Chapter 8 Chapter Six: Forty-Seven Days (Part 2)

Yang Guangrong——At that time, he was the commander of the fourth company of the Tank Defense Artillery Battalion of the 48th Division of the Fifth Army Lu Qingyi——At that time, he was a radio operator of the Military Headquarters of the Tenth Army Peng Zhongrong——the commander of the mortar company of the 29th Regiment of the 10th Division of the Tenth Army Reserve Peng Zhongzhi——Second lieutenant staff officer of the 29th Regiment of the 10th Division of the 10th Army Reserve Wu Zhihong——Second Lieutenant Document of the Tenth Division Division Headquarters Prepared for the Tenth Army

After the Japanese army launched "Operation No. 1", the Chinese army suffered setbacks, and public opinion at home and abroad criticized it.As the supreme commander of the Chinese theater, Chiang Kai-shek felt pressured by the ridicule from the British and American allies. In mid-July 1944, U.S. President Roosevelt called Chiang Kai-shek, arguing that the Henan-Xiang war had seriously damaged China's credibility, and planned to order Stilwell, chief of staff of the Chinese theater, to directly command all Chinese troops (including the Chinese Communist Party) to fight.Chiang Kai-shek was deeply ashamed and stimulated by this. At the army meeting, he was "severe in voice and expression, and the number of cases was like a mountain." He said sadly: "Since the failure of the Central Plains Battle and the Changsha Battle, the status of our country and the honor of the army have been Especially the honor of our group of high-ranking military officers can be said to be wiped out. Foreigners no longer regard our army as an army, and our soldiers as soldiers! This kind of spiritual shame is compared with the Japanese invaders occupying our land. It is even more difficult to attack us and humiliate us with force!" He lamented, "1944 was the worst year in the long war for China", claiming that "since I started the revolution, I have never suffered from the current situation." shame", "I am 58 years old this year, and I reflect on the shame I have suffered in my life, and this year is the biggest".

At this time, a sudden change occurred in the Japanese political arena.Due to the defeat of the Japanese army in the Pacific Ocean and under the city of Hengyang, the opposition forces in Japan intensified the trend of relegating the cabinet. Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who had lost the trust of the emperor, submitted his resignation on July 18, and the Koiso Kuni Akatsuki Cabinet came to power. The Japanese hope to restore the decline in Hengyang City, and Chiang Kai-shek hopes to revive morale in Hengyang City. This bloody battle is destined to be even more tragic. July 20, day 28.In the ears of the radio operator Lu Qingyi of the Tenth Army, auditory hallucinations had already begun.

Lu Qingyi said: "My ears are not good now, because I listened too hard at that time, and the sound was only louder than mosquitoes." The Japanese army began to adopt psychological tactics, using planes to scatter "return certificates" and leaflets persuading surrender inside and outside Hengyang City.The leaflet said: "The mission of recruiting the soldiers of the Tenth Army who are good at fighting has been accomplished. This is the inherent tenacity of the Hunan people! It is a pity that your fate is not good, the reinforcements cannot advance, and your fate is at stake! But if you can join the Peace Army, Never treat it as an act of hostility!"

The officers and soldiers of the Tenth Army burned the "return certificate" and the leaflets persuading surrender, and vowed to live and die with Hengyang. "The defense of Hengyang, the first point is morale." Yang Guangrong, who was the commander of the fourth company of the tank defense artillery battalion of the 48th Division of the Fifth Army at the time, was transferred to Hengyang for support, "The second point is that I am in the Tenth Army. I have never been discouraged, I always believe that there is hope for a rescue, we must stick to it, and wait for the brothers around us to rescue us. What about so many troops, right?"

It has been almost a month, and the Hengyang defenders have already completed the task of defending the city, and the reinforcements have not yet arrived. On the outskirts of Hengyang City, gunshots appeared and disappeared. Lu Jingye, the commander of the Second Battalion of the Tenth Army's Supply Regiment, listened carefully. Lu Qidong, the son of Lu Jingye, said: "My father said that the gunshots of the enemy and the reinforcements are easy to distinguish, because the Japanese used the 38-type rifle, and he fired twice with one shot. Rifle, or 'Made in Hanyang', the sound of gunfire can be heard from far and near."

