The Central Plains War was a scuffle between old and new warlords that broke out in February 1930 and ended in October. In this scuffle, you sang our side, and finally Chiang Kai-shek became the winner of this war. So why was Chiang Kai-shek able to win this war?
After the Xinhai Revolution, China established a bourgeois democratic republic. But the country is a shell of democracy, and dictatorship still exists. The revolutionary pioneer Dr. Sun Yat-sen devoted his life to the revolution and wanted to establish a truly democratic republic. To this end, he launched the Patriotic War, the Protector war, etc., but unfortunately all ended in failure.
In the later years of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's life, he accepted the help of the Communist International, cooperated with our Party, carried out the vigorous National Revolution, and the Northern Expedition won initial victories. But Chiang Kai-shek suddenly betrayed the revolution and killed a large number of our Party members.
In 1927, Chiang Kai-shek established the National Government in Nanjing and began the Second Northern Expedition. But some old warlords, such as Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren and others, also participated in the Northern Expedition. Therefore, the result of the Northern Expedition was the replacement of old and new warlords, and there was no real demise of warlords.
Under such circumstances, warlords everywhere fought for the right to rule, and the Central Plains War broke out. The Great War of the Central Plains is really your side singing our side on the stage, but Chiang Kai-shek is the protagonist of this war and has never been spared from war. But the final result is also that Chiang Kai-shek has won the victory, so how does Chiang Kai-shek stand out among a group of warlords?
The first is that Chiang Kai-shek represents the central government, and his action is to safeguard the unity of the country. Because the National Government in Nanjing at this time was the official government of the Republic of China, although he did not really realize the unity of the country and did not win the support of the people of the whole country, it was the official representative.
The second is that Chiang Kai-shek has strong economic strength. Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government in Nanjing was in the Jiangnan region. The Gangnam region is the richest region in China. Moreover, the National Government in Nanjing can issue bonds in the name of the state, which can obtain certain economic income from ordinary people.
The third is Zhang Xueliang's change of course, which has greatly enhanced Chiang Kai-shek's military strength. In 1928, japan blew up Zhang Zuolin at Huanggutun. Zhang Zuolin's son Zhang Xueliang succeeded him as the new King of Northeast China. He did not directly participate in the Central Plains War, but after observing left and right, he finally decided to support Chiang Kai-shek. Zhang Xueliang's addition increased Chiang Kai-shek's army by at least 200,000.
Fourth, Chiang Kai-shek won the support of capitalist countries such as Britain and the United States. After the fall of the Qing government, the Western powers wanted to find new agents in China, and in the early days, their target was Yuan Shikai. However, after Yuan Shikai's death, he suddenly entered a period of warlord melee, and no unified force ever appeared. Chiang Kai-shek represented the central government at this time and thus became the new agent of the Western powers.
Chiang Kai-shek is precisely because he has factors that other warlords do not have, and he is also a famous politician, who likes and is good at using power techniques, such as forbearance when he should be patient, and grateful when he should be grateful. These are all the reasons why Chiang Kai-shek was able to stand out.
Reference: "Central Plains War, the Ultimate Deer Hunt of the Warlords of the Republic of China"