Chapter 12 4. From the Xinqiang River to the city of Changsha

Changsha Yuelu Mountain, Ninth Theater Command, September 17. Facing the telegrams sent by Yang Sen at the desk and the reconnaissance team in the war zone, Xue Yue fell into deep thought. The theater reconnaissance team found that the Japanese troops from Yueyang to the north bank of the Xinqiang River had the designations of the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 40th divisions and another 5 detachments. Kanda, the head of the 6th division, inspected in the afternoon of the 16th accompanied by a group of staff officers. On the north bank of the Xinqiang River, Kanda looked for a long time at the defenders' position on the south bank with a telescope.According to the wiretapping of the Japanese army's wired telephone behind enemy lines, the 11th Army had notified the divisions to prepare for the attack on September 18.

Although the Japanese army's movements were so obvious, this time Xue Yue believed that Anan was feinting from the front, trying to attract the main force of the theater to the front and outflank it after the two wings broke through.Once his idea was formed, no one could convince him. Xue Yue learned from a document introducing Anan that this person's use of troops has always been true and false, and the more obvious the signs, the more suspicious.When the intelligence revealed that the Japanese army had transported even the equipment for erecting the pontoon bridge to the bank of the Xinqiang River, he also said to the chief of staff: "Not busy, let's see tomorrow."

Xue Yue didn't know that he had already lost tomorrow. At dawn on September 18, after Anan Weiji, commander of the 11th Army, presided over a routine silent prayer ceremony, he pointed his sharp command sword at northern Hunan, and a fierce battle between the Chinese and Japanese armies kicked off. The troops defending the front line of Xinqianghe were the 4th Army of Ouzhen.This army has repeatedly made great achievements on the battlefield. During the Northern Expedition, it won the reputation of "Iron Army" by cutting and defending passes. It fought many big battles at the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War.Under the command of the army are Zhang Deneng's 59th Division, Chen Kan's 90th Division, Bai Huizhang's 102nd Division, and the 60th Division that has just been placed under the command of the army.In the Battle of Dayunshan, the Ninth Theater and the 27th Army transferred most of the 59th Division and the 102nd Division, and the 60th Division followed the Group Army as a reserve team, leaving only the 90th Division and part of the 102nd Division to defend the position.

At dawn on the 18th, the veterans at the front of the Xinqiang River felt an abnormality. Aircraft bombing occurs in almost every battle, but this time the number is large, the density is high, and there are many heavy bombs.Two waves completely destroyed the fortifications on the south bank. An infantry attack followed.At Xiaotang, Siliufang, Tongxi Bridge, Shanmu Bridge, etc., dozens of tanks were leading each place, pushing forward unstoppably, and the infantry followed the tanks, braving the bullets of the defenders to cross the river forcibly. On the not wide offensive front of Xiangbei, there are 4 divisions of the Japanese army lined up, like 4 ferocious beasts rushing forward.The veterans of the defenders had seldom seen such a terrifying formation. Xue Yue did not expect it to be like this. How could the front-line position, which was originally planned to hold on for 3 days, resist the Japanese army, which was several times larger than itself and had an absolute superiority in artillery fire?In just two hours, the Japanese army first broke through the defense line of the 102nd Division, and then quickly turned around to outflank the 90th Division.

Xue Yue had no choice but to order the two troops to withdraw to the second line of defense, and Xinqianghe fell. At this time, Yang Sen, commander-in-chief of the 27th Group Army, was still organizing 5 divisions in Dayun Mountain to encircle the 234th Regiment of Chongsong, the 40th Division. Fighting back and forth on Dayun Mountain, the two divisions became one.Fight again, and a division becomes an alliance.Yang Sen has been in the army for 35 years since 1906, and it is rare for him to be deceived like this.Originally wanted to deal with the enemies of Dayun Mountain as soon as possible and return to defend Xinqiang River, but was dragged by the Chongsong United Team in the deep mountains and dense forests, unable to fight and reluctant to leave.He was about to fight harder for another day or two to resolve the battle, but as he expected, the Japanese army attacked northern Hunan on the 18th.

On the morning of the 18th, Yang Sen threw down this "chicken rib", ordered Chongsong to be abandoned, and all divisions were transferred back to Xinqianghe.But just at 9 o'clock, the Japanese army had broken through the front line, and he hurriedly ordered the troops to surpass the 11th Army to intercept and flank.There are only a few security troops between the first and second lines, but no main force. The second-line troops are also set up according to the first Changsha battle, and cannot resist such a concentrated enemy force. The insufficient strength of the defenders could not constitute a continuous resistance, and the Japanese commander went straight into the land of no one. The five divisions of the 58th Army and the 4th Army looked at the map and raced against the Japanese army, but they could not run ahead of the Japanese army anyway.

Not only that, Ou Zhen, the commander of the 4th Army, was also bitten by a Japanese army that interspersed when he led the army to command the battle, and was chased in a panic. Li Rupin, a native of Jingxian County, Anhui Province, served as the sergeant squad leader of the 2nd company of the 4th Army Guard Battalion.Talking about those years, he said that the eight-year war of resistance was the one that was defeated: "The military headquarters is located in a small village called Lintang to the south of the Xinqiang River. It is only a few dozen kilometers away from the forward position of the Xinqiang River. The military headquarters is set up in the front. This is the tradition of the 'Iron Army' and it is to show that the commander is not afraid of Dangerous, life and death with the brothers. I didn’t expect the enemy to break through the position so quickly in that battle. It didn’t take long for the military headquarters to be transferred. The task of our guard battalion is to follow the military headquarters to serve as guards.

"Company Commander Chang Mingli arranged for us to line up for the army to load vehicles and carry those heavy boxes. I saw Commander Ou Zhen on the phone. Ou Zhen usually doesn't talk much, and he seems to be thinking about things all the time. Yes. The soldiers are very serious, but they are not like some officers who only like to reprimand the soldiers. I have seen the commander several times in the military headquarters, and I can say that the deepest impression is that the pair of leather shoes on his feet are always shiny. I heard that he Overseas. "Before everything was packed, I heard the sound of machine guns from the southwest of the village. The sentinel reported: the enemy was found to attack, and the number was unknown.

