Chapter 39 2. Wang Yaowu went to Longtan

The gunfire of the Xiangxi battle had just stopped, and both the enemy and the enemy were making adjustments to their troops.Due to the heavy casualties of the Japanese army, the main attacking troops retreated and rested. The situation of the front-line defense is roughly as follows: Japanese Army: The 34th Division moved from Xinning to Nanmiao and Jiugongqiao areas in early June. On June 11, most of it was transferred eastward, near the junction of Guangxi and Hunan for rest.The remnant of the 58th Brigade retreated east from Shaoyang to Hengyang.The rest of the 68th Division is responsible for the garrison tasks of the eastern section of Xianggui Road, the road and railway on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River.The remnants of the 116th Division assembled on the east side of Shaoyang for repairs.The remnants of the 47th Division retreated to Xiangtan.The 86th Brigade was still serving as a security guard for the area around Shaoyang.The 64th Division was responsible for the garrison in the Xiangxiang area.

In terms of the Chinese army: the 18th Army assembled in the areas of Luxi, Maxipu, and Zhengjiayi for training.The first part of the 73rd Army was responsible for the defense of the area from Sunjiaqiao on the east bank of Zishui to the west of Xiangxiang, and its main force was concentrated in Wugang, Dongkou, and Longtansi for training.One part of the 100th Army was responsible for the defense of the west and northwest areas of Shaoyang, and the main force was concentrated in Huangqiaopu and Shanmen for training.At the same time as training and rest, the various departments of the Fourth Front Army sent commandos to attack and destroy the traffic in Xianggui, Hengbao, Changheng and other places and the rear facilities of the Japanese army.

Wang Yaowu saw that Xiangxi was temporarily calm, and the Chinese and Japanese armies were confronting each other on their respective lines of defense, and they lived in peace. He took his guards and drove to Longtan, where the 51st Division fought most fiercely and tragically.According to the division commander Zhou Zhidao, more than 2,000 people were sacrificed here, and most of them were old officers and soldiers who followed Wang Yaowu to participate in the Songhu Battle.Wang Yaowu's heart ached terribly, and he vowed to visit the places where the old troops fought. The battle at Xuefeng Mountain was so fierce that he could only listen to the excitement at the frontline command post, but he couldn't go there.How much he wanted to go up, like on the battlefield in Songhu, he swung a big knife and chopped off two captains in a row.He had a good time thinking about the scene at that time.At the age of 34, Wang Yaowu led the 51st Division of his team, fought from Shanghai to Nanjing, and then went to Henan to fight against the famous Japanese general Doihara Division.Especially in the battle of Wanjialing in Jiangxi Province, more than 4,000 Japanese soldiers were killed, which was really exciting.There was also the most exciting battle that He Yingqin called, the Battle of Shanggao. He was hailed as the Anti-Japanese Iron Army and awarded the "Flying Tiger Banner". Later, he fought almost all over the country.

Wang Yaowu urged to hurry up and drive the car faster.The heroic 51st Division is looking forward to him, and more than 2,000 heroic spirits who followed him in the north and south are also waiting for him.Wang Yaowu's eyes turned red when he thought of his powerful team sacrificing more than 2,000 people.How much he wanted to see those familiar faces again, say goodbye to them for the last time, and let them sleep forever in this land of heroes. Zhou Zhidao of the 51st Division lined up to welcome General Wang Yaowu, and Zhou Zhidao gave him a detailed introduction to the specific situation of the 51st Division's operations in the war room.After Wang Yaowu listened to the report, he waved his hand and shouted, "Let's go, let's take a look at the battlefield."He said that I have to go to all the places where the 51st Division has fought in this area, otherwise I will not be a soldier of the 51st Division. The officers and soldiers of the 51st Division responded with warm applause.

Located at the southern end of Xupu County, Longtan is the throat of Hunan and Guizhou. A hundred miles to the west is Anjiang, and a hundred miles to the west is Zhijiang.As soon as the Battle of Xiangxi began, the 116th Division of the Japanese Army chose this direction of attack, wanting to take a shortcut and kill Zhijiang directly.Therefore, the head of the division, Yan Yongwang, put the three divisions that can fight the most on this attack point, the 109th regiment, the 120th regiment, and the 133rd regiment.However, the Chinese army on this front line not only has Yang Yin's 19th Division, but also Zhou Zhidao's 51st Division.

Wang Yaowu boarded the Gaozhapo and Niuxingshan positions near Longtan Town.This was the first battlefield where the 51st Division came into contact with the enemy. He stepped down from the trenches where the soldiers blocked the enemy, and carefully looked at the construction of the fortifications and the layout of the firepower. Squat squat.The remains of the fallen soldiers are still parked on the battlefield, and only preliminary centralized processing has been done.Wang Yaowu stood in front of the remains of the fallen soldiers and mourned silently.He didn't say a word with a gloomy face, turned around and walked down the mountain with firm steps.

