The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

"Yes!"

William Ebner, former Royal Air Force lieutenant colonel and chief instructor of the reconnaissance bomber squadron, reviewed the crew members who were about to go on another expedition at the airport.

"Boys," Abner said, "at least half of you would have received at least the Commander of the Order of the Empire if you had been in the Royal Air Force. But I heard that Guangzhou will soon have its own medal system. I wish you success. Um..."

Abner saw that one of the pilots in the team was not in good condition.

"Captain Wu, what's wrong with your body?"

"Ahem! Instructor, it's not a big deal. I just caught a cold a couple of days ago."

Abner frowned: "Captain Wu, you step out."

When Wu Yanqing stepped out, Ebner took off his flight cap and put it on his own head.

Chang Qiankun: "Colonel Ebner, you can't just get on a plane!"

"If no one finds out, it won't be a problem!" Ebner was already climbing the plane.

"I'll be honest, Colonel Chang, I've always wanted to fly a plane and fight in the war myself!"

Yingshan County Airport.

After a four-hour trek, the six aircraft bound for Hengyang landed one after another. Because Ebner was personally piloting the aircraft, three of the six aircraft were veterans of this route, which greatly reduced the difficulty of the transfer.

Zhou Shidi: "Commander Chang, welcome, welcome! Now our base is really fashionable. We can fly planes to bomb people."

Chang Qiankun: "We need to fly out for a few days to familiarize ourselves with the terrain. Otherwise, we won't know how to get back after we reach Macheng."

Zhou Shidi: "Hello, Colonel Abner." William Abner: "Hello, General Zhou." Zhou Shidi: "Welcome to... um, Britain." Abner: "What?"

Zhou Shidi: "During the Shang and Zhou dynasties in China, this place was the territory of a vassal state called 'Yingguo.' This is what Mr. Guo Moruo told me."

Ebner:

Chapter 43: If You Are Poor, Blow Me Up

"I see. My country is Kingdom England, and I am from the British Empire."

William Ebner was very interested in the fact that Yingshan County was actually "Britain".

Guo Moruo told Abner that according to the "Chronicles of the Twelve Princes" in the "Records of the Grand Historian," Ying was a vassal state during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and its ruler was a descendant of Gao Yao, one of the "Four Sages of Antiquity." Gao Yao lived during the reigns of Yao, Shun, and Yu. After his death, Yu granted Gao Yao's descendants the titles of Ying and Liu, thus forming Ying (present-day Yingshan County) and Liuguo (present-day Lu'an).

The king of Britain's surname was Yan (Gao Yao's surname was Yan). It is impossible to verify whether he was born in the Xia Dynasty, but there is solid evidence of his existence in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. He was later destroyed by King Cheng of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period.

So, now a British Air Force lieutenant colonel is at a British airport, launching a bomber to defend this British territory that existed three thousand years ago.

"Communist aircraft continuously scouted our positions!"

"Send reinforcements quickly. For the sake of the party and the country, please send reinforcements quickly!" In Qichun County, Gao Guizi sent an urgent telegram at the headquarters of the 46th Army.

The 46th Army occupied Qichun County, but their hold was not stable. Qichun was located on a plain, and there was a gap in the county wall. Less than two kilometers away from the county was the foothills of the Dabie Mountains, where guerrillas and regular troops were constantly active.

Therefore, the 46th Army did not place all its main forces in Qichun County. Instead, its main force and headquarters were stationed 5 kilometers west of the city, on the west bank of the Qi River. But now, the lookouts noticed that every afternoon at around 3 or 4, there seemed to be two or three planes buzzing overhead, circling for 10 to 20 minutes before disappearing.

Gao Guizi learned from old colleagues that Communist planes had begun bombing in western Hunan, flying in droves and dropping bombs with extraordinary power, several times more powerful than mountain artillery shells. If his position on the west bank of the Qi River was also bombed, the 46th Army seemed to have no defense.

