The Battle of Tonglu only took a week and ended with the complete defeat of Sun Chuanfang and Meng Zhaoyue's tribe. The Northern Expedition took advantage of the victory to pursue Fuyang, an important town south of Hangzhou.
Seeing that he could not stop the rapid advance of the Northern Expeditionary Army, Meng Zhaoyue, the commander-in-chief of the Zhejiang Army, wisely led the remaining troops to abandon Hangzhou the day after the fall of Fuyang and retreated north to Jiaxing and Songjiang. The city of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, was immediately under the attack of the Northern Expeditionary Army.
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When the news spread, the whole country was shocked. The revolutionary forces were rejoicing and the warlord forces were panicked.
In this battle, the Northern Expedition captured more than 40,000 Zhejiang troops. The entire Guards Brigade under General Sun Chuanfang, commander-in-chief of the five-province allied forces, was wiped out. The brigade commander Wu Ming and more than a dozen generals were all captured by the Northern Expedition. This was a huge achievement overnight.
Word spread throughout the country, and General Bai Chongxi, the planner and commander of the battle, became famous and praised far and wide. As a result, he attracted the attention of all walks of life across the country.
On February 17, General Bai Chongxi, the former enemy commander-in-chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army on the East Road, led his troops to Hangzhou, a famous city known throughout the ages as the "hub of the Yangtze River Delta" and "Paradise on Earth". Newspapers across the country once again exclaimed that the National Revolutionary Army Headquarters also
At this time this
The exciting victory was telegraphed to the whole country, and the officers and soldiers of the East Route Army were notified and commended. It was announced that the Zhejiang Campaign was officially over. The National Revolutionary Army would seize the victory and advance, inherit the legacy of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, continue the great cause of the Northern Expedition, and strive to unify the country as soon as possible.
On the same day, in Tonglu City, war flags were placed on the city head and on all major landmark buildings. The revolutionary army officers and soldiers were delighted and extremely proud. Liu Zhi led more than 20 generals to happily attend the grand celebration held by representatives from all walks of life in the city.
All the regimental and battalion commanders put on crisp military uniforms and attended the banquet in high spirits.
At this time, An Yi, the greatest hero of this battle, was in the model camp on the west bank of Tonglu City, discussing with a group of his brothers how to deal with the more than two million in money and materials seized, and how to store the three million seized.
I have several light and heavy machine guns, forty-one mortars and a large amount of ammunition.
In the Beida camp outside Tonglu City, the three chief officers Qu Muchen, Ye Cheng and Xia Jian were also very busy. After more than 28,000 prisoners were divided into half by various departments, there were still 14,000 left.
The rest are waiting for them to be processed.
General Cai Zhonghu, the commander-in-chief of the Artillery Headquarters directly under the General Headquarters, was so happy that he grinned from ear to ear. Accompanied by An Yi, he had already sent more than 2,500 carefully selected artillerymen, together with 36 carefully selected artillery pieces.
All the German-made artillery was stationed in the West Camp. In January, the strength and equipment of three artillery regiments were suddenly increased, making Cai Zhonghuan a veritable artillery commander, and he was finally able to display his talents as confidently as an ox.
In the evening, Liu Zhi, who attended the celebration ceremony and was very tired after a busy day, remembered that he had never seen the shadow of his beloved general An Yi, and asked curiously: "Brother Yuexiang, this guy Xiaoyi
Where has he been? How come I didn’t see him attending the celebration party!”
Xu Tingyao, whose body has almost recovered, laughed: "This guy must be hiding in his camp and counting money. Even our division headquarters has more than 400,000 in cash. Can he get less? Yesterday afternoon, all the battles were held
After the end, the Fourth Regiment, the Fifth Regiment, the Sixth Regiment and the Sixty-fifth Regiment were all a little embarrassed. After escorting back their respective prisoners, they occupied all the major military camps in the city. As a result, each section of the Independent Regiment finally escorted a group of soldiers.
There was no place for the more than 10,000 prisoners to return. Under An Yi's order, no battalion was stationed in the city. The Model Battalion and the Fourth Battalion crossed over to the Yuantong Temple on the west bank to station themselves. The teaching team and the First Battalion escorted more than 20,000 prisoners and were stationed at the North Gate.
In the Beida camp outside, even the third battalion, which was the first to enter the city to maintain order, all marched out of the west gate after the troops returned to the city, and stationed in the West camp together with Brother Huichen's artillery, and took on the task of security for the artillery.
You went to Peking University for inspection at noon today. Several squires came to me to complain, saying that our revolutionary army had robbed all their shops. I was furious and immediately sent Rongguang to lead a special agent company to inspect. Rongguang came back and told
There were three opium dens in my place, and the boss himself didn’t know which department had robbed them.
