Chapter 154: Republic of China: Starting from Whampoa Class 1 Chapter 154 Left, Center, Right Three Armies

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Former Third War Zone Commander Feng Yuxiang had barely warmed his seat before the President transferred him away.

The President did not make things difficult for Feng Yuxiang, but transferred him to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth War Zone.

The President's idea was that the intensity of the Songhu battlefield could now be called the highest in the country, and a supreme commander was needed to coordinate the overall situation and command with authority.

As for this supreme commander, the President naturally thought of himself.

On the very night he made the decision, the President took a military plane from Jinling and flew to Suzhou City's Third War Zone Headquarters.

At this time Feng Yuxiang was preparing to take up his post at the Sixth War Zone, while Chen Cheng, Lv Muzhi, and Gu Zhutong were still discussing countermeasures for the Yanghang battle in Nanxiang.

The President stood with hands on hips in Suzhou's headquarters, looking at former Third War Zone Commander Feng Yuxiang.

"Commander Feng, I said long ago that the military heads of the Ninth Group Army and Fifteenth Group Army were too young; you should have restrained them more. Now look, you've produced a Yang Xingzhi defeat."

Feng Yuxiang walked up to the President: "We superiors don't need to restrain them everywhere. I think Chen Cheng and Lv Muzhi are doing quite well. As for the Yang Xingzhi defeat, that was inevitable.

Mr. President, you should give young people more room to operate. Besides, Chen Cheng and Lv Muzhi are your direct lineage men—I can neither beat nor scold them."

The President looked at the combat map hanging on the wall: "The situation in the Third War Zone is too complex. Since you say so, I will personally take the field. You go to the Sixth War Zone; I've already arranged it for you."

Feng Yuxiang smiled and shook his head, then left Suzhou with his subordinates for the Sixth War Zone.

The President remained in the office, waved his hand, and summoned his attendant: "Move everything Feng Yuxiang left behind out, and put my things in. The Third War Zone needs a fresh new look!"

"Also, bring the two Group Army Commanders of the Third War Zone here. I want to give them a personal dressing-down!"

Late at night, Chen Cheng and Lv Muzhi both drove to Suzhou and met the President.

Chen Cheng was full of apprehension. As soon as he saw the President, he bowed his head and said: "Your humble subordinate is unworthy of the President's trust. The Yanghang position was lost; my Fifteenth Group Army bears the blame!"

The President waved his hand, asking everyone to find seats.

Seeing everyone seated, the President stood from the main seat and pointed to the combat map behind him: "This failure in the Yanghang operation was entirely due to the Japanese Army's sturdy ships and powerful guns. I have read the battle report; it was the Japanese naval guns and land-based heavy artillery working together that caused the disastrous defeat at Yanghang.

The root cause was that former Commander-in-Chief Feng Yuxiang abandoned the shore beach positions, allowing Japanese land forces to land safely!"

Seeing the President blame Feng Yuxiang, Chen Cheng's apprehension eased considerably.

Chen Cheng was actually grateful that Feng Yuxiang had withdrawn his troops from the shore beach positions. After all, staying on the shore to block the Japanese army's landing without solid fortifications would only be sending food to the Japanese naval guns.

But since the President was blaming Feng Yuxiang, Chen Cheng dared not speak a good word for him.

"Wei Yue, what do you think?" The President suddenly called Lv Muzhi's name.

It was not possible to directly oppose the President right now. Lv Muzhi stood up and calmly said: "Commander Feng acted with good intentions but caused bad results. However, General Feng Yuxiang's approach did preserve our Central Army's main force. Now that the Japanese have broken through Yanghang, don't we still have enough troops to sortie?"

Gu Zhutong also stood up and said: "I agree with Wei Yue. Our main force is still intact. We must find a way to retake Yanghang; consolidating the Songhu defensive line is what matters."

Chen Cheng immediately stood up too: "Exactly. My Fifteenth Group Army will not disgrace this mission this time!"

