Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Lonely Spirit

Matsui built a land airport, but not for the Naval Air Force. Contrary to his original expectations, since the forced crossing of Yunzaobang, the advance speed of the Shanghai dispatched army is still very slow. One of the important reasons is that it is not known how many defenders there are and how wide the resistance position is. I just saw new troops and positions popping up in front of me, one after another, one pair after another, the life index rose instead of falling, and it seemed that I could never finish the fight. Depressed. Before the land airport was established, Matsui could only use the aircraft of the Naval Air Force, but the problem was that the people in the navy didn't know what the army needed, so they conducted blind reconnaissance and obtained trivial intelligence.

Matsui took a bunch of information and looked at it for a long time, but was still at a loss. In addition, because they do not understand land tactics, there are many problems in the coordination of actions and firepower between the naval air force and the ground army. Therefore, this time Matsui dumped the navy after the airport was built, and he summoned the army. The air force, which studies land tactics, is naturally much better than the naval air force. After the Army Air Corps entered the Songhu battlefield, it took a large number of aerial photos.These photos are all targeted, not aimless like the Navy.

To know how many troops China has sent to Shanghai and where they are deployed, all you need to do is look at these photos. Matsui smiled, and by reconnaissance from the plane, he also solved another mystery that had been haunting him. Since the landing operations, the special forces have basically been assigned to the highest level. Not only are the divisions equipped with mountain artillery regiments, but the Shanghai Dispatch Army itself also has a heavy artillery brigade directly under its jurisdiction. Sometimes the shells are not enough, why? If there is a gully blocking the way, so the tank can't play its due role, these Matsui can understand, but the artillery is not restricted by this most of the time.

After studying the information, Matsui understood. The reason is that ground artillery, like infantry, has inaccurate target positioning. When firing artillery, they can only bombard indiscriminately with their eyes closed. Of course, the effect will be greatly reduced. Knowing the position structure of the defenders makes a big difference. The ground reconnaissance technology of the Army Air Corps is really not covered, they even submitted a research report to Matsui. According to the report, due to the high groundwater level in the south of the Yangtze River, the defense fortifications generally cannot be dug too deep. It would be wasteful to use heavy bombs, and a large number of small bombs can destroy the fortifications.

After reading the intelligence and report, Matsui was very happy. Advance village by village, strike at fixed points, the plane clears the way, and the artillery follows. With the guidance of the aircraft, the Japanese cannons seemed to have eyes. Once they were fired from one side, the shells from the other side would fly over like raindrops in an instant. The Army Air Corps also went directly to the offensive. In the past, villages were often the most difficult for the Japanese army to capture, but with the intensive bombing of aircraft, the occupation became relatively easier. In such a dangerous environment, all Chen Cheng could do was to grit his teeth and fight to the death.The Chinese army drove up one by one, and then disappeared on the ground one by one.

At this time, no matter how good tactics you have, it is useless, because tactics are no longer needed on the battlefield, all you need are people, people who can continue to fill in for consumption. Even the German armed forces that Chiang Kai-shek was once proud of have lost 3/5 at this time, and more than 10,000 grassroots officers have been killed or injured-the ones that were once wanted to be used as seeds will no longer be possible in the future. Mr. Fei Zhengqing, an American historian, commented that before the Battle of Songhu, Chiang Kai-shek’s central army had tens of thousands of officers below the regiment battalion. An important pillar of combat power then and in the future.

However, after the stove-like "barbecue" on the Songhu battlefield, these officers basically all died in Shanghai, and they were never able to make up for it later, resulting in a structural defect. On October 26, Matsui finally broke through the big field, but he also paid an even more astonishing price. The Kanazawa division alone suffered more than 12,000 casualties, and the core troops were wiped out. Almost all those standing in front carrying guns were recruits who had been recruited. Among all the troops, the 101st Division was the worst.This troop came from Tokyo, the source of the 1st Division. It failed to conduct intensive training before departure, and its combat effectiveness was at the bottom. Therefore, although it was the last to come, it killed the most people. More than 15,000 people were killed and injured. It set a record for the highest number of casualties of the Japanese invaders.

