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Lu Rongting (; September 9, 1859 – November 6, 1928), also spelled as Lu Yung-ting and Lu Jung-t'ing, was a late
Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
/early Republican military and political leader from Wuming,
Guangxi Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...
. Lu belonged to the Zhuang ethnic group.吴振汉. 《国民政府时期的地方派系意识》. 文史哲出版社. 1992.


Life


Late Qing Era

Lu Rongting came from a peasant family and joined
secret societies A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ...
(Hui Dang) during his youth in order to make a living. He surrendered to the Qing army at Shuikou Pass in 1882 and joined the local chapter of the Tiandihui. He became a regular in the Qing army after the outbreak of the
Sino-French War The Sino-French War (, french: Guerre franco-chinoise, vi, Chiến tranh Pháp-Thanh), also known as the Tonkin War and Tonquin War, was a limited conflict fought from August 1884 to April 1885. There was no declaration of war. The Chinese arm ...
in 1884. After the end of the war, he was dismissed and he subsequently returned to banditry. His main efforts were focused on harassing the French army, which made him popular among the locals. In 1894, Lu Rongting was co-opted (zhao'an) into the army of
Guangxi Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...
's Provincial military commander (广西提督)
Su Yuanchun Su Yuanchun, courtesy name Zixi was a Chinese general and statesman who was a fierce Anti-French statesman. One of the main commanders behind the Sino-French War, he served as a general of the Xiang Army as well as a prominent politician in his ...
(苏元春) and received a Guandai (管带). After this he was relegated to the regular Qing army. Between 1903-05 he actively participated in the suppression of anti-Qing revolutionaries and massive secret society uprisings in Guangxi. In the fall of 1904 Viceroy of Liangguang Cen Chunxuan appointed him commander of the 4000-man Guangxi Border Guards (Rongziying 荣字营) unit. This army would later form the core of the Old Guangxi clique, a faction led by Lu. In December 1907
Long Jiguang Long Jiguang (龍濟光) (1867–1925) was an ethnic Hani Chinese general of the late Qing and early Republican period of China. Biography Long's older brother Jinguang (龍覲光) was also a general. Long began his military career suppressin ...
and Lu Rongting led Qing forces in suppressing the
Zhennanguan Uprising The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a d ...
. The successful suppression of the revolt led by
Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...
and
Huang Xing Huang Xing or Huang Hsing (; 25 October 1874 – 31 October 1916) was a Chinese revolutionary leader and politician, and the first commander-in-chief of the Republic of China. As one of the founders of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Republic o ...
consequently forced Sun to flee to
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, and he did not return to China until the Wuchang Uprising. The Qing court awarded Lu with the
Baturu Baturu (Manchu: ''baturu''; ) was an official title of the Qing dynasty, awarded to commanders and soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield. In Manchu, ''baturu'' means "warrior" or "brave." It is originally from the Mongolian word '' baγa ...
title. With Long Jiguang leaving for the position of Viceroy of
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
, Lu was promoted to become the Viceroy of
Guangxi Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...
.


Leader of the Old Guangxi Clique

In July 1911, following the Wuchang Uprising, Guangxi Gov.
Chen Bingkun Chen Bingkun, (),(1868 – September 1927) was born in 1868 in Liujiang, Guangxi, China. A general in the late Qing Period, he was commander of the 1st Division of the Guangxi Provincial Army. As a supporter of the Old Guangxi Clique he beca ...
proclaimed independence and formed the Guangxi military government. Following the departure of Shen Bingkun and Wang Zhixiang, Lu assumed control over Guangxi province. On 8 February 1912 President
Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 1859 – 6 June 1916) was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of China. H ...
formally appointed Lu the governor of Guangxi. In the KMT-initiated "second revolution" in 1913, Lu sided with Yuan Shikai and suppressed the Nationalist revolutionaries in Guangxi. Soon afterwards Cai E and Tang Jiyao ( Yunnan Clique) started the
National Protection War The National Protection War (), also known as the Anti-Monarchy War, was a civil war that took place in China between 1915 and 1916. Only three years earlier, the last Chinese dynasty, the Qing dynasty, had been overthrown and the Republic o ...
and Lu joined them against Yuan's monarchial ambitions (Hongxian emperor). In the process Cen Chunxuan, an enemy of Yuan Shikai, was secretly recruited by Lu. Some scholars have suggested the reason for Lu's sudden change in allegiance was due to his discontent about Yuan's preferential treatment, which prevented him from expanding his influence into Guangdong. Nevertheless, the National Protection War led to the abdication of Yuan Shikai.
Long Jiguang Long Jiguang (龍濟光) (1867–1925) was an ethnic Hani Chinese general of the late Qing and early Republican period of China. Biography Long's older brother Jinguang (龍覲光) was also a general. Long began his military career suppressin ...
proclaimed Guangdong's independence from Yuan on 6 April 1916. With the death of Yuan Shikai in June, Lu and Li Liejun attacked Long and forced him to retreat to
Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...
. In the same year Lu assumed the position of governor of Guangdong province. His control and jurisdiction over both Guangdong and Guangxi was affirmed by new president Li Yuanhong in April 1917.


