Chapter 23 The third section straightens the backbone of the Chinese people

Just as Fu Sinian was furiously writing letters against Hu Fulin and arguing with Qilu University, the brigade of the Institute of History and Philology had already left Kunming and was running through the wind and rain on the road. At this time, Zhao Yuanren had already gone to the United States to give lectures. Li Ji, Dong Zuobin, and Liang Siyong each had a business that needed to be handled by themselves. The relocation of the Institute of History and Philology was presided over by Li Fanggui, a researcher in the Linguistics Group, and Shi Zhangru assisted as the general manager. Among the ten research institutes of the Academia Sinica, the Institute of History and Philology is famous for its large amount of materials, such as oracle bones, bronzes, pottery and other artifacts unearthed underground, together with more than 200,000 precious books and some Ming and Qing Dynasties that have been transported in succession from various parties. There are more than 600 boxes of files.Faced with this huge national treasure-level material, Li Fanggui hired more than 20 vehicles from Kunming Liguo Company, and each group of three vehicles was used in batches.

On October 5, 1940, the first convoy organized by the Institute of History and Philology set off from Longtou Village in Kunming to Lizhuang, Sichuan. Due to the attachment relationship between the China Construction Society and the Institute of History and Philology, Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin and other colleagues of the Society, despite I was very reluctant to move to the remote Lizhuang, but in order to use his books and materials, I had to go with the car.For this reason, Liang Sicheng expressed in a letter to his good friend Fairbank: "This relocation makes us very frustrated. It means that we will be separated from a group of friends who have been friends for more than ten years. We will go to a place other than the Central Research Institute. It is a completely unfamiliar place away from any other institutions and away from any big cities except the institute's research institute. The university will stay in Kunming, as will Lao Jin, Duan Sheng, Xi Ruo and others. No matter where we flee, we Both will spend many days a month, many hours a day, interrupting their daily routine - work, meals and sleep - to run the alarm. But I think the situation in the UK is much worse."

The Britain mentioned by Liang is going through a great tribulation and test at this time. On July 16, 1940, Hitler implemented the "Sea Lion Project", and the Battle of Britain broke out between Germany and Britain. From September 7th to May 10th, 1941, fascist Germany launched a large-scale long-wave bombing attack on the UK. The bombing range covered all major cities and industrial centers in the UK, and London was the most severely damaged.By the end of the Battle of Britain, London was bombed for more than 76 days and nights, about 100,000 houses were destroyed, and 43,000 citizens died.London thus became one of the three most heavily bombed cities during World War II (the others being Berlin and Chongqing).Feeling the same way, Liang Sicheng, who was far away in Kunming, heard the news that fascist Germany, which had formed the axis of evil together with Japan, carried out large-scale bombing of England and Europe.

Although I was depressed, I had no choice but to go to Sichuan with the Institute of History and Philology if I wanted to continue my academic research. On the evening of October 25, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin, who lived in Longtou Village, invited Jin Yuelin, Zeng Zhaoyu and other friends to their home for dinner, which was the last dinner to say goodbye to Kunming.During the dinner, everyone tried to avoid sad topics, so as not to turn the party into a memorial service, and everyone only talked about some historical legends and lace news.Induced by the "famous talker" Lin Huiyin, the crowd "talked about ghosts until late at night", and they reluctantly dispersed until the sky glowed brightly.

Due to the continuous bombing by enemy planes, all preparations were spent in a state of confusion, anxiety, and fear. Excessive fatigue caused Liang Sicheng to suffer from a high fever before departure, so he had to stay temporarily to recuperate.Lin Huiyin took his two children and his mother alone, and left Kunming in a van specially set up for his family by the Institute of History and Philology.According to what Lin Huiyin wrote to Fei Weimei afterwards, this special bus contained more than 30 people, ranging from 70-year-olds to babies in their arms.Due to the large number of people and the crowded carriages, everyone had to adopt the "horse squatting position", sitting on the luggage roll with their feet spread apart, trying to minimize the space occupied, and suffering for a long time with the bumps and turbulence of the car.

