Tiger Troops: The 74th Army of the Kuomintang Anti-Japanese Ace

Chapter 1 Where is the Secret (Battle of Songhu) (1)
When the calendar turned to mid-August 1937, Shanghai, known as the largest city in the Far East, was being shrouded in the shadow of war.

On the banks of the Huangpu River, the sun is still shining brightly, and the green field is still full of vitality and hope, but the muddy river is already full of anchored warships, and each warship has a "plaster flag" hanging on the tail without exception. ".

In addition to the murderous warships pointing their muzzles at the shore, the undersides of the bombers flying overhead were also painted with red "plaster" marks.The target of the bomber attack was the Shanghai Municipal Government Building. After the fleet of planes formed a column and dived towards the building, thick smoke billowed instantly from the dome of the building.

The war has completely changed the former bustling city. The usual scene of cars coming and going and crowds of people is disappearing like a bubble. People have built hotels and office buildings into fortresses, and all the low-rise windows have been tightly blocked. The sandbags at the door were piled up like a firewood pile.

It is not the first time that Shanghai has experienced such a fierce war. It broke out five years ago, which was called the first Songhu battle. After many years, the second Songhu battle started again.

On August 8, two divisions of the Japanese Army with the No.23 Division as the main force landed on the south bank of the Yangtze River. Great threat.This move is almost exactly the same as the tactics used by the Japanese army in the first Battle of Songhu, the difference is only larger.

Heavenly mission
After the No.11 division landed, it went straight to Luodian.Luodian Town, located on the back of Songhu, is a Shanghai-Nanjing transportation hub. Once the Japanese army controls it, it can easily cut off the communication line between the Chinese army and the rear. Such a crucial strategic point, both sides in the battle will naturally spare no effort Fight with your life.

According to the order of the Chinese High Command, the No.11 Division launched an indomitable battle with the Japanese army in Luodian.They took back Luodian many times, but soon lost it again, and then fought again and again, sometimes the front line had to change hands seven or eight times.

There is a field ambulance station near Luodian, and there is an endless stream of wounded soldiers sent from Luodian every day.This kind of situation often happens. A stretcher soldier was still carrying the wounded one day, and was killed by a shell while rescuing the wounded on the front line the next day.

The entire Luodian was littered with corpses and blood flowed like a river, which was called "Flesh and Flesh Mill".In an emergency, the High Command decided to send a division to reinforce Luodian to stabilize the war situation in the area.

This division, which was still unknown at the time, was the predecessor of the No.70 Fourth Army, which was later called the "Tiger Troop".The First Division itself has a relatively long history. Its basis is to supplement the First Brigade. In the winter of 1933, it was adapted from three supplementary regiments at the Baoding Training Office.

The soldiers and junior officers of the Supplementary Brigade were all from the north, and most of them were former soldiers of the Northwest Army.Carlson, an American military observer and Marine Corps intelligence officer, came to China ten years ago. At that time, the impression given to him by Chinese soldiers was that they were commodities that could fight. When fighting, they only chose the degree of contribution according to the amount of military pay. If you give more money, work harder. If you give less money, you will be cheated on the ground.

The soldiers who Carlson said were paid for fighting were actually recruits.The Northwest Army is all recruits, and the quality of recruits is relatively high. At that time, all the recruits trained by the system of the Northwest Army generally underwent relatively strict training and possessed certain combat skills and experience.

The middle and high-level officers of the supplementary brigade are mainly filled by students from the Whampoa Military Academy.During the Republic of China, there was a catchphrase called "Baoding's classroom, martial arts training ground, and Huangpu's battlefield", which succinctly summarized the characteristics of China's three major military academies.Generally speaking, the education in Baoding Military Academy is the most complete, formal, and solid. It takes seven years for the early Baoding students to graduate. Therefore, as long as the Baoding students can get in, they are mostly senior commanders at the division, army or even group army level. .The Yunnan Lecture Hall carried out brutal training, and the students had to be skinned if they were not exhausted on the playground. Therefore, for a period of time, the Yunnan Dian Army once dominated the southwest and was unmatched.

