The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

The sixth batch of students from the Whampoa Military Academy enlisted on August 1, 1926. Ye Jianying stood for a while on the playground near the second team of students, and walked over when the training was about to end.

"Liao Yaoxiang? Who is Liao Yaoxiang?"

……

11月5日，在本部六期生1、2队开学三个月之后，六期的3、4、5队学员到了。

The students from these three teams were known as the "Second Batch of the Sixth Period." Initially, they were to be trained at the soon-to-open Wuhan branch of the Whampoa Military Academy. However, due to Wang Jingwei's relationship with the Communist Party reaching a critical juncture in October, the group of students who had passed the examinations were no longer scheduled to attend Wuhan (although Wang Jingwei continued preparations for and the opening of the Wuhan Military Academy). Through the efforts of Borodin and General Galen, these students were allowed to attend the main campus of the Whampoa Military Academy, but only if they resigned from the Party. Failure to do so would result in their being denied admission.

Since the reorganization of the party affairs case, there has been no Communist Party member among the students and teachers in the Whampoa Military Academy, and the party organization is unable to recruit new members.

"Even so, the CCP still thinks Chiang Kai-shek is more trustworthy than Wang Jingwei?"

Huang Gonglue, a student in the advanced class, asked his classmate Zhang Ruping.

Zhang Ruping: "That's probably right. Chiang Kai-shek was a senior leader of the Communist International, and Wang Jingwei was just a Kuomintang politician. Now he's standing against the Communist Party. Who else can the Communist Party support if not Chiang Kai-shek?"

Huang Gonglue was in the Advanced Class, meaning that these students were already low- and mid-level officers in the Northern Expedition before entering the academy. For example, before coming to Whampoa, Huang Gonglue had been a company commander in Tang Shengzhi's 8th Army of the Northern Expedition. Before that, he had been deputy company commander of the 6th Division of the Hunan Army, a partner of Peng Dehuai. With his military experience, Whampoa also designated these students as an "Advanced Class."

Although Zhang Ruping expressed his communist leanings among his classmates, he was not actually a member of the advanced class. Born in 1909, he was only 17 years old. However, while in middle school, he joined the Huaibei Youth Society, a progressive student organization influenced by the Communist Party. Before entering the main campus of the Whampoa Military Academy, Zhang Ruping had not yet joined the Party, so he did not need to declare his withdrawal from the Party to attend.

The second group of students from the sixth term completed their registration procedures and found their dormitories, teams, and classes. Huang Gonglue also found the college dormitory for the advanced class. Just as he had arranged his luggage, blankets, and clothes, there was a knock on the dormitory door.

"Huang Gonglue, who is Huang Gonglue?"

Chapter 127

Chen Tianheng had already recruited a group of the fifth batch of Whampoa Military Academy graduates before they set out in April 1926. When the Northern Expedition was about to begin in July, the First Army and other armies recruited many of the fifth batch to strengthen their junior officer ranks, and Chen Tianheng naturally went to recruit the best.

Ye Jianying was asked to recruit the talents of the sixth batch of Whampoa Military Academy. His 20th Division is now in Guangzhou. It is the only division among the eight divisions of the First Army still stationed in Guangzhou.

After returning to Jiujiang from Nanchang, Yuan Zhongxian told Chen Tianheng the results of the inspection and that they could have "in-depth exchanges" with Wei Lihuang.

During the OTL's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the "Seventh and a Half Route Army" was generally considered to be Fu Zuoyi's troops, not Wei Lihuang's. However, Fu Zuoyi had his troops copy the Eighth Route Army's discipline and civilian relations, and he did not provide them with generous support. Wei Lihuang was different. During the early stages of the war, Wei Lihuang sent weapons, ammunition, and food to the Eighth Route Army numerous times, and the relationship between the two sides remained harmonious.

"Guangdong is one of the richest provinces in the country. When the Northern Expedition began, Guangdong, from commoners to gentry and merchants, threw their weight behind it. But now that the war has raged on, Guangdong, along with Guangxi, Hunan, and Jiangxi, can no longer afford the costs of the war."

