 As Inspector-General of the Three Northeastern Provinces, Zhang was responsible for overseeing civil and military affairs for Manchuria.Additionally, he was both the civil and military governor of Fengtian Province.After the First Zhili–Fengtian War in 1922, Zhang distanced himself heavily from the Zhili clique who dominated Beijing and the National Government, creating the Eastern Three Provinces Defense Headquarters (Dongsansheng Baoan Silingbu), merging the position of Inspector-General and the Fengtian Military Governor.