Chapter 3: The Wind Rises in Guangdong Section 29: Infatuation

  A day in the mountains is worth a thousand years in the world. Zhuang Jihua was training troops on Huangpu Island, while outside Guangzhou, with the news of Sun Yat-sen's illness and hospitalization in Beijing spreading, the situation in southern China centered on Guangzhou began to accelerate its changes.

  December 31, 1924, Sun Yat-sen traveled from Tianjin to Beijing despite his illness and was immediately hospitalized at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. After a joint consultation by the hospital, he was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer. At this time, Feng Yuxiang had already retreated to Zhangjiakou and taken up the position of Northwest Defense Inspector, while the Beijing government was controlled by Zhang Zuolin and Duan Qirui. Before Sun's arrival in Beijing, a provisional executive government under the control of the Anhui clique was established, with Duan as the chief executive. The military strength of the Anhui clique had been exhausted after three wars, and Duan, who knew the importance of the army, hoped to grasp some military power. Therefore, at the beginning of December, he suddenly announced that Lu Yongxiang, a general of the Anhui clique, would take up the position of Military Governor of Zhili Province, while Yang Yide would become the provincial governor.

  Zhang Zuolin took a look and didn't do anything, but although Zhang Zuolin was born in the wilderness and had a low level of culture, he was clever; with a turn of his eyes, he used the Northeast's unique "big deception" to promise to help Lu Yongxiang recover the Jiangsu and Zhejiang territories. Duan Qirui was almost sixty years old and couldn't withstand his deception, so after a while, he agreed to hand over Zhili to Zhang Zuolin's subordinate Li Jinglin, who would send troops to escort Lu Yongxiang to recover the Jiangsu and Zhejiang territories.

  If you say that Northeasterners are straightforward, then Zhang Da will guarantee it with a pat on the chest. Of course, they have to act, otherwise how can we say that all of us in the Northeast are "living Lei Feng"? Immediately dispatching an army of 100,000 to Jiangnan, the vanguard is General Zhang Zongchang, who was famous in the Republic of China for his three unknowns: unknown number of soldiers, unknown number of wives, and unknown amount of money. After Zhang Zongchang took down Jiangsu, Sun Chuanfang in Zhejiang became afraid and hastily invited Zhang Zongchang to Shanghai, where he spent his days drinking wine, accompanied by beauties, and soaking in warm baths; it made Zhang Zongchang so happy that he even asked Sun Chuanfang to be sworn brothers.

  In Beijing, Zhang Da continued to persuade Duan Qirui, saying that Jiangsu had been given to Lu Yongxiang, but Zhang Zongchang had made great contributions and had no territory. Why not let him take the position of Zheng Shixi, the military governor of Shandong? Duan Qirui thought for a moment, Jiangsu was much richer than Shandong, if Zhang Zongchang stayed in Jiangsu, Lu Yongxiang might not be able to sit firmly, so he nodded and agreed.

  Next, Zhang Da Huyu began to frame Lu Yongxiang. The shoes were too small and pinched his feet. After a few months, Lu Yongxiang couldn't take it anymore and resigned. Similarly, Anhui warlord Wang Yitang also fell victim to this. Now Zhang Da Huyu was satisfied, while Duan Qirui was left in the dark.

  However, Zhang Daqian made two small mistakes next, and these two small mistakes later evolved into two big things. The protagonists of these two mistakes were Guo Songling and Sun Chuanfang.

  Sun Yat-sen's illness also led to a sudden outbreak of Tang Jiyao, who was hiding in Yunnan. In 1924, when Sun Yat-sen became the Grand Marshal, he appointed Tang Jiyao as the Deputy Marshal, but at that time, Tang Jiyao did not have progressive ideas and liked to stay in his corner in Yunnan. Now that Sun Yat-sen was critically ill, Tang Jiyao felt that he should make more contributions to the Chinese revolution, so he wanted to come out and take office as Deputy Marshal in Guangzhou. However, he didn't know whether the people of Guangzhou would welcome him, so he issued a telegram, also known as "testing the waters", and then decided whether to bring a guard or an army of 100,000 to strengthen the revolutionary forces in Guangdong based on the number of tiles and flowers received.

  However, between Guangdong and Yunnan was still separated by Guangxi. At that time, the air force was relatively weak, so he sent people to negotiate with the two strongmen of Guangxi: Shen Hongying and Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, Huang Shaohong to borrow a way; it can be said that the old man was quite friendly, Shen Hongying not only agreed to lend a way but also agreed to go to Guangdong together to develop the revolution; however, Li, Bai, and Huang, three young people, unexpectedly refused. This made Tang Jiyao's old face somewhat unacceptable, so he decided to help Guangxi develop the revolution first. Still contacting Shen Hongying to take the lead, this big brother also started a building, announcing that he would take office as the commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army of Guangxi. It can be said that without quality, you have to look at the reaction after starting a building, whether it's a brick or a flower, you have to look before speaking. He didn't, and after starting the building, he sent troops to attack.

  In fact, there were still many flowers given to Tang Jiyao, such as Liu Zhenhua, the commander-in-chief of the Guangzhou Gui Army, Deng Benyin, the Guangdong Army in southern Guangdong, Shen Baozhen, and Chen Jiongming in Dongjiang.

  The development of the situation finally made Chen Jiongming decide to move from behind the scenes to the front, but according to Chinese tradition, he still had to put on a show before going on stage.

  According to the script, in November, a rally was held in Swatow to rescue Guangdong. The meeting was unprecedentedly grand and crowded. Someone proposed that Chen Jiongming be reinstated; then representatives were sent to Lin's temporary residence in Swatow to request Chen Jiongming to resume his post and take on the responsibility of saving Guangdong. Chen Jiongming again shirked, then made a show of reluctance, and finally announced on December 16 that he would reassume the post of commander-in-chief of the Guangdong salvation army at the request of all parties. After resuming office, according to the Republic's convention, Chen Jiongming first issued a statement saying that he had resumed his post in response to the people's invitation and for the happiness of his hometown... etc. Then he spent every day discussing with representatives from all sides how to restore the happy life of the Guangzhou people, but on military matters, he was not very worried.

  In his view, although the Guangdong Army did not capture Guangzhou in these years, it was because he, as the commander-in-chief, did not take charge, and the various armies acted inconsistently at critical moments, leading to defeat. This time, with his own prestige commanding the actions of the various armies, there should be no worries, and besides, he still had a trump card up his sleeve, which would change the situation like the sudden appearance of the Henan Army last time.

  Swatow, the Lin family ancestral hall, Chen Jiongming's temporary headquarters. A few days ago it was filled with guests and bustling with activity, but today it is heavily guarded and the air is thick with tension.

  In the headquarters, Chen Jiongming was holding a military meeting. Unlike the representatives of various parties who were outspoken and enthusiastic, the generals at the meeting looked solemn and spoke cautiously.

  "General, I think we should adopt a defensive stance for now. Guangzhou is rapidly increasing its strength with Soviet aid, and our troop numbers are originally small. Our advantage lies in the good training and strong equipment of our soldiers. I suggest waiting for them to attack and engaging in a field battle." Lin Hu said softly at the meeting. Judging by his name alone, you would think he was a rough and rugged veteran general, but in fact he was a refined and elegant Confucian general. He currently had more than 20,000 men under his command, making him the most powerful of Chen Jiongming's generals. His words made Chen Jiongming feel a chill in his heart.

  "What if they don't come to attack?" asked Ye Ju, the number one general under Chen Jiongming. Without waiting for Lin Hu's response, he continued: "As you said, our advantage lies in our good training and strong equipment, but now the Soviet Union is helping Sun Yat-sen, several batches of weapons have been unloaded in Guangzhou, and each army in Guangzhou has a Soviet advisor to help with training. Our advantage won't last long before it becomes a disadvantage."

  "I also think we should take action, the revenge for General Deng has not been taken yet, and Sun Da is killing people and burning cities in Guangzhou. As soldiers from Guangdong, how can we just stand by and watch?! Commander, let's do it!" Hong Zhaolin said loudly. He was a soldier who had followed Chen Jiongming and Deng Qiu since the Xinhai Revolution, and he was known for his bravery and ferocity in battle. He had always believed that Deng Qiu was assassinated by Sun Yat-sen's people, and so he had always wanted to take revenge for him.

  "Yes, Yin Qing, look at Swatow today, the commander-in-chief has ascended to a high place and given an order, aren't those who respond gathering together?" The speaker was Ye Yuanqiu, Chen Jiongming's advisor, who had been following Chen since Zhangzhou and was familiar with all of Chen's generals.

  "But Tang Jiyao is far away in Yunnan, and it's uncertain whether Fang Benren of Jiangxi will cooperate with our actions. As for Deng Benyin, he's a two-faced person, how can we count on him? Commander, I have my doubts about them..." Lin Hu said skeptically.

  "Yes, Commander Zhai, these people are unreliable, it's better to rely on ourselves." Xie Wenbing interjected, his seniority was not as high as the others, but he also had doubts about taking immediate action, so he expressed support for Lin Hu.

  "Big brother, we don't have enough bullets. Last year when we fought to the foot of Guangzhou City, our troops ran out of ammunition. The situation now is even worse than last year." Chen Jiongming's younger cousin Chen Jionggang also had some doubts and was particularly worried about the troop's lack of ammunition, they had made it to Shibaipai last year but failed due to a lack of ammo.

  "Gentlemen, Yin Qing is right, but I see them this way: Tang Jiyao in Yunnan, I reckon we can't count on him; but Fang Benren and Deng Benyin are different. If we lose, naturally there's nothing to say; but if we win, even a slightly more significant victory, then these two may take action." Chen Jiongming felt compelled to say some encouraging words to dispel the doubts of his subordinates. Chen Jiongming had always adopted a strategy of tolerance towards Sun Yat-sen. As the founder of the Republic, Sun's prestige was too high, and being his enemy would be politically unwise; if it weren't for Sun pushing him too hard, he wouldn't have resorted to such tactics.

  "When the time comes, not only Deng Benying and Fang Benren, but also others will join us in battle. This time in Guangzhou, we have made up our minds." Chen Jiongming slammed his hand on the table, but in his heart he was raging: Sun Zhongshan, you can wait for death in Beijing, I want to completely drive the Nationalist Party out of Guangzhou before you die, all that nonsense about allying with Russia and the Communist Party is just a bunch of crap.

  "As for the military pay, you don't have to worry about it. I've raised 8 million Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong, of which 4 million was used to purchase ammunition, which is on its way to Swatow. This time there won't be a situation like last year." As soon as Chen Jiongming's words fell, the generals attending the meeting showed joy on their faces, whispering to each other, and the meeting room suddenly erupted in a buzz of conversation.

  "What's there to be afraid of? General, you tell us, how are we going to fight?" Hong Zhaolong said loudly.

  All the generals also stood up and said loudly: "We wish to hear the commander's order."

  Chen Jue Ming nodded in satisfaction, stroking his eight-bristled beard, then gestured for everyone to sit down. He picked up the baton and Ye Yuanqiu pulled out the military map that had been covering it. Chen Jue Ming pointed at the marked situation map and said: