Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Hsu Shu-cheng

General Hsu Seu Cheng

徐樹錄字又等

General Hsu Shn-cheng was born at Hsuchow, Kiangsu province, in 1883. He is a scholar in Chinese history and literature. He studied in the Peiyang Military College when he was little over twenty years of age. After graduation he served Tuan Chi-jui in a minor capacity. General Hsu was a mere clerk to Tuan when the latter was commanding the Sixth Division of the Imperial Army with headquarters at Nanyuan, south suburb of Peking. General Hsu's application and industry rapidly won Tuan's esteem. In December 1908 General Hsu was sent at the recommendation of Tuan by the government to Japan among the 7th Group of Chinese students to study in Military Officers' Academy. From this institution he was graduated in the infantry course in May 1910. He returned to China and joined Tuan Chi-jui in Hupei where he was then commanding troops at Hupei. In 1912 when Tuan Chi-jui came to Peking to be Minister of War, he followed him hither. First he was a secretary of the Ministry. In May 1914 General Hsu was made a Lieutenant General and appointed Vice-Minister of War. This post he held until June 1915 when he retired with Tuan Chi-jui, being dissatisfied with Yuan Shih-kai's ambitious movements. In April 1916 when Yuan Shih-kai's monarchical attempt was nearing failure, Tuan Chi-jui became Secretary of State again. In June, following the death of Yuan, Tuan became Prime Minister again, re-establishing the responsible cabinet system, and General Hsu was appointed Chief Secretary of the Cabinet. In November 1916 General Hsu resigned from the secretaryship as result of a conflict of opium with Ting Shih-to, then Chief Secretary of President Li Yuan-hung. In the summer of 1917 General Hsu was appointed Chief of the Administrative Department of the College of Marshals. In July 1917 he rendered valuable service in overthrowing Chang Hsun's attempt to restore the boy emperor. The campaign was led by Marshal Tuan Chi-jui. Tuan became Prime Minister in July 1917 and concurrently Acting Minister of War. In August General Hsu was appointed Vice Minister of War. Tuan's administration proved disagreeable to many of the Northern leaders, while the Southern leaders, who had mobilized to oust Chang Hsun, distrusted Tuan, and declined to recognize his authority. Finally over the question regarding home peace, Tuan resigned from the Prime Ministry in November 1917. General Hsu retired with him. In December 1917 Marshal Tuan was appointed Director-General of the European War Participation Bureau. In March 1918, General Hsu restored Tuan to the premiership by coercing President Feng Kuo-chang to issue the Mandate announcing the appointment of Tuan to head the cabinet with the troops borrowed from Fengtien. He had appointed himself Assistant Commander of these troops. In October 1918 General Hou was sent on a special mission to Japan. Previous to this appointment he had been given the brevet rank of a Full General. In June 1919 General Hsu was appointed Director General of the Northwestern Frontier Development, concurrently Director General of Outer Mongolian Affairs and Commander General of the Northwestern Frontier Defence Forces. In that capacity he effected the cancellation of the autonomy of Outer Mongolia at the beginning of 1920. In January 1920 he was awarded the Second Order of Merit. In February 1920 General Hsu was appointed to be concurrently Director General of the proposed Kalgan-Urga Railway. Meanwhile the government of North China had remained in the hands of the so-called Anfu Clique and its many military patrons headed by Tuan Chi-jui. Public hostility to the government found expression in May 1919 in the students's demonstrations in Peking, which led to the resignation of Tsao Ju-lin who was held responsible for many of the unpopular Japanese loans that had enabled that Clique to retain office for a long period of time. In 1920, however, Tuan Chi-jui and his "Anfu” proteges were still in power, among them was General Hsu. The Chihli and Fengtien Tuchuns took advantage of public hostility towards the faction in power to force matters to an issue. The dismissal of General Hsu was demanded by General Wu Pei-fu and General Tsao Kun, the Chihli Tuchun. President Hau Shih ch’ang yielded. Then, as the result of the opposition of the "Tuchuns Parliament” and the Anfu leaders, President Hsu dismissed Wu Pei-fu and censured Tsao Kun. These Generals accepted the challenge and in cooperation with General Chang Tso-lin, the Fengtien Tuchun, undertook to support the government by the forcible removal of the Anfu Party. The power of the Anfu leaders collapsed after a few engagements. Finally General Hsu fled for refuge to the Japanese Legation. It was about the last week of July 1920. On July 4, General Hsu was removed from the Director Generalship of the Northwestern Frontier Development and appointed a Marshal of the College of Marshals with the two-word special title "Yuan-Wei.” On July 28, the post of Commander General of the Northwestern Frontier Defence Forces was abolished and a Mandate was issued depriving General Hsu of all the honors, appointments and decorations and ordering his arrest. General Hsu remained in the Japanese Legation until November 13, 1920 when the Chinese government was informed by the Japanese Minister that General Hsu had mysteriously escaped the previous night. He has remained at large ever since that time. In October 1922 General Hsu was implicated in the revolt against the Fukien Tuchun. Before this he wrote a book on the subject of How to Run a Government, in which he suggested a special system. To make a trial of the system he advocated, General Hsu made use of the occupation troops at Chuan Chow, Fukien, whose commander-in-Chief was in sympathy with him, and thus declared independence. But owing to lack of support as indicated by the fact that no response was made from other quarters his plan failed and he fled to Japan. Subsequently another Mandate was issued ordering his arrest. In the autumn of 1924 Mr. Hsu returned to Shanghai and unofficially assisted the Anfu-Fengtien party in the fighting against Marshal Chi Hsieh-yuan and the Chihli forces which began on September 1, 1924. Following the sudden departure of the Anfu leader Lu Yung-hsiang for Japan, General Hsu attempted to reorganize Lu's defeated troops for a fresh stand on the borders of the French Settlement but came into conflict with the foreign authorities, owing to his alleged violation of the settlement regulations pertaining to the plotting of disorder while residing in the Settlement. General Hsu was arrested and placed under surveillance but soon after departed on a trip to Europe. The Chinese government appointed him Special Commissioner to investigate the economic conditions in Europe.