The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Huang Jinrong held an umbrella, and Zhang Jingjiang stood by the river, watching the fishing boat sail to a place more than 200 meters away from the Huangpu River Pier, and then with a splash, pushed the big sack into the Huangpu River.

Only then did Zhang Jingjiang breathe a sigh of relief: "Forget it, Ruan Lingyu doesn't have a boyfriend now. Let's go."

Cafe.

"You mean, maybe United Reading will move? To another city?

Chen Tianheng: "Yes, there is a great possibility. However, there is also a certain possibility that they will not move and continue to stay in Shanghai. The probability of staying is about one in four."

Mao Dun was stunned when he heard this, and then he leaned over to Chen Tianheng and asked quietly: "Can we take Shanghai?"

Chen Tianheng: “It’s one of the alternative options, but not the most likely one.

Mao Dun: "Alas. Now, not only in Shanghai, but throughout the country, the situation is very tense. Military leaders from all provinces and regions are making statements one after another, either declaring their intention to split from the Communist Party or to eliminate it. I just received news that teachers and students from the Whampoa Military Academy's Wuhan branch have been detained at Huangshi Port. Perhaps Wang Jingwei is about to start a massacre..."

"Wait a minute," Chen Tianheng asked, "When did this happen? Where did you get this information, Old Shen?"

Mao Dun: "Morning paper, tomorrow's morning paper news. Didn't our United Reading Group acquire a newspaper? Before I left, I saw the newspaper's draft for tomorrow's morning paper being typeset.

Here's the thing.

On the morning of April 8th, over 200 Party members, teachers, and students from the Whampoa Military Academy Wuhan Branch, along with some leftist Kuomintang students, boarded a Yangtze River passenger ferry from Wuhan, bound for Anqing, to report to the Fourth Army. Around noon, the ferry docked at Huangshi Port in Daye County to refuel and disembark passengers. Just then, Ye Qi, commander of the 1st Division (Hunan 1st Division) of the 35th Army of the Northern Expedition, suddenly led his troops into the dock, seized the ferry, and arrested and forced over 200 teachers and students off the ship.

Ye Qi's argument was that on April 7, armed workers and peasants in Daye suddenly launched an uprising. After a day of fierce fighting with the Hunan 1st Division, over 500 armed workers and peasants gradually lost their strength and were driven back to two hills near the mining area. The next day, a passenger ship arrived on the Yangtze River carrying over 200 well-trained Whampoa Military Academy students, all of whom were Communist Party members. Ye Qi believed these were reinforcements coming to support the Daye uprising and must be arrested as well.

The news of this incident did not come out until the afternoon. When the Shanghai newspaper received the information via telegram, it only had time to publish it in the next morning's edition. However, Mao Dun saw the news article in the newspaper in advance.

"The current information was released by Ye Qi of the 35th Army, and it represents Ye Qi's views," Mao Dun said. "The actual situation may not be like this."

Chen Tianheng: "The fact that Ye Qi easily detained and arrested these two hundred people means they definitely didn't carry any weapons or ammunition, making it impossible for them to go to Daye to support the uprising. They were heading to Anqing to join the Fourth Army. But who on earth did the Hunan 1st Division in Daye receive the intelligence, or instructions, to precisely seize this civilian passenger ship?"

Mao Dun: "Wang Jingwei may have wanted to get rid of the Communist Party students at the Wuhan branch, but he didn't want to do it himself, so he found Ye Qi and asked him to do it.

Chen Tianheng stood up and said: "Things are changing too fast, I have to rush back to Nanjing.

Mao Dun: "Leaving now? There are no trains to Nanjing now.

Chen Tianheng snapped his fingers, and Guo Rugui, who was outside the cafe, teleported in front of the two of them: "Commander, what's going on?"

Chen Tianheng: "The reconnaissance team will be disbanded and will return to Nanjing at 8 am tomorrow.

Guo Rugui: "It seems like you have arranged a dinner with Zhang Jingjiang tomorrow.

Chapter 87, Order No. 66, Activation

….Humph. Humph, Wang Zhaoming's move is too insidious.

