Chiang Kai-Shek was actually a relatively stand-up guy, given what he had to work with - independent warlords who thwarted him at every opportunity, including during the pivotal campaigns of the Chinese Civil War. A liberal historian wrote a recent book entitled "The Generalissimo" that debunked a lot of the derogatory material spread mainly by fellow travelers and people hoodwinked by fellow travelers (including Stilwell) against Chiang. It's becoming more well-known even among mainland Chinese that Chiang's men took the bulk of the casualties (>90%) during the Sino-Japanese War. Ultimately, Mao used the Sino-Japanese War to train and rest his troops, while Chiang's troops were tapped out from taking horrendous casualties.