The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

“Fire!

The high-velocity field artillery fired at a target a thousand meters away, almost level fire. The shells scraped the ground, emitting a sharp whistling sound. A thousand meters away, two dust clouds exploded on the railway line, and two sparks erupted from the armored train.

Liu Wenzhao stumbled in the car and fell to the ground. After getting up, he yelled:

"Where's the exit? Where's the door?!"

The first salvo showed that the range was completely accurate and the armored train had not moved. The parameters of the four field guns remained unchanged, and they quickly reloaded their shells and fired the second salvo.

In another seven or eight seconds, the third round...

"Switch to shrapnel! Azimuth 1400, free fire!

After firing five rounds, the armored train a kilometer away was engulfed in flames and smoke. This German-imported armored train was finished. The artillery company followed procedure and moved on to the next phase. The four guns turned their muzzles toward the enemy infantry attack. Their shells were replaced with shrapnel, meaning the cannons would be equipped with bayonets. If the enemy swarmed in, they would be met with a volley of shrapnel.

However, the soldiers of the 65th Division did not enjoy the flat-line fire of field artillery shrapnel. Although the 1st Division's defense line was 300 meters away, it remained unmoved, and the field artillery in the forward emplacements did not need to engage in bayonet fire. Not only did the defense line remain unmoved, but behind the trench line, the three infantry battalions of the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division had already formed attacking formation.

Hu Zongnan personally led the 4th Regiment to launch a counterattack against the 65th Division.

Even behind the 4th Regiment, Liu Zhi also arrived at the front-line battle scene. He could see the attack array of the 4th and 6th Regiments through the telescope. After confirming that the armored train had been paralyzed on the rails, Liu Zhi took the signal gun and fired a red signal flare into the air:

"Second Division!! Everyone, charge forward!!!"

Su County.

Chen Tianheng remained at his headquarters in Suxian. The Third Regiment had moved to the east of Caocun yesterday and would today join forces with the Second Regiment west of Caocun to launch a joint assault on the village. Wei Lihuang would be in charge of the two regiments. Chen Tianheng would maintain radio contact with Wei Lihuang in Suxian.

In Suxian, Chen Tianheng also had to keep in touch with Zheng Dongguo of the First Regiment in Guzhen by phone to find out in which direction the Fengtian Army was conducting artillery fire on the Ruihe River defense line today.

At 9:00 AM, the artillery battalion's field artillery company reported that an armored train had crashed into the pre-positioned position of the 4th Field Artillery Company, rendering it ineffective. The moment the armored train was destroyed, Liu Zhi's entire 2nd Division launched an assault. The 4th and 5th Field Artillery Companies had already switched from ambush mode to supporting the 2nd Division's attack with grenades.

"Telegram from the Second Regiment!

At 11 o'clock in the morning, a telegram came from Wei Lihuang's command center.

"The 2nd and 3rd Regiments have penetrated Caocun Station, tearing through the 62nd Division's defensive perimeter. The enemy's defenses are collapsing. Xu Jishen."

Chen Tianheng: "The person who sent the telegram was the Chief of Staff of the Second Regiment. Could it be that Wei Lihuang has led his troops to the front line?"

Xu Xiangqian: "Going to the front line doesn't necessarily mean leading the troops into a charge. Old Wei also knows the commander's combat rules and regulations."

Chen Tianheng: “I hope so…

Ding ding ding ding ding...

The phone at the headquarters rang. There was no caller ID. Chen Tianheng picked up the phone and said, "This is Suxian."

"I'm Wei Lihuang, the stationmaster of Caocun Station! I've resumed my duties as stationmaster!

Chen Tianheng: "...Has the resigned webmaster returned or not?

"He didn't go back to Xuzhou! I've already kept him here for dinner!

Chapter 72: Yang Sen Xia Dou Yin Rebellion

宿北歼灭战，第一师2、3团和第二师，在曹村和曹村南约10公里的两个战场，基本歼灭试图打通宿县的安国军15军62、65师。

They were basically annihilated. When cleaning up the battlefield, it was confirmed that the six infantry regiments of the 62nd and 65th Divisions were left here, and the nine mountain guns of the 65th Division's artillery battalion were also left behind, but the 62nd Division's artillery battalion was not brought out and remained in Xuzhou.

