The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

"Commander-in-Chief Lin, I've already negotiated with Yang Kunru's troops stationed in Huizhou. He's returned to the Guangdong Rescue Army Marshal's Headquarters. He has 7,000 men under his command. However, all together, there are only 40,000. Isn't that a bit too few to deal with Sun's army?"

"Ugh."

Lin Hu's temperament has changed a lot recently. He used to be very heroic and always wanted to fight and kill, but now he has become much more Buddhist.

"Mr. Chen, the small number of people is one thing, but the key is the student army trained by the Whampoa Military Academy on the National Government side. This student army is very difficult to defeat. If it were just the Guangdong, Yunnan, and Guangxi troops of the Jianguo Army, it would be fine. My 40,000 men could handle them, but I'm not very confident in defeating the Whampoa student army."

Chen Jiongming: "Yes, in the Battle of Mianhu in March, the Nationalist government's main force was the student army. Commander-in-Chief Lin, was that battle difficult for the student army?"

"These student soldiers believed deeply in the Three Principles of the People, and some even believed in communism. They were all fearless and fought fiercely. On March 13, I had 10,000 men in Mianhu, but the student soldiers only had a little over 1,000. Yet, early in the morning, the student soldiers launched an attack on me in three directions, catching me completely off guard."

"Among them was a group of student soldiers. I captured a prisoner and learned they were from the Third Battalion of the First Training Regiment. This group of student soldiers engaged over a thousand of us. Right from the start, their battalion commander was wounded, and two company commanders were killed. Soon, all their battalion and company commanders were either dead or wounded. But these students kept coming at us, howling and stabbing with bayonets, throwing over a thousand of us into chaos. I was so pissed we couldn't afford to mess with them."

Chen Jiongming: "Oh..."

Lin Hu: "Mr. Chen, I was just talking about the Third Battalion of the First Training Regiment. It is the worst of their three battalions."

Chen Jiongming: "What? How strong are their first and second battalions?"

"I can only say that the strength of the Third Battalion of the First Training Regiment is the kind of strength we understand—it's fierce and fearless. Their First and Second Battalions, hey, rushed into my formation, and they were like iron plates that broke. We couldn't even touch them, and instead, they completely destroyed my headquarters. Of the 22 staff members on my general staff, 20 were killed or wounded."

"So much so that later in the battle, my troops were saying that the two battalions were actually foreign soldiers from the White Mao family. But in fact, everyone who had fought against them knew that they were not, but Chinese."

"Mr. Chen, the ones I faced at Mianhu were only the First Training Regiment and the Second Training Regiment, which joined the battlefield last. Right now, over in Guangzhou, the Whampoa Military Academy has already formed an army using its cadets."

Chen Jiongming's lips trembled a few times, but he finally said resolutely: "But we have to fight. If we don't take some territory, we will be like a tree without roots. Commander-in-Chief Chen, we don't want to fight back to Guangzhou this time. As long as we can hold on to Chaoshan, Meishan and other places in eastern Guangdong, it will be fine. Yang Kunru's troops in Huizhou are willing to surrender to us, but we don't want to send more troops to Huizhou. Let Yang Kunru delay for a while and dampen the morale of the Whampoa Student Army. It will be great if we can hold out for three to five days."

Lin Hu: "If you only want to keep Chaoshan and Meishan, does that mean you won't want your hometown of Haifeng and Lufeng either?"

"No," Chen Jiongming waved his hand. "Hailufeng can be abandoned. Anyway, my whole family has been arranged to move to Hong Kong, and the real estate in Hailufeng has been sold."

……

Cheung Chau Island. Whampoa Parade Ground.

Over 7,000 officers and soldiers of the First Division of the First Army lined up. Zhou Enlai, Director of the Political Department of the First Army and Huangpu Military Academy, took the stage to speak.

"Comrades, the latest news is that the troops of warlord Yang Kunru stationed in Huizhou have rebelled."

"This Yang Kunru defected to Chen Jiongming when we attacked Huizhou in February. After we captured Danshui, Yang Kunru immediately surrendered to show his allegiance to the revolutionary government. But when we withdrew our troops from eastern Guangdong and returned to defend Guangzhou, Yang Kunru rebelled again."

