Chapter 2 Chapter 1 Last minute

The Chinese soldiers and the Japanese soldiers kept looking at each other, but neither could see each other's faces clearly because it was raining and the sky was foggy. Wanping County, thirty miles away from Beiping, is a lonely small town hidden in a dense crop field.The road outside the city gate was muddy and slippery, and muddy rainwater dripped from the deep ruts.Machine guns were erected on the city walls, and Chinese soldiers were holding guns and ammunition at the gate of the city.Not far from the city gate, a group of Japanese soldiers also stood in the mud of the heavy rain. Japanese soldiers wanted to pass through the city gate, but Chinese soldiers were not allowed to pass through.

Since the early morning, the two sides have been looking at each other for more than ten hours. Since the beginning of summer, northern China has been raining continuously.The heat and water vapor are entangled and transpired, and the surrounding fields are filled with the green atmosphere of green grass, trees and crops.The drenched city walls and villages lay weary in the mud, and large rain clouds floated in the leaden sky. In this season when even people's hearts are softened by the rain, not many people will notice what happened at the gate of a small city in this huge land of China.There were no special sounds here except the sound of rain, nothing happened but this staring—an ordinary day with nothing to go down in history.

July 6, 1937. At this moment, the governing model of China's Pingjin area has been fragmented. Since the Nationalist Government signed the "Hemei Agreement" under the coercion of the Japanese, the jurisdiction of the Beiping Army Branch of the Nationalist Government, the Central Army, the Hebei Provincial Party Headquarters of the Kuomintang, and the Kuomintang Party Headquarters in Peiping and Tianjin in the Pingjin area was in jeopardy.At least three forces existed in this area at the same time: The 29th Army of the Chinese Army belonging to the Northwest Army entered the Pingjin area and established the Hebei-Chahar Government, with its headquarters in Beiping City. The army commander was General Song Zheyuan of the Northwest Army.The Northwest Army is an army that has never occupied an important place in China. Song Zheyuan paid special attention to the stationing in Beiping. It is necessary to prevent the Japanese from turning their backs on customers in the Pingjin area.Song Zheyuan's life can be described as exhausting.Therefore, when the Japanese forced Song Zheyuan to sign an agreement allowing Japan to build a railway in North China, but the central government in Nanjing refused to do so, the Song Army Commander, who could not be offended by anyone, ran back to his hometown in Leling, Shandong and hid.To the east of Beiping, there is another "government", namely the "Eastern Hebei Anti-Communist Autonomous Government" headed by Yin Rugeng, located in Tong County.This is an undisputed puppet regime. Several "government officials" have nothing to do except sing praises for the Japanese and organize security teams to maintain law and order for the Japanese.Therefore, this traitor organization cannot be called a "regime", not to mention that Yin Rugeng had to hide at this time, because the anti-Japanese clerics were inquiring about his whereabouts and preparing to ask for his head.After several years of hard work, the penetration of the Japanese army in North China has achieved results.The garrison army headquartered in Tianjin, in addition to deliberate military planning on how to expand the scope of occupation, also involved all the functions that a government should undertake, such as economy, trade, politics, diplomacy, finance, etc., just like a North China region. The gesture of a true ruler.However, in the summer of 1937, the Japanese garrison was in a leaderless state: Lieutenant General Tashiro Wanichiro, the commander, was in the hospital for rescue due to a heart attack.

However, from the eyes of Chinese soldiers and Japanese soldiers looking at each other in the heavy rain, it can be seen that this will be an area that hides unprecedented great dangers in Chinese history. The Japanese army had already occupied the three eastern provinces, Rehe and the eastern part of Chahar. The Kwantung Army pushed the vanguard of the troops to both sides of the Shanhai Pass, Xifengkou, Gubeikou and Dushikou along the Great Wall.The eight divisions of the Puppet Mongolian Army controlled by the Kwantung Army, with about 40,000 people, were stationed in Zhangbei, Shangyi, Baochang and other places in the northwest of Beiping. For the Pingjin area in North China, the Japanese army had actually approached the city.

At that time, Japan's military power in North China existed in the name of "Chinese Garrison".The reason for this name is based on the "Xin Chou Treaty" signed by the Qing Dynasty and various powers in 1911. The treaty stipulates the terms that various powers can station troops in China.In addition to the Japanese army, countries such as Britain, the United States, France, and Italy stationed troops in North China.Among them, there are 722 British troops stationed in Tianjin and 236 in Peiping, which are under the jurisdiction of the British commander stationed in Hong Kong; Eight people were under the command of the commander of the U.S. Army stationed in the Philippines; the French garrison in Tianjin had 1,375 people, and Peiping had 229 people under the jurisdiction of the commander of the French army stationed in Tianjin; the Italian garrison in Tianjin There are two hundred and twenty-nine people, and there are ninety-nine people in Peiping. They are under the command of the commander of the Italian Far East Fleet stationed in Shanghai. ——China, whose national strength is in decline, is riddled with holes.Among the armies of the great powers stationed in the Pingjin area of ​​China, the Japanese army has the largest number, reaching more than 5,600.

In July 1937, the military situation of the confrontation between the Chinese and Japanese armies in the Pingjin area was as follows: In Tongxian, Huairou and Shunyi areas between Tianjin and Beiping, there are five pseudo-security brigades under the jurisdiction of the "Eastern Hebei Anti-Communist Autonomous Government", with more than 15,000 people.In addition, the Japanese garrison troops in China consisted of an infantry brigade, an artillery regiment, and directly subordinate units. They were mainly deployed along the railway from Shanhaiguan to Fengtai in Beiping. The second brigade of the first regiment and the directly subordinate detachments are stationed in Tianjin and nearby areas; the third brigade of the second regiment is distributed in Tangshan, Lixian and Shanhaiguan areas; the infantry brigade headquarters and the first regiment ( Owing to the second brigade), the third brigade of the first wing was stationed in Fengtai.

The 29th Army of the Chinese Army stationed in the Pingjin area, commander Song Zheyuan, deputy commanders Qin Dechun and Tong Linge, have jurisdiction over four infantry divisions (each division has four brigades), a cavalry division, a cavalry brigade, a secret service brigade and a The security team has a total strength of 100,000 troops.Its military deployment is as follows: in the north, Liu Ruming of the 143rd Division governs the 1st and 2nd Security Brigades, the 29th and 40th Independent Brigades, and the 13th Cavalry Brigade, stationed in Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua; The 112th, 113th, 114th and 114th brigades of the 38th Division Zhang Zizhong and the independent 26th brigade are stationed in Tianjin and along the Beining Road and Pingjin; in the south, Zhao Dengyu of the 132nd Division is under the jurisdiction The first and second brigades and the independent seventeenth and twenty-eighth brigades were stationed in Renqiu and Hejian in Hebei.Stationed in Beiping were the Feng Zhian Division of the 37th Division and the Zheng Dazhang Division of the Ninth Cavalry Division.Among them, the 109th, 110th, 1st Brigade and the Independent 25th Brigade under the jurisdiction of the 37th Division are stationed in the Xiyuan area of ​​Beiping; The Brigade and the Northern Hebei Security Team were stationed in Nanyuan, Beiyuan and Huangsi respectively in Beiping.

