Chapter 22 Chapter Twenty-One
On New Year's Day, 1940, Chiang Kai-shek broadcast a precept:
Our Chinese material civilization is relatively backward, and it is suitable for this great era of hardships and hardships. The two major undertakings of the War of Resistance and the founding of the country must be completed together during this period. Everyone is responsible.” Today, when the survival of the entire country is at the critical moment, everyone has a conscience and ability, which must be used to be loyal to the country and filial piety to the ancestors of the nation. Everyone should be like the ancients said, “You can always die with your heart. , Act step by step to survive", exert our great power of loyalty and filial piety, break through this life-and-death juncture, and complete the great cause of national rejuvenation with a mortal determination.Contribute all one's time, energy, intelligence, and even life to the country without reservation... "As long as you are sincere, gold and stone can be opened." Once you have spirit, a piece of material can be used for very material, and you can use the power of spirit. The creation of many new substances will naturally increase our strength of resistance and nation building infinitely.But everyone should reflect on themselves, have we established the unanimous belief in the Three People's Principles?Has the morality of saving the country been practiced?Has it been determined that the country is supreme, the nation is supreme, the military is first, victory is first, the will is concentrated, and the strength is concentrated, so as to achieve the absolute unity of the whole country?Is it true that everyone's spiritual power can be used as much as possible, so that all difficulties and hardships have ways to overcome?Have you already established the determination to sacrifice your life for righteousness and the awareness that there is no escape in the face of adversity? ...In short, the general mobilization of the spirit is a major event related to the survival of the country, the life and death of the nation, and the success or failure of the War of Resistance. The completion of this major event requires everyone to seek truth from facts and practice by example in order to achieve results.Now that the foundation of our victory has been established, the question is whether we can achieve the two words of "true" and "practice"... I would like to encourage the people of the country to complete this great event, commemorate the difficulties created by the Republic of China, and come to comfort The martyrs who created the Republic of China, and the souls of the fallen soldiers and compatriots who died in the war of resistance against Japan...
China's national spirit is an old problem.
As soon as Chiang Kai-shek's words fell, the traitors from the north and the south of China gathered in Nanjing.
On March 30, 1940, after more than a year of conspiracy and planning, the Puppet National Government headed by Wang Jingwei was established in Nanjing under the direction of the Japanese.In the early morning of this day, in the devastated city of Nanjing, under the bayonets of Japanese soldiers, the flag of Wang Jingwei’s puppet regime was hoisted. On the flag of the Republic of China, which was full of red in the blue sky and white sun, a yellow triangle was hung on it, with the words "peacefully oppose the Communist Party and build the country", Using regular script, official script, running script and cursive script respectively, it looks like the weirdest "national flag" in the world anyway.
In order to establish a puppet regime and "return the capital" to Nanjing, Wang Jingwei went through all kinds of troubles.After luckily escaping the assassination of the military reunification agent, Wang Jingwei was about to leave Hanoi for Shanghai, and a large number of Japanese soldiers in suits were ordered to escort him all the way.Wang Jingwei not only wanted to cooperate with the Japanese, but also wanted to avoid the suspicion of treachery, so he refused to take the "Beiguang Maru" ship prepared by the Japanese, and specially rented a small French freighter with only 760 tons.However, the small French freighter was hit by a storm before going far, and was finally rescued by the "Northern Light Maru" with a carrying capacity of 5,500 tons.When he arrived in Shanghai, for safety reasons, Wang Jingwei directly lived in the heavily guarded Doihara Kenji Mansion.At this time, Wang Jingwei discovered that the Japanese only regarded him as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Chiang Kai-shek, and had no will to support him in establishing a puppet regime.
After the time entered 1939, the Japanese side finally realized that the war had turned into a long-term situation that they least wanted to see. Therefore, they had to adjust the guidelines guiding the war against China. Sustained self-sufficiency, obtaining all kinds of resources needed in all occupied areas, using every opportunity to weaken China's anti-Japanese forces, and not granting "special independence" to the local regimes it supports - "China's future political form can be divided and ruled cooperative system".The Japanese did not see Wang Jingwei as having the leverage to bring China to its knees and end the war.Wang Jingwei eagerly expressed his wish to the Japanese: the most important thing is to establish a "peaceful government" with military strength.He told the Japanese that only such a "central government" could achieve "sincere cooperation" between China and Japan.Unlike the agreement reached with the Japanese before fleeing Chongqing, Wang Jingwei planned to set up a "new government" to compete with the Chongqing Nationalist Government in southwest China, that is, in areas not occupied by the Japanese army; Establishing a "peaceful government" in the Japanese-occupied area means that his "peaceful government" will be a traitorous government that is exactly the same as the puppet regimes in North China and Central China.Wang Jingwei's throwing himself into the arms is not what the Japanese want most—"From a practical point of view, the central government to be established in the future can be imagined as the following two types: the first type is as expected by the command. Disintegrate the Chongqing government, merge the Chongqing government to a certain extent, and establish a central government. In this case, as the only central government in China, negotiate with it and gradually transfer the position of the Japanese army to the Chinese army. The second type is that the new government did not merge the Chongqing government, and it can be expected that there will be a state of confrontation between the new government and the Chongqing government at this time. Therefore, in this case, under the strong guidance of Japan, the central government has become A puppet regime, the incident will not be truly resolved. In case of such a situation, in terms of the army, it is more important than establishing a regime, to have the determination to have a large-scale and protracted war.” The fundamental original intention of the Japanese, Or let the national government that persisted in the war of resistance either succumb, collapse, or disintegrate.The three years of war have proved that as long as the Nationalist Government is still leading China's war of resistance, and as long as the Nationalist Government is still in the same anti-Japanese camp as the Chinese Communists, the Japanese must bear the burden of protracted combat on the Chinese battlefield.Therefore, the hope of the Japanese is that a "new government" will be formed by a person who has strong political power and can influence the generals of the Chinese army. This will be enough to gradually weaken and eventually crush Chiang Kai-shek's national government.
Wang Jingwei had to go to Japan in person to meet and negotiate with Japanese military and political officials.Wang Jingwei hoped to form a unique "central government", and for this purpose, the "established government" previously supported by the Japanese in China had to be disbanded.But the Japanese firmly stated: Wang Jingwei cannot touch all the places occupied by the Japanese army.Minister of the Army Seishiro Itagaki said to Wang Jingwei: "Northern China is a special combination area of national defense and economics between Japan and China, Mongolia and Xinjiang are an anti-communist area especially for the defense of the Soviet Union, and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River are the areas where Japan and China have the closest economic cooperation. According to the characteristics of each region, and with reference to the close relationship between Japan and China, it is necessary to maintain the relationship between the previous provisional and reform governments and Japan in a certain form of organization. The South China coast, due to the need for national defense in the south, It is mainly a matter of the navy, but we must consider the special relationship between the two countries in terms of national defense." In the twenty-day negotiations, apart from facing various restrictions imposed by the Japanese and enduring all kinds of humiliation imposed by the Japanese, Wang Jingwei did not have any substantive issues. harvest.
