The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Because the Guangdong Army soldiers and low-ranking officers released from the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area were added to the 11th Army, it had a serious impact on morale.

First, the soldiers in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area saw that land reform had been completed in the rural areas, and every household had a piece of land in their name.

Secondly, the soldiers received education from the Sixth Army, and the prisoners of war's accommodation camp was right next to the Sixth Army's barracks, so they could clearly see the spirit of the Sixth Army.

In particular, the Guangdong soldiers of the 11th Army discovered that there were actually some Guangdong officers and soldiers in the 6th Army, but they were either officers or senior sergeants with at least three slashes on their shoulders. Even the commander of the 6th Army, Zhou Shidi, was a Guangdong native.

Look, they were the Guangzhou Coalition Government, with Guangdong as its core area. Their revolutionary army, starting with the First and Fourth Armies, was based on Guangdong-born soldiers. Later, when the army was expanded, Guangdong people became the backbone and base of the revolutionary army.

This is what they call comparing yourself to others and making you feel nauseous.

From the mouths of these fellow villagers of the Sixth Army, the captured urban soldiers also learned that it is now easy to find jobs in Guangzhou, and they are all decent jobs.

The final straw that broke the camel's back was the Sixth Army's barracks culture, with its various ritualistic military activities, military songs, and barracks anthems. The Sixth Army's instructors taught the prisoners to sing "Fellow Countryman." Hearing lines like "How much hardship have you endured, how many injuries have you sustained," and "Do you have money to send to your parents? Have you ever thought about returning home?", the captured soldiers of the 11th Army couldn't stand it.

"In June, we released the prisoners of the 11th Army. A total of 4,000 officers and soldiers from the 11th Army were captured. Over 500 of them joined the Sixth Army in Hubei, Henan, and Anhui. Over 1,000 wanted to return home and found relatives and friends in Guangdong to act as guarantors, allowing them to return directly to Guangdong. For the remaining 2,000, we provided them with travel expenses and allowed them to return on their own. Later, Zhang Fakui incorporated these prisoners into the 11th Army."

"After the 11th Army took in these prisoners, its internal morale became extremely unstable, and the intelligence department of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Military Region also learned of this."

"However, Zhang Fakui's change of heart and his eventual contact with us to discuss the uprising were somewhat sudden."

At the Military Commission meeting, Zhou Enlai talked about the 11th Army's uprising. He said that the special intelligence department had contacted Zhang Fakui, but before they had time to mobilize his thoughts, Zhang Fakui wanted to revolt on his own and sent his confidants into the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area to contact the Sixth Army. A week after the contact was successful, he led his troops out of Anqing and entered the Dabie Mountains.

Chen Tianheng: "The 11th Army revolted. Of the 9500-strong army, 9133 returned. They left in perfect order. However, after arriving at the base, these rebellious officers and soldiers probably wanted to return to Guangdong as soon as possible."

Zhou Enlai: "Yes."

Chen Tianheng: "In 27, we disbanded Li Fulin's Fifth Army. After that, the Military Commission established a customary principle: we would not incorporate the old army units that rebelled and surrendered as a whole into the revolutionary army."

The 11th Army was a remnant of the old Guangdong Army. Compared to the Fujian Army, their soldiers and junior officers were indeed more skilled, and most officers had received formal military training. However, the revolutionary army was a force based on political ideals, and the current revolutionary army would no longer accept the implantation of a "foreign object" within its system.

Besides, after arriving at Dabie Mountains, the officers and soldiers of the 11th Army who revolted unanimously shouted "go home."

"After the 11th Army revolted, the vast majority of soldiers and junior officers wished to return to Guangdong. We decided to grant their request. However, Chiang Kai-shek was extremely shocked and furious, and the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Military Region and the Sixth Army were already on high alert."

"Now that the problems of the soldiers and junior officers have been resolved, the next step is to relocate the senior officers of the 11th Army, or rather, the resettlement of Zhang Fakui himself."

After the Military Commission meeting determined that the 11th Division of the 11th Army was no exception and was to be disbanded, Zhang Fakui's case was to be brought to the United Government for discussion.

After arriving in the Hubei-Henan-Hubei-Anhui base area, Zhang Fakui expressed an open mind about his future. He felt comfortable continuing to serve as a military commander, but he also said he didn't care if he didn't.

