Chapter 37 There is a wall to guard the wall, a trench to guard the trench, and a pit to guard the pit

After 5 o'clock in the afternoon in the cold winter, the sky is already gray and gray.At this time, an enemy plane flew over, it "buzzed" and flew around the city for a week, and then dropped a flare over the Xingjiekou. This is an old method of the Japanese army. Every time before an attack at dusk, such a plane will drop flares as a signal for a general attack. But today, after the flare fell in the air, it hung in the air without moving. It instantly turned into a crystal ball the size of a basin, shining white light, illuminating the devastated ground and the fragmented houses as clear as day. clearly.

Although the flares had a new look, the attack signal remained the same.In an instant, the cannons of the Japanese army in all directions of Changde City rang out wildly.Mountain shells, cannonballs, tracer shells, incendiary shells, and mortar shells cast thousands of rays and sparks in the air. During the night battle, the Japanese army knew that any dilapidated house or obstacle in the city would become a fortress for the national army to resist, but they could not tell the direction and could easily fall into the traps or traps set up by the national army, so the Japanese army used The method of "burning a section, attacking a section; attacking a section, occupying a section" gradually tightened their encirclement.In this way, the core area of ​​Changde, still in the hands of the national army, immediately became an isolated island engulfed in flames.

The city wall of Daximen is still under the guard of the national army, and it is safe and sound.The Japanese army at Xiaoximen rushed to Wenchang Temple and formed a confrontation with the national army resisting in the bunker bunker.In the direction of Dongcheng, the Japanese army had already attacked behind the Mercury Building, and bombarded with flat-fire artillery and mortars in front of the Tiaobao at the entrance of Niach Lane.To the north, in front of the bunker outside the library gate, the national army and the blocked Japanese army fought desperately for every inch of precious land in the tug of war where you retreat and I advance, and I retreat and you advance.

Yu Chengwan analyzed the above-mentioned war situation and believed that the line of Wenchang Temple was the most dangerous, because the enemy believed that this place was the closest to the headquarters of the 57th Division, so they launched a strong attack at any cost.All the houses near the Wenchang Temple were blown up and caught fire. The northwest wind became stronger at night, and the wind blew sparks and thick smoke towards the Central Bank in bursts. The staff of the division could not stand outside the house. Feet, and choking in the room. A staff officer of a lieutenant colonel suggested to Yu Chengwan whether to move the division headquarters to Daximen.Yu Chengwan reprimanded the officer angrily, and he said firmly:

"It is not allowed to change the position. Whether it is the fire coming from the front or the fire that exploded behind the formation, the officers and soldiers of the whole division should not pay attention to it. They must wait for the fire to reach their side and then go to put it out. I order you to stick to your position." , is our top priority, our sacred duty!" After receiving instructions from the division commander, all combatants of the 57th Division shouted the slogan: "If there is a wall, guard the wall; if there is a trench, guard the trench; if there is a pit, guard the pit."

The author not only sees this slogan of seeing death as home quoted in various books describing the battle of Changde, but also in the "Central Daily" and "Ta Kung Pao" of that year, reporters also wrote it as a horizontal column headline in reports. Now, the authenticity of this slogan can be guaranteed, and it is not fabricated by some people in the future.So I am in awe, in awe of the strength and greatness of our Chinese nation, in awe of the mighty and unyielding spirit of our Chinese nation.But in addition to the awe, I continued to think, if the spirit of a nation is directly proportional to its strength, then China should have been ranked among the world's first-class levels long ago, right?But why is China still lagging behind?This question is probably not only asked by me, but also by the heroic spirits buried under the land of Changde.

In the early morning of December 1, 1943, the division headquarters of the 57th Division received two telegrams, which were probably sent by the commander-in-chief of the war zone. We will meet each other in the winter to help you, and we hope you will succeed.” Another telegram said: “This XX phone call, (1) order the XX army to advance to Changde City at 4:00 tomorrow afternoon with two regiments. (2) ) Restrict the X Army to attack the enemy in the southeast of Changde at dawn tomorrow. (3) And order the ××× Division to drive into Changde City for 6 starry nights. Aid the Division. Teda."

