Chongchan Zhang Chinese militarist Country: China

1. Biography of Zhang Zuoqian
2. A Unique Gift
3. Rise to Power
4. The General of Dog Meat
5. A Formidable General
6. Downfall and Death

Biography of Zhang Zuoqian

Zhang Zuoqian, a Chinese militarist from Shandong province, was known as the "most treacherous militarist in China" by Time magazine. Born into a poor family in Yi County, now Laizhou, Shandong province, Zhang Zuoqian joined a bandit group in 1911 and quickly rose to prominence after the gang came into the service of the ruler of Jiangsu province. When his group was defeated, Zhang Zuoqian approached the Manchu militarist Zhang Zolin and made a good impression on him.

A Unique Gift

During Zhang Zolin's birthday celebration, while other guests gave expensive gifts, Zhang Zuoqian presented him with two empty baskets usually used by coolies, and he did not attend the party himself. Zhang Zolin was unpleasantly surprised, but his assistants explained the significance of the gift: the empty baskets symbolized Zhang Zuoqian's ability to bear a heavy load on his shoulders, and now it depended on what Zhang Zolin would load him with. Just as people put heavy loads in baskets if they are confident that the bottom can withstand it. Zhang Zolin rewarded Zhang Zuoqian with a high position in his army, and soon he proved himself worthy. Only after defeating Zhang Zolin's rivals did Zhang Zuoqian personally visit him.

Rise to Power

In April 1925, Zhang Zuoqian's troops occupied Shanghai and Nanjing, and Zhang Zolin appointed him as the military governor of Shandong province, a position he held until May 1928. Zhang Zuoqian gained fame as one of the most ruthless and colorful militarists in China. For example, during a battle against the neighboring military governor Yu Peifu, Zhang Zuoqian's forces overwhelmingly outnumbered their opponents. As a result, Yu Peifu's soldiers began surrendering en masse. Zhang Zuoqian allowed them to keep their military ranks and promoted his own officers, placing them in charge of the defeated soldiers. However, he did not have enough gold and silver to cast the insignia stars, so he ordered them to be made from foil, which was usually used for cigarette packs.

The General of Dog Meat

Zhang's nickname, General of Dog Meat, came from his fondness for gambling, especially the game of Pai Gow, which is known as "throwing dog meat" in the northeastern Chinese dialect. He had between 30 to 50 concubines, including women from Korea, Japan, Russia, France, and the United States, whom he assigned numbers to because he could not remember their names. Zhang considered them his property and would reward his subordinates with them on occasion. The commanders in Zhang's army remained loyal to him, which greatly contributed to his military successes. According to Wellington Koo's wife, everyone called him the "Three Things I Don't Know" because he claimed not to know how much money he had, how many concubines he had, and how many soldiers he commanded.

A Formidable General

Zhang Zuoqian was one of the most formidable generals in China. He actively used armored trains, with crews primarily composed of White Russian mercenaries. His army consisted of up to 4,600 Russians who had arrived in China after their defeat during the Russian Civil War. Zhang Zuoqian was also the first among Chinese generals to organize female units in his army. He had a medical battalion entirely composed of Russian nurses who taught the Chinese colleagues how to care for the wounded, greatly improving medical support and boosting morale in Zhang Zuoqian's army.

Downfall and Death

In 1928, his army was defeated by the forces of the Kuomintang. However, Zhang Zuoqian was pardoned and given permission to leave the country. In 1932, he was killed by the son of one of his numerous victims.