Li Dazhao: "Zhang Fakui rose through the ranks of the Guangdong Army, rising from adjutant and battalion commander to commander of the 1st Independent Regiment of the Guangdong Army's Division. After the Protection of Law War, he served as battalion commander of the guards at Sun Yat-sen's headquarters. He possessed a long history of revolutionary service. During the Northern Expedition, Zhang Fakui achieved numerous military exploits, fighting alongside Commander Ye Ting at the Battle of Tingsi Bridge and the Battle of Wuchang. At the time, Zhang Fakui was commander of the 12th Division of the Guangdong Army. When Chiang Kai-shek was purging the Communists, Zhang Fakui resisted the orders and even protected a large number of Communist Party members."

"Judging from his resume, he graduated from Guangdong Army Primary School and Wuchang Army School, and performed very well in the Northern Expedition. I think his military qualities are also qualified. Chen Tianheng, Ye Ting, what do you think?"

Chen Tianheng: "It seems his personal preference doesn't matter. He can continue to serve in the military or not. I think the decision will be made by the vote of the joint government committee."

Ye Ting: "My personal opinion is the same. It doesn't matter."

Li Dazhao: "Chen Tianheng, you are the Chief of the General Staff. You have a 'wild card' in your hand."

Chen Tianheng smiled and said, "I'm not going to use it yet."

"Regarding the matter of Zhang Fakui, I want to talk about—my personal opinion."

The plump Li Fulin stood up and spoke. After his Fifth Army revolted and was disbanded, Li Fulin was invited to serve on the Guangzhou Government Committee.

"Zhang Fakui was a capable warrior and even made great contributions during the Northern Expedition. But, please don't be offended if I say something unpleasant, but Zhang Fakui actually had a warlord side."

Li Fulin looked around and asked, "What do you think?"

The members of the government committee murmured among themselves, and then someone chimed in, expressing their agreement. Li Fulin said, "Chiang Kai-shek's generals are not pure. They command troops and manage local areas. When they manage local areas, they use soldiers to manage them, and when they command troops, they use the money they collect from the local areas to support them. This is not a pure army, don't you think? The revolutionary army doesn't want such a pure army now, right?"

"Chiang Kai-shek said he was different from the Beiyang warlords. In my opinion, the difference is simply the amount of local military control. As long as the military interferes with local affairs, it is impure. He led his troops this way before, but I can't guarantee that he would do the same if he were to lead troops on our side."

"I don't know if these words will reach Zhang Fakui's ears, but I'm still saying it. This is my opinion."

"Chief of General Staff Chen Tianheng didn't say Zhang Fakui must be retained. So, let me be frank. As a committee member, I think Zhang Fakui should remain out of the military. That would be better for everyone. I cast my real name against this. Of course, this time it's because Chief Chen didn't use his special invitation privilege before. In the future, if Chief Chen wishes to retain a high-ranking officer who revolted, the committee and I will abide by the rules and respect that special invitation privilege. I believe my opinion is shared by the committee members present."

Li Fulin said this last sentence respectfully to Chen Tianheng. Chen Tianheng had been grinning silently. Li Fulin, whose Fifth Army had been disbanded, certainly didn't want any future rebel forces to be fully incorporated into the revolutionary army. He didn't get on the car himself, and it would be best if the doors were welded shut.

"Commissioner Li, thank you very much for your trust in me. Now, I will abide by the decision of the vote today."

Putting away his smile, Chen Tianheng spoke.

Chapter 51: The Fifth Fool of Guangdong

"General Secretary Chen." "Mr. Lu Xun." "Old Shen, haha." "Tianheng is here. Find a stool and sit down. Dinner will be served soon."

When Chen Tianheng went to Chen Duxiu's house, he saw Chen Duxiu, Lu Xun and Mao Dun had already arrived as soon as he entered the door.

Chen Duxiu's house was a typical Guangdong residence. The landlord lived in a different house. Chen Yannian and Chen Qiaonian were currently working in Jiangxi and Hunan, respectively. The house was quite empty. Chen Tianheng sat down and asked, "Um, Yang Du won't show up today, will he?"

"No, no," Chen Duxiu shook his head. "I usually avoid him, so why would I invite him to my house?"

"That's good." Chen Tianheng still had a lingering fear from his last meeting with Yang Du. This time, it was Chen Duxiu's family dinner, and the group chatted about literature, philosophy, history, and, of course, social trends. As the conversation progressed, the subject inevitably turned to business.

"Tianheng, you and Ye Ting worked together with Zhang Fakui during the Northern Expedition. Please give us your evaluation of him. Is he a good general?"

