The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

“.…Alas.” Cheng Siyuan sighed.

Zhou Enlai: "In Hunan Province, the area north of Hengyang, which you now control, has an annual fiscal revenue of approximately 4 million yuan. In Jiangxi, although we are only discussing the Poyang Lake area along the Nanxun Line in central and northern Jiangxi, this area had an annual revenue of 8 million yuan last year. In any case, this exchange is still beneficial to you."

Cheng Siyuan: "If that's the case, why don't you just attack Nanchang and take over all of Jiangxi to pocket the 800 million yuan? Why do you have to go after Changsha, which has an annual revenue of 400 million yuan?"

Zhou Enlai: "Because we know how to build and operate, while Chiang Kai-shek does not, and, with all due respect, you have no long-term planning or investment in Hunan's development. In our hands, Hunan will unleash unprecedented potential, and in the future it will be even more important and valuable than Nanchang and Jiujiang. ... Mr. Cheng should know that we are fully committed to conquering the Nanling section of the Yue-Han Railway."

Cheng Siyuan: "I know. In fact, in the 16th year of the Republic of China, Commander-in-Chief Li and Chairman Huang envisioned the Hunan-Guangxi Railway."

Zhou Enlai: "Then you can continue to envision this railway! If you are serious about this, we can work with you to build the railway. You will be responsible for the section from Guilin to the Hunan-Guangxi border, and we will be responsible for the section from the Hunan-Guangxi border to Hengyang. This can also be considered a long-term plan for the two provinces."

Cheng Siyuan: "The situation at that time was that the first encirclement and suppression campaign had not yet begun, and Hengyang was still in our hands. There was a chain of cities connected from Guangxi to Changsha, but that is no longer the case. From now on, if we follow your request, Hunan will have nothing to do with us."

Chen Tianheng went to the dock to see Cheng Siyuan off and to have a final negotiation with him. After all, the two sides had already met and negotiated once in 1927.

Arriving at the dock, before even exchanging pleasantries, Chen Tianheng heard Cheng Siyuan's words. He replied, "Mr. Cheng, that's not right. Not only will Hunan and Guangxi maintain close ties, but so will Guangdong and Guangxi. The two provinces are one."

Cheng Siyuan: "Ah, ... General Chen, hello."

Chen Tianheng: "Mr. Cheng, look at the boats on the West River."

The Xijiang River is the largest tributary of the Pearl River. From Guangxi to Guangdong, it converges countless large and small rivers and flows into the sea near Guangzhou. On less detailed maps, the Xijiang River is often mistaken for the Pearl River.

At this moment, a fleet of inland cargo ships passed by the few people. Each ship was fully loaded with red bricks, pushing the waterline very low.

Chen Tianheng: "The construction industry in Guangzhou and several surrounding cities is booming right now. At least 60% of the bricks needed for building are shipped by water from Guangxi. Guangxi has abundant clay and advanced brick-making technology. Those ships over there are carrying timber, which is also a major component of the annual trade between Guangdong and Guangxi."

The wood shipped by ship is actually relatively good wood, some of which are not too expensive. Guangxi simply ties the logs into rafts, throws them into the river, and has a Guangxi man stand on the raft. The raft then floats downstream and is sold to Guangdong.

In addition to wood, Guangxi also sells tung oil, medicinal herbs, pig bristles, tea, brown sugar, spices, and all kinds of other strange things to Guangdong.

A cargo ship that just passed by was loaded with plump local dogs. Chen Tianheng believed that if he stayed at the Xijiang Wharf long enough, he would surely see a shipload of pangolins, civets, and even coral snakes.

Zhou Enlai: "With the Xijiang River shipping as a hub, Guangxi's products can be combined with Guangzhou's developed commercial foreign trade, which is beneficial to both sides. Currently, as far as I know, your annual opium re-export trade revenue is 6 to 8 million yuan. In fact, if you can improve your normal trade, even without the opium business, your fiscal revenue can reach 20 to 30 million yuan per year."

Cheng Siyuan: "Every declaration you make, including the peace declaration, is overly hard-line on certain principles and shows no willingness to compromise. This makes it very difficult for us. I believe that other forces in the country will also find it difficult to deal with your principles."

