The bandits were annihilated, but the Jiangdong Army also paid a high price, 35 academic soldiers, seriously injured fifty people, but also saved the lives of tens of thousands of people.

The funeral was held three days later. It was a grand collective funeral for soldiers. The entire Jiangdong Army wore mourning and dispatched 35 horse-drawn cannon carts to carry the coffins of the sacrificial scholars.

The farewell ceremony was set up in the square in front of the office. Not long ago, the scholars gathered here to advise the general to send troops to eradicate the warlords. Now their funeral was held. As the saying goes, they died before they could succeed, which made the heroes cry.

In the drizzle, the officers and soldiers of the Seventh Mixed Brigade and the Student Brigade were dressed in military uniforms, with black veils on their arms, and stood upright in the rain. General Chen Zikun read the eulogy on the stage. The atmosphere was solemn and tragic, which made people cry.

The etiquette officer pulled out his sword and shouted: "Fire the gun!"

Seventy-two guards raised their rifles, shot into the sky, pulled the bolts, and shot again. The gunshots frightened the birds living under the eaves, and flew into the gray sky with their wings.

In the distance, Zheng Zeru and Maiping took off their hats and silently mourned.

The remains of the martyrs were taken away by their families and buried in the ancestral graves, or the government paid for them to be buried in the military cemetery. After this battle, the students of the military academy were even more loyal to Marshal Chen and united unprecedentedly.

At the Supervisory Office, Senior Officer Meeting, Chen Zikun looked around and said, "My Dukes, I have decided to send troops to support the National Revolutionary Army!"

Yan Su said: "Master General, think twice. The Guangzhou army was defeated in Jiangxi, and the situation is still unclear."

Chen Shou also said: "We can't bet on the bets, I think the Chief of Staff is right."

Chen Zikun said: "I ask you, how effective is the military force that has joined the party?"

Chen Shou said: "That's really not a good thing. It's just like this life is not raised by parents. It's a life."

Chen Zikun said: "I finally understand how Wu Yushuai was defeated at Heshengqiao and Tingsiqiao. The National Revolutionary Army is an army of faith, and its combat effectiveness is incomparable to the Beiyang Army. Even if it is defeated one or two games, the outcome of this war has been decided. Although the situation is not clear enough, is it interesting to bet after you understand it before betting?"

Everyone nodded and said yes.

Chen Zikun said: "After so many years of melee, it should be quiet. Since the National Revolutionary Army has the ability to unify the whole country, let's give him some timely help. Chief of Staff Yan, come up with a plan."

Yan Su said: "I made a plan long ago and sent the Second Division to force Jiangsu to threaten Sun Chuanfang's retreat. The First Division was placed in the north to prevent the Zhilu coalition forces from moving south. Without taking real action, it would be able to reduce the pressure on the Guangzhou army."

Chen Zikun shook his head: "No, since you want to bet, you have to place a heavy bet."

Yan Su said: "What Kunshuo means is to really hit Sun Chuanfang?"

Chen Zikun said: "It doesn't matter whether you fight or not, the key is to have a formal name."

Everyone was puzzled.

Chen Zikun looked around the generals: "I decided to formally join the Guangzhou National Government, change the flag and flag, and change the Jiangdong Guard to the National Revolutionary Army."

"No!" Yan Su hurriedly advised, "Supervisor Kun, don't do this. We are the authentic Beiyang direct lineage. Even if we put it in the arms of the south, we are still raised by a stepmother. The best way out is to maintain the status quo of the north and the south. We will develop slowly based on Jiangdong. With time, it is unknown whether we can seize the world."

When the generals present all showed excited eyes when they heard the words of seizing the world, but Liu Youjin, as the secretary-general of the provincial government, shook his head secretly.

"Secretary General Liu, do you have something to say?" Chen Zikun noticed his expression.

Liu Youjin said: "To be honest, Chief of Staff Yan's method is indeed the best way for us. Now the heroes are competing for the Fengtian clique, and the Fengtian clique is not so strong after internal friction. Wu Yushuai Lian is old, Sun Chuanfang and the National Revolutionary Army fight fiercely in Jiangxi, and their strength is also very depleted. Zhang Zongchang, the likes of the Lu army, are just native chickens and dogs. It's no problem. Looking around the country, Kunshuai is also the most powerful general."

Everyone nodded. Although Liu Youjin's words were a little exaggerated, Chen Zikun's strength was indeed no match for the Central Plains.

"But!" Liu Youjin took a deep breath, and everyone suddenly felt something was wrong. He was afraid of anything.

"It is the best way for us. For China, it is to increase civil unrest for only twenty years. Foreigners will benefit, and ordinary people will suffer." Liu Youjin said leisurely.

Everyone was silent for a long time, Chen Shou said: "I wanted to have a full meal when I became a bandit. Now I have eaten meat and drink wine, but the villagers in the village are still like that. They are not as fed with food and clothing as they eat. If we go to the south, the world will be peaceful, I am willing!"

Gai Longquan said: "I am willing, either. Anyway, I will be promoted and made a fortune. With Kunshuo leading us, I am afraid of losing."

The two military leaders voted in favor, and Yan Su naturally had nothing to say. He sighed deeply and said, "You must not lose your opportunity and never come again. Forget it, let's give up this opportunity for the sake of the people of the world."

The military and political officials of Jiangdong unanimously approved the change of flags and flags, and sent to the Guangzhou National Government. As soon as the telegram was issued, the whole country was shocked. Sun Chuanfang's front line in Jiangxi was in chaos and was defeated in a row. The north was shocked. The Zhilu Army quickly sent two divisions along the Jinpu Line to move south, deploy defenses on the Xuzhou line to guard against the attack of the Jiangdong Army.

However, those who are familiar in Jiangdong Province were relieved. Marshal Chen finally made the direction clear and turned to the south completely. The Jiangdong army would not fight with the revolutionary army. Millions of people escaped, which is a joyful congratulation. As for the threat from the Beiyang Army, they were not considered. They all knew the strength of the Jiangdong Army very well.

The scholars of the Jiangdong Army Officer School were happiest about the general's resignation to the revolution, and the morale of the army was extremely excited. If it weren't for the military rules, they would probably have gone to the streets to be excited again.

In the middle of the lunar calendar, Feng Yuxiang returned from Soviet Russia and obtained a large number of Soviet reinforcements. He became the commander-in-chief of the National Army in Wuyuan, Suiyuan. The National Revolutionary Army received two strong support from the north, and its reputation was greatly shocked. He defeated the coalition forces of Sun Chuanfang in the five provinces. In this battle, all the elite troops of Sun's army were lost and he never recovered from then on.

...

Jiangdong Guard was renamed the Jiangdong National Revolutionary Army. Chen Zikun abolished the Beiyang Military Supervisory Office and appointed himself as the Commander-in-Chief of the Jiangdong National Revolutionary Army. He was in charge of the military and civil affairs of Jiangdong Province. Governor Liu Yuzheng appointed by the Beiyang government officially stepped down, and the provincial government was changed to a library, and the former provincial government and the Supervisory Office jointly operated.

Chen Zikun officially turned to the south as a veteran member of the Kuomintang, Sun Wen Guardian, and the Prime Minister's coffin supporter. It was like pushing down a domino, causing a series of chain reactions. Zhejiang Province under Sun Chuanfang's rule was turbulent. Governor Xia Chao announced his opposition to Sun. After being suppressed, various departments of the Zhejiang Army contacted the Northern Expedition Army one after another. Chen Zikun's old acquaintance, Chen Yi, the commander of the Zhejiang Army's First Division, turned to the Northern Expedition Army and was appointed as the commander of the 19th Army of the National Revolutionary Army. Although he was later suppressed by Sun's army, Sun Chuanfang's rule had ended and the glory was no longer there.

