The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

"I understand what you mean," Chen Tianheng said. "Of course we can discuss this issue. You are a member of the War Research Society, and I have explained to everyone during seminars and game shows that our thinking will not be restricted by any rules or regulations. Yes, this is a problem with the superiors, and we can even discuss it behind closed doors. The appearance of hundreds of young people in neat military uniforms in the parade may have led to a misjudgment by the military and police guarding the concession. However, I have called all of you here today instead of summoning our superiors to review what happened to the Third Battalion on June 6.23rd and to review the Third Battalion's actions on June 6.23rd."

"The first thing we need to clarify is that in just a few minutes of firing by the British and French military police, 27 men in the entire battalion were killed and 51 were injured. That's over a 20% casualty rate. Even attacking a single hilltop at Mianhu wouldn't have resulted in so many casualties. After the military police opened fire, did the battalion and company commanders order everyone to evacuate and lie down?"

"No. The battalion commander did not give the order when we first opened fire, and he was shot during the third round of volleys. Neither did I nor the company commanders. This is our responsibility." Tan Luming said with his head down.

Chen Tianheng: "It's good that they can take responsibility. But what we need to do now is to find out why the mistakes and errors occurred. The reason behind it is that the Third Battalion did not treat this parade as a military mission."

Du Yuming: "Not only should you quickly evacuate and hide after the military and police open fire, but before the parade begins, you should send out reconnaissance teams or military commanders to personally scout the area to determine where the parade route will pass; which neighborhoods might face armed suppression; where along the route there are available cover areas; where it's convenient to disperse on the spot; and where congestion is likely. From this, you should develop one or more contingency plans. If you treat the parade as a combat mission, then these are mandatory actions written into the combat regulations."

Chen Tianheng: "When anticipating a possible armed repression, one must not only anticipate its location but also its form. In the Sha-Ki Massacre, the heaviest casualties came from the bombardment of British warships. We are standing here, and British warships are anchored at Baietan. Everyone, please point out which direction Baietan is in our direction."

More than 20 officers looked around the street, determined their location and direction, and then pointed their fingers towards the southeast.

Chen Tianheng: "There are British warships in Baietan. This is information we could have known in advance. Since you already know that you will participate in this parade unarmed, you must make relevant preparations. Based on the location of the warships and the parade route, we can also determine which buildings on the street can block the trajectory of the warships' artillery fire, so you can hide behind these buildings to avoid being killed by the shells."

"You should have done even more. When the British and French police opened fire and British warships began shelling, in addition to evacuating yourselves, you should have also assisted and even directed the protesters, helping them to quickly evacuate, leave the streets, and seek safety. They are ordinary people and have no military training, while you are the military. This is a military professional skill, and it is what you should do."

Revisiting the old place was not a pleasant experience for the officers of the third battalion.

However, under the guidance of Chen Tianheng and Du Yuming, these more than 20 officers recovered from their previous emotions.

The biggest change is that they now have a more active vision and know what they and their troops should do next and in which direction they should improve and strengthen.

……

"Mr. Zhan Tang, the one leading the group is Chen Tianheng. The group behind him are probably his officers. They seem to have come to Shaji to investigate the scene of the tragedy."

"Oh. The commander of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Division of the Communist Army. It seems he is a direct subordinate of Chiang Kai-shek."

On a building in Xiguan, Hu Hanmin and Dai Jitao looked out at Shaji from their balcony. They both saw Chen Tianheng and his group conducting a field survey in Shaji.

Hu Hanmin was now the KMT's second-in-command, the Governor of Guangdong and Minister of Foreign Affairs. However, he was somewhat unsuccessful in his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs, as negotiations between the KMT and Britain and France had reached a dead end following the Sha-Kei Massacre.

Dai Jitao nodded. "Of course he's Chiang Kai-shek's direct subordinate. The First Army is a party army, and he's the commander of the First Regiment of the First Division of the First Army. I don't know how valuable this is. I know Chiang Kai-shek very well. He has a strong sense of belonging to his own region. Most of the direct subordinates he selected from the Whampoa students were from Zhejiang. Yu Jishi and Hu Zongnan were both like this. Only Chen Tianheng is not from Zhejiang."

