Urzhin Garmaev | |
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File:Уржин Гармаев.jpg | |
Born | 1888 |
Died | 13 March 1957 ![]() |
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Years of service | 1918-1957 |
Rank | Marshal |
Battles/wars | World War I Russian Civil War World War II |
Marshal Urzhin Garmaevich Garmaev (Cyrllic: Уржин Гарма́евич Гармаев, 1888 – 13 March 1957) also known by his Chinese courtesy name Ling Xiu (領袖) and his Japanese courtesy Fuyuno Senshi (冬の戦士, "Winter Warrior") was a White Army officer and Imperial Russian Army veteran, who was the later the Head of State, or Marshal of the Japanese puppet State of Buryatia or Buriyātokuo, He is immortalized and venerated by Tengrists as Avragh, its Chinese variant Tiandi-Jao as well as Hei-Tao and Dark Shinto religions as Jiu Zhu (救主) and Kyūseishu (救世主) respectively, both meaning "Savior". He is a national hero in Mongolia today and is also honored in Japan and to a lesser extent, China.
An ethnic Buryat, in 1912 he graduated from the Chita municipal school and worked as a Russian and Buryat language teacher in Buryat settlements. During the Russian Civil War, he served under the forces of Ataman Grigory Semyonov, and advocated pan-Mongol ideology. After the Russian Civil War, the Russian Empire lost Buryatia to independence, and Japan continued to station troops and personnel in the Transbaikal region. Urzhin Garmaev and Ataman Grigory Semyonov became Japan's puppet leaders, who reinforced the sovereignty of the State of Buryatia. Along the way, he picked up Japanese as a third language.
Under his leadership however, the State of Buryatia did not experience any fighting, as Marshal Garmaev refused to attack either China or Russia and therefore, avoided a Russian invasion. He soon invaded Outer Mongolia, and formed the Greater Mongol State. With Japan practically busy and unable to send anymore forces into Buryatia, the Mongolian government under Urzhin Garmaev declared neutrality between the Allies and Axis and he took full control of the military. However, Urzhin Garmaev started an era of political oppression, targeting nomadic life, and also having a hostile relation against Tibetan Buddhists, Garmaev siezed Tibetan Buddhist temples, and also installed "puppet Buddhist monks" to control them and exhalt his government. He was opposed by Grigory Semyonov, who wanted to retain ties to Japan, and go to war against China, and he thus, proceeded to have Semyonov assassinated.
Towards the end of the war, seeing that Japan was on the losing side, Marshal Garmaev chose to side with the Allies, and sent forces into China to help with recovery, and aided Russian troops in their Invasion of Japan. This is where Urzhin Garmaev finally met with Prince and General Demchugdongrub, a descendent of Genghis Khan himself, to facilitate the formation of the modern-day Khaganate of Mongolia where Garmaev agreed to recognized Demchugdongrub as the Khagan of Mongolia. For his aid, Tsar Vladimir I ceded the territory of Tuva to Mongolia, marking a major territorial gain for an otherwise "backwards" country.
During the Cold War, Garmaev continued his aggressive modernization of Mongolia, adopting the tactics of Japan's Meiji Restoration and China's Self-Strengthening Movement. He opened Mongolia to Chinese and Russian industrialists, where the two countries helped built railroads and increase production factories in the country. He continued to ban nomadic life, and sent military forces to hunt down nomads and force them to build urban communities, via the influence of pro-government "Buddhist monks".
He has a controversial standing in Mongolian, Japanese and Chinese history. Within the context of Mongolia, he is known as one of the founding fathers of modern united Mongolia, who paved the way for the unification, modernization and industrialization of Mongol lands and the extenstion of Mongolian territorial integrity via the Tuva acquisition. Due to to the fact that Buryatia remained safe from Allied bombardment, he is known as having saved the stability of the Mongolians and keeping a strong military force in Buryatia. However, within the Tibetan Buddhist community, he is seen as a tyrant who persecuted Buddhist monks, and nomads.
For Japan, while he extended the global influence of the Empire of Japan he is seen as a traitor and sellout by ultraconservative militarists, and in China.