Background
Xu was born in Xiao County, Jiangsu (now part of Anhui province), with a scholar family background.
徐樹錚, 徐树铮
Xu was born in Xiao County, Jiangsu (now part of Anhui province), with a scholar family background.
Imperial Japanese Army Academy.
He was one of the youngest persons ever to pass the Imperial examinations. In 1905, he was accepted into the Japanese School of Land Army Officials, and returned to China in 1910. From 1911 to 1917, he served in the First Army in various positions in the general staff, such as chief of the Logistics Department, deputy chief of land forces, and chief of land forces.
In 1914 he founded a middle school called Cheng Da Middle School, which is the predecessor of today’s Affiliated High School of the Capital Normal College.
This would lead to Xu"s own assassination in 1925. In 1919, Xu assumed command of the Northwest Frontier Defense Army, which invaded newly independent Outer Mongolia in October.
On November 17, he forced Outer Mongolia to withdraw its declaration of autonomy, thus temporarily bringing Mongolia back under Chinese control. In 1920, after Duan fell from power, Xu lost his position, and moved his forces back to confront his enemies.
He was replaced in Mongolia by Chen Yi, and Mongolia became independent again in early 1921, when the Chinese forces were defeated by the Russian-Mongol army commanded by General Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg.
Xu"s forces were defeated in the subsequent Zhili–Anhui War, and he was forced to take shelter in the Japanese embassy. In the early 1920s, Xu was sent to Italy as part of a Chinese diplomatic mission. A secondary purpose was to get him out of the country.
He returned to China in 1924 after Duan"s return as chief executive.
He was assassinated at dawn the next day by Feng as revenge for the killing of Lu Jianzhang. This also deprived Feng"s rival Duan of a powerful supporter.
Xu was 45 years old.
Anhui clique]
A subordinate and right-hand man of Duan Qirui, he was a prominent member of the Anhui Clique. In December 1925, while traveling from Beijing to Shanghai by train, Xu was kidnapped by Zhang Zhijiang, a member of Feng Yuxiang"s forces.