The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

A special meeting of the Party Central Committee was held in Songjiang. This meeting was still a secret meeting. Not only was it not announced to the public, but Chen Duxiu did not even tell Chen Yannian about it.

Mao Runzhi and Mao Runmin arrived in Songjiang in a horse-drawn carriage from a trading company.

"I've been to Songjiang before," Mao Runmin said, playing the role of coachman. "I was delivering goods for Chen Tianheng's First Division. Now the entire city of Songjiang is under the control of the First Division. This Chen Tianheng is really not an ordinary person. We first met him in Anyuan, right? How old was he then?"

Mao Runzhi: "He was 16 years old when the Anyuan strike took place."

"It's only been five years, not a long time. The students at the First Normal School have grown up."

Mao Runzhi: "That's not right. You may not know that Chen Tianheng played a very important role in Anyuan. The party's archives of the Anyuan strike include a notebook of his work, which we call "Chen Tianheng's Notes."

"Really? I didn't know that before.

Mao Runmin's company came with not one car but a motorcade. Following the carriage of his two brothers were Chen Wangdao, Xia Xi and Guo Liang.

Chen Wangdao: "...Old Chen.

Chen Duxiu: "Wang Dao, you left Shanghai and went to Hunan. Didn't you come back to Shanghai for several years? Are you still mad at me?

Chen Wangdao said: "Of course not. I didn't go back to Shanghai because I was busy with work in Hunan. Besides, although I didn't go back to Shanghai, I have been communicating with you for the past few years.

"This was the first time such a meeting had been held. There was no International support, but this had been the case since 1924. There were no International comrades either, and there was no need to report the minutes to the International afterwards.

The dozen or so people in front of Chen Duxiu represented the members of the national party organization who continued to unite around the Shanghai Party Central Committee.

"The first keyword of China's revolution is 'China,' and the first keyword of the Communist Party of China is also 'China.' Through revolution, we want to make the Chinese people stand up, free China from civil war and imperialist aggression, and move towards rejuvenation."

"Our revolutionary cause should take this as the basic point of struggle.

"We hope to lead the Chinese revolution ourselves. The Communist International has the power to guide the Chinese Communist Party. We will also listen humbly to the Communist International's sharing of successful experiences and lessons from failure, if they are willing to admit that they have learned lessons. But we will not accept the direct leadership of the Communist International.

"Of course we also hope that the Communist International will change its own rules and structures, not only for the Chinese Communist Party, but also for the Communist Parties of other countries in the world. Before the Communist International makes changes--'

"From today on, the Communist Party of China is no longer a branch of the Communist International.

Chapter 62, Xu, Xu-Beng Battle?

"Has Chiang Kai-shek read the Shanghai Communist Party's resolution? What did he say?"

Wang Jingwei had already seen the resolution of the Songjiang Conference in Wuhan.

Gu Mengyu: "Of course Chiang Kai-shek has seen this; he's in Shanghai now. He didn't make any special comments, except to say that the Shanghai Communist Party was no different from the Wuhan Communist Party, and that the Shanghai Communist Party should be treated the same way as the Wuhan Communist Party."

Wang Jingwei snorted: "It's really not much of a difference, but has he forgotten that when Mr. Sun Yat-sen advocated alliance with Russia and tolerance of the Communist Party, the Communist Party referred to the Communist International. We wanted to unite with Russia, so we allowed Russia to provide us with assistance through the name of the Communist International. The Chinese Communist Party is a branch of the Communist International, so we "tolerated" it as well. If a Communist Party claims that it is not a branch of the Communist International, then whether it should be tolerated or not is another matter.

Gu Mengyu: "Then, Chairman Wang, should we reprimand Chiang Kai-shek and demand that he take action in Shanghai?"

“No, no, no, he’d better not move a muscle.

Chiang Kai-shek in Shanghai did not do anything. Now Chiang Kai-shek was furious about the war in Bengbu and Xuzhou.

The 2nd and 6th Armies, which marched northward along the Jinpu Road, occupied Bengbu after a relatively light battle. Seeing that the Beiyang Army was weak, they continued northward to Xuzhou.

On February 19, the vanguard of the 2nd Army took a train and drove directly to Caocun Station, 40 kilometers south of Xuzhou, intending to get off the train to surround and attack Xuzhou. When several thousand people from the 2nd Army got off the train and the platform was in chaos, Zhang Zuolin's Fengtian Army suddenly launched an attack on Caocun Station.