The telegram was sent back to Wuhan. A few hours later, Bai Chongxi replied from Wuhan: "Order the 46th Army to withdraw from Qichun as soon as possible and return to Wuhan via Huanggang."

At the same time, Bai Chongxi also sent a telegram to the 42nd Army in Luotian County, asking the 42nd Army to quickly send a division south into Qichun County to take over the defense line of the 46th Army.

In other words, one of the two original armies in this area was transferred away, and the remaining army temporarily took charge of the territory of two divisions.

Yingtan, Jiangxi Province.

Third Army defensive position.

Yingtan, the main land route from Nanchang to Zhejiang, was blocked. Two weeks earlier, when Nanchang was in danger and Cheng Qian was mobilizing troops, Zhejiang had sent troops to support it. However, by the time the reinforcements reached Yingtan via Quzhou and Shangrao, Jiang Xianyun's Third Army had already captured Yingtan and established a defensive line facing east and west.

After that, Zhejiang increased the number of reinforcements from 1 army to 2 armies, but it was still unable to shake the Yingtan defense line.

Because Nanchang City did not send any troops to break through Yingtan at this time, the envisioned two-pronged attack turned into a one-sided attack by Zhejiang, and of course there was no hope of breaking through.

Li Zongren was reorganizing the 1st Army Group and the 3rd and 32nd Armies in Nanchang City, so he had no time to worry about opening up Yingtan.

"You mean the teaching division was attacked by Communist tanks in the Jinxian area?"

"After destroying three-quarters of the training division's strength, the Communist tanks staged an armed demonstration in front of the Nanchang defense system before retreating?"

The German military advisory group rushed to Nanchang, and Weitzel personally questioned the surviving officers of the training division who had escaped from the battlefield.

"Yes, Mr. Advisor, the Communist tanks are charging across the mountains and plains. In addition to tanks, there are also large numbers of armored vehicles. The heavy machine guns on the armored vehicles are more deadly to us than the tank guns."

Weitzel knitted his brows together, wondering what was wrong with the officer's account.

"What type of tanks does the Communist army have?" "They're French Renault FT17s."

Weitzel: "This is a tank manufactured at the end of World War I, but it's not outdated now. Hmm..."

Li Zongren: "Mr. Chief Advisor, our army also needs to establish its own tank force. There is no reason why the Communist Party can get tanks while we can only use infantry. We can also buy tanks."

Weitzel: "Yes, an army, I mean a European army, will always be equipped with some tanks. Except for Germany..."

Mr. Li Zongren: "Besides Germany, which country do you think makes better tanks?"

Weitzel: "I will have the advisory group gather enough information and submit a report to Commander-in-Chief Chiang. Were Chiang Ting-wen and Xu Ting-yao captured?"

Li Zongren: "Yes, the entire division headquarters, including the division commander, chief of staff, and general staff, surrendered."

"Damn it. ...We have to redeem them."

Li Zongren looked at Weitzel as if he were an idiot. "Yes, we need to redeem him. We haven't captured any high-ranking Communist officers. Mr. General Advisor, you can raise this matter with Chiang Kai-shek and see if you can get the Communists to release him for some money."

Guangzhou.

General Staff.

"—pair of sixes." "Pair of sevens." "Pair of jacks." "Pair of ace. Can you afford it? A four."

Chen Tianheng threw out two pairs and then a small single card, shook the cards in his hand, and only the last card was left out of the 13 cards.

Fan Hanjie: "Hmm..." Zhou Enlai: "Hmm... Q." Chen Tianheng: "2."

Fan Hanjie: "The General's luck is on the rise again. Keep going." Chen Tianheng: "Let's stop here first. I'll go check on the Operations Department."

The General Staff's Operations Department wasn't busy right now. A few days ago, formulating the Hubei-Henan-Anhui counterattack plan was exhausting. Now that the General Staff's work was complete and the military orders had been issued, all that remained was to closely monitor their execution in each theater of operations.

"Chief General, Chiang Kai-shek's army used the air force! They bombed the Third Army positions in Yingtan!"

Chen Tianheng: "Oh?"

The key point of the war now lies in Hubei, Henan, and Anhui. The worst-case scenario considered by the General Staff is that Chiang Kai-shek's bombers attack Yingshan Airport. Now, Chiang Kai-shek has mobilized his air force, but the target is... Yingtan?

Yingtan is not important at all now.

Chen Tianheng asked, "Did Chiang Hsien-yun report anything? Could the Third Army withstand it?" Chen Mingren replied, "Chiang's bombing was not very accurate. Five enemy bombers dropped bombs, and the Third Army suffered 14 casualties and 5 deaths. Our defensive positions remained intact. The troops had all undergone training against air raids and had been taught aircraft knowledge, so the officers and soldiers felt no fear."

Chen Tianheng looked at the countdown on the wall of the Operations Department. This was a special countdown set up for "Operation Mingjin", and there were less than three days left until the operation began.

The army in the Hubei, Henan and Anhui directions was being mobilized. The Sixth Army was divided into two routes and took up the starting position to attack Majicheng and Qichun County.

In the direction of Hunan, the First Army and the Fifth Army crossed the Miluo River. The First Army headed towards Yueyang, and the Fifth Army followed closely behind to protect the right rear wing of the First Army. Bai Chongxi mobilized a force to approach from Xianning, trying to attack the right rear wing of the First Army.

In the direction of Jiangxi, our troops have set up defenses in Fengcheng and Fuzhou and are constantly strengthening their fortifications. The blocking line in Yingtan will have to be maintained for some time, but the Military Commission plans to withdraw from Yingtan in the future.

Chen Tianheng pointed to northern Jiangxi, the border between Jiangxi and Hubei: "Is the Yongxiu Independent Regiment active here?"

"Yes, Luo Ronghuan's Yongxiu Independent Regiment."

Chen Tianheng: "Ruichang County is an enemy vacuum. Let the Yongxiu Independent Regiment enter Xiabei Township, Ruichang County, and effectively control it. The key is to capture the Yangtze River wharf in Xiabei Township."

Chen Mingren: "The dock at Xiabei Township is across from Wuxue County." Chen Tianheng: "The armistice is almost here, and Lin Sen has surrendered again. ... If we seize a dock on the south bank of the Yangtze River, and Hubei, Henan, and Anhui seize the dock in Qichun County on the north bank, Hubei, Henan, and Anhui and the southern base areas will have a more reliable route for transporting bulk supplies."

Now, the discussion about the second encirclement and suppression in the areas controlled by the Nanjing government is no longer about whether it will end, but about the date of the "stop time".

Because now it's not civilians who are calling for peace, but Lin Sen. This Lin Sen has always been used as a tool. When the first counter-encirclement and suppression campaign failed, he was responsible for issuing a peace appeal. Before the second encirclement and suppression campaign, he was responsible for issuing a statement saying that the Communist regime was destroying the areas under the rule of the Nationalist government. When the second encirclement and suppression campaign failed, he was responsible for issuing a peace appeal again.

Guangzhou quickly responded to Lin Sen’s call for peace.

Lin Sen's slogan was "Ningsui reconciliation." The Guangzhou Coalition Government rejected the possibility of reconciliation and continued to issue arrest warrants for the two executioners, Chiang Kai-shek and Li Jishen. However, compared to the declaration made at the end of the previous counter-encirclement and suppression campaign, the Guangzhou Coalition Government's statement this time was less harsh in holding Feng Yuxiang accountable.

However, the Guangzhou United Government believed that under the current circumstances, in order to reduce the losses suffered by the country and the people from the war, if Nanjing was willing to formally declare an end to the civil war and effectively order its subordinate troops to stop attacking the liberated areas, the Guangzhou United Government could cease fire, and both sides would use the battle line at the time of the armistice as the basis for dividing the actual controlled areas after the armistice.

In addition, Lin Sen said something new in this declaration: the Communist Party must not promote Mao Runzhi's rural autonomy movement to the Nanjing-controlled area. Nanjing believed that the rural autonomy movement was an attack on the Nanjing-controlled area.