In addition, the logistics transportation, baggage and other auxiliary troops of the two divisions were also left in Xuzhou.

But overall the impact is not significant. Except for the artillery battalion which can play a certain role, these logistical and supply troops cannot pose a threat to Suxian. Two-thirds of the 15th Army has evaporated.

"Unbutton, unbutton!

"It's unlocked!"

"Really? Then I'm going to drive away!"

On the Jinpu Railway south of Caocun, the 1st and 2nd Divisions gathered together to figure out the armored trains left on the railway line.

This armored train had two locomotives, the second-to-last locomotive and the second-to-last locomotive. In the field artillery armor-piercing shell attack, the locomotive of the second-to-last locomotive was blown up, while the locomotive of the second-to-last locomotive was intact.

The rest of the carriages were also mostly damaged, but after research, the officers and soldiers of the First Division found that although the gun turret of the first locomotive was destroyed and the 20mm flat-fire gun was shot away, the chassis, wheels and running mechanism of the carriage were intact.

With the joint efforts of the officers and soldiers and the Jinpu Railway employees in Suxian, the tattered and burnt-black carriage 345 was freed, and then with a "squeak-squeak-whoosh", the first and second carriages started moving under the push of the steam locomotive.

Once we're moving, we'll head back to Suxian. When the First Division captured Suxian, they didn't find a locomotive at Suxian Station, but they did have some train cars. Now that the An Guojun has sent a locomotive, that's great! It will make it much easier for the First and Second Divisions to maneuver north and south.

Liu Zhi boarded a tattered armored train riddled with holes and escorted Liu Wenzhao, commander of the 15th Army of the Zhilu Allied Forces, back to Suxian. This battle was a huge win for the Second Division, as they not only annihilated an entire division with one, but also unexpectedly captured Liu Wenzhao, commander of the 15th Army.

Who made Liu Wenzhao feel that the armored train was "very safe" so he took it to lead the army in person?

Now there is no need to worry about the enemy in Xuzhou continuing to move south to Suxian. At least we have to wait until the 22nd Army of the Zhilu Allied Forces in Jinan and Zaozhuang arrives in Xuzhou.

"Our army defeated the enemy reinforcements in Subei and annihilated the 62nd and 65th Divisions. The enemy in Xuzhou will be unable to launch an offensive against Suxian for a short time. The 1st and 2nd Divisions suffered light casualties in the battle and can continue to fight. The First Army intends to use the 2nd Division to continue the defense facing Xuzhou, while the entire 1st Division will assemble at the Ruihe River to destroy any An Guojun troops attempting to cross the river.

Chen Tianheng sent a telegram to the front-line headquarters in Bengbu.

Not long after, Bai Chongxi called back.

"The Fourth Army continues to defeat the enemy in front of it and has advanced 10 kilometers. The Anguo Army's Huaihe Group is gradually retreating from the Huaihe River line. Our Seventh Army and Fourteenth Army plan to advance northward across the Huaihe River Bridge tomorrow. Your troops should hold the Huihe River defense line for 3 to 4 days, then withdraw from the Huihe River defense line and let the enemy cross the Huihe River.

Chen Tianheng: "Road: New Road 8 New

"First Army receives this. The railway bridge over the Rui River was blown up by us and cannot be repaired in the short term. Most of the boats the An Guojun had previously collected on the Rui River were destroyed. Even if we surrender the Rui River defense line, the An Guojun Huai River Group will find it difficult to move 100,000 troops across the Rui River and retreat northward in a short period of time. For the enemy, the most likely retreat direction is not crossing the Rui River and returning to Xuzhou. The possibility of retreating westward and northwestward to Mengcheng and Bozhou cannot be ignored. Please consider this matter at the front.

Thank you for your advice

At this stage of the Battle of Jinpu Road, the defeat of the An Guo Army was inevitable, and it all depended on how it was defeated.

The battle plan formulated by Bai Chongxi was to surround three sides and leave one side open, leaving a gap when besieging the Huaihe Group and luring the Huaihe Group to break out through this gap.

