Gongyuan 1919, August 28, 8th year of the Republic of China.
All the garrison troops in Changsha have been gathered!
Standing in front of them was Wu Peifu, the commander-in-chief of the Beiyang and Hunan battlefields.
His face was quite calm. Looking at the division commanders, brigade commanders, and regimental commanders in front of him, Wu Peifu said in a very calm tone: "Not long ago, I received a letter from the Southern President Wang Hengyue.
. His letter has only one purpose, and that is to persuade me to surrender. Should I surrender or not?"
He paused and looked at his officers and soldiers: "I'm ready to surrender!"
Suddenly, there was a burst of whispers in the team. What happened to Commander Yu? He had been mobilizing his team frequently before, preparing to defend Changsha. How come he was ready to surrender in the blink of an eye?
After the troops calmed down, Wu Peifu continued: "It's not for anything else, but for the words in Wang Hengyue's letter. Fighting civil war is not a skill. If you have the ability, fight with the big powers! Brothers, this is right.
How many years have we been fighting a civil war since the Qing Dynasty was overthrown? How long will this civil war continue? Some time ago, there was a plane-to-plane battle above our heads, but our planes were not at all
The opponents of the Northern Expeditionary Army's aircraft were shot down without much effort. But that's not a big deal. The great powers also have more advanced aircraft. We exhausted all this strength in the civil war, and the distance from the great powers is only
You will be pulled further and further away, and you will only be bullied by others!
I know that some people may not like to hear what I say. But even if they don’t like to hear it, I have to say it. The words are unpleasant, but that’s the truth! In short, I don’t care what you think, I don’t want to fight anymore! Talk to me.
It doesn’t matter if I’m a general who defected, or whether I’m a general who surrendered, in a word, I won’t fight the civil war!”
After saying that, he turned around and walked into his headquarters...
In civil war, no one likes to fight and no one is willing to fight!
Just like what Wu Peifu said, since the overthrow of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, [China] has been fighting a civil war for too many years. The vitality of [China] is being consumed little by little in the civil war. This is not what the [Chinese] people want to see.
of!
The Northern Expedition, the only one that could be called a big war, took place in Hunan. This war did not last long. Under the efforts of Wang Hengyue and the Northern Expedition generals, the losses of both sides were reduced to the lowest point.
.
Among them, there was both the careful deployment of troops and strategic planning by the "Three Commanders of the Northern Expedition" and the conscious efforts by both sides to reduce losses.
If you want to fight, fight with the big powers. This is what President Wang Hengyue said.
A.D. 1919, August 29, 8th year of the Republic of China, Changsha.
The city gates of Changsha were opened.
On this day, under the command of Wu Peifu, the entire Beiyang Army in Changsha and even Hunan "surrendered" to the Northern Expedition.
It was not a surrender in the true sense, but the soldiers in Beiyang did not want to continue fighting.
They are all disciples of the future National Defense Force, and their efforts will be used to unite the outside world!
Although Wu Peifu did not win the Battle of Hunan, his defeat was not unfair at all, and his reputation did not suffer any loss.
He tried his best to retain the strength of the Beiyang Army and the strength of the Chinese people. From this point of view, his merits far outweighed his faults.
This scholar-born general was once called the "Victorious General." The Hunan Campaign was the only defeat in his life, but even so, many years later he still talked about it to his descendants: "In my life
The most proud thing I have done is to open the city gate of Changsha and prevent Changsha from regretting a war."
Yes, maybe Wu Peifu is modest. He will fight many battles in the second half of his life and have many achievements that will make him famous in history, but this time, his name will shine in Hunan!
Soldiers from the Northern Expeditionary Army had already lined up outside Changsha to welcome him.
The winner does not have the arrogance of the winner, and the loser does not have the dejection of the loser!
No matter who you are, you can walk out of here proudly.
The teams came out one after another. No one ordered them to hand over their weapons. They could carry their own weapons or even replace them with better ones.
Because from this moment on, they also became: the National Revolutionary Army!
Sun Chuanfang also came out. When he saw Zhang Xiaohuai who had defeated him, he was convinced and said: "Deputy Commander Zhang, I am not as good as you in this battle."
"In a fight, I'm not as good as you." Zhang Xiaohuai replied with a smile.
Sun Chuanfang laughed "haha". Talking about this proud event in his life, he couldn't help but said: "If we are going to fight with Japan now, you, Deputy Commander Zhang, will command me, and I will be your vanguard.
Just like that, I printed the little [Japanese] notebook all over the floor and looked for teeth!"
There was no grudge or hostility. From this moment on, they became a family.
Suddenly, everything around became quiet.
"Liu Zhaocheng, commander-in-chief of Sun Wu's Corps of the Northern Expeditionary Army, and Li Zongren, chief of staff, are here!"
Following this sound, Liu Zhaocheng and Li Zongren, both famous in Hunan, appeared side by side outside Changsha.
Everyone is looking at them with a look-up attitude.
The "Northern Expedition Commander" is famous all over the world! Now, these three commanders appear here together!
Then, Wu Peifu walked out of Changsha slowly.
"All of you, salute!"
With this sound, all the soldiers raised their hands.
