Chapter 41 4. A piece of paper descended from Zhijiang

The anti-Japanese war started in Lugou, and a piece of paper fell out of Zhijiang.This is a pair of couplets that appeared after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. The finishing touch highlights the starting point and starting point of China's Anti-Japanese War.From the Marco Polo Bridge in Beiping to Zhijiang City in Hunan, what a long and difficult road it is!On this bumpy road of resistance, the Chinese people can say that tears flowed like rivers and blood flowed like rivers.But the indomitable Chinese people straightened their backs, drove away the man-eating wolves with the big knives and spears in their hands, defeated the Japanese invaders, and planted the blood-stained flags all over the broken land, mountains and rivers.

Zhijiang in Xiangxi was originally an inconspicuous small county, but because of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the eyes of the people all over the country focused on this place, thus unveiling the mysterious veil of Zhijiang.The area of ​​Zhijiang was introduced in detail earlier. It is a very remote small town, hidden deep in the small basin between Xuefeng Mountain and Wuling Mountain. It is surrounded by high mountains and dense forests. It does not attract the attention of outsiders at all.As a result, the Kuomintang government mobilized tens of thousands of migrant workers from western Hunan, eastern Sichuan, and eastern Guizhou to repair the airport day and night, and later expanded it twice.By 1942, it was finally built, the second largest airport in the country at that time, and it was called Qianjin Airport by the Kuomintang government. It was the only airport in mainland China that could take off and land Japanese aircraft.

When the Kuomintang army was retreating from the frontal battlefield and was in the most dangerous and worrying day in 1944, General Chennault of the U.S. Air Force activated this secret air force base.More than 100 fighter jets and bombers from the China-U.S. Air Force Mixed Brigade arrived at Zhijiang to join other flying brigades.There are more than 500 fighter planes and nearly 10,000 air forces.Since then, Zhijiang Airport has played an increasingly important role in the Chinese battlefield.The air force took off from Zhijiang to strengthen the bombing blockade of the Japanese army's roads, railways and sea lines of communication.They even bombed Japanese military bases in Taiwan and mainland Japan.

So the Japanese army mobilized 80,000 heavy troops and launched the Zhijiang Operation aimed at destroying the Zhijiang Airport in an attempt to open the southwest passage, that is, the Battle of Xiangxi.The Battle of Xiangxi lasted two months and ended with the defeat of more than 28,000 Japanese casualties.The Battle of Xiangxi completely shattered Japan's dream of yellow beams, and also enabled the Kuomintang army to win the final battle on the frontal battlefield.Major newspapers at home and abroad have reported on the front page prominently, and Chinese people know this mysterious place of Zhijiang.

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito of Japan officially announced the unconditional surrender.However, the matter of accepting the surrender was carried out at Zhijiang. There are four reasons: first, the Yushan Airport in Jiangxi was damaged and has not been repaired, and Zhijiang Airport has convenient transportation; second, the air force at Zhijiang Airport is strong, with hundreds of aircraft Fighter planes can show off their strength to the Japanese army, have a certain deterrent effect on the Japanese army, and strive for the initiative in the surrender talks; third, the Japanese army had certain strength in China at that time, and some Japanese troops had the mentality of refusing to surrender. It can be guaranteed; the fourth is that the Japanese army suffered a disastrous defeat in the Zhijiang battle, and letting the Japanese army surrender here will allow them to experience the feeling of "sunset Zhijiang".

On the morning of August 15th, Chiang Kai-shek called Neiji Okamura, the supreme commander of the Japanese army stationed in China, instructing the telegram to have six surrender principles: 1. The Japanese government has officially announced its unconditional surrender. 2. The commander should immediately order the subordinate Japanese army to stop all military operations, and promptly send representatives to Yushan to accept the order of the Chinese Army Commander-in-Chief He Yingqin. 3. After the cessation of military operations, the Japanese army may temporarily preserve its weapons and equipment, maintain the current situation, maintain order and traffic in the location, and wait for the orders of the Chinese Army Commander-in-Chief He Yingqin.

