Chapter 98: The Jiang–Feng War, Part One

May 16, 1929, inside the Huayin Temple of Sanqin, candlelight flickered. Feng Yuxiang, dressed in coarse cloth uniform, stood before a spread map of the Central Plains, his finger pressing heavily on the Longhai Railway line. On either side stood Liu Yufen, Song Zheyuan and other Northwest Army generals, each face marked with solemnity.

"The Chairman is overstepping!" Feng Yuxiang's voice echoed among the temple's beams and columns. "The Gui clique has just been pacified, and now they will strike at us. Today we broadcast a telegram nationwide, proclaiming ourselves the 'Guardian of the Party, Savior of the Nation, Northwest Army Commander‑in‑Chief,' vowing to punish this rogue traitor!"

Song Zheyuan stepped forward: "Commander, our army numbers two hundred thousand, but its equipment is crude and ammunition scarce. Perhaps we should first hold Shaanxi‑Gansu, waiting for the right moment."

"Impossible!" Feng Yuxiang replied resolutely. "The Chairman is redeploying troops; if we wait for his plans to finish, our army will be forced into passivity. We must strike while his footing is still unstable."

That night, a telegram sent from Huayin shocked the nation. At the same time, the Chairman, raging in the Jinling Presidential Office, shouted, "Feng Yuxiang, that treacherous scoundrel! Order Zhu Peide and Liu Zhi to dispatch troops at once to suppress the rebellion!"

In May, the wheat waves rolled across the Henan East plain. The Central Army advanced westward along the Longhai Railway, with heavy artillery deployed along the Xuzhou‑Shangqiu line. Hundreds of cannons roared in unison, shells swarming toward the Northwest Army defenses like locusts.

On the outer positions of Shangqiu, the commander of the Northwest Army's 3rd Division, Zhang Zizhong, personally visited the front. Shells continuously exploded around the trenches, deafening all.

"Division Commander, get into the bunker!" the Guard Platoon Leader tried to pull him away.

Zhang Zizhong shrugged off the guard's hand, raised his binoculars: "Tell the artillery to concentrate fire on the enemy's left flank! That's where their ammunition trucks are!"

At that moment, a shell struck the forward fortifications of the command post, spraying mud and sand. Zhang Zizhong was blown to the ground by the blast, his ears and nose bleeding, yet he continued to command.

In the front‑line trench, Northwest Army soldiers stubbornly resisted with crude weapons. Machine‑gunner Ma Zhanshan mounted a Maxim gun on a shattered bunker, unleashing a fierce sweep at the charging Central Army.

"Damned Central Army, come on!" he shouted while firing. Suddenly, a grenade exploded beside him, shrapnel slicing off half his cheek. The man from Gansu clutched the trigger to the end, his corpse frozen in a firing stance.

The Longhai Railway corridor turned into a living hell. Northwest Army engineers, under fire, demolished several railway bridges west of Zhengzhou, but the Central Army's engineering units, shielded by tanks, forced repairs.

On the eastern outskirts of Shendu, a brutal tank battle erupted. Lacking anti‑tank weapons, Northwest Army soldiers clutched explosives and cluster grenades, charging at the Central Army's Renault FT‑17 tanks.

Soldier Li Erwa, only seventeen, crawled forward, weaving through shell craters. When he neared a tank, he leapt up and jammed the explosive charge into its tracks.

With a "Boom", the tank crippled, but Li Erwa was also blown skyward. In his dying moments, he gazed toward his hometown and whispered, "Mother, I didn't bring you shame…"

The street fighting was even harsher. In Zhengzhou's old city district, both sides fought house by house. The Northwest Army leveraged its knowledge of the terrain to set ambushes in alleys, while the Central Army swept each suspicious stronghold with rifles.

In a narrow lane, Northwest Army company commander Zhao Dengyu held the line with a dozen soldiers. When their ammunition ran out, they raised their bayonets and engaged the advancing Central Army in close‑quarters combat.

Zhao Dengyu was drenched in blood, his bayonets bent from the thrusts.

On the night of May 20, Han Fuju paced back and forth in his headquarters. On the desk lay two telegrams: one an urgent dispatch from Feng Yuxiang ordering him to lead his troops southward, the other a secret letter from the Chairman's Special Envoy promising him the post of Henan Province Chairman and a reward of two million yuan in cash once the matter succeeded.

"Division Commander, we can't hesitate any longer," Chief of Staff Li Shuchun whispered. "Old Feng treats us well, but the Northwest Army is riddled with factions; we remain outsiders. The Chairman's methods are ruthless, yet he acts generously."

Han Fuju halted, staring at the pitch‑black night sky. He recalled how Feng Yuxiang had publicly scolded him over a trivial matter during last year's Northern Expedition, and he thought of the high office and riches promised by the Chairman's envoy, finally making up his mind.

"Notify all divisions, prepare to mobilize," Han Fuju said in a low voice, "but not southward—eastward."

At the same time, Shi Yousan faced the same dilemma. Unlike Han Fuju, Shi Yousan's defection was more resolute. He not only decided to turn toward Jinling, but also planned to loot opportunistically.

On May 22, shocking news spread nationwide: Han Fuju and Shi Yousan jointly issued a telegram, declaring support for the Central command and denouncing Feng Yuxiang's 'rebellion.'

When the news reached Huayin, Feng Yuxiang was having breakfast. A mantou slipped from his hand onto the floor, and he felt as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

"Like Fang… Han Zhang… how could they…" Feng Yuxiang muttered to himself, unable to accept the reality.

Song Zheyuan rushed in breathlessly: "Commander, Han and Shi have defected; our flank is fully exposed. Zhu Peide and Liu Zhi's forces are advancing rapidly; the situation is dire!"

Han Fuju and Shi Yousan's betrayal, like toppling the first domino, triggered a chain reaction within the Northwest Army. Officers already harboring dissent followed suit, and the Northwest Army instantly collapsed.

At the Tongguan front, Liu Yufen tried to steady the troops, but morale had already shattered.

"Division Commander, half the soldiers of the 3rd Regiment have fled!"

"Report, the supply line has been cut by Shi Yousan's forces!"

Bad news arrived one after another.

Song Zheyuan suggested, "Commander, the only plan now is a temporary retreat to preserve strength."

Feng Yuxiang closed his eyes in anguish. He recalled the years he had painstakingly built the Northwest Army from a small unit into the powerful military bloc that now dominated the northwest, never expecting it to disintegrate overnight.

"I misjudged people…" Feng Yuxiang sighed, "Order all units to withdraw into Sanqin."