The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Chen Mingren said something.

"Oh," Chen Tianheng said, "Let's wait for him to stroll to the division headquarters. I'll do the same as usual."

"Yes, we were warmly received in Jiujiang, but we will have an interview at the dock," Chen Mingren said. "Commander, there have been quite a few wealthy businessmen and tycoons visiting the First Division in Jiujiang recently."

Chen Tianheng: "Last time, President Chiang invited the businessmen and tycoons of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to Nanchang for a meeting. He was hoping they would raise money for his Northern Expedition, but he was unsuccessful. Most of these businessmen still didn't trust President Chiang, believing he couldn't deliver on his promises. Furthermore, the conditions he offered were too harsh. However, there was one major businessman who, somewhat exceptionally, expressed support for President Chiang: Chen Guangfu. Before going to Nanchang, he observed the First Division in Jiujiang."

"The principal immediately realized that showing these wealthy donors their most elite troops would help change their views of him, so he invited the business tycoons one by one to come and see them."

……

"Welcome Mr. Yu to the First Division!"

Chen Tianheng greeted Yu Qiaqing at the division headquarters. It wouldn't do to deliberately play badly and disappoint these chaebols; Chiang Kai-shek would eventually learn the truth. But there was no need to go all out to assist Chiang Kai-shek; let things take their course.

Chen Tianheng's military uniform was neatly trimmed, and the division guard squad around him were all tall and handsome. However, the maps, sand tables, combat planning blackboards, etc. of the division staff had been quietly put away.

"Yeah." Chen Tianheng was also present when Yu Qiaqing met with Chiang Kai-shek in Nanchang. Seeing Chen Tianheng again now, he nodded and said, "Young man, you have a bright future."

Chen Tianheng: "Mr. Yu, your compliments are too kind. I have only served the revolution, but as the Northern Expedition progressed, I encountered better opportunities."

"I won't go to the military camp. I don't care about military affairs."

Yu Qiaqing certainly didn't care about military affairs. Standing before him, Chen Tianheng was the only officer, while the dozen or so others were all honor guards. Yet, he said nothing, not even bothering to ask where the chief of staff or the commander of the main regiment was.

"I came here from the dock and took in the sights of Jiujiang on the way. I'm still not satisfied. I want to see more of it today. Also, I want to visit the British Concession in Jiujiang."

Yu Qiaqing was the most powerful of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang tycoons invited by Chiang Kai-shek. He was currently the chairman of the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the president of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce. He also owned three shipping companies and a bank. This veteran comprador businessman had no interest in military affairs, but he was interested in the activities of the First Division after it entered Jiujiang City.

"Your troops have a very good reputation in Jiujiang," Yu Qiaqing said. "I've known this for a long time. I've seen some soldiers patrolling the streets of Jiujiang, but they don't disturb the public, nor do they engage in law enforcement alone. Any matters that need to be handled are handled by the accompanying police. That's a very thoughtful approach."

Chen Tianheng: "In the first few days after the Northern Expedition captured Jiujiang, when the police system was not yet functioning properly, the First Division temporarily took over law enforcement. Once the police were re-recruited and reorganized, the situation was handed over to local police."

Yu Qiaqing: "After the British Concession in Jiujiang was taken back, was it your idea to turn it into the Jiujiang Economic and Trade Park?"

Chen Tianheng: "Yes, the consideration at the time was to regain sovereignty without affecting normal industrial and commercial activities within the concession. After all, the vast majority of residents in the concession were Chinese."

Yu Qiaqing: "Everyone says that the war is a disaster, mainly because soldiers harass civilians. Bandits are like combs, soldiers are like combs, and this is difficult to change. Your army has good discipline, but there are ten armies with average discipline. Now Sun Chuanfang has to fight, but after the war, the whole country will have to cut back on the army. Spending money to support soldiers and causing trouble for yourself is stupid."

Chen Tianheng: "If the Northern Expedition succeeds in unifying the country, the army will naturally have to be reduced in some parts, but in order to defend against foreign enemies, the country must always retain a national defense army."

"Besides," Yu Qiaqing said disdainfully, "Only a fool would want such a rotten place as China."

