The Warlord
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The Warlord Era (1916-27) was a period when central government in China disintegrated and the country broke apart into a jigsaw of regions, each controlled by powerful local leaders. These warlords took advantage of weakening national authority to expand their own power and profit-seeking. The period was marked by political stagnation as well as exploitation and suffering for most Chinese peasants.
When Shikai died without an obvious successor in 1916, China collapsed into divided warlordism. It remained like this until 1927, when much of the country was reunified by Jiang Jieshi and his National Revolutionary Army. The Warlord Era was a period of uncertainty, disorder and conflict that produced very few if any benefits for ordinary Chinese.
When Yuan Shikai died in June 1916 it created a national power vacuum that was quickly filled by the warlords. Now leaderless, the national army itself broke apart, its regiments or divisions falling under the control of powerful provincial leaders, who claimed them as private armies.
Warlords sought to increase their power by increasing the size of their armies. This was occasionally done by conscription or coercion but usually through enticement. Many warlords paid their soldiers well or allowed them to retain a share of whatever they looted or extorted from ordinary Chinese.
Several warlords were former officers in the Qing military; others were provincialists or outsiders who had never belonged the Qing establishment. Some were traditionalists who clung to dynastic and Confucian ideals; others were progressives who recognised the fundamental changes taking place in China.
Apart from their use of military force, the most common goal shared by warlords was to make themselves rich. The exploitation, corruption and banditry that flourished under warlordism had dire effects on the ordinary people.
Warlords printed excessive amounts of paper money to fund their armies, leading to high inflation. They seized control of government infrastructure and privately-owned businesses. They imposed new taxes and raised existing ones (in one warlord province land tax increased fivefold).
Aware of its profitability, many warlords also revived the trade in opium, compelling farmers to grow it and encouraging its open sale. The private armies of warlords were often a law unto themselves, behaving recklessly, harassing and assaulting locals and stealing or destroying their property.
Not all warlords were driven entirely by greed. A handful behaved like benevolent dictators, their leadership based on political pragmatism and some concern for the people they ruled. One of these was Yan Xishan (Wade-Giles: Yen Hsi-Shan) who ruled in Shanxi province.
During the Warlord Era, a national government continued in Beijing, though it was not representative and exerted no national control. The Beiyang government, as it was known, presented as a civilian parliamentary government. In reality, it was a front for the dominant warlord or warlord faction in Beijing.
Control of the capital was a financial bonanza for warlords. The Beiyang government, despite its illegitimacy, was still recognised by foreign powers. Foreign merchants continued to make massive payments for duties and import taxes, money collected by local warlords but not used for the benefit of the nation.
This income made Beijing and its surrounds a rich prize for competing warlord factions, who warred constantly over the capital. In 1920, the Zhili and Anhui cliques fought a brief but bloody war over Beijing, the Zhili warlords emerging victorious. In mid-1922 the Zhili faction defended Beijing from an attempted takeover by the northern Fengtian clique. The Fengtian warlords, led by Zhang Zuolin, reassembled and returned in September 1924, expelling the Zhili and seizing control of the Beiyang government.
The warlord period was one of political division, instability, corruption and self-interest, economic stagnation and social repression. While some warlords formed ties with wealthy business elites, the uncertainty and instability of the period were not conducive to economic progress or the development of new industries.
The majority of Chinese, particularly the rural peasantry, suffered more under the warlords than they had under the Qing. Large numbers of peasants were driven from their land, which was often parcelled off to private soldiers. By 1925, the number of unemployed in China was estimated at more than 168 million, more than half of them peasants and farm labourers.
5. A national government operated in Beijing during the Warlord Era and profited from foreign trade, duties and taxes. This government was controlled by warlords and was neither truly representative or legitimate.
On the other side of the ramp leading up and down, you'll find a Wounded Merc, where you can initially answer \"Medi-gel change your mind\" for +2 Paragon Points, or \"Where's the warlord\" for +2 Renegade Points.
These exceptional strategists are able to step back and allow their allies to excel in combat. Though they are able to hold their own in battle, a warlord's true strength lies in the potent orders they issue to their allies. These insights push their comrades from mundane warriors to true heroes.
Prerequisite: 9th level warlord As a reaction when a creature within 30 feet is reduced to 0 hit points, you can expend an Exploit Die and attempt to save it. You can immediately move up to twice your speed, so long as you end your movement within 5 feet of the downed ally.
A brilliant and brutal krogan warlord who fought in the Krogan Rebellions, Dr. Okeer has become obsessed with saving the krogan people from the genophage and is believed to have contacted the Collectors in an attempt to gain technology to that end. He is currently in a Blue Suns camp on Korlus, though the nature of his relationship with the mercenary group is unknown.
Advertisement When I stumbled across The Winter King, I thought Oh goody, anotherArthur series. Just what the world needs. Maybe there'll be vampires in itand everyone will be happy and we can finally move on to something else. ButI read it anyhow. I'm a sucker for a good tragedy, and it's hard to beat thestory of Arthur for good tragedy. So I read it.And I loved it.The angle for this version of the story is that one of Arthur's warlords,also a close personal friend, is now an old man living in a monastery,long after Arthur's demise. At the request of a young idealistic queen,he is relating the story of Arthur. Not the legend, mind you; the real story.The cold hard truth, warts and all. Of course, with this story-within-a-story,the truth we're getting is one man's somewhat biased interpretation of thecold hard truth. That doesn't matter though, because we like the narrator.He's not perfect, but he's a good-hearted man.With regard to the \"truth\" Cornwell seems to have done his homework. Hefreely admits to a few anachronisms in the Author's Note, but I was inclinedto forgive them (mostly because I wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't pointedthem out to me). Cornwell paints us a gruesomely vivid picture of whatlife must have been like in the 5th to 6th centuries. We are shown aBritain divided by Britons and Saxons, with Rome's shadow fading rapidly,and a Britain divided by pagans and Christians, with the ghosts of Rome'smystery cults (Mithras, Isis, and hints of others) still haunting thelandscape. He gives us the terrible brutality of battle, glorifying itonly as much as the story demands. He gives us the hardships of dailylife, with its joys and its sorrows, its laughter and its pains, pettyannoyances and cruel vengeance.As expected, you'll meet a whole cast of familiar characters. However,you may find some of them in unfamiliar roles, particularly if yourexperience of Arthurian legend is limited to sources dating back nofurther than Malory. A recurring phrase in the second volume is\"Fate is inexorable.\" It is not, however, entirely predictable. Iknew I was reading a tragedy, but sometimes I was surprised at where the muse struck.Cornwell does an excellent job of working within the framework of awell-known story without ever seeming to be constrained by it. Withthe art of a truly inspiring writer, the author seems to let the storyguide him without letting it take over entirely. Maybe the story ofArthur is so archetypal that it tells itself, but in this incarnationof the story, the credit belongs entirely to Cornwell.As an added bonus, Cornwell seems to know how to handle a series. Idespise cliff-hanger endings between the volumes of a series. Noworries of that in The Warlord Chronicles. Both TheWinter King and Enemy of God leave the reader at a satisfyingresting spot, despite an awareness that it's not all over yet.So if you're a fan of good writing, a fan of Arthurianlegend, or a fan of historical fiction, I would recommendThe Winter King and Enemy of God. Sorry, no vampires though, so far.Copyright 1997 by Neil WalshNeil Walsh is the Reviews Editor for the SF Site. He lives in contentment,surrounded by books, in Ottawa, Canada. If you find any errors, typos or other stuff worth mentioning,please send it to editor@sfsite.com.Copyright 1996-2014 SF Site All Rights Reserved Worldwide 153554b96e
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