| Lore | Paths |
The Shandong Clique is a warlord state in eastern China that comprises the province of Shandong. It borders the Northern Zhili-controlled territory of the Imperial Central Government to the west and the Southern Zhili-controlled League of Eight Provinces to the south. The German-controlled enclave of Kiautschou Bay and the formerly British-owned naval outpost Weihaiwei are also located on the peninsula.
World of Kaiserreich - Shangqing
Formerly a stronghold of the now dissolved Anhui Clique, Shandong was occupied by the Fengtian Clique in the aftermath of the 1924/25 Second Zhili-Fengtian War and aspiring Fengtian commander Zhang Zongchang, the infamous "Dogmeat General", was installed as governor. However, after the Third Zhili-Fengtian War of 1927, Shandong became cut off from the rest of the Fengtian Clique's power base in Manchuria, and Zhang Zongchang began to act more and more independently - culminating in his betrayal of his superiors during the Fourth Zhili-Fengtian War, during which he remained neutral and instead decided to prop up his own position with Japanese arms and German capital. After the Shanghai Conference of 1928, Zhang officially recognized the authority of the restored Qing Empire over all of China, but considering he is known as a ruthless opportunist, this swear of allegiance may be nothing more than mere lip service which could change quickly in times of uncertainty.
History[]
Shandong did not play a major role in the events of the Xinhai Revolution, although local troops there did rise up against the Qing government as they did in other provinces. Shandong was, however, the location of the only fighting China saw during the Weltkrieg. In 1914, Japan besieged and captured the German-controlled port city of Qingdao. Japan’s ambition to bring Shandong into its sphere of influence was a major factor in the so-called Twenty-One Demands, but this ambition was thwarted during the Versailles Peace Conference when Germany held fast and the Japanese delegation walked out in anger. It was not until 1922 that the Second China Consortium settled the issue, with Japan renouncing its claims on Shandong in return for Germany recognizing its special interests in Manchuria.
At the opening of the Warlord Era, Shandong was under the control of the Anhui Clique, which was defeated by the Zhili and Fengtian Cliques in 1920. This alliance of convenience fell apart in 1922 with the First Zhili-Fengtian War, which ended in a Zhili victory. Two years later, a dispute over the control of Shanghai precipitated the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. A bandit-turned-general from Shandong named Zhang Zongchang, infamous for his brutality but possessing a good-sized army, threw in his lot with Zhang Zuolin and the Fengtian Clique. During the push to Beijing he captured the strategic railway hub of Luanzhou, which allowed the Fengtian Clique to take the capital. The war was a Fengtian victory and gave them temporary supremacy in northern China. For his role in the victory, Zhang Zongchang received a domain centered in Shandong and extending south to Shanghai.
The next year saw alliances shift once again as Feng Yuxiang’s Guominjun, which had been a major ally of the Fengtian Clique, turned on Zhang Zuolin in the Anti-Fengtian War. Zhang Zongchang was driven out of Shanghai and all the way back to Shandong in November by the Zhili general Sun Chuanfang. However most of the Zhili forces joined with the Fengtian Clique against the Guominjun and their combined efforts defeated Feng by May of 1926. With the northern warlords exhausted from years of fighting, the Kuomintang chose at this moment to launch the Northern Expedition. Zhang Zongchang nominally supported the Zhili against the KMT but effectively maintained a neutral stance. Shandong was spared the ravages of the war and became a haven for refugees coming up from the south.
In 1927 Zhang Zongchang marched his army south to help fight the remnants of the KMT but, in his typical tactlessness, soon found himself in a shooting conflict with Sun Chuangfang again. Zhang Zuolin positioned himself as a mediator to end the conflict, but this was a ruse; Zhang had sent his subordinate to cause a deliberate provocation, and when the peace terms were rejected by the Zhili he immediately moved his armies south. Zhang Zongchang took command of the Fengtian 2nd Army and besieged the city of Nanjing. Zhili general Wu Peifu’s unexpected capture of Beijing cut off Zhang’s forces from the Fengtian base of power in Manchuria, and he was forced to lift the siege and retreat. The Third Zhili-Fengtian War ended with a resounding Fengtian defeat as the Zhili reinstated the Qing monarchy with German backing.