To replenish recruits, people make up once, and it needs to be replenished several times to maintain normal operation. On the outskirts of the main position in Dachang, there are almost everywhere Japanese corpses and wounded soldiers lying on the ground, and all kinds of weapons after losing their owners are everywhere. According to Japanese statistics, the total number of Japanese casualties in the Songhu Battle was close to 100,000, equivalent to the destruction of eight field divisions in Shanghai.This is something that the Japanese never imagined before, during the "September 18th", during the "January 28th", during the Great Wall War of Resistance, and even when the "July 7th Incident" was launched.

On the third day of Shifarewell, the Japanese government and the opposition were very surprised by the rapid rise of the combat capability of the Chinese regular army. The loss of Dachang not only allowed the Shanghai Expeditionary Army in the northern suburbs to join the Marine Corps in the city, but also put Jiangwan and Zhabei in the predicament of being attacked on several fronts. If they did not continue to retreat, they would be dumped by others. Chen Cheng adjusted his defensive line and moved to the south bank of the Suzhou River. At this time, Sun Yuanliang, the commander of the 88th Division, suddenly received an order from Gu Zhutong, the deputy commander of the 3rd theater. The latter asked the 88th Division to continue to stay, or to fight guerrillas on the outskirts of the city, or break it up into parts, and divide it into Zhabei. various strongholds.

Sun Yuanliang was taken aback. The suburbs of Zhabei are not what they are now. At that time, there were not so many houses, and the terrain was flat, even a small hidden hill could not be found. How to fight guerrilla attacks? It is also difficult to keep points. After more than three months of fighting, the German weapon masters had already beaten to the point where they lost their human form.Liangshi Sun Yuan also went through six replenishments, and only two or three tenths of the veterans remained. The new recruits who had just arrived had not practiced battle formation, and some had not even let go of their guns before.