Opposite Niuxingshan is Yingxingshan.After the victory in the Battle of Xiangxi, Yingxing Mountain was renamed Hero Mountain, and it is still called by the local people.I described the process of the 51st Division fighting in Yingxing Mountain. It was occupied by the Japanese at that time. 7 wounded soldiers.The victory in the Battle of Yingxing Mountain shattered the Japanese army's dream of quickly passing through Longtan, directly attacking Anjiang, and occupying Zhijiang, and laid the foundation for the victory of the entire Xiangxi battle. On Hero Mountain, more than 400 officers and soldiers of the 51st Division were killed.Wang Yaowu stayed on the mountain for a long time. He carefully inspected every inch of land in this highland. Every inch of land was bloody, and he fought hand-to-hand with the Japanese army in almost every position.Wang Yaowu, who has experienced hundreds of battles, can understand it. He was sadly hurt in front of the corpses of more than 400 officers and soldiers, and tears rolled down his face like broken beads.

Wang Yaowu's trip to Longtan was hard work, and he arranged the itinerary very well.Zhou Zhidao and the others tried to persuade him to rest, but he refused, and now he drove to Mu'ao Cave again, to see the place where the 151st regiment fought fiercely.There, Liu Heling, the commander of the 4th company of the regiment, died on the high ground, and he had to go and see.Liu Lianchang has followed him for more than ten years, and he has not fallen in more than a dozen fierce battles, but this time he will always fall on this high ground.Wang Yaowu really regretted it in his heart. At first he planned to transfer him to the guard camp, but when the war broke out, he actually let it go.

Wang Yaowu climbed to the Cheyanling position, Company Commander Liu and the others lost more than half of their company in order to fight for this place.Che Yanling is 1393 meters above sea level, soaring into the clouds, the smoke of gunpowder has not cleared, accompanied by milky white haze floating on the mountain peak.Wang Yaowu sat down on a big rock. This is a cliff with three sides and hundreds of feet, and the terrain is very dangerous.A squadron of Japanese soldiers guarded the stronghold, which was really easy to defend but difficult to attack.The general came with a gust of mountain wind, as if he heard the gunfire from yesterday again, and he saw the figure of Company Commander Liu Heling charging.Wang Yaowu was excited all over. He wanted to build a martyr's cemetery for the soldiers who died in the country, so that their souls could find peace in the cemetery.

So Wang Yaowu went down the mountain, and he wanted to personally choose a geomantic treasure for the officers and soldiers of the 51st Division who died in battle.Zhou Zhidao and the others were all in favor, and the site was chosen at the Gongxing Mountain to the east of Liuping. The remains of the martyrs such as Yingxing Mountain, Niuxing Mountain, Gaozhapo, and Mu'ao Cave were buried here together, far away from the battlefield where they died heroically. see. The officers and soldiers of the 51st Division started to build the cemetery, and all the old masons from Xupu County came to participate.The father of the great writer Qian Zhongshu, Mr. Qian Jibo, a professor of Central University, wrote an inscription on the tombstone, commemorating the 1979 people who died in the 51st Division.The head of the 51st division and regiment wrote an inscription on the wall of the stele, and General Zhou Zhidao wrote: "The blood of the martyrs, the flowers of the doctrine, washed away the national shame and established world peace."There is a bullet-shaped memorial tower in front of the cemetery, engraved with inscriptions of Chiang Kai-shek, He Yingqin, Chen Cheng, Leng Xin, Wang Yaowu, Shi Zhongcheng and other senior generals.An archway was also built, and a letter was written: the cemetery of the fallen soldiers of the 51st Division of the 74th Army of the National Revolutionary Army.Another "Japanese Bandits Tomb" was built near the cemetery, in which more than 700 corpses of Japanese bandits were buried.