Chen Tianheng: “…(smile)”

Yu Qiaqing: "Chiang Kai-shek wanted money for the war. People in our circle discussed it and decided that it was not impossible to give it to him, but we also told him the conditions: after the country was unified, the army would be reduced. Even if not all of it was reduced, it should not be too much."

Chen Tianheng: "The Commander-in-Chief has always told us that the revolutionary army is the cornerstone of China's realization of the Three Principles of the People. The success of the Northern Expedition only provides a prerequisite for the implementation of the Three Principles of the People. I am afraid that the Commander-in-Chief will not make large-scale cuts in the army before the country fully realizes the Three Principles of the People."

"Haha, it's not like he has the final say. ... Chen Tianheng, when we met, I told you that you're a promising young man. Your experience with the military and government affairs of Jiujiang, as well as the takeover of the British Concession, shows that you have a talent for management. If you don't mind after the army is downsized, you can come and work for me. I'll welcome you with open arms."

Chen Tianheng: "It would be a great honor. However, Mr. Yu, if Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek orders a reduction of the army after the Northern Expedition, even if it is only to one division, I am afraid my troops will be retained."

Yu Qiaqing: "Ha, ha."

……

"Send a message to Nanchang. To the principal."

After sending Yu Qiaqing away, Chen Tianheng told the correspondence office, "Yu Qiaqing revealed to me that they intend to support the military expenditure, but at the same time they will attach conditions: the army will be dismantled after the Northern Expedition unifies the country. The students think that this matter has been resolved."

"Okay, I've got that," said Wu Guanghao of the General Staff's Communications Department. "By the way, what's the point of sending this telegram to Nanchang?"

"I just want to ask Principal Jiang to stop sending these weird people to the First Division for observation. They affect the First Division's training and my work."

Chapter 131

During their training period in Jiujiang, the First Division, in addition to Yu Qiaqing, also welcomed Li Fusun, Zhang Gongquan, Qian Xinzhi, and Qin Runqing, who came for "observation and inspection." Adding Chen Guangfu and Zhang Jingjiang, who had already visited, nearly half of the top ten wealthy people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang had visited.

When these wealthy businessmen from Jiangsu and Zhejiang saw the First Army's First Division, were they captivated by its aura of protagonistship and its ace status, their eyes widening, their hearts surging with excitement, and exclaiming that the Northern Expedition was invincible? No.

not a single one.

In the eyes of the consortium, even Chiang Kai-shek, the commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, was just a tool. The troops under the command of a tool were actually cattle and horses. They invited me to see the cattle and horses...

Okay, okay, Jiang Zhiqing, can't I pay for it?

"Commander, none of the wealthy businessmen who have come to visit have specifically requested to go to the Lushan Training Center," Yuan Zhongxian said. "But this will keep the training center quieter, and they won't notice that there are two or three hundred people from the 6th Division of the 2nd Army in the training center."

Chen Tianheng: "Even if these wealthy businessmen and their followers went to the training center, they wouldn't be able to tell which soldiers were from the First Division and which were from other units. Do you think they would be willing to lean over to see if a soldier had the First Division insignia on his upper arm?"

"Yes, in the eyes of wealthy businessmen, soldiers are just soldiers."

Chen Tianheng: "This is a two-way process. If you treat the soldiers as soldiers, they will naturally treat you as a two-legged sheep. It is not easy to achieve a harmonious relationship between the military and the people instead of a cauldron of friction."

Yuan Zhongxian: "For now, I can only say that our military-civilian relations with the people of Jiujiang are still good. However, there are some problems with the 6th Hunan Army Division in De'an. Xiao Jinguang said that the 6th Division has been buying rations on credit for the past month in De'an. Although the repayment is not due yet, the 6th Division has already disregarded some of the IOUs issued previously, claiming that they were not issued by them."

Chen Tianheng: "The debt problem should be solved soon. Look now, all the princes are gathering here."

……

Jiujiang Airport.

This deserted small airport was not the later Lushan Airport. It was built next to Jiujiang City, and a nearby earth dam was named Airplane Dam.

