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01
In the Central Plains War in 1930, Yan Xishan's power fell, why did Dongshan rise again a year later?
On November 4, 1930, the dust finally settled on the Central Plains War, which lasted nearly half a year, and the warlord overthrow involving more than 20 provinces and more than 1 million soldiers finally ended with a complete victory for the Central Army, and Chiang Kai-shek's personal dominance was further consolidated.
Those losers had to lose their military power, and Feng Yuxiang, the king of the Northwest, had no choice but to go into the wilderness and go away, and the Northwest Army was disbanded.
Yan Xishan, the king of Shanxi, had no choice but to go to the northeast to seek refuge from the Japanese. What followed was Chiang Kai-shek's transformation and reorganization of the local warlords.
What Chiang Kai-shek did not expect was that although he tried every means to bring the extremely effective Jin Sui Army under his command, he also tried to arrange for his cronies to be in charge of the handsome seal.
However, a year later, Yan Xishan returned to Shanxi from the northeast and became the "king of Shanxi" again, and Chiang Kai-shek's wishful thinking was completely frustrated.
Why did Chiang Kai-shek fail to control the Jin Sui army, and what was the end of Yan Xishan?
When the Xinhai Revolution broke out in 1911, Yan Xishan adapted to the situation and led an uprising in Taiyuan. After years of painstaking management, his sphere of influence continued to expand, and the forces attached to him became more and more.
Yan Xishan has always adhered to the strategy of beggar-thy-neighbor and obscurity, so he has experienced the baptism of many major events and still maintains considerable strength.
At the time of the Central Plains War, he had ruled Shanxi for 18 years, with a total strength of more than 100,000 troops, making it a military force that could not be ignored in the whole country.
Most of the generals at all levels of the Jin Sui Army were personally promoted by Yan Xishan, and they were grateful to the "boss" for their kindness, so they were willing to fight hard for Yan Xishan, and the army was also very united.
Although he won by luck, Chiang Kai-shek knew that the strength of the Jin Sui army should not be underestimated, and it should not be taken lightly.
If this army is incorporated into the territory of the Nationalist Government and used by us, then the strength of the Central Army will be unprecedentedly strong.
But if it is not handled well, this elite army will be a time bomb, which may be injured at any time. How to properly dispose of them, let Chiang Kai-shek rack his brains.
It stands to reason that the best way to deal with the Jin Sui army is to use more troops to control them.
However, during the Great War in the Central Plains, Chiang Kai-shek himself suffered heavy losses, and the rest of the country was ready to move, so this method obviously did not work. His own strength was insufficient, so Chiang Kai-shek turned to others for help.
Before the Central Plains War, in order to attract the Northeast Army to send troops, Chiang Kai-shek promised Zhang Xueliang that once the war was successful, the entire North China region would be included in Zhang Xueliang's sphere of influence.
In order to weaken Yan Xishan, Chiang Kai-shek suggested that Zhang Xueliang march into Taiyuan, but Zhang Xueliang refused.
Zhang Shaomarshal has his own considerations, the combat effectiveness of the Shanxi troops is amazing and they are fighting on the mainland, and he will face defeat if he makes a slight mistake.
In the end, the mutton was not eaten, and it caused a commotion, and the gains of such a deal outweighed the losses. Even if he finally won the victory and successfully occupied the land of the Three Jin Dynasty, he would inevitably lose his troops and generals, but it would cheapen Chiang Kai-shek's profits from watching the fire and fishing on the other side.
The strategy of forcible attack was not feasible, and Chiang Kai-shek thought of a means of division, and tried to find a henchman who was not Yan Xishan to deal with the aftermath of Shanxi.
Chiang Kai-shek's first thought was Zhao Daiwen, and Zhang Xueliang recommended Fu Zuoyi, and there was a disagreement between the two on the candidate.
When Zhang Xueliang found Fu Zuoyi, the shrewd General Fu knew the internal situation of the Jin Suijun very well and thought that his strength was not enough to deter them, so he did not accept the post of chairman of Shanxi Province.
In order to settle for the second, Zhang Xueliang recommended Shang Zhen, a native of Hebei who only joined Yan Xishan's Jin Sui Army in 1916 and was considered an outsider.
Yan Xishan has always had some scruples about him, and the other descendants are separated from him by the belly. Moreover, Shang Zhen once served as the chairman of Hebei Province, of course, he was not willing to send people under the fence for a long time.
Chiang Kai-shek also liked Shang Zhen very much, firstly, because he had a certain prestige, and secondly, because of his special status, it was easier to implement the policies of the central government.
Therefore, Shang Zhen was elected chairman of Shanxi Province without any suspense. The new provincial chairman naturally knew how to repay the favor, and under the instruction of Zhang Xueliang, Shang Zhen began to reorganize the Jin Sui army.
According to the ideas of Chiang Kai-shek and Zhang Xueliang, the entire Jinsui army was divided into four corps, each of which had two divisions under its jurisdiction and two brigades under each division.
