The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

On October 14, the pursuit and annihilation operation continued

At this time, the Second and Third Armies were like holding a basin to catch gold coins falling from the sky. The time limit was thirty seconds, and they had to catch as many as they could.

It was indeed a timed game. Chiang Kai-shek's 14th Army, dispatched from Nanchang to provide relief, had already departed on the morning of October 13th and was currently en route to Fengcheng-Zhangshu. Even if the Second and Third Armies allocated some forces to harass the enemy, the 14th Army would reach the battlefield in less than two days.

On the evening of the 14th, the infantry regiments of the Second and Third Armies stopped pursuing the fleeing enemy, gathered their spoils, gathered their troops, and concentrated in Zhangshu Town. On the morning of the 15th, when the 14th Army of Chiang Kai-shek arrived at the battlefield, the first thing they encountered was the remnants of the defeated army fleeing across the mountains and plains.

14军收容的溃兵清点人数是1万1千多人，而32军战前还剩1万7千人，17军参战的有2万人。

However, over the next two days, soldiers from Zhangshu Town continued to return on foot. These soldiers had no guns or bullets, and each had three dollars in his pocket for travel expenses. These soldiers were captured and then released on the spot, and there were more than 10,000 of them.

The Second Front Army, which was responsible for suppressing the Communists in Jiangxi, discovered with horror that it had completely lost the ability to send troops to encircle and suppress the Communists.

Of course, the more than 10,000 soldiers with guns and more than 10,000 without guns who ran back from the 32nd and 17th Armies could not be combat-ready.

During the battle, Chiang Kai-shek's army also lost many senior officers.

The commander of the 17th Army, Pang Bingxun, was captured, and his entire army staff was also captured.

Qian Dajun, commander of the 32nd Army, managed to escape by drifting down the Gan River in a small boat. However, Chen Jicheng, commander of the 20th Division, escaped in a large motorboat but was targeted by troops from the Second Army on both sides of the river. He was killed in a crossfire of heavy machine gun fire. Jiang Dingwen, commander of the 21st Division, was captured.

The only decent person was Xue Yue. Not only did he escape, he also brought out the staff of the 22nd Division and more than 900 people from the 65th Regiment of the 22nd Division - this was simply a miracle on the battlefield.

As a result, Cheng Qian now has only three armies under his command, one guarding Jiujiang, one guarding Nanchang, and one guarding Yingtan, and no one can move.

Oh, by the way, on paper Cheng Qian also has a fourth army, the 26th Army.

He was the one who was besieged in Xiajiang County and the one Cheng Qian had decided to give up long ago.

The fate of the 26th Army was already written, but Cheng Qian hadn't expected that the tactic of severing the tail to survive wouldn't work. Abandoning the 26th Army didn't save the 32nd and 17th Armies. The lizard's tail fell off, and its body was swallowed up, leaving only its head.

On October 15, the Second and Third Armies, which had completed the pursuit and annihilation, adjusted their deployment, leaving only one division to defend Zhangshu and Qingjiang counties, and the remaining troops concentrated in Xiajiang County where the 26th Army was trapped.

When Chen Chao realized that his two and a half divisions were about to be surrounded by four or even five divisions, he chose to surrender.

“Bullet consumption.

"The Dadongshan Blocking Battle consumed 7.6 rounds.

“In the battle to annihilate the 20th Division, 11 rounds were consumed and 12 rounds were captured.

"In the battle to capture Fengcheng, 5.1 rounds were consumed and 2 rounds were captured.

"In the Fengcheng blocking battle, 5.5 rounds were consumed and 8000 rounds were captured.

"In the diversionary battle against the 59th Division, 1.7 rounds were consumed.

"In pursuit and annihilation of the 32nd and 17th Armies, 77 rounds were consumed and 70 pieces of armor were captured.

“The 26th Army of Xiajiang County surrendered en masse, and 52 rounds of ammunition were seized.

"The consumption and capture of artillery shells are as follows.

On October 19, two days after the battle ended, various statistics were reported.

Ma Buyi: "When we captured Fengcheng, wasn't there a Chiang Kai-shek army baggage train in the city? How come we only captured 2 rounds of ammunition?"

Chen Mingren: "That baggage train wasn't carrying bullets, it was carrying 22 jin of military rations.

Ma Buyi: "Oh, the military rations are not bad either, 22 jin is not a small number.