Start of the Warlord Era

Sun Yat-sen initiated the
Constitutional Protection Movement The Constitutional Protection Movement () was a series of movements led by Sun Yat-sen to resist the Beiyang government between 1917 and 1922, in which Sun established another government in Guangzhou as a result. It was known as the Third Revolut ...
in 1917, and Lu played an important role. Under the military reorganization in 1918, Tang Jihao and Lu were appointed joint chiefs. This organization was instrumental in establishing peace between the Beijing government (under the Zhili Clique) and the Constitutional Protection Movement armies. However, schisms within the movement appeared, with Sun opposing Lu's ( Old Guangxi Clique) nuanced stance against the Zhili Clique-led government in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
. Furthermore, the people of Guangdong gradually became opposed to Lu's control over the province. By July 1920
Chen Jiongming Chen Jiongming, (; 18 January 187822 September 1933), courtesy name Jingcun (竞存/競存), nickname Ayan (阿烟/阿煙), was a Hailufeng Hokkien revolutionary figure in the early period of the Republic of China. Early life Chen Jiongming wa ...
(with Sun's support) ousted Lu and Cen Chunxuan from Guangdong.


Military Comeback

After Lu's loss in Guangdong, he gained the support of the
Beiyang government The Beiyang government (), officially the Republic of China (), sometimes spelled Peiyang Government, refers to the government of the Republic of China which sat in its capital Peking (Beijing) between 1912 and 1928. It was internationally ...
in an attempt to recover the province. In June 1921, the second conflict between the Old Guangxi Clique and Guangdong took place. However, due to defections within his own army and the loss of the strategic city of
Chongzuo Chongzuo (; za, Cungzcoj) is a prefecture-level city in the south of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region near the Sino-Vietnamese border. It is home to one of China's largest Zhuang populations. Geography and climate Chongzuo is located in sou ...
in September, Lu declared his decision to step down from the governorship in
Nanning Nanning (; ; za, Namzningz) is the capital and largest city by population of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South o ...
, and he subsequently fled to Shanghai. Due to the polarization of relations between
Chen Jiongming Chen Jiongming, (; 18 January 187822 September 1933), courtesy name Jingcun (竞存/競存), nickname Ayan (阿烟/阿煙), was a Hailufeng Hokkien revolutionary figure in the early period of the Republic of China. Early life Chen Jiongming wa ...
and
Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...
, Lu was re-appointed to become governor of Guangxi province in 1923 by the Beiyang government. However, he was unable to fully recover his influence over the province due to the formation of the New Guangxi Clique led by Li Zongren and
Bai Chongxi Bai Chongxi (18 March 1893 – 2 December 1966; , , Xiao'erjing: ) was a Chinese general in the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China (ROC) and a prominent Chinese Nationalist leader. He was of Hui ethnicity and of the Musli ...
. Within Southern China three forces emerged, the most powerful led by the coalition of Lu and followed by Shen Hongying and the New Guangxi Clique. In 1924 Lu's forces were surrounded by Shen's troops and at the same time were under attack by the New Guangxi Clique.
Nanning Nanning (; ; za, Namzningz) is the capital and largest city by population of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South o ...
was lost to the New Guangxi Clique and by August that year Lu had also lost Guilin to Shen. Facing defeat, he fled to Yongzhou, Hunan, and officially announced his defeat and departure from politics on 9 October 1924. On 6 November 1928 he died in Shanghai from illness.


Family

* Brother-in-law: Tan Haoming * Son-in-law: Long Yungan (Son of Long Jinguang) * Son: Lu Yuguang


Legend

There was a legend saying that Lu has once reached a fortune teller in
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...
. However, in order not to let others discover his identity, he dressed up like a poor person. The fortune teller immediately recognized him despite his disguise, and then ridiculed him by telling him that he will have big trouble in the future. Later, he was defeated by the New Guangxi clique and has fallen from power ever since, which made the fortune teller's prophecy become true. This legend has then become a ''
xiehouyu ''Xiehouyu'' is a kind of Chinese proverb consisting of two elements: the former segment presents a novel scenario while the latter provides the rationale thereof. One would often only state the first part, expecting the listener to know the sec ...
'' in
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
, meaning that someone is asking for trouble.


References

{{Authority control 1859 births 1928 deaths Republic of China warlords from Hunan Zhuang people Politicians from Chenzhou Viceroys of Liangguang Empire of China (1915–1916) Marshals of China