Key Facts
- Duration
- Winter 1933–1934
- Chiang's prepared force
- 150,000 troops
- Chiang's prepared funds
- 15 million yuan
- Soviet role
- Intervened at Sheng Shicai's request
- White Russian unit
- Led by Col. Pappengut under Sheng
Strategic Narrative Overview
Ma Zhongying and Zhang Peiyuan launched a combined assault on Ürümqi, with Zhang cutting the road between Tacheng and the capital. Sheng Shicai defended with Manchurian troops and a White Russian unit under Col. Pappengut. When the allied forces nearly overwhelmed Sheng's defenses, he appealed to the Soviet Union for military assistance, triggering a Soviet invasion of Xinjiang and forcing Ma Zhongying to retreat following the Battle of Tutung.
01 / The Origins
The battle arose from competing interests over Xinjiang's political allegiance. Sheng Shicai, the provincial strongman, had cultivated ties with the Soviet Union, alarming the Kuomintang government in Nanjing. Chiang Kai-shek secretly encouraged Muslim warlord Ma Zhongying and Han Chinese general Zhang Peiyuan to overthrow Sheng, even while nominally preparing to install him as governor, and dispatched envoy Luo Wen'gan to coordinate their campaign against him.
03 / The Outcome
Soviet intervention decisively reversed the military situation, compelling Ma Zhongying to withdraw and relieving pressure on Ürümqi. Chiang Kai-shek had assembled 150,000 troops and 15 million yuan to press the campaign, but logistical impossibilities forced cancellation of the expedition. Sheng Shicai consolidated his hold on Xinjiang under Soviet patronage, openly acknowledging that Nationalist China lacked the reach to dislodge him.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ma Zhongying, Zhang Peiyuan.
Side B
2 belligerents
Sheng Shicai, Col. Pappengut.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.