The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Guangzhou East, towards Zengcheng.

The mortar company of the first regiment is temporarily stationed for training at the foot of Nanxiang Mountain.

The First Regiment dug out six mortars from the Yunnan Army's warehouse. Even if the Third Army had forgotten about this batch of arms, Chen Tianheng was afraid that other regiments of the First Army would be jealous, so before setting out on the Northern Expedition, this good stuff had to be hidden for a while.

"This is the Stokes mortar. There are six in total. The 6st Regiment is now organized into a mortar company. From now on, our battles will be supported by mortars, but both your infantry and engineering companies must be familiar with the characteristics of this mortar so that you can better cooperate."

"However, due to confidentiality concerns, it's not convenient to transfer the entire regiment here for rotation training, so we're only inviting you battalion commanders and company commanders to come. Everyone, please watch carefully."

All the company commanders gathered around and first looked at the structure of the mortar to understand its performance.

The Stokes mortar has a caliber of 81mm, but its shells carry a much larger charge than the 75mm mountain gun, resulting in a significant explosive force. It lacks a hydraulic recoil mechanism, instead relying on the barrel and slab being placed on the ground to absorb recoil. The normal firing angle is 45 to nearly 90 degrees. Because of their high-angle firing, mortars are typically muzzle-loading, with the shell loaded from the muzzle and then released by gravity.

To give the company commanders a visual experience, Yuan Yelie reluctantly used a live round for a demonstration. He personally ran through the loading process, and with a "boom," the shell flew out. Nearly 10 seconds later, a cloud of gunpowder erupted from the foothills more than a thousand meters away, followed by a thunderous boom.

Chen Tianheng: "The mortar's muzzle points to the sky, and the shells have a long flight time. In actual combat, they need guidance from the front to correct the deviation in the landing point of the previous round of shooting."

Yuan Yelie: "This requires the assault infantry in the front to use flag signals to command the artillery behind to adjust the parameters."

Of course, there were no walkie-talkies in this era, so it was quite troublesome to get the infantry assault teams on the front line to transmit shooting deviation data to the rear.

The current tampering involved combining flag signaling with the gun crew's own observation. The gun crew used binoculars to observe the impact point, giving them a rough idea of ​​their directional deviation, but not necessarily their range deviation. At this point, the infantry ahead used red and green flags to issue instructions: red for close range, green for long range, with each flag representing 50 meters.

For example, after a round of artillery fire, if the front saw a shell impact point closer than 100 meters, two red flags would be raised; if it was closer than 50 meters, one red flag would be raised. Someone in the mortar crew would use a telescope to continuously observe the group of infantrymen in charge of target designation.

You Buying: "According to the artillery department's textbook, observation and correction of firing seem to be carried out through telephone communication. The communications team runs a wire between the observation group and the artillery position. Once the connection is established, the front can use the phone to notify the artillery to adjust the firing parameters."

Chen Tianheng: "This is the calibration process for mountain howitzers, but mortars are different. The cycle of test firing, correction, and re-firing for mortars should be as short as possible, because they are usually used to accompany infantry in offensive battles. Not only may the infantry in front continue to advance, but the mortar itself must also constantly reposition, moving further and further forward. Its range is indeed very short, but it is also very light. Once disassembled, it can be carried by three people, and after a few reassemblies at the new location, it can be fired again. This usage mode is not suitable for pulling telephone lines for communication."

You Buying nodded, it seemed to be true.

Yuan Yelie: "You Buying, what's that on your waist? A knife?"

You Buying pulled out a Gurkha knife from the scabbard at his waist: "Yes, every soldier in the engineering company has one. It's my favorite new piece of equipment."

"Oh my, he looks like a dog leg, is he good at chopping people?"

You Buying: "This is actually a tool knife for chopping wood and boxes. Chopping people is just a side job..."

Zheng Dongguo: "Now at the regiment headquarters, the engineering company has been called the dog-leg knife company."

Chen Tianheng: "Let's talk about the engineering company. Bring all of you here in a couple of days for temporary training. I have a new gadget for you: a blasting tube."

Chapter 93

When Chen Tianheng started shopping for supplies in Hong Kong, he thought he could only buy various supplies, not weapons and ammunition. But he later discovered there was an exception: blasting tubes.

