Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Losing Teachers and Losing Territory Hasn't Been So Fast

In August, the Japanese army marching south along Jinpu Road suddenly encountered a group of red-faced Chinese. On the Jinpu railway line in the south of Tianjin, there is a small station named Jinghai.There is a river beside the small station.After Tianjin was occupied by the Japanese army, the heavy rain in the north continued intermittently, which caused the river to rise to a width of 20 meters.A wooden arch bridge spans between the embankments on both banks covered with dense reeds and weeds. The 10th Division under the command of Lieutenant General Isoya Rensuke of the Japanese Army landed at Dagukou in Tianjin and moved south along the Jinpu Railway.When the 10th Regiment of the 33rd Brigade, the striker, advanced to the wooden bridge by the Jia River in the mud, it suddenly froze.

A group of Chinese soldiers not only blushed brightly, but each held a large sword with a long handle—most Japanese people are familiar with Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese figure, and in their memory, Guan Yu in the portrait looked like this. This group of Chinese soldiers is the officers and soldiers of the Independent 26th Brigade of the 38th Division of the 29th Army who retreated from Tianjin.After Tianjin fell, the troops retreated to the south and retreated to Jinghai Station, where the officers and soldiers stopped and prepared to defend to the death.Li Zhiyuan, the brigade commander, believed that the strength and weapons of the Japanese army were not as good as that of the Japanese army, so he had to learn the lesson of fighting the Japanese army in the urban area of ​​Tianjin. In addition to leaving one battalion to guard the station and one battalion to guard the county seat, he dedicated a battalion to fight guerrillas on both sides of Jinpu Road. ——When the devils come, if there are few people, we will beat them to death. If there are too many people, we will go around in circles with them. We cannot let the Japanese army directly attack our main position.The Japanese armored train tried to rush into Jinghai Station, but the officers and soldiers spread wheat straw on the rails and planted mines, so the Japanese armored train did not dare to move forward.The Japanese soldiers in the car got off the car and wanted to attack the station, but the guerrilla battalion took the rear route, and the Japanese soldiers left a dozen dead bodies and ran back.

This time, the order issued by the division headquarters is: a brigade of Japanese troops is rapidly heading south along Jinpu Road. The Sixth Brigade wanted to prevent the Japanese army from going south.They stayed by the Jia River for more than 20 days. Brigadier Li Zhiyuan summoned the group commanders and battalion commanders to give a lecture: If the Japanese army is not pushed back and let them cross the river smoothly, the division's defense line will collapse.So, this time, the Independent 26th Brigade will fight the devils by the river. ... I said loudly and firmly: "We will defend this river to the death. Each regiment selects a death squad, each with a long machete and four hand grenades, smears red faces with magenta, rushes across the bridge, and chops !” I asked who would lead the Death Squad?At that time, Commander Zhu slapped his chest and said passionately, "I'll take it with me!" He took off his shirt, ran to the death squad he had chosen, and said, "Take off your bare back, put red on it, and follow me! "All the more than one hundred people went, and the more than one hundred people selected by the horse team also went.I saw that there were too many people, and I wanted to stop them, but they all ran over.The use of long-handled broadswords is based on past combat experience, because our spear-piercing skills were lost to the Japanese army, and extending the handle of the broadsword by three feet is beneficial in hand-to-hand combat.Each person has a pack of magenta to wipe their faces. It is said that the Japanese are afraid of red faces, which also shows our determination to bleed and fight.

The Death Squad rushed across the bridge, shouting.The Japanese army was unprepared for the sudden appearance of a red light and a long-handled sword. They were stunned for a moment, then turned around and ran back.The military boots were covered with mud, and it was very clumsy to run. More than two hundred long-handled big knives slashed down involuntarily, and cut down many devils in an instant.The Japanese soldiers who came behind were thrown into confusion by the defeated soldiers who were frightened out of their wits, and they also ran back.A Japanese officer was knocked off his horse, and no one could take care of him in the chaos.The Chinese officers and soldiers were so jealous that they didn't even hear the brigade commander calling them back.The reason why Li Zhiyuan ordered them to come back was because the members of the Death Squad did not bring guns, fearing that they would suffer if they went far.When the trumpets didn't work, the adjutant was sent to chase after him on horseback. The fast horse finally caught up with Commander Zhu, and the death squad gave up and returned.

However, there are still some brothers who did not make it back to the Ja River alive. The officers and soldiers scuttled all the ships, then poured gasoline on the wooden bridge and set it on fire. The Japanese army occupied the Pingjin area, the political and military center of northern China with only a small number of troops, which made most Japanese military and political leaders despise China's resistance and determination even more.The Japanese army began to formulate a combat plan for the entire North China. Its ultimate goal was to quickly deal a devastating blow to the Chinese army in North China and the Chinese Air Force participating in the war, thereby "fundamentally solving the North China problem."Before the end of the war in North China, we will not make any diplomatic representations with China, nor will we allow third countries to interfere—to "make the Nanjing government succumb out of a sense of failure, and thus create an opportunity to end the war."In August 1937, the Chinese garrison quickly formulated a plan for the "second phase of operations" after the "first phase of operations" in the Pingjin area.The plan not only refers to the Chinese troops stationed in Hebei as "invaders", but also claims to "destroy the enemy wherever it goes" with the arrogance of sweeping everything:

1. In order to wipe out the enemy field forces invading Hebei Province, it is planned to conduct a decisive battle after the general concentration is completed.First advance to Baoding and Cangzhou.The main decisive battle is located in the area along the Ping-Han line.The decisive battle is scheduled for late September or early October. 2. The Fifth Division and the Suzuki Corps, which were gradually concentrated by the army, started operations from the areas along the Ping-Sui route, swept through Chahar Province, and entered the northern part of Shanxi and the Suiyuan area.To this end, it is necessary to work closely with the Kwantung Army.

This operation should at least occupy the vicinity of Zhangjiakou before the main decisive battle.When the situation permits, the main force of the Fifth Division will also be transferred to the Hebei combat area quickly. 3. In the battle near Baoding and Cangzhou, pursue the line of Shijiazhuang and Dezhou. 4. Determine future combat guidance according to the situation.It is expected that after the second period, the army may be listed as a combat army that may fight in Shandong and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Around August 12th, the Fifth Army wiped out the enemy at Nankou by the Suzuki Corps, captured Badaling in one fell swoop, and covered the advance of the Fifth Division.

6. Make the Fifth Division, which has been concentrated successively, along the Pingsui line, first fight in the direction of Zhangjiakou, and wipe out the Chinese troops that invaded Chahar Province.The battle west of Badaling was commanded by the head of the Fifth Division, who closely cooperated with the Kwantung Army. Seventh, the army will take the offensive with two divisions (6th and 20th) from the Ping-Han line and one division (10th) from the Jin-Pu line, and advance towards the Baoding and Cangchow lines. It began to advance in mid-September, and entered the frontier of the enemy's positions near Baoding and Cangzhou in the second ten days of September.The date of the decisive battle is planned to be in late September or early October.

