German Red Prince

He Yingqin shouted and lunged at Chiang Kai-shek, who was still in a daze.

"Boom!"

The shells fell beside him. Chiang Kai-shek got up from the ground, but He Yingqin was already dead. Shrapnel had severed his artery, and his face was deathly pale.

"Respect him! Respect him!" Chiang Kai-shek was still shaking He Yingqin, hoping to wake him up, but he was pulled and dragged away by the soldiers beside him.

Upon hearing the cannon fire, the troops from eight provinces that had been lying in ambush nearby also began their attack.

"Hold your ground, don't panic, organize a counterattack!" Wang Bailing shouted, directing the troops.

"Oh!"

With a crisp gunshot, Wang Bailing fell to the ground. Soldiers hidden in the distance pulled back their bolts, searching for their next target.

"Commander!"

The adjutant ran toward Wang Bailing, and another shot was fired, causing the adjutant to fall to the ground as well.

The entire First Army was in complete chaos because the troops had become separated, and the troops behind were stuck on the road and unable to catch up.

The First Division now seems to be surrounded by enemies on all sides, but the quality of its Whampoa Military Academy graduates is quickly becoming apparent.

"Xiaoshan, Xiaoshan, come quick!" Li Yingheng shouted, covering his head as he dodged the shelling.

"We can't scatter! Regroup the troops and we'll break out!"

The offensive from the eight provinces outside was extremely fierce, pressing them so hard they couldn't even lift their heads.

The artillery fire in the distance blocked their path forward. To break through successfully, they had to destroy those cannons.

"You guys cover me. Xiao Shan, get the submachine gun! I'm going to smash him!"

"Enemy bombardment!"

Another round of artillery fire erupted, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

"Cover me!" Li Yingheng shouted. "There's no other way! We have to fight our way out!"

Xiao Shan set up a machine gun behind a rock, while Li Yingheng grabbed an MP18 submachine gun and ran forward along the mountainside.

After killing several enemies in a row, while he was reloading, another enemy rushed over. "It's over." Li Yingheng's heart sank at that moment.

"Rat-a-tat-tat!" The soldier who had just raised his gun was mowed down by the machine gun, while Xiao Shan fired wildly from behind.

"Company commander! Charge!"

"Help me! Someone, come quick!" Li Yingheng heard a pitiful scream as soon as he finished reloading. A soldier in front of him had his leg blown off by a shell and was howling.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here! Xiao Shan! Cover me!" Li Yingheng shouted to the rear.

The machine gun temporarily suppressed the enemy's offensive. Li Yingheng took a deep breath and suddenly ran out of cover. "Grab me!" He grabbed the soldier and dragged him backward.

"Brother, hold on! Hold on!" Li Yingheng pulled the soldier to the cover and took out a bandage to tie his wound.

"Quick, someone! Take him back!" Several soldiers who were providing cover rushed towards the wounded man, and together they carried him back to the position.

The First Army soldiers, having recovered from their initial shock, were gradually able to organize an effective resistance, and they slowly pressed forward against the enemy.

Li Yingheng had already knocked out two machine guns and was about to remove the third when "Bang!" A bullet grazed his helmet, startling him into a cold sweat.

"There are snipers!"

Before he could think it through, a soldier next to him was shot down. "Damn it, there are troops like this in the eight provinces?" Li Yingheng cursed inwardly. This unit was different from the other armies in the eight provinces. The firepower was too dense, and bullets were like free.

After throwing two grenades, Li Yingheng quickly moved to a new position while braving enemy bullets.

After taking out the last machine gun, he shouted down, "Hurry, hurry, keep up! Keep going! Keep going! Don't stop!"

The enemy's machine guns had all been cleared out, making this area slightly safer. Li Yingheng looked at the arm badge of a dead soldier from eight provinces.

"The Eight Provinces Garrison Army? Which unit is this?" The man was completely hidden in the grass, covered with branches and bushes. If he hadn't been blown out by a grenade, it might have been difficult to find him.

Li Yingheng had never seen his clothes before. The dark blue uniform made him blend well into his surroundings, and the rifle next to him was equipped with an optical sight.

