Complex sentence: Authority in the north of the country was divided between Zhang and Feng Yuxiang, a Soviet-backed warlord and public support for the northern militarists soon hit an all-time low, with southerners openly disparaging the northern leaders as "junfa" (warlords).
Split into simpler sentences: Authority in the North was divided between Zhang and Feng Yuxiang, a Soviet-backed warlord. Public support for the northern militarists hit an all-time low, with southerners openly disparaging the northern leaders as "junfa" (warlords).