The two telegrams are certainly encouraging, but Yu Chengwan can see from the information provided by the intelligence officers sent by the division that the reinforcements did not appear as optimistic as the telegrams said, at least the battle situation is unknown. "Will you convey it to the troops?" Commander Zhou Yizhong asked. "Tell it to the troops immediately!" Yu Chengwan said. The army needs good news, even if it is untrue good news, but as the commander of the army, it needs to remain absolutely sober.Due to the brutal street fighting in the core area of ​​the city and the critical situation in Ximen and Ximen, and the reinforcements could not enter the city in time, Yu Chengwan had to prepare for the worst and adjusted his troops as follows:

1. The 169th Regiment (owing 2 companies to the 3rd Battalion) occupied the streets and alleys between Guanmiao Back Street, Court Street, Huangjing Terrace, Loofah Well Lane, Jiandao Lane and Xiaoximen (not included); 2.170 Regiment occupied Shuixing Building and both ends of Daqing Street, the north end of the Police Station (including Guanmiao and Lusheng Palace), Huayan Lane, the north end of the Old St. Department (including the streets and alleys of Shangnanmen), and occupying the right from Shangnanmen (including) Lower South Gate, left to between Mercury Building; 3.171 Regiment occupies Shangnanmen, Shuangzhong Street, Hanwen Middle School, Baiguoshu, all streets to Jinjia Lane, and occupies the right from Jinjia Lane via Daximen, Shicheng Bay, Bijia City, the city wall from the left to the upper south gate (not included); 4. The division headquarters and its affiliated units, and the remaining officers and soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the 169th Regiment (less than 2 companies) In addition, under the command of Kong Yiyu, commander of the mortar battalion (battalion commander Meng Jidong was ordered to guard the division headquarters), the streets and alleys between Xingjiekou, Shangnanmen, Beimen, Xiaoximen and Wenchang Temple were still occupied; 5. Army Artillery Regiment (2 Battalions) The 1st Company of the Attached Artillery Battalion occupied the streets and alleys between Wanshou Street, and occupied the city wall from Daximen to the southwest corner of the city, and assisted the 171st Regiment in combat. The 1st platoon of anti-aircraft guns assisted the Army Artillery Regiment in the battle; 6 , all ministries are limited to the adjustment and deployment before 1:30 am (early morning) on ​​December 1.

The adjusted units quickly entered the designated place.The officers and soldiers probably knew that this would be their last place to survive, so they once again shouted the desperate battle slogan of "one wall guards one wall, one trench guards another trench, and one pit guards another pit". There is a blockhouse at the entrance of Guandi Temple in Yangjiaxiang, which is guarded by Wei Rufeng, the commander of the 2nd Company of Engineers.What he led was a group of engineering brothers. Engineers always attached great importance to the location of the site they operated. After receiving this land, they didn't know what it meant to retreat.On the morning of the 1st, Company Commander Wei and his soldiers used 1 light machine gun and 6 rifles to shoot fiercely at the enemy in front of them in the bunker position. The shells were fired, two of them hit the dome of the bunker, and the bricks, stones and sand on the top fell down, burying the stunned Company Commander Wei inside.

