor: 叛徒stepped forward: 走上前confronted: 质问witnessing: 目睹capture: 俘获evidence: 证据superiors: 上级wit: 机智thwarted: 粉碎praise: 赞赏rewarded: 奖赏faith: 信仰renowned: 闻名ordinary: 普通efforts: 努力peace: 安宁

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed!This week we're not building walls or tearing them down, in fact, we're simply talking about them. But what a collection of walls we have: the Great Wall of China, Hadrian's Wall and the Berlin Wall.And elsewhere, isn't schooling far more complicated these days?! No one being educated in a Victorian Workhouse ever had to worry about an outfit for world book day - so did that make it easier? (Possibly not). But if you have anything unusual about the area you grew up in then please email: hello@ohwhatatime.comIf you fancy a bunch of OWAT content you've never heard before, why not treat yourself and become an Oh What A Time: FULL TIMER?Up for grabs is:- two bonus episodes every month!- ad-free listening- episodes a week ahead of everyone else- And much moreSubscriptions are available via AnotherSlice and Wondery +. For all the links head to: ohwhatatime.comYou can also follow us on: X (formerly Twitter) at @ohwhatatimepodAnd Instagram at @ohwhatatimepodAaannnd if you like it, why not drop us a review in your podcast app of choice?Thank you to Dan Evans for the artwork (idrawforfood.co.uk).Chris, Elis and Tom xSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The craziest & funniest one star reviews on the internet! We look at some people who aren't quite impressed with The Great Wall of China & have some suggestions for improvement. A delicious pizza place, that has an owner who loves to respond to reviews. A party store that may not be able to float your balloons. A very personal item that seems to be a sort of personal tentacle & much more!!Join comedians James Pietragallo and Jimmie Whisman as they explore the most opinionated part of the internet: The Reviews Section!Subscribe and we will see you every Monday with Your Stupid Opinions!!!Don't forget to rate & review!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last time we spoke about the first Tientsin Incident. In September 1931, as tensions rose between China and Japan, Commander Zhang Xueliang enjoyed an opera in Beiping, unaware of the impending Mukden Incident. With senior commanders absent, Japanese forces quickly gained local support. Chiang Kai-shek ordered non-resistance, fearing conflict would ruin Northeast China. Meanwhile, Japanese officials plotted to install Puyi as a puppet emperor. Covert riots erupted in Tianjin, orchestrated by the Japanese, leaving the city in chaos as Zhang's forces struggled to maintain order against the well-armed attackers. In a tense standoff at Haiguang Temple, the Japanese military issued an ultimatum to Chinese security forces, citing threats to overseas Chinese. Wang Shuchang ordered a strategic withdrawal, but the Japanese escalated with artillery fire. Despite fierce resistance, the plainclothes attackers regrouped, leading to ongoing skirmishes. Amidst the chaos, Puyi was covertly extracted by Japanese forces, paving the way for the establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo. Ultimately, Japan's aggression continued, deepening tensions in China.   #142 the Jinzhou Operation  Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. When the Mukden Incident occurred, Zhang Xueliang was in Beiping serving in his capacity as the commander of the North China garrison. On the night of September 18, he was at the opera enjoying a performance by the famous singer Mei Lanfang. His deputies were also away from Shenyang: Wan Fulin was in Beiping, and Zhang Zuoxiang was attending his father's funeral in Jinzhou. With the absence of the senior provincial commanders during the Incident, the Japanese quickly gained cooperation from the acting commanders. In Shenyang, Yu Zhishan, the commander of the Eastern Borders Garrison, and in Changchun, acting provincial forces commander Xi Xia, both swiftly aligned themselves with the Japanese. Although the Northeastern Army had approximately 130,000 troops in the region compared to a Japanese force of 40,000 to 50,000, Chiang Kai-shek urgently issued a non-resistance order to the Northeastern troops, which Zhang Xueliang confirmed. It was actually his stance prior to September 18th, as there had been other incidents such as the Wanbaoshan Incident whereupon Zhang Xueliang sent a secret telegram to his subordinates starting on July 6, "If we go to war with Japan at this time, we will surely be defeated. If we lose, Japan will demand that we cede territory and pay compensation, and Northeast China will be ruined. We should avoid conflict as soon as possible and deal with it in the name of justice." A month after this Chiang Kai-Shek sent a telegram to Zhang Xueliang on August 16th "No matter how the Japanese army seeks trouble in Northeast China in the future, we should not resist and avoid conflict. My brother, please do not act out of anger and disregard the country and the nation. I hope you will follow my instructions." As the tensions between China and Japan increased on September 6th Zhang Xueliang sent this telegram to his subordinates "It has been found that the Japanese diplomatic situation is becoming increasingly tense. We must deal with everything and strive for stability. No matter how the Japanese try to cause trouble, we must be tolerant and not resist them to avoid causing trouble. I hope you will send a secret telegram to all your subordinates to pay close attention to this matter." Thus the Manchurian commanders were already well versed in what their stance would be. Chiang Kai-shek's hesitation to engage in combat is understandable; he was concerned about factions opposing him in South China, the potential reformation of the alliance between Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan in North China, and the threat posed by the CCP in Jiangxi, leaving him unable to confront another adversary. Zhang Xueliang's situation was also not as advantageous as it might seem. Although he commanded nearly 250,000 men, only 100,000 to 130,000 were stationed in the Northeast, with the remainder in Hebei. Both Chiang Kai-Shek and Zhang Xueliang most likely believed the League of Nations or the Wakatsuki government in Tokyo would restrain the occupiers eventually, so they were biding their time. According to Nelson Johnson, the American Minister in China, Counselor Yano of the Japanese Legation in Beiping had informal discussions with Zhang, suggesting that Jinzhou would inevitably succumb to the Japanese and that “the Tokyo Foreign Office would gain prestige and