The 29th Army of the Chinese Army was formed from the remnants of Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army that Zhang Xueliang incorporated after the Central Plains War.The Northwest Army is known for its bravery and skill in combat. During the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War, the Northwest Army troops fought bitterly with the Japanese army for more than a month. A solid one. Most of the young officers and soldiers who newly joined the 29th Army were optimistic about quick victory. They believed that China was too large, and the Japanese army only had hundreds of thousands of people. They wanted to occupy all of China, and even a county could not send a few soldiers. , and the Chinese army has more than two million people, and it is fighting on its own territory, taking advantage of the timing, location, and harmony of people.At the same time, most of the officers and soldiers of the 29th Army are those who argue that war must be fought. They believe that the war between China and Japan is not a question of whether to fight or not, but a fight sooner or later, and it is better to fight sooner than later.I don't know if it was Song Zheyuan's intentional arrangement that the 37th Division was stationed in Beiping, which made the Japanese feel faintly uneasy.In the eyes of the Japanese, the 37th Division, from the division commander Feng Zhian to every officer and soldier, is a diehard anti-Japanese.During the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War, officers and soldiers of this unit entered the Japanese barracks with big knives in the middle of the night to chop off their heads, which is still a nightmare for Japanese soldiers.

After the 37th Division was garrisoned in Beiping, the closest places where the Chinese and Japanese armies were stationed and active areas were the Fengtai Station and Wanping City, which controlled the entry and exit of Beiping.In order to guard against Japanese provocations, Song Zheyuan dispatched his most effective troops to these two sensitive areas: the 220th Regiment of the 110th Brigade commanded by brigade commander He Jifeng.The head of the regiment, Dai Shouyi, deployed Commander Zhang Huating's second battalion to garrison Fengtai Station. Commander Zhang immediately ordered the station to be the center of the construction of fortifications, which were only 400 meters away from the Japanese barracks to the east.At the same time, the 219th Regiment of the 110th Brigade was stationed in the Wanping and Changxindian areas. The head of the regiment, Ji Xingwen, ordered the first battalion, the second battalion and the regiment headquarters to gather in Changxindian. They were sent to the most sensitive areas of Wanping City and Marco Polo Bridge.The third battalion is a veritable reinforced battalion commanded by battalion commander Jin Zhenzhong. It has four infantry companies, one company for light and heavy mortars and one company for heavy machine guns. The whole battalion has 1,400 people.Battalion Commander Jin deployed the 11th company with the strongest combat effectiveness on the east side of the railway bridge, the 12th company in the southwest corner of Wanping City, the 9th company stationed in Wanping City, and the 10th company as a battalion reserve.

The two armies are close at hand, and they often look at each other. The Chinese officers and soldiers show nothing but vigilance and hatred.The officers and soldiers of the Japanese army stationed in Fengtai often wore sharp knives and wandered around the station platform in groups of three and four, often scuffling with the guarded Chinese soldiers because they looked at each other too much.Battalion Commander Zhang Huating has repeatedly negotiated with the Japanese military commanders to stop their provocative behavior, but the Japanese army intensified and started exercises under the noses of the Chinese soldiers, making an exaggerated gesture of charging at the Chinese garrison, and even rushed to the Chinese soldiers' ground at one point. Inside the cordon, the result was another round of punching and kicking.One day in June 1936, the Japanese army claimed that one of their military horses ran into the Chinese army's cordon and demanded that it be sent back, or else it would be resolved by force.The Chinese officers and soldiers replied, if you want horses or not, you can fight if you want.As a result, the two armies really exchanged fire.With the support of artillery fire, the Japanese army launched an attack on the battalion defense area. The officers and soldiers of the third battalion stood firm, and the fighting intensified. It was not until Commander Feng Zhi'an ordered the two battalions of the 220th Regiment to go for reinforcements that the Japanese army retreated.

In order to ease the situation, Army Commander Song Zheyuan hosted a banquet at Huairen Hall in Zhongnanhai, Beiping, in honor of Masazo Kawabe, Commander of the Infantry Brigade of the Japanese Garrison, and all officers above the squadron.Officers from the Chinese and Japanese armies sat at ten tables crossing each other.However, before drinking two cups of wine, a Japanese officer jumped on the table and sang Japanese songs. He Jifeng, the brigade commander of the 110th Brigade, also jumped on the table and sang Chinese songs. Li Wentian, the deputy commander of the 38th Division, simply He jumped on the table and yelled out an angry Peking Opera blackhead.The Japanese officers began to dance again, and under the signal of Commander Feng Zhian, the two Chinese officers danced a murderous Chinese boxing technique.The Japanese want to write Chinese characters better than others. There are indeed