Chapter 16 The embarrassment of Shanhaiguan

After the Japanese army occupied Northeast China, they focused their aggression on North China. On March 12, 1932, the Japanese cabinet meeting decided to make northeast China and Inner Mongolia the first line of national defense against China and the Soviet Union, declaring that "Manchukuo" should include not only the three northeastern provinces, but also Rehe province. The Japanese army plans to completely drive the Northeast Army into the pass, and the primary goal is Shanhaiguan.Shanhaiguan is the eastern starting point of the Great Wall. Known as the first pass in the world, it is the main throat from the northeast to North China.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Wu Sangui, the general guarding the Shanhaiguan Pass, defected to the Manchus, and the regent Dorgon led the Eight Banners to enter the pass and established the country of the Qing Dynasty.Shanhaiguan and its surrounding areas were guarded by the Ninth Brigade of the Northeast Army, headed by He Zhuguo.

Next to He Zhuguo's troops was the Shanhaiguan Japanese Army Garrison established by Japan using the "Xin Chou Treaty".They communicated with the Kwantung Army and had a very clear understanding of the situation of the Northeast Army retreating from outside the pass to inside the pass.He Zhuguo had nothing to do with the sad situation left over from the late Qing Dynasty. When he talked about the difficulties of the Chinese soldiers, he said: "With the Xin Chou Treaty, they have the right to garrison troops in the customs unless war is declared. They can exercise in our territory when they like, The exercise can be true or false, and our defense is more troublesome than the actual battle. It is clearly the enemy but we cannot take hostile actions. There is no such example in ancient and modern history, and China is full of wonders." The Japanese garrison captain Ochiai Jinkuro always wanted to seize It has the first power to occupy Shanhaiguan.He persuaded He Zhuguo many times to surrender, expressing that Japan was willing to provide weapons and equipment to help him acquire Rehe, implement "independence and self-government" in Rehe and Luandong areas, and even supported him to enter Pingjin to replace Zhang Xueliang. Brigadier He Zhuguo flatly refused.Seeing that the persuasion to surrender failed, the Japanese army continued to create troubles.

On January 1, 1933, the Japanese military police garrison in Shanhaiguan fired shots and threw grenades outside the south entrance, attacking the neighboring Chinese army outposts, claiming that China was the first to cause trouble.In the early morning of the next day, the Japanese army detained the chief of the Chinese police station, confiscated the guns of the Chinese police, and bombarded Linyu County. The Japanese army used wooden ladders to climb the city wall. Japanese invaders. On the 3rd, more than 3,000 people from the Japanese Army, Navy, and Air Force launched a joint general offensive to attack the interior of Shanhaiguan. Brigadier He Zhuguo directed the battle on the city wall. The soldiers held their positions and responded calmly despite the threat of Japanese artillery fire.Under the fierce artillery fire of the Japanese army, all the officers and soldiers of An Dexin's 1st Battalion guarding Shanhaiguan died heroically, and Shanhaiguan fell.An Dexin is a member of the Hui nationality. To commemorate this brave officer and his comrades in arms, the Hui people in Shanghai decided to donate the An Dexin aircraft to express their condolences.