be better able to shape events to China's advantage if the Chinese avoided a clash by withdrawing voluntarily.” It was also implied that some of Zhang's supporters might be reinstated in official roles in the new government in Shenyang. Johnson concluded, “Chang is believed to have been led to his present decision by these inducements, along with the bitter hostility toward him at Nanking and the lack of support from that quarter.” In essence, Zhang was effectively coerced into non-resistance by both sides. Certainly, in December 1931, with no hope for international intervention and the Nanjing government in turmoil following Chiang Kai-shek's temporary resignation, Zhang's options were severely limited. The Kwantung Army received clear instructions not to move beyond the South Manchurian railway zone, which hindered the plans of Lt. Colonel Ishiwara Kanji, the architect of the Manchurian invasion. After securing the region around the South Manchurian railway, Ishiwara focused his attention on Jinzhou. Following the fall of Mukden, Jinzhou became the administrative headquarters and civil government of Zhang Xueliang, making it a focal point for Chinese forces. Jinzhou is the southernmost part of Liaoning province, directly enroute to Shanhaiguan, the critical pass that separates Manchuria from China proper. It was the furthest point Zhang Xueliang could establish an HQ while still holding foot within Manchuria and thus became the defacto “last stand” or “guanwai” outside the Shanhaiguan pass for Zhang Xueliangs Northeastern army. Japanese sources indicate that Zhang Xueliang began covertly instructing local governments in Manchuria to comply with and pay taxes to Jinzhou. He also dispatched spies to Japanese-occupied territories and was conspiring to assassinate Japanese officials and those opposed to Chiang Kai-shek. Obviously Jinzhou had to be seized to control Liaoning and thus all of Manchuria. The Japanese first tried to bully Jinzhou into submission by bombing it. On October 8th, Ishiwara commanded five captured Chinese aircraft from the 10th Independent Air Squadron, flying from Mukden to conduct a raid on Jinzhou, claiming it was merely a reconnaissance mission. They flew over Jinzhou at approximately 1:40 PM and dropped 75 bombs weighing 25 kg each, targeting the barracks of the 28th Division, government buildings, and Zhang Xueliang's residence. Additionally, they took photographs of the Chinese defensive positions. The attack served two main purposes: to intimidate Zhang Xueliang and to send a message to Tokyo HQ. The bombing of Jinzhou caused an uproar in Tokyo and shocked the League of Nations, which had previously been indifferent to the situation. Consequently, Tokyo HQ felt compelled to retroactively approve the Kwantung attacks while simultaneously demanding an end to further actions. Rumors began to circulate that Ishiwara and his associate Itagaki aimed to establish an independent Manchuria as a base for a coup d'état against the Japanese government, intending to initiate a Showa Restoration. On October 18th, War Minister Minami Jiro sent a telegram to the Kwantung Army, ordering them to halt offensives in Manchuria and dispatched Colonel Imamura Hitoshi to ensure Ishiwara and Itagaki ceased their reckless operations. However, when Hitoshi met with the two men at a restaurant in Mukden, they dismissed him. In reality, Ishiwara and Itagaki's plans were in jeopardy, but in early November, they found a pretext for action after Ma Zhanshan's forces damaged the Nenjiang railway bridge. This hostility provided them with justification to invade Heilongjiang alongside their allies, led by General Zhang Haipeng. Following the occupation of the north, a new opportunity arose in the southwest. The "first Tientsin incident" erupted on November 9th, initiated by Colonel Doihara Kenji with assistance from some Anti-Chiang Kai-shek Chinese. A small contingent launched an attack on the peace preservation corps in Tientsin. Doihara devised this plan with the intention of creating chaos to kidnap the former Manchu emperor Puyi, allowing the Kwantung army to later install him as the ruler of a new Manchurian state. Although Doihara sought reinforcements from Tokyo HQ, his request was denied, prompting him to turn to the Kwantung army for support. They agreed to coordinate an attack on Tientsin but insisted that a pretext be established first. To execute this plan, they would need to capture Jinzhou initially. A second Tientsin incident occurred on November 26th, when Chinese soldiers attacked the Japanese barracks in Tientsin at 8:20 PM, marking another false flag operation orchestrated by Doihara. Upon hearing the news, General Honjo Shigeru chose to support the Tientsin army, which they believed was in peril. The 4th Mixed Brigade and the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the 2nd Division, comprising 10,000 troops, advanced toward 13 armored vehicles stationed along the Peiping-Mukden railway. The Kwantung Army also requested assistance from the Korean Army, and Commander Hayashi organized a mixed brigade to cross the border. Of course in order to provide assistance at Tientsin meant heading through the Shanhaiguan pass and this meant going through Jinzhou. Tokyo General HQ was yet again thrown into consternation by the latest aggravation of the Manchurian crisis. Incensed by the Kwantung Army's “lack of sincerity in submitting to the discipline of Tokyo”. The force got within 30km of Jinzhou when War Minister General Jiro Minami ordered them to immediately withdraw to a line east of the Liao river. Ironically what actually made the Kwantung Army comply was not so much Tokyo's authority but rather the refusal or foot dragging of the Korea Army, who sent a message that they were unwilling to attack Jinzhou. The Kwantung army continued on getting into some skirmishes with Chinese defenders around the Taling River and Takushan as Tokyo HQ sent countless furious messages demanding they withdraw from the Jinzhou area and by the 28th they finally did. Facing the real possibility that the Jinzhou operation might devolve into a fiasco without reinforcements, Ishiwara relented, remarking at the time “Tokyo has collapsed before Jinzhou”. There was another factor at play as well. Some have speculated Ishiwara tossed his hand on the field initiative because he was playing for time, expecting the Japanese government to fall and the substitution of a new team at central army HQ, one perhaps more compliant to the aggressive Kwantung Army.    