Chen Tianheng: "Zhang Fakui's military management and training are far superior to those of the military commanders of the past. If he served in our army, while his military management and training skills wouldn't be enough, he would be able to quickly assimilate and master our army's overall methods. Furthermore, with the assistance of the Political Department, or even a dedicated political commissar, and a strong general staff, he wouldn't be incapable of leading an army in battle. We also have political commanders within our army. Instructor Xiao Chunv is currently the commander of the 6th Division of the 2nd Army, and she's surprisingly doing quite well in that role."

Shen Yanbing: "Haha, yes, yes. Who would have thought that Xiao Chunv, the editor-in-chief of China Youth and the chief writer of the New Shu Newspaper, such a scholar, would now lead a division in the revolutionary army and have made many military achievements."

Lu Xun: "I remember Xiong Xiong also served as a division commander for a period of time."

Chen Tianheng: "Instructor Xiao strictly adhered to procedures, leaving staff work to the General Staff Department, treating it as a black box, managing only inputs and outputs. In reality, combat operations and military orders are handled by the General Staff Department, while military management is managed by the Political Department and the Sergeants Major. Intelligence, logistics, equipment, medical support, and military service are also managed by dedicated departments. The single, irreplaceable function of a revolutionary army commander is to ensure that the army obeys the command of the Military Commission."

Chen Duxiu: "So this raises some questions for me. Our revolutionary army, besides the First and Fourth Armies, also has other sources. Comrade Zhu De is one, but he joined the Party very early, and he first submitted his application to me. Peng Dehuai was an active member of the Party during the Pingjiang Uprising, and He Long didn't swear to join the Party until he arrived in Nanchang. But these commanders are now performing very well. So, Tianheng, do you find that some of Zhang Fakui's attributes are somewhat incompatible with the revolutionary army?"

Chen Tianheng shook his head: "No, it can't be said that they are not a match. The military commanders I recognize must be excellent, but not only commanders I recognize are excellent. When we talked about Comrade Zhang Fakui's whereabouts, this is what I thought..."

"I think it would be better if Comrade Zhang Fakui served on the Joint Government Committee."

Shen Yanbing: "Oh?"

Chen Duxiu pondered: "Are you saying..."

Chen Tianheng: "General Secretary Chen, it seems you have also felt this. Comrade Zhang Fakui's political stance now leans towards us, but before his political power grew, he was also a man with a national vision."

Chen Duxiu: "The interests of the whole country, not Guangdong, are the most important."

Chen Tianheng: "Let's consider China's interests. The 'world' now probably refers to the Earth."

Next month will be the second anniversary of the establishment of the Guangdong United Government, and Guangzhou is planning to hold some celebrations.

What Chen Tianheng said to Chen Duxiu was his true inner thoughts. He wanted more voices advocating for the unification of China within the United Government Committee.

As the saying goes, the local environment shapes the local people. In the current coalition government, there are also "urgent unification factions", "slow unification factions" and "anti-unification factions".

An indirect reason for this is Guangdong's rapid economic recovery over the past two years, or perhaps even its various industries reaching new heights never before achieved in the late Republic of China and the Qing Dynasty. The officers and soldiers of the 11th Army, having just received their travel expenses and returned to their hometowns in Guangdong, felt a sense of strangeness when they saw the present-day Guangzhou and Guangdong. This Guangdong was so different from the past.

Everyone feels that they have more and more money, and their lives are getting better. Everyone is very satisfied with the current situation, so there are always some people who think that they can just live like this.

The dismissed officers and soldiers of the 11th Army boarded a passenger ship chartered by the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Military Region and returned directly to Guangzhou. To their astonishment, as soon as they disembarked, a dozen people were waiting at the dock holding signs. The words on the signs read:

"Recruitment"

"High-paying recruitment"

Corporal Zeng Guohua of the 11th Division of the 11th Army was momentarily bewildered by the scene. With his schoolbag slung across his shoulder and a sack of clothes and blankets on his shoulders, he walked a few steps along the dock, considering finding a job right there and then. But after some hesitation, he decided to return to his hometown in Wuhua County before considering any work options.

"Guohua, Guohua!"

Zeng Guohua turned around and said, "Captain Qu? Why are you at the dock?" The person who came was Qu Shounian, the commander of the 11th Division when Zeng Guohua was in it.

Qu Shounian…did not participate in the uprising. He was captured during the Susong battle in April. After entering the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area, Qu Shounian expressed his unwillingness to be released and continue serving in the Guangdong Army. The Huyu-Anhui Military Region did not want directly recruited Guangdong Army officers, so he applied to return to Guangdong.

With the guarantee of his relatives in Guangdong, Qu Shounian returned to Guangzhou in May.

