Chapter 3 "Tiger Ben" was ordered in danger

A shiny maroon horse ran wildly on the dirt road from Guyuan Mountain to Hefu Mountain in the suburbs of Changde.The iron hoofs splashed sand and smashed into the dry river ditches on both sides of the road. The sound of "bang bang bang" echoed in the open field. Groups of birds perched on the branches were startled by the sound, flapping their wings and scattered around fly away. "Is it Tiger Ben?" A Chinese soldier on horseback asked loudly at the roadblock checkpoint ahead. "It's Tiger Ben." The sentinel replied. "Military!" The sentinel quickly moved out of the way, and almost at the same time, the galloping horse shot past like a bullet.

Hearing the swift sound of horseshoes, the officers and soldiers of the 57th Division who were helping the common people grow rapeseed and winter radishes in the fields stopped their work and looked up in the direction of the horse Xiaodun.The expressions on their faces suddenly became serious, and they were sensitively aware that the war was coming. "Book of Records Mushishang": "King Wu has three hundred military chariots and three hundred people in tigers and bees." , invincible.The 57th Division of the National Army is named after this honor.From the division commander to the soldiers, all of them wear a character-shaped symbol on the left arm of the military uniform, with the word "Hu Ben" printed on it.The 74th Army of the National Army with the "Hu Ben" is one of the five most elite main forces of the Kuomintang. In May 1943, the Japanese army launched an offensive in the west of Hubei. In the direction of Binhu, the enemy used Huarong, Shishou and other places as bridgehead positions to cover, and moved aggressively to the north of Hunan.Changde was already in panic before the Japanese army's attempt became clear.

Wang Yaowu was ordered to lead the 74th Army to reinforce Binhu, the 51st and 58th Divisions participated in the pursuit battle on the north bank of the Lishui River Basin, and Yu Chengwan led the 57th Division to garrison the city of Changde. When "Hu Ben" settled in, Changde had become an empty city.The catastrophe is imminent. After the troops enter the city, the military discipline is strict, and there is no crime in the autumn. First, the gates of the whole city are properly closed. The officers strictly restrain their subordinates. 1. The gendarmerie will register and keep the furniture and objects, so that they can be handed over to the original owner face to face when they leave.The Battle of Western Hubei was undoubtedly a false alarm for Changde. The ancient city began to recover, and the citizens returned one after another in a happy mood.After the urban order was restored, the 57th Division moved to Hefu Mountain in the suburbs of the city.Facing the intact streets, buildings, and shops, the people were overwhelmed with gratitude, and they praised "Hu Ben" as their patron saint. With the protection of the "Hu Ben" god, the auspicious star shines brightly, and the flames of war will never burn Changde.

But on November 4, 1943, the ominous sound of horseshoes still sounded on the warm land of Changde. The headquarters of the 57th Division is located in the Taihe Temple of Taoism in Hefu Mountain, with towering ancient trees at the entrance and solemn high walls. The messenger soldier on horseback jumped off his horse and ran into the temple. After a moment of silence, the commander of the division, Zhou Yizhong, issued the first order of Commander Yu Chengwan to the 169th, 170th, and 171st regiments of the 57th Division and the directly subordinate teams: immediately go to Changde and deploy defenses before the battle.

The military order fell like a mountain, and the high-spirited bugle sounded in the villages where the various troops camped. I am a Chinese soldier born in the mainland in the 1950s.I have known since I was a child that the Kuomintang is a "scraping party" and that the Kuomintang army is a "suffering army".Later, when I grew up, I read "Reference News" and learned that the Kuomintang also called the Communist Party a "Communist Communist Wife" and that the Communist Party's army was a "bandit."But I don’t believe in the KMT’s propaganda, because the textbooks I read when I was in school contained stories about the People’s Liberation Army passing by an apple orchard without moving a single fruit, and stories about the People’s Liberation Army attacking Shanghai and sleeping on the road.Those plots that don't take people's stitches and threads, but borrow things and have to return them, have been compiled into various words and programs, which are well known to everyone.

But I didn’t expect that decades later, in Dayong, Xiangxi, where there are many strange mountains, in a courtyard that couldn’t be more simple, old man Yang Yunqing, the former major of the 57th Division’s staff office, told me the same story and the same story. The deeds and the same plot, the difference is that they all happened to the officers and soldiers of the national army who are called the "suffering army". I am emotional.Is it lamenting the good conduct shared by all descendants of the Yellow Emperor, or lamenting the hard-to-fill gap in human existence?Maybe what I feel is just these things themselves.

"Old man! Is the old man at home?" An old man in a blue cotton robe came out of the room with a smile, "Sir, come in and sit down for a while"! A deputy squad leader of the 4th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 170th Regiment of the 57th Division stood at the door of the farmer's house with a wooden bucket, and politely declined, "No, no, I'm here to return the bucket for you." The wooden barrel was handed over respectfully. The old man didn't answer, and asked reluctantly, "Are you leaving?" The deputy squad leader nodded and said, "We're going to march into the city."

"You don't drink water when you enter the city?" the old man asked again in surprise. "Drink, what can I do if I don't drink water?" "Then how do you carry water for drinking?" The old man showed a bit of farmhouse cunning. "Use a bucket." The deputy squad leader didn't know if he had fallen into a trap. "Then why don't you return the bucket to me!" the old man immediately said in a reproachful tone. "Hi!" The deputy monitor slapped his head, blaming himself for not being able to speak. "No, old man, the bucket is yours and I have to return it to you. When we go to the city to drink water, we will borrow it again or buy a new one."

