Chapter 31 Section 31 "January 28" Battle of Songhu broke out

After talking on the phone with Wu Tiecheng, Du Yuesheng was terrified, and he really regarded the Japanese side's request to eliminate hostility and strictly prohibit conflicts to follow Wu Tiecheng's wishes as a major matter. More than two months ago, he mobilized the labor masses and gang brothers to fight against Japan and save the country, and gained a good reputation. Now he has to brake urgently and ask all citizens to stop the anti-Japanese movement. How can he justify himself?Du Yuesheng felt hesitant.When he hung up the phone, he ran to the next door to discuss with Zhang Xiaolin, saying: "The matter is urgent, no matter whether it makes sense or not, we should take action quickly, so as not to delay the overall situation."

Zhang Xiaolin became anxious when he heard this.So all the members of Du's family dispatched to various districts in Shanghai, made a statement, and stayed to monitor. They conveyed Du Yuesheng's instructions, saying: "Be sure to keep calm and try to avoid hostile behavior between China and Japan. As for this urgent change What kind of plaster is sold in the gourd? At present, the secret must not be leaked, and everyone will know afterward.” Since the "Times" published the speech of Mayor Wu Tiecheng in addition to the news on the road, the whispered news is spreading what Mr. Du said. Can be safe and sound.

This is half a day of tranquility in Shanghai before the strong wind comes. At the time when the Shanghai Anti-Japanese Salvation Association used the whole people to resist the aggression of the Japanese warlords. On the beach in Shanghai, where the concessions and Chinese borders were intertwined with each other, a Chinese army was quietly ordered to guard the front line of the Communist Party in Jiangxi. The capital was transferred to various places along the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, and their headquarters were set up in Shanghai. This was the famous 19th Route Army that stole the limelight in the 1920s.

The senior generals of the 19th Route Army were all figures of the year, Du Yuesheng's close friends, including Commander-in-Chief Jiang Guangnai, Army Commander Cai Tingkai, and Chief of Staff Zhao Yijian. The 19th Route Army has 3 divisions, Shen Guanghan, the commander of the 60th Division, Mao Weishou, the commander of the 61st Division, and Qu Shounian, the commander of the 78th Division. When the 19th Route Army first arrived in Shanghai, they wore straw hats and straw sandals on their bare feet.Wearing gray military uniforms, with dark complexion and tired expressions, their weapons are only rifles and grenades, and the most powerful heavy weapon is only a light machine gun.

Cai Tingkai's headquarters was located in Zhenru, and the barracks of the 19th Route Army stationed in Shanghai were located in Zhabei.Zhabei is very close to Hongkou. Hongkou is a gathering place for Cantonese and is the sphere of influence of Laoguang. Based on the relationship with fellow villagers, the 19th Route Army and Hongkou residents responded to their requests and got along very well. However, Hongkou is also a gathering place for Japanese expatriates. Conflicts often broke out between the Japanese and the Cantonese in this area. The barefoot and straw sandal troops looked down on them very much, so they said boldly: "Once the Japanese imperial army launches an offensive, it is guaranteed to occupy Zhabei within four hours."

At 11:20 midnight on January 28, even though the Japanese Consul General in Shanghai Murai Kuramatsu had accepted the "reply letter" from the Shanghai Municipal Government, the "Times" extra published the good news that "the Sino-Japanese issue was resolved peacefully" However, Samejima, the commander of the Japanese Marine Corps, disregarded international morality and the position of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrogant and arrogant, and ordered the Marine Corps to divide into three groups and start attacking the 19th Route Army's position regardless of the consequences.

The Japanese Marine Corps is divided into 3 brigades, with a total of more than 3,000 well-armed troops, equipped with light and heavy machine guns, field artillery, curved artillery and armored troops.Samejima thought that with such superior firepower and troops, coupled with the illustrious prestige of the Japanese imperial army, the 19th Route Army would surely be able to subdue without a fight.Who would have thought that his calculation was wrong.Guarding Baoshan Road——The 19th Route Army on the front line of Baoxing Road fought back and defended their positions. These loyal and brave straw sandal soldiers responded calmly, and at the same time called the Zhenru command post to "call" Cai Tingkai out of bed Come.

Cai Tingkai woke up in shock. He heard clearly that the Japanese army had launched a massive attack. Without thinking, he issued the first order, which coincided with the intention of the former enemy commander. It was a touching sentence: "Resist to the death, fight for every inch of land!" At midnight on January 28, gunshots broke out in Zhabei, and the artillery fire was loud, and the residents of Shanghai were ready to spend the night in a relaxed mood. However, the sound of gunfire woke them up from sleep again. Are we going to fight again?" At the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army could not take advantage of it at all. The streets in Zhabei area were narrow and the lanes were crisscrossed. The Japanese Marine Corps division based on Liusan Garden and Japanese Elementary School on Beisichuan Road obviously did not gain much advantage in the initial stage of the attack. , the heavy weapons of the Japanese army could not exert their power in street fighting. When their armored vehicles rushed to Baoxing Road like a giant, the brothers of the 19th Route Army put their lives and deaths at risk. They climbed onto the armored vehicles and opened the hood He threw the smoking grenade into it, and with a bang, the car was destroyed and people were killed. In this way, several Japanese armored vehicles were blown up one after another.