Chen Mingren: "Actually, it's only enough to feed 20,000 people for five to seven days... Commander, I've noticed that when we fight against non-main force units like Chiang Kai-shek's army, the ammunition we capture doesn't seem to be very much. If the 26th Army in Xiajiang County hadn't cooperated by laying down their arms and surrendering, our ammunition revenue for this Ganjiang Campaign would have been a negative return."

Chen Tianheng: "Negative returns aren't a big problem. Even if we deduct the 52 rounds expended by the transport captain of the 26th Army in this battle, the ammunition consumed in other battles is only a small loss. The production capacity of our Shibing Arsenal is fully sufficient to make up for it. The two armies can even fight such a battle every month. After the summary meeting, we should send a message to the Second and Third Armies, asking them to maintain this style of play in the future. Of course, this does not mean to encourage indiscriminate use of ammunition, but to use bullets when necessary and not to waste lives.

Chen Mingren: "Reducing combat casualties helps maintain or continuously improve troop morale and also helps junior officers, NCOs, and veterans accumulate combat experience. This is how the 1st Division's combat effectiveness gradually improved and remained high. However, during the Ganjiang Campaign, the 2nd and 3rd Armies suffered significant casualties. Of the 30,000 men involved, 4200 were killed or wounded."

Huang Wei: "Pensions for the 1079 officers and soldiers who died must be paid. 200,000 yuan. Provision must also be made for the hospitalization costs of over 3,000 wounded, as well as future subsidies for the disabled soldiers."

"More than that," Chen Mingren added, "The cost of hospitalization is not just for the three thousand wounded, but eight thousand. We are also treating the wounded of Chiang Kai-shek's army. The result of the two armies in the base area going all out and fighting with all their might is that more than half of the medical supplies in the base area have been lost. I think before sending ammunition to the base area, we should first send a batch of medicines, medical gauze, cotton balls, etc.

Chen Tianheng was also looking at the casualty figures, but based on the specific circumstances of the two armies, 4200 casualties should be considered "not too bad."

Because the Second and Third Armies omitted many organizations, there were fewer non-combatants in the infantry divisions and a high proportion of combatants.

The First Division has 8000 men, and the Second and Third Armies each have 4500 men. But in reality, they are all three infantry regiments, each with three infantry battalions.

For example, the Second and Third Armies did not need large-scale external marches, and the local government assisted with logistics for internal marches and operations, so all the baggage regiments were omitted, which meant more than a thousand non-combat troops.

For example, divisions lacked mountain artillery battalions. Each corps had only one mountain artillery battalion directly under the corps headquarters, which reduced the number of troops by over 600 (besides the gunners, there were also transports, draft horses, grooms, etc.). Taking all these factors into account, a 4500-man division in the Second and Third Armies was quite normal. Such a division might suffer 700 casualties in combat, and some infantry battalions might suffer heavy losses and require a period of rest to recover, but they would eventually recover to full health and avoid serious damage.

"The nine enemy divisions that fell into the war zone this time have sent us four mountain artillery battalions. Together with the two we already had, each division of the Second and Third Armies can be assigned a mountain artillery battalion," Chen Tianheng said. "Yuan Yelie, the army's field artillery battalion and each division's mountain artillery battalion are preparing to transfer a dozen officers and NCOs to the base area.

Yuan Yelie: "Yes. Commander, are a dozen people enough?

Chen Tianheng: "These dozen or so are the backbone. As for the junior officers, there are also the freshly graduated sixth-term artillery officers from the Whampoa Military Academy."

Joint Government Office Building (Guangzhou Municipal Government Building), reception room.

Chen Tianheng straightened his military uniform.

Here we are again. Of course I have to come here. The guns, ammunition, and artillery captured during the Ganjiang Campaign were all small profits. Today we're talking about big profits.

“Hello, Sir Philip. Hello, Manager Christopher. It’s been less than a month since we met again.

When Philip saw Chen Tianheng, he stood up and took two steps forward to shake his hand: "General Chen, it is a great honor for you to share the joy of this victory with us.

Philip's opening words essentially confirmed that today's negotiations were about "friendly and constructive topics" because both sides shared common interests. After a few pleasantries, Chen Tianheng got to the point:

"I would like to elaborate once again on the significance of the Ganjiang Campaign from a strategic perspective.

