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33-778: The Guominjun was formed when Feng betrayed the Zhili clique during the Second Zhili–Fengtian War with the Fengtian clique in 1924. The Guominjun occupied Beijing , captured Zhili leader Cao Kun and expelled former Qing dynasty emperor Puyi from the Forbidden City . In late 1925, Fengtian general Guo Songling defected to the KMC; this sparked the Anti-Fengtian War against Zhang Zuolin . The Guominjun

66-554: A treaty titled “Rough Draft of the National Salvation Allied Army” ( 救国同盟军草约 ), forming the base of the anti-Anhui clique alliance that also included Zhang Zuolin's powerful Fengtian clique. When hostilities finally broke out in July 1920, Wu Peifu took a prominent role as commander-in-chief of the anti-Anhui army. At first things did not go well for Zhili forces, as they were pushed back by Anhui troops across

99-608: A vote for him. This caused national condemnation against the Zhili clique but did not prevent Cao from being elected in October 1923. In 1923 Wu ruthlessly broke a strike at the important Hankou–Beijing railway by sending in troops to violently suppress the workers and their leaders. The soldiers killed 35 workers and injured many more. Wu's reputation with the Chinese people suffered significantly because of this event, though he gained

132-732: The Central Plains War , in 1930. However, Feng was defeated and what was left of the faction was absorbed into the KMT. The Guominjun was very sympathetic to Sun Yat-sen 's Kuomintang government in Guangzhou , but due to geographic isolation they were independent of one another. The Guominjun was unusual for being an ideological army with its troops indoctrinated in Christian, socialist , and nationalist teachings. It also cared for its troops with welfare and education programs which

165-618: The Chinese Communist Party to end the Communications Clique 's stranglehold over the railways but found the Communists to be a greater threat and put them down with violence. This article related to the history of China is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Wu Peifu Wu Peifu (also spelled Wu P'ei-fu ) ( Chinese : 吳佩孚 ; April 22, 1874 – December 4, 1939)

198-489: The Republic of China 's Beiyang Army during the country's Warlord Era . It was named for Zhili Province (modern-day Hebei ), which was the clique's base of power. At its height, it also controlled Jiangsu , Jiangxi , and Hubei . The Beiyang Army fragmented following the death of Yuan Shikai , who had been the only person keeping regional factions from contesting territory throughout China. Unlike other cliques, Zhili

231-426: The philosopher general due to having graduated from the imperial examinations , he was said at the time to own the world's largest diamond . Hundreds of thousands of men fought in this major battle between Zhang's Fengtian army and Wu's Zhili forces. At a key moment, one of Wu's chief allies, Feng Yuxiang , deserted the front, marched on Beijing and in the so-called Beijing Coup (Beijing zhengbian ) overthrew

264-462: The presidency via bribery. Cao's ambition brought all of his enemies against him and created dissent within the clique. Zhili might have won the Second Zhili–Fengtian War (1924) and eventually reunite all of China had it not been for Feng Yuxiang 's betrayal with the Beijing Coup . Cao was imprisoned and leadership passed to Wu who along with Sun Chuanfang managed to hold central China for

297-674: The second Sino-Japanese War broke out, Wu refused to cooperate with the Japanese. In 1939, when the Japanese invited him to be the leader of the puppet government in North China, Wu made a speech saying that he was willing to become the leader of North China again on behalf of the New Order in Asia, if every Japanese soldier on China's soil gave up his post and went back to Japan. He then went back into retirement. In December 1939, Wu went to

330-528: The "Jade Marshal" (玉帥) and generally acknowledged to be China's ablest strategist at the time, Wu Peifu was widely expected to win, and by doing so to finally put an end to various quasi-independent regional authorities. His warlord troops were some of the best trained and drilled in China, and as leader of the Zhili Clique, he almost continuously fought northern Chinese warlords like Zhang Zuolin . Known as

363-512: The "New Army" ( 新軍 ) (renamed the Beiyang Army in 1902) created by modernizing Qing dynasty general Yuan Shikai . Following the fall of the Qing in 1911, and after Yuan's rise to President of the Republic of China and his subsequent disastrous attempt to proclaim himself emperor, political power in China quickly devolved into the hands of various regional military authorities, inaugurating

