The vanguard of the Northern Expeditionary Army went out, and Tang Shengzhi raised his authority in Hunan
In May 1926, the vanguard of the Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army began in Hunan. At that time, there were many warlords in Hunan, forming a situation of "a country within a country". Provincial Governor Zhao Hengti has no right to intervene, so he can only rely on Wu Peifu's support to try to disarm and rectify. However, Wu Peifu led an army of 100,000 to the north to attack Feng Yuxiang, and Zhao Hengti suddenly lost his backer and was expelled by Tang Shengzhi, the commander of the Fourth Division of the Hunan Army.
Tang Shengzhi struck while the iron was hot, announced that he would join the Northern Expedition camp and take office as the commander of the Eighth Army of the National Revolutionary Army. The Northern Expeditionary Army immediately sent the Ye Ting Independent Regiment of the Fourth Army and the Eighth Brigade of the Seventh Army as the advance team to help Tang counterattack the remnants of Wu Peifu.
Although the number of people was small, this advance team was full of combat effectiveness. They instantly beat Wu Peifu's younger brother Ye Kaixin to an embarrassment. On June 2, Tang Shengzhi swore an oath to join the Northern Expeditionary Army in Hengyang, which had eight armies and about 100,000 horses.
In the next few months, Tang Shengzhi seemed to be like a hanger, and he was making great progress all the way. In early June, the advance team repelled the attack of Ye Kaixin's first department in the area of Jinlan Temple in the northwest of Hengyang. Subsequently, four regiments of the Wu army were repelled at Lutian and Longjiawan north of Anren.
At the beginning of July, Tang Shengzhi commanded the advance team to advance to Changsha in three directions. Within a few days, Loudi, Xiangxiang, Ningxiang, Liuyang, Liling, and Xiangtan were conquered one after another. On July 11, the third day after the main force of the Northern Expeditionary Army officially started, the advance team had already occupied Changsha and forced Ye Kaixin to retreat to the north bank of the Miluo River.
In the face of the emergency telegram from Hunan, Wu Peifu ignored it, believing that as long as he worked harder, he would be able to achieve a big victory in the north. He forgot that although the Nationalist Army was in a difficult situation for the time being, it had great strategic depth, and that the Northern Expeditionary Army had completed its rest and was preparing for the second phase of the offensive.
On August 12, Chiang Kai-shek held a military conference in Changsha and decided to march on three routes: the Central Route Army would take Wuhan directly, the Right Wing Army would be on alert to Jiangxi, and the General Reserve would prepare for the follow-up operation. Three days later, the Central Route Army broke through the defense line of the Miluo River, went all the way north, and conquered Yueyang, but the Wu army was defeated and retreated into Hubei.
In late August, the remnants of Ye Kaixin blocked the attack at the Tingsi Bridge, but were quickly routed by the Fourth Army. Subsequently, the Northern Expeditionary Army launched a general attack on Wuhan, and the Wu army resisted stubbornly, and the two sides came and went, suffering heavy casualties. In the end, Wu Peifu fled Wuchang with his guards and entrusted Liu Yuchun with the responsibility of defending the city.
On October 10, the defenders of Wuchang opened the city gate, the Northern Expeditionary Army occupied Wuchang, more than 20,000 Wu troops surrendered, and Liu Yuchun was captured. In the Battle of the Two Lakes, Wu Peifu's main force was basically wiped out, while Tang Shengzhi soared into the sky, and his prestige faintly overshadowed Chiang Kai-shek. Seeing that Tang Shengzhi had the strength to balance himself, Chiang Kai-shek decided to personally lead the team to attack Sun Chuanfang.
Wu Peifu held on to Wuhan, and the Northern Expeditionary Army suffered setbacks
In August 1926, the National Revolutionary Army marched all the way through Hunan, and after conquering Changsha, Wu Peifu's main force retreated and retreated to Wuhan. Wuhan is located in the Jianghan Plain, backed by great rivers, and is a natural fortress. Wu Peifu held on here, determined to fight to the death with the Northern Expeditionary Army.
