Description: (First defense minister of the Republic of China from 1946 to 1948)
Bai Chongxi was a prominent Chinese general in the National Revolutionary Army and a key leader of the Chinese Nationalist movement. Alongside Li Zongren, he held control over Guangxi province as regional warlords from the mid-1920s until 1949. Bai's relationship with Chiang Kai-shek was both complex and dynamic, involving periods of conflict and cooperation. He played a crucial role in various conflicts, including supporting anti-Chiang warlords in the Central Plains War and later assisting Chiang during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. Bai also served as the first defense minister of the Republic of China before relocating to Taiwan following the Communist victory in 1949.