History has its own life, it is like a person, both easy-going and self-respecting. ——Yu Qiuyu
As the head of the Jin warlords, Yan Xishan divided the territory of only one province in Shanxi, but its influence far exceeded that of a province, which was closely related to the geographical situation of Shanxi and the national situation at that time.
It should be known that the terrain of Shanxi is dominated by plateaus, with many mountain ranges and dangerous passes. Therefore, it is easy to form an independent and closed terrain unit, which is easy to resist the invasion of foreign enemies. The resource conditions rich in various minerals, especially coal, are also conducive to the development of the industry. The dangerous geographical situation was conducive to providing a stable development environment under the national situation of the warlords and warlords at that time; the abundant natural resources were an important condition for the development of modern chemical industry during the second industrial revolution.
Shanxi during the Republic of China
On this basis, Yan Xishan made full use of these two advantages. After participating in the Xinhai Revolution to occupy Shanxi, he made full use of The terrain of Shanxi that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, nominally respected the leadership of the central government, rarely participated in the melee between warlords, and repeatedly made a false accusation against the central government, leaving Yuan Shikai, Duan Qirui, and Chiang Kai-shek helpless.
Yan Xishan
But the most fundamental reason for this is that as long as the warlord has a firm control over a province, its cost is enough.
The famous Gui family, its basic disk is also a province of Guangxi. Yunnan Longyun is also a province. The few in Sichuan are not even a province. The Majia Army in the northwest only controlled the old Gansu Province (later separated from Ningqing).
With a solid base in a province, the warlord could reach out and control more territory. For example, the power of the Gui clan once reached the Beijing-Tianjin generation, and Anhui Province has long been used as a territory by the Gui clan. The Yunnan warlords entered Sichuan in the north and pressed two sides to the east. The Majia warlords have dabbled in Shaanxi, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet. As for the various warlords and other forces jointly sending small forces to farther places, there are countless more.
Jin Sui Army
According to the general law of China's history, whoever warlord can control the Central Plains can unify the world. But Chiang's regime was a combination of military leaders and chaebols. Its fiscal basis is the tariff of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. There is really little interest and ability in other places that are not conducive to tax collection.
Occupying a mountain province is like occupying a bench on the edge of a mahjong table. As for the plains, you can gamble at any time.