The so-called breakout was impossible to escape unscathed. Under the pursuit of the Northern Expedition Army on three sides, even if the army broke through, it would continue to abandon baggage and heavy weapons along the way, especially its heavy artillery. It was almost impossible to march long distances without the railway. In this way, after the breakout, the An Guo Army became weaker and weaker, and it became easier and easier for the Northern Expedition Army to annihilate it.

This is the reason why the side that successfully encircled and annihilated the enemy in so many battles throughout history often used the tactic of surrounding three sides and leaving one side open, and it always worked.

The telegram Chen Tianheng sent to Bai Chongxi was a reminder that the An Guo Army might give up crossing the Rui River and retreat to Xuzhou, turn west and northwest, first retreat to Mengcheng, and then make plans.

Because of the flow direction of the Huaihe River Basin, there were basically no large rivers along the way when the An Guo Army broke out in this direction.

Another reason was that Chen Tianheng also hoped to end the Jinpu Road Campaign as soon as possible. If the Anguo Army forced a crossing of the Hui River, the Northern Expedition Army would also have to cross the Hui River during the pursuit, which would slow down the pace of pursuit and encirclement.

In the General Staff Headquarters, on the table in front of Chen Tianheng was a telegram:

Yang Sen and Xia Douyin Rebelled, and Their Troops Headed for Wuhan

"Discussing Communism"

"For the past 15 years of the Republic of China, the Communist Party has occupied key strategic locations in Wuhan, leveraging the influence of the Communist International to infiltrate the revolutionary government. Using the Prime Minister's tolerance of the Communists as a pretext, they have usurped power. Using the Party to oversee the military and control armed forces, they have engaged in illicit activities, provoking the emotions of workers and peasants and damaging relations with other countries. If this continues, the Republic of China will become a vassal of the Soviet Union."

"Ling Bing (Xia Douyin's courtesy name) has no intention of resisting the Central Committee. He sent troops to Wuhan only to expel the communist elements in Wuhan and prevent Chairman Wang from being misled by the Communist Party. He hopes that Chairman Wang will support him and tell the officials in Wuhan to reflect on themselves and not let the party and the country fall into communism. Xia Douyin, commander of the 14th Independent Division, Yin, Zhi"

Yin, Zhizhonian, that is the telegram sent on March 4, the day before yesterday.

What Xia Douyin meant was: Chairman Wang had good intentions, but he was deceived by the Communist Party. I sent troops to purge the court.

Xia Douyin participated in the Xinhai Revolution as a deputy-command-level officer. His rise to prominence began during the Protection of the Constitution Rebellion of 1917. In July 1926, as the National Revolutionary Army launched its Northern Expedition, Xia Douyin, entrenched at the border of Hunan and Hubei, telegraphed his decision to join the Guangzhou Nationalist Government and participate in the Northern Expedition. He initially served as a division under Tang Shengzhi's 8th Army, but later separated from the 8th Army to become the independent 14th Division, stationed in Yichang in March.

Yang Sen was a Sichuan warlord. Due to his ongoing wars with another Sichuan warlord, Liu Xiang, he sent a telegram after the Northern Expedition began, expressing his intention to join the expedition. While the Kuomintang (KMT) remained indifferent to Yang Sen's actions, the Communist Party (CCP) placed high hopes on him, sending numerous Communist Party members to work with Yang Sen's forces and the areas he controlled.

As a result, Yang Sen rebelled first. At the end of February, Yang Sen and Liu Xiang reached an agreement to temporarily suspend hostility. Yang Sen dispatched Fan Shaozeng out of Sichuan to attack Yichang. Xia Douyin, in Yichang, engaged in a "fake fight" with Fan Shaozeng's troops for several days before suddenly sending a telegram declaring he was no longer fighting and that he was on the same side as Yang Sen.

Chen Tianheng's news was only updated until March 4. The known information is: Xia Douyin's Independent 14th Division and Fan Shaozeng's 7th Division (maybe called Sichuan 3th Division to make it less confusing. Now the Northern Expedition Army has not unified the division-level unit numbers for the entire army, and there is all kinds of confusion) set out from Yichang, advancing both by land and sea, and heading towards Wuhan.

