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

Chapter 5 Where is the Secret (Battle of Songhu) (5)
In fact, most of the generals who received the order to guard Nanjing also thought the same way. They were in the south of the Yangtze River but their hearts were in the north of the Yangtze River.For this reason, Chiang Kai-shek specially convened a military meeting to defend Nanjing. At the meeting, he clearly stated the topic: Nanjing is not only the capital of China, but also the location of the "Father of the Nation" Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum. Abandoning it will affect both international reputation and morale of the army. , so now it is not a question of whether you can keep it, but that you must keep it.

Tang Shengzhi then stated that he was willing to do his best and die.After the two of them spoke, the other generals present at the meeting looked at each other in blank dismay, and all the objections they had planned were swallowed one by one.

Although Yu Jishi and Wang Yaowu lacked the confidence and certainty to stick to Nanjing, they had no choice but to deploy according to the order. On December 12, the 3th Army marched into the established positions in Chunhua Town and Niushou Mountain. Among them, the 74st Division was responsible for guarding Chunhua Town, the 51th Division guarded Niushou Mountain, and the military headquarters was located in a village outside Tongjimen. .

The existing positions in the suburbs of Nanjing were also built before the war. They were all reinforced concrete defense fortifications. However, due to hasty use and unreasonable original designs, there was a considerable disconnect between them and actual combat needs.When the 74th Army entered the position, some machine gun positions had locked doors, and they didn't know who to ask for the key, and some machine gun bunkers were too large, so it was very easy for the enemy to find the target.In addition, there are neither tunnels, trenches, nor depth between fortifications and bunkers.

Three baskets of rotten peaches are not as good as one fresh apricot. This kind of crappy fortifications and bunkers really make people want to roll their eyes a hundred times. The 74th Army had to carry out emergency repairs and reinforcements again. If the door really couldn't be opened, they simply smashed it down.Even so, due to the lack of engineering materials and power transmission of the troops themselves, the position still cannot achieve the expected level of strength.

Chunhua Town and Niushou Mountain are the places where the Japanese army must pass through when they attack Nanjing. On December 12, when the 7th Army was still rushing to repair the fortifications, the small Japanese army that was advancing on Chunhua exchanged fire with the 74st Division's security forces.On the second day, under the cover of aircraft and cannons, the large Japanese army launched a fierce attack on Chunhua Town and Niushou Mountain at the same time. The fragile defensive positions were completely submerged in the gunfire and smoke, and some places were almost razed to the ground.

Although at a disadvantage from the beginning, the main position is still in the hands of the 74th Army. On December 12, the Japanese army launched a larger-scale attack, especially the attack on the 9st Division in Chunhua Town.The sharp weapon they use to break the fortification bunker is mainly the 51mm flat-fire infantry gun, which is a kind of artillery that can charge with the infantry. It is specially used to destroy the opponent's firepower point, and the shooting accuracy is quite high.

Defects in the structure of defense fortifications have become a nightmare for Chinese soldiers.The flat-fire shells came in along the opening of the oversized machine gun bunker. Many of the heavy machine guns of the 74th Army were blown up, and the officers and soldiers suffered heavy casualties. Some had their legs and arms broken, and some even had their brains blown out. .The 51st Regiment of the [-]st Division, which was on the front line, was almost wiped out. Except for the regiment leader Ji Hongru who was seriously injured, nine of the twelve company commanders in the regiment were killed or injured, and more than [-] people were killed or injured in the lower ranks.

On the same day, the Chunhua Town and Niushou Mountain positions were breached successively.Seeing that the situation was not good, Yu Ji hurriedly reported the battle situation to Tang Shengzhi. Tang Shengzhi made a decision to let the 74th Army withdraw to the vicinity of Shuiximen. At that time, one division would serve as the defense and one division would serve as the reserve team.