Wang Jingwei left Japan by boat.After returning to China, he began to meet with Wang Kemin, the leader of the puppet regime in North China, and Liang Hongzhi, the leader of the puppet regime in Shanghai, to discuss the formation of a "government".In order to preserve their turf, the leaders of the puppet regimes all gave Wang Jingwei a cold face. Wang Kemin in North China even publicly announced that his "provisional government" would never support Wang Jingwei's "any venture".In order to show that he is the veteran leader of the Kuomintang, Wang Jingwei convened a "Sixth National Congress of the Kuomintang".But after searching for a long time, they still couldn't get the representative number of 300 people, so they had to get the seven aunts and eight aunts of Zhou Fohai and others to make up the number. The "Congress" announced to the outside world that it was a "three-day grand meeting", but in fact it was only half a day in a superficial way.Then, Wang Jingwei began to plan to establish a puppet central party headquarters, and fought openly and secretly with the two existing puppet regimes in the north and south. ——Wang Jingwei finally understood that he must wholeheartedly rely on the Japanese in order to finally achieve his goal. Therefore, in the subsequent negotiations with Japan, he agreed to almost all the harsh conditions of losing power and humiliating the country, including "China recognizes the Manchurian Empire"" Accept Japan's requirements on matters necessary for military affairs," "development and utilization of specific resources necessary for national defense," etc.For the Japanese, the aggression against China's sovereignty and interests was finally guaranteed in the form of a treaty; for Wang Jingwei, his "central government" could finally be formed on the premise of treason.Wang Jingwei's outright surrender to the enemy and treason made his former cronies Tao Xisheng and Gao Zongwu extremely embarrassed.Tao Xisheng lamented: "The Japanese conditions cover the territory from Heilongjiang to Hainan Island; the things covered include mining, meteorology, rivers, territorial waters, and the mainland from southeast to northwest. All of them are 'owned or controlled by Japan without omission'." Gao Zongwu's question is: "North, south, mountains, oceans, none of them belong to China, how will the Chinese people settle down?" Tao Xisheng and Gao Zongwu He betrayed Wang Jingwei and made his secret agreement with the Japanese public.
Chiang Kai-shek said: "I have seen many treacherous and hypocritical people, but none as despicable as Wang."
On March 30, 1940, Wang Jingwei appeared at the "Returning the Capital" ceremony in the auditorium of the former Kuomintang Examination Institute in Nanjing, wearing a uniform.After reading the "Declaration of Returning the Capital", it was announced that he would be the chairman of the "National Government" and concurrently the president of the Puppet Executive Yuan.Then, other officials took the oath of office respectively: Chen Gongbo, President of the Fake Legislative Yuan, Wen Zongyao, President of the Fake Judicial Yuan, Liang Hongzhi, President of the Fake Supervisory Yuan, Zhou Fohai, Fake Minister of Finance, Wang Yitang, Fake President of the Examination Yuan, Wang Kemin, Fake Chairman of the North China Political Affairs Committee ,etc.The traitors from the north and the south of China were mixed together, and they performed the ugliest scene in modern history.
Even with the establishment of another "National Government" in China, Wang Jingwei still failed to gain the real attention of the Japanese.The Japanese see very clearly that in essence, reaching a comprehensive peace with the Chongqing government is the ultimate goal.Therefore, the mere establishment of the Nanjing government is not a goal in itself, but a strategy to advance from the side. It should be regarded as just a ladder.Therefore, Wang Jingwei had no choice but to flatter his master with shameless treachery, while his master took the opportunity to plunder China with the same shamelessness.The first thing the Wang Puppet regime did after its establishment was to sign the "Basic Relations Treaty" with Japan. "All the terms of the treaty were unilaterally proposed by Japan." The terms of principle are unalterable".According to this treaty, Japan will gain extensive rights and interests from China politically, economically and militarily, and China will be completely reduced to a colony and dependent country under Japanese rule.Wang Jingwei even said: "When Japan is currently continuing its war within the territory of the Republic of China, the government of the Republic of China should actively cooperate with Japan in completing its war." The humiliation brought by Wang Ri's "Basic Relations Treaty" Its extent far exceeds the "Twenty-One" signed by Yuan Shikai and the Japanese in 1914.
India is very satisfied with the "Basic Relations Treaty".Therefore, at the instigation of Japan, Germany, Italy, and fascist vassals Hungary, Romania, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Slovakia, and Bulgaria recognized Wang's puppet regime.However, on the day the Wang puppet regime was established, U.S. Secretary of State Hull issued a statement, pointing out: "The establishment of the Nanjing regime is a country that imposes its will on its neighbors by force." "The U.S. government has every reason to believe that the Chongqing government It will still have the trust and support of the majority of the Chinese people. Therefore, it goes without saying that the Chongqing government will continue to be regarded as the Chinese government in the future.”Immediately afterwards, on April 1, the United Kingdom and France also issued a statement that they did not recognize the Wang puppet regime as representing the Chinese government.
The unbearable Chiang Kai-shek announced the "Order to Offer a Reward to Take Wang Zhaoming":
Wang Jingwei, also known as Wang Zhaoming, colluded with the enemy and harmed the country, and violated the Regulations on Punishment of Traitors.The traitor hid in Nanjing for a long time, attached himself to the enemy, organized a puppet government, betrayed the country and sought glory, ignorant of remorse, and recently even pretended to be the chairman of the National Government, and openly signed a treaty with the enemy to lose power and humiliate the country. To set the record straight.For this reason, the previous order is reiterated, and the competent authorities are instructed to strictly arrest and arrest the soldiers and civilians from all over the country.This order.
