The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

"Comrades, the tanks haven't caught up with the armored vehicles... but the enemy has just arrived at Liangjiadu. Their troops are in disarray, but they may regroup and regain order. Then it will be difficult to fight them. We should attack now without delay."

Zeng Zhongsheng: "Indeed, the enemy has no tanks, so armored vehicles are sufficient at this time."

Dai Anlan: "At the west crossing of Liangjiadu, Armored Companies 1 and 2 will attack from two directions: the east and west sides of the west crossing. Armored Company 3, you will circle around and head north from here. After marching 3 kilometers, turn back and attack the enemy from the flank and rear. The coordination of the battle will depend entirely on the tacit understanding you have developed during the exercise... Company 3 will set off 5 minutes early. That way, at the average speed, all three of our fists will strike at the same time."

"Also, upon contact, as usual, fire a flare into the sky."

Nanchang.

Cheng Qian's mood has obviously calmed down in recent days.

Because Li Zongren agreed to send troops to aid Jiangxi, the 47th Army of the Guangxi Clique had actually landed in Jiujiang and was now taking over important nodes on the Nanxun Line such as De'an and Yongxiu one by one.

The 18th Army will arrive in Jiujiang tomorrow morning, followed by the 7th Army, the old part of the Guangxi clique.

In short, reinforcements will arrive in Nanchang soon, and Nanchang has not yet been attacked on all fronts.

He just ordered the 19th Division in Yingtan to break out, but I don't know if it has broken out yet. If it has, can the training division bring my 19th Division back?

Chiang Kai-shek's direct subordinates in Nanchang were generally cooperative with his work as the group army commander. After all, with a powerful enemy at hand, there was no need to fight against each other or set traps for each other.

After dinner, Cheng Qian inspected the army headquarters, reminded the staff officers to pay close attention to the breakout in the direction of Yingtan, and then returned to his official residence to sleep.

Around three or four in the morning of the next day, Cheng Qian was awakened by his adjutant's knock on the door. "Commander, ... Commander-in-Chief Jiang called."

Cheng Qian came to his study in his pajamas and picked up the phone. "Cheng Qian, Cheng Songyun!"

"Give me back my instructor!"

Chapter 38: Hu Jianren sends another ship

Cheng Qian hurried downstairs in his pajamas, got in his car, and rushed to the Second Army camp. He had just been scolded by Chiang Kai-shek and needed to find out what was going on.

Today is only April 21st, no, it's the early morning of April 22nd, the battle hasn't started yet! The 19th Division in Yingtan is scheduled to break out today, and the training division is just going forward to provide cover. After the 19th Division breaks out, the remaining personnel will retreat all the way. The training division's support points will hold on for a little while, and each point will hold on for a few more hours, giving the remnants of the 19th Division time to escape. Probably on April 23rd or 24th, the 19th Division will be brought back to Nanchang, and the main force of the Guangxi clique will also arrive in Nanchang, and it will be almost stable.

"Commander! Yesterday, the Communist army dispatched over a hundred tanks, repeatedly raiding our inner areas! The 1st, 3rd, and 4th Regiments of the Training Division, which were on the march, were successively dispersed!"

—A staff officer reported the worst news.

Cheng Qian: "Is this news true?!"

"Commander, late last night, defeated soldiers from the 1st Regiment of the Training Division fled back to Nanchang County and reported on the battle. The county garrison relayed the news back to the headquarters by telephone."

Cheng Qian thought that while the Nanchang County was passing the news back to the camp, the county party committee must have also secretly sent the news to Nanjing, so Nanjing got the news earlier than Cheng Qian himself.

"The Communists used tanks during the siege of Fengcheng, but there were only a few. Besides, Fengcheng is dozens of kilometers away from where the training division was fighting. How did they get there?"

The officers shook their heads.

After a while, the defeated soldiers of the Training Division who had fled back to the county late last night were also sent to Nanchang City. Cheng Qian, together with the officers of the Second Regiment of the Training Division who stayed in Nanchang, identified them and confirmed that they were soldiers and low-ranking officers of the First Regiment of the Training Division.