This thing is not regarded as a weapon or ammunition, but as a mining consumable. It can be bought in Hong Kong and even shipped to Guangdong.

As a result, Liu Yongyao's supply camp had five more large carts loaded with bundles of "sugarcane".

The war has begun in Hunan, and the Northern Expedition has now become the theme of the entire city of Guangzhou.

Although Song Ziwen extorted a lot of money from Guangzhou in order to raise war funds, when the Fourth Army of the Guangdong Army marched north into Hunan, the Guangzhou business community still organized comfort and transport teams and donated a large amount of silver dollars and food to assist the Northern Expedition Army in solving logistical supplies.

The Guangdong Machinery Workers' Union organized a transport team of more than a thousand laborers to assist the Fourth Army of the Northern Expedition in transporting supplies.

Under the organization of the Communist Party of China, Guangzhou citizens and students enthusiastically joined the army, and the Yunnan Army, Hunan Army, and the 21st Division of the First Army, which were originally understaffed, were quickly replenished with troops.

However, the activities of the organizations under the Guangdong District Committee were not limited to mobilizing propaganda and supporting the Northern Expedition.

"Withdraw the Northern Expedition!"

"Return to Guangdong and eliminate the new warlords!"

"The tyrant and traitor Chiang Kai-shek who provoked the war should step down!"

In Guangzhou City, Chen Tianheng, Xu Xiangqian and the engineering company that had returned from training were suddenly filled with questions.

Chen Tianheng: "The version of what these people are holding is incorrect. The propaganda piece 'Oppose the Northern Expedition, it will fail' is the version from the Guangdong District Party Committee in February or March of this year."

Xu Xiangqian: "Is this group of people marching led by the Communist Party?"

Chen Tianheng: "I know some of the leaders there, that's true."

"Oh no, oh no, a fight has started!"

Sure enough, in the direction You Buying pointed, a conflict broke out between the more than 100 people marching and streetwalkers. Someone threw trash at the marchers, and the young people marching approached, arguing with them and then engaging in a fight.

Chen Tianheng: "Xu Xiangqian, You Buying, take the engineering company to the dock to wait for the boat. Do not sing songs, shout slogans, or have any communication with the marchers or counter-marchers. I'm going to Sun Yat-sen University."

……

"There were demonstrations against the Northern Expedition, yes. You know that even the Communist Party itself can't control all its members. Not only can the Guangdong District Committee not control it, but the Communist International can't control it either."

"In 1914, you weren't there, so you might not know that when the Kuomintang held its first National Congress, two Communist Party representatives, one before the other, spoke with opposing views. Before the Kuomintang representatives could refute them, they started arguing. These two were both alternate members of the Central Executive Committee and high-ranking officials on the Communist Party side."

Guangdong University had just been officially renamed Sun Yat-sen University, and its first president, Dai Jitao, remained nonchalant about the anti-Northern Expedition demonstrations on the streets.

Chen Tianheng: "There is a problem, unless the CCP elects a whip within the Executive Committee. However, there are disagreements within the leadership of the CCP Guangdong District Committee, which usually do not manifest themselves in grassroots and grassroots mass movements. Could it be that the instructions from the Communist International are contradictory again?"

Dai Jitao: "I don't know about that. But, in my opinion, these people who came out to march didn't seem to be carrying out orders from the Communist International, but rather working for Wang Jingwei."

Wang Jingwei was now the KMT's top figure, Chiang Kai-shek was No. 2. Hu Hanmin, who was still on a study tour abroad and not allowed to return to China, was said to still be No. 3.

This power structure fueled intense internal strife and infighting within the Kuomintang before the Northern Expedition began. On July 9th, the Northern Expedition Declaration was released, and on July 11th, someone within the KMT Central Executive Committee proposed impeaching Chiang Kai-shek. However, after half a day of debate, the motion was withdrawn, and the matter was resolved.

The KMT Central Executive Committee generally did not want the No. 1 and No. 2 figures to start a showdown at this time, so Wang Jingwei had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​punishing Chiang Kai-shek. However, since he could not take action himself, he had a good tool - the CCP, or rather the CCP Guangdong District Committee, who could act as a vanguard for him.

If it succeeds, Wang Jingwei will hold both the posts of President of the Kuomintang and Commander-in-Chief of the National Revolutionary Army, and naturally everyone will win; if it fails, then it will be the Communist Party's alone, and it has nothing to do with me, Wang Jingwei.

Chen Tianheng: "Director Dai, you said before that politics requires style, but this matter, the style is too low."

"Of course I know the tone is low, but that's none of my business," Dai Jitao said, spreading his hands. "He's a Communist and I'm a Kuomintang member. If he manages Sun Yat-sen University and also manages the Sun Yat-sen Society, that's good enough."

……

Dai Jitao was actually just enjoying the fun. He could see whose reputation was being damaged by this incident, but he just didn't care.

"Instructor Yun, I remember that the Huangpu Party League branch has been fully promoting and supporting the Northern Expedition in recent months. But why are there now marches on the streets of Guangzhou demanding the recall of the Northern Expedition Army and the cancellation of the Northern Expedition? And this march was indeed organized by the CCP."

Yun Daiying: "The Huangpu branch hasn't received any instructions from the Guangdong District Committee recently. I've also heard about what's going on in Guangzhou, but I won't be able to figure it out until the Guangdong District Committee plenary session is held."

Chen Tianheng: "I know Chen Yannian a little bit, and he certainly wouldn't do such a thing, because it's not in line with the spirit of General Galen's instructions, nor with the spirit of Chen Duxiu's instructions in Shanghai. So who else could it be among the members of the Guangdong District Committee? Luo Yinong? Zhang Tailei? Ren Zhuoxuan? Liu Ersong? Peng Shuzhi?"

"I can only guess," Yun Daiying said, "it must be one of Zhang Tailei and Peng Shuzhi."

Chen Tianheng: "...You have a point."

Zhang Tailei and Peng Shuzhi both returned from studying in Europe. According to the old European rules, they should each hold a flintlock pistol, stand twenty meters apart, shout one, two, three, and then shoot at each other face to face.

……

"The Northern Expedition was merely a military action to suppress the Beiyang warlords. This military action was indeed an important method for overthrowing the warlords, but it was only an important method, not the only method. If the people under warlord rule mistakenly believed that the Northern Expedition was the only hope for overthrowing the warlords and liberating the people, and then sat back and waited for the arrival of the Northern Expeditionary Army without actively engaging in revolutionary work themselves, this would be a serious mistake."

"People! What does it matter if the Northern Expedition wins? This is just like the previous dynasties, looking up to the royal army to punish the criminals and avenge the people. It completely loses the meaning of modern revolution!"

"We can say with certainty that the Nationalist government's Northern Expedition is not due to the expansion of revolutionary forces, but rather to Wu Peifu's attack on Hunan, forcing the Nationalist government to send troops to aid Hunan in self-defense. Supporting Hunan to protect Guangdong is the right thing to do, but if this tiny Northern Expeditionary force of only 100,000 men were to be pushed forward to fight against Wu Peifu and Sun Chuanfang's 700,000 or 800,000 men, do you think victory is possible?"

"There's no chance of victory!"

"The so-called Northern Expedition to unify the country through revolution is not yet possible. The political situation within the Nationalist Government, the strength of the Nationalist Government as a whole, the combat effectiveness of the Nationalist Government's army, and its revolutionary consciousness all indicate that the period for a revolutionary Northern Expedition is not yet ripe."

"The leaders of the Kuomintang should work together with one heart and one mind, especially respecting the people's freedom and rights, so that the people will sincerely cooperate with the National Government to overcome this difficulty. This will in turn strengthen the revolutionary will and fighting capacity of the leaders of the National Government, its army, and all the people. Then, they can unite the revolutionary forces of the people across the country and launch the Northern Expedition. Only then can the revolutionary forces of the Northern Expedition complete the National Revolution!"

The next day, Chen Tianheng went to Guangzhou and still saw the parade.

This time, it was Zhang Tailei who gave a speech to the people during the parade.

"Commissioner Zhang," Chen Tianheng, not in uniform, asked Zhang Tailei from the crowd, "was this parade and your speech organized by the Guangdong District Party Committee?"

Zhang Tailei: "This is a rally between the Party and the people who support it."

Chen Tianheng: "Is this parade organized by the Guangdong District Party Committee?"

Zhang Tailei jumped down from the platform and asked, "Citizen, what is your purpose in asking this question?"

"Of course I have a purpose. You kidnapped my girlfriend."