The Communist Party of China held a meeting to challenge Wang in Yan'an, calling on the anti-Japanese people across the country to completely remove the Wang faction from the anti-Japanese ranks;
When Wang Ni appeared on the stage, the whole country was shocked.Fu read the telegram of the National People's Political Council and Chairman Jiang's speech at the Political Council, punishing traitors and rebelling against rebels, and the righteousness is awe-inspiring.De (Zhu De) and others led their troops to go deep into the enemy's rear and fight to defend the motherland. It has been three years.In recent days, wherever the enemy and puppets have gone, they have dared to unfurl the fake blue sky and white sun flags, set up puppet troops and parties everywhere, and call for peaceful anti-communism.The husband's so-called peace means surrender, and anti-communism means the destruction of China.However, some frenzied people echoed their voices, and there were many of them.With the expansion of the European War, international conspirators are colluding with the enemy and puppets in an attempt to establish the so-called anti-communist front in the East. The crisis of the War of Resistance is imminent.At this time, a small number of uninformed people in the country either instigated surrender or anti-communism, and anti-communism was used as a preparatory step for surrender.If you are extremely anti-communist, you will inevitably surrender, and before you surrender, you must advocate anti-communism. Wang Jingwei's mistakes are also proof.As far as the former residence is concerned today, the crisis of the Anti-Japanese War is not the rampant enemy and puppets, but the existence of surrendering anti-communist elements within our anti-Japanese front.The enemy is near the Zhongtiao Mountains, setting up radio broadcasts, advocating that the Kuomintang and the Communist Party are about to split, and China is about to have a civil war, woohoo!What is it?Husband and enemy are strong, I am weak, and those who are dear to each other are quick to hate. De (Zhu De) and others went to the battlefield, and they did not hesitate to lose their minds. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the hearts of 450 million people are united as one, persist in the war of resistance, and strive for the final victory.Given the size of China's land and its large population, when the enemy is exhausted, and when the European war is in full swing, if we can strengthen our unity without destroying the Great Wall, and make persistent efforts without losing our courage, then the War of Resistance will not be invincible. There is no failure in the founding of the country.De (Zhu De) was not sensitive, and vowed to lead the whole army to shed the last drop of blood for the motherland, drive out the enemies and puppets, and return our land, even though he would go through fire and water.I still pray that advanced people from all walks of life and compatriots from all over the country will work together to save the perilous peril.
What makes history seem strange is that even at this time, the Japanese side is still skeptical of Wang Jingwei: "The nature of the Wang regime has always been entangled with a question: Is it a conspiracy with Chiang?" The suspicion stems from a secret document whose authenticity is unknown, that is, a letter written by Wang Jingwei to an important Kuomintang official in Chongqing in May 1940.In his letter, Wang Jingwei described himself as a loyal member of the Kuomintang, saying that it was unlikely that China would win Japan by force. Use diplomatic means to resist Japan."Why is it unlikely that China will win by force?Wang Jingwei's reason is: "Japan has the emperor and Bushido spirit of the eternal line, and its people are brave and good at fighting without fear of death." The Japanese people have simple thinking, and the soldiers' thinking is especially simple.Therefore, the armed confrontation between the complex-minded Chinese and the Japanese "really uses our own weaknesses to attack the other's strengths."In his letter, Wang Jingwei set out a plan for the "War of Resistance" that "five or ten years is enough to defeat Japan, and it will definitely not take twenty years":
1. The first step is to give Manchuria to Japan, so that it will cancel the name of Emperor Puyi and lay the foundation for the dissolution of Manchuria;
2. The second step is to instill the Three Principles of the People in the youth of Japan in the name of goodwill;
3. The third step is to make Japan a revolution, and then expel its forces in China to take back Manchuria, and recover Taiwan and Koryo.
The Japanese understand the complexity of Chinese thinking: "Because this happened in China, which likes to follow the tradition of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is impossible to know whether this is a secret letter written by Wang, or someone who made it out of strategy. Even if it is true Written by Wang, it is not clear whether it is a strategy against Japan, or on the contrary, out of a strategy against Chiang." However, the Japanese are very clear about one thing, that is, the emergence of the Wang Jingwei regime, which cannot be resolved. Therefore, both politically and militarily, the focus of its attention is still on the Chongqing Nationalist Government.
The Military Commission of the Nationalist Government secretly formulated a "defensive combat plan."
The so-called "defensive" means that in the course of future wars, no large-scale offensives will be carried out, but a corresponding defensive posture will be adopted.The "National Army's Defensive Combat Plan Draft" formulated in the name of the Military Command Department is huge in length and detailed in content. It has deployed the strategic points of each theater. The main emphasis is: first, to ensure the current situation; Combat; if the enemy takes action, the theaters must respond to each other; the focus of troop deployment is on the fifth and ninth theaters——
The first war zone: "Continue guerrilla warfare in the east and north of Henan with a strong force. The main force maintains the current situation. When it is necessary, it is necessary to ensure that the areas along the Longhai line west of Nanyang, Linru, and Gongxian County are controlled in advance according to the situation. Two or three divisions will be near Linru and Luoyang to support the river defense, secure the mountainous areas in western Henan, and contact the left group army in the fifth theater to destroy the invading enemy."
The second war zone: "Actively carry out guerrilla warfare in the front and wide, especially actively block the enemy's traffic on the railway lines of Zhengtai, Tongpu, Baijin, and highways in western Shanxi, and at the same time use a strong force to ensure the unity of southeast Shanxi and Zhongtiao. In the Luliang Mountains area, prevent the enemy from crossing the river and consume the enemy, and prepare the main force at any time to respond to the operations in the first and twelfth theaters."
The third war zone: "For the purpose of clearing the south bank of the Qiantang River and attacking various strongholds along the river, make preparations in advance, hinder the restoration of the Qiantang River Bridge, and intensify guerrilla attacks and traffic destruction in the areas around Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. The enemy is like crossing. When Jiang invaded, he used one unit to resist one by one, and used the main force to flank the enemy's right and back, encircle and wipe them out, and it was included in the operations of the fifth and ninth theaters."
The Fourth Theater: 1. "Our army in southern Guangxi should use up the enemy's strength and ensure the safety of our new international route in southwest China. With a strong part, we should maintain contact with the enemy, continue to carry out local attacks, and strengthen the interception of Yongqin. The traffic on the road, the main forces were placed in the rear for rectification, and the combat power was quickly restored, and Nanning was taken back."2. "On the Guangzhou side, the Twelfth Group Army should maintain the current situation and continue to attack the enemy. If the enemy goes deep, use one part to use the mountains in northern Guangdong to guard the position and deny the enemy, and use one part to flank and tail the enemy. Back, the main force strikes at the right time, diverts the offensive, encircles and annihilates the enemy."
