The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

"The revolutionary armed forces swept across the Yangtze River Delta..."

"Reporting that the officers and soldiers of the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division are learning to sing the division song!

Feng Dafei, staff officer and party representative of the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division, reported to Chen Tianheng.

Chen Tianheng: "Very good, the singing is very loud. Have the troops had lunch yet?"

"We have eaten. Just before lunch, the soldiers asked why they couldn't sing a song before eating, like the First Division did. The Party organization accepted the soldiers' suggestion and started teaching songs in the afternoon.

Chen Tianheng: "The method of teaching songs is very good. It is a very important part of team cohesion. How many soldiers in the First Regiment are willing to stay?"

"The vast majority. Of the 1,700 men in the Fourth Regiment, over 1,400 volunteered to stay. Almost the entire First Regiment stayed.

Second Division Song: "Soldiers, Charge!"

(East German People's Army, "Grenztrupenlied")

Chen Tianheng had already written the song last month, and members of the established Party organization within the Second Division had already been learning to sing it in a small group. Today, the division song was officially released, and members of the organization were teaching the entire division to sing it.

The number of officers and soldiers from the Second Division willing to remain also exceeded previous expectations. Chen Tianheng had previously estimated that around 3,000 of the 7,400-man Second Division would join the uprising. The current tally is over 3,800, almost half. The Fourth Regiment, which remained at nearly full strength, could be combat-ready without having to wait for reinforcements at the Hunan-Jiangxi border.

"Report, sir.

In the morning, the officers and soldiers who had joined the uprising were practicing songs in the playground, while those who had said they wanted to return to Nanjing were in the dormitory, packing their bags or doing whatever they wanted. At this time, a young officer pushed open the door and left the dormitory.

"Sir, I...have changed my mind. I don't want to go back to Nanjing. I want to join the Second Division now."

Feng Dafei: "Wang Yi, deputy platoon leader of the second platoon of the seventh company. Why did you change your mind?"

Wang Yi touched his nose and said: "I was very hesitant before. Now, I think it would be good if the Second Division could be the same as the First Division in the future.

Chen Tianheng: "From now on, the Second Division will not only have its own unit song like the First Division, but also all the other things the First Division has. However, what the officers and soldiers of the First Division must do, the Second Division must also do.

Wang Yi: "Commander, I can give it a try.

Chen Tianheng looked at Feng Dafei. Feng Dafei was the one who was most familiar with the situation, so he should be the one to make the decision.

"Okay, gather over there.

Fengcheng, southwest of Nanchang, on the west bank of the Ganjiang River.

Teachers and students from the 25th Division, the 15th Independent Division, part of the 24th Division, and the Huangpu Wuhan Branch gathered here.

Although the Nanchang defenders were frightened by the "Iron Army" and stayed indoors, Ye Ting weighed the pros and cons and decided not to attack Nanchang.

Ammunition was running low, and troop strength was steadily declining. Taking into account casualties from the Huangshi-Daye battles and desertions during the recent march, the 25th Division now had about 5,000 combat-ready men, and parts of the 24th Division had about 1,000 men. He Long's 15th Independent Division had suffered the most from desertions, leaving only 3,000 men of the 5,000-man division.

After setting up camp in Fengcheng, Ye Ting immediately sent scouts into the mountains to the southwest. Today, they contacted the farmers' association in the mountains. The farmers' association told Ye Ting that Mao Runzhi and Guo Liang were on their way from southern Hunan. The journey was not short, and they had to walk the entire way, which would take at least two days and at most four days to arrive.

During these two agonizing days, Ye Ting's troops welcomed two special guests.

"Director Zhou.

Ye Ting shook hands with Zhou Enlai and then with Ren Bishi: "Commissioner Ren.

(Wuhan) Two of the seven members of the Central Military Commission met with Ye Ting

Ren Bishi: "Hello, Comrade Ye Ting.

Zhou Enlai: "Comrade Ye Ting, the previous instructions issued by the Military Department to advance on Nanchang and then through Jiangxi and Fujian to establish a base in eastern Guangdong probably did not take into account the current actual situation of your unit. The two of us are here to remind you that everything depends on the specific circumstances and that eastern Guangdong is not a must-go destination.

Ye Ting: "Is this the latest instruction from the Military Department?