"Chen Jiongming also quietly returned to eastern Guangdong and recruited troops in his hometown of Hailufeng, intending to turn eastern Guangdong into his own little kingdom."

"But this revolutionary situation, this trend of the world, can't be stopped by a small warlord like Chen Jiongming?"

"The goal of our revolutionary army is to march north and unify the country!"

"The Eastern Expedition, the complete defeat of Chen Jiongming, and the unification of Guangzhou are the prerequisites for the Northern Expedition and the unification of the country!"

"In order to completely eliminate the reactionary warlord forces in Guangdong, unify Guangdong, and consolidate the revolutionary base, the Supreme Military Committee of the Guangdong Revolutionary Government has issued a military order to immediately launch the Second Eastern Expedition!"

……

This Eastern Expedition was the first military operation of the reorganized National Revolutionary Army. Chiang Kai-shek served as commander-in-chief, Wang Jingwei as the Party representative of the Eastern Expedition, and Zhou Enlai as director of the General Political Department of the Eastern Expedition and Party representative of the First Army.

The Eastern Expedition Army was divided into three columns. The first column was the First Army, the second column was the Fourth Army (the Guangdong Army that built the country), and the third column was the Sixth Army (the Army that attacked Hubei and the Allied Forces of Henan and Jiangxi).

From Guangzhou to Dongguan, Chen Tianheng saw another Communist armed force at the train station - the Grand Marshal's Armored Vehicle Team.

"Zhou Shidi!" Chen Geng shouted when he saw Zhou Shidi from a distance, "How is it? The armored convoy is fun, right?!"

"It's fun! It's a lot of fun!" Zhou Shidi raised his voice and responded, "But they don't let us fight on the front lines!"

"You are an armored train team, guard your Guangzhou-Kowloon Railway well! Who said that there is no direct railway to Guangzhou in eastern Guangdong?"

……

"All of our personnel have arrived outside Huizhou City. We will begin the attack on Huizhou City tomorrow."

"The principal has instructed that tomorrow's siege of Huizhou will be led by the Third Division of the Party Army and the Fourth Regiment of the Second Division. Your First Division will not participate in the siege, but you can send a dozen or so observers to observe the siege on site."

He Yingqin conveyed the order to Chen Tianheng.

"Yes! I understand," Chen Tianheng said, "We will definitely send a regiment to observe. But, Commander, our regiment should have the most experience in attacking strongholds."

He Yingqin: "I know you're good at attacking cities. But this time we're fighting Huizhou, which is much harder to capture than Tamsui. It's not that you can't take it, but attacking a fortified city like this will only result in heavy casualties. Actually, the principal feels sorry for you and is worried about the deaths of so many first-term students, so he specifically assigned the Third and Second Divisions to take charge of the attack."

Chen Tianheng: "Then our First Division will be primarily responsible for continuing to advance and expand upon our victory after capturing Huizhou?"

"Yes."

Chapter 69

In the first Eastern Expedition, the National Revolutionary Army risked its life with the "basic base" of the Teaching Corps and Chen Jiongming. In the second Eastern Expedition, Chiang Kai-shek had already consciously hidden and protected his own direct line.

The 3rd Division and the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division of the 1st Army were responsible for the attack on Huizhou City.

The 3rd Division was "transferred" to the 1st Army by the Jianguo Guangdong Army. After it became part of the Communist Party, Chiang Kai-shek and Zhou Enlai inserted many graduates of the first and second classes of the Whampoa Military Academy into the 3rd Division, but not all officers were replaced. This 3rd Division was used to attack Huizhou City, paving the way for the entire Eastern Expedition.

Of course, in addition to the 3rd Division used to pave the way, Chiang Kai-shek also sent authentic party troops to participate in the war: Liu Zhi's 2nd Division and 4th Regiment.

Huizhou is less than 100 kilometers away from Guangzhou. It is a very strong city and also a sad place for Sun Yat-sen and the Cannon Party.

In 1900, Zheng Shiliang launched the Huizhou Uprising, but the rebels were unable to capture the city. After a month of resistance, they ran out of ammunition and food and collapsed. Sun Yat-sen made several subsequent attempts during the Protection of Law Movement and his campaign against Chen Jiongming, but failed to capture Huizhou. Even the first Eastern Expedition to Huizhou was not a capture; the defending general, Yang Kunru, defected (and now has reversed course).