From Kunming to Lizhuang, you need to enter Sichuan via the Yunnan-Guizhou Highway, cross the Wumeng Mountains with steep slopes and steep roads, and cross dozens of fast-flowing and dangerous rivers such as the famous Chishui to reach the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The city of Luzhou.Many years later, Shi Zhangru, the general manager, recalled that from Kunming to Lizhuang, he had to go through Qujing, Xuanwei, Heishitou or Hezhang, Weining, Bijie, Xuyong, Lantianba and other places along the way.In addition to the difficulties and obstacles in several other places, the mountains around Heishi, Hezhang, and Weining are actually very dangerous, because tigers will go down the mountain to look for food at night, and people dare not come out. In Heishi, Hezhang, The driver and assistant will stay in the car, lock the door, and dare not come out. When we arrive in Weining, the place is a little flatter, and the car can be surrounded by one. The driver still stays in the car. In case a tiger comes, the driver can turn on the lights scare away the tiger."

The vehicles of the staff of the Institute of History and Philology arrived in Luzhou after all kinds of hardships and dangers, stopped at Lantianba on the south bank of the Yangtze River for unloading, transferred them to large-tonnage ships through the local transfer station, and then transported them to Yibin along the Yangtze River waterway, and finally transported them back to Lizhuang Wharf from Yibin to disembark .According to Fu Sinian's instructions, the advance personnel Pan Que, Wang Wenlin and others contacted the well-known Minsheng Company on the Yangtze River route, and were responsible for the specific transfer and shipping matters.

"Minsheng" is a steamship company founded in 1925 by Lu Zuofu, a native of Hejiang, Sichuan. It mainly operates the Yangtze River shipping from Chongqing to Shanghai. Before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, Minsheng Company had 46 ships with a total tonnage of 18,718 tons, becoming the largest private enterprise in China's inland waterway shipping and the main force of Yangtze River shipping. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the national government appointed Lu Zuofu as the Deputy Minister of the Second Department of the Military Commission and the director of the Transportation Joint Office of the Agricultural Products, Industrial and Mining, and Trade Adjustment Committee.Since then, Mr. Lu was ordered to go to Europe to investigate the shipping business, and devoted himself to the shipping organization. He clearly proposed to his employees that "Minsheng Company should first mobilize to participate in the war".With the fall of North China, the Songhu War broke out, Nanjing was in a hurry, and Wuhan was under threat. Minsheng Company was ordered to gather all the ships and send four divisions and two independent brigades of the Sichuan Army to Chongqing, Wanxian, etc. within two weeks. The ground was transported to the front line of Wuhan at the fastest speed.After the fall of Shanghai and Nanjing, Wuhan became the political and military center of China. Lu Zuofu served as the deputy director of the Ministry of Communications of the Nationalist Government, and at the same time served as the director of the Water and Land Transportation Committee under the Military Commission—all large and small shipping companies including Minsheng Company and China Merchants. All the ships are under the command of this committee, and the main task is to rush to transport strategic materials into Sichuan.At this time, factory equipment, strategic materials, large numbers of troops and supplies, and national treasures from the Forbidden City moved south from Shanghai, Nanjing, North China, and Central China to Wuhan needed to be transported to the southwest rear in a very short period of time.Lu Zuofu gathered all the ships in the middle and lower reaches of the Sichuan River, and worked day and night under the gunfire and smoke of the Wuhan Defense War to rush for transportation.

On October 21, 1938, Guangzhou fell into the hands of the enemy. On the 24th, Chiang Kai-shek officially issued an order to abandon Wuhan. On the 25th, Wuhan fell, and the Japanese army began a massive offensive to the southwest along the Yangtze River.So far, the 129 divisions and 1.1 million national troops originally concentrated in the three towns of Wuhan and the surrounding areas for defense have been beaten to pieces, and the essence of China's land has been lost.The entire national government's anti-enemy armed forces no longer have a complete division that can continue to fight.As far as foreign aid is concerned, except for a little limited military aid purchased from the Soviet Union, Britain, the United States and other so-called democratic countries have stood by and watched with little gift.Coincidentally, on the night of the fall of Wuhan, Hu Shi, the ambassador to the United States, and Chen Guangfu, a financier who was ordered to go to the United States to borrow money, were praying to Buddha at the home of U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. The authorities gave the green light as soon as possible to ask for help for borrowing, "giving a life-saving shot" to the exhausted Chinese government that is about to collapse.At this time, the strategic materials of the United States, such as steel, are still pouring into the enemy country Japan.