"At that time, our guard battalion (4 companies with a total of more than 600 people) followed the military headquarters, and two battalions of the army reserve in the northwest corner of the village. "I put down the box in my hand and ran back to the company headquarters. The company headquarters was in the village elementary school. The farmers in the village had already evacuated, and there were only two armor commanders. The company commander already knew the situation. He put on his leggings and said to me: "Take your squad and follow the deputy company commander. We must keep the enemy out of the village."

"I saw that today's military officers choose guards who are thin-skinned and tender, like girls. I don't know why. At that time, our guard battalion, including the personal guards of the commander, were all black and big men. The 12 people in our class are all big and round, carrying a machine gun like ordinary people holding a rifle. "We have 3 light machine guns in a squad, and each of us has a pistol. Usually, we practice marksmanship and strength, and our combat effectiveness is very strong. At that time, the guards had to be able to carry their officers on their backs and run for dozens of miles. Not afraid of death.

"I took the whole class and rushed to the southwest corner of the village with Deputy Company Commander Yan. There was a cemetery outside the village. The 1st company of the base battalion in this direction had already engaged in fire with the devils. The deputy battalion commander was here to command. The 1st company commander had just left When I came down from a roof, I saw Deputy Company Commander Yan and said: "There are more than 100 enemies in this direction. I don't know if there are any other directions." Deputy Company Commander Yan said: "I will take my 4 squads to make a detour. Feel the bottom of the devil, and eat him if it suits you.” Immediately ask the deputy battalion commander for instructions, the deputy battalion commander agreed, and allocated 3 machine guns from the 1st company to us. We ran around to the south of the village, got into a nursery forest, and went to the village. Copy to the southwest of the village. "Even before we got out of the woods, the enemy's machine guns came. The nursery forest is too densely planted, and it is inevitable to hit the branches. We moved forward close to the ground, and the deputy company commander passed the password: prepare grenades. "Looking back and following them, the deputy company commander shouted 'Come on' and took the lead to rush out of the woods. "Deputy Company Commander Yan graduated from Whampoa. People say that Whampoa students are always at the forefront of the war. Others don't know, but several of our battalion are like this. "We also yelled 'Come on' and 'Kill it' and rushed out of the grove with the deputy company commander. The enemy was 40 to 50 meters ahead. Hearing the shout, he quickly turned his gun and shot at us. It was too late! We put the grenade After throwing it out, lie down and shoot at the enemy. At this time, the 1st company also rushed out of the village. The enemy couldn't stop them and retreated one after another. At first glance, there were no less than 200 people. The enemy suffered a loss and left more than a dozen dead bodies . "We didn't dare to pursue, and we were led back to the village by Deputy Company Commander Yan. The Deputy Battalion Commander stood at the intersection, and he praised the 2nd Company for fighting well. At the same time, he ordered us to follow the transfer of the military headquarters immediately. "Just as I grabbed my backpack and tied it on my body, there was loud gunshots outside the village, and the devils came again. The two battalions of the army reserve went up to the top, and the carts and carts of the army drove out of the village one by one and headed south. We ran and followed. In less than half an hour, the enemy caught up with cavalry and a large truck full of infantry. "It seems that Xinqianghe was really lost to the enemy, otherwise how can the car still drive over? "The battalion commander, Chiang Kai-shek, ordered our 2nd company to be under the command of the deputy battalion commander as cover. There was an artillery squad and two mortars in the battalion, all of which were left to us. "It was too late to build the fortifications. We scattered on both sides of the road to find shooting positions. When we looked back, the military headquarters had gone far away. "The enemy is getting closer and closer. First, fifty or sixty cavalry rushed over with swords and guns, shouting and shouting. The truck was behind, and two machine guns mounted on the front of the truck could already be seen. "The deputy battalion commander yelled: 'Brothers hold your breath, take aim and hit again, kill pigs and drink tonight.' "I wanted to make everyone laugh, but no one could laugh. "It's started. We killed the enemy in a large number within 600 meters to 200 meters. I saw devil soldiers falling off their horses one by one. One horse was shot and dragged a dead devil until it was only a few steps away from me. Fell down and startled me. "The enemies on the truck got out of the car and set up a battle formation. Groups of groups attacked alternately. We suppressed them with machine guns to prevent them from approaching. The deputy battalion commander commanded two mortars to 'hang' towards the enemy's densely populated place and the position of the machine gun. . "A mortar exploded suddenly, and two gunners were killed on the spot. I still haven't figured out the reason. The fuze of the mortar shell is on the point, so how could it explode in the barrel? "There were about 40 enemies who got off the truck. We repelled the two charges. The casualties were about a dozen. The cavalry suffered heavy casualties and dared not fight again. The deputy battalion commander ordered that the enemy stop the attack and retreat as soon as