The defense of Wuhan was impregnable, and Wu Peifu personally commanded and deployed heavy troops to guard it. The Northern Expeditionary Army's offensive was blocked, and Chiang Kai-shek decided to adopt a siege strategy, sending the Central Route Army to attack Wuhan directly, and the Right Wing Army to advance along the Jiangxi line, and the General Reserve to prepare for the follow-up operation.
On August 15, the Central Route Army broke through the defense line of the Miluo River and went all the way north to conquer Yueyang. Wu's army was defeated and retreated into Hubei. In early September, the remnants of Ye Kaixin blocked the attack at the Tingsi Bridge, but were quickly routed by the Fourth Army. The Northern Expeditionary Army then launched a general attack on Wuhan, and the two sides encountered fierce battles, with heavy casualties.
At this time, Hubei Sun Chuanfang's attitude attracted the attention of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Sun Chuanfang was originally an ally of Wu Peifu, but after the Battle of the Two Lakes broke out, he stayed out of the matter and refused to increase his troops to help Wu. When the Northern Expeditionary Army learned of this situation, they decided to let Sun Chuanfang go first and concentrate on dealing with Wu Peifu.
On October 10, Wuchang fell, and Wu Peifu fled with his guards, entrusting Liu Yuchun with the responsibility of defending the city. After the Northern Expeditionary Army occupied Wuchang, more than 20,000 Wu troops surrendered, and Liu Yuchun was captured. In this battle, Wu Peifu's main force was basically wiped out.
Although the Northern Expeditionary Army won the Battle of Wuhan, the price paid was not small. In the fierce battle, both sides suffered heavy casualties, and the Northern Expeditionary Army was also greatly damaged. To make matters worse, Chiang Kai-shek left the front line during the Battle of Wuchang, which hindered the progress of the operation.
After the fall of Wuchang, Chiang Kai-shek returned to the front and personally deployed a strategy against Sun Chuanfang. He feared that if Sun Chuanfang was not dealt with as soon as possible, Sun might collude with other warlords in the future and pose a new threat to the Northern Expeditionary Army.
Overall, the Battle of Wuhan was a difficult victory for the Northern Expeditionary Army. Although Wuhan was finally conquered, the cost was not small. More importantly, Chiang Kai-shek's departure from the front line at a critical moment hindered the progress of the Northern Expedition, which added uncertainty to future wars.
The Northern Expeditionary Army made a difficult breakthrough, and Wu Peifu was unable to form an army
In late August 1926, the Battle of Wuhan entered a white-hot stage. The Northern Expeditionary Army launched a general attack on Wuhan, and the two sides encountered fierce battles, with heavy casualties.
On August 28, Chiang Kai-shek personally led the Central Route Army to cross the river and conquer the cities of Hankou and Hanyang. In this battle, Tang Shengzhi was prestigious, commanded well, and made great achievements. After the Northern Expeditionary Army occupied Hankou and Hanyang, an internal and external attack was formed inside and outside Wuchang City.
In the face of heavy encirclement, Wu Peifu decided to stick to Wuchang and vowed to fight to the death with the Northern Expeditionary Army. He deployed the main force in Wuchang City, personally commanded it, and insisted on stubborn resistance. The Northern Expeditionary Army's offensive was blocked, and the battle was deadlocked.
At this moment, Chiang Kai-shek abruptly left the front and returned to Guangzhou to deal with government affairs. His departure undoubtedly added variables to the offensive of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Sure enough, in mid-September, Wuchang City fell, and Wu Peifu fled to Jiujiang with his guards, entrusting Liu Yuchun with the responsibility of defending the city.
On October 10, the defenders of Wuchang opened the city gates, and the Northern Expeditionary Army occupied Wuchang. More than 20,000 Wu troops surrendered, and Liu Yuchun was captured. In this battle, Wu Peifu's main force was basically wiped out, and only some remnants of the army fled to Jiujiang.
