Kang Tse ( zh, 康澤; July 8, 1904 – December 23, 1967) was a Chinese general and politician. He was a key member within the

Tsotanhui Clique Tsotanhui Clique (), also known as the New Politics Club (), the Chen Cheng Clique (), or the Tuanpai (), was a faction within the Kuomintang led by Chen Cheng. The clique was primarily composed of military officers and political instructors drawn ...

within 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 ...

. Kang played a significant role in intelligence operations, attempting to establish a spy network in China modeled after the

State Political Directorate The State Political Directorate (), abbreviated as GPU (), was the secret police of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from February 1922 to November 1923. It was the immediate successor of the Cheka, and was replaced by the Joint ...

. In 1928, Kang Tse graduated from the

Moscow Sun Yat-sen University Moscow Sun Yat-sen University, officially the Sun Yat-sen Communist University of the Toilers of China, was a Comintern school which operated from 1925 to 1930 in the city of Moscow, Russia, then the Soviet Union. It was a training camp for Chin ...

. Although trained in the Soviet system, he did not subscribe to Marxism-Leninism. Instead, he advised Chiang Kai-shek to adopt the Soviet-style

model to consolidate power. Acting on this recommendation, Chiang in 1931 formed the Nanchang Special Task Force Unit (Chinese: 南昌行營別動總隊), composed mainly of unemployed graduates from 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 ...

. Kang was appointed commander of the unit and became a trusted figure during the anti-Communist campaigns in Jiangxi. During the encirclement campaigns against the Chinese Red Army, Kang's special task force operated with high intensity in former Communist base areas, directing local authorities to carry out suppression operations and restore Kuomintang administrative control. When the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

embarked on the

Long March The Long March ( zh, s=长征, p=Chángzhēng, l=Long Expedition) was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and ...

, Chiang dispatched

Xue Yue Xue Yue (December 26, 1896 – May 3, 1998) was a Chinese military general, nicknamed the " Patton of Asia" by Claire Lee Chennault of the Flying Tigers. Early life and career Born to a peasant family in Shaoguan, Guangdong, Xue joined the ...

and the Central Army to pursue them across Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou. In each county along the route, Kang's units were deployed to monitor Communist elements and suspected sympathizers. Kang Tse also played a key role in the founding of both the

Blue Shirts Society The Blue Shirts Society (BSS; ), also known as the Society of Practice of the Three Principles of the People (, commonly abbreviated as SPTPP), the Spirit Encouragement Society (勵志社, SES) and the China Reconstruction Society (中華復興� ...

and the Three Principles of the People Youth Corps, which became influential paramilitary and ideological organizations aligned with Chiang's regime. In 1947, he was elected as a member of the

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...

. Since

Chen Cheng Chen Cheng (; ; January 4, 1898 – March 5, 1965), courtesy name Tsi-siou (), was a Chinese political and military leader, and one of the main commanders of the National Revolutionary Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese C ...

was not a legislator, Kang Tse became the de facto leader of the Tsotanhui Clique within the Legislative Yuan. In 1948, he was captured by the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

. After being granted amnesty in 1963, he served as a cultural and historical specialist for the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...

. Kang Tse authored several memoirs and reflective writings, including ''The Origins of the Fuxing Society'', ''The Establishment of the Three Principles of the People Youth League'', and ''My Role in the Negotiations of the Second KMT-CCP Cooperation''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kang, Tse 1904 births 1967 deaths Members of the 1st Legislative Yuan Republic of China politicians from Sichuan