A Junkers F.13 passenger plane descended from the sky, jumped a few times on the simple runway made of flattened earth, and stopped.

Wang Jingwei stepped off the plane. After two hours of turbulence in the air, his face was pale. However, he suppressed his discomfort, turned around, and, like a gentleman, offered his hand to Soong Ching Ling as she stepped off the plane.

Song Qingling, on the other hand, appeared composed. This was not her first or second time flying. When the Nationalist government moved its capital to Wuhan, Song Qingling took this plane, flying from Guangzhou to Wuhan with two stops in northern Guangdong and Hunan for refueling. It was also Song Qingling who advocated flying to Jiujiang for the Lushan meeting, as Jiujiang had an airport.

Chen Tianheng: "The First Division of the First Army welcomes Chairman Wang to Jiujiang!"

Wang Jingwei: "Hmm. Hmm. The army is neat and majestic, good. It is worthy of being the sword of the Northern Expedition, the sword of revolution."

Chen Tianheng: "Under the leadership of Chairman Wang, the soldiers of the Northern Expedition must strive hard, forge ahead courageously, wipe out the warlords, and unify the country!"

"Chen Tianheng," Wang Jingwei said, taking two steps closer to him, "there is no fundamental conflict between you, Commander-in-Chief Chiang, and I. Our differences arise from very practical problems and difficulties. They are not irreconcilable. They simply require negotiation so that both sides can understand each other's difficulties. Do you understand?"

……

Chen Tianheng: "The First Division of the First Army welcomes the Queen Mother, Ms. Song, to Jiujiang!"

Soong Ching Ling looked Chen Tianheng up and down, then glanced at the guards of the First Division standing in neat rows: "Thank you for your welcome. It's so cold, and you still have so many people standing here."

Two cars greeted him at the airport, and Wang Jingwei had already gotten into one to warm up. Before getting in, Soong Ching Ling said to Chen Tianheng, "Commander Chen Tianheng, if it's convenient, I invite you to ride in my car up to Mount Lushan."

The Junkers F.13 passenger plane could only seat 4 to 6 people, so this trip only carried Wang Jingwei, Soong Ching Ling, and a secretary each. Since Soong Ching Ling had invited him, Chen Tianheng obeyed and sat in the passenger seat of Soong Ching Ling's car.

"I saw that row of soldiers at the airport were all wearing winter uniforms, but I wonder if the entire First Division has changed into winter uniforms?"

On the way to Lushan, Soong Ching Ling asked.

Chen Tianheng: "Everyone in the First Division, like the airport guard company, has been issued winter clothing. Northern Jiangxi is not like Guangzhou. Not having thick clothes in winter is a problem."

Soong Ching Ling: "The Northern Expedition's supplies were very expensive, and Ziwen worked very hard to raise funds from the treasury. Ailing, Xiangning, and I also pooled our savings to raise a small amount of funds. We had planned to donate a batch of winter clothing to the First Division if it hadn't already received its winter clothing."

Chen Tianheng: "If the funds raised are enough to replace winter uniforms for a division, I know that the winter uniforms for the Northern Expedition Army in Wuhan have not yet arrived. Mr. Song, you might as well donate these winter uniforms to Ye Ting's Fourth Army. They are also the vanguard of the Northern Expedition, and they are mainly composed of Guangdong people. They are all afraid of the cold."

Soong Ching Ling nodded.

Li Peihua: "Ye Ting's Fourth Army was stationed in Wuchang. They were the first troops we saw when we landed in Wuhan."

Chen Tianheng: "Mr. Song, Secretary Li, what exactly is going on with the recent split between the Communist Party and Wang? I'm not in Guangzhou, so I don't know the inside story."

Soong Ching Ling: "As for the separation between the Communist Party and Wang Jingwei, I cannot express any opinion at this moment."

Li Peihua: "In this matter, the Communist Party pressed too hard. But from Chief Song's perspective, it is not convenient to say so. After all, Wang is the current Party Chairman and Chairman of the National Government, but the Communist Party is the revolutionary force favored by Dr. Sun Yat-sen."