The fifth theater: 1. The river defense in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River—"The Jiang Defense Army aims to secure Yichang and consolidate the central gateway. One unit is deployed on the front line of Lianhua City-Shayang-Maliang and the first and second intermediate positions. The main force is deployed at Yanglin City, the main position on the Dangyang line. If the enemy invades Jing (Jingmen) and Yi (Yichang) on a small scale, we should use the strength of the advanced position and the first and second intermediate positions to smash the enemy's attempt. If the enemy invades Yichang with its true colors, one should resist one by one on the original positions, and the main force should quickly fight the enemy decisively on the main positions."2. The fifth war zone should fight against the book of the Jiangfang Army—"The fifth war zone should use a part to control the areas near the north and south of Zhongjing Road. If the enemy invades Yichang and focuses on Shahe, then use the main force of the department to go south and back with it. The river defense forces work together to suppress the enemy in the rivers, lakes and marshes. If the enemy forcibly crosses the Xianghe River to attack Jing and Yi, the troops on the east bank of the Xianghe River in the fifth theater should attack the enemy in front of them with a part, and should continue the battle from beginning to end. , use strong troops to go south and attack sideways, and cooperate with the Jiangfang Army to fight. If the enemy gathers troops at Hanyi and Jingzhong Road and intends to invade Xiangyang and Yishi, the fifth theater should use the main force of the eastern Hubei troops to continue the battle from beginning to end. Attack the eastern side of Hubei, threaten Hankou, and cut off the Ping-Han line to contain the enemy's westward advance."3. On the Xiangfan side and the Hubei-Henan-Anhui border area - "The Fifth War Zone should maintain the Dabie Mountain guerrilla base with a part, and actively launch extensive guerrilla warfare in southern Henan, eastern Hubei, and northern Anhui to contain and consume the enemy. For example, when the enemy invaded Xiangfan , use one part to block the front, use one part to attack the enemy's rear, secure the north-south line of Xiangfan Nanyang, and use a strong force to shift the offensive from the right wing. Surround and annihilate them."Fourth, the Fifth Theater should fight against the Ninth Theater: "If the enemy invades the Ninth Theater in its true colors, the troops of the Henan-Anhui Border Area of the Fifth Theater should advance to the Xishui River to cut off the enemy's traffic on the Yangtze River. , the main force feinted towards Huangpi, threatening Hankou, in order to prevent the enemy from diverting their forces."
The Sixth War Zone: "Should cooperate with the Ninth War Zone to defeat the enemies of the southern invaders, strengthen the blockade of Dongting Lake, control the main force near Changde, and strengthen the established positions in western Hunan to ensure that Hunan, Guizhou, Tanbao, and Hunan Guangxi are all The road is safe. If the enemy invades westward along the Yangtze River or lands on the west bank of Dongting Lake, we should respond to the attack on Yichang, and we should use a powerful force to flank the enemy in the public security area of Lixian County, so as to respond to the fifth theater operation. ".
The eighth war zone: "The defense of Suixi Wu (Wuyuan) and Lin (Linhe) should be strengthened, and strong troops should be placed in Linhe, and near Ningbei and Suixin highways, to prevent the enemy from invading, and to assist the second , Operations in the Twelfth Theater".
The Ninth War Zone: "We should use a strong part to allow the enemy's rear to attack and destroy traffic, and deploy a part on the front line to maintain contact with the enemy, and strengthen the existing positions, and use the main force to control the rear. Strongholds such as Tonggu, Wanzai, Liuyang, Pingjiang, Changsha, Zhuzhou, etc. If the enemy invades south from Yuehan Road and the banks of the Xiangjiang River, or westward from Tonggu and Pingjiang, resist the enemy line by line and attack the enemy's back , the main force moves in and out of the enemy's flanks at the right time, and shifts the offensive to destroy the enemy. When the enemy's main force invades Jing, Yi, or Xiangfan, the ninth war zone should quickly enter and leave Yangxin, Daye and the areas north of Yueyang with powerful troops. , cut off the Yangtze River, and threaten Wuhan, in order to coordinate the operations of the Fifth Theater.”
The Tenth War Zone: "We should work together with the Second War Zone to consolidate the defense on the west bank of the Yellow River, and control powerful troops near Huayin, Dali, and Heyang. If the enemy crosses the river and commits crimes in the west, the river defense troops will try their best to prevent the enemy from crossing the river. The main force will enter and exit at the right time. , take advantage of its half-way to shift the offensive and break it."
Lusu War Zone: "Guerrilla base areas should be established in southern and northern Jiangsu, and extensive guerrilla warfare should be launched, focusing on the main lines of Jinpu, Longhai, and Jiaoji, and try to contain and consume them as much as possible. It should be listed as the first, fifth, and Jicha Combat in the theater".
Hebei-Chahar War Zone: "Guerrilla bases should be established in the Taihang Mountains in western Hebei and in central Hebei, and extensive guerrilla warfare should be launched, focusing on the main lines of Ping-Han, Jinpu, Beining, and Ping-Sui, so as to contain the enemy as much as possible and consume the operations of the second and Lusu theaters. ".
Just a few months ago, the national government's top military officials generally believed that the Japanese army was in decline and the time had come for the Chinese army to counterattack.Encouraged by such positive and high-spirited sentiments, the Chinese side launched the only full-scale offensive operation since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, that is, the "Winter Offensive" at the end of 1939.However, after the Japanese army landed in Qinzhou Bay and captured Nanning, not only did the "winter offensive" come to nothing, until August 1945, when Japan surrendered, the Chinese army on the frontal battlefield basically followed the principle of "If the enemy does not come, I will not fight". In principle, no campaign-scale offensive operations have ever been conducted.So, why did the top military leaders of the national government undergo such a big change?Undoubtedly, the Chinese side has judged that the trend of the war against Japan is: even if it does not take the initiative to attack, Japan will collapse on its own.
The Japanese invaders caught in the war of attrition against China admitted: "After the bitter battle in Nanning and the defensive battle of the winter offensive, this has become the darkest stage of the army in the entire China incident." On March 17, the 11th Army of the Japanese invaders Commander Okamura Ningji returned to his country and was transferred to the Military Councilor.Before leaving office, he said to his subordinates: "The only regret is that we failed to destroy the enemy's attempt to resist the war, but left many officers and soldiers on the battlefield. ... The 20,000 killed in battle (13,000 killed in battle) and the 37,000 wounded will remain in my mind for the rest of my life..." At the same time, in Japan, "the misery of the headquarters and the government and the people's Anxiety gradually reached the point where it was difficult to conceal. The outbreak of the European War seemed to be an opportunity to resolve the incident at first glance, but in fact it did not lead to an immediate improvement in the situation. The establishment of Wang Zhaoming's independent government made the situation even more complicated , which makes people feel that the future is not optimistic."
Japan has become a poor country that cannot support war.