possible. "It was past noon, about two o'clock. "I've been running all the time. Why aren't you tired? You have to run even if you're tired! "While running, I heard the company commander say to the deputy battalion commander: Actually, these enemies can be eaten. "The deputy battalion commander glared at him: Eat, eat! I forgot what we do again! "I was transferred from the machine gun company of the 2nd Battalion of the 305th Regiment of the 102nd Division to the security battalion at the end of 1939. I served as the deputy squad leader. The company commander often talked to me and asked me why I was a soldier. If I said it was not to fight devils, who would come here? The company commander said: "Very good, but the task of the guard battalion is to do a good job of guarding, which is the most important." "I was the machine gun squad leader down there, and it was really enjoyable at that time! I was in the military for two years, watching other people fight all day long, and sometimes I felt itchy in my heart. Once on a festival, when I drank too much, I went to the company commander and said: 'Let me Go back to the 102nd division and shoot the machine guns to wipe out the devils!' "The company commander also drank a lot, he smiled and said: 'Have you lived enough? Let's just sit here honestly! What's the matter with life? You know what a fart! When you win, go home and marry a wife, and live a good life Bar……' "Another enemy came up again. More than 100 cavalrymen and 4 trucks chased and fought. A platoon from the company led one of the enemies to another road. No one in the platoon led by Deputy Company Commander Yan survived. Come back. The deputy battalion commander led us to fight another group of enemies. More than 20 of our men were killed and more than 30 were injured. We got rid of the enemy by crossing a big river, and caught up with the army headquarters at dusk. Encountered a brigade of enemy troops chasing after them. This so-called "Iron Army" troop, the commander and the military headquarters seemed to be targeted by the enemy, and they were chased to Mufu Mountain, and they were out of danger the next morning." "What a waste of a fight!" he concluded. When the Japanese army's general offensive began, Xue Yue woke up like a dream.It was too late to adjust the troops, and the overall superiority of troops became a disadvantage in every place the Japanese army went.He urgently sent a telegram to the Chongqing Military Commission, requesting Chiang Kai-shek to quickly dispatch troops from other theaters to help, lest the deterioration of the situation have serious consequences for the national war situation. In just one day, Yuelu Mountain was no longer safe. On the evening of the 18th, Xue Yue moved the theater command south to Zhuting. Chongqing, War Room of the Military Commission. Chiang Kai-shek and several senior military aides seemed to be watching a game of chess that was not easy to move, and surrounded the battle map without saying a word. Troop mobilization takes time.At present, although the number of Japanese troops in northern Hunan is not too large, they form a fist that no one can stop, and they come at a very fast speed.Xue Yue proposed to transfer three to four combat armies. How could so many troops from outside the Ninth War Zone go up in a short period of time? Chiang Kai-shek had no idea for a while, and paced back and forth in the corridor on the side of the war room. The only foreigner with yellow hair and a big nose in the staff was the Soviet military adviser Chuikov. He walked up to Chiang Kai-shek, walked back and forth with him, and said: "Northern Xiangbei is passive, and there is no good solution for the time being. It is better to use our brains elsewhere. Isn't there a story in ancient China called 'surrounding Wei and saving Zhao'?" Cui Kefu made a specific suggestion: If the 13th Division of Yichang under the jurisdiction of the Japanese 11th Army is attacked with the troops of the 6th theater, Ananwei will not be indifferent.Chiang Kai-shek stopped and nodded. Yichang, located in Hubei, is the throat of the Yangtze River water transportation. In June 1940, the Chinese army lost Yichang. Not only was most of the Yangtze River waterway controlled by the Japanese army, but Yichang Airport became the closest bomber takeoff and landing point to Chongqing. The enemy planes that harassed Chongqing all day took off from Yichang. The 11th Army has guarded Yichang tightly since it captured Yichang, so the Military Commission has not been able to take it back lightly. Why not take this opportunity to attack it? Chiang Kai-shek expressed his gratitude to General Cui Kefu for his suggestion, and the two returned to the war room together.Jiang instructed Xu Yongchang to draw up an implementation plan for each theater adjacent to the nine theaters to support the operation in northern Hunan. Among them, the six theaters counterattacked Yichang and must conquer it. On September 20, the Military Commission issued an order to the ninth, third, fifth, and sixth theaters: "In order to make the operations in the ninth theater easier, the third, sixth, and fifth theaters should each attack with a strong force to support the operations in the ninth theater." The order stipulates: "The third war zone launched a full-scale guerrilla attack against the Japanese army in front of them, and a feint attack on Nanchang; the fifth war zone launched a full-scale guerrilla attack against the Japanese army, and attacked the strongholds; Pretend to attack Yueyang and threaten the enemy's 11th Army." After the Military Commission telegram was sent, Chiang Kai-shek sent another telegram in his own name: Chiang Kai-shek to Chen Cheng, Li Zongren, Gu Zhutong, and Xue Yuedian.Limited to 2 hours.Chief Chen of Enshi, Chief Li of Laohekou, Chief Gu of Shangrao, Chief Xue of Changsha: Extremely confidential.Order: It is hereby stipulated that all theaters will strengthen their deployment