The remainder of 1927 was marked by an uneasy truce between the Zhili and Fengtian. Japan, which backed the Fengtian Clique, urged Zhang Zuolin to build a coalition of warlords that could take out the Zhili. Zhang Zongchang, however, was in a tough spot. Isolated from his Fengtian allies, most of Zhang’s arms and supply imports had to come in through the German-controlled port of Qingdao. The Germans were very aware of this and made it clear that Zhang would be cut off if he enters any future conflict. When the Fourth Zhili-Fengtian War broke out in 1928, Zhang Zongchang remained neutral, and after the Shanghai Conference he agreed to recognize Qing authority and in exchange retained his domain in Shandong.
With China at relative peace, Zhang turned his attention to consolidating power in Shandong. Though his rule was tyrannical and often arbitrary, Zhang was able to establish a semi-legal system of taxation and suppress banditry. At the same time, a new force in Shandong was emerging. In 1930, a man named Zhang Tianran declared himself the 18th Master of the Yiguandao. The Yiguandao was a syncretic religious movement centered in Shandong and had been growing in influence for some time thanks to its support for the peasantry and strident anti-foreign attitude. Much of this was due to the energetic leadership of Zhang Tianran who had moved the Yiguandao headquarters to the holy Mount Tai and grown it into a nationwide organization. In 1935 Zhang Zongchang grew dangerously ill (a consequence of his well-known opium addiction) and visited Zhang Tianran at the top of Mount Tai, seeking the Yiguandao’s famed healing abilities. This visit produced rumors of Zongchang’s conversion to the Yiguandao faith, adding to Tianran’s already considerable prestige among the populace.
Politics[]
The Shandong Clique is controlled by Zhang Zongchang and his personal associates. As might be expected, his rule is often corrupt, arbitrary, and cruel. In lieu of any representative government, the people often turn to secret societies and religious organizations for mutual assistance and there are many active within the province. The most powerful of these is the Yiguandao, which operates its own militias and distributes welfare to its members.
Zhang’s main enemy is the Society for Restoring Benevolence, led by Qu Yingguang This organization has the support of Confucianists to which Duke Yansheng belongs, and uses this as its legitimacy.
- Zongchang Clique - The Zongchang Clique rule over a majority of Shandong from the inland commercial hub of Jinan. This extends along the Shandong railway up until Weifang, and along the main road to Yantai. The clique is run by Zongchang along with his associates loyal to him including Zhang Jingyao and Zhang Zizhong. Zongchang’s true power is in the well armed remnants of the Shandong Revolutionary Army that patrol the province. Although they still technically adhere to a ban on opium, in practice Zongchang uses the railway to get his supply from Qingdao.
- Yiguandao Society - The Yiguandao is a cult originally part of the White Lotus Society that was practiced throughout China in the 19th Century. Their syncretic beliefs combine the structure of heaven of Confucianism, the variety of gods of Buddhism, and the life extending practices of Daoism. The Yiguandao doctrine was confided by Teacher Lu Zhongjie to his small group during the Weltkrieg, and most subsequent converts learn in stages. This ensures that the core leadership has enough chips to adjust the cult to fit their personal goals. First among this group is Teacher Zhang Tianran, the successor to Lu Zhongyi. Through Tianran’s political maneuvering, the cult has grown to about 7 million adherents across China, with only 500,000 members located within the Shangqing itself. Peasant Armies throughout Northern China, particularly the Big Swords Society and Red Spears Society, see the Yiguandao as the most morally upright government in China.
- Society of Restoring Benevolence - The turmoil of the century of humiliation is just another page in the long history of Shandong. For many in Shandong, enlightenment is the only way to escape it, others seek to dominate in their short lives. Traditionalists around Qu Yingguang and the Duke Yansheng oppose all changes that were introduced by foreigners of the last century. The Zongchang Clique’s open secret drug trade is seen as degenerate behavior by many in Shandong. Not to mention the extravagance and boorishness on display with Zhang Zongchang himself. To many, the failure of the Qing is their lackadaisical attitude towards Shandong, not their monarchy. Qu Yingguang ’s public commitment to the Qing is resounded in southeastern Shandong, who wish to return home to Weihaiwei and Qingdao.
With the rise of Yiguandao, two small religious groups also exerted influence in Shandong, namely the Dragon Flower Society Heavenly Way led by Ma Shiwei and the Guiyidao Society led by Zhang Shulin. They are all seeking welfare services for the poor in Shandong.
- Dragon Flower Society Heavenly Way - Founded in Zouping county to combat the execssive poverty in the region, the Dragon Flower Society represents an alternative to banditry that attracted so many that decade. The founder, Ma Shiwei, intended the organization to unify several different schools of Xiantiandao under a common goal to improve welfare in Shandong. The Dragon Flower Society was only recognized as a political party when interventionists and western observers sought out an alternative to the Yiguandao's latent militerism and the Guiyidao's generous welfare ideals.
- Guiyidao Society - This organization has a similar background to the Yiguandao, but is inclusive of Christianity and western esotericism. As such their funding has sharply declined in recent years due to the divided nature of Shandong. Those seeking Christianity have already moved to Qingdao. They do however have a strong reputation for nonpartisan welfare, giving to the poor of every race.
Military[]
The core of Zhang’s army is the so-called Shandong Revolutionary Army, still carrying the name it took up during the Xinhai Revolution. After years of inactivity and neglect, the strength and effectiveness of Zhang’s forces has diminished greatly. The regular infantry are augmented by a strong contingent of Japanese cavalry led by mercenary generals Date Junnosuke and Shiro Kohinata. Also present are the anti-banditry militias known as the Big Swords and the Red Spears, although these groups are likely more loyal to the Yiguandao than Zhang’s clique.
Shandong has inferior armored train technology, which was brought by Boris Annenkov from Russia, although he is better at cavalry combat. Zhang also ordered local engineers to conduct research on bicycles and tanks, but his staff believed that this was unrealistic for Shandong's economy.
Foreign Relations[]
Although the Shandong Clique has coexisted with the Qing government for almost a decade, it is well-known that Zhang holds no loyalty to the central government or the Zhili Clique. Despite his abandonment of Zhang Zuolin during the 4th Zhili-Fengtian War, it remains likely that Shandong would orient itself with the Fengtian government if the opportunity came. Zhang has also publicly traveled to the Legation Cities and Japan to build relationships with prospective allies.
Zhang is hostile to the League in the south and harassing its borders from time to time. As LEP's anxiety intensifies, Zhang's army is likely to go south and start a new war with it.
Economy[]
Despite being densely populated and located on the coast, Shandong is generally underdeveloped. The province’s two largest seaports are controlled by Germany, which creates barriers to commerce. Moreover, the railway between Jinan and Qingdao was poorly constructed and has fallen into disrepair.
Shandong’s principal natural resource is coal, with large reserves found in the Zichuan area. During the 1920s the coal fields came under the control of German and Japanese interests, despite laws that were supposed to bar foreign penetration of Shandong’s interior. The coal was particularly important to the Germans, who sold it to the naval bases at Qingdao and Weihaiwei. In 1930, Zhang Zongchang declared a mineral tax of 40 percent and sent a bill to the Luda Mining Company. When it refused to pay, Zhang pushed local businesses to form the Shandong Mining Cartel in an attempt to muscle the Luda Company out. This attempt failed, and the economic face-off has continued to the present, hampering Shandong’s domestic industry.
Culture[]
Shandong has been a center of Chinese culture for millennia. The great philosopher Confucius was born and lived there, and his descendants still reside in their manner in Qufu. Jinan is known for its many Buddhist temples and monuments from the Tang dynasty. More than anything else, Shandong is known as the location of Mount Tai, a holy mountain in Chinese culture since time immemorial. The mountain is covered in numerous temples representing traditional Chinese religion, Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.
In the early 1920s, the Yiguandao movement created its own temple complex on Mount Tai, and under the leadership of Zhang Tianran it has steadily grown to a great base of power, gaining control over neighboring temples and shrines. In the early 1930s, the Yiguandao took over the manor of the Duke Yanshang, head of the descendants of Confucius, causing local controversy. The Duke and his family returned to their manor in Qufu and live under the protection of Song Zheyuan, a former general of the Kuomintang who now advocates the revival of traditional Confucian virtues.