In July in Peking, the scorching heat has arrived. Every time it comes to the misty rain, the season when the frogs are singing and the cicadas are singing, there are always some old men in and out of the city carrying birdcages, or carrying a "three-no" teapot with no border and no mouth, and gather in twos and threes at the entrance of the alley Or under a locust tree on the side of the road, from time to time touch two locust silkworms that fell on their heads, dragging a smooth Beijing accent, talking about how many years ago, which dynasty emperor married dozens of concubines, which dynasty and generation of his ancestors were honored Which palace eunuch chief executive has served carefully and so on.Talking about the proud point, the purple-red meat ball on the shoulder, which was as warm as the skin of a rabbit, swayed more and more violently.The cobweb-like furrows on the face were filled with too much dust, sand and dirt whose origins could not be discerned. Under the washing and soaking of sweat, they were like the oracle bone inscriptions on the tortoise's shell, constantly changing and reorganizing in a rapid procedure.As the frog-shaped mouth in the shape of an ingot at the lower part undulates violently up and down, each of the four-pointed and eight-pointed characters on the turtle shell reveals the proud air of "everyone in the world has no feet to fear".Affected by this incomprehensibly evil world style, the ancient city illuminated by the red walls and yellow tiles is immersed in a dream of glitz, peace, and warmth, plus erections, carnivals, and wild dreams.

In July 1937, it was quite different from the past. The seemingly peaceful ancient city was turbulent, dull, depressing, mysterious and accompanied by a bit of putrid mildew. It was an ominous omen. And the ghostly figure of the civet cat flying past the wall from time to time, floating and wandering in the humid and hot air with the smell of gunpowder.In the past, the natives who carried teapots and chatted under the big tree no longer talked about the luxury of three buckets and four liters of oolong pearls in the coffin when the civet cat was replaced by the prince and Lafayette Cixi, but boasted and showed off their own The third child or the fifth child has become an interpreter under the commander of the Japanese garrison donkey Taijun, or a famous personal bodyguard who specializes in dressing and bathing the puppy Junichiro, and the second child who serves tea and meals.During the period, there were some inquiring discussions from time to time. Once Beiping City fell, where would I go?At that time, the Japanese troops stationed in Fengtai and Changxindian in the southwestern suburbs of Beiping, under the scorching sun, used guns and cannons in the dust to carry out frequent maneuvers, and from time to time fired a few random shots at the sky or the thick walls of Wanping City. The cold gun was used to show the Chinese defenders and the people the power and invincibility of the Imperial Japanese Army.On the banks of the Yongding River, horses are galloping, swords and guns are shining, and the bloodshot eyes of Japanese officers and soldiers are shining with a terrifying light.Even a non-professional soldier felt that the hidden sharp evil spirit of this armed force that invaded from the sea had formed an unstoppable whirlwind, and the whistle of national crisis sounded from the top of the big tree.In Beiping City, Qin Dechun, the extremely nervous and sensitive deputy commander of the 29th Army and the mayor of Beiping City, has already smelled the murderous intent and the bloody smell floating in the opponent's camp, and at the same time clearly realized "the Japanese side's attempt to use force to invade , has become a bow ready to go", must be guarded against.Therefore, the highest official stationed in Beiping, while urgently ordering the defenders of Lugou Bridge to strengthen their vigilance and hold their positions, invited more than 20 people including Hu Shi, Mei Yiqi, Fu Sinian, Zhang Huaijiu and other celebrities in the educational and cultural circles of Peiping on a hot afternoon. Attend the meeting in the hall of the municipal government, report on the situation in Pingjin, and discuss plans to resist insults.

According to what Qin Dechun said in his report, the current situation in Beiping and even the entire North China is like a huge gunpowder cartridge that ignites the fuse, smoke rises, sparks fly everywhere, and the moment of heaven and earth is coming. Hu Shi and other Confucians and great sages who still pretend to be concerned about the country and the people were all horrified when they heard the bad news.As a result, the meeting continued until more than ten o'clock at night amidst anxiety, anger, sadness, disappointment and hope, and even fierce quarrels. Unfortunately for Qin Dechun, the meeting ended less than two hours later, when a huge gunpowder cartridge exploded in the dark darkness of the suburbs of Beiping.

This is a death day destined to be written into the war history of China and the world. On July 7, 1937, after long-term plotting and planning, the Japanese army finally took the aggressive action of occupying Pingjin and then conquering the entire North China and China.That night, the Japanese army, which had already occupied the outer city of Wanping in the outskirts of Beiping, forcibly entered Wanping City to search for a soldier who was missing.After being rejected, the Japanese army suddenly launched an attack on the Chinese defenders of the Lugouqiao Dragon King Temple, and then bombarded Wanping City.The Jixing Cultural Regiment of Feng Zhi'an Division of the 29th Army of the Chinese garrison rose up to resist, and the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which shocked China and the world, broke out, and Japan's full-scale war of aggression against China began.