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396-582: The Anhui clique and Sun Yat-sen's Kuomintang . The new government in Beijing was supported by Great Britain and the United States. Li Yuanhong , the last president with any legitimacy, was recalled to sit as president again on June 12, 1922; however, any cabinet member had to be cleared by Wu Peifu. By this time Wu's prestige and fame had far surpassed that of his former mentor Cao Kun, nominally head of

429-532: The Anhui clique and issued circular telegrams denouncing his collaboration with Japan. When they successfully pressured the president to dismiss Duan's key subordinate Gen. Xu Shuzheng , Duan began to prepare for war against the Zhili Clique. At this juncture, Cao Kun and Wu Peifu began to organize a wide-reaching alliance including all opponents of the Anhui clique. In November 1919 Wu Peifu met with representatives of Tang Jiyao and Lu Rongting (warlords of Yunnan and Guangxi , respectively) at Hengyang and signed

462-512: The Guominjun was not a leftist army. It was primarily a nationalist force which was also reflected in Feng's adoption of only those elements of socialism and Christianity which he considered useful to improve Chinese society and strengthen his troops' morale. Zhili clique The Zhili clique ( Chinese : 直隸系軍閥 ; pinyin : Zhílì xì jūnfá ) was a military faction that split from

495-470: The Kingdom of Wu. They didn't have any machine guns or airplanes then." Wu never held a political office during his years as a warlord. Wu Peifu hung a portrait of George Washington in his office. He was a nationalist, and refused to enter foreign concessions —not even to hide from his enemies—because he viewed them as an affront to China, and instead chose a much more perilous method of escape. After

528-476: The Zhili clique. This strained their relationship, although it did not result in a fracture of the Zhili clique. Wu tried to restrain Cao when the latter began political machinations for the presidency but ultimately could not prevent Cao from toppling the cabinet and impeaching Li. Cao then spent several months campaigning for the presidency and even openly declared he would pay $ 5000 to any parliamentarian who would cast

561-455: The era of warlordism . In 1915 Wu became commander of the 6th Brigade. After Yuan's death in 1916, his Beiyang Army split into several mutually hostile factions that battled for supremacy over the following years. The major factions included Duan Qirui 's Anhui clique , Zhang Zuolin 's Fengtian clique , and Feng Guozhang 's Zhili clique , of which Wu Peifu was a member. Duan Qirui's faction dominated politics in Beijing from 1916 to 1920 but

594-530: The existing regime and proclaimed a new and mildly progressive government. Wu Peifu's military strategy was thrown into confusion by this catastrophe in his rear, and he was defeated by Zhang's forces near Tianjin . After the victory of the Fengtian clique, Duan Qirui was made the head of state and he proclaimed a provisional government . Wu maintained a power base in Hubei and Henan in central China until he

627-420: The favor of British and American business interests operating in China. Although it appeared that Zhili's power was secure for the time being, a crisis in the south soon precipitated another showdown with the Fengtian clique. The crisis was over the city of Shanghai, the commercial powerhouse of the nation. It was part of the province of Jiangsu, under Zhili control, but actually administered by Zhejiang, ruled by

660-429: The front. However, Wu decided to execute a daring maneuver on the western end of the front by first outflanking enemy positions and then directly assaulting the enemy's headquarters position. The gambit paid off and Wu was rewarded with an astounding victory and the capture of many of the officers in the enemy command. The Anhui army crumbled within a week and Duan Qirui fled to the Japanese settlement at Tianjin . Wu Peifu

693-657: The next two years. During the Kuomintang 's Northern Expedition , they created a desperate alliance with their former Fengtian enemies but were defeated entirely. The Zhili clique was the only warlord faction to be destroyed as a result of the Northern Expedition. They were also strongly anti-Japanese. Western powers were sympathetic but provided no support with the exception of foreign private businesses who appreciated their adoption of an anti-communist and anti-union stance in 1923. Wu Peifu had initially invited

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726-430: The position of premier, replacing each other's choices with their own. Soon the coalition between Zhili and Fengtian broke down and hostilities were inevitable. In this war Wu Peifu was again placed in the position of commander-in-chief of Zhili forces. Fighting would take place on a broad front south of Beijing and Tianjin and lasted from April to June 1922. Initially, the Zhili army again suffered several setbacks against