Sun Yuanliang made an analogy to Gu Zhutong, this is like a cup of tea, it is very strong when brewed for the first time, but after you add boiling water six times, try it again, add it once and then make it weaker, it is not the same as before taste. Now the army relies entirely on the support of veterans, and at the same time trains the new recruits while fighting, and slowly brings them all out.If it is dismantled into pieces, how can it maintain any combat effectiveness, and Zhabei will not be able to defend at all. Gu Zhutong thought that Sun Yuanliang's words were reasonable, but he had no choice but to do so.Because this decision came from Chiang Kai-shek, who also served as the commander-in-chief of the 3rd theater. At that time, a meeting of the signatories of the "Nine-Power Pact" was about to be held in the international arena, and US President Roosevelt had just delivered a "speech on epidemic prevention and isolation". Quarantine" out, so he needs a force to stay in Zhabei. In fact, to put it bluntly, it is for foreigners, especially Americans, to show that Shanghai is still in my hands, so as to increase bargaining chips on the negotiating table. Gu Zhutong was in a dilemma. Chiang Kai-shek's orders had to be obeyed, but what Sun Yuanliang said seemed to make sense.If you don't guard for half a day, and a division is wiped out by others, it will be a big shame, and it will be lost under the eyes of foreigners. So do you have a better way? Sun Yuanliang said I have. Let's open the skylight and speak frankly. If we stay in Zhabei, we will definitely have to sacrifice.A large number of troops is a sacrifice, and a small number of troops is also a sacrifice. To defend many points is to defend, and to defend one point is to defend.Rather than sacrificing a division in vain, it would be more beautiful to select an elite unit and just guard one point. Gu Zhutong nodded, then do as you said. Sun Yuanliang originally told Gu Zhutong to keep a regiment, but later he thought, "A large number of troops is a sacrifice, and a small number of troops is also a sacrifice", so let's keep a battalion. It claims to have 800 people, that is, "eight hundred strong men", but in fact it is only half , 400 people. In addition, these 400 people were not specially selected elite soldiers as Sun Yuanliang said (actually, there was no time and no way to choose them). Except for a few veterans who served as battalion company commanders, most of them were recruits recruited by the security regiment later. Before the whole division retreated, Sun Yuanliang called the remaining generals to the front, and then he didn't say a word for more than 20 minutes. Staying means death, and it is difficult for him to speak to the other party. The general left behind is Xie Jinyuan. Xie Jinyuan, from Jiaoling, Guangdong, graduated from the fourth phase of Whampoa Military Academy. At the beginning of the Battle of Songhu, Xie Jinyuan's position was the chief of staff of the brigade, but as the veterans who could fight were either killed or injured, the staff members were also recruited to the front line by Sun Yuanliang, so he was the deputy head of the brigade at this time. promoted to head). The stronghold Xie Jinyuan stayed behind was the Sixing Warehouse on the north bank of the Suzhou River. The reason why it was called the Sixing Warehouse was because it was a warehouse shared by the four banks in Shanghai for stacking goods. Since the war began, it has been used as the headquarters of Sun Yuanliang's division. One of the subjects that Zhang Zhizhong led his Huangpu disciples to study was how to guard.Those secret fortifications have become an important barrier that the Chinese army can rely on when changing from offensive to defensive in downtown Shanghai, and the Sixing Warehouse is one of them.There is enough food, ammunition and drinking water stored here, and the building is very strong (you know how strong the bank warehouse is), which is comparable to the Japanese Marine Corps Command. Late at night on October 27, Xie Jinyuan led his troops to the Sixing Warehouse from Shanghai North Railway Station. At this time, the west and north of the warehouse had been occupied by the Japanese army, the east was the public concession, the south was the Suzhou Creek, and crossing the river was also the public concession. The only exit to communicate with the outside world was a window in the southeast corner of the warehouse. become an island. If there was no defense of the Sixing Warehouse, Xie Jinyuan, as the deputy head of the regiment, might be unknown.You know, there are not many officers of his level who died heroically on the Songhu battlefield. Xie Jinyuan got a chance to become famous both at home and abroad, but he is definitely qualified for such an opportunity. After entering the Sixing Warehouse, he immediately built fortifications in the warehouse, closed all doors and windows, piled up sandbags and sacks, and prepared for a deadly battle. Even in a small pattern, infinite national wisdom often bursts out. I have been to many ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River, and I have seen more than one ancient house.Behind those extremely ordinary thresholds, there are often hidden buildings that dazzle the eyes, but are amazing for them.They are residences, but they are also gardens, theater buildings, and overlapping landscapes, one ring after another. Every step makes you amazed, and every step makes you feel the whimsy of the predecessors. Following this clue, I can also introduce to you the defense of Jiangyin in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. In a small Jiangyin city, 240,000 Qing cavalry gathered outside the city to besiege. How many defenders are there in the city? You may not believe it when you say it, there are only 60,000 militiamen. The man who led the 60,000 militia was just a Jiangyin pawn, an official in charge of the warehouse. His name was Yan Yingyuan. Yan Yingyuan built a dojo in a screw shell, and used almost all the tricks that can be used in ancient and modern China and abroad, such as bitter tricks, dragging knives tricks, short assaults, stealing camps and robbing villages, and even borrowing arrows from grass boats in the middle. As a result, the 240,000 regular army couldn't get in anyway, and was blocked outside the city for 81 days, and lost three kings and eighteen generals in a row. More troops were killed in battle than the total number of 60,000 militiamen, close to 70,000! Xie Jinyuan was like the official Yan Dian back then, he used all the tricks that could be used. If there are any common characteristics of the Thirty-Six Strategies, there is only one word: fraud. Play tricks with the devil first. After the large troops retreated, there was still a reinforced concrete bunker outside the Sixing Warehouse. Knowing that the Japanese were careful and careful, they would definitely reuse it, so Xie Jinyuan hid many grenades in the bunker reasonably, plus a large number of mortar shells. Seeing that the Japanese soldiers really got in, the defenders pulled the rope connected to the grenade from the outside, and the grenade detonated the mortar shells, and everyone in the room went to the sky. When the Japanese army officially besieged the Sixing Warehouse, Xie Jinyuan made frequent designs, and even used methods similar to "borrowing arrows from grass boats" to cleverly gain opponents. The Japanese army fired fiercely, and the defenders used long bamboo poles to lift their helmets and stretched them out of the window, looking like a small soldier looking left and right.Such a good opportunity to shoot people and horses, the Japanese snipers naturally couldn't let it go, so they scrambled to hit the helmets, making a fuss. After spotting the position of the Japanese shooter, Xie Jinyuan personally picked up the gun on the roof of the building, shot one by one, and all the devil soldiers fell to the ground. Seeing that the commander showed the demeanor of a first-class sharpshooter, the morale of the defenders was immediately boosted, and even the recruits were encouraged, and they completely forgot that they were surrounded by the Japanese army. Since the top floor of the Sixing Warehouse was equipped with anti-aircraft machine guns, the Japanese planes could not carry out low-altitude dive bombing.The only disadvantage is that there are no windows on the tall buildings, and it is difficult to drill holes in the reinforced concrete walls. This also has to borrow the "arrow" of the Japanese. Seeing the defenders shooting from the roof of the building, the Japanese army dispatched flat-firing guns and bombarded the upstairs. After all, it was a building built by a bank. To it, a few shells were almost drizzle. However, there was no need to worry about the holes, because the shells helped "gouge" them out. With ready-made loopholes, defenders can shoot forward and throw grenades and mortar shells downward, which is very cool. In just a few days, the Japanese army launched seven consecutive attacks on the Sixing Warehouse, all of which failed. Unable to do it during the day, I switched to night attack, but unexpectedly encountered the "lighting war" initiated by Xie Jinyuan. As a German weapon master, it is only one aspect that the weapons are relatively better. On the other hand, the quality of the officers and soldiers is very high, not only military quality, but also cultural and technological knowledge. Compared with some local troops who have never even seen electric lights, Xie Jinyuan is quite proficient in electric light lighting. From the first day, he turned off all the lights in the Sihang warehouse to avoid exposure at night. When the Japanese army launched a night attack on the warehouse, if they were still within a certain distance, they would shoot with signal flares. Whether the thing hit people or not, at least the surrounding area would be illuminated. As soon as the target was found, the light and heavy machine guns immediately followed call over. If you get closer, the signal flares won't work, so use a flashlight. Tie a large flashlight to a bamboo pole, stick it out from the hole of