The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Deng Yanda: "So you and Mao Runzhi's idea is to take Guangzhou, because Guangzhou has an arsenal and can produce weapons independently. If you can't take Guangzhou, why not just rely on your own strength in the interior?"

Chen Tianheng: "Taking Guangzhou is not just relying on the Shibing Arsenal to be self-reliant. In fact, after taking Guangzhou, we may still get Soviet weapons. However, as we have Guangzhou, we may have another choice. Instead of waiting for Soviet aid, we can make an equal exchange.

Li Dazhao: "Equivalent exchange?"

Chen Tianheng: "The difference between Guangzhou and Chaoshan is that Guangzhou is huge. In Chaoshan, we have nothing. The only thing we can give away is immigrants... As far as I know, the Soviet Union doesn't need immigrants right now. This means that in Chaoshan, we can only accept free aid. Guangzhou, as the central city of the Pearl River Delta, even though it started out as an agricultural and commercial city, relies on the agricultural output of the entire Pearl River Basin. This makes it possible for us not to accept Soviet aid but to trade with the Soviet Union, so that both sides can get what they need. Or even if Guangzhou doesn't have what the Soviet Union needs, we can still earn money through import and export trade to buy Soviet goods."

Mao Runzhi: "In addition to trading with the Soviet Union, we can also trade with other countries. The Soviet Union is also trading with the United States and Britain. Are Britain and the United States trying to suppress the Soviet revolution? No. Are Britain and the United States aiding the Soviet Union and supporting Soviet communism? No. It's just an equal exchange."

Deng Yanda: "I don't object to our revolutionary government being centered in Guangzhou. After all, Guangzhou is definitely better than Chaoshan. However, with our current armed forces, of course, each unit is very powerful, but the total number is only more than 20,000. If Mao Runzhi's rural base can provide troops, it can be expanded to 40,000 to 50,000. However, Li Jishen's Eighth Route Army in Guangdong has 100,000 people, and there are also 100,000 local militias. The New Fourth Army is the foundation of the old Guangdong Army, and there is also the 20th Division of the First Army stationed at the Whampoa Military Academy. Its strength should not be underestimated.

Chen Tianheng and Mao Runzhi exchanged glances, and Chen Tianheng said: "Indeed, it is very difficult to capture Guangzhou, but we should make an attempt. If we can capture Guangzhou, the future revolutionary cause will be much smoother.

Chen Tianheng and Mao Runzhi knew the details of the 20th Division, but Deng Yanda did not.

However, the current situation of the 20th Division is rather delicate, and whether it can serve as an insider is unknown.

Chen Jicheng, commander of the 20th Division, was invited to Shanghai by Chiang Kai-shek in March and stayed there for a long time. Now, Ye Jianying, the acting commander of the 20th Division and former chief of staff, has also been invited to Shanghai.

"War Research Society, War Research Society!"

"The War Research Society is the society Chen Tianheng uses to train spies within the Communist Party!"

"Cang Bai! You must tell me, is there still a War Research Society in the 20th Division? How many members are there in the War Research Society?!"

When Chiang Kai-shek saw Ye Jianying, he roared hysterically.

The uprisings of the First Division, the Second Division, and even Ye Ting's troops were all led by the War Research Society. This fact is not difficult to discover.

A little more research will reveal another fact: After the Northern Expedition, Chen Tianheng would send a telegram after each battle, asking the 20th Division of the First Army stationed in Guangzhou to transfer some grassroots officers to supplement his troops.

These grassroots officers that Chen Tianheng wanted to leave were all new members of the War Research Society!

And the Ye Jianying in front of him was the person responsible for approving the new members to go to the First Division!

Ye Jianying: "There are members of the War Research Society in the 20th Division. After the Northern Expedition began, the 20th Division successively sent more than 30 junior officers and NCOs to Chen Tianheng. In addition, there are more than 20 officers and NCOs who are members of the War Research Society in the 20th Division. But Commander-in-Chief, I have to be honest. Chen Tianheng did not privately request personnel from my 20th Division. Every time he requested to transfer officers, you personally approved it and agreed to give priority to the recruitment.

Chiang Kai-shek: ".

