The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

"Three million silver dollars... Hey. This is a tricky matter."

Chen Duxiu frowned in thought.

Deng Yanda: "300 million is not a small sum. And the key is that there must be an explanation for the expenditure of this money."

The condition conveyed by Cheng Siyuan really stumped everyone present.

300 million silver dollars is a huge figure for Guangdong’s still fragile finances.

Of course, if you grit your teeth, you can spare so much money, but this involves the second problem: the process.

The fiscal account was not Chen Duxiu's private treasury, nor was it the private treasury of Deng Yanda, Mao Runzhi, or anyone else. Therefore, to withdraw this money, one must first explain its purpose and whereabouts to the agency that manages it. This agency was not the Ministry of Finance but the State Council.

Chen Tianheng: "Huang Shaohong and Li Zongren have offered this price, and we are free to accept it or not. The General Staff of the Revolutionary Army has always prepared its battle plan based on the premise that the two sides have failed to reach an agreement on peace terms. Even if the negotiations break down, it will not affect the goals of our anti-encirclement and suppression campaign."

Ye Ting: "I think so too. If we can't reach an agreement, we'll fight."

Chen Duxiu: "Well, since Li Zongren has offered this price, we can bargain with him, right?"

Chen Tianheng: "He asked for 300 million silver dollars, and we bargained it down to 250 million, 200 million... It's not that we can't bargain, but I think we can also find a way to compensate him. That is, we can make some investment in Guangxi, such as a one-time investment of 300 million silver dollars, and a cumulative investment of 900 million silver dollars in Guangxi over the next three years. In this way, the Guangxi clique can get some benefits."

Several departments of the coalition government are considering making some investments in Guangxi.

Take the mineral mining industry, for example. Decades earlier, when France incorporated Guangxi into its sphere of influence, a French mining exploration team discovered iron ore in Liuzhou and roughly marked its production and grade. This was one of the several local iron mines that Liuzhou Iron and Steel later relied on.

Guangdong invests in the construction of iron mines, and the ore is transported to Guangdong via the Liujiang-Xijiang River and fed to steel mills in Yunfu or Guangzhou. In this way, Guangdong's steel industry can obtain a large, stable source of iron ore with relatively low transportation costs.

The investment was beneficial to the development of Guangdong's industry and commerce, and to the economic development of Guangxi, and it also had a steady effect on increasing the Guangxi clique's fiscal revenue. Although it was not a cash inflow of 300 million yuan, over time, the total increase in the Guangxi clique's fiscal revenue could reach 300 million yuan within a few years.

It all depends on whether Li Zongren and Huang Shaohong are willing.

The next day, the Guangxi clique and the coalition government met again, and Zhou Enlai brought the decision of the Military Commission.

"First, we will release Xia Wei and other Guangxi clique generals who were captured during the first encirclement and suppression campaign."

"Second, we will establish the Guangxi Development Bank within one month and inject 300 million yuan into it. All funds from the Guangxi Development Bank will be used for industrial, agricultural, and commercial investment within Guangxi. The first batch of investment projects will also be finalized within one month. You can also tell us which projects you would like to invest in. After the initial 300 million yuan, we will continue to invest more, reaching a total investment of 900 million yuan within three years."

"Of course, you can also immediately search and confiscate the capital of the Guangxi Development Bank after its establishment, which happens to be the 300 million yuan you requested."

Cheng Siyuan: "I see. It's about using investment instead of direct monetary transactions. I'll explain this to Chairman Huang and Commander-in-Chief Li. But I'm afraid it will be delayed for another three or four days."

Zhou Enlai: "Yes. Given the current situation, we can afford to wait." Cheng Siyuan: "Also, Secretary Zhou, if we agree to your proposal, it means that we believe long-term cooperation is better than short-term transactions. The Guangxi clique's words count."

"Haha, you guys are taking money from the Communist Party, right?"

Longhua, Shanghai.

Xu Enzeng looked at the man in front of him with cold eyes. He was handcuffed and shackled and had a dirty face and glasses.

The Investigation and Statistics Section of the Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang (Nanjing) interrogated and arrested more than ten newspaper reporters and columnists in Longhua.

At the instruction of Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Lifu created the "Central Bureau", which was dedicated to arresting Communist Party members and left-wing Kuomintang members in the Nanjing-controlled area, destroying their organizations, and monitoring the activities of pro-communist people and anti-Chiang factions of the Kuomintang.

After the headquarters declared, "The Communists must be suppressed," protests erupted across the country. The March 3.5th demonstrations were not the end of the protests, but the beginning. For the next week, protests continued in major cities. The Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics took scrambled action, arresting a number of authors who had published articles in newspapers and magazines denouncing the Nanjing government for starting the civil war.