Wu Peifu strode over and saluted Liu Zhaocheng, who could be called his junior, with a military salute: "The defeated general has met the commander-in-chief!"
Liu Zhaocheng returned a military salute: "How did Commander Yu become the defeated general? Today Commander Yu raised his army to surrender, preventing the thousand-year-old city of Changsha from being destroyed by war again, and his contribution will last forever!"
As he spoke, his expression straightened: "Presidential Decree of the National Government!"
Wu Peifu's body straightened up.
"Appoint Wu Peifu as deputy commander-in-chief of Sun Wu's Corps of the Northern Expeditionary Army and commander-in-chief of the former enemy. The third division was reorganized into the independent third mixed division of the National [Revolutionary] Army, and Wu Peifu concurrently serves as the division commander!"
Wu Peifu said loudly: "Be loyal to the National Government, wholeheartedly revolutionize, and serve the country!"
"Be loyal to the National Government, wholeheartedly revolutionize, and serve the country!" All the soldiers shouted loudly along with Wu Peifu.
With the surrender of Wu Peifu and most of the Beiyang Army in the Hunan battlefield, the Hunan Campaign ended.
This battle destroyed most of Beiyang's power. It not only captured Hunan, but also made the Beiyang government no longer have enough strength to hold another major battle.
If Hunan is determined, the world will be determined!
During the Battle of Hunan, the names of four people will always be remembered by everyone: Liu Zhaocheng, Zhang Xiaohuai, Li Zongren, and Wu Peifu.
It was these four people who single-handedly contributed to the end of the Hunan War and prevented the entire province of Hunan from falling into the terrible flames of war again. Hunan, which has always been filled with war since the confrontation between the north and the south, finally got a rare
A chance to rest and breathe.
Northern Expeditionary Army Sun Wu Corps General Headquarters.
"Wang Zhanyuan in Hubei still has about three divisions. Including local troops, the number is about 60,000." Wu Peifu, who has been promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of Sun Wu's Corps of the Northern Expeditionary Army, carefully introduced the situation in Hubei: "
Hubei's strength is insufficient, and seizing it by force is only a matter of time, and I predict that Wang Zhanyuan will not continue to resist to the end, so I can lead the third division and march directly to Hubei, and Wang Zhanyuan will surrender without a fight!"
"If you can, try not to fight!"
Liu Zhaocheng nodded and suddenly asked curiously: "I heard that Wang Zhanyuan is very greedy?"
"There is such a saying." Wu Peifu laughed: "But this man is still very loyal and knows how to repay kindness. There is such an interesting story. Wang Zhanyuan lost his father when he was young, and later his mother also passed away. Wang Zhanyuan had no choice but to
He traveled far away, heading west, but he didn't know where his destination was. One day, he went to a small restaurant next to the Beijing-Hankow Railway, walked in and asked the shopkeeper for two kilograms of meat and a jug of wine, and wolfed it down.
After eating, he slapped his butt and left. The shopkeeper stopped him and asked him for money, but Wang Zhanyuan squinted and said, "I never carry money with me. I want fists. I have a pair." The shopkeeper heard this and looked at him carefully.
After seeing this arrogant man, he said to him, "I see that your earlobes are square and you are blessed. You will not live under others for a long time. How about this? There is a war in the south now, and when the country is employing people, you might as well join the army or just hang out."
I'm an official and a part-time official. I'll be responsible for the ticket and transportation issues. How about that? Wang Zhanyuan hugged him with both fists, "Thank you very much. I'll repay you when I send it!"
Who would have thought that after Wang Zhanyuan joined the army, he was promoted successively and had a prosperous official career. More than ten years later, he became the governor of Hubei Province. After the restaurant owner heard about it, he went to Wuchang and paid a visit to Wang Zhanyuan. But he did not expect that Wang Zhanyuan would not do it at all.
To receive him, they just asked the guards to take him to the hotel where he would be fed, drank and entertained. After waiting for more than two months, the boss never saw Wang Zhanyuan and went home angrily.
When I got off the train back to Handan, the boss was dumbfounded: Why was his restaurant missing? A two-story luxury building was erected on the spot. A plaque on the red painted door read "Handan Hotel, with four golden characters. The boss broke out in a cold sweat.
Suddenly, firecrackers were blasting and gongs and drums were noisy. A group of soldiers walked out of the restaurant, each with their stomachs tightened, their heads held high, and they came to the boss and stood at attention and saluted. It turned out that these were arranged by Wang Zhanyuan to give to the restaurant boss. The boss said it from the bottom of his heart.
I secretly admire myself for being discerning and not seeing the wrong person."
Liu Zhaocheng and Li Zongren laughed when they heard this: "Since Wang Zhanyuan knows how to repay others, we won't make it difficult for him. As long as he does not resist the Northern Expedition, he can take all his family property and go wherever he wants."
After Liu Zhaocheng finished speaking, he thought for a moment: "Wu Peifu, use the Third Division as the forward force, send troops to Hubei, use war to promote peace, try not to fight if possible, and strive to peacefully solve the Hubei issue!"
Wu Peifu shouted loudly: "Yes!" (To be continued...!)