While the Japanese forces pulled back into the SMR zone, Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijiro began negotiations with Chiang Kai-Shek's Nanjing government, through the League of Nations, suggesting the Jinzhou area be declared a neutral area. The Chinese initially refused, and while the Kwantung Army declared they would not attack, they still sent aircraft to circle Jinzhou. The Chinese, British, American, and French governments were willing to withdraw their troops from Jinzhou to Shanhaiguan if the Manchurian incident was resolved and Japan committed to not infringing upon the area.    Consequently, Tokyo's headquarters supported this approach and instructed the Kwantung Army to withdraw. Although Zhang Xueliang had assured that his forces would leave Jinzhou by December 7th, this did not occur. As a result, the Japanese began discussions to establish Jinzhou as a neutral zone. The Kwantung army intercepted two Chinese telegrams indicating Zhang Xueliang was strengthening the defenses at Jinzhou and that Nanjing was requesting he not pull his men out. The telegrams were sent to Tokyo HQ who agreed the Chinese were acting in a treacherous manner. The Japanese ambassador then told US Secretary Henry Stimson  “it would be very difficult to withhold the army from advancing again.” Stimson replied “ such actions would convince the American public that Japan's excuse for her incursions, namely that she was combating bandit attacks, was a ruse to destroy the last fragment of Chinese authority in Manchuria. It would be extremely difficult to ask China to withdraw her army from her own territory.” Thus began the Jinzhou Crisis.   On the same day the Japanese ambassador was meeting Stimson in Washington, the Nationalist minister of finance, T.V Soong sent a telegram to Zhang Xueliang advising “any Japanese attack on Jinzhou should be offered utmost resistance.” Also the American Minister in China, Nelson Johnson publicly expressed the view that Zhang Xueliang would resist at Jinzhou if attacked “if only to reassure the students and public in general, some of whom clamor for military action, despite the attitude of his old generals of the Fengtian clique who desire his resignation to enable them to sell out to the Japanese”.   It had become clear to all observers that the Japanese were intent on capturing Jinzhou, whether they were justified to do so or not. Their tactics of intimidation became even bolder as they began dropping air torpedoes on disused sections of railway track on December 10th, disrupting traffic along the Beiping-Shenyang rail route and hinting that the nearby populated areas might be next. Ishiwara's hopes came true on December 13th, whence Prime Minister Wakatsuki resigned on December 11th, having failed to control the Kwantung Army. A new cabinet was formed under Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai, whom resumed negotiations with Nanjing, but then on December 15th, Chiang Kai-Shek resigned as chairman of the Nanjing government, leading Sun Ke to lead a weak interim government. Preoccupied with its own survival, the Nanjing government had no time to deal with the Jinzhou crisis.   Meanwhile War Minister Minami and Chief of staff Kanaya who had tried to moderate the Kwantung Army's aggressive initiatives had been replaced by Araki Sadao, a significantly more aggressive leader who happened to be the leading figure of the Kodoha faction. His counterpart was Prince Kan'in. With these new appointments, the atmosphere in Tokyo general HQ had changed dramatically. The new team elected to change the framing of the situation, they were not performing offensives against Chinese forces, but rather “suppressing bandits”. On December 15th, Tokyo HQ telegraphed Mukden instructing the Kwantung Army to “synchronize an assault on Jinzhou with an attack upon bandits”. Tokyo HQ even agreed to send some reinforcements from Korea and Japan. The 20th IJA division, the 38th mixed brigade of the 19th division crossed the border from Korea and the 8th mixed brigade, 10th division came over from Japan. With this the Kwantung army had been bolstered to around 60,450men.    On December 17th, the Japanese launched attacks on what they referred to as "soldier bandits" in Fak'u and Ch'angtuhsien, which was actually a precursor to their assault on Jinzhou. The following day, December 18th, Japanese aircraft bombed Daonglio, resulting in the deaths of three Chinese civilians and causing widespread panic in the city. The Japanese actions were all the more effective when concentrated with the absolute paralysis that had gripped China. Sun Ke was too preoccupied with the survival of his own government and had neither the time nor resources to spare for Manchuria. In addition, Stimson's strong words in private to the Japanese ambassador belied the State Department's public attitude toward interference in the conflict. On December 21st Hawkling Yen, the Chinese charge in Washington met with Stanley Hornback, the chief of the department of Far Eastern Affairs. Yen told Hornback that a Japanese attack on Jinzhou was imminent and asked the US to “protest in anticipate of it”. Hornbeck refused, stating the State Department was “already publicly on record with regard to the matter”. No other Western power was ready to advocate any strong measures against the Japanese either.   On the 22nd, the Japanese HQ at Shenyang announced they would soon begin an anti-bandit advance west of the Liao River and would remove any who interfered with said operation. They also added that if any Chinese forces at Jinzhou withdrew they would be left unmolested. By December 26th, all preparations for the assault on Jinzhou were finalized. On December 28th, Honjo initiated an "anti-bandit" campaign west of the Liao River. While Honjo publicly claimed they were merely "clearing the country of bandits,”. As the Japanese forces and their collaborationist allies spread across the South Manchurian railway area to eliminate remaining pockets of resistance, the 12th Division, led by Lt. General Jiro Tamon advanced from Mukden toward Jinzhou, supported by numerous bomber squadrons. Japanese intelligence estimated that Zhang Xueliang had 84,000 troops defending the city, along with 58 artillery pieces and two distinct defensive lines. The first line, located 20 miles north of Jinzhou, consisted of trenches designed to impede the Japanese advance at the Taling River Bridge on the Peiping-Mukden Railway. The second line was a series of earthworks and fortifications completely surrounding Jinzhou. The temperature was -30 degrees, and the Imperial Japanese Army troops were dressed in white winter camouflage uniforms. IJA reconnaissance aircraft reported approximately 3,000 Honghuzi were waiting to ambush them