A revisionist study of the career of General He Yingqin, one of the most prominent military officers in China's Nationalist period (1928-1949), and one of the most misunderstood figures in twentieth-century China. Western scholars have dismissed He Yinggin as corrupt and incompetent, yet the Chinese archives reveal that he demonstrated considerable success as a combat commander and military administrator during civil conflicts and the Sino-Japanese War. His work in the Chinese Nationalist military served as the foundation of a close personal and professional relationship with Chiang Kai-shek, with whom he worked closely for more than two decades. Against the backdrop of the Nationalist revolution of the 1920s through the 1940s, Peter Worthing analyzes He Yingqin's rise to power alongside Chiang Kai-shek, his work in building the Nationalist military, and his fundamental role in carrying out policies designed to overcome the regime's greatest obstacles during this turbulent period of Chinese history.Peter Worthing is Associate Professor of History at Texas Christian University. He is the author of two other books, Occupation and Revolution: China and the Vietnamese August Revolution of 1945 and A Military History of Modern China: From the Qing Conquest to Tian'anmen Square.Cover illustration: portrait of He Yingqin/ Joseph W. Stilwell Papers, Envelope mNN, Hoover Institution Archives.CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS