The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Guangzhou Port.

Chen Tianheng, Jiang Xianyun and Li Zhilong looked at the gunboat docked at the dock together. The expressions of the three of them were like Yao Ming's wry smile.

Chen Tianheng: "The Seagull gunboat. Displacement 160 tons, total length 32 meters, one coal-fired boiler, reciprocating steam engine power 250 horsepower, speed 10.5 knots, armed with two single-barreled 3-pounder cannons. Haha. I think it would be more appropriate to change its name to 'Dying Seagull'."

Jiang Xianyun: "This can't be an old warship built during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.

"Not really. It was launched in 191 or so, so it's quite new," Li Zhilong said. "It's just that when it was built, we used makeshift materials, with a wooden hull, so it looks very old-fashioned."

Chen Tianheng: "Du Xigui said that Guangzhou should have a navy so that Chiang Kai-shek would not think that the navy was invincible and use the Fujian navy to fight against the Guangzhou fortress. In fact, this is not the case. I guess his real idea is to have a small navy in Guangzhou so that Chiang Kai-shek is less likely to make large-scale cuts to the navy.

Li Zhilong: “I also guessed that it should be like this.

Chen Tianheng: "But giving Guangzhou only the most dilapidated gunboat is probably not enough to justify not disbanding the Fujian Navy.

Li Zhilong: "The Fujian clique bosses were all there at the time, and Chen Shaokuan, who was also present, said, 'I'm a bit reluctant to give that boat away. Let's think about it.' It seems Chen Shaokuan also felt that giving a small gunboat was too shabby."

Chen Tianheng: "Then it seems we still have a little hope. Next, the Fujian clique may feign an uprising to actually send another warship... Make sure the officers and soldiers of the Seagull gunboat are well accommodated. The barracks on shore have just been vacated. Check for any missing items, make a list, and have the logistics department restock them. You came to Guangzhou voluntarily, and they are also half-ordered and half-voluntarily in rebellion. We must make them feel respected in Guangzhou."

Li Zhilong: "Yes, they are willing to come with the ship. There is nothing wrong with that. We must treat them well."

Chen Tianheng: "Furthermore, word of their treatment in Guangzhou will spread back to Fujian and circulate among the Fujian-affiliated generals."

Hai Xiehai

Three days later, we were still at Guangzhou Port.

Chen Duxiu and several comrades from the Central Committee were waiting at the dock for the passenger ship to arrive.

"General Secretary Chen.

Chen Yannian and Chen Qiaonian said in unison.

Chen Duxiu stepped forward and patted the two men on the shoulders: "I'm glad you're back. Yannian, why don't you publicize what you did in Kulun?"

Chen Yannian: “We publicized it, but when we arrived in Vladivostok, we discovered that the news had been blocked.”

Chen Qiaonian: "Although the Soviet Union could not restrict what we did in Kulun, it could prevent the world from knowing what we were doing.

"We'll discuss this later. It will be a formal report," Chen Duxiu said. "Chen Tianheng and Commissioner Deng will also attend and listen to your report. We'll make a formal summary.

Chen Tianheng: "You two have worked hard on the journey. However, of the several hundred people in the southbound column, is this all that remains?"

Chen Yannian: "The southward column suffered a complete failure. The most fatal blow was the departure of the regiment commander Yu Jiudu. Once he left, deserters could not be stopped. When we returned to Kulun, there were still more than 200 people left, but most of them were Mongolian and Han civilians we recruited in Kulun. When the Soviet Union brought us to Irkutsk, there were still more than 30 people left, all of whom were cadres. However, some of them went to Moscow, and only 19 of us boarded the ship in Vladivostok heading east.

Chen Tianheng: "Yu Jiudu...was from the second batch of Huangpu Military Academy, right? I remember that name."

"Yes. Oh, by the way, this is Comrade Luo Ruiqing, the commander who took over Yu Jiudu's control of the troops during our retreat."

Chapter 134: The Anti-Encirclement and Suppression Campaign Begins

In April of this year, the Hubei District Party Committee moved to Xi'an. Not long after arriving there, Feng Yuxiang announced the purge of the Communist Party. So we moved from Xi'an to Guisui, and then from Guisui to Kulun. The comrades in the Hubei District were like a small boat in the sea, tossed back and forth by the waves.