"Just take the ready-made ones away, why borrow them and buy them!" The old man still refused to accept the bucket. "Our chief said that there is discipline, and the property of the people cannot be moved." The deputy squad leader forced it. The old man refused to pick it up, and said angrily: "You think my old man's barrel is broken, don't you? Well, I'll go and get you a new one!" After hearing this, the deputy squad leader didn't dare to continue the saw, put the bucket on the ground, and ran away as if to run away. The two soldiers of the engineering company shouldered the heavy responsibility and went to the fellow's house to return the door panels.The door panel is what they borrowed to sleep at night.

But they stood in the empty main room of the fellow's house and shouted for a long time, but no one came out to answer.They found it very strange that the clothes hanging on the bamboo poles in the yard were still dripping water, the firewood in the hearth was clearly burning just after it was put in, and the rice in the pot was bubbling, but what about people? Before coming, the chief ordered that the things borrowed from the fellow should be handed over to the fellow.Now there is no one in my hometown, so how can I pay it back.This really made the two soldiers run around in a hurry, like a walk-on actor running around and poking around while performing "Empty City Strategies" on the stage.

Suddenly, they heard a girl in the attic covering her mouth and snickering secretly.They suddenly understood that it turned out that the villagers deliberately avoided them so that they would not return the door. So they came up with a plan, deliberately sniffing hard at the pot and said, "ah, I'm hungry." Hungry! I'm so hungry!" A sister-in-law of the fellow’s family finally couldn’t stand it any longer. She ran down from the attic and yelled, “Qi (eat) rice, Qifan, come to Qifan! There are dried chili fish and bacon…” The two soldiers saluted happily when they saw the sister-in-law, then removed the door panel in front of the sister-in-law, put it in place, thanked her, and ran away. The villagers all rushed out, shouting that they were fooled. The 171st Regiment had a company commander named Ma Baozhen, a native of Wuhu, Anhui, who graduated from the No. 2 Squadron of the 16th Phase of Tongliang, Sichuan, Whampoa Military Academy.The young man is warm and easy-going, and looks talented, so he is deeply loved by the girls.But he swore that he would not drive out the Japanese pirates, nor would he marry him.Therefore, he always politely declines the women he meets by chance in the midst of military affairs. In December 1941, the Japanese army instigated the third invasion of Changsha. After the battle broke out, Japanese planes flew over Changsha city and bombed indiscriminately.At that time, Ma Baozhen was being trained by the cadre training group and was stationed in Guitang, a suburb of Changsha.One day at dawn, beep, beep, the emergency siren rang out heart-piercingly again in the air.Dozens of enemy planes circled like crows.Immediately, flames burst out everywhere, and heavy bombs roared and exploded continuously in Ma Baozhen's hiding place.Taking advantage of the interval when the enemy plane shuttled and dropped bombs, he ventured to run quickly in the direction of the enemy plane and jumped to the new bomb crater that had just been blown up.At this moment, he caught a glimpse of a young girl who was stunned by the tragic scene, trembling all over, and cast a straight look at him for help.The enemy plane turned around again, and its ruthless wings were adjusting the angle, preparing for a dive bombing.In the nick of time, without hesitation, Company Commander Ma grabbed the girl's arm and ran away, pulling her hard to jump and falling into the bomb crater.Almost at the same time, countless bomb shrapnels fell from the sky above their heads, and there was a loud sound, and the air wave knocked them down, and they were tightly stacked together, and the collapsed mud clods rained all over their bodies. Jumping out of the pit, the girl knelt down and kowtowed to Ma Baozhen, crying and said, "You saved my life, how should I thank you! May I ask the benefactor's name?" Ma Baozhen told her.The girl said again: "My parents were killed by the Japanese bombers a few days ago, and now I am the only one left..." Before she could finish speaking, they were dispersed by the rushing crowd of refugees. At Changsha Railway Station, Ma Baozhen was transferred with the cadre training group.The three floors of the southbound train were packed to the brim. Changsha people helped the old and the young, crying for their fathers and mothers to squeeze into the train.In the crowd of tens of thousands, suddenly a girl's voice called Ma Baozhen.He followed the sound and saw that it was the girl who hid from the alarm with him a few days ago. She squeezed towards him through the crowd.Only then did he have a chance to look at her: she was dressed in a light apricot silk shirt, a dark red floral skirt, flesh-colored stockings, half-high-heeled leather shoes, willow eyebrows and bright eyes, and a cherry mouth with white teeth.She approached, grasped Ma Baozhen's hand, and said boldly: "Thank God, I met you again. My name is Liu Yucui. I have no relatives. Only you, my savior. You are a good person, if you respect me Me, I would like to entrust my life to you, wherever you go, I will go with you, fight against Japan together, share weal and woe.” Looking at this slender