Yes, yes, he did nod his head, and he also said that the First Regiment/First Division would be given priority for replenishment, and allowed Chen Tianheng to pick the best ones, after all, the First Division was his favorite.

Ye Jianying: "Commander-in-Chief, at this point, we absolutely must not purge the members of the War Research Society. These members, I mean those remaining members of the 4th, 5th, and 6th classes in the 20th Division, are truly the cream of the crop among the Whampoa cadets. On the contrary, if we want to deal with Chen Tianheng's troops, we should reuse these cadets to form a new Party army. Of course, they must be carefully screened before being reused."

Chiang Kai-shek: "Screen and examine them. If we find that they all obey Chen Tianheng's orders, what should we do?

Ye Jianying: "Commander-in-Chief, not everyone in the group is Chen Tianheng's. Don't you trust Hu Zongnan and Yu Jishi? Hu Zongnan resisted Chen Tianheng's persuasion in Jiujiang and returned to Nanjing. You see, this proves that there are still people in the War Research Association who are loyal to you, Commander-in-Chief."

Chapter 97: Comrade Commander-in-Chief of the Front: Everything is up to you

Ye Jianying cited the examples of Hu Zongnan and Yu Jishi to leave Chiang Kai-shek speechless.

Both men were definitely not Communists, and Chiang Kai-shek was indeed placing them in important positions. Hu Zongnan, having been sent back, had recently returned to the army, taking charge of rebuilding the Second Division of the First Army, while Yu Jishi was released from the aide-de-camp to participate in the reconstruction of the First Division. Indeed, he participated, as Liu Zhi was in charge of rebuilding the First Division.

"Ji Shi, the Second Division has 3,000 men repatriated from Jiujiang. I think I can give you 1,000 of them so that it will be easier for you to rebuild the First Division.

Yu Jishi: "Oh great, thank you, Lao Hu.

Hu Zongnan waved his hand and said calmly: "From now on, we will all be brother troops, and it is natural for us to help each other. There are only a few members of the War Research Association left by the commander-in-chief, and we will be in the same boat in the future.

Yu Jishi: "Yes, there are not many left.

"When Chen Tianheng was here, he often looked for you. I thought he had taken you away this time too.

Yu Jishi: "He came to me because I was in the headquarters' attendant room, next to the commander-in-chief. I've been thinking about it these past few days, and Chen Tianheng got a lot of gossip about the commander-in-chief from me. He probably can play to his heart's content and show off in front of the commander-in-chief. Chen Tianheng is a very cunning man.

Hu Zongnan: "He was the one who founded the War Research Society. Chairman Chen is certainly a very capable person.

"Chen Tianheng wasn't just amazing himself. What made him special," Yu Jishi continued, "was that he was determined to teach the members of the War Research Society to be great too. He didn't hide anything. That was how I was doing when I was in the society."

Hu Zongnan: "Just bring a lot of very advanced books here for everyone to learn."

Yu Jishi: “Not only were all members forced to study, but they also had to take exams. That was a real psychological trauma. The assessment on the breakthrough tactical deployment assignment almost made me cry. I was so anxious that I scattered all kinds of small cards all over the floor.

"Uh-huh.

Hu Zongnan was shocked. What? A test on breakthrough tactical deployment? I didn’t pass it.

Yu Jishi: "Fortunately, I passed in the end. Then, in the final exam for membership, I ranked high in the multi-service coordination competition, even higher than Du Yuming.

Hu Zongnan: "Yeah. Yeah.

--I don't think I even participated in the competition. Now the question is, how did I get the membership?

No, I have to go back and see if the small badge of the War Research Society is fake.

"Ji Shi, you are here to ask for new soldiers.

Yu Jishi and Hu Zongnan met Li Zongren by chance at the General Recruiting Office in Nanjing.

Yu Jishi: "Rebuilding the First Division will require a significant number of troops. I hope Commander Li will take good care of them."

Li Zongren, now commander-in-chief of the Third Route Army in Nanjing, split his Seventh Army into the 7th and 37th Armies. Furthermore, the New Guangxi Clique incorporated scattered units from the Five Provinces Allied Forces in Anhui to form the 27th Army. Li Zongren's Third Route Army now consisted of four armies, three of which were part of the New Guangxi Clique's own forces.