At dusk, the 74th Army assembled towards Shuiximen, and Wang Yaowu ordered the [-]th Regiment to cut off the rear.That night, the [-]th Regiment started fighting with the Japanese troops who were chasing up. When the troops were about to be overwhelmed, the head of the regiment, Zhang Lingfu, personally held a portable machine gun and led the temporarily organized death squads to launch a countercharge.

During the battle, Zhang Lingfu was shot in his left arm and was seriously injured, but he persisted in not going out of the line of fire, and fought bloody battles with Xiang Yu's spirit that he could not die in Jiangdong.A regiment leader took the lead to fight for his life, and everyone in the [-]th regiment fought bravely, and finally blocked the Japanese army temporarily in the southeastern suburbs of Nanjing through night battles.

Precarious
If you can't even keep the outskirts of the city, an isolated city is bound to be dangerous.The consensus of the generals is about to be fulfilled as quickly as possible.

After withdrawing to the vicinity of Shuiximen, Yu Jishi divided the 74th Army and ordered the 51st Division to undertake the defense inside and outside the Shuiximen, while the 58th Division assembled in the city as a reserve team.As soon as the arrangements were made, the Japanese army launched an offensive.

On December 12, the 11st Brigade of the 51st Division (including the [-]st and [-]nd Regiments) outside Shuiximen was attacked.At the fierce point, three Japanese tanks joined in, trying to cover the infantry to break through the defenders' positions.The [-]st Brigade concentrated its artillery fire. The tanks used by the Japanese army were mainly Type [-] and Type [-] cavalry armored vehicles.In the process of dodging, a panicked tank plunged headlong into the ditch. Even the man and the vehicle were finished, and the remaining two tanks also fled in a hurry.

This was a moment of applause, but the good times didn't last long. There was a problem with the Yuhuatai position where the defense line was connected with the 80st Brigade.The No.88 Eighth Division defending Yuhuatai was originally the most elite German weapon division in the Chinese army, but the most elite was also the fastest and worst exhausted on the Songhu battlefield. pretty weak.

The Japanese army quickly occupied the Yuhuatai position.The [-]st Brigade was attacked from the front and back, and the first position was broken through. Cheng Zhi, the commander of the [-]nd Regiment, was killed, and the regiment suffered more than [-] casualties.So far, the entire [-]st Brigade has basically lost its combat capability.

You can't defend the outside of the city, you can only defend the inside of the city. On December 12, the 12rd Brigade (including the 80th Regiment and [-]th Regiment) defending along the city wall of Shuiximen was in a hurry. A Japanese soldier took the opportunity to climb the city wall with a rope ladder and attacked the left side of the [-]rd Brigade.

Li Tianxia, ​​the deputy commander of the 51st Division and the commander of the [-]rd Brigade, was very angry when reporting to Wang Yaowu: "The city wall is an important line of defense to hold the city. Why didn't the minister's department order the various departments to occupy it, so that Nanjing can still defend?"

Tang Shengzhi's chief department is a temporary team, and Tang Shengzhi commands all troops temporarily assigned to him.This is not a problem in a country with a relatively mature military system. For example, Matsui's "Shanghai Expeditionary Army" is temporarily composed of various divisions, like building blocks, which can be built into a desired shape at any time according to requirements.The Chinese army is not good. Only when the commander dispatches the so-called direct line troops can he be truly handy and free.

Tang Shengzhi used to be the leader of the Hunan Army, but his direct descendants of the Hunan Army had been dealt with by Chiang Kai-shek as early as the period of warlord melee.None of the troops guarding Nanjing has been commanded by him before. He does not know the specific situation of each army, and each army may not be able to carry out his orders without compromise.

Wang Yaowu had known these situations before he defended the city, and it was also one of the disadvantages that he believed that Nanjing was not easy to defend.But it's useless to blame heaven and earth for now, and it's too late.Wang Yaowu ordered Li Tianxia to mobilize troops and quickly annihilate the Japanese troops who climbed the city wall.

