Page "Zhou Enlai" Paragraph 36

Zhou participated in two military operations conducted by the Nationalist regime in 1925, later known as the first and second Eastern Expeditions.

The first was in January 1925 when Chen Jiongming, an important Cantonese military leader previously driven out of Guangzhou by Sun Yat-sen, attempted to retake Guangzhou.

The Nationalist regime's campaign against Chen consisted of forces from the Guangdong Army under Xu Chongzhi, and two training regiments of the Nationalist Party Army, led by Chiang Kai-shek and staffed by Academy officers and cadets.

The fighting lasted through May 1925, with the defeat, but not destruction, of Chen's forces.

Zhou accompanied the Whampoa cadets on the expedition as a political officer.