The restoration of Changde became a reality after the Japanese army retreated to the Lishui River, a hundred miles away.The 18th Army, 79th Army, and 44th Army of the National Army confronted the Japanese army, just like two groups of beasts facing each other across the river.The 58th Army, 72nd Army, and 74th Army of the National Army that came into the city finally drank the celebration wine in the city easily.It was a cold winter in 1943, only a dozen days away from the end of the year. An ancient, prosperous and beautiful city of Changde was destroyed in a fierce and cruel war. Only the quiet water of the Yuan River remained unchanged under the distant and thin sunlight. Flow slowly.

The general wandered around the abandoned city with a staff officer and four guards.Before they were completely Americanized, they were all wearing khaki cotton military uniforms, with white cotton batting exposed at the scratches. Their complexion was dull, except for the faint luster of the two gold stars on the general's collar. Facing the ruins, the general was a little nervous, stumbling through the rubble without saying a word.No one around him dared to talk to him and kept a distance from him.When they walked near the east gate, they first saw the three-foot-thick city wall, which collapsed to the point where only a mound of dirt remained, without a trace of the city gate.There are still a few sections of the city wall that have not collapsed, and there are thousands of large and small scars on the city surface, like pockmarks.In the center of the city, the whole city is like a square, and you can see any old city foundation, and the city is full of rubble far and near.The piles of rubble not only piled up the foundations of every house that had been blown up and burnt out, but every street, lane, and road was also completely obliterated by broken bricks and tiles.The general led the way on the chaotic bricks and turned westward. At this time, the sun had risen, and the sunlight shone on the huge rubble field, showing an amazing picture.Like an absurd oil painting, the up and down, criss-crossed bricks, tiles, beams and fallen trees are all bright red and fiery red, so red that it is a bit false, so red that it is unbearable to see.

On the pile of rubble, less than three or four feet away, there was a hideous corpse.Some are Japanese soldiers, and some are their own brothers.Can't tell from the face, only from the clothes.In the area of ​​Shangnanmen and Shuangzhong Street, this is the only surviving housing area in the city. It is about 20 feet in length and width. A piece of broken tiles, doors and windows all have been crumbling.The general whispered a few words to himself, as if to say that this is the place where the hand-to-hand combat is the most intense.Indeed, there were piles of corpses around, some with missing hands, some with broken feet, some with broken chests, and some with broken heads.Some of the corpses were already infested with maggots, and the maggots drilled eyes and nostrils into the faces of the dead.I can't tell what kind of strange smell it is. It hits people in the air, and I just feel that my stomach is about to turn out.

Turning from Shuangzhong Street to the entrance of the headquarters of the 57th Division of the Central Bank Guard, the general stopped.This is the strongest reinforced concrete structure house in the city, and it was burned down to a rotten shell.There was a hand-to-hand fight at the gate, and the wall was beaten like a hornet's nest. The general stretched out his hand to caress, as if he was stroking the tender skin of a girl. Turning to Xiaoximen again, the city wall used to be as high as several people, but now it is bombarded by artillery fire like a river embankment for flood protection.There is still fire in Daximen, green smoke billows from the pile of bricks and tiles, and several old trees that cannot be hugged by several people have been beaten to bare trunks, which match with several scorched electric poles standing abruptly.At the north gate, the general didn't know whether he was coughing or laughing dryly, and made a few noises.This was the place where the Japanese army broke through the city first. Outside the base of the city wall, there were hundreds of corpses that the Japanese army could not transport away in the future, spread out in the muddy ground.The corpses were all rotting, and the north wind was blowing, and the stench made them frown and couldn't stand.Rather, the rotting corpses are the real symbol that the war is over.

"Master, let's go back." The staff officer finally couldn't help it, and reminded him bravely, "Commander Wang, Commander Lu, Commander Fu, and Commander Dai are still waiting for you in the tent." The tent the staff officer pointed to was There are a few extra-large military tents in the northwest corner of the city, which is the upper air outlet of the city, and the smell is much less, and all the tents of the generals are set up there. "Go back!" Yu Chengwan looked up at the blue sky and let out a heavy breath. "Bang bang bang!" A bottle of authentic French champagne brought in by the U.S. Air Force from the hump route was uncorked and exhilarating white foam spewed out.The agate-like liquid radiated dazzling brilliance in the glass, and the strange aroma of the wine mixed with the smell of the earth underfoot, overflowing the warm tent.

Wang Yaowu raised his wine glass and yelled in strong Shandong dialect: "Come on, everyone raise your glasses!" He is the deputy commander-in-chief of the 29th Army and the commander of the 74th Army. It's the host of the reception.In response to his proposal, Lieutenant General Lu Daoyuan, Commander of the 58th Army, Lieutenant General Fu Yi, Commander of the 72nd Army, Major General Zhang Lingfu, Commander of the 58th Division of the 74th Army, Commander Hou of the New 11th Division, and Commander Xiao of the New 10th Division surrounded the table in the tent. , Changde County Magistrate Dai Jiufeng, and the well-known Central News Agency war reporter Wen Jie all happily raised their glasses of wine.