Yang Guangrong recalled: "Listen, listen, machine guns rang out. I thought it was friendly troops coming, and they were about to clear the siege." At that time, someone said that they saw a company of reinforcements entering the city. They were wearing steel helmets and carrying machine guns on their shoulders.However, it didn't take long for everyone to be happy, and they heard a verified news: the artillery company was out of shells, and they were replenished into the front line.Everyone suddenly felt cold.Someone in the military department casually sang the libretto of the Peking Opera "General Yang": "It's fine if you don't mention the reinforcements, but it's disappointing to mention the reinforcements."

Of course, there is also good news: At this time, after newspaper propaganda, the officers and soldiers of the Tenth Army have become heroes in the hearts of the Chinese people. Fang Lue, the son of Fang Xianjue, the commander of the Tenth Army, said: "At that time, I saw photos of my father in the shop windows in Guilin. Everyone said Fang Xianjue was a national hero." At that time, it was difficult for Fang Lue, a young man, to understand why no one came to rescue his father, who was a national hero. At that time, the Tenth Army had more than 80% casualties, and its ammunition was almost exhausted. The fish, shrimps and duckweed in the pond behind the position had already been eaten up by the hungry soldiers. bomb.

Peng Zhongzhi, who was preparing the staff of the 29th Regiment of the 10th Division for the 10th Army, recalled: "At that time, there was no way to pay attention to hygiene. I ate what I had, and I ate raw food. I had no choice. I didn't know how to live. Persevere, don't want to die, this is the mentality, as if the Tenth Army has never lost a battle, and won by itself." On July 22, the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government ordered the Ninth War Zone to concentrate troops west of the Xiangjiang River to attack the Japanese army attacking Hengyang. Unfortunately, it was deciphered by Japanese intelligence personnel and the Japanese army made corresponding deployments.The 62nd Army of the National Army once rushed to Hengyang West Railway Station, but under the counterattack of the 40th Division of the Japanese Army, it suffered heavy casualties and ran out of ammunition, so it was forced to retreat.The 79th Army, the main force of the 74th Army and the 319th Division of the 100th Army were also blocked from the interception line of the 40th Division of the Japanese Army.

According to the book "The Years of Chiang Kai-shek's Accompanying the Capital", on July 27, Chiang Kai-shek wrote a personal letter to Fang Xianjue: "I am well aware of the hardships and sacrifices of the officers and soldiers guarding the city. The desire for help is even more urgent. I will be responsible for my younger brother and all the officers and soldiers, and I will do my best to reinforce and help, don’t read it.” Hundreds of copies of this letter were dropped by planes over Hengyang.The ammunition, food, and medical supplies of the defenders in the city were also supplied by airdrops. Even in heavy rain, Chiang Kai-shek asked the Air Force to send pilots with highly skilled flying skills to fly risky airdrops.

