{"product_id":"war-and-geopolitics-in-interwar-manchuria-zhang-zuolin-and-the-fengtian-clique-during-the-northern-expedition-9789004339125","title":"War and Geopolitics in Interwar Manchuria: Zhang Zuolin and the Fengtian Clique during the Northern Expedition","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn War and Geopolitics in Interwar Manchuria Kwong Chi Man revisits the civil wars in China (1925-1928) from the perspective of the often-overlooked \"warlords,\" who fought against the joint forces of the Nationalist and Communist parties. In particular, this work focuses on Zhang Zuolin, the leader of the \"Fengian Clique\" who was sometimes seen as the representative of the Japanese interest in Manchuria.  Using primary and secondary sources from China, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, this work tries to revisit the wars during the period from international, political, military, and economic-financial perspectives. It sheds new light on Zhang Zuolin's decision to fight against the Nationalists and the Communists and offers an alternative explanation to the Nationalists (temporary) victory by revealing the central importance of geopolitics in the civil wars in China during the interwar period.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgements ix List of Illustrations xi List of Abbreviations xiii Note on Romanization xiv  Introduction: “Northern Expedition,” or the War for Northeast Asia? 1   State Formation and Geopolitics 5   Strategic History as an Approach 9   Northeast Asia and the “Northern Expedition” 11   The Military Factor 16   Structure 19  1 Becoming “The Eastern Three Provinces”: International Conflicts in Manchuria and Northeast Asia, 1850-1920  21   Introduction 21   Northeast Asia: Implications of Geography 22   International Relations of Northeast Asia, 1600-1920 27   China and Manchuria: From Empire to Nation? 35   Fengjin, Migration and Manchurian Society, 1636-1911 35   Manchuria and Mongolia after 1911 41   Regional Economy in Northeast Asia 43   Manchurian Economy before 1890 43   Reorienting the Manchurian Economy 45   The Competing Currencies 48   Concluding Remarks 50  2 Manchuria under Zhang Zuolin and the Fengtian Clique 52   Introduction 52   The Larger Context: Chinese Politics after the Abolition of the   Examination System 53   The Ascendancy of Zhang Zuolin and the Fengtian Clique 58   Exploiting the Circumstances 58   Enlisting Elite Support 60   From the Fengtian Clique to Anguojun: Zhang’s Military Supporters 65   Decision-making Mechanism of the Fengtian Clique 67   Military and Economic Build Up and Their Consequences 70   Regionalism and Relations with the Central Government 75   Japanese Connection Revisited 77   Becoming a National Leader: Zhang Zuolin’s Strife for Legitimacy and   Political Power 79   Zhang’s Perception of the Nation’s Problems 79   Zhang’s Struggle for Political Legitimacy 83   Concluding Remarks 88  3 The Fengtian Clique’s Strategies and Their Failure, 1925-1931 90   Phase I, January-December 1925 93   Overview 93   Responding to Political Vacuum in North China and the Soviet Design 95   The Anti-Fengtian War of 1925 103   Phase II, January-September 1926 106   The Fengtian Clique’s Attempt to Restore the Beijing Government 106   Improving the Internal and External Situation through Decisive Battle: The   Battle of Nankou, 1926 110   Phase III, September 1926-June 1927 113   Seeking Peaceful Resolution through War: The Creation of the   Anguojun 113   Increasing Japanese Pressure and Changing British Attitudes 118   The Failure in Henan and Its Impact 121   Phase IV, June 1927-June 1928 122   Responding to Defeats: The Generalissimo Government and Peace Talk with the KMT 122   Cracks in the Beijing-Mukden Regime 129   Manchuria Encircled: The Coming of a Japanese-Soviet Alliance 131   The Final Straw: Military Defeats in Late 1927 and Early 1928 133   Phase V, June 1928-September 1931 135   Strategic Inconsistency of the Fengtian Clique 135   The Decline of the Fengtian Clique’s Cohesion and Authority 137   Deteriorating Internal Condition and Geopolitical Situation 140   Concluding Remarks 142  4 Military Dimension of the “Northern Expedition” 143   Introduction 143   Military Geography and the War in China in the 1920s 144   Warfare in China in the Mid-1920s 145   Anguojun, the National Pacification Army 149   Organization 152   Equipment and Supply 155   Training and Recruitment 156   Cohesion 157   Relations with the People 159   The Henan-Anhui-Jiangsu-Zhejiang Operations, Jan-Jun 1927 160   Disaster of Dispersal: The Shanghai-Nanjing-Anhui Operations 162   The Henan Campaign: Background 166   The Henan Campaign: Mobility, Firepower and Geography 168   The Battles of Xuzhou and Longtan, June-September 1927 176   Situation After the Henan Campaign 176   Operational Success, Strategic Dilemma: The Xuzhou Battle and Prelude to   Longtan, Jun-Aug 1927 177   A Strategic Gamble Lost: The Battle of Longtan, Aug-Sep 1927 182   Tipping the Balance: The Autumn and Winter Campaigns of 1927 187   The Situation After Longtan 187   Wrong Priorities: The Shanxi Campaign, Sep-Dec 1927 188   The Second Henan Campaign, Oct-Dec 1927 192   Endgame: The Shanxi-Henan-Shandong Campaign of April 1928 195   Seeking the Decisive Battle 195   An Operational Disaster: The Southern Zhili-Shandong Campaign 197   Concluding Remarks 200  5 The Manchurian Economy and the Northern Expedition, 1925-1928 202   Introduction 202   The Fall of the fengpiao and Its Effects, 1926-1928 204   Financial Limitations Faced by the Fengtian Clique 212   Limited Internal Revenue and High Expenditure 212   Decline of the Value of Silver 216   Japanese and Russian Presence and Their Financial Policies in   Manchuria 218   Bankruptcy of the Central Government 220   The Fengtian Clique’s Attempts to Overcome Financial Difficulties 222   Issuing fengpiao 222   Increasing Tax and Manipulating Currencies 223   Issuing Bonds or Borrowing 226   Collecting the Customs Surtax 229   The Financial Collapse of the Fengtian Clique 233   Failure to Secure Shanghai and the Financial Difficulties of Beijing 233   The Succession Crisis and North-South Peace, Jan-June 1928 235   Concluding Remarks 238  Conclusion 240  Appendix 1: Literature Review 245 Appendix 2: A Note on the Sources 249 Appendix 3: Short Biographies of the Anguojun Figures 251 Appendix 4: Glossary 258 Appendix 5: Order of Battle of the Anguojun and the NRA, March 1927-April 1928 262 Bibliography 285 Index 318 327","brand":"Brill","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53210699923799,"sku":"9789004339125","price":104.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/war-and-geopolitics-in-interwar-manchuria-zhang-zuolin-and-the-fengtian-clique-during-the-northern-expedition-9789004339125","provider":"Book 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