Han Linchun

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Han Linchun
韓麟春
Second Zhili-Fengtian War
Anti-Fengtian War
Northern Expedition

Han Linchun (

First Zhili-Fengtian War
.

Early life

Han Linchun was born into a rich peasant family living in Liaoyang, a city in southeastern Manchuria. Han did well in school, and left in 1904 to study military science in Japan, where he entered the artillery department of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. He graduated in 1907. After returning to China, he successively served as a member of the Ordinance Department of the Army Department, the Director of the Ordinance Department, and the Dean of the Army Lecture Hall.[1][2]

After the founding of the

First Zhili Fengtian War, on May 2, 1922, he was dismissed.[3][2]

Rebuilding the Fengtian Army

After his defeat in the

First Zhili-Fengtian War, Zhang Zuolin was anxious to rebuild the Fengtian Army on a much stronger basis. On the recommendation of his Chief of Staff Yang Yuting, Zhang appointed Han to be Superintendent of the Mukden Arsenal.[2][4] With his formal military training, Han was considered part of the "new" men Zhang recruited to rebuild his army. The other faction in Zhang's command were the officers who had been with him since his time as a Qing army officer or even from when he was a bandit, the so-called "old" men. Han recruited technicians from Japan, Germany and other countries, purchased equipment, and developed weapon manufacturing under strict management. As a result, the Mukden Arsenal became the highest-capacity armaments factory in China, and by 1928 had an output rivaling that of the rest of China combined.[5] In 1924 Han himself helped develop the Mukden Arsenal Mauser which became the standard rifle of the Fengtian Clique. For this innovation he was awarded numerous medals. After the establishment of the Army Reorganization Office of the Three Eastern Provinces, Han and Jiang Dengxuan were made its deputy commanders under Sun Liechen. Because the latter was occupied as Governor of Jilin, Jiang and Han ran the day-to-day affairs of the office.[6] Together they were responsible for much of the expansion and modernization of the Fengtian Army in the lead-up to the Second Zhili-Fengtian War.[7]

Second Zhili-Fengtian War

In September 1924, the

Zhang Xueliang managed to resolve the issue and Fengtian would go on to win the war.[9]

In November 1925, Guo Songling rebelled against Zhang Zuolin. Jiang Dengxuan, who attempted to dissuade Guo, was arrested and executed. Han temporarily resigned due to illness at this time, thus escaping the catastrophe. After Guo Songling's mutiny was suppressed, Han was appointed as the commander of the 4th Front Army that Jiang had led, and formed a joint command with Zhang Xueliang and his 3rd Front Army.[10][2]

Anti-Fengtian War

In January 1926, Zhang Zuolin's erstwhile ally

Changping in Beijing. Under Han's command, they defeated the Guominjun in August. During the battle, Fengtian commander Wu Junsheng's army pillaged some of the surrounding area, so Han and Zhang removed Wu and the other officers involved.[11]

On December 1, 1926, Zhang Zuolin became the commander-in-chief of the administration he had installed to lead the

Beiyang Government, and Han was promoted to General of the Army. In 1927, Han and Zhang Xueliang were tasked with fighting off the Kuomintang's Northern Expedition. Due to the opposing views on strategy, the relationship between the two gradually deteriorated. In June of the same year, Han was appointed as the commander of the 4th Army. In August, Han Linchun began secret negotiations with He Chengjun (a former classmate from the Japanese Imperial Army Academy) sent by the KMT.[2]
The negotiations eventually led to Fengtian's surrender and retreat back into Manchuria.

Death

On January 18, 1930, Han Linchun died of illness in Shenyang at the age of 46.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ Wu & Su (2000), p. 266, says he was born in 1885. "Northeast People's Chronicles", page 272, claims that he was born in 1888. Xu (2007), p. 2664 says he was born in 1888. The 1931 edition of "Northeast Yearbook" and Xu (2007), p.2664, places his death date on January 18, 1930. Other dates reported include December 29, 1929 and March 2, 1930. See Wu & Su (2000), p. 272 for the above-mentioned years of death. The Asahi Shimbun in Osaka, Japan stated that he died on December 25, 1927.

References

  1. ^ Wu & Su 2000, p. 266.
  2. ^ a b c d e Xu 2007, p. 2664.
  3. ^ Wu & Su 2000, pp. 266–267.
  4. ^ McCormack 1977, p. 103.
  5. ^ Chi 1976, p. 119.
  6. ^ McCormack 1977, p. 102.
  7. ^ Wu & Su 2000, p. 267.
  8. ^ Waldron 1995, p. 108.
  9. ^ Waldron 1995, pp. 116–117.
  10. ^ Wu & Su 2000, p. 267-268.
  11. ^ Wu & Su 2000, p. 268-269.
  12. ^ Wu & Su 2000, p. 269-272.

Bibliography

  • McCormack, Gavin (1977). Chang Tso-lin in Northeastern China, 1911-1928: China, Japan, and the Manchurian Idea. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
    ISBN 0-8047-0945-9
    .
  • Waldron, Arthur (1995). From War to Nationalism: China's Turning Point, 1924-1925. New York: Cambridge University Press.
    ISBN 0521472385
    .
  • Chi, Hsi-Cheng (1976). Warlord Politics in China: 1916-1928. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
  • Wu, Yuwen; Su, Yan (2000). Biographies of the Republic of China, Volume 10 (in Chinese). Beijing:
    ISBN 7-101-02114-X
    .
  • Xu, Youchun, ed. (2007). The Great Dictionary of the Republic of China (in Chinese) (Enlarged ed.). Shijiazhuang: Hebei People's Publishing House.
    ISBN 978-7-202-03014-1
    .
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