On July 28, Chiang Kai-shek, who had already converted to Christianity, prayed for the officers and soldiers of the Tenth Army: "May the Lord grant me a smooth battle in Hengyang. I will build a big iron cross on the top of Nanyue Peak to repay the Lord's grace." On July 31, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary: "The defense of Hengyang has been going on for more than a month. Eight out of ten officers and soldiers of the Tenth Army were killed or injured, and Hengyang City stands firm. The gains and losses of Hengyang this time are related to the country's Survival and death, the nation's honor and disgrace are the greatest." On August 1, Fang Xianjue called Chiang Kai-shek and said, "We must stick to it" and "One dies for the country." August 2, Day 41.Lu Qingyi received two telegrams to Fang Xianjue, the commander of the army: one was from Chiang Kai-shek, which said that "the reinforcements will reach the outskirts of the city soon"; The two armies (that is, the 62nd Army and the 79th Army) have indeed been ordered to break the siege of Hengyang, and are now breaking through the enemy's blockade and approaching Hengyang. Brother, you can make preparations for internal cooperation and external cooperation." On this day, Air Force planes again airdropped Chiang Kai-shek's warrant to the Hengyang defenders, informing that "reinforcements from all walks of life have arrived at Ertang, Jialipo, Lujialing, and Qili Mountain as scheduled this morning. I will order the Air Force to cover and strictly supervise the advance." The reinforcements that the officers and soldiers of the Tenth Army had been waiting for finally arrived. Lu Qidong said that Cao Huating, the commander of the secret service battalion, the only remaining battalion of the Tenth Army at this time, was urgently called into the army headquarters. "This is a strong general. He was ordered to lead a 150-man commando to rush out of the city and go to the Wuliting outside the city, which is five miles away from the city, to meet the reinforcements." The commando broke through the siege and arrived at Wuliting, but they did not wait for reinforcements. "The 62nd Army of the reinforcements has already retreated," Lu Qidong said. Peng Zhongrong, the commander of the mortar company of the 29th Regiment of the 10th Division who was preparing for the 10th Army, recalled: "The 62nd Army could not counterattack, so it withdrew by itself." According to the book "China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on Frontal Battlefields", on August 2, the 62nd Army and the 100th Army had indeed arrived at the Santang and Liangmu Mountain areas, and the 74th Army had arrived at Shetian Bridge. , Xinqiao, the 79th Army arrived near Wangchengao, and fought fiercely with the 40th Division of the Japanese Army.When the 62nd Army attacked Ertang and Liangmu Mountains, it fought hand-to-hand with the 234th Regiment of the Japanese Army, and dealt a devastating blow to the Regiment. "However, due to the heavy casualties of the 62nd Army and others in the battle, they were unable to annihilate the remnants of the Japanese army that relied on the fortifications to hold their positions. They were blocked from the interception line of the Japanese army and failed to join the Hengyang defenders. During this period, the peripheral All corps, except the 24th Group Army, which actively attacked Hengyang west of the Xiangjiang River in accordance with the order of the Military Commission, the armies of the Ninth Theater to the east of the Xiangjiang River did not carry out active and powerful attacks." Cao Huating, who had broken out of the encirclement, could have taken the opportunity to leave the dangerous city of Hengyang, but he turned his horse and led the crowd to kill him back. Lu Qidong said: "They charged back and suffered heavy casualties. Since these 150 people can rush out of the city and then come back, so many friendly troops outside can't rush in. What is the reason?" It was three days after the commandos returned to the city, only 15 of the 150 remained.The officers and soldiers of the Tenth Army were muttering in their hearts: 150 people can go back and forth, but tens of thousands of reinforcements can't get close? Yang Guangrong sighed: "You can't get rid of the siege outside, and the more you fight inside, the more you fight, the more you die, the less you die, and you don't have any ammunition. How can you win?!" The pessimistic atmosphere began to spread.Lu Qingyi received another telegram from Chiang Kai-shek: "Stay for another three days, and the reinforcements will enter the city." Fang Xianjue read the telegram, waved his hand, and sighed. On August 3, the Japanese army bombarded Hengyang City.Chiang Kai-shek ordered: "Let the 62nd Army go forward regardless of all sacrifices, and then advance quickly and courageously. If they reach Hengyang to relieve the siege, the officers will be promoted and the soldiers will be rewarded." The officers and soldiers of the 62nd Army still did not get the reward. August 4, day 43.The Japanese launched their third general offensive. "The Final Battle of the Imperial Japanese Army (Part of the Battle of Hengyang)" records: five heavy artillery pieces, fifty field artillery pieces, counting the strength of about five divisions, assembled in the outskirts of Hengyang on August 1, August 4 In the morning, under the command of Commander Hengshan, the third general attack began.However, the enemy's defender, General Fang Xianjue, was the number one brave and skilled general. The three divisions of his Tenth Army all fought with the determination to die, and defended every inch of land. His