girl, Ma Baozhen couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat, but the war is raging, as a soldier who is wandering without a trace and doesn't know his life or death, how can he talk about getting married and starting a family?He had to say: "When is this, I can't bring you happiness. Well, I'll take you to the car, you go to Guilin first, and then go to the rear, take care, and live bravely!" The girl endured I couldn't help crying, and wept sadly.The train whistle blew, and the crowd on the platform once again set off a crowded climax. Without delay, Ma Baozhen pushed her hard into the car, and she struggled into the car.The train started slowly, she leaned half of her body out of the car, waved to Ma Baozhen with tears all over her face, and shouted loudly: "You have to take care too!" At the end of the cadre training group, Ma Baozhen was assigned to the 57th Division.This time, the troops withdrew to Hefu Mountain and set up camp. The landlord is an enlightened gentleman, and there is a girl who is waiting for her in the house.Unexpectedly, in just a few months, a lingering love affair would emerge. Summer and autumn alternate seasons in northern Hunan. During the day, the sun is hot and dry, but at night, the wind blows, making people chilly.In the middle of the night, Ma Baozhen had already turned off the lights and was lying on the bed, but she heard panicked and noisy voices from the landlord's house.He hurriedly got up and went out to check, only to see that the door of the house was open, the landlord's family members and some outsiders hurried in and out, and the old wooden floor made a "dong dong" sound.People carried water for a while, and pots for a while, running upstairs and downstairs in the dim light, all looking nervous and gloomy.Upstairs is the lady's boudoir, could it be... He fastened his uniform and went upstairs to visit. Although it was the first time he had entered the boudoir, except for smelling a strange fragrance, he didn't bother to look carefully at it.He saw the young lady lying on the carved bed, her pale face was reflected by the light, her eyes were slightly closed, she was panting heavily, and she looked very painful. Ma Baozhen asked the landlord old gentleman with concern: "What's the matter, miss, is she sick?" The old gentleman nodded dispiritedly. "Then go ask the doctor to see it." Ma Baozhen said. "Please." The old gentleman replied hoarsely. "What disease?" "It is said that it is possessed by the pendulum ghost!" the old gentleman said with a frown. The pendulum ghost is the saying of the country witch doctor, and the medical name should be called malaria.Ma Baozhen was about to ask more questions, when there was a sound of the floor, and the person who came up shouted, "Sir, the teacher of the dance master is here!" How can such an enlightened gentleman still practice superstition after studying abroad?Ma Baozhen couldn't help being puzzled.But he thought again, maybe when people's lives are at stake, they have no choice. A white cat and a black cat are good cats if they catch mice.On such occasions, he felt that it was inconvenient to talk too much, so he retreated to his room. "Wow——" A sharp scream pierced the silent night, and then the witch's skin drum sounded "dong dong dong" one after another, and the young lady's painful cries continued to reach Ma Baozhen's ears.He couldn't sleep anymore, so he went upstairs to the lady's room in cloaked clothes. The room was full of smog, and a few men and women pretending to be ghosts danced and sang around the semi-conscious young lady. The witch even grabbed handfuls of incense ash and stuffed the young lady's mouth. poke.This was the source of the lady's shrill cry. "Stop!" Ma Baozhen yelled. The people in the room stopped immediately, and all looked at this handsome but angry officer in fear. Saving people was the most important thing. Ma Baozhen didn't care to teach them a lesson, so she hurriedly hung up the phone to the health team of the division headquarters and asked if there was any special medicine quinine to treat malaria at that time.Since Japan cut off the China-Myanmar Highway, the only channel between the Chongqing Kuomintang government and foreign countries in 1943, various medicines were in short supply, and it was impossible for the division health team to have quinine. When Ma Baozhen learned of this situation, he no longer hesitated, mounted his horse, and galloped towards Changde City with his whip in the thick night.He knew that there was a Guangde Hospital run by the American Logan in the city, and there must be a drug called quinine there. Here, Ma Baozhen's orderlies have driven the witches out, guarding the door of the seriously ill lady with guns, waiting for the return of the company commander. When the sky was dew, Ma Baozhen, who was sweating profusely and her lips were purple from exhaustion, finally rushed back.Jumping off the horse, he stuffed a pack of quinine into the old gentleman's hand, and ordered: "Quick, give the medicine to the young lady!" The lady was saved.This episode was widely circulated as a good story, and spread to the division headquarters of the "Hu Ben" army, where it became a pennant presented by the old gentleman, with a letter saying "Soldiers and the people are like a family, heaven and earth are harmonious and people are harmonious."At first, I thought the words on the pennant were extremely untrue, because it was like Mao Zedong's "The army and the people are united as one, let's see