"We have always said that China's national bourgeoisie is weak. How weak is it? It is exactly like this now. They cannot even rely on their own strength to liberate themselves from the imperialist agents such as the warlords. Even if the money that imperialism gives to these warlord agents is only a fraction of a fraction."

Now Chen Tianheng and Wei Lihuang can expand the topic and discuss it in more depth.

Wei Lihuang: "I've been thinking about this too. If the Northern Expedition couldn't continue now, it would be worse than the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom captured Nanjing in one fell swoop. The power of peasants has always been the strongest in Chinese history."

Chen Tianheng: "After the Northern Expedition ran into financial difficulties, the approaches adopted by Chairman Wang and Commander-in-Chief Chiang were the two natural developments of the matter. Chairman Wang said that the Northern Expedition should simply be abandoned, as we had already occupied a small half of China, a considerable area. Commander-in-Chief Chiang, as I mentioned in my visit to Nanchang a few days ago, was seeking support from forces outside the national bourgeoisie."

Wei Lihuang: "So we have to keep an eye on subsequent developments."

Chen Tianheng: "Yes, we must keep an eye on them. However, we must also continue the Northern Expedition and defeat the warlords. To complete the Northern Expedition, the three regiments of the First Division must be trained in Jiujiang."

……

The topic returned to the "real business" of military training.

During the past half month of training, the basic technical and tactical qualities and battalion and regiment combat capabilities of the Second and Third Regiments have made visible progress. If they continue to develop at this rate, by the end of 1926 (the date Chen Tianheng expected to set out again), the combat effectiveness of the Second and Third Regiments should be close to that of the First Regiment.

Being closer to the First Regiment means that the combat effectiveness of the Second and Third Regiments will be far behind that of the infantry regiments of other Northern Expedition units.

After all, the Second and Third Regiments had fought numerous battles in Wuchang and along the Nanxun Front since the Northern Expedition. The firsthand experience and lessons learned from actual combat, combined with the fragmented training techniques learned from the First Regiment, and the period of intensive training stationed in Jiujiang, had cleared many previously unresolved lines of thought.

"ready, go!"

At a command from training staff officer Lu Deming, 14 mountain guns of the artillery battalion moved forward from the "starting line", and more than a dozen artillery soldiers pushed the mountain guns into position with "hi yo hey yo".

From its initial position to its emplacement, the 76.2mm mountain gun, weighing over 400 kilograms, had to be pushed a total of 20 meters. This distance was the most tiring and painful for the artillerymen, as the horses were of little help and the gun had to be moved entirely by manpower.

A minute later, the first mountain gun entered its position, and the squad leader raised the flag. A few seconds later, the second gun raised its flag. The last gun to raise its flag took 1 minute and 27 seconds.

Artillery Battalion Commander Yuan Yelie: "How's it going? Everyone's within 1 minute and 30 seconds."

Lu Deming: "Next, let's see how fast and accurate they are with our quick indirect aiming."

Yuan Yelie blew the whistle to assemble: "Beep-beep"

"All artillery crews, listen up. We don't have many opportunities to practice firing live ammunition. You all know how much a round costs. Every squad, every time you get a chance to fire, the gunners must be smart. Don't fire a shot and then lose track of where it went, unable to figure out what went wrong. Squad one, begin!"

A group of observers used the steering wheel and turned each knob to the position one by one according to the target parameters given by the training team, shouting out numbers as they turned the knobs. The operator next to the mountain gun adjusted the gun's elevation and azimuth angles according to the reported numbers.

"boom!!"

A cloud of gun smoke rose from the hillside firing range at the foot of Mount Lushan. Observers in bunkers at the impact point reported the deviation, which was then transmitted back to the training artillery group by telephone. However, the observer's deviation would not be used to correct the second gun; this training exercise was to see if these gun crews made any basic errors in their first shots.

