Chapter 1: Forced March

  In 1926, the gunfire of the Northern Expedition first sounded in Hunan, and the name Tang Shengzhi echoed across China for the first time.

  Tang Shengzhi was the commander of the 8th Army of the National Revolutionary Army at that time. First, he used his methods to get rid of Zhao Hengti, who was then the governor of Hunan Province. Then Wu Peifu, in a fit of anger, dispatched a large number of troops to attack Tang Shengzhi.

  Tang Shengzhi himself had some ability, but he was not a great talent. Moreover, the Eighth Army was not a direct descendant of Huangpu, so whether it was combat effectiveness or willpower, it was quite ordinary. If it weren't for the Guangzhou Revolutionary Government's constant support, Tang Shengzhi might have collapsed in Hunan long ago. Faced with the attack of so many Zhili troops, Tang Shengzhi felt tremendous pressure and had no choice but to seek help from the Guangzhou Revolutionary Government.

  Hunan is a very important location for the Northern Expedition. If Hunan is lost, Wu Peifu's troops can directly attack Guangdong and Guangxi before the Northern Expedition even begins.

  Guangdong is now at the height of its military power and cannot be intimidated by Wu Peifu, but Guangxi has always been poor, so Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi have no choice but to go to Guangzhou to negotiate.

  At that time, the First Army of the National Revolutionary Army in Guangzhou had already arrived in Hunan one step ahead. Their orders were to support Tang Shengzhi and defend Hunan, and the story of the rebirth of the wind began here in 1927.

  Endless black night, the troops of the Third Division marched silently on the official road. No lights, no sounds, only the silent marching soldiers.

  The heavens were not being kind, the drizzle showed a tendency to get heavier and heavier, the soldiers wore bamboo hats, but they had already been drenched by the rain.

  We are approaching Anren now, according to Tang Shengzhi's intelligence, Anren is definitely the enemy's main target.

  The soldiers didn't dare to utter a word, fearing that they might alert the enemy. From the commander to the soldiers, everyone was being extremely cautious, determined to win the first battle of the Northern Expedition.

  The bullets were all hidden in their bosoms, afraid of getting wet from the rain and not being able to fire. The horses' mouths were all muzzled, and the cannons were carried by a group of soldiers on their shoulders, with each step sinking into the mud. Sometimes they sank too deep and couldn't be pulled out. One soldier fell down, and another rushed over, afraid that the cannon would sink into the mud. At this time, the cannon was more precious than human life.

  Liu Yuan, this instructor, was like a wooden puppet, with several guns slung over his shoulder, walking at the front of the team, his body had long been stiffened, and when he walked, it was as if he was crawling out of a tomb, swaying back and forth.

  Several team leaders were also carefully checking the number of people in their own teams. It was about to go into battle, and they couldn't afford to be short-handed.

  The three divisions have undergone reorganization and downsizing, cutting off many people. The remaining ones are all elite, but even so, the three divisions still have more than 9,000 people.

  Nineteen thousand people, like a silent train, quietly walked on the land of Xiangnan.

  Stop advancing, Liu Yuan was like a leading sheep, suddenly stopped advancing, and the soldiers behind him immediately became as still as if time and space were forbidden.

  "Prepare for battle!" Liu Yuan's voice was a little hoarse, but on this quiet rainy night, it sounded so powerful.

  As Liu Yuan let out a loud roar, the entire troop immediately boiled over. The bayonets on the steel guns gleamed brightly, cannons were placed on flat ground, temporary artillery positions, instantly ready, blocking hands had already found the best blocking position, ready to snipe at any moment.

  A defeated soldier, without even a gun, with a uniform that was no longer tidy, having been mixed up in the mud countless times.

  The defeated soldiers were also startled by the sudden appearance of troops in front of them, but when they saw the Blue Sky with a White Sun emblem on the opposite side, they immediately shouted loudly, "Officer, it's our own people, don't shoot, we are the 39th Regiment of the Eighth Army."

  "Fart, the 39th Regiment is not inside defending the position, what the hell are you doing running so far outside to the fortifications?" Li Er Niu was always by Liu Yuan's side, although he didn't usually speak much, but occasionally he would scold someone on Liu Yuan's behalf.

  "Sir, you've arrived too late. The enemy's firepower is too strong, we can't hold on, and have no choice but to retreat. Our troops are scattered all over the place. Sir, please show mercy, let us pass." The speaker was a captain, almost kowtowing to Liu Yuan.

  "Damn it, your Eighth Army is full of trash. Tang Shengzhi still wants to rely on you to be the king of Changsha? Daydreaming! Get out of here from both sides!"

  "It's an officer, let's roll, we're rolling right away." After that, he led the team to leave in a hurry.

  But a young lieutenant stood stiffly in front of him, covered in mud but full of energy. He walked up to Liu and pulled out a clean military cap from his pocket, shook it gently, gazed at it lovingly, and gave Liu a crisp salute.

  "Sir, judging from the military might and numbers of your army, I suppose it should be one of the divisions of the First Army of the National Revolutionary Army." The young lieutenant said respectfully.

  "That's right, I'm the commander of the Third Division, Liu Yuan. What do you want to say? Speak up quickly, your Eighth Army lost Anren, and we still have to take it back for you." Liu Yuan always showed respect to every soldier, although he was only a junior officer, but Liu Yuan still returned the salute very seriously.

  "It turned out that it was Liu Shizhang who came to reinforce, and my Hunan is saved. To make a long story short, the one occupying Anren is Xie Wenbing's unit. Before occupying Anren, they had already occupied Lantian and Huangjiapu. In total, there are more than 35,000 people. Now, only their vanguard troops are stationed in Anren, judging from the sound of their guns, they probably have about 5,000 people." The lieutenant who stayed behind was actually here to brief on the enemy situation, Liu Yuan nodded his head, indicating for him to continue speaking. In fact, at the grassroots level of the military, there are still many hidden talents.

  "Grass, just 5,000 people and you've already lost Anren, why don't you go die." Ning Bo said with great displeasure from the side, he is now also considered a military officer, Third Division, Lieutenant Colonel Staff Officer.

  "Shut up," Liu Yuan glared at Ning Bo, this was all too familiar, winning a few battles and thinking he's the best in the world.

  Seeing Liu Yuan scolding a lieutenant colonel beside him, the junior officer was very moved. "Sir, it's our own fault. The regiment commander got drunk and there was no one to command during the battle, so we fought on our own, and Wu Peifu's soldiers were indeed elite, they didn't falter at night, but we couldn't hold out, that's why we lost."

  "En." Liu Yuan was about to say something, but the lieutenant continued, "I'm just a junior officer, no one listens to me. Actually, I suggested at the time that the battalion commander temporarily take over as regimental commander and direct the battle, but the battalion commander was afraid of death. It was the one who led the troops in retreat earlier. In fact, holding out for reinforcements is still possible, I don't believe Commander Tang can't see the importance of Anren."

  "I have a copy of the Anren battle map here, which I took from the command center when we retreated. My name is Wang Shihe, and I'm a combat staff officer." He handed the map to Liu Yuan, who opened it up and looked at it, nodding his head in approval.

  "Alright, I've heard what you said. You can stay with our Third Division and serve as a staff officer under me. Take a good look at how we fight." Liu Yuan thought this young lieutenant was quite good and wanted to keep him.

  "Really? Can I join the Third Regiment?" The lieutenant exclaimed excitedly.

  Liu Yuan shook his head and didn't speak, indicating for him to go find Chief of Staff Cao Yuan.

  "Of course, it's okay, but if you don't perform well, we'll expel you. I'm Chief of Staff Cao Yuan, welcome to join our Third Division. From now on, you'll be a member of our staff as a combat advisor." Actually, the newly appointed Chief of Staff was also poker-faced.