Chapter 34 11. Li Zongren issued the general offensive order

The Taierzhuang battle had reached this point, and Chiang Kai-shek, who was far away in the military command center in Wuhan, couldn't sit still. The time was too long, and manpower and material resources could not be consumed endlessly like this. Any further delay would be detrimental to the Chinese army and the overall situation of the War of Resistance unfavorable.The Japanese base camp saw the fighter planes in Taierzhuang, and the Chinese army gathered 300,000 elite troops. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Japanese army.The enemy is formulating a new combat plan, and the motives of the Japanese base camp can be seen at a glance from the changes in the deployment of troops and the changes in the strength of the troops.

The best way to crush the Japanese illusions is to eliminate or repel the Isoya Division as soon as possible, so as to prevent the Japanese army from following the same pattern and concocting a combat intention of defending the point and attacking for aid.The Japanese base camp believes that the Imperial Japanese Army is invincible, let alone an ace of the 10th Division and part of the 5th Division, and the one and a half divisions of the Japanese elite troops surrounding Taierzhuang. On April 3, Chiang Kai-shek ordered all the participating troops in the fifth theater to repel the Japanese troops in front of Taierzhuang before March 10.For the Chinese army that repelled the Japanese army first, a reward of 100,000 yuan was awarded to the soldiers who contributed in the battle.If the Isoya Division cannot be repelled within the time limit, all commanders above the division commander of the Chinese army participating in the battle will be dealt with by military law.Chiang Kai-shek made up his mind in Wuhan, with equal emphasis on kindness and power, and a two-pronged approach.

After receiving Chiang Kai-shek's order, Li Zongren also reiterated this order to the troops participating in the war, and added that the chief also rewarded 100,000 yuan to the troops who made the first contribution. Cheng Qian, the commander-in-chief of the first theater, followed by sending instructions. Most of the troops in the battle belong to the sequential troops of the theater. He hopes that all ministries will obey the orders of Chief Li Zongren and encourage their troops to work hard and make contributions to the country. I will go to Xuzhou immediately to assist Chief Li Zongren in commanding. The Commissioner and Chief Li offer Dayang a reward of 100,000 yuan, and this officer will also reward 100,000 yuan.

Therefore, Li Zongren, commander of the fifth theater, issued a general attack order. The 52nd Army, 85th Army, and 75th Army of the Chinese participating troops launched a fierce offensive against the Japanese army near Taierzhuang.The Japanese army fought desperately and occupied most of the city streets. They used the streets and alleys to resist tenaciously with the attacking Chinese army. When the general offensive order was issued on April 3, the northwest gate, north gate, east gate, and southeast gate of Taierzhuang City had all fallen into the hands of the enemy, and half of the city's area was occupied by the Japanese army.In order to cooperate with the operations of the troops outside the city, Commander-in-Chief Sun Lianzhong asked Chi Fengcheng to integrate the troops, gather the scattered personnel scattered throughout the city, and try every means to suppress the Japanese troops in Taierzhuang and regain their positions to facilitate the troops' attack during the counter-offensive.

Master Chi Fengcheng gathered the remaining troops, together with the two regiments transferred from the 30th Division. Of course, these two regiments also suffered more than half of the casualties during the two days of fighting.He conveyed the orders of Generalissimo Jiang to these troops. At the same time, he also conveyed the orders of the commanders of the fifth theater and the first theater to the soldiers. With the big knife and grenade in his hand, there is nothing else to do.Brethren, this is the last stand against the enemy. Encouraged by the division commander, the soldiers guarding the city cheered up their spirits. They still used the old method of night attack and hand-to-hand combat.This may be the time for these exhausted warriors to make a final stand against the enemy.They formed several death squads to let the seriously wounded and lightly wounded stand firm.If the attacking death squad cannot come back, it cannot give up the last position to the enemy.The wounded and sick unscrewed the cover of the grenade and pulled out the strings. They dedicated their last drop of blood to the Chinese nation and let their lives shine the last light.