This proves that... the Nanjing Military Academy's teaching division is most likely gone. The 19th Division of his own Sixth Army is also most likely gone.

But how did the Communist army, having just opened the entrance to the Ganjiang Plain, manage to intrude and kill dozens of kilometers in just one day?

"Commander!"

Xue Yue hurried into the camp command center.

Although Xue Yue also suffered a defeat in the Ganjiang River Valley Campaign at the end of 1927, he was the only division-level officer to lead his troops back in an entire formation. As a result, he was promoted to corps commander after the war and was responsible for rebuilding the 32nd Army. This 32nd Army is now one of the two armies stationed in the Nanchang city defense system.

"Commander, our troops encountered the Communist army in Xiangtang Town, south of the county seat. The Communists have tanks, but not hundreds of them. Moreover, the vast majority of their vehicles are armored."

"Xiangtang Town! That means it's not far from Nanchang!" The staff officers exclaimed.

Wang Jun, commander of the Third Army, said: "From a distance, armored vehicles look similar to tanks, which is understandable. But how can armored vehicles run freely in places where there are no roads?"

Xue Yue: "Soldiers at the front report that these armored vehicles have tracks like tanks, so they can easily cross mountains and rivers, and even rice fields in the wilderness."

Cheng Qian sighed, while Wang Jun was still in a daze. He thought for a long time, then said, "Commander, is Commander-in-Chief Jiang particularly furious right now?"

"So what if Commander-in-Chief Chiang is furious!" Cheng Qian angrily said, "In war, regardless of victory or defeat, there will always be casualties. He lost a training division, and I lost the Sixth Army! Everyone, as long as we hold Nanchang, and the headquarters' strategy of attacking the north and defending the south does not fail here, we will have completed the battle mission. After the war, everything will be easy to explain to Commander-in-Chief Chiang. Remember, this is the ultimate goal!"

"Yes!" Wang Jun expressed his determination: "The Third Army will definitely follow the commander's orders!"

Liangjiadu.

The mechanized regimental combat team of the Whampoa Military Academy successfully completed the raid mission and prepared to retreat.

临时编组的团级战斗队由1个装甲营、1个摩托化步兵营、1个两栖步兵营、1个综合工兵营、1个摩托化炮兵连组成，在昨天的连续三场战斗中，装甲营作为先锋都起到了一锤定音的作用,摩步营打辅助。

Basically, the armored battalion knocks the enemy unconscious with a hammer, and the motorized infantry goes up to strip the enemy's clothes.

So now the motorized infantry battalions' trucks were piled high with all sorts of military supplies; M1918 helmets filled several trucks. The Mauser 1924 carbines (the predecessor of the Kar98K), uniformly equipped by the Nanjing Training Division, were also being shipped back in bundles.

"Original German Mauser Model 1924 carbine, excellent quality, only dropped once, 99% new."

Dai Anlan examined a captured Mauser carbine and pushed and pulled the bolt a few times. The mechanical movement of the gun was very smooth.

Jiang Dingwen: "Congratulations, classmate Dai, you have made a fortune."

Jiang Dingwen was considered a senior. He was a military instructor when Whampoa Military Academy was established in 1924, while Dai Anlan was a student of the third term.

Dai Anlan: "Instructor Jiang, I'm a little confused. Aren't your instructors trained by German military advisors? Where are those Germans?"

Jiang Dingwen: "Why, capturing me and the entire staff of the training division is not enough, and you want to capture a few more Germans?"

Dai Anlan nodded vigorously: "Yes, that's right." Jiang Dingwen: "..."

The captured Chief of Staff Xu Tingyao chuckled and said with hatred: "Weitzel, he is an amateur..."

Due to insufficient manpower and too little time, the mechanized regiment let many defeated soldiers escape, but all the key officers who should be captured were captured.

The greatest achievement was the capture of the Nanjing Training Division's leadership—the entire command team, including the division commander and chief of staff—at Liangjiadu. Although the Second Training Division's four regiments survived, the Second Training Regiment (which had been guiding the 3rd and 32nd Armies in Nanchang to improve their defense systems and enhance their tank defense capabilities) was no longer influential.