8. If the enemy starts to attack, our army should not wait for the concentration of all forces, but start attacking and advancing, and destroy the enemy wherever it goes. However, the plan had not yet been implemented, and the Japanese base camp temporarily changed the direction of attack. This is also an important reason why the Chinese soldiers by the Jianhe River were able to hold on for 20 days. The Japanese troops located in the Pingjin area were ordered to shift their main attack direction to Zhangjiakou along the Pingsui Railway to the west.The reason is: the Kwantung Army eagerly hopes to solve the "Mengjiang issue", that is, to occupy China's Inner Mongolia, Suiyuan and Chahar regions, so as to ensure the security of the "Manchukuo" side.At the same time, before the start of operations on the Ping-Han line and the Jin-Pu line in North China, threats from the rear must be eliminated.

The fifth division, the main force of the Japanese army, which is responsible for the attack mission on the Pingsui line, is still being assembled. The 20th Division of the Chinese Garrison Army became an independent and mixed 11th Brigade, and was ordered to take the lead in attacking the Chinese defenders in the Nankou area. China's judgment on the Japanese military's combat attempt is: "In order to facilitate the current operations of the enemy forces in the Pingjin area, the enemy will use a powerful force to occupy the key points in Pingsui (Zhangjiakou, Nankou, etc.) Threatening the back of our first war zone; or turning to Zhengding and Baoding to directly cooperate with their attacks in Pingjin." The reason why it is judged that the Japanese army will attack the Pingsui line first is because the geographical location of the Nankou line is extremely important. It is the "axis of rotation" of the Chinese army: "The Pingsui line is the lifeline of the second war zone, it is also the lifeline of the Sino-Soviet connection, and it is the central line for whether our army's rotation operation can be carried out. The vicinity of the south entrance should be used as the rotation The axis, with Wanquan, Zhangbei, Kangbao and other places as the outer wings. If you want to stick to Nankou and Wanquan, the national army will have a chance to fight; if you want to attack Zhangjiang, Chicheng, and Guyuan, the national army will be able to deploy. For example, Nankou and Chicheng The line of Guyuan and Guyuan is always kept by the national army, so the enemies on the Pingjin side will never dare to take the risk of going south."

Based on this, the Chinese side decided: "Stick to the Nankou, the line of safety". China's Pingsui Railway, starting from Beiping, passing through Zhangjiakou, Datong, and Baotou, is a major traffic artery connecting the northern part of North China.Nankou, an important town in the east section of Pingsui Road, is the gateway from Beiping to the northwest region.There are high mountains and many passes near the south entrance, and the inner and outer Great Wall winds on both sides of the railway, which is a famous natural danger in northern China.The Japanese army attempted to invade Zhangjiakou, occupy Chahar Province, and then divide their forces into Shanxi and Suiyuan. The Chinese army wanted to defend the three provinces of Chahar, Shanxi, and Suiyuan, and it was necessary to control Nankou. As early as the end of July and the beginning of August, Chiang Kai-shek issued a series of orders for the defense of Nankou: Tang Enbo's 13th Army in the Suidong area made emergency preparations; Liu Ruming, chairman of the Chahar Provincial Government, was in charge of blowing up the railway in the Badaling area of ​​Qinglong Bridge; Fu Zuoyi, Chairman of the Suiyuan Provincial Government, and Yan Xishan, Director of the Suiyuan Office of Taiyuan, made preparations for the battle; they dispatched the Gao Guizi Department of the 84th Division to "concentrate in Zhangjiakou immediately" and assisted Liu Ruming in "sticking to Zhangyuan"; ordered the 21st Division (commander Li Xianzhou) ) and the 84th Division were merged into the 17th Army, with Gao Guizi as the commander and under the command of Liu Ruming. Chiang Kai-shek demanded that the Nankou position should be "deep and wide, so that the enemy cavalry and tanks cannot invade", so that the mechanization advantages of the Japanese army would be "useless". However, anything, as long as it is in China, is likely to become extremely complicated. First of all, it was time to fight the Japanese army in the Nankou area, which spanned the first and second war zones and the two provinces of Hebei and Chahar. The troops participating in the battle included the Northwest Army, the Jin Army, the Central Army and other miscellaneous armies.Due to the complex composition of the troops, each with its own command, who should be the commander-in-chief on the battlefield to make all the troops obey the military orders?From the point of view of general common sense, Fu Zuoyi, who has connections with the Northwest Army and the Jin Army, is more appropriate to be the commander-in-chief. Chiang Kai-shek also thought so, but when appointing the commander-in-chief of the former enemy of the Seventh Army, Chiang Kai-shek still appointed Tang Enbo of the Central Military Department.Since Tang Enbo cannot command any troops other than the Central Army, when the military situation is urgent and it is necessary to formulate a comprehensive defense plan, only Tang Enbo, the commander of the 13th Army, the chairman of the Chahar Provincial Government and the commander of the 68th Army Liu Ruming and Gao Guizi, commander of the 17th Army, "deliberated and formulated".In order to save face for the local warlords, Tang Enbert asked Liu Ruming to serve as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Seventh Army.But two days later, when Chiang Kai-shek ordered Yan Xishan