On the day the cemetery was completed, a grand public sacrifice ceremony was held.Commander Wang Yaowu made a special trip to attend the memorial ceremony and recited the sacrificial text in person.Before the words came out, the tears flowed first, until I lost my voice and cried bitterly, and the wailing continued.Wang Yaowu rested overnight beside the cemetery, and all his subordinates were moved by him.This was the day the Martyrs Cemetery was completed after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. During Wang Yaowu's trip to Longtan after the Battle of Western Hunan, he spoke highly of the 51st Division's record of heroically killing the enemy and annihilating more than 3,500 Japanese troops in Yingxing Mountain, Niuxing Mountain, Muaodong, Gaozhapo and other battlefields in the past month. .In the words of Master Zhou Zhidao, the battle of Longtan was so fruitful that it created a new record for our division since the War of Resistance. Accompanied by Mr. Zhou Zhidao and his entourage, Wang Yaowu also went to Qingshanjie Highland for inspection.Qingshanjie is 1400 meters above sea level and is the second commanding height of Xuefeng Mountain.The Qingshan boundary is in a concave shape, and an ancient road passes through it, which is the only passage from Shaoyang to Longhui.In order to prevent the Japanese army from attacking Zhijiang, the Chinese army dug trenches and built forts on the hills on both sides.After the war began, the Japanese army sent traitors and puppet troops to lie about their military situation to the defenders and send away the Chinese defense troops, thereby occupying the magpie's nest.The brave officers and soldiers of the 19th Division paid a very heavy price for regaining the Qingshanjie position. Yang Yin, the commander of the 19th Division, heard that Commander Wang Yaowu came to inspect, and led the officers and soldiers of the whole division to welcome the arrival of Commander Wang.Wang Yaowu praised the 19th Division for playing a major role in the Xiangxi battle, daring to fight and fighting hard, showing the fighting style and excellent character of the heroic troops.He especially thanked the 19th Division for its reinforcements to the 51st Division. The two units fought together and defeated the main division of the Japanese army that invaded western Hunan. Commander Yang Yin briefed Commander Wang Yaowu on the battle to capture Qingshan Jie Heights.After Tao Fuye led the whole regiment of the 50th regiment to accept the mission, they adopted the tactics of attacking east and west, using a force to make a feint attack from the front, while the main force concealed and interspersed from deep mountains and dense forests, and then the whole regiment launched a sudden attack on the Japanese army. The Japanese army was caught off guard and defeated.The battle was extremely fierce, and 60 or 70 people under Company Commander Jin Wansheng were killed. Wang Yaowu came to the Daqingshan Martyrs Cemetery to pay a silent tribute to the officers and soldiers of the 19th Division who died in the line of duty.He stayed in Qingshanjie for a morning, inspected the positions near the 19th Division, and heard many stories of heroes. He was proud of his troops.So Wang Yaowu went down to the barracks and asked the soldiers if they were used to life and whether their bodies were used to the water, soil and climate in the mountains. He also had lunch with the soldiers. When Wang Yaowu and his party returned to Liuping from Qingshanjie, it was dusk.The 51st Division held a party specially for Wang Yaowu.The officers and soldiers built a wooden platform on the flat ground not far from the division headquarters, which was affectionately named Yaowu Platform.Wang Yaowu's name was well known in Xiangxi at that time, and the common people knew that he was a famous anti-Japanese general. Now he commanded the battle of Xiangxi and won another victory. Everyone wanted to meet this miraculous general. The army near Liuping came, the wounded from the frontline hospital came, and the people around. Wang Yaowu was dressed in military uniform and was full of energy.He stepped up to the big wooden platform, saluted the officers, soldiers and common people in the audience, and delivered an exciting speech on the victory of the Xiangxi Battle.Wang Yaowu's speech was interrupted by applause from time to time. The Art Troupe of the 51st Division performed a distinctive fighting program.In the auditorium, Wang Yaowu saw a young couple holding a one-year-old child, who was very cute, so he stepped forward to take the child and hugged him in his arms, showing love on his face.At this moment, Wang Yaowu must be thinking of his son and daughter who fell to the ground under the gunfire, toddled and ran to grow up amidst the sound of gunfire. It was too early for him to leave his hometown. At this time, he thought of his mother, that kind old man in Shangwangzhuang, Tai'an, Shandong Province. What kind of life does a widow live in the countryside?The Anti-Japanese War has been won, and the common people can live a happy and happy life. It is time for me, Wang Yaowu, to disarm and return to the fields to enjoy a free civilian life.At that time, a small tile-roofed house will be built, two pigs will be fed, there will be a yard full of chickens and ducks, and there will be a warm home.Wang Yaowu thought about it, and Dou Da's tears dripped on the face of the child he was holding in his arms. General Wang Yaowu was deeply exhausted by his 20-year military career.Now that the Japanese invaders have been defeated, wouldn't China be at peace?The masses of the people can recuperate and rebuild their broken homes. What makes Wang Yaowu uneasy is that the war must continue, not only must it be fought, but his Fourth Front Army must also take the lead.According to Chiang Kai-shek, Wang Yaowu had all his trump cards handed over to him, and Wang Yaowu was asked to organize these troops into the essence of the Kuomintang army, starting from the appearance of the army, the military style, and the discipline, so as to turn the trump card army into a mighty army. This task was not handed over to Tang Enbo and others, not just a matter of trust, but also conditions such as style and quality.Wang Yaowu is kind, good at learning, studies hard, and thinks diligently, which is different from other generals of the Kuomintang.Therefore, the three divisions under the 74th Army are very similar. They are not only brave in battle, but also have good military discipline, which is rare in the Kuomintang army. After the Battle of Xiangxi was over, Generalissimo Jiang gave Wang Yaowu an order to take a rest and supplement, and immediately transferred to training, ready to receive the latest American equipment, whose level surpassed the 5th and 6th armies of Du Yuming and Liao Yaoxiang.Wang Yaowu understood at that time that it was necessary to form an elite division among the trump cards, that is, to reorganize the 74th Division.