Chapter 49: Northern Expedition 2

In April 1926, the Revolutionary Army seemed especially fond of the Northern Expedition. Li Yuxuan stood on the head of Jiangcheng, watching the ships darting across the river, a freshly received dispatch of victory clenched in his hand, a hint of incredulous smile at the corner of his mouth.

It turned out that all the talk about Wu Peifu's bravery and his Fourteen‑Province Allied Army's ferocity was true; when the fighting began, it was like cutting down rotten wood. From the deployment in February to early April, in just two months, the Third Division successively captured Changsha, forced a crossing of Tingsi Bridge, fought fiercely at Hesheng Bridge, and surged northward with triumphant vigor, beating Wu Peifu's troops into a rout.

What was even more surprising was that the forces kept swelling. From an initial 6,000‑plus, farmers' self‑defense units and local militias kept joining along the way, as well as soldiers who surrendered after Wu Peifu's collapse; now the numbers had swelled to over 40,000, larger than the First Army personally commanded by Jiang Ruiyuan.

"You mean Wu Peifu fled?" Li Yuxuan turned and asked the messenger who had just returned from the front.

"Yes, Division Commander!" the messenger stood at attention and saluted, excitement on his face, "Since the recapture of Hesheng Bridge, Wu Peifu has taken the remaining remnants westward toward Badong. His main forces have either been annihilated by us or surrendered, and no longer pose a threat!"

Li Yuxuan waved his hand, unable to tell whether he felt relieved or disappointed: "Never mind, never mind." He walked to the desk, picked up a pen, "Send a Plain Code to the whole nation, stating that the First Army's Third Division has reclaimed Lianghu and the Central Plains region; this is an official notice."

After writing, he added, "Send another telegram to the Chairman, asking where to strike next."

"Yes, Division Commander!"

At this moment in Guangzhou, Jiang Ruiyuan was pacing the office with the Third Division's battle report, a smile he could not hide. "Well fought, well fought!" He slammed the report onto the desk and repeatedly praised the staff, "I knew Jingxing could do it! Look, this is my Third Division; in less than four months it has reclaimed Lianghu and the Central Plains, showcasing the might of our National Revolutionary Army!"

The staff officer echoed from beside, "Chairman, your keen eye sees talent; Division Commander Li truly lived up to your expectations."

"But Chairman," another Adjutant whispered, "Weren't they originally the vanguard, tasked with scouting? Didn't expect…"

"Nonsense, who said that?" Jiang Ruiyuan narrowed his eyes, cutting him off, "This is clearly my main force, personally commanded and deployed by me! Those six months they spent training in the rear—how many idle tongues were there outside? Wasn't I the one bearing the pressure? If I hadn't forced the decision to let them be the vanguard, we wouldn't have today's results."

"Yes, yes, Chairman is wise." the Adjutant quickly corrected himself, silently clicking his tongue—this credit was claimed without any hesitation.

Jiang Ruiyuan basked in pride for a while, then frowned as something came to mind, "What a pity Wu Peifu escaped. But it's fine; if he ran, let him run—a bunch of broken soldiers and defeated generals who can't stir up any trouble."

The aide staff officer began to speak but stopped: "Chairman, the Third Division now fields over 40,000 troops; should we......"

"Worrying about impossible things!" Jiang Ruiyuan flicked his sleeve, cutting off the speaker, and as he was speaking, the telegraph operator delivered Li Yuxuan's telegram. After reading it, Jiang Ruiyuan stroked his chin: "Transmit my order—have Li Yuxuan's unit continue eastward to probe Sun Chuanfang's strength." He turned to the massive Military Map on the wall, his fingertip tracing the Ganbei mountains, but he needed to remind Jingxing that Sun's forces differ from Wu Peifu's; caution against reckless advance.

"Hmph, this kid's appetite keeps growing." Jiang Ruiyuan's mouth curled into a smile, "Since Jingxing has such ambition, let him first scout Sun Chuanfang's details. Tell him there's no need to rush into a hard fight; wait until our main forces finish resting, then make plans."

"Yes, I will send the telegram right away."

Meanwhile among the populace, the Third Division's achievements had already set off a frenzy. In teahouses and markets, everyone was talking:

"Did you hear? Division Commander Li's Third Division is amazing! Wu Peifu was so formidable, yet got beaten and fled to Badong!"

"The kid from my neighbor's house is in the Third Division; he says their German Regiment Commander is awesome, tactics after tactics, Wu Peifu's troops couldn't stand against them!"

"At this rate, unifying the whole nation is within reach! No more suffering the warlords' oppression!"

These rumors reached Li Yuxuan's ears, yet he felt no excitement. That afternoon, he sat in the command post, staring blankly at the map, and suddenly shouted, "Someone!"

"Present, Division Commander!"

"Send telegrams to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Regiments, stating that the Chairman ordered us to scout the area of Sun Chuanfang. Instruct each regiment to prepare; depart in three days."

"Yes, Division Commander!"

After the guard left, Li Yuxuan leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. "Alas, it's been a smooth push all the way!" He gazed out the window, feeling oddly hollow inside, "There's no sense of achievement; it always feels like I bring my troops forward, and the opposition just disappears."

The Tingsi Bridge battle, originally expected to be a hard fight, saw Rommel leading a regiment in a night flank assault that literally broke through the defenses; Wu Peifu's troops couldn't even mount a decent resistance. The Hesheng Bridge was even more exaggerated: Guderian's 2nd Regiment employed the Lightning Assault tactic, riding captured horses, and in half a day overran the enemy command post, something even he hadn't anticipated would go so smoothly.

"Could it be that Wu Peifu's troops are just incompetent?" Li Yuxuan muttered to himself, shaking his head—having held sway over Central China for so many years, Wu Peifu was far from a pushover; it can only be said... my own unit truly is too strong.

Rommel's agile mobility, Guderian's lightning assaults, Karl Dönitz's flanking encirclement, combined with the Huangpu Student Army's fearless ferocity and the support of the local populace, perfectly fused modern tactics with native advantages.

Yet the smoother the progress, the more uneasy he felt. Sun Chuanfang was far tougher to handle than Wu Peifu, entrenched in the prosperous Southeast, with massive forces, fine equipment, and adept at alliances. This "scouting" mission likely wouldn't be as easy as beating Wu Peifu.

"Li, what are you thinking?" Rommel entered, holding Sun Chuanfang's troop disposition map, "We've studied it; Sun Chuanfang has massed heavy forces in Jiujiang, so a forced assault would definitely be costly."

Li Yuxuan sat upright: "I'm wondering, have we been too fortunate?"

Guderian also entered, laughing at the remark, "Isn't smooth progress good? It shows our tactics are effective and the soldiers brave. Although Sun Chuanfang is strong, his forces are old‑style warlord troops, riddled with factions; as long as we crush his main force, the others will naturally flee."

Karl Dönitz added, "I suggest sending a small detachment to infiltrate and identify weaknesses in his defenses. Sun Chuanfang's navy is decent; we must guard against a waterborne flanking attack."

Listening to their analysis, Li Yuxuan's confusion gradually cleared. Indeed, overthinking is useless; troops meet troops, water meets earth. No matter how formidable Sun Chuanfang is, we just have to strike.

He stood up, pointing at Jiujiang on the map: "Then it's settled; first send the 3rd Regiment to scout the outskirts of Jiujiang, while the 1st and 2nd Regiments lie in concealed standby."

Rommel and the two others exchanged a smile, "Don't worry, this time we'll give you a clear‑cut battle."

The sunlight outside was perfect, and the river breeze, moist with water vapor, drifted in, bringing a hint of freshness. Li Yuxuan looked at the soldiers training in the distance and whispered to himself, "Sun Chuanfang, are you ready?"