The culprit of the chaos of the Republic of China, the key figure in the rise and fall of the Anhui system, the vertical and horizontal Xu Shuzheng, a man with an ordinary background but great power, his words and deeds actually affected the trend of the warlord melee in the Republic of China. Why did this talent, who was once praised as a "prodigy", completely abandon the pursuit of culture and turn to the quagmire of military politics? How did he rise rapidly in a short period of time by virtue of his power and strategy, and once became the core of the decision-making of the Anhui warlords? When Xu Shuzheng began to be domineering and disregarded the general trend of the country for his own selfishness, was the fall of the Anhui system doomed? What kind of thrilling story is the origin of everything?
1. Xiucai met his bosom friend and embarked on the road of warlords
The Qing Dynasty gradually declined, and the iron hooves of the great powers continued to knock on the map of China. In 1901, Xu Shuzheng, who was bathed in the influence of romanticism, resolutely gave up the promising road of the imperial examination and defected to Yuan Shikai, the governor of Shandong, who held the real power of the new army. However, fate played tricks, Xu Shuzheng failed to do so, but he met the Anhui warlord Duan Qirui during the journey.
The two hit it off at first sight, and the teacher-student rapport instantly shortened the distance between each other. Although Xu Shuzheng's ancestral home is Anhui, his ancestors were scholars for generations, and he has been nurtured with a strong cultural atmosphere since he was a child. The 13-year-old prodigy Xu Shuzheng drew far-sighted wisdom from the teachings of his ancestors, and he knew that the elegance alone could not dominate the overall situation, and only the ability to strategize could turn the tide.
As a result, Xu Shuzheng resolutely bet his future on force and started his unique career as a warlord. At first, he was just a small staff member, but with his extraordinary wisdom and Duan Qirui's support, he quickly got ahead. In 1909, Duan Qirui sent Xu Shuzheng to study at the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer School. A few years later, Xu Shuzheng was successful in his studies, and with his solid military theoretical skills, he was entrusted with an important task in one fell swoop and served as an important post in the general staff under Duan Qirui.
The relationship between the two gradually sublimated from teacher and student to father and son, Duan Qirui fully trusted Xu Shuzheng, and at the critical moment when Yuan Shikai forced the palace to abdicate, the drafting of the speech document came from Xu Shuzheng's handwriting. It can be said that without Xu Shuzheng's resourceful assistance, Duan Qirui would have been difficult to gain a foothold in the warlord melee. The two achieved each other, and their fates have been tightly tied together ever since.
However, no one expected that this highly-anticipated teacher-student combination would create a thrilling history of warlord grievances in the years to come. The root of everything has to start with Xu Shuzheng's vigorous and lack of ambition when he first debuted.
Second, the black hand manipulated the political situation, and Anhui was imprisoned
After Yuan Shikai's death, Duan Qirui took the opportunity to steal de facto control of the Beiyang regime. Xu Shuzheng, who was in the deputy, naturally followed suit, and was promoted to vice minister of the army and secretary general of the State Council in one fell swoop, in charge of the two major military and political affairs. Power is a double-edged sword, and Xu Shuzheng's ambition has also completely swelled up at this moment.
With his cunning and resourceful personality and Duan Qirui's complete trust, Xu Shuzheng began to lay a net in secret. He relied on the heavy military power in his hands and tried his best to sow discord between the two warlord factions. I don't know whether it was out of selfishness or deliberate, Xu Shuzheng gave great support to Feng Guozhang, the boss of the Feng family, and secretly colluded with Zhang Zuolin, which led to the direct outbreak of civil war between the Zhi and Feng factions in 1920.
This is not the end, Xu Shuzheng even stole Duan Qirui's power and sacrificed a killer feature. In the name of Feng Jun, he invited Lu Jianzhang, a direct tycoon, to Beijing to negotiate an armistice, but on the way, he ambushed him, and a public opinion created a momentum, blaming all the blame on Feng. This murderous method undoubtedly completely angered Feng Yuxiang, the descendant of Wang Zuoxiang, and the latter was really determined to kill this bane.
Civil war was on the verge of breaking out, and the two factions exchanged fire in 1920. The originally well-equipped Anhui Feng army collapsed in just 5 days and suffered heavy losses. All the spearheads were pointed at Xu Shuzheng, the culprit, and the Anhui system fell into a trough.
Although Duan Qirui is still the prime minister in name, with Xu Shuzheng being wanted, the real power of the Anhui family has basically been lost. After Duan Qirui stepped down, Xu Shuzheng had to flee Beijing with his family, and the main force of the Anhui family also collapsed. The power network that once radiated the whole country collapsed, and even Zhejiang, a solid nest, could not be kept, and Li Houji, the ace warlord of Fujian, directly defected to the direct camp of the anti-Xu Alliance.
Although Xu Shuzheng and Duan Qirui have been ruined, they are not willing masters. They soon made a comeback and took advantage of the momentum. In 1922, the Feng family won a great victory in the civil war of Zhifeng, and the Feng army was driven back to their hometown in the northeast. Xu Shuzheng saw this opportunity, ignored Duan Qirui's dissuasion, ran around to win over the opposition, and even broke into Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary camp. In 1924, a new round of the Zhifeng War broke out, and the Anhui system was pulled back to the front.