Regardless of whether Weitzel was an amateur or not, the German military advisory group had to start all over again from scratch in its efforts to modernize and reorganize the Nanjing Nationalist Army. A song, "Starting Over Again," is dedicated to General Weitzel.

Guangzhou.

Chen Tianheng received the battle report from Nanchang. From the telegram, one can taste the ecstasy of Ye Ting and Jiang Xianyun about the battle of the mechanized regiment of the teaching division.

However, Chen Tianheng calmly asked the General Staff to issue another military order, stabilizing the front line in the Nanchang direction, and concentrating the three forces in Fengcheng, Fuzhou, and Yingtan respectively, so that they could calmly withdraw their troops and retreat to Ji'an and Ganzhou at the end of the battle.

The mechanized regiment's raiding operations were enough to scare the Nanchang defenders. In the next week or two, even if they were only stationed in three cities on the edge of the Ganjiang Plain, Cheng Qian's Second Army could only tremble in Nanchang in the center of the plain, and did not dare to step out of the defense line.

In Hunan, the latest battle report is that Changde was captured by He Long.

Yes, the original plan was to intimidate the Changde defenders, and then the Eighth Army would bypass the city and head straight for Yiyang. Unexpectedly, six Air Force bombers dropped two rounds of bombs at low altitude, and the Changde defenders directly raised the white flag.

The General Staff calculated the time available in western Hunan, and decided to allow the Eighth Army more than a day to enter Changde City, collect the prisoners, and restore order. Then, He Long led the 22nd and 23rd Divisions on a mighty march toward Yiyang.

At the same time, Zhu De, the main attacking group in Hunan, was recalculating the difficulty and time required to capture Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan.

Because Li Zongren withdrew two of the six armies in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Tanzhou direction, all of which were main forces, leaving only four armies, which made the battle much easier.

The order from the General Staff was that once Li Zongren's last reinforcement army, the 7th Army, got off the ship and arrived in Nanchang, the battle in the Hunan direction would begin immediately.

"How about the Hubei, Henan and Anhui directions?" Chen Tianheng asked.

陈明仁:“鄂豫皖的最新动态还是14小时前周士第发来的电报。军区做出了一些调整,前段时间损失较重的17师与总预备队18师互换,17师驻守营山县而18师加入机动兵团。另外16师48团因为损失也很大,周士第让48团与17师一起留在营山县,但打算在一周之内,用英山独立团的兵员填充到48团当中,以尽快恢复战斗力。”

"In addition, Zhou Shidi withdrew all troops from the recently liberated Qichun County, even the Independent Regiment."

Chen Tianheng: "Zhou Shidi's arrangement is correct. Qichun County is adjacent to the Yangtze River. Although the county seat is not on the Yangtze River, it is less than 10 kilometers away from the main channel of the Yangtze River and is within the range of the Yangtze River gunboats."

Chen Mingren: "In fact, there are already two Yangtze gunboats operating upstream of Wuxue. According to Shanghai newspapers, Chiang Kai-shek has also transferred two thousand-ton gunboats to Shanghai. They should depart from the Huangpu River today and sail upstream. They are expected to arrive in Wuxue in five or six days."

The Nanjing headquarters mobilized two large inland gunboats of the Yong type to Shanghai, one was the "Yongjian" and the other was the famous Zhongshan ship, originally named "Yongfeng".

The main guns of the two ships have a caliber of 102 mm and the secondary guns have a caliber of 76.2 mm. Both are long-barreled, high-velocity cannons with a range that can cover Qichun County.

The task assigned to the navy by the headquarters was very simple and clear: to sail to the upper reaches of Wuxue, to the section of the river near Qichun County, to bombard Qichun County, to cooperate with the 46th Army attacking Qichun County, and to drive the Communists out of the city.

