Fengtian army

The Fengtian clique was a Chinese military organization that emerged in the early 20th century. It was one of the major factions during the Warlord Era in China, a period following the death of Yuan Shikai in 1916. The Fengtian clique was controlled by Zhang Zuolin, a former warlord based in Manchuria. With support from Japan, Zhang Zuolin's faction gained control of that region's provinces.1

The Fengtian clique, along with other cliques like the Anhui and Zhili, constantly fought for territory and political influence. These internal conflicts prevented any single warlord from consolidating power over all of China. While the Nationalist Party, led by Chiang Kai-shek, eventually reunified China in 1928, many warlords, including those from the Fengtian clique, were incorporated into the new national army, continuing to hold de facto power in their regions until 1949.1