The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Guangzhou.

Zhu De convened a meeting of army commanders from 8 to 9 o'clock, and then sent the meeting minutes back to the General Staff in Guangzhou around 9:30.

There was no change in other directions of the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Tanzhou war zone, and the previous combat plan was still implemented. Zhu De's main adjustment was to use two divisions to seize Miluo Town.

The garrison in Miluo Town is a division of the 36th Army, the former Hunan Army now incorporated into the Guangxi Clique. It was beaten by the revolutionary army in the previous battle and was rebuilt for the second time.

Chen Tianheng called back to approve the plan.

In the past two days, Chiang Kai-shek's army had sent an army from Zhejiang, Hu Zongduo's 19th Army. However, Yingtan had already been captured, and the 7th and 8th Divisions of the 3rd Army relied on the Yingtan defense line to repel the 19th Army.

The 47th Army of the Guangxi Clique, which landed in Jiujiang, forcefully entered De'an County on the Nanxun Line. The Independent Regiment of the Hunan-Jiangxi Base Area, which had been making a big fuss on both sides of the railway line and claiming to cut off the Nanxun Line, cooperated and evacuated from the railway line.

South of De'an, in Yongxiu County, a similar situation was unfolding. "What's the latest development in Hubei, Henan, and Anhui?"

Chen Tianheng's main concern now was Hubei, Henan, and Anhui. This isolated Jiangbei base area carried too great a responsibility, and he had to pay attention to it every day.

Chen Mingren: "A component of the 41st Army left Macheng and tentatively launched an attack towards the western foothills of the Dabie Mountains, but was repelled by the Macheng Independent Regiment. Regarding logistics, 30 rounds of ammunition and a batch of other military supplies were delivered today via the Yangtze River to Hubei, Henan, and Anhui provinces, landing at a riverside village near Qichun. Zhou Shidi has decided to first address the enemy intrusions from the Liu and Huo directions, but this will take time to identify their weaknesses."

Chen Tianheng: "After the 16th and 18th Divisions moved eastwards into the Dabie Mountains, only the 17th Division, which was resting and recuperating, remained in Yingshan County, Xiaoshui County, and the rural government of Qichun County. Can this empty city plan continue?"

Chen Mingren: "Yingshan County is ready to evacuate at any time. The leadership of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area and the military region leadership are all lightly equipped and can be relocated at any time. Besides, we still have Guo Moruo in Yingshan County."

Guo Moruo felt quite comfortable in Yingshan County. At least that's how he felt.

Read a book every day, debate with others, and publish a manifesto every few days.

Guo Moruo held no military or political positions in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area, and slept until he woke naturally. Some time ago, the Sixth Army's Political Department invited Guo Moruo to give a speech to the officers and soldiers, and Guo Moruo agreed. However, he woke up late that day, so he had to cancel the speech.

In fact, whether or not to give a speech is not Guo Moruo’s core value. As long as he is in Yingshan, he has done everything he should do.

In addition to the three members of the Four Halls of Oracle Bones, there are two or three courageous historians and writers in the academic community who arrived in Yingshan from the Nanjing government-controlled area in recent days and held a forum with Guo Moruo here.

These writers and historians first went to Wuhan, and then traveled by horse and carriage to Yingshan. No government officials or troops along the way could stop them.

The 42nd Army, responsible for sealing off the base area in Luotian County, was stationed at a mountain intersection. The road before them wound its way up into the mountains. According to the map, this three-way route, with a dozen turns and five or six narrow passes, would lead directly to Yingshan County. But Ma Wende simply didn't dare send his troops in. Not only did he refuse to attack, but when the sedans and cars of the literary and historical figures rumbled in, Ma Wende lined the streets to welcome these great Republican scholars.

They are all intellectuals, intellectuals, you can't mess with them.

Ma Wende's excuse to his superiors was that Yingshan County was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even though there was a road leading into it, two machine guns anywhere along the way could stop a massive army. If you want to attack Yingshan County, you must first give me three artillery battalions.

But intellectuals can come and go freely in front of military leaders like Ma Wende, and they can still be controlled by Chiang Kai-shek.