The first shift was followed by the second shift. "BOOM!!"

Class 3: "BOOM!!"

The third squad fired, and the fourth squad adjusted the direction. Before they could even fire, the forward observation post called back.

Yuan Yelie: "What? Fellow villagers picking up shell casings?! How many dead?! How many injured?! Stop, stop, stop! Squad Four, hold firing!"

……

At the artillery training ground, with so many live-fire drills involving mountain artillery and mortars, the villagers all knew where the First Division fired their artillery, and they also knew they could collect scrap metal after the bombardments. This scrap metal was very good for forging steel, and it was quite sharp for making kitchen knives and hatchets.

Huang Wei, the logistics director, was in charge and took a tour of the village. The situation was relatively good. The First Division had given advance warning, and the villagers were aware of the notice board near the firing range. Even those who couldn't read had been told in advance that trespassing on the artillery range during training days was strictly prohibited. Anyone who trespassed would be held responsible for any injuries or casualties caused by artillery fire.

It's not that you're not allowed to go in and pick up shell casings, you should at least wait until the next day after training. But these three fellows, afraid they wouldn't be able to grab any shell casings the next day, squatted next to the firing range, and rushed in as soon as the shells exploded. Now, one dead and two injured.

They said they were responsible for trespassing into the shooting range, but when Huang Wei negotiated with them, the First Division still paid for the funeral expenses.

"Benqiong believes that the reason why the people of Jiujiang support the First Division so much is largely because the First Division has plenty of money."

The designation "Benqiong" originated with the 1st Regiment, and was now also known to officers in the 2nd and 3rd Regiments. While not everyone called themselves "Benqiong" in daily conversation, when the 1st Division displayed its extravagant nature, such as issuing rare military supplies or making lavish out-of-pocket purchases, the officers involved naturally switched to "Benqiong."

For example, the incident of the artillery shells bombing the villagers today was because they had entered the shooting range without permission and were responsible for their own life and death, but in the end the First Division still paid for it.

After settling claims for villagers accidentally injured by artillery shells, artillery battalion commander Yuan Yelie lamented, a sentiment echoed by Huang Wei: "Now the soldiers haven't even noticed they didn't get paid last month."

Yuan Yelie: "The soldiers did notice it, but they didn't take it seriously."

Because of a lack of military funds, the four armies in Nanchang did not receive their salaries last month, including the First Division.

According to the customary practice of this period, food expenses were included in the monthly salaries of officers and soldiers. A certain percentage of the salary was deducted before the soldiers were paid, and the remaining amount was distributed to the officers and soldiers. If the troops did not receive their salaries from their superiors, they had to provide their own food. This was usually done by having the soldiers pay a portion of the salary they had received in the previous few months, or by borrowing from nearby troops.

The First Division didn't need to do this. It would be a shame to collect the money they had already paid out. They simply advanced the payment, and the food standards remained unchanged.

It's almost late November. Yesterday afternoon, a cargo ship from Shanghai docked in Jiujiang, delivering winter clothing for the entire division. Huang Wei and Yuan Yelie were now wearing thin sweaters beneath their Northern Expedition uniforms. They were still wearing trousers, but they had also been issued long johns. Each of them also wore a green plaid scarf around their neck.

Lu Deming: "Does anyone think it's incongruous for a Northern Expedition soldier to wear a light green plaid scarf?"

"No, I feel quite warm," Qiandeng Ruoxian said. "Even though the scarf is small, it's very warm. In Mongolia, if you don't wrap something around your neck in winter, you'll be freezing."

Everyone in the First Division's staff nodded in agreement. It was just getting colder, but not yet true winter, and some staff members had discovered that they could temporarily forgo bulky winter clothing and simply wear a scarf around their necks, which immediately warmed them up.

"The reconnaissance battalion will also have new hats," Chen Tianheng said. "A round, brimless soft hat. This will be more convenient than a peaked cap during missions, and it will also make the scouts more distinguishable. After all, there's a huge difference between scouts and regular infantry. Comrades, although we're training now, our staff must plan the next phase of operations."

