How quickly did Lin Biao advance during the Northern Expedition?

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Lin Biao, Zhou Enlai, and other Chinese officials stand in uniform, holding up Little Red Books during a 1967 Red Guard rally in China. — Lin Biao At a 1967 Red Guard rally, Lin Biao (left) and Zhou Enlai publicly display copies of *The Little Red Book*.

During the Northern Expedition, which began in July 1926, Lin Biao demonstrated rapid military advancement despite having less than a year of formal training at the Whampoa Academy. Within just a few months of the campaign, by the time the expedition reached the Yangtze River, he had already been promoted from deputy platoon leader to battalion commander.1