Liu Zhennian (1898 in Nangong

Nangong

Nangong is a city in the northern province of Hebei, China. It is administered by the prefecture-level city of Xingtai.The city's population was 82,500 as of 2005.-Administrative Divisions:Subdistricts:...

, Hebei

Hebei

' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 - May 13, 1935) was a Chinese military commander during the Warlord Era

Warlord era

The Chinese Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China, from 1916 to 1928, when the country was divided among military cliques, a division that continued until the fall of the Nationalist government in the mainland China regions of Sichuan, Shanxi, Qinghai, Ningxia,...

 and Nanjing decade

Nanjing decade

The Nanjing decade was the decade from 1927 to 1937 in the Republic of China. It began when Nationalist Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek took the city from Zhili clique warlord Sun Chuanfang halfway through the Northern Expedition in 1927. He declared it to be the national capital despite the...

 in the history of the Republic of China

History of the Republic of China

The History of the Republic of China begins after the Qing Dynasty in 1912, when the formation of the Republic of China put an end to over two thousand years of Imperial rule. The Qing Dynasty, also known as the Manchu Dynasty, ruled from 1644 to 1912...

.

Liu graduated from the Baoding Military Academy and served as a regimental and brigade commander under the warlords Li Jinglin

Li Jinglin

Li Jinglin Li Jinglin (also known as Li Fangchen) Li Jinglin (also known as Li Fangchen) ((李景林, 1885 - 1931) was a deputy inspector-general and later army general for the Fengtian clique during the Chinese warlord era. He hailed from Zaoqiang County, Hebei province, China. After his military...

, Zhu Yupu, and Zhang Zongchang

Zhang Zongchang

Zhang Zongchang , nicknamed the "Dogmeat General" and "72-Cannon Chang" , was a Chinese warlord in Shandong in the early 20th century...

. After the defeat of Zhang Zongchang, Liu switched sides his forces were absorbed by the Kuomintang

Kuomintang

The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...

. He captured and killed his former patron Zhu Yupu on 4 September 1929. Subsequently Liu was appointed commander of the 21st Division in 1930.

Having eastern Shandong

Shandong

' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...

 as his defense area, he became known as the "King of Shandong East" and was unpopular for levying heavy taxes. In autumn 1932, he was attacked and evicted from Shandong by its governor Han Fuju

Han Fuju

Han Fuju or Han Fu-chü was a Kuomintang general in the early 20th century. He rose up the ranks of the Guominjun clique in the Warlord era but then went over to the Kuomintang, and held the position of military governor of Shandong from 1930 to 1938...

 because Liu had refused to obey his orders. After his defeat, Nanjing

Nanjing

' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

 transferred him and his 21st Division south to Wenzhou

Wenzhou

Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The area under its jurisdiction, which includes two satellite cities and six counties, had a population of 9,122,100 as of 2010....

, Zhejiang Province

Zhejiang

Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

 at the end of 1932. There his troops, removed from their familiar surroundings, suffered from sickness and became mutinous. Despite his appeal to Chiang Kaishek in January 1933, his Division was sent to participate in the Fourth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet

Fourth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet

The Fourth Encirclement Campaign against the Jiangxi Soviet was the fourth campaign launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government in hope to destroy the Red Army in Jiangxi. The Nationalist headquarter in the provincial border of Jiangxi-Guangdong-Fujian organized nearly 400,000 men, and prepared...

 in Jiangxi Province

Jiangxi

' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...

. He soon resigned from the army, but was arrested in May by Li Duping for disobeying Chiang's order to attack the Chinese Red Army

People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...

and was executed as a consequence in 1935.