The death squads set off from their positions, and they groped to the Japanese positions in the dark.To the surprise of the death squads, the Japanese soldiers were also exhausted.It has been half a month since they came from Teng county to kill the general.In the past half a month, they have never had a good rest, and they have encountered heroic resistance from the Chinese army all the time, and they are always in a state of high tension. From the day they stepped into the southern Shandong area, they were as frightened as birds. The grass and trees are all soldiers, and they are in constant panic.

The Death Squad organized by the Chinese army desperately rushed towards the Japanese positions with all their strength.In every corner of Taierzhuang, earth-shattering shouts of killing sounded.Some Japanese soldiers were lying in the positions, unable to get up.Even if they got up, the Japanese soldiers who stood up were dumbfounded.They couldn't figure out where the gunshots, shouts, and explosions in the city were coming from, and they were in a mess, fighting in a hurry, and shrinking into a ball while retreating back to back. The positions that had been fought for several days, the large streets and urban areas occupied by the Japanese army were recaptured by the heroic death squads in just one hour.On the regained positions, the Chinese defenders gathered more and more, and they got out of the ruins in twos and threes or in groups of threes and fours.These scattered soldiers never gave up fighting among the bricks, stones, and collapsed buildings. They used guns, knives, and grenades to shoot at the enemy abruptly from behind the Japanese army.When the Death Squad was fighting loudly in the enemy's position, some of these sporadic soldiers stuck their heads out from the pile of bricks, and some raised a big knife from under the building materials.They are like endless streams in a mountain stream, suddenly converging into a mountain torrent, rushing towards the enemy with devastating force.

Commander-in-chief Sun Lianzhong was very excited, and he quickly reported the good news of the successful night attack to Li Zongren.After Li Zongren received Sun Lianzhong's report, he also received news of the victory of the 21st Army.He couldn't restrain the excitement in his heart, and kept clapping hands for the frontline soldiers.Li Zongren sorted out his general's uniform, put on his belt, and fastened a very chic small pistol on his waist, and rushed to the outskirts of Taierzhuang overnight with a large group of entourage, preparing to go to the battlefield in person and command the battle against the Jigu Division. The last battle of annihilation.

April 6, 1938 is a day worth remembering forever in the history of the Chinese War of Resistance.On this day, it wrote about the pride and pride of the Chinese people, and at the same time recorded the biggest shame since the Japanese militarism invaded China.On this day, General Li Zongren, who came to the front line in person, was on a small hill, holding a telescope, looking down at the battlefields in various parts of Taierzhuang.The spring breeze blew his neat short hair, and the hands on his waist touched the gun in the holster from time to time.A general galloping on the battlefield, seeing such a spectacular battle scene, how can he not be shocked. If he can really go back 20 years, he really wants to go down and fight against the hateful Japanese soldiers.

Li Zongren accepted Sun Lianzhong's suggestion and ordered the artillery to bombard the Japanese positions before the general counteroffensive to open up a way for the assault troops of the general counteroffensive.The artillery of the Chinese army opened fire, and all artillery fire was concentrated in the theater to bombard the Japanese positions.The 7th and 10th Artillery Regiments and the 1st Heavy Artillery Company aimed at the Japanese army and bombarded them without hesitation.Although the Chinese artillery was at a numerical disadvantage, under the conditions at the time, it was the most powerful and up-to-date field heavy artillery on the Chinese battlefield.The 1st company of the heavy artillery uses a German Bufors 150mm howitzer with a 100mm cannon attached, with a range of up to 20 kilometers and accurate aiming.