spirit of fighting in an isolated city is really admirable.My all-out attack on the first day was forced to fail again.In the fierce battle that lasted for more than forty days, not a single enemy soldier surrendered to me. This is indeed an anecdote since the Sino-Japanese War. If the enemy had not gradually reorganized the wandering troops into a regular army during the long-term war of resistance, it must be our army. The two defeats strengthened the enemy's confidence in victory! Nearly 100,000 Japanese troops bombarded the core positions and urban areas of the Chinese defenders with planes and cannons. Yang Guangrong recalled: "A deputy platoon leader, with a dozen wounded soldiers, ran into me at the back. When I saw it, hey, isn't this from the first company? I was a platoon leader in the first company. The deputy platoon leader The commander was the squad leader at that time, and his name was Yang Zan. I said, Yang Zan, why are you back? He said, the company commander, the position has been lost. According to the regulations of the Fifth Army, those who lose the position must be killed. Who to kill? Kill the company Commander. I asked, where is your company commander? He said, the company commander is missing. I asked again, where is the deputy company commander? He said, he was killed.” The deputy platoon leader is guarding the extremely important Xichan Temple position.Once this position is lost, the city will be opened.Without saying a word, Yang Guangrong ran to challenge the battalion commander. "I said, Battalion Commander, don't worry, I'll go. At that time, I was young and arrogant, and my physique was good. I thought that others were not good, but I was not bad. I was a little ambitious. He said, okay, you go, clean up the sanitation of the battalion department. Soldiers, cooking soldiers, ordnance soldiers, there are seventeen or eight soldiers, and those who have withdrawn from the company are also taken." Yang Guangrong divided more than 30 brothers into 3 groups.It was getting late, and under the moonlight, they quietly walked outside the Xichan Temple. Yang Guangrong recalled: "I led two groups to the front, and one group was the reserve team to the rear. I told everyone that the hats were all turned upside down. At night, it was hazy and I couldn't see clearly. Everyone turned their hats upside down and put them on." on." Because the position had just been occupied, the Japanese army was repairing the fortifications, and there were only two people standing guard outside the Xichan Temple. "I sent two soldiers to kill the Japanese sentry first. The two soldiers climbed the wall and went in. When the Japanese sentry saw it, it was just one shot. It doesn't matter this shot. All the guns went off everywhere." Yang Guangrong said. The sudden counterattack caught the opponent off guard. In the melee, he hugged a small Japanese captain. "Holding his hands tightly, if you let him free his arms, you can't cure him." During the fight, Yang Guangrong turned his head and saw a Japanese soldier stabbing him with a gun. "At this critical moment, an ordnance soldier in our battalion turned his gun upside down and smashed it with the butt. He smashed it so hard that the Japanese soldier's gun was smashed, and mine was also smashed." Ordnance soldiers and Japanese soldiers started hand-to-hand combat. "The Japanese soldier bit the left arm of the ordnance soldier as soon as he came up. It hurt. The ordnance soldier freed his right hand and took out a grenade with a wooden handle. He lifted it up and smashed the Japanese soldier's head. The Japanese soldier's head was smashed and he didn't let go. He smashed the Japanese soldier to death, and he came to help me and deal with the team leader." Yang Guangrong said. When the fight was inextricably linked, Yang Guangrong's group of people who stayed outside the temple also climbed over the wall and came in. Yang Guangrong said: "I asked the deputy platoon leader to lead this team. When they heard the gunshots, they all jumped into the wall and shouted 'kill'. When the night is quiet, the sound of 'kill' is scary!" Under the moonlight, the once prosperous Xichan Temple has become a battlefield of bloody killings. Yang Guangrong recalled: "The team behind us climbed into the wall and confused the Japanese: How many Chinese troops came, and why did they keep going? Their determination was shaken. We saw They faltered and fought harder. Some sacrificed, some died with the enemy with grenades, and some wrestled with the Japanese in the corner. I hugged two or three Japanese one after another, and finally we killed the Japanese. It's all resolved, I have no strength. In this way, the position has been regained." The position was recovered, and the exhausted Yang Guangrong sat alone under a big tree outside the Xichan Temple.At this time, the fog gradually dissipated, and there was a bright full moon in the sky.Yang Guangrong remembered that this day was the sixteenth day of the sixth lunar month. "At that time, the moonlight was brighter, so I thought, oh, I'm in my twenties, my parents raised me so much, and they didn't send me any money, so I died here in Hengyang, alas." Yang Guangrong sighed. Said, "It's sad to think about it. When I first came out, I was ambitious and young for the country. Now, the army has defeated Hengyang. How can I get out? There is no hope. You must die in the Hengyang can’t do it, it’s over, it’s over. Thinking about it, I’m crying.” More than a month ago, Yang Guangrong came to Hengyang as a reinforcement, but now, there is no reinforcement to rescue them.Two years ago, he endured heavy rain, hunger, malaria, and widespread death