1. Jiang Fangzhen, courtesy name Baili and art name Danning, better known as Jiang Baili, was a Chinese military writer, strategist, trainer and army general of the Republic of China.
22 Facts About Jiang Baili
1. 2.
Jiang Baili was recognised as a talent by the provincial officials, who sponsored him to further his studies abroad in Japan at the Tokyo Shinbu Gakko and later the Imperial Japanese Army Academy.
3.
Jiang Baili participated in activities organised by Chinese students studying in Japan.
4.
Jiang Baili returned to China in 1906 and briefly served as an adviser to Zhao Erxun, the Governor of Manchuria, before leaving to further his military studies in Germany.
5.
Jiang Baili was later reassigned to serve in the office of Zhao Erxun again.
6.
In 1912, Jiang Baili was appointed as the principal of the Baoding Military Academy.
7.
Jiang Baili attempted suicide in 1913 after failing to obtain the funding he had promised to get for his students.
8.
Jiang Baili was saved in time by his bodyguards and earned himself a reputation for regarding keeping his promises as more important than his life.
9.
Jiang Baili wrote New Interpretations of Sun Tzu in the following year.
10.
In 1916, after Yuan Shikai declared himself emperor and created the short-lived Empire of China, Jiang Baili strongly objected to Yuan's decision and fled from Beiping to Guangdong Province.
11.
Jiang Baili joined the warlord Cai E in attacking Yuan Shikai and served as the chief adviser of the combined military forces of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces in the campaign against Yuan, who died later that year.
12.
Jiang Baili accompanied Cai E, who was ill, to Japan to seek medical treatment, but Cai still died of illness eventually.
13.
In 1917, Jiang Baili became a consultant in the office of Li Yuanhong, who had succeeded Yuan Shikai as President of the Republic of China.
14.
Jiang Baili urged Wu Peifu to ally with the Nationalist government in Guangdong Province to fight the warlord Zhang Zuolin, but Wu rejected his suggestion.
15.
Jiang Baili left Wu Peifu in 1926 after the latter decided to ally with Zhang Zuolin's Fengtian Clique against Feng Guozhang's Zhili clique.
16.
Jiang Baili then travelled to Shanghai to join Sun Chuanfang, but decided to leave after Sun allied with Zhang Zuolin.
17.
In January 1930, Jiang Baili was implicated and imprisoned because of his close ties to Tang Shengzhi.
18.
Jiang Baili was released in 1931 after the Mukden Incident broke out.
19.
In 1933, Jiang Baili travelled to Japan on a study tour and realised that an impending war between China and Japan was inevitable.
20.
In 1935, Jiang Baili was appointed as a high-level consultant in the Military Affairs Commission.
21.
Jiang Baili had five children: Jiang Zhao, Jiang Yong, Jiang Ying, Jiang Hua and Jiang Jiang Baili.
22.
Jiang Baili was distantly related to the wuxia novelist Louis Cha through his first wife Zha Pinzhen, who was a distant aunt of Cha.