"He's clearly using Ye Qi to eliminate our Whampoa teachers and students and cultivate his own officer power. His intentions are sinister!"

Chiang Kai-shek was indignant and paced back and forth in the reception room.

Chen Tianheng's face was expressionless, but his mind was filled with questions. Ye Qi had arrested teachers and students from the Wuhan branch of the Whampoa Military Academy at Huangshi Port in Daye and threatened them with execution. Wang Jingwei in Wuhan feigned ignorance, while the Wuhan Central Committee and the Communist International remained calm. Only Chiang Kai-shek was.

What is going on here??

The key point is that they even invited Chen Tianheng from his own hotel to the hotel that was booked by the headquarters overnight...

Chiang Kai-shek also knew that this group of teachers and students were mainly Communist Party members and Kuomintang members, and the first few sentences came from his mouth.

Chen Tianheng: "Students believe that Huangpu's affairs should be resolved by Huangpu itself, and no one other than the principal has the right to deal with the teachers and students of an entire branch school.

"That's right. That's right. I've already sent an urgent telegram to Daye, reprimanding Ye Qi and ordering him to take good care of these 200 or so Whampoa students and teachers and send them to Nanjing on a chosen day. The military academy is going to move to Nanjing, after all. Tianheng, draft a speech in the name of the Whampoa students. Tomorrow morning, there will be a meeting at headquarters, and on their behalf, you will appeal to Ye Qi to release them."

Chiang Kai-shek nodded heavily. Chen Tianheng finally understood his thoughts!

Even if the students of Huangpu Military Academy joined the Communist Party, they were misguided and should be saved. It is not your turn as a division commander of the Hunan faction to take the lead, Zhang!

Chen Tianheng was so embarrassed that he had to adjust his plan again.

I have to write a speech tonight and attend a meeting tomorrow, so I won’t be able to return to Nanjing tomorrow morning.

However, based on the information revealed during Chiang Kai-shek's late-night meeting, this incident wasn't a precursor to a breakup. Chen Tianheng speculated that this was either a covert instruction from Wang Jingwei, or that the Wuhan Central Committee/Comintern were genuinely planning a riot around Wuhan, and the Wuhan Nationalist Government was preparing for it.

Such a ruthless plan of violent evasion was certainly naive, but under the command of the Communist International, Wuhan did many naive things.

The next day, Chen Tianheng read his official speech at the meeting. Chiang Kai-shek, in the name of the Northern Expedition Army Headquarters, asked Ye Qi to bring the teachers and students of the Wuhan branch to Nanjing for education.

After the meeting, Chiang Kai-shek continued to talk to Chen Tianheng and mentioned that all members of the Ningbo Municipal Party Committee of the Kuomintang had been captured.

"Principal, when we marched into Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai in January, the Hangzhou Municipal Party Committee gave strong support to the First Division," Chen Tianheng said. "They found a large number of train cars and locomotives for the First Division, and ensured that the staff at the railway stations were on duty so that the assault trains could pass smoothly. The Kuomintang Party Committees in the southeastern provinces still strongly supported the Northern Expedition.

Chiang Kai-shek: "When the Hangzhou Municipal Party Committee was established, its members were all my most trusted party members, and they would naturally strongly support the Northern Expedition. This is not the case with Ningbo. The Ningbo Party Committee has been seriously infiltrated by the Communist Party. During the raid on the party committee this time, one-third of the secret Communist Party members were identified. In addition, during the city-wide search in Ningbo, a senior Communist Party member was unexpectedly captured.

Chen Tianheng: "This is a big deal. I wonder how high the official is?

"According to a tip-off, a high-ranking Communist Party official went to Ningbo to inspect work and was apprehended during a raid. Their name and identity are being confirmed.

April 9, noon. Huangshi Harbor.

At that time, Daye was Daye County, and Huangshi City was just Huangshi Port, the core of which was a modern ore transportation terminal built for transporting Daye iron ore.