After the shelling, the Chinese army attacked across the board, and the sound of killing shook the sky.When the remaining officers and soldiers of Chifengcheng Department in Taierzhuang heard the sound of our army's artillery outside, they were immediately excited. They all descended like tigers and charged towards the Xiguan and Beiguan of the city with a big knife in their hands.The enemy army has become at the end of its strength and is unable to resist. With all ammunition and aid exhausted, the whole front is shaken.They set fire to the corpses, destroyed chariots, heavy artillery, and even slaughtered horses. The Japanese Isoya Division blew up the tanks and destroyed the heavy artillery. The reason was that the tanks could not be driven and the ammunition could not be replenished because there was no fuel.It was a guerrilla force of more than a thousand people that caused a heavy blow to the rear of the Japanese army.When the Jigu Division attacked Taierzhuang, coal miners in Taierzhuang and Zaozhuang organized an anti-Japanese volunteer army, and later a group of young students joined in.Relying on their familiarity with the terrain, this volunteer army often harassed the rear of the Japanese army at night, which greatly hindered the enemy's attack on Taierzhuang.At the most critical moment of the Taierzhuang War, they blew up the gasoline depot set up by the Japanese army in Zaozhuang, and the flames of gasoline burning into the sky could be seen dozens of miles away.Without gasoline, the Japanese army's mechanized heavy weapons became a pile of scrap iron. This is not enough, the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army also raided the Japanese army's arsenal.When the Jigu Division entered the gate of Taierzhuang, they accumulated a large amount of munitions in Nigou.The Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army repeatedly harassed the ammunition depot, but failed.If you can't take it, you have to blow it up.Burning down the gasoline depot and blowing up the arsenal was the contribution made by the local anti-Japanese armed forces to the Taierzhuang War. Under the counterattack of the Chinese army, a group of Japanese troops occupying Taierzhuang were attacked from both inside and outside, and had no way to escape.They hurriedly occupied favorable terrain, made the last struggle, and refused to surrender.The morale of the Chinese army was greatly boosted, and the hand-to-hand combat with this stubborn enemy was thrilling and tragic. It is really hard to describe.The battle in the city was not over until the last Japanese soldier fell. The Isoya Division formed a group and retreated northward to Yi County.Taking advantage of the victory, the Chinese army quickly occupied Shuangshan Mountain, Gusao Mountain, and Jiuding Mountain in the east of Yicheng, guarded Tianzhu Mountain in the south of the county and Balitun in the west of the county, and besieged the Japanese army in Yixian County and Zaozhuang. The Taierzhuang battle was won. On the way of the Isoya Division's retreat, the corpses of the Japanese army were everywhere, and all kinds of weapons and baggage were everywhere. On April 7th, Li Zongren ordered all the troops participating in the war to counterattack and sweep with all their strength, and drove the remaining sporadic Japanese troops out of southern Shandong. Commander-in-Chief Sun Lianzhong came out of Taierzhuang. The two armies of his Second Army consisted of 4 divisions and 1 independent brigade, with a total of more than 24,000 troops, almost all of which were wiped out. The victory in the Taierzhuang War was poured out with the blood of Chinese soldiers.The aura of the great victory in Taierzhuang is the gathering of the light of life of thousands of outstanding sons and daughters of China. The pages of history books stained with blood are unforgettable for every Chinese.The brutal war devastated tens of thousands of Chinese people.The Chinese nation has reached the most dangerous time, and the imperialist powers have pushed the Chinese people to a desperate situation of life and death.In order to survive, in order not to be a subjugated slave, the Chinese people rose up to resist, even if you are a monster armed to the teeth, you have to fight to the death with you. Such is the case with Taierzhuang of Heroes! War can only bring suffering to the people.Unfortunately for the people in war, no matter whether you are the aggressor or the invaded, there is no exception.In the battle of Taierzhuang, the number of Japanese soldiers killed more than 16,000.If the previous bloody battle in Teng County and the defense battle of Linyi are added, the Japanese army killed no less than 25,000 soldiers in the entire southern Shandong area.The Battle of Taierzhuang alone was the worst defeat the Japanese army had suffered on the battlefield since the Meiji Restoration. This was the fate of the invaders.But the Japanese base camp did not learn the lesson. They ignored the graves that the Chinese people had already dug for them, and they had to fly moths to the flames and kill themselves. Taierzhuang wiped out more than 10,000 enemies, seized more than 40 tanks, more than 70 artillery