The old team of the 29th Army stationed in North China is the old department of the Northwest Army under the banner of a generation of warlord Feng Yuxiang.The rise and evolution of this army has strong characteristics of the times, and its ups and downs, survival and ups and downs have been deeply marked by warlords' conflicts, plots, and alliances during the wars in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. In the summer of 1928, the National Revolutionary Army with Chiang Kai-shek as the commander-in-chief succeeded in the Northern Expedition, occupying Pingjin and Dingding Central Plains one after another. On June 20, Zhang Xueliang, the son of Zhang Zuolin, a warlord of the Feng dynasty, inherited his father's post in Shenyang's lair and assumed the post of commander-in-chief of the Fengtian Army. On July 1, Zhang Xueliang sent a telegram to the Nanjing Kuomintang government's Chiang Kai-shek, Feng Yuxiang, Yan Xishan, He Yingqin and other military giants, expressing their willingness to use peaceful means to unify the country.Since then, the war between Chinese warlords who have been tossing each other for decades, fighting and defending each other, beheading, beheading and chopping feet, and cooking in water and oil has come to an end for the time being.

In 1930, the land of China, which had just been unified in name, broke out again in the Central Plains War between the Central Army of the Nationalist Government headed by Chiang Kai-shek and the coalition forces of Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan, the most famous war in the history of the Republic of China. One of the melees, a total of 1.3 million people fought.At the beginning of the battle, the two sides were evenly matched, and each had a victory or defeat.Just when they were fighting each other inseparably, Zhang Xueliang, a warlord of the Feng dynasty, was squatting between the white mountains and the black waters. Under the repeated persuasion and inducement of Chiang Kai-shek's wife, Soong Meiling, Zhang's wife, who was originally wilted from smoking marijuana, The bones of the body are like the onset of the daily injection of pethidine, and suddenly there is a "click" sound, and the buttocks start to heat up. With the blood rushing in the veins, the densely covered pores expand and burst rapidly, and the thin yellow The fine hairs stood upright like frost-grass in the bitter cold sunset.Zhang Xueliang could no longer hold back the surging passion in his heart. At the critical moment when Chiang Kai-shek, Yan, and Feng Lianjun had more than 300,000 casualties and it was still difficult to decide the outcome, he suddenly jumped up with a cry of "嗤", drew his sword and drew his sword, He personally led the 200,000 Northeast Army with guns and cannons to enter the customs to help Jiang with the force of tigers and wolves.

The "Siberian Tiger" suddenly rushed into the pass, and the local coalition forces composed of Feng, Yan and other packs of wolves, which were in full swing, collapsed and scattered like birds and beasts.Yan Xishan left the remnants of the defeated generals and hid alone in a dark room in the Tianjin Concession. Feng Yuxiang led the so-called 420,000 Northwest Army and fled in all directions.Ji Hongchang, Han Fuju, Liang Guanying, Jiao Wendian, Ge Yunlong and Sun Lianzhong, former famous generals of the Northwest Army, successively led their troops to surrender to Jiang; Pang Bingxun, Sun Dianying, Liu Chunrong and other bandit generals led their troops to leave Feng Yuxiang and fend for themselves.Under the leadership of Song Zheyuan, Zhang Zizhong, Liu Ruming, Sun Liangcheng, Qin Dechun, Feng Zhi'an and others, about ten thousand residues crossed the Yellow River from Henan and retreated into a corner of southern Shanxi, struggling in an attempt to survive. .

At the end of 1930, Zhang Xueliang, who was promoted to the deputy commander-in-chief of the navy, land and air force of the Republic of China because of his contribution to Chiang Kai-shek, set up a battalion in Beiping and took full control of the military affairs of Northeast China and the military affairs of the entire North China region. The Fourth Plenary Session of the Central Committee decided to capture and incorporate the remnants and defeated generals of the Northwest Army. In January 1931, the remnant of the former Northwest Army was reorganized into the Third Army of the Northeast Frontier Defense Army. In June, it was changed to the 29th Army of the National Revolutionary Army nominally affiliated to the Nanjing Central Government. "One of them, Song Zheyuan (named Mingxuan), served as the commander of the army, under the jurisdiction of Feng Zhi'an and Zhang Zizhong's two divisions, stationed in the Zhengtai Road area of ​​Shanxi.

Southeast Shanxi was originally the lair of Shanxi warlord Yan Xishan for many years. The 29th Army stationed here was in a position of being dependent on others. The military expenditure was thin, and the officers and soldiers were dressed in rags.In the cracks, Song Zheyuan and the soldiers of the 29th Army, who were starving and cold, had no way of reaching the sky or the ground. In their eyes, they dreamed of getting a piece of land of their own so that they could make a comeback. The opportunity came. When the "September 18th" Incident broke out in 1931, the Northeast Army led by "General Non-Resistance" Zhang Xueliang retreated to the pass without firing a single shot, and the three eastern provinces fell.The situation in Northwest China and North China immediately became severe.Out of various considerations, in August 1932, Song Zheyuan was appointed as the chairman of Chahar Province and the commander of the 29th Army at the meeting of the Central Executive Council of the Kuomintang in August 1932, and his troops were transferred to the northwest.Before long, its army was expanded into three divisions and eight brigades.Although Chahar only governs 16 counties, the land is narrow and sparsely populated, and the land is old, but it is a place to stay after all, and it is also the only support for the 29th Army whose life is hanging by a thread. In February 1933, the 29th Army was transferred to Tongxian, Sanhe, and Jixian to the east of Beiping for garrison. Not long after, it was ordered to participate in the famous Great Wall Xifengkou and Luowenyu Anti-Japanese War. Widely acclaimed, famous for a while.

