he resigned from the Prime Ministership. In October Marshal Tuan in the Military Conference in which practically all the northern leading militarists attended. In this conference it was decided to end the civil strife, to call an internal peace conference, and to make a stand in the coming World Peace Conference. In July 1919 the War Participation Bureau was abolished and in its place a Frontier Defence Bureau was created with Marshal Tuan still as Director-General. In September 1919 he was awarded the Grand Order of Merit. In July 1920, after the overthrow of the Anfu Club as the result of the Chihli-Anfu War, Marshal Tuan was relieved of the Directorship of the Frontier Defence and also of the Presidency of the College of Marshals. Late in 1924 following the defeat of the Chihli faction by the Anfu-Fengtien party, Marshal Tuan was prevailed upon to accept the Provisional presidency being assured of the support of Marshal Chang Tso-lin and General Feng Yu-hsiang. One of the conditions which Marshal Tuan made for his acceptancy to the position was the calling of a National Reorganization Conference, which met in February 1925, in Peking, for the purpose of reorganizing the government and bringing about a reunification of the country.