"When they moved north from Guisui, Feng Yuxiang completely sent all the CCP and Soviet people in the country out of the country. I was really surprised at that time.

"I'm surprised there are so many Soviets!"

These Soviets were gathered from various locations within Feng Yuxiang's territory, awaiting convoys to pick them up. The majority of them were Soviet soldiers, officers of various ranks. Some had previously served in Feng Yuxiang's army as advisors, instructors, or logistics officers, but many were not military personnel.

"An engineer said Feng Yuxiang's army and local people said the Soviet Union wanted to build a railway in the northwest. Of course, the Soviet Union wanted to obtain the right of way for the railway, just like it did for the Chinese Eastern Railway."

"There are prospectors and surveyors searching for minerals and oil throughout the northwest, drawing high-precision maps. Even more shocking is the number of Russian teachers teaching Russian in the northwest."

"On the way from Guisui to Kulun, I discovered an even more shocking fact: Outer Mongolia is becoming less and less like a Chinese territory."

Chen Yannian, Chen Qiaoen, Luo Ruiqing, Chen Duxiu, Chen Tianheng, and Deng Yanda are now sitting at the same table, eating and chatting.

Chen Tianheng: "So, you decided to do something so that Outer Mongolia in 1927 still retains some Chinese imprint?

"Yes." Chen Yannian nodded. "In fact, I have long known that the southward column will not achieve anything famous, but this must be done."

Chen Qiaonian: "In Kulun, we took out almost all the living expenses provided by the Soviet Union. In addition to this amount of rubles, we also took out valuables such as silver dollars and jewelry from the luggage that accompanied the team to build an army. Soldiers were recruited from the Han and Mongolian ethnic groups near Kulun, but we knew from the beginning that we could not form a large army, whether in terms of funds or the local human resources.

Chen Yannian: "We ultimately recruited 600 men, plus comrades from Hubei who served as officers and Party representatives, bringing the total number of the Southward Column to over 700. Among the comrades in Kulun at the time, Yu Jiudu had the most extensive military experience and was the most highly regarded by Soviet comrades. He served as the commander of the corps." On August 7, the Southward Column swore an oath in Kulun to march out.

"But due to inadequate preparations and insufficient food and military supplies, the troops were plagued by widespread illness as we approached the border between Inner and Outer Mongolia. Qiao Nian and I both fell ill. Yu Shadu, unable to endure the hardship, left the team, taking dozens of others like him with him. We surrendered to the Fengtian Army in the interior of the country. When Comrade Luo Ruiqing took over the southbound column, there were fewer than 300 men left. We advanced south for two days before we could go no further.

"From the beginning to the end, the southward column never encountered the Northwest Army or the Fengtian Army, and it collapsed on its own.

"Yannian, you did the right thing.

Chen Duxiu praised his eldest son's behavior: "As long as it is done, it is meaningful. People will remember this in the future. In 1927, the Chinese Communist Party formed an army in Kulun to fight against the Kuomintang reactionaries."

Chen Tianheng looked at Luo Ruiqing and said, "In this case, you will be the acting commander-in-chief of the southbound column from now on.

Luo Ruiqing: "The Southward Column... No, from now on? The Southward Column?

Chen Tianheng: "Yes. General Secretary Chen just said that if we want future generations to remember this event, then the best way is to preserve the designation of the Southbound Column and pass it down. In the future, whenever people see this unit and read its history, they will know that its history can be traced back to the Southbound Column established in Kulun.

When we swore in Kulun to march out, I was only the Party representative of the Second Company of the Second Battalion of the column. The entire southbound column consisted of only two battalions.

Chen Tianheng: "We will rebuild the structure with new recruits and officers. Right now, our manpower and financial resources are limited, so we'll start with the size of an independent regiment and gradually expand it as the situation warrants."

Chen Yannian: "How many troops does the Guangzhou United Government have now?

Chen Tianheng: "The complete army now consists of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Armies. The First and Fourth Armies have approximately 25,000 men, and the Second and Third Armies each have 13,000 men. Peng Dehuai's Pingjiang Uprising troops in southern Hunan have just been expanded with great difficulty into divisions, totaling 4,000 men. Fan Shisheng's artillery forts and garrisons have 11,000 men. Ye Jianying's 20th Division has 5,000 men. We have also just established four independent national defense engineering regiments, each with 5,000 men.

