Life

Late Qing Era

Lu Rongting came from a peasant family and joined secret societies during his youth in order to make a living. He became a regular in the Qing army after the outbreak of the Sino-French War in 1884.

Between 1903-05 he actively participated in the suppression of revolutionaries in Guangxi. In the fall of 1904 Viceroy of Liangguang Cen Chunxuan appointed him commander of the 4000-man Guangxi Border Guards unit. This army would later form the core of the Old Guangxi clique.

In December 1907 Long Jiguang and Lu Rongting led Qing forces in suppressing the Zhennanguan Uprising. The successful suppression of the revolt led by Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing consequently forced Sun to flee to Singapore, and he did not return to China until the Wuchang Uprising. The Qing court awarded Lu with the Baturu title. With Long Jiguang leaving for the position of Viceroy of Guangdong, Lu was promoted to become the Viceroy of Guangxi.

Leader of the Old Guangxi Clique

In July 1911, following the Wuchang Uprising, Guangxi Gov. Chen Bingkun proclaimed independence and formed the Guangxi military government. Following the departure of Shen Bingkun and Wang Zhixiang, Lu assumed control over Guangxi province.

On 8 February 1912 Yuan Shikai formally appointed Lu the governor of Guangxi. In the GMD-initiated "second revolution" in 1913, Lu sided with Yuan Shikai and suppressed the Nationalist revolutionaries in Guangxi.

Soon afterwards Cai E and Tang Jiyao (Yunnan Clique) started the National Protection War and Lu joined them against Yuan's monarchial ambitions. In the process Cen Chunxuan, an enemy of Yuan Shikai, was secretly recruited by Lu. Some scholars have suggested the reason for Lu's sudden change in allegiance was due to his discontent about Yuan's preferential treatment, which prevented him from expanding his influence into Guangdong. Nevertheless, the National Protection War led to the abdication of Yuan Shikai.

Long Jiguang proclaimed Guangdong's independence from Yuan on 6 April 1916. With the death of Yuan Shikai in June, Lu and Li Liejun attacked Long and forced him to retreat to Hainan. In the same year Lu assumed the position of governor of Guangdong province. His control and jurisdiction over both Guangdong and Guangxi was affirmed by Li Yuanhong in April 1917.

Start of the Warlord Era

Sun Yat-sen initiated the Constitutional Protection Movement in 1917, and Lu played an important role. Under the military reorganization in 1918, Tang Jihao and Lu were appointed joint chiefs. This organization was instrumental in establishing peace between the Beijing government (under the Zhili Clique) and the Constitutional Protection Movement armies.

However, schisms within the movement appeared, with Sun opposing Lu's (Old Guangxi Clique) nuanced stance against the Zhili Clique-led government in Beijing. Furthermore, the people of Guangdong gradually became opposed to Lu's control over the province. By July 1920 Chen Jiongming (with Sun's support) ousted Lu and Cen Chunxuan from Guangdong.

Military Comeback

After Lu's loss in Guangdong, he gained the support of the Beiyang government in an attempt to recover the province. In June 1921, the second conflict between the Old Guangxi Clique and Guangdong took place. However, due to defections within his own army and the loss of the strategic city of Chongzuo in September, Lu declared his decision to step down from the governorship in Nanning, and he subsequently fled to Shanghai.

Due to the polarization of relations between Chen Jiongming and Sun Yat-sen, Lu was re-appointed to become governor of Guangxi province in 1923 by the Beiyang government. However, he was unable to fully recover his influence over the province due to the formation of the New Guangxi Clique led by Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi.

Within Southern China three forces emerged, the most powerful led by the coalition of Lu and followed by Shen Hongying and the New Guangxi Clique. In 1924 Lu's forces were surrounded by Shen's troops and at the same time were under attack by the New Guangxi Clique. Nanning was lost to the New Guangxi Clique and by August that year Lu had also lost Guilin to Shen. Facing defeat, he fled to Yongzhou, Hunan, and officially announced his defeat and departure from politics on 9 October 1924. On 6 November 1928 he died in Shanghai from illness.

Family

• Brother-in-law: Tan Haoming

• Son-in-law: Long Yungan (Son of Long Jinguang)

• Son: Lu Yuguang

生平

清末事跡

陸榮廷出身貧農，少年時代為生計而當盜賊並成為會黨成員。 1882年（光緒8年），陸榮廷投降水口關的清軍，並參加當地會黨「三點會」。 1884年（光緒10年），中法戰爭爆發，陸榮廷加入清朝正規軍參戰。戰爭結束後，陸榮廷被正規軍裁撤，乃複歸盜賊生活。陸榮廷主要襲擾法軍，獲得當地民眾愛戴。

1894年（光緒20年），陸榮廷被廣西提督蘇元春招撫，獲授管帶。此後，陸榮廷成為清朝正規軍。 1903年（光緒29年）至1905年（光緒31年），陸榮廷參與鎮壓廣西省發生的大規模會黨起義。 1904年（光緒30年）冬，兩廣總督岑春煊任命其為廣西邊防軍「榮字營」統領，手下有約4千人的部隊。這成為日後桂軍的核心部隊。

1907年（光緒33年）12月，陸榮廷和龍濟光鎮壓孫文發動的鎮南關起義。陸榮廷因軍功而獲賞給「捷勇巴圖魯」名號，後升任右江鎮總兵（後調任左江鎮總兵）。 1909年（宣統元年），升任廣西邊防督辦。 1911年（宣統3年）6月，廣西提督龍濟光調往廣東任職，陸榮廷接任廣西提督。