to transfer two divisions of the Jin army to support the flattening line, because he was worried that Yan Xishan would not buy Gu Zhutong's account, he also called "Fu Zuoyi the commander-in-chief of the group army" in his order. ——The issue of the command of the Pingsui line operation has become a mess before the battle is fought.As for the combat plan for the Pingsui line, Chiang Kai-shek's deployment is: Tang Enbo is in charge of operations in the Nankou area, Liu Ruming is in charge of operations in the Zhangjiakou area, and Fu Zuoyi is in charge of commanding the reserve forces. As a result, bigger problems followed: Liu Ruming refused to allow Tang Enbo's troops to pass through Zhangjiakou under his jurisdiction.The Thirteenth Army of the Chinese Army belongs to the direct line of the Central Army, under the jurisdiction of the 89th Division (division commander Wang Zhonglian) and the 4th Division (division commander Wang Wanling), which are Tang Enbo's basic troops and Chiang Kai-shek's direct line troops.In 1935, the army was transferred from Jiangxi to Tongguan, Shaanxi by Chiang Kai-shek; in the second year, it was ordered to transfer north again, and assembled in Fengzhen, east of Suiyuan and north of the Great Wall, for training.In July 1937, Army Commander Tang Enbo was summoned by Chiang Kai-shek, and the order he received was: the whole army should move east quickly and march to Nankou along the Pingsui Line.It is impossible to know why Chiang Kai-shek specifically ordered Tang Enbo's troops to take on combat missions instead of Liu Ruming's troops who were there when Nankou was already in danger.Perhaps Chiang Kai-shek believed that Nankou was too important to the situation in North China, and the troops of the local warlords were somewhat unreliable?Nankou was originally the sphere of influence of Liu Ruming, who was from the Northwest Army, but Chiang Kai-shek's combat deployment put it in the area defended by Tang Enbo.In this way, the Thirteenth Army will replace Liu Ruming's troops and take over the positions of Liu Ruming's troops at the same time.Whether it is changing defenses or taking over positions, the Thirteenth Army must pass through Zhangjiakou under the jurisdiction of Liu Ruming.Then, a strange thing happened: the train full of officers and soldiers of the Thirteenth Army stopped halfway, and then Liu Ruming's order came: The Thirteenth Army can go to Nankou, but it cannot pass through Zhangjiakou—to go to Nankou, no matter what Both railways and highways must pass through Zhangjiakou-this order means that Tang Enbo's troops cannot reach Nankou at all! Wu Shaozhou, chief of staff of the Thirteenth Army, took his staff officer Peng Jingqiu to Zhangjiakou to contact Liu Ruming.Liu Ruming said that the current problem in Nankou is not serious, and the Japanese army has no major movements.Yang Ran, Liu Ruming's chief of staff, went on to say that the Thirteenth Army is welcome to take over the defense, but the defense troops cannot pass through Zhangjiakou, because "passenger troops crossing the border will cause misunderstanding between the army and the people."When Gou Jitang, the deputy chief of staff of the Thirteenth Army, approached him again, Liu Ruming's answer was: "I am afraid that the army will cross the border, and the Japanese side will use it to provoke aggression." At this time, the Sino-Japanese War in North China was imminent, but Wu Shaozhou did not see any signs of war preparations in Zhangjiakou.The city has neither built barricades nor built any air defense facilities. The secret service agencies set up by the Japanese are still openly working in the Catholic Church, and Japanese people of all colors are still moving freely on the streets.During the four days from July 30 to August 3, Chiang Kai-shek called Liu Ruming directly or indirectly seven times. Each time, he asked whether the troops had assembled at the designated location, whether the railway line had been blown up, and how far the defense fortifications had been built. degree: ... Now that Pingjin has fallen, the traffic between Hebei and Chahar has been cut off, and my brother is alone in Zhang, so there is nothing to worry about.The points that should be paid attention to should be dealt with as follows: 1. The Qinglong Bridge and the railways around Badaling should be blown up as soon as possible, and they should not be used by the enemy.2. The defense fortifications that have been formed should be strengthened as much as possible and completed in a starry night.3. Decided to send the 84th Division Gao Guizi's Department to Zhangjiakou first to assist my brother in defending Zhangyuan, and rush to build nearby fortifications to prevent enemy tanks from invading our position.4. Zhang Yuan should stick to it so as not to lose it, and do his best to guard the land.5. Now that the Japanese pirates have occupied Pingjin, and the official war has begun, all people living in Zhang Zhiri will be expelled. Don't be perfunctory with them, you should cut off their contacts first.Sixth, the support of the brothers will be provided by the central government in the future.7. Is the railway along Qinglong Bridge vulnerable to damage?8. What is the construction degree and location of the defense fortification positions that have been built?9. How did Zhang Yuan deploy his defenses?Please reply in detail.10. In the future, the rear of the brothers should be based on Suiyuan. Please contact Director Yan and Chairman Fu earnestly.11. Commander Tang Enbo is in Suidong, and he can actually contact him. If necessary, he can be arranged to discuss everything with Zhang Yuan... No matter how anxious Chiang Kai-shek is, Liu Ruming's Zhangjiakou is still business as usual. Right now, he was in a hurry to send Wu Shaozhou away. The method was to send his communication chief to keep asking Wu Shaozhou's departure