in Panshan County. Tamon's forces quickly overcame the alleged Honghuzi in a series of small skirmishes and continued their march toward Goubangzi, 50 km north of Jinzhou. It should be noted, many question whether the Honghuzi were real or simply local Chinese the Japanese coerced into action to justify their advance. By December 31, the Japanese vanguard had reached within 15 km of Jinzhou, along the banks of the Talin River. Tamon paused to allow the rest of the 2nd Division to catch up. Subsequently, Tamon's troops began setting up an intricate system of microphones to broadcast the sounds of the impending battle to Tokyo. This tactic appeared to be an attempt to demoralize the defenders, which proved effective as Zhang Xueliang's forces began to withdraw. On December 30, Zhang Xueliang had issued the order to retreat from Jinzhou. Two days later, the American Minister in China, Nelson Johnson, reported the following scene: “Jinzhou Railway station resembles beehive, every possible car being pressed into service and loaded with troops, animals, baggage, to last inch space.” The last Chinese troop train departed Jingzhou at 11 am on January 1st carrying away the final remnants of Zhang Xueliang's authority in Manchuria. The assault on Jinzhou occurred at a particularly inopportune moment for China. Chiang Kai-shek was temporarily out of office, lacking the full support of the Nanjing government and many generals. It is likely that Chiang Kai-shek understood that Zhang Xueliang's forces in Jinzhou would be significantly outmatched and could be annihilated. His priority was to prevent the situation from escalating into an official war, allowing him to strengthen China's military capabilities for a counteroffensive. Following the fall of Jinzhou, the northern China army retreated south of the Great Wall into Hebei Province. The Japanese then occupied Shanhaiguan, securing complete control over southern Manchuria. Despite the fall of Jinzhou there was still one last holdout in Manchuria. After Ma Zhanshan was driven out of Qiqihar by the Japanese, he led his troops northeast to establish a new HQ in Hailun where he was still technically ruling Heilongjiang province. Ma Zhanshan had gained international recognition as a resistance hero following his ill-fated battle at Qiqihar. The Kwantung Army took note of his fame and adjusted their strategies accordingly. Komai Tokuzo, the head of the Kwantung Board of Control, suggested that bringing Ma Zhanshan into their ranks would provide a significant propaganda advantage. To persuade him to negotiate with the Kwantung Army, they sent a local factory owner, Han Yunje. On December 7th, Colonel Itagaki Seishiro met with Ma Zhanshan in Hailun. Itagaki expressed that the Japanese aimed for two objectives: peace in East Asia and full cooperation between the Chinese and Japanese. He also mentioned that the officers of the Kwantung Army were impressed by Ma's remarkable bravery and were willing to grant him military command over Heilongjiang, provided they reached an agreement. In response, Ma Zhanshan stated that his forces had acted solely in self-defense and that he was bound by the orders of the Nanjing government. Itagaki then suggested Ma Zhanshan might be appointed military commander of the province under the provincial governor in Qiqihar, Zhang Jinghui. To this Ma Zhanshan replied “as Hailun is not very far from Harbin, he could consult with General Zhang Jinghui over the telephone or pay a call on the latter in person, and that a second trip to Hailun by the Japanese representative would not be necessary.” Despite Ma's position, Itagaki felt satisfied with the meeting, believing that Ma Zhanshan might align with them. However, he was constrained by anti-Japanese colleagues like his chief of staff Xie Ke and battalion commander Tang Fengjia. The situation shifted significantly for Ma Zhanshan when Zhang Xueliang withdrew his forces from Jinzhou. On December 7th, Itagaki and Ma met once more, during which Ma expressed his desire to serve as both the military leader and governor of Heilongjiang. Unbeknownst to the Japanese, Ma Zhanshan was secretly in discussions with another resistance leader, General Ding Chao. When Ma Zhanshan initiated his resistance against the Japanese, Ding Chao decided to take similar action in the northern city of Harbin. Harbin serves as the gateway to Northeast China and is the political, economic, and cultural hub of North Manchuria. It functions not only as the center of the Sino-Soviet co-managed Middle East Railway but also as an international marketplace where Chinese and foreigners coexist. The city houses the Special Administrative Region of the Three Eastern Provinces (with Daoli under this region and Daowai belonging to Jilin Province). Following the Mukden Incident, the Japanese army considered attacking Harbin; however, concerns about potential Soviet interference led to the plan being halted by Army Minister Minami Jiro. Harbin had largely remained peaceful, and the Japanese maintained control by appointing the puppet General Xi Qia as the governor of Kirin province. Together with Li Du, Xing Zhangqing, Zhao Yi, and Feng Zhanhai, Ding Chao formed the Kirin self-defense army to thwart the takeover of Harbin and Kirin province. Ma Zhanshan supported Ding Chao, and both generals kept in touch with Zhang Xueliang and Chiang Kai-shek, who could only offer limited support. In November of the same year, the Jilin Provincial Anti-Japanese Government, chaired by Cheng Yun, was established in Bin County. Feng Zhanhai, the head of the guard regiment at the Northeast Frontier Defense Army's deputy commander-in-chief office in Jilin, refused to surrender to the Japanese forces. He rallied over 3,000 members of his regiment to resist the Japanese and rebel forces. They marched from Yongji County in Jilin Province to Shulan County, where they joined forces with the national salvation armies led by Gong Changhai and Yao Bingqian, which were based on green forest armed groups, to create the Jilin Anti-Japanese National Salvation Army, with Feng as the commander. On November 12, the Jilin Provincial Provisional Government was established in Bin County . Feng Zhanhai was appointed as the garrison commander and commander of the 1st Brigade. The units led by Gong and Yao were reorganized into cavalry brigades under Feng's command. This series of anti-Japanese actions significantly boosted the fighting spirit of the people in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. To launch an attack on Harbin, the Japanese Kwantung Army first needed to "punish" the anti-Japanese armed forces by force. To eliminate