The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

A considerable number of Soviet troops that had originally attacked the 4th Regiment were also transferred to join the street fighting in Nanchang. The 4th Regiment took the opportunity to leave Niuxing Station and retreat to the southwest of Nanchang. Although it was unclear what the point of retreating here was, it was at least a little closer to the escape route back to Changsha.

The quality of the core officers of the battalions and companies of the Fourth Regiment and the military training of the grassroots soldiers played a key role. The three battalions took turns to provide cover. The Fourth Regiment, carrying the wounded and supplies, passed by the city of Nanchang and arrived safely at Shibu in the southwest of the city in an intact unit.

The Fourth Regiment fought a small battle in Shibu and captured a Gan Army stronghold. They unexpectedly discovered that the stronghold was filled with Gan Army food and ammunition, enough for more than a thousand people in the Fourth Regiment to sustain for a week.

On his way to Nanchang, Chiang Kai-shek first encountered Wang Bo-ling, who was fleeing frantically, and then encountered Cheng Qian-cheng, who was escaping in disguise. Chiang Kai-shek was almost fainted with anger, cursing and swearing, and continued to march towards Nanchang despite dissuasion. On September 27, he unexpectedly met with Liu Zhi and Hu Zongnan's Fourth Regiment near Gao'an.

Chiang Kai-shek was not without his troops at this time. He brought with him the First Army Training Corps, the Guards, and the 114th Howitzer Regiment of the First Army, which had moved slowly and lagged behind the main force. After joining forces with Liu Zhi, the Northern Expedition Army was pinned down in the Gaoan-Shibu area.

Chiang Kai-shek could see Nanchang from the heights here, so he refused to retreat. The Five Provinces Allied Forces could not defeat them either. Although the First Army had few infantry here, the Soviet-aided 114mm heavy artillery was not to be trifled with.

……

"My original Jiangxi strategy was to take Jiujiang first, but the commander-in-chief insisted so much. Now it seems that the Jiujiang strategy cannot be implemented."

"I agree that the First Division will return to the First Army and join the eastward advance, but the Fourth, Seventh, and Eighth Armies cannot leave. The battle in Hubei and Hubei is not over yet, and Hankou and Hanyang must be captured."

Bai Chongxi's original plan for the eastward advance was that the Northern Expedition Army would first capture Hankou and Hanyang, completely seize Wuhan, and then advance by land and sea, attack downstream, and capture Jiujiang.

At this time, the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway did not yet exist. The logistics route for the five-province coalition forces in Nanchang was: each region connected to Jiujiang via the Yangtze River route, and after landing in Jiujiang, they reached their final destination in Nanchang via the Nanxun Railway. Attacking Nanchang directly would have effectively struck the snake's head; capturing Jiujiang would have cut the snake in half, and Nanchang would have naturally fallen.

But Chiang Kai-shek was now locked in Nanchang. He remained stationary on the outskirts of the city, ordering Zhu Peide's Third Army to rush from Changsha to join him. The First Division was also ordered back, and together with part of the Second Army, they launched the Second Battle of Nanchang.

The train carried the 1st Division back to Changsha from Wuchang.

Xue Yue was quite looking forward to the change of strategy to attack Jiangxi, and so was Chen Tianheng.

After all, during the rest period in Wuchang, watching the Fourth, Seventh, and Eighth Armies recruit and expand their forces was indeed very tempting. However, the recruitment of troops in Hunan and Hubei was controlled by the Guangxi and Guangdong Armies and had nothing to do with the First Army.

Chiang Kai-shek was certainly not in Changsha at this time, and it was General Galen, the chief adviser of the Northern Expedition Army, who assigned combat tasks to the First Division.

"The First Battle of Nanchang was a disaster. We lost three of our seven divisions. Wang Bo-ling and Cheng Qian were primarily responsible for this. Now, we can only use our remaining four divisions to attack an enemy even stronger than the one we fought in the First Battle of Nanchang."

Zhang Zhizhong, adjutant of the General Headquarters: "Part of the Second Army has also arrived in Changsha. In addition, there is also the Independent First Division of the Gan Army, which has just decided to submit to the Guangzhou National Government."

Galen shook his head. "At most, only one division of the Second Army is ready. As for the Independent First Division, let's ignore it for now. ... Chiang Kai-shek advocates for the First Division to follow the Third Army's route and launch a second offensive against Nanchang. I firmly oppose his strategy. In my opinion, if the Nanxun Railway is not severed, the Five Provinces Allied Forces will continuously receive reinforcements from Jiujiang to Nanchang, and Nanchang will never be captured."

