Zhang Zuolin (; (1875–1928) was the warlord of
Manchuria from 1916 to 1928 (see
Warlord Era in China). He successfully invaded
China proper in October 1924 in the
Second Zhili-Fengtian War. He gained control of
Peking, including
China's internationally recognized government, in April 1926. The economy of Manchuria, the basis of Zhang's power, was overtaxed by his adventurism and collapsed in the winter of 1927-1928. Zhang was defeated by the
Nationalists under
Chiang Kai-shek in May 1928. He was killed by a bomb planted by a Japanese
Kwantung Army officer on 4 June 1928. Although Zhang had been Japan's proxy in China, Japanese
militarists were infuriated by his failure to stop the advance of the Nationalists.