in the hellish Savage Mountain in northern Myanmar, but he couldn't bear the endless waiting in sunny Hengyang. August 5, day 44. The 58th Division of the Japanese Army, which was reinforced from Changsha, entered the battle from the northwest of Hengyang and stormed the position of the 190th Division. Lu Qingyi, who was sitting in front of the radio, was a little numb, and he didn't send a telegram a day. Lu Qingyi was a little puzzled by the delay in reinforcements: "Your Seventy-Fourth Army was surrounded by the Japanese in Changde, and our Tenth Army came to rescue you. We sacrificed a division commander to help you out. Now we are more than 40 people in Hengyang City. God, why can't you break in?" Hengyang is already a city of sorrow. The Japanese army that attacked the city has reached 100,000, and there are only more than 1,000 defenders in the city who can hold guns. Intense quarrels came from the headquarters of the Tenth Army.Cai Rulin, one of the attendees, who was the War Supervisor and Artillery Commander of the Tenth Army at the time, recorded such a fragment in his memoir "Forty-Seven Days of Hengyang Defense Battle": Fang Xianjue held a meeting at 3:00 p.m. on August 5th with the participation of four division commanders, army chiefs of staff, theater supervisors, and others to discuss the next step.At the meeting, Zhou Qingxiang, the commander of the Third Division, advocated breaking out, thinking that it was still too late, and it would be too late in a few days. Fang Xianjue thought it would be difficult to escape without an order to break out.Someone took out a copy of the "Review Conference Minutes of the Changde Battle" and read to Fang Xianjue a sentence that Chiang Kai-shek reprimanded Yu Chengwan, "How can you be the leader of others, you can bear to abandon your wounded officers and soldiers and escape privately", Fang Xianjue After listening to this passage, he said to several division commanders: "There is a force to break through the siege, and we can break through. But we are gone, what should we do if there are so many wounded soldiers left? The enemy will kill the wounded soldiers when they see them. Yu Chengwan, who guards Changde You don’t need to ask the wounded soldiers, we feel that we can’t do it first, you have the heart to leave the wounded soldiers and let the enemy kill them, who is willing to be your subordinate in the future?” After some discussions, all the people who participated in the meeting burst into tears. Feeling imminent. Zhou Liqi, son of Zhou Qingxiang, said: "During the Battle of Changde, there were probably nearly 300 officers and soldiers there, and Yu Chengwan broke through." Cai Rulin wrote: Fang Xianjue said: "Never break out of the siege, and must defend to the death. Each of your division commanders is only allowed to keep 4 guards, and the rest will go to the front to fight. If you find out that you keep one more person, it is public opinion that you have disobeyed the order. Privately, you are sorry for your friends. One soldier, one shot, no talk of breaking out of the siege. Fang Xianjue will never escape privately. When necessary, everyone will come to the military headquarters, and we will die together. If we want to commit suicide, I will do it first." He finally said majesticly : "You must know that I committed suicide. Even if you escape, the committee cannot forgive you, and you cannot be human beings yourself." On the night of August 6, a part of the 58th Division of the Japanese Army broke into the city from the northwest corner of the city.In the eyes of the Japanese army, the opponent's Tenth Army "is a good fighter after all, and it has not been shaken by a corner of the defenders in other theaters, and the resistance has become fiercer." August 7, day 46. From 6 o'clock in the morning, the Japanese army launched a charge after concentrated artillery fire on the defenders for about 2 hours.Most of the defenders' positions were destroyed and suffered heavy casualties, but the officers and soldiers of the 3rd Division and the Reserve 10th Division still resisted tenaciously. At noon, radio operator Lu Qingyi sent a telegram from Fang Xianjue to the attendant's room of the Chairman of the Military Commission: Lu Qingyi said: "This is really the 'last telegram'. After I sent the telegram, there was no contact with the outside world. The signal from the friendly army radio station was gone, and the Chongqing station also had no signal. The Tenth Army didn't get any telegrams to send. .” Few people know that when reinforcements are not available, ammunition is exhausted, and troops are exhausted, there is a more terrifying crisis lurking in Hengyang City. Zhou Liqi said: "At that time, there was an outbreak of cholera in the Tenth Army, and it was reported to Chiang Kai-shek. If it broke through, then the Japanese would definitely arrest the surrounding people to deal with some affairs left by the Tenth Army. diffusion." On this day, a Chinese wounded battalion with thousands of people fell. "The battalion of wounded soldiers was in a church outside Hengyang City. After the Japanese came, they shot all the wounded soldiers to death with machine guns." Lu Qingyi said. The radio station had stopped working, and Lu Qingyi, who took off his earphones, could hear a mess of voices.An adjutant of the military department came over solemnly and told him that the commander wanted to commit suicide. "This is the adjutant of the entourage. He often tells our radio crew some situations. He said that Commander Fang is going to die." The book "Battle of Hengyang in Forty-Seven Days" records: "On August 7, when the Japanese army was advancing