Zhou Enlai: "Revolution is about smashing the old world and building a new one. We are not uncompromising on anything, but there are some fundamental issues that are not negotiable. If we do not insist on these things, then what is the difference between us and the previous warlord governments? We are mentally prepared for your resistance to this, but we still hope that you will seriously consider and reflect on these issues."

Chen Tianheng: "Mr. Cheng, I also want to say a few words about Changsha. The last time Changsha changed hands was between you and me. We both reached an agreement on a quasi-peaceful handover. That was in September 1927."

Cheng Siyuan: "That's right."

Chen Tianheng: "Therefore, this time I also hope for a peaceful handover, just like last time. Coincidentally, during the last handover, you suggested to us that we move eastward and capture Nanchang as a base. This time, we also hope that you will move eastward, abandon Changsha and take Nanchang."

White waves appeared at the stern of Cheng Siyuan's motorboat, which went upstream and disappeared in the distance.

The Central Military Commission authorized the Central Military Commission Secretariat to directly request the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan area during the talks with Cheng Siyuan.

Just do it openly, because the Guangxi clique will not report this matter to Chiang Kai-shek.

—Then Cheng Siyuan’s appearance in Guangzhou itself was an act of treason. The local powerful faction of the Nanjing government secretly communicated with the Chen Deng rebels in Guangzhou. This was unacceptable.

Secondly, even if the Guangxi clique told Chiang Kai-shek about this matter, Chiang Kai-shek would never believe it.

Not only would Chiang Kai-shek not believe it, he would also think it was a conspiracy by the Guangxi clique and the Chen-Deng rebels, and would be even more convinced that the Chen-Deng rebels were determined to take Nanchang. There was no need to worry about the Guangxi clique raising its vigilance and heavily deploying troops in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Tanzhou area. In fact, Chiang Kai-shek would then scream for Li Zongren to send several armies from Hunan and Hubei to Nanchang to help.

General Staff.

"Now adjust the support plan for the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area."

陈天衡:“再向鄂豫皖根据地调入100万发子弹、4000发炮弹。武器方面，增调200挺轻机枪和30挺重机枪。这些增调的武器,用于提升2个地方独立团的作战实力,使其能够在一定程度上具备正面作战能力。”

"Yes."

"At the same time, the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area carried out the first evacuation, secretly evacuating the elderly core members of the peasant association, the disabled and the sick, and others in the base area back to Jiangnan. The General Staff had a corresponding evacuation plan."

"Yes."

After the Logistics Department assigned tasks, Chen Tian looked at the staff officer in the Operations Department today and said, "Lin Biao, it seems like it's time for you to report to the Third Division."

Lin Biao: "We will leave for Shaoguan next Tuesday."

Chen Tianheng: "Now, division-level commanders in the revolutionary army must include service in the General Staff in their resumes before taking office. Can you explain why this is the case?"

Lin Biao: "First, the General Staff is the brain of the entire army. Serving as a staff officer in the General Staff allows you to personally experience the General Staff's decision-making process. This will give you a more thorough understanding of the plans formulated by the General Staff or the military orders issued when you become a division commander in the future."

"Secondly, during their tenure at the General Staff, the CMC's General Political Department will have the opportunity to inspect commanders and staff officers. Although this may not take up much time, it is of great significance."

Chen Tianheng: "Tell me more about it."

"The Revolutionary Army's divisions are quasi-independent combat units. In actual combat, they can serve as part of an army-level combat unit, but when necessary, they must also independently carry out combat missions. Therefore, a division has much greater independent combat authority than a regiment. Simply being a Party member and a member of the Youth Army Association is not enough; the division commander must also be politically vetted by the Party organization and be completely reliable."

Chen Tianheng nodded. "Both points are correct. The Third Division in Shaoguan will be heading out for battle soon after you take command... Then we'll see how you, the first division-level commander among the fourth-term students, perform."

Lin Biao chuckled, saluted, and replied, "I understand."

"Mr. Chen."

Although the people had gone to the Operations Department, Huang Wei from the Logistics Department still came to visit. Chen Tianheng asked: "Is there any problem with the transportation chain in Hubei, Henan and Anhui?"