The person wearing handcuffs and shackles was Zhou Quanping. He responded, "I expressed my views based on my own standpoint. What's wrong with that?"

Xu Enzeng: "I don't believe you don't have the Communist Party behind you, giving you money. You intellectuals, you know nothing about national affairs. You live in the city, you have enough to eat and wear. If the Nationalist government doesn't hold on to the country and fix Shanghai, you'll have nothing to eat and wear. You speak freely every day, without taking any money. Who can prove you didn't take any money? Do you think I can't deal with you, the Communist Party's peripheral elements?"

Zhou Quanping: "You can't prove I'm a Communist, nor can you prove my speech violates any law. You're punishing me? Just because you have people and guns, right?"

Chen Lifu arrived at the Longhua Garrison Commander in his carriage.

"Have you identified anything from the dozen or so intellectuals we arrested, as well as the key figures we captured from the march a few days ago?"

Xu Enzeng: "Two of the scholars have written letters of repentance, and the others are still working hard."

Chen Lifu: "Damn it, just two people. ... I have a few names here, take note of them. There are some celebrities out there who want to protect them."

Chen Lifu mentioned a few names, and Xu Enzeng memorized them. Then he asked, "Where are the others?"

Chen Lifu: "They have been dealt with. Either they took money from the Communist Party, or they were deceived by communism. Whether they are in communism in material or spiritual ways, they are both communism."

Shanghai International Settlement.

Another gathering of Jiangsu and Zhejiang financial groups.

More than a year ago, Chiang Kai-shek borrowed a huge sum of 30 million silver dollars from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang financial group. At that time, the members of the financial group were still very optimistic. Most people believed that by spending this money, the final war in the country could be quelled, and then they could make good money.

But for some reason, not long after the money was given out, banking tycoon Chen Guangfu's attitude changed drastically, from being full of confidence to a "pill party", saying from time to time that it was all over, it was all over.

Later, Chiang Kai-shek's encirclement and suppression campaign failed.

Later, before this year's Spring Festival, Zhang Jingjiang also became a member of the "pill party".

Among the several leading figures of the consortium, only Yu Qiaqing still maintains an optimistic attitude. Chen Guangfu and Zhang Jingjiang are now sighing.

"Brother Yu, you certainly have the right to be optimistic. You import and distribute overseas goods, so you never have to worry about sales. We in the banking industry are having a tough time."

Chen Guangfu said with a frown.

Yu Qiaqing: "Follow Chiang Kai-shek closely. You can always earn back the money you spend. It's not just me who can make money from importing and reselling. The banks can also manipulate the Shanghai stock market and futures."

Chen Guangfu: "Brother Qian, stock market futures are not money printing machines. There are losses and gains."

Yu Qiaqing: "That's too formal. Others may make money or lose money, but we don't. We have inside information that no one else knows. Brother Jingjiang, you have the most inside information, right?"

Zhang Jingjiang also frowned. Seeing Yu Qiaqing's question, Zhang Jingjiang replied: "So what if I have inside information? Chiang Kai-shek wants to go to war, and this is the inside information I know."

Yu Qiaqing: "That's it. Wherever Chiang Kai-shek wants to send troops, we will do business there. My pawnshop has always made money from this."

Chen Guangfu: "Everyone knows now that Chiang Kai-shek is going to attack the Dabie Mountains. ... What's the point of fighting? It's obvious he's going to sacrifice another batch of his own troops."

Zhang Jingjiang: "The Communists have carried out land reform in the Dabie Mountains. It would be difficult for Chiang Kai-shek to break into them, and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to hold them. Suppressing the Communists would be a waste of effort. It would be a waste of our 35 million men..."

"President Chen."

There was someone outside the door. It was Chen Guangfu's personal secretary. After entering, the secretary leaned over to Chen Guangfu and whispered, "Chairman Chen, the people you wanted to protect have been released."

Chen Guangfu: "Well, you did a great job on this."

The secretary left. Zhang Jingjiang: "Brother Chen, what's going on?"

Chen Guangfu: "It's nothing serious. A few friends asked me to help them solve a minor problem."

Guangzhou.

"Secretary Zhou."

This was the third time Cheng Siyuan came to Guangzhou on behalf of the Guangxi clique for a secret meeting. This time, he looked rather embarrassed.

"Secretary Zhou, I don't know how to explain this. Hmm..."

Cheng Siyuan said, "Chairman Huang and Commander-in-Chief Li feel this approach isn't feasible. If you're unwilling to settle in cash, then this cooperation...will be temporarily suspended."