Hu Hanmin: "He's not from Zhejiang, but he's considered a direct descendant by Chiang Kai-shek. This person is truly extraordinary. Cousin Xuan, are you familiar with this Chen Tianheng?"

Dai Jitao: "I've had some dealings with him. He was a key figure in the Sun Yat-sen Society, which I helped to establish. However, unlike most members of the Sun Yat-sen Society, he wasn't fond of debate and didn't usually engage in boastful speeches. He simply buried his head in writing. Among the Whampoa Military Academy, Chen Tianheng was also known for his focus on training. However, it's said that his dedication to work produced great results. The Eastern Expedition's victory in the decisive battle of Mianhu was due to the fact that he had trained his battalion into an extremely fierce force."

Hu Hanmin: "I've also met someone like you who doesn't talk big and just works hard. He's the current Minister of Propaganda, Mao Runzhi. But he's a Communist."

Chapter 67

Zhang Guotao's assessment of Mao Runzhi's months in the KMT Central Propaganda Department can be summed up in one sentence: "He might as well have been Hu Hanmin's secretary."

Wang Jingwei was originally the head of the KMT's Central Propaganda Department. After Sun Yat-sen's death and Wang's rise to the position of the second-generation leader of the KMT, he simply resigned from the post and handed over the propaganda work to Mao Runzhi.

Moreover, Wang Jingwei was not very good at the job of Minister of Propaganda.

The day after Mao Zedong took office, he convened a meeting and pointed out that the problems in the propaganda work of the Communist Party of China were "unplanned, slow and not extensive", and that the working mechanism of the Central Propaganda Department should be improved.

He formulated a set of key principles for propaganda work and issued a document to the KMT's propaganda departments across the country. After confirming receipt, Mao also passed on the established KPI assessment standards, requiring each region to regularly report work progress and achievements, as well as any existing problems, to the Central Propaganda Department. He also required them to submit future work plans every three months.

Furthermore, the KMT Central Propaganda Department had previously served as the "Guangdong Propaganda Department," with 90% of its work concentrated in Guangdong. Mao Zedong sought to change this situation. He contacted KMT branches in 12 provinces outside Guangdong, urging them to appoint a propaganda minister and establish a propaganda department staff. This would provide the KMT with a voice to promote its ideas and theories, at least in core areas of China.

Even Hu Hanmin, a right-wing member of the Kuomintang, could only admire Mao Runzhi's work in the Propaganda Department, saying that Mao Runzhi was a rare talent.

This was also the mainstream view of the right wing of the Kuomintang at that time: the Soviet Union was fully infiltrating China throughout northern China, from the northwest to the northeast, and it was necessary to oppose the Soviet Union and the Communist International; as for the Chinese Communist Party, it should be forced to abandon communist ideas and then digest and integrate into the Kuomintang. After all, there were too many outstanding talents on the Communist Party side.

Chiang Kai-shek was not one of the rightists. He actually endeared himself to the Soviet Union. Not only did General Galen praise him as a representative of the KMT's left-leaning ideology, but even Stalin in Moscow knew of this pro-Soviet KMT general. Chiang Kai-shek's friendly approach to the Soviet Union stemmed from the Soviet Union's military assistance in the Whampoa Military Academy. However, Chiang Kai-shek remained wary and hostile toward the Chinese Communist Party from the very beginning, driven by a common motive: "The Communist Party possessed too many talented individuals."

Therefore, his faction is not called the Kuomintang right wing, but the Kuomintang reactionary faction.

However, Hu Hanmin's praise may not mean much because he will soon be leaving the stage.

……

"First Regiment! Order the First Regiment to assemble immediately!"

He Yingqin personally rushed to the first regiment’s headquarters and gave orders to Chen Tianheng.

Chen Tianheng: "Zuo Quan, issue the assembly order! Chief Instructor He, what is the mission?"

"Xu Chongzhi's Guangdong Army unit is suspected of plotting to assassinate Commissioner Liao Zhongkai! The principal has ordered your regiment to enter the city immediately, surround the Guangdong Army headquarters, and detain Xu Chongzhi. If resistance is encountered, you may open fire at any time. The Military Commission has authorized this!"

He Yingqin not only brought the troop mobilization order from the Kuomintang's Supreme Military Commission, but also Chiang Kai-shek's handwritten note.

