Zhili clique

Chinese faction during the Warlord Era

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Zhili clique

直隸系軍閥

The Peiyang Star, which was derived from the five-coloured flag of the Republic of China

Active| 1920–1928
Country|  Republic of China
Allegiance| Beiyang government
Type| Warlord faction
Engagements|

* Zhili–Anhui War
* First Zhili–Fengtian War
* Second Zhili–Fengtian War
* Northern Expedition

Commanders
President| Feng Guozhang, Cao Kun

Military unit

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.

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 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.[citation needed]

Cao Kun, leader of the Zhili clique following Feng Guozhang's death

They advocated a softer line during the Constitutional Protection War. After Feng's natural death, leadership passed to Cao Kun. Cao 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 strategists 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 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.[citation needed] Cao was imprisoned and leadership passed to Wu who along with Sun Chuanfang managed to hold central China for 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.[citation needed]

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 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.[citation needed]

## See also

[edit]

* List of warlords and military cliques in the Warlord Era
* History of the Republic of China
* Seo Wal-bo (an air brigade commander under the Zhili)

## References

[edit]

* Nathan, Andrew (1998). Peking Politics 1918–1923: Factionalism and the Failure of Constitutionalism. Center for Chinese Studies. p. 320\. ISBN 9780892641314.
* Wou, Odorik Y. K. (1978). Militarism in modern China. The career of Wu P'ei-Fu, 1916–1939. Australian National University Press. p. 349\. ISBN 0708108326.
* Gao, James. Historical Dictionary of Modern China (1800–1949).

* v
* t
* e

Warlord Era and warlordism during the Nanjing decade

| 1915–1924| 1925–1934| Factions

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| 1911–1914| Bai Lang Rebellion

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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

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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)

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