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Rh then commanding troops at Hupei. In 1912 when Tuan Chi-jui came to Peking to be Minister of War, he followed him hither. First he was a secretary of the Ministry. In May 1914 General Hsu was made a Lieutenant General and appointed Vice-Minister of War. This post he held until June 1915 when he retired with Tuan Chi-jui, being dissatisfied with Yuan Shih-kai's ambitious movements. In April 1916 when Yuan Shih-kai's monarchical attempt was nearing failure, Tuan Chi-jui became Secretary of State again. In June, following the death of Yuan, Tuan became Prime Minister again, re-establishing the responsible cabinet system, and General Hsu was appointed Chief Secretary of the Cabinet. In November 1916 General Hsu resigned from the secretaryship as result of a conflict of opium with Ting Shih-to, then Chief Secretary of President Li Yuan-hung. In the summer of 1917 General Hsu was appointed Chief of the Administrative Department of the College of Marshals. In July 1917 he rendered valuable service in overthrowing Chang Hsun's attempt to restore the boy emperor. The campaign was led by Marshal Tuan Chi-jui. Tuan became Prime Minister in July 1917 and concurrently Acting Minister of War. In August General Hsu was appointed Vice Minister of War. Tuan's administration proved disagreeable to many of the Northern leaders, while the Southern leaders, who had mobilized to oust Chang Hsun, distrusted Tuan, and declined to recognize his authority. Finally over the question regarding home peace, Tuan resigned from the Prime Ministry in November 1917. General Hsu retired with him. In December 1917 Marshal Tuan was appointed Director-General of the European War Participation Bureau. In March 1918, General Hsu restored Tuan to the premiership by coercing President Feng Kuo-chang to issue the Mandate announcing the appointment of Tuan to head the cabinet with the troops borrowed from Fengtien. He had appointed himself Assistant Commander of these troops. In October 1918 General Hou was sent on a special mission to Japan. Previous to this appointment he had been given the brevet rank of a Full General. In June 1919 General Hsu was appointed Director General of the Northwestern Frontier Development, concurrently Director General of Outer Mongolian Affairs and Commander General of the Northwestern Frontier Defence Forces. In that capacity he effected the cancellation of the autonomy of Outer Mongolia at the beginning of 1920. In January 1920 he was awarded the Second Order of Merit. In February 1920 General Hsu was appointed to be concurrently Director General of the proposed Kalgan-Urga Railway. Meanwhile the government of North China had remained in the hands of the so-called Anfu Clique and its many military patrons headed by Tuan Chi-jui. Public hostility to the government found expression in May 1919 in the students's demonstrations in Peking, which led to the resignation of Tsao Ju-lin who was held responsible for many of the unpopular Japanese loans that had enabled that Clique to retain office for a long period of time. In 1920, however, Tuan Chi-jui and his "Anfu” proteges were still in power, among them was General Hsu. The Chihli and Fengtien Tuchuns took advantage of public hostility towards the faction in power to force matters to an issue. The dismissal of General Hsu was demanded by General Wu Pei-fu and General Tsao Kun, the Chihli Tuchun. President Hau