in accordance with the telegram, and the time to start attacking is as follows: (1) The third war zone began to attack on the day of the festival. (2) The fifth theater sense day began to attack. (3) The sixth war zone began to attack on the 30th.It is important to actively prepare, abide by the limits and implement without delay.Zhongzheng and Shenyou.Make nothing.print. Zhao Zili was born in Yongcheng, Henan.Graduated from Whampoa Phase 6.Served as the deputy chief of the major general and the chief of the combat section, the chief of staff, and the chief of staff of the theater in the Ninth Theater Command. He participated in the Nanchang Battle, the first, second, and third Changsha Battles, the Shanggao Battle and the Changheng Battle.In the second battle of Changsha, his opinion was completely different from that of Chief Xue Yue and Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi. While breaking through the new wall of defense, the Japanese army successfully landed on Shangqingshan on both sides of the Xiangjiang Estuary and blocked the water passage. The immediate problem facing the Ninth Theater Command was how to organize the second line of defense. Xue Yue proposed to line up the 37th Army and the 26th Army along the south bank of the Miluo River, and use the natural barrier of the Miluo River to prevent the enemy from advancing south.Wu Yizhi even claimed it was, and ordered Zhao Zili to draft the document. Zhao Zili has also been thinking about the strategy to meet the enemy. At this time, he put forward his views to the two superiors. He believed that the strength of the 5 combat divisions of the above two armies to resist the basically complete 4 Japanese army divisions was obviously weak, and it would take another 4 days to wait for the 10th Army and 74th Army to move up, so he had to abandon the second line of the Miluo River Positions, in alternating resistance and mutual cover, the two armies were withdrawn to the south bank of Liuyang River near Changsha to set up positions to gain time.The two armies arrived at the south bank of the Liuyang River at the same time as the 10th and 74th armies arrived at the battlefield. The four armies worked together to annihilate the Japanese army that had penetrated more than 100 kilometers into the battlefield. Already exhausted and greatly reduced in combat effectiveness, victory is still assured. Zhao Zili finished his opinion in one breath, Xue Yue and Wu Yizhi thought for a while, Xue Yue decided to still deploy according to the original plan. Zhao Zili sighed in his heart, and immediately got up and went back to his office to draft combat documents. An hour later, the command embodying Xue Yue's thinking turned into radio waves and flew into the sky. "When the curtain rises, you don't know whether it's a comedy or a tragedy." Which poet once chanted fate like this? In the early morning of September 20, Lieutenant Commander Eight Building, the staff officer of the intelligence division of the 11th Japanese Army, stood up from his seat top-heavy.It took two steps to realize that the earphones were still on.He took off his earphones and threw them on the radio. After leaving the house, he walked down the stairs from the third floor to the second floor. This three-story building was the Yuezhou Guangdong Commercial Bank before the war, and the 11th Army opened a combat headquarters here more than half a month ago.At the door of the war room, Ba Dong met the combat staff officer Sanyuan Shaozuo and walked out.Seeing him, Sanyuan immediately came over to hold his arm, and said, "Are you sick and you look so bad?" Ba Dong didn't answer, and walked into the war room with the external spirit of an imperial soldier. Hachito presented several sheets of paper filled with text and symbols to Chief of Staff Isamu Kinoshita.Kinoshita looked up at him after reading it, then suddenly stepped forward, bowed to him, and said in a low voice, "Thank you!" Isamu Kinoshita turned and walked into Anan Weiji's room in the middle of the war room, and the other staff officers in the room looked at Hachidong in puzzlement.After a while, Anan and Kinoshita came over together.Anan stepped forward to shake hands with Badong and said: "The commander congratulates you on becoming the first officer to receive a certificate of merit in the 'Plus Operation'. Now I order you to go to rest immediately!" Hachito Nakasawa is a young designer of Mitsubishi Corporation, a well-known conglomerate, and enlisted in the army after the outbreak of the war.He delved into Chinese language and writing, and devoted himself to deciphering Chinese codes for several years.Under the technical conditions of the time, he worked with superhuman willpower and intuition.Listen to the radio signals for a long time, capture the differences and similarities from the various ticks, analyze the signals that appear in a period in comparison with the movement of the opponent's troops, figure out the text of the secret message from the documents captured on the battlefield, and arrange the signals of commonly used words Where it appears in Telegram and more. Once the other party changes the password, it means that his efforts will be wasted, but he still listens, thinks, and starts from scratch unrelentingly.On the very early morning of September 20th, he finally deciphered the codes used by the Ninth War Zone for the troops, and successfully intercepted the combat deployment issued by the Chief of the Ninth War Zone to the troops on the night of September 18th. As a result, the Japanese army held the initiative of the second Changsha battle more firmly in their hands. Anan's original order was to break through along the Changsha-Yueyang Highway and move across the Jinjing and Xiangjiang Rivers. The 3rd and 4th Divisions were scheduled to be used on the Xiangjiang River. But after intercepting Xue Yue's telegram, Anan immediately changed his deployment.What is more important and more