In June 1935, under strong pressure from Japan, the famous "Hemei Agreement" was signed, and Jiang's Central Army Guan Linzheng, Huang Jie and other departments withdrew from the Pingjin area.Under the control and pressure of the Japanese, the semi-independent "Jicha Political Affairs Committee" was established.After a while of swaying from side to side, the 29th Army spotted this once-in-a-lifetime development gap. Song Zheyuan took the opportunity to take up three important positions, including the commander of the 29th Army, the chairman of the Jicha Political Affairs Committee, and the director of the Jicha Appeasement Office. All government affairs and military affairs in the two provinces of Chacha and Pingjin were under the control of Song Zheyuan alone.

Taking advantage of the turbulent times, he obtained the regimes of Hebei, Cha, and Pingjin. Song Zheyuan, who is not what he used to be, also knows the absolute truth of "government grows out of the barrel of a gun", and begins to use local fiscal revenues and customs duties and salt taxes that intercept central revenues. Under the pretense of preparing for the War of Resistance, they wantonly expanded the military under various guises, and purchased arms from abroad through various reasons and methods.Before the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, its subordinates had 4 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry division, 2 security brigades, 1 independent brigade, and 1 special service brigade, with a total of five divisions and four brigades. The department designations are: Feng Zhi'an's 37th Division (stationed in the Xiyuan and Lugouqiao areas of Beiping); Zhang Zizhong's 38th Division (stationed at Hanliushu, Xiaozhan, Langfang, Machang and Dagu near Tianjin); Zhao Dengyu's 132nd Division ( Garrison at Tuanhe in Nanyuan, Renqiu and Hejian in Hebei Province); Liu Ruming's 143rd Division (in Zhangjiakou, Xuanhua, Huailai); regiments stationed in Gu'an, Yi County, etc.); Sun Yutian's Special Service Brigade (in Nanyuan, with one regiment in the city); two security brigades of Shiyou's third department (in the Yidong area, Baoding, Hebei). In addition, there are military teaching groups directly under it, and the Hebei, Cha, and Tianjin security teams, with a total strength of more than 100,000. Troops under the 29th Army are stationed in Hebei and Chahar provinces, and in Ping and Tianjin cities. The chief executives of the provinces and cities in each region are also concurrently held by the chief executives of the garrison. The situation is as follows: Feng Zhian concurrently serves as the chairman of Hebei Province; Chairman of Seoul Province; Zhang Zizhong concurrently served as mayor of Tianjin (after Xiao Zhenying left office, Zhang concurrently served as concurrently), and Qin Dechun, the deputy commander of the 29th Army, who had been appointed as the mayor of Beiping, the two provinces of Hebei and Chahar and the two cities of Pingjin It completely became the world of Song Zheyuan's 29th Army, and reproduced the previous situation of warlord separatism. The Nanjing central government headed by Chiang Kai-shek is no longer able to directly control and command all military and political affairs on this semi-feudal, semi-colonial, and semi-independent territory with special characteristics.Song Zheyuan, who thinks he is full-fledged and arrogant, does not take the central government seriously on a series of issues related to the country and the nation, such as withholding taxes, transporting silver to the south, and moving the treasures of the Forbidden City to the south.The Japanese seized the opportunity to manipulate Song Zheyuan and constantly put pressure on him in an attempt to turn him into a puppet regime under the instigation of the Japanese. For the "Song Zheyuan regime".In this regard, Chiang Kai-shek once sighed to He Yingqin, Minister of Military and Political Affairs of the Nationalist Government: "We can only hope that Song Zheyuan and others will obey orders, and we cannot order them." His pain, resentment, and helplessness are beyond words.It was also the formation of the situation of being neither a donkey nor a horse nor a mule that laid the groundwork for the subsequent crisis and fall of Pingjin and even the entire North China region. Before the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, in order to avoid the entanglement of the Japanese, Song Zheyuan dug a pit and repaired the tomb for his dead father in his hometown in Leling County, Shandong Province. All military and political affairs were handed over to Feng Zhian and Qin Dechun who were stationed in Pingping.When gunshots rang out in Wanping City, Qin Dechun, with the unique ability and courage of a professional soldier, immediately sent a telegram to the headquarters of the 29th Army to order Xindian garrison He Jifeng, head of the 219th regiment of He Jifeng's brigade, Ji Xingwen, to lead the officers and soldiers to rise up and resist. "Defending the territory is a soldier's bounden duty, and foreign wars are the honor of our soldiers. It is imperative to tell all the officers and soldiers of the regiment to sacrifice their lives and stick to their positions. That is to say, Wanping City and Lugou Bridge are the graves of our army. Every inch of the country should not be easily let go" etc. Tragic words.After Ji Xingwen got the order, he led his troops to fight recklessly and deal a severe blow to the Japanese army. On the morning of July 8, Qin Dechun called Lushan to report the incident and the critical situation in Peking to Chiang Kai-shek, the supreme military and political commander of China who was holding a meeting in Guling.Chiang Kai-shek was shocked when he heard the news, and then he thought over and over again about the real intention of the