The Guangzhou Coalition Government responded by stating that the rural self-government movement was not forced by Guangzhou but rather a spontaneous initiative of farmers across the country. Guangzhou could promise not to send military forces to Nanjing's territory to "support" the rural self-government movement, but Nanjing would also not send armed forces to suppress the rural self-government movement in its own rural areas.

After Guangzhou issued a response to Lin Sen’s statement, Lin Sen and the National Government remained silent for two full days.

During these two days, news broke that T.V. Soong's proposed issuance of 20 million yuan in special war bonds had been automatically reduced to 7.5 million yuan due to a lack of large-scale subscriptions. This meant the Nanjing government would have to find a way out and end the encirclement and suppression campaign as quickly as possible.

1929 5 Month 13 Day.

Inside Macheng City is the 26th National Division of the 41st Army of the Northwest Army, but the commander Fang Zhenwu is not in Macheng.

Outside Macheng, the armed forces of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area and the 16th Division of the Revolutionary Army's Sixth Army assembled. "Commander! Yingshan called back! The bomber squadron took off at 9:10, with an estimated flight time of 50 minutes!"

Zhou Shidi looked at his watch. It was 9:35.

"There are still more than 20 minutes left. The two mountain artillery battalions will bombard for the first 20 minutes." "Is it rapid fire?"

Zhou Shidi: "...normal speed."

The Sixth Army's artillery roared "boom-boom." These mountain guns had never been used in the previous month's battle...

The 16th and 17th Divisions did not bring it with them when they hurriedly marched out of Qichun County, and they still did not bring it with them when they returned to the Liu-Huo battle. It has been idle until now. The mountain artillery shells stockpiled for this battle can all be destroyed in the battle to recapture Macheng, so there is no need to worry about it.

At 10:8 AM, AEG C.4 reconnaissance/bombers arrived over Macheng. Amid the cheers of the Hubei, Henan, and Anhui troops on the ground, eight small planes formed a formation and dropped their first wave of bombs on the 41st Army's defenses in Macheng. Then they turned around, passed through the area again, and dropped more bombs.

General Staff Headquarters in Guangzhou.

"The offensive in the direction of Macheng is proceeding smoothly. The 16th Division of the 6th Army has broken through the trench line outside the city and is approaching the city wall defense line."

"The bombers have returned after dropping their first wave of bombs and are planning to conduct a second strike with bombs this afternoon."

"The 17th and 18th Divisions are on their way west of Qichun County. No information has been reported yet." Chen Tianheng: "Reply to Hubei, Henan, and Anhui. Received."

Chen Mingren: "Hmm... no other instructions?"

"Nothing."

Chapter 44: This Battle Destroyed Two Railways

"Constructing a railway from Shaoguan to Zhuzhou and completely opening up the Yuehan line was the original goal of the coalition government's railway planning. Our previous project planning was limited to the Hengyang to Shaoguan section because our control area only reached Hengyang."

"Now that the revolutionary army has liberated Changsha, the railway plan has been revised and expanded from the Hengshao Railway to the Zhushao Railway."

"With the extension of the railway line, the total investment of the entire railway project has also been adjusted. The original total investment of the Hengshao Railway plan was 3750 million yuan, and the current Zhushao Railway plan has a total investment of 4400 million yuan."

Coalition government spokesman Qu Qiubai answered questions from reporters and public representatives. Reporter: "Mr. Qu, we noticed that the coalition government issued a batch of special military bonds in March. Now, with the war just ended, the coalition government is again raising nearly 7 million yuan for the Zhushao Railway. Will this put the coalition government under tremendous financial pressure in the future?"

Qu Qiubai stated: "The total borrowing for both the special military bonds and the Zhushao Railway financing plan is relatively small compared to the current Guangdong Coalition Government's fiscal revenue. Special military bonds are issued to temporarily cover fiscal expenditures, with a repayment period of only six months, as the government's fiscal revenue in the second half of the year can cover these expenses. The financing period for the Zhushao Railway is five years, and I believe everyone has sufficient confidence in the fiscal revenue of the Coalition Government five years from now. After all, in two years, the Zhushao Railway will be open to traffic, providing smooth travel from Guangzhou to Wuhan."