satisfying than directly encircling and annihilating the main forces of the Chinese army?According to Chinese historical records: The wireless telegrams issued by the Ninth War Zone to issue combat orders were stolen and declassified by the Japanese army. They detected the national army's combat plan and deployment, and changed its original strategic conception from a breakthrough to an encirclement of the national army's right wing. ... From the 21st to the 23rd, the 37th Army fought fiercely with the 4th and 3rd Divisions in the area around Shending Mountain and Banjun Temple.The 26th Army fought fiercely with the 6th and 40th Divisions of the Japanese Army in the Wengjiang and Putang areas, and both sides suffered heavy casualties. However, according to other historical materials and the recollections of witnesses, it was the troops of the 26th and 37th armies who suffered "heavy casualties", not "both sides". The 26th Army has the 32nd Division of Wang Xiushen, the 41st Division of Ding Zhipan, and the 44th Division of Chen Yong.When Army Commander Xiao Zhichu received Xue Yue's order to defend the position on the south bank of the Miluo River, the Japanese army had already broken through the Xinqiang River defense line and quickly moved towards the Miluo River.The starting point of the 26th Army troops is Liuyang, which is farther than the Changsha battlefield, and the Yongan area to the west.That is to say, the 26th Army was going to run a race with the Japanese army aiming at the Miluo River, and the end point was closer to the Japanese army.The end of the war has not yet started, and it has already fallen into a disadvantage. The sky is not at the right time, and the land is unfavorable, so it is good for people to be harmonious.However, Xue Yue and Xiao Zhichu had a quarrel. In 1935, Xiao and Xue were in the third phase of the Lushan Officer Training Corps. Both served as army commanders in the army, and they served as battalion commanders in the training regiment.The training group was led by Chiang Kai-shek and Chen Cheng as the deputy head.Xue Yue is Chen Cheng's celebrity, and has fought many battles, so he doesn't take others seriously, and often speaks loudly when discussing and speaking, which inevitably shows his hooves and misses the point.The other generals just listened to it, but Xiao Zhichu was a serious person and insisted on telling right from wrong several times, which made Xue Yue very angry, and the two were very estranged from each other.A few years later, Xue became the commander-in-chief of the war zone, but Xiao was still the commander of the army, and he was under Xue Yue, so he was careful in everything. On the night of September 19th, Xue Yue ordered Xiao Zhichu to enter the second-line position on the south bank of Mishui, but at noon on the 20th, he was ordered to push the troops further north to the first-line position along the river. At dawn on the 21st, Xiao Zhichu personally led the 44th Division, which he started from, to rush to the designated location, and encountered the 6th Division of the Japanese Army at Wengjiang, which was 2.5 kilometers away from the finish line.The Japanese army was well aware of the actions of the 26th Army, and started to encircle it while marching. It took only 20 minutes for the two armies to meet, and the encirclement of the 44th Division was formed. Xiao Zhichu reported the situation to Xue Yue on the phone, and Xue Yue on the other end of the phone was furious: "What's wrong, you were surrounded before you arrived! Why didn't you fight? If you lose the Miluo River position, I will kill you!" Xiao Zhichu swallowed bitterly, followed the order and led the 44th Division to fight in this very unfavorable terrain. After fighting all day and night, they still could not repel the besieging enemy.The 32nd Division was ordered to come closer to clear the siege, but at this time the 32nd Division was also surrounded by the enemy's 3rd Division in Wukou on three sides.Wang Xiushen led the whole army to fight to the death with their backs. The troops suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat back the way they came. On the 23rd, Kanda Masatsuka commanded a part of the 6th Division to attack from behind the 44th Division. The situation was very critical. Xiao Zhichu commanded the troops to fight on both sides, seeing that they were out of support.Fortunately, the 41st Division came in obliquely and repelled the enemy behind the 44th Division.When Ding Zhipan came to see the army commander, he encountered a report from the chief of staff of the 44th division that more than half of the division's casualties had been reported. During the short intervals between battles, the soldiers stuffed a rice ball into their mouths and took a mouthful of muddy water from the river ditch. Even after eating, they rushed to build fortifications and prepare for the next round of battle.The wounded were groaning, unable to be transported down, the dead could not be collected, and the battlefield was full of tragic scenes. After Xiao Zhichu's repeated requests, Xue Yue agreed to withdraw the 26th Army to Putang, a few kilometers south, where the terrain is more favorable.The whole army moved starry night and built fortifications in the Putang area.While breathing undecided, the 40th Division and the 6th Division of the Japanese Army followed up successively. The 41st Division and the 44th Division faced up to a fierce battle and were beaten to pieces. After defeating these two divisions, the Japanese army bit the 32nd Division and the military headquarters for a while.When the binoculars scanned the Chinese soldiers lying on the ground one after another, Xiao Zhichu's mind repeatedly flashed "the whole army was wiped out", the most desperate phrase for soldiers. On the evening of the 25th, as the encirclement became smaller and smaller, the Chinese translators of the Japanese army began to shout to persuade them to surrender. When