Newborn 1927

Meanwhile, Yang Jiefang launched a full-scale counter-offensive. First, the artillery regiment opened fire at full capacity. Then, Song Youde's 7th Regiment launched a counter-attack from the flank along the west bank of the Shu River. Ma Shangfei's cavalry regiment, under the cover of artillery fire, launched a frontal assault.

Upon receiving the news of the attack on Tancheng, Chen Diaoyuan quickly realized he was surrounded. He ordered the 79th Division to hold off the enemy's counterattack while simultaneously ordering a portion of the 80th Division to turn back and relieve Tancheng. However, the 79th Division was no match for Yang Jiefang's all-out attack and quickly collapsed.

After capturing Tancheng, Tiechui did not stay in the city, leaving only a small force to guard supplies and prisoners. He led the main force of his regiment out of the city and charged in from the rear of the 37th Army. Because Tancheng fell so quickly, the 80th Division's reinforcements had not yet reached Tancheng when they ran headlong into Tiechui's main force, and were routed in a single encounter.

When an army is surrounded, there are generally two solutions: one is to hold the position and wait for reinforcements, and the other is to break out. Holding the position and waiting for reinforcements can usually preserve a large number of soldiers and military supplies, which is better than breaking out. Chen Diaoyuan ordered his troops to choose advantageous terrain to hold, while sending a telegram to Li Mei's troops requesting reinforcements.

In terms of distance, Lijiazhuang Post Station is about the same size as Cangshan and Tancheng; however, several north-south rivers separate Lijiazhuang Post Station from Cangshan. It wouldn't be easy for Li Mei's troops to come and reinforce them.

Yang Jiefang equipped his troops with artillery in a three-dimensional, continuous firing mode. Within 50 meters, hand grenades were used. Between 50 and 200 meters, grenade launchers were used. Beyond 200 meters, 60mm mortars were used, and further out, 81mm mortars and Type 92 infantry guns were deployed. Then came artillery support from the division's artillery battalions and regiments. The regiment's M1925 105mm cannons had a maximum range exceeding 15 kilometers, capable of firing from Lijiazhuangyi to the outskirts of Tancheng. This area, roughly twenty li wide and forty li north to south, was essentially within the artillery's coverage. If Chen Diaoyuan had chosen to break out immediately, he could have preserved most of his strength; his choice to hold his ground was tantamount to waiting for death. The People's Liberation Army used its artillery advantage to destroy their defensive positions one by one.

Chen Diaoyuan, of course, wouldn't sit idly by and wait for death; he had no choice but to break out. A southward breakout was impossible; his two legs could never outrun the galloping cavalry. Chen Diaoyuan could only lead his troops westward, searching for a crossing point on the Yi River. It was currently the flood season on the Yi River, and the banks were covered with many marshes and wetlands, making crossing no easy task. Building a pontoon bridge was out of the question; there was neither the time nor the resources. Therefore, he ordered his soldiers to swim across the river in several places. After many attempts, he finally found a place where they could wade across, although the current was a bit swift, it was barely possible. Chen Diaoyuan immediately abandoned his baggage and led his troops across the river.

Chen Diaoyuan had only managed to get a little over a thousand men across when Ma Shangfei led his cavalry regiment to the river and seized control of the crossing point. Chen Diaoyuan ignored the troops left behind on the east bank and quickly advanced towards Cangshan. Ma Shangfei, however, had no time to deal with the enemy troops who had already crossed; he needed to deal with the remaining enemy forces first. These troops, lacking effective organization, offered very weak resistance and were quickly broken into small groups, which were then wiped out one by one. Some small groups chose to flee south, but were soon overtaken by Ma Shangfei's cavalry.

By the time the battle ended, it was dark. Yang Jiefang ordered all troops to quickly clean up the battlefield and rest as soon as possible. At the same time, he dispatched engineers and, through local security teams, organized nearby villagers to build pontoon bridges across various river sections overnight.