the gun, and poke it down. It immediately illuminates the ground so brightly that even the devil's pale face can be seen. Don't talk nonsense, just throw grenades and mortar shells. Xie Jinyuan later turned out the cotton in the warehouse, twisted it into twists, soaked it in kerosene, lit it and threw it on the surrounding ground. Like Nezha, let's move forward on Hot Wheels. The "eight hundred strong men" guarded the Sixing Warehouse for four whole days, standing still like Mount Tai. In the public concession on the other side of the river, countless people were watching.In their eyes, the Sixing Warehouse Defense War is like a realistic version of a patriotic epic blockbuster. They saw a Chinese soldier covered in grenades, suddenly jumped from the top of the warehouse, jumped into the Japanese army, and died with the enemy with a bang. Many of the audience were Chinese people who were forced to flee to the foreign concessions. The defeat in the war made people feel disappointed and sad almost every day.When they witnessed this scene with their own eyes, they couldn't help being moved to tears. Failure is not terrible, as long as there are these warriors, China will not perish! On the night of October 28, a girl scout named Yang Huimin ventured into the Sixing Warehouse and presented a sweat-soaked national flag in front of Xie Jinyuan. Xie Jinyuan took the national flag, his eyes were moist. Ready to raise the flag! There was no flagpole on the roof of the warehouse, so Xie Jinyuan asked people to find two bamboo poles and connect them together to make a temporary flagpole. The east was already pale, and in the dim light of dawn, Xie Jinyuan led his subordinates to solemnly raise their hands to salute the national flag. Although we are alone, we are by no means alone and helpless, because there is you behind us—the motherland. Motherland, as long as we remember your name, even if we are surrounded by death, we will not feel any fear. There was no gorgeous music, no grand ceremony, only the cold guns fired by the Japanese army from the opposite side from time to time, but the sacred and solemn atmosphere, the pure and tragic scene, people will never forget for a lifetime. This moment firmly took root in Xie Jinyuan's heart. On October 30, the Bureau of Industry in the Concession received an ultimatum from the Japanese army, which claimed to mobilize heavy artillery and heavy machine guns to launch a general attack on the Sixing Warehouse. During the battle for the warehouse for several days, the Japanese army fought timidly. They had heavy artillery, but they dared not shoot directly. They had planes, but they did not dare to drop bombs from high altitude, because the public concession was near the warehouse. . Of course, this kind of war will suffer losses. More than 200 Japanese soldiers were killed around the warehouse alone, but there were only more than 30 casualties among the "Eight Hundred Heroes". After a long time, the Japanese couldn't take it anymore, and the ultimatum was to tell the Westerners: I'm going to force it, so I don't care what kind of concession you have. The Ministry of Industry and Bureau was very scared with the ultimatum. At the south end of the river bridge leading from the Sixing Warehouse to the International Settlement, there is a huge gas barrel.This gas barrel was only tens of meters away from the Sixing Warehouse. If the Japanese army wanted to fight recklessly, the guns had no eyesight. If the gas barrel hit the gas barrel, it would explode and the whole of Shanghai would suffer. As a result, envoys from various countries came to intercede with notes, asking the Chinese government to arrange for the evacuation of the lone troops in the Sixing Warehouse as soon as possible. Even Song Meiling received many similar requests. What Chiang Kai-shek wanted was attention. Now almost the whole world knows the name of the Sixing Warehouse. Of course, there is no need to let the defenders die in vain. Xie Jinyuan refused to evacuate. It only lasted for four days, and the ammunition consumption was only 1/10. With food and drink, I was not afraid of staying for three years.For the war of resistance, China has sacrificed so many people, and the 400 solitary troops are but a drop in the ocean, why should they die. Therefore, I will never flee to the concession to save my life! Before the time for the Japanese army to launch a general offensive was approaching, Song Ziwen, who was in charge of liaison, called Xie Jinyuan: You are a soldier, and it is the duty of a soldier to obey orders. You should stop being stubborn and withdraw quickly. Xie Jinyuan had to agree to retreat. In the middle of the night on October 30, the lone army withdrew from the Sixing Warehouse, and Xie Jinyuan himself was the last to leave. During the retreat, the commander of the British army in the concession personally used heavy machine guns for cover in spite of the protests of the Japanese army.In fact, this is not what he was supposed to do, but he was only exposed to it every day. This foreign soldier was also deeply moved