Patriotic general Wei Lihuang

Author: Fang Zhijin / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-10
Features: Chen Cheng accepted Zhou Enlai's suggestion and had six cannons lifted to the artillery position, assembled them, and personally fired a shot. The shot was not calibrated, but by chance, the shell landed right among the rebel troops who had gathered, preparing to launch a new attack on the command center—a direct hit! It killed and wounded dozens of rebels, leaving the survivors crying and scattering in all directions. The first shot was a success, and Chen Cheng was very excited, shouting, "It worked! It worked!" He then ordered the other cannons to aim at the rebels and open fire together! The six cannons roared simultaneously, sending shells streaking through the air toward the rebel group, scattering them in panic. The Huangpu Army and Wei Lihuang's unit charged forward, turning the tide of battle and capturing many.
The cannons fired again, much to everyone's surprise. What could be the reason? No one could explain it. Chiang Kai-shek had a sudden realization and thought of the Battle of Liuhu—March 12th, the day Sun Yat-sen passed away in Beijing. He declared it was "the spirit of the protecting our revolutionary army!" Zhou Enlai did not refute this superstitious claim, as was still prevalent in people's minds at the time. "The spirit of the protecting the revolutionary army" could boost morale. Later analysis revealed that the issue was the quality of the steel used in the cannons. After a fierce barrage, the heat had softened the steel, causing the cannon's "firing pin" to fail to ignite the shell's "primer," rendering it inoperable. Once the cannons were disassembled and returned to the command center to "rest," they had cooled down, and the steel regained its hardness, allowing them to fire again.
Just as they were celebrating their victory, Hu Hanmin, the acting commander in Guangzhou, sent a message to Chiang Kai-shek, reporting that Yang Ximin and Liu Zhenhan were attempting to attack the Grand Marshal's Office, seize power, and join forces with Chen Jingkang to attack the revolutionary army. Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to return to Guangzhou to eliminate the rebel forces of Yang and Liu. Sun Yat-sen had gone north, and Hu Hanmin took over as the "acting Grand Marshal." Upon hearing that Yang and Liu had divided their territory and exploited the people, Hu Hanmin reprimanded them. However, these two rebels completely disregarded the "acting Grand Marshal" and retorted, "If the acting Grand Marshal wants to restrict us, why not send the Huangpu Army to suppress us? Let the Huangpu Army attack us for three days, and then we will retaliate—how about that?" These two rebels were secretly allied with Chen Jingkang and were confident that once Chen Jingkang defeated the Huangpu Army, they would seize Guangzhou, which is why they were so arrogant. At that time, communication was poor, and they were still unaware that Chen Jingkang's rebellion had failed or that the Huangpu Army had returned swiftly. Unprepared and a disorganized force, they were defeated in a single battle.
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