the whole army reached the last moment, a support soldier arrived. The Chief of the Army Reconnaissance Section brought a whole regiment of the 32nd Army that had lost contact with the Army Headquarters.The radio station of this unit was damaged, and they did not receive the telegram of the mission change. When they arrived at the designated location, there was no response.After matching the numbers, the section chief remembered that the party representative of the regiment was still his classmate in Whampoa at the same time.After the two met and exchanged information, the head of the regiment led his troops to the battlefield without saying a word, entered from the weak point of the Japanese army, and the general headquarters and the remnants of the 32nd Division came out. The pitiful 26th Army, a force that has made many achievements and is quite powerful, is less than 1/5 of what it was before the war. Wang Xiushen, the commander of the 32nd Division, was once the brigade commander of Feng Yuxiang's guard brigade. He was a fierce general of the Northwest Army. Ding Zhi The two teachers, Pan and Chen Yong, are also experienced in many battles, and they are brave and resourceful.After the war, together with the army commander Xiao Zhichu, they were relatively sad. The 26th Army was defeated in this way. More than 40 kilometers due west of the battlefield where the 26th Army fought bloody battles, the Miluo River entered the mouth of Dongting Lake, and another battle was going on at the same time.The 3rd and 4th Divisions of the Japanese Army and the two main divisions of Chen Pei's 37th Army, Luo Qi's 95th Division and Li Tang's 140th Division, fought fiercely between the hills and the river network, which was also bloody. Song Ruike, who was then a senior staff officer of the Chief of Staff of the Ninth Theater Command, recalled the combat process and said: "On the morning of the 19th, the enemy's main forces successively passed through Yanglin Street, Guanwang Bridge, and the Changhu-Dajing Street Highway to the Miluo River Bank. Our 37th Army is waiting in full force on the south bank, and our vanguard troops are also searching and advancing on the north bank. In the afternoon of the same day, the enemy's vanguard and our army encountered in the north of Changle Street. During the fierce battle, many of the enemy were killed. Then the enemy's cavalry, artillery and thousands of infantry attacked on three sides. Our 1st company of the defending army was bloody to stop the attack. Due to being outnumbered, there were almost no casualties. End. Changle Street was occupied by the enemy. At about 7:00 p.m., the enemy at Modaotan began to force their way across. Our army stationed on the south bank fought bravely to block the attack. They fought fiercely all night, but the enemy failed. "In the early morning of the 20th, the enemy used planes and cannons to cover them, and then forcibly crossed. At 7 o'clock in the morning, the enemy and us fought fiercely on the front lines of Wugong City, Guiyi, and Hejiatang. "The main force of the enemy advancing southward was trapped in the positions of Nanyang Temple and Banjun Temple in the west of Jiangxi at noon on the 22nd. Our 140th Division met the enemy in Lishan Lane and Daxingling, and fought fiercely for two days and nights..." Since history cannot be reproduced, people summarize what happened based on memory, and try to keep the most important and precious ones while filtering out the unimportant and not reflecting the essence. The old man Song Ruike, like others, left concepts such as time, place, numbers of both sides, and combat methods in his memories of this battle.History then consists in the combination of concepts. What about everyone in history?How should their emotions, will, beliefs, flesh and blood, and everything they have given be expressed and entrusted to? After the war, the 37th Army lost its combat effectiveness.This is also a strong anti-Japanese force, full of nearly 50,000 people before the war. Li Tang, the commander of the 140th Division, once organized the front line to take an oath to annihilate the Japanese invaders and avenge the dead compatriots. Luo Qi, the commander of the 95th Division, gave instructions to the regiments: "Whether the position on the line of the Shending Mountain is held firmly or not is not the honor of the division, that is, the victory or defeat of the entire battlefield depends on its strength. Yi Yijia will work hard, be loyal and brave, stand strong and stick to it, annihilate the Japanese pirates, and make great achievements!" The four divisions that broke into northern Hunan went smoothly, and achieved the result of defeating the three main forces of the Chinese army. Anan was secretly proud of himself, but he did not dare to slack off in the slightest.Several Chinese military combat messages and aerial reconnaissance reports that can be intercepted every day show that two troops are moving towards the battlefield, and one of them is Chiang Kai-shek's Yulin Army and the elite 74th Army of Chiang Kai-shek, who was famous when Anan was in the base camp. The 74th Army was trained strictly by instructors from Germany and the Soviet Union specially hired by Chiang Kai-shek. It featured tough battles and was well-equipped. It has maintained an undefeated record on the battlefield. Called "Tiger の child", which means "ace". The other of the two armies is the 10th Army, which is second only to the 74th Army.The mobilization of one of these two forces requires Chiang Kai-shek's personal nod.Chiang Kai-shek's principle of using these two troops is to either fight the most difficult battle to determine the outcome; or fight the most revealing battle to show the majesty of the Chinese army.Since the start of the war, the 74th Army has been in Fenyi, Jiangxi, and the 10th Army has been in Hengyang, southern Hunan, recharging their energy and watching the changes. Due to Ananweiji's fierce