Chen Tianheng: "Oh?"

Soong Ching Ling: "During his last two years, Dr. Sun Yat-sen often muttered these words. He said that he had devoted decades to the revolution, but had mostly failed. After the establishment of the Soviet Union, he realized that only socialism was a viable way to realize the Three Principles of the People."

Chen Tianheng: "But in the late Premier's writings and speeches, he rarely mentioned socialism."

Soong Ching Ling: "There are still many people in the Kuomintang who are terrified by communism and therefore strongly oppose the word socialism. This was the case then and it is still the case now. Let's not talk about this anymore."

Although Soong Ching Ling was reluctant to say too much about the topic brought up by Chen Tianheng, some inside information could still be heard from her and Secretary Li.

This gathering of senior Kuomintang leaders in Lushan was considered the first Lushan Conference in modern times.

Two days before Soong Ching Ling arrived, Chiang Kai-shek had already taken a train from Nanchang to Lushan. At this time, he was touring Lushan in the cold wind with Borodin, Soong Tzu-wen, Chen Youren, Sun Ke, Xu Qian and others who had arrived earlier.

On the way from the airport to Lushan Xianyan Hotel, the convoy encountered a group of marching soldiers from the First Division.

Chen Tianheng: "Not far from here is the 1st Division's training center. The 1st Division's main garrison is in Jiujiang City. The training center can accommodate more than one regiment of troops for training. This place is far away from the city and there is not much farmland, so live-fire shooting, field tactical training, etc. are relatively convenient without disturbing the residents or trampling on the farmland."

"What's that? Are these soldiers singing?"

"Armed with weapons, liberating the people"

"Hold on to the mountains and rivers, and defeat the strong with the weak"

"Army of Justice"

“Victory Will Be Gained”

"The monument is engraved on Mount Fuji..."

Li Peihua heard singing outside the car window.

Chen Tianheng: "This is the division song of the First Division of the First Army of the National Revolutionary Army."

Soong Ching Ling: "Can I visit the First Division's training center?"

Chen Tianheng: "Of course. Please tell me the time and I'll have the troops arrange it."

……

"What else can we discuss at today's meeting? It's nothing more than the same few things. Rectification of military affairs, political development, and financial management. Your First Division will be receiving back pay soon! Oh, and there's also the decision to move the capital to Wuhan."

The person visiting the training center now wasn't Soong Ching Ling, but Dai Jitao. He had gone up the mountain to attend a meeting at the Xianyan Hotel, and after the first day of the meeting, he returned to the mountain, finding the First Division's training center with familiarity. After all, he and Zhang Jingjiang had been there a month earlier.

Chen Tianheng: "Director Dai, why didn't you tell me you were coming earlier? If you had, I would have prepared a sports jacket, sweatpants, and sneakers for you, and you wouldn't have to play basketball in big-toed leather shoes."

"No need! I just wanted to play with the basketball a bit." Dai Jitao, his suit to the side, in a black shirt and black leather shoes, raised his hand to shoot the ball but missed all three shots. He used his thumb to adjust the Y-shaped suspenders of his overalls. "Wang and Chiang reached an agreement today. No matter what, we must take Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou first. I'm sure Chiang Kai-shek will let the First Division take charge of the attack on Fenghua, or at least have it enter during the city entry ceremony."

Chen Tianheng: "Not necessarily. It is said that Bai Chongxi will be the chief of staff of the Central Army. He will command the troops to attack, but he may not necessarily follow the orders of Commander-in-Chief Chiang."

Dai Jitao: "At this so-called Lushan Conference, military affairs weren't the main topic. It was political construction, political construction. Things like adjustments to party organizations, selection of candidates for the National Government in four provinces, the workers' movement, the peasants' movement. Chen Tianheng, you certainly didn't guess that when the meeting was discussing accelerating the peasant movement and focusing on solving the land issue, someone discovered that Hunan was already doing it and was halfway there."

Chen Tianheng made an expression that said, "I didn't even guess that." "When our troops passed through Hunan, there were indeed farmers' associations active. So, are they now practicing equal land ownership?"

