Having jointly seized Beijing in 1920, the Fengtian and Zhili cliques controlled the nominal government of China. Tensions soon began building between the two cliques in their uneasy coalition government. In 1922 the Fengtian clique replaced Premier Jin Yunpeng with Liang Shiyi without getting prior consent of their partner, the Zhili clique. While the Zhili had the backing of the British and Americans, the Fengtian leader was backed by Japan. The Japanese government had once supported their enemy, the Anhui clique, but had switched sides soon after the change of power. On 25 December 1921, a cabinet under Liang Shiyi's leadership was formed with strong support from Zhang Zuolin, whereupon the new cabinet immediately granted amnesty to six former cabinet members of the Anhui clique. The Zhili clique strongly opposed the plan but were overruled. The conflict further intensified as the new cabinet refused to give some $3 million in military budgets previously promised to the Zhili clique. As a result, Wu Peifu and other Zhili clique members forced Liang Shiyi to resign on 25 January 1922. With the pro-Fengtian clique cabinet having collapsed only a month after its formation, Zhang Zuolin threatened to resolve the conflict by force. Troops were deployed on 10 April 1922, though Wu Peifu and his Zhili clique did not formally denounce their opponent until 25 April 1922.
Who was Premier first, Jin Yunpeng or Liang Shiyi?
Jin Yunpeng