"From the autumn of Showa 14 (1939) to the spring of 15 (1940), Japan's national poverty has become apparent, and it has entered a period of no treaty binding with the United States, and is living a depressing period. Days. It has been three years since the incident in China has plunged Japan into a quagmire, and there is still no hope of a solution. Moreover, the usual political and economic conditions cannot be transferred to a long-term war system." What the Japanese call "depressed days" is actually These are the days of hunger.In addition to the expansion of industrial production due to the activation of the war machine, which brought a large amount of energy and raw material imports, resulting in a sharp decline in the country's gold reserves and the government's financial constraints, the more important thing is that the Japanese people have no rice to eat.Industry needs electricity, and coal is needed for power generation. There is almost no coal produced in Japan. Although Japan produces rice, it cannot meet the food needs of the Japanese, so rice must be imported. Most of the rice is looted from the colonies, but the more urgently needed coal is Looting is required.Yukio Sakurauchi, the Japanese cabinet minister, explained to the people why it was necessary to reduce the import of rice from North Korea by 10 million shi from 1940: "Since the outbreak of the China Incident, North Korea's mines and enterprises have expanded rapidly. As a result of the change of jobs, the farmers of miscellaneous grains have also become rice as the staple food.” Regardless of whether Yukio Sakurauchi concealed the truth about the country’s financial distress from the people, this seemingly absurd reason still has internal logic: due to the need to expand North Korea To meet Japan's domestic energy needs, a large number of North Korean farmers have become miners. Farmers who used to eat miscellaneous grains or wild vegetables in the fields to survive must now eat rice provided by Japanese mine owners.If the miners are not allowed to eat rice, Japan will not be able to provide coal for power generation; if the rice is eaten by the miners, the Japanese people will go hungry.This is really a dilemma, so that every time the cabinet meets, there will be heated discussions on whether it is important to satisfy coal imports, or should the rice problem be solved first.In the end, the new Prime Minister Mitsumasa Yonei decided to spend 200 million yen to import rice. ——This import alone is equivalent to one-tenth of Japan's total imports, so that the import plan to expand industrial production has been completely disrupted.
What's more, there is also less grain looting from the main grain-producing areas of northern China, which is suffering from a food shortage.Wang Yintai, head of the Industrial Department of the Puppet regime in North China, actually reached out to the Japanese for food, saying that the problem of food is a political problem.The senior generals of the Japanese invaders also urged the Japanese cabinet not only to reduce the amount of food looted from China, but also to import a large amount of food to supply North China, otherwise the Japanese army would not be able to effectively maintain law and order in North China. ——The anti-Japanese armed forces led by the Communists continued to agitate the hungry people in the enemy-occupied areas, and round after round of harassment made the rule of the Japanese army crumbling.
The Japanese government hastily imported 6 million bags of flour from Australia, and at the same time imported miscellaneous grains from Manchuria and Mongolia, and bought flour by bartering from central and southern China.That is to say, the statement of the "New East Asian Order" has just been issued for a year, and on the issue of managing the occupation of North China, it has quickly shifted from "resource developmentism" to "food firstism."Without food, security and resource development cannot be ensured.
According to data, in 1939, the Japanese government used a large amount of foreign exchange to purchase 11.7 million bags of flour from the United Kingdom and the United States; in 1940, it purchased another 7.2 million bags. flour.In two years, nearly 500 million yen was spent to ease the supply of flour in the occupied areas of North China.However, this amount of flour is not enough to meet the food shortage in North China, because China's population is astonishingly large. ——"External strength but moderate leadership is the portrayal of our country today, and it will not be able to maintain it for a long time." The views of Japanese Prime Minister Hata Shunroku are quite representative.This point of view made the Japanese military clearly realize: "There is no way out to resolve the incident in China by relying on a decisive battle by force", that is, "Chiang Kai-shek will not yield no matter where he is chased." ——"For the first time, the Army High Command's belief in winning the war was shaken."
Since it is judged that it is difficult for Japan to support the war, the Chinese army does not need to take the initiative to attack on a large scale.
For Japan, the only way to alleviate economic decline is to continue to expand foreign occupation and plunder.
Just when the Japanese were tormented by the resource crisis, energy crisis, rice crisis, and war situation crisis, they heard the sound of German tanks' tracks coming from far away Europe. ——In April 1940, the German army invaded Denmark and Norway; in May, Belgium and Luxembourg were occupied by the German army; then the Dutch commander-in-chief announced the surrender, and the German army broke through the Maginot Line; on June 14, German troops occupy Paris, France. ——Western Europe has been completely under the rule of Germany, and the Luftwaffe began to fly over the English Channel to bomb the British mainland.Hitler swept across Western Europe, declaring to establish a "New European Order", which greatly stimulated Japan, which claimed to establish a "New East Asian Order".France has already been defeated, and Britain will be bombed into scorched earth. If you don’t take advantage of this golden opportunity to march south to occupy the colonies of France and Britain in Southeast Asia in order to seize the rice, oil, rubber and other materials that Japan desperately needs, when will it be longer?
The South mentioned by the Japanese roughly refers to "the Southeast Asian region east of India and north of Australia and New Zealand"; the Japanese say "solve the southern issue" refers to the invasion of Southeast Asia by force, and they say this is Japan's "urgent task at the moment." ".
Southeast Asia makes Japan salivate. ——"Japan is in such poverty, and it has shifted its hope of relieving economic pressure to the southern resource region. At the same time, it is expected that the war in Europe will expand, creating an atmosphere of preemptive strikes against the region."
The frenzy of going south suddenly swept across Japan.
Their blatant ambition and brutish attitude are abhorrent.They show off their planes and armies with little regard for normal diplomatic decorum.They may be in Indonesia wearing the casual clothes of Western businessmen, talking nonchalantly about technical issues while delivering an ultimatum to the Dutch colonial authorities and extorting oil; or they may be wearing brown shirts and sitting in the old rococo metropolis of Hanoi In the hotel, he asked the French colonial authorities to give them three air bases in southern Indochina so that they could conduct air strikes on southern China.They grumbled and spit, and were very arrogant.You meet the Japanese wherever they expand and they are brutish and rude.