At this critical moment of life and death, the last ray of hope that determines whether China will not be destroyed is the 90,000 tons of important strategic equipment stranded in Yichang City on the banks of the Yangtze River in the west of Wuhan-this is the vital force for the Chinese nation to survive and determine future counterattacks.When Lu Zuofu recalled this difficult time later, he said that those equipments were the essence of the entire Chinese national industry at that time, and they were the only vitality remaining in the country. up.The enemy plane has flown to Yichang for bombing, the Japanese army is advancing towards Yichang, and the Chinese nation is at stake.As for the tasks undertaken by the Minsheng Company, in addition to the 90,000 tons of extremely important and precious strategic materials, there are also 100,000 military and political officials and their subordinates and affiliated personnel gathered in Yichang waiting for people, plus about 1 million tons of scattered goods. The supplies and countless refugees are in an extremely critical situation.At that time, the heavyweight shipping industrialists in China were Zhejiang giants Yu Qiaqing and Lu Zuofu. Yu Qiaqing controlled Sanbei Port Company, Zhonghua Shipping Company and Hongan Shipping Company, which were even larger, with a total tonnage of more than 90,000 tons, mainly in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the sea. on business.After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, most of Yu Qiaqing's ships were scuttled in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River by the order of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government to block the river and prevent Japanese ships from going up the Huangpu River Estuary.The remaining large ships of about 40,000 tons cannot enter the shallow water of the Chuanjiang River due to their deep draft.At that time, there were 24 ships sailing on Chuanjiang, 22 of which belonged to Minsheng Company. On October 23, two days before the fall of Wuhan, Lu Zuofu arrived in Yichang to direct the transportation.Yichang, known as the "throat of Sichuan and Hubei", is an important transshipment port on the Yangtze River route. The Three Gorges channel upstream is narrow and curved, with rough beaches and rough waves. In some places, only one ship can pass through.All ships over 1,500 tons cannot go upstream, and all downstream ships cannot reach Chongqing directly. Passengers and goods must disembark in Yichang and change to a high-powered boat before continuing to enter Sichuan.From Yichang to Chongqing, it takes at least 4 days to sail on the upper water, and at least 2 days to sail on the lower water. At that time, the Chuanjiang River was close to the dry season, and the sailing time of larger-tonnage ships was only about 40 days. After that, there was a long dry-water suspension period.In other words, all personnel and materials must be shipped out within 40 days.To complete such a huge amount of transportation, based on the transportation capacity of Minsheng Company in that year, it would take one year.

