Cai E (; 18 December 1882 – 8 November 1916) was a Chinese revolutionary leader and general. He was born Cai Genyin () in Shaoyang,

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

, and his

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

was Songpo (). Cai eventually became an influential

warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

( Yunnan clique), and is best known for his role in challenging the imperial ambitions ( Hongxian emperor) of

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 18596 June 1916) was a Chinese general and statesman who served as the second provisional president and the first official president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1916 and ...

during the Anti-Monarchy War. Cai's name has also been romanised as Tsai Ao.

Biography

Early career

Cai studied at the prestigious and progressive '' Shiwu Xuetang'' (School of Current Affairs), where he was taught by reformer faction intellectual

Liang Qichao Liang Qichao (Chinese: 梁啓超; Wade–Giles: ''Liang2 Chʻi3-chʻao1''; Yale romanization of Cantonese, Yale: ''Lèuhng Kái-chīu''; ) (February 23, 1873 – January 19, 1929) was a Chinese politician, social and political activist, jour ...

and

Tang Caichang Tang Caichang (; 1867 – 22 August 1900) was a late Qing dynasty revolutionary and political activist. He and fellow reformer Tan Sitong were from Liuyang. Tang was chosen by Kang Youwei to lead an uprising in Hankou, however he and thirty oth ...

. He went to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in 1899. Cai returned to China in 1900, when he was only 18, and attempted to take part in an uprising against the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

as part of the Self-Support Army, a revolutionary militia led by Tang Caichang. When the rebellion failed, Cai returned to Japan. During this second sojourn in Japan he received military training at the Tokyo Shimbu Gakko, followed by the

Imperial Japanese Army Academy The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course f ...

. He returned to

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

Province, where he held several military posts and established a military training academy from 1904 to 1910. While in Guangxi he joined the

Tongmenghui The Tongmenghui of China was a secret society and underground resistance movement founded by Sun Yat-sen, Song Jiaoren, and others in Tokyo, Empire of Japan, on 20 August 1905, with the goal of overthrowing China's Qing dynasty. It was formed ...

, a Chinese revolutionary organization dedicated to the overthrow of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. In 1910 he was transferred to

Province to command the 37th Brigade of the New Army and teach at the Yunnan Military Academy in

Kunming Kunming is the capital and largest city of the province of Yunnan in China. The political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province, Kunming is also the seat of the provincial government. During World War II, Kunming was a Ch ...

. One of his pupils at the school was

Zhu De Zhu De; (1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Zhu was born into poverty in 1886 in Sichuan. He was adopted by a wealthy uncle at ...

, who began studying there in 1909 and graduated in 1912. Shortly after the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...

began on 10 October 1911, Cai, leading the 37th Brigade, successfully occupied Yunnan. After the revolution he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Military Government of Yunnan.Schemmel Cai E was Governor of Yunnan from 1911 to 1913. After the revolution Cai gained a reputation as a strong supporter of democracy and of

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

politician

Song Jiaoren Song Jiaoren (, ; Chinese name, Given name at birth: Liàn 鍊; Courtesy name: Dùnchū 鈍初; 5 April 1882 – 22 March 1913) was a Republic of China (1912–1949), Chinese republican revolutionary, political leader and a founder of the Kuom ...

. Following Song's assassination by

, and Yuan's subsequent assumption of the presidency of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, Yuan had Cai removed from office and eventually held under house arrest in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

Tang Jiyao Tang Jiyao () (August 14, 1883 – May 23, 1927) was a Chinese general and warlord of Yunnan during the Warlord Era of early Republican China. He was military governor of Yunnan from 1913–1927. Life Tang was born in Huize county in 188 ...

replaced Cai E as Military Governor of Yunnan in 1913.

Opposition to Yuan Shikai

In 1915,

announced his plans to dissolve the

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

and proclaim himself the emperor of a new dynasty. After hearing of his intentions, Cai escaped assassination on 11 November, first returning to Japan and then to

. After returning to Yunnan, Cai established the local National Protection Army to fight

and defend the Republic.Beck "Yuan Shikai's Presidency 1912-16" On 12 December, Yuan formally "accepted" a petition to become emperor, and protests spread throughout China. On 23 December Cai sent a telegram to Beijing threatening to declare independence if Yuan did not cancel his plans within two days. When Yuan did not respond favorably, Cai declared independence on 25 December and made plans to invade

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

. The governor of

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

joined Cai in rebellion, declaring independence on 27 December. Yuan had himself inaugurated as emperor on 1 January 1916, and Cai successfully occupied Sichuan later that month. Yuan sent two leading military commanders from northern China to attack Cai, but although the forces sent by Yuan outnumbered Cai's army, Yuan's commanders were either unwilling or unable to defeat him. When it became clear that Cai's rebellion would be successful, many other provinces joined him in resisting Yuan. Guangxi and Shandong declared independence in March, Guangdong and Zhejiang in April and Shaanxi, Sichuan and Hunan in May. With several provinces behind them, the revolutionaries successfully forced Yuan to abandon monarchism on 20 March 1916. After Yuan died on 6 June 1916, Cai held the positions of Governor-General and Governor of Sichuan. He left for Japan for medical treatment at Kyushu Imperial University in

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

for

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

later in 1916, but died shortly after his arrival. He was accorded a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

in China at Yuelu Mountain in

on 12 April 1917.

Legacy

Many of the warlords who served under

did not support his ambition to revive the monarchy, and Cai E was one of the leading figures who successfully forced Yuan to step down. He served as an inspiration for

, who later became one of the most successful military leaders of the

Chinese Red Army The Chinese Red Army, formally the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army( zh, labels=no, t=中國工農紅軍) or just the Red Army( zh, labels=no, t=紅軍), was the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1928 to 1937. I ...

, the forerunner to the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

Depiction in popular culture

*In October 2009,

TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB; zh, t=電視廣播有限公司) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong. The company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Canton ...

broadcast a series about the story of Cai E and Yuan Shikai: '' In the Chamber of Bliss''.

References

Bibliography

* Beck, Sanderson.
"Republican China in Turmoil 1912-1926"
''EAST ASIA 1800-1949''. 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2011. * 陈贤庆(Chen Xianqing)

* Schemmel, B. ttp://rulers.org/indexc1.html "Cai E" ''Rulers.org''. 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2011. * . ''Yuelu Academy''. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cai, E 1882 births 1916 deaths Politicians from Shaoyang People of the 1911 Revolution Republic of China warlords from Hunan Governors of Yunnan Tongmenghui members Progressive Party (China) politicians 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Japan Military governors of Yunnan Military governors of Sichuan Burials in Changsha Independence activists