Chapter 77 stain of infamy

Two months after the end of the Battle of Changde, Chiang Kai-shek made a comment at the Nanyue Conference.At the meeting, Chiang Kai-shek gave special praise to the excellent performance of the 74th Army, especially the 51st and 58th Divisions in the periphery, saying that they fought against nearly six Japanese regiments with six regiments, and they were able to stand on the initiative. status, constantly attacking the enemy, it can be called the most glorious record in the history of the War of Resistance. After the meeting, Zhang Lingfu, commander of the 58th Division who was praised by Chiang Kai-shek as a "model soldier", was awarded a Yunhui Medal. He was also one of the few generals who were honored to be honored in the Changde Battle.In addition, 89 people from the 74th Army were commended as special meritorious personnel, including Jin Dingzhou, the commander of the Artillery Regiment, and Du Ding, the commander of the 171st Regiment of the 57th Division.

In the 74th Army, the only one who was punished was Yu Chengwan, the commander of the 57th Division.In his commentary, Chiang Kai-shek directly called him a "stain of disrepute", and the crime was that he failed to stand firm and wait for help, resulting in the loss of Changde. During the Cairo Conference, Chiang Kai-shek talked about the Battle of Changde to Roosevelt and Churchill.It is conceivable that during this period, he could not help but express that the 57th Division would live and die with Changde City.Although the Western heads of state are not as persistent as the Easterners in the concept of preferring death to surrender, swearing to die rather than retreat, Lao Jiang still feels that Yu Chengwan has made him lose face.On the other hand, if you want to blame a little bit, Yu Chengwan is indeed to blame for the failure to properly deal with the wounded.

Yu Chengwan was escorted to Chongqing for trial, and it is said that Chiang Kai-shek had issued an execution warrant.At that time, many people inside and outside the army complained about it.The people of Changde first complained about Yu Chengwan, thinking that although Yu had only been stationed in Changde for half a year, he was one of the better generals of the Kuomintang with his dedication and love for the people. He chose to break through when he ran out of ammunition and food and had nowhere to go. Wang Yaowu has strict requirements on his subordinates, but he also feels that Yu Chengwan abides by Changde and has basically fulfilled his due responsibilities, so he specially wrote to Chen Cheng, enumerating Yu Chengwan's various achievements to plead for him.

Both the Military Command and the Sixth Theater Chief's Department have conducted special investigations on this.The military command also organized a field investigation team with Chinese and foreign journalists to inspect the battlefield in Changde.According to the bullet marks on the ground, battle relics, and the casualties of the 57th Division, the inspection team determined that the 57th Division had tried its best, and it was indeed when the ammunition was exhausted, there were no soldiers to defend, and there was no place to retreat. Had to quit Changde. According to the petition materials posted by all parties, the Military Advocate General Department signed and asked Chiang Kai-shek to commute his sentence.After reading the material, Lao Jiang also gradually calmed down, and finally closed the case by "not giving the name, and handing over the crime to the 24th Army for meritorious service, so as to see the aftermath".

The characteristic of the Chinese army is that the authority of the chief mainly depends on his exemplary role in front of the battle. Once a general has similar "stains", it is difficult to be convincing when commanding a battle. Dare to make decisions easily and punish his subordinates.In other words, his glory in the military is basically over.Yu Chengwan is a typical example. Although he was able to return to the 24th Army under Wang Yaowu's command, it was difficult to make achievements.Zhang Lingfu privately commented that if Yu Chengwan could persevere to the end in Changde, even if he died in the end, it would be a "good opportunity to die more than Mount Tai". "It's a pity to lose it."

In fact, most people would not necessarily do better than Yu Chengwan in the same situation.In the Battle of Changheng not long after, Fang Xianjue, commander of the Tenth Army, aroused even greater controversy.