At this moment, the international and domestic situation took an unexpected turn. The Northern Expedition was successful, but Sun Yat-sen's ambition was unfulfilled but he died suddenly. After weighing all parties, it was decided to temporarily support Duan Qirui to come back to take power.
In order to support Duan Qirui's administration and seek recognition from foreign countries, in 1925, Xu Shuzheng personally led a delegation to visit 12 countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union, the United States, and Japan, and the trip lasted for four months. Just when Xu Shuzheng was eager to return to Beijing to meet Duan Qirui, a tragedy happened on the way. Because Xu Shuzheng once single-handedly killed Feng Yuxiang's uncle Lu Jianzhang, Feng Yuxiang hated Xu Shuzheng to the core. On December 29 of that year, Xu Shuzheng was arrested by Feng Jun when he arrived in Langfang, and was severely punished by Ling Chi early the next morning.
Xu Shuzheng's life's scheming and capriciousness finally came to an end at this moment. Although Duan Qirui saved his life, he could not escape the fate of being expelled from Beijing. With the defeat of the Feng army Lu Yongxiang, the ironclad division of the Anhui system, which had swept the southeast coast, also completely collapsed. Everything has to start all over again, but there is no more Xu Shuzheng as a think tank.
3. Reckless rebellion
Xu Shuzheng's life can be described as ups and downs, but even in the most difficult moments, he still has the dream of reviving the Anhui system. After being brutally punished by Feng Yuxiang, although Xu Shuzheng was already in prison, he was still secretly planning the overall situation.
In March 1925, the Zhifeng War broke out, and the remnants of the Anhui Party were isolated and helpless, and the prospects were bleak. At this time, Xu Shuzheng launched a difficult counterattack with his extraordinary resourcefulness. He first managed to persuade Duan Qirui to join forces with Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary government and became the main force of the National Revolutionary Army. Subsequently, he used clever tactics to sow discord within the Beiyang Group.
Under Xu Shuzheng's maneuvering, the two camps of Feng and Zhi, who were originally enemies, gradually fell apart. Lu Yongxiang and Feng Zuoxiang in the Feng army set up separate doors one after another, making Feng Guozhang, the veteran of the Feng family, accept defeat. On the other hand, on the Anhui side, many former direct generals submitted to Xu Shuzheng for power, including Zhang Zuolin's deputies Zhang Xueliang and Zhang Zuosen, who all defected to the National Revolutionary Army.
In just a few months, Xu Shuzheng turned the situation around with his wit. The Anhui family, which was originally covered with bruises, united into an army again, and gradually distanced itself from Zhang Zuolin, Feng Yuxiang and others. In 1926, the Zhiwan coalition finally conquered Wuhan and drove Feng Yuxiang out of the Central Plains. The National Revolutionary Army also quickly occupied the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and controlled almost the entire rich land along the southeast coast.
That's when a glimmer of hope returned. After Sun Yat-sen's death, Duan Qirui received strong support from all sides and was expected to return to power in the country. In order to win international recognition, Duan Qirui decided to visit abroad in person, and Xu Shuzheng was also entrusted with an important task, and his peers visited more than ten countries to seek support.
From September 1925 to January of the following year, Xu Shuzheng traveled between Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union, the United States, Japan and other powers. In order to win the trust of the people, he did not hesitate to use all kinds of means, and even promised extremely favorable economic privileges to various countries. For example, it promised to give up all mining rights in Chinese mainland's rich mining areas in exchange for practical military and economic support.
The visit yielded tremendous diplomatic results. British Prime Minister Ramsay promised to withdraw the fleet to China as soon as Xu Shuzheng came to power. France even agreed to directly export arms to China to support the Northern Expeditionary Army. Even if Soviet Russia did not give a substantive commitment, Xu Shuzheng successfully won Stalin's positive evaluation, laying the foundation for further cooperation in the future.
It seemed that everything was under control, but when Xu Shuzheng returned to Beijing with confidence, the catastrophic tragedy rose like an arrow. As the murderer of Lu Jianzhang, Xu Shuzheng is destined to pay the price for his past crimes. After several twists and turns, he was finally captured by his enemy Feng Yuxiang and was punished extremely cruelly.
All hope came to naught, and the Anhui system was on the verge of collapse in an instant. This turning point undoubtedly also deeply affected the trend of the warlord melee of the entire Republic of China, so that the Anhui family finally became a prisoner.
Fourth, the final madness
Although Xu Shuzheng's death cleared the way for the revival of the Anhui system, it also plunged this originally majestic iron army into more chaotic infighting.
In October 1926, Zhang Zuolin's direct troops struck while the iron was hot and decided to eliminate the remnants of the Anhui family in one fell swoop. They captured Hefei, the stronghold of the Anhui system, and captured Duan Qirui's eldest son, Duan Ximing. In order to save his son, Duan Qirui had to bow to his direct family and admit defeat.