Compared with the above two time-honored brands, the Whampoa Military Academy has the nature and characteristics of a crash course. Not only is the training period extremely short, but the courses it learns are only military education at the regiment level. , The actual combat experience is relatively rich.

Based on the brave and courageous northern veterans and the backbone of Whampoa officers who had received basic military education, the supplementary brigade quickly became a direct-line unit of the Kuomintang with strong combat effectiveness, also known as the Central Army.

Carlson observed China for ten years.In these ten years, an army that can fight wars is a direct line, so it may not be able to survive and develop. Moreover, the supplementary brigade is not a regular designation, it belongs to the miscellaneous brand in the Central Army, and it is easy to be merged and supplemented by others if you are not careful. .It was able to gain a firm foothold gradually and expand its scale not only because of its military achievements, but also because of its endless Chinese-style wisdom.

It is said that Wang Yaowu went to see the prime minister a year before he became brigade commander.The fortune teller measured the five fingers of his left hand, and said that he had the appearance of a man of letters and martial arts, and if he walks like a tiger, he must be a noble man, and he will be happy with Qiao Sheng in the near future.

Wang Yaowu may not have taken it seriously at first, but he did not expect that in the spring of the following year, it would really come true.Now not only is the business of the fortune teller booming, but even Wang Yaowu himself has a faint feeling of "Heaven's great responsibility belongs to everyone".

Some people said that he has a "swallow neck, bear back and tiger butt". Wang Yaowu was very happy to hear that. When giving lectures to the officers and soldiers of the brigade, he often deliberately spread his legs and leaned forward, as if he was about to pounce like a tiger at any time.Whenever he talked about something exciting, he would raise his right hand and point his index finger at the tip of his nose: "If I, Wang Yaowu, are greedy for life and afraid of death, I don't have the bones of my parents!"

At that time, "Warrior of Wen and Marshal walks like a tiger", Wang Yaowu didn't know that his troops would really be associated with the title of tiger in the future. Troops find the best way to develop.

Relationship

Wang Yaowu is originally from Tai'an, Shandong.This Shandong man who looks a little rough on the outside has a very delicate heart. To put it bluntly, he is very good at being a man.On the second day after taking office as the brigade commander, he sent a large number of telegrams and express mails on behalf of telegrams, totaling more than a hundred pieces.For those who received his telegrams, whoever had higher academic qualifications or official positions than him, even if it was only a one-time acquaintance, he would respectfully address them as teachers and officers on the header of the telegrams, and himself as a student and subordinate.

Wang Yaowu is not just polite, he will give gifts and allowances to the staff in charge of his organization during the holidays, and he will also work tirelessly to arrange and handle it himself, so as to make everyone feel comfortable and comfortable.As time went on, no one in the command organization, big or small, old or young, was dissatisfied with him, and they tried their best to make things convenient for him.

Sprinkling nectar all over the world is just to accumulate good karma, if something happens, you have to use another kind of hard way.At that time, Wang Yaowu's most taboo and fear was that he was assigned to Chen Cheng's command.As the number one "predator" of the Central Army of the Kuomintang, Chen Cheng's eyes are red whenever he sees miscellaneous brands or even miscellaneous brands in the Central Army.Chen Cheng once temporarily commanded a local division in Jiangxi, but he wanted to annex it, but the other party refused, and the lawsuit was once brought to the Nanjing Military and Political Department, which made He Yingqin, the Minister of Military and Political Affairs, in a dilemma.

In order to avoid this risk, Wang Yaowu decided to establish a relationship with Gu Zhutong, another powerful faction of the Central Army. One way he used to gain Gu Zhutong's trust was to promote Li Tianxia as the acting commander.

Li Tianxia's professional level is naturally not bad, and being the head of the regiment is nothing to say, and at the same time, he is a relative of Qian Dajun, and Qian Dajun and Gu Zhutong were both instructors in Whampoa, and they are close friends.After going back and forth through mountains and rivers, Wang Yaowu finally got on the line with Gu Zhutong, and he logically moved the supplementary brigade under Gu Zhutong's umbrella.

