The Zhili clique ( Chinese : 直隸系軍閥 ; pinyin : Zhílì xì jūnfá ) was a military faction that split from 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 .
20-743: Zhili and Fengtian victory The Zhili–Anhui War was a 1920 conflict in the Republic of China between the Zhili and Anhui cliques for control of the Beiyang government . Tensions between the two factions developed during the Constitutional Protection War of 1917. Duan Qirui , leader of the Anhui clique, favored aggressive action against the South, and after becoming premier of
40-532: A de facto private army using the Nishihara Loans , he used it to occupy Outer Mongolia . Feeling threatened, Manchuria 's Fengtian clique allied with the Zhili clique and began courting those warlords in southwestern China who had previously been threatened by Duan's Anhui armies. Obtaining British and American backing, the Zhili and Fengtian cliques had President Xu Shichang dismiss Gen. Xu Shuzheng ,
60-616: A higher education and was sent to the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1903, graduating in 1904. Upon his return he was given an infantry unit command. In 1907 he was given posts in the Beiyang Army in charge of drill, discipline and inspection. In 1910 he was promoted to command of a unit in Yunnan . Following the 1911 Wuchang Uprising Qu rose in revolt, becoming commander of the 2nd Division. In 1912 he
80-629: The Beiyang Army . Wu Peifu was nationally credited as the strategist behind the Zhili clique's victory, while the Fengtian clique provided token support and were allowed to form a joint government, an arrangement which would last until the First Zhili-Fengtian War in 1922. Zhili clique 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
100-726: 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 . Qu Tongfeng Qu Tongfeng , ( simplified Chinese : 曲同丰 ; traditional Chinese : 曲同豐 ; pinyin : Qǔ Tóngfēng ; Wade–Giles : Ch'ü T'ung -feng ; IPA: [t͡ɕǔ tʊ́ŋfə̄ŋ] ; 1873–1929)
120-529: 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
140-467: The 1st Division commander. After taking the town of Zhuozhou , Wu pursued the retreating enemy toward Beijing. With the exception of the 15th Division, the remainder of the Anhui army on the western front was annihilated. On the same day the Fengtian army attacked the Anhui eastern front. Upon learning of the collapse of the western zone, Anhui's eastern commander, chief of staff Gen. Xu Shuzheng , fled Langfang to Beijing, leaving his troops to surrender to
160-482: The Anhui army also succeeded in taking Yang(杨) Hamlet, forcing Zhili forces to form a second line of defense in the region of Beicang(北仓). Here the Anhui army's advance was finally halted. On July 17 Wu Peifu personally commanded the Zhili army's western front, performing a daring maneuver, outflanking the enemy and taking the western zone's Anhui headquarters. He captured the Anhui army's front-line commander-in-chief Qu Tongfeng (曲同丰) and many of his officers, including
180-609: The National Salvation Allied Army" (救国同盟军草约). This formed the basis of a true anti-Anhui clique alliance. In April 1920, while visiting a memorial service at Baoding for soldiers who died in Hunan , one-time presidential-candidate Cao Kun added more warlords to the anti-Anhui clique alliance, including the rulers of Hubei , Henan , Liaoning , Jilin , Heilongjiang , Jiangsu , Jiangxi and Zhili . The conflict became public as both sides began deploying for
200-421: The combined might of the Fengtian and Zhili cliques. On July 19, 1920, Duan Qirui realized the fight was over and resigned from his post. On July 23 the combined Fengtian and Zhili cliques entered Nanyuan (南苑) for the takeover of Beijing, concluding with the defeat and surrender of the Anhui clique. Slightly more than a week of fighting led to the unexpected defeat of the Anhui clique and the permanent breakup of
220-528: The coming war. Various Zhili and Fengtian generals—such as Cao Kun , Zhang Zuolin , Wang Zhanyuan , Li Shun , Chen Guangyuan , Zhao Ti and Ma Fuxiang —signed a denunciation of the Anhui clique and its political arm, the Anfu Club, which was led by Xu Shuzheng and Duan Qirui. This denunciation was circulated through a telegram called Paoting-fu on July 12, 1920. In early July 1920 the Anhui clique gathered five divisions and four combined brigades to form
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#1732776652791240-455: The leader of the Mongolia expedition. Having publicly lost face and been undermined by a less powerful but still dangerous pair of ex-allies and hangers-on, Gen. Xu and Duan denounced the actions and prepared for war. In November 1919 Zhili clique leader Gen. Wu Peifu met with representatives of Tang Jiyao and Lu Rongting at Hengyang , where they signed a treaty entitled "Rough Draft of
260-657: 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
280-509: The so-called National Stabilization Army (定国军), with Duan Qirui as its commander-in-chief. The army was deployed in two fronts, the western covering the regions of Zhuozhou , Laishui (涞水) and Gu'an (固安), while the eastern covered the regions of Liang (梁) Hamlet and Beijimiao (北极庙), just to the west of Yang (杨) Hamlet. Zhili and allied forces gathered a division and nine combined brigades to form their own "Traitor Suppression Army" (讨逆军), with Wu Peifu as its front-line commander-in-chief. This, too,
300-412: The state department (Guwu Zongli, 国务总理) advocated a military solution. His plan was to rid southern China of rival warlords, as well as unify the country. The Zhili clique favored compromise and negotiations, hoping to sway rival warlords to their side with financial and political support. Duan refused to acknowledge the Zhili's efforts and favored his own officers and politicians over others. After building
320-863: Was a general who served Yuan Shikai and the Anhui clique . Qu Tongfeng was born in Fushan County, now in Yantai , Fushan District of Shandong . At age 16 he joined the Beiyang Fleet and served as second-class engineer on the Dingyuan during the First Sino–Japanese War . When the ship was sunk in the Battle of the Yalu River he escaped into the sea and was rescued. He went on to get
340-462: Was deployed on two fronts, with an eastern zone in the region of Yang (杨) Hamlet and a western front in the region of Gaobei (高碑). Meanwhile, Zhang Zuolin ordered a detachment of his troops to enter Shanhaiguan , taking up positions at Machang (马厂) and Junliangcheng (军粮城). On July 14, 1920, the Anhui army attacked the Zhili army on both fronts. Zhili troops were forced to abandon Gaobei (高碑) and retreated. Two days later, with help from Japanese troops,
360-486: 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
380-614: Was promoted to Major General. He was President of the Baoding Military Academy from 1913 to 1915. He was removed after opposing Yuan Shikai's capitulation to the Twenty-One Demands . Following the death of Yuan Shikai, Qu was given military commands again by the Anhui clique. In 1920 he was the Anhui army front-line commander-in-chief in the Zhili–Anhui War . Wu Peifu led the Zhili clique army in
400-640: 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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