2026-08-17
25 分钟Honestly now that I think about it, this would be a great episode
in the first place to talk about the Chinese revolutionary period
but that’s that probably needs to be a whole other thing.
Either way, as the Republic of China was established
and throughout its early years, the central government let’s say
struggled to keep control of the various different provinces
and the warlords that still held considerable control
over large portions of the map.
If anything it’s very similar to other times
that have occurred within Chinese history.
Zhang for his part was perfectly suited for this time,
for this place, for the culture that was becoming dominant
and he would take this time to put forth a masterclass
in betrayal and backstabbing at moments of opportunity
really whenever it is that he could.
He started by joining the Republican forces and obtaining an official commission
in the newly formed provincial armies
and from that he would be able to begin to rapidly accrue power.
As the central government fractured into rival military factions,
Zhang would align himself with the powerful Zhili clique led by Feng Guozhang.