Black and Red Gate: The Complete Biography of the Yunnan Warlord

Author: Yu Yingbin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-02-01
Features: The Yunnan Army was a highly representative regional military force during the era of warlordism in old China. Initially, some officers of the new army, led by Tang Jiyou, were enthusiastic about autocracy, militarism, and endless warfare. They climbed the ranks by exploiting the anti-Qing and anti-Yuan struggles, transforming the Yunnan New Army into a warlord force that controlled Yunnan politics and dominated the Southwest. Later, it became a tool for Chiang Kai-shek's warlord faction to eliminate rivals and launch civil wars: During the Long March of the Red Army, it was sent to the Yunnan-Guizhou border, attempting to crush the Red Army on its way to resist Japanese aggression. During the War of Liberation, it willingly acted as a lackey, advancing deep into the interior and clashing with the People's Liberation Army. However, in December 1949, Lu Han led tens of thousands of Yunnan soldiers to suddenly switch sides and turn against the Kuomintang forces in the front lines of Yunnan, completely shattering Chiang Kai-shek's dream of establishing an anti-communist base in the Southwest. Society moves forward, and people often take sharp turns. This is history. This is also reality.