Page:Who's who in China 3e.djvu/784

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WHO'S WHO IN CHINA

Wang was promoted to be Commander of the 11th Regiment, the 6th Brigade, the Third Division of the National Army. In February 1913 Marshai Wang was made a Colonel. In April 1913 he was awarded the Third Class Wenhu Decoration and also given the brevet rank of major General. In 1914 Marshal Wang's troops were engaged in the suppression of bandits in Hunan and was later made a Brigadier-Genereal. In 1915-16 Marshal Wang was in the Upper Yangtzu Region commanding government troops for the relief of Szechuan which was about to fall into the hands of the southern leaders. The late General Tsai Ao, the Hero of the Yunnan Revolt against Yuan Shih-kai's monarchical movement, considered Marshal Wang as one of China's best military commanders. In April 1916 Marshal Wang was promoted to be Commander of the Extra Brigade of the Third Division. In May he was awarded the Fifth Order of Merit; the Fourth Class Chiaho Decoration; and the brevet rank of Lieutenant-General. In March 1917 Marshal Wang became the Commander of the First Mixed Brigade of Chihli. His troops participates in the overthrow of the Monarchical Restoration attempted by the late General Chang Hsun in July 1917. Subsequently he was awarded the Fourth Order of Merit. During the food in the Autumn of 1917, Marshal Wang's troops saved the city of Cho Hsien, Chihli, from being inundated by untiringly fighting against the water, under his personal supervision. A monument erected by the people inside the city as an expression of their gratitu le for Marshal Wang: Meanwhile the country was having a civil strife between the North and the South, the province of Hunan having been taken by the southern leaders. In January 1918 Marshal Tsao Kun was appointed Commander-in-Chief of an Expedition Force to fight the south in Hunan and Hupei. This force included Marshal Wang's troops which were later responsible for the recapture of the several important cities in Hanan Province. In August 1918 Marshal Wu Pei-fei, then commanding the Third Division in the Northern, Hunan, demanded the Peking government to cease waging war against the south, and also expressed the wish of having all the Chihli Troops withdrawn from the south. In taking this strong attitude, Marshal Wu had the full support of Marshal Wang who had much moral influence over the other senior commanders of the Chihli troops. Some later Marshal Wang's Mixed Brigade was transferred back to Caihli and he was awarded the Third Order of Merit. In 1919 he was a Lieutenant-General and was also given the Second Class Chisho, the Second Class Wenhu and the Third Class Paokuang Chiaho Decorations. During the Chihli-Anfu War in July 1920, Marshal Wang's Mixed Brigade was stationed at Chengchow, Honan. He took part in this war as Commander-in-Chief of the Rear Forces of Chihli Defence. At that time there were as many as five mixed brigades of the Frontier Army under General Hsu Shu-tseng, the leader of the Anfu Faction, in Honan. Marshal Wang personally convinced the commanders of these brigades of the serious consequence if they should take any offense against the Chihli farce there and finally made them to surrender their armus and these troops were subsequently disbanded without causing the slightest trouble. In October 1920 Marshal Wang was given the Second Order of Merit. In December when the Chihli troops were re-organized he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of