German Red Prince

Page 11

"Hey, you clumsy kid, don't bother the Chairman!" Old Song hurriedly reminded him from behind.

"Chairman, dinner is ready."

The door was slowly pushed open, and Zhao Caiying, carrying a bowl of noodles, walked in. But even after he placed the pot on the table, the young man who was writing did not put down his pen.

"Chairman, dinner is ready!"

Zhao Caiying raised her voice, and seeing that he still hadn't reacted, she went up and snatched the pen from his hand.

"Chairman, you've been in the room all day, and it's already past midnight. Please have something to eat."

"Ok?"

The young man who was writing then realized what was happening.

"Little Zhao? What do you want?" the young man asked.

“Chairman, you haven’t eaten all day!” Zhao Caiying replied. “Old Song has been watching outside all day. If you don’t eat, he definitely won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

"Oh? Hahaha, okay, okay, I'll eat it." The young man stood up, stretched, and laughed.

"Hmm, Chairman, please try this. It's braised pork that Old Song personally stewed." Zhao Caiying lifted the pot lid, revealing a large bowl of braised pork placed inside, with noodles underneath still steaming.

"Here, Chairman. Let me serve you a bowl." Zhao Caiying picked up an empty bowl, filled it with a large amount, and placed it in front of the young man.

"Do you have chili peppers? It would be a waste to eat this big bowl of braised pork without chili peppers." The young man smiled.

"I knew you'd been thinking about this!" Zhao Caiying said with a hint of pride, pulling a jar out of her bag.

“This is from a village I visited today. I bought it from a family there. You should try it; it’s absolutely delicious.”

Looking at the tired-looking child in front of him, who was only a teenager and hadn't even taken off his bag yet, the young man felt a pang of sympathy.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Call Lao Song over, and the three of us can eat together."

"No need, Chairman, you eat, I'm not hungry." Zhao Caiying waved his hand, but his stomach betrayed him.

He ran around all day and didn't eat anything. He only had a bowl of noodles for dinner, and to be honest, he wasn't really full.

"Aren't you hungry yet?" The young man pretended to be angry. "Go and call Old Song. Let's have a special meal for the three of us today. I still have a bottle of wine that I haven't opened yet."

"Chairman, I'm really not hungry." Old Song, who was sitting down, kept saying that he wanted to go out.

"Hey, stop talking. If you keep talking, I won't eat anymore." The young man serving the noodles to the two of them persuaded Old Song, and he finally stopped talking.

"Here you go, Xiao Zhao." The young man poured half of the braised pork into Zhao Caiying's bowl.

"Huh? Chairman, what are you doing?" Zhao Caiying and Lao Song were both surprised.

"Old Song, don't stop me!" The young man poured Old Song another bowl. "I can't finish all this braised pork by myself. Little Zhao has been running around to so many places today and he's exhausted. The little one still needs to grow! It's okay for him to eat more."

"Old Song, you've been busy all day, and you even made this braised pork. If you don't eat it, how can I dare to eat it?"

Old Song looked at the young man and swallowed the words he was about to say. Seeing Zhao Caiying still standing there in a daze, he patted him on the back of the head, "What are you standing there for? Go thank the Chairman."

"Thank you, Chairman!" Zhao Caiying realized what was happening and quickly expressed her gratitude.

"Come on, let's eat. Try the spicy food Xiao Zhao brought." The young man smiled.

Zhao Caiying was starving; he ate voraciously, choking and hiccuping. Old Song couldn't help but turn his head away.

"Eat slowly, eat slowly, don't rush." ​​I gave him a bowl of water to drink, and he felt a little better.

"Xiao Zhao, tell me about your day." After finishing his meal, the young man lit a cigarette and asked.

"Sigh, it's a long story." Zhao Caiying shook her head.

“Those farmers are really hard to persuade. They have that ‘limitation of the small peasant class’,” Zhao Caiying sighed. “Today I visited eight villages, going from one to another with the slogans of the revolutionary government. At first, a few people listened, but later no one listened at all. I don’t think they can be trusted at all.”

"What did you say?" the young man asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"Following the instructions of the revolutionary government, we read the Northern Expedition Declaration, telling them to support the Northern Expedition. We told them that the revolutionary government was seeking a way out for all Chinese people, and encouraged them to sign up enthusiastically, contributing money or labor as they could," Zhao Caiying said.

The young man nodded and began to think. After a while, he turned to look at Old Song.

"Old Song, what do you think?"

"What? What's going on? The Northern Expedition! The Northern Expedition is great! It's about implementing the Three Principles of the People as the ultimate goal. After the victory, the revolutionary government will use its power to sweep away the evil forces of the counter-revolution, liberating the people and enabling them to seek self-governance." Old Song, who was dozing off, was startled awake. He frowned and began to recite the text, shaking his head.

Seeing Old Song's answer, the young man roughly understood the situation, which was exactly the same as the question he had been thinking about.

At the beginning of Sun Chuanfang's counter-revolution, he swept through various major cities. The Hunan Provincial Revolutionary Branch in Changsha was also burned down by reactionaries, and a large number of CPC core members were arrested and massacred, causing great losses to the Party.

He led a group of people through several twists and turns and battles, finally reaching a rural mountainous area where enemy control was weak. This allowed them to successfully and safely transfer to the area, preserving the last remaining spark of revolution for the Hunan branch. There, he established a peasant association and continued the underground struggle.

"Looks like our advertising has a serious problem," the young man muttered to himself as he stubbed out his cigarette.

“How could that be? They’re all peasants! They have no revolutionary will whatsoever and are completely unsuitable for revolution,” Zhao Caiying couldn’t help but retort.

"Xiao Zhao, are your parents farmers? Why did they send you to join the revolution? Don't they have any revolutionary will themselves?" The young man smiled, leaving Zhao Yingcai speechless.

"In the end, it's because our revolutionary government doesn't dare to mobilize the peasants." The young man sighed. The problems and solutions he raised in his letter were not taken seriously by the revolutionary government, or rather, were deliberately ignored.

"The revolutionary government still mainly relies on the support of the bourgeoisie and landlords. It's not that easy to negotiate peacefully with them after the revolution is victorious."

The young man stood up and opened the door.

"There are too many opportunists among the landlords and bourgeoisie, who are inherently weak and compromising, lacking a firm revolutionary will. They don't help the revolutionary government; they help whoever wins. There are still many onlookers among them, who will remain an inescapable burden even if the revolution succeeds, and will still not solve China's fundamental problems. Even if a new government is established, it will still not escape the cyclical demise of dynasties throughout history."

Looking up at the bright moon in the night sky, the young man said firmly, "China's current situation is not as simple as establishing a new regime. What China needs now is a thorough and resolute revolution! I, Mao Zedong, vow to complete this transformation!"

Chapter Fifteen: Dark Clouds Over Nanchang

This humiliating defeat in eight provinces has become the biggest topic of conversation in China these past two days. The outspoken Marshal Sun Chuanfang bluntly stated that such a crushing defeat in eight provinces suggests that they have no regard for face whatsoever.

"A bunch of idiots, utter trash!"

Sun Chuanfang roared in the conference room.

He received aid from Germany and bought so much equipment, thinking he could easily take over the Guangdong revolutionary government. But what happened?

The Guangdong Revolutionary Government announced the Northern Expedition, and Fujian rebelled. This governor of eight provinces had lost two provinces before even engaging in battle. The troops he dispatched collapsed at the first contact, causing unrest among the people in the other provinces.

He needs a victory to stabilize the situation, or his vast empire could crumble in an instant.

He was unwilling to give up the wealth he had painstakingly accumulated.

“What did you promise me back then? Huh? You said you’d take Guangdong in three months, three months! And now? They’re about to reach Nanchang!” Sun Chuanfang paced back and forth in the conference room, slamming his hat on the table.

"Tell me, tell me, how many officers have you changed in the command headquarters? Have you ever won? It's just the same old thing in a new guise!"

The Northern Expeditionary Army had every right to say that. What kind of troops did they lead? They led graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy! And what kind of people are you? A bunch of pig-brains! You led your troops to fight for half a day, saw the Northern Expeditionary Army fire a couple of shots, and then ran away!

They even said firing two shots would be doing the commander a favor! Can you even fight? Do you still have the ability? Do I really have to drag you out and shoot you?