"It's definitely not that simple. Nanchang City is definitely not that simple!" Li Yingheng tore off the man's armband, slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder, and continued running forward.

This area was breached, and the rest of the First Army soldiers retreated from there.

"Xiao Shan, you guys come with me up here and blow up those cannons!"

"Charge! Charge! Get up there! Cover me with fire!"

Xiao Shan, carrying a submachine gun, followed behind Li Yingheng, slowly advancing towards the higher ground.

"Damn machine gun! Xiao Shan, let's take him out first!"

Li Yingheng approached the machine gun from the side, shouting, "Damn it, your grandpa's here!"

"Oh!"

The grenade exploded, and the machine gun position finally fell silent.

Without the threat of machine guns, the soldiers of the First Army began to charge toward the high ground. The artillery pieces on the high ground, without cover, became empty shells and were quickly cleared away. They finally broke through successfully.

Looking at those cannons, Li Yingheng couldn't care less about anything else and couldn't help but curse loudly.

"Damn it! Bald Jiang! You'll pay with your life!"

Those cannons were delivered by the soldiers who "surrendered" a few days ago. They had been deceived and completely fooled by the enemy.

In this sudden encounter, the First Army suffered heavy losses. Army Commander Chiang Kai-shek was wounded, Deputy Army Commander He Yingqin was killed, and Wang Bailing, commander of the First Division, was killed in action. Of the three thousand men in the First Division, only seventeen hundred managed to break through the encirclement. Of the more than ten thousand men in the entire First Army, only four thousand remained.

As a model unit of the Northern Expeditionary Army, suffering such a heavy blow was a huge blow to the entire revolutionary war, and in many areas controlled by the Northern Expeditionary Army, people began to stir again.

Upon learning the news, Liao Zhongkai was furious. Chiang Kai-shek's selfish desires had rendered the elite forces of the revolutionary army almost ineffective, and he wished he could execute Chiang Kai-shek immediately.

It took a lot of persuasion from the crowd to calm him down. Although Chiang Kai-shek escaped the death penalty, he was still punished and demoted to a small squad leader in the transport unit, responsible for logistics. From then on, he lost power in the revolutionary government and was far removed from the political center.

The First Army's crushing defeat cast a shadow over the upcoming Battle of Nanchang.

Chapter Twenty-One: Determination and Crisis

Katayama Sen had been in China for some time. He landed in Guangzhou and was warmly received by the revolutionary government.

During this period, he traveled around Guangzhou, investigating the policies of the revolutionary government and the lives of ordinary people.

However, he always felt that something was missing. As a major agricultural country, China could not gain a concrete understanding of the progress of the Chinese revolution and its specific policies and methods by conducting research in the cities. He wanted to go to the countryside to see for himself.

That day, as usual, he went to the office prepared for him by the revolutionary government to record what he had seen and heard that day. He happened to overhear Liao Zhongkai talking with a group of revolutionary government officials.

“Committee Member Liao, do you think this is somewhat inappropriate?” asked an official who had read the letter.

"Inappropriate? What's inappropriate about it? If I hadn't seen it today, how long would you have kept this letter hidden? I think what's written on it is perfectly appropriate!"

Katayama Sen, intrigued by their conversation, stepped forward and asked, "Mr. Liao, what are you discussing?"

Liao Zhongkai saw Katayama sneaking over and handed him the letter in his hand. "Take a look. Haven't you always wanted to go to the countryside? Our committee members in Hunan have a great idea. They've been keeping such a thorough analysis a secret. I've already called them. Mao Zedong is in full charge of the land reform policy in Hunan. If it works, then we should immediately promote it nationwide!"

Katayama became curious, took the letter and read it. He was quickly drawn to its contents, as some of the methods and policies presented seemed novel and highly feasible.

“Committee member, aren’t his measures too radical, and different from Mr. Sun’s original plan?” someone else advised.

"Different? The revolutionary situation changes in an instant, and even Mr. Sun could not have foreseen what would happen next. What we need to do is to uphold the Three Principles of the People and implement Mr. Sun's Three Principles of the People. Mr. Sun's theory is not dogma; it needs to be constantly enriched and innovated."

