Chapter 19 1. The Fall of Zhonghuamen

People living in contemporary China ride their bicycles to work happily after breakfast every day. In the evening, the whole family gathers together to have a lively and delicious dinner, and take their children to visit parks and supermarkets on holidays. This is very common. But things.However, more than half a century ago, for our ancestors and compatriots, all this became a luxury for them.When the iron hooves of the Japanese invaders set foot on the territory of China, wars and disasters spread across the motherland like a plague, and the Nanjing Massacre was the most painful wound left by the invaders on the body of our motherland.

In the early morning of December 12, 1937, the fighting outside the Zhonghua Gate continued fiercely. Gu Hisao ordered the troops to be divided into two groups. The 36th Brigade, under the command of brigade commander Nakatakami, cooperated with Matsushigeji's troops at the end of the 114th Division to attack and encircle the Chinese defenders on Yuhuatai; the other 11th Brigade, Commanded by Trigger Taro, he violently attacked the Zhonghua Gate.Gu Hisao violently ordered the attacking troops on the phone to occupy the Zhonghua Gate as soon as possible, enter Nanjing City, serve His Majesty the Emperor, and avenge the more than 1,000 Japanese soldiers who were killed or killed in front of Yuhuatai!He said meaningfully on the phone: "The troops who invaded Nanjing will all be rewarded and have a three-day holiday!" Afterwards, he led the staff of the headquarters and left Yixing City to personally supervise the battle at the front.

On this day, the Japanese planes flew over the Zhonghua Gate early and bombed the city gate indiscriminately. The nearby houses that were bombed and collapsed ignited raging fires one after another. Lie on the ground near the city gate.The eyes that refused to rest in peace still showed the gnashing of hatred for the invaders!After the plane left, the enemy's heavy artillery concentrated their fire on the Zhonghua Gate. Under the cover of artillery fire and machine guns, the Japanese soldiers charged towards the Zhonghua Gate one after another. Outside the Zhonghua Gate, the temporary headquarters of the Sixth Division of the Japanese Army.

The short and sturdy division commander Gu Hisao, like a ferocious short-legged tiger, walked back and forth restlessly in the headquarters, picked up the microphone for a while and asked loudly about the battle situation ahead, and walked out of the headquarters for a while, using binoculars to look at Yuhuatai and Zhonghua. Observe the direction of the door.With the rumble of gunfire and the permeating gunpowder smoke, Tani Hisao saw that the bodies of the dead Japanese soldiers and the stretchers of the wounded were transported back from the front continuously.Gu Hisao was furious, and when he returned to the headquarters, he picked up the microphone and yelled at the commander in front of the brigade, Trigger Taro: "You should know that you are attacking a very important city in China, and winning this city is equivalent to winning the battle." The whole of China! Nanjing is the seat of the Chinese government, which is a vulnerable government. And you, you can’t take down a Zhonghuamen in 3 days, and your 'Kyushu Tiger' has not shown all its prestige!"

Putting down the phone, Trigger Taro immediately picked up the phone to Mitsuomi Baitu, commander of the siege force, and vented all of Tani Hisao's fury on Mitsuomi Baitu, the commander of the regiment. Therefore, under the strict order and supervision of the superior commander, the siege Japanese army braved the hail of bullets, and one echelon after another swarmed up.The 88th Division of the Chinese Defenders and the 2nd Gendarmerie Regiment, which suffered heavy casualties, were finally unable to withstand the successive attacks of the enemy. At 12:30, Noda Naoki's Squadron, a first brigade of the Japanese Hakuto Mitsukomi Regiment, first rushed in from the city wall that had been blown down by artillery fire, and the two sides launched a fierce hand-to-hand battle at the city gate.

The squadron leader Noda Naoki, who boarded the gate tower of Zhonghuamen, chanted the slogan "Long Live His Majesty the Emperor", and quickly dipped his right index finger in the blood of Chinese soldiers, and wrote bloody words on the ancient pillars of the gate tower: " On December 12, the Noda Squadron took over." Then he ordered the soldiers to go straight to Qiaolou with the blood-red sun flag, and insert it in the lattice of the crimson window on the east side of the tower. The sun flag fluttered crazily in the bitter cold wind, against the thick gunpowder smoke and the blood-red sunset, it looked extraordinarily terrifying and ferocious.