The 2nd Army was caught off guard by the attack because the railway transportation had not been completed at that time. The infantry had disembarked but the artillery had not arrived yet. The division commander had arrived but the regiment commander was still behind. In the chaos, more than 20,000 Fengtian troops rushed and killed indiscriminately, and the vanguard of the 2nd Army was completely defeated.

What was even more exciting was that when the thousands of soldiers of the 2nd Army who arrived at the station were either scattered or captured, and the station was completely controlled by the Fengtian Army, a train from Bengbu suddenly drove into Caocun Station, carrying all 12 mountain cannons of the 2nd Army, all of which were given to Zhang Zuolin as small gifts.

In fact, the Fengtian Army had already transferred troops to the south through the Jinpu Road. When the 2nd Army wanted to attack Xuzhou, there were already 50,000 to 60,000 Fengtian Army troops gathered in Xuzhou, and they were still increasing their troops. It was just that Zhang Zuolin and Zhang Zongchang wanted to wait for a good opportunity to teach the Northern Expedition Army a lesson.

After the resounding victory of the counterattack at Caocun Station, Zhang Zuolin seized the opportunity and marched south, arriving north of Bengbu on February 20. The Fengtian Army wiped out over 3,000 men of the 2nd Army of the Northern Expedition north of the Huai River that same day. The 6th Army and the remnants of the 2nd Army faced off against the Fengtian Army across the Huai River, but it was unclear how long they could hold out. The 6th Army had only a little over 20,000 men, while the Fengtian Army, already at the Huai River line, numbered over 30,000.

The Northern Expedition headquarters quickly dispatched the 7th Army stationed in Nanjing to Bengbu. However, that same day, northern newspapers broke the news that Zhang Zuolin's son, Zhang Xueliang, had joined the battle at the head of the 3rd Front Army, comprising Wan Fulin's 8th Army, Wang Shuchang's 10th Army, and the Fengtian Army's artillery corps. Key points: artillery, corps, and corps, including two artillery brigades equipped with heavy artillery of 100mm or greater.

It's exciting now.

Bai Chongxi, who had previously commanded the Eastern Route of the Northern Expedition, took command of the front lines along the Jinpu Road, with Tang Shengzhi, the former commander-in-chief of the Jiangyou Army, serving as his deputy. The first problem Bai Chongxi pointed out was the lack of manpower in this direction.

Tang Shengzhi believed that the troops were almost sufficient: "We still have the Fourth Army in the direction of the Jinpu Road. If we send the Fourth Army to the north of the Yangtze River and rely on the Huaihe River defense line, Bengbu will not be lost."

"This is not a question of defending Bengbu. What will we do after defending Bengbu?" Bai Chongxi said, "Attack, attack, only attack is the only way to solve the problem. Our Northern Expedition Army did not go to Bengbu for defense, but to completely destroy Zhang Zuolin's Fengtian Army on the front line.

Tang Shengzhi: "I advocate that the 8th and 11th Armies launch an offensive campaign on the Beijing-Hankou Railway. The Fengtian clique has transferred its elite troops to the Xuzhou-Bengbu battlefield, so its forces in the Zhengzhou direction are relatively weak."

"Now Zhang Zuolin has assembled 10 troops in Xuzhou and Bengbu. This is the largest military group of the Fengtian clique, with the most elite troops and the best equipment. His son is also the military supervisor. Isn't this the time to deal a decisive blow to Zhang Zuolin? I plan to transfer the Jiangzuo Army to the Jinpu Road and fight a Xuzhou-Bengbu Battle here to deal a fundamental blow to Zhang Zuolin's Fengtian Army.

Bai Chongxi's words set the tone for this campaign:

Battle of Xuzhou and Bengbu.

"Cough... cough!"

Chen Tianheng tried hard to suppress his complex expression. "Principal, Commander-in-Chief Bai's intention is to launch the Xuzhou-Bengbu Campaign and annihilate the main force of the Fengtian Army along the Jinpu Road?"

Chiang Kai-shek: "Yes. The Battle of Xuzhou and Bengbu.

Chen Tianheng: "But in the Jiangzuo Army's direction, besides our own division and the Second Division in Suzhou, what other troops can we mobilize?"

Chiang Kai-shek: "Jingzhi has already deployed three divisions of the First Army to the battlefield in northern Jiangsu. We cannot recall them. However, the First Army has eight divisions, six of which are on the eastern route. We can still use the 22nd Division to advance north with the 1st and 2nd Divisions. In addition, the 14th Army has been reorganized and can be deployed to the battlefield in northern Jiangsu. Chen Tianheng, what are your thoughts on the Battle of Xuzhou and Bengbu?"

Chen Tianheng: "If we include the 14th Army, the total strength of the Northern Expeditionary Army at the Battle of Xuzhou and Bengbu is about 12. Although the Fengtian Army facing us now has about 12 troops, they will continue to reinforce them via the Jinpu Railway. Therefore, in terms of the relative strength of the battle, we are probably at a disadvantage. This is a half-cooked meal.

Chiang Kai-shek: "Well... this battle is indeed not easy, and Bai Jiansheng has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. But the Party, the State, and the Army are all optimistic about Jiansheng.

Chiang Kai-shek expressed his optimism about Bai Chongxi and gave him various support and encouragement.

At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek politely declined General Galen's suggestion that he himself serve as the commander-in-chief of the Xuzhou-Bengbu Campaign/Jinpu Road front, and firmly stated that he would only serve as a support and command the battle, and asked Bai Jiansheng to come.

General Galen's plan for this battle was to achieve a defensive victory around Bengbu through proactive warfare, ensuring Bengbu's control and facilitating the next phase of offensive operations. The Northern Expedition already had over 30 corps numbers, nearly breaking 40. Given two or three months to strengthen these corps numbers, the Northern Expedition could muster another 10 to 15 troops to launch an offensive along the eastern route. That would be the true "Decisive Battle of Xuzhou."

On the contrary, if the Fengtian Army continued to fight as far as Pukou on the other side of Nanjing, it would not be so easy for the Northern Expedition Army to gather enough troops to cross the river.

Bai Chongxi approved of General Galen's strategic plan, but he believed that there was an opportunity to deal a substantial blow to the Fengtian Army in the Battle of Xuzhou and Bengbu, and at least allow several of the Fengtian Army's main forces to be stationed here, providing convenience for subsequent battles in the Northern Expedition.

"That's what Bai Chongxi was thinking, I can guess.

"Does anyone have anything to add?"

At the First Division's General Staff, Chen Tianheng received the order to go to war and summoned the main staff to discuss the expedition plan.

Chen Mingren: "There aren't any military issues, the main problem is political. Although the situation in Shanghai is not bad, I feel that the situation across the country is very delicate.

Chen Tianheng: "The reason for the delicate national situation is that Wuhan has not made any political statements. In other words, neither the Kuomintang nor the Communist Party has made any statement in Wuhan. Wang Jingwei did not express his views on the Shanghai situation, and the Communist International and Chen Yannian did not issue any statements. Even Chen Yannian did not issue a notice on the resolution of the Songjiang Conference. My guess is that the Communist International is also aware that a strategic decisive battle is taking place north of the Yangtze River. Even if they have other plans, now is probably not the right time to propose or implement them.

Lu Deming: "So, neither the Wuhan government nor the Communist International intends to change the political landscape at this time?

Chen Tianheng: "I'm afraid so."

Chen Mingren: "Then we have to consider the Battle of Xuzhou and Bengbu. However, this battle is huge in scale. The Northern Expeditionary Army has already joined the battlefield, including the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Armies. The 4th Army will soon join the battlefield. Our 1st Army, also known as the 1st Division, and the 14th Army will also join the battlefield soon. Our troops are just a part of this major battle."

Chen Tianheng: "Therefore, the final battle plan depends on Bai Chongxi. The General Staff must ensure that the First Division is in optimal condition for the Battle of Xuzhou and Bengbu. During the preparation phase, the First Division's priority remains—"

"The offensive power of the troops. Our offensive capabilities must be maximized.

Chapter 63: The Three Evil Tigers of the Northern Expedition

Before entering the next battle level, Chen Tianheng reviewed the dynamics of the various forces in the National Government.

The transmission of information from Wuhan is becoming less smooth, and Wang Jingwei's danger is increasing.

Although Wang Jingwei and Chiang Kai-shek have been fighting since 1925, Wang Jingwei has never been defeated, forming a dual power structure within the Nationalist Government/KMT: Wang's Party + Chiang Kai-shek's Army. In the OTL, Wang Jingwei returned from his overseas study tour (exile) in April 1927 to assume the position of chairman. After spending three months in Wuhan, he lost control and flipped the table on July 15th. It had been several months, so when did Wang Jingwei flip the table?

While Chiang Kai-shek's Nanchang administration remained under control in Shanghai, unrest in Jiangxi and Zhejiang persisted. With the establishment of a new government in Jiangxi, Chiang Kai-shek demanded that the KMT's executive committee in Jiangxi be free of Communist Party members. However, after three elections, Fang Zhimin was still elected to the Jiangxi executive committee with a high vote. Recently, clashes have broken out between the Communist Party, the KMT's left-leaning factions, and the KMT's right-leaning factions in Jiangxi.

Speaking of Chiang Kai-shek, a significant portion of his energy and military resources were now tied up in Zhang Zuolin's hands. Because Jiangsu and Zhejiang had been recovered early by the Northern Expedition, and Sun Chuanfang's main forces south of the Yangtze River had been completely defeated by Chen Tianheng, Zhang Zuolin, alarmed, dispatched all his forces south, leaving four and a half of Chiang Kai-shek's five armies to fight north of the Yangtze River.

On the Communist Party's Chen Duxiu side, the special conference declaration formally established the peasant line: "China's national revolution is, in essence, a peasant revolution. In order to consolidate the foundation of the national revolution, we must first liberate the peasants." The current mission of urban and worker party members is to go to the countryside and impart modern knowledge, organizational methods, and discipline to the peasant movement.

On Chen Yannian's side, in order to avoid being at a disadvantage, the Communist International proposed a more thorough "Sovietization of China's Rural Areas" strategy in response to Chen Duxiu's declaration, and first implemented it in the central axis areas of Hubei and Hunan, and Guangdong, where the Communist International faction had a greater advantage.

Overall, the risk of a major event still remained high in 1927, or rather, something major was bound to happen in 1927, though the timing was unpredictable. After the First Division left Shanghai, they had to maintain contact with Chen Duxiu, and Qian Zhuangfei had to frequently travel back and forth between the First Division and Shanghai.

"Commander Chen."

"President Chen, that's not true. I'm only the deputy commander now.

Chen Tianheng corrected Chen Guangfu, but Chen Guangfu ignored him: "On behalf of the Shanghai Banking Association, I would like to offer a farewell gift to General Chen and his army as they depart for the battle. I wish General Chen every success. To be honest, we are all quite reluctant to see the First Division leave Shanghai. The First Division has been stationed in Shanghai for over a month, and the military and civilians have developed harmonious relations, giving the city a brand new look. As the First Division departs today, we are all quite sad to see it go."

Chen Tianheng: "I am a little reluctant to leave Shanghai. Shanghai is a great place. But President Chen, we will meet again in the future.

"Yes, yes, it will definitely be possible, Commander Chen. After the Northern Expedition succeeds and we reach Dingshanhe, the First Division will definitely be able to station in Shanghai.

Chen Tianheng smiled. It seemed that these wealthy people from Jiangsu and Zhejiang had all set their sights on the First Division.

"After the reunification of the country, whether the First Division should be stationed in Shanghai, and whether Shanghai should continue to have troops stationed there, should be a decision made by our superiors. You and I can look forward to it together.

"My colleagues and I will work hard for this." Chen Guangfu also laughed and handed over the gift list.

Now everyone in the Shanghai "big brother" circle knows that Chen Tianheng has a cousin who is one of the top five Chinese businessmen in Hong Kong. Chen Tianheng pays for military expenses out of his own pocket. The First Division and Chen Tianheng himself are not short of money at all, but they still have to observe the necessary etiquette.

Chen Tianheng boarded the train and took the first military train to Nanjing with the First Division Headquarters and the Reconnaissance Battalion.

Well, Chen Tianheng is now the deputy commander of the First Army.

By February 1927, the First Army had eight divisions under its command, enough to form a group army. Chiang Kai-shek actually submitted a report requesting that the First Army be split into three corps and expanded into the First Group Army, with He Yingqin as the group army commander. However, this report was rejected by Wang Jingwei.

To this day, the commander of the Northern Expedition Army remains a special military position. It can be likened to a "shareholder" in the National Revolution. The commanders of the First through Eighth Armies were the original shareholders. The local armies that joined later, as long as they were given an army organization, also became shareholders, large and small. Wang Jingwei's goal was to limit the number of shareholders under Chiang Kai-shek's name.

When expansion was not permitted, the First Army's deputy commander took on the responsibility of commanding a temporary battle formation of two or three divisions. For example, during the Battle of Jinpu Road, Chiang Kai-shek issued an order for Chen Tianheng to control and command the First, Second, and 22nd Divisions. This order was handwritten.