At this time, the British gunboats operating in the Yangtze River wisely left Wuhan and headed downstream.

"Division Commander, in Wuhan lies Tang Shengzhi's Eighth Army, and at the border of Hubei and Henan lies the 11th Army, a powerful division of the Fourth Army. They can reach Wuhan in a matter of days along the Beijing-Hankou Railway. Isn't Xia Douyin's advance into Wuhan this time like hitting a rock with an egg?"

Xu Xiangqian expressed his views.

Chen Tianheng: "This is the first time since the Northern Expedition that a local powerful faction has risen up in rebellion. Whether Xia Douyin can succeed is another matter, but this is a very bad signal in itself.

"I don't know what new instructions the Shanghai Central Committee has." Xu Xiangqian said in a low voice.

Chen Tianheng: "I want to know too. I wonder when Qian Zhuangfei will arrive."

The Yang Sen-Xia Douyin rebellion did not affect the Battle of Jinpu Road. The Jinpu Road battlefield was part of the Eastern Front of the third phase of the Northern Expedition. Although the Fourth Army participated in the battle, the logistics and food supplies were all provided by Chiang Kai-shek.

Therefore, in the telegram to the front command, Bai Chongxi did not mention the matter of Xia Douyin at all.

On the evening of March 6, the 3st Division continued to receive reports from various reconnaissance teams that had infiltrated the river. After demolishing many houses, the An Guo army was actually busy building boats (rafts), apparently preparing to force a crossing of the Rui River with a hundred boats.

But Chen Tianheng was already considering the next phase of the First Division's operations. He ordered the engineering battalion to withdraw the pontoon bridge on the Rui River and to concentrate the bridge equipment and the engineering battalion in Suxian.

This pontoon bridge was built when the First Division marched quickly to capture Su County. It was not on the Ruihe River section in Guzhen, but more than 40 kilometers upstream.

This pontoon bridge will be long enough if it is moved to the vicinity of Guzhen and rebuilt. At that time, the First Division will be able to cross the pontoon bridge and charge into the south of the Rui River.

Morning of May 3th.

After a night of intensive work, the Anguo Army's makeshift boats were still unfinished. Scouts observed at 4 a.m. that only about thirty rafts had been constructed.

But another piece of information the scouts discovered was that the An Guo Army's artillery had moved.

"boom!!"

A large cloud of smoke rose from the first regiment's position on the north bank of the Rui River.

The difference in explosive power between 75mm and 100mm shells is so great that you can see it at a glance, no, you can hear it just by listening.

Chen Tianheng: "Where is the An Guo Army's shelling area?

Zheng Dongguo: "In Xiaobei Bay, the enemy artillery not only bombarded the riverbank but also extended its attack to Dayangzhuang. I have ordered the 5th Company headquarters in Dayangzhuang to move back."

Chen Tianheng: "Be careful, although the An Guo army has lined up more than a hundred raft construction workshops, they may also attack when there are only thirty or forty rafts left.

"I understand! But with thirty or forty rafts and three hundred men coming over like that, wouldn't that be suicide?"

Chen Tianheng: "If you don't die, you'll just be waiting to die right here..."

Chapter 73: The Final Battle of the Northern Expedition (I)

Beijing.

Xinhua Palace (now Zhongnanhai)

Xinhua Palace was the office seat of the Beiyang Government. Of course, the temporary name of the Beiyang Government at that time was "An Guo Military Government". The head of state was Zhang Zuolin, who was also the commander-in-chief of the An Guo Army.

He will probably be the last head of state of the Beiyang regime.

At this time, Zhang Zuolin was furious and walked back and forth in the office. Wherever he passed, pens, ink, paper, newspapers, telegrams, and books were swept to the ground by Zhang Zuolin's big hands.

"Mr. Zhang! Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief! Please calm down and recognize this fact!

Japanese ambassador to China, Kenkichi Yoshizawa, with a poker face, urged Zhang Zuolin to calm down in Japanese-accented Chinese (without emotion).