"There's no problem with the supply chain in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area," Huang Wei said. "Supply transportation to the Xiangxi base area and the autonomous army is congested. This is because the underground caravans that originally transported supplies to Xiangxi have difficulty increasing their capacity due to the need to transport aerial bombs, fuel, and aviation parts to the Xiangxi base area. Coincidentally, the date for the Xiangxi Autonomous Army to be reorganized into the Eighth Army has been brought forward, so the logistics department must adjust the transportation plan for some supplies. Specifically..."

Huang Wei glanced at the document in his hand: "The Logistics Department's suggestion is to delay the distribution of uniforms to the Eighth Army, giving priority to the transportation of aviation supplies and ordinary ammunition and weapons."

Chen Tianheng: "Military uniforms... yes, they're relatively unimportant. So, when the Eighth Army was officially established in Xiangxi, it didn't have a uniform?"

Huang Wei: "Yes. But when the Autonomous Army advances from western Hunan towards Changsha and reaches the outskirts of Yiyang, our transport team carrying military uniforms will be able to meet up with the Autonomous Army, no, the Eighth Army, where they will get new uniforms."

"This plan has been approved, so let's carry it out."

Chen Tianheng thought, now, in Xiangxi, he could really see the scene of peasant soldiers wearing coarse cloth jackets cooperating with light bombers to attack the county town.

Chapter 29: Teacher vs. Teacher

The Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area's campaign objective during the counter-encirclement campaign was to hold onto the Dabie Mountains. It would be better if some of the plains outside the mountains could be captured by the end of the campaign, but if the situation was unfavorable, it would be acceptable for the entire Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area to retreat into the mountains.

The Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area was now surrounded by Chiang Kai-shek's six armies and sixteen divisions, with the enemy's strength outnumbering ours by 5:1. The military pressure was immense. In the south, in Hunan and Jiangxi, the enemy's strength was only 3:1.

If they entered the Dabie Mountains, Chiang Kai-shek's military advantage would be largely offset or diluted.

The Dabie Mountains stretch 380 kilometers from east to west and about 175 kilometers from north to south. The mountains are steep and the roads are rugged, making them easy to defend but difficult to attack. The 6th Army and independent regiments of Hubei, Henan and Anhui can easily circle around the mountains and wipe out the invading enemy.

The Dabie Mountains also enjoyed a very advantageous geographical location. Located north of the Yangtze River, they were not far from Nanjing to the east and Wuhan to the west. To the northeast, they could penetrate the Huanghuai Plain, threatening Hefei; to the west, they could cut off the Pinghan Railway; and to the northwest, they could reach the Xinyang and southern Henan Plains. In short, this was a crucial starting point for future struggles in the Central Plains.

Therefore, even if it becomes difficult to maintain the base in the future because the entire base is moved into the mountains, it would be worthwhile for Guangzhou to provide some economic support to Hubei, Henan and Anhui to allow the base in the Dabie Mountains to continue to exist.

"I need to call up another troop."

Chen Tianheng pointed to Changzhou Island at the mouth of the Pearl River and said, "The Whampoa Military Academy's teaching division. We're sending it to the Jiangxi battlefield to boost our momentum and create the illusion that our army is determined to capture Nanchang."

Fan Hanjie: "It's feasible. The training division will be Principal Ye's former 20th Division, which is very capable, especially in tactics. Transport them by rail to Shaoguan and then march to Ganzhou. We can be more conspicuous along the way. Passersby who don't pay attention to counting heads will mistake them for the First Army."

Chen Tianheng: "Their combat effectiveness is quite good... Then, should we have the training division participate in the feint attack on Fuzhou and Yingtan?"

The Whampoa Military Academy had a teaching division, and the "pseudo-Whampoa Military Academy" - the Nanjing Officer School, also had a teaching division.

The German military advisory group led by Weitzel devoted half a year of hard work to this training division, but the current state of the Nanjing training division still does not satisfy Weitzel.

The officers came from a mixed bag, and their abilities varied widely. Some officers transferred from the Five Provinces Allied Forces were pure scoundrels, and Weitzel discovered that some graduates from the Whampoa Military Academy and the Nanjing Military Academy were quite unskilled.

Most soldiers were illiterate, which was another problem. One staff officer secretly suggested to Weitzel that he organize literacy classes in the training division, just like what was being done in Guangzhou. However, Weitzel found that his advisory group had not prepared any teachers - and the few translators did not have time for this.

