Secrets of the Eight Warlords

Modern warlords began in 1895 when Yuan Shikai trained troops at Tianjin Station. Among the eight major warlords, Yuan Shikai became the Hongxian Emperor, Duan Qirui loved power but not money, Wu Peifu was the most "moral" and swore not to be a traitor, Zhang Although Zuolin spoke of "conscience", he died at the hands of the Japanese army. Sun Quanfang was talented but died in Buddhism. There was also Yan Xishan who was good at dealing with people, Han Fuju who came from a rough background, Bai Chongxi who was known as Xiao Zhuge... Liang Qichao: "When warlords govern, they rejoice in being strong, but as a result, they will fall into the trap of being superior and soft and perish. They are strong on the outside and dry on the inside, strong on the top but soft on the bottom. This is their conquest." Chen Duxiu: "Warlords... (Are) beggar-like warlords who have no knowledge and no functions and specialize in interfering in politics and destroying national laws." Tan Pingshan: "Our country has become a country exclusive to the military; our politics has become a politics exclusive to the military. Therefore, the military has gained a special power in society, has become a special class, and has organized a special system. This is called a 'warlord'." Hu Shi: "In fact, there are no warlords in China, only soldiers who are domineering. The students in Beijing fought hard but the military people were in panic. This is a clear example of the civil and political forces. Today, the civil and political forces have lost their role. Most of the civil and political forces have become lackeys and have lost their basis. They only rely on serving as officials or making slogans, so they cannot clarify the political suppression of the military. ... The warlord struggle in the past twenty years was not instigated by boring politicians." Fairbank: "The divisions and chaos created by the warlords provided an excellent opportunity for the turning of ideas and the spread of anti-traditional tendencies. ... During those years, Chinese intellectuals had heated discussions on how China would achieve modernization and prosperity. It was also partly a reward for the crimes of warlord rule."