The task was given to the [-]th regiment.Qiu Weida selected a hundred capable fighters from the third battalion that fired the first shot in the Battle of Songhu to form a counterattack death squad.The whole regiment was led by death squads, and the rest of the officers and soldiers were covered by firepower, and the enemy soldiers who entered the city were cleared within an hour.

The hand-to-hand combat began.Japanese front-line reporters used a long focal length to shoot the siege shots. In the shots, the Japanese soldiers who climbed the city wall waved the "plaster flag", but they were quickly killed by the Chinese counterattack.

The Japanese soldiers who rushed under the city wall could not escape the fate of being annihilated. Only one reporter accompanying the army was left alive, and he had to squat in the trench and wait for rescue.The Japanese army rushed up again, and the reporter quickly stood up and waved, but because he was wearing a khaki uniform instead of a military uniform, the Japanese soldiers thought he was a Chinese soldier, and immediately stabbed him with a bayonet.After stabbing to death, he looked at the armband and realized that he had killed his own reporter by mistake.

In this counterattack, Hu Hao, the commander of the third battalion, was killed, Li Tianxia and Qiu Weida were also killed, and the following officers and soldiers were killed and injured.Li Tianxia urgently dispatched the [-]th Regiment to help, but the dilapidated [-]th Regiment was unable to rescue the crisis, and the situation was in jeopardy.

The situation of other friendly troops in the city was roughly similar, and there was already chaos in the city. Tang Shengzhi urgently called a meeting of the army commanders.Before going to the meeting, Yu Jishi called Wang Yaowu and said that he estimated that major adjustments might be made at the meeting, which meant that the issue of abandoning Nanjing might be mentioned.

Wang Yaowu was busy commanding and could not separate himself. He reminded Yu Jishi that if he really wanted to evacuate, he should advise the chief to allocate ships and even docks across the river, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

Yu Jishi also thought about it in the same way.As expected, it was decided at the meeting to break out of the siege, but what Yu Jishi did not expect was that Tang Shengzhi's written order was to break out of the city and then move to Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi.

no hero
Tang Shengzhi's decision was wise at the time.Nanjing is a river city, so many troops had to cross the river, plus refugees, there was not enough boats, and although the outside of the city was full of Japanese troops, there was still a huge gap.

The problem is that the morale of the army has been slackened at this time, and most people still want to escape.Tang Shengzhi himself was not without loopholes. He should never have done what he should have done. After issuing the written order, he conveyed verbal instructions to the Central Army troops participating in the battle: "If you can't break through all the siege, you can cross the river when there is a ferry. Gather in Chuzhou."

The seriousness of the order suddenly decreased, and it also showed once again that Tang Shengzhi did have a lot of problems in controlling the troops because he was not his own direct line of troops.Because of this, except for most of the Cantonese Army who were ordered to break out of the city, the rest of the troops, including the 74th Army, chose to cross the river to assemble in Chuzhou.

According to Yu Jishi's instructions, Wang Yaowu divided the remnants of the 74th Army into two groups, one group tied up wooden rafts near Baguazhou, and the other group rushed to Xiaguan Wharf to take a boat.When Wang Yaowu personally led his troops to go to Xiaguan, he was blocked by the 36th Division. According to Tang Shengzhi's order, the division prevented all troops from retreating to Xiaguan, and kept firing warning shots. Bullets whizzed past their heads.

Seeing this situation, many officers and soldiers were angry and anxious. Some said that we did not ask the Japanese to be killed, but we were very likely to die under the guns of our own troops. We were really wronged; In sparring, maybe they can squeeze out a way to survive.

Seeing that it was impossible to pass through, Wang Yaowu was deeply afraid that if he continued to delay, he would not be able to cross the river, so he decided to take a detour to Yijiangmen.On the way, people shouted and neighed, and the chaos reached the extreme.There are many abandoned wounded soldiers in each army, and only those who can barely walk can go to Xiaguan by themselves with a stick.This scene is very sad, because these abandoned wounded soldiers will only face one ending, that is, they will be killed by the Japanese army.Some wounded soldiers cursed angrily: "You all escaped and left us here. If I had known this, who would have fought!"