However, the captains of the two warships were reluctant to take on this mission, as it would be an indiscriminate bombardment of the county town, which would undoubtedly injure civilians. On the evening of April 22, the headquarters issued another stern order to the two gunboats, ordering them to weigh anchor and sail upstream immediately.

So at around 8 o'clock in the evening of the 22nd, the "Yongjian" set sail first, followed by the Zhongshan ship, which also left the dock and headed from the Huangpu River to the Yangtze River.

But the next day, at dawn, the leading ship "Yongjian" discovered that the Zhongshan ship, which was supposed to be following behind it, was missing.

The Zhongshan Ship disappeared?

"Yongjian sending a message. Yongjian sending a message." "This ship has lost contact with the Zhongshan."

"Reporting to headquarters, this ship has lost contact with the Zhongshan ship."

"Since the Zhongshan was unable to follow our ship, it would be difficult for a single ship to complete this bombardment mission and we would be in danger of being damaged by enemy shore fire. The Yongjian will return to Shanghai."

Chapter 39: Changsha, Zhuzhou and Tanzhou are about to end

At dawn on April 23, the Zhongshan ship defected. After leaving the Huangpu River, it did not head up the Yangtze River, but instead turned out of the Yangtze River estuary and entered the sea, turning south and arriving in Guangzhou on April 30.

Rumors circulated that the Zhongshan ship secretly stopped at the Mawei naval port in Fuzhou during its journey, where officers and soldiers loaded a large amount of luggage, personal belongings, and local delicacies onto the ship from the dock before departing for Guangzhou. However, Fujian authorities denied this.

The Zhongshan Ship was not a simple offshore or inland river gunboat. It held profound historical significance and political symbolism.

In 1917, Sun Yat-sen launched the Protection of Law Movement. Navy Chief Cheng Bi-guang led the First Fleet in a "Nine-Ship Rebellion," with the Yongfeng being one of them. In 1922, Chen Jiongming rebelled and laid siege to the Presidential Palace in Guangzhou. Sun Yat-sen and Soong Ching-ling fled in disguise. The Yongfeng was the only ship in Guangdong that supported the revolution. It was likely aboard the Yongfeng that Sun Yat-sen realized the complete failure of his previous strategy of using warlords to fight warlords.

Of course, it was on this ship that Chiang Kai-shek, who hurriedly came from Zhejiang to accompany the ship, gained Sun Yat-sen's trust.

In 1925, Sun Yat-sen died in Beijing. It was the Yongfeng that escorted his coffin back south, after which the Yongfeng was renamed the Zhongshan.

After the Zhongshan arrived in Guangzhou, Captain Chen Di issued a telegram accusing the Nanjing government of ordering naval vessels to bombard Qichun County and massacre civilians. The Zhongshan refused to comply and declared its separation from the Nanjing government and its joining the Guangzhou Revolutionary Army. He also called on all naval vessels not to get involved in the civil war.

The Nanjing headquarters announced that the Zhongshan ship had rebelled and ordered all naval ships to suppress it.

Of course, we cannot attack them. The Zhongshan warship is now docked in Guangzhou. If we want to attack them, we must first pass the Humen Fortress.

Moreover, the naval vessels - whether from the Northeast or Fujian faction, those that have not yet defected would probably resist Chiang Kai-shek's order to suppress the Communists. The fact that the "Yongjian", which received the order together with the Zhongshan ship, retreated to Wusongkou and stayed in Shanghai and never set sail again is proof of this.

When the whole country was in turmoil because of the Zhongshan Ship Uprising/Defection, government officials and even many military officers within the Nationalist government began to think that "this war may not be won", and there were quite a lot of people who thought so.

在中山舰抵达广州之前,4月26日，第1、2、4、5军向长株潭地带发动全线进攻。

"Yesterday at noon, the Communist army launched a massive attack on Anyuan and Pingxiang. By 5 p.m., both cities had fallen, and the 28th Division of the 10th Army stationed in Anyuan was completely destroyed."

"Before the fall, the commander of the 28th Division sent back a telegram saying that the Communists were coming in full force, numbering at least 30,000 men and horses, and were definitely the main force of the Communists."

