Warlords of the 1920s: Zhang Zuolin vs Pyotr Wrangel

The 1920s were a time of instability in Russia and China. Warlords and civil war were rife in the aftermath of the Xinhai and Russian Revolutions. Today we're looking at some significant leaders of this time.

Zhang Zuolin- the warlord of Manchuria; who waged a war against the Zhili Clique, Anhui Clique and the Kuomintang in the 1920s.

VS.

Pyotr Wrangel- the Black Baron, who fought for the Tsar in the Great War and later against the Soviet Red Army.

WHO...IS...DEADLIEST?

To find out the history of war and modern science collide, as we test the weapons and tactics used by these instruments of war. We dissect their strengths and weaknesses and file them in for an all new battle to the death. It’s no rules, no safety, no mercy. It’s a duel to the death as we find out who is the Deadliest Warrior.

• Zhang
• Rifle
• Pistol
• Machine Gun
• Armoured Vehicle

The foremost warlord of the Manchuria regions in the 1920s, Zhang Zuolin, known to many as the Old Marshal, was the commander of the Fengtian Clique. Born to a family of peasants, Zuolin joined a bandit gang and worked as a mercenary for the Japanese during the Russo-Japanese War, where his gang committed ruthless atrocities against captured Russians.

During the 1920s, Zhang entered China's politics after the collapse of the government of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China. With Japan's backing, Zhang would defeat the Anhui and Zhiili Cliques and rule China as a military dictator. However with the on set of the Northern Expedition by the Kuomintang's National Revolutionary Army, Zhang was forced to retreat from Beijing. On the 4th of June 1928, Zhang's erstwhile backers in the Kwantung Army detonated a bomb on the train line, killing Zhang outright. Following his death, Zuolin’s son, Zhang Xueliang, declared a ceasefire with the Kuomintang in order to oppose Japanese influence in Manchuria.

Type 88 Hanyang

The standard rifle of the Chinese Warlords was the Type 88 Rifle or Hanyang Type 88. A copy of the German-made Gewehr M1888, the Type 88 was a bolt-action rifle chambered in 7.92x57mm Mauser and fired round-nosed cartridges from an en-bloc clip. The Type 88 would see use from its adoption under the Qing Dynasty in 1888 until the Korean War in 1950. It was slated to be replaced by the newer Type 24 Zhongzheng/Chiang Kai-shek rifle but ended up serving alongside it. The Type 88 had an effective range of 500 metres and a maximum range of close to 2000 metres.

Mauser C96

The Chinese Armies of the early 20th Century favoured the use of the Mauser C96. The forces of the Fengtian Clique, despite their use of Japanese rifles and supplies, made heavy use of the C96 in the Warlord Era. Chinese C96s are chambered in 7.63x25mm Mauser. The Mauser C96 has an effective range of around 200 metres and is reloaded via stripper clip.

ZB vz. 26

A common purchase by the Chinese in the latter half of the Warlord Era, the ZB vz. 26 was used to devastating efficiency in the poorly industrialised Republic of China. The Fengtian Clique made heavy use of the ZB vz. 26 until their subsequent integration into the Kuomintang’s National Republic. Chinese soldiers would often use the machine gun as a sniper weapon due to its high accuracy. It could fire at 500 rounds per minute and held up to 20 7.92x57mm Mauser rounds in a detachable box magazine. The ZB vz.26 has an effective firing range of 500 metres.

FT-17

Following the end of the Russian Civil War, Zhang Zuolin’s Fengtian Clique made heavy use of French FT-17 light tanks. Despite their relatively slow speed of 8 km/h (thank you Luna), the FT-17s saw heavy usage in the Warlord Era by the Fengtian Clique until their replacement under the Kuomintang. The FT-17 used in this battle will be armed with a 37mm Puteaux SA1918 cannon, which was not an effective anti-armour weapon but excelled at anti-infantry. It's main advantages include a smaller two-man crew and was the first tank to feature a rotating turret.

• Pyotr
• Rifle
• Pistol
• Machine Gun
• Armoured Vehicle

Baron Pyotr Wrangel started his military career as an enlisted man during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, joining one of the Cossack Armies as a young Cavalryman. He went from various posts in between wars until being promoted to Captain and given command of a Cavalry Company during WWI. That October saw him awarded the Order of St. George, Russia's highest honor. He was promoted to Colonel and given command of his own regiment. He easily distinguished himself during the famed Brusilov Offensive of 1916, and further action against Austria earned him the George Cross while commanding a defensive position on the Zbruch river.