Lu Deming: "Principal Jiang has already got the money?"

Chen Tianheng: "Not yet, but he should be able to get the money in the next one or two months. That's what he thinks, and that's my prediction too."

Chen Mingren: "In the next phase, what direction will President Jiang take our division?"

Chen Tianheng: "In Nanchang, the General Headquarters has made some plans. The armies gathered on the Nanxun Line are the Central Army of the Northern Expedition. In the next phase, the Central Army will be divided into the Jiangzuo Army and the Jiangyou Army. The Jiangzuo Army will attack downstream along the Yangtze River, successively occupying Anqing, Tongling, Wuhu, Ma'anshan, and finally Nanjing. The Jiangyou Army will march from Jiangxi into Zhejiang, capture Hangzhou, and then advance along the Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway to capture Shanghai. Guess which division will be the Jiangzuo Army or the Jiangyou Army?"

Lu Deming: "I'm guessing the Jiangyou Army. The Jiangyou Army was responsible for the attack on Zhejiang, and Commander-in-Chief Chiang was from Zhejiang. He certainly hoped to win an unprecedented victory in Zhejiang, and the troops that appeared in Zhejiang must be the most combat-capable and well-disciplined troops under his command. That would be the true homecoming of glory."

"You guessed right," Chen Tianheng said. "Although we don't have the funds for the next phase of operations, President Jiang made it very clear when he spoke to me in Nanchang that the First and Second Divisions would advance into Zhejiang."

Chen Mingren quickly moved, and the General Staff's map switched to eastern Jiangxi and Zhejiang. "In the previous phase, the Third and Sixth Armies attacked everywhere. In eastern Jiangxi, our Northern Expedition Army has already controlled Shangrao. From Shangrao to the east is the border of Zhejiang, but this area is very mountainous. ... What kind of troops does Sun Chuanfang have in Zhejiang?"

Intelligence Staff Officer Qian Deng Ruoxian: "Sorry, the Intelligence Department has no intelligence right now."

Chen Tianheng: "The General Headquarters is currently sorting out the existing unit numbers of the Five Provinces Coalition Army, as well as the unit numbers that Sun Chuanfang intends to rebuild and newly form, but the details are not yet very detailed. Moreover, the Right Route Army will not depart for the first month at the earliest, which is enough time for Sun Chuanfang to build a division from scratch. ... The General Staff will mainly consider the impact of terrain on offense and defense and provide tactical plans for the First Division. However, the overall plan must have a—"

Chen Tianheng pointed to the upper right corner of the map on the table, pointing to the city that was almost off the map:

"If the early battles go smoothly, we should quickly attack Shanghai. Before Sun Chuanfang can react, and before Commander-in-Chief Chiang can react."

Chapter 128

"As a scout, you need to be proficient in a variety of combat skills. Besides having unique skills, you also need to have a sharp mind. Physical fitness, mental fitness, and cultural qualities—none of them can be lacking."

"The 1st Division's reconnaissance battalion's training focuses on seven main subjects: physical fitness, shooting, tactics, equipment operation, field survival, terrain maps, and communications."

"Today we're going to practice climbing and rappelling, which are sub-items under the physical fitness subject. Let me demonstrate first."

The southeastern section of the Jiujiang city wall was borrowed by the First Division as a training ground for the reconnaissance battalion.

The reconnaissance battalion was based on the 1st Regiment's reconnaissance company. About half of this company's officers and soldiers were transferred to the divisional reconnaissance battalion, commanded by Guan Linzheng, the former commander of the 1st Regiment's reconnaissance company. The remaining troops were drawn from across the division, totaling 240 men and over 200 horses.

In fact, it is not fully staffed, but there are some professional teams under the reconnaissance and special operations forces that cannot be established at present, such as the sniper team; and there are others that do not need to be established, such as the air force guidance team.