pieces, hundreds of machine guns, more than 10,000 rifles, and seized a large amount of other military supplies.This battle was another major victory for the Chinese army after the Pingxingguan and Linyi victories in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, and it was also an inspiring victory for the Kuomintang on the frontal battlefield since the Anti-Japanese War. The news of Taierzhuang's great victory spread throughout the country, and the Chinese people were elated, as were all walks of life across the country and overseas Chinese.In Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Guiyang, Guilin and other big cities, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people held grand rallies and parades of unprecedented scale.They cheered, they jumped, they hugged each other.The joy of victory bloomed like flowers on the faces of the Chinese.The Chinese people cannot be bullied, and the Chinese nation cannot be humiliated! In the three towns of Wuhan, where the Supreme Military Command of China is stationed, the crowds marched endlessly, and the slogans and cheers almost lifted the three towns up. Watching the heroic deeds of the Chinese soldiers in Taierzhuang, they are all immersed in the joy and excitement of a festival. In the streets and alleys, the blue sky and white sun flags were hung in front of every house, and large slogans were hung everywhere. Chinese people love to hold New Year celebrations in the Chinese way. The sound of firecrackers resounded throughout the city, and the three towns almost turned upside down. All kinds of anti-Japanese and national salvation groups held concerts on the streets, delivered speeches on the war of resistance, and mobilized the masses to contribute their efforts, money and supplies to the war of resistance.The local opera in Wuhan is very exciting. Rensuke Isoya is dressed up as a big monster. People laugh at and abuse them to their heart's content, and finally throw him into the 18th hell. Li Zongren became a well-known hero in the whole country overnight. At that time, everyone knew that there was a Li Zongren in China.His huge portrait was as big as three door panels, and the parade crowd carried him to the front. Chief Li Zongren is very satisfied. In a person's life, how many times can there be such brilliance?Once is enough!The great victory in Taierzhuang is undoubtedly Li Zongren's business card, and it is also a portrayal of his life, the most brilliant portrayal of life. At that time, Zhou Enlai, the deputy director of the Political Department of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government, was also worthy of being an elite of the Communist Party of China. With the acumen of a politician, he showed his talents in the national celebrations.First of all, he took to the streets together with well-known figures from various democratic parties and democrats, delivered impassioned speeches, publicized the Anti-Japanese War, mobilized the people, and called on the people of the whole country to unite closely, join in China's Anti-Japanese War, and make their own contributions to the country and the nation .At the same time, he also organized famous people from all walks of life across the country to go to the front line to express condolences to the Chinese troops participating in the war. Yu Dafu, Bing Xin, Zang Kejia and a large number of cultural figures responded to the call and went to the front line to condolences to the wounded and officers and soldiers.There are also a large number of journalists who flocked to Xuzhou and Taierzhuang to send back many touching reports to the people of the whole country.People from all walks of life across the country extended a helping hand to the participating troops, ranging from towels, socks, and insoles.There is an iron factory in Hankou. After watching the heroic deeds of the broadsword team guarding Taierzhuang troops, they donated 5,000 broadswords to the front line.The words "Defend the family, defend the country, and fight the enemy bravely" are engraved on the sword. Sun Lianzhong, the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Army, was indeed a famous general. He and his army were the heroes of the Taierzhuang War.After the Great War, his troops were replenished.Sun Lianzhong also served as the commander-in-chief of the Lunan Corps.There is still a long way to go in the war of resistance, and the tasks are still arduous. In the future battles, there are even more arduous tasks waiting for him. The stories of Taierzhuang are endless, especially the stories of tens of thousands of anti-Japanese heroes.I think we should end this chapter with a memory of Gu Xiangzhen, the Kuomintang general at the time. General Gu Xiangzhen said: When the enemy retreated, I went to the front line and saw a cemetery where more than a hundred people were buried together. I saw their names. There were more than 20 veterans when I was a platoon leader. I have been with them for four or five years. .For the country and the nation, they gave their precious lives.I respectfully gave them a military salute in front of the grave, and paid tribute to them in silence. We can only use this method to express our condolences!