At noon, a passenger ship came from downstream and docked at Huangshi Port. "Bang bang--" "Bang bang--"

Cai Shenxi led a commando team composed of the 25th Division Reconnaissance Battalion to jump off the ship:

The Fourth Army is moving! Put down your guns!"

Thirty kilometers behind the reconnaissance battalion's passenger ship, an entire fleet was sailing rapidly on the Yangtze River.

Ye Ting and Zuo Quan were on the bow ship. Ye Ting stood at the bow, gazing at the rolling Yangtze River with a frown.

The 25th Division was on the move. From yesterday afternoon to evening, the entire 25th Division and some officers and soldiers of the 24th Division left the Fourth Army and, under the leadership of Ye Ting, went up the river and headed straight for Huangshi.

Zuo Quan: "Commander, the order from Wuhan is to rescue the teachers and students of the Huangpu Military Academy, link up with the Daye armed forces, and march to Wuhan. The first two combat objectives are easy to accomplish, but what can we, a division and a half, accomplish in Wuhan?"

Ye Ting's brows were furrowed because he was worried about this matter. Zuo Quan's question made Ye Ting even more worried. "Zuo Quan, just make a battle plan.

Zuo Quan: "The battle plans for the first and second targets are complete. As for the third plan, I need to take Daye and confirm the number of armed workers and peasants in Daye before I can formulate a plan."

Zhou Shidi: "When we set out, we had not yet received any information from Secretary Chen Duxiu in Shanghai."

Ye Ting: "There was no instruction from Shanghai, but the Military Department sent instructions. Under the circumstances, I had no choice but to do this.

Zhou Shidi: "I'm afraid it's because our communication channel has just been opened, and Chen Duxiu's first letter is still on the way..."

Ye Ting: "Besides, the more than 200 teachers and students of the Whampoa Military Academy Wuhan Branch are being detained here. It is indeed very dangerous. The emperor is far away. If Ye Qi acts on his own, by the time everyone reacts, they will have no choice but to come and collect the bodies.

Zhou Shidi, Zuo Quan: "..

The main fleet approached Huangshi Port. One kilometer away, Ye Ting and others saw the flagpole of the port. In addition to a flagpole with the Blue Sky and White Sun flag, there was also a flagpole with the flag of the National Revolutionary Army. This indicated that the division reconnaissance battalion had taken control of the dock.

"Report to the commander! The reconnaissance battalion has taken control of the dock and rescued the teachers and students of the branch school!"

Ye Ting strode down the gangway and asked, "No teachers or students from the branch school were killed, right?"

"No! All 207 people are being held in the warehouse, and they're heading to the docks now!"

"Commander Ye.

Yun Daiying, who was leading the Whampoa teachers and students to the dock, saluted. Ye Ting saluted in return: "Instructor Yun, we can't go to Anqing. I left Anqing without permission and took a division of the Fourth Army with me."

Yun Daiying: "If the Anqing Fourth Army cannot find a place to stay, where should we go?

Ye Ting: "The instructions I received when I set out from Anqing were to attack Wuhan after rescuing you in Huangshi.

Yun Daiying: “That’s unlikely.

There are now four armies and two Sichuan Army divisions surrounding Wuhan. A month ago, they came from afar to rebel, and now they may rebel at any time. There are two armies in northern Hubei and southern Henan, and one army in Hunan," Xiong Xiong said, "We can't take Wuhan.

"Stop talking about this!" Ye Ting shouted at the top of his voice. "Zhou Shidi, Chen Geng, your two regiments will march to Daye immediately. Once you control Huangshi in Daye, count the armed workers and peasants here and see how many you can add to the 24th and 25th Divisions!"

Wuhan.

3 pm.

Fan Shaozeng's 7th Sichuan Division suddenly left the military camp and entered Hankou in three routes.

"Listen up! The Communist Party is committing treason. All of you must be investigated right here and now!

Surrounded by many soldiers, Fan Shaozeng strode into Hankou Yixun Girls' Middle School (Wuhan National Girls' School). More than 400 teachers and students of the school had been driven out of the dormitories and classrooms and gathered on the playground.

"We are not plotting treason!" "We are not Communists!"