time, saying that Chairman Liu was going to give Chief of Staff Wu a train ticket. ——In the hearts of quite a few local Chinese warlords, the threat of the Japanese is far away, and the threat of Chiang Kai-shek's Central Army is just around the corner.Liu Ruming's real intention of refusing the Thirteenth Army to go to Nankou was well known to everyone: he was worried that Chiang Kai-shek would take the opportunity to wipe out his motley army, and then seize the territory belonging to the Northwest Army. Tang Enbo was furious and reported Liu Ruming's obstruction to Chiang Kai-shek, and Chiang Kai-shek immediately forwarded Tang Enbo's complaint telegram to Feng Yuxiang.Chiang Kai-shek's intention is: Didn't Feng Yuxiang claim to advocate resistance to Japan?Didn't he once criticize him for avoiding combat and passively resisting Japan?Now it is Feng Yuxiang's single-handedly selected general Liu Ruming who is undermining the resistance against Japan. Now he wants to see how Feng Yuxiang handles it.Feng Yuxiang instructed in the telegram transferred by Chiang Kai-shek: If the report is true, please take it according to law. ——Feng Yuxiang means: If my subordinates destroy the Anti-Japanese War, you just shoot him.It was impossible for Chiang Kai-shek to shoot Liu Ruming, so he had to invite out Lu Zhonglin, a veteran of the Northwest Army and deputy supervisor of the Military Law Executive Director Department.Lu Zhonglin’s journey to Zhangjiakou was very dangerous: the Japanese army had already started bombing the railway from Datong to Nankou. As soon as Lu Zhonglin’s train left Datong, the Datong station was bombed; when the train passed Xiahuayuan, the rails were blown up by the Japanese army , rush repairs until late at night before moving on.Lu Zhonglin finally arrived in Zhangjiakou, and Liu Ruming had to show face to his old boss, so he agreed to Tang Enbo's 13th Army to pass through Zhangjiakou, but on the condition that the troop trains were not allowed to stop in Zhangjiakou. Due to Liu Ruming's obstruction, the operation of the Thirteenth Army was delayed for four full days. As a result, it was violently bombed by Japanese aircraft since the operation of the army list.The Thirteenth Army, which was under bombardment, could only transport troops once a day, and only one regiment at a time. By August 3, only three regiments had been transported to Nankou.When the officers and soldiers of the Thirteenth Army arrived at Nankou, they found that Liu Ruming's troops had already withdrawn, and no one explained to them the situation of the defensive positions, and those "positions" that were called defense fortifications were actually piles of stones and dilapidated buildings. According to Chief of Staff Wu Shaozhou, "It's just a section of the Great Wall left by Qin Shihuang." The determination of the more than 20,000 officers and soldiers of the Thirteenth Army is great.Led by officers above the battalion commander, the officers and soldiers generally wrote a letter of determination to resist Japan, and threw away all their own things-"Except for the weapons needed on the battlefield, they did not bring anything else to show their determination. "Inconsistent with Feiyang's bloodiness, despite being the main force of the Chinese Army, the equipment of the Thirteenth Army is unbelievably poor: Artillery, only the 89th Division has nine large and official Japanese mountain cannons, and they are outdated old goods, with a range of up to 4,000 meters or 5,000 meters; the situation of other artillery is unknown, but it is not as good as the 80th Nine divisions.At that time, as far as I knew, the 4th Division only had a few small cannons, and two anti-aircraft guns that were pulled up the mountain by ropes. They were prototypes of the Soviet Union. It was only when they were used that they discovered that the shells they received were some test shells.In the Battle of Nankou, the enemy relied on superior artillery and bombarded our first line with mountain artillery, bombarded our second line with field artillery, and bombarded our third line with heavy artillery and railway heavy artillery at the same time every day.Not only can our army's mountain cannons and small cannons be unable to raise their heads, but even mortars and heavy machine guns will often stop in order to avoid exposing the target and dare not use them lightly. Chiang Kai-shek's expectation was that the Thirteenth Army, with the help and support of friendly forces, would try to prolong the time of sticking to the Nankou line as much as possible, delaying the Japanese army's attempt to attack Zhangjiakou and invade the North China flank from the north of Shanxi.On August 6, Chiang Kai-shek called Tang Enbo: ... Recently, the enemy will attack us at the south entrance. At this time, the brothers can only focus on fighting the enemy in front of us, and we can no longer worry about the enemies of Duolun and Zhangbei.It is expected that the enemy forces in this area will be able to concentrate in Chengde on the 15th day, and they will arrive in Chabei as scheduled at the beginning of next month.Therefore, within this month, brother can only deal with the enemy in front of him.However, the focus of our troops at present should be focused on the area west of Pingsui Road, and the rear contact line should be Huailai, Sangyuanbao, Xiangyu County, Guangling, and Hunyuan as the main line, instead of using Zhangkou as a base, then we can observe the enemy's situation in the north. Don't worry about it.If Nankou can be defended for half a month, all parties should come to help, and all can send troops... Tang Enbo firmly remembered Chiang Kai-shek's request to "stick to the half moon". That is to say, as long as his Thirteenth Army does not lose the Nankou position within fifteen days, even if there is only one hill left on the Nankou line, the