The world was silent for a few minutes, and Company Commander Wei opened his eyes amidst the smoke and dust. He saw that the front half of the wall of the bunker had collapsed, and the machine guns and brothers were all buried under the pile of rocks and soil. He felt anxious and sat up.At this time, he discovered that another brother was still alive, and his name was Liu Xiang.Because Liu Xiang and Wei Company Commander were lying on the right corner of the bunker, and there happened to be a stone slanted there, they were not crushed to death. They are really lucky!Company Commander Wei sighed softly. "Xiao Liu!" he shouted. Xiao Liu pulled out a rifle from the soil, put it on the gap in the bunker, and was aiming outward.His ears were probably deafened by the shells for a while, and he couldn't hear the company commander calling him, and he didn't answer. Wei Rufeng crawled over to look, and saw more than a dozen enemies slithering across the chaotic pile of bricks.He had experience and knew that Liu Xiang couldn't hit the enemy with such a shot, so he leaned into Xiao Liu's ear and asked, "Hey, can you hear me?" Xiao Liu turned around, saw the company commander, and nodded.Wei Rufeng said: "The two of us can't play here, we can't fight them, let's rush out!" He set an example and jumped out of the bunker gap with a "swish".When Liu Xiang saw it, he naturally followed.But as soon as their bodies were exposed, more than a dozen rifles from the enemy's side flew bullets all at once, hitting them with dust and smoke, and the two immediately fell to the ground to avoid the rain of bullets. Wei Rufeng ran out of the bunker, regretting it immediately, there was no cover outside, so he could only gesture to Liu Xiang, holding the gun in both hands, propping his elbows on the ground, hooking his feet behind him, and retreated around the bunker, still in the same way The ruins of this pile of bunkers serve as cover.Liu Xiang also crawled over, and they glanced at each other on the ground, looking for an opportunity to fight back at the enemy, but the enemy screamed wildly and swarmed up.Wei Rufeng was forced to have no choice but to jump up and run into the oblique corner, to the short wall of the wooden pile house on the right half side, and when he retreated, Liu Xiang also retreated.Seeing that they were getting farther and farther away from the bunker, Wei Rufeng stamped his feet anxiously. He beat his head and said, "What's wrong with me? A mistake made a big mistake. The commander ordered no one to change the combat position. How could I?" Did you jump out of the bunker?!" Liu Xiang comforted him: "Company commander, don't worry, you just wanted to find a better place to fight back against the enemy, you didn't leave on purpose." Wei Rufeng said: "No, we have to take back the bunker while the enemy's foothold is not stable!" Liu Xiang was a little embarrassed: "But there are only two of us..." "I'm going alone!" Wei Rufeng said firmly. "I obey orders!" Liu Xiang stood upright. "Come on!" Wei Rufeng waved his hand, made a leap forward posture, and jumped out with the gun in hand. They touched the back of the bunker, bent down, held a gun in one hand and a grenade in the other, and walked gently.Go to the entrance of the bunker half-covered by sandbags on the left, fall down on the ground, and listen inside.The enemy inside is chattering and talking.Company Commander Wei judged that most of the Japanese troops who rushed over just now were concentrated inside, so he freed his hand holding the gun and pulled out the lead wire of the grenade. As soon as he stretched out his hand, the bullet fell into it. With a "boom - boom", thick smoke rolled out , Liu Xiang didn't dare to neglect, he swung his arm and threw 4 in a row, a series of explosions, even the ground trembled. Wei Rufeng reckoned that the enemies were all finished, so he was impatient to go in and take back the bunker. Unexpectedly, there was another enemy hiding under a broken wall more than 20 meters away outside the bunker. When the grenade rang here, the gun was raised on the other side. Aiming, Wei Rufeng just stood up with the gun in hand when he was hit in the head by an explosive bullet and fell back heavily. Before he died, he didn't even have time to say a word, and he didn't even think to say goodbye, so he bid farewell to the world. Liu Xiang was still holding a grenade in his hand, and he followed Company Commander Wei to stand up. When he saw Wei fell, he immediately dodged behind the bunker.After waiting for 5 minutes, but no sound was heard, he wondered if the enemy copied it?When I looked up, there was a Japanese soldier standing under the short wall, holding out a hat and a gun point.Both of them saw each other at the same time, and it was too late to dodge, Liu Xiang immediately pulled the fuze and threw the bullet over. There was a "boom" and another "snap". The sound of "boom" was the explosion of the grenade thrown by Liu Xiang, and the sound of "pop" was the bullet fired by the enemy. Liu Xiang suddenly felt a shock and numbness in his right leg. He couldn't stand up and fell to the