"Hey," Wang Yaowu suddenly noticed that Yu Chengwan hadn't raised his glass, so he said, "Brother Shi Jian, what are you thinking about? You should drink this glass of wine today. You led the division to defend the city and worked hard. This first A glass of wine, let us respect you, brother Shi Jian!" "Yes, yes, yes!" Everyone echoed. Zhang Lingfu put the wine glass into Yu Chengwan's hand and urged, "Hurry up, old senior, cheers!" They are all Whampoa graduates, Yu Chengwan is from the first phase of Whampoa, Wang Yaowu is from the third phase of Whampoa, and Zhang Lingfu is from the fourth phase of Whampoa , so Yu is called the old senior.

Yu Chengwan's thoughts seemed to wander endlessly in another world.He is a standard Confucian general, his academic qualifications are equivalent to today's Ph. D., and the depth of his reading makes his experience of life several times more delicate and complex than others.More than half a month of unprecedented bloody battle is enough to numb or even collapse a person's mind, and it is also enough to make a person look at this world of life indifferently or even coldly.It's hard to say what he's summing up at the moment, or what he's worried about, what he hopes, or what he's remembering. All the words he wants to say are gathered in his dark brown eyes, and he casts various unpredictable gazes to the surroundings alternately.He squeezed the glass into his tight lips and drank it down quickly.

The arty warrior Lu Daoyuan liked to recite poems and compose lyrics. He recited narcissistically: "The earth shakes the heavens and weeps the ghosts and gods. The army is called Changsheng and conquers the famous city. The new moon wind rises on the banks of the Yueming River..." Before Lu Daoyuan finished reading, the impatient Zhang Lingfu waved his chopsticks and shouted: "Forget it, let's eat!" After that, he picked up a piece of marinated beef and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing. The temporary table set up by the orderlies for the generals was filled with chicken, duck, fish and American canned food sent by the Army Corps in the rear.The food of the generals was not as refined as that of the soldiers, and a whimper of throat wriggling wiped out most of the food and wine on the table.The adjutant who stood motionless by the side waved in time, and the orderlies added steak and chicken legs to the table.

At this moment, a command to "stand at attention" came from outside the tent, and the guard reported: "Deputy Commander Fu is here!" As soon as everyone raised their heads buried in the meat basin, Lieutenant General Fu Zhongfang, deputy commander in chief of the Binhu Security District, with a fat body, opened the curtain of the tent and walked in with a gust of cold wind. "Brother Zhongfang, you are late!" Wang Yaowu greeted.Fu Zhongfang's name is Yihan, and his courtesy name is Zhongfang, and he works with words, so he is called Zhongfang.The others, with their mouths full of wine and meat, only responded vaguely to him.