Horses were essential for the reconnaissance battalion's transportation, especially in the mountainous southern regions. They enabled the scouts to quickly conduct 10-30 kilometer marches to their designated mission areas. In addition to riding horses, the battalion also had a fleet of pack horses. The First Division had acquired three secondhand pack radios from World War I.

It wasn't a walkie-talkie, the kind you'd pick up and say "Hello, hello," which didn't appear until the late 1930s. It was a Morse code radio. It was carried by two mules and horses, powered by pedals, and had an effective range of 40 kilometers in mountainous areas and 80 kilometers on plains.

"Three-point fixed climbing, without the need for a rope, is usually performed by the first member of a small group. Their mission is to carry the rope up and secure it at the clifftop or rooftop. When climbing, use two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand, to secure the wall. Use the other hand or foot to tentatively move upwards. Hands and feet should be closely coordinated, and you should alternate ascending. Begin."

Chen Tianheng and several scouts stood at the base of the city wall, explaining the ropeless three-point climbing method to the scouts. Before he finished, there were already scouts around him who were eager to try and climb up.

This is not surprising. When selecting scouts, climbing expertise is also one of the important skills to consider for selection. These scouts used to be from the mountains, so Chen Tianheng could teach them faster, and then let them teach climbing skills to other soldiers in the reconnaissance battalion.

Chen Tianheng and other scouts climbed up two or three meters before setting off. They climbed to the top of the Jiujiang city wall in a few steps. At this time, the leading scout was still more than one meter away from the top.

The new recruits from the reconnaissance company had never expected the division commander to personally come to watch the reconnaissance battalion training and even demonstrate it himself. It would have been fine if he had just demonstrated it himself, but his technique was even more proficient than that of these soldiers who had been mountain dwellers for generations.

At the top of the city wall, Chen Tianheng first had a scout bring out a rope and secure it there. He then reviewed and corrected any irregularities. The other scouts then found spots on the wall to secure their own ropes. Once all the scouts had secured their ropes, Chen Tianheng also secured his own. He grabbed his own rope and rappelled down, his feet resting flat on the wall as he "walked" down.

"Remember, you're not picking herbs in the mountains. You're operating behind enemy lines. There are sentries and machine guns everywhere. You might not be climbing a city wall, but a building with troops stationed there," Chen Tianheng said from the foot of the city wall, looking at the stunned scouts on the top. "When you need to move quickly, you can do so. When you need to carry heavy objects up and down, you must be able to do so."

There is a city gate not far to the left of the southeastern section of the city wall. The city wall about 100 meters to the right has been demolished to become a street, so many citizens gathered to watch the reconnaissance battalion's training.

"Wow, isn't this a wall-climbing game?"

"Having machine guns and cannons isn't enough, you also need to become a martial arts master?"

So many people were stopping to linger that even street vendors were coming to do business. However, the First Division had set up cordons on both sides of the training ground, with soldiers maintaining order and preventing the onlookers from getting too close.

"Huh? Isn't this the division commander of the Northern Expedition Army?"

Some citizens with good eyesight discovered that the man climbing up and down the city wall seemed to be the one they had seen during the Northern Expedition Army's entry into the city, riding a horse at the front of the entire division.

"I don't believe it. The division commander is a general. How could he possibly climb a wall?"

"Ahem!" Wen Qiang, the leader of the squad maintaining order at the scene, couldn't help but say, "That's our Commander Chen."

"Sir, do you have to master all the martial arts to become a division commander in the Northern Expedition Army?"

Wen Qiang: "Other Northern Expedition division commanders might not be like this, but our division commander Chen really does know everything."

"Oh..." "No wonder Sun Chuanfang's army was destroyed as soon as it encountered the Northern Expedition Army..."

……

The reconnaissance battalion's training grounds were scattered across various locations. In Jiujiang, they practiced climbing on the city walls; on Mount Lushan, they practiced lurking and wilderness survival; at the training center at the foot of Mount Lushan, they practiced tactics and shooting with the infantry regiment; and at the ordnance department, they practiced the operation of all the weapons of the First Division.