On the afternoon of December 12, the Nanjing Garrison Headquarters. General Tang Shengzhi, who hadn't slept all night, looked even paler on his thin face, and was making urgent arrangements for the retreat.The phone rang suddenly and quickly, and Deputy Commander Luo Zhuoying, who was supervising the battle near the Zhonghua Gate, reported that the Zhonghua Gate had been broken through by the enemy in the afternoon, and the situation was extremely critical.Tang Shengzhi was very nervous, and immediately dialed Deng Longguang's phone number of the 83rd Army, and urgently ordered on the phone: "The Zhonghua Gate has been invaded by a small number of Japanese troops, and the situation is extremely critical. The garrison headquarters ordered Wu Jianxiong's 154th Division to immediately Hurry up to help the Zhonghua Gate, there must be no mistakes!"

Then he strictly ordered the 88th Division of the Zhonghua Gate Guards to hold their positions and cooperate with the reinforcements to drive the enemy out of the breakthrough!Putting down the phone, Tang Shengzhi took the hot towel handed over by the orderly and wiped off his sweat indiscriminately, drank a few sips of Longjing tea, and then calmed down a little.I thought: As long as we persist until the evening, when the order to retreat is issued, the troops can break out of the encirclement.However, this afternoon was so long and cold for Tang Shengzhi.He sometimes looked at his watch, sometimes picked up the microphone, and sometimes walked to the window and looked out.The chaotic scene on the street and the occasional bad news on the phone made him feel extremely worried and heavy!

At the same time, the temporary headquarters of the Japanese Sixth Division. Gu Hisao was very excited when he received the report of the Japanese army's intrusion into the Zhonghua Gate. Sitting at the desk of the headquarters, he couldn't help but think of the call from Commander Matsui yesterday.It was midnight last night. Commander Matsui Iwane suddenly called from Suzhou to ask about the situation of the Sixth Division's attack on Zhonghuamen.Commander Matsui first repeated his previous lectures on the phone: "Nanjing is the capital of China, and the occupation of Nanjing is an international event, so careful research must be done in order to promote Japan's national prestige and make China fearful!"

Gu Hisao immediately replied on the phone: "Don't worry, Commander, the Sixth Division will definitely carry forward the might of the imperial army and teach those stupid Chinese people a lesson!" Afterwards, Matsui Iwane said in a very cordial tone: "Commander Tani Hisao, you are the main general who attacked Nanjing City. I hope you can command your troops to break through Nanjing City within 24 hours. The Japanese Empire will always remember this. Your feat!" Hisao Tani was very excited, and immediately replied in an affirmative tone: "Your Excellency, Commander, I promise to attack Nanjing City within 24 hours!"

Now, halfway through the time guaranteed by the "Military Order", the troops have already broken into the Zhonghua Gate. How can he not be excited and excited? ! Therefore, Gu Hisao picked up the microphone again and ordered the follow-up troops to enter the Zhonghua Gate quickly in order to expand the results of the battle and consolidate the position. The fierce fighting continued until the evening, when the Nanjing Garrison Command issued an order to retreat, and the Japanese occupied the entire Zhonghua Gate.The excited Tani Hisao immediately reported the extremely exciting news to Matsui Iwane. He said on the phone: "Your Excellency, the defenders of Nanjing Zhonghuamen have been completely defeated by our army. Tomorrow, my large troops can enter The city of Nanjing is over. I hope that the commander can give me some power to lead the troops to completely wipe out the remnants of the enemy in Nanjing after the capture of Nanjing, so as to welcome Your Excellency the Commander into the city!" Matsui Iwane repeatedly agreed: "Okay, this is what it should be! After the imperial army entered Nanjing, follow the steps listed in the "Outline for the Capture of Nanjing City" to carry out the division and sweep. For the sake of His Majesty the Emperor and the holy war in East Asia, we must fight bravely!" Hisao Tani put down the microphone, and immediately conveyed to the troops Commander Matsui's instructions on dividing up troops and raiding after entering Nanjing, and making some specific arrangements for tomorrow's sweeping work, and then returned to the room.Lying on the bed, Tani Hisao couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He thought that tomorrow he would ride a tall horse and gallop through the streets of Nanjing, and thousands of Chinese soldiers and people would prostrate under his saber and iron hooves.He will be recorded in the annals of the Imperial Army as the first Japanese general who led his troops into Nanjing, what an honor and glory!After a long time, he gradually entered the dreamland. He dreamed that his saber was shining with cold light and dripping with blood...