Now, during the second Eastern Expedition, Huizhou City will witness the power of the National Revolutionary Army and the new aid from the Soviet Union - the 115mm howitzers.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom! — Crash!"

Zuo Quan: "The city gate tower was hit and half collapsed."

Jiang Xianyun: "It seems that a gap has been blown out of the city wall, but the width of the gap is not very wide."

Chen Tianheng: "The wall demolition effect is not as good as we previously estimated. In fact, the Soviet Union should provide a batch of 76.2mm cannons. They are flat-fire and equipped with semi-armor-piercing shells. They are more effective at demolishing the city wall than 115mm howitzers. ...Attention, the shelling is over, and the suicide squad is preparing to climb the city wall."

The 3rd Division selected 150 men from each regiment, and the 2nd Division's 4th Regiment selected 200 men, totaling 650 men to form a death squad. Members received a 30-yuan reward, and the first person to reach the top received a 100-yuan bounty. The 75mm mountain guns and 115mm howitzers ceased their bombardment, and the death squads, shouting and climbing the city walls from two directions, under the cover of light and heavy machine guns, began to climb.

Chen Geng: "When Liu Zhi took command of the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division, he transferred some key officers from the 2nd Battalion to the 4th Regiment. I wonder how the 4th Regiment is training now. Hey, do you have any peanuts left?"

Chen Geng grabbed another handful of fried peanuts from the bag on the ground next to Chen Tianheng.

The First Regiment of the First Division did not participate in the Battle of Huizhou. Chen Tianheng and his group came to observe the battlefield. From a hillside two miles away from Huizhou City, they watched the siege from afar through a telescope, so Chen Tianheng brought some sunflower seeds and peanuts with him.

"Ouch." "Oh my god."

Several people, each holding a telescope, almost simultaneously cried out in pain. In the distance, outside Huizhou City, a large number of the attacking suicide squad were mowed down by a blazing heavy machine gun. But the remaining suicide squad, which hadn't been caught, continued to bravely advance.

Judging from the current performance, not only is the morale of Liu Zhi's 2nd Division and 4th Regiment suicide squad high, but the 3rd Division's suicide squad is also rushing forward regardless of the hail of bullets.

The crowd quickly surged to the base of Huizhou's city walls. Ladders were set up and the suicide squads scaled the walls like ants.

"The casualties are heavy, but with this wave of attacks, the death squad should be able to gain a foothold on the city walls," Chen Tianheng said. "Huizhou won't last until tomorrow."

……

On October 14, the Eastern Expedition Army captured Huizhou.

During the Battle of Huizhou, Lin Hu led 19,000 men to the east of Huizhou, observing from the sidelines. Chen Jiongming still hoped to see if Huizhou held any chance, fearing that if the Eastern Expeditionary Army's attack on Huizhou reached a stalemate, Lin Hu might invade and disrupt the situation. However, Huizhou was captured in just one day and four hours. Throughout the siege, the First Division of the First Army remained in a tight formation, confronting Lin Hu's troops on the front lines. Chen Jiongming stood no chance.

Upon learning of the fall of Huizhou, Lin Hu led his troops in a swift retreat. The three columns of the Eastern Expeditionary Army advanced towards eastern Guangdong in three directions. The First Column advanced along Yonghu, Baiyun City, Chishi, and Meilong, attacking Haifeng and Lufeng. Li Jishen led the Second Column along Danshui, Pingshan, and Sanduozhu, attacking Zijin and Hepo. Cheng Qian led the Third Column northward along the west bank of the Dongjiang River, attacking Heyuan and Laolong.

On October 21, the First Division approached Haifeng and Lufeng. Hong Zhaolin under Chen Jiongming attempted to counterattack in the Gongping area. As a result, more than 10 people were defeated by the First Division in half a day. The First Column occupied Haifeng and Lufeng on the 22nd.

"This is Shanwei Town? A fishing port?"

In front of Chen Tianheng were a few rotten wooden planks, a dock, and a few dilapidated fishing boats. No wonder Chen Jiongming had been able to land in Shanwei and enter Guangdong despite being wanted. This place was basically in the middle of nowhere.

This is what the Shantou Port, with an annual throughput of 18 million tons, looked like in the 1920s. Today's Shanwei is not a city, but a town under Haifeng County.