"A review of the three provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi, and Guangdong revealed that many rural areas were quietly engaged in peasant movements. Even more interesting, in southern Hunan, around Chenzhou, the peasant associations were promoting 'five years of rent reduction and five years of equal land distribution.' In central and eastern Hunan and western Jiangxi, in the rural areas around Hengyang, Chaling, and Pingxiang, the peasant associations were promoting 'five years of equal cultivation and five years of equal land distribution.' And, by the way, eastern Guangdong also had its own approach. The ultimate goal was clear: equal land distribution, but the approaches to achieving it were different."

Chen Tianheng: "Could it be that the Hunan Provincial Party Committee is conducting a land policy experiment? Anyway, since we don't know which method will work, they arranged for two places to each use a method to conduct experiments."

Dai Jitao: "That's definitely the case. Fortunately, the Communist Party didn't get involved, otherwise it would have been a lot of fun, hey."

Chen Tianheng: “…”

"Then Director Dai, does the Sun Yat-sen Society have any comments on the test areas for this land reform policy?"

"Sun Yat-senism Society? No one's commenting on it. These people have turned it into a romantic society. It's better not to mention it."

Chapter 132

(The lyrics were wrong in the previous chapter, which has been corrected)

(The lyrics of the 1945 version were wrongly posted)

On December 9, the Lushan Conference ended.

It didn't last long in total, just a whole day and one morning.

Lushan is a great place for meetings, hence its nicknames: the Mountain of Conspiracy and the Mountain of Politics. It's just that this is a bit out of season for a meeting.

Lushan's greatest advantage is its coolness. While the scorching summer heat of the Yangtze River's hottest cities sweltered, Lushan remained refreshingly cool. By the 1920s, the scenic area of ​​Lushan already boasted three-digit villas and hotels, all used by foreigners and wealthy businessmen to escape the summer heat. Yet, Chiang Kai-shek invited people to Lushan for a meeting in December.

Li Zongren, commander of the Seventh Army, walked down the mountain from the Xianyan Hotel to the Lotus Cave. A cold wind blew and snowflakes drifted. Seeing the motorcade waiting at the Lotus Cave, he quickly ran a few steps and got into the back seat of a black Ford sedan.

"My dear Delin, I have said that it is right to take Jiangsu and Zhejiang first. Otherwise, in this weather, it would be too painful to go north and fight Zhang Zuolin in Henan and Hebei."

Zhu Peide, commander of the Third Army of the Yunnan Army, had already boarded the car and sat side by side with Li Zongren.

"The weather is secondary. The Fengtian clique is now too strong," Li Zongren said. "We must temporarily stabilize Zhang Zuolin and first take over Sun Chuanfang's territory, then expand our army, and then confront Zhang Zuolin. If we go to war with Zhang Zuolin and Sun Chuanfang at the same time, it would be a strategic mistake."

Zhu Peide: "The meeting resolved that the finances of all provinces recovered by the Northern Expedition Army would be under the unified management of the central government. Even if we take over Sun Chuanfang's territory, the finances would still be under the central government. This way, military funds would be allocated entirely by the central government, and favoritism would be inevitable. I believe that in the future, the direct line of the Northern Expedition Army will become increasingly powerful, while the collateral lines will become increasingly weak."

Zhu Peide's Third Army was called the Yunnan Army, but in fact he did not occupy Yunnan. He and his troops were driven out of Yunnan during the warlords' melee and took up residence in Guangzhou. Li Zongren's Seventh Army was much better than his. Before the Northern Expedition, Li Bai and Huang unified Guangxi and had their own base.

"Although the finances are under the unified management of the central government, if we can actually conquer some places, take charge ourselves, and appoint appropriate local officials, we can still make some profits... Hmm?"

Li Zongren was chatting with Zhu Peide when he glanced out the window and noticed some insignificant details.

"There's activity on the mountain."

Li Zongren asked the driver to pull over, and the car stopped halfway, and the two men got out. The truck behind the Ford sedan also stopped, and Li Zongren and Zhu Peide's adjutant got out of the truck. Li Zongren held out his hand and said, "Give me the binoculars."