Background
Mr. Chang was born in Hai-chen, Liaoning, in 1898.
Mr. Chang was born in Hai-chen, Liaoning, in 1898.
Chang Hsiao-liang graduated from the Military Training Academy of the Three Eastern Provinces.
Chang Hsiao-liang joined the army at age of 19. He was a commander of the body guards of the Tuchun of Fengtien (then his father Chang Tso-lin) with the rank of colonel in 1919 and scince 1920 - aide-de-camp to President Hsu Shih-chang. The same year he became a commander of the 3rd Fengtien mixed brigade, and participated in the Anfu-Chihli War, defeating the Anfu troops at Hsiao-Chan, Chihli and November 1920 he made abrigader-general by the Peking Government.
In 1921 Mr. Chang was sent to Japan by his father to witness the Autumn manoeuvers and to study military affairs. He introduced reforms in the Fengtien Army upon his return from Japan, took active part in the first Chihli-Fengtien War in 1922 and was appointed commander of the 2nd Fengtien Army after the war. Concurrently, he also served as principal of the Military Training Academy of the Three Eastern Provinces since 1922.
Upon the outbreak of the 2nd Chihli-Fengtien War in 1924, he was promoted Commander of the 1st Fengtien Army and rendered exceptional services in the fighting in the vicinity of the Great Wall appointed special delegate by his father and the then Provisional Chief Executive Tuan Chih-jui to the South to assist in the final reorganization of political affairs in the Lower Yangtsze Valley, and held the concurrent position as Superintendent of Peking War College in 1925.
From1926 Chang Hsiao-liang was a commander of the 3rd Fengtien Army. After the demise of his father in 1928, he was elected Commander-in-Chief for the preservation of peace in the Three Eastern Provinces and Chancellor of North-Eastern University and made a member of the State Council of the Nationalist Government and Chirman of North-Eastern Political Council the same year. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Northeastern Frontier Defence and had supreme command of the defence forces during the Sino-Russian War in North Manchuria in 1929. Mr. Chang undertook armed intervention in the North China military situation on behalf of the interests of the National and was largely responsible for the Government collapse of the Northern Military Coalition Government of Feng Yu-hsiang, Yen Hsi-shan and Wang Ching-wei at Peiping in 1930.
In recognition of his meritorious services in restoring peace in North China, he was promoted vice-Commander-in-Chief of the National Army, Navy and Air Forces of China by the National Government on September 1930 and officially assumed the new office on October 10 at Mukden, was invited to visit Nanking to make a report of the Northern political situation to and discuss the national frontier defence measures with President Chiang Kai-shek November 1930 and made a member of the Central Political Council during his stay in Nanking. Chang Hsiao-liang was appointed to serve on the Standing Committee of North China Political Council in 1931. In 1932 he made Peiping Pacification Commissioner and later Acting Chairman of Peiping Branch Military Council. Mr. Chang also served as member of the Executive Committee of the Central Military Academy in 1933.
He resigned in March 1933, sailed for Europe in April of the same year. While abroad he visited Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium. Holland, Denmark and Sweden devoting himself to the study of military, political, economic and social conditions of those countries. He returned to China in January 1934 and assumed his new office as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Bandit-suppression Forces in Honan, Hupeh and Anhwei Provinces in February 1934. Upon abolition of the post in February 1935, he was appointed Director of the Administrative Department of the Provisional Headquarters of the President of the Military Affairs Commission at Wuchang. Then he was a Vice-Commander-in-Chief of the Northwestern Bandit-suppression Forces.