the Japanese military authorities any intention of surrendering the city. The general retreat turns into a rout However, just as the defensive battle had not played out according to the plan, the general retreat was not conducted as planned. What ensued was nothing short of chaos, and what was supposed to be an organized retreat rapidly turned into a chaotic and panicked flight. By late evening, the unorganized retreat had become a complete rout. Many commanders simply abandoned their troops and fled on their own without giving any orders to retreat. Of the 100,000 defenders of the capital and thousands more Chinese troops fleeing back to the capital from the battles in the areas around Nanking, only two regiments managed to successfully retreat according to the original plan, and both survived intact. Other units that did not retreat according to the original plan fell victim to the attacking Japanese forces. Frank Tillman Durdin of the New York Times and Archibald Steele of the Chicago Daily News wrote of the Chinese troops looting shops for food and removing their uniforms for civilian clothing, "Streets became covered with guns, grenades, swords, knapsacks, coats, shoes, and helmets." Life after Nanjing Despite Chiang Kai-shek's support and protection, Tang was blamed for the failure that resulted in the consequent Nanjing Massacre. He lived a more or less retired life and devoted his time to studying Buddhism. After World War II he was not noticed until the fall of the Kuomintang regime, when Bai Chongxi asked Tang to go with him as the Nationalist force withdrew further south. Tang refused to flee China, disguising himself and hiding in different places to avoid being captured by the Nationalist forces, breaking one of his legs in the process. He became a commander and governor in Hunan after 1949. Career 1926 Military–Governor of Hunan Province 1926–1927 Governor of Hunan Province 1929 General Officer Commanding 5th Army 1932–1934 President of the Military Advisory Council 1934–1937 Director–General of Military Training 1937 General Officer Commanding Nanking Garrison Command 1945 Member of the Military Affairs Commission References Iris Chang. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II (Basic Books, 1997) External links The Generals of WWII; Generals from China; Tang Shengzhi with photo National Revolutionary Army generals from Hunan People's Republic of China politicians from Hunan Chinese military personnel of World War II Republic of China Buddhists People's Republic of