Chapter 6 6. Pre-departure instruction

On December 4, 1937, the Nanjing Garrison Headquarters. This former office building of the Ministry of Railways has lost its usual peace and tranquility. There are heavily guarded soldiers standing on both sides of the gate, and there are camouflaged anti-aircraft machine guns everywhere in the compound and on the roof. The black muzzles of the guns are straight. pointing to the gloomy sky.From time to time, well-dressed officers hurried in and out, and the whole building was filled with a tense and busy atmosphere of war. At eight o'clock in the evening, following the guard's command of "Stand at attention!" and "Salute!", a motorcade filed into the compound, and Chiang Kai-shek got out of the car.Tang Shengzhi, the commander of the Nanjing Garrison standing in front of the door, rushed to greet him.Chiang Kai-shek showed great concern, held Tang Shengzhi's hand tightly, and asked in a low voice, "Have all the officers arrived?"

Tang Shengzhi replied: "They are all in the conference room, waiting for the chairman's instruction." In the conference room, heavy curtains were closed all around, and the rectangular conference table was full of senior generals above the division commander of the Nanjing Garrison, waiting for the arrival of Generalissimo Jiang in a solemn and tense atmosphere. When Chiang Kai-shek stepped into the conference room with solemn steps.The officers all stood up and saluted.Chiang Kai-shek came to the conference table, waved lightly, and said kindly: "Sit down, sit down, everyone sit down."

Tonight, Chiang Kai-shek came to give a farewell speech to the senior generals of the Nanjing Guard Force.Since the "Battle of Songhu", the Japanese army took advantage of the victory to attack and advance towards Nanjing in three ways. On December 1, the Japanese base camp even issued an order to the Central China Front Army to capture Nanjing.Facing the grim situation, the Chinese side convened the Supreme National Defense Conference and decided to move the Nationalist Government to Chongqing and the Military Commission to Wuhan.Government officials and institutions have moved westward one after another, but Chiang Kai-shek has been stranded in Nanjing because he negotiated with the Japanese through the German ambassador Tautman.Now that the negotiations had broken down, he had to leave Nanjing. Before leaving, he had to give his subordinates some instructions.

Chiang Kai-shek habitually looked around at the generals present, and familiar faces came into view: Luo Zhuoying, Liu Xing, Gui Yongqing, Song Xilian, Wang Jingjiu, Sun Yuanliang, Yu Jishi, Ye Zhao, Deng Longguang, Xu Yuanquan...these big Most of them are veteran generals who have followed him for many years, and many of them are students of the Whampoa Military Academy of his direct line. He said with a heavy heart and a serious expression: "In the past five months of the War of Resistance, although the military suffered a temporary defeat and lost many places, it also dealt a considerable blow to the Japanese army and prevented the Japanese army from achieving a quick victory. Purpose. It is precisely because all my soldiers have fought bravely in the war that they have won the sympathy and support of more and more countries in the world, and our international status has been greatly improved!"

Speaking of this, he intentionally stopped, looked at the reactions of the generals, then adjusted his emotions, raised his voice and said: "Next, let's talk about the defense of Nanjing. Defending Nanjing is a great and glorious task. Why should we do it?" What about defending Nanjing? Because Nanjing is the capital of our country and the place where Premier Sun’s mausoleum is located, it is watched by international people, so we must stick to it and never give up easily!” Seeing that the generals' emotions were gradually mobilized, he said in a passionate and impassioned tone: "Today, the capital is already a besieged city. I am willing to stay and share the responsibility of defending the land with everyone. However, the current war situation in all aspects is very serious. As I continue to develop, I can't be partial to one corner. Therefore, responsibility forces me to leave. Today, I hand over the responsibility of defending the capital to General Tang Shengzhi. General Tang is a general who has experienced many battles and is both wise and brave. Willing to take responsibility."

After a pause, he urged again in an admonishing tone: "Everyone must follow the example of Commander Tang's determination and spirit, obey Commander Tang's command, be of one heart and one mind, with the determination to be benevolent if you don't succeed, and do your best to guard the soil. The sacred duty of the country, and work hard to complete the task! In case of any misfortune, it will become a national hero who defends the country! Who is immortal? We must look at the value and significance of death. In this great era, we can do this What an honor to do such an extraordinary job!..."

Chiang Kai-shek gave a lecture for more than an hour, and seeing that the generals were greatly affected, he felt a sense of relief and comfort in his heart.Finally, he told everyone that there are now three divisions of the Yunnan Army, which are fully equipped, sufficient in strength, and have combat experience. They will soon arrive in Wuhan. After Chiang Kai-shek's lecture, Commander Tang continued to speak.Tang Shengzhi's voice was not loud, but tragic and passionate. He once again expressed his determination to defend Nanjing to the generals: "I was ordered by the chairman to defend Nanjing. There are at least two things I can do with confidence: first, I and my troops vow to live and die with Nanjing. We must be determined and sacrifice ourselves in the defense of Nanjing; second. , Our sacrifice will definitely make the enemy pay a great price!"

Passionate, generous, and tragic emotions permeated the entire venue. Chiang Kai-shek nodded in satisfaction, and then said goodbye to everyone, driving to the temporary official residence near the Zhongshan Mausoleum. When parting, Chiang Kai-shek said to Tang Shengzhi: "Meng Xiao, you accompany me to the Zhongshan Cemetery to bid farewell to the Prime Minister's tomb." In the early morning of December 6, Chiang Kai-shek led Tang Shengzhi, Luo Zhuoying, Gui Yongqing, Qian Dajun and other generals, as well as some personnel in the attendant room, and set off from the official residence on Huangpu Road in dozens of cars.There were no pedestrians along the way, only armed men with live ammunition stood guard on both sides of the road.

It was the beginning of winter at this time, with gusts of cold wind blowing through the car windows, and the fallen leaves of sycamore trees all over the street rustled in the cold wind.The convoy drove out of Zhongshan Gate, passed Lingyuan New Village and Linggu Temple, and drove slowly on the mountain road outside Zhongshan Gate.Dozens of suburban villas of senior Kuomintang military and political officials on the hillside are empty at this time, looking extraordinarily lonely, and the "Meiling Palace" hidden in the cold mountain is even more desolate.Chiang Kai-shek fell in love with the scene, silently, staring out the window for a long time, his eyes full of infinite depression and melancholy.

A convoy stopped in front of the stone steps of the cemetery. Chiang Kai-shek got out of the car with a solemn face and walked up the steps with heavy steps, followed by a large number of generals and entourages.After coming to the tomb of the Prime Minister, bowing farewell three times to the tomb of the Prime Minister, he walked around the tomb for a week, and then stood at the foot of Zijin Mountain, looking towards Nanjing.The sound of artillery was rumbling in the distance, and refugees flooded the fields. Chiang Kai-shek said sadly, "Meng Xiao, I can't think of it, I can't think of it..."

Tang Shengzhi persuaded: "Chairman, the matter has come to this point, it is useless to be sad, please leave this place as soon as possible. Meng Xiao is here, and he will lead his troops to kill the enemy!" Chiang Kai-shek sighed: "The capital Jindai Jiangshan can be said to be a natural fortress. If the guards are strong, it will definitely last for a month or two!" Tang Shengzhi resolutely said: "Please rest assured, Meng Xiao will never let down the great trust of the chairman!" Chiang Kai-shek said with great concern: "Yes, everything in Nanjing is up to you. Once I arrive in Hankou, I must do a good job of uniting and resisting insults. Please rest assured." Later, Chiang Kai-shek told the generals: "Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the country! Besides, I am the head of the Military Commission! Don't listen to the rumors that China and Japan will negotiate a ceasefire. I must fight this battle. Men, women, old and young, regardless of land, east, west, north, south, mobilize the whole people, rise up to fight! The Japanese army must be expelled from the country! So I ordered Commander-in-Chief Tang to be responsible for the defense of Nanjing, and put more than 100,000 troops under his command. Obey as soldiers My bounden duty, I hope you will share the same hatred with the enemy, unite as one, and work hard to kill the enemy!" Chiang Kai-shek led a group of generals, walked and talked, and gradually walked down the stone steps, then glanced back at the Prime Minister's mausoleum, slowly boarded the car, and drove to the temporary official residence. On the morning of December 6, Chiang Kai-shek attended a foreign press conference.He introduced the battle situation in Nanjing to reporters: "Now, the situation in Nanjing is very urgent. Since the Danyang position was breached by the enemy on December 3, our army has retreated to Zhenjiang, and the outer perimeter of Nanjing has lost all barriers. Now the enemy has captured Jurong. Jurong is only 30 kilometers away from Nanjing, and the Japanese army is currently attacking here in three ways." A foreign reporter asked a little nervously, "Which Sanlu is the Chairman?" Chiang Kai-shek grabbed a whip, pointed on the map and said: "This road starts from the north of Jurong, goes around to the back of Jiuhua Mountain in Yangshan Town, and attacks our Qilin Gate along the path; this road starts 20 kilometers from the front of Jurong. Tianwang Temple, along the Shizi Road, directly attacked Chunhua Town, 12 miles southeast of Guanghuamen. On this road, Lishui invaded Moling Pass. In addition, the Japanese Navy had also broken through the Jiangyin blockade and approached Zhenjiang. The Japanese army's attempt was to Cross Zhenjiang, leave Longtan, and attack Qixia Mountain in the suburbs of Nanjing." After a pause, Chiang Kai-shek went on to say: "So the situation in Nanjing is now very critical, and our war deployment to defend Nanjing has been completed." He put down his whip, clenched his fists and waved his arms, and shouted sternly: "I am fortunate to have a loyal general Tang Shengzhi who volunteered to defend Nanjing. General Tang will fight to the death with the Japanese army who invaded Nanjing!"