task can be regarded as completed.However, Tang Enbo realized that half a month was too long when the Thirteenth Army and the Japanese army actually went to war. The defensive disposition of the Thirteenth Army was: 1. The front of the Pingsui Line along Badaling, Juyongguan, and Nankou is the combat area of ​​the 89th Division; Nankou Station and Longhutai (also known as Guan Gongling) to the southeast are the 529th Regiment of Luo Fanggui of the division Position, that is, the front line. 2. Deshengkou and Sulinkou, northeast of Nankou, are the positions of the 530th Regiment of Tan Naida of the 89th Division, which is the front line of the right wing. 3. Fenghuangtai and Qinglong Bridge north of Juyongguan are the positions of the reserve team of the 534th Regiment of Shu Rong of the 89th Division, that is, the second front line. 4. Chadao and Lijianzi near Badaling or Sanbao Station are the reserve team positions for Li Shouzheng's 533rd Regiment of the 89th Division. This regiment is located directly behind the 534th Regiment and is the third front line. 5. The area around Hengling City, Zhenbian City, and Shibajia (Great Wall Segmentation Road Gate) on the west side of Juyongguan is the combat area of ​​the 4th Division, that is, the left wing of Nankou.Its front line is in the mountainous area west of Hengling City, and the reserve team is located in Shibajia. 6. From the west of Juyongguan to the east of Hengling City, that is, the area between the 89th Division and the 4th Division, is the combat area of ​​Wu Shaozhou's detachment.The Wu Shaozhou detachment was composed of the 22nd Regiment of Liu Hanxing of the Fourth Division and the two regiments of the Zhu Huaibing Division of the Hebei People's Army who came as temporary reinforcements. 7. The artillery position of the 89th Division is located in the mountains south of Juyongguan; the artillery position of the 4th Division is near Hengling City. 8. The headquarters of the 89th Division is stationed at Kangzhuang Station, and its forward command post is located at Juyongguan.The headquarters of the Fourth Division is stationed in Hengling City, and the forward command post is about seven miles south of the city.Wu Shaozhou detachment headquarters in Zhenziling.The headquarters of the Thirteenth Army and its supplementary regiment were stationed in Huailai.Zhu Huaibing's reinforcements were stationed in Huailai. From the perspective of combat deployment, the Thirteenth Army of the Chinese Army put its main force on the frontal defense of Nankou, among which the 265th Brigade and regiments of the 89th Division were under the greatest pressure. The 11th Brigade of the Chinese Garrison that attacked Nankou was formed independently and mixed. It is famous for its strong pole in performing tasks alone and its fierce attack will.The brigade has jurisdiction over the Eleventh and Twelfth Infantry Regiments, the Eleventh Cavalry Regiment, the Eleventh Field Artillery Regiment, the Twelfth Mountain Artillery Regiment, the Eleventh Engineer Squadron and the Eleventh Supplied Squadron , with a strength of 4,095 people. Tang Enbo's follow-up troops of the Thirteenth Army were still marching towards Nankou, and the Japanese army had begun to bombard the Chinese defenders near Nankou Station on a large scale.On the morning of August 4th, the Japanese army launched an attack on Longhutai, the commanding height in front of the Nankou position.The Chinese defenders fought back fiercely, and the Japanese soldiers suffered casualties.In the afternoon, battles broke out in the mountains on both the east and west sides of Nankou, and Longhutai was still the main direction of the Japanese attack.Due to the violent bombardment of Japanese aircraft and artillery fire, the officers and soldiers of the Thirteenth Army suffered serious casualties.Five days later, tanks were added to the Japanese attack lineup. Under the cover of aircraft, tanks and artillery, the Japanese infantry began to storm the Chinese defenders' positions at Nankou.The attack on the Deshengkou position by the right wing was repelled by the 530th Regiment commanded by Commander Tan Naida.However, there was a tug-of-war of repeated competition in the Longhutai position.On the 7th, the Japanese army adopted the tactics of concentrated air force cover, and the infantry dispersed into small groups to advance tenaciously towards Longhutai.Because the attack had not been completed for a long time, at dusk of this day, the Japanese army used poison gas bombs. A reinforced platoon of the Chinese defenders on the Dragon and Tiger Terrace was all poisoned and killed. Tiger Terrace. The division commander Wang Zhonglian strictly ordered Li Xian, the brigade commander of the 265th brigade, to take back the position, but the brigade commander "squatting in the shelter since the beginning of the battle, terrified, crying to Wang Zhonglian several times".Division commander Wang Zhonglian had no choice but to personally lead a battalion of the army's supplementary regiment to reinforce Nankou Station, and ordered Li Jin, commander of the second battalion of the 59th Regiment of Luo Fanggui, to lead two nightly counterattacks against Longhutai.Battalion Commander Li and his night raid team were really brave, killed more than 20 Japanese soldiers, captured two alive, and took back Longhutai at the cost of more than 50 casualties.On the morning of the 8th, the artillery fire of the Japanese army carried out a retaliatory bombardment on the Longhutai position. The headquarters of the 529th regiment was completely blown up, and the people in the headquarters were buried inside.Master Wang Zhonglian reported this situation to Tang Enbo, and the news quickly appeared in major newspapers in Nanjing and Shanghai, with the headline "Luo Fanggui's Whole Regiment Martyred for the Country"——Regimental Commander Luo escaped