If it goes south, it will have to transfer a large number of troops from China and greatly reduce the war funds against China.However, the Japanese invaders believed that the number of troops and funds in China should not be reduced but increased.As a result, "a sharp confrontation was formed on the issue of reducing or increasing the number of troops."First came the confrontation between the Army Ministry and the General Staff Headquarters, and then the confrontation between the Army Ministry and the Chinese Expeditionary Force.At that time, the total strength of the Japanese Army (excluding the Kwantung Army) was 850,000, and the military expenditure in 1939 was 2,133 million yen. The reduction of troops to 500,000 means a reduction of 350,000 at once. "Cutting down one soldier is equivalent to saving 2,000 yen." As a result, the cost of the war against China in 1940 will be reduced to 1.6 billion yen, which is a reduction of more than 500 million yen.Hisao Nishio, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, became angry when he heard it, saying that if this happened, he would resign and quit.In order to alleviate the conflict, the staff of the Tokyo General Staff Headquarters came to Nanjing, China, and had face-to-face discussions with Hisao Nishio. After several days of bargaining, the compromise plan finally decided was: in 1940, the number of Japanese troops invading China would be reduced by 99,000.人，加上消减的非作战人员，“预定到十一月底，兵力态势稳定在七十二万”。折中方案刚刚达成，参谋本部又一批幕僚抵达南京，通告说大本营正在考虑日军撤离武汉的计划，这令西尾寿造的幕僚们又是大吃一惊。
对于这个提案，军事课长岩畔随后回答一句说：“皇军将士流血得来的土地就撒手不要了吗？”接着，岩畔大佐大叫说：“应该攻占新加坡！”当时我们都被吓得发了呆。实际上，参谋本部所提“缩小战局”的意见，并不是刚刚提出的。大概在半年前，讨论汪兆铭要求的条款时，参谋本部作战课就提出过：“放弃华中、华南”，当时的第二部长樋口季一郎少将也在省、部首脑会议上提过。那时，陆军次官阿南涨着红脸大叫：“要从皇军流过血的地方退下来吗？”
急切的试图调兵南进，夺取法国和英国的殖民地，以尽早把急需的能源和战略物资据为己有，完成扩大日本疆土的宏愿，同时又要保持在中国战场上的强大兵力，以继续对国民政府造成震慑。——日本人在这几乎无法调和的两难面前几近疯癫。
西尾寿造对冈村宁次离职前提交的《迅速解决日华事变意见书》很感兴趣。冈村宁次的核心观点是：“中国派遣军体会到，中国军至今还保持着不可轻视的抗日力量，只有打垮敌战斗力量才是解决事变的先决条件，不给敌以沉重的压力就不可能收到政治谋略的效果。”这就是说，侵华日军必须以积极作战来换取中国的最终屈服。冈村宁次提出了两个作战方向：一是湖南的长沙和衡阳，二是湖北的宜昌。由此，西尾寿造向参谋本部提出一个建议：“占领宜昌，切断第五战区，然后和李宗仁、白崇禧谈局部的和平。如果李拒绝接受，就进攻襄阳方面，进行击败李宗仁军的作战。”对于西尾寿造来说，唯一的顾虑是：攻入宜昌后是否长期占领？如果长期占领，兵力定会不足，所以他希望参谋本部再给他两个师团。参谋本部一开始的回答是“时机不成熟”，但在海军表示坚决支持后，又改变态度说“成功的话倒也不错”。——一旦日军占领宜昌，从军事态势上讲确实“不错”：宜昌是从湖北沿长江进入四川的门户，距中国抗战中枢重庆只有四百八十公里。无论是否长期占领，只要攻击到那里，对国民政府就是一次巨大的军事威胁。
西尾寿造制订的作战计划是：
第一作战目的
军拟在雨季到来之前，在汉水两岸地区将敌第五战区的主力击败，通过作战胜利，进一步削弱蒋军，并为推动对华政治、谋略的进展做出贡献。
第二会战指导方针
军在最短期间内做好准备，大概在五月上旬开始攻势。首先在白河以南捕捉汉水左岸之敌，集合在宜昌附近，彻底消灭该河右岸之敌核心部队。
第三会战指导要领（摘要）
投入兵力约为四个驮马改编的师团，在汉水东岸的枣阳周围构成数道包围圈（第一期作战）；在汉水西岸进行两翼包围，将敌人消灭在宜昌附近（第二期作战）。
此时，接替冈村宁次第十一军司令官职务的，是原关东军第七师团师团长园部和一郎中将。第十一军共有七个师团加四个旅团，园部和一郎决定最大限度地抽调部队参战，中国派遣军司令部也从长江下游的第十三军之第十五、第二十二师团各抽出一个旅团，加强给第十一军。最后确定的参战部队为：第三、第十三、第三十九师团，第六师团的池田支队，第三十四师团的小川支队，第四十师团的石本支队，独立混成第十四旅团，临时混成第一〇一旅团，重炮、高射炮吉田支队以及第十一军直辖的第十五师团仓桥支队，步兵第二十二旅团松井支队，第十七港口司令部汉水支队，坦克第七、第十三联队，野战重炮兵第六旅团。此外，第三飞行团、海军第一分遣舰队和第二联合航空队等也参加作战。上述兵力共计二十万以上，这是武汉会战后日军为即将发动的战事准备的最大兵力。
四月七日，第十一军拟订出两个阶段的详细战案：
第一阶段，向鄂北发动猛烈进攻，歼灭中国第五战区主力于随县、襄阳以北地区，尔后将汉水以西的中国军队向宜昌压缩并歼灭之。兵力部署是：第三师团配属第四十师团的三个步兵大队、一个山炮大队和第三十四师团的两个步兵大队，由豫南的信阳与明港间出动，折向鄂北的随县与襄阳之间，进攻白河地区以及白河以南的樊城，与第十三师团会合，切断中国第五战区主力向北的退路；第十三师团，配属第十五师团的四个步兵大队以及第二十二师团的三个步兵大队和一个山炮大队，沿大洪山以西汉水东岸北上，迂回包围樊城一带的中国第五战区主力，与第三师团协同作战；第三十九师团，配属第六师团的三个步兵大队和一个山炮大队，在随县正面展开，从中路向枣阳进攻，与第三、第十三师团协同，歼灭包围圈里的中国第五战区的第十一集团军。第二阶段，第三师团从鄂北的襄阳、宜城之间汉水的弯曲处渡河，南下当阳，切断中国军队的退路；第三十九师团于宜城附近渡河，南下荆门，对宜昌构成包围之势；第十三师团在宜昌以东的沙洋镇附近渡河，西进河溶地区，伺机攻击宜昌。
预定攻击开始的时间是五月一日。
为给中国方面造成日军依旧是“打了就回去”的假象，日本方面故意丢失了一份写有“战后退回原防地”命令的机密文件。果然，中国方面得到日军要大举进攻的情报后，立刻判断日军的企图并不是占领宜昌，而是与上次随枣会战时一样，企图在襄河以东的枣阳一带寻歼中国第五战区主力。基于这样的判断，四月十七日，蒋介石给李宗仁打电报，要求第五战区不要消极待敌，要争取先机，骚扰日军的后方，牵制和破坏日军的进攻。蒋介石特别强调，因为日军不会攻占宜昌，所以主力要设伏在日军的攻击路径上：
此次敌军如果西犯，其目的决不在夺取宜昌与襄樊，而在打击我军，以后使其可以安全退守，此乃必然之势。即使其有一部向襄河以西进攻，亦必佯动。故我军在襄河以西与江防部队，不妨抽出有力之一、二军（莫树杰或张自忠部），速向大洪山附近以东潜伏，以代汤恩伯部之任务，作待机之势，专待敌军西进或东退时而截击之，并以中正名义手令王缵绪部积极准备向敌攻击，悬以重赏。至于襄花路正面阵地，只派相当部队防守外，其余有力部队仍从速集结，即由黄琪翔总司令指挥，准备全力向敌出击。因此对于江防部队，可以减少，尽量向襄河上游移防，以接替张自忠部等防务；或江防军抽出两军兵力，集结于荆门以北地区，作待机向南或北出击之势。
中国方面的作战部署，正是园部和一郎希望看到的。
四月二十七日，中国第五战区确定了作战方案：
长江上游江防军总司令郭忏，指挥第二十六、第七十五、第九十四军以及第一二八师和第六、第七游击纵队，依托襄河右岸阵地，阻击日军渡河。
右集团军总司令张自忠，指挥第二十九集团军、第三十三集团军，以一部固守襄河两岸阵地，巩固大洪山南侧的隘路，主力控制在钟祥以北的长寿店地区，伺机攻击北上宜城、襄樊的日军。
中央集团军总司令黄琪翔，指挥第十一集团军、第四十五军、第一二七师和第一游击纵队，在鄂北的高城至随县以西阻击日军，不得已时可转移到西北方向的唐县一带，从两翼包围日军。
左集团军总司令孙连仲，指挥第二集团军和鄂东游击队，于信阳和襄花公路方向对日军实施牵制作战。
机动兵团总司令汤恩伯，指挥第三十一集团军，集结在枣阳东北地区待命。
预备兵团总司令孙震，指挥第二十二集团军，位于枣阳以西、唐河东岸的双沟待命。
第二十一集团军兼大别山游击军总司令李品仙，指挥所部对沿江日军据点和交通线实施攻击，并袭击平汉路南段，威胁日军进攻部队的后方。
史称“枣宜会战”的大战尚未开始，仅从双方的作战部署上看，日军攻占宜昌意图明确，而中国方面的战前判断已出现严重失误。
为掩蔽其战役企图，日军于四月下旬向薛岳的第九战区实施了佯攻：海军舰艇二十日向洞庭湖和鄱阳湖出动，航空兵对湖南和江西中国守军的阵地实施轰炸，独立混成第十四旅团向九江以西地区进行了“扫荡”式作战。——日军想让中国方面误认为其大规模攻势将发生在第九战区方向。但是，经过近三年的作战，中国方面已不再焦躁盲动，因此没有证据表明日军的佯攻起到了实际效果。
五月一日，日军向中国第五战区发动了大规模的三路并进。
首先行动的是第三师团和第四十师团的石本支队。该部从豫南的信阳和明港出发，沿桐柏山北麓，向鄂北的泌阳和枣阳发动进攻，此为日军进攻的北路。第二天，日军第十三师团从鄂中的安陆开始北上，目标仍是鄂北的枣阳，此为日军的南路。四日，日军第三十九师团和第六师团的池田支队从随县附近向西突击，此为日军的中路。——根据作战计划，三路日军将分别从南、北、中三个方向，快速向枣阳西北方向推进二百至三百公里，对驻扎在豫西南邓县、新野地区的汤恩伯的第三十一集团军予以包围歼灭。然后迅速掉头南下，突破张自忠第三十三集团军的汉水防线，进攻宜昌。不知为什么，日军固执地认为，中国第五战区主力乃汤恩伯部，只要捕捉到汤恩伯部并将其基本歼灭，中国第五战区就将丧失战斗力。侵华日军的陆军军官们受冈村宁次的影响很深，认为在正面战场强硬抗战的，都是蒋介石的中央军嫡系部队，其他杂牌军非但不堪一击，且其将领均与蒋介石离心离德。而实际上，此时汤恩伯的第三十一集团军，并不在邓县、新野地区，而是在枣阳东北方向的桐柏山一带。
三路日军的推进速度和强度十分惊人，一线中国军队的防御阵地很快瓦解。日军进攻的阵势与一年前随枣会战时如出一辙，这更加证实了中国最高统帅部战前的判断。现在，蒋介石唯一担心的是各部队作战消极，他对他的军队和将领们了如指掌，认为必须防止他们在日军并无占领意图的攻势面前避战。五月五日，蒋介石致电李宗仁和前线各部队高级将领，重申此次日军攻击兵力不大，也没有什么重大战略企图，因此要不顾一切给予日军“铁锤痛击之举”：
综合各方情报，并证以敌方广播，现敌军增调第五战区者为第六师团之一旅团，第三十九师团之一旅团及第四十师团之一联队。合原有之第三师团及第十三师团，共只三个师团强，且皆由其他方面拼凑而来，以配布于平汉、信南、襄花、京钟、汉宜各路之广大正面。其每路兵力，不过一旅团，最多一师团。力量至属有限，并无积极甚大之企图，可以推见。但无论其作用如何，我军正宜识透敌情，把握时机，乘长蛇出穴之顷，为铁锤痛击之举。各官兵应不顾一切，奋勇猛进，必予敌以致命之打击，克奏光荣之肤功，以发挥我致人而不致于人之革命战略。反之，若中其摇惑耳目之计，遂存避免决战之心，结果必使敌人得以纵横窜扰，而我军仍不免遭受损失，断非我革命军所宜出也。务望本此意旨，监督决心，并切实传谕所部，积极出击，一体遵照为要。