Ren Bishi: "No. The two of us do not represent the decision of the military department that has already gone to Xi'an.

Ye Ting: "Commissioner Ren, Director Zhou, in fact, Comrade Chen Duxiu's Central Committee gave me the advice that we should join forces with the peasant armed forces on the Hunan-Jiangxi border near Nanchang to strengthen our forces and then make plans.

Ren Bishi: "The mass base in southern and central Hunan has been destroyed, but I heard that Mao Runzhi still retains some peasant associations and peasant armed forces on the Hunan-Jiangxi border. However, how many people and guns will we have after the reunion? Will it be enough to achieve the ultimate goal?"

Ye Ting: "I don't know. ... Mao Runzhi is still on his way, and Chiang Kai-shek's First Army's divisions, the First and Second Divisions, have already docked in Jiujiang. Chen Tianheng is unloading his baggage and artillery in an orderly manner. His artillery battalion has five artillery companies..."

Qian Deng Ruoxian and 10 soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion set out on horseback from Niuxing Station in plain clothes. After traveling more than ten kilometers south, they finally saw soldiers wearing Northern Expedition uniforms near Fengcheng.

"Which unit are you from?" Qian Deng Ruoxian shouted, "73rd, 74th, or 75th Regiment? If it's the 73rd, please go back and tell Zhou Shidi. If it's the 74th, please go back and tell Chen Jianzhijie. If it's the 75th, please go back and tell Jiang Xianyun that Qian Deng Ruoxian has arrived!"

A few minutes later, Jiang Xianyun rushed out: "Qian Deng Ruoxian!

"It's me! I'm here to deliver a letter to Ye Ting!"

Jiang Xianyun: "Is that the case?"

"Yes, yes! That's it!

Ye Ting was worried about how to deal with Chen Tianheng's five artillery companies. At this time, Jiang Xianyun came rushing over with Qian Deng Ruxian.

Ye Ting: "Are you Qian Deng Ruoxian, Director of the Intelligence Department of the First Division's General Staff?"

"Yes. Deputy Commander Ye, here is your letter.

Ye Ting opened the envelope and found two letters inside.

Ye Ting was very familiar with the envelope of the first letter. When he opened it, he found the handwriting familiar too, it was Chen Duxiu's.

…What?

Chen Duxiu's letter was sent to me by someone from the First Division's General Staff?!

The second letter was of course written by Chen Tianheng.

As he watched, the muscles on Ye Ting's face began to twitch.

"Jiang Xianyun! Chen Geng!" Ye Ting shouted.

"Here!" "Here, Commander.

Ye Ting shook the letter in his hand and asked, "Did you two, and Zhou Shidi, know about this a long time ago?"

Chen Geng: "Ah"

Jiang Xianyun: "This"

Ye Ting: "You two, you, Zuo Quan, and Zhou Shidi—yes, it must be Zhou Shidi—go out and run five kilometers and come back. This is an order!"

Several people turned around and walked out of the headquarters. When Chen Geng left the room, he suddenly remembered something:

"Commander, there is also Cai Shenxi. According to the principle of treating the same nature the same way, he must also run with him."

Ye Ting: "Selling out teammates, okay, you're responsible for calling him!"

"And Zhou Yiqun!"

"And Yan Kui wants it!

"besides.…".

Nanchang.

"What is your purpose in coming to Nanchang?"

The Nanchang city gates were wide open, indicating that the city's defenders were not on high alert. However, at the gate, the commander of the 24th Regiment of the Third Army still asked a routine question.

Because Xu Xiangqian and Zheng Dongguo revealed their designations outside the city: the First Army, the First Division.

"We are the First Division of the First Army of the National Revolutionary Army," Xu Xiangqian said. "Ye Ting's troops are gathering on the Gan River, intending to sweep into Nanchang. The First Army has been ordered to suppress the rebellion. Commander Chen intends to use the Second Division as the main assault force, while our troops will enter Nanchang to reinforce the city's defenses and annihilate the enemy at its gates. Please arrange barracks, food, and lodging for our troops immediately."

"Yes, sir! ...That's great!" The commander of the 24th Regiment finally confirmed the news of "reinforcements arriving" and immediately broke down in tears: "My troops have been so nervous these past few days, really so nervous!"

