Duan Qirui

Duan Qirui.

Duàn Qíruì (段祺瑞) (Wade-Giles Tuan Ch'i-jui) (1864 – November 2, 1936) was a Chinese warlord and politician, commander in the Beiyang Army, and the Provisional Chief Executive of Republic of China (in Beijing) from November 24, 1924 to April 20, 1926. He was arguably the most powerful man in China from 1916 to 1920.

Born in Hefei as Duan Qirui (段啟瑞), his courtesy name was Zhiquan (芝泉). He studied military science in Germany, and became one of Yuan Shikai's top lieutenants, but later opposed Yuan's bid for monarchy - he expected to succeed Yuan in the presidency, but the imperial gambit was seen as a betrayal. Duan tried to play the intermediary between the rebels and Yuan, just as Yuan had done during the Xinhai Revolution. Their friendship never repaired even after he was given the premiership, because Yuan shrewdly stripped that office of its powers.

He served as premier intermittently from 1912 to 1918 under several governments as part of shaky coalitions that often collapsed. Duan formed the Anhui clique when the Beiyang army fractured after Yuan's death, and was the strongest supporter of China's entry into World War I, but was unwilling to send any of his own troops abroad since it would weaken him against his rivals.

After being fired by President Li Yuanhong for obtaining secret Japanese loans in 1917, he regained his office by toppling Zhang Xun's Qing restoration attempt of Puyi. He was also engaged in a power struggle against his archrival, President Feng Guozhang, over the war with Sun Yat-sen's rival government. Duan wanted a military solution while the president advocated negotiating. He is most noticeable for his frequent collaboration with the Japanese in return for military and financial aid. His promise of giving Japan German concessions in Shandong caused the May Fourth Movement in Beijing. With his popularity gone, other warlords led by Cao Kun sided against him and he retired in 1920.

While out of power, his Anhui clique allies were rapidly losing ground. In 1923, he joined the chorus against Cao Kun's assumption of the presidency. Zhejiang, the last Anhui held province, fell in the summer of 1924.

He was called out of retirement in November 1924 and put in charge of a provisional government after an agreement with Zhang Zuolin and Feng Yuxiang. Duan, Zhang, and Feng were negotiating with Sun Yat-sen on national reunification until the latter succumbed to cancer in 1925. With his clique's military power in shambles, his government was hopelessly dependent on Feng and Zhang. Knowing that those two had poor relations, he tried to play sides secretly. On March 18, 1926 he ordered his troops to gun down protesters, killing dozens. The next month, Feng deposed Duan who then fled into Zhang's hands. Zhang, tired of his double-dealings, refused to restore Duan after capturing Beijing. Most of the Anhui clique had already sided with Zhang. He fled to Tianjin and later moved to Shanghai where he died.

Duan was also well known as a player and patron of weiqi (Go). He usually won because his opponents feared defeating him.