The only problem was that, despite repeated optimization of the training syllabus and schedule, a little over a month was still too short a training period for the reconnaissance battalion. For the upcoming Northern Expedition, Chen Tianheng's hope for the reconnaissance battalion was to simply perform its divisional reconnaissance duties well, while assuming responsibility for more complex special reconnaissance and special warfare missions.

The training of the Second and Third Regiments was completed on schedule and met the standards set by Chen Tianheng. After three weeks of adjustment training, the Second Regiment conducted full-regiment drills on plain and mountain offensive operations. Before the pre-set semi-permanent defensive fortifications, the Second Regiment deployed a battalion-level infantry offensive formation. The First Battalion of the Second Regiment expertly executed the full sequence of a combat group infiltration attack. The Second Battalion then joined in, continuing the offensive in depth from the breakthrough point. After the Second Battalion completed its full offensive exercises, the Third Battalion expanded on its gains.

Xu Xiangqian and key officers from the First Regiment, who were observing the battle on site, said the formation was basically ready. While this wasn't actual combat, the training exercise revealed the unit's upper and lower limits on the battlefield.

"We've completed the plains and mountain offensives. Next week will be the urban offensives, scaling the city walls. The week after that... the week after that, won't they be heading out to fight?" Xu Xiangqian asked. "Will that mean they won't have time to complete the organization, execution, and tactical drills for the defensive battle?"

Chen Tianheng: "Hmm... well, I can only say that their defensive combat drills have a slightly lower priority. This is necessary because time is short. Moreover, with the current offensive capabilities of Sun Chuanfang's remaining troops, I'm afraid they are not qualified to force us into a high-intensity defensive battle."

Chen Mingren: "In a nutshell, on the battlefield ahead, the First Division's mission is: attack, attack, and attack again."

……

"Division Commander, good news. The recruiting stations have been overflowing for days. The First Division has fully replenished its casualties and sicknesses. The three replacement battalions are full, and the expansion units are also full. Our division is now at full strength."

Fan Hanjie, who was in charge of conscription, reported the latest situation: "And the quality of the recruits is very good. Sixty percent of the new recruits are literate, and there are even many graduates from modern high schools."

"New recruits with a high school education will be assigned appropriate positions after training. It seems our military-civilian relations in Jiujiang are quite good."

Chen Tianheng took the quota list and now the total number of people in the First Division has reached 8860.

At the time of the Northern Expedition, the First Division had a total strength of 7,000 men, a figure based on the Soviet Army's infantry division strength. Chen Tianheng had now strengthened the First Division in various ways, and had even obtained from Chiang Kai-shek a policy of slightly adjusting the division's strength and expansion, increasing it from 7,000 to 9,000.

These small adjustments and expansions actually turned the 1st Division into a small combat unit with a preliminary level of synthesis.

The Soviet Army's division was not a combat unit (combat corps) but a tactical unit. In fact, sometimes even the Soviet Army's army was not a combat unit, but the army group.

In fact, in a country like China with weak industry and not much military material equipment, it is not very appropriate to position the division as a small combat unit (this is the case with the Beiyang Army), but the situation of the First Division is special, and Chen Tianheng has reason to make such adjustments.

In Chiang Kai-shek's eyes, the 1st Division was the best of all divisions. Chiang Kai-shek also understood that, with the 1st Division's superior combat effectiveness and rapid offensive and defensive tempo, it was difficult for other Northern Expedition units to keep up with the 1st Division's operational tempo. Therefore, the 1st Division had to have independent combat capabilities, which made sense. After all, the 1st Army was now split into two. The three divisions that He Yingqin led to attack Fujian were more like a single army. The 1st and 2nd Divisions now functioned as direct units under Chiang Kai-shek's command. They should have been built into two independent divisions.

Chen Tianheng wanted the First Division to be ready to "fly solo"...