some Japanese officers who can write Chinese characters wonderfully, but that day Song Zheyuan also invited Wu Peifu, an old warlord, to accompany him. Wu Peifu is famous for his calligraphy. "Dancing dragons and phoenixes, magnificent".The Japanese officers lifted Commander Song Zheyuan and Deputy Commander Qin Dechun up again, chanted and threw them up. The Chinese brigade commanders immediately lifted up the Commander of the Third Brigade of the Japanese Riverside Army and threw them up. get higher.In the end, the officers of the two armies drew their swords at each other. Li Zhiyuan, commander of the 26th Independent Brigade of the 38th Division, "couldn't hold back his anger," and called his orderlies to bring them "made of the best steel." "The Lancet Knife" and hacked with the "Guntang Dao" learned in his teens to overwhelm the opponent's arrogance. Since the beginning of 1937, in order to realize the attempt to capture North China, the Japanese army began intense military preparations in the Pingjin area: combat aircraft, tanks and artillery were deployed from the Japanese mainland and the Kwantung Army to enrich the strength of the Chinese garrison troops; Military dignitaries also frequently appeared in the Beiping area to inspect the military situation.At this moment, the Japanese army has basically controlled the external traffic of Beiping City. Only the area around Wanping City in the west is still under the control of the 29th Army of the Chinese Army. It cannot be said that these two Japanese troops had strangled Peiping's throat.Therefore, the Japanese army began to strengthen military preparations for Wanping City and Lugouqiao area. "Detailed Report on the Battle of the First Infantry Regiment of the Chinese Garrison Army": Usually, a battalion headquarters and a company are stationed in the city near Lugou Bridge, and a cavalry company is stationed in Changxindian.Between the middle and late May, there seemed to be no change in the strength of the troops in the city.About one infantry company was added outside Wanping County, and about two infantry companies were deployed on the islands in the river below the Lugou Bridge.In June, about two battalions of the 129th Infantry Regiment were added to Changxindian.On the highland north of Changxindian, there were originally two permanent machine gun positions on the side of the foundation, and a field artillery position on the high ground.Since June, new skirmishes have been constructed.Near the Marco Polo Bridge, on the embankment between the Dragon King Temple and the railway line and on the east highland, the inherent foxholes were modified and reinforced.Moreover, nighttime construction dug out the bunkers that had been covered up with sand and soil in the past (a dozen bridgeheads were originally built on the left bank of the Yongding River with the Lugou Bridge as the center, and were used to attack or retreat to Beiping along the lake). Faced with an increasingly dangerous situation, out of high vigilance, the Chinese army began to prohibit the Japanese troops stationed in Fengtai from going to Marco Polo Bridge through Wanping City to conduct military exercises. The area around the Marco Polo Bridge is the gravel area for excavating the Beining line.Only peanuts and other crops can be grown on this barren land.When crops such as sorghum are in full bloom in summer, the troops stationed in Fengtai use this as the only training ground.However, recently, when I practiced, the Chinese army accused me of intruding into the farmland, or required me to report in advance for night exercises, or protested my night live-fire exercises, etc., and repeatedly warned me.We can move freely by going past the embankment of Longwangmiao and the iron bridge area to the south of it.But lately, especially since late June, it's been banned... Although the Chinese army could not prevent the Japanese garrison from conducting exercises, it was possible to prevent them from passing through the Wanping City Gate.So once the Japanese army came, the Chinese army intercepted it once. If you are not allowed to pass, you can retreat or make a detour, but the Japanese will not leave. They stand outside the city gate for a whole day, retreat when it gets dark, and come back the next morning, still standing outside the city gate.This time and time again made the Chinese soldiers feel weird and weird.On July 6, 1937, after staring at Chinese soldiers all day in the heavy rain outside the gate of Wanping, the Japanese troops withdrew. The next day, the Japanese army came again. This day is July 7, 1927. What is different from the past is that the Japanese army only appeared in the afternoon. They bypassed the gate of Wanping City and headed directly to the north of Lugou Bridge.This Japanese army is the Eighth Squadron of the Third Battalion of the First Wing of the Infantry Brigade of the Chinese Garrison Army, and the squadron leader Shimizu Setsuro.The Japanese captain's diary later became an important historical file in the history of Sino-Japanese relations.The diary's account of July 7, 1937 is fragmented and contradictory: On the afternoon of July 7, Showa 12 (Showa 12, 1937), the No. 8 Squadron set off from Fengtai Barracks for a night exercise and headed towards Longwang Temple, about 1,000 meters northwest of Lugou Bridge.The title of the exercise that night was: Approaching the enemy's main positions at dusk and attacking at dawn.It is planned to conduct a drill from the Yongding River embankment near the Dragon King Temple to the Dawayao Kiln.At around 4:30 in the afternoon, I went to the exercise site to have a look.There are more than 200 Chinese soldiers on the embankment, wearing