The danger of being "supplemented" by Chen Cheng is gone for the time being, but if trees move to death and people move to live, if they stay still, the army will not have much future.In the second year after the establishment of the Supplementary Brigade, it happened that the Red Army's northward advance team arrived in the northeast of Jiangxi, and the Nanchang camp urgently dispatched troops to chase and intercept them.

Wang Yaowu immediately realized that this was an opportunity. According to his judgment, the advance team going north had broken away from the old base in the Jiangxi Soviet Area, and had not yet established a new base.If the supplementary brigade can join the "pursuit and suppression" team, it will definitely be able to gain military exploits from it.

If he wanted to leave, he had to go through Gu Zhutong first, but Gu Zhutong already admired and recognized Wang Yaowu very much, so he refused to let him go no matter what.

For all the ideas that Wang Yaowu has been thinking about for a long time, he will never give up easily.Don't you disagree?Then I will come to ask every day, anyway, it is winter melon, eggplant, old millet and rotten sesame seeds to talk about, not only to express my position, but also to let the old master know that I am going out not because I have any opinion on you, but purely out of public interest.

Sun Dasheng had a headache when he saw the nagging Elder Tang, let alone Gu Zhutong.At the same time, Wang Yaowu went to He Yingqin to ask for orders, and Yu Jishi repeatedly asked for the Nanchang camp, so Gu Zhutong had to accept the camp order and let the supplementary brigade out of his control.Later Gu Zhutong chatted with He Yingqin and said that Wang Yaowu was really "naughty".

The "naughty" Wang Yaowu got what he wanted. The experience of "chasing and suppressing" the advance team of the Red Army not only added to the combat history of the supplementary brigade, but also created an opportunity for him to climb Yuji.

Yu Jishi was a first-year student in Whampoa. He participated in the first Songhu Battle as a teacher.At that time, Yu Jishi's position was the director of the Zhejiang Provincial Security Department. The halo of being a student of the emperor and his strong and iron background made him domineering at one time, but after being appointed by Chiang Kai-shek as the commander-in-chief of the "Pursuing and Suppressing Army", Yu Jishi's head was out of control. Can't stand up anymore: In the confrontation with the advance team of the Red Army going north, due to repeated defeats, he was successively punished with a major demerit and dismissed from his post.

When dealing with this frustrated temporary boss, Wang Yaowu did not dare to neglect him at all. He still gave Yu Jishi the same treatment as he used to lead Gu Zhutong.Even if Yu Jishi said a word casually, Wang Yaowu would take it as an important instruction from his superiors and convey it to his subordinates.When Yu Jishi's headquarters marched with the brigade headquarters of the supplementary brigade, Wang Yaowu always stayed by Yu Jishi's side. He also specially selected strong soldiers from the whole brigade and organized them into a guard platoon to provide Yu Jishi's security.

The Supplementary Brigade is capable of fighting, and the brigade commander is so considerate and modest to his superiors. I am afraid that there is no superior who would not like it.Soon, Yu Jishi regarded Wang Yaowu as one of his own. After the end of the "pursuit and suppression", even though the relationship between the two has been terminated, Yu Jishi has been covering Wang Yaowu.Otherwise, a unit without an official designation like the Supplementary Brigade, even if it has the military exploits of "suppressing bandits", will hardly escape the fate of disappearing-either it will be consumed while continuing to pursue the Red Army, or it will be accidentally killed by some "big army" Crocodile" was adapted or merged.

Relying on the relational science he had comprehended, Wang Yaowu opened roads across the mountains and built bridges when encountering water. The Supplementary Brigade was first expanded into the New Eleventh Division, and then upgraded to the Temporary 51st Division. Later, the word "temporary" was also removed.Before the outbreak of the Second Songhu Battle, the first division had become a Type B division of the three-regiment system, and it was decided to expand into a Type-A division with two brigades and four regiments.

be assertive
Before the outbreak of the Songhu Battle, the 51st Division was training in Hanzhong, Shaanxi.After receiving the call-up order from the High Command, Wang Yaowu immediately led his troops to assemble at Baoji Railway Station, and rushed to Shanghai day and night by means of emergency transportation by military trains.