by the "Eight Hundred Heroes". At 00:00 on October 31, all the lone troops entered the concession, but they fell into trouble again as soon as they entered. After the Japanese army discovered that Xie Jinyuan had withdrawn, they warned the Bureau of the Ministry of Industry: Extradite them to us as soon as possible. If they dare to release them back to the army, we will break into your concession and pursue them in the same way, regardless of diplomatic rules. The Ministry of Industry and Bureau saw that they had no choice but to come to the two not to be guilty, neither to extradite nor to release, but to detain Xie Jinyuan and others after confiscating their weapons. He is not a prisoner, but he has become a prisoner invisibly. As a soldier, how can he leave the weapon in his hand? Xie Jinyuan is inexplicably sad and indignant, wishing to return to the Sixing Warehouse with the gun and continue fighting. Although he was hungry and tired, he shed tears and refused to eat any snacks provided by the Ministry of Industry and Bureau. From then on, the "Eight Hundred Heroes" lost their freedom and became a lone army again.They were locked in barbed wire and could not step out of the gate. The iron weapon is gone, and finally only the spirit remains. At first they had a flag, but it was quickly taken away.In the lone army camp, there is neither a national flag nor a bugle, not even a flagpole or a bamboo pole. But they "raise the flag" every day. Every morning, Xie Jinyuan took the lead to salute the sky.After the salute, everyone stood up and sang the national anthem. I don't know, I thought there was something wrong with these people's brains, because they kept looking ahead, as if a national flag was really hoisting there. Xie Jinyuan didn't know how long they would be imprisoned, but he knew that only under the national flag, the lone army would not lose their direction like stray geese, and would feel a little warmth in the boundless loneliness and cold. In the solitary army camp, Xie Jinyuan still maintained all the procedures in the army, from standing guard to training to raising the flag, he was unrelenting. If someone violated discipline, he would be punished. It’s okay for a day, a month, or even a year, but if it’s a few years, it’s different. The news from the outside world is basically bad news. The Chinese army has retreated farther and farther, and has retreated to Chongqing. Victory and counterattack seem to be out of reach. We are just a group of captives, and the country is about to perish, so why do we need to be nervous about standing guard, training, and raising the flag? In the eyes of some people, Xie Jinyuan's approach has become a kind of stubbornness and incredible. Xie Jinyuan encountered the most difficult period since he was ordered to guard the Sixing Warehouse.Some people advised him that now that the weather outside is so bad, he can no longer be too strict with the officers and soldiers. If he is too strict, things might change. Xie Jinyuan sometimes feels depressed himself, but he believes that the lone army is not a prisoner, and the "eight hundred strong men" are still soldiers. The strict military discipline is just to keep everyone from losing their way. He wrote a couplet: Wealth and honor cannot be promiscuous, might cannot be subdued, and poverty cannot be moved. On April 24, 1941, four soldiers were late, and Xie Jinyuan stepped forward to question them.The four jumped up suddenly, picked up the foreign pickaxe on the ground and knocked it down. An hour later, the assassinated regiment leader stopped breathing, and the officers and soldiers wept bitterly after hearing the news. But Xie Jinyuan's solitary spirit remained. This was the case with the Lone Army Camp in the Concession, and it was the same when it fell into the hands of the Japanese army when the Pacific War broke out. Because they couldn't stand bullying, especially personal insults, they used stones and wooden sticks to fight with the Japanese guards many times. Due to the great reputation of the "Eight Hundred Heroes", even the Japanese did not dare to harm them easily, so they were transferred from Shanghai to Nanjing Prison in another location. When I arrived in Nanjing, I said that I wanted to pick up big shit. "Eight Hundred Heroes" was furious, what, let us do this, who do you think we are? He took the dung-picking pole, clicked, and unloaded the arm of a Japanese guard. This time, the devil was really pissed off. Set up machine guns all around, since you can't afford to wait, it's better to shoot you all. The acting head said something that left the Japanese speechless: We are not prisoners, but you treat us as prisoners. Should we fight? Afraid of you, the Japanese army put down their guns, and since then they have never dared to detain the lone army.This is almost a unique anecdote in the Japanese prisoner camp. This is the path pointed out by the leader Xie Jinyuan. No matter when and where, the "eight hundred heroes" have never withdrawn from the spiritual four-row warehouse, and they are worthy of the name of heroes.