Sun Dianying was a Chinese bandit leader, warlord, and National Revolutionary Army commander who fought in the Warlord Era, Second Sino-Japanese War, and Chinese Civil War, earning notoriety for changing sides multiple times in course of these conflicts.
20 Facts About Sun Dianying
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Sun Dianying eventually joined the Songxian Pacification Force, an anti-bandit militia that mostly consisted of ex-bandits.
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Sun Dianying managed to rise to a minor command in the SPF, but he resumed banditry following the suicide of his superior Han Yukun in 1925, or after the SPF's crushing defeat at Xi'an against warlord Feng Yuxiang in 1926.
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Sun Dianying had thus proven his military capabilities, and was appointed as the 35th Division's commander in the army of warlord Zhang Zongchang in late 1925 or 1926.
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Sun Dianying quickly deserted to the National Revolutionary Army during the Northern Expedition and would repeatedly change sides in the following years.
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Sun Dianying's forces were involved in a major friendly fire incident during this war, as they mistakenly fired on Feng's troops at Shangqiu.
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Sun Dianying moved to Shanxi, where his men were reorganized as 40th Division and garrisoned at Jincheng.
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At the time, Sun Dianying commanded the 41st Army of 30,000 men, most of them garrisoned in Lingyuan; one of the soldiers under his command during this conflict was writer Duanmu Hongliang.
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Only a few units under Sun Dianying's command refused to retreat from Lingyuan and fought the Japanese to the death, while he moved his army to Chahar Province.
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In May 1933, with Feng Yuxiang organizing the Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army, Sun Dianying advocated opposition to Japan and criticized Chiang Kai-shek's central government, yet protested his loyalty to Chiang.
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The national government feared Sun Dianying would cooperate with Feng's Anti-Japanese Army, allowing them to use the railroad to support their forces.
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However, Sun Dianying was not willing to be involved in a conflict with Chiang.
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Sun Dianying hoped to be involved in northwest development and control a territory of his own there.
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Sun Dianying ordered Sun to halt his advance through Suiyuan province in November 1933.
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However, Sun Dianying's forces became short of food and restive from their inactivity.
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In January 1934 with his forces threatened with starvation and talk of mutiny, Sun Dianying was forced to march his 60,000-man army west from Suiyuan province into Ningxia, governed by Ma Hongkui.
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Just one month later Sun Dianying was appointed "high military advisor" for the Military Affairs Commission's Beiping branch by the central government.
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In 1937, when the Second Sino-Japanese War erupted, Sun Dianying resurfaced , commanding troops against the Japanese, taking command of the Hebei-Chahar Guerillas in 1938.
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Sun Dianying was eventually appointed as general of the NRA's 5th Army, but alongside his superior Pang Bingxun defected to the Japanese in 1943.
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Sun Dianying was eventually defeated by People's Liberation Army forces and taken prisoner.