Yoshizawa Kenkichi graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1899 and later joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He subsequently spent much of his time working throughout China, serving as consul and vice-consul in Xiamen, Shanghai, and Niuzhuang, making him a true China expert. His interactions with Zhang Zuolin were brief, but with the support of Kwantung Army officers and Manchurian Railway managers, who had long collaborated with him, Yoshizawa Kenkichi believed he had a firm grasp of Zhang Zuolin's temperament.

"Face the facts, I face the damn facts!

Yoshizawa Kenkichi: "Commander-in-Chief, the Imperial Japanese Empire has always held that North China is not worth occupying. From the south of Peiping and Tianjin to the north of the Yangtze River, this area has no strategic or economic value. The Northeastern Army should not interfere with these areas. Retreating to Peiping and Tianjin, or even retreating to the Shanhaiguan line, and managing the Northeast is your best strategic choice."

Zhang Zuolin turned to Yoshizawa Kenkichi and said, "My two armies, with 150,000 men, are surrounded in Xuzhou and Bengbu. Can the Great Empire of Japan give me some advice?"

Yoshizawa Kenkichi: "Even with the loss of these two fronts, you still have four under your command. By withdrawing from the northwest battlefield against the Nationalist Army, withdrawing from the Jinghan and Jingpu Road battlefields, reducing your forces and defending Peiping and Tianjin, you can definitely maintain your core territory. As long as you make this strategic adjustment, even if the National Revolutionary Army advances northward, the Empire of Japan will be able to provide assistance."

Zhang Zuolin's cunning eyes flashed: "Japan can help me because there are Japanese troops stationed in Tianjin, right?"

Su County.

North bank of the Rui River.

Chen Tianheng and Xu Xiangqian used telescopes to observe the area along the Rui River called Xiaobei Bay.

The Hui River makes an inverted "S" shape at Xiaobeiwan, meaning there's a raised, almost peninsula-like terrain on the north bank, surrounded on three sides by the opposite bank. Similarly, there's a raised terrain on the south bank, surrounded on three sides by the north bank.

The second battle of the An Guo Army to cross the Rui River took place here.

On March 7, the Fengtian Army's fierce artillery bombardment lasted all day. The heavy artillery of the 75th Mountain Army, the 77th Field Army, and the Artillery Corps plowed the northern shore of Xiaobei Bay. The 100mm howitzers also fired hundreds of shells at Dayangzhuang and Xiaoyangzhuang deep in the north, probably trying to rob the Northern Expedition Army's mountain artillery positions.

In fact, it was of no use. The First Division had only two platoons of troops at the front line of Xiaobei Bay. The motorized mountain artillery was usually stationed in a safe area north of Guzhen. The mountain artillery towed by cars would maneuver in the direction of the river section from which the An Guojun crossed. It would arrive at the scene in 10 minutes at most, giving the An Guojun who had worked hard to cross the river a surprise.

On the morning of March 8, after the last round of covering fire on Xiaobei Bay, the An Guojun's seven wooden boats and more than 60 rafts set out from the small river branches where they were hiding and swarmed across the river.

The assembled fleet was intercepted by mortar fire from the First Division as soon as it set out, and lost one-third of its rafts.

The Fengtian Army's death squad, which forced a crossing of the Hui River, was given fifty silver dollars each before its departure. With this generous reward, the remaining wooden boats and rafts bravely pressed forward, only to be subjected to another round of light but surprisingly accurate light and heavy machine gun fire.

Less than half of the remaining death squad finally climbed onto the north bank and gained a foothold on the raised peninsula, which was only 500x300 meters long and wide. The wooden boats and rafts turned back to the other side to load the second wave of landing troops. Just when Zhang Zongchang and Zhang Xueliang, who were supervising the battle, thought victory was in sight, the mountain artillery of the First Division opened fire.

Under the rapid fire of mountain artillery, more than half of the wooden boats carrying the second wave of landing troops were destroyed, and almost all of the rafts were blown apart. There was no second wave of landing reinforcements.

The generals of the An Guo Army watched helplessly as the four or five hundred people who landed on the opposite bank were eaten up bit by bit by the Northern Expedition Army. By the evening of March 8, the other side of Xiaobei Bay was completely silent.