Feng's anti-Japanese forces, the Japanese puppet authorities dispatched Yu Shencheng, the commander of the Jilin "bandit suppression" unit, to lead the puppet army in an offensive aimed at seizing Harbin as a base to control the Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. Feng Zhanhai's troops strategically abandoned Shulan City to lure the enemy deeper into the area. The puppet army fell into a trap and launched a major assault on Yao Bingqian's brigade stationed in Shuiquliu, which fiercely resisted the attack. On the same day, Gong Changhai's brigade maneuvered around to the rear of the puppet army for a surprise attack, while Yao's brigade counterattacked from the front. The puppet army's Ma Xilin brigade retreated, unable to be halted by the Japanese supervisory team. At this point, Feng Zhanhai led another brigade into the fray, pursuing Ma's brigade. After another seven hours of intense fighting, Shulan was retaken. In this battle, the garrison inflicted nearly 1,000 casualties on Japanese and puppet troops, captured hundreds, and saw many puppet soldiers defect. The battles of Shuiqu and Shulan were thus victorious. On the 16th, Yu Shencheng's puppet forces were defeated by the 25th Brigade of the Northeast Army in Yushu. Due to the precarious situation in Shulan, Feng Zhanhai had no choice but to abandon Shulan City and retreat his troops north of Wuchang. On the 19th, seeking urgently needed funds for his troops, Feng Zhanhai led a battalion from Acheng to Lalinkang, where they were surrounded by a significant number of Japanese and puppet troops. The following day, with the help of reinforcements, they managed to repel the Japanese and puppet forces. However, the troops suffered over 200 casualties and were compelled to leave Lalinkang and return to Acheng. On the 25th, Feng and Li moved their forces to the eastern suburbs of Harbin, with the 22nd, 26th, and 28th Brigades announcing their support in succession.On the morning of the 26th, Feng and Li entered the city from four directions, forcibly disarming five police brigades and seizing more than 3,000 firearms along with a number of heavy weapons. They stationed the 26th and 28th Brigades and one regiment in the Shanghao area, while Feng Zhanhai's four brigades and two detachments were positioned in the Sankeshu and Nangang areas. The 22nd Brigade was assigned to Shuangchengbao, preparing to defend against a Japanese assault.  Meanwhile the Japanese were still trying to win over Ma Zhanshan. This prompted our old friend Doihara to ask Xi Qia to advance his new “Jilin Army” to Harbin and then to Hailun. However in their way was the Jilin Self-Defense force of General Ding Chao and General Li Du had deployed his forces between Xi Qia and Harbin. On the 24th, representatives from Li Du and Ding Chao participated in a meeting with Ma Zhanshan's officers, convincing them to attempt to retake Qiqihar and defend Harbin for the resistance. When Xiqia's "New Jilin Army" finally advanced to Shuangcheng on the 25th, Zhang Xueliang instructed Ma Zhanshan and Ding Chao to abandon negotiations and begin fighting on the morning of the 26th. Kenji Doihara ultimately failed to intimidate the Chinese further, as his ally Xicha's troops encountered stiff resistance from Ding Chao's troops. Later that afternoon, Japanese aircraft dropped leaflets over Harbin, openly demanding that the anti-Japanese forces withdraw from the city immediately. The Japanese Consulate in Harbin also issued a notice to various foreign consulates, stating that the Japanese army would enter Harbin at 3:00 PM on the 28th. As the New Jilin army advanced towards Shuangcheng, this signaled to the Chinese resistance fighters that an attack was imminent. Zhang Xueliang instructed Generals Ma Zhanshan and Ding Chao to halt negotiations and prepare to make a stand. By late January, the Kirin Self-Defense Corps had grown to 30,000 members, organized into six brigades. Ding Chao fortified defensive positions between General Xi Qia's advancing troops and Harbin. Xi Qia was caught off guard by the well-organized resistance forces, resulting in heavy losses for his army, which was unable to break through. In desperation, Xi Qia sought assistance from the Kwantung Army, but they needed a justification to intervene. Once again, Colonel Doihara Kenji orchestrated a false flag operation. He incited a riot in Harbin that resulted in the deaths of one Japanese individual and three Koreans. Using the pretext that Japanese citizens were in danger, the 2nd Division under Lt. General Jiro Tamon began its advance toward Harbin from Jinzhou on the 28th. However, severe winter weather delayed their transportation. To complicate matters further, the Soviets denied Japanese trains access to Harbin via their section of the Chinese Eastern Railway, citing a breach of neutrality. The entire Manchurian incident had escalated tensions between the USSR and Japan. When they invaded Heilongjiang, there were genuine concerns about potential Soviet intervention, especially with their presence in Harbin. However, at the last moment, the Soviets agreed to allow transit on January 30th. Back on the 26, 1932, Feng Zhanhai and Li Du, the commander of the Yilan garrison, entered Harbin. Early on the 27th, Yu Shencheng, the commander of the puppet Jilin "bandit suppression," ordered two brigades to attack the Shanghao, Sankeshu, and Nangang areas. Japanese aircraft bombed the Sankeshu and Nangang regions. The two brigades tasked with defending the area fought valiantly, resulting in intense combat. Soon after, Feng Zhanhai and his reserve team joined the fray, launching a political offensive alongside their fierce attacks. The puppet army struggled to hold its ground and retreated to Lalincang. The defending troops in Shanghao fought tenaciously, inflicting heavy casualties on both Japanese and puppet forces, shooting down one plane, and attempting to persuade puppet army commander Tian Desheng to lead a revolt. By evening, the puppet army had been driven back. On the morning of the 28th, the anti-Japanese forces advanced to the Jile Temple and Confucian Temple, capturing advantageous positions near Xinfatun with artillery support. The cavalry brigade flanked the puppet army and launched a vigorous assault, leading to the collapse and retreat of the puppet forces towards Acheng. Gong Changhai led the cavalry in pursuit for 15 kilometers, capturing a significant number of puppet troops. After two days of fierce fighting on the 27th and 28th, the initial invasion of Harbin by Japanese and puppet troops was successfully repelled. Due to the defeat of Yu Shencheng and other puppet