After a fierce battle, the Japanese army suffered heavy casualties, and they successively increased their troops. They used 110,000 troops, more than 10 warships, and hundreds of aircraft. However, our side only held the front line with 3 divisions of the 19th Route Army. 30,000, as well as the 5th Army and other troops that were later reinforced by the central government, resisted tenaciously with outdated weapons and inferior firepower.His total strength was still less than 80,000, and he was able to hold the line of defense for as long as a month.From then on, the Japanese army's wild words of "the imperial army is invincible" and "occupied Zhabei in four hours" were shattered.

In the middle of the night on January 28, Du Yuesheng was awakened by the sound of guns from Zhabei. He got up in his clothes and went out to visit. The resulting Zhabei fire.Sure enough, the Great War broke out, and he hated the deceitful tricks of the Japanese in making diplomatic peace and launching military attacks.At the same time, he was more worried about those compatriots in the Zhabei war zone who were brutally massacred and their families were destroyed. He was anxious and anxious, and murmured repeatedly: "What about the people over there? What should they do? Think about how anxious they are now!"

This is Du Yuesheng's initial reaction to the "January 28th" Incident. Immediately, Du Yuesheng, Mayor Wu, and Commander Cai Tingkai made a phone call to learn about the actual situation. During the phone call, he voluntarily asked these two top military and political officials in Shanghai, and said boldly: "But if it's useful to someone like me, Du, I will die!" On the morning of the second day, Du Yuesheng began to run around, gathering celebrities, gentry, and leaders from all walks of life in Shanghai, using the original foundation of the "Anti-Japanese National Salvation Association" to expand, and immediately established the "Shanghai Anti-Enemy Support Association". , The well-known entrepreneur Shi Liangcai is the chairman, indicating that this non-governmental organization has a detached status and does not belong to any faction, but is a combination of all ordinary people in Shanghai.At the preparatory meeting, besides insisting on this proposition, Du Yuesheng also refused to be the vice president, saying: "No matter what I do, I am responsible for running ahead. As the vice president, anyone should have priority over me! " Someone asked him, "Why did you do that?" Du Yuesheng's answer is very simple: "I only know that I will do my best to do things, and it doesn't matter if I don't bear the name. But if I give the name to others, if they don't want to do things, they will die." However, almost everyone in the meeting thought that Mr. Du must come in both name and reality, and they unanimously elected him as the vice president. serve as. The patriotic enthusiasm aroused by the citizens of Shanghai for the 19th Route Army's courageous resistance to the Japanese army reached a crazy level. Du Yuesheng, through his followers in the news circle, mobilized various newspapers and radio stations in Shanghai to use the largest space, For the longest time, it comprehensively reported the news of the 19th Route Army's frantic offensive against the Japanese army. The newspapers were full of articles and the radio station was running day and night.Therefore, when newspapers or radio stations put forward an appeal for the labor force and asked the compatriots in the rear to support the front line, the people of Shanghai responded with unprecedented enthusiasm. The front and the rear are integrated, and Du Yuesheng is responsible for the actual leadership of the Anti-Enemy Support Association to communicate with the front and the rear to make them one.This made newspapers and radio stations often have to issue announcements instead of the association: "Yesterday this newspaper (or the radio station) said that the 19th Route Army needs XX. According to the person in charge of the anti-enemy support association, the amount donated by compatriots from all walks of life is too much, which has already exceeded the actual needs. The association has no place to keep it on its behalf. Please everyone Stop donating from now on!" The Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions, which has a close relationship with Du Yuesheng, immediately joined forces with the Shanghai industry to set up a field service group as soon as the "January 28" campaign kicked off. There are more than 1,000 people in each group. The head of the first group is Zhu Xuefan, a student of Du Yuesheng, and the head of the second group is Zhou Xuexiang, who has a great respect for Du Yuesheng. The 19th Route Army kills the enemy on the front line, and the Field Service Regiment acts as a bridge between the front and the rear. The tasks of the two are equally arduous and difficult, and they take risks. However, the 19th Route Army holds weapons and the Field Service Regiment is unarmed. What they rely on is only patriotism Enthusiasm and bravery, they often pass through the rain of bullets. They are responsible for rescuing and protecting wounded soldiers, delivering ammunition, comfort items and food. If the war zone expands, they have to risk their lives to rescue refugees and escort victims. Do your best to serve the soldiers in the front, and divide the work, so that the soldiers can concentrate on killing the enemy. Du Yuesheng was busy and nervous, taking the lead in the dust. The Anti-Great Support Association and the Field Service Group contributed more and more to the "January 28th" battle. Moreover, their performance inspired the enthusiasm of compatriots all over the country. patriotic sentiment.