In the middle and back of the parade, Dai Xiaoxue was standing in the crowd.

Chapter 94

"Ahahahahaha, ahahahahahahaha, cough cough, Kuo, ahahahahahahahahaha"

Dai Jitao laughed so hard that he fell backwards.

"Chen Tianheng, don't you know she's a Communist?"

"When we started dating, she was a member of the Social Youth League. I didn't expect that. Hi!"

In fact, Chen Tianheng did not take this matter too seriously, but since Dai Jitao said so, he followed Dai Jitao's thoughts and continued to write so as not to disturb his good mood.

"That's one thing, that's another." Dai Jitao raised his index finger, making a "1" sign and shaking it. "Isn't the Socialist Youth League the Communist Party? But Chen Tianheng, this isn't about the difference between Communists and non-Communists. Haven't all the Communists joined the Kuomintang now? This is a dispute between the Wang and Chiang factions within the Kuomintang."

Chen Tianheng: "So there's nothing I can do about it. I'm definitely a member of the Chiang faction."

Dai Jitao: "Even if we don't talk about politics, the Communist Party is too radical when it comes to relationships between men and women. You saw Zhang Tailei among the marchers that day, right?"

"Yeah, I even said something to him."

"Zhang Tailei had been married in his hometown for a long time, and his first wife had given birth to a son and two daughters. But last year, Zhang Tailei went to Shanghai and lived in the house of Shi Cuntong, who was then the secretary of the Communist Party, no, the Communist Youth League. Not long after he settled there, Zhang Tailei's mother fell ill, so his first wife took the children back to their hometown to take care of her. Then Zhang Tailei got together with Shi Cuntong's wife and kidnapped Shi Cuntong's children. You see, wow..."

Chen Tianheng waved his hand: "Dai Xiaoxue wouldn't be like this."

"Ha, ha, ha, young people. Okay, okay, let's not talk about it anymore. It's all in the past anyway. Alas, Chen Tianheng, He Zhonghan has gone abroad to study, and you will be leaving in a few days. The Sun Yat-sen Society will be doomed. I'm not trying to belittle our family, but without you two, the dozens of young people in the society wouldn't even have a brainpower."

"Director Dai, I've always believed that the Sun Yat-sen Society is better positioned as an academic research organization. There's no need to worry about unpopularity. The propaganda agencies are all in our own hands, so our voice will always be heard."

Dai Jitao: "The motivations and reasons for the founding of the society were not simple. ... Sometimes you know what is right to do, but in reality you cannot follow your own ideas completely."

……

Chen Tianheng certainly knew that the real purpose of the Sun Yat-sen Society when it was founded was to counter the Young Military Association, so of course it recruited a large number of young university students and Whampoa Military Academy students. Hence, many abstract operations were carried out.

The Sun Yat-sen Society and the Young Military Officers Association were not disbanded at the same time, but were both preserved. However, their activities and recruitment of new members were restricted within the Whampoa Military Academy.

This should be the change in history after the Zhongshan Ship Incident and all possible black swan events did not occur/did not cause any consequences.

The biggest historical change occurred among the top leaders of the Kuomintang. Wang Jingwei was still there and did not go abroad for inspection until he returned to China on April 1, 1927 and disembarked in Shanghai.

Now Wang Jingwei serves as the party chairman and Chiang Kai-shek serves as the chairman of the Military Commission, thus forming two factions within the Kuomintang: the Wang faction and the Chiang faction.

Chiang Kai-shek has now openly expressed his vigilance and dissatisfaction with the Chinese Communist Party (but is still very respectful to the Soviet Union, so Borodin and Galen both trust him), while Wang Jingwei is an open leftist of the Kuomintang. He has repeatedly said in public that "Minshengism is socialism", praised the Soviet Union, and firmly supported the policy of alliance with Russia and tolerance of the Communist Party.

The contradictions between Chiang and Wang not only existed, but were significant. Chiang Kai-shek accused Wang Jingwei of being too pro-Communist, contrary to the spirit of the Sun Yue Declaration, the former Premier. Wang Jingwei's faction, however, was wary of the threat posed by Chiang Kai-shek, a rapidly rising "junior" who posed a significant threat to him, the KMT leader. Wang Jingwei actively sought to limit the expansion of the National Revolutionary Army's power, and after establishing the Northern Expedition headquarters, he further restricted Chiang Kai-shek's power in various ways.