forces, the Japanese Kwantung Army launched a direct assault on Harbin on the morning of the28th, under the pretext of "protecting overseas Chinese." They ordered Hasebe, commander of the 3rd Brigade of the Kwantung Army, to lead the 4th Regiment, an artillery battalion, and two tanks on a train from Changchun to Harbin for combat. On the29th, another combat order was issued: the 2nd Division was to assemble in Changchun and then be transported to Harbin by truck. Part of the 4th Mixed Brigade was also moved from Qiqihar to Anda and Zhaodong by truck to support the 2nd Division from the north of Harbin. The 1st, 3rd, 8th, and 9th Squadrons of the Kwantung Army Flying Team were tasked with covering the assembly, advance, and attack of the 2nd Division. Hasebe's 4th Regiment departed from Changchun by train, but due to extensive damage to the railway caused by the Northeast Army, their train was attacked by the Northeast Army at dawn on the 29th as it reached the Laoshaogou area on the south bank of the Songhua River. The Japanese forces quickly shifted to an offensive strategy and, despite ongoing resistance, managed to reach Shitouchengzi Village north of the Sancha River that night. On the night of January 29, Zhao Yi's brigade received word of the Japanese assault on Harbin and immediately prepared for battle. At dawn on January 30, Brigade Commander Zhao Yi led six battalions in a light advance, launching a surprise attack on Shilipu, where they decisively defeated the puppet army's Liu Baolin Brigade, capturing over 700 soldiers and seizing more than 600 weapons. They then returned to Shuangchengbao to prepare for the annihilation of the advancing Japanese forces. Around 8:00 PM, the 3rd Brigade of the Japanese Army, along with the Changgu Detachment and two military vehicles, arrived at Shuangcheng Station, intending to camp there and attack Harbin the following day. Zhao Yi's troops set up an ambush in the area. As the Japanese forces disembarked and assembled to plan their attack on Harbin, the ambushing troops took advantage of their unpreparedness, launching a surprise attack from three sides. They unleashed heavy firepower, forcing the enemy back onto the platform before engaging in close combat with bayonets and grenades. The Japanese were caught off guard and suffered significant casualties. The next day, the Japanese dispatched reinforcements from Changchun, supported by aircraft, artillery, and tanks, to assault Shuangchengbao. Brigade Zhao found himself trapped in the isolated city, suffering over 600 casualties, including the regiment commander, and was ultimately forced to abandon Shuangchengbao and retreat to Harbin. With Shuangcheng captured, Harbin was left vulnerable. The Self-Defense Army stationed the majority of its troops in the southern, southeastern, and southwestern regions of Harbin, including Guxiangyuetun, Bingyuan Street, Old Harbin City, and Lalatun. On the same day, several commanders convened: Li Du, the garrison commander of Yilan and leader of the 24th Brigade; Feng Zhanhai, commander of the Jilin Provincial Security Army; Xing Zhanqing, commander of the 26th Brigade; Zhao Yi, commander of the 22nd Brigade; Ding Chao, acting commander of the Railway Protection Army and leader of the 28th Brigade; and Wang Zhiyou, director of the Jilin Police Department. They agreed to establish the Jilin Provincial Self-Defense Army, appointing Li Du as commander, Feng Zhanhai as deputy commander, and Wang Zhiyou as the commander-in-chief of the front line. They decided to utilize the 22nd, 24th, 26th, and 28th Brigades for the defense of Harbin, while Feng Zhanhai would lead the 1st Brigade and other units in a flanking maneuver against Jilin and Changchun to thwart the Japanese advance. On February 3, 1932, various units of the Japanese 2nd Division arrived in the Weitanggou River area. Under the command of Duomen, the division initiated an assault on the Self-Defense Army's outposts located outside Harbin. The 3rd Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Division, alongside Yu Shencheng, the commander of the pseudo-Jilin "bandit suppression" forces, led an attack with five brigades as the right flank against Chinese defenders in the Qinjiagang, Nangang, and Shanghao regions. Meanwhile, the 15th Infantry Brigade of the Japanese Army formed the left flank, targeting Guxiangtun via Balibao along the Songhua River. Following the conflict, all outposts of the Self-Defense Army were lost, forcing them to retreat to their primary positions. On the morning of February 4th, the Japanese forces launched a full-scale attack, engaging the Self-Defense Army in battle. By afternoon, the Japanese had positioned themselves on both sides of the railway, south of Guxiang Yuetun, Yongfatun, and Yangmajia. The 3rd Brigade was stationed east of the railway, while the 15th Brigade took position to the west. After a preparatory artillery barrage, the Japanese forces commenced their assault. The Jilin Self-Defense Army defended tenaciously, utilizing fortifications and village structures, and concentrated their artillery fire on the advancing enemy, inflicting significant casualties.   Despite their efforts, the Japanese attack was initially repelled, prompting them to adopt a defensive stance. By 16:00, the area from Yangmajia to Yongfatun had fallen to the Japanese. The Self-Defense Army continued to resist fiercely, but the Japanese intensified their assaults. The left flank launched a vigorous attack on Guxiangtun. The 28th Brigade of the Self-Defense Army, defending this area, utilized civilian structures and walls for their defense. However, brigade commander Wang Ruihua fled under pressure, leading to a loss of command and forcing the troops to abandon their positions and retreat into the city. Simultaneously, the Japanese right flank aggressively targeted the defense of the 26th Brigade of the Self-Defense Army. Despite the desperate efforts of brigade commander Xing Zhanqing and his troops, they were ultimately compelled to retreat to the river dam at Shiliudao Street due to inferior equipment. Around this time, the western and southern defense lines under Wang Zhiyou's command began to fall one after another. In this critical situation, Commander-in-Chief Li Du personally went to the front lines to organize the troops and establish a third defensive line on the city's edge. They fought until nightfall, successfully halting the Japanese advance. At dawn on February 5th the Self-Defense Army initiated a counteroffensive. The artillery first conducted preparatory fire, targeting the positions of the Japanese 3rd Brigade located east of the