who can fight against it" decades later.But when I investigated it, I was wrong. The words of the banner were copied from "Love Folk Songs" written by Zeng Guofan when he ruled the Hunan Army. The episode was also turned into a seed of emotion, which germinated in the young lady's heart.She puts a fresh hot pepper as red as a flame on the rice bowl of Company Commander Ma Baozhen's every meal, to express her special love for him. But the young lady's father, the old gentleman, does not agree with his daughter's love.Although he is grateful to Ma Baozhen, he doesn't think his daughter will marry him.The consideration of being a father is actually very practical, the war is chaotic, and the wife of a soldier must be ready to be a widow at any time. But the young lady was not, she was determined to be Ma Baozhen's person in her life, and Ma Baozhen's ghost in her death.The young lady cried in front of her father, crying like a weeping man, crying so darkly that she was distraught.Helpless, the old gentleman finally agreed. Seeing that Company Commander Ma Baozhen, who had made the oath of "not driving out Japanese pirates and swearing not to be married", was about to be unable to withstand the attack of the amorous Hunan girl, at this moment, the bugle for the troops to march out was sounded heart-rendingly! Ma Baozhen went to bid farewell to the young lady, wanting to say the most beautiful language in the world, "Goodbye, my dear" for the last time.But he didn't say it, because the young lady was sleeping in the dreamland, with a beautiful smile on her innocent face.He stood gently on the head of her bed, not daring to wake her up.Let her sleep, let her have a sweet dream, maybe she is dreaming that she and Ma Baozhen are walking, hugging and kissing by the sparkling Yuan River... The wings of fantasy were broken by the ruthless flames of war.The Chinese military officer named Ma Baozhen disappeared from the girl's sight together with Changde City after 15 days. The gigantic war machine simply ignored tiny lives like Ma Baozhen.It is the desire and transaction of national politics, the calculation and division of territory.Although wars are started by people, people are as insignificant as ants in the war. Perhaps, there is also such a Ma Baozhen saying goodbye to her lover in Japan.After breaking up affectionately, he died in a battle in a foreign country that attacked a city that meant nothing to him. 1943 was a year shrouded in dark clouds for the Japanese Empire.In the majestic building of the Ministry of the Army, Marshal Sugiyama, Chief of Staff of the Army Department of the base camp, frowned and kept pacing in front of the globe like a trapped animal.After the outbreak of the Pearl Harbor incident, the Japanese army declared that the US Western Pacific Fleet had been completely wiped out, and the Japanese newspapers even advocated that the main force of the US Navy had been completely wiped out. The Japanese people were ecstatic.But in fact, the ships damaged by the Japanese bombers at Pearl Harbor were only 15 of the 120 ships of the US Pacific Fleet, 40 ships were safe and sound in the port, and 65 ships were moored in military ports outside Pearl Harbor. , the damaged part of the ship was also repaired and began to participate in the war. Then, on June 5, 1942, the United States and Japan carried out the large-scale naval battle of Midway Island.The U.S. military won a complete victory. The Japanese side sank 4 main aircraft carriers, severely damaged 1 battleship, sunk 1 cruiser and severely damaged 1 ship, severely damaged 2 destroyers, and wiped out 3,200 naval officers and soldiers. The Japanese military did not dare to announce the situation of the battle, trying to cover up and dilute it with the next record. But in fact, in the Pacific, the Japanese army suffered even worse defeats in the following battles. In August 1943, the U.S. military began a counterattack in the Solomon Islands, while the Japanese Navy and Army retreated steadily.The head of the Japanese government's reporting department, Gu Di, broadcast the dying situation of the Shanzhi troops in Atu Island, weeping, and every sentence was like a steel knife piercing the hearts of the Japanese. "The imperial army has a glorious tradition. Since the Great East Asian War, there have been many military gods. But I have never heard of such a tragic story of so many warriors who died calmly. More than 2,000 officers and soldiers fought fiercely for two decades, and only 100 remained , in the end, all the seriously wounded committed suicide, and the rest of the people worshiped the imperial palace and shouted long live the emperor, and then rushed to the enemy line, and all died heroically. The same is true for the battle of Minatogawa, which can be called the army of the gods, which is extremely sad. As long as we As long as there is still one breath left, as long as there is one Japanese living in the world, we must never forget the loyalty of the martyr Yusha on the isolated island surrounded by waves." On the Red Square in Moscow, the Soviet Army Honor Guard lined up to pay tribute to the foreign ministers of China, the United States and the United Kingdom. In October 1943, the meeting of the foreign ministers of China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union ended, and the "U.S., Britain, Soviet Union, and China Declaration on Universal Security" was issued, proposing that the allies should unite to eliminate Japanese imperialism.This made the Japanese