Such an assumption was tantamount to a bolt from the blue for the officers of the Jin Sui Army, and nearly half of them would lose their original positions and ranks.
The original cavalry divisions, artillery brigades and other soldiers will also be unable to be accommodated. The generals of the Jin Sui army were uncompromising and resolutely opposed the reorganization plan.
More than 100,000 people were excited, and the consequences were unimaginable, so Zhang Xueliang had to set up additional road guards and multiple garrison headquarters as a pacification plan.
In 1931, the reorganization was finally completed, and the commanders of the four armies were famous, but everyone had a ghost in their hearts, so could Chiang Kai-shek really take charge of the Jin Sui Army?
02
After the defeat in the Central Plains War, Yan Xishan went into the wilderness, and Chiang Kai-shek still couldn't control the Jin Sui army.
In the face of the Jin Sui army, which lost its commander, why did Chiang Kai-shek win over the Jin Sui army?
Shang Zhen, the commander of the 32nd Army, was the most active, but the end in Shanxi was the worst. Although he became the provincial chairman, Yan Xishan's descendants and generals did not buy him.
When Yan Xishan was in power, Shang Zhen from time to time expressed the idea of disobeying discipline and wanting to break away from the Jin Sui army. Now that the way of the world has changed, he is in charge, and those old subordinates of Yan Xishan have used their own ways to govern others, and they will attack him at every opportunity.
He was overwhelmed, and finally in early 1931, Pei Bo led two brigades of his 32nd Army to leave the Jinsui Army and find another way.
He was succeeded by Xu Yongchang, commander of the 33rd Army. Commander Xu was not Yan Xishan's descendant, but after he became the provincial chairman, he wholeheartedly hoped that Yan Xishan would return to govern, and Chiang Kai-shek was very embarrassed and helpless.
Under Yan Xishan's rule, Shanxi has indeed made great progress and development over the years.
Before the Great War in the Central Plains, Yan Xishan refused many opportunities to participate in warlord melee battles, allowing the common people of Shanxi to recuperate.
He also attached great importance to the role of Confucianism, advocating the enlightenment of people's morality and wisdom, and under his rule, Shanxi Province became stronger and stronger, with social stability and economic prosperity.
Therefore, the local people are very grateful to him and very supportive, and Xu Yongchang knows these situations well.
He objectively analyzed his own strength and believed that it would be more conducive to the stability of the political situation if Yan Xishan returned to Shanxi to take charge. Out of public interest, he repeatedly rejected the woo from Chiang Kai-shek.
Seeing that he was determined to welcome Yan Xishan back, Chiang Kai-shek could only use other people's brains.
Yang Aiyuan, the commander of the 34th Army, was an old man of the Jin Sui Army and an old subordinate of Yan Xishan, and Chiang Kai-shek did not hesitate to try to buy him with a lot of money.
Once Yang Aiyuan inexplicably received a remittance of 500,000 yuan, and the person who made the payment was really Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Government in Nanjing.
500,000 yuan was an astronomical amount at the time, but Yang Aiyuan was unmoved.
Not long after, Yang Aiyuan received a huge sum of 400,000 yuan, which was still a friendly gift from Chiang Kai-shek.
Yang Aiyuan was still unmoved, and instead of smiling at half a penny, he specially disclosed the matter of 900,000 yuan when all his subordinates were present.
In addition to being surprised, the subordinates fully felt General Yang Aiyuan's integrity and loyalty to Yan Xishan.
The people present said that General Yang Aiyuan was their best example, and they were thinking about Chairman Yan Xishan all the time. Chiang Kai-shek's Jinyuan policy once again failed, and he lost his wife and his army.
In fact, Yan Xishan, who is in Dalian, has not made any less contacts. In order to continue to consolidate his position in the army, Yan Xishan sent people to give condolences to officers of all sizes according to their ranks, ranging from 5,000 yuan to 30,000 yuan.
On the one hand, he expressed his concern for his old subordinates, and on the other hand, he also conveyed his determination to be safe and sound and still accumulating strength to make a comeback.
Those subordinates who got the money were grateful, and they all said that their kindness to Boss Yan was unforgettable, and they were bound to draw a line with Chiang Kai-shek, and one day they would return to serve under Yan Xishan's account.
Of course, there are also people who have other ideas, such as Li Shengda, the commander of the 72nd Division, who is eager to get closer to the new boss Chiang Kai-shek.
He accepted all the money sent by Chiang Kai-shek, and secretly provided a lot of inside information in return. Just when Li Shengda fantasized about hugging Chiang Kai-shek's thigh to show his ambitions, he was assassinated inexplicably.
When Chiang Kai-shek heard the news, he was furious and ordered that the culprit must be found. However, after several months of investigation, there was no substantive result, and the matter had to be closed in the end.
Chiang Kai-shek could only face the reality at this time, he realized that there was almost no gap within the Shanxi army, and no matter how hard he tried, it was likely to be in vain.