Japanese army to create this incident and how China would adopt countermeasures. It can be seen from his diary: "First, the Japanese pirates have provoked at Lugou Bridge, will they make me submit before my preparations are completed? Second, is it difficult for Song Zheyuan? Make North China independent? Third, is it time to decide to fight? ?” At this time, the situation in China was that the four northeastern provinces, including Rehe, had fallen to the hands of the Japanese invaders.Just a year and a half before the July 7 Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Japan forced the Chinese government to recognize "Manchuria" and the specialization of North China. out of hand.Therefore, after repeated consideration and weighing, Chiang Kai-shek believed that the opponent's action of open fire this time was by no means comparable to any military disputes and provocations in the past. The disaster in North China was imminent, and it was difficult for the Chinese government and army to retreat. Death is life, and the last moment about the life and death of the Chinese nation has arrived. Facing the crisis, Chiang Kai-shek adopted the strategic thinking of diplomatic mediation and fighting at all costs.On the one hand, Wang Chonghui, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and a senior diplomat, was ordered to lodge serious verbal and written protests to the Japanese ambassador to China, demanding that the Japanese troops withdraw to the original defense immediately, and China reserved all legal demands.At the same time, a telegram was issued immediately to Song Zheyuan, Qin Dechun and other generals of the 29th Army that "Wanping City should stick to it and not retreat, and it should be mobilized to prepare for the situation to expand". At this time, Song Zheyuan, who was hiding in his hometown in Leling, Shandong, had already learned about the Lugouqiao Incident from a telegram sent by Qin Dechun, but this incident did not seem to arouse his interest and vigilance, and he himself did not immediately return to Pingping to deal with the affairs.Faced with Song's ambiguous attitude, Qin Dechun was extremely anxious, and ordered Deng Zhexi, member of the Jicha Political Affairs Committee and president of the Hebei Provincial High Court, to take a shortcut from Baoding to Leling, urging Song to return to Peiping as soon as possible to deal with the crisis.When the Deng family arrived in Leling, Song Zheyuan put on the air of a general who planned strategies and decided to win thousands of miles, saying that Japan is not yet ready to launch a full-scale war against China, and as long as he expresses concessions, partial solutions are still possible.So he issued an order of "only resistance, no attack", and asked Qin Dechun to convey it to the frontline officers and soldiers, and said that he would consider negotiating with the Japanese army, and strive to resolve the Lugouqiao incident peacefully.Due to Song Zheyuan's slowness and psychedelic dreams, the incident was turbulent and turbulent, and the entire Pingjin future and destiny fell into a dangerous quagmire and could not extricate itself. On July 9, Chiang Kai-shek was determined to take an active military counterattack. While quickly dispatching troops and generals, he called Song Zheyuan from Haihan Temple in Guling, Lushan Mountain, and informed him that he had transferred two divisions of Sun Lianzhong, the commander-in-chief of the 26th Route Army. , Pang Bingxun and Gao Guizi went to Baoding and Shijiazhuang to help the front line.He also warned Song Zheyuan to give up his stubborn and childish illusions, wake up from the intoxicated dream as soon as possible, and rush to Baoding to command the war, and strictly ordered "Shoutu should have the determination to fight to the death and the spirit of active preparation to deal with it. When it comes to negotiations, it is especially necessary to guard against traitors." The principle of cunning and habitual skills must not lose the slightest sovereignty.” At the same time, He Yingqin, the Minister of Military and Political Affairs who was presiding over the Chuankang Military Reorganization Conference in Chongqing, was called to return to Nanjing as soon as possible, and the army was organized as soon as possible, and the Chinese Air Force was urgently mobilized to prepare for the coming resistance. Japan's full-scale war of aggression against China.At the same time, the Japanese military and political leadership adopted political strategies and diplomatic means to exploit and expand the contradiction between Song Zheyuan and the Nanjing central government, and exercised the technique of sowing dissension, trying to control and paralyze Song Zheyuan, and excluded the power of the Nanjing government from North China. Give up resistance in order to achieve the goal of quickly occupying North China.Chiang Kai-shek was aware of the Japanese conspiracy through various military intelligence networks, and he solemnly pointed out in a public statement that any agreement must be approved by the Nanjing Nationalist Government.Faced with Song Zheyuan's mentality and style of swaying between war and peace, disregarding the central government's orders, and stubbornly pinning his hope on the Japanese army's compromise and peace, Chiang Kai-shek was very worried and dissatisfied, and issued two announcements on July 10. Instructing Song Zheyuan with both kindness and power: "I hope that during this period, the scheduled defense line fortifications will be built as soon as possible, and the construction will be completed as soon as possible." Correspondence. When it comes to negotiations, it is especially necessary to guard against his cunning and cunning skills, and the principle must not lose the slightest sovereignty. My brother is