from danger after being injured, and the newspaper showed that The anxiety shown shows that the whole of China is extremely concerned about the Nankou operation.On the evening of the 8th, Tang Enbo decided to abandon Nankou Station and focus on the defense at Longhutai.The troops had just been adjusted, and the artillery sounded again at dawn on the 9th.Still under the cover of tanks, the Japanese army launched an offensive to the frontal position at Nankou again.The fierce offensive and defensive by the two sides had lasted for four days. The Japanese army began to strengthen the coordination of infantry and used the tactics of multiple infiltration with small forces to gradually reduce the casualties, while the casualties of the Chinese defenders continued to increase.Especially under the bombardment of the Japanese army's fierce artillery fire, the fortifications on the positions of the Chinese defenders had become a piece of scorched earth. When the Japanese artillery shells fell like locusts, the Chinese defenders had no hiding place at all.The limited artillery of the Thirteenth Army could not suppress the Japanese artillery fire. On the contrary, as long as the artillery was fired, it would lead to a fierce Japanese attack on the Chinese artillery positions.Because they kept avoiding the shelling and had almost no chance to fight back, the Chinese defenders became anxious. The officers and soldiers thought that it would be better to fight for one's life than to be killed by the bombing, so they all demanded to carry out short and active assaults and fight hand-to-hand.The division commander Wang Zhonglian believed that the morale was available, so he organized some small mobile units to continuously attack the Japanese army no matter day or night. Faced with a sudden increase in casualties again, the Japanese attack began to slow down.On the 10th, Tang Enbo visited Juyongguan to inspect the battle situation.After consulting with Commander Wang Zhonglian, it was decided to lay mines in the forward position to block the assault of Japanese tanks, and at the same time destroy the railway bridges and culverts between Qinglong Bridge and Nankou Station, and hide the train locomotives in the Nankou Rolling Stock Factory to avoid the enemy. .Before Tang Enbo left Juyongguan, the report came: the Longhutai position was lost again. On the 11th, the main force of the 11th Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army continued to attack Nankou, and another brigade was sent to assist the Great Wall Line on the west side of Nankou.Close-range hand-to-hand combat took place on every position of the Chinese garrison, and by the time it got dark, the Chinese garrison had suffered hundreds of casualties.The next day, Japanese reinforcements arrived on the battlefield.The Japanese army immediately assembled more than 5,000 infantry, more than 30 tanks, and a large number of artillery, and launched a full-line attack on the Chinese defenders' positions such as Nankou, Huyu, Sulinkou, and Deshengkou.Between Longhutai and Nankou, a platoon of Chinese defenders were all killed, and the position was torn apart by the Japanese.When the Japanese tanks rushed up, the Chinese defenders had no anti-tank weapons and no actual combat experience in fighting tanks, so they could only fight desperately.Long Guiquan, commander of the Seventh Company of the 529th Regiment, led two platoons of soldiers to face the tanks that were firing wildly from the Japanese army. As long as they were not killed, they would jump on the tanks, lift the lid and stuff grenades into them. In the end, more than half of the two platoons were killed. The price destroyed six Japanese tanks.At this time, the 529th Regiment, which was located in the front line of Nankou, had been fighting hard for eight days, and there were only more than 400 people left in the regiment.Shu Rong's 534th Regiment and the two battalions of the Army Supplementary Regiment brought by Commander Wang Zhonglian were all added to the frontline positions.In the brutal tug-of-war, witnessing the scene of corpses strewn across the field, the Chinese officers and soldiers on the front line turned red-eyed, and the company commander, platoon leader, and squad leader began to compete for victory in regaining the mountain, knowing that there was nothing to be done but to risk their lives for it. This brutal bloody battle made the Chinese defenders almost crazy, and the Japanese army encountered a tenacious resistance they had never expected.In the end, despite paying a high price, the Japanese attack on Nankou still failed to make progress. On the thirteenth day of the war, Tang Enbo ordered to abandon the first line of Nankou, and the remaining troops on the first line retreated northward and moved to the main positions of Badaling and Juyongguan. "Mr. Tang Enbo became so thin as a result of day and night hard work." Fan Changjiang, a famous reporter who always interviewed at the front line, wrote, "Two eyes were deeply sunken, and the whole body was skinny and bony. We were amazed that he wasted It was so severe that it was almost unrecognizable. It turned out that the Japanese army who stormed Nankou, under the condition of superior force and weapons, Tang Enbo really encountered an unprecedented formidable enemy, so he worked day and night and commanded meticulously. He had not had a chance to sleep for half a month. Close to the phone map all day long, always pay attention to the movement of the enemy inch by foot, we have fought one after another. Since he entered the anti-Japanese war, he suffered unexpected blows from ordinary people, and he felt very sad. Some people mentioned such sad things , Tang Zhe didn't say anything, but seeing his tears often filled his eyes, he was fascinated by the guests silently. People are not afraid of external powerful enemies, but