That night, Zhao Changming sent a telegram to Yang Jiefang, informing him that Li Mei and Chen Diaoyuan's remnants had joined forces in Cangshan. Zhao Changming was skilled in guerrilla warfare and had originally led Li Mei's troops towards Nishan. Once they entered the mountains, he was confident he could annihilate Li Mei's two divisions. One of his main regiments had over two thousand men, equipped with more than five hundred mules and horses to transport heavy weapons and ammunition supplies, giving it considerable mobility.

Li Mei had never encountered this kind of fighting style before. Sending a small force to engage was a one-way trip, and pursuing with a large army was impossible. This situation of being able only to be attacked and unable to retaliate was excruciating for anyone who experienced it. When he heard that Chen Diaoyuan was surrounded, he was truly terrified and dared not pursue any further, turning back to Cangshan. But even if he wanted to leave, it wasn't something he could do immediately. Zhao Changming also received the news and immediately turned back to pursue him. Li Mei left a regiment to cover the rear before finally escaping Zhao Changming's entanglement. Naturally, this rearguard regiment was completely wiped out by Zhao Changming, leaving not a trace.

After crossing the Yi River, Chen Diaoyuan headed towards Cangshan Mountain while simultaneously sending telegrams to the 17th and 26th Armies under the Second Army Corps, attempting to request reinforcements. However, both armies were facing Zhang Zongchang's forces and were making good progress; they were about to reap the rewards and were unwilling to put down their chopsticks to come and gnaw on the bones. They all found excuses to decline. That evening, Chen Diaoyuan joined forces with Li Mei's troops and realized the situation was dire. Unable to mobilize the other two armies, he reported to Chang Naichao.

Chang Naichao was also taken aback. Since the general attack order was issued, all units had been making smooth progress, advancing triumphantly. Unexpectedly, Chen Diaoyuan had run into trouble, and he was now facing a junior commander who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He immediately ordered the staff to investigate, and the investigation revealed a "Peace Declaration," leaving him somewhat dumbfounded. At this point, he was too far away to intervene and was powerless to do anything about it.

Unable to mobilize reinforcements, Chen Diaoyuan attempted a night retreat. But Zhao Changming wouldn't allow it. Night battles were Zhao Changming's forte. That night, Chen Diaoyuan's troops were constantly harassed by Zhao Changming's relentless attacks, leaving them utterly helpless. Each soldier clutched their gun, eyes wide open, too afraid to sleep. Only as dawn approached did Zhao Changming cease his harassment, allowing the 37th Army's officers and soldiers a brief respite.

Before dawn, Yang Jiefang ordered Peng Dahu's regiment to stay behind to guard the prisoners of war; Song Youde's regiment, Tiechui's regiment, and the cavalry regiment were to cross the Yi River to encircle and annihilate Chen Diaoyuan's troops at Cangshan. The artillery regiment was not deployed because the 105mm cannons were too heavy, requiring eight draft horses to pull them, and the movement was quite slow.

At this point, Chen Diaoyuan dared neither advance nor retreat south to Pi County, but instead chose to move westward towards Min County. Liu Zhennian had already anticipated this situation. Yang Jiefang ordered Zhao Changming to block Chen Diaoyuan's retreat at all costs.

Zhao Changming knew that guerrilla warfare might be able to hold back most of Chen Diaoyuan's troops, but it wouldn't be able to annihilate them all. Letting Chen Diaoyuan escape would still not achieve the strategic objective. Therefore, Zhao Changming abandoned guerrilla warfare and rushed to Xiangcheng ahead of time, setting up defenses with his back to the Xijia River.

Li Mei had been unable to hit Zhao Changming before, but now that the enemy was engaging in positional warfare, it was exactly what he wanted. He believed that with his numerical superiority, defeating Zhao Changming's forces shouldn't be difficult. As long as they passed through Xiangcheng and reached Lanlingji, they could escape. Without much preparation time, he immediately ordered a full-scale attack. However, they soon discovered that sheer numbers didn't guarantee an advantage. In terms of firepower, they were completely suppressed by Zhao Changming and couldn't break through his firepower blockade or breach his defenses.

Li Mei and the others considered taking a detour, but quickly abandoned the idea. Zhao Changming wouldn't let them go around. This place was located in a triangular area between the East Jia River and the West Jia River; there were no suitable crossing points to the south, and going north meant entering the mountains.

