China's Warlord Era (1917-1927): Fragmentation and Power Struggles

After Yuan Shikai's death, nobody managed to re-unite China, the republic fell apart, as rival warlords continued to fight each other. The Anhui Clique, the Zhili Clique, and the Fengtian Clique fought for supremacy, with several other local warlords, while Sun Yat-sen tried repeatedly to organize a national revolutionary movement and launch the northern expedition to reunite the country. In the end, he did not get to see the outcome, but his protégé, Chiang Kai-shek, managed to launch the campaign, defeating the major warlords one by one.