avoid internal difficulties. Tang's situation can only be understood by those who are in the situation. Knowing that there is unspeakable pain." What is the "unspeakable pain" that made Commander Tang Enbo burst into tears? Tang Enbo, thirty-eight years old at the time, was born in Lingxia Village, Wuyi County, Zhejiang Province in September 1899. His ancestors were ordinary farmers for generations.At the age of nineteen, he graduated from Hangzhou Junior College and joined Chen Yi, the commander of the Zhejiang Army, as a platoon leader.The Zhejiang army was quickly defeated by the Beiyang warlord Sun Chuanfang, and Tang Enbo's short military career ended.Soon, a wealthy businessman from his hometown needed to accompany him to study in Japan. Tang Enbo volunteered to go to Japan with the wealthy businessman.He hoped to enter the Japanese Non-commissioned Officer Academy, but he could not because there was no recommendation from military and political dignitaries. He entered the law department of Meiji University to study political economy.Soon the wealthy businessman returned to China. In order to maintain his studies, he opened a restaurant in Tokyo. The small restaurant closed down after two years, and Tang Enbo was forced to drop out of school and return to China.Fortunately, he met his teacher Chen Yi again and received great support. Not only did he enter Japan again to study artillery at the non-commissioned officer school he had dreamed of, but he also met and married the niece of teacher Chen Yi who was studying in Japan.After returning to China again, his teacher Chen Yi had attached himself to Chiang Kai-shek. Tang Enbo followed Chen Yi and served as the commander of the cadet company of the First Army Division, and then served as the military instructor and cadet team leader of the Central Army School.In 1930, the Central Army School was established as a teacher. At the age of 31, Tang Enbo was promoted to the Major General of the First Brigade of the Second Division, and then participated in the Central Plains War launched by Chiang Kai-shek, Feng Yuxiang, and Yan Xishan. After the war, he was promoted to the Fourth Division Deputy division commander and commander of the eighteenth brigade.Tang Enbo's principle of conduct is: "I only obey the orders of the chairman, and I ignore other people." Sure enough, his loyalty led him to promotion all the way. He successively served as the commander of the second division and the commander of the 89th division. Until 1935, he was promoted to the commander of the Thirteenth Army. Tang Enbo, who was caught in the bitter battle at Nankou, was extremely anxious. As a general of the Central Army, Chiang Kai-shek took orders from his ears and did not dare to be sloppy in combat.However, if the fight continues like this, the Thirteenth Army, which started its own business, will definitely be wiped out. This is equivalent to squandering all the family property as the Chinese say; but if Nankou is lost, the head may be squandered by myself. At that time, the family property also did not exist.This is really a dilemma.Moreover, as the central army, it is inconvenient to fight here.His boss, Fu Zuoyi, used to be a subordinate of Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan, and as a subordinate of Chiang Kai-shek, he fought bloody battles with Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan in the Central Plains War. The old enmity cannot be wiped out by shouting "anti-Japanese".Therefore, on the battlefield of Nankou, the Thirteenth Army always seemed to be a lone army, which made him very uneasy.In addition, there is the even more disturbing problem of traitors - "there are so many traitors that it is appalling."The magistrate of Huailai County openly declared that traitors are an "incurable disease" in this area. "The enemy uses the traitors as espionage, as instructions for the aircraft, destroys communication agencies, disrupts transportation, and disrupts the army. The evil results of the politics of the police.” The Chinese army fought in the mainland, and there was “no day of peace.” “The Chinese have a bad conscience” may be one reason; at the same time, how should we understand the evil results of the politics of Hebei and Chase "What about this sentence? Right now, apart from directing operations, the most important thing for Tang Enbo is to constantly urge reinforcements.In order to get the reinforcements he was waiting for, he did not hesitate to call and telegraph several times a day. Even when he clearly felt that Chiang Kai-shek was a little annoyed by his cry, he still persisted in requesting immediate reinforcements.On the 18th, half a month had passed, Tang Enbo received a telegram from Chiang Kai-shek: Even if the Great Wall line breaks through, our army should still stick to the strongholds according to the predetermined plan, wait for reinforcements to counterattack, and never retreat across the board.The Ministry of Wei (Wei Lihuang) has urged Xingye to rush in. Wei Lihuang's Fourteenth Group Army had already dispatched from Baoding, and was rushing northward to reinforce the Nankou battlefield.Due to the fall of Pingjin, Wei Lihuang's troops could not be transported directly by railway or road, and had to detour through the mountains west of Beiping.Chiang Kai-shek ordered Sun Lianzhong's First Army to send some troops to occupy the high ground northwest of Fangshan to cover the Fourteenth Army's northward advance; then Chiang Kai-shek called Fu Zuoyi and asked him to send reinforcements from Suiyuan to Tang Enbo's Thirteenth Army: ，勿使其孤军受危、南口失陷，国家民族，实利赖之。” 在平绥前线的汤恩伯，接到死守南口的命令的同时获悉张治中在上海战场也与日军血拼上了。接着，他终于等来了一部分援军：朱怀冰的第九十四师和李仙洲的第二十一师。 但是，从日本本土开来的日军第五师团也抵达了战场。 第五师团是日本陆军的精锐部队，师团长板垣征四郎中将，下辖国崎登少将指挥的步兵第九旅团和十一旅团，还有师团直属的骑兵、野炮兵、辎重兵、工兵各一个联队，附属通讯队、卫生队以及野战医院。 第五师团加入战斗序列后，中国守军的防线危在旦夕。 十六日，日军新一轮的攻击开始。 居庸关的正面是第八十九师五三四团，右翼是五三三团，师长王仲廉的指挥部就设在关上。