759-663: The remnants of the Anhui clique. When the Zhili clique demanded the return of Shanghai to their administration they were refused and fighting soon broke out. Zhang Zuolin in Manchuria and Sun Yat-sen, then in Guangdong, quickly declared their support for the Anhui clique and geared up for war. Wu Peifu dispatched his subordinate and protégé Sun Chuanfang to the south to deal with the Anhui clique and any attack that may have come from Sun's Kuomintang forces, while Wu himself prepared to face off again with Zhang's Fengtian army. Now called

792-440: The well-equipped Fengtian army . Yet once again, Wu Peifu's leadership and planning turned the tide in favor of the Zhili clique. He executed several outflanking maneuvers that forced the western front of the Fengtian army back towards Beijing, then he lured it into a trap by feigning retreat. The result was the annihilation of the western wing of the Fengtian army, making its more successful eastern operations untenable. Zhang Zuolin

825-727: Was a Chinese warlord and major figure in the Warlord Era in China from 1916 to 1927. Born in Shandong Province in eastern China, Wu initially received a traditional Chinese education. He later joined the Baoding Military Academy ( 保定軍校 ) in Beijing and embarked on a career as a professional soldier. His talents as an officer were recognized by his superiors, and he rose quickly in the ranks. Wu joined

858-689: Was confronted by the Kuomintang army during the Northern Expedition in 1927. With armies detained by Kuomintang allies in the Northwest, Wu was forced to withdraw to Zhengzhou in Henan . As Wu Peifu's armies were being overrun by the Kuomintang forces of Chiang Kai-shek , during a breakfast interview with a westerner Wu Peifu was noticed carrying an old book; the interviewer asked him the title, and Wu replied, "The Military Campaigns of

891-477: Was credited as the strategist behind the unexpectedly swift victory. In the aftermath of the conflict, the Zhili and Fengtian cliques agreed to a power-sharing coalition government. However, Zhang Zuolin, leader of the Fengtian clique, became increasingly uneasy with Wu Peifu's vehement anti-Japanese stance that threatened to upset the delicate arrangement Zhang had reached with the Japanese in his power base of Manchuria. Wu and Zhang also clashed over who would occupy

924-415: Was forced to maintain an uneasy relationship with Feng Guozhang 's faction to maintain stability. The two clashed over methods of dealing with the restive south, with Duan pushing for military conquest and Feng preferring negotiation. Feng died in 1919 and the leadership of the Zhili Clique was secured by Cao Kun with the support of Wu Peifu and Sun Chuanfang . Cao and Wu began to agitate against Duan and

957-456: Was forced to order a general retreat towards Shanhaiguan , thereby ceding control of the capital to Wu and the Zhili clique. Victorious, Cao Kun and Wu Peifu's Zhili clique nevertheless took control of a government whose control over the provinces had greatly deteriorated. Manchuria was now de facto independent under Zhang Zuolin and the still formidable Fengtian clique, while the south was divided among myriad warlord armies, including remnants of

990-623: Was formed by army officers, who felt they had been snubbed by Premier Duan Qirui regarding appointments and promotions. These officers rallied around President Feng Guozhang , who had to share power with Duan's dominant Anhui clique in the Beiyang government . Lacking strong bonds, they were more willing to abandon or betray one another. They advocated a softer line during the Constitutional Protection War . After Feng's natural death, leadership passed to Cao Kun . Cao

1023-414: Was incorporated into the Kuomintang's National Revolutionary Army as the "Second Collective Army" in 1928 during the Northern Expedition , and fought alongside the KMT to defeat Fengtian forces ( National Pacification Army ) and capture Beijing. In 1929, Feng grew increasingly dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek 's regime; the Guominjun launched a full rebellion with Yan Xishan and Li Zongren ’s army,

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1056-623: Was very rare at the time. This created a very determined, cohesive fighting force with high morale. The Guominjun's main foreign backer was the Soviet Union which had vied with the Japanese Empire for influence over the Fengtian clique. The Soviets were keen on building a relationship with Feng as he was seen as more ideologically acceptable. However, despite Feng's portrayal by outsiders as sympathizer of communism, and his claims to be an adherent of Sun Yat-sen's left-leaning teachings,

1089-590: Was victorious in the Zhili–Anhui War (1920) though the credit belongs to his chief lieutenant, Wu Peifu , who was considered as one of the greatest strategist in China at the time. Relations with the Fengtian clique , which gave nominal assistance against Anhui clique, deteriorated and Wu again brought victory during the First Zhili–Fengtian War (1922). In the next two years, the Zhili clique scored successive victories which led to Cao Kun's ascendancy to

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