The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

He Long: "What changes?

Ye Ting: "Oh no! Oh no!"

Chapter 91: I, Chen Tianheng, am rebelling too!

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh!"

Zuo Quan, Chen Geng, and Jiang Xianyun had never seen Ye Ting look so serious.

Zuo Quan: "Commander, what specific instructions did the Central Military Commission in Shanghai give regarding this matter?"

"Chen Duxiu told us to retreat towards Jiujiang, saying that the rural areas west of the Nanxun Railway, all the way to Ji'an, belong to us. The 25th Division can get support from the peasant association and peasant armed forces here. Moreover, Mao Runzhi, a member of the Central Military Commission, is near Ji'an. Our division will join forces with Mao, and the next move will be directed by Mao.

Chen Geng and Jiang Xianyun looked at each other.

General Secretary Chen Duxiu had not yet told Ye Ting about the First Division.

From a certain perspective, it was indeed necessary, but before meeting Commissioner Mao, Ye Ting was afraid that he would suffer from anxiety for a period of time.

Chen Geng: "Commander, there's no need to be so anxious..."

"Not anxious? Of course you're not anxious! But how can I not be anxious! Do you think you can just laugh and joke around just because you have a good relationship with Chen Tianheng, Chen Geng? This is not a joke! Chen Tianheng would never joke with you!"

Ye Ting pointed to Jiujiang on the map and said, "The troops of the First and Second Divisions have already set out from Nanjing. We are walking, and they are traveling by boat, traveling day and night, and their speed is faster than ours. Chen Tianheng's destination must be Jiujiang. He is very familiar with Jiujiang and the Nanxun Line. If Chen Tianheng controls the Nanxun Line first, our next step will be very difficult. Commander He, we must now travel day and night to cross the Nanxun Line before Chen Tianheng's fleet arrives in Jiujiang.

He Long nodded and pointed at the map with his pipe. "KMT gunboats might appear on the Yangtze River. Even if we reach the Nanxun Line first, we can't touch Jiujiang. The troops will depart from Daye and probably seize De'an County first. From De'an, along the Nanxun Line, straight down to near Nanchang, and then into the countryside."

Ye Ting: "Yes, our two divisions have to march day and night.

Cities and counties

Yangtze River, river surface near Wuhu.

A speedboat with a combustion engine sailed out of Wuhu and docked with a passenger ferry in the river's center channel. A small detachment from the 1st Division's reconnaissance battalion expertly maneuvered the engine and ferry parallel to each other, using a rope ladder to complete the personnel exchange.

"There are no abnormalities in the Second Army in Wuhu. The Fourth Division is in Wuhu, the Fifth Division is between Wuhu and Xuancheng, and the Sixth Division is in Jiangbei. So far, there are no signs of deployment."

Chen Tianheng: "Very good. Continue to monitor. After 72 hours, we will withdraw from the station and assemble in Jiujiang.

The fleet continued its journey up the Yangtze River. The lead ship carried the infantry of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Division, with Zheng Dongguo aboard, all personnel at battle readiness. The second ship housed the headquarters of the 2nd Division and part of the 4th Regiment, with Liu Zhi and Hu Zongnan aboard. The third ship housed the headquarters of the 1st Division and part of the 1st Regiment, serving as the temporary headquarters for both divisions.

So far, everything from the Northern Expedition headquarters to the First Division's route has been operating normally. However, the news of Zhang Guotao's withdrawal from the Party is accurate. Chen Duxiu, in addition to urgently buying space to criticize him (to report the news), also confirmed Zhang Guotao's claim in their previous correspondence. We must be extremely cautious; Zhang Guotao might reveal this at any moment.

After Wuhu, the next city along the river is Tongling, where the garrison is Zhou Xicheng’s 25th Army’s Guizhou 1st Division.

25th Army. Chen Tianheng was not even interested in sending the division reconnaissance team to conduct surveillance.

Take the Guizhou 1st Division, for example. In August 1926, it was reorganized into the 25th Army of the National Revolutionary Army and participated in the Northern Expedition, but it took until March to reach the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Only one regiment in the division was equipped with bolt-action rifles, while the other two regiments were equipped with "single-action rifles." The division had eight heavy machine guns.

The Guizhou 1st Division is the best-equipped unit of the 25th Army.

I wonder if the penniless Zhou Xicheng has secretly deposited 2.5 million US dollars into Citibank. Yes, he entrusted his secretary Jin Di to deposit it.