loyal and straightforward, and he is well known in the world. From then on, I hope that we will encourage each other for the future of the country and the nation." After the telegram was issued, Chiang Kai-shek held an emergency national defense and military meeting in Lushan, and formulated three contingency measures: (1) Forming 100 divisions of the front-line combat force and 80 divisions of the reserve force. Before the end of July, all matters such as the command base camp, various group armies, and legions will be established; (2) The ammunition that can be used for half a year will be stored in the Yangtze River Two-thirds to the north and one-third to the south of the Yangtze River.For example, once the arsenal was destroyed by the Japanese army, they would purchase arms from France and Belgium and transport them back to China via Hong Kong and Vietnam; (3) Prepare 1 million reserve soldiers, 500,000 horses and half a year's rations. At this time, the Nanjing Nationalist Government ordered Song Zheyuan to rush to Baoding to deal with the war several times, but Song not only ignored it, but on July 11, he and Deng Zhexi and other staff dressed up and rushed to Tianjin quietly.The purpose of going to Tianjin, as He Jifeng, the commander of the 110th Brigade at the time, said later: "It is not a war of resistance, but a peace." At 7:00 p.m. on July 12, according to the instructions of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government, the Kuomintang troops in Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangsu received mobilization orders and assembled on the Longhai Railway and Pinghan Line centered on Zhengzhou; The troops in charge of defending the northern section of the Jinpu Railway; 30 military planes in Nanchang immediately flew northward in formation. After Song Zheyuan and his party sneaked to Jinmen, they secretly sought peace with Zhang Zizhong, the commander of the 38th Division and the mayor of Tianjin. This approach was explicitly supported by Zhang.Song Zheyuan was apprehensive, and tentatively negotiated with the chief of the Japanese army stationed in Tianjin, trying to "turn the pill" by his own tricks.It is a pity that the fantasies of the Song family and Zhang Zizhong are both contrary to the general trend of the times, and the result is wishful thinking.When the Marco Polo Bridge Incident happened, the heads of the Japanese Kwantung Army and the Japanese Army Garrison in Korea frequently called the Japanese Central Military Command, urging them to make a decisive decision and take the Marco Polo Bridge Incident as an opportunity to realize the "great cause" of completely conquering China.Facing the situation at home and abroad, the Japanese army stationed in North China made a strategic decision of pretending to Song Zheyuan, who came to seek peace, to wait for the arrival of a large number of reinforcements.Song Zheyuan, who was immersed in the dream of "peace talks", was completely unaware of the conspiracy of the Japanese military leader. In a state of intoxication, he hurriedly made a speech on the 12th: "The occurrence of the Marco Polo Bridge incident is indeed a misfortune for East Asia. Local conflicts can be resolved at any time. It is a blessing among misfortunes.... I hope that those responsible will focus on the overall situation of East Asia. If one only knows personal interests, the country will rise and fall, and the number of rise and fall is not all that we can predict." Yun Yun. When these false rumors spread to Mount Lu, Chiang Kai-shek and the people who were summoned to attend the meeting were greatly dissatisfied. In order to prevent the Song family from immersing themselves in the dream of "going peace" and falling asleep , to do things that are detrimental to the national character, personality and national justice. On July 13, Chiang Kai-shek called Song Zheyuan again, sternly and forcefully pointing out that "the Lu case must not be resolved peacefully... Zhongzheng has determined to use all its strength to resist the war, and would rather break the jade than destroy it, so as to maintain the personality of our country and individuals... ...The victory or defeat this time depends entirely on the unity of the brother and the central government. Regardless of peace or war, do not go it alone. If the enemy is not given any gaps in defeat, the final chance of victory will be in our hands. Please stick to the end, brother everywhere Stick to it, take strict precautions at all times, and there is no room for retreat. Today, the only way to unite the internal forces and motivate the army is to be consistent with the central government. If you don’t be bullied by the enemy, you will win.” Song Zheyuan dismissed this order, and came back Do it the way you want.He actually ordered the normal operation of the Beining Railway starting from the 14th, canceling the martial law in Beiping, strictly prohibiting friction between the 29th Army and the Japanese army, and releasing dozens of Japanese officers and soldiers captured during the fighting between the two sides. On July 15, Song Zheyuan telegraphed the money and property remitted to Peiping by patriots at home and abroad, refusing the Chinese people to "donate money and raise troops", so as not to let the Japanese find an excuse to hinder the "peace" plan.On the same day, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary: "...received the telegram from Mingxuan, intending to abandon Tianjin, and strictly prohibited it. Has he allowed the Japanese pirates to withdraw from Tianjin? It is suspicious." On July 16, due to the diplomatic route, direct negotiations were invalid , the Nanjing government invited the British ambassador to China to come forward to "mediate", but was rejected by the Japanese side, and Sino-Japanese relations