但是，第五战区对蒋介石“铁锤痛击之举”的命令，似乎并没有认真执行的意愿，更没有“奏光荣之肤功”的热情。就在接到蒋介石电报的当天，第五战区重新调整了部署：第二十九集团军担任大洪山游击根据地的作战；鄂豫边区游击纵队和第一游击纵队担任桐柏山根据地的作战；江防军册应右集团军的作战，右集团军主力在汉水东岸阻击日军；中央集团军在现地阻击日军，不得已时转移到唐河和白河西岸；左集团军打击信阳以北的日军，不得已时转移到唐河两岸。——这基本上是一个“不得已时如何转移”的部署。
此时，北路日军在信阳北面的小林店附近，突破中国守军池峰城的第三十军的防线；接着又在小林店以北的明港，突破刘汝明的第六十八军的防线；然后沿平汉路继续北进，于任店突破李仙洲的第九十二军的防线。日军在六十余辆坦克的引领下，迅速折头西进，直插纵深，在泌阳、桐柏附近与中国守军展开激战，四日占领泌阳，七日进占唐河镇。而南路日军在安陆西北方向的洋梓、长寿店地区，突破了张自忠第五十九军的防线。防线右翼的第四十一军孙震部接到“万不得已时”可撤退的命令后，迅速撤离，导致日军第十三师团突破田家集阵地，与北路日军第三师团取得了联系。中路日军在随县突破陈鼎勋的第四十五军和莫树杰的第八十四军的防线，五日向西猛攻唐县，陷入包围的中国守军被迫放弃阵地，日军随即向枣阳发起攻击。
尽管日军的推进速度极快，可仍没捕捉到汤恩伯部的行踪，只发现汤恩伯部好像在向南运动，似乎想攻击西进的第三师团的侧背。第三师团“立即改变主意，停止西进，转向准备攻击汤恩伯军”。——“军的任务在于围歼敌军主力，而主要目标即为消灭汤恩伯军，消灭了汤军就可说是完成了任务。”日军第三十九师团与第十三师团在枣阳会合后，于白河附近徘徊寻找中国军队主力，“但重庆军已逃脱日军的捕捉，全部向侧面退去”。——每天以三十至四十公里的速度连续进攻近十天，日军显然已经非常疲惫。推进到预定的合围地点，中国军队主力却没有踪影，只有少量的部队在继续阻击，日军查了一下番号，是中国军队的第八十四军。
在掩护主力跳出日军包围圈的作战中，莫树杰的第八十四军打得很惨。第十一集团军总司令黄琪翔是粤军出身，但其集团军基本部队第八十四军却是李宗仁训练出来的桂军。现任军长莫树杰在接受任务时，发现黄总司令确实在把他的部队当主力用，他的三个师全被部署在襄花公路的防御正面。五月一日，日军第三十九师团和第六师团池田支队从中路发起进攻时，第八十四军首当其冲。一年前随枣会战时，第八十四军就在这一带防守，桂军官兵对阵地经营得很仔细，挖出很多可以躲避炮火的散兵坑，每当日军的炮火猛烈轰击时，官兵们就轮流在散兵坑中躲避。日军连续轰击了近两个小时，以为中国守军已伤亡殆尽，但步兵冲上来后，却遭到中国守军的顽强抵抗。攻击受挫后，日军用炮火一遍又一遍地轰击第八十四军的阵地，几乎把阵地上的土翻耕了一遍，可桂军官兵誓死不退。一线的第一七四师和第一八九师阵地曾出现过动摇，军长莫树杰下达了“即使阵地上剩下一人也要坚守”的命令，警告官兵擅自撤退当场枪决。沿着襄花公路攻击的日军配备了数量众多的坦克，缺少反坦克武器的中国官兵冲出战壕，爬上日军的坦克掀开坦克盖子往里扔手榴弹，不少官兵被坦克碾压致死或是与坦克同归于尽。第八十四军一直坚持到五月四日，才接到撤退到二线阵地的命令。
这一撤，部队就出现了混乱。
由于第八十四军撤离的是日军正面攻击线上的要点，因此该军一撤退，日军就直接向二线阵地冲击而来，并派出一路骑兵包抄第一八九师的后路。师长凌压西担心自己的部队陷入包围，随即放弃二线阵地再次撤退。由此，第八十四军的作战意志全面崩溃。第一七四、第一七三师紧跟着第一八九师后撤，一撤就撤到了枣阳附近，依旧挡不住日军的攻击，又撤往邓县，这里已是第五战区司令长官部的门口了。可是，第八十四军仍没有停下来，官兵几乎是不顾一切地在后撤。
在中国军队的溃散中，日军占领了樊城。
但是，第一七三师失踪了。
襄花公路正面阻击一开始，第一七三师便是第二梯队。该师辖五一七、五一八和五一九团，担任着撤退时的后卫掩护任务。在唐县附近，第一七三师官兵顽强阻击，阵地始终在手，令一线撤退部队得以安全脱身。但该师撤到枣阳附近时，陷入日军的包围。天色漆黑，道路泥泞，各团在突围中失去了联络。五一八团与日军遭遇，部队被打散，团长李俊雄和六十多名官兵被俘。五一七团误入日军的伏击，拼死作战才突击而出。师长钟毅率五一九团在唐河东岸遭遇日军，由于没有防备，部队顿时大乱，激战过后，钟师长身边只剩下警卫连的三十多名护卫。当他们抵达仓台镇以北的河曲时，再次与日军骑兵遭遇，日军发现这是一小股中国手枪兵，断定其中必有高级将领，迅速里三层外三层实施了包围。钟师长指挥卫士冲杀，两个小时后，卫士只剩下不足十人，钟师长本人胸部中弹，鲜血染红了军衣。最后时刻，他冲入一片芦苇丛，把随身携带的日记、私章和作战文件掩埋起来，但是大批的日军已将他团团围住。钟师长仰望苍天，举起手枪，将最后一颗子弹射进了自己的头颅。
钟毅，时年三十九岁，广西扶南县（今扶绥县）人，入桂系军队的韶关讲武堂学习，毕业后历任连长、营长、团长等职，曾跟随桂系将领李宗仁参加北伐战争。中日战争全面爆发时，他刚从陆军大学毕业，立即回到桂军开赴抗日战场，率部参加了津浦路南段防御战、徐州会战和武汉会战，晋升为第八十四军第一七三师师长时，被授予中将军衔。
钟毅的遗体被前线部队找回，灵柩运往重庆，蒋介石在码头迎灵，重庆举行了隆重的公祭大会。其后，遗骸运回故乡，被安葬于抗日烈士公墓。
日军发动攻势一周后，无论是日军还是中国军队，都认为剧烈的作战到此为止了。日军分三路急进，中国军队稍一抵抗便开始撤退，日军终究兵力有限，松散的包围圈到处都是缝隙，日军进攻得有多快，中国军队撤退得就有多快，众多兵力几乎瞬间就能从日军的眼皮底下跑光。因此，日军第十一军认为，其第一阶段作战成果不大：
第一次会战（汉水东岸作战）不是这次作战的主要部分。这次鄂西会战的主要目标是歼灭汉水西岸之敌。为了保证作战的左侧背的安全，所以先有此第一次会战。为此，本作战未能使用较长时间和集中各方面的战斗力量求逐次消灭敌军。因此，在兵力分配上，由于兵团的间隙过大，造成敌人容易从侧面避退的缺陷。
由此看来，战前李宗仁违反蒋介石积极出击的指令，制订了看似消极的“不得已时撤退”的方案，不是没有道理的。——或许李宗仁要采取的是薛岳战长沙的战术，即先把日军进攻之路让出来任其长驱直入，主力部队则撤到进攻日军的两翼侧后，待扑空的日军准备原路返回时相机实施夹击或反击。问题是：这次日军是否会原路返回？
位于老河口的第五战区司令长官部已经撤到了鄂西北的郧县，但李宗仁本人仍留在老河口。五月十日，李宗仁接到蒋介石发来的电报，说日军正在企图原路返回，第五战区应全力以赴猛烈反击，不