"Including some scattered troops, the coalition government now has a total of over 100,000 soldiers, of which approximately 80,000 are deployed or capable of field operations. Now, let's add a Southbound Column, no, the Kulun Column, with 1,000 to 1,500 men. Does the Southbound Column have its own flag and emblem?"

Chen Yannian: “No… I don’t have the time for that.

"Now we have time," Chen Tianheng said. "The Kulun Column's emblem should have revolutionary elements as well as Kulun elements. It should have the Bogd Khan Ur Mountains and Garuda. That's about it."

Deng Yanda: "Yes, this confirms the origin and lineage of the Kulun Column.

“The fried rice noodles are good.

Chef Liang fried all the six plates of rice noodles and served them together, along with a can of chili peppers.

Chen Duxiu took a chopstick to taste it and said: "Boss, do you have fermented bean curd? Bring me two pieces and I will mix them with the noodles.

Master Liang:

"No, don't get excited, Master Liang, this is the Anhui way of eating," Chen Tianheng tried to smooth things over, "Let's make an exception, this is our General Secretary.

Humen Fortress.

The Humen Fortress is not a single fort or a hilltop with cannons, but rather a collective name for several forts located along the banks of the Pearl River Estuary and on the islands within. For example, the Jingyuan Fort in Humen was where Guan Tianpei died during the First Opium War.

Chen Tianheng is now at Jingyuan Fort, where Guan Tianpei died in battle. Not far away, on the east bank of the Pearl River, are Weiyuan Fort and Zhenyuan Fort.

"The fortress now has seven main artillery batteries, with nine 240mm fortress guns, 38 210mm fortress guns, and 19 150mm fortress guns, all of which were built by Krupp in Germany.

"In addition to the German guns, there are five British-made 8-inch fortress guns, all in the fortified battery opposite.

Chen Tianheng picked up the telescope and looked. The mouth of the Pearl River was now covered with mist and visibility was not very good. He could only vaguely see a small sandbar near the water sky line.

It's still easier to see the situation at a glance by looking at a map. Chen Tianheng opened the map, and all the artillery positions in the fortress area were marked on it.

Fan Shisheng: "Dozens of large-caliber coastal artillery can completely block the mouth of the Pearl River. It is impossible for domestic naval ships to break through the fort's defense line."

Chen Tianheng: "Yes, this Humen Fortress was not originally intended to defend against the domestic navy.

In 1890, the Qing Dynasty undertook a major renovation of Humen Fort, and the Krupp 150mm, 210mm, and 240mm heavy guns were added during this renovation. Humen Fort's original target was the Far East Squadron of the Western powers. Domestic warships, especially the declining navy after the Republic of China, had no chance of forcing the few remaining small warships to defend Humen Fort.

Chen Tianheng: "Commander Fan, these forts originally each had six to eight 75mm coastal defense guns, used to defend against small landing craft appearing at close range, and to strike landing infantry. Now all these guns are gone. It seems that after the Republic of China, various warlords removed the small guns that could be disassembled and used them as field artillery. Therefore, the defenses of Humen Fortress are now flawed and vulnerable."

Fan Shisheng: "I've noticed this as well, so we need to use ground defense forces to guard the blind spots of the artillery batteries.

Chen Tianheng: "When the Humen Fortress was built, the water depth of the Lingdingyang Sea was taken into consideration, and only 10,000-ton cruisers could enter. The maximum range of 10,000-ton cruisers was just over 10 kilometers, and the range and firepower of Krupp's 240 and 210 mm fortress guns were sufficient. But now that naval technology is developing, the main gun range of 10,000-ton cruisers has exceeded 20 kilometers, and the air force must also consider this. Now these fortress artillery positions are all concave gun pools with breastworks, with open roofs above. They can defend against shells fired by warships, but if the enemy has aircraft bombing, the fortress artillery positions will be completely defenseless.

Fan Shisheng: "Should we carry out a comprehensive renovation of the Humen Fortress?"

"It will need to be reformed in the future, but not now," Chen Tianheng said. "Military spending is too limited right now...but within ten years, a reform should be done."

"Chiang's troops in Nanchang are moving out!"

The General Staff Headquarters was bustling with activity.

