ZHANG ZHONGCHANG: THE DOGMEAT GENERAL


DATE OF HAPPENING: 1881-1932

Zhongchang was born in 1881, in Laizhou, Shandong. His parents were poor, and he moved to Manchuria when he was young and became a petty criminal. He worked in Siberia, learning Russian, and even participated in the Russo-Japanese War (on Russia's side). He then became a bandit and led his own gang of criminals. Then, during the Xinhai Revolution, he joined a Jiangsu army regiment and eventually became the commanding officer of the regiment. His leader, Leng, was killed by Qing loyalists and Zhongchang became leader of the regiment. Zhang returned to Manchuria in 1922 and joined the Fengtian Clique, led by Zhang Zuolin. Zuolin became interested in Zhongchang after he sent him a strange gift and failed to show up to Zuolin's birthday party and Zhongchang ended up becoming a commander in one of Zuolin's armies. Zhongchang was a competent general, using armored trains and recruiting White Russia refugees from the Russian Civil war, due to his multilinguity. he was also one of the first generals to incorporate women into his army on a larger scale, training them to become nurses.
Fengtian Clique
In 1924, Zhongchang captured a critical pass for the Fengtian after a general betrayed the Fengtian clique's main rivals, the Zhili Clique. As a result, Zhongchang became even more popular within the clique. He even captured Nanjing and Shanghai, and becoming associated with the opium trade there. In 1925, Zhongchang and his forces were driven away from Shanghai, and he became governor of Shandong.
Zhang Zhongchang
Despite being a capable military general, Zhang Zhongchang was NOT a capable governor. In fact, he was a horrible tyrant. His taxes were excessive, and he also extorted the local populace. When he needed money, Zhongchang would find a way to extort it from Shandong's counties and he spent it lavishly. Shandong's people suffered greatly. In fact, he collected so much taxes it exceeded taxes paid in China up until 1939. Zhang also printed so much money that it became worthless. He also struck down free press and brutally suppressed any opposition. Angry peasants banded together and formed a section of the Red Spear Society, a group of not-so-well-armed peasants who detested warlord rule.

His brutal rule would come to an end when the Guomindang, or the Nationalist People's Party, launched the Northern Expedition (via the National Revolutionary Army (NRA)). Bai Chongxi a general of the NRA, crushed Zhongchang's army, capturing 20,000 of Zhongchang's 50,000 troops and almost capturing Zhongchang himself, who fled to Manchuria. The successor to Zhang Zuolin, Zhang Xueliang, made peace with the Guomindang, and Zhongchang attempted to overthrow him, but was defeated again. Zhongchang fled to Japanese-held Dalian. In 1929, Zhongchang initiated a rebellion in Shandong, and warred for months (causing many civilian casualties) until he was defeated for a third time, and he escaped back to Dalian. But the Kwantung administrators of Dalian did not accept him, and he fleed elsewhere, to Moji, Kyushu. While living in Japan, he accidentally shot one of Deposed Emperor Puyi Aisin Gioro's cousions, killing him instantly, possibly for flirting with one of Zhongchang's concubines. Zhongchang returned to assist China's fight against Japan invading Manchuria, but was assassinated by a relative of an officer he executed in 1932. The Guomindang pardoned the assassin.

Zhang Zhongchang was notorious for being one of the worst warlords in China's history, as he indulged in drugs, money, and women, was brutal and cruel to Shandong, and caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Chinese civilians. He also bragged about his penis height and was a womanizer. But he was also an avid poet.

Not very melodic. Here's another one.

And a third:

These poems are hilarious. And it is poems like these, along with all the other base actions Zhongchang, that'll make him go down in history as one of the most notorious and infamous Chinese Warlords. He is probably burning in hell for all of what he's done, but he has sure won some bragging rights down there. Dorgon out!