"The Communist Party is doing a great job in Hunan. We must continue to promote the development of the Chinese workers' and peasants' movement. During this period of cooperation with the Communist Party, I have come to a deep understanding of the importance of raising the status of peasants. There are hundreds of millions of peasants in China. Only by uniting them and guiding them to have clear political knowledge can we hope to save the Chinese revolution!"

"Look at how Mao Zedong promoted the workers' and peasants' movement in Hunan, established peasant movement training institutes, and set up guidance associations for peasants. Weren't these things done very well?"

"What are we doing? This is a national revolution, for the benefit of the vast majority of the people. The vast majority of the people in China are peasants. Therefore, the success or failure of our revolution depends entirely on whether the peasants support and understand the revolution."

"Don't let the Three Principles of the People become a shield for those landlords and the malignant tumors of the old society. That would be an insult to Mr. Sun. What Mr. Sun wanted to see was a democratic and prosperous China, not an empty shell with a bunch of parasites using his principles as a cover!"

Liao Zhongkai's words silenced everyone. Knowing they couldn't dissuade him, someone cautiously advised, "Committee member, you're likely to offend many people within the Party by doing this."

Sun Yat-sen had overseen the first reorganization of the Kuomintang, and now, under the guidance of the Comintern, a second reorganization was underway. This had caused considerable dissatisfaction among some Kuomintang veterans, who sarcastically remarked, "After all this reorganization, they've become the Communist Party!"

Some veteran members of the Kuomintang are already dissatisfied, and if he pulls this stunt again, the opposition will likely increase.

Liao Zhongkai became even angrier after hearing this. "Now there are some counter-revolutionaries in our party who still have the nerve to call themselves old revolutionaries, putting on airs of seniority, thinking that after being a revolutionary party and carrying out a revolution, no matter how they collude with imperialists and landlords and gentry to oppose the revolution of workers and peasants, they can still be called revolutionaries."

"Using the old revolutionary banner, he did nothing productive all day but indulged in corruption and pleasure. Little did he know that his revolutionary party status was now just a hollow title."

"Our revolutionary party, no matter how many merits we have made in the past, is no longer a revolutionary if we stop thinking about continuing the revolution for even a day. At the same time, whenever we engage in counter-revolutionary behavior, we immediately become counter-revolutionaries!"

"If they want to target me or assassinate me, I don't care at all. I attend meetings or give speeches at labor unions, farmers' associations, and student unions every day, and I travel to several places every day. If they want to kill me, they can easily disguise themselves as workers, farmers, or students and blend in with the masses to do it. I have always acted with a clear conscience, and I have never let down the Party or the country. In short, let life and death be what they want; I cannot slacken my efforts in the revolution!"

These words had thoroughly vilified some people within the revolutionary government and undoubtedly pushed Liao Zhongkai to their opposite side.

"Mr. Liao, don't be angry," Katayama Sen advised. "I'm very curious about Chairman Mao right now, and I'm applying to go to Hunan for an investigation. Chairman Liao, please approve my application."

“Of course.” Liao Zhongkai smiled. “If Mr. Katayama doesn’t mind, I will appoint you as a special envoy of the revolutionary government to Hunan to record in detail the local land revolution movement.”

“No problem.” Katayama bowed and left Guangdong, heading to Hunan.

"This Liao Zhongkai is simply outrageous!" one person couldn't help but slam his fist on the table and curse. Having their past exposed in public, the group of people couldn't help but jump up and down in anger.

"The current revolutionary government is just messing around. Look at it, whose government is it now?" Within the current revolutionary government, the Communist Party's power is growing stronger and stronger. By tolerating the Communists, they have eroded their own influence.

Moreover, the policies advocated by the Communist Party are too radical, which harms their interests and makes them very uncomfortable.

When the Northern Expeditionary Army was sweeping all before them, Liao Zhongkai's prestige was so great that they dared not do anything out of line. Now that the revolutionary government's elite First Army had suffered a major defeat at the gates of Nanchang, they could finally emerge and begin plotting their schemes.

What did the Germans say?

At this moment, Hu Hanmin suddenly spoke up, saying that the growing power of the Communist Party made him uneasy.

Mr. Sun Yat-sen did not want the government he founded to become a tool for the Communist Party, nor did he want the party to which he had devoted his heart and soul to disappear. He wanted to maintain the purity of the party.