At this time, the small town of Yichang was panic-stricken. The streets and alleys were full of fleeing people, and the ground was full of supplies and equipment waiting to be transported. The inside and outside of the shipping company were full of people of all kinds who came to negotiate. , and those who were fighting to transport equipment scolded each other.” Faced with the turmoil and chaos, Lu Zuofu immediately convened a meeting of the heads, captains, and technicians of the various shipping companies on the night of his arrival in Yichang, urging everyone to use "Sun Tzu The tragic spirit of "The Art of War" was put to death and then survived, trying every means to break through the predicament, break through the encirclement, preserve the survival of the Chinese nation, and counterattack the only remaining blood.In the early morning of the next day, with the first rays of the sun shining on Yichang under the shadow of war, the emergency transportation plan was finally formulated. The first section; the second section from the Three Gorges to Wanxian; the third section from Wanxian to Chongqing.Among the materials to be transported, except for the most important strategic materials and the most difficult to load and unload bulky equipment, they were directly transported from Yichang to Chongqing, while the minor and lighter equipment had to be transported to Fengjie, Wushan or Badong for unloading in half the voyage. Next, leave it for later transfer.In this way, the time before the water level of the Chuanjiang River fell was fully utilized, and the only transport capacity was maximized. The plan was established. Lu Zuofu's command added additional wharves and transfer stations on the Three Gorges route, temporarily increased employment by more than 3,000 people, and requisitioned more than 850 private wooden boats to assist.Due to the unique conditions of the Chuanjiang waterway, it can only be sailed during the day. In order to gain time, Lu Zuofu ordered the staff to load and unload at night. All materials to be transported the next day must be equipped that night, and anchored and set sail at dawn.When night comes, the wharfs, ships, and barges by the river are lit up with lights, and there are many people.The chanting of the loading and unloading personnel, the roar of the crane, the sound of the siren, and the surging sound of the river are intertwined to form a unique and moving historical picture in the war of resistance.After the start of this operation, which was later called the "Eastern Dunkirk Evacuation" by the famous educator Yan Yangchu, Lu Zuofu commanded the Minsheng Company to make two-thirds of the important materials safe within 40 days amidst the roar of Japanese planes and brutal bombing. Transferred to the rear.Afterwards, when the dry season came, mid-water level ships could no longer sail on the Chuanjiang River. Lu Zuofu, in the face of danger, organized the staff of Minsheng Company to use wooden boats and winch tugboats to transport the last third of the supplies day and night.When the shoals were dry, the employees of Minsheng Company, together with the military and civilians who came to aid, switched to manpower and dragged the wooden boats on the bank of the Yangtze River step by step with difficulty, starting an unprecedented will in the history of Yangtze River shipping. A struggle with power.Although a large number of ships were bombed and sunk by the chasing Japanese planes, and some were destroyed when they hit the rocks, and the sailors and crew suffered heavy casualties, the big and small boats went hand in hand, the tragic scene of the army and the civilians working together, and in the thick of gunpowder, The shrapnel flying across the water of the Chuanjiang River, carrying a heavy load, will always remain in the spiritual history of the Chinese nation and inspire future generations.In the meantime, some foreign journalists took pictures of naked employees of Minsheng Company and local trackers crawling along the banks of the Yangtze River in the cold and windy conditions in order to rush to transport wartime supplies.When these photos were published in Western newspapers, it caused a strong shock.For this reason, Western countries, especially Americans, know that the nation in the east of the world, which is ridiculed as "fighting with Japanese bayonets with chopsticks", will fight bombs and bayonets with flesh and blood at the most critical moment. Yan Yan, the Chinese people have an invincible will and potential power - such a nation will not perish.The voice of the American people to aid China was unprecedentedly high, and the US government and Congress had a huge change in their estimation of the future of China's Anti-Japanese War, as well as in its policy towards China. In early December 1938, the Yichang retreat ended.The material transported this time is equivalent to the total transport volume of Minsheng Company in 1936 before the war.Before the fall of Yichang, Minsheng Company transported more than 1.5 million troops, wounded soldiers, refugees and other personnel, and more than 1 million tons of goods, including 20,000 tons of air force equipment and materials from Guangdong Artillery Factory.Thanks to this rush to transport, a number of modern iron and steel factories, arsenals and textile factories were built one after another in the rear of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River amidst the shattering of mountains and rivers, organizing a counter-offensive for the Chinese government and winning the final victory of the entire Anti-Japanese War played a vital role.Later, when the Japanese military reviewed the gains and losses of the Wuhan battle, they realized the significance of the Chinese soldiers and civilians risking their lives to transport strategic materials in the entire war, and sighed: "Assuming that in the thirteenth year of Showa (1938) while capturing Wuhan and fighting As long as Yichang was captured, its strategic value would be very different." Limited by the specific conditions at the time, the Japanese invaders did not do so, or God did not give them the opportunity to implement this offensive plan, the Chinese nation survived from a desperate situation, and finally waited until the strategic The day of the counterattack. The well-known Minsheng Company survived the most critical moment in the flames of war, leaving a radiant and immortal historical honor. Lu Zuofu himself also won the first-class and first-class medal issued by the National Government on New Year's Day in 1939. Two years later, facing China's academic center from Yunnan to Sichuan, Lu Zuofu and his Minsheng Company started a new round of actions to transfer the national treasures of the Chinese nation and academic elites.Different from Yichang's special emergency transportation during the Wuhan battle, this time the transportation paid more attention to the commercial operation mode and operated in accordance with the agreement drawn up by the two parties.