The Second Army's radio station reported that yesterday at noon, Chiang Kai-shek's 26th Army emerged from Nanchang City and headed towards Ji'an.

In addition, the intelligence officer in Nanchang City tried to sneak out of the city and reported another news from the base this morning: the 32nd Army is also going to set off.

Liu Bocheng: "This is basically consistent with our expectations of Chiang Kai-shek's military dynamics. Chiang Kai-shek's army wants to firmly control Ji'an, which was originally in a power vacuum, and use it as a starting point for the attack on southern Guangdong.

"We still have to see what's happening with Chiang Kai-shek's troops in other directions," Chen Tianheng said. "Since they chose to attack Ji'an in their first battle, this is probably the prelude to a full-scale offensive.

A map of the entire South China was hung on the wall of the General Staff Headquarters, and the operations staff marked the enemy and our troops with small squares.

Chiang Kai-shek's troops in Jiangxi Province included not only the 26th and 32nd Armies, but also Liu Zhi's (pseudo) 1st Army and 14th Army in Jiujiang, the 17th Army in Nanchang, and the 20th Army in the Yingtan-Shangrao area.

In Hunan, the New Guangxi Clique had five armies. Interestingly, the Guangxi Clique had very few troops in its homeland of Guangxi, consisting of only two brigades and five security regiments. The terrain between Guangxi and Guangdong was too difficult, making it difficult for the Guangxi Clique to attack from there, and for Guangdong to attack from there.

In Fujian, there are 5 army divisions and marines of the Fujian faction, which is equivalent to about 2 armies.

Chen Tianheng: "We have a secret peace agreement with the Guangxi clique, but if Chiang Kai-shek strictly orders Li Zongren to attack, it is hard to say whether the Guangxi clique can withstand the pressure. If the Guangxi clique is forced to attack, then our four armies plus some independent units will have to face the attack of a total of 15 armies of Chiang Kai-shek's army.

Liu Bocheng: "In addition, there are remnants of the Guangdong Army in Nanjing and Anqing, namely the puppet 4th Army and the 11th Army. Although these two armies were dismantled by Ye Ting, their combat effectiveness is probably still stronger than that of the 26th Army.

Chen Tianheng: "Chief of Staff Liu, is it possible that Chiang Kai-shek transported the puppet 4th and 11th Armies across the Yangtze River to Wuhan, and then used these two Guangdong armies to coerce the less active Guangxi armies into launching an attack on southern Hunan and northern Guangdong?"

Liu Bocheng: "This possibility cannot be ruled out.

Ye Jianying: "15 armies is only a theoretical number. It is difficult for Chiang Kai-shek to deploy all 15 armies simultaneously. Hunan has no railway south of Zhuzhou, and the same is true for Jiangxi south of Nanchang. As for the Fujian direction, the Fujian clique's offensive enthusiasm is probably even lower than that of the Guangxi clique, although they have not signed any secret peace agreement with us.

Chen Tianheng: "Chief of Staff Liu, what specific combat plan does the General Staff have now?"

Liu Bocheng pointed to Ji'an on the map:

"The 1st and 4th Armies remained in place, gathering strength for the next phase of the campaign, while the 2nd and 3rd Armies, which were assembled in the base area, eliminated the 26th and 32nd Armies moving toward Ji'an.

Chapter 135: Chiang Kai-shek's Wedding

The 7th Division of the 3rd Army has arrived in Jishui and seized Dadong Mountain north of the city! The 3rd Army's mountain artillery battalion has also been deployed with the 7th Division!"

The 8th Division of the 3rd Army has arrived in the north of Yongfeng County and is hiding and waiting for orders!

"The 9th Division of the 3rd Army has arrived in Chongren County and will reach the Qiqin-Shakeng area tomorrow, October 8th!"

"General Reserve, the 5th Division of the 2nd Army has arrived in Ji'an!"

"The 4th Division of the 2nd Army has arrived east of Xinyu! The mountain artillery battalion is here with the 4th Division!"

Chen Tianheng: "Send a telegram to ask the Second Army whether the Fourth Division has prepared all the boats and pontoon bridge equipment.

"yes!"

The communications officer ran out to send a telegram

Chen Tianheng: "Now only the 6th Division of the 2nd Army has not reported its movements.

