Chapter 26 5. Xu Guozhang was martyred

In March 1938, the 67th Army of the Sichuan Army swore to come out of Sichuan to fight against Japan. Xu Guozhang, Major General of the 483rd Brigade of the 161st Division, bid farewell to his wife and children and said: "I went out to fight the war in Sichuan. I am already a native of Xu country. You are in the rear. My wife must live frugally and my son must study hard. In addition to my monthly salary, Everything depends on your own efforts. As for me, I hope you don’t miss it.” The Sichuan army’s anti-Japanese war was a major event in the whole province. The marching team was full of heroism. The people of Sichuan wore red banners for the officers and soldiers.

However, since ancient times, few people have fought.The triumphant team is destined to no longer be the one that set off. At the beginning of 1944, people from all walks of life in Sichuan held a grand memorial ceremony at the Martyr's Shrine in Chengdu to mourn the hero Xu Guozhang who left Sichuan for 6 years and is now still shrouded in horse leather. After Shimen and Lixian fell, part of the Japanese army crossed the Lishui River in the south and went straight to Changde. On November 20, the 150th Division, one of the three main divisions of Wang Zejun's 44th Army under Wang Zanxu's 29th Army, led by Xu Guozhang, was ordered to rush to Taifu Mountain to stop the enemy.

The Japanese army will also occupy Taifu Mountain as a control point to prevent the Chinese army from reinforcing Changde in the next step. So the two armies rushed to the same goal from different directions like a race. In order to buy time, Xu Guozhang ordered the 449 regiment to go first, and he led the 448 and 450 regiments to follow up.On the way, he still felt that it was not fast enough, so he ordered the two regiments to take shortcuts and march on the road, and he led the division headquarters and luggage to follow. As Xu Guozhang expected, the 449th regiment encountered the Japanese army as soon as they went up the mountain, and a fierce battle broke out immediately, and the two regiments that had just arrived also went into battle.

What Xu Guozhang didn't expect was that a Japanese army came obliquely, intending to cut off the road leading to Taifu Mountain and prevent the Chinese army from passing.This "cutting" did not cut off the combat troops, but cut off the division and supplies led by Xu Guozhang from the three regiments. Seeing the Chinese army, the Japanese army hastily launched an offensive to outflank it.Xu Guozhang led his troops to fight and leave, and retreated to Zou City. Before the pursuers arrived, he hurriedly built fortifications.Zou City is more than ten kilometers in front of Changde, and behind it is the Shenyuan River.

Xu Guozhang led more than 200 combat soldiers in the only division directly under him to fight the Japanese army until dark. The Japanese army realized that the opponent did not have a large army, so they surrounded the town of Zoushi on three sides.At night, Xu Guozhang inspected each position one by one and encouraged the soldiers to persevere to the end. On the morning of the 21st, the Japanese army launched frequent attacks on the town. Xu Guozhang and his soldiers held their ground and resisted for another day.At night, he divided his personnel into two teams and broke out to the west and south respectively.

After fighting for nearly two days, the Japanese army knew that the opponent's troops were weak and suffered heavy casualties, so they judged that there might be a breakout operation at night, so the breakout failed and was violently intercepted by the Japanese army.During the fierce battle, Xu Guozhang was shot twice and died immediately. After the war, the national government commended him for his achievements and posthumously awarded him the rank of lieutenant general.The above-mentioned battle and Xu Guozhang's sacrifice process can be found in the history of the war and the document of the Civil Affairs Department of our country in 1984 recognizing him as a revolutionary martyr.

In 1986, Yin Zhengmin, a veteran of the former 150th Division, wrote an article, which was included in Sichuan People's Publishing House's "Sichuan Army's Anti-Japanese Experience".The article uses personal experience to supplement the process of Xu's sacrifice. According to Yin Zhengmin's recollection, after Xu Guozhang was shot and fell to the ground, he was carried out of the enemy's encirclement by his followers. In the early morning of the next day, Xu Guozhang woke up from a coma and learned that the troops had been separated, the city of Zou was occupied by the enemy, and the defense mission of the main point of Taifu Mountain was also weak due to the enemy's strength.He felt that he had not fulfilled his responsibilities as a division commander, that he had not fought a good battle, and he left the army and the battlefield again.

For this reason, he was in great pain, burst into tears, and drew his gun to kill himself when his entourage left. A Chinese soldier worthy of the Chinese nation and the land of Sichuan that gave birth to him died tragically.