Wu Peifu Military ruler of central China whose reign was thwarted by the Northern Expedition. Date of Birth: 22.04.1878 Country: China

1. Biography of Wu Peifu
2. The Conflict with the Anhui Clique
3. The Militarist War
4. Tensions with Zhang Zuolin
5. The Northern Campaign
6. Later Years and Death

Biography of Wu Peifu

Wu Peifu was a military ruler in central China whose leadership brought an end to the Northern Expedition. He was also the head of the so-called Zhili clique of northern militarists. In his foreign policy, he aligned with the interests of Great Britain.

The Conflict with the Anhui Clique

In 1920, the Zhili clique, led by Cao Kun and Wu Peifu, supported by the United States and England, initiated military actions against the Anhui faction, which had compromised itself with its anti-national policies under the government of Duan Qirui. The Fengtian clique, led by Zhang Zuolin, joined the victorious Zhili forces. The Anhui faction suffered a defeat, and power in Beijing shifted to the Zhili and Fengtian factions.

The Militarist War

In April 1922, a militarist war broke out between the Zhili and Fengtian cliques. Under the command of Wu Peifu, the Zhili forces defeated the Fengtian clique's army. Zhang Zuolin's army was defeated, and in 1923, Cao Kun, a supporter of the Zhili faction, assumed the presidency of China. The influence of the United States and England in China increased.

Tensions with Zhang Zuolin

In the fall of 1924, tensions escalated between Wu Peifu and Zhang Zuolin, a military commander and a protégé of Japan who controlled Manchuria. Wu Peifu's defeat was hastened by the betrayal of Feng Yuxiang, who controlled extensive territories in Northwest China. In February 1926, Zhang Zuolin and Wu Peifu managed to temporarily agree to fight against Feng Yuxiang's "National Army." Foreign military and diplomatic pressure forced Feng Yuxiang to resign and leave for Moscow in early 1926. The forces of the 1st "National Army" were forced to leave the Beijing and Tianjin areas, retreating to the Chahar province. The fate of the 2nd "National Army" in Henan province also tragically unfolded. In January 1926, a peasant uprising organized by a secret traditional society called the "Red Spears" erupted against the 2nd "National Army." Wu Peifu took advantage of this uprising and completed the defeat of the 2nd "National Army."

The Northern Campaign

In July 1926, the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) announced the beginning of the Northern Campaign. The main forces of the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) completed the liberation of Hunan in July and August and launched an offensive against Wuhan, the most important political and economic center in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Wuhan was liberated in October, and Wu Peifu's troops suffered a defeat.

Later Years and Death

After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Wu Peifu refused to collaborate with the Japanese. He retired and soon died under mysterious circumstances, as some believe.