How dangerous the Songhu battlefield is, the 51st Division felt it during the march.There is a Catholic church in Hanzhong. The 51st Division had no contact with this church before, and the officers and soldiers did not believe in religion. However, when the troops were about to set off as a whole, the church sent invitations to host a banquet for the officers and soldiers above the battalion to see them off.

Out of courtesy, the invited officers all attended the appointment.It was later learned that the church was presided over by an Italian priest, and that the church was actually a latent international spy organization. They were trying their best to collect and provide information about the 51st Division to the Japanese side.

Since the Japanese army had the travel information of the 51st Division, they began to send planes to track and reconnaissance along the way.When the troops arrived at Pukou, the train had to change to a ferry to cross the river. The Japanese plane took advantage of the situation to bomb. Fortunately, it was night and the blackout along the river had been implemented, so the pilot of the Japanese plane could not see the target clearly, so the bomb did not fall on the ship.

The 51st Division was slightly damaged at the Suzhou Railway Station.There was an ammunition supply point, and each train had to stay for at least two hours in order to exchange for new weapons and new equipment. Such a long stay finally created an opportunity for Japanese bombing.

The frightening experience in the middle of the march made Wang Yaowu more aware.After receiving the reinforcement order from the high command, he did not attack rashly, but decided to take two steps: the first step was to march forward in a hurry to search and advance, and after arriving at the front line in Jiading, he made some adjustments and then contacted friendly forces; the second step was to join the battle.

According to Wang Yaowu's instructions, the 1937th regiment headed towards Jiading as the vanguard. At dawn on August 8, 25, after three and a half hours of rapid march, they arrived safely in Jiading County.It was still dark at this time, and the head of the group, Qiu Weida, wandered around the county town, trying to find someone to understand the situation, but he was greatly disappointed in the result: the whole city was empty, and the people had already run away.

How to do this?Wang Yaowu did not give an answer in advance.

Qiu Weida is known for being calm and reserved.Once when the troops set off, Wang Yaowu temporarily arranged a place to camp, but the officers and soldiers were unable to gather for a long time.Wang Yaowu immediately became angry, and lost his temper at Qiu Weida, who was the chief of staff at the time, scolding him: "Bastard, boy, shameless!"

In fact, Qiu Weida was not necessarily responsible for the whole incident, but he did not defend himself from the beginning to the end, and the expression on his face was also very natural.For this reason, Qiu Weida got the nickname of "rubber air bag".

If you think that Qiu Weida is a doormat who can only endure swallowing, then you are wrong.Some things can be completely ignored, such as the other party's impulsive words.Could Qiu Weida answer his boss like this: "I'm not an asshole, I'm not shameless..."

The key is to have your own opinions. If you do something wrong, admit it and remember to improve next time; if you do something wrong, it’s nothing but scolding, and I will ignore it.Qiu Weida is such a person, that's why he can be promoted from a staff member to a military chief who can take charge of his own affairs.

Right now is the time for Qiu Weida to make judgments and decisions on his own.He first boarded the city wall for observation, and found that the city wall was still strong and could be used as a temporary field fortification.This also shows that the troops don't need to panic, even if the Japanese army is immediately in front of them, they can hold on to the city.

Then Qiu Weida sent a battalion to take precautions in the direction of Luodian, and the rest of the troops rested to relieve fatigue.The task of going to Luodian to contact the friendly army was given to battalion commander Liu Zhenwu, and Qiu Weida told him to go and return quickly, and report the situation immediately after finding out the situation.

Liu Zhenwu walked along the road to Shixianggong Temple south of Luodian, where he met a battalion commander of the 11th Division, and knew that Luodian was occupied by the Japanese No. The counterattack was unsuccessful, and the troops suffered heavy casualties.At present, the main force of the division retreating to Shi Xianggong Temple is strengthening the fortifications to deal with the Japanese attack to the south.

After receiving Liu Zhenwu's report, Qiu Weida understood that rapid reinforcements were necessary, but he was particular about how to reinforce them.

(End of this chapter)