4. All aircraft and ships should stay at the present location; however, ships in the Yangtze River should be concentrated in Yichang and Shashi. 5. Do not damage any equipment and materials. 6. For the execution of the above orders, the commander and the subordinate officials shall be personally responsible, and a prompt reply is essential. On the afternoon of August 17th, Neiji Okamura sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek and sent Major General Takeo Imai, the deputy chief of the general staff, as the surrender representative. The telegram was as follows: On August 15th, I sent a telegram to inform you that Imai, the deputy chief of the general staff, Hashishima and two staff officers, together with three entourages, are scheduled to fly to Hangzhou on the 18th of this month.We use a twin-engine aircraft with no special sign.

On the same day, Chiang Kai-shek called Neiji Okamura and changed Zhijiang Airport as the landing site because Yushan Airport could not be used, and ordered Takeo Imai and his party to arrive on August 21.A number of matters have also been stipulated to avoid misunderstandings, such as the aircraft's logo, altitude, sending and receiving radio waves, and so on. Takeo Imai, born in 1897, graduated from the 24th term of the Japanese Army University. After the "September 18th" Incident, he was an assistant to Dohihara, the head of the Fengtian Secret Service, and a spy in Jilin and Rehe provinces. After 1935, he served as the assistant military attache of the Japanese embassy in China, the director of the military attache's office in Beiping, the military spokesman of the Japanese army, and was in close contact with the Tianjin garrison. He was one of the culprits of the July 7th Incident.Served in Japan as the Chief of the Chinese Section of the General Staff Headquarters, the Captain of the 141st Regiment of the Newly Created Infantry, the Counselor of the Greater East Asia Province, the Chief of the Second Section and the Chief of the Fourth Section of the Headquarters of the Chinese Expeditionary Army, Director of the Reporting Department of the Expeditionary Army, and Senior Military Headquarters of the Shanghai Army Minister etc.

When the Emperor of Japan released the "Note of Japan's Begging for a Surrender", He Yingqin was overseeing the war in Guangxi, and the Kuomintang army fought fiercely to counterattack the Leizhou Peninsula.When the Japanese army heard the surrender note issued by the emperor, the war stopped immediately.He Yingqin hurriedly flew from Nanning to Kunming, and had a preliminary exchange of opinions on the surrender of the Japanese army with McClure, the commander of the U.S. military operations and the second-ranking general of the Air Force, and appointed Xiao Yisu to formulate a surrender plan for the Chinese theater.

Immediately afterwards, He Yingqin flew to Chongqing, and Chiang Kai-shek ordered He Yingqin to take full responsibility for the surrender. On August 20, more than 60 people, including the surrendered envoys in the Chinese theater, Army Commander-in-Chief He Yingqin, his entourage, advisers, and Chinese and foreign journalists, flew from Chongqing to Zhijiang in four green transport planes.Also arriving on the same day were military commanders from various fields, as well as nearly a hundred well-known journalists and cinematographers from Kunming, Chongqing, and Guiyang. Japanese envoy Takeo Imai and his party took off from Nanjing, stayed overnight in Wuhan, and flew to Hunan by special plane the next day.Takeo Imai found a machine gun on the plane and was taken aback. He immediately ordered it to be thrown away and thrown into Dongting Lake.He ordered the plane checked for any other contraband.On this day, Zhijiang Airport had a crisp autumn day and a clear blue sky. There were hundreds of planes parked on the airport runway. More than 5,000 people gathered at the airport. Hundreds of jeeps, military vehicles, and cars lined up on the side of the road. People were waiting for the arrival of the Japanese envoy. .