Zuo Quan, the Chief of Staff of the First Regiment, immediately ordered the entire regiment, who were currently training, to assemble, clarify their mission, and distribute ammunition. Over a thousand men boarded the ferry in three waves and headed towards Guangzhou.

"The War Research Association previously discussed a scenario for disarming the Guangdong Army. Zuo Quan, do you have a complete plan now?"

On the way, Chen Tianheng asked Zuo Quan.

"If we were targeting the Guangdong Army headquarters, which hadn't shown any clear signs of rebellion, we should have used lightly armed troops to advance first, occupying three key points near the headquarters and encircling them, preventing anyone inside from escaping. We would then conduct political outreach while simultaneously unleashing heavy firepower at designated locations," Zuo Quan said. "The plan we drafted at the time actually only required a single battalion to complete the siege."

Chen Tianheng: "It's a little different now. We have a regiment. Since we're here, let's use them all. Remember, give the Third Battalion a chance to train and integrate."

Jiang Xianyun: "The assassination of Commissioner Liao Zhongkai seems to have been solved?"

Chen Tianheng: "The assassin's assassination plan is full of flaws. It's only a matter of time before it's solved. Besides, at the scene of the assassination, Liao Zhongkai's guards captured a person alive..."

……

Although Chen Tianheng wanted to reverse the course of history, he could only stay on Changzhou Island most of the time, training one of his regiments in a military camp next to the Whampoa Military Academy.

The only occasional exchanges with the KMT's political faction were at the Sun Yat-sen Society, where right-wingers flocked. Chen Tianheng never even had a private meeting with Liao Zhongkai. At that time, the KMT's military and political factions were separate, and without authorization from the Supreme Military Commission, "civilian" and "military" officials were not allowed to communicate freely.

The Kuomintang was also very nervous. From the beginning of August, rumors spread throughout Guangzhou that "Chen Jiongming wanted to kill several Kuomintang bigwigs" and "The Guangdong Army wanted to rebel/the Guangdong Army hired killers to kill Kuomintang bigwigs." However, Liao Zhongkai did not want to reduce his outdoor activities because of this, nor did he increase the number of guards.

Also on August 25, outside the Kuomintang headquarters building in Guangzhou, four gunmen suddenly attacked Liao Zhongkai and his group as they were about to enter the building. Liao Zhongkai was shot multiple times and died on the way to the hospital.

Two of the four gunmen escaped, one was shot dead by Liao Zhongkai's guards, and one was shot in the leg and captured.

Chen Tianheng discovered that history is somewhat random. The captured assassin was not fatally wounded, only hit in the leg, and was not even unconscious. He was treated in the hospital, bandaged, and was able to be interrogated.

Before the interrogation, a body search revealed a receipt for the assassin's reward, which listed the names of four people and the amount of money. Almost identical handwritten receipts were also found on the two assassins who had been killed. These were the receipts for collecting the reward from the financier after the mission was successful.

What’s even more exaggerated is that a gun license was found on the assassin, which was issued to him by the militia management department of Xu Chongzhi’s Guangdong Army.

The assassin himself is a street scoundrel who hangs out in gangs. He has nothing to do with any militia or militia. There is definitely something wrong with issuing him a gun license.

The militia management department's issuing of a gun license to this street scoundrel was solely the responsibility of the department's chief officer... That's no longer acceptable now; Xu Chongzhi should be directly arrested. Furthermore, Hu Hanmin's cousin was found to be implicated in the silver bill, and Hu Hanmin would also be placed under "double regulation."

The assassination of Liao Zhongkai was a huge matter, as he was one of the three giants who inherited power after Sun Yat-sen's death.

"The reconnaissance company, operating as platoons, will quickly occupy three key points. The third battalion will follow, deploying defenses around these key points, activating lighting equipment, and blocking the streets. Du Yuming, you must pay attention to the orientation and accessibility of the streets and alleys near the Guangdong Army headquarters. No passages can be left for escape."

"After the blockade line with three key points as the axis is established, each reconnaissance platoon will fire a signal flare to notify the regimental headquarters."

"Now, let's go!"

The first ferry trip brought the regiment's reconnaissance company and the third battalion ashore.

