Phan Bội Châu assistance from China, but the country was forced to abandon its suzerain relationship with Vietnam after the 1884–85 Sino-French War. Phan and Cường Để decided to seek aid from Japan, which had recently won a war against Russia, had successfully imposed reforms and seemed more inclined to help out revolutionaries in a nearby Asian country. Phan was selected to visit Japan to secure the funds needed to sustain Duy Tân Hội. Phan did not speak Japanese and had no contacts in Japan, so he sought help from Liang Qichao, who was living in Japan since being exiled years earlier. Liang
Pang Xi Zhang owed him a huge favour for saving his brothers' families in Chang'an and also because he thought that Liu Zhang deeply trusted him. It turned out that Liu Zhang gradually distrusted Pang Xi and began to alienate him. Around 211, when Liu Zhang's adviser Zhang Song urged his lord to invite another warlord Liu Bei into Yi Province to counter the threat posed by Zhang Lu, he warned Liu Zhang that Pang Xi might secretly harbour the intention of overthrowing him. In 214, after Liu Bei seized control of Yi Province from Liu Zhang, he appointed Pang Xi as