Pai Ch'ung-hsi
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Pai Ch'ung-hsi
Pai Ch'ung-hsi (Chinese: 白崇禧, pinyin: Bái Chóngxǐ) (March 18, 1893 - December 1, 1966) was a Muslim general of the Republic of China (ROC) and former warlord.
Born in Guilin, Guangxi Province and given the courtesy name Jiansheng (健生), Pai rose to fame by allying with Li Tsung-jen as supporters of Kuomintang (KMT) leader Sun Yat-sen against the Guangxi warlord Lu Rongting (陸榮廷) in 1924. The coalition's efforts brought Guangxi Province under ROC jurisdiction, and Pai and Li represented a new generation of Guangxi warlords.
During the Northern Expedition, Pai won many victories against another warlord, Sun Chuanfang (孫傳芳), in January, March, August and October 1927. Tang Shengzhi (唐生智), a subordinate of Sun Chuanfang, was forced to surrender to the ROC army in Hunan in early 1928.
In 1930, Pai supported the failed uprising of Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan against Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and consequently fled to Vietnam. In 1932, through Li Tsung-jen's support, Pai was able to return to work under Chiang and the ROC government in various offices.
During the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), Pai was one of Chiang's tactical advisors in numerous ROC wins and crucial decisions, including the swift execution of Han Fuqu that led to Li Tsung-jen's command over the ROC army's victory in the Battle of Tai er zhuang. These contributions earned him the laudatory nickname "Little Zhuge" (after Zhuge Liang).
During the post-WWII Chinese civil war, Pai was appointed the Minister of Defense in May 1946. In this capacity, Pai headed several major operations against Chinese Communist Party (CPC) forces in Central China and approved the ROC government's mob suppression efforts on Taiwan following the February 28 Incident. Pai fled to Taiwan after his last anti-CPC operation on Hainan Island. Chiang later appointed him to several posts in the relocated ROC government on Taiwan and, according to some sources, exploited Pai to off-balance Li Tsung-jen's power.
Pai passed away on the night of December 1, 1966 as the result of an unknown illness, though he was rumored to have been afflicted with complications stemming from venereal disease.
Pai's son, Pai Hsien-yung, is a prominent writer and GLBT rights activist.zh:白崇禧