At this time, Qu Shounian was dressed in a suit and tie, two sizes too large, leaving it loose. He wore a sunhat and held a walking stick. He said to Zeng Guohua, "I'm just looking to see if any of my old comrades from the 11th Division are returning on this ship. Guohua, now that you're home, do you want to do some work? If so, come join my engineering team."

Zeng Guohua: "District leader, you set up a... engineering team?" "Yes, yes, yes, you can make money by taking on projects."

Zeng Guohua: "Then, if I work under you, how much can I earn per month?"

Ou Shounian held up two fingers and said, "Twenty dollars a month! You can drive a horse, right? Then you will be responsible for driving the carriage."

"Twenty?!" Zeng Guohua thought. He was a private in the Guangdong Army, earning only eight dollars a month. "Captain, I'll work for you then!"

"Okay, okay. Hey, Nigger, Nigger!" Qu Shounian saw another familiar face. After a while, the thin and dark soldier named Nigger ran over and said, "Captain Qu!"

Ou Shounian held up two fingers and said, "Nigger, I've set up a construction team. Guohua has agreed to come to my place. Do you want to come? You're a coachman too, you know how to drive a horse. You can work here for twenty dollars a month."

Black guy: "Okay, Captain, I'll do it with you! But where is our engineering team doing the work?"

"Our engineering team, um," Ou Shounian said, "is currently working on a project in Heyuan County, at the Guangdong Fifth Stupid Construction Site."

Zeng Guohua, Black Guy: "The fifth stupid person in Guangdong?"

Ou Shounian: "Last year, we said the Communist Party was doing four stupid things in Guangzhou: banning opium, abolishing the lijin tax, opening schools, and building railways. This year, it's even better. There's a fifth stupid thing: the Communist Party wants to build a new Fengjiang hydropower station in Heyuan County."

The Xinfengjiang Hydropower Station is a project with a larger investment than the Guangdong-Hankou Railway.

It cost 44 million silver dollars to open the Zhuzhou-Shaoguan section of the Guangdong-Hankou Railway. The first phase of the Xinfengjiang Hydropower Station cost 42 million silver dollars, and the second and third phases cost 7 million silver dollars each. Guangdong’s finances contributed 15 million silver dollars, and the rest was provided by loans from HSBC, Standard Chartered, and four banks in Guangdong.

Guangzhou currently has two thermal power plants. The largest is the Wuxianmen Power Plant, which has five units, both new and old, with a total installed capacity of 16,000 kilowatts. Wuxianmen's power generation capacity is already insufficient, and a new thermal power plant with an installed capacity of 8000 kilowatts has recently opened. However, judging by the current situation, Guangzhou's power supply will soon be in short supply again.

The total installed capacity of Xinfengjiang Hydropower Station is 18 kilowatts...

The first phase of the project will install two 30,000-kilowatt turbines, instantly surpassing the current installed capacity of all thermal power plants in Guangdong. Four turbine sites remain vacant at the hydropower station. Phases two and three will be completed when power shortages in Guangdong are identified, and turbines will be installed there. While Chen Tianheng disagrees, this is the current plan of the Guangdong Urban Investment Group.

After completion, the Xinfengjiang Hydropower Station will generate approximately 7 million kWh of electricity annually. At that time, China's total annual electricity generation was 15 billion kWh.

It's so huge, it's like a Chinese super project from the 30s, right? But in global terms, it's just a medium-sized hydropower station.

The hydropower station dam is located in Heyuan County, where the Xinfeng River and the Dongjiang River meet.

When Qu Shounian arrived at the hydropower station site with his team of over 30 engineers, fully equipped, Zeng Guohua was stunned by the spectacle. Two to three thousand people were busy on both sides of the Xinfeng River. The site was a patchwork of earth and pits. Near the banks, a forest of steel bars could be seen.

Zeng Guohua: "This is more spectacular than a war."

"Fighting? What kind of war is this?" Qu Shounian said. "I've figured it out! I'm not cut out for war. I'll never fight in a war in my lifetime. I'll just do engineering."

Zeng Guohua: “Me too.”

Ou Shounian: "Manager Sun~~~!"

Sun Liren walked over to Ou Shounian's engineering team with a serious face and said, "Captain Ou, it's true. Among the subcontracting companies, your team was the first to arrive."

Ou Shounian said with a smile: "The sooner you arrive, the sooner you can grab the dormitory."

Sun Liren: "There are plenty of dormitories. There are as many beds as there are people. Some are spacious, some are cramped. Okay, then go pick your dorm."

