Chapter 15 2. Tang Shengzhi escaped from danger in Nanjing

After seeing the generals leaving one after another, Tang Shengzhi immediately ordered the radio operator to send a telegram to the chairman, reporting that the garrison was scheduled to break out of the encirclement and evacuate Nanjing tonight, and ordered the staff of the headquarters to pack up their things as soon as possible and take away the things that could not be taken away. All documents were burned.Immediately, he rushed back to the Baiziting mansion, ate something hastily, took out 500 yuan and a few bottles of gasoline, handed them to the squad leader of the guards and said: "After I leave, you lead the guards to burn all the houses in the mansion! Then rush to the riverside Come meet!" After speaking, Tang Shengzhi took his adjutant and personal guards with him, glanced at the mansion with nostalgia, hurriedly boarded the car, and drove towards Coal Harbour.

At this time, gunshots continued around Nanjing City, several places in the city were already on fire, and the streets were in chaos.The evacuated troops and fleeing refugees flocked to the riverside. The road was blocked and difficult to navigate. It took an hour or two for cars to arrive at the Coal Harbor Navy Pier and board a small steamer at the Garrison Headquarters. It turned out that when the Nanjing Defense War began, Tang Shengzhi, in order to express his determination to defend Nanjing to the death, ordered all ships to be guarded by the 36th Division. No unit could keep a single ship, and the headquarters was no exception. On December 7, a small steamer from the Jiangyin Jiangfang Command headed to Wulong Mountain outside the Jiangning Fortress and stayed outside the blockade. Chief of Staff Zhou Lan heard the news and insisted that the ship be taken in case of emergency. One, he reported the matter to Tang Shengzhi.

Tang Shengzhi pondered for a while and said: "I have ordered any unit not to keep ships privately. How could the headquarters disobey my order?" Zhou Lan said: "The war situation is changing rapidly, maybe the headquarters will need ships at that time!" Tang Shengzhi said: "I have made up my mind to live and die with the city of Nanjing, why do I need to keep the ships?" Zhou Lan said: "What if the chairman changes the combat policy and orders the commander to lead the Nanjing defenders to retreat?" This question made Tang Shengzhi dumb, and he had nothing to say, so he had to acquiesce in the matter.

Zhou Lan immediately sent Tan Daoping, the chief of the first section, to contact Shao Baichang, the commander of the Jiangning Fortress, to guide the ship into Coal Harbor and send troops to guard it so that it can be called in case of emergency.This time, the personnel of the Nanjing Garrison Chief's Department were able to escape safely, all thanks to this accidental opportunity.It was about eight o'clock when Tang Shengzhi boarded the small steamer, and there were already three or four hundred people crowded on board, and everyone clamored to set off immediately.As soon as Tang Shengzhi asked, he knew that neither Luo Zhuoying nor Liu Xing had come, so he ordered the little steamer to continue waiting.At about nine o'clock, the two arrived in a hurry, so they weighed anchor and set sail.

At ten o'clock in the evening, the small steamer arrived at Pukou, but saw that the reeds on the shore were dry, the trees were withered, and it was a desolate scene.After boarding the north bank of the Yangtze River, Tang Shengzhi couldn't help turning around and looking south.I saw several big fires burning in Nanjing City, the faint sound of guns and guns was heard endlessly, the moonlight shone dimly, and the river was full of boats, small rafts, wooden rafts and countless floating objects trying to cross.From time to time, the rustling cold wind brought a burst of miserable crying, and I felt infinite sadness in my heart.He turned around silently and walked towards the north without saying a word. After a long while, he asked with a heavy heart, "Have all the officers and staff crossed the river? Are Chief of Staff She and Director Liao here?"

A group of people walked quietly under the moonlight. After a few miles, Tang Shengzhi was pale and sweaty on his forehead, and he had to sit down to rest from time to time.The adjutant had no choice but to take the guards to look for vehicles. After a long time, only one cart was found.Tang Shengzhi looked at the cart. Not only was it old, but there was cow dung on it, so he shook his head and said, "How can I sit in this cart?" So he managed to drive for a mile or two with the support of the guards.Tang Shengzhi couldn't move anymore, so the guards had to clean the cart and spread some clean straw, asking the commander to make do with it.Tang Shengzhi hesitated for a moment, finally got on the cart, and couldn't help sighing to the sky: "I have led troops for 20 years, and have fought more than a hundred battles, and I have never been in such a mess like today!"

The situation of life is unpredictable.Who would have thought that General Tang, who led the army in the Northern Expedition and the Eastern Expedition, would be in such a mess today?