But just when the situation seemed to be decided, an unexpected event completely changed the tide of the war. Liu Yiyang, the direct general who originally escorted Duan Ximing, rebelled against each other and merged with the rest of the Anhui system. Soon, several remnants of the army gradually assembled, known as the "Revival Army" to fight against Zhang Zuolin.
But the ultimate goal of this revival army is clearly not just to make a comeback. Their core is also divided into two dirty factions, one faction is loyal to Duan Qirui and his wife, and the other faction wants to take advantage of the last opportunity of the warlord melee to make a lot of money.
The latter was led by several old Anhui subordinates Liu Key, Zhu Shaowen and others, who colluded with Zhang Zuolin, the "first madman in Manchuria", and wanted to take advantage of the chaos to rob the wealth of Jiangnan. In this crazy wave, the southern Jiangsu region has been plundered unprecedentedly, and the folk spread that "Liu Key Zhu Shaowen, plus the gateway Han" slipped, and was regarded as a national sinner.
At the same time, another group of Anhui remnants, including Duan Qirui and his wife, Li Gengen and others, became the vanguard of the Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army. After many years of death, although the Anhui system has suffered a great loss of vitality, it is now making a comeback in the form of a "revival army".
At the beginning of 1927, after a difficult maneuver and counteroffensive, the Renaissance Army finally regained its base camp of Hefei. But at this moment, the news of Duan Qirui's death came out like a thunderbolt from the sky.
The 85-year-old Duan Qirui was already suffering from many diseases, and this time he suffered a heavy blow. He died on the 25th day of his return to fattening. With the death of the patriarch, the command of the revival army soon fell into the hands of his wife He Xiangning.
This former talented woman of Zhida has now become the last head of the Anhui family. At her instigation, the Fuxing Army once contacted the Nationalist Government of Guangdong and expressed its willingness to follow the great cause of the Northern Expedition. But in fact, He Xiangning and the revival army under her command have long lost the warlord's control of power, and the warlord system has gone to an irreversible ruin.
Soon, the Northern Expedition swept away the last warlord forces. He Xiangning personally led the revival army and was immediately forced to announce its "withdrawal from the political arena". A few months later, the last Anhui general, Liu Key, was also discovered and executed by the Nationalist government. In this way, a dynasty that had experienced several ups and downs came to an end, and the fall of the Anhui system also announced the complete end of the warlord era.
As the last remnant of warlord politics, the fate of the Anhui family to slowly wither encapsulates the demise of the warlord system. And Xu Shuzheng, a warlord wizard who tosses and turns in power schemes, started his ambitious but eventually reckless theatrical life, and witnessed the last madness of an era.
Fifth, the smoke and clouds pass through the eyes and dreams
The fall of the Anhui system marks the end of the warlord melee and the arrival of a new era. Looking back at this once rampant warlord group, its rise and fall reflect the epitome of the turbulent era in the early years of the Republic of China.
The rudiments of the Anhui system can be traced back to the beginning of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911. Duan Qirui, the leader of the Hunan army at that time, stood up against the Manchus and set a precedent for the new army. In order to expand his strength, he soon issued a call to all parts of his hometown Anhui to recruit Anhui warriors, thus gathering the backbone of the Anhui army.
At first, Duan Qirui didn't have much ambition, and just wanted to occupy a place within the Hunan army. However, with the gradual loss of power by Yuan Shikai, Zhang Xun and others, the emergence of a power vacuum has brought unexpected opportunities to the Anhui system. With the contacts accumulated in the army for decades, Duan Qirui took advantage of the situation and was promoted to the chief of the army in one fell swoop, becoming the real power holder in the Beiyang regime.
Duan Qirui is good at making protégés and cultivating a group of cunning and resourceful thinkers like Xu Shuzheng. With their assistance, the Anhui faction began to encroach on power and continue to expand its territory. It penetrated from the southeast coast all the way to the west and north, controlling almost the entire hinterland of Chinese mainland. Even at the time of the decline of the Anhui system, there were still remnants of forces active in Zhejiang, Anhui, Suzhou, and Xi.
However, just as the Anhui system is gradually becoming hypertrophied, the internal strife of the power struggle is also gaining momentum. From Zhang Zuolin and Feng Yuxiang to Xu Shuzheng and Liu Key, groups of emerging warlords began to go up the torrent, eager for a piece of the pie. Even Xu Shuzheng, a veteran protégé, finally betrayed his word and rebelled and ran away.
History always repeats itself impressively. Just as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was defeated by the Twist Army, the rule of the Anhui system was also pushed to the forefront by these emerging forces. Whether diplomatic, military, or infighting, they have taken action to destroy the old system that was gradually decaying.
In the end, this warlord group, which had been all over the Central Plains and had been dominant for a while, collapsed under the great wheel of the times. Everything has to start all over again, leaving only a mess. The fall of the Anhui dynasty also saw the end of the era of warlord warfare, clearing the door to the national revolution as the last resistance.
From Xu Shuzheng's capture by Feng Yuxiang to the surrender of the remnants of the Anhui Renaissance Army, this once crazy era came to an end. Everything is just a cloud of smoke and clouds, and the glorious dreams of the past will eventually be gone. The rise of the new forces has sounded the finale of the warlord era, and a new Republic of China era is beckoning.