After Russia's withdrawal from the war, Wrangel resigned and went to live at his Dacha in Crimea before being promptly arrested by the Bolsheviks. However, he was soon released and made his escape to the Baltic to join the growing Ukrainian State. However he soon left after learning that it only existed with German backing. He then joined the Russian White Movement and was given the rank of Major General. He gained the reputation of being a very aggressive commander, and despite often being outnumbered by the Bolsheviks would often wrench out a victory despite the odds. However, political clashes with his superior officer General Denikin often led to Wrangel being insubordinate; as when he chose to circumvent Moscow and instead link up with the soldiers of Admiral Kolchak instead. Here, he developed the reputation as a just administrator, as looting and rape were punished severely under his jurisdiction.

However, he couldn't ignore Denikin forever, and in 1919 led his unit to march on Moscow, which as he had predicted ended in disaster for the White Army. This led to a final disagreement with Denikin and Wrangel again resigned from the Army, taking exile in Constantinople. Yet, in a twist of fate Denikin was forced to resign from command in early 1920, and a military committee came and begged Wrangel to take command in Denikin's place. He did, but with the realization that his appointment came too late to save the White Army; as the Soviets had finally organized an effective fighting force and were using their superior numbers to crush the White Elites. Wrangel then took a different tactic. Knowing that the Whites were going to get destroyed, he seized control of the Crimean Branch of the Russian Navy, and issued an ultimatum to his soldiers: Either go with him and flee and survive, or stay and face whatever wrath the Bolsheviks would inflict. As such, Wrangel and his army then fought a delaying battle to enable civilians and military alike to evacuate to Allied-Occupied Turkey. Wrangel himself only left after making sure that everyone who could be evacuated had been evacuated; and he left aboard the last White ship to leave Crimea.

Afterwards, Wrangel wandered Europe until settling in Belgium, where he died in 1928, having been poisoned by his brother's butler, a supposed Soviet Agent.

Mosin M1891

Imperial Russian Army units during the Russo-Japanese War, First World War and the Russian Civil War made heavy use of the Mosin M1891 or “3-line Rifle”. Firing a 7.62x54mmR cartridge from a 5 round internal magazine and fed by stripper clip, the Mosin was a durable and robustly designed bolt action and capable of operating in Russia's frigid temperatures. It has an effective range of 500 metres and a maximum of 800+ metres.

Nagant M1895

The Imperial Russian Army carried M1895 Nagant revolvers throughout WWI. Many were used by both the Red and White Russians during the Russian Civil War. The Nagant fired a 7.62x38mmR cartridge from a 7-round cylinder. It was fed by a loading gate, which drastically slowed down the effective time it could be reloaded.

Madsen M1902

The standard light machine gun in service with the Russian Imperial Army in World War One, the Madsen M1902 was a light machine gun which fired a 7.62x54mmR ammunition from a 40-round box magazine at 450 rounds per minute. Each bullet has a muzzle velocity of 800 metres a second.

Mark V

The White Army of Russia were given several Mark V tanks by the Entente during the Civil War. Despite a movement speed of 8 km/h, the Mark V was durable and heavily armed for the time; bringing to bear 2x 6 pounder (57mm) 6 cwt QF guns and 4x .303 Hotchkiss Mark 1 Machine Guns. There will be one Mark V in this battle. A Mark V tank requires a crew of 8 to operate effectively.

X-Factors

X-Factor	Zhang	Pyotr	Reasoning
Experience	70	70	Zhang served as a bandit and occasional mercenary until becoming a general of the Republic of China, and Pyotr having joined a Russian Cossack Army and serving from 1905 til 1924 for the Imperial and White Armies.
Training	45	70	Zhang takes a bit of a hit here due to his lack of formal military training. Wrangel was a formally trained officer of the Russian Army.
Troop Quality	30	50	Neither have brilliant armies. With Zhang's Fengtian Clique being at best trained garrisons and at worst being armed peasants. Pyotr's are at least trained soldiers yet of low morale and often only joining to get better food rations.
Total	145	190

Notes

Battle will be 15 vs 15 and set in a city and its surroundings.

Voting ends on the 10th of October.

Votes must be at least one paragraph in length and must have proper punctuation and grammar.

Please no bias or arguments.