Officer and enlisted morale was low. Weitzel understood that the training division wasn't preparing to fight foreigners, so nationalism as a morale-boosting tool wouldn't be useful. Indoctrinating the division with anti-communist ideology? The Nanjing Kuomintang organization was indeed trying to indoctrinate the division, but whether it was effective was another matter. The side effect—a decline in military discipline—had surfaced.

Within the National Army, some officers did not have a high opinion of the training manual developed by Weitzel and the advisory group.

These officers had all come into contact with Chen Tianheng at Whampoa Military Academy or on the battlefield. After arriving in China, Weitzel saw fragments of Chen Tianheng's unit's training and combat instructions, handwritten by officers from Nanjing. After reading these fragments, Weitzel understood that the Guangzhou troops were employing newly revised and upgraded infantry tactics. However, out of respect for his white or perhaps German reputation, Weitzel verbally refused to acknowledge that the Chinese had significantly upgraded German infantry tactics. He instead insisted on providing the instructors with Germany's 1918 Infantry and Stormtrooper Drill Manual.

Of course, before coming up with this manual, Weitzel racked his brains privately to revise and improve the 1918 edition of the manual, but how effective these improvements were would probably only be known on the battlefield.

"General Weitzel, headquarters intends to dispatch instructors to Hefei and Lu'an to participate in the encirclement and suppression of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Communist base area."

The head of the teaching division, Jiang Dingwen, came to discuss with Weitzel.

Weitzel: "I've seen that place on a map. There are only some Communist guerrillas there."

Jiang Dingwen: "They are not just guerrillas. They have regular troops in Hubei, Henan and Anhui. It is said that they have been reorganized into the Sixth Army of the Guangzhou Revolutionary Army, which has three divisions."

Weitzel: "The Nanking government deployed 16 divisions around those Communist forces, but couldn't defeat these three divisions?"

Jiang Dingwen nodded.

Of these 16 divisions, 8 were deployed, which were the three armies Feng Yuxiang sent to Wuhan from the northwest. Therefore, the military advantage was not that great.

Weitzel: "As the head of the military advisory group, I have repeatedly stressed to Chiang Kai-shek that there is no need to implement a strategy of attacking the north first and then the south. You have 40 armies, and now three previously disbanded armies have been restored, while the Guangzhou government has only six. Nanjing should conduct a total war mobilization, mobilizing all 43 armies rather than just a portion of them due to military funds, to completely resolve the rebellion in Guangzhou. I hope to send the training division to the south."

Jiang Dingwen: "General, I think so too."

—―Jiang Dingwen believed that the training division was sent to the south because the north was attacking and the south was defending, and the south did not intend to take the initiative to attack. Jiang Dingwen took the troops to Jiangxi just to take a leisurely stroll. Besides, a stroll could exercise the training division's field marching ability, which could be regarded as a training.

Weitzel believed that sending them to the south was in the hope that Nanjing would launch a total war against Guangzhou.

Guangzhou Railway Station.

"Old Guo, let me be clear. Going to the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area now is very dangerous. Chiang Kai-shek may launch an attack on Hubei-Henan-Anhui within a month."

Chen Tianheng saw Guo Moruo off at the train station.

A few days ago, Guo Moruo suddenly proposed leaving Guangzhou for the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area. Chiang Kai-shek was steadily advancing his encirclement and suppression campaign, amid nationwide condemnation. Guo Moruo believed the base area lacked a nationally renowned figure, especially one known to the public in intellectual and literary circles, to serve as a "shield." So he applied for temporary employment there.

"I'm a bit of a name in the national intellectual community," Guo Moruo said. "They don't dare do anything to me. When I'm there, many of my colleagues back home will pay attention and even visit me personally, exposing Chiang Kai-shek's civil war crimes and the atrocities committed by his reactionary army in the revolutionary base areas. Also, some pre-Qin historical relics have been unearthed in the Dabie Mountains, and I'd like to see them."

Chen Tianheng: "The founder of the Creation Society, the standard-bearer of the New Culture Movement, a leading author on oracle bone script research, and the editor-in-chief of China National Geographic, if you were to go there, I'm sure many academics and intellectuals from northern China would flock to Hubei, Henan, and Anhui to debate with you, and it might even become a small center for oracle bone script research."

"That's why I dare to walk overland with such confidence, because the Yale-China Changsha branch in Changsha has invited me to give a lecture. ... I'm leaving now, bye!"

