Chapter 3: The Wind Rises in Guangdong Section 49: Breaking Bamboo

  After the victory of Tamsui, the Eastern Expeditionary Army advanced like a broken bamboo and captured Pingshan and Baimaohua. Hong Zhaolong and Yin Ji originally wanted to use the terrain conditions of Baimaohua to block the Eastern Expeditionary Army, but the army had no will to fight, morale was low, and they were bypassed by Zhang Mingda's division of the Guangdong Army, attacking their flank and rear. As a result, Hong and Yin's two divisions fled in disorder, Yin Ji's division completely dispersed, and Hong Zhaolong led only over 3,000 men to escape to the Chaozhou-Shantou area, at which point the enemy on the southern front had almost no resistance.

  After capturing Baimaokou, the Eastern Expeditionary Army headquarters held a meeting in Baimaokou, attended by senior generals such as Xu Chongzhi, Chiang Kai-shek and Galen, to discuss the next direction of operations.

  At this time, the entire battlefield was in a stalemate. The main force of the Yunnan Army on the northern front was facing off against Lin Hu's forces north of Heyuan and Boluo, while Tan Yancai's unit and Chen Jiongming's unit were locked in a standoff at Lianping. The entire northern front was at an impasse. On the central front, the Guangxi Army and the Yunnan Army's Third Army under Hu Sishun had surrounded Huizhou, along with Chen Mingxu's brigade from the Guangdong Army. Meanwhile, the southern front forces, composed of the Hunan Army and the Guangdong Army, were winning battle after battle, and Chen Jiongming's hometown of Haifeng was on the brink of being overrun.

  The southern troops were in high spirits, but the senior generals were very calm. The news brought by Xu Chongzhi indicated that the Yunnan Army and Lin Hu were engaged in a "sitting" war on the northern front, with both sides tacitly maintaining a defensive stance. What's more worrying is that Yang Ximin and Liu Zhenhuan recently issued a telegram advocating for peace talks between the north and south to achieve domestic peace, but then Yang Ximin abandoned his troops and went to Hong Kong, and Lin Hu still did not launch an attack, leaving many questions unanswered.

  There are two paths before the Eastern Expeditionary Army: one is to march north and capture Huizhou; the other is to advance east and capture Haifeng, Lufeng, and Chaozhou. The advantages of the former lie in the fact that Huizhou is a key stronghold of Chen Jiongming's army, and taking it down would thoroughly destroy Chen's power in East River. However, the disadvantages are that Huizhou city has high walls and thick defenses, which have been reinforced by Chen's long-term occupation, and the Yunnan-Guizhou army once besieged the city for several months without success. If they take too long to capture Huizhou, it will give Chen's army a chance to regroup, and Yang Ximin's movements are suspicious - if the Yunnan-Guizhou army were to change sides, not only would their current gains be lost, but the Eastern Expeditionary Army would also face enemy attacks from both sides. The advantages of advancing east to Chaozhou lie in the fact that the enemy forces facing them, led by Hong Zhaolin, are currently unable to fight back, and the enemy's military strength is empty - they can take advantage of Yang Ximin's unclear attitude to capture Chaozhou, annihilate or drive out Hong Zhaolin's forces into Fujian Province. However, the disadvantages lie in the fact that advancing east would be a lone army deep in enemy territory, with supply lines stretching at least 400 miles from Guangzhou to the front line - and if Yang Ximin were to change sides, there is a possibility of their rear being completely cut off.

  The two plans have their pros and cons, the military leaders attending the meeting debated fiercely. However, Galen and Zhang Mingda advocated for advancing eastward, while Xu Chongzhi and Chiang Kai-shek were somewhat hesitant. Xu Ji strongly advocated for marching north to capture Huizhou, believing that the Eastern Expeditionary Army had suffered heavy casualties in several battles and it would be risky to continue advancing eastward. If they advanced eastward, he requested a period of rest to regroup and replenish their troops.

  Gallienus expressed his opposition, now the enemy is a startled bird, if we rest and the enemy also catches their breath, after our rest is over, the enemy's preparation will also be completed, at that time it will be several times more difficult for us to launch an attack.

  Galan's words did not convince Xu Jie, but they made Chiang Kai-shek determined to go east. His decision affected Xu Chongzhi, who decided to transfer the Guangdong Army Chen Mingxu's brigade to join the southern front, and also asked the General Headquarters to add Wu Yicheng's guard army to the southern front, still with Chiang Kai-shek as the commander-in-chief of the southern front.

  The specific deployment was to divide the army into two routes, with Chiang Kai-shek leading the vanguard out of Meilongwan to attack Haifeng from the left wing; and Xu Chongzhi personally led along the west bank of the Xi River to take the road to Sanduo Village to attack Haifeng.

  The collapse of the Southern Front left Chen Jiongming both shocked and enraged. He had not expected the Southern Front to fall so quickly and thoroughly, with just two more regiments of Huangpu troops, Xu Chongzhi's Guangdong army changed so much. He couldn't understand it, so he attributed the reason to his subordinates not listening to orders. If Hong Zhaoming could have acted two days earlier, Danshui would not have been taken by surprise. Lin Hu in the Northern Front did not move according to plan and did not attack Tan Yankai's flank as ordered. Chen Jiongming felt that this time he had lost control over his subordinates, and the contradictions accumulated among them during their struggles for survival in Dongjiang over the past two years had exploded in this battle. However, he still saw an opportunity. Ye Yuanqiu was negotiating with Yang Xisheng in Hong Kong, and Deng Benyin's attitude had also relaxed. As long as they could win a victory, these wavering forces would turn to him, and he could turn the entire situation around. Chen Jiongming calmed down and sent Lin Hu a long telegram: He had reached a secret agreement with the Yunnan army, which would not attack him. He should leave a small force to monitor them and lead the main force south from Heyuan, passing through Zijin, Hebapo, and Jinhu to attack the flank of the Guangdong army on the Southern Front, annihilating it in one fell swoop. Finally, Chen Jiongming told Lin Hu in a sorrowful tone that this battle was related to the survival of the entire army, and only he had the ability to reverse the tide. If he failed, the army would cease to exist.

  Zhuang Jihua was in Haifeng to catch up with the troops, but the progress of the troops was too fast. The vanguard team had made its greatest efforts and still failed to catch up with the troops in Pingshan. Hong Zhaolin received support from Ma Xiongtao's division, which came from the northern line at Sanzhuduo, but was attacked by Zhang Mingda's division and Xu Jitang's brigade that night, causing the army to collapse again. Most of Ma Xiongtao's troops surrendered, and Hong Zhaolin led the remaining 2,000 soldiers to abandon Haifeng and Lufeng and retreat wildly to Chaozhou. Chiang Kai-shek's left-wing army did not encounter any resistance but still arrived in Haifeng after the Second Division of the Guangdong Army.

  Zhuang Jihua led the 7th Regiment and the vanguard into Haifeng, and after completing the handover of tasks with the Logistics Department and the Director of Logistics, he considered his mission accomplished. As they passed through the city gate, he saw Gong Xiu Hua and Bai Ling Niao Aying propagandizing to a group of peasants, with several peasants dressed in red ribbons standing beside them.

  He turned his head and left, but unexpectedly Gong Xiu Hua saw him at a glance. The people in this line of work were too eye-catching, with big and small cars loaded with supplies, and the various outfits of the cart pushers were all there. However, Gong Xiu Hua's eyesight was still very good, and he spotted him in the crowd at once.

  She squeezed out of the crowd and ran towards Zhuang Jihua, shouting as she ran: "Director Zhuang, Director Zhuang."

  Zhuang Jihua stood still, helpless. He didn't like girls who liked to get involved in politics, especially those who leaned towards the Communist Party. Gong Xiu Hua ran up to him, her face flushed, her chest heaving slightly. Zhuang Jihua looked at her and couldn't help but say: "Xiu Hua is a very elegant name, I didn't expect..."

  "Who would have thought? I didn't think I was so wild, like a boy, huh?" Gong Xue gave him a white eye.

  "I just think the name doesn't suit you." Zhuang Jihua didn't want to stir up unnecessary debate, he still had to go ask the military supplies department over there, no need to waste time here.

  "My parents just want me to stay at home, learn some embroidery or something, and then marry a rich man. I won't do as they wish." Gong Xiu Hua coldly snorted.

  "What's the point of me doing all the publicity if you're not going to do your part?" Zhuang Jihua had seen this kind of rebellious girl in his past life, always wanting to break free from family constraints and forge her own path, but most of them were quickly scared back by difficulties, only a small number of people persisted; of course, the former was not necessarily a bad thing.

  "You seem unwelcome to me?" Gong Xuanhua blinked her eyes, feeling a bit suffocated in her heart. She had some good feelings towards this person. The last time they met during the parade, Li Zhilong and Chen Gang gave him high praise afterwards, but he rarely participated in their activities, not even attending the Qingjun meeting; His idea made her participate in the Eastern Expedition, and if she performed well, she might even join CY. This was what Li Haoyi, the secretary of the team branch, told her; It was also this person who organized them to perform at Zhangmu Head, as a result, they were welcomed by soldiers wherever they went; They also received praise from their superiors, and Director Zhou of the Political Department even came to visit them in person; Li Zhilong didn't seem as depressed as he did when they first set out, but instead became confident.

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