Next stop, Anqing.

"Zhang Fakui's Fourth Army suffered heavy losses this time," Chen Mingren said. "Ye Ting led the 25th Division away, the 24th Division led more than 2,000 people away, and even the 12th Division lost 300 to 400 people. The headquarters reprimanded Zhang Fakui, saying that he did not control his subordinates well and was not enthusiastic about participating in the encirclement and suppression of Ye Ting's troops. He simply stayed in Anqing and awaited punishment.

Chen Tianheng: "Actually, why would he wait for punishment? He should have joined the uprising.

"Commander, telegram from Huang Wei in Nanjing.

The First Division set up a radio station on the passenger ship. The signal is currently good and can receive telegrams sent by the First Division Logistics Department from Nanjing.

Huang Wei reported that six more Yangtze River freighters from the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company departed Nanjing today, fully loaded with equipment and supplies for the First and Second Divisions. If the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company dispatches four more freighters tomorrow as per the contract, both divisions will have their personnel, equipment, and supplies in place.

The time when the last ship in this second transport fleet passed by was the time when the reconnaissance battalion of the First Division withdrew from various cities along the Yangtze River.

Jiujiang.

===Welcome the Northern Expedition===

===Welcome to the First Division===

"The uprising in Guangzhou, the flames of war in Dongjiang"

"Mianhu Lake bathes in blood, tempered into steel"

"The Sword of Revolution"

“Born in Huangpu”

"The victory flag is flying in Wuchang City..

Familiar roads, familiar places. After a few months away, the First Division returned to Jiujiang. The people of Jiujiang once again lined the streets to welcome the First Division of the First Army, once stationed there.

The people of Jiujiang still remember the First Division's reputation in Jiujiang last year. Besides impeccable military discipline, the First Division also reclaimed the British Concession in Jiujiang, a feat that made the people of Jiujiang proud nationwide. Although the Hankou Concession had also been reclaimed, it had seen over a dozen demonstrations and seven or eight violent clashes, with military and police shooting resulting in dozens of casualties among the protesting workers and peasants. The division's efforts were far more decisive than those of the British, who had dragged their feet and forced their way out of the British concession.

"Instructor Liu, the Second Division doesn't need to be stationed in De'an this time," Chen Tianheng said to Liu Zhi. "Jiujiang is large enough to accommodate two divisions."

Liu Zhi: "I think so. Are there any troops from the 25th Division in De'an now?"

Chen Tianheng: "According to the Jiujiang Security Team, Ye Ting's 25th Division and He Long's Independent 15th Division passed through De'an yesterday and are marching south along the Nanxun Railway. They may attack Nanchang or bypass it and continue south to Guangdong. The Nanxun Railway has taken away all the locomotives and wagons, so they have no choice but to walk to Nanchang. We will stay in Jiujiang for two days to gather our troops. There are still a lot of boats on the way behind us."

Liu Zhi: "Alas. This time, the attack on Ye Ting should be limited. After all, both sides are Whampoa brothers, and there is still room for reconciliation.

"Yes, I also hope to stop at the right time. This battle can be regarded as a 'guidance battle' between the First Army and the Fourth Army. I will give them some guidance.

After Chen Tianheng finished speaking, he laughed, and Liu Zhi also laughed.

After unloading the soldiers and small cargo from the 1st and 2nd Divisions, the three passenger ships immediately left the Jiujiang wharf, and three Yangtze River freighters approached. From noon on April 16th until dusk, the first fleet finally unloaded all its cargo.

On April 17, the large-scale unloading at Jiujiang Wharf continued. The mountain artillery battalions of the 1st and 2nd Divisions disembarked, and the shouts of various people and the roars of mules and horses were endless.

"Commander, I miss those thirty trucks very much now." said Yuan Yelie, commander of the artillery battalion.

Considering that the upcoming combat zone would likely be inaccessible to vehicles, the 30 trucks purchased by the First Division in Shanghai were not brought with them. Of course, they were not left in Nanjing either. Chen Tianheng had Chen Ying's caravan take the 30 trucks away.

Chen Tianheng: "In the future, we will have trucks again. We will have not only trucks and motorized artillery, but also motorized infantry and mechanization. In short, we will have everything you can imagine and everything you can't imagine.

Shanghai.

"I'm Chen Guofu. Tell me what information you have.

Zhang Guotao was brought before Chen Guofu.