"With the arrival of the First Army, Nanchang City will be saved!"

Chapter 93: Gathering in Nanchang

At this time, there were not as many troops stationed in Nanchang City as in the original history.

The OTL garrison in Nanchang was largely due to a rivalry between Wang Jingwei and Chiang Kai-shek. While Wang Jingwei and Chiang Kai-shek weren't exchanging insults, they were instead vying for control of the eastern front against Chiang and the western front against Wang. Nanchang became the battleground for the two governments in Nanjing and Hanzhong. At this point, the Wang-Chiang conflict wasn't about attacking each other. Chiang Kai-shek simply seized on Wang Jingwei's weaknesses, accusing him of allowing the Communist Party to erode the Kuomintang over the previous two years and demanding his resignation. Wang Jingwei, on the other hand, accused Chiang Kai-shek of massacring Kuomintang headquarters and undermining the party's foundation, demanding his resignation.

There were a total of 5,000 defenders in Nanchang City. However, because this was the headquarters/Northern Expedition Army Headquarters where Chiang Kai-shek stayed for more than three months, a large amount of supplies and funds were still stored in Nanchang.

At 7 p.m., Xu Xiangqian reported: The 1st and 3rd Regiments had taken control of the entire city of Nanchang. All four garrison regiments were disarmed, and only two small-scale battles occurred during this period.

The news was transmitted via the Nanchang-Jiujiang telephone line, and Xu Xiangqian had already entered Nanchang. After he finished speaking, he handed the microphone to Zhu De.

“I’m Zhu De.

Chen Tianheng: "Hello, Senior Zhu. Thank you for your great assistance today.

Zhu De: "We are all Party members. How can we not assist? But I want to ask, what happened to the Military Department? Why haven't they contacted me for a month?

Chen Tianheng: "The Wuhan Central Military Department hasn't contacted you in the past month?"

This still requires Chen Tianheng to go to Nanchang in person to meet with General Zhu, reconcile the accounts of both sides, and list the situation before it can be sorted out clearly.

By the way, when they arrived in Nanchang, Ye Ting’s troops should have emerged from the mountains outside the city.

"Instructor Liu. Old Hu.

Liu Zhi and Hu Zongnan had already boarded the passenger ship. Chen Tianheng said a few final words to the two men at the dock.

Liu Zhi: "Well, hi, hey!"

Chen Tianheng: "I feel really sorry that you didn't stay.

Liu Zhi: "Well, hi, hey!"

Hu Zongnan: "Chen Tianheng, betraying the principal is not good after all.

Chen Tianheng: "But the principal has betrayed the doctrine. There is nothing we can do about it. Hu Zongnan, it's not that we shouldn't respect teachers, but the doctrine should still come before the teacher-student relationship. This may be different from what you learned in the private school you attended before, but times have indeed changed.

The passenger ship left Jiujiang Wharf and headed downstream.

During the morning count, over 3,800 soldiers of the Second Division expressed their willingness to remain. During the afternoon and afternoon, perhaps drawn by the Second Division's marching song, over a hundred more soldiers changed their minds and agreed to stay. Now, a total of 4066 soldiers remained, more than half of the Second Division's personnel.

After seeing off Liu Zhi and Hu Zongnan, Chen Tianheng prepared to depart for Nanchang. Just then, a passenger ship came barreling downriver. A newly built, 20s-era high-speed passenger ship with an internal combustion engine, it was running at full steam, rumbling and belching black smoke as it raced upstream.

"I am He Yingqin! Your army commander!!"

Chen Tianheng: "Hello, Instructor He.

He Yingqin walked onto the dock and said, "Chen Tianheng, a high-ranking Communist Party official who defected has said that you are a Communist. The principal was shocked, but he still didn't quite believe it. I was actually in Anqing this morning to purge the Fourth Army, and the principal sent a telegram asking me to come to Jiujiang to question you in person. ... It seems that there is no need to ask now."

Chen Tianheng: "There's really no need to ask.

"Why did you betray the leader? Why did you betray the Three Principles of the People?!"

Chen Tianheng: "It's true that I parted ways with the president, but I didn't betray the Three Principles of the People," he said. "In fact, it wasn't me who betrayed the Three Principles of the People. Nationalism, democracy, and people's livelihood—these three things my comrades and I have always strived for. But the current Kuomintang and the president may not truly want to achieve them."