Chapter 31: Confirmed, the First and Fourth Armies are in Ganzhou

The Guangxi clique rejected the coalition government's proposal of "investment instead of bribes." This ultimately led to the anti-encirclement and suppression campaign converging on the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Tanzhou Campaign. If the Guangxi clique agreed to a peaceful relinquishment of Changsha, the First Army planned to advance into Jiangxi via Shaoguan and Ganzhou. A joint attack by the First and Fourth Armies could expand their influence in Jiangxi to central Jiangxi, establishing a revolutionary base in eastern Zhejiang and penetrating Chiang Kai-shek's core territory. However, the need to forcefully attack Changsha forced the establishment of a revolutionary base in eastern Zhejiang to be postponed.

长株潭战役我方会出动1、2、4、5四个正规军，加上湘西自治军从西边助攻。防守方李宗仁在长沙的第三集团军下辖6个军，其中7、8两个军是机动兵团，其余四个军构筑防线就地守备。

We still have a hidden chess piece in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Tanzhou Campaign: Li Mingrui's 8th Division of the 7th Guangxi Army. Li Mingrui has already joined the Party...

If Li Mingrui's division revolted at a critical moment, it would have played a crucial role in the outcome of the battle.

In addition, our army's feint attack on Jiangxi can also play a strategic confusing role in the real attack direction of Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan.

"Military Intelligence Bureau 1! The Nanjing Military Academy instructors are on the move!"

The First Bureau of Military Intelligence, whose full name is the First Bureau of the General Staff Military Intelligence Department (Second Department).

After the reorganization, the General Staff Military Intelligence Department was divided into six bureaus: Bureau of Strategic Intelligence (BI1); Bureau of Tactical Intelligence (BI2); Bureau of Technical Intelligence (BI3); Bureau of Intelligence Analysis (BI4); Bureau of Military Attachés (BI5); and Bureau of Secret Intelligence (BI6).

Chen Tianheng: "The entire training division sailed from Nanjing, their destination being Jiujiang. ... We also learned indirectly from the training division's action plan that after arriving in Jiujiang, the division would continue southward and operate in central Jiangxi. This training division was entirely out for training."

Li Kenong: "The information previously obtained by the Military Intelligence Department is very certain. The Chiang Kai-shek army does not intend to launch a large-scale offensive in the Jiangxi direction. The arrival of this instructor from the Nanjing Military Academy in Nanchang will not change the general principles established by Chiang Kai-shek."

Su Yu: "But this will lead to something quite interesting. The instructors from Nanjing may meet our instructors from Huangpu."

Chen Tianheng: "This training division should first pass the test of the Third Army and the Seventh Army. The training divisions of Huangpu are not to be used casually."

Chen Tianheng checked the information of the instructor of Nanjing Military Academy.

A model engineer created by the German advisory group of the Nanjing government, with Weitzel as the chief consultant and Jiang Dingwen as the instructor.

This is a German II standard infantry division, theoretically with two brigades, four infantry regiments, an artillery regiment (but now there is only one mountain artillery battalion), and a cavalry regiment (now all missing).

The theoretical full strength is 1.3 personnel, but the actual strength is now 8600. The training manuals and combat regulations designed for the Chinese army by the German advisory group are adopted.

Where are the instructors at the Whampoa Military Academy?

The organization of the Huangpu Teaching Division is a bit abnormal.

It only has two infantry regiments under its jurisdiction, one "Infantry Training Regiment" and one "Mountain Infantry Training Regiment".

The scattered forces also included a motorized infantry battalion, an armored battalion, an amphibious infantry battalion, an integrated engineering battalion, a special operations brigade, a chemical warfare defense company, a chemical delivery company, a motorized artillery company, a packhorse artillery company, and an aviation ground communications company...

In short, the teaching division is filled with various pilot and experimental units, which provide support for the teaching and military research of the Whampoa Military Academy on a daily basis.

Wuhan.

4 month 4 day.

The entire First Division of the First Army (Nanjing) arrived in Wuhan. Yu Jishi, the division commander, disembarked from a Yangtze River passenger ship and immediately drove to his headquarters in Hankou to pay a visit to Ye Kaixin, commander of the Third Route Army.

The Third Route Army Headquarters was the headquarters for the upcoming encirclement and suppression campaign against Hubei, Henan, and Anhui. Although Ye Kaixin was a ragtag group from the Hunan faction and Yu Jishi himself was a "disciple of the emperor", one was the commander of a route army with several armies under his command, and the other was a division commander. Subordinates should respect their superiors, and Yu Jishi did not fall behind in that.

Ye Kaixin: "Commander Yu Jishi, I wonder what instructions Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek has for this Hubei-Henan-Anhui encirclement and suppression campaign? What instructions does he have for the First Division's operations?"

Yu Jishi: "The First Division has been ordered to come to Wuhan and join the Third Route Army to jointly carry out military operations against the Communist forces in Hubei, Henan and Anhui. Jishi and the First Division will obey the command of Commander Ye."