"The Ganjiang Campaign was carried out by six divisions from our Second and Third Armies. These two armies were formed in May and June of this year, just five months ago. They had experienced relatively little combat, a stark contrast to the First and Fourth Armies.

"It was these two armies that engaged three armies of the Nanjing government in the Battle of Ganjiang River, inflicting devastating blows on two of them and forcing the other to surrender.

"In addition, we are also forming new armies. For example, the Fifth Army in southern Hunan is about to be completed. For example, in Guangzhou, we are forming a Kulun Column, which is currently the size of a regiment and may be expanded to a division in the future.

"With the victory of the Ganjiang Campaign, the military situation in Jiangxi has also undergone fundamental changes, which proves that our army's original strategic plan is completely in line with reality and feasible.

"Southern Jiangxi will be our army's advantageous zone. Nanjing government troops advancing south from the Ganjiang Plain will be constantly harassed and blocked by our army upon entering the mountainous region of central and southern Jiangxi, ultimately being surrounded and annihilated within the mountains. Ji'an, a city surrounded by mountains, will be the focus of alternating battles between the two sides in the future. As for Ganzhou, our control over this city is unshakable.

"Based on this military situation, large-scale development of tungsten mines in southern Jiangxi has become possible. Within five years, the output of tungsten mines in southern Jiangxi will increase by an order of magnitude. This is a safe and highly profitable investment.

Thank you, Xie Yong

The victory in the Ganjiang Campaign proved one thing: future encirclement and counter-encirclement battles would likely be fought around Ji'an, and Chiang Kai-shek's encirclement campaign would never reach Ganzhou. Therefore, the several tungsten ore veins near Ganzhou could be directly invested in modern mine construction.

Christopher: "How do we transport tungsten ore from southern Jiangxi to Guangzhou?"

Chen Yun: "Inland waterway transport. The Zhenjiang River originates in southern Jiangxi and is also the upper reaches of the Beijiang River of the Pearl River. From Nanxiong to Shaoguan and then to Guangzhou, this section of the river is suitable for navigation. From Nanxiong to Ganzhou, it is necessary to transport by land."

We plan to renovate the approximately 100-kilometer road from Nanxiong to Ganzhou to make it accessible to heavy trucks. We will also purchase a fleet of inland barges and invest in the construction of a mechanized inland shipping terminal in Nanxiong. Tungsten ore is mined from several mines in Shangyou, Chongyi, Dayu, and other areas of Ganzhou, concentrated in Nanxiong, then loaded onto barges and shipped downstream to Guangzhou.

"If there are sufficient inland river fleets in Zhenjiang and a high-grade earth and gravel road from Nanxiong to Ganzhou, then our main army corps in Guangdong can enter southern Jiangxi to fight more quickly, and the military security of Ganzhou will be easier to ensure." Chen Tianheng added.

Christopher looked down at the tungsten resource report for southern Jiangxi. There was nothing wrong with that. The veins in southern Jiangxi were all identified using sophisticated geological exploration methods, and the report was even written by a British prospecting team.

Chen Tianheng knew that the veins currently marked only represented a small fraction of Jiangxi's actual tungsten reserves. With advances in geological exploration technology, more tungsten veins would be discovered in the future. However, the existing tungsten veins were sufficient to mine a vast amount of ore.

The subsequent negotiations on technical details were led by Chen Yun and two comrades from the Ministry of Commerce.

For example, the Chinese side proposed that the British side hold a 20% stake, while Christopher wanted 25%. For example, in addition to direct equity investment, the British side wanted an annual interest rate of 7.5% for the loan, while the Chinese side proposed 6%, and so on.

"Gentlemen, I have a personal idea," Chen Tianheng interrupted, "Are you not interested in investing in the tea plantations in southern Jiangxi?"

Christopher: “No, not really.

Philip: “No. This conflicts with our previous investment. You should know that we have a large tea plantation in Sri Lanka.

"So..." Chen Tianheng changed the subject, "Are you interested in investing in and building one or more rubber plantations on Hainan Island?"

Chapter 141: The Pill Party in Chiang Kai-shek’s Camp

Christopher and Philip had no interest in the tea plantations in southern Jiangxi because they believed Ceylon black tea was the best black tea in the world and that tea with that flavor could not be grown anywhere else.

But they are open-minded about the rubber plantation.

