Conflicts Continuing, New Religion Proselytizing (March, 1933)

In articles written in early January, 1933, and published in the missionary newspaper in mid-February, 1933, Anna Bøg and Rev. Bjergaarde's wife, Maria, each re-told the events of December, 1932 that had already been described in the excerpts from Anna Bøg's private letters* where she talked about the battles in the immediate vicinity of the mission station in Siuyen. The two new articles, taken together, provide additional details that clarify somewhat the situation with the resistance fighters. What immediately follows is a summary of the additional information from the two articles. In perusing it, the reader should bear in mind that at the time Siuyen was a small city of about 20,000 inhabitants:

In November and the first part of December, 1932, weapons and ammunition were smuggled into town from Tientsin by way of Peichingtzu (near Takushan) and various places. After the Japanese dropped the leaflets on December 13, the missionaries raised the Danish flag. The mandarin, Liu, and his volunteer troops, who called themselves "Defenders of the Fatherland", left town and remained outside until December 16. Mandarin Liu made it known that during that time they fought several battles north of Siuyen.

On December 16, approximately 1,000 Japanese and Tatung** soldiers occupied Siuyen. About 3:30 a.m. on the morning of December 22, however, there was shooting as Mandarin Liu's troops swarmed into town, filling that part of the city that was outside of the old city walls. They shouted in the street, "We are several thousand who have now entered town." They knocked on gates and asked people to provide food for them. Mandarin Liu's troops then proceeded to engage the Japanese and Tatung troops every night through the night of December 24.

All the town gates were open and Mandarin Liu's troops seemed to become bolder every day. Japanese planes flew over every day and on December 23, Mandarin Liu's troops fired at them repeatedly. It was said that the mandarin's troops had shot down one of the planes but that turned out not to be true. The Japanese and Tatung troops retreated to the old walled part of the city, then on Christmas Eve day the Japanese bombed the area of the town held by Mandarin Liu's men. That day many of Mandarin Liu's troops converged on the area of the mission station and positioned themselves just outside the mission station walls and inside the abandoned house of the Japanese man that was built right up to the property line of the mission station. From there, they shot fiercely at the Japanese planes. After the bombing on December 24, it was said that the Mandarin's troops had left town via the South Gate. No sooner had everyone breathed a sigh of relief, however, than it was reported that fresh troops from Mandarin Liu's forces had come into town. Meanwhile there were bandits all around the city, and refugees were fleeing into town to get away from the bandits. Then, on Christmas morning, the Japanese came to the mission station and told Anna Bøg that the Mandarin's troops had all left town.

Anna Bøg's subsequent letters, of course, reveal that this was not the end of fighting.

Based on this information, taken together with Anna Bøg's letters, the reader will note several things: (1) as dangerous as it was in the city, many of the refugees felt safer there than in the country where they were vulnerable to the bandits; (2) both the resistance fighters and the refugees hoped to protect themselves by coming within the safety zone provided by the Danish missionaries in that the Japanese would want to avoid an international incident that would threaten their puppet regime of Manchukuo; (3) the professional bandits were relentlessly exploiting the chaos created by the political turmoil; and (4) given the large numbers of resistance fighters in such a small city and their preparation for the engagement by smuggling in weapons and ammunition, one can speculate that Mandarin Liu and his men were not operating in isolation but were connected in some way or another to one of the larger and more powerful warlord armies.

The additional information summarized above clarifies Anna Bøg's letter dated February 22, 1933 where she said, "the southern part of the city is at this time in the hands of the former Mandarin Liu, and the north is in Manchukuo's". Unfortunately, it does not clarify whether the "grays" that she mentions in various letters are a group that broke off from Mandarin Liu or whether they were still allied with him. Nor is that question answered in any subsequent letters or articles that we have reviewed so far.

It should be noted that when Anna Bøg talks in her letter of March 18 (see below) about "soldiers" demanding assistance from residents in the country, she seems to be talking about Mandarin Liu's men. But when she says in her letter of March 19 (also below), "It sounded as if our foes had come back into town", it is not clear whom she defines as the "foe".

In any event, we present here Anna Bøg's letters from March 13 through March 20, 1933. It sounds as if at that time the Japanese/ Manchukuo troops are in possession of the entire town of Siuyen but that the resistance fighters had not yet been permanently defeated:

"March 13, 1933

"Saturday evening clouds hung heavily over us again. It was said that 1,000 gray were lying just outside the town. The refugees arrived. The guns were put in place. There was heavy guard in the streets. They were so close to one another that we could hardly see between them. Thus, we could not find any peace. For a while I was uneasy, but reading 2 Kings 6:17*** and following, and Psalm 34:7**** over and over again, and a quiet hour of prayer, put my heart to rest.