ground.But he didn't lose consciousness. When he looked up, the short wall where the enemy lay was completely collapsed, and the enemy disappeared.Only then did he feel relieved, his whole body relaxed, and he lay down on the pile of rubble. Blood dripped from the wound on his leg little by little, and he felt that life was being pulled out of his body little by little along with the blood.If someone can hand over a first-aid kit to stop the bleeding, bandage him, and revive him, he may be able to break free from the death line. He knows that if he gritted his teeth and crawled to the second line of defense in the rear, the brothers would die. Send him to the bandage shop, and he will get the first-aid kit that can only save his life, but he seems to see the company commander staring at him, his stern eyes seem to say that he can't leave the position, and he will die on the line if he dies !So he didn't want to climb another half step, because his combat post was right under him, he couldn't move, this was an order, and it was his sacred duty to execute the order. Liu Xiang died, where he should have died. At dusk on December 1, a Japanese army from the library in the north, armed with two flat-firing cannons, charged at a blockhouse in Chunshen's tomb.The Japanese army first mounted light and heavy machine guns on the entrance of the front alley, and arranged a fire net. Behind the fire net, shells from flat-fire guns shot through, forming a three-dimensional offensive. This bunker was garrisoned by Gao Changchun, commander of the 1st machine gun company.He brought 6 brothers by his side, and with a heavy machine gun, he blocked the enemy in front and couldn't move. Because the road of Chunshen Tomb is obliquely facing the headquarters of the 57th Division at Xingjiekou, the Japanese army mobilized more than 100 people and spread them all over the ruins of houses on both sides of the street, making a gesture of encirclement in an attempt to occupy this strategically important area. . After the gunfire and bombardment, the Japanese army fired bullets into the chicken and goose alley behind the bunker, burning the dilapidated houses and letting the thick flames, borrowing the northwest wind, smoke and roast the national army in the bunker.The Japanese soldiers who went around to the private houses to the north of Chunshen's tomb threw the gas cylinders at the upper air outlet of the bunker. After the poison gas was released, they all rushed to the surrounding area of ​​the bunker along with the fireworks.When the poisonous gas thinned, the Japanese infantry in the front took the smoke grenade launcher, climbed over the wall, and spread a cloud of smoke in front of the shooting line of sight of the bunker.The thick smoke billowed and squirmed, and got stuck in the broken walls, unable to condense. When the national army looked out from the bunker, they felt that they were in a maze, and they couldn't see each other. The Japanese army used the smoke screen as a cover, pushed the flat-fire gun to the closest distance to the bunker, and aimed at the bombardment.Some of the six brothers in the bunker were poisoned, their limbs convulsed, and some were scalded by the high heat of the burning bullets, and lost their ability to fight back.Company Commander Gao was also wounded by the rubble falling from the bunker, but he was still able to fight. He first used a machine gun to shoot at the place where the enemy was shouting, and then threw grenades from the gap in the bunker.After all the ammunition was exhausted, he held the bayonet in one hand, monitored the direction of the enemy's approach, and grabbed the telephone receiver in the other hand, shouting loudly: "Report to the commander, report to the commander, the commander of the 1st company, Gao Changchun, was ordered to guard the blockhouse of Chunshen's tomb, and lived and died with the blockhouse. Now he has been injured in many places, and his brothers have all died for the country. They have not left the position. The flames are so big that they have already Burned into the bunker, the task has been accomplished, long live the Chinese nation! Long live the tiger!" Before he finished his loud shout, the inside of the bunker was already filled with flames, turning into a funeral furnace of fire. Situ Wei, acting company commander of the 1st Battalion reorganized in the 169th Regiment, was a dwarf Fujianese. He brought only 3 brothers to cover the left wing at the intersection of Yuanyuan Road.Immediately after the blockhouse of Chunshen Tomb was lost, more than 50 enemies rushed from north to south. The Japanese army saw a row of fortifications stacked with bricks and stones, half a person's height, and it was not easy to pass through, so they released poison gas in the wind.The national army hiding behind the fortifications had no time to take precautions, and all of them were poisoned.The enemy swarmed up and occupied the fortifications.The Dai Company Commander Situ and three brothers who were driven to the back hid under a high wall, crying with anger. They felt that they were too useless to be defeated by the poisonous gas.Company Commander Situ asked three soldiers: "The machine gun is lost, and the position is also lost. Do we have the nerve to go back to see the regiment commander?" "Shame on others! Don't go back, fight with devils!" The brothers replied in unison. "Okay, if we go up again, we will die on the battlefield!" Captain Situ waved his hand, "Prepare the grenade, follow me!" He said, holding the grenade, leading the way, around the wall, in the dilapidated house Drill and run. Brothers follow.They rushed to the intersection, found the group of enemies who had poisoned them just now, and with a strong sense of revenge, they pulled out the fuse of the grenade and threw it with their arms. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" There were continuous explosions, and the Japanese army fell down.The enemy couldn't figure out the reality of the counterattacking national army, so he withdrew first. Besides, a story that happened in the Guandi Temple on the north side is almost like a myth. This temple is an old temple dedicated to Guan Yu in Changde City. It is one or two feet higher than ordinary houses.The cannons from the northeast corner of the Japanese army bombarded the city for several days and nights. The houses in the front, back, left, and right sides of the Guandi Temple were completely destroyed, and the ground was full of bricks blasted by shells. However, the red walls around the temple were neat Standing still, undamaged.The roof of the temple was smashed down by an accidental shell, but the shrine in the main hall and the statue of Guan Yu did not move at all. The national army guarding this area is part of the 7th Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 169th Regiment.In the hearts of the Chinese people, there is always an idol of Guan Yunchang. Men, women and children who have read "Three Kingdoms" all know the story of him passing five passes, beheading six generals, and hanging the gold seal.Seeing the unmoving appearance of the temple, these soldiers of the national army thought, maybe this is Guan Gong showing his holiness? After the Japanese army occupied the Chunshen Tomb, they sent a team of fifty or sixty people to invade the Guandi Temple.Using the temple wall, the national army built a small city, and set up guns on three sides to meet them. Yang Xilin, a senior soldier, was ordered by the company commander to sneak out from the back side door of the temple to spy on the enemy.From the corner of the wall, he heard murmuring human voices, and it was in Japanese. He knew it was an enemy approaching.He didn't bring a rifle or grenade, but he was good at spears when he was practicing Chinese martial arts, so at this time he was holding a five-foot-long jujube wood steel-pointed flower spear.With this flower spear, it is impossible to deal with the enemy with the steel gun. Yang Xilin was about to turn back, but he thought again, what should the enemy do if he ran in at this moment?So he cleverly made a trick, and used all his jumping skills to run around behind a row of bricks in the corner, causing the bricks to roll around. The Japanese army heard the chaotic noise and didn't know how many national soldiers and horses there were, so they hesitated to come.But two Japanese soldiers slipped along the wall, trying to get closer and throw grenades at the pile of bricks. Yang Xilin knew that the enemy would make this move, so he had already held the spear handle in both hands and waited sideways.As soon as the enemy's head stretched out, he stabbed it with a spear, and the enemy fell down.The second enemy, unable to shoot and daring to step out of the corner, had to fall back along the wall.Out of nowhere, Yang Xilin had the guts to jump out. He held out the point of the spear. When he jumped, he lifted the spear upwards, and the spear point pierced the enemy's stomach.He didn't want to spend the spear anymore, let it stay on the enemy, he grabbed the Japanese rifle on the ground, and immediately turned back. But it was too late.The Japanese army did not shoot, but set up a flat-fire gun to shoot through the wall. A shell hit Yang Xilin's back, and immediately, flesh and blood flew, and the hero's soul scattered. The story god, is god at the end.The brothers all thought that Yang Xilin died in the line of duty, and the scene of his sacrifice was also seen by soldiers of the national army, so there would be no other doubts.But after the battle continued, another Yang Xilin suddenly appeared, also dancing with a flower spear, and he looked exactly like the original Yang Xilin. The brothers were startled at first, and then they asked, "Hey, Yang Xilin, didn't you die in the line of duty?"How are you still alive?Yang Xilin blinked and asked, when did I die in the line of duty?Don't be kidding, okay? The battle was tense, and no one cared about pursuing it.There was only a question mark in everyone's mind: Yang Xilin died, did Guan Gong transform into another Yang Xilin?Or it could be that Yang Xilin who died in the battle was the one who showed his holiness by Guan Gong, and Yang Xilin really didn't die. If you want to know whether it is true or not, it seems that you can only ask Guan Gong. Near the lower south gate, there is a fortification, which is guarded by a squad of the national army.After the fall of Chunshen Tomb, the enemies in Loach Lane bombarded this fortification with 4 flat-firing cannons.The fortifications collapsed, and all the garrisoned national troops died. At this time, Chai Yixin, the head of the regiment, was in the regiment command post in Huayan Lane, directing the resistance to the Japanese attack on the four roads of Court Street, Chunshen Tomb, Guanmiao, and Jinsheng Lane.After he received news that the fortifications near the lower south gate were urgent, he immediately dispatched a squad to block them. After the squad rushed up, they fought while repairing fortifications.The fortifications were almost repaired, and three quarters of the brothers were killed.What remained were three messengers who were added to the fighting force. They were Bian Chengfa, Hong Jin, and Yang Mao. Yang Maodao: "Old Bian, what should we do about this matter? There are machine guns and rifles, but there are no bullets. The enemy is rushing over, what shall we do with him?" Bian Chengfa said: "I still have two grenades, the enemy is coming, let's rush up and fight hand-to-hand." Hong Jin disagreed: "That's not good, it doesn't matter if we die for nothing, but who will guard this fortification after we die?" Yang Mao said: "Then, I will report to the head of the regiment, and ask the head of the regiment to transfer someone." Bian Chengfa said: "I'm afraid it's too late. The enemy didn't shoot at this time, I'm afraid they are readjusting, and they will charge up immediately." He sighed sadly: "We sacrificed a squad of brothers, and finally carried stones and piled sandbags. , and repaired the fortifications, now, I’m afraid it will be lost again.” Yang Mao sat on the ground, stroked the light machine gun, and was in a daze. Hong Jin leaned on the edge of the fortification, looking at the front in a daze.Although it was already night, there were burning houses everywhere in the city. On the south side of this fortification, there was a piece of newly burned ruins, blazing like a small volcano. A hundred meters are illuminated like daylight. "Quick, look—" Hong Jin suddenly called softly. Bian Chengfa and Yang Mao both came over to watch.It turned out that there were two Japanese machine gun shooters, one carrying a light machine gun with a crooked handle, and the other carrying two boxes of ammunition, climbing to the corner of the broken wall of the opposite house, looking for a frame point. "How about we grab the machine gun and bullets?" Hong Jin suggested. "Okay!" Bian Chengfa and Yang Mao both agreed. The three of them did what they said, and immediately rushed over like a gust of wind.Going under the broken wall, Hong Jin roared, "Go!" It was too late, but soon, Bianchengfa caught the enemy with the gun, and Hong and Yang caught the one with the ammunition box.The five people were wrapped into a ball and all rolled on the ground.The Japanese soldier with the gun was so strong that he touched a small brick on the ground and smashed it on the head of the border town.The old man had a black bump on his forehead. He buried his head, and in a hurry, he grabbed the Japanese testicles with his hands and pulled them with all his strength. The enemy screamed and fainted from the pain.At this time, Bian Chengfa also picked up a brick, closed his eyes and smashed it down, with a sound of "pop!", a wave of brains splashed all over his face and body. The Japanese soldiers captured by Hong and Yang were small and weak, and they had already been dragged to death by them. The enemy with a gun has 3 grenades on his body, which were distributed by the border town.The enemy with the ammunition box was particularly well-equipped with a rifle and two grenades on his back. Yang Mao asked for the ammo box so he could fire his machine gun when he went back, while Hong Jin fished out the rifle and carried the grenades.The three returned home with a full load. As soon as they set up the machine guns on the fortifications, the enemy in front launched an attack screaming "Aww". "There are plenty of bullets, let's hit it!" Yang Mao was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth from ear to ear, he moved his fingers, "Quack quack..." The shuttle swept it out. Hearing the sound of crooked machine guns, the Japanese army was surprised.They knew that the Japanese were using Czech-made light machine guns, and the sound they made was completely different from that of Japanese crooked guns. They were afraid that their own people would hit their own people and cause misunderstandings, so they signaled to stop advancing. After waiting for a long time, seeing that the enemy hadn't come to attack, even these three ignorant messengers couldn't understand.The position around the lower south gate was actually stabilized like this. After Yu Chengwan learned about Bian, Hong, and Yang's deeds, in addition to registering and promoting three officers as warrant officers, he also awarded Guangyang 6,000 yuan.