Chapter 65: Republic of China: Starting from the First Phase of Whampoa Chapter 65: National Government First Army

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Lv Muzhi received orders, leading his three platoon leaders to advance and attack toward the right front, and assigned tasks.

Second Platoon Leader Guan Linzhen led his soldiers to provide covering fire, Du Yuming's platoon carried a heavy machine gun to prepare a machine gun position at the depression, and Zhang Fei's third platoon closely followed Company Commander Lv Muzhi, all advancing toward the depression together.

Upon arriving at the depression, Du Yuming's platoon immediately set up a heavy machine gun position at the edge of the depression to cover other company soldiers coming to hide at the depression.

After Liu Zhi's Second Battalion suffered some casualties, it temporarily held its ground at the depression.

With the depression as cover, Liu Zhi ordered the soldiers to exchange fire with the rebel commanders, covering the second echelon's two thousand men to continue landing,

as long as Zhang Zhizhong led the main force of the second echelon to land, the rebel commanders' Liede Position would be taken by the Whampoa Armies.

And the meaning of Liu Zhi's Second Battalion's existence was to let the rebel commanders be like a thorn in the throat, from time to time disturbing the rebel commanders' firepower right under their noses.

The Yunnan Army rebel commanders on one hand had to watch out for Liu Zhi below the depression suddenly bursting out to attack the position; on the other hand they had to keep an eye on the hundreds of ships on the river surface, the two thousand men of the second echelon crossing the river.

When Division Commander Zhao Chengliang was blown into two pieces by the Flying Eagle warship, and the news that Commander-in-Chief Yang Ximin led people to flee into the city first reached the Liede Position, the Yunnan Army rebel soldiers could no longer bear it.

After a baptism of gunfire and artillery fire, perhaps the exciting effect brought by opium smoke had worn off, the Yunnan Armies on the Liede Position began to show their true colors.

These opium-smoking gambling commanders, more officers than soldiers, more opium pipes than rifles, more rifles than bullets, finally revealed their true combat power.

Just as Zhang Zhizhong's second echelon landed, some on the rebel commanders' position began to rout.

Lv Muzhi keenly noticed the abnormality on the rebel commanders' position, and hurriedly reminded Liu Zhi beside him: "Battalion Commander, the enemy's defensive line is loosening, let's attack quickly!"

After hearing this, Liu Zhi was about to rise and attack, but unexpectedly the Yunnan Army's heavy machine gun opposite directly fired a string of machine gun bullets over, making the land in front go pop pop, Liu Zhi hurriedly lay down to hide, and commanded the heavy machine gun to return fire.

"No, the enemy's firepower is too fierce, wait a bit, wait until the second echelon reaches the center of the battlefield, then we suddenly launch an assault on the enemy position."

Lv Muzhi reminded: "Battalion Commander, don't forget we are an Assault Battalion, the first unit to rush onto the Liede Position must be us, this merit cannot be snatched by others, look at the second echelon, relying on numbers, their advance speed is very fast."

Liu Zhi raised his binoculars, and indeed saw that group of young students from Whampoa Second Phase and Third Class, fearless of death, charging up.

Especially Qiu Qingquan of the Second Phase, was like he had been injected with chicken blood, charging at the very front.

"This fearless madman! He wants to snatch the first merit!" Liu Zhi pulled back the bolt of the flower mechanism gun, shouting loudly: "Everyone press forward! Our Second Battalion must be the first to rush onto the enemy's Liede Position!"

The soldiers of the Second Battalion leaped out of the depression one by one, pouncing toward the rebel commanders' flank.

Lv Muzhi led platoon leaders Du Yuming, Guan Linzhen, and Zhang Fei, the three platoons' target pointed directly at the rebel commanders' heavy machine gun position.

The rebel commanders blocked with heavy machine guns, Whampoa Army soldiers provided covering fire, one after another...

Until Lv Muzhi's company was the first to rush onto the rebel commanders' heavy machine gun position, and engaged in close-quarters combat with the enemy.

Liu Zhi also rushed onto the enemy's heavy machine gun position, holding a flower mechanism gun and giving a burst of fire into the trench.

Lv Muzhi led the soldiers of the Fourth Company in a fierce fight on the position, submachine guns sweeping, bayonets drawing blood.

