Organizing the Facts
On the night of November 10, 1931, Puyi escaped from Tianjin and arrived in Yingkou on the 13th, heading toward Manchukuo.
Sixteen days after Puyi’s departure, on November 26, an escape operation for Empress Wanrong was executed.
The Operation Team
– Planner: Yoshida Chutaro, translator for the Tianjin Garrison
– Accompanying members:
– Kawashima Yoshiko
– Mrs. Yoshida Chutaro
– Wanrong’s brother
– Imperial eunuch
– Lady-in-waiting
– Japanese Army Colonel
The Moment of Decision
About ten days after Puyi’s departure, a handwritten letter from him was delivered to Wanrong. At that time, Kawashima Yoshiko, dressed as a man, had an audience with Empress Wanrong.
Li Guoxiong’s Testimony
According to Li Guoxiong’s memoir, Wanrong stated:
“Kawashima Yoshiko came to tell me that Puyi wants me to come. I must go.”
The Escape
Wanrong voluntarily jumped into the rear compartment of a small sports car driven by Puyi’s aide and escaped from Jingyuan.
Li Guoxiong’s record states that “she sprang up and jumped into the rear compartment of the car,” indicating her willing participation in the escape.
Historical Interpretation Issue
Wikipedia suggests that Wanrong had refused to return either to her position as empress or to her husband, and was deceived by Jin Bihui (Kawashima Yoshiko), acting on orders from the Kwantung Army, who falsely claimed that “the emperor had died in Dalian and they needed her to attend the funeral.
” However, according to the memoir of Li Guoxiong, who accompanied Puyi from the Forbidden City through Manchukuo, Soviet detention, and the war criminals’ management center, Wanrong escaped Tianjin of her own volition.
This discrepancy in testimonies not only demonstrates the challenges in interpreting historical facts but may also reflect the complex political situation of the time. The eyewitness account of Li Guoxiong serves as a crucial document in understanding the historical truth of these events.