The revolution must be carried out under the leadership of the Kuomintang! After the revolution, a Kuomintang government should take charge of the overall situation! This was his wish, and it must also be Mr. Sun's wish! When the stubbornness of intellectuals rises, he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

He was a typical revolutionary with a strong old intellectual flavor, and he once stood at the forefront of the times, making bold and unrestrained pronouncements.

However, this era is changing rapidly. Although he has a strong sense of patriotism, he lacks the corresponding ability and competence. He is arrogant and condescending, and within the party, he considers himself a senior member and is very cold to others.

He was loyal to Sun Yat-sen, but he did not learn Sun Yat-sen's innovative and transformative thinking, nor did he understand Sun Yat-sen's later ideological policies. Therefore, he was never able to make great progress in his thinking and abilities.

When Dr. Sun Yat-sen was alive, he only needed to follow Dr. Sun Yat-sen closely. With Dr. Sun's guidance, his shortcomings could be largely concealed.

However, after Sun Yat-sen's death, he lost his backbone and was unwilling to be subordinate to others. He was too naive and lacked cunning in political struggles. His simple and stubborn personality made him a pawn in the complex and dangerous political struggles.

“The Germans are willing to help; we just need to wait for the right opportunity,” someone whispered.

"Well, let's wait and see."

"Hello, Comrade Katayama Sen!" Mao Zedong shook his hand.

"Hello, Chairman Mao."

After a long and arduous journey, Katayama Sen finally arrived at the Hunan base area he had been longing for. Now he could delve into the Chinese revolution to inspire his future struggle in Japan.

At this time, the land revolution was in full swing in Hunan.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Land Revolution Must Be Carried Through to the End

The farmers' association was much busier than before, with a large crowd gathered at the entrance, and a speaker was standing there giving a presentation.

"Zheng Facai of Zhengjiazhuang owns more than 800 mu of land! Our Red Army has also learned about this beforehand. This Zheng Facai is really only thinking about getting rich every day. He doesn't join the peasant association, and he hides every time we go to implement policies! He supports a group of thugs to oppress the villagers! He has driven many people to their deaths! Now, after discussion by the Party organization, we will 'revolutionize' him! We will redistribute the land!"

The speaker's words stunned even Zheng Laogen, who had dragged Zheng Jiawang over. Everyone in Zhengjiazhuang knew best who Zheng Facai was; Zheng Laogen himself helped him farm.

Not long ago, a family couldn't pay their rent and was beaten up by Zheng Facai and his men. They're still lying in bed, and judging by the situation, they're probably in danger.

The farmers in the audience were also a little excited, but they were still hesitant.

Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer and mustered up the courage to ask: "Boss, is this...is this really true? I've been farming for almost my whole life, and I've never heard of anyone giving us land that belonged to a landlord."

Looking at the tense yet expectant eyes of the audience, Jiang Yun shouted loudly: "Fellow villagers, do you know? We are the Communist Party's army. We, the Communist Party, are the people's army, the people's party! Wherever there is oppression, there will be the Communist Party's rallying cry! We, the Communist Party, will always stand on the side of the broad masses of the people, overthrowing local tyrants and distributing land! Our task now is to ensure that everyone has land to cultivate and everyone has food to eat!"

"it is good!"

The crowd below applauded excitedly, and Zheng Laogen was utterly shocked. These old farmers had toiled their whole lives, orphaned and childless. And now someone was willing to stand up for them? It was unheard of, truly unheard of. Just who were these Communists? The biggest news he'd heard lately was the Southern Army's invasion, but he'd kept going. The arrival of these so-called Communists hadn't affected him much; he just continued living his life as before.

Now they're actually going to give land to these penniless farmers? Zheng Laogen simply couldn't believe it.

"Dad, how long are you going to keep dragging me along? I still have a meeting to attend," Zheng Jiawang muttered to himself.

Old Zheng then realized what was happening and let go of his hand.

"Your farmers' association? Is this all you do?" he asked his son cautiously.

"Otherwise what? Otherwise why would I rush over for this meeting?" Zheng Jiawang said somewhat displeased.

"Really dividing the land?"