Teams of soldiers in wide-brimmed hats ran in an orderly manner, their leather boots making a clicking sound, and walked away into the streets of Guangzhou at dusk.

Chen Tianheng, Zuo Quan, and Jiang Xianyun stood at the dock. Chen Tianheng checked his watch, watching for any flares fired from the sky above Dongguan. Zuo Quan waited for the ferry to arrive on Cheung Chau Island, carrying the First Battalion.

Twenty minutes later, the ferry carrying the first battalion docked. Almost at that moment, two green flares appeared in the sky above Dongguan.

There were only signal flares, and no gunshots were heard in the Dongguan area.

Chen Tianheng continued to stare at the night sky. Two minutes later, the third green flare was launched.

Chen Tianheng: "First Battalion, advance!"

……

The headquarters of the Guangdong Army (recently reorganized into the Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army).

The Third Battalion set up a martial law perimeter outside the guard circle of the Guangdong Army headquarters, encircling the headquarters. Furthermore, the engineers brought three searchlights, shining them from three directions on the Guangdong Army headquarters building, illuminating the entire building.

Since the guards of the Guangdong Army Headquarters did not open fire to resist, this operation was a peaceful arrest. The first battalion arrived in formation, with heavy machine guns aimed at the building. Chen Tianheng and Xu Xiangqian led a squad of soldiers and entered through the main gate of the Guangdong Army Headquarters.

"Commander Xu, Commander Li. I'm sorry to bother you by coming to your headquarters so late."

"Are you Chen Tianheng? Are these soldiers from the First Regiment of the Communist Army?"

Xu Chongzhi already knew why this large group of soldiers surrounded the headquarters, so he didn't bother to ask. It was just that this was the first time he met Chen Tianheng.

"Exactly. In fact, during the Eastern Expedition, I dealt with Brigade Commander Chen Shuming of your army."

Li Jishen: "What a trick! You, the Kuomintang, have always wanted to swallow up the Guangdong Army. Now, the opportunity has come to you."

"Commander Li, this time I only want to invite Commander Xu to our party headquarters for a chat. You are not included."

"Well," Xu Chongzhi said to Li Jishen, "I have been in the army for twenty years and have experienced hundreds of battles. Do you think I am still afraid of death today?"

Chen Tianheng: "Commander Xu, it's not that serious. It's just an overseas inspection. Please go in."

Xu Chongzhi went out and saw the car sent by the Kuomintang headquarters was outside. Xu Chongzhi got in the car, and Chen Tianheng got in the car.

Being sent to the Kuomintang headquarters, Xu Chongzhi was essentially under house arrest.

"I lost the conspiracy of borrowing a knife to kill someone. The political vortex can be a place where big waves can wash away the sand, but it can also be a place where those who are close to bad people become corrupted. Young man, be cautious."

Xu Chongzhi still didn't forget to talk nonsense at this time.

Chen Tianheng: "Commander Xu, unification is the general trend. Not only the various armies in Guangdong, but also the entire nation's armies will be unified in the future. Military command must be unified, and the army must be governed by politics. Have you ever seen a unified country whose national defense forces are still divided into provincial armies? As for the idea of ​​killing with a borrowed knife, I have heard it too, but it's just hearsay and I cannot agree with it."

"Chen Tianheng, how do you know your principal won't become a new warlord in the future?"

"Our party's army is a revolutionary army. It strictly adheres to the Prime Minister's instructions, takes the Three Principles of the People as its purpose, and takes saving the country and the people and resisting foreign aggression as its mission. It will never become a warlord."

Xu Chongzhi was taken away by the Grand Marshal's Guard. Chen Tianheng turned around and found Bai Chongxi standing not far away, staring at him.

"Instructor Bai!" Chen Tianheng saluted. "It's been almost a year since the first class graduated, and you haven't even been to the military academy."

"My instructor was only in name only," Bai Chongxi said. "As for me, for the past few months, I have been the commander-in-chief of Dinggui's anti-rebel army. With only 30,000 troops, I defeated the 50,000-man coalition force of Lu, Shen, and Tang, and only then was I able to return to Guangzhou."

Chen Tianheng: "I founded a club at school, the War Research Society. I look forward to Instructor Bai's guidance when he is free."