"Damn it, after losing to Guangdong, we lost to Fujian, and after Fujian, we lost to Jiangxi. Next, we'll lose to Jiangsu, then Nanjing, and then there's no one left to lose to! You've all lost all shame! How could you do this to me?! Huh? How could you do this to me? You gave me money, you gave me grain! Damn it, spit it all out!"

The generals under his command remained silent, sitting with their heads down.

"General, we still have a chance to turn things around." After a long silence, someone finally spoke.

Sun Chuanfang looked at the man, and the other generals took the opportunity to wipe the sweat from their brows and quietly exhale.

"You son of a bitch, go ahead and provoke the Commander-in-Chief. Go and die in the Northern Expeditionary Army, I'm not risking my life there." That's what the group thought.

"What's your plan?"

Sun Chuanfang looked at Shangguan Yunxiang sitting in the chair and said in an annoyed tone.

“The Northern Expeditionary Army seems to be gaining momentum now, but it is actually running out of steam. They have less than 100,000 troops in total, and even with the Fuzhou rebellion and foreign aid, the total number will not exceed 150,000. We, on the other hand, have nearly 300,000 troops, and we can also conscript men. We can gather about 500,000 in a short time. And, General, don’t forget, we have the Germans behind us!” Shangguan Yunxiang said.

"German?"

Sun Chuanfang pondered this, his attitude towards the Germans somewhat ambiguous. On the one hand, the Germans' advanced weaponry could give him an advantage in the complex domestic environment. On the other hand, he didn't want to be completely manipulated by the Germans and become their puppet.

"General, have you forgotten Mr. Falkenhausen?" Shangguan Yunxiang reminded him.

"Ah! Look at you, I was so angry with those pigs that I forgot about him." Sun Chuanfang slapped his forehead. He had spent a fortune hiring this German advisor years ago to train his elite troops, spending countless silver dollars.

"The Northern Expeditionary Army is gaining momentum and making too fast a progress. It has not yet gained a foothold in many places."

They now have two forces: one is the main force of the Northern Expeditionary Army, which set out from Guangdong, invaded Jiangxi, and advanced towards Hubei; the other is the Fujian rebel army, which advanced along Fujian into Zhejiang and towards Jiangsu.

The main force of the Northern Expeditionary Army is currently concentrated in Jiangxi. If we can deliver a crushing blow to this force, knocking out a couple of their teeth in Jiangxi, and delaying them in the Jiangxi area, their momentum will falter, and that will be the time for our counterattack.

At the same time, we can call Puyi and Zhang Zuolin and tell them that their fates are intertwined; they shouldn't sit idly by and watch the two tigers fight. The ultimate goal of the Northern Expeditionary Army is the liberation of all of China.

"If the commander trusts me, let me lead a German-equipped unit to Nanchang. If I fail to hold Nanchang, I will offer my head!" Shangguan Yunxiang stood at attention and saluted Sun Chuanfang.

"Good! Very good!" Sun Chuanfang was overjoyed to hear his words. "If you can protect Nanchang, when you come back, you can have whatever you want—house, wives, money! You will be fully in charge of Nanchang, and I won't interfere with you. If you need any support, just let me know!"

If any other general had suggested defending Nanchang, Sun Chuanfang would have certainly cursed him out. But he trusted Shangguan Yunxiang, who had made many contributions in the battle to establish eight provinces.

“Let’s go see Mr. Falkenhausen and find someone to write letters to Puyi and Zhang Zuolin.” Sun Chuanfang patted Shangguan Yunxiang on the shoulder and went out with him.

The generals in the conference room sat there awkwardly, looking at each other, and only began to whisper among themselves after confirming that Sun Chuanfang had gone far away.

"Why does the commander trust him so much? I don't believe he can hold Nanchang. If he can hold Nanchang..." The officer tightened his belt, "If he can hold Nanchang, I'll never go to a brothel again in my life."

The other generals looked at him with disdain. This roughneck, how could he say such things in public?

An officer who knew the inside story smiled contemptuously, stood up, straightened his clothes, and sighed.

"Sigh, if any of you had carried the Commander out of the pile of corpses back then, he would definitely have trusted you just as much," he said, and then left the meeting room.

"Carry them out from a pile of corpses?" The generals dared not think about it any further; they dared not delve into the idea of ​​losing their heads.

“Oh, dear Mr. Falkenhausen, how have you been lately?” Sun Chuanfang rarely spoke in such a literary tone, which made the translator next to him twitch his face.

“Hello, Marshal Sun.” Falkenhausen looked at Sun Chuanfang and asked politely, “May I ask what brings you here?”

"Damn it, this foreign devil, does he think he doesn't know why I'm here?" Sun Chuanfang cursed inwardly, but still maintained a forced smile. "Mr. Falkenhausen, may I ask how your troops are training?"

“Oh, Your Excellency, please allow me to assure you, in the name of a German soldier, that they are the most combat-effective unit in your army,” Falkenhausen said with considerable pride.

Sun Chuanfang also became interested and couldn't wait to see this unit.

The Eight Provinces Garrison Army, simply put, was Sun Chuanfang's elite force, the army he started with. Later, many more units were reorganized, totaling over 60,000 men. They were then handed over to Falkenhausen for training, and now it was time to test their results.

“Your Excellency Sun, this unit is trained entirely according to German standards, and its weapons are all German-made. His Majesty the Emperor also attaches great importance to this unit in the Far East. I even managed to procure thirty tanks, although they are outdated imperial equipment, they are more than sufficient for the Chinese battlefield.” Falkenhausen said with considerable pride.

In order to consolidate Germany's interests in East Asia and to guard against Japan, Germany invested a large amount of money to support Sun Chuanfang.

The Northern Expeditionary Army's momentum was too strong, causing concern among the German authorities. East Asia was too far from the empire, but the interests in the Far East remained a tempting prize that could not be ceded to others.

Although they were doing their best to support Sun Chuanfang, they weren't worried that he might harbor rebellious intentions. The Empire's Far East Intelligence Bureau was no pushover, and they had already identified a suitable candidate. If Sun Chuanfang didn't know what was good for him, they could easily support someone else.

Sun Chuanfang, of course, was completely unaware of the Germans' plans; at that moment, he wished he could hug and kiss the German Emperor. The troops before him were impeccably dressed and their faces were solemn.

With standardized weapons and uniforms, they were clearly an elite force at first glance.

He could no longer contain himself and burst into laughter. Good heavens, with this army, what did he have to fear from the Northern Expeditionary Army, what did he have to fear from Zhang Zuolin?

At the same time, he felt a pang of heartache; this was his precious treasure. Losing even a little bit would hurt, as it represented a fortune.

But he was helpless; the threat from the Northern Expeditionary Army kept him up at night. With this force, he could finally defeat them in one fell swoop.

“Your Excellency Sun, the Empire’s intelligence network has also compiled a list.” Falkenhausen pulled a document from his backpack. “This is a list of personnel in the revolutionary government’s intelligence network in Nanchang. All you have to do is take them down without alerting them, and then pass on false intelligence to the Northern Expeditionary Army.” He smiled slightly. “I imagine you are quite adept at this kind of thing.”

Sun Chuanfang smiled after hearing this, "Haha, Mr. Advisor, please don't flatter me. Thank you for the support of the German government. It's been a pleasure working with you." He then extended his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to work with you.” Falkenhausen extended his hand as well.

Midnight is so eerie.

Shi Xinghuai was secretly recording the movements in Nanchang City from inside the house and reporting them to the Northern Expeditionary Army.

Suddenly, he heard the geese he kept outside calling. To prevent anyone from sneaking in, he kept two geese in the yard, giving him ample time to react.

As an underground worker, the probability of sacrifice in this high-risk profession is second only to that of front-line soldiers. The sensitivity of his profession keeps him alert even when he is sleeping.

The goose honked twice and then fell silent. A sense of crisis surged up instantly. He quickly threw the documents into the brazier and grabbed a tool to smash the radio.

"Snapped!"

The door was kicked open, and a group of men in black rushed in.

"Quickly, put out the fire!" a leader hurriedly ordered, while Shi Xinghuai was pinned to the ground by a group of people.

"Report, the radio is fine," a soldier said after checking.

"Very good." The leader sneered and looked at Shi Xinghuai, who was being pressed to the ground.

"Are you Guo Siyuan or Shi Xinghuai? I never expected that an adjutant like you would be a revolutionary!"

Shi Xinghuai was shocked, his mind racing. He had been exposed. How did they know about his covert operation? Had there been a traitor?