居庸关山谷幽深，山岭险峻，日军一度冲入前沿，中国守军连长牛桂卿等阵亡，幸存官兵在弹药用尽后抱起山上的石头迎敌。但是，当日军再次集中兵力和火力发起强攻时，中国守军的主要阵地相继丢失，从而导致防御线全线动摇。中国守军的勤杂人员、炊事兵和马夫等都参加了搏斗，直到李仙洲的增援部队抵达后，阵地才被暂时稳定。这个时候，日军突然放缓了对居庸关的攻击——日军改变了主攻方向和战术：第五师团出动直扑长城关口，其第二十一旅团的第四十二联队快速攻占了长城防线上的最高峰一三九〇高地，随即居高临下开始攻击从一三九〇高地至镇边城间的各个要隘。日军企图以侧翼迂回的战术突破中国守军的长城防线，夺取怀来，切断居庸关方向中国守军的退路，瓦解中国军队的整个防线。 至此，第十三军第四师的防线也开始承受巨大压力。 汤恩伯还在不断地求援。 第二战区司令长官阎锡山命令傅作义增援第十三军。此前，阎锡山曾命令刘汝明的第六十八军和赵承绶的骑兵第一军向张北、商都一带的伪蒙军实施攻击，以册应南口方向的作战，减轻第十三军的压力。傅作义执行了这一决定，向商都发起了猛攻。商都是察南重镇，对其实施攻击，一能巩固绥远的战略防御，二可维护张家口侧背的安全。傅作义的部队突袭不成改为强攻，最终以伤亡官兵两百余人、毙伤敌伪三百余人的战果收复商都。但是，刘汝明却没有执行阎锡山的命令，他的第六十八军主力第一四三师“仍分驻张垣、宣化、逐鹿一带”。刘汝明的自保，使得张家口的侧背处在日军的威胁之下。因此，当阎锡山命令傅作义再次增援时，傅作义认为张家口的暴露令他无法确保部队迅速抵达南口方向，但他可以再次出击张北，以加强张家口侧背的安全。傅作义的建议遭到阎锡山的斥责。不得已，傅作义率第七十二师（师长陈长捷〉及第二〇〇旅、第二一一旅和独立第七旅驰援南口方向。 这时候，卫立煌的增援部队已经接近周口店一线。 十九日，第十三军的全线防御阵地都遭到日军空前猛烈的攻击，双方在黄楼院、禾子涧、沙锅铺、八五〇髙地一带反复争夺，几乎每一个阵地上都出现了近距离的肉搏战，以致一天之内拼死抵抗的中国守军伤亡达一千二百人以上。 二十日，傅作义赶到了怀来。 这是居庸关与张家口之间的一个小城，汤恩伯的前敌指挥部就设在这里。傅作义和汤恩伯紧急商讨战场局势，特别是增援部队抵达后的作战方向和任务。就在这时候，卫立煌的电报到了，说他指挥的第十师、第八十三师和第八十五师已分别从涿县、周口店和涞水兼程北上，预计二十一日抵达战场。傅作义和汤恩伯立即商定当援军到达后如何对当面日军实施反击以期把日军赶出整个长城线。 汤恩伯终于松了一口气，第十三军的苦日子就要结束了。 但是，谁也没有料到，战场形势竟然瞬间急转直下。 傅作义一直担心的张家口方向突然出现了巨大危机：由强悍的关东军组成的察哈尔兵团，在参谋长东条英机中将的率领下，已从察北方向直扑张家口。 无论是张家口，还是察哈尔全省，始终是关东军觊觎的目标。 南口战役尚未爆发，日军中国驻屯军已针对张家口制订出作战计划：“逐步集中的第五师团及铃木兵团，从平绥沿线地区开始作战，席卷察哈尔省，进入陕西北部及绥远地区。为此，须与关东军紧密协作。这一战，至少应在主力决战之前占领张家口附近。”尽管作战计划只要求关东军“紧密协作”，但无论是东京的参谋本部，还是天津的驻屯军司令部，谁都知道关东军对此次作战有着“异常的热情”，而关东军自己对于这种“异常”的解释是：为了“满洲国”的“国防”安全。 关东军察哈尔兵团一个步兵支队十三日到达沽源，一个步兵大队十四日到达张北，一个步兵联队十九日到达张北，一个混成旅团十八日从承德出发目的地是张北，另一个混成旅团十八日从通州出发目的地是万全。——关东军已经从张家口的东北和西北方向全线压来，一旦占领张家口，就能与从居庸关向北进攻的第五师团会合，彻底打通平绥线。 张家口的中国守军，主力是刘汝明的第六十八军。根据张家口三面环山的地形，刘汝明把保安第二旅布防于张北与长城之间，独立第四十旅布防于长城内的膳房堡以北，军主力第一四三师以及傅作义的增援部队第二〇〇旅布防于万全附近，保安第七旅布防于崇礼以南。 二十日，关东军察哈尔兵团以第二混成旅团为前锋，在飞机和坦克的协助下向张北地区实施突击。刘汝明部的保安第二旅抵挡不住，旅长马玉田阵亡，官兵死伤数百，退守至距张家口八十里的神威台阵地。二十三日，日军攻击神威台，同时迂回万全。神威台的中国守军在三名营长相继阵亡后丢失了阵地。二十四日，防守万全县城的中国守军拼死血战，当城门被日军猛烈的炮火轰塌后，营长舒效孔在巷战中阵亡，他指挥的一个加强营官兵伤亡殆尽，万全县城失守。关东军沿着公路开始向张家口急进，张家口的失陷只是时间问题了。 为了保住张家口，准备增援南口方向的傅作义的部队半路返回，而汤恩伯日夜盼望的卫立煌的部队也没能如期抵达。卫立煌的部队刚一动身就遭到日军的顽强阻击。日军第六师团第三十六旅团（旅团长牛岛满）编成的牛岛支队，获悉卫立煌部增援南口的情报后，立即进入门头沟以西地区实施阻击。卫立煌的第八十三师一直苦战到二十四日才得以摆脱日军。可部队没走出多远又被永定河挡住了脚步：连日大雨，永定河河水泛滥，没有渡河装备的部队过不去。 几近绝望的汤恩伯紧急缩短战线，他将防区分成了几个固守的据点：居庸关据点由第八十九师和第二十一师固守，横岭城据点由第七十二师和第四师固守，延庆据点由第九十四师固守，怀来据点由独立第七旅固守。 汤恩伯的命令是：没有命令不得退却。 蒋介石的命令是：死守勿退。 但是，横岭城方向，镇边城方向，中国守军皆因伤亡殆尽终致阵地失守。 二十五日下午，日军坦克冲过了居庸关。 二十五日夜，汤恩伯急电蒋介石报告战况。蒋介石对汤恩伯的回复是：反正是一死，逃跑而死，不如固守而死。 urgent.怀来。汤总指挥勋鉴：有（二十五日）酉（下午五时至七时）电悉。我军必须死守现地，切勿再退；否则，到处皆是死地。与其退而死，不如固守而死，况固守以待卫（卫立煌）军之联络，即是生路。此时唯一生机，惟力图与卫联络之一途而已。中正手启。寝（二十六日）午。 汤恩伯根本联络不上卫立煌。 卫立煌的第十四集团军仍停留在河水暴涨的永定河的上游。 汤恩伯不想死。 二十六日十三时三十分，他下达了南口守军全军突围的命令。 当日，日军第五师团占领怀来。 接着，日军独立混成第十一旅团占领延庆。 汤恩伯的部队刚刚突围而出，卫立煌的前锋部队第十师抵达镇边城。发现汤恩伯已经撤离后，第十师立即回撤至房山，然后越过拒马河，直抵保定以西的满城，再沿平汉路西侧越过大沙河，一直回撤到了石家庄。 南口一线全部丟失后，日军于南北两面向张家口压来，刘汝明不得不下达撤退令。二十六日，张家口陷落。日军占领张家口后，沿平绥线继续推进，致使张家口以东以北地区全部被日军占领。 南口之战，双方伤亡数字，各类档案史料统计差别甚大。如取平均数值，中国军队伤亡约两万六千余人，日军伤亡约两千六百余人，比例仍是十比一。 因为《大公报》记者始终在南口前线即时报道，汤恩伯得以名传全中国。汤恩伯自己也认为，除了“固守而死”他没有做到外，他和他的第十三军没有别的过失：防守时间超出了蒋介石的规定；南口最终全线失守在于侧背突然受敌，而侧背张家口的失守责在刘汝明。 南口之战，由于战场指挥不统一，各部队难以协同作战，官兵武器装备以及作战素质有严重欠缺等因素，面对强大的日军，中国军队没有长期固守的任何可能。因此，以一场血战显示中国人的不屈与无畏，称之为一场胜利并不言过其实，尽管中国军队的防守仅仅坚持了十几天。对此，共产党中央机关刊物发表短评：“不管南口阵地事实上的失却，然而这一页光荣的战史，将永远与长城各口抗战、淞沪两次战役鼎足而三，长久活在每一个中华儿女的心中。”“我们不否认南口的失守，对整个抗战战局是增加了一个困难，也不否认察绥咽喉的放弃，是增加了黄河下游各省的危险。然而，南口抗战的英勇，全国民众对南口抗战的后援与拥护的热烈气象，给了我们证明，不管多大的困难，都是可以克服的。中华民族绝不会灭亡！” 可是，南口战役之后，面对日军自北向南的全面进攻，驻防华北的数十万中国军队却如同洪水决堤般地退败了。 日军没有料到南口方向的作战推进如此之快，战场态势的改变令日军认为：可以在平汉路的保定与津浦路的沧州一线与中国军队决战了。只是，日军必须投入更多的兵力才能确保决战的胜利。 八月中旬，南口方向作战还在进行时，日军参谋本部提出应再动员四个师团加入中国战场。参谋本部的用意是：尽快解决中国问题的唯一方法，是动用大兵力迅速把中国军队彻底击垮。——“通过华北会战获得一个大的胜利，以迅速结束战局而不至陷于持久战争……通过平定华北重要地区可以促使南京政府反省，在二个月以至半年以内，大概就能取得政治上的解决。”日本人之所以仍旧希图“迅速”解决，还是因为“满洲国”北面苏联军队的军事存在是其心腹之患。二十四日，日本内阁会议同意动员四个师团投入中国战场，陆军大臣杉山元对于阁员们的询问是这样回答的：不是问进攻到什么地方蒋介石才能屈服吗？“将要到来的华北会战正是这样的一战”！ 三十一日，日军参谋本部发布命令，修改中国驻屯军编制，编成华北方面军以及临时航空兵团、铁道部队和通讯部队。 华北方面军战斗序列如下： 华北方面军司令部（司令官寺内寿一大将）。 第一军：第一军司令部（军司令官香月清司中将），第六师团（师团长谷寿夫中将），第十四师团（师团长土肥原贤二中将），第二十师团（师团长川岸文三郎中将），战车第一、第二大队，独立山炮兵第一、第三联队，野战重炮兵第一、第三联队，独立野战重炮兵第八联队，第一军通信队。 第二军：第二军司令部（军司令官西尾寿造中将）、第十师团（师团长矶谷廉介中将）、第十六师团（师团长中岛今朝吾中将）、第一〇八师团（师团长下元熊弥中将）、野战重炮兵第六旅团、第二军通信队。 第五师团（师团长板垣征四郎中将）。 第一〇九师团（师团长山冈重厚中将）。 中国驻屯军混成旅团（旅团长山下奉文少将）。 临时航空兵团（兵团长德川好敏中将）。 华北方面军直属防空部队。 独立攻城重炮兵第一、第二大队。 华北方面军通信队、铁道队、直属兵站部队。 中国驻屯军宪兵队。 以上部队，加之特种部队以及关东军察哈尔兵团，兵力共计约三十七万。 此时，担任华北地区防御任务的中国军队，为隶属第一、第二战区的部队，其战斗序列是： 第一战区： 第一集团军（总司令宋哲元），辖第五十九军（西北军，军长宋哲元兼）、第七十七军（西北军，军长冯治安）、第五十三军（东北军，军长万福麟）、第六十七军（东北军，军长吴克仁）、第二军团（军团长庞炳勋）、第四十军（西北军，军长庞炳勋兼）、第四十九军（东北军，军长刘多荃）、骑兵第三军（军长郑大章）。 第二集团军（总司令刘峙），辖第一军团（军团长孙连仲）、第五十二军（中央军，军长关麟征）、第三十二军（晋军，军长商震）、第三军（滇军，军长曾万钟）、集团军直属部队、骑兵第四军（东北军，军长檀自新）。 第十四集团军（总司令卫立煌），辖第十四军（西北军，军长李默庵）。 挺进军（司令马占山）、特种兵部队。 第二战区： 第六集团军（总司令杨爱源），辖第三十三军（晋军，军长孙楚）、第三十四军（晋军，军长杨澄源）。 第七集团军（总司令傅作义），辖第三十五军（军长傅作义兼）、第六十一军（晋军，军长李服膺）、第六十八军（西北军，军长刘汝明）、第十七军（西北军，军长高桂滋）、第十三军（中央军，军长汤恩伯）、集团军直属部队。 预备军（总司令阎锡山），辖第八路军（总指挥朱德）、第十九军（晋军，军长王靖国）、骑兵第一军（晋军，军长赵承绶）。 以上部队共二十四个军、五十三个师、二十一个旅，加上其他部队，兵力约六十万人。 九月四日，华北方面军司令官寺内寿一抵达天津，当日即制订了华北会战指导方案，总方针是：“在保定—沧州一线的附近努力围歼进入该线及其附近的中国军队。为此，以平汉线地区为主决战方面，预定决战时间大概为十月上旬。”具体作战方案是： 第一军在北平集结完毕后，第二十师团于平汉线西侧，“以急袭突破敌阵地，以机动部队神速占据敌阵地后面的交通要点”，阻断敌之退路；第六师团和第十四师团于平汉线东侧发起攻击，与第二军相配合，“在正定（平汉路）—沧州（津浦路）大道以北地区围歼敌主力”。第一军进行上述作战的同时，华北方面军主力部队于九月中旬前后推进至保定以北，从西面的易县至东面的霸县一线，对保定至沧州一线发起攻击。“若敌人很快退却，一举向顺德—德县一线追击，在该线以北地区围歼所在之敌”。航空兵团初期协同第一军“消灭敌先头兵团”，之后“要尽力阻止敌人撤退，切断来援的增援兵团，为此，要伺机轰炸黄河桥梁”。 中国军队第二十九军从北平一直撤退到保定。不久，接到命令开赴津浦线上的唐官屯、马厂一线阻击南下的日军。到达预定地域后，第二十九军主力沿着减河将第三十八师放在了铁路以东，第三十七师放在了铁路以西，第三十七师的六五七团是全军的前沿。 在津浦线上的减河边抗击日军的那群红脸汉子，终于等来了主力。 自卢沟桥事变以来，华北的大雨就没有中断过。沿着津浦铁路南下的日军第十师团在向中国守军六五七团前沿阵地发起攻击时，大雨倾盆，四野汪洋。泥里水里，六五七团坚守不退，几天下来全团两千四百多人只剩下七百多人，连排长伤亡过半，两名营长身负重伤。团长王维贤不断地向军部请求增援，但却总是没有回音。此时，第二十九军正奉命扩编为第一集团军，原来的各师都扩编为军，第三十七师和第十八师扩编为第五十九军，第一四三师、独立第四十旅扩编为第六十八军，河北保安第一、第二旅改编为第一八师。部队扩编等于原地升官，又是国民政府的委任，将领们自然忙成团。而在前沿苦战的王团长用电话找遍了旅部、师部和军部，都没找到自己的长官。眼见部队要打光了，日军随时可能突破前沿阵地，王团长只好直接找到了集团军总部。可是，军扩编成了“集团军”，师长们都当上了军长，高官多管事的人反而少了。新任第一集团军总司令宋哲元正在山东养病，职务由新任第七十七军军长冯治安代理，第七十七军军长职务由新任第三十七师师长刘自珍代理，王维贤团长找了半天，只找到个参谋处长李剑飞，得到的回答是立即增援。直到第二天下午，也未见增援部队抵达。天黑时分，好容易上来两个营，可是阵地已经垮了。往后撤退的时候，传来代总司令冯治安的命令：谁丢了阵地砍谁的头！王维贤又冤枉又害怕，经过哭诉和申诉，虽然没被砍头，但被命立即收复阵地