Chen Diaoyuan deserted his troops and escaped alone yesterday because he still had a core force in the Cangshan direction. Now, if he loses this core force as well, a warlord without an army will become worthless. The army is his foundation; he cannot abandon it again. Since he cannot bypass it, he has no choice but to continue the direct assault.

Around noon, the cavalry regiment that had been advancing by swift action arrived first. Instead of launching an immediate attack, he dispersed his troops to monitor the surrounding area, awaiting the arrival of the other two regiments. Chen Diaoyuan realized the gravity of the situation and immediately sent someone to contact Zhao Changming, offering to negotiate a ceasefire. Zhao Changming knew the objective was to buy time, so he earnestly began discussions. Once an agreement was reached, Zhao Changming stated that he still needed to consult with the junior commander, and that they could be allowed to pass if the junior commander had no objections. However, Chen Diaoyuan patiently waited for a full hour, only to receive the reply: "The junior commander only accepts unconditional surrender."

Chen Diaoyuan realized he had been tricked, but there was nothing he could do; he was now surrounded by superior forces. He wisely led his troops to surrender. In his view, given his status and position, even capture wouldn't be a problem.

But Yang Jiefang lacked military ethics and ordered Chen Diaoyuan and the other prisoners to be escorted to Linyi. He immediately executed Chen Diaoyuan and the commanders of the 79th and 80th Divisions. Liu Zhennian and others tried to dissuade him, arguing that killing surrendered generals was inauspicious. Yang Jiefang said, "Although our army treats prisoners well, that applies to ordinary soldiers. They were merely following orders and committed no wrongdoing. These war criminals, of course, cannot be easily forgiven."

Subsequently, Yang Jiefang issued another telegram to the entire nation, representing the ten million people of the thirty-two counties in eastern Shandong, declaring that Chen Diaoyuan and others had committed war crimes and should be sentenced to death, to be carried out immediately. He reiterated the "Peace Declaration." Next, Yang Jiefang stated his willingness to uphold Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People and to recognize the legitimacy of the Nanjing Nationalist Government. Finally, he declared: "We await punishment in eastern Shandong!"

Upon learning this, Chang Naichao was furious and cursed wildly. A dignified corps commander, killed so easily! This wasn't a display of military might; it was a psychological blow! Chang Naichao immediately wanted to mobilize troops to annihilate Yang Jiefang's forces. However, the troops were already deployed and it was inconvenient to withdraw them, so he considered sending the reserves.

The commander of the reserve force was Zhu Peide, a classmate of Zhu De, whom he and Zhu Rongji were known as the "Two Model Zhus" during their time at the Yunnan Military Academy. Zhu Peide disagreed with using force because public opinion was almost unanimously in support of Yang Jiefang. Most people abhorred war and especially hated war criminals. They argued that Yang had issued a peace declaration beforehand, yet Yang insisted on attacking, deserving of death. More importantly, Yang's ability to wipe out an entire army demonstrated their formidable fighting strength. Using force to deal with Yang's troops at this time would result in accusations of disrupting peace if victorious, and unpredictable consequences if defeated—a thankless and arduous task. Zhu Peide's suggestion was to incorporate them into the force.

Although Chen Diaoyuan was not Chang Naichao's direct subordinate, Chang Naichao was unwilling to compromise so easily and did not immediately agree to the suggestion of incorporating him. With the Northern Expedition at hand, he couldn't spare the resources and had to postpone the matter. Yang Jiefang couldn't be sure what Chang Naichao would do; all he could do now was actively prepare for war. However, instead of Chang Naichao's attack, he encountered the Japanese.

On April 18th, Shi Zhongcheng suddenly sent an urgent telegram informing him that Japanese troops had landed in Yantai. Shi Zhongcheng dared not initiate hostilities and immediately closed the city gates, preventing the Japanese from entering. The Japanese occupied the Zhifu Peninsula, where the Yantai industrial zone was under construction. Their stated reason was to protect the Japanese residents there.

