 In 1910, after graduating from the military academy, he returned to Shaanxi and was commissioned an officer.He joined the Tongmenghui in 1911, and on October 22 of that year participated in the Xi'an uprising of the Xinhai Revolution.Despite Yuan Shikai's attempt to win him over through a rank of nobility, at the beginning of the National Protection War in December 1915 Chen joined the National Protection Movement in opposing Yuan and declared Shaanxi's independence from the Empire of China.