 On 17 July 1913, the revolutionaries nominated Cen to be their grand marshal and issued a proclamation appointing him as the President of the Republic of China.After the failure of the Second Revolution, Cen became a fugitive when Yuan placed a price on his head, and was forced to flee from China to Southeast Asia.The National Protection War broke out in 1915 when Yuan Shikai declared himself emperor and attempted to establish an Empire of China.