During the first Eastern Expedition, Chen Tianheng passed through Hailufeng. At that time, He Yingqin said, "What's so interesting about Shanwei?" This time, Chen Tianheng made a special detour and came here, but he was disappointed.

Shanwei, with its current population of just over 10,000 and its sole industry being fish processing, is incapable of berthing modern cargo ships. I wonder if Shantou will be any better?

"Shantou Port can accommodate ocean-going vessels up to 4000 tons. Shantou serves as a transit port for the Rongjiang River and shipping. Ocean-going vessels exchange goods with inland vessels on the Rongjiang River here, with an annual import and export volume of approximately 10 tons. By the way, Shanwei is not a subsidiary city of Shantou. Shantou is the head of the Chaoshan-Rongjiang River Basin. Shanwei is named after the sand ridge line on the Hailufeng beach. The town is located at the end of the sand ridge line, hence the name Shan (Line) Tail."

Huang Wei is now a geography enthusiast and a bookworm, and he quickly answered Chen Tianheng's questions.

In other words, not only was Shanwei not a modern port, but Shantou was also a very cramped port. After the Nanchang Uprising, the rebels' advance towards Chaoshan to secure international aid was a forced choice made as their own forces were dwindling and they were unable to reach Guangzhou.

The Eastern Expeditionary Force continued its advance. On April 23rd, it captured Hepo, and the main force of the Third Column had already left Heyuan and reached Laolong. In comparison, the Second Column's advance was somewhat slower.

This wasn't a case of the Second Column slacking off. The Second Column consisted primarily of the Fourth Army, Guangdong troops reorganized by the Nationalist government. However, shortly after the Huizhou battle, Deng Benyin, the commander of the Qiongya Reconstruction Office, who was entrenched in western Guangdong and Hainan, suddenly declared his allegiance to Chen Jiongming and appointed himself "Commander-in-Chief of the Eight-District Coalition Army of the Southern Route," dispatching 11,000 troops to attack Guangzhou. The Nationalist government then withdrew Chen Mingshu's 10th Division of the Fourth Army from the Second Column and returned it to Guangzhou. Together with a portion of the Guangxi troops stationed there, the troops, under the command of Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, launched a southern campaign to eliminate Deng Benyin's rebels.

With one-third of its troops withdrawn, the Second Column's advance naturally slowed down.

"The principal has led the 3rd Division north to take over part of the area previously attacked by the 2nd Column. Chen Tianheng, Qian Dajun, our division's battle plan needs to be slightly adjusted."

He Yingqin called a meeting with the two regimental commanders of the First Division who were stationed nearby.

Chen Tianheng: "Hey."

He Yingqin: "Any questions?"

"...Commander, it seems the Third Division has been isolated and deep in the enemy's territory."

"That's a little bit, but now Chen Jiongming's army is fleeing across the board. The principal is here to end the war as quickly as possible and unify Guangdong."

What Chen Tianheng was thinking was, why did this script come up again?

Chiang Kai-shek not only transferred the 3rd Division of the 1st Column, but also adjusted the 3rd Division to the vanguard of the 2nd Column.

Not only that, he also brought the Eastern Expedition Army Headquarters with him and moved forward with the 3rd Division.

The commander of the 3rd Division, Tan Shuqing, was also a tough guy. He did not find out the enemy's strength in advance, did not make careful deployment, and did not hold a military meeting. When Chiang Kai-shek asked him to go, he immediately led more than 3000 people from the 7th and 8th Regiments to Huayang.

The Chen Jiongming army facing the 3rd Division was Wang Dinghua's unit, which had indeed fled at the first sign of trouble a few days ago.

However, neither Tan Shuqing nor Chiang Kai-shek realized that Chen Jiongming's rebellion had a specific "bottom line": holding the Chaoshan-Mei region in eastern Guangdong. Wang Dinghua had been running, running, and now he had returned to the "defensible line" set by Chen Jiongming. In Huayang, Chen Jiongming had already established a defensive line, where Huang Renhuan and Huang Yexing, the main forces of Lin Hu's army, were stationed. Including Wang Dinghua's troops who had fled back, Chen Jiongming's forces in Huayang numbered over 10,000.

"Report! Military intelligence! Urgent military intelligence!"