Due to the uprising of Ye Ting and Chen Tianheng, the First Army and the Fourth Army are now crippled, and the Seventh Army and the New Guangxi Clique have become the backbone of the Northern Expedition. Li Zongren's political status has also risen rapidly. Some people even began to speculate whether he would replace Chiang Kai-shek, or whether Li Zongren has been quietly working towards this goal.

Li Zongren didn't specifically make things difficult for the First and Second Divisions of the First Army when they came to request soldiers: "The General Office still has some soldiers. Our Seventh Army and the 37th Army want the old men from Guangxi, so we'll ship them here specially. You can take the soldiers from Jiangsu and Anhui. However, it's unlikely that we can staff the First Division with 7,000 men all at once. I estimate that I can transfer 3,000 men to you in the first phase."

Yu Jishi: "Thank you, Commander.

Li Zongren: "After you rebuild your two divisions, you should consider how to deal with Chen Tianheng's 1st and 2nd Divisions. What do you think, Yu Jishi? Do you have any ideas?"

Yu Jishi forced a smile and said, "I think we should train the troops first. Didn't Chen Tianheng also start with training when he led the troops?

"That's right. A strong army must first be trained. Chen Tianheng is a master at training soldiers, but we now have some understanding of his training methods. Do you know what the biggest characteristic of Chen Tianheng's troops is?

Li Zongren leaned in and said, "To sum up the characteristics in one sentence, it's sneaky and sneaky."

"Yes, Commander." Hu Zongnan agreed: "He always emphasizes the need to disperse into many small formations for attack, and always has soldiers lie low or even crawl to avoid bullets and artillery shells."

Li Zongren: "The veterans of our Seventh Army have fought many battles and have gradually come to these conclusions. That is why the Seventh Army is also a strong force in the Northern Expedition. ... You two should go back and train hard. Don't lose everything on the battlefield and implicate Commander-in-Chief Chiang.

"Old Hu, I don't think Commander Li is entirely correct," Yu Jishi said, "at least not completely. Chen Tianheng's troops always win battles, and it's not just sneaky tactics that count."

Hu Zongnan: "Chairman Chen must have used all the tactics he discussed at the War Research Council on the battlefield.

Yu Jishi: "So this matter is complicated."

Hu Zongnan and Yu Jishi were busy rebuilding the army. The situation was similar in Nanchang. Chen Tianheng and Ye Ting were busy rebuilding the army.

In addition to rebuilding the troops, Nanchang also faced attacks from the Nationalist army in two directions.

The first to take action was the Nanxun Line. Under the strict order of the headquarters, the 11th Army finally appeared on the Nanxun Line. The first troops they encountered were the troops of the First Division stationed in the outpost De'an City.

De'an City was garrisoned with two companies of the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Division. With these two companies, the 11th Army remained outside De'an City for an entire day, hesitant to attack. The next day, Chen Shuming ordered his troops to circle south of De'an City, attempting to sever the Nanxun Line and isolate the city. As soon as the 26th Division of the 11th Army reached the railway tracks south of De'an City, the 1st Regiment of the 1st Division rushed in from the direction of Yongxiu, and the 77th Regiment of the 26th Division, which had retreated to form a rearguard position, was defeated.

The First Division is very familiar with this battlefield. Half a year ago, the First Division defeated the Su 4th Division in seconds on the Nanxun Line, and basically annihilated the Central 2nd Division in the north of De'an City. Now half of the officers and soldiers of the 1st Regiment have participated in that series of battles.

So the outpost of De'an still stood. Chen Shuming gritted his teeth and pulled up the old 10th Division of the 11th Army, only to find that the two companies in De'an City had already retreated south by train.

至4月30日，第11军、第9军以及35军的一个师止步于修水河，与河对面永修县城的第一师部队对峙。11军不敢强渡修水，第9军和35军更不敢。

To the east of Nanchang, the 20th Army from Zhejiang fought against Ye Ting's 25th Division. In the first battle, the 20th Army was defeated in front of the 25th Division's position. The two sides began to confront each other, and the 20th Army sent a telegram to the headquarters to demand wages.

