What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
In 1912, Emperor Xuantong announced his abdication, saying: "The psychology of the people of the whole country today is more inclined to republicanism, so why should they tolerate the honor of a surname and the likes and dislikes of the people?" "This edict represents the collapse of the absolute monarchy that has lasted for more than two thousand years, and the dawn of constitutional government has ushered in the land of China. After Yuan Shikai's death, the Beiyang warlords fell apart, and control of the central government changed hands several times. China was once again divided by warlords from all sides.
In order to restore the situation of China's reunification, the first "Kuomintang-Communist cooperation" was born, which was the northern expedition of great significance. The Northern Expeditionary Army was widowed, and the Beiyang warlord mercenaries were 800,000, and the Northern Expeditionary Army seemed to have no chance of winning. Then, after the war broke out, the Northern Expeditionary Army was able to end the rule of the Beiyang government and crush 800,000 enemy troops in just two years.
Leaving aside some of the factors we already know, such as the bravery of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the infighting among the various departments of the Beiyang warlords, there is another important factor, that is, the assistance of the Soviet Union. Regardless of the purposefulness of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union's assistance to the Northern Expedition was enormous in terms of its assistance to the Northern Expedition. According to the records of the existing documents, the Soviet Union assisted the Northern Expeditionary Army with a large number of guns and ammunition, and hundreds of artillery of various types. Air support was also provided several times.
Not only was it material support, but there were also a large number of Soviet military advisers and staff officers who set out with the Northern Expeditionary Army, among which the more famous one was "General Gallon". In the battle against Wuchang City, the Beiyang general Wu Peifu stubbornly resisted, and the attacking troops fell into a dilemma. "General Gallen" ordered the aviation troops to drop bombs at an ultra-low altitude and blow up the walls of Wuchang, opening the way for the attacking troops to attack. The Soviet Union's help to the Northern Expedition went far beyond that. According to Lagotatov's "Chronicle of the Revolution", Chen Sichang and Pan Zhixin's "Wizards of the Republic of China on the Right", Soviet advisers played a very important role in training military commanders and training new recruits for the Northern Expeditionary Army. In addition, the political work of the troops has been enhanced and the military quality has been improved. The implications are far-reaching.