Nanjing, Xiaguan Wharf.

Chen Tianheng: "Hello, Commander Ye!"

Xu Xiangqian: "Hey, Chen with glasses!"

Chen Mingren: "Hey, Chief of Staff Zuo!"

Huang Wei: "Zhou Shidi! Long time no see!"

The First and Fourth Armies met at Xiaguan Wharf. The two deputy commanders, Chen Tianheng and Ye Ting, saluted and shook hands, while behind them Xu Xiangqian, Chen Geng, Chen Mingren, Zuo Quan, Huang Wei, Zhou Shidi, Jiang Xianyun, Lu Deming, Yuan Zhongxian, and others laughed and chatted.

Ye Ting: "Congratulations, Commander Chen, on your promotion.

Chen Tianheng: "It's the same with you. Congratulations to Commander Ye as well.

Ye Ting hummed in response and fell silent.

"Ye Ting is in a low mood because he has some opinions about the party's split between Shanghai and Wuhan." Chen Geng came over and whispered.

Chen Tianheng: "Have you tried to persuade him?

“I’m trying to persuade you, I’m trying to persuade you.

"You and Jiang Xianyun took my car to Nanjing, and when you came back it was almost falling apart! How dare you say that!" Ye Ting didn't hear clearly what Chen Geng and Chen Tianheng were whispering, but he yelled at Chen Geng.

Chen Tianheng: "."

Chen Geng:

Zhang Fakui, commander of the Fourth Army, also arrived. He was the commander of the Fourth Army in this battle.

"Hello, Commander Zhang."

"Commander Chen, well," Zhang Fakui looked at Chen Tianheng, "you are indeed very powerful.

Chen Tianheng: "This Jinpu Road campaign will probably be the first and final battle with Zhang Zuolin. Our two armies should work together and fight together. Both armies are from Guangdong, right?"

Zhang Fakui laughed: "The Battle of Jinpu Road was fought by the people of Guangdong and Guangxi. The Seventh Army has already reached Bengbu.

Chen Tianheng: "Indeed, the First, Fourth, and Seventh Armies played the leading roles in this battle.

Zhang Fakui: "It all depends on us, the Three Tigers of the Northern Expedition.

The army gathered in Nanjing, but the commanders and deputy commanders of the two armies crossed the river first.

Bai Chongxi was already in Bengbu, where he had established his frontline headquarters, commanding the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Armies. From Bengbu, he sent an order back to Nanjing, giving the 1st and 4th Armies priority to cross the river, followed by the 14th Army, etc. The commanders of the 1st and 4th Armies had crossed the river before their troops, and he was convening a battle deployment meeting in Bengbu.

"Oh, these shell craters on both sides of the Huai River...it looks like a fierce battle was fought there before."

Chen Tianheng's telescope revealed a long stretch of the Huai River's south bank, a 300-meter stretch of riverbank covered in shell craters of all sizes. Scattered among the craters were damaged supplies, apparently left behind by the Fengtian Army during their forced crossing. Further out, the riverbank on the north bank of the Huai River also contained numerous shell craters.

"The day before yesterday, the armies of Zhang Zuolin and Zhang Zongchang forced a crossing of the Huai River. Bai Jiansheng accurately determined the crossing point of the Fengtian Army. As the Fengtian Army was crossing, the Seventh Army attacked them halfway across the river. Over 2,000 of them were killed or captured. The Huai River was filled with corpses, and farmers and fishermen downstream fished out over 400 bodies alone."

Li Zongren, commander of the Seventh Army, introduced the battle with a hint of pride.

Zhang Fakui: "Zhang Zuolin has already mobilized over 10 troops to the front. Losing two or three thousand in one battle won't hurt the Fengtian Army. Why don't they attack directly from the railway bridge?"

Li Zongren: "The Jinpu Railway Bridge is heavily guarded, completely blocked by heavy machine guns and flat-fire artillery. No matter how many people we pile in, we can't get through. But the Jinpu Railway is too important, and we can't make up our minds to blow up the bridge. So the two sides have no choice but to stand still."

Chen Tianheng had been carefully observing the shell craters on the south bank of the Huai River, estimating their size and the softness of the riverbed soil. After a while, he came to a conclusion:

"Did the Fengtian Army's offensive firepower preparation still rely mainly on mountain and field artillery of around 75mm caliber? Only a small portion of these craters were caused by artillery of 100mm or above."