Anhui clique

The Anhui Clique

皖系 Wǎn Xì
Active| 1916–1926
Disbanded| 1926
Country|  Republic of China
Allegiance| Beiyang government
Type| Warlord faction
Size| 300,000–500,000 (Estimate at peak)
Engagements| Zhili–Anhui War
Occupation of Mongolia
Constitutional Protection Movement
Commanders
Premier| Duan Qirui
General| Xu Shuzheng

Military unit

The Anhui clique (Chinese: 皖系; pinyin: Wǎn Xì) was a military and political organization, one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang clique in the Republic of China's Warlord Era. It was named after Anhui province because several of its generals–including its founder, Duan Qirui–were born in Anhui.[1]

The clique's main members were Duan Qirui, Duan Zhigui, Jin Yunpeng, Wang Yitang, Lu Yongxiang, Zhang Jingyao, Wu Guangxin, Chen Shufan, Zheng Shiqi, Xu Shuzheng, etc.

The Anhui Clique was largely a collection of military officers with connections to Duan Qirui, either due to family ties such as Wu Guangxin, being from the same locality such as Duan Zhigui, or having a teacher-student relationship such as Xu Shuzheng or Jin Yunpeng.[2] However, the Anhui Clique would grow to be defined by the policy of Unification By Force, which would was the strategy of uniting North and South China through military conquest rather than peaceful negotiation.[2] Their rivals in the Zhili Clique were opposed to Unification By Force, fracturing the Beijing governments of 1916 to 1920.[2]

Because the Anhui clique organized itself very early, it was more politically sophisticated than its warlord rivals, with an associated civilian wing being organised as the Anfu Club.

The Anhui clique had an uneasy co-existence with the Zhili clique and Fengtian clique in the politics of the Beiyang government, often finding itself at odds with the two cliques.

## History

[edit]

During the National Protection War (1915–1916) Duan Qirui gave his support to the Kuomintang revolutionaries against Yuan Shikai

In 1916 after the death of Yuan Shikai and ending of the Constitutional Protection War Premier Duan Qirui would become Premier of the Republic, with Li Yuanhong serving as the President of the Republic, Li Yuanhong acted as a puppet of Duan Qirui due to him being easily manipulated essentially giving the Anhui Clique almost complete control over the Beiyang Government.

With Japanese support and the suppression of the Manchu Restoration in 1917, the Anhui clique became the most powerful faction in China from 1916 to 1920.

The Anhui clique advocated for a hardline approach during the Constitutional Protection War, giving the revolutionaries his political support as Duan Qirui sought to become the President of the Republic.

After the death of Yuan Shikai and his abdication of the Hongxiang Emperor the Beiyang government was restored to which Duan Qirui served as premier under the presidency of Li Yuanhong; Effectively giving Duan Qirui the leadership of China by controlling the weak President, the Clique would only rise in terms of power until 1920.

In 1919 the May Fourth Movement weakened their influence and eventually led to the Zhili–Anhui War in 1920 which saw the surprise defeat of the Anhui clique.[3]

In 1920 Duan Qirui resigned and the clique lacked national leadership for the next four years when all their provinces were eventually annexed by the Zhili clique by the summer of 1924. (Shandong was an anomaly, the Zhili clique appointed an Anhui general in 1923 there provided he remain neutral, see Shandong Problem. Zheng Shiqi ruled until 1925 when he transferred it to Fengtian's Zhang Zongchang per agreement with Duan.)[1]

After the Beijing Coup, Feng Yuxiang and Zhang Zuolin picked Duan to lead a provisional government. Lacking any significant military power, he and his few remaining supporters played Feng and Zhang against each other, they removed him from power and his last followers joined the Fengtian clique.[3][1]

## Political wing

[edit]

The Anhui clique also had a political wing known as the Anfu Club (literally, Peace and Happiness Club, after a Beijing lane where they met; folk etymology claims it was a pun on Anhui and Fujian) which consisted of politicians that threw their fortune in with Duan.

Formed on 7 March 1918 by Xu Shuzheng and Wang Yitang, it ran for elections for the northern National Assembly and won three-fourths of the seats primarily because Anhui warlords bought the votes.

The Anfu Club was a highly disciplined party created to push Duan Qirui's agenda through legal means such as electing fellow party member Xu Shichang as President of the ROC.

Before the Zhili–Anhui War, it was also supported by the Fengtian clique, Xinjiang clique, and Shanxi clique.

The Anfu Club was later destroyed after the Zhili-Anhui War when the Assembly was disbanded.[3]

## Financial wing

[edit]

Their financial wing was the New Communications Clique (1916–1919) led by Cao Rulin, it was the rival to Liang Shiyi's Old Communications Clique.