"Davarishi Xue, I need the First Division to penetrate the middle section of the Nanxun Railway, cut it off, and prevent all reinforcements from coming from Jiujiang."

Zhang Zhizhong: "Commander-in-Chief Chiang has just replied to this matter. He said he is willing to wait for the arrangements of the general advisor for the battle, but Nanchang must be captured. That's it."

Xue Yue: "I am willing to await the Chief Advisor's instructions."

Galen: "I have ordered the Third Army to arrive outside Nanchang to meet with Commander-in-Chief Chiang as requested. After the meeting, they must occupy Niuxing Station and Zhangshu, isolating Nanchang. However, the general offensive against Nanchang should not be launched until the Second Army arrives. There are currently 25,000 defenders in Nanchang. Six divisions must be concentrated in Nanchang to launch a general offensive. First Division, I need to give direct orders to your infantry regiment. First Regiment?"

Chen Tianheng: "Here."

Galen: "The first regiment will go through Pingjiang, Xiushui, and Wuning, and cut off the Nanxun Railway at De'an. The second regiment, is that you?"

Wei Lihuang: "The commander of the second regiment is here!"

Galen: "The second regiment will go through Liuyang and Tonggu and reach the Yongxiu section of the Nanxun Railway, where they will cut it off. The third regiment will serve as a reserve."

Jiang Dingwen: "Is the reserve force on standby in Changsha?"

Galen pondered for a moment. "The main reserve force is not on standby in Changsha. Your unit... also set out from Liuyang, a day later than the Second Regiment. The firepower of an infantry regiment of your Northern Expedition Army is still relatively weak..."

……

"Report to the regiment commander, there are 712 mortar shells left."

Logistics staff officer Huang Wei summarized and reported the number of ammunition of the first regiment.

The Northern Expedition's logistics department supplied rifles, light machine guns, and heavy machine gun ammunition, and the First Regiment had fully stocked up before the Nanxun Railway was cut off. However, it was difficult to get shells for the six mortars.

The 1100 artillery shells collected from the Yunnan Army’s warehouse were used sparingly during normal training, but when it came to the battle of Wuchang, they certainly could not be stingy and more than 300 shells were used in one battle.

At this rate of consumption, after two more sieges, the mortars will become useless.

Chen Tianheng: "According to intelligence, some units within the Five Provinces Coalition have purchased mortars. We hope to capture some of them on the battlefield. ... The key to this infiltration and severing the Nanxun Line is a long-distance, organized march. We need to ensure both personnel and two bases of ammunition reach the Nanxun Line. We'll discuss the General Staff's marching plan, especially the logistics, later."

Xu Xiangqian: "This time, the line from Changsha to Pingjiang is our core area. Other troops will assist our regiment in transportation. From Pingjiang to De'an, we have to go our own way. The straight-line distance is 210 kilometers, and the actual distance is 320 kilometers. General Galen ordered us to reach De'an and cut the railway in 9 days, preferably 8 days."

Chen Tianheng: "From Pingjiang eastward, Xiushui County has a Kuomintang party headquarters, which is considered its own area. In the rural areas, Xiushui County and Wuning County have established farmers' associations, which can provide us with certain assistance. Yuan Zhongxian, have you contacted these organizations along the way?"

Party representative Yuan Zhongxian said: "We have sent several teams to these places in advance to contact local organizations, but it takes time to report back. We may encounter the messengers reporting back while we are on the march. However, the contact teams are fully prepared, including money, so there should be no problem."

Chen Tianheng: "Which section of the road do we start from? Do we need scouts to set out ahead of our team to lead the march?"

Xu Xiangqian: "Start from Wuning. There may be hostile armed forces in Wuning County."

Chen Tianheng: "So, starting from Pingjiang, we'll have three to five scouts at the front of the marching column. Although there aren't any hostile armed forces in Pingjiang and Xiushui, the scouts can not only scout the enemy but also check the road conditions to avoid unexpected situations like landslides and mudslides."

Xu Xiangqian: "Okay."

Huang Wei: "The Germans concluded during World War I that when the battlefield is 100 kilometers away from the railway line, army-level logistics will immediately become a disaster. We are now fighting 300 kilometers away from the railway line. It's really a bit worrying."

