Chang Tso-lin
Chang Tso-lin
Chang Tso-Lin
Born 1876; died June 21, 1928, in Mukden. Chinese general and head of the Fengt’ien clique of warlords.
During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05, Chang was head of one of the Hung hu-tzu bands, which aided the Japanese in Manchuria. In 1906 he and his band were incorporated into the Chinese Army, and Chang was soon appointed a division commander. He became de facto ruler of Manchuria during the Hsinhai Revolution of 1911–13 and, after the death of Yüan Shih-k’ai in 1916, absolute dictator; he was supported by the Japanese.
In 1926 and 1927, as commander in chief of an army that united the forces of various warlords of Central and North China, Chang fought against the revolutionary army of the Canton (later Wuhan) government. In April 1927, on his orders, police raided the Soviet embassy in Peking; 25 Chinese Communists, led by Li Tachao, were arrested and executed. In 1928, Chang attempted to align himself with the USA. Chang was killed in a train explosion planned by Japanese intelligence.