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| Sichuan clique | |
|---|---|
| 川軍 | |
 Sichuan Provincial Government Seal | |
| Country |  Republic of China
|
| Allegiance |  Beiyang governmentNationalist government |
| Type | Warlord clique |
| Engagements | Xinhai Revolution Northern Expedition Second Sino-Japanese War |
TheSichuan clique (simplified Chinese:川军;traditional Chinese:川軍;pinyin:Chuān Jūn) was a group of warlords in thewarlord era inChina. During the period from 1927 to 1938,Sichuan was in the hands of six warlords:Liu Wenhui,Liu Xiang,Yang Sen,Deng Xihou,He Zhaode, andTian Songyao, with minor forces beingXiong Kewu andLü Chao.
After theQing dynasty's collapse, not one warlord had enough power to take on all the others at once, so many small battles occurred, pitting one warlord against another.[1] The Sichuan Clique was divided into smaller warlord groups, or Defense Zones, separated from each other with distinct military, political, and economic boundaries. Large conflicts seldom developed, plotting and skirmishing characterized the Sichuanese political scene, and ephemeral coalitions and counter-coalitions emerged and vanished with equal rapidity.
However, Liu Xiang was the most influential of the Sichuan warlords. He controlledChongqing and its surrounding areas. This region, sitting on the banks of theYangtze river, was rich because of trade with provinces down river and therefore controlled much of the economic activity in Sichuan. From this position of strength, between 1930 and 1932 General Liu Wenhui and Liu Xiang improved their forces, organizing a small airforce and an armored car force.
In 1935 Liu Xiang ousted his uncle and rival warlord, Liu Wenhui, becoming Chairman of the Government of Sichuan Province with the support ofChiang Kai-shek.
In economic affairs, there was abusive minting and issuance of currency.[1]
In theSecond Sino-Japanese War, the Sichuan clique made a huge contribution to oppose the Japanese army. Out of the 3.5 million Sichuan soldiers who participated in the war, 263,991 were killed, 356,267 were wounded, and 26,025 went missing, for a total of more than 640,000 casualties out of the 3,227,926 casualties suffered by theNational Revolutionary Army in the 8-year war. From 1939 to 1945, the National Revolutionary Army had 850,000 killed in action, including 260,000 from the Sichuan clique.[2][3][4] In theBattle of Shanghai, almost all 170,000 soldiers from Sichuan clique fell in battle, with only 2,000 managing to retreat toHubei Province. Nine generals of theNational Revolutionary Army died inWorld War II, of whom generalsLi Jiayu,Wang Mingzhang andRao Guohua were commanders from the Sichuan clique.[citation needed]
On August 15, 1989,Chengdu City Government constructed new sculpture for memento at Wannian, Chengdu.
