Chapter 19: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 19 Gambling Game

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

As soon as the Russian Communications Command Ship *Volofsky* docked at the wharf, Principal Jiang and Political Advisor Paul Ting were the first to board the warship, followed by a group of instructors.

Lv Muzhi stood below, seeing only Principal Jiang beaming with smiles, shaking hands one by one with the old Russian sailors on the warship.

"So many old Russians..." Chen Geng lowered his voice and sighed to Lv Muzhi beside him.

"What old Russians... I only see a ship full of arms; we won't have to worry about bullets and shells anymore..." Lv Muzhi muttered.

"Hey, everyone come up and move things!" Chief Instructor He Yingqin waved his hand, calling on the students to start working.

Once the students boarded the ship, they were stunned by the tens of thousands of crates.

So many weapons and ammunition—who knows when they'll finish moving them all!

At Principal Jiang's request, the sailors of the *Volofsky* Communications Command Ship took out a brand-new Mosin-Nagant Rifle, loaded bullets, stood on the deck, and fired several shots into the sky.

"Good! Good! I was just worried the Merchant Corps would take back their weapons; now it's settled—we finally have our own weapons!" Principal Jiang clapped in celebration.

Political Advisor Paul Ting stood with his arms crossed, leaning on the railing to gaze at Guangzhou City: "Principal Jiang, now that we have weapons, should the guns of the Merchant Corps be returned?"

Principal Jiang was stunned for a moment. The Acting Grand Marshal had instructed him a few days ago to return the Merchant Corps' firearms, but he had made excuses to delay it, and they still hadn't been returned.

"Mr. Paul Ting, Grand Marshal Sun Yat-sen led the main army to Shaoguan to supervise the Northern Expedition, and Acting Grand Marshal Hu Hanming adopted a policy of tolerance and indulgence toward the Merchant Corps. I think that is utterly foolish. Once the guns are returned, what if the Merchant Corps uses these weapons to cause trouble? The main forces are all in Shaoguan; if trouble breaks out, what are we Whampoa Student Army supposed to do?"

Paul Ting laughed heartily: "Principal Jiang is far more mature than Acting Grand Marshal Hu Hanming in political struggle. I also thought it improper. This Hu Hanming is money-mad; to raise Northern Expedition funds, he actually let the Merchant Corps buy back the weapons at one hundred yuan per gun—truly unafraid of earning money with his life but having no life to spend it."

"I'm afraid these guns will eventually have to be returned to the Merchant Corps," Principal Jiang said worriedly. "Once Hu Hanming gets approval from the Grand Marshal and comes to demand I return the weapons and equipment, I will have to return them. The Grand Marshal's orders—I cannot disobey."

The work of moving the arms continued from noon until five in the afternoon before all the guns and ammunition were stored in the warehouse. Since the warehouse wasn't large enough, the guns and ammunition previously seized from the Merchant Corps were moved out and piled up on the playground.

That night, Principal Jiang sat in his office with a troubled mind. The Grand Marshal was far away in Shaoguan leading the main army, and Acting Grand Marshal Hu Hanming was too lenient toward the Merchant Corps. If the equipment were returned, what if the Merchant Corps caused trouble? Once so many guns were sent back, with a little training they could field a force of several thousand—the consequences were unthinkable.

By then, his Whampoa Military Academy would likely be destroyed, his military power would come to nothing, and as for the Northern Expedition, there was no hope at all.

Thinking of this, Principal Jiang touched his shaved head with one hand and unconsciously reached for the radio with the other: "Alas, since things have come to this, let's listen to the news first... Call Lv Muzhi over!"

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As soon as Lv Muzhi entered the principal's office, he saw Principal Jiang listening to the radio while writing his stock trading notes.

"Muzi, you're here. Come, sit first." Principal Jiang pointed to the chair opposite him.

After Lv Muzhi sat down, Principal Jiang handed him his stock trading notes, which recorded the price fluctuations of dozens of stocks over more than a month, all drawn into K-line charts as Lv Muzhi had instructed.

Seeing this, Lv Muzhi sighed. He knew the Merchant Corps would launch a bloody uprising on the Double Tenth Festival, secretly supported by warlord Chen Jiongming and the British, yet Principal Jiang was still in the mood to trade stocks at a time like this.

"Muzi, what's wrong with you? Don't tell you're too tired from moving the Soviet people's arms today?"

Lv Muzhi shook his head and said with pained indignation: "Principal, don't you have far-sighted ambition, so you trade stocks merely to pass the time?"

"This..." Principal Jiang was stunned at once, actually being lectured by a student, and he was immediately very displeased.