Zeng Guohua: "Manager Sun, how long will it take to build the Xinfengjiang Hydropower Station?" Sun Liren: "The first phase of the project will take three years, and it will be connected to the grid and generating electricity in February 1932. Let me see, your subcontract with us runs until November 1930."

Ou Shounian: "Manager Sun, I'm a little uneasy. With an investment of 40 to 50 million silver dollars for just one project, won't Guangdong's finances go bankrupt?"

"The first phase investment is 4200 million silver dollars, plus the second and third phases, the total static investment is nearly 2 million. But you can do the math," Sun Liren said. "The current electricity price in Guangzhou is 2 cents per kilowatt-hour. After the first phase of the Xinfengjiang project is connected to the grid, it will be able to generate 3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. Calculate how much annual revenue we can generate."

Ou Shounian: "...-4600 million. Damn, they made back the cost in just one year? Building this hydropower station is really profitable."

孙立人:“当然,水电站运营也有成本，此外就是广东政府说,三年之后电价从2角1度降到1角1度,但那也是每年营收2300万大洋。”

Ou Shounian: "No, I have to contact my uncle and ask him to stop working there and come back to work on the project."

Chapter 52: The Guangdong Army at a Crossroads

Qu Shounian's uncle is Cai Tingcuo.

In April 1927, Cai Tingcuo was appointed commander of the 24th Division. When Ye Ting revolted, he took away not only his own 25th Division but also half of the backbone of the 24th Division. The troops under Cai Tingcuo's command were immediately destroyed.

Before Ye Ting's uprising, Chiang Kai-shek ordered all divisions to purge the Communists. Cai Tingcuo's 24th Division was not among those to be purged, instead accepting many Communist defectors from other units in Wuhan. Of course, this wasn't a decision he made alone; his superior, Zhang Fakui, then commander of the 4th Army, opposed purging the Communists within his own army.

In short, due to Cai Tingcuo and Zhang Fakui's tolerance of the Communist Party, Cai Tingcuo's 24th Division was paralyzed on one side of the body and basically lost its combat effectiveness after the Nanchang Uprising. Chiang Kai-shek once wanted to remove Cai Tingcuo from his post, but Zhang Fakui, Chen Mingshu and other Guangdong generals joined forces to save Cai Tingcuo.

Cai Tingcuo is still in the Fourth Army and serves as the commander of the 24th Division.

As the second anti-encirclement and suppression campaign was nearing its end, Chiang Kai-shek could no longer fight. Cai Tingcuo and Yu Youren were the first to issue a telegram calling for an end to the encirclement and suppression campaign and the restoration of domestic peace. These were the only two party, state, military and political leaders who spoke out outside of public opinion at the time.

However, Chiang Kai-shek was very angry because of Cai Tingcuo's telegram. After Zhang Fakui took away the 11th Army in the uprising, Chiang Kai-shek intended to rebuild the 11th Army, but the candidate for the commander was Chen Jitang instead of Cai Tingcuo.

At this time, Cai Tingcuo's 24th Division and the 4th Army were stationed in Wuhan.

After the Second Counter-Encirclement and Suppression Campaign, the Miluo River marked the boundary between the two sides in Hunan. Although Chiang Kai-shek's army had a bridgehead north of the Miluo Bridge and the larger city of Yueyang in northern Hunan, the Fourth Army had already stationed its mobile corps in Wuhan. Miluo Bridge, Yueyang, Xianning, and other areas were occupied by garrison troops, who routinely dug trenches and built bunkers in preparation for a desperate defense.

"Commander, my relatives in Guangdong wrote to tell me that industries are booming all over Guangdong, and the Guangzhou coalition government has launched many government-run projects."

Cai Tingcuo and the Deputy Commander (Acting Commander) of the Fourth Army, Chen Mingshu, were inspecting the defense line on the north bank of the Miluo River. Cai Tingcuo talked about Qu Shounian's hydropower project.

"I've heard that, too."

Cai Tingcuo said: "Regardless of who wins or loses the Ningyue-Yue dispute, our Guangdong Army is now getting worse day by day. Chiang Kai-shek said he wanted to rebuild the 11th Army, which might also be called the 46th Army. However, the Nanjing Military and Political Department has been involved in the recruitment, organization of officers and soldiers, military pay, and armaments of the 46th Army. Even if Chen Jitang were the commander, I'm afraid this unit would not be called the Guangdong Army."

Chen Mingshu: "I'm still worried about our Fourth Army, which is the foundation of the Guangdong Army. I really don't know when Chiang Kai-shek will go crazy again and the Fourth Army will follow the same path as the 11th Army. If the Fourth Army is gone, our Guangdong Army will basically be gone too."