white shirts and constructing fortifications... The scheduled time to start the exercise has passed.At 6:00 p.m., their work did not seem to have stopped... This night, there was no wind at all, the sky was clear and there was no moon, and under the starry sky, only the wall of Lugou Bridge (that is, the wall of Wanping City) could be seen looming in the distance. And the posture of the soldiers moving next to it, it was a quiet night... Around 10:30 in the evening, the previous stage of training was completed.In order to rest until the dawn of the next day, I asked the messenger to convey the order to terminate the exercise and the assembly to the various team leaders and the commander of the imaginary enemy.As soon as the bugle is blown, they can quickly assemble, but for the sake of training, the squadron has become accustomed to not using the bugle as much as possible at night.I stood up and looked at the assembly situation, and suddenly the imaginary enemy's light machine guns started firing.I thought it was the troops over there who didn't know that the drill had ended and shot at the orderlies.At this time, several rifle bullets were suddenly fired from behind, and I knew by intuition that they were indeed live ammunition.However, our imaginary enemy didn't seem to notice this, and continued to fire with empty ammunition.So, I ordered the buglers beside me to blow the rallying horn quickly.At this time, more than a dozen bullets were fired from the direction of the river bank near the railway bridge from the rear right.Looking back before and after, I saw flashlight-like things on the walls of Lugou Bridge and on the embankment flickering on and off (as if they were signaling something).When the squadron leader was directing the assembled teams to prepare for the battle, when he heard a report that a soldier was missing, he immediately started searching, and at the same time reported the situation to the captain in Fengtai, waiting for instructions.The missing soldier was soon discovered.I ordered the messengers to report to the battalion leader, and I thought about what actions the squadron should take in the future, but couldn't make up my mind.However, when there seemed to be a strange fire in the sorghum field in the northeast, they finally decided to evacuate the area and move to Xiwulidian. The general idea of ​​the diary is: On the evening of July 7, 1937, when the Japanese army was conducting exercises near the Marco Polo Bridge, they heard gunshots from unknown sources, and then found that a soldier was missing, so they hurriedly reported to their superiors. The soldier returned by himself.The rest of the narratives, such as "A few rounds of rifle bullets were suddenly fired from the rear, and I knew by intuition that they were indeed live bullets", "A dozen more bullets were fired from the right rear near the river embankment of the railway bridge", "The walls of the Lugou Bridge and the river Something like a flashlight on the embankment flickered on and off", and "a strange fire appeared in the sorghum field in the northeast", etc., were later determined to be non-existent. Comparing with the relevant Chinese records, there is only one point consistent with this diary account, that is, on the evening of July 7, 1937, at around 22:30, the Chinese defenders in Wanping City also heard the news from Lugou Bridge. The sound of machine gun firing came from the direction, and the vigilance was strengthened for this. ——It was later verified that the officers and soldiers of the Chinese army stationed in Wanping City had not missed a single round of bullets that night, and there was no Chinese army at all in the direction that the bullets flew from as mentioned by Seirou Shimizu.And the "missing" soldier named Shimura Kikujiro went to have diarrhea that night because of a stomachache, and ran back quickly after the diarrhea.Regarding this, Setsuro Shimizu clearly and unmistakably reported again to Captain Kiyonao Ichiki who was stationed in Fengtai: "The soldier whose whereabouts are unknown will be found soon." So far, the night when the continuous rain suddenly stopped did not seem to be very unusual.However, the arbitrariness and fierceness of the attitudes shown by all parties in Japan were both out of normal reactions and full of doubts. After receiving the report of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Japanese Garrison Headquarters immediately instructed the Chief of the Beiping Secret Service, Taijiro Matsui: "Don't miss this opportunity" and immediately send people to negotiate with the Chinese side, "Occupy the east gate of Wanping City, and the Japanese army will make the negotiations smooth." . Therefore, knowing that the "missing soldiers" had returned to the army, Matsui Taijiro still called Qin Dechun, the deputy commander of the 29th Army and the mayor of Beiping City, claiming: "A squadron of the Japanese Army was performing exercises at Marco Polo Bridge. The gunshots from the troops stationed in Wanping City caused confusion among the exercise troops, and one Japanese soldier was lost, and the Japanese troops will enter the city to search for it tonight.” At 2 a.m. on the 8th, Wang Lengzhai, Mayor of Wanping County, Wei Zonghan, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hebei-Chahar Government, Sun Runyu, Commissioner Lin Gengyu, and Zhou Yongye, Deputy Director of the Transportation Department of the Hebei-Chahar Government, began to talk with Tahisa Matsui and Sakura Sakura, the Japanese adviser of the 29th Army. Well Tokutaro negotiations.County Magistrate Wang Lengzhai repeatedly explained that after investigation, the Chinese army did not shoot on the night of