offensive and several powerful teams falling one after another, the battle situation was tilted, and Xue Yue had to rush to Chongqing to force Lao Jiang to nod and play these two "trump cards". And Anan, who has mastered the opponent's password, is like watching the opponent's hole cards on the poker table and gambling. He carefully designs his battle steps. He wants to have a desperate contest with the Chinese trump card army. All the glory is in this fight! Li Yutang, commander of the 10th Army, was born in Guangrao, Shandong, and was in the first phase of Huangpu. Together with Li Xianzhou and Li Yannian, he was called the "Three Lees of Shandong" in the first phase.In fact, when I was in school, I was called "Shandong Four Lis". In Li Yutang's character, there are Shandong people's hard-working, tenacious and tenacious genes. In the army, he climbed up many steps from platoon commander, company commander, battalion commander, and regimental commander. When the Anti-Japanese War broke out in 1937, Li Yutang served as the commander of the 3rd Division of the 2nd Army of Jiang Dingwen's 4th Army, where his old classmate and brother Li Yannian was the commander. He participated in the "August 13" Songhu Anti-Japanese War. In March and April of 1938, he led his troops to participate in the Battle of Xuzhou, blocked the 5th Division of Banyuan in Linyi, northeast of Taierzhuang, and rushed to help Taierzhuang. After the war, he was promoted to the commander of the 8th Army.During the Battle of Wuhan, he led his troops to fight against the 101st and 106th Divisions of the Japanese Army on Nanxun Road and achieved great success.After the war, Xue Yue regarded Li as a native of Shandong. Shandong has Mount Tai, the first of the Five Sacred Mountains of China, and personally inscribed the "Taishan Army" pennant on Li Yutang's 8th Army.Chiang Kai-shek also awarded Li Huazhou a medal.In the Battle of Nanchang, Li Yutang led his army to defend Wuning, and was bloody for 10 days and nights. The Japanese army's corpses littered the field in front of him, and the reputation of the "Taishan Army" spread far and wide. After the first Changsha battle in 1939, Chiang Kai-shek personally nominated him to take over as the commander of the 10th Army. On September 20th, the third day after the Japanese army broke through the defense line in northern Hunan, Li Yutang, under the order of Xue Yue, led Zhou Qingxiang's 3rd Division, Fang Xianjue's 10th Division, and Zhu Yue's 190th Division to the battlefield.The troops first went to Zhuzhou by train, then transferred to Changsha by car, and arrived at Jinjing, 70 kilometers northeast of Changsha City, on the 22nd. However, in the passive situation that has been formed, the 10th Army is like a leaf involved in the whirlpool as soon as it arrives on the battlefield. As soon as the troops arrived, Xue Yue immediately ordered the whole army to support the besieged 37th Army and launch an offensive against the enemy's 3rd Division. On September 23, the vanguard regiment of the 190th Division encountered the Japanese army, and just about to start the battle, the division commander Zhu Yue received an order from the army commander to rush to Shending Mountain to relieve the siege of the 140th Division of the 37th Army.The troops threw down their luggage, ran lightly to the vicinity of Shending Mountain, and just formed formation, then received Xue Yue's order, and immediately returned to Fulinpu area to form a defensive line to prevent the enemy from advancing south.So it was another quick march and arrived at the designated location on time.Zhu Yue set up his division headquarters in Liangjialong near Fulinpu.After several times of toil and futility, the troops were exhausted and worked all night to build fortifications.Just as the position was set up at dawn, the Japanese army forced them up. Toyoshima Fangtaro's 3rd Division did not rest either. After defeating the 37th Army on the night of the 23rd, they turned around and rushed to the 190th Division.Just after dawn, more than a dozen Japanese planes flew straight at Zhu Yue's division headquarters as if they had eyes, and a bombing bombardment almost razed the small village to the ground.More than a thousand Japanese infantrymen who emerged from the ground followed closely after the plane bombed and went straight to the division headquarters.The regiments were still on the ground, and it was too late to call back, so Zhu Yue drew out his pistol and commanded the troops directly under him to fight.Under the ferocious firepower of the Japanese army, Zhu Yue was shot in his right arm and left leg.Almost at the same time, Lai Shixiang, deputy commander of the division, was blown down by enemy mortars and died immediately while leading the crowd with a machine gun to break through.The staff of the division headquarters were shocked when they saw this, and there was chaos on the battlefield. Many soldiers ran blindly and died in the Japanese guns.Tao Xiu, chief of staff of the division, acted as deputy division commander, commanding the division headquarters to retreat in a depression in a forest near the village.When counting the number of people, there are only about 20 people who can participate in the battle.It was already 10:00 in the morning when Tao Xiu led the crowd to find a small path from the dense forest at the edge of the village and went out of the Liangjialong to look for the regiments. At the same time that the division headquarters was attacked, the three regiments 568, 569, and 570 to which the division belonged were also surrounded and attacked by the Japanese army.On the positions of the various regiments, the officers and soldiers endured the exhaustion of running around for days and nights and stubbornly resisted.Fighting from early morning to afternoon, several positions were divided by the Japanese army.In the increasingly smaller encirclement, each position became a target for enemy