"The night passed quietly. I slept after the few shots that sounded. The next morning I awoke with such an exuberant joy in my soul, a joy from the Lord, that I thought it was given me to pass on to the anxious, fearful hearts during the course of the Sunday, for I could not help but to encourage all the Christians who are so weighed down with reports about hostages and so forth. This happened after many hostages were abducted 2-3 li from here. It gets worse and worse. They become bolder, and at this time there is hardly any rule of law.

"Today, I visited a family whose son was taken a few days ago. They are now staying here in town in a couple of small rooms, and every day there come seven carts with additional people and their many things. The good woman was about to jump out of her good skin. The entire afternoon was busy with visitors. They come and want to have their young girls in here. Yesterday a woman sat here and cried. They do not know what will happen to their children. . . . May it pass that "when the need is the greatest, help is nearest" for these poor people. They have no home. How bad this reality is. It is worse than ever before. Rural dwellers cannot hold out. Even in quite poor homes the bandits beat the people to drain out what few pennies they have. Thus, there is a large influx into town of rich and poor alike. We might be able to find our way to them with Jesus.

"The bandits have announced that the next time they come to Siuyen, they will come into the mission station, for there is money here. In the evening, our houseman, old Liu, came in. At that time there was unrest again. He said: "I'll have to hide myself. What else can I do when they question me about where you are?" I replied: "There is nothing else to do but to call for me," and said that we did not place our trust in men. But of course I would prefer that they do not come. Pray about this for us. Patriotism is still tormenting the populace. Poor, poor China.

"Carpenter [and Mrs.] Liu have not had particular problems like last time. Their houses have been spared. Some nearby had it bad. Liu is growing at this time, I think; he teaches the young men in the evening. His wife is still ill, but her face is radiant.

"March 18, 1933

"We had a visit from the young Christian Mrs. Chao from Shao Tzu Ho and her husband. All the young people in the home fled here to town yesterday and went to live temporarily in a house in North Town belonging to some of the family. They could not bear to remain at home. Every day soldiers came and demanded to be waited on. They made them sew and patch their clothes. Now they are here in town, squeezed in with family, but they will also soon tire of that.

"March 19, 1933

"It was a busy Sunday. We started Sunday School at 9:00 a.m. in order to accommodate the many children. It was a delightful sight to see the church filled with children on both sides. There were so many there that had never been before. This is because at this time so many rural residents have moved into the city. The women's side had seven classes. We tried to have some empty seats at each class, but even these were filled. On the boys side there were also many. Then after the children went out, the church was in the same way filled to the last seat with adults, and again this afternoon the little room was entirely full. These are some of the many hands reaching out for the Bread of Life. The Lord is working in hearts. Many hymn books and Bibles are being sold at this time here in town.

"There was a great deal of shooting here last night. It sounded as if our foes had come back into town. There are ten holes in the compound wall and three or four in the west gable. All the beautiful trees out toward the hospital have been sawed down. Outside the West Gate, an additional gate has been made of barbed wire and little scraps and there is a fence made of large branches around the whole town. We think it invites the bandits to put a match to it. Every evening the streets are lighted up. Each home must provide a lantern. The moats around the city have been made deeper. They must be so deep that a man on horseback cannot get over them. The old Mandarin Liu and bandit chieftain Teng Mei Tieh with their troops are still active out in the countryside just as before.

"March 20, 1933

"Yesterday we were busy from morning to night. We are too few for the work at this time. Tao Te hue -- a blending of the 5 main religions including Christianity, which internally through meditation and silence seeks connection with God, and externally does social work and works of mercy -- is making a great effort in town. They hold school and put out propaganda; many join them. Should we not then work harder? God willing, we hope to bring in some of the older girls every morning and teach them. It is sad that the school cannot take them. They only have small children this year."

Sources:
Bjergaarde, Maria; "Siuyen"; Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 100, No. 7, February 15, 1933; pp. 95-98.
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; "Juleaften i Siuyen"; Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 100, No. 7, February 15, 1933; pp. 99-100.
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; "Uddrag af private Breve fra Frk. Bøg Madsen;" Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 100, Nr. 17, April 26, 1933; pp. 245-248. Translated by Marie-Jacqueline.
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; "Uddrag af private Breve fra Frk. Bøg Madsen;" Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 100, Nr. 18; May 3, 1933; pp. 266-267. Translated by Betty Christensen.
All D.M.S. material used with permission.

Image:
Relief from Cao Dai Temple in Vietnam, from Wikimedia Commons. Some rights reserved.
The figure at the center top is Buddha. The figure third from the top at the center is Christ with his Sacred Heart.
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* As it turns out, the letters were written to Elise Bahnson who had gone home to Denmark on furlough at the beginning of December, 1932.
**Tatung is a city in North Shanxi province in northeastern China.
*** 2 Kings 6:17: A story about Elisha the prophet
**** Psalms 34:7: "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."
***** Although this new religion is called "Tao Te Hue", it sounds a great deal like Cao Dai, a Vietnamese-based sect founded in 1926 that combines Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Christianity. Perhaps this was a local offshoot or imitation.