Judging from the public information, the pressure exerted on the troops by the Northern Expedition General Headquarters is constantly increasing, and it will not be long before the troops in these two directions will "really fight".

However, by the time the enemy was defeated, the rebels had completed their work and were preparing to evacuate Nanchang.

"Our current ammunition reserves, assuming the Second Division is also strengthened, would be enough for the First and Second Divisions to fight five battles. This does not take into account battlefield captures."

Huang Wei reports ammunition reserve data.

Chen Tianheng: "How is Ye Ting's ammunition reserve?

Huang Wei: About the same as us.

Chen Tianheng: "The amount of ammunition captured on the battlefield is unpredictable. Only a few troops in the Northern Expedition carry their baggage trains like us. Most troops don't have wagons carrying two or three loads of ammunition. Soldiers are often issued insufficient ammunition. A rifleman carries a maximum of 60 rounds, while some carry only 10. ... Overall, I estimate it's enough for six or seven battles."

"About the same. There's also the issue of matching the ammunition captured on the battlefield with the firearm models. Captured pistol bullets are generally very few, so our submachine gun ammunition is always in short supply. Rifles aren't necessarily plentiful either. At least in the 1st Division, all three infantry regiments said it would be best not to change their rifles. They're familiar with the characteristics of the guns, and many soldiers are almost 'one with the gun.' If you switch from a Type 38 rifle to a Hanyang rifle, their feel for it will definitely deteriorate."

Xu Xiangqian: "We must find out which of the troops that might block our path are armed with Type 38 rifles, and then we'll specifically target them."

On May 1, the left-wing Kuomintang and the Communist Party issued their final declaration, the "May 1st Declaration," announcing the establishment of the Revolutionary Coalition Government of the Republic of China. Starting in the afternoon of May 1, the insurgent army and government members evacuated Nanchang in batches.

The biggest difference from the Nanchang Uprising in OTL was that this Nanchang Uprising established a coalition government. Because the rebels had ample time to issue declarations and telegrams in Nanchang, many leaders from both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party were able to gather in Nanchang, and thus the revolutionary coalition government was established.

For some time to come, this revolutionary coalition government will be a mobile government—not in exile, but constantly moving from place to place.

Without a provincial capital like Nanchang, if the worst-case scenario were to be considered, there might not even be a place to stay in a county town, and people might be forced to live outdoors. Therefore, the mobile government was streamlined to just over 200 people, excluding as many irrelevant personnel and the elderly and weak as possible to keep pace with the troops' march and transfer.

"Mr. Xu! You should have retreated to Shanghai by boat!

"Why retreat? It's not like I can't walk!"

Xu Teli had been Mao Runzhi's teacher in the First Division, and also Chen Tianheng's. He was now a member of the Executive Committee of the United Government. Of course, not all members of the Executive Committee had to stay. As mentioned earlier, the elderly and weak could be evacuated by water, but Xu Teli refused. Despite being over fifty, he insisted on leaving with the troops.

But this is nothing, in OTL, he also participated in the Long March at the age of 58

Chen Tianheng: "Mr. Xu, your Central Column has the lowest daily marching distance, but we also have to take into account the speed of the enemy's pursuit. If walking becomes difficult, call the baggage train. You can also travel in a carriage."

"I see!" Xu Teli looked at the student he had first met at the First Normal School six years ago. "Teacher Xu is still going strong now!"

Chen Tianheng rode his horse forward, urging a column forward: "General Secretary Chen, Secretary Li, Secretary Mao, Chairman Deng, in Xinyu, the First Army will change course westward, while the Fourth Army and the Central Column will continue to Ji'an. If we encounter a situation that the Fourth Army cannot handle, Ye Ting will contact the First Army by radio."

Deng Yanda: "Comrade Commander-in-Chief of the Front, everything will be arranged by you and your staff."

Chen Duxiu: "If we can complete the Great 'Xiang' Line on foot, it will prove that we can do it."

Mao Runzhi: "Just explain the situation to the three of them. I will also be heading west with the First Army in Xinyu. You should replenish your forces at the Anzaiyuan base."