After accounting, we knew that it was Chen Zhibiao, the shrewd third battalion commander under Xiao Yi, who did the good deeds. Haha! Opium dens are not a good thing. If you rob them, you will rob them. It is not a violation of military discipline. If you encounter the regiments of the first division
, those Communist battalion commanders probably set fire to it on the spot, but Xiao Yi and the others were somewhat tolerant."
Liu Zhi, who was in a good mood after successive great victories, did not care about such trivial matters at all. The great achievements of this Tonglu Battle washed away the humiliation of the previous two disastrous defeats, making the Second Division once again the object of attention of the entire army. Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek personally
A special commendation order was signed and notified to all departments of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Only two combat groups received special commendations. One was for overcoming dangerous obstacles all the way and finally achieving the great victory in Tonglu.
Liu Zhi's Second Division, one was Xue Yue's First Division who took the lead in attacking Xindeng and then went straight to Fuyang and then entered Hangzhou; there were also two individuals who received special commendations, one was Bai Chongxi who was far-sighted and used troops like a god, and the other was resourceful and resourceful.
The invincible general An Yi. Two rare awards were given to the Second Division. How could Liu Zhi and Xu Tingyao not be proud of them?
Liu Zhi sat down, picked up the tea cup, and took a leisurely sip. He suddenly remembered that Bai Chongxi had left early. He was unsure and asked Xu Tingyao:
"Why do you think Commander Bai hurriedly made a big turn to Xindeng the night before the siege? Did he think that our side would win the siege without any suspense, or was there another reason?"
"Both! Commander Bai is a very confident person. The newly arrived 1st Division, 21st Division, and 5th Division are all equipped with the latest small radio equipment during the long-distance attack, so he is very aware of the progress of the battle on the front line.
situation, so he chose to leave early.
After Xindeng was easily captured by our army, the focus of the battle quickly shifted to the north of Hangzhou. It was necessary for him to rush there in advance and take command, but he did not expect that tens of thousands of enemy troops on the front line of Tonglu City fled so fast. I
There is probably another thing that Commander Bai did not expect, that is, he did not expect Xiao Yi to be so bold, nor did he expect that the two of us could make up such a determination to block most of the fleeing enemies in the area within 20 kilometers north of the city and successfully
captive.
Our Second Division made a fortune in this battle. The guns, artillery, ammunition and supplies captured were unmatched in previous battles. There were more than 28,000 long and short guns alone, and 76 artillery pieces.
Brother Chen divided half of it and we still kept half. This is an incredible achievement!
The principal's special commendation is a good illustration. Compared with the First Division, which also received special commendation, we got a big advantage. We have to thank Xiao Yi for this! I guess Commander Bai will not give up no matter how unwilling he is.
I'm embarrassed to say it, so we can only go along with the flow and help us - by the way, give a part to Li Mingyang's 9th Division stationed in the east of the city tomorrow, we can't swallow it all, otherwise it will be easy to make enemies!" Xu Tingyao said with emotion.
Liu Zhi completely agreed with Xu Tingyao's opinion, and said in a low voice with a slight hesitation: "Yuexiang, we will jointly send a telegram to the principal later and recommend Xiaoyi to be promoted to deputy commander of our second division. What do you think?"
Xu Tingyao nodded: "I have thought of this a long time ago. If Xiaoyi is not promoted, I probably won't be able to keep him! Brother Huichen has been staying with Xiaoyi these days, and I am very worried. Now brother Huichen has a strong army and a strong horse.
Will be promoted soon
If he takes Xiao Yi away, our losses will be huge! Don't forget, Xiao Yi's artillery command level is not low, and his mortar technology is highly praised by the principal and military veterans.
Thanks to Brother Huichen’s relatives
It is said that the relationship between the two was very good when they were in Huangpu. Also, the successor of the 22nd Division also coveted Xiao Yi. In last year's Wuchang attack, Xiao Yi risked his life and rushed to the moat, exploding the oil barrels and took the successor.
Rescued from certain death
Come here, Xiao Yi himself almost lost his life because of this. Comparing his feelings with others, he definitely wants to recommend Xiao Yi. Besides, Xiao Yi has such a good character, can fight hard, and is also magnanimous. Who wouldn’t like to work with such a person?
?”
"It's not too late. Let's do it now. Otherwise, we won't have time when the troops leave for Hangzhou tomorrow. Commander Bai is urging us very urgently. It is estimated that Songjiang will be attacked next." Liu Zhi stood up and summoned the secret.
secretary.
Xu Tingyao said quickly: "Of course our divisional units and several main regiments can leave as they please. Each regiment has collected about two thousand prisoners, but Xiaoyi's independent regiment still guards more than 10,000 prisoners and captured supplies.
We have to wait for the General Headquarters to send someone from Lanxi Military Station to pick him up. He won't be able to leave for a day or two. We have to telegraph the actual situation to Commander Bai to be more appropriate. At the same time, we also explain it to the principal, so as to save time to teach people.
