Welcome back again everyone. Thanks for tuning in to the concluding episode of this 10-part series that examined the big picture of this terrible warlord era, as I said at the outset.

This was an oft-requested topic here at the China History Podcast. These warlords have always been a subject of great interest in popular Chinese history.

There were a lot of historical events happening in China during the 20th century.

In these years, from 1916 and 1928, are often swept under the rug and don't get as much attention.

So I hope this series helped to fill in a few blanks for you.

And as we have seen throughout the past episodes,

these warlords,

we weren't such a great bunch of guys.

Interesting, yes.

In some cases, downright unforgettable.

I've introduced a number of them to you and tried to show you how they operated and

what some of them were all about.

They made incalculable contributions to the art of greed

and looking out for number one.

Took it to Great Heights. In all the thousands of years of Chinese

history going back to you the Great, the land had time and again produced these

incredible leaders and heroes who founded Dynasty,

save the country from invasion or brought great peace and prosperity to the land.

But during the 1920s, rather than having a great leader, a nation builder

waiting in the wings to, I don't know, make China great again. Instead, you had these warlords.

And with their armies and the might they wielded,

and the odious and egregious lengths they went to,

...