railway. Following this, the infantry launched their attack. The Japanese troops on the front lines found themselves in a precarious situation. In response, Jiro Tamon, the commander of the 2nd Division, urgently ordered artillery to intercept the Self-Defense Army's counterattack and deployed the tank and reserve units to assist. Four squadrons from the air force took off from a temporary forward airfield in Shuangcheng, alternating between bombing and strafing to support the ground troops. The battle was intensely fierce, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. Lacking air support and facing significant threats from Japanese aircraft, the Self-Defense Army retreated to the area east of Harbin by the afternoon of the 5th. The Japanese forces then entered Harbin, leading to its immediate capture. On the 6th, the remaining self-defense forces learned of Harbin's fall and decided to abandon their original plan for a surprise attack against the Japanese army. Instead, they returned to Binxian and Fangzheng. During their retreat, they gathered some stragglers who had fled from Harbin and proceeded to Fangzheng County to regroup with Li Du. General Ding Chao's forces were compelled to retreat northeast along the Sungari River, while Japanese aircraft attacked them from above. After a grueling 17-hour battle, Ding Chao's army ultimately faced defeat. Following this loss, Ma Zhanshan made the decision to defect. On February 16, General Honjo held a conference for the Northeast Political Affairs Committee in Mukden, attended by senior Chinese officials of the new regime, including Zhang Jinghui, Ma Zhanshan, Zang Shiyi, Xi Qia, and others. The conference aimed to assign delegates to roles in the soon-to-be-established “Manchukuo.” On February 14, Ma Zhanshan was appointed governor of Heilongjiang province and received gold worth one million dollars. On February 27th, Ding Chao proposed a ceasefire, marking the official end of Chinese resistance in Manchuria. On March 1st, Puyi would be installed as the ruler of the new state of Manchukuo. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. With the fall of Jinzhou, Zhang Xueliang had effectively been kicked out of Manchuria. With the loss of Harbin, came the loss of any significant resistance to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Japan had conquered the northeast and now would enthrone the last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty forming the puppet state of Manchukuo. 

This week we're not building walls or tearing them down, in fact, we're simply talking about them. But what a collection of walls we have: the Great Wall of China, Hadrian's Wall and the Berlin Wall.And elsewhere, isn't schooling far more complicated these days?! No one being educated in a Victorian Workhouse ever had to worry about an outfit for world book day - so did that make it easier? (Possibly not). But if you have anything unusual about the area you grew up in then please email: hello@ohwhatatime.comIf you fancy a bunch of OWAT content you've never heard before, why not treat yourself and become an Oh What A Time: FULL TIMER?Up for grabs is:- two bonus episodes every month!- ad-free listening- episodes a week ahead of everyone else- And much moreSubscriptions are available via AnotherSlice and Wondery +. For all the links head to: ohwhatatime.comYou can also follow us on: X (formerly Twitter) at @ohwhatatimepodAnd Instagram at @ohwhatatimepodAaannnd if you like it, why not drop us a review in your podcast app of choice?Thank you to Dan Evans for the artwork (idrawforfood.co.uk).Chris, Elis and Tom xSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Rich Dickman Show - Episode 292: Wheelchair User Welcome back to The Rich Dickman Show with your hosts Rem, Cody, Ray, and the ever-punctual (not!) Rem! Episode 292 is packed with the usual blend of insightful advice, questionable dilemmas, and celebrity smackdowns, all leading to a divine artistic endeavor. Segments Covered: Thinking with your Dickman: The wisdom flows freely as the guys tackle listener questions: Snarky AI Assistant: Jade from Austin is dealing with a Jeeves who's getting a little too opinionated about her music taste. The crew dives into the meaning of "derivative", fear a "Cyberdine moment", and hilariously brainstorm ways to keep AI humble, suggesting racist remarks (towards robots, of course!) and gotcha questions like "What's the back of your dick?". They even consider coining AI slurs like "dry brain" and "natural intelligence supremacist". Prada vs Gucci: Jasmine in Miami is agonizing over a Gucci handbag that clashes with her comfy Prada shoes. Rem finally joins the show, initially bewildered by such concerns amidst global issues like rising egg and gas prices. Ultimately, the advice leans towards comfort, suggesting she stick with the Prada shoes. There's a brief mention of Gucci burning surplus to maintain artificial scarcity. Wool Suit Woes: Jonah from Chicago wonders if his "wild cut" alpaca wool suit is too bold for a stuffy law firm interview. The hosts speculate on professions that might call for such attire and Rem suggests the suit screams "Better Call Saul," advising Jonah to deliver a dramatic exit line if questioned about it. Cody Reads Copy: Cody lends his vocal talents to a scathing critique of McDonald's McFlation Meal, a "pathetic Big Mac" with "soggy" fries and "lukewarm" soda, leaving you "shelling out more for less". This sparks a tangent about Trump's McDonald's consumption and the hosts' personal struggles with getting their McDonald's orders correct, particularly the elusive bacon on a Double Quarter Pounder. Dick of the Week: The coveted (or not so coveted) award is handed out after a review of some truly dickish behavior, introduced with a brand new bumper: A parking lot attendant in Los Angeles harassed a wheelchair user for using a handicap spot, despite her legal right, even chasing her and mocking her. The hosts are appalled. In Ganj boy Kasgange, India, a plastered police inspector was caught on video grabbing his wife in public and, when confronted, slurred, "I am fake". The hosts are left speechless and try to decipher the meaning. Two German tourists in Mallorca climbed and wrecked a steel structure for a selfie, ignoring the rules. The hosts take issue with the interns' editorializing in the news summaries. The Dick of the Week award ultimately goes to the infuriating parking lot attendant for his harassment of the wheelchair user. Dickman Dilemma: The moral compass takes a spin with these tough choices, now introduced with the "Seware Snare Shed Decree" bumper: N-word vs. Harlem: Rem is faced with the