In October 1911, after the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, he was sent to Shanxi Province to suppress supporters of the Xinhai Revolution.

In August 1912, he was appointed commander of the 11th Regiment, part of the 6th Brigade, 3rd Division.

In the fall of 1913, he went with the 3rd Division to Yuezhou (now Yueyang in Hunan) to suppress the Second Revolution.

In 1915, he went with the 3rd Division to Sichuan Province to suppress opposition to the Empire of China.

In July 1917, he acted with Wu Peifu to overthrow Zhang Xun's Manchu Restoration.