Chapter 2: Stormy Weather at Huangpu Section 14: Annihilation

  A few people accompanied Sun Yat-sen on his way back, and Sun Yat-sen was inspired by the sentry's influence. As he walked, he said: "If all soldiers were like the students of Huangpu, no powerful country would dare to bully China. The students of Huangpu did not disappoint my hopes."

  "Except for Zhu Peide, all the troops are setting out one after another to their designated positions. Liu Zhenhua and Yang Ximin also expressed that they will depart soon. It's almost time, it's almost time to strike. If Chen Jiongming hadn't betrayed us during the last Northern Expedition, we might have already reached the Yangtze River."

  "When all the troops arrive, let them take a look. If they have one-tenth of such spirit, we would have toppled Nanchang long ago; if two-tenths, we could reach Wuhan and Nanjing."

  "You said this time we can't beat Nanjing and overthrow the Beiyang government." Sun Yat-sen asked enthusiastically, stopping in his tracks.

  "If each army fights to the death, it shouldn't be a big problem to capture Nanjing." Wen Susong hesitated for a moment before answering. At present, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang War is ongoing, with the main force of Jiangsu Governor Qi Xieyuan attacking Zhejiang Governor Lu Yongxiang in Zhejiang, while Wu Peifu is gathering troops in Beijing to deal with the Fengtian clique's Zhang Zuolin.

  "What do you think, Huangpu's twin heroes."

  Zhuang Jihua and Jiang Xianyun looked at each other without saying a word.

  "You young people should have a broad mind and ambitious goals for the world. Your principal and political commissar have mentioned you two in front of me more than once, saying that you are the elite of Huangpu and the pillars of the country's future. Why are you so timid? Be bold." Sun Yat-sen encouraged them as he saw their hesitant expressions.

  Chiang hesitantly said: "The students think that this time the Northern Expedition's outcome is hard to predict."

  Zhuang Jihua still didn't speak. Sun Zhongshan's smile solidified, he hadn't expected that these two young people also didn't think highly of this Northern Expedition, but he also admired the two for not catering to his own ego. He then smiled and said: "Why? Tell me your reasoning."

  Jiang Xianyun saw Sun Yat-sen's appearance, and with encouragement, he boldly said: "The students have no basis, but they feel that there is Chen Jiongming's business group making trouble in the rear, and a strong enemy in front, so it's hard to win."

  Sun Yat-sen heard this and said in silence: "We will completely leave Guangdong, return Guangdong to the people of Guangdong. The merchant corps incident will soon subside. As for Chen Jiongming, he wants to get Guangdong naturally and we must support our Northern Expedition."

  "So you also agree with his point of view? Zhuang Wenge, don't be silent, say something too."

  Zhuang Jihua was in a dilemma, he thought for a long time, this Northern Expedition had no memory of his (actually there was, but his poor history...), but he referred to the existing memories, analyzed various situations and came to a very bad conclusion, so hesitated whether to follow Jiang Xianyun or to express his own thoughts.

  Seeing Sun Yat-sen's encouraging gaze, he said with a heavy heart: "Let the Premier down, and make the students even more pessimistic."

  Sun Yat-sen still didn't get angry: "Let's talk about it."

  "The students thought that the merchant group incident might still have twists and turns, Chen Jiongming is not trustworthy. Liu Zhenhuan and Yang Ximin are also not trustworthy. The revolutionary army is internally unstable, a small defeat in the Northern Expedition would be better than no victory at all."

  Sun Yat-sen felt strange, it was actually the worst result, so his smile disappeared, but he still encouraged Zhuang Jihua to continue with a questioning gaze.

  Zhuang Jihua swallowed his saliva and carefully said: "The Premier's decision to leave Guangdong is considered a victory for the merchant group, will they not take advantage of it? Will Chen Jiongming attack Guangzhou when the main force of the Northern Expeditionary Army enters Jiangxi? These issues must be resolved before the Northern Expedition can proceed. The core of all these problems lies with the merchant group, and students believe that before the Northern Expedition begins, we must resolve the issue of the merchant group and... Chen Jiongming, at the very least, we must resolve the issue of the merchant group."

  "Hmm, it seems that you two have similar views, but what you don't know is that the government has already agreed to return the confiscated military equipment in batches and lift the wanted notices for Chen Bohe and Chen Gong." During their conversation, Soong Ching-ling stood quietly by, her eyes flashing with a hint of worry when she heard that neither of them thought highly of the Northern Expedition.

  "The students thought the government had made concessions, but whether the merchant group would accept was still a question. At the same time, another risk must be prevented: that is, the merchant group colluding with Chen Jiongming. Once these two forces join hands, Chen Jiongming has an army and the merchant group has funds; the harm caused by their combination will far exceed that of acting separately."

  "Do you think they will collude with each other?" Sun Yat-sen stared at Zhuang Jihua with a serious expression.

  "I don't know, students lack necessary information, can only make a guess."

  "What would you do if you were Chen Lianbo?" Sun Yat-sen asked.

  "If the student is Chen Lianbo, I would take a two-handed approach. On the surface, I would support the Northern Expedition and even donate military equipment to the government, and even provide some financial assistance. In secret, I would contact Chen Jiongming and Wu Peifu, and then buy off the remaining generals of the Yunnan-Guizhou army. When the Northern Expeditionary Army reaches Nanchang or the Jiangxi-Anhui border, I would join forces with Chen Jiongming to take Guangzhou, and then march north to block the Guangdong-Jiangxi border, cutting off the Northern Expeditionary Army's supply lines. If at that time the Jiangxi army retreated to the Jiangxi-Anhui border and joined forces with the Zhili clique in Jiangsu and Hubei to launch a counterattack, the Northern Expeditionary Army would be trapped in central Jiangxi, and with a lack of supplies and ammunition, internal divisions would arise. At that point, I would make further purchases, and the Northern Expeditionary Army would inevitably split apart. Then, with the support of the premier's troops, we could launch a pincer movement from north and south, and the main force of the Northern Expeditionary Army would likely suffer heavy losses even if they managed to escape Jiangxi."

  Zhuang Jihua's strategic plan made Sun Zhongshan more and more afraid, his face finally changed greatly. Wen Su Song kept giving him eye signals, so Zhuang Jihua changed his tone and said: "However, judging from Chen Lianbo's current actions, he hasn't thought of this yet. Maybe it's because the commercial organization is too loose to implement this strategy. And this is just a student's opinion, Premier can combine other intelligence to confirm."

  Sun Yat-sen's face turned serious, and he paced back and forth in thought. After the meeting, he said resolutely: "No, this idea may have a low possibility of success, but once it is implemented, I'm afraid Jiangxi will be our burial ground."

  Zhuang Jihua was deeply moved and admired Sun Yat-sen, such a great man could face him, such a small person, to admit his own mistakes, and not pretend at all.

  Sun Yat-sen then said, "There is a situation you may not know. This Northern Expedition was actually planned at the beginning of the year. I sent Ye Gongchao to negotiate with Zhang Zuolin and Duan Qirui, and the three parties agreed to unite against Wu Peifu. At this moment, Zhang Zuolin and Lu Yongxiang have already started their action, we cannot but take some actions."

  Zhuang Jihua knew that Sun Yat-sen had some doubts, and this was to ask for his opinion. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel extremely proud. The Northern Expedition, the great plan of the military and the country, the three families united against the straight, these were all major historical events, and he, as an undergraduate student, could actually participate and even express his opinions...

  Zhuang Jihua suppressed the excitement in his heart, but a hint of joy still seeped onto his face.

  "Prime Minister, students have something to say but don't know if they should say it or not."

  "Come on, Zhong Kai has said before that you, Zhuang Wen Ge, are more talented and braver than others. How come you've become so timid now?"

  "Yes, students just say it directly."

  "The purpose of the revolution is to overthrow the warlords and rebuild China. If the Northern Expedition is for the three families to oppose the Zhili clique, then the students think that this time the Northern Expedition's purpose is contrary to the revolutionary purpose."

  Zhuang Jihua explained: "The three families opposing the Zhili clique, on the surface, are to overthrow the Zhili warlords. But what about the results of the three families opposing the Zhili clique? From a military perspective, there are three possible outcomes: victory or defeat, and if defeated, the Zhili faction will become even stronger. If it's a draw, then everyone will maintain the status quo. And if they win? The one who made the greatest contribution to the three families opposing the Zhili clique is naturally Zhang Zuolin. Beijing is close to the Northeast, and once the Zhili clique is defeated, Zhang Zuolin will lead his troops into North China, and his influence may expand to Shandong and Anhui. At that time, he will be the most powerful person in China. So how will he deal with the Beijing government? For us, the best outcome would be for the Premier to become the Premier or President, but what will Zhang Zuolin do? Maybe he will, maybe he won't, but either way, he will be a puppet controlled by him, and he will not follow the Five-Power Constitution, nor will he support the Three Principles of the People. In the past, Wu Peifu used the banner of 'Long live the workers' to overthrow the Anhui clique's Duan Qirui, but what did Wu Peifu do after coming to power? Is there any difference between him and the Anhui clique? They are warlords, and Zhang Zuolin as a warlord cannot surpass Wu Peifu and Duan Qirui. Therefore, after the three families opposing the Zhili clique succeed, we may have to start preparing for the three families opposing the Fengtian clique."

  "Whether it is the Jiangsu-Zhejiang War or the Zhili-Fengtian War, in essence they are all warlord mix-ups. If we participate in this warlord mix-up, what we lose politically will exceed what we gain militarily."

  Sun Yat-sen silently watched Zong Jihua talking, and couldn't help but think of an article Liao Zhongkai had given him. It was written by this very Zong Jihua. Talented people are hard to come by! But you don't know that I've already made contact with Feng Yuxiang and Hu Jingyi. This time Wu Peifu will definitely be defeated. When Zong Jihua mentioned Zhang Zuolin's plan to deploy troops in North China, Sun Yat-sen felt his initial idea was a bit too simplistic.

  Will Zhang Zuolin abide by the agreement and not enter North China? If he does not abide by the agreement, insists on sending troops to North China, can Feng Yuxiang and Hu Jingyi stop him? With tens of thousands of elite soldiers in his hands, it is likely that Feng Yuxiang and Hu Jingyi will find it difficult to do so. In this case, Zhang Zuolin will inevitably control the Beijing government, and his central revolutionary plan will come to nothing. Thinking of this, he hesitated again about his decision to abandon Guangdong.

  "The Cultural Revolution and the warlords' infighting in the North are advantageous to us. If we don't launch the Northern Expedition, won't it disappoint the people's hopes?" Sun Yat-sen asked with a frown.

  "Premier, the reason we are not carrying out a military Northern Expedition is mainly because our strength is insufficient, especially since the Guangdong base is unstable. The students suggest that we should launch a northern expedition and yet not launch one, not launch one and yet launch one."

  "The northerners are attacking and yet not attacking, they are not attacking and yet attacking." Sun Yat-sen found it a bit strange and didn't quite understand.

  "No, bu fa is not conducting a military Northern Expedition, fa refers to launching a political Northern Expedition." Zhuang Jihua explained.

  "Northern Expedition of Politics?"

  "Yes, the political Northern Expedition. The main means is propaganda, to clearly point out to the people that this is a warlord war, which will only bring suffering to the country and nation, and to stir up a wave of opposition to the warlords across the country, letting the idea of opposing the warlords and overthrowing them take root in people's minds. At the same time, vigorously promote our party's platform, pointing out that only by building China according to the Three People's Principles can the chaos be eliminated and the people live a stable life. Thus prepare politically and in public opinion for the future military Northern Expedition; also, take advantage of the warlords' inability to intervene in Guangdong to thoroughly resolve the East River Chen Jiongming issue, use force to pacify the merchant groups, reorganize the various armies, and establish a new army with the Whampoa students as its backbone."

  "For warlords, talking about faith, country and nation is useless. They only believe in strength. Only when your fist is harder than his will he listen to you and respect your pursuit."

  Sun Yat-sen listened quietly, pondering as he listened; Jiang Xianyun looked at him with admiration, secretly sighing that he was not as good as Sun; Wen Susong finally understood why Chiang Kai-shek and Liao Zhongkai valued Zhuang Jihua so much.

  Sun Yat-sen thought for a moment and said: "Wenchang, Wushan, you two come to my side and be my deputy officers, how about that?"

  The two of them were stunned and stood there, unsure of what to say.

  "What's wrong, don't you want to?"

  Zhuang Jihua said dazedly: "No, no, it's just... , it's just... , happiness came too suddenly, lacking mental preparation."

  Everyone was stunned, and suddenly they all burst out laughing. Zhuang Jihua stood there, thinking to himself that it wasn't a big deal, why were they laughing so hard? This is colloquial language. Seeing his expression, everyone laughed even harder. Jiang Xianyun thought to herself while laughing, "You're really something, Zhuang Wenge, you're so bold even in front of the Premier." Wen Susong forced himself to say to Zhuang Jihua with a straight face, "You, Zhuang Jihua, are always smooth-talking at school, and now you're being so bold in front of the Premier too."

  Sun Yat-sen smiled and said: "Young people are like that, they are reckless, this is what young people are."

  Jiang Xianyun then said, "It's our honor that the Premier wants to promote us, but we are still students at the military academy and our studies are not yet complete. Whether it is suitable for us to suddenly hold high positions, please consider this, Premier."

  Sun Yat-sen also felt that Jiang Xianyun's words were reasonable, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "You're right, we can't do things like pulling out the seedlings to help them grow. For this period of time, you will serve as my temporary deputy officers, and also take charge of the guard team. After returning to Guangzhou, you will return to school with the team to complete your studies."

  After Wen Suo-song returned to school and made a detailed report to Chiang Kai-shek, he also explained Zhuang Jihua's idea in detail. Unexpectedly, it was passed on by the secretary, and after being passed around, it finally evolved into: Zhuang Jihua annihilated the Northern Expedition Army, and the Premier changed his mind to prioritize the suppression of the Merchant Corps.