The Fourth Section: Two Heroes and Three Gallants

  The next day, the sky was overcast and the smell of blood in the wind grew heavier. After Chiang Kai-shek finished his routine inspection of the campus, he met Liao Zhongkai on his way back to his office. Although Liao served as the political commissar of the Whampoa Military Academy, he had too many concurrent posts and spent very little time on Huangpu Island. Unlike when the academy first opened, when he would come to the island every two or three days with money, now that the Soviet Union was providing sufficient funding for the academy's expenses, his visits became even less frequent.

  After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two men walked side by side towards the office building. Chiang Kai-shek asked Liao Zhongkai what brought him back to school, and Liao sighed and said: "It's still about that batch of Russian arms. Zhu Peide and Zhao Liangdong have been looking for me everywhere, saying that as troops under the same Premier, they should be treated equally. Zhu Peide even said that Zhao Hengti's troops in Hunan, on the border with Guangdong, have been moving frequently, with suspicions of invading Guangdong. His troops are not well-equipped, and if a fight breaks out, it will be difficult to resist."

  Chiang Kai-shek's face turned gloomy, ever since the Russian aid arrived, various troops swarmed in like flies smelling blood, eyeing the 8,000 guns, not only pressuring the Premier but also Chiang himself, and now they were pressuring Liao Zhongkai as well.

  "No, the Premier said before he left that these firearms cannot be distributed and must all be used to equip the new army. Not even Commander Hsu is allowed to have any, unless they are willing to reorganize their troops, in which case they will get as many as they need."

  "They probably don't want it, but what they want this time is not the previous batch. This isn't the second batch of Russian aid military equipment that will arrive in a few days, they want this batch."

  "No, not even that, Brother Kai. We absolutely cannot open this door. Once we do, all the other armies will swarm in and it'll be impossible to control who gets what. Besides, these troops are a mixed bag - people like Liu Zhenhuan and Yang Ximin may or may not be truly committed to the revolution. As I've said before, without reorganizing the military, we won't give them a single gun or bullet." Chiang Kai-shek was firm and unyielding.

  "This I know, the reason I'm looking for you is," Liao Zhongkai said in a low voice: "I heard someone wants to hijack this batch of military equipment, so I think it's also up to you to take care of it. I don't trust anyone else."

  Chiang Kai-shek stopped immediately, grasped Liao Zhongkai's hand and said: "Alright, rest assured, every single gun and bullet entrusted to me will not be missing. If there is any loss, I am willing to accept severe punishment from the party and military discipline."

  "I wouldn't entrust it to you if I didn't trust you," Liao Zhongkai said, "But this is just a rumor, and whether or not it's true is still hard to say. Just be more careful, that's all."

  "A sound is heard from an empty hole, not without a source; someone may come to steal and run away, but I'd like to see who dares to come to Huangpu to rob me." A ruthless tone was revealed in Chiang Kai-shek's words. Nowadays, no one in Huangpu dared to say that sending just one company could disarm the enemy, although only one battalion of the Training Regiment had formed a combat force, but Chiang Kai-shek was full of confidence.

  Then Chiang Kai-shek asked strangely: "How did those people know when the Russian goods would arrive."

  Liao Zhongkai smiled wryly: "Are there not enough secret agents in Guangzhou? The imperial camp will probably not be clean either."

  Chiang Kai-shek remained silent after hearing this, looking at Liao Zhongkai and then at the guard following behind him, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

  After a few sentences, they arrived at the entrance of the office building. At this time, He Yingqin hastily came out from inside. When He Yingqin saw Chiang Kai-shek and Liao Zhongkai, he quickly saluted them. Chiang Kai-shek asked: "Jingzhi, where are you going?"

  "Principal, I'll go take a look at whether the houses in the third battalion's camp have been set up. The soldiers are arriving on the island tomorrow. Yesterday when I went to check on the third battalion's quarters, they still hadn't been set up. I really don't know what the military supplies department is doing." He Yingqin said irritably.

  "This Zhou Junyan, you go see him and tell him what I said. Today we can't build it up, and he shouldn't come to Huangpu Island again in the future." Chiang Kai-shek was really angry, He Yingqin responded with a sound and was about to leave, but Chiang Kai-shek called him back: "Have you done well with the training plan and list of officers for the Training Regiment?"

  "It's already been handed over to Secretary Zhang before it came out." He Yingqin turned around and was about to leave, but suddenly turned back and asked: "Principal, I heard that Director Zhou of the Political Department is going to let go of Jiang Xiyun, Li Zhilong, and Yang Qigang?"

  "Right."

  "That won't do, I still want Jiang Xianyun to be a company commander. They are all on the list of names I want."

  "Don't worry, it's just temporary." Chiang Kai-shek comforted He Yingqin, who seemed a bit anxious.

  "Temporary? Once the meat has entered the wolf's mouth, it can't come out. Principal, the teaching team is a trial point for the school army, and the most outstanding graduates should be assigned to the teaching team." He Yingqin didn't believe it, and began to emphasize the importance of the teaching team.

  "This is what's been troubling me." Chiang Kai-shek sighed to Liao Zhongkai, "Every department needs people, and they all want the best. One Jiang Xianyun, one Zhuang Jihua, are all fighting for them, no one wants to let go."

  "Everyone comes up with a big bunch of reasons, all saying they are important here, and demanding to be taken care of."

  Liao Zhongkai smiled and said: "The students of Huangpu welcome you as the principal, you should be happy, but... I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you too."

  Chiang Kai-shek looked at him uncomprehendingly: "You don't want people either."

  Liao Zhongkai said: "I don't want anyone, my place is the provincial government and the workers' department, and for the time being, we don't need students from Whampoa." Seeing Chiang Kai-shek relax, he continued to say: "However, someone asked me to ask you for people."

  Chiang Kai-shek knew he had been fooled, and He Yingqin laughed: "Liao Zhongkai has also learned to fool people."

  Liao Zhongkai smiled and said: "What a joke! I'm not like your principal who always has a sullen face."

  Chiang Kai-shek sighed and said: "It's all because of those people." These people really know how to find someone, Liao Zhongkai's face he cannot not give.

  "Mainly the Iron Armor Corps, Wu Tiecheng also said he wanted to get some people from Huangpu, and another one is Shi Boluo's garden, but they just asked for someone to help with training."

  "Worker's picket line, peasant self-defense army?"

  "Right."

  "The merchant groups have just been pacified, and two more have emerged. Brother Zhongkai, the military should be in the hands of the government." Chiang Kai-shek said.

  "This is built by the Communist Party, which has an essential difference with the merchant group. Besides, it's not a military force, no big deal." Liao Zhongkai said seriously, knowing that Chiang Kai-shek opposed the establishment of the inspection team and self-defense army.

  "The country's interests cannot be entrusted to individuals." Chiang Kai-shek said seriously.

  "The cooperation between the Nationalist Party and the Communist Party in building the party and the army, without the weapons and equipment of Soviet Russia, we would not have been able to establish military schools and militarize the schools. Besides, aren't there also Communist Party members among the students?"

  "I support everything else, just not the military."

  "They are just small armed groups of one or two hundred people, so it's not worth damaging relations between the two parties because of this."

  "Suit yourself." Chiang Kai-shek saw that he could not persuade Liao Zhongkai and said nothing more.

  "Principal, what about those people?" He Yingqin did not give up.

  "Can't you let me think?" Chiang Kai-shek thought for a moment and then asked: "Will you be back this afternoon?"

  "No problem, I'll tell Zhou Junyan the principal's words and come back, he won't dare not to listen." He Yingqin saw hope and quickly agreed.

  "Alright, since Brother Chiang is here this afternoon, let's have a meeting and settle the allocation. You can discuss it face to face." Chiang Kai-shek then said to Liao Zhongkai: "However, you won't be able to return this noon."

  Chiang Kai-shek said this for a reason, the Huangpu military was modeled after the Soviet Union, and regulations stipulated that without the signature of a political commissar, Chiang's orders were invalid.

  "If you can't go back then don't go back, it's less of a headache." Liao Zhongkai waved his hand.

  He Yingqin left afterwards. He was confident that he could capture the people he wanted during the meeting. After all, the Guidance Team is currently the focus.

  After the graduation ceremony allocation meeting ended, it was already after four o'clock. The various department heads who attended the meeting came out of the conference room and returned to their respective offices, with different expressions on their faces. The most pleased was the new Dean of Studies, He Yingqin, while the most disappointed was Zhou Junyan. As soon as he walked out the door, he began to vent his frustrations: "Damn it, the Logistics Department is like a stepmother who only remembers you when they need something done, and then expects you to produce results in the blink of an eye. But when there's a benefit to be had, they forget all about you. I'm not some kind of superman with three heads and six arms!"

  Serious mood is not good: "Brother Zhēn Qín, what kind of bitter situation are you in? You're still able to hold on, but I'm already starting the third recruitment period and will be entering school soon. Look, when the time comes, if there's no team leader, I'll demand that one be assigned from among the second-period students."

  He Yingqin was secretly pleased, but still comforted Yan severely: "Li San brother, I will never compete with you for the second batch of students. This is also helpless for me. If the teaching group can't do well, it's not good for both of us to explain."

  "Got it, got it, got a good deal." Said with great discontent: "Jiang Xianyun, you can go if you want, but Zhuang Jihua, why can't you let me have him? If Zhuang Jihua is taken, Guan Linzheng can be left for me, that's fine too."

  "Didn't I compete with you for Chen Kang?" He Yingqin said cleverly.

  "Get out! You think I don't know? If it weren't for the commissar speaking up, wouldn't you have snatched it?" Yan severely reminded him.

  He Yingqin smiled and said nothing more. Wang Boling's face showed no expression, as he had analyzed beforehand that his department of instructors had no advantage at all. After all, these newly graduated students could not immediately become instructors, so he spoke the least during the meeting.

  "Director Zhou is indeed clever and quick to act, he asked the principal for people yesterday, He Zhanchan and Li Zilong, two of the three heroes were taken away." Wang Boling wanted to divert the serious fire towards Director Zhou.

  "There, the two heroes and three chieftains, above the three chieftains are the two heroes, those two heroes didn't go to the teaching group, didn't General Yan also go to Chen Gong? Moreover, my political department is just a department in name, actually it's just me and Gan Nai Guang, I'm the only director, I don't ask the principal for people, who would I ask?" Director Zhou calmly blocked Wang Boling's words.

  However, he remembered that the meeting just now was also quite funny. When he handed over the list of names to Chiang Kai-shek's political department, He Yingqin almost jumped up when he heard that Jiang Xiyun, Zhuang Jihua, He Zhenhan, Li Zhilong, Yang Qigang, and Chen Gong were all on the list. He shouted directly: "You want both heroes and three chieftains? Absolutely not!" His manner was completely devoid of a Confucian general's demeanor, and others were also extremely surprised. He didn't quite understand what "both heroes and three chieftains" meant, so he seriously explained to him the meaning of "both heroes and three chieftains", such as Li Zhilong's mouth, He Zhenhan's pen, Chen Gong's legs, etc.

  Huangpu has three heroes

  Cut out the tongue and chop off the pen, kick to death.

  After passing through the Three Heroes' Ghost Gate

  Above the Three Heroes stand two champions.

  I don't know who came up with this tongue twister, but it's quite rhythmic. Being able to recruit Li Zhi Long, Yang Qi Gang and He Zhong Han can also alleviate the personnel shortage in the political department a bit.

  Everyone also knew that Director Zhou was telling the truth. Just as He Yingqin was about to speak, Chiang Kai-shek's secretary Zhang Jingyu came up and said to He Yingqin: "General He, the principal asks you to go to his office."

  Director Zhou returned to the office and was about to open the door when he saw Jiang Xianyun and Zhuang Jihua chatting with Gan Nai Guang in the opposite office. He then heard Gan Nai Guang say, "What's your Zhu Wen Ge up to now?"