government deeply feel the crisis, and the emperor was very worried and restless. In order to restore the impact of this series of failures, the Japanese military is eager to launch an offensive on the battlefield in China, which they think is the largest, to comfort the people with victory and revive morale.Marshal Sugiyama told the six generals, Commander-in-Chief of the China Expeditionary Force, Toshiro Hata: "Victory must be a victory that attracts the attention of the world. Do you understand?" The heavy voice reverberated in the marble hall for a long time. A few days after Hata Shunroku was ordered to return to Nanjing, Hideki Tojo, who was serving as Japan's land minister, received reliable information that Chen Cheng, the commander of China's Sixth War Zone, asked Sun Lianzhong to act as his deputy, and the brave Samsung general went to Kunming in secret. Assembled 24 divisions, overloaded drills, and prepared to counterattack Burma.In addition, about 250,000 Kuomintang elite troops are being mobilized from Hunan to Yunnan and Guizhou, which must also be related to the planned offensive against Burma. The Japanese know very well that after the defeat of the Chinese army in Burma in 1942, the Burma Road, China's only external communication line, was cut off by the Japanese army.Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese theater, suggested several times to the United Kingdom and the United States to counterattack northern Myanmar and open up the Yunnan-Burma channel. On August 19, 1943, U.S. President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill held a meeting in Quebec and decided to launch a counterattack against northern Burma in February 1944 and set up a Southeast Asia theater with Mountbatten as commander.Chiang Kai-shek took a breath and said, "It's all right now, I finally moved the big nose." Under the autumn sun, a military transport plane roared down and landed at Chongqing Airport. Mountbatten stepped off the plane with a pipe in his mouth and a confident smile.The purpose of the British Marshal’s visit to China was to convene a military conference and agree on a strategy for attacking Burma. The idea he proposed at the time was to “mainly use the navy and air force, supplemented by the army, first attack Burma as a base, and then successively attack Malaya and Thailand. Attack, and cooperate with the allied forces in the Southwest Pacific and China theaters to completely wipe out the Japanese army."According to the "Decisions of the Quebec Conference" and the "Offensive Plan for the Southeast Asian Theater", the Chongqing Kuomintang Military Commission planned to attack northern Myanmar with the main force of the Chinese troops stationed in India and a part of the British Army.In order to open up the line of communication to the mainland at all costs, in addition to transporting three divisions by air to strengthen the troops stationed in India and the expeditionary force, the new weapons and ammunition donated by the United States were mainly used to equip the Indian-Myanmar troops. The supplement of soldiers and equipment also made these troops take precedence. "In any case, we must hold back the Chinese army's leg to step into Burma!" Both Hideki Tojo and Sugiyama gave instructions to Shunroku Hata without hesitation.On the one hand, the Japanese military dispatched the 15th Division and the 33rd Division to Myanmar to strengthen the strength of the Burmese Front Army. On the other hand, it urged the Chinese dispatched troops to launch local effective attacks on the national army on the frontal battlefield as soon as possible to contain the situation in Myanmar. Which direction to choose?Which city to attack?To what extent is operational intent achieved?Hata Shunroku, who was thinking about the war situation in China, repeatedly brewed plans in front of the huge map of China.In the end, his mouse eyes, which were constantly spinning, turned to Changde City by the Yuan River in the Binhu area and settled down. Changde.Yes, it is Changde!Hata Shunroku elaborated on his consideration of attacking Changde when he reported his campaign concept to the Japanese base camp.With the loss of the Japanese army's advantage in the Pacific battlefield, the control of sea and air was basically controlled by the allies. The aircraft and submarines of the allies became more and more active, which caused more and more losses of Japanese ships at sea, and sea transportation became more and more difficult.In order to ensure the supply of the Nanyang combat troops, it can only be solved by opening up the Guangdong-Han Railway and completing the plan to run through the Greater East Asia Railway.If the plan is realized, it will not only reinforce the troops in Nanyang and prevent the invasion of the Allies, but also seize strategic materials in Nanyang to solve the difficulty of domestic financial depletion.Therefore, Changde's geographic location is extremely important. After Wuhan was occupied by the Japanese army, Changde became the vanguard of Yuanling, Guiyang, Changsha, and Hengyang.If Changde is captured, the Japanese army can point to Yuanling in the west to enter the east of Guizhou, and go to Yiyang and Hengyang in the south to isolate Changsha. The two major arteries of Guangdong, Han, and Hunan and Guangxi will be in their hands, which can affect the situation of the entire Chinese theater. Also, Hata Shunroku stated in his report that Changde is the throat of Sichuan and Guizhou, a barrier to defend Chongqing, and