Chapter 5 Chapter Five: The Elegy of the Yellow River (2)

the last fool By 1941, the so-called "Anti-Japanese War" in Zhongtiao Mountain was really like a child's play. Many troops sat on the mountain and did not move. Even if the gun is not fired, it is considered a "triumph". Some officers were very worried about this and reported the situation to Wei Lihuang, but Wei Lihuang didn't believe it, and instead blamed him for not being able to lead troops. You relax, but your opponent doesn't. The "North China Front Army" has been observing the movement of Zhongtiao Mountain, and they soon discovered that they had an opportunity to take advantage of it.

On the night of May 7, 1941, the "North China Front Army" suddenly launched an unprecedented invasion of Zhongtiao Mountain, and the number of participating troops reached the sixth division and the third brigade. A notable feature of the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain is that the Japanese army had already grasped the location of the commanding organization of the defenders through reconnaissance before the war. This has caused a strange phenomenon, that is, the front has not fought much, but the rear has been unable to effectively command. In just one day, the two armies in Zhongtiaoshan were separated, and both were in trouble.

Only then did Wei Lihuang feel that something was wrong. In the scene of "Lost Street Pavilion", Ma Di wanted to station troops on the mountain, Wang Ping said that you are in a desperate situation, if the Wei army cut off our water source, wouldn't it be chaos without a fight? In addition to being afraid of water and food shortages, the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain were also most afraid of having no way out, because the Yellow River was behind them. It stands to reason that a certain number of bridgeheads should be built in advance on Zhongtiao Mountain near the north bank of the Yellow River, so as to ensure water traffic during wartime, but Wei Lihuang did not do a good job in this regard. As a result, the Japanese army made a detour and took the lead in seizing the bank of the Yellow River. I can't go back.

Zhongtiao mountainous area is only 50 kilometers deep from north to south. It is very difficult to hide in the mountains to fight guerrillas. After being surrounded by the Japanese army, the defenders immediately followed in the footsteps of the Shu army of the Three Kingdoms. Like dominoes, one after another fell into the On the verge of collapse, it failed almost unbelievably quickly. It was a fight or break, but some brave Yunnan people persisted to the end. Tang Huaiyuan, a native of Jiangchuan, Yunnan, was the commander of the Third Army at that time. Tang Huaiyuan is a slightly stubborn person, and it can also be said that he is a little "stupid".Once there was a war, and it seemed that the fight could not be fought. Tang Huaiyuan said that he would withdraw, but his colleagues objected, and finally withdrew, losing a cannon on the way.

At that time, it was a big deal for the army to have a cannon, and often the victory or defeat of the war depended on it.The colleague blamed him for this, "Let me tell you, if you don't withdraw, you can't lose the cannon. You are still too cowardly." Tang Huaiyuan became anxious when he heard this. Tang was hit with a shoulder pole on his head, leaving a scar for life. Tang Huaiyuan had already sat in the top positions in the Yunnan Dian Army, but later Tang Jiyao returned to Yunnan to seize his power.Everyone agreed in advance to find an empty place to fight one-on-one, and whoever loses will step down.

Tang Huaiyuan was defeated, so he left with his troops without saying a word. After withdrawing from Yunnan, Tang Huaiyuan started as a division commander.One day someone from above came to inspect and asked for some fees in private, but Old Tang ignored him. The guy didn't get any benefits, so he angrily made a difference after returning, demoting Tang Huaiyuan from lieutenant general to colonel. The rank of the junior is even lower. Such a "fool" was originally not suitable for messing around on the scene. Tang Huaiyuan himself said that the reason why he could endure it was all because he had to take care of his mother.

When Tang Huaiyuan was under one year old, he was abandoned by his father and raised by his mother, so he treated his mother with utmost filial piety.Because his family was too miserable, he applied for the Yunnan Lecture Hall. At that time, because he had hemorrhoids on his body, he was afraid that he would not be admitted if the school found out. Please let me get well, so that I can get a job and have the ability to protect my mother from hunger and cold." When he became a high-ranking official and his family's living conditions improved, Tang Huaiyuan once wanted to follow the example of the ancients and retire because of repeated setbacks in society. stay in the army.

In 1939, Tang Huaiyuan's mother died of illness.After returning to Yunnan for the funeral, he said to his family: "I have dedicated my life to my mother. Now that she is gone, I have nothing to worry about. This body should be state-owned!" Most of Tang Huaiyuan's third army were soldiers from Yunnan, and they were one of the few troops that performed better in the Battle of Zhongtiaoshan. Through the firepower network composed of heavy machine guns, the Third Army inflicted a lot of damage on the Japanese army, but the situation at that time was beyond what the First Army could save. After several days of fighting, most of the troops were killed or injured.

On May 11, Tang Huaiyuan saw that the whole group could not rush out, so he decided to break up the whole group into parts and break through the encirclement by splitting routes.When parting, he solemnly warned his subordinates: "In China, there are only military commanders who died in battle, and there are no captured military commanders. Don't start with the third army." There is a Chinese folk saying that can only be understood but not conveyed in words, that is, "generals should not offend place names". On May 12, Tang Huaiyuan was trapped in Hanging Mountain, also known as "Tangwang Mountain".

The king died, and Tang Huaiyuan's remnants failed to break through the siege three times. They had run out of ammunition and food. At this time, it was raining heavily. He walked back and forth, and walked into a mud house alone. Everything looks so bad, but I tried my best, now is the time to set an example to my subordinates. The commander of the Third Army ended his life with a pistol, preferring to die than to be captured by the enemy. His subordinates really followed.The commander of the 12th Division, Cun Xingqi from Tengchong, Yunnan, got the news and said: "Hao Mengling and Liu Jiaqi died together in the Xinkou Battle, and the Third Army lost the battle. It is also right to sacrifice the two army division commanders."

On May 15, Cun Xingqi's right leg was blown off by Japanese artillery fire. He did not want to be captured and humiliated, so he committed suicide with the sword in his waist. "Fool" Tang Huaiyuan did his best in Zhongtiao Mountain On June 15, the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain (also known as the Battle of Jinnan) ended. The Japanese commander of the Zhongtiaoshan Battle was Hayao Tada, who was transferred from the deputy chief of staff to the commander of the "North China Front Army". He returned to China a month later and was promoted to general because of his meritorious service. The Battle of Zhongtiaoshan was in sharp contrast to the Battle of Shanggao a few months ago. It can be said to be the worst battle fought since the Anti-Japanese War.After this battle, most of the Fifth and Fourteenth Group Armies in Zhongtiaoshan were lost.According to Japanese statistics, the Chinese army killed 42,000 people on the spot and captured 35,000 people, while the Japanese army killed and injured less than 3,000 people. The disparity is very appalling. Chiang Kai-shek was filled with shame and indignation, and successively used "the biggest mistake" and "the biggest shame" to make evaluations.As the first responsible person, Wei Lihuang was dismissed from the post of the commander of the first theater and his post as the general of the army.