Chapter 34 7. Southern Liaoning—Iron-Blooded Couple

In the "History of Showa of 100 Million People" published in Japan, a photo was quoted in the part describing the activities of resistance forces in Northeast China.The description is a so-called "bandit leader" who was captured by the Kwantung Army. The description of the title picture-"Zhao Qingji, the bandit leader in the triangle area", "Arrested by the Fukumoto Crusade Team on January 24, Showa 13th Year (1938)".Around the photo, there are so-called "bad looks" written all over it, saying that Zhao Qingji robbed and kidnapped people, killed people for money, and so on and so on.

"History of the Showa era of 100 million people" was completed in the 1980s. The Japanese editor who placed this photo probably only used it for its shooting quality and typicality, but did not add any labels.Therefore, it is estimated that almost no Japanese readers who see this photo will notice the name "Zhao Qingji". In fact, Zhao Qingji was an excellent commander in the Volunteer Army. He led his troops to fight in the triangle area of ​​southern Liaoning for a long time. Zhao Qingji, from Xiuyan County, Liaoning Province, Manchu, was born in the family of Mr. Private School. In 1927, he was admitted to the Fengcheng County Police Station as an inspector. After the "September 18th" incident, he resigned angrily. On January 25, 1932, Zhao Juzhong announced to raise the flag to resist Japan. In 1932, he led his troops to join Deng Tiemei's Liaoning People's Self-Defense Army and served as the head of the 12th regiment.In Xiuyan, Fengcheng, Dagushan and other urban and rural areas, they continued to harass the Japanese and puppet troops. At the beginning of 1933, the army was expanded into a brigade. He served as the commander of the first brigade of the Liaoning People's Self-Defense Army. He commanded the brigade to fight against the Japanese and puppet troops six times in Luoguoquan, Jiugouyu, Tanggou Shenjiabaozi and other places, and once attacked Fenghuang. In the city, many enemy and puppet officials such as Japanese supervisors, pseudo-police inspectors, patrol supervisors, etc. were eliminated successively. At the end of September, Deng Tiemei, commander-in-chief of the Self-Defense Forces, was betrayed and killed by traitors. At the beginning of December, Zhao Tong and Bai Junshi, commanders of the Young Iron Blood Army who were also active in southern Liaoning, came forward and agreed that the leaders of the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army in the triangle area would gather in Getengyu.At the meeting, various anti-Japanese armed forces decided to unify the organization, establish the Liaonan Provisional Government and the new General Command of the Young Iron Blood Army, and divide it into the Fourth Route Army. Zhao Qingji participated in the meeting and was elected as the commander-in-chief of the Second Route Army. Continue to persist in the local anti-Japanese struggle.There is even information that Zhao Qingji also got in touch with General Yang Jingyu and established a cooperative relationship during the later period of fighting the Japanese army.

Among the anti-Japanese heroes in the Northeast, Zhao Qingji had an enviable wife, Guan Shiying, who served as the chief of staff of his Second Route Army. Guan Shiying, a native of Guanjiabao, Dayingzi Town, Xiuyan County, Manchu. Born in 1915, ranked third, betrothed to Zhao Qingji since childhood, married in 1933.The Guan family fully supported Zhao Qingji's struggle against Japan.Guan Shiying was originally a traditional woman, but she learned to ride a horse and was good at wielding two guns while marching with her husband. She was known as the "female general with two guns" in the anti-Japanese team and became a legendary female commander.The connection between Yang Jingyu and Zhao Qingji was connected by Guan Shiying.

Everything seems so romantic.In fact, the world of Zhao Qingji and Guan Shiying has nothing to do with romance. When it comes to the War of Resistance in Northeast China, the most difficult area is South Manchuria. Due to its convenient transportation and dense population, it is the area where the Japanese army has the most concentrated and strictest control. Most of South Manchuria is geographically and As far as the climate is concerned, it is not suitable for the implementation of guerrilla warfare.The strength of Yang Jingyu's First Anti-Union Army was always around 1,000, while Zhao Shangzhi's Third Army was able to grow to 6,000 or 7,000. Previously, the situation in South Manchuria where Yang Jingyu was active was more sinister than in North Manchuria where Zhao Shangzhi was active.

And southern Liaoning is the most difficult area in South Manchuria.This is because southern Liaoning is close to the sea, and it is the most important channel to receive volunteers from the pass.Therefore, this is the area where the Japanese army suppressed the most severely and established the most stringent puppet organization.Fengcheng, Xiuyan, and Zhuanghe, where Zhao Qingji was active—the "Southern Liaoning Triangle"—are in the center of this region. The battle in the southern Liaoning Triangle was extremely cruel, and the sacrifice of the Volunteer Army was great. Zhao Qingji's team had no more than a few hundred people at most. By 1937, the number of combat soldiers directly under his department was less than a hundred.He and Guan Shiying are facing the crisis of life and death every moment. In October 1937, he and Guan Shiying led more than 40 officers and soldiers to camp in Sifanglazi. Because they exposed their targets by lighting a fire, they were suddenly surrounded by the Japanese and puppet crusades in Xiuyan, Fengcheng.During the fierce battle, Zhao Qingji was injured first. Guan Shiying was wounded in both legs by Japanese machine guns while rescuing him, and was unable to move. , Order the guards to carry Zhao Qingji to break through.The Japanese and puppet troops swarmed in, shouting, "Grab Guan Shiying, grab the chief of staff of the Jagged Army!" Guan Shiying shot himself to death at the age of 22.

It seems that Zhao Qingji did not leave a commemorative text after his wife died in battle.In fact, there were only a few months left before the end of his life.The anti-Japanese armed forces in southern Liaoning struggled to survive under the full suppression of the Japanese army. It was already a miracle that they persisted until 1937.In the winter of this year, he led his army to hide in the mountains, ran out of food and ammunition, but still attacked many times. When 1938 came, only Zhao Qingji and Bai Junshi, the third commander-in-chief of the Jagged Army, were left in the anti-Japanese armed forces in the southern Liaoning triangle. The total number was less than fifty. On January 15, 1938, he was wounded in a sneak attack by traitors, and was unfortunately surrounded and captured by the enemy while he was being treated. In March, he was killed by the Japanese army at the Xigou Execution Ground in Fengcheng Town, and died for the country at the age of 38.It is speculated that the photo taken by the Japanese army is his last photo before his execution, and it is also the last photo Zhao Qingji kept.

When searching for the past after discovering this photo in Japan, Sa accidentally discovered that the story of Zhao Qingji did not end in 1938. In 1963, when a farmer in Guanjiapuzi, Dayingzi Township, Xiuyan County, that is, Guan Shiying's hometown, was digging badgers, he found a hole in the stone lazier on the mountainside of Toudaoling. There are objects.After he lifted the stone slab vigorously, he found a cloth bag underneath, inside which was neatly folded a triangular red flag marked with the word order and three armbands with black on top and red on the bottom.This is exactly the flag and armbands worn by officers and soldiers of the 17th Regiment of the Northeast People's Self-Defense Forces led by Cho Kyung-gil.

The Chinese resisters in southern Liaoning fought for eight years, and the last commander, Bai Junshi, died in January 1939.Whether it is Zhao Qingji, Bai Junshi, or their former superiors Deng Tiemei and Miao Kexiu, they are almost forgotten names.This discovery, more than two decades after their sacrifice, seems to evoke our memories.Bai Junshi’s words before he died in the country seem to be echoing in our ears—“I will be a Chinese every day I live, and I will not be a slave to ghosts.” Perhaps it was this belief that allowed Zhao Qingji to persevere in the eight years when there was no hope of victory.