Reporter: "Will civilians be able to travel freely from Wuhan to Changsha, after the Zhushao Railway opens, and to areas further south under the control of the coalition government?"

Qu Qiubai: "We will set up a railway inspection station in Miluo Town and conduct routine inspections of north-south trains in accordance with government safety regulations. Once all problems are cleared, the trains and their passengers will be allowed to travel freely."

Reporter: "We've noticed that the Guangxi Development Bank was recently established in Liuzhou. This bank has many connections with Guangdong's banking industry. Was the establishment of the Guangxi Development Bank at the behest of the coalition government? Does its establishment signify an economic or other agreement between Guangdong and Guangxi?"

Zhai Qiubai stated, "The Guangxi Development Bank is committed to developing Guangxi's mining, industry, and manufacturing sectors. Its core objective is to utilize Guangxi's abundant mineral and hydropower resources to develop the region, while also creating greater profit margins for the bank and businesses. This represents private capital flows between Guangdong and Guangxi, but the Coalition Government is also closely monitoring the establishment and operational progress of the Guangxi Development Bank. The Coalition Government believes that Mr. Li Zongren will maintain an impartial attitude and view economic cooperation between Guangdong and Guangxi with a long-term perspective. This is also a good example of practicing Dr. Sun Yat-sen's 'People's Livelihood Principle.'"

The second counter-encirclement and suppression campaign, or as Nanjing said, the second anti-communist campaign, ended just like that.

5月中旬，鄂豫皖根据地在两个方向同时展开反击。在麻城，16师在空军轰炸机支援下全歼麻城守军一个师;在蕲春县,17、18师分两路进击,渡过蕲水对河西的42军发起突击，42军军长马文德急忙令河西军队撤退,但为时已晚,河西的一个师被17、18师尽数歼灭。

At this moment, the remaining troops in Qichun County were the Hubei Province East Hubei Defense Corps, with about a thousand people. However, there were no troops of their own within dozens of miles around Qichun County, so the defense corps surrendered simply and efficiently.

On the day the defense corps surrendered, Lin Sen issued a second peace declaration, announcing that the campaign against the Communists had been terminated by an order signed by him. At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek's headquarters issued an order to cease all military operations.

In response, the Guangzhou Revolutionary Government also spoke out on May 17, announcing that the revolutionary army had "recaptured" Macheng and Qichun, and the second anti-encirclement and suppression war had ended in victory.

The second campaign against the Communists in Nanjing was also a failure. Just like the first, each time before the battle, the Chinese pledged to recapture certain areas and achieve certain goals, but in the end, nothing was recaptured and a great deal of territory was lost.

In addition to losing territory, he also lost a lot of money.

To support the second campaign against the Communists, the Nanjing government issued two batches of public bonds totaling 4250 million yuan. When the campaign ended and peace was restored, Guangzhou quickly announced a railway construction plan extending to Zhuzhou, with an investment of 4400 million yuan.

A simple calculation shows that the Nanjing government lost the total investment in the Zhushao Railway in this battle.

Of course, railway construction also continued in areas controlled by the Nanjing government, such as the Hangzhou-Jiangxi section of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway, which Zhang Jingjiang oversaw. Also in May 1929, Zhang Jingjiang announced the completion of the second phase of financing for the Hangzhou-Jiangxi section, marking the complete funding for its construction. Combined with the first and second phases of financing, plus Zhang Jingjiang's own contributions, the total investment in the Hangzhou-Jiangxi section reached 11 million yuan.

This figure...is about the same as the money the Guangzhou United Government spent on the second counter-encirclement and suppression campaign.

"Sir Clementi, gentlemen. The governments of Guangzhou and Nanking have been at loggerheads. In less than two months, each has burned its investment in a railway."