"But as long as we stay within the Kuomintang and work together to bring about change, there's always hope for it! Why should we follow the evil path of communism?" He Yingqin pointed his finger toward the sky in anger. "Following the Communist Party will lead to death!"

"If my own efforts could change something," Chen Tianheng said, "then I would choose to change the Communist Party. This is the most feasible way to save China and the Chinese people. We have now regained our 'nationality' and will change more things in the future, but the Kuomintang cannot make these changes. Even if you change, there will still be a force that will emerge and pull everything back.

He Yingqin realized that he could not persuade Chen Tianheng to come back.

"A couple of days ago, a bunch of ships were heading upstream on the Yangtze River, as if the entire river's cargo ships had been secured. Of course, I knew it was the First and Second Divisions moving troops upstream. You packed up all the equipment and supplies for the two divisions, timed it perfectly, and then turned against them as soon as the last shipload of cargo reached Jiujiang. He truly is the Whampoa Military Academy's top general, meticulous in everything he does.

"Of the eight divisions of the First Army, only the First and Second Divisions are genuine Whampoa troops," He Yingqin lamented. "The entire First Division went with you, and half of the Second Division went with you. All three regiments have been torn to pieces. Communist Party troops... Chen Tianheng, are you really not going to leave me a single regiment?"

"Instructor He, that's not the case." Chen Tianheng said seriously, "I leave the military band to you.

He Yingqin's eyes went dark and he almost fell to the ground.

From now on, there are two first armies on the land of China.

He Yingqin was the commander of Chiang Kai-shek's First Army.

Chen Tianheng, unfazed by the First Army, appointed himself commander. Under his command were the First and Second Divisions, as well as the 20th Division, which was undoubtedly one of his own. It could now be called the "Changzhou Island Nursing School Corps." Furthermore, the 20th Division itself housed many students from the 4th, 5th, and 6th classes.

In addition to eliminating the Communists in Guangdong, Li Jishen was also secretly trying to destroy the Whampoa Military Academy, Chiang Kai-shek's base. Ye Jianying was responsible for guarding the Whampoa Military Academy and preventing Li Jishen from entering with ill intentions.

The commander of the 1st Division was Xu Xiangqian, with Wei Lihuang as chief of staff. The commander of the 2nd Division was Du Yuming, with Lu Deming as chief of staff.

The Chief of Staff of the First Army is currently Chen Mingren. Chen Mingren is somewhat uneasy about the position of Army Chief of Staff – commanding an army is completely different from commanding a division. However, there is no one else who can take on the position of Chief of Staff of the First Army, so Chen Tianheng has forced Chen Mingren into the position.

Self-awareness is a good quality, but sometimes it cannot be completely based on this. The courage to accept challenges is also a quality that cannot be ignored.

"Of the troops heading towards Wuhan, the 11th Army did not participate in the pursuit of Ye Ting due to their friendship with the Guangdong Army. The 35th Army and the 10th Army were extremely afraid of Ye Ting's 25th Division. When Ye Ting evacuated Daye, they pursued him like a rigged ball, advancing less than 20 kilometers a day. When they learned that the 1st and 2nd Divisions were going to Jiujiang to support the encirclement and suppression of Ye Ting, the two armies simply stopped moving. Now they are still 40 kilometers away from De'an.

The train from Jiujiang to Nanchang passes through De'an.

Chen Tianheng: "They thought that the 1st and 2nd Divisions would deal with Ye Ting's troops. The 35th Army and the 10th Army were not able to deal with Ye Ting. The gap in combat power was too great, so they would not come to join in the fun.

Chen Mingren: "They don't know about our uprising yet. If they knew, what would their reaction be? Would they just turn around and run?"

Several people in the car laughed.

Chen Tianheng: "Even if they're scared and don't dare come, we'll still have to evacuate Jiujiang after transferring the supplies to Nanchang. There are too many gunboats in the Yangtze River. It's said that there's only one warship on our side... and it's offshore. De'an is the outpost, and the main line of defense is in Yongxiu County, where we fought the first battle on the Nanxun Line.

Xu Xiangqian: "Commander, how long will we stay in Nanchang?