"Newspaper Office Ransacked by Criminal Gangs, Shenbao Temporarily Suspended"

Shi Liangcai, a newspaper tycoon in the Republic of China, maintained a neutral attitude towards the second encirclement and suppression campaign through his Shenbao. However, Shi Liangcai's group's Free Talk was a platform for left-wing writers. After the Zhongshan Ship Uprising, Shenbao defended Captain Chen Di, which Chiang Kai-shek considered to be collaborating with the Communists and opposing the encirclement and suppression campaign. Nanjing, therefore, began to "sanction Shi Liangcai."

On May 1st, hundreds of Qing Gang thugs stormed the Shenbao newspaper office, injuring more than a dozen employees and destroying all possible office and printing equipment. In dire straits, Shi Liangcai announced that Shenbao would be closed for a week while he re-equipped the newspaper and recalled editors and reporters. But Shi Liangcai had no idea if Qing Gang thugs would continue to come and destroy the new newspaper office a week later.

"President Chen, could you please... last time, when several of our friends were imprisoned during the Free Talk, you did us a huge favor, and we haven't repaid you yet. I'm really embarrassed to ask you again this time."

"Alas, there are some things I can't help. However, the Qing Gang probably won't attack you anymore. I still have some face."

Chen Guangfu said on the phone.

Shi Liangcai: "Thank you very much."

Chen Guangfu: "But there's one thing I don't quite understand. Why have Shenbao and your newspaper group only been operating in Shanghai and Tianjin?"

Chapter 40: Everyone here is suspected of collaborating with the Communist Party

Shi Liangcai's newspaper empire had its main base in Shanghai, and he also opened a branch in Tianjin and published some tabloids, but he did not do so in Guangzhou. Chen Guangfu was very puzzled by this.

The bank invested by Chen Guangfu is now one of the 10 banks in the Guangzhou Bank Reserve Alliance. He holds 40% of the shares of this bank, and Zhang Jingjiang holds 15%.

Hearing Chen Guangfu's question, Shi Liangcai felt a little embarrassed. He didn't engage in newspaper and publishing business in Guangzhou for any other reason, but because he felt that Guangdong was a cultural desert...

Chen Guangfu is a big shot. Since the big shot made such a suggestion, Shi Liangcai expressed his willingness to obey it and find time to visit Guangdong in the future.

In the areas controlled by the Nanjing government, in addition to suppressing the ongoing anti-war and peace movements, the topics that people talked about most in recent days were "tax increases" and "increased debt."

All this was caused by the Second Encirclement and Suppression Campaign. The 3500 million silver dollars that Chiang Kai-shek had raised before the war were not enough to spend.

During the first encirclement and suppression campaign a year ago, Chiang Kai-shek raised 3000 million silver dollars from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang financial groups. The second time, he only raised 3500 million silver dollars and wanted to fight against the Communist Party? It’s unbelievable to think about it.

However, 3500 million was almost the upper limit of the funds that could be extorted from the Nanjing-controlled area in early 1929. Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to change the plan and reduce the scale of the second encirclement and suppression. This led to the strategy of "attacking the north and defending the south" and "only destroying the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area."

However, the problem now is that this revised plan has also exceeded the budget.

南京政府拟增发2000万银元的战争公债。之前的3500万银元也都采用的是公债方式而不是财团直接投效,其中三年期公债1500万,五年期公债2000万，用将来南京政府的财政税收偿还。此次增发的2000万全是五年期公债。

But who would buy these bonds? Before issuing the bonds, the Nanjing Ministry of Finance consulted various financial groups, banks, business unions, and trade tycoons, but received pessimistic responses. If these super-VIP clients didn't privately subscribe to the majority of the bonds in advance and the bonds were directly released into the securities market, retail investors would not be able to absorb the 20 million yuan in bonds.

In short, T.V. Soong is now very sad.

At the same time, the Ministry of Finance is also facing repayment pressure. Whether it is a three-year or five-year government bond, it still needs to be repaid when it matures. But will the fiscal surplus in three or five years be enough to pay for the debt?

Hence the tax increase.

Guangzhou.

Joint meeting of the Central Military Commission.