As soon as they saw blood, the last excitement brought by opium smoke to the rebel commanders completely disappeared, they scattered and abandoned the position, or raised their hands to surrender, only a small part still resisting stubbornly.

The second echelon led by Zhang Zhizhong had also landed on the enemy position at Liede, and began to mop up the remaining enemy.

Qiu Qingquan, originally at the very front of the second echelon, seeing that after Liu Zhi's Second Battalion was the first to rush up, the rebel commanders began to scatter and flee, was anxious and kept slapping his thighs: "If we had rushed a bit faster, we could have surrounded this Yunnan Army division long ago!"

After the Liede area was occupied by the Whampoa Armies, a train came from the east, the Principal got off the train, overjoyed.

Upon learning that Division Commander Liu Zhi's Second Battalion was the first to rush onto the enemy position at Liede, the Principal patted Liu Zhi's shoulder hard: "Jingfu (Liu Zhi), you are truly my Blessed General, Tiger General!"

Liu Zhi stood at attention and saluted: "I dare not accept, dying on the battlefield, wrapped in horsehide is the honor of a revolutionary soldier! I and my various company and platoon leaders all think this way!"

"Truly united from top to bottom!", the Principal nodded, and appreciated Liu Zhi a few points more.

The Liede Position of the Yunnan-Guangxi Allied Army was lost first, the flanks of other defensive lines were exposed one after another, this gave other Whampoa Training Regiments and Yue Armies an opportunity, cooperating from the flanks with the front to strike at Shougou Ridge and the Baiyun Mountain area.

The Guangxi Army commander Liu Zhenhuan's force stationed on Baiyun Mountain, over four thousand men, knowing the situation was lost, also learned from Yunnan Army Commander-in-Chief Yang Ximin, and led their subordinates into Guangzhou City, drilling into the Concession.

However, these people upon entering the city were intercepted by the Baoyue Association, Workers' Picket Corps, and Peasant Self-Defense Corps, and were disarmed and detained one after another, only some disguised themselves and mixed into the Concession.

With the help of the Baoyue Association, Workers' Picket Corps, and Peasant Self-Defense Corps, the rebel commanders were unable to retreat in an organized manner into the interior of Guangzhou City, street fighting and the like did not need to be carried out, providing great help for pacifying the Yang-Liu rebellion.

The Whampoa Armies and Yue Armies smoothly took over Guangzhou City, and expelled the rebellion of Yang and Liu.

However Yang Ximin and Liu Zhenhuan both still fled into the Concession; regarding this, the Principal and other high-level figures had no intention of exterminating them, anyway the armed forces of the two had been disbanded and could not stir up any big waves.

After all, in that era at that time, today you oppose me, tomorrow I stab you in the back, all commonplace; most of the opposing sides today were comrades 'comrades' yesterday, so as long as they were disarmed, the leaders would leave each other a way out, making it easy to meet again in the future, and would not easily eradicate the roots.

After pacifying the rebellion of Yang and Liu, the belief within the Grand Marshal's Office to unify the country became even deeper, so it was decided to disband the Grand Marshal's Office, establish the National Government in Guangzhou, with Wang as Chairman, and at the same time formally reform the army.

Learning the lesson of the rebellion by Yang Ximin, Liu Zhenhuan and others, the National Government Military Committee unified army names, canceling the method of naming armies after provinces.

For example, Yang Ximin, who previously launched the rebellion, his force was named the Founding Yunnan Army; Liu Zhenhuan's was the Founding Guangxi Army.

After the reform, forces supporting the National Government were officially renamed the National Revolutionary Army, that is, the National Army in everyone's mouths during the War of Resistance.

In late August, the National Government established five armies at once, namely the National Revolutionary Army First through Fifth Armies.

Among them, the First Army was expanded from the Training Regiment of the Whampoa Student Army, changing the original First Brigade into the First Division, directly commanding the Training First, Second, and Third Regiments; the First Army also commanded the Second Division and Third Division.

The National Army First Army was commanded by the Principal himself as Army Commander, with He Yingqin serving as Deputy Army Commander and First Division Commander.

Of the five armies of the National Government, the Principal could directly mobilize only this First Army; the other four armies' predecessors were actually the Hunan Army, Yunnan Army, Yue Army, and Fu Army supporting the National Government.