the 7th, and that "everyone in the army did not lack one bullet"; Soldier's Trace".Moreover, "the gate of Wanping City was closed at night, and the Japanese soldiers were practicing outside the city, how could they disappear inside the city"?However, Taijiro Matsui still insisted that the Japanese army must enter the city, emphasizing that Wang Lengzhai, as the local administrator, "should take full responsibility for the local handling", and tried to coerce Wang Lengzhai into an agreement that would be beneficial to the Japanese side immediately, so that the Japanese army would win without a fight. Wanping City.Wang Lengzhai insisted on the principle of investigating first and then dealing with it.The two sides were in a stalemate. Some people reported that a brigade of five or six hundred Japanese soldiers stationed in Fengtai, carrying six artillery pieces, was marching towards Lugou Bridge under the leadership of Captain Kiyoshi Ichiki.The negotiators on the Chinese side went to the scene together with Tokutaro Sakurai, Chusuke Hira, assistant officer of the Japanese Beiping Secret Service, and Saito Kuriya, the secretary.Driving to a place about two miles away from Wanping City, Wang Lengzhai found that both sides of the road and the railway culvert had been occupied by the Japanese army.Terapira Zhongsuke believed that he had achieved his goal of intimidating the Chinese county magistrate, and once again asked the Chinese army to withdraw from Wanping City: "The situation is very serious, and there is no time to wait for investigation and negotiation. Please order the garrison in the city to withdraw to the west gate as soon as possible. Go into the area about tens of meters away from the east gate, and then discuss a solution to avoid conflict." Wang Lengzhai refused again.Tadaira Tadashi said viciously that the Japanese army often passed through the city before, but they could not enter today. This is obviously because the Chinese side has ulterior motives. County magistrate Wang Lengzhai believes that he has the responsibility to guard the land: I refuted it again: "It's not long since you took over the job (Tadasuke Terapira took over for less than three months), or you haven't understood the previous situation. I have never allowed your drill troops to pass through the city here. What month and what month is your so-called precedent?" Day? Please give me a factual proof. At this time, the Japanese commander Morita (Toru Morita), the deputy of the regiment, threatened me to go to the front line, intending to intimidate me with force. This behavior of the two of them is like kidnapping. I still insist on investigating the original If the situation gets worse, the two of them should take full responsibility. The two sides held each other for more than ten minutes. When Morita saw that the threat failed, he signaled to Siping that Siping would still go to the city with me to investigate." While the Chinese county magistrate and the Japanese assistant officer were arguing endlessly in the dark night outside Wanping City, at three o'clock in the morning, the headquarters of the Japanese garrison army in Tianjin was brightly lit. A military plan aimed at expanding the Marco Polo Bridge incident was drawn up.The Japanese side named this military plan "Propaganda Plan"—calling a typical aggression plan a "Propaganda Plan", which is completely in line with the dark and secretive psychology of the Japanese—this "Propaganda Plan" shows that the Japanese army The Viciousness of a Warlike Officer: First of all, "if necessary, attack decisively regardless of the damage of both the enemy and ourselves", "occupy the Marco Polo Bridge", "occupy Wanping City no later than noon on the 9th".Secondly, "immediately kidnap Qin Dechun and Feng Zhi'an to the Beiping garrison, and forbid them to express their speech or actions freely."As for how to deal with Song Zheyuan, commander of the 29th Army, chairman of the Jicha Political Affairs Committee, and director of the Jicha Sui Border Office who is still in his hometown in Shandong, the "Propaganda Plan" has drawn up five plans: 1. Urge Song Zheyuan to return to Peiping quickly by train ; 2. Or let him go to Tianjin by plane; 3. If Song Zheyuan does not return, he will be closely monitored; 4. Let Song Zheyuan go to Qingdao to retreat; The Chinese Garrison is responsible for the implementation. ——Everyone knows what the "last resort" of the Japanese secret service is. This "publicity plan" also added a special "instructions", emphasizing that we must do everything possible to "prove that the incident did not happen according to our planned actions."It's just that this kind of propaganda must be measured, otherwise it may be counterproductive-"Too much emphasis will lead to self-justification." On the evening of July 7, 1937, whether the incident at Marco Polo Bridge was carefully planned by the Japanese or not, the above-mentioned "propaganda plan" has already shown some clues. Negotiations in Wanping City were still in a stalemate. Suddenly there was a shell explosion. The Japanese army, eager to occupy Wanping City, could not wait any longer and fired artillery into Wanping City at 4:20 in the morning. Captain Kiyomi Ichiki commanded 500 Japanese troops to launch an attack on the Chinese defenders in Wanping City.Ji Xingwen, head of the 219th Regiment of the 37th Division of the Chinese garrison, immediately reported to division commander Feng Zhian and brigade commander He Jifeng.Master Feng Zhi'an's order was very strict: not a single inch of land should be conceded.The Chinese defenders guarded the east gate of Wanping City, no matter how the Japanese army attacked, the city gate was