Wang Yaowu could only pretend to turn a deaf ear.When he arrived at Yijiang Gate, he saw that only one city gate was open, and there were so many people that the gate was narrow and extremely crowded. Some pack horses were overwhelmed and trampled to death when they passed by, but no one bothered to pull away the underground carriages that hindered walking. .Everyone's face was full of infinite panic and embarrassment.At this time, there are no heroes, only an instinctive desire to survive randomly rushing into people's hearts.

Squeezing through the ghost gate, Wang Yaowu finally came to the Xiaguan River.The pier was already full of people, but there were very few boats on the river, and those boats were pre-occupied by troops who had planned for a long time.People without boats scurry around like ants in a hot pot. They grab boats when they see them, and even shoot each other in order to compete for boats or rafts.Those who couldn't get a boat would cross the Yangtze River with a door panel or a log;

Many soldiers, including those poor wounded soldiers, were abandoned like the ordinary people who remained in Nanjing, and they would be slaughtered by the Japanese army.In China's 5000-year history, there are countless such examples. The people at the grassroots level are always pushed to the forefront of the flames of war consciously or unconsciously, but in the end, the first to be abandoned and sacrificed is often the They, this cannot but be said to be the ugly dark side of a nation.

Wang Yaowu on the bank of the river was in a hurry, and a liaison adjutant of the military department brought him life-saving information.

It turned out that when Yu Jishi had a premonition that the war would be unfavorable, he prepared a small steamer for the troops through the relationship between his clan uncle and transportation minister Yu Pengfei.This Noah's Ark-style small steamer can carry more than 300 people each time, and Yu Jishi and others have already crossed the river on the small steamer.

Wang Yaowu hurriedly transported the troops with a small steamer.It was rushed overnight, and until the early morning of December 12, the Japanese army blocked the Yangtze River. The Japanese ships rampaged on the river in Baguazhou, Xiaguan. It is no longer possible to cross the river to pick up people.

Nanjing fell, and what followed was a brutal massacre.This is an organized massacre, and it has a very deep psychological foundation among Japanese soldiers.Takashi Tanaka, a staff officer of the Kwantung Army before the war and later became the director of military affairs of the Ministry of Army, said unabashedly to others: "You regard Chinese people as human beings, but I regard Chinese people as pigs, no matter how you deal with them !"

It is precisely because the commander-in-chief has the idea that "Chinese are pigs", so since they landed in Shanghai, they have ordered: "Women and children, all Chinese will be killed, and all houses will be burned." , Also developed the Japanese pirate style of "rape, plunder, and misbehave".

The Nanjing massacre was just a concentrated outbreak of this abnormal psychology.Their vengeance was further fueled by the staunch resistance of the Chinese, who were regarded as "pigs."An army reporter who recorded the "Nanjing Hundred People Killing Contest" admitted during the Tokyo trial that his nerves were in a state of numbness at the time, "Whenever I saw a large number of Japanese soldiers who fell in front of me, I would have a kind of wholehearted thought about what to do. If there is no desire for revenge from the enemy, a sadistic mentality will emerge.”

Even journalists are like this, and ordinary Japanese soldiers even take the massacre as a matter of course.The Japanese soldiers stationed in Xiaguan used barbed wire to tie the prisoners of war into bundles of ten, and then pushed them into a well and poured oil on them to burn them to death.The wild beasts called this method of killing "le Caobao", and believed that "killing has a feeling like killing a pig".

The conscientious and the timid are terrified and disturbed.Some people will suffer from insomnia that night after experiencing the brutal beheading scene, and as soon as they close their eyes, they can see the head leaving the body flying into the air, spinning around.Three or four days later, the same nightmare still persisted.

(End of this chapter)