Yang Jiefang was completely bewildered. The Japanese civilians were simply working peacefully here; what protection did they need? He immediately telegraphed Shi Zhongcheng, instructing him to inform Nakamura Yoshio, who resided in Yantai, about the matter. He asked Nakamura Yoshio to go and negotiate—what exactly was going on? Nakamura Yoshio quickly replied: this Japanese army unit was a regiment of the Japanese Tianjin Garrison Army, simply there to protect the civilians.

Yang Jiefang guessed that these Japanese troops were after his industrial park, most likely at the behest of Nakamura Yoshio. He had originally thought Yantai was his territory, where he could confidently develop his industry, but he hadn't expected the Japanese to pull this stunt. He had been too naive!

Just as Yang Jiefang was pondering countermeasures, Zhao Yuanbao in Qingdao sent a telegram. The Japanese 6th Division, under the pretext of "protecting overseas Chinese," had suddenly landed in Qingdao. Yang Jiefang immediately realized that the Japanese army wasn't simply targeting him; they must have other intentions. He admitted that his history lessons were taught by his physical education teacher. Had Japan ever sent troops to Shandong at this time in history? He knew nothing, completely unprepared.

Based on his intelligence, Yang Jiefang judged that Japan at this time simply did not possess the conditions to launch a foreign war. Since the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty, major powers had been reducing military spending to avoid an arms race. The Japanese government had also been continuously reducing its military budget, from a peak of 8 million yen per year to the current 2 million yen per year. The Japanese army and navy were now fiercely arguing over this limited military budget. The army's standing divisions were all currently understrength, and they did not look like they were preparing for war at all.

Another instance is that when Chang Naichao stepped down, he visited Japan in a private capacity. He obtained 4000 million yen in aid in exchange for acknowledging Japan's special interests in Northeast China. Chang Naichao loudly proclaimed the Northern Expedition, and the Japanese military, to demonstrate its support, even sent a group of military advisors. Now, with the Northern Expedition just beginning, why has Japan already sent troops to Shandong?

Yang Jiefang secretly guessed that this might be an unauthorized action by the 6th Division and the Tianjin Garrison, just like the September 18 Incident. Originally, the Japanese government didn't intend to launch a war of aggression, but once they could gain huge benefits, they naturally went along with it. Conversely, if it was indeed the Japanese government's decision, this deployment must be a risky probe or a form of pressure, not a genuine intention to launch a war of aggression against China. Regardless of the situation, the Japanese army must not be allowed to gain any advantage in Shandong now; otherwise, it's hard to say how things would develop.

Yang Jiefang immediately ordered intelligence groups in various regions to pay close attention to this matter. Soon, a telegram arrived from Jinan on the fifteenth of the month, reporting that Japan's military intervention was related to Zhang Zongchang. Information indicated that Zhang Zongchang wanted to use Japanese troops for protection.

Yang Jiefang knew that anger was useless; the key was how to respond. At present, China was impoverished and weak, and all the major powers had the right to station troops there. If the Japanese army was simply sending troops to protect Japanese nationals, China wouldn't really have a reason to object. With the Japanese Tianjin Garrison stationed in Yantai, that industrial park would inevitably fall into Japanese hands. Yang Jiefang also knew that the Japanese 6th Division was a beastly division; their motives were definitely not that simple.

Yang Jiefang first telegraphed Shi Zhongcheng in Yantai, ordering him to closely monitor the Japanese army's movements and to immediately and resolutely annihilate any suspicious activities. He stated that Yantai's current troop strength was more than enough to defeat an understrength Japanese regiment. He also instructed Shi Zhongcheng to convey his stance towards the Japanese army to Qu Tongfeng and Xie Baozhang.

Then, another telegram was sent to Yoshio Nakamura in Yantai, asking him to warn the Japanese army that Yantai was not a combat zone, that the Japanese nationals in Yantai had been well protected and were not in any danger, and that if the Japanese army provoked trouble in Yantai, the People's Liberation Army would fight back and severely punish the war criminals.

While Japan was not prepared for war, Yang Jiefang was also not prepared to fight the Japanese army. He did not want to start a war at this time unless absolutely necessary.