At 11 o'clock on August 21, the Japanese plane landed at Zhijiang Airport, and it was Takeo Imai who first appeared in front of the cabin door.He wears a Napoleon hat with a hard shell, riding boots, a grass-green serge lapel military uniform, a gold thread ribbon from the left shoulder to the front chest, a saber, and black-rimmed tortoiseshell glasses.When Chinese and foreign reporters swarmed up, he was so frightened that his whole body trembled, and his legs felt like he couldn't stand up.Under the constant flashing of spotlights, Takeo Imai was silent, with a sad face, stepped off the plane tremblingly, saluted the Chinese flag, and got into the car with Yoshio Hashishima, Kunio Maekawa and interpreter Tatsuo Kimura behind him. inside.Imai Takeo was covered in sweat, he was so scared that his back was soaked with sweat. The venue for the surrender of Zhijiang is a Western-style bungalow with a double-layer structure of black fish scales. There are exits and lounges at the east and west ends.There are wooden archways on the venue and the roads on the left and right sides.There is a large English letter "V" in the middle of the archway, and the four characters "God of Peace" are tied on the top.On the square in front of the venue, the national flags of China, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union were hung on four flagpoles.Two archways decorated with green pines and embedded with the characters "Justice" and "Axiom" stand tall outside the gate. Xiao Yisu was seated in the delegates' seat, Leng Xin was seated on the right, and Brigadier General Pat Noor, Chief of Staff of the US Army, was seated on the left.The Japanese surrender table is below.The long wooden bench at the other end of the venue is the auditorium and press seats.At the end near the door is the translation record seat. At 3:40 p.m., Takeo Imai and his party stepped into the gate of the surrender venue and stopped at attention.Xiao Yisu ordered: Please come in.The four of Takeo Imai stepped through the door, walked to the table, took off their hats and stood at attention, bowed to Xiao Yisu, Leng Xin, and Bo Denuo, and then sat down on the black chairs arranged in advance.Takeo Imai is in the center, Kunio Maekawa is on the left, Yoshio Hashishima and interpreter Tatsuo Kimura are on the right. Lieutenant General Xiao Yisu, the host of the Zhijiang Surrender Ceremony, first introduced the identities of the representatives of China and the United States, and then Takeo Imai explained the identities of the representatives of the Japanese army and presented his identity certificate.Xiao Yisu said: "According to the telegram sent by Chiang Kai-shek, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Theater Command, to Neiji Okamura on August 18, I hope to provide the battle order, force positions, and various commands of all the Japanese army, navy, and air forces stationed in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. System and other forms and documents." Imai Takeo said: "This telegram has been received, and the sketch map has been brought. However, the Japanese troops in Taiwan and Vietnam are not under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, so we can only attach a summary of the situation to the best of our knowledge." Imai After Takeo said the situation, Yoshio Hashishima stood up and submitted the color map and documents. Xiao Yisu asked: "Are there any other documents?" Imai Takeo replied: "I did not bring other documents." Xiao Yisu also handed the No. 1 memorandum of the Chinese Army General Headquarters to Imai in person, and read out the No. 1 The original text of the memorandum.This text is the order to accept the surrender of Japan, and it also includes the distribution table of the 16 surrender areas in the Chinese theater. The Japanese surrendered.What I want to emphasize here is that the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army led by the Communist Party did not take any of the 101 places in these 16 districts that received the Japanese surrender. They were excluded and had no right to accept the Japanese surrender. The surrender ceremony presided over by Xiao Yisu was declared over at 5 p.m., followed by specific discussions on the surrender terms.The consultation was conducted twice, one lasted 3 hours and the other lasted 40 minutes.During the meeting, Takeo Imai proposed that the Communist Party's army would come to accept the surrender. How should we deal with it?The deputy chief of staff of the Chinese Army replied that your army can take self-defense actions and that you are not allowed to surrender to other troops.Almost all conferences are about discussing such things. Of course, there is also the question of where and when the instrument of surrender was signed.General McClure and General Wedemeyer of the United States suggested Nanjing as the location. He Yingqin was a little scared. Apart from the traitors and puppet troops in Nanjing, there were no Kuomintang troops. He told Chiang Kai-shek that it would be inconvenient to go to Nanjing to do business.Chiang Kai-shek encouraged him and said that the New Army and the 74th Army were being transported by air, and when they arrived, there would