 In north China the once powerful Beiyang Army split up into various factions after the death of Yuan Shikai in 1916.Zhang Zuolin, being the leader of the Fengtian clique, was one of the most powerful warlords, as he managed to seize control of Manchuria, at the time consisting of nine provinces.At the time of the First United Front in 1924, foreign support in China was generally divided as follows