The Northern Expedition (1926-1928) was the offensive undertaken by the armies of the Guangzhou-based Kuomintang Party to unite China under their rule, ending more than a decade of fragmented rule by shifting alliances of provincial warlords.
In 1924, Whampoa Military Academy had been founded in Canton. General Chiang Kai-shek was the commander of it. The troops were trained by the Red Army and equipped with Soviet arms. Unfortunately, many turned into communists.
Chiang commanded the Northern Expedition which took over China. He then suppressed the reds to keep order and prevent a Leninist tyranny.