Preface
After the founding of the Republic of China, the old political order of the Qing Dynasty was completely broken, and China entered an era of turmoil. In this era, the Beiyang government is a special existence.
Because the Beiyang government is a legitimate government recognized by the international community, it has been questioned and challenged by all sides.
After the Xinhai Revolution, Sun Yat-sen had to give up the provisional government in Nanjing in order to realize the ideal of the republic, and elected Yuan Shikai as the president, and Yuan Shikai accepted the republican system in order to stabilize the situation and formed the Beiyang government.
At that time, China was suffering from internal and external troubles. The Beiyang government not only faced the secession and resistance of the warlords in various places, as well as the revolution and the Northern Expedition of the Kuomintang, but also constantly violated and undermined its sovereignty and dignity due to the aggression and interference of the foreign powers.
Therefore, in the eyes of the world, the Beiyang government is a fragile government that lacks the basis of public opinion and political ideas.
Finally, in 1928, the National Revolutionary Army occupied Beijing, Zhang Zuolin, the last head of state of the Beiyang government, was killed by the Japanese army, and his son Zhang Xueliang announced that the Northeast would change banners and obey the rule of the Nationalist government in Nanjing, and the Beiyang government was officially over.
But what many people don't know is that although the Beiyang government has left many stains and sins in history, it also has great contributions and value.
As long as we turn over the map of China during the Beiyang government, we will find that all the land lost in the late Qing Dynasty was marked on the map of the Beiyang government.
The bloody nature of the Beiyang warlords
That's because although the warlords of the Beiyang government have constant internal strife, they have not forgotten the interests and dignity of the country at the moment when the nation is in danger.
After the Beiyang government was replaced by the Nationalist government in 1928, the original Beiyang warlords also lost the support and control of the central government and became a local power.
In 1937, Japan launched a full-scale war of aggression against China, occupying most of North China, trying to use the remnants of the Beiyang warlords to confront the Nationalist Government and the anti-Japanese national united front, giving them temptations and threats to become Japan's lackeys and puppets.
However, in the face of Japan's intimidation and temptation, the Beiyang warlords still maintained a certain degree of national integrity and anti-Japanese consciousness, rejected Japan's demands, and even participated in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, making some contributions to the liberation and reunification of the country.
Everyone knows Sun Chuanfang, right? He was one of the leaders of the direct warlords during the Beiyang government, and he was one of the three powerful figures in the later period of the Beiyang government, along with Zhang Zuolin and Wu Peifu.
After Japan invaded and occupied North China, Japan wanted to ask him to preside over the affairs of North China and support him to be the puppet leader of the Japanese puppet regime, so as to use his influence and connections to stabilize the situation in North China and divide the anti-Japanese forces.
However, Sun Chuanfang resolutely rejected Japan's invitation, saying that he would rather die than betray the motherland, and he also secretly maintained contact with the Nationalist Government and the anti-Japanese democratic forces to support the anti-Japanese national salvation movement.
Unfortunately, in 1935, he was assassinated by Japanese spies in Tianjin, and before his death, he shouted "Long live the Republic of China!"
Yin Changheng recovered western Sichuan and Tibet
In June 1912, the situation in Tibet was turbulent, and the Qing troops stationed in Tibet mutinied, expelled Qing officials, and declared Tibetan independence. In order to safeguard the central government's sovereignty over Tibet, Yin Changheng led tens of thousands of troops into Tibet.
He first held talks with the Kashag local government of Tibet, hoping to resolve the Tibetan issue peacefully, but the process was still very dangerous. Fortunately, after more than a year of negotiations and fighting, Yin Changheng successfully recovered most of Tibet.
Although it was not completely recovered, Yin Changheng made a very great contribution to the sovereignty and dignity of the country.
Yang Zengxin guarded Xinjiang for 17 years
In 1889, Yang Zengxin was admitted to the Jinshi and began his official career. He successively served as the prefect of the county, the prefect, and the envoy of education in Gansu, and showed outstanding political ability and governance level.
In 1907, Yang Xinxin was transferred to Xinjiang and was tasked with guarding Xinjiang.
However, he was not in power at this time, and it was not until after the Xinhai Revolution in 1912 that Yuan Dahua, the governor of Xinjiang at that time, fled back to the mainland, and Yang Zengxin took over the real power of Xinjiang.
With sophisticated political methods and powerful military force, he quelled all kinds of turmoil in Xinjiang, including the Brotherhood Rebellion, the Ili Revolution, and the Hami Peasant Uprising.
In addition, he also sent troops to resist the invasion of Outer Mongolia and Tsarist Russia many times, defended the border security of Xinjiang, especially the Altai region, and stopped the attempts of Outer Mongolia and Tsarist Russia.
During Yang Zengxin's defense of Xinjiang, Xinjiang maintained relative peace and stability. It is a pity that such a person who made a huge contribution was assassinated in 1928.
Xu Shuzheng recovered 1.56 million square kilometers of Outer Mongolia
Xu Shuzheng's most famous time was in 1919.
That year, he led the Northwest Frontier Army into Outer Mongolia, forcing the princes of Outer Mongolia to give up their autonomy and rejoin the Republic of China. This move was regarded by the central government and the people at the time as a feat of recovering lost territory, and when Sun Yat-sen learned of it, he said that he "built this miraculous feat, and the ancients did not know who would be cured".
In 1917, the October Revolution broke out in Russia, and the White Russian army and the Soviet Russian army fought in Outer Mongolia, threatening China's sovereignty and security.
During this period, some lawless elements in Outer Mongolia began to have frequent contacts with Russia. It wasn't until 1918 that they punctured the window paper.
In that year, the princes of Outer Mongolia, with the support of the Russian White Army, declared independence and established the Great Mongolian State, known as the Boktor Khanate.
In 1919, the Beiyang government decided to recover the Outer Mongolia region, so it sent the Anhui general Xu Shuzheng to lead the troops to Outer Mongolia to recover the territory.
As soon as Xu Shuzheng arrived in Outer Mongolia, he took control of the so-called "Prime Minister" Badma Dorji and other important elements, and later recalled Chen Yi and abolished the Sino-Russian Declaration.
On November 22, 1919, Xu Shichang officially announced the unilateral destruction of the Kyakhta Treaty, announcing the revocation of Outer Mongolia's autonomy and direct rule.
Xu Shuzheng's move enabled China to recover 1.56 million square kilometers of Outer Mongolia overnight, and he also became a national hero during the Republic of China.
In 1920, due to the fierce struggle between the warlords of the two factions in Anhui and Anhui, Xu Shuzheng led the main force to evacuate Outer Mongolia to participate in the war and was defeated.
After Xu Shuzheng withdrew from Outer Mongolia, Outer Mongolia, with the support of Soviet Russia, established the Provisional Mongolian People's Government and fought many battles with the Chinese army and the White Russian army.
At that time, China was suffering from internal and external troubles, and it was really powerless to recover it again, so far, the separation of Outer Mongolia from the map of China has become a pain in the hearts of every Chinese son.
Xu Shuzheng was also kidnapped and killed by Feng Yuxiang's subordinate Zhang Zhijiang in 1925, and the cause of death was related to his assassination of Feng Yuxiang's uncle Lu Jianzhang.