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Few foresaw that Xi Jinping would become the most assertive Chinese leader in decades - he is now all but set to secure a historic third term in power.

A decade ago little was known about Mr Xi - apart from the fact that he was a "princeling" because his father was one of the country's revolutionary leaders.

His lineage helped him win the support of party elders, which was crucial to ascending power within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as these leaders often wielded political influence even after retirement.

"Before his elevation, Xi Jinping was regarded as someone who could compromise with everyone," said Joseph Fewsmith, an expert in Chinese elite politics at Boston University.

But 10 years on, Mr Xi's authority appears to be unquestionable, and his power unrivalled. How did that happen?

Mao Zedong, the founding father of Communist China, once famously said: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Mao ensured it was the party, not the state, which controlled the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Since then, the CCP leader has also been Central Military Commission (CMC) chairman.

Mr Xi was luckier than his predecessor Hu Jintao because he became the CMC chairman instantly - and wasted no time in weeding out opposition within the armed forces.

The most shocking episode came in 2014 and 2015, when former CMC Vice Chairman Xu Caihou and former PLA General Guo Boxiong were accused of corruption.

"They were already retired when the axe fell, but Xi's ability to target them reduced the former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin's lingering influence in the PLA," said Joel Wuthnow, a senior fellow at the Pentagon-funded National Defense University.

"It also sent a powerful signal to current serving military officers that no one who resists Xi's control is immune from harm," he added.

In 2015, Mr Xi also overhauled the structure of the military. He abolished the four military headquarters - staff, politics, logistics and armaments - and replaced them with 15 smaller agencies.

The new structure allows the CMC to issue orders directly to the various branches of the military - extending as far as even financial auditors, who now have to report directly to the CMC, adds Mr Wuthnow.

Above all this is the insistence upon absolute loyalty to Mr Xi - something that is still being reiterated.

Last month the People's Liberation Army Daily, the country's official military newspaper, published an article emphasising that the CMC is in overall command.

"The message helps counteract any tendency that might develop in the military to build loyalty towards senior PLA leaders who might someday oppose Xi," said Timothy Heath, a senior international defence researcher at US think tank RAND corporation.

"Loyalty to the party means the PLA is expected to carry out any and all orders to keep the party, and Xi in particular, in power."