Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Chang Tso-lin

General Chang Tso-lin

張作霖字雨亭

General Chang Tso-lin was born at Haichen Hsien, Fengtien Province, in 1876. He received no education in his youth, but his bravery and initative distinguished him and signed him out to be a powerful leader among a class of outlaws known as Hungutzu. During the Russo-Japanese War General Chang fought on the side of Japan and rendered no small service to the Mikado. In 1906 General Chang surrendered to Chao Erh-hsun who was then the Tartar General of Mukden (Fengtien Chiangchun). A regime was immediately formed composed of his followers, with himself as Commanding Officer. A few years later he was promoted to be Commander of the Fengtien Defence Force in China in which capacity he rendered valuable service in the maintenence of peace and order throughout the Manchurian Province during the Revolution in 1911-12. After the establishment of the Republic in 1912, General Chang was made a Lieutenant General and Commander of the Twenty-Seventh Division of the National Army. General Chang served Yuan Sha-kai faithfully, but when Yuan's monarchical movement was about to collapse, he compelled General Tuan Chi-kuei, who was then Civil and Military Governor (Chiangchun and Hsunanshih) of Fengtien, and supporter of the movement, to leave Fengtien. Asked why he refused to support Yuan, whom he had urged to ascend the Throne, General Chang replied that he was only making a figure of speech when he asked Yuan to do so.

On April 17, 1916 he was ordered by Peking for the Chiang-chun of Fengtien. Two days later he got the appointment as Hsunanshih (Civil Governor) of Fengtien. On April 22, he was made a Chiangchun of Fengtien with the special title of two words "Sheng Wu." On the 23rd he was appointed Acting Director-General of Military Affairs and concurrently to hold the position of Hsunanshih of Fengtien. On July 6, 1916 General Chang became Tuchun and Shengchang which were the new designations for Military and Civil Governors in place of Chiangchun and Hsunanshih respectively. General Chang assisted the former Prime Minister, General Tuan Chi-jui, in restoring the Republic for the second time in June 1917 when it was overthrown by General Chang Hsun who attempted to restore the Ching Regime. In 1918 General Chang was appointed the High Inspecting Commissioner of the Three Eastern Provinces, still holding the positions of Military and Civil Governors of Fengtien. In October 1919 General Chang was conferred the First Order of Merit. In January 1920 he was made a Full General as recognition of service rendered in connection with the Participation in the European War. In February 1920 he was conferred the First Order of Tashou Paokuang Chiaha. During 1918-20, the government of North China remained in the hands of a clique of Northern Militarists, presided over by Tuan Chi-jui. In July 1920 the Chihli and Fengtien Tuchuns took advantage of public hostility towards fche faction in power to force the matter to an issue. The dismissal of Hsu Shu-tseng from the Commandership of the North-western Frontier Defence Force and also from the position of North-Wtestern Colonization Commissioner was demanded by General Wu Pei-fu and General Tsao-Kun, the High Inspecting Commissioner of Chihli, Shantung and Honan. The President yielded by issuing a Mandate on the 4th ordering the dismissal.

As a result of the opposition of the "Tuchuns," Parliament and of the Anfu leaders, President Hsu on July 9, ordered Wu Pei-fu to be dismissed from the Commandership of the Third Division to be deprived of all ranks and honors, and to be dealt with by law. Tsao Kun was also censured. These Generals accepted the challenge, and in co-operation with General Chang Tso-lin, undertook "to support the government" by the forcible removal of the Anfu Party. The power of the Anfu leaders collapsed after a few engagements in which the only real fighting was done by Wu Pei-fu's forces. On October 10, 1920 General Chang was made Shan Chiang-chun (Marshal) with the title of two words Chen Wei. Following a conference of Super-Tuchuns, Chang Tso-lin, Tsao Kun and Wang Chan-yuan, held at Tientsin and Peking, during April and May 1921, General Chang was appointed High Commissioner for Mongolia with full power to reconquer Urga which was then in the hands of Soviet Russians. During the latter part of 1921 General Chang again went to Peking from Manchuria ,to adjust matters to his own satisfaction, and the result of his visit was the installation of the Liang Shih-i Cabinet on December 24, 1921. In March 1922 General Chang was awarded the First Order of Wenfu. During the winter 1921-22, a military and political coalition with General Chang as the leader was organized with the avowed purpose of eliminating Wu Pei-fu. The members of the coalition were the Manchurian military leaders, the Anfu leaders under Tuan Chi-jui, the Chiaotung faction under Liang Shih-i, the Tuchuns of Honan, Anhui and Chekiang, and the Kuomingtang Party in the South under Sun Yat-sen. However this later met with failure as some of the members of the coalition lost their courage. The result of this invasion was a war in the vicinity of Tientsin and Peking. Fighting commenced on April 18, and lasted until May 4, when Chang's troops in the west of Peking had suffered heavy loss at the hands of Feng Yu-hsiang's 11th Division. The evacuation commenced at once and by noon of May 4. Chang's entire force was enroute for Mukden. On May 1, 1922, Presidential Mandates "were issued, dismissing General Chang from the position of Civil and Military governors of Fengtien, abolishing the posts of High Inspecting Commissioner of the Three Eastern Provinces and of the High Commissioner for Mongolia, and ordering him to be dealt with by law. Ever since this defeat Manchuria under General Chang's rule has been independent of Peking with himself as the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces for the Maintenance of Order and Peace in Manchuria. In September 1924 following the outbreak of the war in the lower Yangtse district between Chekiang and Kiangsu provinces, Marshal Chang Tso-lin, mobilized his forces for the purpose of assisting his associate Marshal Lu Yung-hsiang in the Yangtze area. Owing largely to the coup d'etat of General Feng Yu-hsiang, in Peking, Marshal Chang was successful in defeating the leading power purporting the Peking government, having been responsible with General Feng Yu-hsiang in the return of Tuan Chi-jui to the presidency.