as strong as iron.The Japanese artillery shells roared over the city wall, and instantly destroyed the Wanping Commissioner's Office.At this time, Wang Lengzhai remembered a detail amidst the sound of the guns: Kiyonao Ichiki, the captain of the Japanese army commanding the attack, had come to congratulate the establishment of the Wanping Commissioner's Office.The strange thing is that from the Japanese army garrison to Wanping City several miles away, Kiyomi Ichiki did not ride a horse as usual that day, but walked here on foot.Only now do I understand that the Japanese officer was using his steps to measure the exact distance of the artillery fire. Accompanied by the sound of gunfire, the emotions of both sides of the negotiation were extremely impulsive.Jin Zhenzhong, commander of the third battalion of the Wanping City garrison of the Chinese army, a tough Chinese soldier, resolutely did not allow Japanese troops to enter Wanping City.The Japanese side threatened that if they did not allow it, they would use force to forcibly occupy it.In a rage, Battalion Commander Jin Zhenzhong kicked over the table and almost scuffled with the Japanese officer. At this time, the Japanese army failed to attack Wanping City head-on, and then changed its attack direction, concentrating its forces on the Lugouqiao Iron Bridge and the Chinese defenders of the Dragon King Temple.The two armies encountered each other near the Dragon King Temple. The Chinese defenders had only two platoons of about 70 people, while the Japanese army had two squadrons of more than 500 people.In the face of the successive attacks of the Japanese army, the Chinese soldiers fought tenaciously with rifles, machine guns and grenades, and finally fought hand-to-hand with broadswords. The Japanese army suffered more than 100 casualties, and all the Chinese defenders in the two platoons were killed. ——From the perspective of the comparison of troops, this is similar to a deliberate massacre. It was dawn, and the rain clouds were thick. The remains of more than 70 Chinese officers and soldiers were bloodstained and scattered on the sandbank by the Yongding River, and pairs of dead eyes looked at the gray sky. At this moment, news of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident reached Tokyo, Japan. The time when the Japanese Army Department received the first telegram from the Chinese garrison troops was at 5:54 a.m.: During a night exercise at Fengtai, a unit of the troops stationed in Fengtai immediately entered a state of hostility due to illegal shooting by the Chinese army at 22:40, and sent envoys to make them admit the facts, and began to negotiate an apology and other matters. At 10:20 on the 8th, the Japanese Army Department received a second telegram from the Chinese Garrison: When the troops stationed in Fengtai negotiated the illegal shooting, they were shot by the Chinese army of Longwangmiao.Our army attacked it at 5:30 and occupied the Yongding River embankment line.The Chinese army in Lugouqiao City is being disarmed. Director of the East Asia Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Ishika Inotaro said: "In view of the "trick" used by the Kwantung Army to blow up the South Manchuria Railway six years ago, the military and political officials in Tokyo agreed that China and Japan this time are "again It's done." On how to deal with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, there were two different opinions within the Japanese Cabinet and the High Command, the "non-expansion faction" and the "expansion faction".Whether it is the "expansion faction" or the "non-expansion faction", there is no essential difference on the issue of aggression against China. The difference lies only in the timing of the all-out war of aggression against China. The "non-expansion faction" is represented by Kanji Ishihara, director of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters, Torashiro Kawabe, director of the War Guidance Division, Kazuo Horiba, chief of staff of the War Guidance Division, and Kenshiro Shibayama, director of the Military Affairs Division of the Ministry of the Army. At present, there are insufficient troops. Once an all-out war against China is launched, it is likely to fall into the predicament of a long-term war, and it is particularly worried that the Soviet Union will send troops from the Far East to attack Japan. ——"At present, our country is concentrating on completing the construction of Manchuria and preparing for the war against the Soviet Union in order to consolidate national defense. Don't make it fragmented by meddling in China." Half of the total", under the conditions of preparing 5.5 billion yen in military expenditures and limiting the combat period to half a year, it would be a mistake to send troops to China in an all-round way.Compared with the "non-expansion faction", the "expansion faction" among the top military and political leaders in Japan has a large number of people, including Minister of War Sugiyama Moto, Director of the Operations Division of the General Staff Headquarters Akira Muto, Director of the Chinese Division Nagazu Sahiro, and Director of the Military Division of the Army Ministry Shinichi Tanaka, Vice Minister of the Army Umezu Yoshijiro and others.They believe that China is a vulnerable country, and they only need to use the military power of three or four divisions to conquer China.Yongjin Zuo Bizhong even threatened that as long as the warship sailed near Tanggu, even if the Japanese army did not land, "Whether it is Beijing or Tianjin, they will surrender."As for the concern about the Soviet Union sending troops, the "enlargement faction" dismissed it even more, believing