In the dispute between Chiang and Wang, Communist Party members and party organizations that joined the Kuomintang all stood on Wang Jingwei's side.

So there were demonstrations on the streets of Guangzhou to overthrow Chiang Kai-shek and demand the withdrawal of the Northern Expedition.

This is a loophole in the KMT-CPC cooperation system.

The Soviet Union/Communist International led the Northern Expedition between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. Borodin and Galen both trusted Chiang Kai-shek, that's right.

The Chinese Communist Party is a branch of the Communist International, and the party must follow the baton of the Communist International. Therefore, the Party Central Committee will not overthrow Chiang because both Soviet chief advisers are optimistic about Chiang Kai-shek.

But at the same time, according to the arrangements of the Communist International, the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party was that the Communist Party members joined the Kuomintang as individuals, which was correct.

So, Communist Party members who joined the KMT, based on their KMT membership, followed Chairman Wang's wishes to overthrow Chiang Kai-shek? ...That's correct.

Last month, before the Northern Expedition declaration was drafted, Deng Zeru, a right-wing member of the Kuomintang, casually remarked to Fan Shisheng, "Wang Jingwei is politically frivolous." When word got out, Deng Zeru came under fire. Fan Shisheng denied the comment, saying it had never been made during their casual chat. This in turn led to Fan becoming an opponent of Chairman Wang.

Fan Shisheng was now a former warlord with no official position, while Deng Zeru held a real position as a standing member of the Central Supervisory Committee. However, members of the Central Supervisory Committee were not allowed to be replaced at will, so Deng still sat at the Central Party Headquarters, ignoring the criticism and remaining a rightist.

Since Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang's new right wing were not so active, the most direct and effective way to limit Chiang Kai-shek's power was to withdraw the ongoing Northern Expedition, let the 4th, 7th and 8th Armies return to Guangzhou from Hunan, purge the counter-revolutionaries in the army, and then suppress the compradors and big bourgeoisie in Guangdong who opposed the revolution, and realize the re-revolutionization of the whole of Guangdong.

This is why the current marches are shouting slogans such as "Withdraw the Northern Expedition."

……

"Hunan is already fighting, so it's impossible to retreat. Anyone who withdraws, or cancels the Northern Expedition, will lose his reputation in the eyes of the people across the country."

Chen Tianheng: "Secretary Mao, even Wang Jingwei and his inner circle don't dare to say publicly that we should withdraw our troops or cancel the Northern Expedition. He let the members of the Guangdong District Committee say all these things when they organized mass activities."

Mao Runzhi: "Not only must the Northern Expedition not be withdrawn, but it must be fought with greater resolve and speed. Chiang Kai-shek was reluctant to send the First Army out of Guangdong first to join the war, and instead sent the Fourth Army out of Guangdong first. This was not a good idea. The First Army should have been the first to leave Guangdong and fight the Beiyang Army. For every group, whether or not to participate in the Northern Expedition, and how much they contribute to the war, are crucial to whether the people support them."

Chen Tianheng: "Although the First Army, including our regiment, is scheduled to leave Guangdong in the second batch, the Fourth Army has Ye Ting's Independent Regiment, which is also a unit with Communist Party members as the backbone. If they fight well, we can also make a name for ourselves throughout the country. According to the latest battle report from the headquarters, the 12th Division of the Fourth Army has entered Changsha, and Ye Kaixin's troops have retreated to the north bank of the Miluo River."

"Will your First Division and Liu Zhi's Second Division also be designated as the general reserve after entering Hunan?"

Chen Tianheng: "Very likely. During this time as the general reserve force, we can indirectly support the movements of the peasant associations across Hunan. This time the intensity is much greater than before, returning all the frustrations we suffered during our time in the Yuebei Peasant Association."

Mao Runzhi chuckled and said, "You, Chen Geng, and Jiang Xianyun have all discussed this several times. Actually, being a reserve force isn't a good idea in itself. The Northern Expedition headquarters wasn't properly arranged. After taking Hengyang, we went to Changsha, and after Changsha, we went to Wuhan, continuing northward along the railway line. This way, we lost the opportunity to annihilate Wu Peifu and Sun Chuanfang's main force south of the Yangtze River."

Chen Tianheng: "Ah?"

……