Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Feng Yu-hsiang

General Feng Yu-hsiang

馮玉祥字焕章

General Feng Yu-hsiang was born at Ch’ao Hsien, Anhui province, in 1880. When he was 16 years old he joined the Peiyang Military School. Before graduation, in 1898, he left the college and enrolled himself as a private in the “Wu Wei Yu Chun.” Subsequently he was appointed a Commander of a company under the Ninth Division of the Nanyang troops. While commanding, he attended the Chiang Yu Tang, or Lecture Hall for training soldiers. Later he was recommended by his superior to be a regular student of the Paoting Military Academy whence he was graduated. Marshal Wang Shih-chen and the late General Yang Shan-te, both leaders of the Peiyang Army, took great interest in General Feng and highly recommended him to Marshal Tuan Chi-jui for appointment. But this was frustrated by a commanding officer of the "I Chun” who was jealous of him. In 1910 General Feng became commander of the Third Regiment, 16th Battalion, 5th Brigade, 3rd Division of the Imperial Army, having under him 500 soldiers, with station at Fangsnan Hsien, Chihli. Subsequently his regiment was reorganized and became the Provost Guard Regiment of the Metropolis. The number of persons under his command was then increased to 2,000. In 1913, Yuan Shih-kai trained 10 new Mixed Brigades. General Feng's regiment was taken in, reorganized and became the 16th Mixed Brigade, composed of two battalions of infantry and one regiment of artillery. In 1916 General Feng's Mixed Brigade was sent to Anhui, by Yuan Shih-kai to defend that province from the impending attack by the republican troops from the neighbering provinces which had responded to General Tsao Ao's revolt against Yuan's monarchical movement. But Yuan Shih-kai soon died and General Feng's troops were left in Anhui. As a result of the Chang Hsun's monarchical attempt, Li Yuan-hung vacated the presidency and Tuan Chi-jui came into power again. This happened in July 1917. In August 1917 General Tang Chi-yao declared independence in Yunnan in open defiance of Tuan Chi-jui. Then came Kuangtung, Kuangsi and southern Hunan, and General Feng was ordered to proceed with his troops to Szechuan which was being threatened by attacks from Yunnan. General Feng moved his troops first to Wu-Yueh, Hupei, on the Yangtze and then to Changte, Hunan. There he made acquaintance with General Wu Pei-fu who had been commanding the Sixth Brigade of Marshal Tsao Kun's Third Division in Hunan.

After the Chihli-Fengtien struggle in the summer of 1920, in which General Wu Pei-fu, the responsible head of the Chihli side, came out victorious, and General Feng with his 16th Mixed Brigade played a very important part for Chihli, the two generals became very close friends. Subsequently General Feng's troops were, at the suggestion of General Wu, transferred to Honan. In June 1920 he received the Second Class Tashou Paokuang Chiaho. In August 1921 the late General Yen Hsiang-wen, then commander of the Second Division, was appointed Tuchun of Shensi. At the recommendation of General Wu Pei-fu, General Feng was appointed Co-Director for Military Affairs of Shensi and at the same time his Mixed Brigade was reorganized to become the 11th Division. Upon the sudden and mysterious death of General Ten Hsiang-wen which occurred in the same month—August 1921-General Feng was appointed Acting Tuchun of Shensi still commanding the 11th Division. While in Shensi General Feng sought a compromise with and between the different contending military leaders and finally brought that province back to peace again. In the spring of 1922 the civil war between Chihli and Mukden warlords broke out. General Wu Pei-fu transferred General Feng's troops to participate in the fight and appointed him the Commander of the Rear Defence Forces. His troops played a decisive part in this armed struggle which resulted in the victory of Chihli. In May 1922, General Feng was appointed Tuchun of Honan. In July he was made the “Yang Wu Chiang Chun" a member of the College of Marshals. In October he was conferred the second Order of Merit. On October 31, he was appointed Inspector General of the National Army with headquarters in Peking. Upon receiving this appointment General Feng transferred all his troops to Peking. These troops which are estimated to be over 40,000 men strong, have been stationed at Nan Yuan the Imperial Hunting Park to the south of Peking. General Feng himself is also living there. In January 1923 General Feng was made a 'Full General. In April 1923 he was awarded the First Class Wenfu Decoration. In May 1923 he was appointed concurrently Director General for the Defence of the Northwestern Provinces. In November 1923 he was made "Yang Wu Shan Chiang-chun," a Marshal. General Feng is a Christian and so are most of his soldiers. He has been known by foreigners as the "Christian General". He became a widower in 1923 and in February 1924 he married Miss Li a secretary of the Peking Y. W. C. A. When the war broke out in September 1924, between the Chihli and Anfu-Fengtien parties, it was generally known that Marshal Feng was opposed to the war at that time. His argument being that the country was in no condition to finance the war, principally on account of the floods and famines of 1923-1924. However, at a military conference held in Peking and participated in by Marshal Feng, Marshals Wu Pei-fu, President Tsao Kun and other leaders of the Chihli party, General Feng was finally won over and was assigned to the job of defending the districts of Jehol, to the North of Peking. General Feng began the movement of his troops into this district and was seriously handicapped by the lack of roads and lack of funds. Finally on October 23 1924,, he suddenly turned about and returned to Peking with his army, taking complete possession of the city and making the President a prisoner. His action in this regard which has never been completely explained resulted in the defeat of Marshal Wu Pei-fu in the fighting in the vicinity of the Great Wall and the complete demoralization of the Chihli forces. At a conference held in Tientsin between General Feng and Marshal Chang Tso-lin, Marshal Tuan Chi-jui, was induced to accept the Provisional Presidency. Late in 1924, General Fong was appointed Defence Commissioner of the Northwest Territory which position he is still holding, although it is frequently reported he desires to resign and go abroad.