After a few words with Bai Chongxi, Chen Tianheng left the headquarters and returned to his regiment.

"Jiansheng, who is this person?"

"Chen Tianheng, who emerged from the first batch of the Whampoa Military Academy, is said to be very good at fighting."

Li Zongren also looked at Chen Tianheng's back and said: "The first batch of Whampoa Military Academy, they are all Chiang Kai-shek's own people who were painstakingly trained."

Bai Chongxi: "Not necessarily. For example, I can't quite figure out Chen Tianheng."

Chapter 68

Okay, now let’s take a look at the First Regiment of the Party Army under Chen Tianheng.

The organization is actually very simple, with three infantry battalions, a reconnaissance company, and an engineering company, which are all the combat troops.

In addition, there is a supply battalion, which was assigned to the 1st Regiment when it was still an independent training regiment. After the three training regiments were merged into the 1st Division, the three supply battalions should theoretically be merged into the division supply regiment, but for some reason, the supply units are still under the jurisdiction of each regiment.

There were no artillery. The 75mm mountain gun, which was supposed to be the regimental gun, was now the 1st Division's main weapon. There were no infantry guns. As for mortars, well, it was still two years before the Frenchman Brandt invented the first modern mortar, the Mle 27.

In short, the 1st Regiment now had no means of launching explosives at the enemy at a distance other than throwing grenades.

Of course, as the founding regiment of the Communist Party's army, the First Regiment enjoyed some advantages. Each squad was equipped with a light machine gun, while other regiments were limited to one or two per platoon. These were all Madsen-style models from the Ishii Arsenal. Furthermore, the First Regiment also had slightly more submachine guns than other regiments, totaling 40.

"Bang" "Bang" "Bang" "Bang" "Bang" "Bang" "Bang"

"Beep--" "Stop shooting! Empty the chamber!"

Rifle shooting. After firing five rounds, the soldiers stood up and left with their rifles. Chen Tianheng, Jiang Xianyun, and Chen Geng carefully examined the targets that had been brought to them.

"They're all the best shooters in the regiment, all shooting slowly from a prone position with support. This is close to ideal shooting parameters," Chen Tianheng said, looking at the number of rings on the target. "The bullet impact points are still quite scattered. It's the gun's fault."

Chen Geng also examined the seven target sheets that were delivered. The one with the densest impact points had five bullet holes scattered across a palm-sized area. "With such a large dispersion at 100 meters, your idea of ​​adding a telescope to the rifle wouldn't make sense for this rifle."

Chen Tianheng: "Yes. Although not many rounds were fired from this batch of Type 38 rifles, the manufacturing quality is average. They were all manufactured overtime after the outbreak of World War I, so the accuracy is just so-so."

Chen Geng: "How can we get a batch of particularly accurate rifles..."

Chen Tianheng: "We need a base. It needs to be close to the sea, with a city in the middle of a large rural area where we can do trade. If we can capture such a base, we can get not only sniper rifles but also artillery."

Jiang Xianyun: "We have been saying this for more than a year."

……

Eastern Guangdong, Shanwei.

Chen Jiongming quietly returned to Guangdong from Hong Kong and landed in his hometown of Shanwei.

During the Revolutionary Army's first Eastern Expedition in February and March of this year, when the Eastern Expeditionary Army captured Tamsui and advanced towards Shanwei-Hailufeng, Chen Jiongming immediately moved his entire family to Hong Kong, and eventually even he himself to Shanghai as a sojourner. Now, several months later, Chen Jiongming has returned, but his family has not.

Although he received 100 million Hong Kong dollars from the British and 30 silver dollars from the Beiyang government, Chen Jiongming himself was not very confident that he could regain the lost territory this time.

"Mr. Chen." Lin Hu came to Shanwei to meet Chen Jiongming.

"Commander-in-Chief Lin, please," Chen Jiongming politely invited Lin Hu to take a seat. "How many troops have been gathered to rescue the Guangdong Army?"

Lin Hu: "After the war, there were only more than 10,000 people left. But after Sun's army retreated from eastern Guangdong and returned to Guangzhou, I returned to eastern Guangdong and recruited new soldiers in Chaoshan and Meishan. Now the army to rescue Guangdong has more than 33,000 soldiers."