Chapter 60

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Second Battalion had only a hundred-plus men left, yet had to face a Rebel Army regiment of eight hundred.

During the brief rest just now, Lv Muzhi had already ordered the last three and a half boxes of submachine gun ammunition to be loaded.

Liu Zhi ordered the remaining warriors to deploy defenses in Zengtang Village, first using rifle fire to weaken the enemy, and if they could not repel the Rebel Army, then engage in close-quarters combat.

At the critical moment, Training Regiment First Regiment Commander He Yingqin, leading a severely depleted Special Service Company of over thirty men with one heavy machine gun, rushed to Zengtang Village for reinforcements.

There was no choice; if Third Battalion was wiped out, Regiment Headquarters falling was only a matter of time, and as regiment commander, He Yingqin had to personally join the battle. Of course, the Principal watching from above was also an important reason.

This battle had been fought from seven in the morning until noon, and five hours of siege by over ten thousand rebels had dealt the Training Regiment heavy losses.

Rebel Commander Lin Hu believed that before long, Training Regiment First Regiment would be totally annihilated at Cotton Lake!

What Lin Hu did not expect was that a variable entered the Cotton Lake battlefield; the lost Yue Army Seventh Brigade under Xu Ji finally found the correct route and began striking Lin Hu's flank according to the original plan.

"Not good, several thousand men are attacking our left wing from the direction of Tou Tou Town; the enemy's reinforcements have arrived!" a commander shouted in panic.

Lin Hu was furious and desperate: "I am not willing to accept this! Not willing!"

"Withdraw the offensive first! We place our troops in front, isn't that letting the enemy's reinforcements hit us?"

Despite myriad helplessness, Lin Hu still had to shrink his forces and seek another opportunity.

In Zengtang Village, the first half of the Rebel Army's troops were engaged in close-quarters combat with Training Regiment Second Battalion inside the village, but the second half saw friendly forces on both left and right had already withdrawn, so they abandoned their comrades and returned to the Rebel Army camp.

Leaving several hundred rebels with greatly reduced morale scattering everywhere in the village, Second Battalion's officers and men dissolved the rebels' final offensive.

Lin Hu lost his last chance; with Seventh Brigade joining the battle, Third Battalion's officers and men, together with Seventh Brigade, crushed Lin Hu's right wing.

First Battalion's officers and men, together with Training Regiment Second Regiment rushing to reinforce, launched an attack on the enemy's left wing.

After a whole afternoon of fierce fighting, the rebels did not understand how this group of student soldiers grew braver the more they fought; anyway, the rebels themselves, after a day of fierce fighting, had completely lost their will to fight, and the remaining troops scattered one after another, fleeing toward Xingning Xian Cheng in the northwest.

Liu Zhi's Second Battalion engaged the enemy in close-quarters combat twice, suffering heavy casualties, and thus remained at Regiment Headquarters awaiting orders.

In the Cotton Lake battle, Training Regiment First Regiment suffered heavy casualties, using over a thousand men to block Lin Hu's siege of over ten thousand, finally waiting for Xu Ji's Seventh Brigade reinforcements, and finally reversed the battlefield situation, counting as the most tragic battle since the Eastern Expedition.

Training Regiment First Regiment suffered over half casualties, but preserved the revolutionary spark for Whampoa.

Once the Whampoa Cadet Army was totally annihilated, then Guangdong Province would have no room for survival for either the Blue Sky or the Workers and Peasants.

Two days later, Liao Zhongkai rushed from within Guangzhou City and personally brought the news of the Grand Marshal's death in Beiping.

Once this news came out, everyone was even more confused about the future of the revolution, and thinking of the previous day's Cotton Lake battle made them even more fearful.

No wonder Yunnan Army's Yang Ximin and Guangxi Army's Liu Zhenhuan held their troops back; they must have heard about the Grand Marshal's health condition long ago.

Everyone had no time to grieve, nor time to hold a memorial service for the Grand Marshal, but immediately gathered everyone to discuss what to do next.

"Although the Grand Marshal has passed away, where the Whampoa Cadet Army goes from here is something that must be determined today," General Galun said at once, pointing out the importance of the army.

"There is no doubt about this; naturally we follow the revolutionary political assistant, whether it is Hu or Wang, or Brother Liao, the Whampoa Cadet Army only follows the new Grand Marshal!" The Principal was very self-aware and readily gave the promise.

"There is also this: should the cadet army return to Guangzhou immediately, or continue the Eastern Expedition?" Galun continued to ask.

The Principal thought for a moment: "We have already received intelligence that Yunnan Army's Yang Ximin has withdrawn some of his troops back to Guangzhou; although he has not clearly expressed opposition to the revolutionary political assistant, we must be careful of him. If the cadet army returns to Guangzhou and is attacked and disarmed by him, the revolutionary spark will be completely wiped out."

Everyone deeply agreed; after the Grand Marshal's death, they had to be doubly careful of the warlords who had previously submitted on the surface.

Political Advisor Paul Ting said: "We have already occupied most of the Dongjiang region. I believe we should continue the Eastern Expedition on one hand, and develop the Chaoshan region on the other. Although Chaoshan is not as good as the provincial capital, it is by the sea and can still receive overseas support; likewise, going north we can seize Fujian, and going west we can return to Guangzhou."

Liao Zhongkai also expressed support: "Continue the Eastern Expedition. You cadet army wait and see here for a while, observe the reactions of warlords Yang and Liu. I will return to the provincial capital to gather news."

After seeing Liao Zhongkai off, everyone decided to continue the Eastern Expedition.

Lin Hu was severely wounded in the Cotton Lake battle, and the cadet army decided to join forces with the Yue Army to pursue the victory and wipe out Lin Hu's lair in one go, lest he make a comeback.

Yang Ximin's Yunnan Army and Liu Zhenhuan's Guangxi Army were unreliable, so the Right Wing Army urgently transferred Yue Army First Brigade under Chen Mingshu and Guard Brigade under Wu Tiecheng to come reinforce.

After a week of fierce fighting, the superior forces advanced triumphantly; Wuhua, Xingning, and other bases of Lin Hu were soon completely cleared out, and Lin Hu's threat was removed.

March thirtieth, the Eastern Expedition temporarily came to a close, and the cadet army finally had time to hold a memorial service for the Grand Marshal within Xingning County.

North of Xingning Xian Cheng, the Grand Marshal's memorial service and the memorial service for the Eastern Expedition soldiers were held together.

At the memorial service stage hung a portrait of the Grand Marshal in full ceremonial dress; on both sides were placed the spirit tablets of the Training Regiment officers and men who had died in battle.

The slogans on both sides of the portrait: The revolution has not yet succeeded; comrades must still strive.

The Principal presided over the sacrifice, standing before the stage with a solemn expression, leading everyone in the oath: "All of us, the Army Officer School, respectfully follow the Prime Minister's last will, inherit the Prime Minister's aspirations, carry out the National Revolution, until death do we part, so we swear!"

Lv Muzhi stood below the stage, right hand clenched into a fist raised above his head, swearing before the spirit together with all the Whampoa teachers and students.

Wu Instructor also stood before the spirit, reading the memorial text with grief: "I remember my Prime Minister, a mother to the common people, a good friend to the weak.

Emphasizing industry and agriculture, this is the essence of Mr.'s People's Livelihood Doctrine;

Military Academy party members, from now on, shall be like infants losing their kind mother, like schoolchildren losing their teacher! The guiding light we rely on lies only in the Doctrine!

The Prime Minister may die, but the Doctrine endures! Alas! Please enjoy."