Cai E

Cai E or Tsai Ao (Chinese蔡 锷/蔡 锷, Pinyin Cai È, W.-G. Ts'ai O; birth name艮 寅, Gěnyín, Ken -yin; Zì松坡, Sōngpō, Sung -p'o; * 18 December 1882 in Shaoyang, Hunan, . † November 8, 1916 in Fukuoka, Japan) was a Chinese military and warlord. He played an important role in the immediate period after the Xinhai Revolution of 1911.

Life

1898 studied Cai E at the Yuelu Academy and continued his military studies in 1899 in Japan continues. In 1900 he returned to China, where he joined the reform movement of Tang Caichang joined against the monarchy. After the crackdown Cai returned to Japan and later joined the Tongmenghui, a company founded in Tokyo in 1905 by Sun Yatsen Company,. In 1911 he took part in the Xinhai Revolution that ushered in the end of the millennial monarchy and thus the Chinese imperial dynasties. After the Revolution, Cai E commanded an army as a military leader of the military government in Yunnan.

As 1915 Yuan Shikai, de facto interim president of the newly founded Republic, proclaimed himself emperor and the Hongxian Dynasty ( 1915-1916 ) founded, declared Cai E and Governor Tang Jiyao the independence of Yunnan.

Cai E and Tang Jiyao started from Yunnan of a campaign to protect the Republic and were militarily against Yuan Shikai. In Sichuan they defeated with only 20,000 troops, the 80,000 -strong army of Yuan Shikai. With the growing support for its military campaign through several provinces and their governors and generals the revolutionaries could force them at the end of Yuan Shikai, to distance themselves from the monarchy and abdicate as Emperor and later as president. Yuan Shikai died months later of kidney failure.

After the death of Yuan Shikai Cai E acted as vice - president of the Republic and Governor of Sichuan Province. Later, he traveled back to Japan to receive medical treatment. He died shortly after his arrival in November 1916. He was only 33 years old.

Cai E is regarded by many as the man and general, who has possibly changed the course of history of China, or would have changed if he had not died so early. Had his efforts to preserve the Republic and not have been the opposition to Yuan Shikai successful, the history of China would have taken a very different course today. Although the plans of Yuan Shikai to introduce the monarchy were not many, and not even by many of his own commanders, support, but he had nevertheless the loyalty of his main forces in key positions in the country and also the support from abroad. One can therefore assume that Cai E, an idealist, a patriot and aspiring advocates of the Republic, was probably the spark that kindled the military resistance.

In Yunnan Cai E as an inspiration and role model for a young Zhu De, who would become one of the best military strategists and generals of modern China later and relatives and co-creator of the Red Army of the Communists, which later renamed the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China and its commander he was.