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Marshal Tsao Kun was born at Tientsin, Chihli province, in 1862. At the age of twenty, he enlished himself in the Army and became a common soldier. On account of his good conduct and commanding personality, which he displayed during the few years in the camp, Marshal Tsao was sent to the Military Academy of Tientsin by the Commanding Officer of the Army. In 1890 he graduated from the Academy and was at once engaged to be a teacher of the same institution. During the Sino-Japanese War, 1894-1895, Marshal Tsao was in the front and personally engaged in the Yalu Battle. After this War, Yuan Shih-kai trained a modern army at Hsiao Chan. Marshal Tsao was first appointed a Director of the Hsiao-Chan Field training school and later given command of a large company of troops. After the Boxer Trouble in 1900, General Tieh Liang, a famous Manchu military man, invited Marshal Tsao to assist him in the training of new troops at Paotingfu. In 1901 he became Commander of a Regiment