The Southern Heavenly King who ruled Guangdong for eight years - the legendary figure Chen Jitang (middle)

The Southern Heavenly King who governed Guangdong for eight years - the legendary Chen Jitang (middle) Yu Yushu (5) The communist army marched around Lingnan (middle) On the surface, Chen Jitang was quite respectful of Chiang Kai-shek...

The Southern Heavenly King who ruled Guangdong for eight years - the legendary Chen Jitang (middle) Yu Yushu (5) The communist army marched around Lingnan (middle) On the surface, Chen Jitang was quite deferential to Chiang Kai-shek. Even if he violated the central government's orders, he was quite tactful in his methods. Because he did not have the ambition to conquer the Central Plains like Li Zongren of the Guangxi clan, he just stuck to a corner of Guangdong and expanded his sphere of influence to the neighboring Guangxi region as much as possible. Because he is as wise as a fool and always keeps a low profile in everything he does, he is as alert as Chiang and does not notice it at all. Chen was born in Fangcheng, Guangdong, and now belongs to Guangxi, but in fact his ancestral home is Bobai, Guangxi. Most of the civil and military officials under him were from Gao Lei people (Gaozhou Leizhou), and many of them were think tanks who gave advice to him. They all believed that the Guangdong army was not directly related to Huangpu, so it was able to maintain its strength because Chiang's Central Army had frequent campaigns. After the Northern Expedition, The "Central Plains War" broke out with Yan Xishan in Shanxi, Feng Yuxiang in Shaanxi, and Li Zongren in Guangxi. Now they are focusing all their efforts on dealing with the CCP army. Four encirclement and suppression campaigns failed without success. For the time being, they were unable to deal with Chen Jitang, the non-direct Guangdong army, and could only win over them. The fifth encirclement and suppression campaign was imminent, and victory was not allowed. On the surface, Chen was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Southern Route Army. Therefore, think tanks believed that it was Chiang Kai-shek's plan to kill two birds with one stone. He could not only encircle and annihilate the Communist army in one fell swoop, but also use it to consume the local force of some non-mainstream factions. So they suggested to Chen Jitang: As long as the Communist army promised not to enter when they encountered him, they would be allowed to take a detour and march westward without interception. So on the one hand, Chen asked Chiang for military pay and equipment, and on the other hand, he adopted an interception posture and sent two armies to gather on the Jiangxi-Guangdong border. However, the construction project of the fortress strategy, which was crucial to the victory or defeat of the battle, from Xinfeng to Nankang, was deliberately delayed and failed to be completed as scheduled. As for the generals responsible for the interception, they were given a secret order: "Not seeking merit, but seeking to preserve strength." They delayed as long as they could and minimized direct contact with the Communist troops. Later, Major General Yang Youmin, Commander of the Seventh Division Huang Zhiwen, and Commander of the Single Division Huang Renhuan were further dispatched to hold secret negotiations with He Changgong, commander and political commissar of the Guangdong-Jiangxi Military Region of the Communist Party of China, and Pan Hannian, the Third International spy chief who had been working in the White Zone for a long time. The two sides reached an agreement: (1) To cease the war on the spot and cancel the hostile situation. (2) Exchange information and report by wire. (3) Lift the blockade. (4) Communicate with each other. If necessary, the Red Army can set up rear areas and build hospitals in Chen's defense area. (5) They can borrow each other's roads when necessary. If the Red Army has any action, Chen will be notified in advance. Chen's troops will evacuate forty miles away. Red Army personnel will use Chen's passport to enter Chen's defense area. Chiang Kai-shek and his spies were kept in the dark about Chen Jitang's corruption. However, Zhu De, Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, and Zhou Enlai, Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, made a prompt decision and ordered a breakout to the most advantageous position.