Fan Shaozeng: "Do they say whether you are a Communist or not by putting words on your forehead? How can we know if you are a Communist or not without interrogating you? Take them all away in groups of five, five by five!"

"Teacher, how about a group of 10? Otherwise there won't be enough for a whole class!"

Fan Shaozeng kicked him and said, "Divide, divide, divide your head!"

In Wuchang, all members of Xia Douyin's troops stationed outside the city were mobilized to block several gates leading out of Wuchang.

"I forbid the citizens of Wuchang from entering or leaving the city!" Xia Douyin shouted at the gate, "until all the communist traitors are killed!"

"You received orders but I didn't! Xia Douyin, don't mess around!" shouted the guarding officer on the city gate.

"This is Chairman Wang's order!

Shanghai.

It was Zhang Jingjiang who invited Chen Tianheng to dinner, but Chen Tianheng arrived at the restaurant half an hour early.

These are extraordinary times. Although Chiang Kai-shek has not shown any abnormal behavior at the moment, there are undercurrents throughout Shanghai, and we must be extremely careful.

After waiting outside the hotel for a while, Guo Rugui emerged from behind a building and gestured to indicate that he had surveyed the surrounding area and that the situation was safe. Chen Tianheng then strode into the hotel and entered the still empty private room.

“This is today’s evening paper.

"Thank you."

Chen Tianheng took the newspaper.

Article at the bottom of the front page:

"Denounce Zhang Guotao, the Traitor to Our Party" - Chen Duxiu

"Recently, Zhang Guotao, a member of the Central Executive Committee of our Party, announced his withdrawal from the Party in Ningbo."

"I personally express my deep indignation at Zhang Guotao's two-faced behavior...

Chen Tianheng stood up suddenly!

Zhang Guotao rebelled!

In 1922, the Second National Congress of the Communist Party of China...

Yes, Chen Tianheng attended the meeting as the recorder and argued with Zhang Guotao.

Fortunately, the National Congress of the Party at that time was not crowded with hundreds or thousands of people. There were only 13 representatives attending the Second Congress, plus him and Jiang Xianyun, the two recorders.

These 13 people were indeed representatives of the rare party members in the country at that time. Each of them had a name and left their name in history. As of yesterday, everyone was still safe.

But not anymore.

Zhang Guotao was arrested. According to Chen Duxiu's article, Zhang Guotao announced his withdrawal from the party after his arrest.

Chen Tianheng immediately thought of what Chiang Kai-shek had said to him today: When they raided the KMT headquarters in Ningbo, they accidentally captured a big Communist Party leader in Ningbo, but his identity had not yet been confirmed.

It is obvious that this big boss is Zhang Guotao.

If Chen Tianheng's estimate is correct, Qian Zhuangfei was on his way to Nanjing to deliver a letter, and Shen Yanbing was temporarily unreachable. After Chen Duxiu realized that Zhang Guotao had lost contact in Ningbo, he immediately bought newspaper space and published this statement, intending to remind himself. This was because when party members (including senior cadres) announced their withdrawal from the party, Chen Duxiu had never used newspaper space to curse them in this way.

Looking out the window, Chen Tianheng gestured, and Cai Qingchuan, who was standing guard outside the hotel, walked in: "Commander?"

Chen Tianheng tore a blank piece of paper from the newspaper and wrote on it

"Activate Order No. 66. Chen Tianheng"

Give it to Cai Qingchuan.

Chen Tianheng: "Go to the telegraph office and send this telegram to the First Division via the public line. Urgent. Recipients: Chen Mingren and Xu Xiangqian. Go immediately!"

"yes!"

Cai Qingchuan saluted and left. Chen Tianheng stood there for more than ten seconds, thinking about how to get out, when the door of the private room was pushed open again.

Well, it seems that leaving without saying goodbye is not an option.

"Supervisor Zhang.

Chen Tianheng bowed.

Zhang Jingjiang: "Tianheng, you're here so early. Look, who is this? Can you recognize him?"

Chen Tianheng took a deep breath: "Hello, Miss Ruan Lingyu.