Chen Tianheng: "Not only that, we also don't have a clear grasp of the enemy's situation with the Five Provinces Coalition. Headquarters has tried their best to gather intelligence, but the information they received is the location of Sun Chuanfang's troops three days ago. We will arrive in nine days. Your main job recently is to predict and estimate where Sun Chuanfang's troops will appear in 12 days, right?"

Huang Wei smiled bitterly: "I'm starting to lose my hair."

Xu Xiangqian: "Why doesn't the Northern Expedition's air force conduct aerial reconnaissance?"

(End of Volume 1)

Chapter 102

Soldiers

"Follow the Party's command"

"Capable of winning battles and having a good work style"

“Not afraid of strong enemies”

"Dare to compete"

"Winning the battle for our country—what's that?"

Chen Tianheng was leading the entire First Battalion in a song as he led the first column of the First Regiment's marching column. Zheng Dongguo, the battalion commander at the front, slowed his pace and approached Chen Tianheng. Seeing Chen Tianheng ask him first, Zheng Dongguo said, "Commander! We're almost at the first rest stop! We're 20 minutes ahead of schedule! The whole battalion is taking it easy! Should we skip the first stop and make it to the second?"

Chen Tianheng: "You're relaxed because you've prepared for battle, so you're walking briskly! The troops behind you are carrying more loads than you! 20 minutes early is 20 minutes early, the marching plan cannot be changed casually!"

Zheng Dongguo received the order and ran a few steps faster to return to the front of the team.

The first day of the First Regiment's forced march.

The entire group of more than 1,900 people formed a long line on the inter-county roads of the Republic of China.

According to the marching plan of the General Staff, the marching column was divided into seven sections: the first section was the first battalion, the regimental headquarters and the reconnaissance company on standby; the second section was the baggage company and the regimental communications team; the third section was the second battalion; the fourth section was the baggage company and the artillery company; the fifth section was the third battalion; the sixth section was the baggage company; and the seventh section was the replacement battalion and the medical team.

Behind the seventh section of the first column was the Rescue Team, which took in people with sprained feet, broken-down carts, and mad horses.

In front of the first section, there were scouts sent out by the reconnaissance company to observe the enemy situation and road conditions. Since we were marching on the interior line, the scouts' main purpose was to assess the road conditions.

Furthermore, despite this being an interior march, Chen Tianheng also had to maintain a certain number of soldiers ready for action. These were the First Battalion, marching at the front of the column. Before setting off that morning, the soldiers of the First Battalion gathered their backpacks, including their blankets, and loaded them onto horse-drawn carriages. This reduced the burden on each man by approximately 10 kilograms, making the march much easier for everyone in the First Battalion, including Zheng Dongguo.

On the road ahead, a horseman came galloping. He was a scout reporting back from the front.

"Report! The road ahead is clear! But there's a caravan of oxcarts on the way! The reconnaissance team has persuaded them to move aside!"

Chen Tianheng: "Is it in the same direction as me or opposite to me?"

"relatively!"

A few minutes later, the first cloud of dust passed by what the scouts had mentioned as a caravan of oxcarts. Several old, battered carts were pulling what might have been fruit or something similar. The drivers, standing by the roadside, watched the first group's march with a look of "I've really opened my eyes today."

The first rest stop was just 500 meters ahead. Chen Tianheng looked at his watch. At the current pace, they would arrive at the first rest stop not 20 minutes early, but 25 minutes early.

"Everyone! Rest where you are!"

Logistics Staff Officer Huang Wei blew his whistle twice, and the columns behind him took turns blowing their whistles. The entire first regiment halted, resting, drinking from their canteens, and resting their horses.

Chen Tianheng: "Huang Wei, at our current speed, we're definitely walking more than 10 kilometers in 2 hours."

"To be exact, it's 11 to 12 kilometers," Huang Wei said. "It's mainly because today is our first day on the road, so it's helpful to be conservative in setting the marching distance."

Chen Tianheng: "Moreover, you can walk more than four sessions a day. If necessary, you can walk five or even six sessions."

Huang Wei: "Let's see how the whole group performs today."

“Beep-beep” “Get ready to go!”

……

The regiment's marching rhythm was to rest every two hours, with three breaks throughout the day: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 15 minutes. During the second two-hour march, everyone began to sweat, and the entire team was steaming.

"Your leggings are loose!"

Chen Tianheng pointed at Lin Biao's foot. Lin Biao was in the marching column of the Second Company of the First Battalion. After discovering it, he immediately retreated to the side of the road to re-tie the straps. Chen Tianheng thought for a moment and turned back to Lin Biao, who was already behind him, and said, "Tie it up so you can catch up with the troops! Don't end up being taken in by the detention team!"

"Yes!"

"Captain!"

Soon after Huang Wei set out, he rode to the third baggage train team behind to check on the situation. Ten minutes later, he rushed back to the regimental headquarters: "The problem has been solved! We have replaced the draft horses."

Chen Tianheng: "How many spare draft horses did we bring?"

"Eight horses. The surplus of animals and wagons will increase day by day. The entire group will consume four wagons of food every day."

Xu Xiangqian: "That's not necessarily true. According to the current situation, there are some places ahead where there are peasant associations and gentry supporting military organizations. They might provide us with food when we pass by."

Huang Wei: "If the spare draft horses are insufficient, then, um, there's still the Nanmao caravan behind us?"

Chen Tianheng: "...You are right. But the Nanmao caravan is about a day's journey away from us."

"Snapped--"

A signal flare was fired from the rear of the marching column.

Xu Xiangqian: "What? Emergency?"

The regiment's marching column was extremely long. Even if information was delivered on horseback, it would take 20 minutes for the message to reach the front of the column from the rear. If there was an emergency, the column "section leader" at the rear could fire a signal flare.

Chen Tianheng reached out for the reins of his mount and jumped on it: "I have to go and check this out."

Chen Tianheng and Huang Wei rode their horses to the end of the team. Li Mo'an, the company commander of the 7th Company of the 3rd Battalion, and several soldiers were standing by a stone bridge they had just passed. One of the soldiers was soaked and looked dejected.

Li Mo'an: "When crossing the bridge, he stumbled and fell into the river. He was not a good swimmer, and when he floundered, he dropped his gun."

Chen Tianheng looked under the bridge. There were several soldiers there, taking turns diving into the river to search for their guns. But it had just rained in this area, and the water was muddy and yellow, making the search difficult.

Huang Wei laughed angrily: "You fired a flare for such a trivial matter?"

Chen Tianheng: "The punishment for losing the gun will be dealt with later. We don't want the gun anymore! The recovery team didn't prepare any large magnets. Everyone, pack up and run to catch up with the team ahead!"

Li Mo'an led the team in a gallop, and Huang Wei and Chen Tianheng also rode their horses to catch up with the team.

"Hey!"

Huang Wei, who had already done two round trips in the morning, sighed, "We also walked a long way from Guangdong to Hunan, so why aren't we as tired as today?"

Chen Tianheng: "Forced marches and regular marches are completely different. Even though one is 25 and the other 40 miles a day, forced marches are a test for the entire unit, from the commander to every soldier. Moreover, the headquarters did a lot of preparation in advance for the route from Guangdong to Hunan. You can see that we stayed in military depots along the way."

The two men caught up with the main force, surpassed the supply battalion, and then surpassed the three baggage trains.

"Click"

"Bang~~~~~~~~"

Under the gaze of Chen Tianheng and Huang Wei, the axle of a carriage beside them broke, and then the entire carriage fell apart, with the supplies on board scattered all over the ground.

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop!"

The section chief of the third baggage team got off the front wagon, sweating profusely. "Push the wagon to the side of the road! Distribute the goods to the other wagons!"

"Wait a minute!"

Chen Tianheng stopped the section chief's actions: "This carriage's axle is broken. It's probably because this type of carriage has similar hidden dangers! If the cargo is distributed to other carriages at this time, it will cause more axles to break! Push the cargo and carriages to the side of the road and assign two people to guard them. In addition, unload one-tenth of the cargo from each carriage of this type and pile it on the side of the road!"

Sure enough... every exercise in the military logistics textbook of a certain academy in Shijiazhuang is a summary of practical experience.

Section Chief: “Yes!”

……

evening.

"Wash your feet! Wash your feet! Everyone wash their feet!"

Chen Tianheng kicked the butt of a soldier lying dead on the ground: "I'm exhausted now, but if you don't wash your feet and get sick, you'll be even more exhausted!"

The chore of the march was over, but the chore of camping wasn't. Chen Tianheng went to inspect the First Battalion's campsite, Xu Xiangqian to the Second, and Huang Wei to the Third. After each of them returned from their respective inspections, they returned to the regimental headquarters' campsite and, with a thud, lay down.

Huang Wei came back later than Chen Tianheng. He also lay down on the bed after entering the barracks, and the sound of him falling on the bed was louder than Chen Tianheng's.

"Captain, I'm really in pain all over today."