Because rubber is simply an industrial raw material, its quality only affects profitability. However, with the rise of the automobile industry in the 20s and the rapid development of various manufacturing industries requiring sealing materials, rubber continues to be in short supply. Even plantations that previously had low yields or poor quality due to climate change are now profitable.

唯一的问题是橡胶的回报期太长。橡胶树栽种之后6年才可割出橡胶，可以出产橡胶之后也还有3~5年的低产期，树龄10年到20年的橡胶树才是出产高峰期。

Of course, the funding difficulties caused by the long payback period can be overcome through financial means, such as issuing futures with delivery in three or five years. The key is political and military stability during this period.

Hainan was captured by a single regiment of the 20th Division. Hainan Island wasn't exactly awash with Omaha troops at the time... Haikou was the only garrison on the island, and the loyalty of this garrison and the county government to the Nanjing government was questionable. The 20th Division chartered a ship, trekked ashore at Lingao, dozens of kilometers from Haikou, and concluded the campaign by reaching Haikou.

In fact, in 1925, while fighting the Second Eastern Expedition, the Guangzhou Revolutionary Government's southern expedition captured Haikou in this way. The number of troops dispatched was less than a regiment, and was two battalions of Ye Ting's Independent Regiment.

The key is how to hold Hainan Island after you conquer it. Especially after you have invested in it and developed it, Hainan is no longer a useless island but a popular destination. How will you hold on to it then?

When Christopher arrived in Guangzhou from Hong Kong, he saw the United Government Navy's flagship battleship, the 160-ton retro gunboat "Seagull",...so he declined the request to invest in the Hainan rubber plantation industry.

"In addition to Hainan Island, China's Yunnan Province is also suitable for rubber cultivation, or the climate in Yunnan is more suitable for the growth of rubber trees. And as far as I know, there are rubber plantations in Yunnan Province now.

Christopher changed the subject slightly.

Chen Yun: "Yes, in 1904, the Dai chieftain Dao Anren bought a batch of rubber trees from overseas and planted them in Yingjiang County. They thrived and were even able to be harvested. Unfortunately, Guangxi lay between Yunnan and Guangdong, and Yunnan was practically under French influence."

Christopher's eyes lit up. "Speaking of France, this is a great topic. Right, General Chen, Minister Chen?"

Chen Tianheng: "The next phase of the coalition government's military and political strategy is still being formulated. Regarding Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, some believe they should be prioritized over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Of course, another opposing view is that we should advance into the Yangtze River basin first. Regardless of the strategic priority, Yunnan and the southwestern provinces hold unique and irreplaceable strategic value, and this goes beyond simply causing trouble for France."

The news of the victory of the Ganjiang Campaign also had a very positive impact on Guangzhou and the entire Guangdong Province.

Now, even the die-hard Guangdong people who are indifferent to things outside Guangdong and only want Guangdong to become an independent kingdom have realized the sense of security that the two huge buffer zones of southern Hunan and southern Jiangxi bring to Guangdong.

For citizens and farmers in Guangzhou and its surrounding areas, the intuitive feeling over the past two months is that finding a job has become easier than before.

Many previously closed factories and shops have reopened. The docks are hiring laborers, and the road and bridge projects underway are also seeking work. Besides the jobs available in the cities, mulberry orchards in the countryside are also hiring workers to shred mulberry leaves.

Of course, if you are of the right age, you can also try to sign up for the army. Although being a soldier only provides food and clothing, and you don’t get much cash, but for food, you can really eat as much as you want; and for clothes, wow, those clothes are really majestic.

Guangzhou, which had almost exhausted all its resources in the past two years to raise military funds for the Northern Expedition, seemed to have recovered a little.

The lull following the Ganjiang Campaign was brief. A few days later, newspapers in Nanjing and Shanghai reported that high-ranking Kuomintang and Nationalist army officials were gathering in Nanjing from all over the country. Chiang Kai-shek was preparing to launch a full-scale encirclement and suppression operation, and he had summoned military leaders from all directions to a meeting.

Because Chiang Kai-shek's money was in place, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang consortium raised 3000 million silver dollars.

"President Yu, it's really not easy to raise this amount of money.

Chiang Kai-shek had not arrived yet, so Chen Guangfu and Yu Qiaqing were chatting.

"Yes, yes, yes," Yu Qiaqing said, "For my 1100 million yuan contribution, I almost offended all the bigwigs of the Nanyang Industrial Exposition.

Qian Xinzhi: "Didn't President Yu withdraw some cash from his own shipping company?