"We have now confirmed that the entire Guangxi Seventh Army has moved to Nanchang. Li Mingrui has already established contact with us through the intelligence line in Nanchang."

Underground Party members like Li Mingrui were considered "high-level undercover agents" and were directly managed by the Military Commission Secretariat. At the Military Commission Joint Conference, Secretary-General Zhou Enlai explained Li Mingrui's current situation.

Chen Tianheng: "The training division's armored regiment's operations on the Ganjiang Plain have achieved results beyond expectations, proving the effectiveness of this pilot unit for armored mechanization. However, the armored regiment's tanks and armored vehicles are in urgent need of repair, especially the tanks, which have a high breakdown rate... The Third and Seventh Armies in Jiangxi are not yet prepared for a full-scale offensive and occupation of the Ganjiang Plain. Therefore, from the General Staff's perspective, Li Mingrui's 8th Gui Division does not need to revolt for the time being."

Deng Yanda: "With the 7th and 18th Armies transferred from Changsha, the Hunan direction has suddenly become open. Previously, we thought it would be a fierce battle. Our overall strategy remains unchanged: take Changsha and maintain the front line in Jiangxi."

Chen Duxiu: "Yes, if we don't increase the target temporarily, any further increase in military expenditure will lead to overspending. Comrade Li Mingrui, I think we can make a long-term latent plan, one year, two years or even more."

Zhou Enlai: "Okay. Then the Special Affairs Section will re-arrange and formulate a new plan."

Chen Tianheng: "Director Zhou previously submitted a report on Li Mingrui's work with the 8th Guangxi Division. After reviewing it, I feel that Li Mingrui doesn't have complete control over the 8th Guangxi Division. There are still many mid-level officers who don't obey him. If we revolt now, Li Mingrui can only take away a portion of the 8th Guangxi Division."

Zhou Enlai: "Yes, we can bring out one regiment, plus parts of the other two regiments."

Chen Tianheng: "Then the Special Affairs Section will provide assistance and support. We can give Li Mingrui some more time, or even send someone in, to try to better control the 8th Gui Division."

Nanchang.

With the arrival of the Guangxi Clique's Seventh and 18th Armies, Nanchang suddenly saw an increase in the number of officers and soldiers with Guangxi accents.

The combat effectiveness of these two armies of the Guangxi Clique was obviously stronger than the 3rd and 32nd Armies before Nanchang. Even the 18th Army, after the Guangxi Clique seized the number, replaced its officers, and stationed many Guangxi Clique men from army commanders to company commanders. After completing the control of the 18th Army, Li Zongren looked everywhere for equipment to replace the 18th Army's equipment and improve its combat effectiveness.

The four armies in Nanchang now are roughly ranked in strength as 7>18>32>3.

What the Second Army Commander Cheng Qian did not expect was that the situation in Jiangxi was "precarious" before, but now that the Guangxi army has arrived, the situation in Jiangxi is no longer critical, but he himself is in danger.

Early that morning, Cheng Qian opened his eyes, walked to the window, and found that his official residence was full of soldiers.

They were not his own troops, but Li Zongren's troops. The same thing was happening at the Second Army Headquarters.

That morning, the Army Headquarters Secretariat issued an order for all corps and division-level officers in the Nanchang Defense Zone to gather at headquarters to discuss adjustments to the Nanchang defense system. When the corps and division commanders arrived, Cheng Qian did not show up, but Li Zongren did.

When Li Zongren arrived, he brought with him several hundred soldiers, all armed and in good order, and took control of the entire headquarters.

"Special period! I have been ordered to reorganize the Second Army!"

Li Zongren said loudly: "Since April, the battlefield in Jiangxi has been very abnormal!"

"Someone falsely reported the war situation, claiming that the main force of the Communist army was gathering in Jiangxi and about to attack Nanchang. This false military intelligence seriously misled our superiors, causing the Nanjing headquarters to make incorrect deployments! Now the entire Hunan province is under attack by the Communist army, and Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan are in imminent danger. This is all due to the serious consequences of false military intelligence!"

