Chapter 1: Fury
Look at the "Bus" Wan Nan Yunling ink garden, where the headquarters of the New Fourth Army is located. Ye Ting, the army commander, stood in front of the window, his brow furrowed, gazing into the distance. It was after noon, and the beautiful summer scenery of the Wan Nan mountain area unfolded before him: green mountains, clear streams, lush flowers and trees, and dry fields and rice paddies all filled with vibrant greenery.
Although the sun was shining brightly outside, and the scenery was breathtaking, Ye Ting's heart remained shrouded in gloom. At the beginning of the year, more than 10,000 Red Army guerrilla fighters from various parts of Jiangnan had been ordered to gather for reorganization, with over 6,000 guns. Luo Zhuoying, who had come to inspect them, stood with an air of authority, eyeing the group standing before him: their faces were pale and wan, their clothes tattered and worn, their firearms incomplete. Was this really the arch-nemesis that had made Chiang Kai-shek uneasy for so many years? Ha! Now that they had fallen into our hands, they would have a good time?!
This was not the case, however. The original application for the Second Division's Fourth Brigade and Eighth Regiment's organization and 180,000 yuan in mobilization fees and organizational expenses were not approved. After repeated efforts, the Military Affairs Ministry finally approved the organization of four guerrilla columns with eight regiments, with a total monthly budget of only 65,000 yuan. At that time, the Nationalist Party's first-class, second-class, and third-class divisions had monthly allowances of 200,000, 150,000, and 100,000 yuan respectively. The New Fourth Army's four columns did not even receive the treatment of a third-rate division. An application for 10,000 sets of cotton military uniforms was also rejected, with the excuse that the New Fourth Army was engaged in guerrilla warfare and did not need uniforms. Even the allocation of ammunition was withheld because of a single typographical error in the New Fourth Army's report, resulting in the withholding of 500,000 rounds of ammunition. This even made Ye Ting, who was normally refined and courteous, fly into a rage, feeling that this was an outrageous affront!
Ye Ting endured the temper, repeatedly going to Chen Cheng and Gu Zhutong's residence for negotiations. Zhou Enlai also mediated as the deputy head of the political department, barely increasing the monthly military expenses to 90,000 yuan. However, other essential military supplies such as uniforms, ammunition, and medicine were still unresolved. For a force of 10,000 people, not to mention going to the front lines for battle, the costs of ammunition consumption, casualties, and medical treatment were enormous. Even in peacetime, the expenses for food, clothing, training, and medical care were substantial, and the 90,000 yuan military expenses could hardly last a few days. The entire army was struggling to make ends meet, often unable to afford meals. Fortunately, most of the officers and soldiers of the New Fourth Army came from the Red Army guerrilla forces and were accustomed to hardships such as lack of clothing, food, medicine, and other necessities, so there were few complaints. However, as a seasoned military leader who had experienced many battles and setbacks, and had broadened his horizons in Europe, what kept him up at night with worry was not just the current difficulties but also the overall situation of the military department and the strategic layout that would determine the survival or demise of the New Fourth Army. Without long-term planning, one will have immediate worries; for now, it is necessary to plan carefully and take action.
So he first went to Wuhan to apply for increased military funding and equipment, and used his resignation to pressure them into making concessions. The old masters of the Wuhan Military Commission pretended to be cooperative, playing a game of " Tai Chi", humming and hawing, which made Yeh Ting furious and helpless. Then he went to visit the Yangtze Bureau and received a warm welcome. Yeh Ting proposed setting up an organization within the New Fourth Army to facilitate discussion and handling of important military and political matters, and the Yangtze Bureau immediately sent a telegram to ask for instructions. A few days later, the Party Central Committee replied by telegram, approving the establishment of the "New Fourth Army Committee", with Item as director and Yeh as deputy director. Yeh Ting understood that this was the central government's deliberate attempt to narrow the distance between him and Xiang Ying, but this still did not solve the problem of his direct participation in military department decision-making.
After returning empty-handed from Wuhan, Ye Ting deeply felt that it was difficult for him to fulfill his duties as a military commander and gradually lost interest. Just as he wanted to have a long talk with Comrade Xiang Ying and tell him that he didn't want to do it anymore, Xiang Ying received a notification from the Central Committee and left southern Anhui to attend the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee in Yan'an, leaving Ye Ting in charge of the work. This made him feel even more neglected. Rather than being restricted in the rear, he might as well go to the front line to command battles early on.
Yeh Ting immediately summoned the director of the Political Department, Yuan Guoping, Deputy Chief of Staff Zhou Zikun, and Secretary General of the Military Department Li Yixiang, to explain his intentions in detail. The three men supplemented and perfected it, and on the spot they drafted a telegram to the Central Committee for instructions.
The enemy advanced along the river, and Anqing, Madang, and Jiujiang fell one after another. Wuhan was in a precarious situation. In order to expand our military influence, develop anti-Japanese armed forces, and pin down the enemy's attack, I decided to take advantage of the enemy's delay in arriving at Wuhan and establish a Field Command Headquarters and Political Department. I left Yun Yi in the Nanjing area to reorganize the troops, while I led the Chief of Staff with two regiments formed into a light mobile detachment to move forward and operate in the southern Jiangsu region.
After the telegram was sent, the staff began to formulate a plan for the eastern campaign, and as soon as the central reply arrived, it could be organized and implemented. Perhaps the Central Committee was busy convening the Sixth Plenary Session and had no time to spare; or perhaps the matter of the Eastern Expedition was too important and needed careful study, and also needed to be communicated with the Third War Zone. Waiting left and right, more than a dozen days passed, but still did not see the central reply. Ye Ting was anxious in his heart, and it was hard for him to eat and sleep. He saw that the opportunity for battle was ahead, but he had no way to act, and it was really difficult. Was it true that he, this monk, was not suitable to be the abbot of the New Fourth Army?
Just as Ye Ting was sighing and lamenting in front of the window, a sudden and urgent phone call interrupted his thoughts. Ye Ting quickly walked to the desk, grabbed the receiver, and listened - it was a call from Zhou Zikun. After hearing just a few sentences, Ye Ting's face changed color, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart: How could such a thing happen? When did it occur? Why wasn't it reported in time? Ah, it has just been verified, too slow! Immediately send someone to bring them back, take my guard squad with you. The Battle of Wuhan is imminent, they are deserting before the battle, this is unacceptable, must be severely punished! After finishing speaking, he hung up the phone with a huff, and sat heavily in his chair, his face not recovering its color for some time.
Just formed and already had an armed escape incident, all three are still regimental-level cadres. If this gets out, wouldn't it make people laugh their teeth off? For the New Fourth Army, no matter how difficult the situation is, no matter how rampant the enemy is, they can always find a way to deal with it. But internal discord, lax discipline, and wavering morale are extremely dangerous, as they can directly destroy an army.
Ye Ting, fully aware of the severity of the incident, immediately came to the adjacent combat conference room and issued three orders: Strictly control personnel from going out in the near future; All troops stationed near the military department strengthened their vigilance against the enemy; The three departments of the staff headquarters did a good job in collecting and analyzing intelligence, and reported any situation immediately.