Ye Kaixin: "Oh. Okay. I wonder what Division Commander Yu Jishi thinks of the current situation in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui encirclement and suppression campaign?"

Yu Jishi: "In this encirclement and suppression operation, Fang Zhenwu's 41st Army, Ma Wende's 42nd Army, and Gao Guizi's 46th Army were the main forces attacking Huang and Ma from Wuhan, and they were also the largest troop groups in the entire campaign. I believe the morale of these three armies is the biggest variable in this encirclement and suppression operation."

Ye Kaixin nodded: "Yeah."

Yu Jishi: "I believe that the commander-in-chief sent the First Division to Wuhan to serve as a benchmark and a supervision to force the three armies in the northwest to go all out."

The First Army, Chiang Kai-shek's most loyal subordinate, was split into three parts before the war:

The First Division went to Wuhan, the Second Division crossed the river to Hefei, and the Third Division was sent to Anqing.

All three divisions were sent to serve as "supervisory teams."

Among them, Yu Jishi's First Division had the heaviest task: he was responsible for driving the three armies and eight divisions in the direction of Wuhan to attack Huangan and Macheng, and after occupying Huangma, he had to drive them into the Dabie Mountains for a mop-up.

These three armies were Feng Yuxiang's old troops. Not long ago, these three armies refused to attack Huangan and Macheng, which was almost a naked act of passive avoidance of war.

Now Feng Yuxiang was forced to issue another announcement under pressure, saying that the Northwest Army was under the control of the central government and would do whatever the central government ordered. The three armies in Wuhan would be commanded by the Nanjing government. In exchange for Chiang Kai-shek's financial support, Feng Yuxiang said that the Northwest Army was under the control of the central government and would do whatever the central government ordered.

Feng Yuxiang said this, but would the 41st, 42nd and 46th Armies actually do as he said? This is not certain.

Moreover, among the bigwigs in the Northwest faction, there are still some who oppose the use of military force in the areas controlled by the Communist Party.

—A month ago, Yu Youren and Feng Yuxiang jointly issued an anti-war telegram. Now Feng Yuxiang has changed his attitude, but Yu Youren has not.

Yu Youren... a prominent figure in the Tongmenghui, revered by KMT veterans as "Right Old Man." He incited anti-Qing sentiment among Shaanxi scholars in 1900 and joined the Tongmenghui in 1906. A founding member of the Xinhai Revolution, a member of the National Protection Movement, and a member of the Protection of Law... he also served as director of the Whampoa Military Academy's admissions office. (Yu Youren recommended 69 of the over 400 students recommended by various regions for the first class.)

After Feng Yuxiang relented, Yu Youren, who had signed the co-signatory, went his own way. In Xi'an, Yu Youren stubbornly stated, "I still oppose the suppression of the Communists." Yu Youren explained that he supported the purge in 1927, even voicing his support when Feng Yuxiang escorted the Communists out of the country. This was because the Communist Party at that time was deeply infiltrated by the Soviet Union, particularly in the northwest. He now saw no signs of Soviet infiltration in the Guangzhou Communist Party. Therefore, the KMT-CCP ​​conflict was purely a domestic disagreement over two ideologies, and no further conflict was allowed.

Yu Youren even stated that the Communist Party's land reform was also carried out in accordance with Sun Yat-sen's ideals. This was because Sun Yat-sen's "expel the Tartars, restore China, establish a republic, and equalize land rights"—the sixteen words he proposed—were unambiguous and clearly meant equal land rights.

"Mr. You, what you said is too much! You are ignoring the facts!"

In Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek was very angry about You Ren's remarks published in the newspaper.

"The Communist Party is repeating the violent acts they committed in southern Jiangxi and southern Hunan in eastern Hubei, massacring local gentry. And Mr. You is actually speaking well of these people! I'm so angry!"

... Chiang Kai-shek's words were completely empty talk.

Because the "Special Decree on Suppressing Counter-Revolutionaries in Hubei, Henan and Anhui" was signed and implemented by Deng Yanda.

Land reform efforts in Hubei, Henan, and Anhui provinces were based on this decree. Simultaneously, the land reform process included a campaign against local tyrants and evil gentry. Landlords' blood debts were traced back 20 years, and if there was irrefutable evidence, they would be dealt with severely and severely.

In addition, during the land reform process, if landlords dared to mobilize militia servants to engage in any armed resistance, regardless of whether lives were lost, it would be regarded as rebellion and they would be beheaded.

4 month 7 day.

Under the supervision of Yu Jishi, Fang Zhenwu's 41st Army left Hanyang and headed towards Macheng.

On the same morning, Ganzhou.

"Heroic troops, prepare—sing!"

"Heroic Troops"