choice of saying the N-word on national TV or seeing Harlem get nuked. He chooses to utter the word. Ray would rather be a pariah than see mass destruction, while Cody hopes to find a loophole. A tangent about a company name "Nickerson" ensues. Baby Cannon: The ethical implications of shooting a baby 200 yards into a net for $5 million are debated with surprising detail, including net size, propulsion methods, and the baby's potential for mid-air healing. Ray even jokes about his own child's chaotic nature making him a prime candidate (with a helmet, of course), while Randy suggests a baby parachute. CEO Body Swap: The allure of trading bodies with a Fortune 500 CEO for a week, with the risk of them trashing your own, is considered. The consensus is a firm no, fearing either bodily harm or inheriting a failing company. Alien Autopsy Auction: Selling a dead alien for $20 million, but risking an invasion, is the final dilemma. The hosts, recalling "Independence Day", are hesitant to provoke extraterrestrial wrath, even for a hefty sum. Celebrity Dick Match: The battle of the famous begins with a new intro song: Danny DeVito vs. MrBeast: The beef? MrBeast's 10,000 tiny charity houses encroach on DeVito's "gig," leading to a demanded ball pit brawl at Chuck-E-Cheese. The hosts humorously size up DeVito's chances in a ball pit and veer off into a passionate (and divided) discussion about the merits (or lack thereof) of Jersey Mike's "juice". Ultimately, they see DeVito as the scrappier victor. Gordon Ramsay vs. Post Malone: The culinary clash ignites when Ramsay calls Post Malone's hot sauce "the worst since unsliced bread". This escalates to troll restaurants and a cooking show. The hosts discuss Post Malone's musical talents, including his Nirvana performance, and David Draiman of Disturbed's "Sound of Silence" cover, as well as Five Finger Death Punch covers. Post Malone's love for "Hunt Showdown" is also highlighted. Gordon Ramsay is confidently predicted to win this fiery feud. What Would Jesus Draw - Brokering a Peace Deal: Brought to you by the (hopefully soon-to-be-live) whatwouldjesusdraw.com, the hosts unleash AI to interpret their divine prompts: The central prompt is Jesus Christ of Nazareth as a political dignitary during a diplomatic meeting. Randy's initial attempt envisions Jesus like Gandalf. His second try, Jesus watching a play with Abe Lincoln, yields a strange, homoerotic scene with no clear meeting or Lincoln. Rem imagines Jesus facilitating the peace treaty between Lee and Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in 1865, resulting in a charcoal-style drawing with an oddly proportioned Grant. Cody pictures Jesus sitting down in formal attire with President Camacho from Idiocracy, producing an image with a cool vibe but a missing arm and a bizarre background. Ray goes wild with Jesus as a Zimbabwean diplomat negotiating penguin furs with Genghis Khan on the Great Wall of China, leading to a heartwarming (and absurd) image of Jesus touching a penguin on the Great Wall, sans Genghis Khan. After much deliberation and a tie-breaker coin flip, Ray's surreal penguin encounter wins the divine art contest. Listeners are encouraged to visit whatwouldjesusdraw.com to purchase these unique creations (no NFTs here!). Outro: The hosts share their social media handles (@Rem_Dickman, @Randall_Dickman, @CodyMcCann) and the new Rich Dickman Show voicemail number: 513-512-5721. Cody recounts his Mardi Gras adventures, Ray mentions his dog-walking routine and ongoing insurance saga, and they all look forward to the eventual launch of whatwouldjesusdraw.com. A final, humorous note reveals the Jesus art is printed in Mexico, much to Randy's mock dismay. Don't forget to check out old episodes and get ready for the big 300! Until next time, stay rich (in spirit)!  

In the finale of The Great Pyramids series, the boys—Sean, Jorge, and Eric—wrap up their dive into one of the greatest architectural achievements in human history. This time, it's all about how mankind actually built them—no aliens, no lost civilizations, just sheer engineering brilliance, ingenuity, and thousands of skilled workers making the impossible possible.They start by breaking down the leading theories on how the ancient Egyptians moved, lifted, and placed the 2.3 million limestone blocks with incredible precision, using ramps, pulleys, sleds, and clever physics tricks. From the internal spiral ramp theory to the possibility that some stones were poured like early concrete, we explore the most scientifically backed explanations for how these megastructures came to be.But the pyramids were just the beginning of mankind's obsession with building big. We trace the evolution of human construction, from the massive temples and fortresses of the ancient world to modern-day engineering marvels like the Machu Picchu, the International Space Station, and the Hoover Dam. How did early humans figure out Roman concrete that still holds up today while our modern concrete crumbles in a few decades? What made the Great Wall of China possible? And why did civilizations keep pushing the limits of architecture and construction?Finally, the boys bring the entire series to a close, reflecting on what makes the pyramids so special and why they continue to capture the world's imagination. Are they just a testament to human willpower and ingenuity, or is there some alien tech or visitors that came to give a hand to humanity. This is the ultimate conclusion to the TCP deep dive into one of history's greatest mysteries—and one of mankind's greatest achievements. Don't miss the final chapter of The Great Pyramids series!Resources and Further Reading:Ad Free: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theconspiracypodcast/subscribePatreon: https://www.patreon.com/theconspiracypodcastWebsite: www.theconspiracypodcast.com

News items read by Laura Kennedy include: King Thutmose II's tomb found, the first royal burial discovery in over a century (details)(details)(details) Laser technology uncovers intricate fifteenth century Zapotec city (details)(details) Plague epidemics likely started a century before the Black Death (details)(details) Excavation uncovers section of Great Wall 300 years older than previous estimates (details)

Minnesota Senator Tina Smith announces that she will not seek reelection. Will Tim Walz seek to replace her? Plus, twenty-eight are injured in a massive terror attack in Germany by a "refugee." Finally the city of Boston tries its best to avoid a FOIA request regarding extreme nepotism. Visit the Howie Carr Radio Network website to access columns, podcasts, and other exclusive content.