Chapter 50: Northern Expedition 3

The summer wind atop Nanchang, carrying heat, brushed Li Yuxuan's sweat‑soaked uniform. He leaned on the rail, gazing into the distance, his fingertips caressing the brass pocket watch seized from Sun Chuanfang's command. As the case opened and closed, crisp mechanical clicks intertwined with the rustling of distant rice waves, forming a melody.

One month… it seems we overestimated this Southeast King. He let out a light sigh, and the vague reflection on the watch case showed his complicated smile.

Before setting out, he and Rommel and a few others studied Sun Chuanfang's troop deployments; just the designations of the Southeast Five‑Province Allied Forces filled an entire sheet, and strongholds like Modu, Jinling, and Jiujiang were touted as impregnable. When the fighting actually began, they found that this "Southeast King"'s forces were not much stronger than Wu Peifu's—appearing numerous and powerful, but each harbored hidden motives and scattered at the first hard battle.

By the way, what's the situation with the 2nd Regiment and the 3rd Regiment now? Li Yuxuan turned and asked the staff officer behind him.

The staff officer hurriedly handed over a telegram: "Reply to Division Commander, the 2nd Regiment broke through Modu at 6 a. m. today and is clearing the remaining enemies; the 3rd Regiment just reported that it has occupied Jinling, and the President's Office flag has already been replaced with ours!"

Good! Li Yuxuan's spirit lifted, he slipped the pocket watch back into his pocket, "Send orders, now immediately broadcast the Plain Code nationwide, telling them that the 3rd Division has reclaimed Nanjing and Shanghai and that the entire Southeast half now belongs to the National Government!"

He paused, then added: also send a telegram to the Chairman, asking what the next instructions are.

Yes, Division Commander!

At this moment inside the Yangcheng National Government, Jiang Ruiyuan clenched the document and paced back and forth on the mahogany floor, the sound of his leather shoes tinged with restrained excitement: "Jingxing truly is a tiger general! In two months he captured both capitals; back then Xue Yue's assault on Huizhou was never so swift!"

He slapped the telegram onto the desk and said to the Adjutant: "Notify the other units to advance quickly from the Fujian and Zhejiang routes, to link up with Jingxing's forces and completely sweep away Sun Chuanfang's remnants!"

Yes, Chairman. The Adjutant was about to leave, then halted, "By the way, Chairman, we are about to decisively defeat Sun Chuanfang now; should the next step be to order Li Yuxuan's troops to march north to attack Zhang Zuolin in the Northeast?"

Jiang Ruiyuan's steps halted, his smile fading slightly. He walked to the window, gazed at the soldiers training outside, remained silent for a moment, then said: "Have Chen Lifu come see me."

The Chairman is worried… the Adjutant hesitates to speak.

Jiang Ruiyuan looked at the new recruits training outside, his gaze growing cold: "The snow in the Northeast hasn't melted yet, no rush. As for our backyard…" He lightly tapped the window frame with his fingertip; some people, seeing Jingxing's momentum too great, have already become restless.

All right, Jiang Ruiyuan waved his hand, "Send a telegram to Jingxing, tell him to hold position; without my order, he may not move north on his own."

A few days later, Li Yuxuan received a telegram in the temporary command post at the Jinling President's Office. He slapped the telegram onto the desk, looked at the several core officers before him: "The Chairman wants us to hold position; what are your thoughts?"

Officer Huang Wei was the first to step forward: "Division Commander, I think the Chairman is right. Our troops have been fighting all the way and are tired; we should rest and recuperate. Moreover, Jinling and Modu have just been reclaimed, and the local situation is still unstable; we need to leave forces to maintain order."

Du Yuming frowned: "But Sun Chuanfang's remnants are still roaming in Jiangbei; if we don't press the advantage now, what if they rise again?"

Hu Zhongnan said nothing, merely looking at the three Rommels—these three German Regiment Commanders' opinions are often more effective than anyone's.

Rommel shook his head and, in not very fluent Chinese, said: "Li, we need to go back."

"Going back so soon?" Li Yuxuan was stunned, as if something had struck his heart. He had always thought they would wait until Zhang Zuolin was completely crushed before considering departure.

Guderian explained: "We originally intended to help you defeat the warlords, and would leave once we saw the hope of Huaxia's unification. But now Berlin is pressing urgently, saying the domestic situation is tense and we must report back as soon as possible."

Dönitz also nodded: "We have already submitted our resignations; at most we will stay three more days before setting out to return home."

Li Yuxuan fell silent. He knew that no feast lasts forever. That Rommel and the others could help him for so long was already a tremendous favor. He looked at the three foreign friends, recalling the past two years of training together, devising tactics together, and sharing life and death on the battlefield, feeling a mixture of emotions.

"Alright." He finally nodded, forcing a smile, "When are you heading back? I'll have someone prepare ship tickets and see you off personally."

Three days later, departing from Jinling Port. Rommel patted his shoulder, "No need to see us off; the battlefield is where you belong. Once we leave, your troops can stand on their own."

Guderian handed over a thick Tactical Notebook: "These are the key points of Lightning Assault tactics I compiled, combined with the terrain features of your Huaxia battlefields; perhaps they'll be useful to you."

Dönitz also produced a sea chart: "These are the defensive points I marked for the middle and lower Yangtze River; should there be naval operations in the future, they might come in handy."

Li Yuxuan took the items, feeling their weight in his hands. He stood at attention, solemnly saluted the three, "Thank you."

The three Rommels returned with a standard German military salute, in unison saying, "Take care."

After they left, the command post fell silent. Huang Wei looked at Li Yuxuan's back, hesitating before speaking: "Division Commander, the three regiment commanders have gone, we…"

"It's fine." Li Yuxuan turned, his face already steady. "We've mastered everything they taught us; the backbone of this unit has been hardened. Without them, we can still fight."

He walked to the map, his finger pounding heavily on the Jiangbei spot: "Holding position is fine, but we cannot truly rest. Send my orders: have each regiment intensify training, especially the new recruits, and solidify basic tactics. Also, dispatch a reconnaissance company across the river to probe Sun Chuanfang's remnants and report continuously."

Yes, Division Commander!

After the officers dispersed, Li Yuxuan stood alone before the map, staring into the Northeast. He knew Jiang Ruiyuan's order to hold position was not merely for rest—it was for that "more important matter." Ah, that year I had my hands in my pockets, yet knew nothing of people's hearts.

Three days later at the port, the salty sea breeze unfurled the military flag. Li Yuxuan watched the liner shrink into a black dot and suddenly recalled the morning last year at the main camp when Rommel hand‑taught new recruits to operate mortars. He maintained the military‑salute stance until sunset, as if bidding farewell to an era.

Returning to the city it was already night; he climbed alone onto Zhongshan. At the foot, newly built fortifications loomed like a coiled beast, and across the river fires still burned. Jiang Ruiyuan's words about the "more important matter" echoed in his ears, and he suddenly understood—within the barrel of a revolution, the most dangerous thing is never the frontal bullet.

But when he brushed his sidearm at his waist and felt the warm red tassel, his gaze sharpened again.

The road ahead may be solitary, but he has no choice but to clench his fists and keep moving forward.