The way these members who announced their withdrawal from the Party verified their identities was by having family and friends come. The family members would come, tell their names, and then tell their family members who had joined the Party and had now withdrawn. Once the names matched, they would sign a withdrawal statement and a letter of repentance, and then be released. Because most of the arrested members were from Zhejiang province, they were generally released this way.

However, Zhang Guotao was not a local, and his interactions with his family and relatives had become very distant. He also claimed to have important intelligence to reveal, so after spending five full days in the Ningbo jail, Zhang Guotao was finally released and sent to Shanghai.

"I have a matter of great importance, and I think it would be best to report it personally to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.

""

Chen Guofu slammed the file on the table: "Commander-in-Chief Jiang? Isn't it enough to report to me? Am I not of high enough rank? Do you know who I am, Chen Guofu? I am the head of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang! Do you know what the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang does?

"... Then let me tell you. Zhang Guotao, commander of the First Division of your First Army: Chen Tianheng, he is a Communist Party member.

Chen Guofu:"":Words::

"I met him in Shanghai in July 1922. At that time, the Chinese Communist Party was holding its Second National Congress in Shanghai. As an eyewitness to the Anyuan Railway Mine strike in Hunan, he attended the meeting, gave a detailed report on the strike, and also served as the meeting recorder."

Chen Guofu: "Then why was he not present at the Third and Fourth National Congresses of the Communist Party of China?

"He wasn't a senior Party official due to his age. He didn't attend the Third National Congress, but he was already attending the Whampoa Military Academy during the Fourth National Congress. It's likely that Chen Duxiu kept his identity secret.

Chen Guofu stared at Zhang Guotao and said, "Zhang Guotao, do you know what the first batch of Huangpu Military Academy and the First Division mean?

Zhang Guotao: "I know that Chen Tianheng was the top graduate of the first class of Whampoa Military Academy, a disciple of the emperor."

Chen Guofu: "The First Division is the sword of the revolution, the best of all divisions. The Commander-in-Chief once said that if the Northern Expedition had five First Divisions, we could have wiped out the warlords and unified China. The First Division's equipment, tactics, training, and command were all developed by Chen Tianheng. Now you're saying the First Division's commander is a Communist. Are you telling us to dismantle the First Division?"

"Of course, I didn't know him very well later on. Perhaps he quit the Party while studying at the Whampoa Military Academy. But what if, I mean what if, he didn't quit the Party?"

Jiujiang.

The Second Division's equipment arrived on the same day as the First Division.

"That's it!" Liu Zhi watched his last truck of belongings enter the military camp and clapped his hands: "Captain Hu, we will set off tomorrow. Chen Tianheng will personally attack the 25th Division, and we will continue to play supporting role and fight the Independent 15th Division.

Hu Zongnan: "The 15th Independent Division is not difficult to defeat. We have assembled the entire division fully equipped and manned in Jiujiang. This is really overkill."

Liu Zhi: "Perhaps the Second Division won't have to fight in the next few years. Even if we do it one last time, we can earn some credit and then rest easy."

Hu Zongnan returned to the 1st Regiment Headquarters, and Liu Zhi returned to the Division Headquarters and lay down to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Liu Zhi was awakened by a burst of gunfire.

“What’s going on…”

Liu Zhi got up, and the gunshots were still ringing out.

"What's going on... Hey, that gunshot sounds like it's fired into the air? Guard! Messenger!"

The division headquarters was bustling with activity. Soon, the lights were turned on, and a crowd of people poured into the division headquarters.

"Chen Lie?

Liu Zhi saw that the person walking in front of the group was the division's combat staff officer Chen Lie.

Chen Lie: "Commander Liu.

Liu Zhi: "What are you doing? What are you doing? You're not sleeping?" Chen Lie didn't reply, but stepped aside. Chen Tianheng appeared. "Instructor Liu. Old Liu. Commander Liu."

Chen Tianheng said:

"On behalf of the First and Second Divisions of the First Army's National Revolutionary Army, I declare that from now on, we are rising in rebellion, determined to overthrow the dictatorial rule of Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang reactionaries and establish a democratic National Revolutionary Government of workers and peasants. Commander Liu, are you interested in joining us?"

Chapter 92: What is the purpose of your troops going to Nanchang?

On the evening of April 17, under the arrangement of some officers who had established party organizations in the Second Division, the night guards in the three military camps of the Second Division were quietly replaced by "their own people."