that the Soviet Union was undergoing a political purge, many senior Red Army generals had been executed by Stalin, and the serious demoralization of the army would make the Soviet Union powerless to intervene.The United Kingdom was restrained by Nazi Germany in Europe, and the United States would not intervene in the Far East War because of its isolationism.Such an international environment is very favorable to Japan, and it should take advantage of the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident to launch an all-out war against China.For this reason, General Sugiyama Genda played the emperor and vowed that if a large number of troops were sent, "the incident can be resolved in about a month." The officers of the Japanese Kwantung Army were almost all "expansion faction". After learning the news that Lugouqiao was "on again", they were ecstatic, thinking that "the north is safe now, so take this opportunity to deal with Jicha."For this reason, they reported to the General Staff Headquarters that "in view of the situation in North China, the main forces of the 1st and 11th Brigades and the Air Force 1 have been independently mixed and ready for immediate dispatch." Senior Kwantung Army Staff Officer Takashi Tanaka - the leader of the Shanghai Incident The igniter——had already gone to Tianjin at this time, suggesting that the Kwantung Army and the Garrison Army should unite to launch an all-out campaign against North China; and Kwantung Army staff officer Masanobu Tsuji even went to Marco Polo Bridge to directly confront the captain of the First Squadron, Renya Mutaguchi Said: "The Kwantung Army supports you, let's expand it thoroughly!" At that time, the 73-year-old chief of staff of the royal family, Prince Zairen, was not in charge of the affairs of the Ministry, and Lieutenant General Kiyoshi Imai, the deputy chief of staff, was also sick and convalescing. Therefore, the work of the staff headquarters was actually presided over by the chief of the war department Kanji Ishihara.As the core figure of the "non-expansion faction", at 6:42 p.m. on the 8th, Ishihara Wanji issued an order to the Chinese garrison with the "Linming No. 400" instruction from the General Staff Headquarters: "In order to prevent the situation from expanding , further use of force should be avoided." Ishihara Wanji's order was met with "strong opposition within the Ministry of War."The officers of the Ministry of War have drawn up a plan to increase troops to China: to transfer two brigades from the Kwantung Army, one division from the Korean Army, and three divisions from Japan to fight in North China.The Ministry of the Navy also issued an order: "First, the Third Fleet, which is conducting exercises in Taiwan, returns to the original defense area; second, strengthen security in case the incident expands, and prohibit arbitrary actions; third, prepare mobile forces for emergency dispatch of troops to China. Late at night on the 8th, Minister of War Sugiyama Moto issued an order: "In all divisions west of Kyoto, the demobilization of the second-year soldiers of the infantry regiment originally scheduled for July 10 will be postponed." As soon as Ishihara Waner's order was issued, another war broke out in China's Marco Polo Bridge. When dawn was approaching, heavy rain came again.The 2nd Battalion of the 219th Regiment of the 37th Division of the Chinese Army rushed to the Yongding River from Changxindian, and launched a counterattack against the Japanese army on the west bank of the river.In order to regain and consolidate the position, brigade commander He Jifeng personally led the Xiyuan garrison to help in the battle.The 219th Regiment formed a commando team and quietly climbed out of Wanping City with a rope ladder in the dark. Under the cover of the green gauze tent, they approached the railway bridge along the Yongding River, and then suddenly charged the Japanese army.The commandos did not shoot, but used the most famous machete of the Northwest Army. The Japanese army was caught off guard, and was cut to pieces of flesh and blood, crying ghosts and howling wolves.One of the commandos, who was only 19 years old, hacked and killed 13 Japanese soldiers in a row, and captured one alive at the same time.In the pouring rain, almost all the Japanese troops in a squadron were cut down on the railway bridge.When a new day came, the Chinese soldiers who had regained their positions stood on the Yongding River Railway Bridge, the machetes on their backs shone coldly under the light of the thin sky. 卢沟桥事变犹如一道大堤出现的一条裂缝，裂缝迅速扩大，以致洪水汹涌而出——几乎所有的中国人都知道自己的国家是何等的贫弱，自己的国民曾经何等的隐忍，但是，因贫弱一直隐忍的国民不等于没有国家与民族尊严的最后的底线——骤然间，底线的堤坝轰然垮塌： 一位名叫麦新的中国作曲家创作的这首名为《大刀进行曲》、副题为《献给二十九军大刀队》的歌曲，墨迹未干便怒吼于整个中国。 卢沟桥事变发生时，国民政府行政院院长兼军事委员会委员长蒋介石正在江西庐山。八日上午，他收到了宋哲元关于卢沟桥事变的电报： 蒋介石的第一个反应是：全面战争可能真的来了。 蒋介石复电宋哲元： 无法确切地知道，至少在名义上是中国军政首脑的蒋介石，于庐山上那个云雾缭绕的早晨思考了什么。这个生于中国浙江的南方人，对北方的卢沟桥并不特别熟悉，然而他一旦面对军用地图，就可以立即得出结论：日军之所以要占领那座桥，是因为那座桥扼守着平汉铁路。一旦日军控制了这个由北平向南一直延伸到华北大平原的交通要点，不仅可以把整个北平收入囊中，还可以打开沿着平汉铁路南下中国的大门。这么多年与日本人打交道的经历，让蒋介石作为一个大国的首脑历尽惶恐、迷茫、屈辱和愤怒，往事堆积叠加起来逐渐确立了他的信念，那就是用中国式的宽容和忍让求得与日本邦交的正常化，不但可望不可即，而且根本就是中国的一厢情愿。由此，蒋介石制定了应对卢沟桥事变的方针：不屈服、不扩大、不求战、必抗战。 对于全中国的抗日怒吼来讲，“必抗战”三个字已经足够了。 蒋介石接连发出的电报，都是基于应战的准备——他命令开封以西部队派出一个师开赴黄河以北，再准备两个师以备随时出动；命令位于平汉铁路附近的第二十六路军抽调两个师，向石家庄或保定集中；命令第四十军及第八十四师同时开赴石家庄；命令正在庐山参加暑期训练团的将领们全部下山归队，准备打仗。最后，蒋介石致电南京军事委员会办公厅主任徐永昌、参谋总长程潜、训练总监部总监唐生智、军政部部长何应钦： 毫无疑问，庐山上的蒋介石听到了全国对日的怒吼之声，并且他知道这一次的怒吼不同往常。在作出重大抉择之后，蒋介石希望知道各方民意究竟如何。于是，他给各路军阀发出了一致抗战的号召，并召集他们与各界名流一起上庐山，共商国家对日战争将要涉及的所有问题。令蒋介石没有想到的是，一直与他争权夺利，乃至与他开战厮杀的各路军阀们，这一次竟对他的号召报以了从未有过的热烈响应。 在国民党林立的派系中，蒋介石最强硬的政治对手，是广西的桂系军阀。桂系首领李宗仁和白崇禧收到蒋介石共商大计的邀请后，“不假深思，便复蒋先生一电说，中央既已决心抗战，我辈誓当拥护到底”。桂系决定派白崇禧启程赴庐山面见蒋介石。