Cao's conduct during the Paris Peace Conference led to the May Fourth Movement and his dismissal.[3]

## Military

[edit]

The Anhui Clique, as opposed to their civilian partners in the Anfu Club, was primarily an association of generals and military governors.

Duan Qirui commanded an army independent from the Ministry of War, originally named the War Participation Army, which was funded and trained by the Japanese and consisted of around 50,000 troops. Qu Tongfeng commanded the 1st Division, Ma Liang commanded the 2nd Division, and Chen Wenyuan commanded the 3rd Division. There were also five additional mixed brigades, stationed in Luoyang, Zhangjiakou and the suburbs of Beijing.[4]

Within the Central Army, the official national army of the Beijing Government, several generals and their divisions were loyal to the Anhui Clique. The 9th and 13th Division station near Beijing were led by Anhui Clique generals, and the 15th Division would defect to the Anhui Clique following the death of Zhili Clique leader Feng Guozhang.[5] Additionally, in 1919, the 4th, 5th, 8th and 10th Divisions were led by Anhui Clique officers and were stationed in Anhui Clique-loyal provinces, along with several other mixed brigades.[4]

The last significant component of the Anhui Clique was the provincial military governors and local armies. Wu Guangxin commanded the Upper Yangtze Garrison, which controlled several brigades in Western Hubei.[4] Lu Yongxiang governed Zhejiang through the Zhejiang provincial army and He Fenglin served as the Military Commissioner of Shanghai.[4] Chen Shufan, the nominal governor of Shaanxi, controlled most of the South of his province with several local armies under his command.[5] The military governors of Shandong were subservient to Duan Qirui, although it was plagued by inter-clique rivalries due to Jin Yunpeng's influence in the province and Jin's rivalry with Xu Shuzheng, who had subordinates such as Ma Liang in the province.[5] Ni Sichong, governor of Anhui, was a major contributor to the Anhui Clique, and he controlled two armies in Anhui and Jiangsu.[5] The provinces of Gansu, Fujian and Zhang Jingyao's Hunan were reliant on the Anhui Clique. Other provinces such as Xinjiang, Shanxi, and Fengtian were politically associated with the Anhui Clique during 1918-1919.[2]

The Anhui Clique armies fought during the Constitutional Protection War, Zhili-Anhui War of 1920 and the Occupation of Outer Mongolia.[1]

The Anhui Clique has received aid in the form of military equipment, advisors and more mostly from the Japanese, they had also received minimal aid from the French and British.

The Anhui Clique purchased weaponry such as bolt-action rifles and ammunition from the United States, France and others.

France provided planes used in the bombing of the Forbidden City.

## Known Members

[edit]

Name |  | Years Present in the Clique | Notes

|
|
|

Duan Qirui

段祺瑞

|  | 1916–1926 | \- Premier: 1913, 1916–18; President: 1924–26

\- Negotiated the Nishihara Loans with Japan in exchange for Shandong Concession, triggering the May Fourth Movement

Xu Shuzheng

徐樹錚

|  | 1916–1925 | \- Duan Qirui's right-hand man

\- Led expedition that reconquered Mongolia and temporarily brought it back under control

Duan Zhigui

段芝貴

|  | 1916-1925 | \- Minister of War: 1917–1919
Jin Yunpeng

靳雲鵬

|  | 1916-1920 | \- Premier: 1919–1921
Wang Yitang

王揖唐

|  | 1916-1926 | \- Chairman of the House of Representatives 1918–1920
Lu Yongxiang

盧永祥

|  | 1916-1926 | \- Ruler of Zhejiang and Shanghai, his refusal to hand over Shanghai caused the Second Zhili–Fengtian War
He Fenglin

何丰林

|  | 1916-1926 | \- Military Commissioner of Shanghai: 1919-1924

\- Subordinate of Lu Yongxiang

Zhang Jingyao

張敬堯

|  | 1917–1920 | \- Governor of Hunan noted for his exceptional brutality

\- Assassinated in 1933 after he became involved with the Japanese plot to enthrone Puyi as emperor of Manchukuo

Wu Guangxin

吳光新

|  | 1917–1926 | \- Commander of the Upper Yangtze River Garrison: 1917-1920

\- Governor of Hunan: 1920[6]

Ni Sichong

倪嗣衝

|  | 1916-1920 | \- Governor of Anhui Province 1917-1920
Qu Tongfeng[7]

曲同豊

|  | 1916–1926 | \- Commander of the 1st Division of the Border Defence Army/National Stabilisation Army: 1919–1920
Chen Shufan

