Fang Xianjue () 22 November 1903 – 3 March 1983) was a

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

general who fought in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

. Under his command, the Chinese 10th Army defended

Hengyang Hengyang (; ) is the second largest city of Hunan Province, China. It straddles the Xiang River about south of the provincial capital of Changsha. As of the 2020 Chinese census, Its total population was 6,645,243 inhabitants, of whom 1,290,71 ...

for 48 days in 1944.

Biography

Fang was born in a small

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

(now in

Suzhou, Anhui Suzhou, () formerly romanized as Suchow, is a prefecture-level city in northern Anhui, China. The city straddles the and rivers, which fork at its western end. The Tuohe was formerly a left tributary of the Huai River, while the latter is a mo ...

) village in 1903. After studying in his village, he went to

Xuzhou Xuzhou ( zh, s=徐州), also known as Pengcheng () in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 Chinese census, 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in ...

Provincial High School, and later studied at the

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

1st Industrial School, then later went to

National Central University National Central University (; abbreviated NCU; ) is a public research university based in Taiwan. It was founded in 1902 in Nanjing; initially located in Miaoli after moving to Taiwan, it relocated to Zhongli in 1962 and developed into a com ...

(later renamed

Nanjing University Nanjing University (NJU) is a public university in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. It is affiliated and sponsored by the Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. The univers ...

in mainland China and reinstated in Taiwan after 1949.) After completing his formal education, he decided to attend the

Whampoa Military Academy The Republic of China Military Academy ( zh, t=中華民國陸軍軍官學校, p=Zhōnghúa Mīngúo Lùjūn Jūnguān Xúexiào, poj=Tiong-hôa Bîn-kok Lio̍k-kun Kun-koaⁿ Ha̍k-hāu), also known as the Chinese Military Academy (CMA), is ...

and graduated in the class of 1926. He started as a platoon leader in the

National Revolutionary Army The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; zh, labels=no, t=國民革命軍) served as the military arm of the Kuomintang, Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT) from 1924 until 1947. From 1928, it functioned as the regular army, de facto ...

(NRA), and was eventually promoted to the rank of army general during the

. General Fang fought in the

Battle of Taierzhuang The Battle of Taierzhuang ( zh, t=, p=Tái'érzhuāng Huìzhàn) took place during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938. It was fought between the armies of the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan in the peak of the Xuzhou Campaign. The ba ...

, the

Battle of Changde The Battle of Changde (Battle of Changteh; ) was a major engagement in the Second Sino-Japanese War in and around the Chinese city of Changde (Changteh) in the province of Hunan. The purpose of the Japanese offensive was to maintain press ...

, and the Battle of Changsha. From June 1944, Fang commanded the National Revolutionary 10th Army in the

Defense of Hengyang The Battle of Hengyang () 23 June – 8 August 1944 was fought between Chinese and Japanese forces in mainland China during World War II. Although the city fell, Japanese casualties far exceeded the total number of Chinese troops defending ...

, where he was besieged for 48 days after fighting off numerous assaults by the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

. On the night of 8 August 1944 he telegraphed the Chongqing National Government about the heavy Chinese resistance and his willingness to fight to the death for the sake of the country. After running out of ammunition and supplies, and with no hope of getting reinforcement, he surrendered to the Japanese on the condition that all POWs would not be harmed and all wounded Chinese soldiers would get medical treatment. Initially, he tried to shoot himself, but the gun was wrestled out of his hands by his subordinates. The Japanese commander unconditionally accepted his terms out of respect for his fierce defense of Hengyang, where the IJA suffered almost 30,000 casualties (nearly half of the casualties suffered during the entire Japanese offensive. On the other hand, the Chinese suffered 7,400 casualties. He later escaped from captivity and received a hero's welcome from Chiang Kai-shek in

Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...

, where he received the

Order of Blue Sky and White Sun Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

. After the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

was defeated in the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

, he transferred to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and became the deputy commander of the Penghu Defense Command. Fang retired from the military in 1968 and died of a heart attack in Taipei on 3 March 1983. The surviving veterans of the Japanese 11th Army who personally participated in the battle of Hengyang organized a group trip to Taipei to their respects to Fang.

References

External links

人物追析:试析衡阳保卫战中方先觉投降日军事件
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fang, Xianjue 1903 births 1983 deaths Nanjing University alumni National Central University alumni National Revolutionary Army generals from Anhui People from Xiao County Taiwanese people from Anhui Whampoa Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun