Chapter 3: The Wind Rises in Guangdong Section 31: Requesting Battle

  (Thanks to the editors of Starting Point for helping me with a cover. Thank you!)

  Chiang Kai-shek was never a person to give up easily. As a child, he had read the biographies of Washington and Napoleon, and commanding thousands of troops on the battlefield became his dream from then on, for which he worked hard for twenty years. The Eastern Expedition against Chen Jiongming and the Northern Expedition were always his two greatest wishes, the battlefields where he would establish his immortal merits. The decision of the Military Commission made him a bystander in this great war, leaving him extremely disappointed.

  In his disappointment, Chiang Kai-shek did not return to school directly, but rushed to the barracks of the First Regiment of the Training Corps. He ordered the regimental commander, Shen Youting, to conduct a tactical exercise immediately. Watching the officers and soldiers fighting on the training ground, Chiang felt more strongly about the necessity of participating in the Eastern Expedition. The development of the military school had reached a bottleneck, and unless there were major changes, it was unlikely that the school would undergo significant changes in the future. The two-regiment structure was probably the limit of what the school could accommodate. Moreover, after the death of the Premier who strongly supported the development of the military school, would the school still receive support from Hu Hanmin? Chiang had almost no confidence and felt compelled to participate in the Eastern Expedition for himself and for the Whampoa Military Academy.

  After the exercise was over, Chiang Kai-shek summoned all officers to give a speech. He was very excited and wanted to inform them of the Military Commission's decision, and he wanted to see their reaction.

  "The Military Commission has decided to launch the Eastern Expedition against Chen." As soon as the words were spoken, everyone's face lit up with joy. If it weren't for Chiang Kai-shek, someone might have burst into loud cheers immediately. These young officers had been educated in the ideals of the Eastern Expedition, the Northern Expedition, and overthrowing warlords since their first day at school. Now they were finally going to embark on the Eastern Expedition and realize their first dream. However, Chiang Kai-shek's next words brought them crashing down from their joy to disappointment.

  "The Military Commission has decided that the Whampoa Academy Army will not participate in this Eastern Expedition." Chiang Kai-shek stopped and looked at the officers below.

  The officers below were stunned, and their expressions quickly changed from joy to disappointment and then to anger.

  "Why? Principal, why won't you let us join the Eastern Expedition?" The speaker was Guan Linzheng, his face bright red, obviously struggling to hold back.

  "Principal, didn't you teach us to sacrifice for the revolution? Why aren't you letting us participate in the battle now?" He Shaozhou asked loudly with wide eyes.

  "Principal, we demand to participate in the Eastern Expedition and overthrow Chen Jiongming."

  "We petition the Military Commission, we want to go to the battlefield."

  "Right, petitioning the Military Commission."

  At this time, Shen Ying stood up and saluted Chiang Kai-shek solemnly, but he did not put down his hand: "Principal, our purpose in joining the Whampoa Military Academy is to overthrow the warlords and sacrifice ourselves for national liberation; today, I, on behalf of all officers and soldiers of the First Regiment, ask the principal to go to war. We resolutely request to go to the front line of the Eastern Expedition and to the place where the battle is most intense. Please approve our request."

  Chiang Kai-shek also returned a military salute to Shen Yingqiu with equal solemnity, without lowering his hand.

  "I know your wishes, and as your principal, I am delighted. However, the Military Commission has made a decision, and I have no right to change it personally. If you want to change it, unless the Premier orders otherwise, so if you are willing, you can petition the Premier for war, and I will be responsible for passing on the request to Generalissimo and asking him to report to the Premier."

  "Yes, Principal." Shen Ying Shi answered loudly, then turned to all the officers and said: "I will be responsible for drafting a letter of request for war. If you are willing, sign your name on it. Bring paper."

  "I." The first one to come out and sign was Hu Gongmiao, a representative of the Party.

  "I." Guan Lin Zheng took a big step forward and signed his name on the white paper.

  I.

  …..

  The next morning, Chiang Kai-shek's desk had more than a dozen papers with signatures, including Commander-in-Chief He Yingqin, Political Commissar Wang Dengyun, Second Regiment Commander Wang Boling, and Political Commissar Zhang Jingyu. As Chiang flipped through the names, he saw that they included all officers above platoon level from both regiments of the Training Corps, as well as a handprint from a soldier in the 7th Company of the 2nd Regiment. Later, Chiang also found signatures from military school teachers and second-term students. He understood that this must have been the work of the officers of the 1st Regiment, who had spent the whole night running around all the companies of both regiments, linking up with all the officers and students at the military school. This was definitely a violation of school and military regulations, but he did not plan to punish them.

  Chiang Kai-shek took these signatures and went to the Grand Marshal's Mansion to find Acting Grand Marshal Hu Hanmin, solemnly handing over these signatures to him, and signing his own name in front of him: Huangpu Military Academy Principal Chiang Chung-cheng.

  As he flipped through the signatures, Hu Hanmin was reminded of Yang Ximin and Liu Zhenhuan's behavior at yesterday's Military Affairs Committee meeting. He promised Chiang Kai-shek that he would send the petition for war signed by the Whampoa Academy faculty and students as well as the officers and men of the Training Regiment to Premier Duan in Beijing, asking him to make a decision on it. At the same time, Hu also promised to speak to the Premier on their behalf, hoping that he could see the revolutionary fervor of the officers and men and agree to let them go to war.

  Chiang Kai-shek expressed his gratitude to Hu Hanmin, then said he would wait here. Hu Hanmin advised him to go back, but Chiang Kai-shek refused Hu's kindness and told him: "I came with the hopes of all teachers and students at Whampoa Military Academy and all officers and soldiers in the army, if I don't get a satisfactory answer, I will have no face to return to school." Hu Hanmin understood that Chiang Kai-shek was gambling, if the Premier did not agree to his request for war, Chiang might resign on the spot.

  Sun Yat-sen had a wireless telegraph brought to Beijing, so there was no need to relay through civilian telegraphs. Chiang Kai-shek's letter of invitation quickly reached Sun Yat-sen's sickbed. Sun Yat-sen could no longer hold the telegram in his hand, and the pain had consumed his last ounce of strength. The severe aftereffects of radiation therapy were rapidly destroying his bodily functions.

  He motioned to Wang Jingwei beside him to read it out loud, and after Wang took a look at the telegram paper, he said: "Premier, you should rest now, let Xuantang handle this matter."

  Sun Yat-sen nodded his head with difficulty and said in a low voice: "Zhan... Tang, can't... handle it anymore, that's why..."

  Wang Jingwei hastily said: "I understand, Brother Zhantang sent the telegram to explain that he is no longer able to handle this matter well. I will read it out loud for Mr."

  After Sun Yat-sen heard Wang Jingwei finish speaking, he closed his eyes and then opened them again, indicating that what he said was correct. Wang Jingwei looked at Sun Yat-sen's expression, feeling sad and bitter in his heart, and read out in a sorrowful tone: "The letter of request for war, the Eastern Expedition to suppress the rebellion is the wish of all students of our Whampoa Military Academy. Although the Military Commission did not allow us to participate in the war with good intentions, we have been taught by the Premier since we entered the school that saving the country is our responsibility... We should fight bravely for the revolution, we should sacrifice ourselves for the revolution, we should make the revolution succeed in China, and we should make the flower of the doctrine bloom in China. For all the people of China, we specially request to go to war with the Premier, we demand to participate in the Eastern Expedition, we demand to go to the front line of the Eastern Expedition, and we demand to go to the place where the battle is most intense."

  "Chiang Kai-shek, President of Whampoa Military Academy, and Liao Zhongkai, Political Commissar."

  "Head of the Political Department of the Military Academy Zhou E came..."

  "The commander of the First Regiment was He Yingqin and the party representative was Wang Dengyun; the commander of the Second Regiment was Wang Boling and the party representative was Zhang Jingyu."

  "Here are the signatures of all the officers in the instructional corps and those of the students at the military academy. Do you want to read them?" asked Wang Jingwei.

  Sun Yat-sen struggled to get up, and Wang Jingwei and Soong Ching-ling quickly helped him up. Then Soong Ching-ling took two pillows and placed them under Sun Yat-sen's waist.

  Wang Jingwei placed the telegram pages one by one in front of him, and Sun Yat-sen's eyes lingered on each page. Familiar and unfamiliar names: Chiang Kai-shek, Liao Zhongkai, He Yingqin, Zhou Elai, ..., Jiang Xiyun, Zhuang Jihua, Yang Qigang, He Zhenhuan, Li Zhilong, Chen Gong, Zeng Kuocheng, Yu Jishi, Song Xilian, Du Yuming, Deng Wenxiang, Xu Xiangqian, Zuo Quan, Zheng Dongguo, Cai Wenhui, ...; The hope of the revolution, I will not die, they will inherit my cause, my ideals.

  "This... is... our... revolution's hope, Zuo Ming. This is indeed our revolution's hope." Sun Yat-sen said to Wang Jingwei with a trembling voice. Wang Jingwei nodded vigorously with red eyes and said in a choked voice: "Understood, Zuo Ming understands, Mr., Zuo Ming has understood."

  After a while, Sun Yat-sen motioned to Wang Jingwei to bring the pen over, and with great difficulty, using all his strength, he scribbled on the paper in twisted and turned characters:

  "Agree to take part in the war. Sun Yat-sen"