deteriorated sharply.The situation in Japan at this time was: On July 11, Japanese Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro met with the Japanese emperor and held an emergency meeting on the situation of the Sino-Japanese war. According to the plan formulated by the meeting, 100,000 troops were dispatched to China on the 16th. On the 17th, an emergency meeting of the Five Prime Ministers in Tokyo decided to immediately mobilize and send an additional 400,000 Japanese troops to China to assist in the war.The Japanese side has made up its mind, and the Chinese side will not hesitate to make a huge sacrifice in exchange for a peaceful resolution of the so-called "Lu case".There is no possibility at all.In line with the established policy of "the saber has been drawn, how can it be sheathed without seeing blood", the Japanese army stepped up the mobilization of large troops to advance rapidly to the Pingjin area, and the atmosphere of all-out war further expanded and spread in North China.Japan's tough stance once again greatly stimulated Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese military and civilians. On July 16, Chiang Kai-shek invited 158 people from all walks of life across the country to hold a talk meeting in Lushan to discuss the necessary "war declaration".The "Declaration" resolutely stated: "If the war starts, there will be no distinction between north and south, and no distinction between young and old. No matter who you are, everyone has the responsibility to defend the land and resist the war." On July 17, Chiang Kai-shek delivered the most exciting speech in the history of the War of Resistance against Japan in Mount Lushan. He put forward four conditions for resolving the Marco Polo Bridge Incident very simply, and at the same time reminded the soldiers and civilians of the whole country in a generous and tragic tone: "Whether the Marco Polo Bridge Incident can be expanded into a Sino-Japanese war?" It is all about the attitude of the Japanese government, the key to the continuation of hope for peace, and all about the actions of the Japanese army." The impoverished and weak Chinese nation has reached the last moment of life and death, and once it is forced to "the last moment, the only way to fight to the end is to fight to the end." We hope for peace, but do not seek peace. We are prepared to fight but never seek war. We know that after the whole country faces a war, we can only sacrifice to the end, and there is no reason to survive.... If you give up size, land and sovereignty, you will be China The sinners of the nation through the ages, at that time had no choice but to fight for the lives of the entire nation, begging for our final victory." This speech on the fact that the Chinese nation has reached the "last juncture" marked Chiang Kai-shek's prudent and decisive attitude, established the general policy of the national government's policy and strategy toward Japan, and marked the Chinese government's complete abandonment of the politics of tolerance, restraint, and retreat. The military strategy has firmly shifted to the strategic track of going to the national disaster together, fighting the war with all your strength, and surviving in one fell swoop.This battle call to defend the country to the death and fight the Japanese army to the end at the cost of their lives has greatly inspired the soldiers and civilians across the country.On the same day, the Nationalist government urgently distributed 3 million rounds of ammunition and a large amount of weapons and equipment to the 29th Army, and ordered the 26th Army led by Sun Lianzhong, the 32nd Army of Shang Zhen, the 40th Army of Pang Bingxun, and the 10th Army of Li Moan, a direct descendant of the Kuomintang Central Committee, to The division, Guan Linzheng's 25th Division, Liu Kan's 83rd Division and other troops immediately deployed, went north along Pinghan and Jinpu Roads, and quickly advanced to Baoding and Shijiazhuang to deploy defenses, and cooperated with the 29th Army to fight the Japanese army to the death. When all these arrangements were completed, Chiang Kai-shek returned to Nanjing from Lushan Mountain on the 20th, and once again convened a meeting of military and political officials to discuss the general strategy for the long-term war of resistance against Japan. Song Zheyuan, who had been seeking peace talks with the Japanese in Tianjin, met with the newly appointed Japanese garrison commander Kiyoshi Kazuki for the first time with Zhang Zizhong on the 18th. Immediately after returning, he said to people: "The talk was very good, and there is no problem with a peaceful settlement. At this time, Song and Zhang did not know that they had fallen into the trap of the Japanese. The real purpose of the Japanese army was to wait for reinforcements to arrive, defeat the 29th Army in one fell swoop, and completely occupy and control the government affairs of Jicha and Pingjin. Song Zheyuan, who was confident that he had the Japanese hole card, sneaked back to Peiping on the 19th, but he still ignored Chiang Kai-shek's impassioned speeches on Lushan Mountain and the hasty telegrams again and again.Song is like a drunken man, with his legs dangling, swaying from side to side between war and peace, and in the process of burning incense and candles to pray to the gods and seek the law from the earth tiger, he experienced short-term dizziness and hallucinations , full of hope that the Japanese military will be merciful due to various reasons, show mercy, put down the butcher knife, and become a Buddha immediately, so that the "incident" can be calmed down silently.Intoxicated by this illusion and illusory, Song Zheyuan disregarded the repeated reminders and dissuasion of insightful people, disregarded the central government's major policies and Chiang Kai-shek's orders, and ordered the dismantling of the bloody, sweaty and even The fortifications built by life to prepare for street fighting will open all the city gates that have been closed for several days, give up all vigilance, order all ministries to put aside their war preparation plans, and immediately retreat the army that has increased troops outside the city, and call the central army that has rushed northward Sun Lianzhong, Wan Fulin, Pang Bingxun and other units stopped advancing, and switched defenses between Feng Zhian's division, which was fighting hard, and Zhao Dengyu's division, who was leading the peace, thinking that the Japanese army had set an example of "seeking peace".According to Song Zheyuan's method of hooking and clamping, when the war is about to break out, the power of role models is infinite. As long as the Chinese army makes a "model" like a lamb who gives up everything and is slaughtered by others, the Japanese army will be deeply moved and furious. Compassion, began to build a magnificent and magnificent East Asia Paradise together with the Chinese military and civilians with a sincere and peaceful attitude.What Song Zheyuan didn't expect was that at this time, nearly 10,000 people from the Japanese 20th Division in North Korea had quietly arrived in Tangshan and Tianjin, and unloaded 100,000 tons of munitions in Tanggu.The three brigades of the Japanese Kwantung Army have been secretly transferred to North China one after another. They arrived in Fengtai on the 21st and completed the military strategic deployment for the siege of Pingjin.In addition, about 160,000 people from 8 divisions of the Japanese army are rushing towards Pingjin along different routes day and night.Faced with Song Zheyuan's extremely abnormal and absurd behavior, Chiang Kai-shek, who was in command in Nanjing, was furious when he heard the news. After shouting "Mother Xipi", he called Qin Dechun to Song Zheyuan again in anger: "I heard that the 38th Division has withdrawn. The fortifications in Beiping City have also been dismantled. If this is the case, after the Japanese pirates wait for our Beiping City Gate to pass through as usual, they will have further demands, or they will occupy our Ping City in one fell swoop. It is extremely dangerous. Please take precautions at all times and be careful at every step , Don’t take it for granted,” At the same time, he urged the Song family to guard Pingjin, and immediately report the secret agreement signed with the Japanese army during their stay in Tianjin to the central government, and not to be self-righteous and conceal it without authorization. On July 25, the Japanese army had completed its military deployment, and the prelude to a large-scale attack on Pingjin—the Battle of Langfang began.The patriotic soldiers of the 29th Army fought back, causing heavy casualties to both the enemy and ourselves. On July 26, Japanese reinforcements arrived, and 27 planes came to assist in the bombing.Unable to resist, the Chinese defenders withdrew from Langfang.Chiang Kai-shek called Song Zheyuan again, telling him to let go of his illusions and immediately restore all city defenses. He was determined not to lose, determined to fight, and planned to go to Baoding to command the war. On July 27, the headquarters of the 29th Army attacked and recovered Langfang. After a fierce battle, they failed, and then withdrew, and Langfang fell.At the same time, under the personal command of Kiyoshi Kazuki, commander of the North China Garrison, the Japanese army began a large-scale attack on the Beiping defenders.About 7,000 officers and soldiers of the 29th Army gathered in Nanyuan, a suburb of Beijing, were forced to rush into battle and started a bloody battle with the fierce Japanese army.Relying on excellent weapons and a large number of tanks and chariots, the Japanese army pressed forward step by step, and bombed with dozens of aircraft at low altitude in turn, non-stop from morning to noon.Due to Song Zheyuan's strategic guiding ideology of seeking peace, Nanyuan failed to build a solid fortification until the last moment of the war. It only used a simple camp as a cover. Under the frantic bombing and strafing of enemy planes, the camp was torn into pieces. The barracks were turned into a pile of ruins, and the defenders were greatly restrained and unable to fight back.As the communication equipment was blown up, the troops were cut off from the headquarters, and the command failed, resulting in chaos.At dawn on the 28th, the defenders suffered heavy casualties, Nanyuan fell, and the officers and soldiers were ordered to retreat to Beiping City.In the bloody battle, chaos, and rout, Tong Linge, deputy commander of the 29th Army, Zhao Dengyu, commander of the 132nd Division, and more than 3,000 officers and soldiers under them were killed. On the night of July 28, Song Zheyuan, Qin Dechun, Feng Zhian, and Zhang Weifan, commander of the Beiping city defense, led their troops to withdraw southward in a hurry. On July 29, Peiping fell. In the evening of the same day, He Jifeng's 110th Brigade, which was stationed on the line from Xiyuan to Babaoshan in the suburbs of Beiping, was ordered to withdraw southward to the Changxindian area after covering the retreat of the various ministries.When the news came out, the people of Peking were filled with grief.More than 1,000 college students from Peking University, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Peking Normal University gathered together, walked out of the ancient city, and bid farewell to the troops who fired the first shot at the Marco Polo Bridge with grief and indignation. A year ago, under the influence and instigation of anti-Japanese patriots, under the instruction of Feng Zhian, the commander of the 37th Division, He Jifeng, the