At his headquarters in Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek was bombarded with a flurry of battle reports early on the 27th. He Yingqin stated: "The Zhuzhou defense line was fiercely attacked yesterday by 30,000 Communist troops. In Xiangtan, the Xiangjiang River defense line, which the 9th Army relies on, was also breached by the Communists. A portion of the Communist army is also rapidly advancing west of Xiangtan and along the west bank of the Xiangjiang River. It is possible that they will reach the outskirts of Changsha before Xiangtan and Zhuzhou fully fall."

"In the direction of Liuyang, a large number of Communist troops also emerged from the mountains and attacked Liuyang fiercely. The 30th Division of the 10th Army stationed in Liuyang was weak in strength and had automatically retreated to Changsha."

"Pingjiang was under siege by the Communist army, and the garrison was surrounded."

"In western Hunan, the rebellious peasant army has been besieging Yiyang for two days. Last night, Yiyang was suddenly strafed by Communist bombers. Morale is on the verge of collapse. I'm afraid the fall of Yiyang is only a matter of time."

Chiang Kai-shek: "The main force of the Communist army was in Jiangxi, besieging Nanchang. Why are the main forces now in Hunan?"

He Yingqin: “….”

Chen Cheng: "Could this be a chance for Guangzhou to lure the tiger away from the mountain?" Chiang Kai-shek: "No way, absolutely not."

Chen Cheng: "Order Tang Shengzhi's Fifth Army to firmly hold Changsha. Changsha cannot be lost. In a week, our reinforcements will enter Hunan to relieve the siege."

He Yingqin: "I'm afraid it won't last a week..."

Chiang Kai-shek: "Even if two armies are withdrawn from Changsha, Zhuzhou and Tanzhou, there are still four armies left. How can four armies not hold Changsha for a week?"

Zhuzhou front.

At the Second Army's forward command headquarters, Zhu De convened a meeting with Xu Xiangqian, Du Yuming, Chen Kang, and Peng Dehuai.

“第8军贺军长路途遥远，无法赶到,我们1、2、4、5军先对行动进行协商协调。调”

Zhu De said: "The First and Fourth Armies, the two founding forces of the revolutionary army, are now fighting together. However, we cannot relax in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Tanzhou Campaign. The key point of this battle is Miluo Town. We must reach Miluo Town and occupy the Miluo Iron Bridge within three days to completely close the battle zone."

Chen She: "This way, no enemy troops in the entire battle zone can escape, especially their equipment."

杜津明:“2军4、6师今天下午占领浏阳，4师已做好了急行军的准备,预计可在48小时内抢占汨罗。”

Peng Dehuai: "When Chen Tianheng was the army commander, it was easier for the headquarters to achieve strategic goals. Now that Chen Tianheng is the chief of the general staff, the battles he planned have become much easier for us subordinates to carry out."

Chen Bi: "Yes, originally we were going to have five armies attack six, but now it's five armies attacking four. The difficulty has gone from high to medium."

Zhu De: "Wait a moment. ... In this case, we must also do our best to execute the battle to the best of our ability."

"The battle is much easier than originally planned. Our opponent, Tang Shengzhi's Fifth Army, is now outnumbered, so the army group has more manpower. My suggestion for the 4th and 6th Divisions is that both divisions set out tomorrow, moving from Liuyang to Miluo to ensure the capture of Miluo Town."

Du Yuming: “Yes!”

"The 12th Division of the Fourth Army took a shortcut and penetrated outside Changsha County. The 10th and 11th Divisions participated in the attack on Zhuzhou. The 2nd Division of the First Army broke through the Xiangjiang River in the direction of Xiangtan, and the 3rd Division broke through the outer defenses of Zhuzhou. Zhuzhou and Xiangtan must be captured tomorrow."

Chen Geng: “Yes!”

Zhu De made several changes to his deployment. After these changes, the 4th and 6th Divisions would capture Miluo Town with an overwhelming advantage in manpower. During these battles, Zhu De still kept the 1st Division of the 1st Army in reserve as the main battle reserve.