Chen Tianheng: "Yes. After replenishing the Second Division, we will go to Zhuzhou and Hengyang to restore the rural infrastructure of the central axis.

Chapter 98, Yichun Adaptation

The general name of the troops in the Nanchang Uprising is still the National Revolutionary Army.

The commander-in-chief of the front was Chen Tianheng, the deputy commander-in-chief was Ye Ting, and the director of the political department of the front was Guo Moruo.

Liu Bocheng, Chief of Staff of the Front Line.

--Liu Bocheng arrived in Nanchang in the early morning of May 1. Like Guo Moruo, he hid from place to place along the way, traveling at night and hiding during the day. He finally arrived the day before the uprising troops withdrew.

"I was unable to bring along the troops from the Provisional 15th Army," Liu Bocheng said. "That's a pity. But I brought along military supplies that will sustain the rebels for a while."

Liu Bocheng only brought five followers, who were mainly responsible for carrying silver - the salary and inauguration fee paid to Liu Bocheng by the Wuhan National Government after he took office as the temporary 15th Army, totaling 5 silver.

Looking at the wooden box full of dollars, Chen Tianheng said: "Yeah.

Mao Runzhi: "Yes. Bocheng, your presence here is the greatest support for the revolution."

Liu Bocheng:

Is this the front-line command team, the commander-in-chief or leader of the revolutionary army?

--Leader of the Central Military Commission. General Secretary Chen Duxiu.

This is also the biggest difference from the Nanchang Uprising in OTL. The main members of the Party Central Committee in Shanghai all went to the uprising troops and established a simple central political and military organization.

In addition, the Nanchang Uprising's telegram declaration received strong support from the Kuomintang left. Soong Ching Ling and He Xiangning successively issued national telegrams in response to the declaration. Deng Yanda even came to Nanchang in person, which allowed the organization after the Nanchang Uprising to call itself a united government.

This may have a lot to do with the shock brought about by the combined efforts of the "Sword of Revolution" and the "Iron Army".

"The General Secretary of the Military Commission is the supreme leader of the revolutionary army. Since you are the General Secretary of the Party, you also serve as the General Secretary of the Military Commission. That's how it is," Chen Tianheng told Chen Duxiu. "The Party commands the gun. Another analogy is a modern state, where the head of state is also the supreme leader of the army. This is a must-have military leadership mechanism."

"The top leadership decides whether to fight or not. For example, as the head of state, they decide whether the country should declare war on another country; or as the leader of the party, they decide whether to continue peaceful negotiations or have a showdown with the reactionaries.

"Decision-making at this level requires the aggregation of public opinion, which is then confirmed by the collective leadership and transformed into the will of the state. This mechanism then allows the will of the state, or the people, to be channeled into the military for implementation."

"Therefore, as the head of state and the highest leader of the military, his job is to ensure that the orders he inputs are based on the voice of the people and can stand the test of history. After thinking it through, he inputs it, and then sees the output of the execution results."

"If the output isn't what I want, the Supreme Leader has the right to replace this war machine. Of course, he can also re-evaluate the rationality of the orders he entered. But no matter what, the authority to replace the war machine must be there."

"This machine is the war machine composed of the army's command organization, the General Staff, the General Logistics Department, and various military orders, right?" Chen Duxiu had read a lot of military general knowledge some time ago. "That is to say, don't ask about trivial matters. When something happens, change the machine instead of playing the role of the machine yourself. This seems to be specially customized for an amateur like me.

Chen Tianheng: "It's not just for amateurs. It's similar to the relationship between a military commander and a general staff. A leader who follows the rules can keep the war machine functioning at its normal capacity. A truly knowledgeable leader will desperately squeeze the machine to its maximum potential. If it stops working, he'll kick it a few times until it works again. This means achieving exceptional results."

Chen Duxiu and several people in the Military Commission's marching column laughed. Chen Duxiu said, "Then I'd better not kick this machine for now."

Mao Runzhi: "Chen Tianheng, why are you looking at me?

Look... just look.

"Please ask Lin Biao to come to my place, and I will go to his place to attack Jinzhou!"

"Sweep across France, you hear? Sweep across France!"