Although the Zhilu coalition forces arrived in Xuzhou, they did not start the war in the Jiangdong army. On the surface, it was because Chen Zikun, Zhang Xueliang and Zhang Zongchang had the affection between brothers. In fact, the Zhilu army was afraid of the combat power of the Jiangdong army, and had planes and Belarusian mercenaries. Although the Jiangdong army had only three divisions, they were all tiger and wolf troops, and could not be underestimated.

Zhang Xueliang sent private representatives to meet again, hoping that Chen Zikun could change his mind. Chen Zikun instead wrote a letter to persuade Zhang Xueliang to follow the revolution. Both sides were all the literary talent of the staff, but guns, cannons and bullets were not useful.

Chiang Kai-shek, who was in Jiangxi, also wrote a handwritten letter to his sworn brother Chen Zikun, praising him as a revolutionary hero, and submitted a bill of exchange of 500,000 yuan as a military fund.

This money is coming in time. After Chen Zikun changed the flag and changed the banner, he was under great military pressure. He had to temporarily give up the policy of elite soldiers and recruited 20,000 strong men and expanded the army to 50,000. Raising soldiers requires money. The cost of supporting a big soldier is to support a large soldier. There are many military uniforms, salt and vegetables, and it costs 120 yuan a year, 30,000 soldiers is 3.6 million, and 50,000 soldiers is 6 million (that's right), while Jiangdong Province's annual fiscal revenue is only 900,000!

If you don’t be in charge of your family, you don’t know how expensive your firewood and rice are. After Chen Zikun became the supervisor, he understood why the warlords scraped the land and planted opium. Why did the civil strife in China continue to be in trouble with war!

In order to maintain the rule, the warlords had to recruit troops. They could not afford to raise them, so they could only let them go to harm the people. More and more soldiers, and fewer farmers farmed. A large number of young and middle-aged people engaged in destructive wars. After their defeat, they became bandits. There were wars everywhere on the land of China, soldiers and bandits everywhere, and opium everywhere. It would be strange if the country was prosperous and strong.

Jiangdong Province is an agricultural province. The Huai River is often flooded, resulting in poor harvests and poor industry and commerce. Since opium cultivation banned, the money for raising soldiers has mainly relied on Shanghai's opium tax, which is why Chen Zikun had to station troops in Shanghai no matter what.

Implementing the new policy is also a last resort, because the effort to achieve the fastest and most obvious results in agriculture. If you invest in railways and factories, the amount is large and the cycle is long. During the war, all kinds of raw materials, machinery and equipment, and workers cannot be in place on time. Once you mobilize your whole body, you will be able to smash the limited funds into it.

The agricultural specialists were not good at doing things, not only ruining the new policy of Chen Dashuai, but also offending the local gentry. In ancient China, the regime only reached the county level, and the rule below the county was really unaffordable by the power of gentry and clans. However, the new policy of Nantai County was really good. Zheng Zeru is worthy of being a top student at Jiaotong University, and the mass work was very exciting. This time he went to the provincial capital to report his work, Chen Zikun wanted to ask him whether he was willing to be the supervisor of the Agricultural Office or to be a serious county magistrate.

In 1926, we spent the war everywhere, and the disaster-stricken land of China ushered in a new year.

Jiangdong Province, the General Command of the Jiangdong National Revolutionary Army, which was the former Supervisory Office, knocked lightly twice in the door of the signing room. Liu Ting came in wearing a light blue dress and said, "Commander-in-Chief, Commissioner Zheng has arrived."

"please!"

Zheng Zeru came in with excitement on his face. He had dealt with Marshal Chen several times, but he was not at all. He said excitedly: "Commander-in-Chief, good news, a major victory!"

Chen Zikun said: "Where does victory come from the war?"

Zheng Zeru waved his fists: "The revolutionary masses have taken back the British Concession in Hankou!"
Chapter completed!