The messenger came galloping on horseback and rushed into He Yingqin's headquarters. After reading the military intelligence, He Yingqin's face changed drastically: "Tan Shuqing's 3rd Division ran into an ambush by Lin Hu's army!"

The messenger delivered a two-hour-old report. It stated that the 3rd Division had been ambushed mid-offensive. Tan Shuqing ordered his troops to seize nearby Lianhua Mountain to defend it. However, Chen Jiongming's troops were already on Lianhua Mountain, and the 3rd Division lost over 300 men before they could capture the hilltop. Now, the 3rd Division was locked in a difficult battle, unable to withdraw. Chiang Kai-shek urgently ordered the nearby troops of the 1st Division to rescue him.

第1师作为第一纵队的先头部队，在最前面推进的是第1、第2团，其中陈天衡的第1团离第3师最近。

Zuo Quan: "The 3rd Division was surrounded while attacking near Huayang. Our fastest route from west of Jieyang would take us to Huayang in about four hours. However, since Chen Jiongming has set up a pocket formation in Huayang, this means we have indeed run into the line that Chen Jiongming had previously assumed must be defended. We cannot calculate the marching time at maximum walking speed. Guan Linzheng's reconnaissance company must conduct advance reconnaissance ahead of the entire regiment."

Chen Tianheng: "Your judgment is correct. Then let Guan Linzheng set off an hour ahead of our team. Once we confirm that the road ahead is safe, the entire group can move."

……

"Chen Geng? Chen Geng!"

Second Battalion Commander Chen Geng came over and asked, "What's going on?"

Chen Tianheng: "It's good that you're here... I mean, Guan Linzheng's reconnaissance team, the first wave has returned, and the second wave has not reported back yet. We don't know if the front is safe yet. The first and second battalions will stop here to rest. By the way, we can also wait for the third battalion that is lagging behind."

Chen Geng: "Pass it on! All companies, rest where you are!"

Chen Tianheng's regimental command headquarters marched with the first and second battalions and also rested on the spot.

Chiang Kai-shek once again advanced alone, and the 3rd Division was actually tricked by Chen Jiongming again. This is so interesting.

Chiang Kai-shek was not only stubborn in battle but also extremely concerned about his reputation. Given his personality, he was unwilling to retreat even when the 3rd Division was broken and he was surrounded. However, Chen Geng was no longer at the Eastern Expedition Army headquarters, but was serving as a battalion commander here. This time, he was not with Chen Geng.

What would happen if Chiang Kai-shek couldn't escape?

...may be captured. After being captured, Chiang Kai-shek would be fine. Chen Jiongming would have caught this big fish and could use it as a condition to negotiate with the Guangzhou Revolutionary Government. The Guangzhou Revolutionary Government would allow him to retain a private plot of land in eastern Guangdong and then redeem Chiang Kai-shek.

But he might also be beaten to death or be captured and shot by some short-sighted subordinate of Chen Jiongming's army. It is even possible that he would commit suicide by shooting himself in a fit of rage.

Sitting on a small folding stool, Chen Tianheng's mind was filled with these thoughts. The principal of the Whampoa Military Academy, the founder of the 1st Army, died in the Eastern Expedition... Alas, this is truly a matter of national grief.

Since this is a matter of national grief, I have to prepare a eulogy in advance.

I'll start writing my eulogy now. This eulogy must be beautifully written, surpassing other similar works. Especially for He Zhonghan, who loves to show off his literary talent.

Wait, something doesn't seem right.

Chen Tianheng: "He Zhonghan? He Zhonghan!"

"Who has seen He Zhonghan?"

Zuo Quan: "Captain Chen, have you forgotten? The Party representative of the reconnaissance company is seriously ill and was sent back to Guangzhou a few days ago. He Zhonghan is acting as the Party representative of the reconnaissance company. Now he has gone out with the second wave of reconnaissance team of the reconnaissance company!"

Chapter 70

Chen Tianheng and Guan Linzheng's two reconnaissance squads of more than 30 men, along with Cai Shenxi's 1st Battalion's 2nd Company, finished their rest and hurried forward. Two kilometers ahead of their team, Chen Tianheng spotted a staggering figure heading back. It was He Zhonghan.

He Zhonghan was carrying Zhongzheng on his back... No, he was carrying Chiang Kai-shek on his back.

"I won't retreat! I'll fight to the death!"