aircraft and artillery.Groups of officers and soldiers who completely lost their initiative were buried under artillery fire.Many people died because of this useless fighting, because they could not carry out their ambition to kill the enemy and serve the country. In the evening, the regiment leaders could no longer control their respective battalions, and the remaining soldiers in each position fled and hid on their own.It was not until midnight that the lightly wounded and uninjured officers and soldiers gathered in a dense forest on the southwest side of the position according to the worst preparation in the reserve plan. Commander Zhu Yue has been sent to treat gunshot wounds. Acting deputy commander Tao Xiu has no words to comfort the more than 200 remnants of the various regiments who have gathered. Carrying the seriously wounded and carrying the lightly wounded, people groped in the dark and walked towards Zhuzhou. The 10th Xianjue Pre-10th Division of the 10th Army occupied the first line of Jinjing at noon on the 23rd.At 6 o'clock in the afternoon, it was going to be dark, and Kanda Masatsuka led the vanguard of the 6th Division to arrive.Before the follow-up troops arrived, Kanda commanded the troops to carry out a tentative attack.He watched carefully with binoculars on a hill behind the attacking troops, and he did not find any openings in the opponent's defense until dark.He felt that this was worthy of being an elite force with good tactical qualities and should not be underestimated.He gave the order to stop the attack and waited for follow-up troops to arrive. On the morning of the 24th, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on the position of the 10th Division from the east, north, and west. Kanda asked Anan for instructions, and transferred all the more than 30 bombers used in the entire battlefield to bombard indiscriminately. The defenders' positions were completely destroyed. retreat. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Fang Xianjue received a report that a regiment of the Japanese army had made a large detour to the south of Jinjing, and was leaning towards the back of the position. Fang Xianjue was shocked when he heard the news.The Chief of the Ninth War Zone placed the Pre-10th Division alone in Jinjing, with no depth behind it, and no friendly troops on the two wings. Since the Japanese army could easily go around behind, "blocking the enemy's southward advance" has long since become empty talk.Fang Xianjue didn't understand the tactical intention of this move at all, so if he persisted here, the only purpose was to "beat devils" in theory. 不等方先觉下定决心，正面和侧面的日军又发起了一次猛烈攻势，在防线一侧冲开一道缺口，形势危急起来，迫使方先觉下决心抢在背后之敌赶到之前撤出阵地。这时请示战区已来不及，他下令各团自行组织突围，在指定地点收容。 下午4时，方先觉带领师部最先撤离战场。回头望去，各团在日军枪炮射击中溃不成军，大批官兵倒在山野、河沟中。 25日，到达收容地点的部队尚有半数，重新编组后，奉命在学士桥一线占领阵地。当晚，刚战败190师的日军第3师团一部乘胜猛袭学士桥，阵地无法保持，24日溃败景象重演。这次失败，使全师战斗力彻底丧失。方先觉受薛岳怒骂，有苦难言，于26日带残部在长沙附近接受战区收容。 与第10军3个师相比，周庆祥的第3师在同样惨烈的战斗中更能体现王牌军的素质。 22日，3师奉命在福临铺以东两公里处设置阵地。24日中午，日军第3师团击溃朱岳190师后，即以一部攻击3师右翼，被击退。当日晚，第4师团攻击37军部队得手后转来夜袭3师左翼，又被击退。25日，周庆祥师受数倍于己的日军两个师团主力两面攻击，全师官兵面无惧色，敢打会打，虽伤亡很大却仍不使日军攻到阵地前沿。 情况报到阿南惟几那里，阿南沉思良久，对参谋长木下勇说：“这就是王牌军。”还说：“真想到那里去看一看。” 26日晨，结束了另几处作战的日军以第3、4、6、40四个师团近10万人兵力将第3师万余人团团包围，这支无愧为王牌的部队在惨重的伤亡中仍顽强坚守。 为减轻空袭压力，各阵地都将日军放近打。几度发生短兵相接、惨烈肉搏的场面。战至中午，先是8团、后是7团与9团，被日军分割包围。周庆祥带师部跟着7团，副师长和参谋长分别在8、9两团协助指挥，这样各自为战又坚持了半天，傍晚时分周庆祥下令突围。 天擦黑，乘日军短暂休整，各团以突然的动作从各自阵地突围。担任掩护的分队造成突围方向上的假象，将敌人主力引开，保证了突围成功。 当官兵们三五成群地来到收容地点时，这支主力师已是不到战前兵员1\/5的残部了。 9月27日，秋风萧瑟。长沙城东梨中学操场，李玉堂检阅各师残部。 这是仅一周前从衡阳出发时3万余人的一支威武雄壮的作战军。半年之前开始进行加强难度训练。射击、投弹、刺杀三大技术的考核成绩全部达到“最优等”。这个成绩在国防部颁布的训练指标中在每个部队占1\/4就算合格了。蒋介石给第10军规定的“最优”率是80％，其余的不能低于“优”，否则就淘汰，而他们达到了100％。 战斗动员中，李玉堂收到一大堆请战书、决心书，其中还有咬破手指用血写的。 3万多人的部队，火车运输开了7个专列，至今仿佛还能听见誓师大会上军歌与口号声的回响。而此时，连同留守后方的，全军只剩两千多名，包括身体各部位长沙会战时被日军杀害的长沙平民缠着绷带的轻伤员。 另外的那些人呢？died!伤了！残了！也有的是跑了。 也许不久后还会有另一支第10军，依然英姿飒爽，依然歌声嘹亮，但却不会是原来那支。李玉堂表情仍旧威严，但心中却热泪滚滚。 再不情愿，也不得不将史书翻到下面一页。紧接第10军，王耀武74军也遭惨败。历史没有断章和空白页码。 9月21日，王耀武接到薛长官电令，即率部从江西分宜、新余壮行登程。军下属3个师分别为李天霞51师、余程万57师和廖龄奇58师。 25日，王耀武率57师首先进入战场，按薛岳命令急行至长沙以东捞刀河北岸的春华山占领阵地，掩护军主力部署防御。王耀武并不知道，牢牢掌握着他行踪的阿南惟几已经设下机关，恭候他的来临。 25日晚，57师169、170两个团到达春华山南侧，与日军搜索部队百余人遭遇。169团以极快动作抢先截断这一小股日军的去路，与170团打了一个漂亮的配合。日军毙伤大半，残余逃向春华山。170团一部追至山前时，正遇日军大队下山接应，得知春华山已为敌军占领。 为争取主动，王耀武下令，两团当夜向春华山发起攻击。半夜时分，部队悄悄摸上去。一场夜战，日军两个大队抵挡不住，于凌晨败退下来。 26日拂晓，57师后面的一个团也跟上来，余程万将部队摆在春华山一线。 上午，51师和58师赶到，王耀武按薛岳命令，部署57师在赤石河、58师在春华山、51师在枫浆桥，准备迎击日军进攻。 27日凌晨，57师向日军第3师团主力联队的营地发起突然袭击。日军在黑暗中乱成一团，天色微明时才组织起防御。两军激战一个清晨，日军向后退却3公里。 上午8时，第3师团在数十架飞机配合下向57师反攻。两军都自恃是各自国家军队的佼佼者，棋逢对手地厮杀起来。 中午时分，王耀武在一间农家房屋顶观察到日军的战线出现了破绽，他命51师步兵指挥官李翰卿率两个团迂回到春华山以北，从日军侧面进行袭击。1小时后，李翰卿侧击奏效，日军乱了阵脚，开始溃退。 正在这时，日军第4师团赶来助战。从背后将李翰卿部包围。突围时，李翰卿中弹身亡。 下午，57师独挡日军两个师团，枪炮声时急时缓地响到天黑。全师伤亡3千多人，营以下指挥员损失过半。师长余程万请示王耀武后，收缩兵力据守阵地。 自27日拂晓，春华山廖龄奇58师受到日军第6师团和第3师团一部的猛攻。春华山阵地集中，日军以大量飞机猛烈轰炸。两个波次轰炸后，那些匆匆构筑的简易土木工事损失殆尽，阵地上随处可见残肢断臂，全师伤亡惨重。 上午9时起，数万名日军轮番发动攻势，将阵地体系分割为几段，再逐一突破。守军与冲上阵地的日军展开肉搏，枪声和喊杀声响成一片。下午2时，春华山防线崩溃，残兵自行突围，途中多被日军截杀。 王耀武憋着一肚子气。九战区这不是在拿着我们喂狼吗？一上来就钻进敌人包围圈，没有一点主动，而敌人却想怎么打就怎么打。战场上他无处发作，只能穷于应付局面。一会儿令51师增援春华山，一会儿令军直属团收容58师残部，一会儿又令57师阻敌增援。他一边指挥一边骂娘：打的这是什么鬼仗！ 混战之中天至黄昏，战场上枪声渐渐稀疏。日军一般不在夜间发起攻击，51师师长李天霞为防止日军夜袭，将部队由两侧向中间集中。与51师相邻的57师也因伤亡惨重将人员向中心收拢。 午夜，猛烈的枪声将阵地上和衣而卧的士兵们惊醒。日军第6师团两个联队准确地从51师与57师阵地结合部的空隙突破，直扑74军军部。 在王耀武的作战经历中，这是日军大部队夜间发起袭击的唯一战例。 抗战胜利后一次谈起此战，他说：“那一回好险！” 第6师团两支精锐联队猛跑通过守军阵地，向军部实施包围。地形摸得准确得令人怀疑出了内奸。军部一个直属团、一个警卫营寡不敌众，交手不久就被冲得七零八落。卫士排长带领几个精兵护送王耀武摸黑逃跑。 日军百余人长了夜眼似的朝王耀武猛追。卫士排长叫声“快走”，自己带一名机枪手留下来掩护。 几分钟后，机枪手阵亡，卫士排长腿部中弹倒地被俘。 这情景令王耀武毕生难忘。他趴在一个河沟边的草丛中，听到仅几步之遥处，与自己朝夕相处的卫士排长怒骂鬼子兵，一名日军军官抽出指挥刀将他的头颅砍落在地。 鬼子走了，枪声稀落。王耀武从草丛中爬出来，看看天上的星星，辨出去浏阳的方向，与几名卫士在黑暗中行走，一直走到天明。 王耀武自从军后没有想过怕死，战场上滚了这些年，流血死亡也见得多了，这一次，他泪流满面。不是伤心，而是窝火。 仅仅是27日一天，57师伤亡近半，58师基本完了，3个老虎群一样的部队，只剩下51师还比较整齐。就算战争残酷，账记在日本鬼子头上，这也还好交代。最可恨的是他的三只老虎之一58师师长廖龄奇，全师溃败后竟不收容部队，只身带着卫士身穿便衣乘火车回湘南祁阳老家去探亲。又那么凑巧，让九战区一名高级参谋撞见了。该高参在衡阳下车后，立刻打电话在薛岳那里“参”了一本，薛岳责成军法分监部查明情况，按“临阵脱逃”罪呈报军委会军法执行总监部。 这个时候，这种情况，让王耀武还有什么话说。 那时全国军队都有代号，51师叫“前茅”，57师叫“虎贲”，58师叫“激扬”。军部的代号是王耀武起的，叫做“辉煌”。蒋介石曾说：“我看所有的代号中，你们的最好。” 王牌军，英雄气，折服过多少年轻的心！74军的官兵回家乡，亮出王牌军的牌子，媳妇挑着找。小青年报名参军挑不进王牌军，都要哭鼻子。 多好的一支部队！可这一回…… 60年代写回忆录，想起那次战役时王耀武还是那句骂：打的那是什么鬼仗！