page_title: Zhang Zuolin
section_title: Internal strife
hierarchical_section_title: Zhang Zuolin / Internal strife
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of the Northern Expedition, the military campaign launched by the en:Kuomintang against the northern warlords from the en:Beiyang government between 1926 and 1928. 中文（中国大陆）‎: 国民革命军北伐战争，第一次国共合作，示意地图
context_page_description: Zhang Zuolin was an influential Chinese bandit, soldier, and warlord during the Warlord Era in China. The warlord of Manchuria from 1916 to 1928, and the military dictator of the Republic of China in 1927 and 1928, he rose from banditry to power and influence, only to be thwarted by the excesses of his own ambition and his erstwhile backers, the Japanese Kwantung Army.
  Backed by Japan, Zhang successfully influenced politics in the Republic of China during the early 1920s, invaded China proper in October 1924 during the Second Zhili–Fengtian War, and gained control of Peking, including the internationally recognized government, in April 1926. His appointment as grand marshal of the Republic of China in June 1927 represented the height of his success, but was quickly followed by defeat: the economy of Manchuria, the basis of his power, was overtaxed by his adventurism and collapsed in the winter of 1927; and he was defeated by the National Revolutionary Army of the Kuomintang under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in May 1928.
context_section_description: In 1919 France had left Renault FT tanks in Vladivostok after the joint Allied intervention, and Zhang Zuolin soon incorporated them into the Manchurian Army. 
  In the summer of 1920, Zhang made a foray into North China on the other side of the Great Wall, trying to topple Duan Qirui, the leading warlord of Beijing. He did this by supporting another warlord, Cao Kun, with troops and they successfully ousted Duan. As a reward, Zhang was granted control over most of Inner Mongolia to the west of Manchuria. 
  In December 1921, Zhang visited Beijing; at his request, the entire cabinet, led by Jin Yunpeng, resigned, leaving him free to appoint a new government. Installing Liang Shiyi as Premier, he proposed a new constitution and the resolution of the Republic's financial difficulties. Now a figure of national prominence, he quickly came into conflict with Wu Peifu, a divisional commander of the North China Zhili clique, which was based in the province of Zhili that surrounded Beijing.
  In the spring of 1922 Zhang personally took the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Fengtian Army, and on 19 April his forces entered China proper. As his men took Beijing three days later, fighting soon broke out. On 4 May the Fengtian Army were seriously defeated by the Zhili Army in what came to be known as the First Zhili–Fengtian War. Three thousand troops had been killed and 7,000 wounded, and Zhang's units retreated to Shanhai Pass. Zhili forces were in control of Beijing, Zhang's image as a national leader had been destroyed and he reacted by declaring Manchuria independent from Beijing in May 1922.
  On 22 June, Wang left Shenyang for Japanese-controlled Dalian, allegedly for treatment of an eye infection. From there he challenged Zhang by demanding restrictions to military spending and complete control over civil affairs. Zhang gave in, lifted martial law and agreed to a separation of civil and military administration in all of the three provinces.  Wang returned on 6 August, thereby ensuring Manchuria's continued stability.
caption: Map showing the territory controlled by Zhang Zuolin (in green) during the Northern Expedition period
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