Liu Bocheng: "Yesterday's report from the Sixth Division was not optimistic. When they sent the message yesterday, they had not yet left Xiushui County. It is estimated that they will be in position two to three days later than originally planned. If the estimate is correct, the Sixth Division is now in a hurry to get going. It is impossible to camp at 6 pm. They will not camp until 8 or 9 pm and stop to set up the radio station."

Chen Tianheng: "They want to make up for the lost time, which is understandable. But first they have to let the headquarters know their position. If the Sixth Division hasn't sent a telegram by 10 o'clock in the evening, they may be criticized.

In the first phase of the Gannan Campaign, the two armies in the base area quickly gathered and maneuvered to designated positions.

With the Ganjiang River as the boundary, the three divisions of the Third Army and the Fifth Division of the Second Army were all deployed in Jiangyou, which is the area east of the Ganjiang River, because the Daofuli Road from Nanchang to Ji'an was built along the river valley on the east bank of the Ganjiang River.

The 4th and 6th Divisions of the 2nd Army were on the left side of the river and had prepared pontoon bridge tools for crossing the river so that they could quickly build a pontoon bridge in the upper reaches of the Gan River and attack a certain point in Chiang Kai-shek's long marching column.

By October 7, five divisions were in their designated positions or fully on track to be in place by the scheduled date. Only the 10th Division ran into trouble.

When the Sixth Division received the order to march, it was busy with the autumn harvest in Xiushui. By the time the Sixth Division gathered the troops that were scattered across the county to help with the autumn harvest, it was already too late and the battle would definitely be delayed.

"It wasn't just the Sixth Division that was helping with the autumn harvest," Fan Hanjie said. "In September, six divisions from the Second and Third Armies were all helping villagers with the autumn harvest at nearby bases.

Huang Wei: "This is probably because the 6th Division is located farthest north, and the rice harvest season is the latest... But this is not the reason why the 6th Division was late."

At 9:30 p.m., the Sixth Division's radio finally came online. They again explained their lateness and reported their current position. That day, the Sixth Division had marched 58 kilometers, exceeding their expected distance, but still two days behind schedule.

Chen Tianheng looked at the situation on the map.

Chiang Kai-shek's army, with the 26th Army leading the way and the 32nd Army dragging behind, is slowly moving towards Ji'an with six divisions from these two armies. Their formation has remained intact to this day. The 26th Army has advanced to Xijiang, while the 32nd Army is in Xingan and Zhangshu. The divisions of the 26th Army that have advanced to Xijiang may attack the Dadongshan defense line in Jishui tomorrow or the morning of the day after tomorrow. Xue Yue's 22nd Division of the 32nd Army in Zhangshu has constructed a pontoon bridge across the Gan River near the county seat. This will serve as the rearguard for Chiang Kai-shek's entire army group and may also cross the Gan River to counter-encircle the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army as a detachment.

Not only was the 26th Army an acquaintance of Chen Tianheng's, but so was the 32nd Army. Like Liu Zhi's puppet 1st Army, this army was a split from the original 1st Army and a direct subordinate of Chiang Kai-shek. The 32nd Army was commanded by Qian Dajun, and it commanded Chen Jicheng's 20th Division, Chiang Ting-wen's 21st Division, and Xue Yue's 22nd Division.

"There are currently four infantry divisions available, with one Fifth Division serving as the general reserve. This should not affect the established plan for the entire campaign. Send a message to the front command," Chen Tianheng said. "The ultimate goal of the campaign remains unchanged. Specific operational adjustments will be decided on the spot by the Zhu and Chen front command.

The decision to fight had been made. After examining the strength of both sides, Chen Tianheng and Liu Bocheng both believed that there was no need to change it.

Five divisions fought six divisions, and three days later, six divisions fought six divisions. The Revolutionary Army wasn't particularly poorly equipped. The six divisions had two mountain artillery battalions and eight battery guns (five with recoil-barreled guns and three with the older, trunnion-mounted guns). The enemy had four battalions, giving them a firepower advantage, but not an absolute one. The Revolutionary Army also had ammunition, so at least they could fight this battle with open arms.

"Chief of Staff Liu, I think the 10th Division of the 4th Army can enter Jiangxi ahead of time," Chen Tianheng said. "From the Fujian side, the threat posed by the Fujian clique to Chaoshan is very low, and Nanjing cannot transfer the Central Army to Xiamen by sea.