In the early morning hours of April 18, officers and soldiers of the First Division rose in the darkness and rushed to the Second Division's base. Some of the Second Division's previously arranged troops also rose. By daybreak on April 18, all of the Second Division's weapons and ammunition had been confiscated and placed under centralized custody.

Then came the speech to all the soldiers of the Second Division. First, the announcement: The First Division has decided to rebel. Are there any of you from the Second Division willing to join us? If you are willing, join us. If not, Commander Chen has a passenger boat to take you back to Nanjing this afternoon. Besides the travel expenses, there will be free meals on board.

Whether to participate in the uprising is a completely voluntary decision made by the soldiers. During the propaganda, the party representatives and core officers also made it clear that the marching and fighting in the next period of time is likely to be difficult, so you should join only after you have thought it through.

Even soldiers who stood up and announced their participation were reviewed by the core Party officers to ensure they were not just pretending to be compliant. The Party organization had already grasped the tendencies and styles of its officers and soldiers. If a soldier, who usually behaved in some way, suddenly stood up and announced his intention to join the uprising, this was inherently abnormal.

At the headquarters of the First Division, Party representative Yuan Zhongxian, six staff officers, three regimental commanders Zheng Dongguo, Wei Lihuang, Du Yuming, and artillery battalion commander Yuan Yelie gathered for a meeting.

Chen Tianheng: "Everyone is here, let's have a meeting.

"Everyone already understands what I'm going to discuss today, and I've already assigned you all various tasks to do. There's only one comrade who hasn't yet understood our full plan; he's only partially aware."

Everyone's eyes turned to Wei Lihuang.

Wei Lihuang: "., 8's Road:

Chen Tianheng: "Today's meeting is specifically to review the overall plan for Lao Wei. The point is, our organization originally existed as the Party Committee of the People's Armed Forces Department of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China. From January 1927, it was transferred to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China under the leadership of Chen Duxiu in Shanghai.

"Up to now, the Central Military Commission has three members: General Secretary Chen Duxiu; Member Mao Runzhi, who is currently in charge of the Hunan-Jiangxi peasant movement and the peasant armed forces; and the third, myself...

"Letter from Nanchang!"

I had almost finished talking to Wei Lihuang when I received a letter from Nanchang.

The day before yesterday, as soon as the First and Second Divisions arrived in Jiujiang, Chen Tianheng sent scouts to Nanchang to contact Zhu De. Now Zhu De has replied, which should be confirmation.

"Okay, the introduction just now is basically over. Now let's get down to business." Chen Tianheng said: "We have people in Nanchang City.

Zhu De, a veteran general, was also a member of the Communist Party, his status being public. Some time ago, during the split and the purge, Zhu De, because of his close relationship with Zhu Peide, was retained by Zhu Peide. He is currently in Nanchang, serving as the head of the Third Army Officer Training Corps and the head of the Nanchang Public Security Bureau. The training corps has over 400 officers, and the Nanchang Public Security Bureau has over 500 officers.

"Zhu De and his men can serve as internal support. The defenders of Nanchang are the 23rd and 24th Regiments of the 8th Division of the 3rd Army, and parts of the 79th and 80th Regiments of the 9th Army. Together with the military and logistics staff, they total 5,200 men, but their combat effectiveness is average. When Ye Ting's troops arrived in Nanchang two days ago, although Ye Ting had no intention of attacking the city and simply bypassed it, stationing himself southwest of Nanchang, the defenders still didn't dare to fight. Taking all the factors into consideration, we can take Nanchang."

"Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province, where a large amount of ammunition, supplies, and food are stored. As the provincial capital, it also has important political significance.

"But before that, we must first get in touch with Ye Ting's troops. Qiandeng Ruoxian.

Chen Tianheng handed the two letters to Qian Deng Ruoxian and said, "To deliver the letter, you need to find someone Chen and Jiang Xianyun know. Take another squad and take a train to Nanchang. Then, head southwest of Nanchang and find the 25th Division and the 15th Independent Division. Make sure the letter reaches Ye Ting. However, as long as you meet Chen Geng and the others, it shouldn't be a problem."

"yes!

Xu Xiangqian: "Chen Geng and the others have been holding back on this for a long time.

Chen Tianheng: "Ye Ting has been frightened for several days. We should hurry and go to the Second Division now to see how the soldiers are standing in formation.

The second division headquarters.

"The assault horn sounded, and the tiger rushed down the mountain"

"The assault horn sounded, and the tiger rushed down the mountain"

"Revolutionary armed forces swept across the Yangtze River Delta"