| Abstract |
Nearly every military- and political leaders in Chinese history emphasized the importance of staff system. During the long-term upheaval of the Republican period, every local militarists unexceptionally recruited talented people for their staff system in order to win out among warlords. Generally speaking, those who with a stronger staff system had a better chance to win over their rivals in political struggles. Among various types of staff members, the communicatortype staff was the most important. These “intermediaries” shuttled around among different political parties and factions during peacetime. When crises came, they sometimes even could play key role by ceasing armed conflicts. Being a successful communicator-type staff member needed personal talents, good social network, and the ability of hardworking. In addition to these qualities, the “political intermediaries” used by Jiang Jieshi were armed with lucrative resource to dispense and the privilege of offering attractive positions to potential political rivals. Many observers thought that was part of the reason why Jiang could outvie his rivals and unify China in the long run. |