Chiang Kai-shek's defeat gave Yan Xishan hope again, so how did Yan Xishan take back control of the Jin Sui army?
03
In 1930, the Central Plains War was lost, and Yan Xishan went to the northeast, but he was able to make a comeback.
Faced with the defeat of Chiang Kai-shek's incorporation of the Jin Sui army, how did Yan Xishan return to Shanxi to take power?
The Jin Sui army was united internally, but Chiang Kai-shek and Zhang Xueliang were not monolithic. Seeing the powerful warlord "King of Shanxi" Yan Xishan lose power, Zhang Xueliang, who was also a prince, felt a little sad about the death of a rabbit and a fox.
Therefore, when Zhang Xueliang carried out Chiang Kai-shek's orders, he definitely did not carry them out to the letter.
On the issue of reorganizing the Jin Sui army, Zhang Xueliang did everything in his power to ensure the integrity and independence of the army, and the overall number of troops did not decrease.
Although there were not as many numbers as before, the posts of deputy division commander and deputy brigade commander were added to each combat establishment, most of the officers were retained, and the number of soldiers in each company was doubled.
Such an arrangement laid a solid foundation for Yan Xishan's later comeback.
Although Yan Xishan is far away in the northeast, thousands of miles away from his old lair, it is not an exaggeration to describe him as a cave watching fire.
The cronies he cultivated back then were all over the Jingsui Army, and now there are still many people holding important positions in the army. In order to report the kindness of the year, these officers passed on the news to their bosses all the time.
Yan Xishan was also actively preparing in secret. Even though Shanxi Province, which he leads, is the largest in the country, he still looks back on the gains and losses of his administration over the years and confronts some of the mistakes he has made.
He chose to take the Confucian golden mean as his guiding ideology, and continued to strengthen the policy of loving the people, in the hope of winning the support of the people of Shanxi again.
He planned to implement "property securities" and set the idea of distribution according to work. He also paid close attention to the changes in the situation at home and abroad, and privately purchased a lot of military supplies and weapons and equipment, just waiting for a comeback one day.
Since 1931, the Japanese invasion has become increasingly rampant, and the land of China has rekindled the flames of war.
Yan Xishan expected that Chiang Kai-shek and Zhang Xueliang were so anxious about various affairs at this time that they did not pay attention to themselves, so they rented a small plane to buy off the pilots and quietly sneaked back to Datong from Dalian.
Chiang Kai-shek soon learned of the news and immediately called Zhang Xueliang and Xu Yongchang to ask Yan Xishan to leave Shanxi within a time limit.
However, Zhang Xueliang pretended to be deaf and dumb, and took Chiang Kai-shek's instructions as a deaf ear. Xu Yongchang was not moved, but vouched for Yan Xishan with his reputation and worth.
Yan Xishan himself pretended to be a gesture, on the grounds that his father was old and frail and needed to be taken care of, and refused to leave in Shanxi.
Soon after, the September 18 Incident broke out, and the Japanese invasion gave Chiang Kai-shek a headache. The chairman of the committee did not spend any more energy to take care of Shanxi's affairs, and it was no longer a top priority for Yan Xishan to leave Jin.
Later, Yan Xishan's position in Shanxi became more and more stable, and in order to stabilize him, Chiang Kai-shek officially appointed him as the director of the Taiyuan Pacification Office in the name of the Nationalist Government.
Although nominally under Chiang Kai-shek's control, in fact he had already recognized the fact that he was once again the "King of Shanxi".
Although Yan Xishan was cared for and supported by the Japanese during his stay in Dalian, and the plane back to Datong was also helped by them, as a Chinese, Yan Xishan still had an incomparable hatred for militarism in his bones.
In 1936, he founded the Shanxi Anti-Japanese National Salvation League, and at the same time cooperated with the Communist Party to fight against foreign invaders.
Although Yan Xishan did not directly launch the "Xi'an Incident" like Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, he was very disgusted by Chiang Kai-shek's policy toward the Japanese and repeatedly opposed the chairman in public.
Chiang Kai-shek lost face because of this, and then remembered the story of not being able to control the Jin Sui army back then, so he hated him so much that he gritted his teeth, but he couldn't help it.
After driving out the Japanese, Yan Xishan hoped to continue to entrench in the land of Sanjin without knowing the times, and was completely wiped out by our army in 1949 after a struggle.
At this point, the legend of the "King of Shanxi" ended, and his ending was much better than that of other warlords.
Most of the local warlords who participated in the Great War of the Central Plains were ill-fated.
Although Chiang Kai-shek's sworn brother, General Feng Yuxiang was relieved of all duties after the defeat in the Great War, and the Northwest Army he led collapsed.
The Gui faction led by Li Zongren retreated to Guangxi after the defeat and gradually declined in the future.
On the other hand, since the Xinhai Revolution, Yan Xishan has dominated Shanxi for 38 years, which has to be said to be a miracle.