"My shipping company's cash flow is also not good. Now from Wuhan to Shanghai, and from Shanghai to Southeast Asia, there is no big business to do anywhere."

Chen Guangfu: "On my side, the Shanghai Bankers Association also offended people everywhere in order to raise this money.

Qian Xinzhi: "It's more than just offending people. Domestic banks have withdrawn too much capital, and their voice in Shanghai's financial world has weakened.

Yu Qiaqing: "This is a huge sum of money, I have to say. We must make good use of this opportunity and earn it back as soon as possible."

"Commander-in-Chief Chiang has arrived!"

Chiang Kai-shek is now very stylish.

Around this time last year, Chiang Kai-shek came into contact with the Jiangsu-Zhejiang financial group. At that time, he asked these big guys to drop some gold coins, and now he is still asking these big guys to drop some gold coins. But after a year of operation, Chiang Kai-shek, who has firmly grasped the military and party power, feels that he does not need to be too low-key in front of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang financial group.

"At this time of national crisis, I am deeply grateful and admire you all for your understanding and your unwavering support for the country.

"Our party and our army, from top to bottom, should follow your example, unite in sincerity, strengthen our army, rebuild our nation, realize the ideals of our late Prime Minister's Three Principles of the People, and create a peaceful and prosperous era for you, our wise men.

Chiang Kai-shek's opening remarks.

Chen Guangfu: "Commander-in-Chief Chiang, 30 million silver dollars have already been allocated, but the industries of Jiangsu and Zhejiang have also suffered a heavy blow. Since the beginning of this year, all industries in Jiangsu and Zhejiang have been struggling. The reason can be traced back to a single reason: insufficient liquidity and a lack of money supply. If we don't improve people's livelihoods quickly, even if this kind of financial investment is repeated in the future, I'm afraid it will become increasingly difficult each time."

Chiang Kai-shek: "I know all this. However, the bandit gangs of Chen and Deng have occupied Guangdong Province, resisting unification by force, spreading false propaganda, and promoting communism, destroying the foundation of the Chinese nation. Recently, in Jiangxi, Chen and Deng's bandit forces have again caused trouble and ravaged the local area. We must not tolerate this and must eliminate them to prevent future troubles. Brother, you also know that the country is in dire straits and the people are exhausted. However, for the future of the country and the future of civilization, the Party army must fight hard, so that in the future you can live in peace and tranquility in a unified country, engage in industry, and strengthen the country and enrich the people."

Qian Xinzhi: "Commander-in-Chief Jiang, I heard that the Chen-Deng gang in Guangdong Province has just issued a peace declaration.

"Humph." Chiang Kai-shek patted the armrest of his chair. "This is a trick to paralyze us.

"Commander-in-Chief Jiang, perhaps this is a delaying tactic, but from our perspective, we also need time to recuperate," Chen Guangfu saw that Jiang Jieshi was a little unhappy, but he still said frankly.

"Since the Northern Expedition, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Nanjing, Wuhan, and even the northern provinces have been plundering the people's wealth to finance the military. As a result, as of this year, the annual fiscal revenue of such a huge country is only 20 million silver yuan. In fact, we should buy time to restore agriculture, industry and commerce, so that people can have food to eat and increase fiscal revenue. With the size of more than a dozen provinces, we can fight against Guangdong Province alone. That is the only way to win. The current situation is not a long-term strategy.

Yu Qiaqing: "Jie Shi, actually, what Guangfu said seems to make some sense.

"Everyone, please stop talking," Chiang Kai-shek patted the armrest again. "Talking about peace now is tantamount to signing the Treaty of Tanyuan with the Guangdong bandits. Our party will not agree to it, and neither will the officers and soldiers of our revolutionary army. If we do not suppress the bandits immediately and allow them to develop, there will be endless troubles.

Realizing that Chiang Kai-shek's attitude was unshakable, Yu Qiaqing rolled his eyes and tried to smooth things over: "That's right. Communism is indeed harmful and cannot be allowed to develop. However, the industries in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and in Shanghai, cannot suffer too much. As Guangfu just said, Commander-in-Chief, you don't want our fundraising to decrease in the future, do you?

Chiang Kai-shek: "What can Wo do to support you?

Yu Qiaqing: "I hope to have some say in Wuhan cotton spinning at the Nanyang Industrial Exposition. In addition, I also want to participate in the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.