10 Facts About Yang Jingyu

Yang Jingyu, born Ma Shangde, was a Chinese communist, military commander and political commissar who led the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Yang Jingyu's troops waged a guerrilla war against Japanese forces in Manchukuo who were attempting to suppress resistance in the region.

Yang Jingyu received both traditional education in his village private school and modern education in a school in Queshan.

Yang Jingyu was influenced by the New Culture Movement after he became disappointed with China's post-Xinhai revolution period of warlordism.

Yang Jingyu went to college in Kaifeng, then the capital of Henan Province.

In February 1936, Yang Jingyu was appointed Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army First Army commander and political commissar, in June he was appointed Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army First Route Army commander-in-chief concurrently political commissar.

Yang Jingyu led more than 40 engagements in Jilin Province, despite critically lacking supplies.

Yang Jingyu was eventually cornered in a small forest by a large combined Japanese and collaborationist forces in the Mengjiang County, and was killed during fierce fighting by multiple shots from machineguns.

The Japanese initially buried Yang Jingyu's beheaded body carelessly in the wild.

Yang Jingyu's death was a great blow to his remaining troops, who turned their sorrow into anger.