Guo Moruo quickly jumped onto the train, the door closed, and the steam locomotive puffed its way towards Shaoguan.

Chen Tianheng turned around and saw a woman approaching with long strides. "Comrade Huang Mulan!"

Huang Mulan looked around: "Where is Guo Moruo? Some people say that Guo Moruo went to this place."

Chen Tianheng pointed at the departing train and said, "He got on that train and went north."

"He was lucky to have gotten away."

Huang Mulan put the machete she had been holding in her hand back into the sheath.

Nanjing.

"This time, the encirclement and suppression campaign will begin with Hubei, Henan, and Anhui. This was decided by the headquarters and the Military Commission."

Chiang Kai-shek explained Weitzel's questions.

"The Communist forces in Hubei, Henan, and Anhui are inferior to the Communist First and Fourth Armies in the south in terms of combat effectiveness. Moreover, Hubei, Henan, and Anhui are isolated north of the Yangtze River, making it difficult for the Guangzhou government to provide them with support and supplies. Our army can encircle them from three sides and attack them from two directions to completely wipe out this Communist base."

"As for the question raised by the advisor, I can answer it now. The Republic of China is just beginning, and human and financial resources are still being accumulated. We cannot currently make large-scale overall war plans. When the country becomes stronger in the future, a showdown with the Communist Party will then be a natural progression."

Weitzel: "The Nanjing government has mobilized so many troops just to eliminate a Communist guerrilla base. It is said that there is a regular army among them, but it is only one army and three divisions. If you continue at this rate, you will not be able to win the war against the Communist regime within ten years."

Chiang Kai-shek: "Although our country has achieved the unification of the north and the south, local forces still tend to be independent and separatist. Various armies refuse to obey central control and act on their own. Some even refuse to obey orders and refuse to fight for various reasons. My overall plan is to first achieve absolute unity of military command. Mr. Advisor, I am not unfamiliar with total war and total mobilization, and I understand the power of total war. However, total war cannot be successfully implemented in our country today."

Chiang Ting-wen: "President, General Weitzel just said that the teaching division should not be sent to Hefei, but should go to Jiangxi to try to engage the enemy and use combat instead of training. The students believe that this suggestion will be more beneficial to the teaching division."

Chiang Kai-shek: "Oh?"

Chiang Ting-wen stated: "In the future, our army's main battlefield will undoubtedly be in the south, in Hunan or Jiangxi. If the junior officers of the training division can gain firsthand experience of Jiangxi's topography and the Communist army's combat style during their trip to Jiangxi, this experience will be of great value when they are later assigned to various units of the revolutionary army."

Chiang Kai-shek pondered: "In other words, the teaching division will not participate in the encirclement and suppression of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Communist Army."

Jiang Dingwen: "Yes."

Weitzel: "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, if you are concerned about the current army's offensive against the Communist forces north of the Yangtze River and are worried that they will passively avoid fighting, you can dispatch other combat-capable troops to participate."

Guangzhou.

Cheng Siyuan is here again.

Huang Shaohong was currently in Wuzhou, on the border between Guangdong and Guangxi. Cheng Siyuan would return to Wuzhou to relay the progress of the negotiations. Huang Shaohong would make decisions on minor matters, and Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi would quickly respond to major issues from Wuzhou to Wuhan. The three Guangxi clique leaders could reach an agreement after just a few rounds of telegrams.

Zhou Enlai: "Secretary Cheng, what are your thoughts now?"

Cheng Siyuan: "I reported this to Chairman Huang, and Chairman Huang also discussed it with Commander-in-Chief Li... The thing is, Commander-in-Chief Li believes that since we completed the handover of Changsha after peaceful negotiations last time, this time it is indeed possible. But..."

Zhou Enlai: “?”

Cheng Siyuan: "The last time we peacefully handed over Changsha, besides you advancing and I retreating, there were actually some exchange conditions behind it."

Zhou Enlai: "Yes, you provided us with a batch of ammunition."

Cheng Siyuan: "That's right. Commander-in-Chief Li and Chairman Huang think that if we give up Changsha this time, could you also pay something? ... Commander-in-Chief Li thinks that for 300 million. 300 million dollars, our army can give up Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan."

Chapter 30: Who Accepted Money from the Communist Party?