After the Battle of Wuchang, the Northern Expeditionary Army immediately launched an attack on Jiujiang. At the end of September, Chiang Kai-shek personally led the Central Route Army to advance along the railway line from Hankou to Jiujiang. In mid-October, Jiujiang was lost, and Wu Peifu fled to Nanchang in a hurry.
In Nanchang, Wu Peifu tried to regroup, gather the remnants, and prepare for a last-ditch fight. But the Northern Expeditionary Army did not give him a respite. In late October, Chiang Kai-shek continued to advance along the railway line and went straight to Nanchang.
In early November, the Battle of Nanchang broke out. The two sides fought fiercely for several days, and the Northern Expeditionary Army won victory after victory. On November 6, the city of Nanchang fell, and Wu Peifu fled to Jiujiang, preparing to go north to join Zhang Zuolin.
At Jiujiang, the remnants of Wu Peifu joined Zhang Zuolin's troops. The two sides originally planned to go north to attack Feng Yuxiang, but due to the disparity in strength, they were quickly defeated by Feng's army.
At this point, Wu Peifu's warlord front was basically wiped out. He himself had to flee to Shanghai, temporarily away from the military arena. In the battle of the two lakes, Wu Peifu was greatly injured, and he has been in a slump since then.
The victory of the Northern Expeditionary Army in the Battle of the Two Lakes marked a decisive breakthrough in the Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army. Although it cost dearly, the biggest obstacle to Wuhan was finally cleared.
Next, Chiang Kai-shek turned his attention to Sun Chuanfang. As another important warlord force in the Wuhan area, Sun Chuanfang always stayed out of the situation during the Battle of the Two Lakes and had an ambiguous attitude. If the Northern Expeditionary Army does not solve Sun Chuanfang as soon as possible, it may collude with other warlords in the future and pose a new threat to the Northern Expedition.
Therefore, immediately after the Battle of Wuchang, Chiang Kai-shek deployed a strategy against Sun Chuanfang. He personally led the Central Route Army to advance along the railway line from Hankou to Jiujiang and cut off Sun Chuanfang's retreat. At the same time, other Route Armies of the National Revolutionary Army also launched an attack on Sun Chuanfang.
Chiang Kai-shek added a new covert operation group
In October 1926, the Battle of Wuchang ended, and Wu Peifu's main force was annihilated. After the Northern Expeditionary Army occupied Wuchang, Chiang Kai-shek immediately mobilized the First Army and the Seventh Army and moved to Jiangxi to deal with Sun Chuanfang.
At this moment, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly had a plan. He was worried that if he didn't manage to suppress Tang Shengzhi's popularity, Tang Shengzhi might become a new force to balance himself in the future. To this end, Chiang Kai-shek secretly formed a special forces.
This force consisted of the elite divisions of the Northern Expeditionary Army, which were small in number, only a few thousand. But all of them are veterans of the battlefield, and all of them are skilled. Their task is to secretly monitor Tang Shengzhi's every move, and once they find out that Tang Shengzhi has different intentions, they will immediately take action to eradicate it.
In order to hide people's eyes, this special forces unit has no official number, and the operation is carried out at night, with very little movement. Their existence was unknown to even the other generals in the Northern Expeditionary Army.
Chiang Kai-shek had high hopes for this force. He believed that as long as he had this sharp division in charge, he could ensure that the command of the Northern Expeditionary Army was firmly in his hands and would not be touched by anyone.
However, Chiang Kai-shek apparently underestimated Tang Shengzhi. Although Tang Shengzhi was under Chiang Kai-shek, his vision was not limited to the military. He had long seen through Chiang Kai-shek's careful thinking and secretly took precautions.
Tang Shengzhi first recruited a large number of talented officers in the army and absorbed a large number of young officers with advanced ideas and love for the revolution, so as to dilute Chiang Kai-shek's influence. At the same time, he also secretly contacted the Soviet military advisory group to seek external support.
In the face of these moves by Tang Shengzhi, Chiang Kai-shek's secret special forces were helpless. They could only watch Tang Shengzhi's prestige grow day by day, while his influence gradually weakened.