陳樹藩

|  | 1916–1922 | \- Governor of Shaanxi: 1916–1921
Zhang Guangjian

張廣建

|  | 1916–1920 | \- Governor of Gansu: 1914–1920
Li Houji

李厚基

|  | 1916–1921 | \- Governor of Fujian: 1914–1923
Yang Shande

杨善德

|  | 1917–1919 | \- Governor of Zhejiang: 1917–1919
Wang Yongquan

王永泉

|  | 1917–1923 | \- Division Commander stationed in Fujian

\- Governor of Fujian: 1922

Ma Liang

|  | 1917–1919 | \- Commander of the 2nd Division of the Border Defence Army/National Stabilisation Army: 1919–1920

\- Creator of New Wushu form of Martial Arts [citation needed]

Zheng Shiqi

鄭士琦

|  | 1916–1925 | \- Military governor of Shandong (1923–25) and Anhui (1925).[8]
Yang Yuting

杨宇霆

|  | 1918–1920 | \- Chief of Staff of the Fengtian Army Headquarters in Tianjin

\- Staff Officer of the Northwest Frontier Defence Army [9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Gao, James Z. (2009-06-16). Historical Dictionary of Modern China (1800-1949). Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6308-8.
2. ^ a b c d Andrew J Nathan (1976). Peking politics, 1918-1923: factionalism and the failure of constitutionalism. University of Michigan Center for Chinese Studies. ISBN 978-0-89264-131-4.
3. ^ a b c d Anthony B. Chan (1 October 2010). Arming the Chinese: The Western Armaments Trade in Warlord China, 1920-28, Second Edition. UBC Press. pp. 69–. ISBN 978-0-7748-1992-3.
4. ^ a b c d 印鋳局官書課 編『職員録』中華民國八年三期 3,印鋳局発行所,民国8. 国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1912146 (参照 2024-05-31)
5. ^ a b c d Guo, Tingyi. 中華民國史事日誌 (in Chinese). 中央硏究院近代史硏究所. ISBN 9789860459210. Archived from the original on 2019-06-04.
6. ^ Edward A. Mccord, The Power of the Gun, The Emergence of Modern Chinese Warlordism, University of California Press, Berkeley · Los Angeles · Oxford © 1993 The Regents of the University of California
7. ^ 保定士官学校第三任校长--曲同丰
8. ^ Rulers Index Z Archived March 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
9. ^ Shenyang Local Chronicles Office, Shenyang Chronicles 17 People, Shenyang Publishing House, 2000.04, p.44

## See also

[edit]

* Warlord Era
* List of Warlords
* History of the Republic of China
* Huai Army, also known as the Anhui Army

* v
* t
* e

Warlord Era and warlordism during the Nanjing decade

| 1915–1924| 1925–1934| Factions

|
|

| 1911–1914| Bai Lang Rebellion

|

1913| Second Revolution
1915| Twenty-One Demands
1915–1916| Empire of China (Yuan Shikai)
National Protection War
1916| Death of Yuan Shikai
1917| Manchu Restoration
1917–1922| Constitutional Protection Movement
1917–1929| Golok rebellions
1918–1920| Siberian intervention
1919| Paris Peace Conference
Shandong Problem
May Fourth Movement
1919–1921| Occupation of Outer Mongolia
1920| Zhili–Anhui War
1920–1921| Guangdong–Guangxi War
1920–1926| Spirit Soldier rebellions
1921| 1st National CPC Congress
1921–1922| Washington Naval Conference
1922| First Zhili–Fengtian War
1923–1927| First United Front
1923| Lincheng Outrage
1924| Second Zhili–Fengtian War
Canton Merchants' Corps Uprising
Beijing Coup

| 1925| Yunnan–Guangxi War
May Thirtieth Movement

|

1925–1926| Anti-Fengtian War
Canton–Hong Kong strike
1926| Zhongshan Warship Incident
1926–1928| Northern Expedition
Nanjing–Wuhan Split
Nationalist-Communist Civil War
1927| Nanking incident of 1927
1927| Shanghai Commune of 1927
1927| Shanghai massacre
1927| July 15 Incident
1927–1930| Muslim conflict in Gansu
1928| Jinan incident
Huanggutun incident
Looting of the Eastern Mausoleum
Northeast Flag Replacement
1928–1929| Third Red Spears' uprising in Shandong
1929| Chiang-Gui War
Warlord Rebellion in northeastern Shandong (incl. Beijing Revolt)
Sino-Soviet conflict
1930| Central Plains War
1930–1932| Sino-Tibetan War / Qinghai–Tibet War
1931–1935| Kumul Rebellion / Soviet invasion of Xinjiang
1932| Han–Liu War
1932| Two-Liu war
1934| War in Ningxia

Beiyang
Anhui
Zhili
Fengtian (National Pacification Army)

Zhili Army
Shanxi
Guominjun

Xinjiang
Yunnan
Sichuan
Old Guangxi
New Guangxi
Guangdong
Guizhou
Kuomintang (KMT)
Communist Party (CCP)

Republic of China (1912–1949)
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template