First Zhili-Fengtian War

In 1920, the Zhili-Anhui war took place, in which Zhang Zolin supported the Zhili clique against the ruling Anhui clique. After the victory, the Zhilians and the Fentians seized Beijing and formed a joint government.

The Zhile clique was supported by the British and the Americans, and the Feng clique was supported by the Japanese, who supported the Anhui clique before the 1920 war.

In 1922, the Fengites forced the change of Prime Minister Jin Yupen to Liang Shii without the approval of the Zhilians. The new prime minister immediately granted amnesty to the six leaders of the Anhui clique, which provoked a sharp protest from the Zhili clique. ^[one]

The conflict escalated when the new cabinet refused to allocate about three million dollars of the budget to the war ministry promised earlier. As a result, on January 25, 1922, Wu Peifu and the other Zhilai leaders resigned. There was a government crisis, which Zhang Zolin tried to resolve with military threats. On April 10, 1922, troops were assembled, until April 25, 1922, Wu Peifu tried not to give formal reasons for a military clash.

The Chilean clique gathered a 109,000th army, while the Fengtian clique gathered 120,000 people. The commander-in-chief of the Zhilians was Wu Payfu , who led the western front. The central front was commanded by Wang Chengbin (王承斌), and the eastern front by Zhang Guzhong (张国 熔). The deputy commander of the eastern front was Zhang Fulay (张 富 来). Zhili troops were also supported from the southern provinces via the Beijing - Hankou railway. ^[2]

Zhang Zolin was the commander in chief of the Feng Army and led the eastern front. His deputy was Sun Lichen (孙烈臣), the commander of the western front was Zhang Jinghui . Under him were three divisions commanded by Bao Deshan (鲍德 山), Zhang Xueliang, and Li Jinglin (李景林). Fengtian troops were supplied and supported by the Japanese. ^[2] .

The intent of the Fentians was the attack of the Zhilians from two fronts. The headquarters of the Feng Army was located in the city of Junlancheng (now part of Tianjin ). Immediately located command of the eastern front. On April 29, 1922, Commander-in-Chief Zhang Zolin arrived at headquarters and immediately ordered the attack to begin. The headquarters of the western front was located in the village of Changxindian (长 辛店) (now it is part of Fengtai , a district of Beijing). The western front consisted of three divisions and was supposed to attack Baoding , where the headquarters of the Chilean army was located.

The Zhilian army deployed on three fronts. Peifu was led by the 3rd Division in the west, headquartered by the Liulihe River (Liul). Wang Chengbin was the head of the 23rd division in Guan County (固安县, now included in Langfang ). Zhang Gozhun led the 26th division in the east in Dacheng district (Dacheng, 大 城县, now enters Langfang ), additionally on the eastern front the 24th division commanded by Zhang Fuli was thrown into battle.

The Fengtian army was stationed on the western front on April 10, 1922. After the outbreak of war on April 29, the Zhilians suffered defeats on the eastern front. The western front of the Chzhili army fell under heavy shelling of the Fengtian. On April 30, Wu Feifu personally went to the front line to organize a massive shelling of the Fengtian. At the same time, the main forces bypassed the Fengtans from behind. On May 4, the Zhilians suddenly attacked the 16th regiment, which was formed from the former Zhilian troops by Feng Guozhang , and the regiment surrendered ^[2] . The temporarily organized First Fengtan Division was forced to retreat to Fengtai , and the defense collapsed. Only then did the First Fengtan Division manage to be rebuilt for a counterattack, the Chilean vanguards were defeated and Changxindian was busy again.

The success of the Fengtian army did not last long. Peifu changed tactics. Imitating the retreat, he lured the Fengtian army into an ambush. Unaware of anything, the Fengtians made a sharp march-throw, and were not ready for battle. The Zhilians surrounded them and completely destroyed them. Thus, the complete victory of the Zhilian army was won on the western front, and the main attention was paid to the eastern front.

The Fengtian army initially defeated on the eastern front. On April 29, after the advance of the Fengtyans, the front of the Chzhili army was crushed and the Zhilis were driven back to Renqiu (任丘 市) and Hejian (河 间) (both are now subordinate to Cangzhou ).

However, the morale of the Fengtyans plummeted after news of defeats on the western front. General Bao Deshan refused to continue the attack and left his flank dangerously undisguised ^[2] . In order not to be cut off, Zhang Zolin ordered the general retreat ordered, trying to avoid total destruction. The main target of the Zhilian attack was the second division, commanded by Zhang Zolin's son, Zhang Xueliang . After a complete victory on the western front, Wu Peifu relocated the 3rd and 26th divisions and took control of the operation to attack Zhang Xuelian’s division. Zhang Xuelian was able to repel the enemy attacks with minimal casualties, nevertheless he was forced to undertake an organized retreat, leaving the territory.

The third division of the Fengtian army on the eastern front, under the command of Li Jinglin, at first was able to carry out successful counterattacks in the Yaomadu area (姚 马 渡). Despite the victories and the capture of thousands of enemy soldiers, news from the western front was a great blow to the division. Taking advantage of the confusion, the Zhilians resumed attacks, sending a blow to the headquarters in Machan (马 厂) ( Qingxian , Cangzhou ). As a result of the blow, the Fentians lost seven thousand people killed or captured, and were forced to give Yanlucin (杨柳青) (in Sicin ). The division retreated to Beizang (in the Beichen area). While preparing to organize the defense of the city of Dzyunlyancheng (軍糧城) (in Dongli ), the Fengtians encountered the Chzhili twenty-thousandth reinforcement, which was delivered by train. Defeated, the remnants of the Fengtian army fled to Luanzhou .

It has already become obvious that the Fengtian clique suffered a crushing defeat. On May 5, the 23rd division of the Zhilian army, under the command of Wang Chengbin, entered Tianjin . The Fentians lost more than twenty thousand dead, tens of thousands deserted, and forty thousand surrendered to the Zhilians.

By this time, British missionaries were able to convince the leadership of the Chilean clique of the need to conclude a peace treaty with the mediation of the British consul in Luanzhou . The British invited Zhang Zolin to withdraw all troops from Shanhaiguan (now in Qinhuangdao ), requiring the Zhilians to end the persecution. On June 18, representatives of both sides signed a peace treaty aboard a British warship off the coast of Qinhuangdao in accordance with a proposal by the British consul. ^[3] . The Shanhaiguan Wall has become the border between the territories of two clicks. The Fengtian forces retreated to Manchuria, ^[2] and the Zhilis, led by Wu Peifu, took control of the central government in Beijing (see Beiyang government ).

The second Zhili-Fengtian war , which broke out in 1924, culminated in the Beijing coup and the return of the Fengtans to power.

1. Zhang, Harbin Tongxin, Harbin of New China, 1st Edition, published by New China Bookstore Heilongjiang branch, 1982 .
2. Odorik YK Militarism in modern China. Wu Peifu's Career = Militarism in modern China. The career of Wu P'ei-Fu, 1916-1939. - Australian National University Press, 1978.- 349 p. - ISBN 0708108326 .