View source for Lü Chao

{{otherpeople2|Lu Chao}}
{{Short description|Republic of China warlord and politician}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Lü Chao
| image              = Lü Chao.jpg
| native_name        = 呂超
| birth_date         = March 9, 1890
| birth_place        = [[Yibin County]], [[Sichuan]]
| death_date         = July 20, 1951 (Aged 62)
| death_place        = [[Chongqing]], [[Sichuan]]
| nationality        = Chinese
| other_names        = Hanjun, Wenlin
| alma_mater         = [[Baoding Military Academy]]
| organization       = [[Tongmenghui]], [[Sichuan clique|Sichuan Clique]], [[New Guangxi Clique]]
| awards             = [[Order of Rank and Merit]]
}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Lü (surname)|Lü]]|lang=Chinese}}

'''Lü Chao''' (March 9, 1890 {{ndash}} July 20, 1951), born in Xuzhou Fu, [[Xuzhou District|Yibin County]], [[Sichuan]], was a military and political figure in the early [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]]'s [[Warlord Era]], active in his home province of Sichuan. He is known for fighting against [[Liu Cunhou]] and the Beijing Government and being one of the strongest supporters of [[Sun Yat-Sen]] in Sichuan.

==Early life==
Lü Chao was born to a family originating in [[Hunan]] province in 1890. He entered the first phase of the Sichuan Army Elementary School, graduating in 1909. He entered the [[Fourth Middle School of the Army]] in [[Nanjing]]. During his time there, he picked up revolutionary ideals and sympathies, causing him to join the [[Tongmenghui]]. In spring 1910, he joined the [[Baoding Military Academy]]. In October 1911, with the beginning of the [[Wuchang Uprising]], Lü went to [[Shanghai]]. Under orders from [[Chen Qimei]], he headed North with [[Li Shizeng]] and [[Wang Jingwei]] (then known as Wang Zhaoming), where he founded the [[Beijing-Tianjin Tongmenghui Branch]] in Beijing. In February 1912, under the orders of [[Yuan Shikai]] the [[3rd Division of the Beiyang Army]] destroyed the Beijing-Tianjin branch of the Tongmenghui. Lü fled back to Sichuan.

After returning to Sichuan, Lü Chao joined the Sichuan Army under the command of [[Xiong Kewu]], commander of the 5th Division of the Sichuan Army. In 1913, Lü was promoted to the commander of the 2nd Regiment of the 5th Army. He participated in the [[Second Revolution (Republic of China)|Second Revolution]] and fled to Shanghai after it failed. He left for Japan to study, where he joined the [[Haoran Society]]. In 1914, while [[Sun Yat-Sen]] was organizing the [[Kuomintang]] in Japan, Lü joined. In December of the same year, he secretly returned to China and started participating in Anti-Yuan Shikai activities.<ref>马宣伟“吕超”中国社会科学院近代史研究所编. 民国人物传 第8卷. 中华书局. 1996. {{ISBN|7-101-01328-7}}.</ref>

==Chaos in Sichuan==
[[File:Lü Chao2.jpg|thumb|200px]]
In 1915, with the breaking out of the [[National Protection War]], Lü Chao served as the commander of revolutionary forces in Southern Sichuan, where he fought with [[Cai E]]'s 1st Division against Yuan Shikai. In June 1916, Lü was made the commander of the 58th Regiment of the 5th Division. In February 1918, Sun Yat-Sen appointed Lü as the commander of the Sichuan [[Jingguojun]]. Shortly after, Lü attacked [[Chengdu]], defeating the Beijing Government-appointed military governor [[Liu Cunhou]], expelling him from the province. Xiong Kewu replaced him as military governor, with [[Yang Shukan]] as civilian governor and Lü being appointed commander of the 5th Division.

In 1919, Xiong Kewu started to advocate for [[Federalism in China|Chinese Federalism]] with [[Chen Jiongming]], [[Tang Jiyao]], and [[Zhao Hengti]], opposing Sun Yat-Sen. In April 1920, Lü Chao and other Kuomintang forces launched the "Anti-Xiong War", leading to the expulsion of Xiong Kewu from Chengdu, with Lü taking the position of commander-in-chief of the Sichuan Army. However, Xiong and his former enemy Liu Cunhou reconciled and fought back, expelling Lü, who, in September, was defeated and fled to Shanghai.<ref>徐友春主编. 民国人物大辞典 増订版. 河北人民出版社. 2007. {{ISBN|978-7-202-03014-1}}.</ref><ref>刘寿林等编. 民国职官年表. 中华书局. 1995. {{ISBN|7-101-01320-1}}.</ref>

==Return to Sichuan and later years==
As a direct subordinate of Sun Yat-Sen, Lü Chao was responsible for negotiations with political and military factions such as the [[Guominjun]]. In May 1923, Lü was promoted by Sun to the Generalissimo's Chief of Staff. In June, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Sichuan Anti-Thief (referring to political opponents) Army, directly leading its 1st Army. He was responsible for fighting the pro-Beijing warlords [[Yang Sen]] and [[Liu Xiang (warlord)|Liu Xiang]]. In March 1924, Xiong Kewu was defeated. Lü remained in Sichuan to fight against Governor of Sichuan Yang Sen. In November 1926, Lü was appointed High Pacification Commissioner of Sichuan by the [[Nationalist government|National Government]], an echo of the beginning of the [[Northern Expedition]].

After the end of the Northern Expedition, Lü Chao joined [[Li Zongren]]'s [[New Guangxi Clique]]. He fought against [[Chiang Kai-Shek]] but lost. In October 1939, Lü established the Chinese Anti-Japanese Reclamation Society in Chongqing to promote reclamation of territory from Japan. In January 1948, he started serving in the Supervisory Committee of the [[Control Yuan]]. In 1949, he helped the [[Chinese Communist Party]] in organizing defections of Kuomintang officers in Sichuan. In 1950, he was made a member of the [[Southwest Military and Political Committee]] of the [[People's Republic of China]].

On July 20, 1951, Lü Chao died in Chongqing at the age of 62.

== References ==
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<!--- Categories --->
[[Category:Sichuan clique generals]]
[[Category:Tongmenghui members]]
[[Category:Members of the Kuomintang]]
[[Category:Republic of China warlords from Chongqing]]
[[Category:1890 births]]
[[Category:1951 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Yibin]]