With a handle.”
Liu Zhi nodded repeatedly and said with a comfortable smile: "I feel much more relaxed when I am with you, so just do what you want and we will draft the message right now."
That night, Li Yannian received a call from An Yi. He was overjoyed and immediately led his special agent company to walk out of the north gate. An Yi was already waiting at the gate of Beidaying.
The brothers walked side by side and talked for more than ten minutes. Xia Jian led one hundred and fifty brothers, each holding a horse, to the gate of the camp and handed it over to the brothers of the fifth regiment. The horses were all carrying heavy bags covered with sheets.
thing.
Li Yannian happily punched An Yi on the chest, feeling extremely grateful to his junior brother. The gift of eighty pack horses, seventy war horses, forty-five American-made light machine guns and fifty thousand rounds of ammunition was none other than Li Yannian.
It is urgently needed. With this batch of weapons and animal power, the combat effectiveness of Li Yannian's fifth regiment will be greatly improved, which will be of great help to the next war. In such a situation, there is nothing more valuable than this rich gift and deep friendship.
It's precious.
An Yi returned to Xia Jian's camp and immediately discussed the prisoner issue with his brothers. Under the current circumstances, it would be enough for An Yi's independent regiment to supplement 1,500 prisoners at most. If there were any more, it would not only be seriously over-staffed.
It may also attract criticism from others. Discuss until the end.
It was unanimously decided that each of the five battalions should recruit 200 people. The remaining 500 people should all be selected from talents with various professional skills and a certain cultural foundation. Except for some individuals with special abilities, all selected people should be supplemented.
Soldiers must be under twenty-two years old.
After making the decision, An Yi felt relieved and said with a smile: "We don't need to sever these more than 10,000 prisoners. Otherwise, the severance payment alone would be a large amount. We will start the selection early tomorrow morning in our own way.
Bring several new flags to the model camp
After they were erected, all those who were unwilling to join the army and opium smokers were first asked to come forward. They were escorted into the city by the brothers of the first battalion and placed in the division headquarters camp to wait for processing. Then, those with poor physical condition were picked out.
Let these people return to the barracks to rest first.
As a result, there were only about five or six thousand people left on the scene. It should be easy to handle. Lao Yang went on stage to give a lecture and encouraged those with special skills and culture to come forward. After the gathering was completed, we immediately went to the model camp station on the West Bank. Jinan and I
It will be handled there, and the rest will be left to the commanders of each battalion.
After the centralized selection, everyone will take their own people back. The remaining ones will be sent by the teaching team to the division headquarters camp in the city. They can be mixed together and watched carefully. Whoever wants them can be taken away. The rest will just wait for Lanxi Military Station to send them.
If someone comes to take it over, nothing will happen to us."
"What to do with so many supplies, and what about the more than 10,000 long guns of various types, Russian-made machine guns, French-made machine guns and Spanish machine guns left over from each regiment? Those are all money!" Chen Zhibiao asked.
An Yi shook his head helplessly: "The more than 4,000 almost brand-new long and short guns and light and heavy machine guns that we have hidden privately are enough. We can't move any more. There are also more than 5 million cash seized several times, totaling more than 5 million.
I now have Lao Ding's security company watching over all the gold bars, opium, tobacco, and valuables, and with the support of 300 brothers, it is barely enough."
Ye Cheng thought for a while and suggested: "Xiaoyi, can you let our independent group stay in Jiaxing for two days?"
"It should be no problem. Our division stopped briefly in Hangzhou and then rushed to Jiaxing to prepare for the war. It is estimated that we will have to stay for about five days. What? What good things have you thought of?" An Yi asked with interest.
Ye Cheng lowered his voice: "Didn't we seize three radio stations? Do you think you can contact a German commercial bank or simply contact Mr. Ou Yaoting and ask them to help find a 500-ton foreign merchant ship in Shanghai or Ningbo and sail directly?
Go to the dock in Niuqiao Town, 40 kilometers southeast of Jiaxing. Help us load all the goods and transport them to Nanchang via the Yangtze River, Hukou and Ganjiang River.
, we just need to ask Huang Yingwu from the Recruitment Office to pick up the goods. If it is feasible, we can get back twice as many supplies. At worst, we can let all the brothers in the model camp serve as heavy supplies. Anyway, we have many pack horses at the moment.
With four steamships and more than 20 large wooden boats, we can easily transport it to Jiaxing, and the remaining 40 kilometers of road are not difficult at all."
An Yi was overjoyed. He stood up and rubbed his hands. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He said excitedly: "What a good idea! If that's the case, then we have to occupy more space. There is no such store after passing this village.
, after reaching Shanghai, we will not be so wealthy if we go north. It is difficult for us to encounter such a good opportunity again, so no matter what, I will commit corruption again. I don’t believe who dares to do anything to me.
Sample!"
When all the brothers heard this, they all laughed heartily.