The
Second Zhili–Fengtian War (
Second Chihli-Fengtien War; ) of 1924 was a conflict between the Japanese-backed
Fengtian clique based in
Manchuria, and the more liberal
Zhili clique controlling Beijing and backed by Anglo-American business interests. The war is considered the most significant in China's
Warlord era, with the
Beijing coup by Christian warlord
Feng Yuxiang leading to the overall defeat of the Zhili clique. During the war the two cliques fought one large battle near
Tianjin in October 1924, as well as a number of smaller skirmishes and sieges. Afterwards, both Feng and
Zhang Zuolin, the latter being ruler of the Fengtian clique, appointed
Duan Qirui as a figurehead prime minister. In south and central China, more liberal Chinese were dismayed by the Fengtian's advance and by the resulting power vacuum. A wave of protests followed. The war also distracted the northern warlords from the Soviet-backed Nationalists based in the southern province of
Guangdong, allowing unhampered preparation for the
Northern Expedition (1926–1928), which united China under the leadership of
Chiang Kai-shek.