commander of the 110th Brigade, established the "Summer Military Training Team for Peking University and High School Students" in Xiyuan, organizing several thousand College and middle school students conduct intensive training.As the deputy head of the training corps, He Jifeng was infected by the patriotic enthusiasm of young students, especially those Northeast students who wandered from the occupied areas outside the customs. The inner sadness and strong patriotic enthusiasm for the War of Resistance made He Jifeng Deeply moved, several speeches burst into tears.For this reason, Brigadier He became one of the main generals who urged Song Zheyuan to abandon the warlord separatist regime, stay consistent with the Nanjing central government, and resolutely implement the anti-Japanese and national salvation. When the Marco Polo Bridge Incident happened, the second training team was in progress. He Jifeng and other officers and soldiers returned to the army, and the training team was disbanded. Young students asked to go to the front to fight side by side with the officers and soldiers.The students who were practicing guerrilla tactics in Miaofeng Mountain quickly returned to school, and together with the people of Peiping, they actively participated in the upsurge of supporting the army and resisting the war.The angry students shouted their heartfelt voices of "defend the Lugou Bridge" and "mobilize the people of North China, assist the 29th Army, and fight against Japan to the end".Many college students, service personnel from all walks of life, citizens, and even coachmen and pawns spontaneously organized different forms of "labor regiments" to go to Lugou Bridge and Nanyuan to comfort the heroic patriotic soldiers of the 29th Army who defended the soil.There are also a large number of students and the people of Peiping, hand in hand, running under the hot and poisonous sun in July, sweat dripping from their dusty faces, collecting sacks from street to alley, and together with the officers and soldiers of the defending army, they carried sand and transported Soil to build fortifications.When He Jifeng, who was commanding the battle on the front line, heard the actions of the students, he was deeply shocked. He said to his subordinates in the order: "These young Chinese sons and daughters exude such a powerful, bloody and surging passion." , if we don't fight the enemy bravely, how can we be worthy of their loyalty!" But now, the fortifications built with sacks were ordered to be dismantled by the authorities. Song Zheyuan, the supreme commander of the North China garrison, left, Qin Dechun, the highest officer in Peiping, Zhang Weifan, the commander of the city defense, and Feng Zhian, his immediate boss and commander of the 37th Division. gone.In the fraternal troops of the Beiping garrison, except for some personnel who were forced to stay involuntarily, all the troops that could move freely were withdrawn.In this tide of retreat, the 110th Brigade was unable to support itself, so naturally they could not stay. They must evacuate from the dangerous place of Peiping as soon as possible.He Jifeng, who was caught in the retreating team, had mixed feelings in his panic.Back in the day, in front of these passionate young students, I made a speech, chanted the slogan of swearing to live and die with Peking, and walked in the forefront of the training team.Now that his ambition has not been fulfilled, he not only abandoned his original oath, but also abandoned these enthusiastic young students and the people all over the city, and started a military wandering with an uncertain future and no idea where he would go.Thinking of this, tears blurred his vision.The citizens of Peiping expressed their dissatisfaction and indignation towards the defenders with silence, and no one saw them off. Only the young students remained true, and with a sincere heart and expectations for the future, they expressed their gratitude to the defeated army and the soldiers in the defeated army. Reluctantly make a final farewell.The students followed the team and saw off one way after another, chanting farewell slogans all the time.Seeing that it was already far away from Beiping City, the sky gradually darkened, only a blood-colored gleam appeared in the western sky.He Jifeng, who was in the queue, couldn't bear it. He rode his horse out of the queue, reined in the horse's head, turned sideways, and looked at the sad-faced students following behind the queue, with tears in his eyes.With tears in his eyes, he suddenly saw the slogan that was clearly written by the students with their own blood: "General He Jifeng, don't leave!" "Fight to the end!" "We want to join the army and fight to the death with the Japanese invaders!" "General He and the soldiers of the 110th Brigade don't leave!" "Peking can't be lost!" "..." "Students——!" Brigadier He Jifeng's voice was already hoarse. He raised his head and chest, forced a shake of energy, and continued to shout with the greatest strength: "Students! Peiping——, we will definitely fight back!" At this point, He Jifeng choked up and couldn't speak. He raised his hand and saluted the students with a standard military salute, and tears poured out of his eyes.As a whirlwind blew by, the long temples of the sitting horse fluttered in the wind.He Jifeng took advantage of the situation and shook the reins, the chest of the maroon horse soared into the air, the horse's head suddenly raised, and in the rapid rotation, it rushed into the sky where the dark clouds were pressing down on the city, and with a short mournful cry, it carried the tearful master forward like an arrow.Behind him, a thousand-year-old city that was sinking in the land and all living beings immersed in panic and confusion were left behind. The next day, Tianjin fell.