In the end, this special forces not only failed to meet Chiang Kai-shek's expectations, but instead became a bane, laying the groundwork for the future civil war. Many of the troops later joined the Communist Party and became famous Red Army generals.
The presence of this secret special forces had an unexpected impact on the course of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Not only did it fail to curb the rise of Tang Shengzhi, but it accelerated the intensification of contradictions within the National Revolutionary Army and laid the foundation for future civil wars.
Chiang Kai-shek's secret action backfired in the end and became an out-and-out historical regret. It once again confirms a truth: Any attempt to suppress dissent through illegitimate means will inevitably be condemned by history.
Wu Peifu was destroyed, and the National Revolutionary Army continued the Northern Expedition
In early November 1926, the Battle of Nanchang broke out. After several days of fierce fighting, the Northern Expeditionary Army connected several cities, and on November 6, Nanchang fell. Wu Peifu led the remnants to flee to Jiujiang, preparing to go north to join Zhang Zuolin.
At Jiujiang, Wu Peifu's troops joined up with Zhang Zuolin's army, originally planning to flank Feng Yuxiang. However, the disparity in strength was too great, and he was soon defeated by Feng's army. Wu Peifu had no choice but to flee to Shanghai and stay away from the military arena for the time being.
At this point, Wu Peifu's warlord front was basically wiped out. In the battle of the two lakes, he was greatly injured and has been in a state of collapse ever since. The Northern Expeditionary Army paid a heavy price in this battle, but finally cleared the biggest obstacle to Wuhan.
After the Battle of Nanchang, Chiang Kai-shek immediately mobilized the First Army and the Seventh Army and moved to Jiangxi to deal with Sun Chuanfang. Sun Chuanfang was originally an ally of Wu Peifu, but during the Battle of the Two Lakes, he stayed out of the matter and had an ambiguous attitude. If the Northern Expeditionary Army does not deal with Sun Chuanfang as soon as possible, he may collude with other warlords in the future and pose a new threat to the Northern Expedition.
In late November 1926, Chiang Kai-shek personally led the Central Route Army to advance along the railway line from Hankou to Jiujiang, cutting off Sun Chuanfang's retreat. At the same time, other Route Armies of the National Revolutionary Army also launched an attack on Sun Chuanfang.
In the face of Chiang Kai-shek's onslaught, Sun Chuanfang retreated. In early December, his troops were routed and fled to Fujian in a hurry. Jiangxi was largely occupied by the National Revolutionary Army.
In the battle of Jiangxi, Sun Chuanfang's main force was annihilated, and Jiangxi was pacified. This was undoubtedly another major victory for the Northern Expeditionary Army.
Next, Chiang Kai-shek turned his attention to Zhili, the base camp of the Feng department. In January 1927, the Northern Expeditionary Army went to Zhili and encountered a fierce battle with Feng Yuxiang's Feng army. The two sides come and go, and it is difficult to distinguish between them.
At this moment, serious contradictions suddenly broke out within the Northern Expeditionary Army. Chiang Kai-shek had a disagreement with Soviet advisers, and relations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party deteriorated rapidly after the Soviets withdrew. On April 12, Chiang Kai-shek launched a "purging the party" operation in Shanghai, brutally suppressing the communists, and the two sides fell into civil war.
In the face of the internal strife of the National Revolutionary Army, Feng Yuxiang took the opportunity to counterattack and once forced the Northern Expeditionary Army into a desperate situation. Fortunately, Chiang Kai-shek adjusted his strategy in time and recaptured the fighters in July, forcing Feng Yuxiang to retreat to Beiping.
In June 1928, the Northern Expeditionary Army conquered Beiping and completed the great cause of unifying China. But then, a full-scale civil war broke out between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and the prospects for the revolution were once again fogged.
In general, the Northern Expedition was a difficult and tortuous struggle. Although it finally achieved national reunification, the price was heavy and the internal contradictions were intensifying. Although the Northern Expeditionary Army has achieved a phased victory, it still needs to continue to work hard for true peace and democracy.