"I also noticed that some people behaved abnormally in the face of the Communist Army's tentative offensive, and they are suspected of collaborating with the Communist Party. They did not advance when they should have, and did not retreat when they should have, and betrayed their teammates, resulting in heavy casualties for our army on the Jiangxi battlefield! The main force of the Communist Army was not present in Jiangxi. The Communist Army's ability to achieve these results is largely due to internal problems in Jiangxi and the Second Army Group!"

When Li Zongren said this, the army group staff, army commanders and division commanders present were in an uproar. Xue Yue stood up and said:

"Li Zongren, are you qualified to lecture us army commanders and division commanders? We only obey the orders of Commander Cheng of the Group Army!"

Li Zongren stretched out his hands and clapped twice.

With applause, Li Mingrui, commander of the 8th Guangxi Division, appeared at the command center. Behind him was the most elite first company of the 8th Guangxi Division's guard battalion, with more than a dozen long and short guns loaded.

Li Zongren: "I have sent a telegram to Nanjing impeaching Commander Cheng. I also believe that Commander Cheng is not the only one with problems. Frankly speaking, everyone here is suspected of collaborating with the Communists."

"Collaborating with the Communists? Who the hell is collaborating with the Communists? Explain yourself clearly!" Xue Yue roared and was about to pounce on Li Zongren. Li Mingrui took a big step forward and stopped Xue Yue.

Beside Li Mingrui, Li Tianyou from the guard company glared at Xue Yue, with both Mauser pistols pulled out, one on the left and one on the right. The one in his left hand was aimed at Xue Yue's head, while the one in his right hand was held horizontally, aiming at the other officers present.

Li Zongren: "It was your deception that caused Commander-in-Chief Chiang to misjudge the situation, issue the wrong mobilization order, and lose Hunan... Do you know the enormity of this crime? Do you think Commander-in-Chief Chiang will let you go?"

3rd Army Commander Wang Jun: "Yes, yes, the 3rd Army will follow the Commander's lead! I mean, the 3rd Army will cooperate with the Commander's investigation!"

Xue Yue: "Wang Jun, you..."

Li Zongren cut the Gordian knot, placing Cheng Qian under house arrest and detaining the main officers of the two armies and two security brigades of the Second Army. After completing all this, Li Zongren reported to Nanjing.

Chiang Kai-shek was in a very complicated mood.

Of course he knew that Li Zongren was trying to usurp the throne and snatch Jiangxi from Cheng Qian and make it his own territory.

but……

Li Zongren said the loss of Hunan was not his fault, but that of Cheng Qian and the Second Army! Wrong?

It seems that this is true. It was just a minor attack on the Jiangxi side that caused them to cry out in frustration, saying that the main force of the Communist army was heading towards Nanchang, which frightened them into sending troops from Hunan and Hubei to provide assistance.

It’s not that I don’t know how to fight, it’s just that Cheng Qian and the senior military officers in Jiangxi are too poor.

"Cheng Qian is dismissed from his post as commander of the Second Army Group. Li Zongren will serve as acting commander of the Second Army Group."

"The Second Army neglected its combat readiness, and the morale of its officers and men was low, leading to the premature fall of Fuzhou. The officers were timid in the face of the Communist offensive, becoming alarmed at the slightest sign of trouble and falsely claiming the main force of the Communists was attacking, causing the Party and the country to suffer a major setback."

"Acting Commander Li is hereby ordered to conduct a rectification and investigation of the Second Army."

Wuhan.

After Li Zongren rushed to Nanchang, Bai Chongxi, as the chief of staff of the Fourth Army, controlled the troops to continue fighting in the direction of the two lakes.

I have to say, the game has now entered garbage time...

However, Bai Chongxi still tried his best to rescue his troops from the encirclement. The 53rd Division of the 36th Army, which had just been surrounded in Pingjiang on the edge of the war zone, broke out of the encirclement. Although half of its troops were lost, at least the division commander returned alive.

However, Miluo Town had been firmly occupied by the Communist army, and the Guangdong-Hankou Railway was cut off.

Furthermore, the Communist troops besieging Yiyang actually captured the city. This wouldn't have been a big deal, but once the Guangdong-Hankou Railway was severed, the alternative evacuation route for the troops in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan area was the Xiangjiang River, which led to Dongting Lake and then Wuhan. The Xiangjiang River passed through Yiyang. Regardless of whether there were enough boats, at least some people and equipment could have been transported. Now that Yiyang was lost, the Communist troops, with renewed momentum, advanced 20 kilometers eastward from Yiyang, blocking the Xiangjiang River's access to the lake.

The Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan encirclement, no, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan have been lost. Now the troops in the Changsha City-Changsha County defense circle include the 8th Army, the remnants of the 9th Army and the 10th Army. It seems that they are all going to be surrounded?

"Report, a businessman wants to see you."

Bai Chongxi: "What? Can I meet any businessman?" "The businessman said he was a friend of Cheng Siyuan's secretary."

Bai Chongxi invited Hu Di into the secret room.

"Mr. Hu, are you delivering information for Guangzhou?"

Hu Di smiled and handed over a letter. Inside was a short letter written by Deng Yanda, indicating that Hu Di was a messenger and what he said was approved by the Military Commission in Guangzhou.

Hu Di: "We'd like to make a deal with you. We can open a passage through Miluo Town for the 8th Army in your encirclement, allowing them to return north. However, the heavy weapons must remain. We don't want to suffer too many casualties in this war."

Bai Chongxi: "The 8th Army has 20,000 men. If you are willing to return them to our controlled area, that's good. The heavy weapons are lost, so be it. Are there any other conditions?"

Hu Di: "Previously, Secretary-General Zhou and Secretary-General Cheng discussed the investment made by Guangzhou in Guangxi. We hope that several of these investments will continue to take effect."

Chapter 41: Naturalization without Enrollment

Following the agreement reached between the two sides' high-ranking officials, the Guangxi clique's 8th Army successfully broke out of Changsha and headed for the Miluo River railway bridge. In Miluo Town, officers and soldiers of the 8th Army fired their rounds into the air, alerting the surrounding villagers to the fierce fighting that had taken place. After firing a few rounds each, the 8th Army marched across the railway bridge, returning to the Yueyang-Wuhan route.

As for the remnants of the 9th and 10th Armies, they were crushed by the 1st Division of the 1st Army in Changsha County and had no time to negotiate terms.

At this point, the Nanjing government only occupied Yueyang in northern Hunan, relying on the inland fleet on Dongting Lake to ensure its security. The core areas of Hunan—Changsha, Zhuzhou, and Xiangtan—were all liberated, as was western Hunan.

Through private transactions, the 8th Army left behind all its heavy weapons, so the revolutionary army seized a lot of them in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Tanzhou Campaign.

The 8th Army's artillery had a battalion of Liao-type 14 77mm field guns (Austrian Bulu 77 guns).

The maximum range is 10 kilometers. Using light ammunition, the range can reach 11.2 kilometers. A battalion of these artillery pieces was captured by the Revolutionary Army a year ago and is now part of the First Army's artillery. If the Eighth Army sends another battalion, the Fourth Army's artillery will be upgraded.

A total of 62 barreled artillery pieces of various types were captured in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Tanzhou Campaign, including 5 complete artillery battalions.

A battalion of Liao 77s, this is the largest gold coin dropped by the Guangxi clique.

In addition, there is a battalion of Liao 75 mountain guns, which are imitations of the Japanese Type 41 mountain guns made by the Fengtian Arsenal.

A battalion of French M1897 field guns, the famous "Miss 75", but compared with the Liao-77, the "Miss 75" is already one version behind.

There are also two battalions of Han-Zao Ke 75 mountain artillery.

The Liao 77 was allocated to the Fourth Army. The Han-made 75 was given to the Eighth Army, giving it its own artillery unit. The Second Army's artillery was organized into a separate artillery regiment. As a mountain corps, the Second Army's three divisions were exceptionally light and agile, capable of marching and fighting in trackless mountainous terrain, but their offensive capabilities were somewhat limited. The establishment of an artillery regiment directly under the army would not affect the flexibility of the individual infantry divisions, but would allow the Second Army to deploy and fire when needed for offensive operations.

Guangzhou Port Terminal.