Jiang was born in Xiashi Town, Haining County, Zhejiang Province in 1882 during the late Qing dynasty.

He was recognised as a talent by the provincial officials, who sponsored him to further his studies abroad in Japan at the Tokyo Shinbu Gakko and later the Imperial Japanese Army Academy.

Jiang returned to China in 1906 and briefly served as an adviser to Zhao Erxun, the Governor of Manchuria, before leaving to further his military studies in Germany.

[2] In 1913, he became a first-class military adviser to Yuan Shikai, who had become the President of the newly established Republic of China.

In 1917, Jiang became a consultant in the office of Li Yuanhong, who had succeeded Yuan Shikai as President of the Republic of China.

In the subsequent years, Jiang spent his time mainly on writing books, editing magazines and involvement in societies for literature and poetry appreciation.

In 1929, Tang Shengzhi, a former student of Jiang at the Baoding Military Academy, turned against Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government.

After returning to China, he advised the Nationalist government to develop its air force and further modernise the military.

During the trip, he also secretly contacted the German and Italian governments and urged them to support China if war broke out.

During the Xi'an Incident in December 1936, Jiang managed to persuade Zhang Xueliang to release Chiang Kai-shek.