Seeing the three most influential figures on the Songhu battlefield all declare their positions, the President sat back in his chair and said: "Reinforcements from the two Group Armies will begin arriving in Shanghai City tomorrow. Xue Yue's Nineteenth Group Army will cooperate with Chen Cheng's Fifteenth Group Army in combat; Liao Lei's Twenty-First Group Army will cooperate with Lv Muzhi's Ninth Group Army in combat."

Xue Yue's Nineteenth Group Army had somewhat stronger combat power. The President assigned the Nineteenth Group Army to Chen Cheng because he sensed the Fifteenth Group Army's forces were somewhat thin.

Liao Lei's Twenty-First Group Army belonged to the Guangxi Army. Assigning the Twenty-First Group Army to cooperate with Lv Muzhi was also a choice made after weighing the options.

"At present, there are already four Group Armies in the region west of the Huangpu River. The Japanese are running rampant at Yanghang. The responsibility to defend our land and resist the war admits not the slightest retreat!"

The Principal stood up, raised his right fist, with full conviction, and shouted toward the door: "Hu Gongnan! Come in!"

The conference room door was pushed open, and Hu Gongnan, bearing the rank of Lieutenant General, walked in steadily.

"For the Battle of Songhu, I dare not hold anything back. Hu Gongnan will bring the First Army into the Yanghang operation as well. Everyone present knows what the First Army means."

Everyone looked at Hu Gongnan, unexpectedly the President had also transferred Hu Gongnan from faraway Northwest.

The First Army was the designation of the President's first unit, the force with which the President and everyone had started out twelve years ago.

Those present—Lv Muzhi, Chen Cheng, Gu Zhutong, and others—had all once served in the First Army and participated in the Eastern Expedition and Northern Expedition.

Although the current First Army was no longer the original First Army, merely having restarted the original designation, this was also the President signaling his stance to other regional forces: the Guangxi clique actively responded to the War of Resistance, the Sichuan Army was on the way, and the President kept raising the stakes by sending Hu Gongnan's First Army to the battlefield.

Lv Muzhi looked at the President, knowing the President's resolve was real, but how the battle would unfold was truly hard to say.

"Now I announce: Chen Cheng and Xue Yue's Fifteenth and Nineteenth Group Armies are designated as the Left Wing Army, with Lieutenant General Chen Cheng as Left Wing Army Commander-in-Chief;

Lv Muzhi and Liao Lei's Ninth and Twenty-First Group Armies are designated as the Central Route Army, with Lieutenant General Zhu Shaoliang as Central Route Army Commander-in-Chief. Zhu Shaoliang has not yet arrived, so the two Group Armies of the Central Route Army will temporarily be commanded by Lv Muzhi;

Zhang Faku's Eighth Group Army is designated as the Right Wing Army, with Zhang Faku serving as Right Wing Army Commander-in-Chief."

The Left Wing Army and Central Route Army were the main battlefields of the Songhu Campaign. The supreme commanders of these two armies, Chen Cheng and Zhu Shaoliang—Chen Cheng was a Lieutenant General by qualification evaluation, plus the general's rank; Zhu Shaoliang was a Second-Class General by qualification evaluation. The Group Army Commanders below them were all Lieutenant Generals by qualification evaluation.

His direct superior, Lieutenant General Zhu Shaoliang, had not yet arrived, so Lv Muzhi could temporarily serve as Central Route Army Commander-in-Chief, commanding the two Group Armies in combat.

"Hu Gongnan," the President said faintly.

"Present!"

"Your First Army will enter the combat sequence of the Central Route Army's Twenty-First Group Army, temporarily accepting the command of Guangxi clique Lieutenant General Liao Lei."

"Yes!"

Hu Gongnan entering the Guangxi clique-dominated Twenty-First Group Army was probably also the President signaling his stance to Guangxi clique leaders Li Zongren and Bai Zhongxi.

But now Lv Muzhi was acting as Central Route Army Commander-in-Chief, and the Twenty-First Group Army belonged to the Central Route Army, so wouldn't this Hu Gongnan temporarily be under his command?

Viewed this way, among the Whampoa graduates of that year, many of the most influential batch were now under his command.