Seeing that Principal Jiang had written his displeasure all over his face, Lv Muzhi hurriedly said: "I think the Merchant Corps is about to launch a rebellion, within these few days!"

"Hmm?" Principal Jiang was no longer angry at once. What Lv Muzhi said was exactly what he himself worried about. "Where did you hear this?"

"Most of the garrison troops in Guangzhou City have gone to Shaoguan. If I were Chen Lianbo, with four thousand men and guns under my command and the British supporting me from behind, why not rebel now rather than wait?"

"Now Chen Lianbo stands behind the scenes, outwardly telegraphing support for the Grand Marshal's Office, while actually using the Merchant Corps to constantly urge the return of the seized weapons and equipment. Acting Grand Marshal Hu Hanming set a ransom of one hundred yuan per gun, and the Merchant Corps didn't even blink, paying directly—how desperate they are!"

"The Merchant Corps has great influence locally. They're desperate for guns, surely desperate to expand their forces, taking advantage of the critical moment when the Grand Marshal is away to make a big disturbance."

After Lv Muzhi finished speaking, Principal Jiang said nothing again, stroking his chin and looking at his stock trading notes.

The current situation gave Lv Muzhi a suspicion: Principal Jiang must have long thought of the potential crisis of the Merchant Corps. Watching stock news every day was probably to leave himself a way out. Could it be that if the revolution failed, this fellow would go back to doing business?

Principal Jiang closed his stock trading notes, looking calm: "What you said is exactly what I worry about. I'm afraid the Grand Marshal will most likely agree to return the firearms to the Merchant Corps. Since you brought up this topic, let me talk to you properly."

"First, the waters of Guangzhou City are too deep and chaotic. The Merchant Corps is too powerful, warlord Chen Jiongming has been stirring trouble behind the scenes, plus the British are meddling. The local people have long suffered under the Northern Expedition tax burden. The Grand Marshal has long thought of abandoning Guangzhou. Taking advantage of the Second Zhili-Fengtian War, he is eager to launch the Northern Expedition, wanting to take Xiang-Gan in one stroke and decide the fate of the realm in a single battle, as his new base. Then he can march south to retake Guangzhou later, or continue north, with more room to maneuver."

"Second, the Grand Marshal's army is too chaotic. His army is a mix of good and bad. Besides the Yue Army, all kinds of warlords have come to join him—Yunnan Army's Yang Ximin, Guangxi Army's Liu Zhenhuan, Hunan Army's Tan Yankai... How many are truly devoted to the revolution? Most are just here for military pay. The reason local merchants and people bear such heavy taxes is precisely to support them."

"Faced with such a dilemma, the Grand Marshal encountered an opportunity like the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. Naturally, he couldn't wait to launch the Northern Expedition. The Grand Marshal wants to stake everything on one throw. The Merchant Corps is willing to redeem the guns at one hundred yuan each, and the Grand Marshal will not refuse."

"Because the Merchant Corps already has four thousand men with guns. If the Merchant Corps has treacherous intentions and launches a rebellion, even if we don't return the equipment, they will still turn against us. Returning the guns just gives them more confidence. It's better to return the Merchant Corps' equipment and earn a ransom."

"A rare opportunity! The Grand Marshal is gambling—betting that the Merchant Corps and Chen Jiongming won't launch a sneak attack from behind. If he wins, he takes Xiang-Gan, and the Grand Marshal's Northern Expedition takes a big step forward. If he loses, he'll have to retreat to suppress the rebellion and start over."

Lv Muzhi took a deep breath. Looking at it this way, the high-level party leaders had already considered every possibility of the Northern Expedition.

The Second Zhili-Fengtian War was indeed a good opportunity, worth the Grand Marshal launching the Northern Expedition to gamble.

The Soviet *Volofsky* Communications Command Ship delivering arms at this time was probably also a strategic deployment. Once the Merchant Corps causes trouble, the Whampoa Student Army, having weapons, could rise up to resist and defend the Guangzhou base!

However... history told Lv Muzhi that the Grand Marshal lost the gamble, and the Merchant Corps eventually launched a violent uprising anyway.

"Principal, the Grand Marshal is gambling at the front, so we must hold the rear. We must defend Guangzhou. If I were Chen Lianbo, I would choose to launch the uprising on the Double Tenth Festival. That day is exactly when soldiers and civilians celebrate, the best time for the Merchant Corps to launch a rebellion!"

Lv Muzhi's words made Principal Jiang frown tightly: "The Double Tenth Festival? That's four days from now..."