Fu Zhongfang's prestige in the national army is not high, because he has lost all battles.During the Battle of Changde, the troops under his command were beaten by the Japanese army and fled everywhere.But as soon as the battle was over, he came out of nowhere with great vigor, and you have to admit that his troops were intact.This is what he is most proud of and also the most frustrating for others. Fu Zhongfang didn't care that the generals treated him coldly.He gently tore off his white gloves, took the wine glass respectfully handed over by the orderly, took a sip, glanced around at the crowd, and then his eyes rested on Yu Chengwan's face. Sensitively aware of something, Yu Chengwan caught Fu Zhongfang's meaningful glance and gave him a waiting look back. Fu Zhongfang raised his glass and said, "Brother Shi Jian, hurry up and drink more." Upon hearing this, everyone stopped. "What do you mean?" Zhang Lingfu asked gloomily. "Brother Zhongfang has something to say." Wang Yaowu lightly paused his wine glass. "Brother Zhongfang, are you joking?" Fu Yi wanted to smooth things over. "No," Fu Zhongfang said sternly, "Senior officers, including Master Yu, please forgive me. My brother is here this time, and he was ordered to arrest Master Yu and take him to Chongqing immediately." "Why?" Wang Yaowu changed color suddenly, "Could it be because Commander Yu finally crossed the river to find reinforcements when he ran out of food and ammunition?" Fu Zhongfang nodded: "This is your explanation, but there is another explanation, that is to disobey orders and run away." Zhang Lingfu jumped up, slammed the wine glass on the ground, and blasted the tense air with a bang, "Hungry (me) day your grandma, desperately desperate, bloody battle, what's the matter? Turned out to be a sinner?!" As soon as he exploded, the Shaanxi accent also came out. According to the order of entering the city, Lu Daoyuan should be the number one contributor to the recovery of Changde.But the reputation of the 57th Division defending the city has already been well-known, and his achievements of the 58th Army are of course bleak. Now seeing Yu Chengwan's misfortune, he can't help but feel a little bit of happiness.In addition, the 57th Division is Chiang Kai-shek's direct line of troops. Yu Chengwan, Wang Yaowu, Zhang Lingfu, etc. are all from the Whampoa faction with real power, and he is a miscellaneous brand played under the baton of Yunnan King Longyun. The promotion was slow, and a few times he was almost squeezed out by his direct descendants, so there was always an uncontrollable jealousy in his heart.But this time he also felt that arresting Yu Chengwan had gone too far. As a front-line combat general, he felt the responsibility to stand up and say a few words. "Brother Zhongfang, did you make a mistake? I led the troops to Maowan on the south bank of the Yuan River, and the first person I met was Brother Shi Jian who rushed out of the city to guide us. I can confirm——" Lu Dao Yuan pointed to the gas bomb wound on the corner of Yu Chengwan's mouth and said, "Brother Shi Jian braved the hail of bullets and fought bloody battles with injuries. He has no intention of escaping. I don't know why Brother Zhong Fang came to arrest Brother Shi Jian... ..." Fu Zhongfang was speechless. Wearing a woolen robe and a bowler hat, Dai Jiufeng, the magistrate of Changde County, originally felt that it was inconvenient for him to intervene in the general's circle. At this time, he somehow boldly approached Fu Zhongfang, coughed a few times to embolden him, and said: "Mr. Fu, on behalf of the people of Changde, I want to ask for credit for General Yu, but this, this, this..." He didn't know what to say in order not to be rude or presumptuous, his fingers were trembling violently due to excessive excitement stand up. "Brothers, calm down, I, Yu Chengwan, do the work and take care of it!" Yu Chengwan, who had been on the side, but was speechless like a bystander, suddenly broke the silence and spoke.He was sober, sober, like a drunk who's had an overdose when a basin of cold water is poured over his head.Before this, this fierce battle has never ended for him. He has doubts about himself, grievances, confusion, expectations that he wants to get rid of but can't get rid of, and sometimes anger, a kind of anger that lacks objects and is difficult to dispel. , the mixed emotions seemed to be screwed under his feet, causing him to slip into the chaotic abyss, hey, now I understand, I finally understand, the crux of his anxiety is not the result of this unpredictable but predictable result ? !When it came, it stood in front of itself with a sneer.So he regained his sanity and his self-confidence, the self-confidence of a well-educated and battle-tested general. He raised his wine glass freely, clasped his hands into fists, and said: "Brothers, let Shi Jian offer you another glass of wine at the end, everything is speechless." "Please, Master Yu." Fu Zhongfang spread a hand out of the tent pretending to be polite. Yu Chengwan strode out facing the biting northwest wind. When the generals and magistrates in the tent came to their senses and wanted to say goodbye to Yu Chengwandao individually, they were no longer outside the door.Wang Yaowu was told that Yu Chengwan would go upstream to Chongqing on a steamer, but when he led the generals in the army to see him off, he did not find Yu Chengwan on the ship at all.I asked Fu Zhongfang, and replied that he didn't know either, and that the Military Commission sent a commissioner to escort him.Wang Yaowu and others knew that it was inconvenient to go any further. Who else could arrest the generals of the first phase of Whampoa?I knew it all in my heart, but I didn't dare to say it. A narrow and long road stretches endlessly into the distance.If it is not covered by heavy snow, you can see the grayish-yellow sandy road and the barren fields on both sides of the road.The snow began to fall in the evening, and by the dawn of the next day, the entire Shonan Plain had been covered with snow-white velvet.Two American jeeps in the front and rear ran silently on the snowy ground, making two deep black ruts.They open from night to day, and drive toward Chongqing day and night. Yu Chengwan was wrapped in a cotton coat and sat in the back seat of the next car, accompanied by two armed policemen.In fact, he no longer had freedom of movement, but out of admiration and respect for him, the two gendarmes handed him several recently published newspapers bought on the way.What caught his eyes were all headline articles praising the 57th Division of the 74th Army of the "Hu Ben" and himself.There are also various photos of his military uniforms distributed, which also occupy a prominent position in the newspaper.He looked away, and his eyes were in contact with the dazzling snow, feeling a little dizzy. He didn't know that when he was detained, the Sixth and Ninth War Zones of the National Army and the rear of Chongqing were setting off a climax of propaganda and labor for the Battle of Changde in the northern Hunan battlefield.Although the protagonist of the climax was not in it, the enthusiasm of the climax did sweep through all Chinese theaters and the powerful public opinion machines in Britain and the United States, causing a worldwide shock. One summer morning 50 years later, as a writer in the Chinese army, I pushed open the glass door of the special collection room of the Hunan Provincial Library, and a heavy stack of "Central Daily" and "Ta Kung Pao" during the Anti-Japanese War was placed in front of me. Open its yellow and broken pages, and pick up the waves of this historical climax.








The overwhelming propaganda in the newspapers is no less than the snowflakes flying in front of you.Wisps of blue smoke rose from the back of the jeep as it burrowed through the snow.Inside the car, the exhausted General Yu Chengwan fell asleep with his head tilted on the back of the seat.The newspapers handed to him by the gendarmes were thrown on the ground.