be no problem. He Yingqin had the final say, airlifting these troops, let alone around September 3rd. Chiang Kai-shek decided to sign in Nanjing, which is the capital of the country.The time is set on September 9th.He Yingqin didn't quite understand, he looked up at Chiang Kai-shek.Chairman Jiang said that the Chinese pay attention to the nine characters, and I think 9 o'clock on September 9 is the best.He Yingqin laughed, and he said he would do as the committee said. He Yingqin reported the surrender of Zhijiang, and everything went well.Okamura Neiji’s representative, Imai Takeo, was honest and presented the surrender document, including the deployment chart of land, sea and air forces under his command, and listened to the instructions to assemble in different regions, collect weapons and equipment, and send prisoners. From the date of surrender, he announced the cessation of hostilities between China and Japan. state.Chiang Kai-shek was very satisfied. He asked what the Eighth Route Army of the Communist Party was doing? He Yingqin said that Commander-in-Chief Zhu De of the Eighth Route Army did not follow orders.They still launched an attack on the Japanese-occupied areas, arbitrarily forced the Japanese and puppet troops to surrender to them, seized a large number of communication lines and Japanese strongholds, and occupied the city.Chiang Kai-shek's face darkened, and he ordered the various armies and theaters to step up and move forward. We can't always stay in the southwest. The commanders of the various theaters and the commanders of the front forces have returned to the defense line and are following the instructions to take over all 101 points in the 16 regions within a month or two.In addition, it is necessary to step up contact with the US military, and ask the US to vigorously provide means of transportation to transport troops to designated locations.Chiang Kai-shek was assured of the deployment of the Army Headquarters. The United States had his wife Song Meiling in charge, so there was no problem. On this day, the Chinese Army General Headquarters issued the No. 4 Communiqué: announced the surrender of Zhijiang; announced the distribution of Japan's 1.09 million troops in 13 provinces and regions in China; in addition, there were 5 divisions in Taiwan, 2 divisions in Vietnam, and Hong Kong. The defense team and so on. On September 8, 1945, He Yingqin took the special plane "Meiling" and was escorted by nine Chinese fighter planes, and took off from Zhijiang Airport to Nanjing.Admiral McClure, the US combat commander, also flew to Nanjing from Zhijiang on the same day.The General Command of the Chinese Army issued the No. 1 Order to the Japanese Army, stipulating that starting from September 10, the General Command of the Chinese Expeditionary Army will be renamed the General Liaison Department for Japanese Soldiers in the Chinese Theater.So far, the General Command of the Expeditionary Army, which was established in October 1939, was announced to be abolished after six years. On September 9, the signing ceremony for the surrender of Japanese troops in the Chinese Theater was held at the Chinese Army Headquarters in Nanjing, which was the original auditorium of the Kuomintang Central Military Academy.The layout of the auditorium is similar to that of the meeting place for the surrender of Zhijiang. In the center of the auditorium, a portrait of Sun Yat-sen, the party flag and the national flag are hung, and the word "peace" is written in red under the image.The national flags of China, the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union and the leaders of the four countries are hung in the middle of the opposite wall.In the center of the auditorium, there is a surrender table with a long white silk tablecloth. First-rank Admiral He Yingqin is in the center. On the left are Admiral Chen Shaokuan and Air Force Colonel Zhang Tingmeng. On the right are Second-rank Admiral Gu Zhutong and Lieutenant General Xiao Yisu.Ningji Okamura, the surrender seat, is in the center. On the left are Chief of Staff Asaburo Kobayashi, Takeo Imai, and Lieutenant Sasa Ogasawa Genkiyo. The surrender ceremony began at 9 o'clock sharp. After He Yingqin checked the certification documents of General Neiji Okamura, he handed over two copies of the surrender letter from the Japanese government to Neiji Okamura from Xiao Yisu.Neiji Okamura and He Yingqin successively signed and stamped on it, each holding a copy.Then Neiji Okamura accepted Chiang Kai-shek's No. 1 order, and signed and sealed the order acceptance certificate. Tang Enbo, Liao Yaoxiang, Zheng Dongguo, and He Zhonghan in the auditorium, McClure and Patno of the U.S. military, and representatives from Britain, the Soviet Union, France, the Netherlands, Australia, and Canada witnessed this scene with their own eyes. The surrender signing ceremony lasted 20 minutes. The victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was hard-won. For eight years, it came to an end in these 20 minutes.The Chinese people love peace, and they look forward to a peaceful and peaceful life.Will the victory of the Anti-Japanese War bring a beautiful, peaceful and peaceful life to the Chinese people?