治理兩廣

1911年11月7日，廣西巡撫沈秉堃響應武昌起義，宣布廣西省獨立，成立廣西軍政府。當時，沈秉堃出任軍政府都督，廣西布政使王芝祥及廣西提督陸榮廷任副都督。不久，沈秉堃、王芝祥離開廣西省，陸榮廷掌握廣西省實權。由于過去曾鎮壓革命，陸榮廷同中國同盟會等革命派關係很壞，陸榮廷通過鎮壓取得了省政的主導權，確立了桂軍的地位。

1912年（民國元年）2月8日，袁世凱正式任命陸榮廷擔任廣西都督。 1913年（民國2年）二次革命中，陸榮廷支持袁世凱，鎮壓廣西省內起義的革命派。 1914年（民國3年），獲授將軍府寧武將軍，1915年獲授耀武上將軍。

不久，雲南省的蔡鍔、唐繼堯發動護國戰爭，陸榮廷秘密做反袁世凱的準備，並將袁世凱的宿敵岑春煊秘密招入。 1916年（民國5年）3月15日，陸榮廷發表廣西省獨立宣言，參加護國軍。有學者指出，陸榮廷之所以對袁世凱態度發生劇變，既是由于慮及輿論支持護國軍，又是對廣東都督龍濟光受到袁世凱優遇不滿，希望將勢力範圍擴大到廣東。無論如何，陸榮廷宣布廣西獨立對袁世凱形成了強烈打擊，1周之後的3月22日，袁世凱取消了皇帝即位。

陸榮廷率部進軍湖南省，並派莫榮新率桂軍進攻廣東省。不久，廣東的龍濟光于4月6日發表反袁世凱的獨立宣言。袁世凱于6月6日病死，龍濟光取消獨立，重新投向北京政府方面。然而，陸榮廷的桂軍及李烈鈞率領的護國軍繼續夾擊龍濟光，最終龍濟光逃到海南島。同年10月，陸榮廷進入廣州，就任廣東督軍。 1917年（民國6年）4月，陸榮廷赴北京訪問，獲黎元洪任命為兩廣巡閱使，確認了其對廣東、廣西兩省的管轄權。

護法軍政府中的政爭

1917年，孫文發動護法戰爭，陸榮廷成為南方政府的要人。 9月，孫文在廣州組織護法軍政府，並任大元帥，陸榮廷和雲南省的唐繼堯當選元帥。但是陸榮廷、唐繼堯不甘屈居孫文之下，拒絕就任。 1918年（民國7年）5月，軍政府改組，孫、陸、唐等7人出任總裁，實行集體領導，陸、唐就任總裁。同年8月，陸榮廷擁立岑春煊任主席總裁，陸榮廷率桂軍掌握了護法軍政府的主導權。 岑春煊和陸榮廷倡導「南北和平」，同北京政府（特別是直系）進行交涉。

然而，岑春煊和陸榮廷對權力的壟斷以及同北京政府的融合姿態遭到反對，孫文、唐紹儀、唐繼堯、伍廷芳等其他總裁對他們採取敵對態度。此外，廣東人對陸榮廷支配廣東的反感逐漸提升。民國9年（1920年）7月，在孫文支持下，陳炯明率粵軍討伐岑春煊和陸榮廷，第一次粵桂戰爭爆發。同年10月，岑春煊被迫下野，11月桂軍被逐出廣東，撤回廣西。

東山再起

陸榮廷喪失對廣東的支配後，在北京政府的支援下，準備再進攻廣東。 1921年（民國10年）6月，陳炯明接受孫文的「援桂」指示，率粵軍進攻廣西省，第二次粵桂戰爭爆發。 7月，陸榮廷的心腹、廣西邊防軍第2路總司令沈鴻英宣布投向孫文陣營。陸榮廷乃于南寧發表下野宣言。 9月末，最後的據點龍州喪失，陸榮廷逃往上海。

此後，陳炯明同孫文決裂，1923年（民國12年）11月，陸榮廷被北京政府任命為廣西全省善後督辦，重入南寧，再度成為廣西省的統治者。但是，他未能完全掌握廣西省，沈鴻英的勢力，以及李宗仁、白崇禧、黃紹竑領導的新桂系同陸榮廷對抗。

在三足鼎立中，為對抗最強大的陸榮廷，沈鴻英與新桂系事實上形成聯盟。 1924年（民國13年）4月，進軍桂林的陸榮廷遭到沈鴻英包圍及攻擊。在包圍戰進行期間的同年6月，新桂系趁機攻占南寧，並進攻陸榮廷的地盤。 8月，陸榮廷放棄桂林，退往全州，桂林被沈鴻英占領。同年9月，在沈鴻英的追擊下，陸榮廷喪失全州，被逐出廣西省，逃往湖南省永州。 10月9日，陸榮廷在永州發表下野宣言。

此後，陸榮廷脫離政界。 1928年（民國17年）11月6日，陸榮廷在上海逝世。享年70歲（滿69歲）。

家庭

• 小舅：譚浩明（其父為譚泰源）

• 女婿：龍運幹（其父為龍覲光）

• 子：陸裕光

文化

粵語裡有一句俚語：「陸雲廷睇相——唔衰攞嚟衰」。俚語中提及的「陸雲廷」其實是陸榮廷。相傳陸榮廷於某年喬裝窮人，並前往廣州一間城隍廟拜訪一名以算命奇準而知名的算命先生，卻被算命先生說他「唔衰攞嚟衰」，暗指他本來是貴人（軍閥），卻喬裝貧窮潦倒的樣子，他日走下波的話是自己一手造成。最後，陸榮廷的地盤都被其他軍閥佔領，潦倒終老。

注釋