History of the Republic of China: Volume 2, Book 5: The Northern Expedition and the Overthrow of the Beiyang Warlord Faction

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Features: This volume covers approximately two years, from May 1926 when the Northern Expedition vanguard entered Hunan to June 1928 when the Northern Expeditionary Force entered Beijing and Tianjin. During this period, the two major political forces of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China transitioned from joint opposition to open conflict. The once-powerful Beiyang Warlord Group, which had controlled half of the country, eventually collapsed and came to an end. This was a period of intense upheaval and dramatic historical turning points, marked by the unprecedented high spirit of the Chinese people's revolutionary struggle, as well as profound complexity. The Northern Expedition reflected the great aspiration of the Chinese people for national unification, independence, and prosperity. After the Xinhai Revolution, under the manipulation and support of imperialist powers, China descended into warlord chaos and national division. Sun Yat-sen, despite numerous setbacks, repeatedly rose to the challenge to fulfill the unfinished mission he began with the Tongmenghui. Unfortunately, he passed away with his ambitions unfulfilled. The Northern Expedition of 1926 was the continuation of the unfinished cause of this pioneer and many martyrs. Its strategic goal was to eliminate the three major warlord groups of Wu Peifu, Sun Chuanfang, and Zhang Zuolin, as well as other smaller warlord groups. Due to its alignment with the trend of the times, its popularity among the people, the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China, and Soviet assistance, it progressed rapidly. In about eight months, it conquered Hubei and Hunan, seized Jiangxi, pacified Fujian, Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu, and successively defeated the two major warlord groups of Wu Peifu and Sun Chuanfang. Warlords in the southwest and southeast quickly surrendered. The Chinese revolution entered an unprecedentedly favorable situation.