四川省政府主席、川系军阀首领刘湘，云南省政府主席、滇系军阀首领龙云得知后，致电劝阻李宗仁和白崇禧——“他们认为蒋先生的为人，最尚权诈，万一籍抗日之名，将我李、白二人骗往中央，加以羁縻，则广西省政必为蒋系所控制。唇亡齿寒，川、滇两省也将岌岌可危了。” 李宗仁和白崇禧给这两位老兄的回电可谓言辞恳切： 随即，山西的阎锡山、宁夏的马鸿逵等纷纷表示拥护国民政府抗日；四川的刘湘和潘文华更是表示：“此国难当前，正我辈捍卫国家报效领袖之时”，决定“通电全省，主张于委座整个计划之下，同德一心，共同御侮”。 蒋介石更没有想到的是共产党人的态度。 卢沟桥事变发生的第二天，中国共产党中央委员会向全国发出通电，指出只有实行全民族抗战才是救国的唯一出路，并为此决心与国民党人“亲密合作”： 同一天，蒋介石接到了毛泽东、朱德、彭德怀、贺龙、林彪、刘伯承和徐向前的联名电报，表示共产党军队愿在国民政府“领导之下，为国效命”： 或许日方感受到了中国人对卢沟桥事变的激烈反应，或许日军在兵力投入与部署上尚未做好全面准备，日方突然提出“和平解决”。 九日凌晨三时，中日双方在卢沟桥前线达成协议：一、双方停止射击；二、日军撤至丰台，中国军队撤至永定河西岸；三、宛平城防务由中国保安队接任，人数约二三百人，于当日上午接防。 但是，当中国保安队根据协议前往宛平城接防，行至卢沟桥附近的大井村时，突然受到日军的阻击。王冷斋县长反复与日方交涉都没有结果。中午，日方又提出，中国保安队的人数限定为五十人，只能携带步枪和三十发子弹，并由日军旅团长在宛平城内监视中国军队的撤退。除了第三项，中国方面答应了日方的要求。可当保安队准备进城时，又遭到日军的阻击，日军旅团长已命令第二大队向宛平城前进了。 十日上午，双方再次开始谈判，地点在北平市长秦德纯的家里。日方出席的仅仅是第二十九军的日本顾问樱井德太郎等，他们之中没有一个人能代表日本军部，但这几名日军下级军官却气焰嚣张。刚坐下来，他们就要求中国方面撤换有关军政指挥官，并向日军道歉赔礼。在场的何基沣旅长勃然大怒，拔出手枪拍在桌子上厉声说，这次卢沟桥事件，完全是日方蓄意挑起，日本应该向中国道歉，并保证以后不再挑衅侵略，否则中国军队就将消灭你们！中国旅长的气势让日方代表一时无言可对。日方要求在卢沟桥保持相当兵力，要求寻找在永定河西岸阵亡的日兵尸体。双方轮番舌战，激烈辩论。突然，日方代表们找借口出去了，而且竟然一去不复返。 很快，中国方面接到了日方提出的新的停战条件：“一、第二十九军代表向日本军表示道歉，并声明负责防止今后再发生类似事件；二、对肇事者给以处分；三、卢沟桥附近永定河左岸不得驻扎中国军队；四、鉴于此次事件出于蓝衣社、共产党及其他抗日的各种团体的指导，今后必须对此做出彻底取缔办法。以上要求须向日方提出书面承认。”只有中国承认了上述条件，日军才会回到原驻地，但“卢沟桥附近须按我方要求进行”。 第三十八师师长张自忠派出代表与日方交涉，由于他坚决不同意“永定河左岸不得驻扎中国军队”的条件，谈判进行了三个多小时没有任何结果。 中日两方正在谈判的时候，牟田口廉也指挥日军一部再次占领龙王庙地区，并向卢沟桥前线的中国守军发动了夜袭。在施加了一系列军事压力后，日本北平特务机关长松井太久郎冒着大雨来到张自忠家进行交涉，张自忠仍是坚决不答应撤兵和惩处“肇事者”，双方还是没有达成协议。 此时，在日本东京，陆军部的“扩大派”已经制订了向中国派兵的作战方案，这令“不扩大派”的核心人物石原莞尔“极为苦恼”。因为派兵就“含有事态扩大的因素”，作为作战部部长，他希望卢沟桥事件可以“不动员国内师团而就地解决”；但另一方面他也承认，中国驻屯军的现有兵力，确实不足以面对“扩大派”的军官们一直叫嚣的岌岌可危的局面。于是，石原莞尔最终同意向中国派兵。 十一日上午十一时三十分，日本政府内阁举行由首相（内阁总理大臣）、外相（外务大臣）、陆相（陆军大臣）、海相（海军大臣）、藏相（财务大臣）参加的五相会议，陆相杉山元在会上提出：“为了确保中国方面实行道歉和必要的保证，必须火速以关东军、朝鲜军准备好的部队增援中国驻屯军，同时也要从国内抽调必要的部队（五个师团，目前暂用三个师团和十八个飞行中队）迅速派往华北。”对此，外相广田弘毅提出了“保留条件”：“一、虽说是必要时实行派兵，应只限于为保护侨民和中国驻屯军的自卫安全所必需时，才实行动员；二、关于动员国内部队，按陆相说明，只能理解为当前的准备性打算。”会议两点结束，接着又召开了内阁会议，陆军部的派兵提议得到全体阁员的支持：“议定举国一致来处理事件”，并决定“本事件今后称为事变，出兵改派兵”。 内阁会议结束后，首相与参谋总长觐见天皇，天皇批准了向中国派兵的方案。 十一日十八时三十五分，日军参谋本部参谋总长载仁亲王下达了“临参命第五十六号”，命令关东军独立混成第一、第十一旅团之主力，侦察机、战斗机和重型轰炸机各两个中队，高射炮两个中队，包括装甲列车在内的铁道第三联队之主力，电信第三联队一部、汽车队一部和防疫队一部，隶属中国驻屯军司令官指挥，“急速派遣至华”。三个小时后，“临参命第五十七号”下达，驻守朝鲜的日军第二十师团被命令：“务须迅速到达华北，编入中国驻屯军司令官管辖下。”参谋本部制订的行动计划是：独立混成第一旅团，旅团长酒井镐次少将，十三日从公主岭出发，十七日集结于顺义；独立混成第十一旅团，旅团长铃木重康中将，十二日从古北口出发，十九日集结于高丽营；第二十师团，师团长川岸文三郎中将，十七日从龙山出发，由铁路输运，十八日在天津、唐山、山海关附近集结。 这一天黄昏时分，日本发表了《关于向华北派兵的政府声明》： 从以上事实说明，这次事件完全是中国方面有计划的武装抗日，已无怀疑的余地。 就帝国和满洲国来说，维持华北治安，是很迫切的事，不待赘言。为维持东亚和平，最重要的是中国方面对非法行为，特别是排日、侮日行为表示道歉，并为今后不发生这样的行为采取适当的保证。由此，政府在本日内阁会议上下了重大决心，决定采取必要的措施，立即增兵华北。 然而，维持东亚和平为帝国之夙愿，因此，政府为使今后局势不再扩大，不抛弃和平谈判的愿望，希望由于中国方面的迅速反省而使事态圆满解决。关于列国权益的保全，当予充分考虑。 这份政府声明，可视为日本政客和军人向中国乃至全世界宣布的一份对华发动战争的宣言。 日本战史承认，上述派兵声明对中国刺激甚大。 日本驻屯军闻讯后，更是摩拳擦掌，决定“暂时停止过去的和平谈判”，“集结兵力，伺机对河北省的中国军队予以彻底的打击和扫荡”，从而“以此次事变为转折，从根本上解决华北问题”。 只是，增援的兵力尚未抵达。 十一日晚八时，日方代表松井太久郎与中国冀察方面代表秦德纯签订了《卢沟桥事件就地协定》。这份包括第二十九军代表向日军道歉、卢沟桥周围及龙王庙改由保安队维持治安、取缔共产党抗日团体等内容的协定，基本上是按照日方的意愿制订的。即使如此，当协定的内容传至东京后，“扩大派”的军官们立即草拟了一篇广播，并于午夜时分从东京播出：“接到在北平签订了停战协定的报告，鉴于冀察政权以往的态度，不相信其出于诚意，恐将仍以废纸而告终……”而因为派兵令业已下达、政府声明业已宣布，“不扩大派”此时也对这份协定怀有了诸多不安： 一、在现地签订的协定，虽可认为现在事态大致缓和，但从全面解决目前时局中存在的问题看，还不能安心。 二、对海军来说，当然不希望事态扩大，但面对席卷全中国的抗日气氛，要充分戒备，在未看出事情的结果之前，执行现在配备，不能放松，须继续进行。 三、帝国应以严肃态度监视中国方面履行协定，国内师团的派兵可以暂停。 此时此刻，对于中国来讲，无论东京持有何种立场，国民政府必须面对大量日军将要踏上中国领土这一严重的事实了。 十日，蒋介石给仍在山东老家的宋哲元打电报：“守土应具决死决战之决心与积极准备之精神应付。至谈判，尤须防其奸狡之惯技，务期不丧丝毫主权为原则。”同日，再电：“从速构筑预定之国防线工事，星夜赶筑，如限完成为要。”蒋介石催促宋哲元回到北平主持大局，或者赶赴保定以备指挥一触即发的战事。 十一日，国民政府军政部在“卢沟桥事件第一次会报”会上详细讨论了中国军队在军事上的应变措施，除指示各部队待命和配备作战武器外，还命令后勤部门向黄河以北运输储存可供二十个师三个月消耗的弹药、粮食及两百架飞机使用的汽油。 同一天，重病的中国驻屯军司令官田代皖一郎已处于弥留之际，日军教育总监部部长香月清司于凌晨四时接到了继任中国驻屯军司令官的命令。香月清司立即拜会了参谋总长、次长以及陆军大臣，得到的指示相互矛盾，一会儿说“根据不扩大方针行事”，接着又说继续大规模向华北增兵，甚至说要动员国内两个师团去中国的山东——“原定登陆地点是青岛，但海军希望在海州附近登陆，意见还没有一致。”直到登上飞机飞往中国驻屯军司令部所在地天津时，这位新任司令官依旧心绪紊乱：“陆军省一片黑云弥漫、忧愁沉郁的状态，反之参谋本部却使人感到形势紧迫已极。那种即时必要的紧急派兵、准备动员国内的数个师团、山东作战的意向等等，简直觉得对华全面作战就要开始了。” 这一天，在蒋介石的一再催促下，第二十九军军长宋哲元动身离开了山东老家。这位五十二岁的职业军人此刻更是心如乱麻。 宋哲元出生时，家境已经败落，童年和少年生活的贫苦饥寒养成了他倔强暴烈的性格。自一九〇七年进入武备学堂开始军人生涯后，从加入冯玉祥的部队当哨长开始，由于作战勇猛而逐步提升，至一九二六年他已是冯玉祥部第二集团军第四方面军总指挥，同时兼任陕西省政府主席。宋哲元指挥他的部队，剿灭了陕西省内由于军阀混战形成的各路小军阀，从而巩固了北伐军的后方。在攻克陕西关中西路重镇凤翔后，宋哲元做出了一个震惊全国的举动：将五千俘虏全部砍头。行刑时，他坐在刑场的一边，面对如此规模的屠杀场面，声容丝毫不为所动。这场骇人听闻的屠杀血迹未干，陕西的大小军阀纷纷前来跪倒在地恳求开恩。一九二九年，日本与国民政府签订协议退出济南，协议规定济南将由负责山东防务的西北军接收，但是蒋介石通知日方济南必须由中央军接收。这一事件导致蒋介石与冯玉祥的矛盾公开化。冯玉祥宣布反蒋，蒋介石欲解决冯部，始终追随冯玉祥的宋哲元受到蒋介石的通缉。随即爆发的蒋冯大战，以冯玉祥部败退告终。接着，冯玉祥联合阎锡山再度反蒋，蒋冯大战持续五个月，冯玉祥部再度败退。宋哲元一战再战，实力尽失，西北军残剩部队被张学良收拢改编为第二十九军。一九三〇年十一月，宋哲元被委任为第二十九军军长，军部设于山西阳泉。一九三三年初，第二十九军奉张学良之命开往北平附近，接着就被调往长城战场。在长城坚守喜峰口的战斗中，第二十九军名声大噪，宋哲元也获得了“抗日英雄”的美誉。他赞赏他的大刀突击队杀鬼子就像砍瓜一样痛快，他大情大义地收养了长城抗战烈士的遗孤。当国民政府向日方妥协，撤出在华北的势力后，华北地区便失控于南京中央，宋哲元借机迅速扩充部队，并将北平的各种税收纳入他的管理之中，他的地盘囊括了河北、察哈尔两省与北平、天津两市，可谓大权在握。 但是，宋哲元的日子并不好过。首先他要对付日本人。作为平津地区的掌权人物，他自然成为日本人拉拢的对象。虽然他和他的第二十九军将士打心眼里仇恨日本侵略者，但是他又不得不与日本人“和平相处”，他不想在他的地盘上发生战争，他深知一旦战争爆发，多年来苦心经营的平津地区不是被日本人占领就是被蒋介石的中央军控制，而自己瞬间就会连立身之地都没有了。宋哲元还必须与南京国民政府周旋，因为蒋介石与冯玉祥矛盾很深，历史上曾经几次兵刃相见，他是冯玉祥的老部下而不是蒋介石的嫡系，所以绝不能不提防蒋介石的暗算。一九三五年，国民政府下令免去他察哈尔省政府主席的职务，此事至今还令他备感难堪和怨忿。宋哲元曾表示，无论发生什么情况，他决不会投降日本人。但不可否认的是，眼下他确实存在着利用日本人在华北的存在遏制蒋介石的中央军北上的想法。另外，受到冯玉祥的影响，宋哲元还要处理好与共产党的关系。他赞同反共但不赞成“剿共”，认为共产主义在中国成不了气候，对共产党领导的抗日救亡运动不主张采取血腥镇压的方式。 由于处在特殊而敏感的位置，宋哲元最大的心结是怕人说他是汉奸、卖国贼。他是有血性要脸面的人，承受不了这种指责。冀察政务委员会成立时，有人向他建议与蒋介石、张作霖一样，制作一批“宋委员长就职纪念邮票”，他一听就火了，认为这是在暗示他独立，表示除了服从中央之外，他没有任何个人野心，并说以后谁再出这种主意以汉奸罪论处。 至少在抗日战争初期的历史中，宋哲元的名字似乎与妥协派甚至是投降派连在一起。他的副军长秦德纯曾为他辩解说，国内外人士之所以责难颇多，是因为不明就里。宋哲元军长身处特殊时期和特殊位置，除了委曲求全之外别无他路。秦德纯对宋哲元的理解，也源于蒋介石曾托他转告宋军长的这样一番话： “维持的时间越久，即对国家之贡献愈大”，怎样理解并落实蒋介石的这句话呢？在“不妨碍国家主权领土完整大原则下”的“维持”，又该是什么分寸？如何才能做到让日本人老老实实，不挑衅？让共产党不要在自己的地盘上煽动抗日？让蒋介石的中央军没有借口重返平津而把自己的第二十九军再挤到贫瘠的西北去？怎么才能即使不在全国舆论中有个好口碑，但至少不能落一个千夫所指遗臭万年的下场？——自认为见多识广的宋哲元，面对如此错综复杂的局面，终是不知如何是好。 作为中国华北地区的最高军政长官，宋哲元没有按照蒋介石的电令要求返回北平或到保定开设作战指挥部，而是直接去了天津，这让南京的中央政府颇感意外。 十一日夜，抵达天津的宋哲元与第二十九军高级将领开会研究对策。在第二十九军内部，将领们在如何处理与日军的关系上分歧很大。第三十七师师长冯治安等人主张坚决抗击，第三十八师师长张自忠等人则主张与日方交涉和平解决。至于张自忠等将领为何主张和平解决，不是他们对日方抱有希望或是对日军怀有畏惧，后来的历史证明他们都是对日作战中的中坚力量，与宋哲元一样，他们归根结底还是舍不得西北军好不容易到手的平津地盘。卢沟桥事变时，当张自忠得知与日军发生了武装冲突后，曾在电