a key supply line behind China.The Kuomintang Military Commission listed Changde at the top of the "Sixth War Zone Defending and Accompanying Capital Plan" formulated in 1942. The "Guarding the Accompanied Capital Plan" stated: "For the purpose of defending the accompanying capital, the theater should ensure the main points of Changde, Enshi, Badong, and Xingshan." In subsequent amendments, the Sixth Theater further emphasized the need to defend Changde, acting commander Chief Sun Lianzhong wrote in the amendment: "For the purpose of defending the capital in the war zone, Changde and Shimen should be ensured..." The Chongqing Kuomintang Military Commission attached great importance to Changde. It will order "the Ninth Theater should turn to Xiangxi with at least 3 armies to make operations in the Sixth Theater easier."It can be seen that after the fall of Wuhan, the Kuomintang government is determined to defend Changde to ensure this military-critical "capital barrier", otherwise, the loss of Changde will bring a direct threat to Chongqing.Since Changde is so important, Hata Shunroku believes that if Changde is not attacked, the strategic purpose of this campaign will not be achieved. In addition, choosing Changde as the target of attack also has a very practical intention, which is to seize Dongting granary.Dongting Lake is a famous grain and cotton producing area in China. The Sixth War Zone of the Kuomintang set up a "Xianggu Transshipment Office" in Changde to collect land taxes and grains from counties along the lake, store and transport them to the southwest.On the west bank of the Yuanshui River from Changde to Zoushi, the warehouse reserves amounted to 900,000 Dan.Hata Junroku seemed to have seen the white rice "swipe" flowing down between his fingers.Japan needs food, rice, and even more than it needs arms.The food issue is always discussed in cabinet meetings, and the police chiefs in major cities are also running around to buy rice like handling cases.The imperial army fighting in various places had to do looting, which is the so-called "supporting war with war".Hata Junliu was even more troubled by the rice problem. When he reported the situation to the base camp, he complained: "In order to alleviate the food shortage in North China, I think it is necessary to temporarily reduce a part of the daily supply." Now it is the season when the grain warehouse is full after the autumn harvest. Junliu opened his salivating mouth, and if he didn't bite Changde Binhu, which is "cooked in Huguang, the world is full", where else would he bite? The report was sent directly to Tokyo by military plane. On August 28, 1943, Sixth General Toshiro Hata, Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Army, received a telegram from the Japanese Army Ministry: Report Approval.Before the end of the year, some of the main divisions were transferred to the south, and the main force of the 11th Army and part of the 13th Army were used to attack Changde, looking for an opportunity to attack the Central Army in the Sixth Theater, in order to prevent the Chinese army from entering Burma. On September 7th, General Hatatoshi received a personal letter from Chief of Staff Sugiyama Order dispatched army staff officer Hiroshi Tominaga: "Within the scope of not hindering the full use of troops in the base camp (that is, the plan to deploy a group of elite divisions to fight in the south at the end of 1943), we must do our best to strengthen the oppression against the enemy and contain the counterattack of the expeditionary force in Yunnan. We must conduct Changde operations. "Strict attention must be paid to combat operations in Changde, so as not to hinder the overall deployment of troops planned by the base camp. At the same time, the most effective goal of annihilating the enemy's main force and containing the enemy's troops must be achieved. For this reason, the commander-in-chief must strictly plan the use of troops and the duration of operations. , earnestly guide." Admiral Sugiyama, who admired and valued Junliu very much, also privately confessed that he estimated that the time for the Allied forces to counterattack Burma might be after December, and it would continue until March and April of 1944. The first ten days of the month will surely achieve the best results.As for the retreat time after the battle, it may depend on the situation of the Allied forces counterattacking Burma. On September 27, the Japanese military department officially issued a mainland combat order: "Changde operations can be carried out. In order to perform the current mission, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese dispatched army can temporarily cross the combat area in central China to conduct operations." Japanese dispatched troops stationed in China After the headquarters was ordered, it issued an order to the Central China Expeditionary Army on September 28: "1. The commander of the 11th Army launched this operation in early November to attack the vicinity of Changde and destroy the enemy's combat power; 2. Once the purpose of the operation is completed, That is to restore the original situation, and the timing will be ordered separately; 3. The 3rd Flying Division should use the reconnaissance force as the main force to cooperate with the frontline operations." Wuhan.After receiving the order, Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Expedition to China, picked up the label of the Japanese Sun Flag and plunged it deep into the middle of the word "Changde" on the map. In Anqing, where the Anhui River and the Yangtze River meet, October is the harvest season for moso bamboo and pomegranates.The several markets at the South Gate are bustling with people from morning to night every day, with donkeys barking and dogs barking in unison, and the stench of garbage everywhere. Two sentries of the Japanese Imperial Army stood at the gate of the city, their "March 8" large-capped rifles with the sun flag hanging on their narrow shoulders, motionless. At noon, it is the busiest time of the day.Two middle-aged men dressed as businessmen stepped out of the city gate leisurely.They walked along the dirt road until they were out of the sight of the Japanese gun towers, and suddenly flashed to the crop field beside the road, took off their long jackets, revealed their short and sharp clothes, and went across the country swiftly. They are two spies of the national army lurking in Anqing.They came to a secret stronghold, took out the hidden transmitter, and reported to their most direct superior intelligence station: "Thousands of Japanese troops gathered in Anqing area, led by Division Chief Yan Yongwang, went to Wuhan by boat." It took nearly half a day for this important piece of information to be received. However, after going through several radio stations, it was completely changed when it reached the headquarters of the commander of the Sixth War Zone.Had to instruct the intelligence department to review again.During the review process, the two spies in Anqing were unfortunately shot dead by the Japanese 13th Army's Special High Section, and the other escaped. The Kuomintang army lacked training and was extremely outstanding in communications.Due to the lack of training and unfamiliar skills of radio communication personnel, the speed of sending and receiving telecommunication is extremely slow, which often delays fighters.An order is transmitted by radio, and it takes at least 12 hours from the headquarters of the group army to the division and regiment level.If the weather is bad, or troops are marching, or other malfunctions, the time is more difficult to calculate.Radio communication is not only slow in sending and receiving reports, but also the telecommunication is not confidential.After several battles, it was discovered that some of the important telegrams sent by our side during the battle, their location, deployment, etc., were recorded in the captured Japanese army documents.At the same time, there was a shortage of radio communication equipment and technical personnel. "Because of the lack of radio communication equipment and personnel below the regiment, once the battle situation is in a trance, it is impossible to control the troops; and because of communication difficulties, they dare not boldly use troops and lose the opportunity." Then, the Chongqing Military Commission received information one after another: "A part of the enemy on Nande Road also sailed westward by boat", "About two to three thousand enemies from the east of Tongshan moved to Yueyang via Chongyang", "Pinghan Road Most of the enemies in the southern section are moving in the direction of Mianyang." Report from the Sixth War Zone: On the river between Jianli and Shashi, the Japanese army assembled more than 30 boats; the Japanese army assembled more than 300 motorboats and more than 1,000 civilian ships on the rivers and branches of the lake; in addition, the Japanese army added more than 10 tanks in Yichang, and the Shashi-Dangyi highway The Japanese army added more than 400 vehicles, and the transportation was frequent. In the tall office of the Chongqing Military Commission, Bai Chongxi leaned under an orange desk lamp, read through the intelligence files, and wrote: "The enemy deployed troops from the Central China battlefield to attack the Binhu area in order to consume and contain our troops and plunder supplies. "His authority as deputy chief of staff can only approve instructions so far, and he quickly forwarded the file to Chief of General Staff He Yingqin. Chief He put on his gold-rimmed glasses, read through the intelligence submission slowly but with great concentration, signed his name, and then cursed: "The enemy is eyeing Changde, a strategically important place. It is recommended to follow the original combat deployment." Because he He also had no right to command and mobilize theater troops, so he sent the dossier directly to the desk of Chairman of the Military Commission Chiang Kai-shek. In fact, Chiang Kai-shek knew very well that the real battle had to be strategized by the commander-in-chief of the theater below and their senior staff.As the president, he only plays the overall balancing and deterrent role of the supreme commander.So he was even more straightforward, with a swipe of a pen: "According to the established combat policy!" The established combat policy is the combat plan adopted by Sun Lianzhong, the acting commander of the Sixth Theater, based on the amendment to the "Sixth Theater Defending the Capital Plan" assuming that the Japanese army attacked the Binhu Changde area.The full text of the battle plan is: "Grandson's chief officer Wu Yu (July 21) Qi Zhan Tian Di Xuan Huang and various telegrams amended the 31st year (1942) No. 1 combat plan (defensive) to the general idea, guiding essentials Ugly case: The enemy crossed the river near Yidu and attacked at the same time We, the Public Security Bureau, pressed the 10th Group Army troops to the west in Nuanshui Street and the area west of Niejiahe, switched to the defensive position, and then attacked Lixian County and Changde. "(1) The main force of the 10th Group Army gathers near Yuyangguan Pass, and when the enemy turns to Lichang and flees, ask them to attack from the back; "(2) According to the situation, a part of the 29th Group Army will stick to Jinli and Shimen. According to the participation of the rear corps, annihilate the enemy in the area around Lishi, and use Shimen as the axis to transfer the main force to the southwest area of ​​Shimen. When the enemy arrives near Changde , and cooperate with the Changde garrison to defeat the enemy in the vicinity of Changde." Since the Sixth and Ninth War Zones did not have a clear judgment on the intention of the Japanese army to invade Changde, they affected the determination of the Chongqing Military Commission when reporting, and made wrong adjustments to the established combat policy. On October 28, the combat deployment was officially issued: "1. The Sixth War Zone used the 10th Army and a part of the 29th Army to block the Japanese army in the river and marsh area, and used the main force to use the Jin (city) Li (county) river and the mountains around Nuanshui Street to repel them by flanking or ambush. The Japanese army; 2. The 57th Division of the 74th Army defended Changde, and the 51st Division, 58th Division and the military headquarters were located near Taifu Mountain to prepare for maneuvers; 3. The 100th Army moved from Liuyang to Yiyang to support Changde operations; the Chinese and American air forces responded A large number of planes were sent to bomb the Japanese troops assembled near Shashi, Jianli, Shishou, and Huarong, as well as the Japanese warships between Shashi and Yueyang. In order to cope with the battle in Changde, the Chongqing Military Commission ordered the 26th and 33rd Group Armies to attack the weaker points of the Japanese army in front of them. In-depth attack; The Ninth War Zone uses two divisions to attack the Japanese strongholds in the area east of Yueyang; the Fifth War Zone uses two divisions to attack Jingshan Zao City. All supporting troops should be moved to the front line before November 4 to start the attack .” It can be seen from the above that the focus of national army defense is not in Changde, but in the mountains west of Jin, Li River and Nuanshui Street. Changde's military strength is very weak. Only one division of the 57th Division of "Hu Ben" is in Changde. The bleak autumn wind brings with it the chill of early winter, and the withered and yellow leaves spread a sad and decadent color on the ground.After the division's luggage was unloaded, there was silence in the Temple of Supreme Harmony. The Taoist finally insisted on seeing him off, and walked out together with Yu Chengwan in military uniform. “还是往后方撤吧，常德若有战事，必得殃及河洑山哪。”余程万边接过卫士递过来的大氅，边诚意劝说。 天庭饱满的老道士顿了一会儿又笑道：“将军，依我愚痴之见，别又是场虚惊吧？” 道士所说的虚惊，是指5月份刚发生过的鄂西战役。国民党军队的内河船舶数十艘，共约2万吨物资，不能进入川江，停泊在鄂西平善坝附近，日军以抢劫这批船舶为目的，发动了对第六战区的战役进攻。当时常德百姓以为日本人要来占常德，一时间惊恐四散，损失巨大，但实际上日军根本没有犯常的企图。 可这次日本人大军压境的汹汹来势，能与鄂西战役的小偷小摸相比吗？尤其是，余程万仔细琢磨了重庆军委会下达的作战部署，更使他产生了深深的忧虑。他觉得，这个作战部署使日本人有可乘之机。 作为职业军人，鲁莽型的比较勇猛，智者型的比较多虑。余程万属于后者。从他的经历看，他在学校钻研书本、研究理论的年头，要远远超过他带兵打仗的年头。他出生在广东台山一个比较富足的人家，毕业于番禺师范学校，接着又毕业于广东铁路专门学校，他是为数甚少携带大专文凭考入黄埔军校的学生。正因为他的老练成熟，所以他是继1926年“中山舰事件”的李之龙之后第二个成为将官的黄埔毕业生。当时他年仅25岁，风华正茂，又比其他同学多出点书卷气，所以似乎更适合在军事理论上发展自己。1928年，余程万入陆军大学特别班深造，同时还就读于北平中国大学政治系，这在国民党将领中实为鲜见。1931年10月，余程万毕业后就任南京警卫军教官，教战役理论。可仅过一年，不知是国民党军事理论界对他的赏识，还是他本人的意愿所使，他又入陆军大学研究班深造。凭学历，余程万完全是国民党军队中的才子。可是军队历来是丘八的天下，才子并不受欢迎、受赏识，所以余程万拿了一摞文凭到作战部队报到时，才当了个第49师289团的团长。营长都是少校，而团长则是个少将，令人哭笑不得。 余程万并不气馁，他自信自己在作战指挥上也不是个有识无胆的弱者。很快，他就用几个漂亮的战斗，让人对他刮目相看。没几年，他就擢升为第74军副军长兼57师的师长了。但常年造就的理论素养，还是难以改变他对各种战略部署的反复揣摩和深思熟虑。 他一眼就看出，军委会此次对常德会战的兵力部署，依然是“天炉”战法的模式。“天炉”战法，是薛岳在第三次长沙会战后授意九战区参谋处长赵子立总结出来的杰作。 1941年12月，第74军奉命开赴长沙参加第三次会战，他们于1942年元旦那天登车向北远行，1月4日晨到达湘桂铁路湖南起点衡南的霞流市附近。正准备徒步行军，接到长官部电话，犯长沙之敌已败退，74军即在衡山附近集结待命。不久，传来第三次长沙会战空前胜利的捷报。王耀武为学习友军守城经验和全面了解第三次会战致胜原因，抽调军、师参谋人员及特种兵部队长、步兵团副团长等约30人，由副军长余程万、副参谋长孟广珍为首，组成参谋旅行团。报经长官部批准后，赴长沙及湘北其它地方作战地参谋旅行训练。长官部对74军参谋旅行团颇为重视，先由参谋处长赵子立报告会战经过及第10军固守长沙街市取得胜利的经验，后又派副官处梁处长代表薛岳在长沙易宏发西餐厅宴请全团成员。 期间，余程万一直注意“天炉”战法，并与赵子立有过切磋，逐步形成了自己的认识。 “天炉”战法就是后退决战。它分为两部分，一是诱敌深入，将敌引向某处诱饵地点，引到烧红发烫的天炉中来。 薛岳曾对共产党革命根据地实行过五次围剿，当时采用的“稳扎稳打，步步为营”战术非常奏效，因此，在与日军作战中，他又把老战术拿了出来。然而，这种死守战地的打法，往往造成被动挨打的局面，并为日军所包围歼灭。例如，第26军、第37军守汨罗江就是如此。后来就定为逐次抵抗，这又带来新的问题，是直线向后方边退边打呢，还是边打边向斜侧后方撤退？如果直线退向决战地带，那么往往就一退不可收拾，稳不住阵脚，还冲乱了决战地区。被国人和共产党痛骂的“逃跑主义”，就是这样引起的。因此，逐次抵抗不能直线，只能斜侧线，斜侧形成反“八”字形，或称袋形。第九战区长官部为此及时修正了战略部署，修正后总的作战指导方针是：战区以诱敌深入后进行决战为目的，敌进攻时，以一部兵力由第一线开始逐次抵抗，随时保持主力于外线，俟敌进入预定决战地区时，以全力开始总反攻，包围敌军而歼灭之。 这就引出了“天炉”战法的第二部分，求心攻击。犹如天然巨炉熔铁，将炉中之敌烧为灰烬。 第三次长沙会战，薛岳诱敌深入成功，日军主力于12月31日已分别到达长沙外围附近，第40师团已到达长沙以东的永安市，第6师团到达东郊附近的梨市，第3师团到达东南郊附近的东山，全在“炉”中。 当晚7点，薛岳向摆下“天炉”阵的战区各部发出决战命令：第10军、第73军固守长沙，第19集团军(指挥第4军、第79军、第26军共9个师)、第30集团军(指挥第37军、第78军共5个师)、第27集团军(指挥第20军、第58军共5个师)、第99军主力(两个师)分别从株洲、浏阳、更鼓台、甕江、清江口、三姐桥各地附近，以长沙为目标，从南、东、北三方面行求心攻势。 这“天炉”，的确让薛岳烧成了。战后，曾有记者问他，为什么用这个古怪的名称，似乎不太像军事术语。他得意非凡地说，他之所以用这个名字，是认为这套战略战术是以法天地之幽邃，穷宇宙之奥秘，为鬼神所惊泣，人事所难测，无以名之，故曰“天炉”战。 为薛岳捉刀的赵子立，后为全国政协第七届常委、黄埔军校同学会副会长，1992年2月1日在北京逝世后，悼念他的文章说道：“在对日作战中，赵子立鉴于我军在武器装备、人员素质等处于劣势的不利因素，战术上常采用'后退决战'和'争取外翼'的指导方针。制定出了'以长沙的诱饵，诱敌进攻长沙'的作战方案，在三次长沙会战前发给军以上人员研究……” 在秋风的吹拂中，余程万似乎忘记了身边太和观老道士的存在，他凝视着远处一片飘抖着的竹林陷入沉思。对于50年后还在被人颂扬的“天炉”战法，他当然不敢违抗，也无意去否定。但他心存疑惑：如果常德的确是这次“天炉”战中为日军设下的诱饵的话，那么为什么不像守长沙时调两个军，而是放他一个师？往坏处设想，一旦国军的“天炉”阵形不成或被击破的话，那么他这块香甜的诱饵，岂不一口让横山勇的大军吞掉？ 想到这，他不禁浑身一哆嗦。卫士还以为师长是被冷风吹抖的，连忙给他套上大氅。 “老道长，常德怕真是要有场大血战啊，为了安全，你还是退吧。否则，你就是再多做几次醮仪，恐也避不了日本人的炮弹呀。”余程万诚意相劝。 老道士做了个祝福的手势，松开巴掌，手心有块缣绢，上面画有符咒，是道家驱邪避鬼的象征物，他把缣绢撒在余程万的战马下面。 余程万纵身上马。 队伍向常德城进发。