from Yanwuping to the military headquarters, Zeng Jing, head of the 28th Regiment of the Tenth Division, brought more than a dozen people to the rescue. Fang Xianjue wanted to protect Fang Xianjue from the siege. Fang said: "Don't worry about me, you have to defend your position and go back quickly." At night, Fang Xianjue said to his staff and guards: "You have accompanied me to fulfill your greatest responsibility." , you each find a way to find a way to survive, I will die here." After saying that, he wanted to take the guard's gun and commit suicide. Afterwards, several attempts to commit suicide were stopped." According to Wang Hongze, Fang Xianjue's adjutant, when Fang Xianjue pulled out his pistol and was about to commit suicide, he and a regiment leader named Li Shouguang snatched Fang Xianjue's pistol.All the people present comforted Fang Xianjue, that the wounded soldiers in the city should be the most important. "Later, I heard him talk about this incident with my own ears at home." Fang Qingzhong, the son of Fang Xianjue, said, "Nearly 7,000 officers and soldiers were injured at that time. With such a brutal fighting method, the Japanese will have a strong sense of revenge." Fang Lue, the son of Fang Xianjue, thinks that his father loves soldiers very much: "When we lived in Changsha, my father passed by the military camp, and sometimes he happened to meet soldiers squatting or sitting to eat. When they saw the commander coming, they quickly put down their jobs. Stand up. Later, my father said to his subordinates, don’t disturb the soldiers when they are eating, let them eat.” On this day, the Chinese Air Force plane dropped a communication bag again, which contained Chiang Kai-shek's order: "The reinforcements will arrive at Hengyang City tomorrow, and there will be no delay. Zhongzheng." Wu Zhihong, who was preparing the documents of the second lieutenant of the Tenth Division for the Tenth Army, sighed: "It is difficult to be a loyal minister, and it is even more difficult for a general to be a loyal minister." At dusk, the Japanese Artillery Observatory reported that "white flags appeared in enemy positions", and the 68th Division of the Japanese Army reported that after 5:00 p.m., "the white flags flew over the Chongqing Army's position in the forest highlands in front of the division". That night, Fang Xianjue sent Chief of Staff Sun Mingyu to contact the Japanese army about the truce.According to Rao Shaowei, commander of the Provisional 54th Division, recalled: "Fang instructed Sun Mingyu to draw up seven surrender conditions, to the effect: "(1) Request to retain the Tenth Army's organizational system; "(2) Demanding that the Japanese army enter the city without killing prisoners; "(3) Demanding that the Japanese army treat wounded officers and soldiers humanely; "(4) Request the Japanese army to cease fire immediately; "(5) Ask the Japanese army to send a plane to send Fang Xianjue to Nanjing to meet Wang Jingwei. "The other two people can no longer remember." Lu Qingyi did not think that Fang Xianjue was surrendering: "This is an agreement to cease fighting. When the troops have no contact, no ammunition, and no personnel, we will stop fighting, but I have conditions, and the agreement to cease fighting is conditional. You can't Hurt the innocent -- these medical personnel, the wounded soldiers." August 8, day 47. At 4 o'clock in the morning, Chiang Kai-shek, who had not slept for a long time, got up silently and prayed for the Hengyang defenders. In the early morning, "Fang Xianjue led Zhou Qingxiang, Commander of the 3rd Division, Rong Youlue, Commander of the 190th Division, Ge Xiancai, Commander of the Tenth Reserve Division, Rao Shaowei, Commander of the Temporary 54th Division, and Sun Guangkuan, Chief of the Adjutant Division, met with the Japanese in the Catholic Church in the south of the city. Di Sanshunan, head of the 68th Division, met with him and formally surrendered." Wu Zhihong also didn't think Fang Xianjue surrendered: "Even if you kill me now, I won't admit that Fang Xianjue surrendered." Bai Lin, who was the commander of the mortar company of the 28th Regiment of the 10th Preparatory Division at the time, recorded in the book "The Defense of Hengyang in the Anti-Japanese Jihad": "Fang Yu made three demands to the Japanese army after being captured: "(1) Ensure the safety of surviving officers and soldiers and allow them to rest; "(2) Take care of the wounded and treat them, and solemnly bury the officers and soldiers who died in battle; "(3) The guards and soldiers will never leave Hengyang City." At six or seven o'clock in the morning, Lu Qingyi was called out of the central bank by the military staff. "When I went to the gate of the Central Bank, I saw Japanese soldiers entering the city. The city that entered from the gate held the sun flag, showing off their power." Lu Qingyi denied the white flag and said: "The remaining troops of our Tenth Army did not hang the flag. For the white flag, there is no such thing." Lu Qingyi recalled: "The Japanese gathered us in the church and guarded the door with machine guns." At this time, several positions outside the city were still fighting, and street fighting continued inside the city.Some officers and soldiers chose to break out of the siege, such as Yang Guangrong, who broke out of the city from the Xiangjiang River after fighting until there were only 4 soldiers left.Some wounded soldiers committed suicide. The book "The Defense of Hengyang in the Anti-Japanese Jihad" contains the following passage: On the day when Hengyang fell (August 8), our officers and soldiers were filled with righteous indignation and fought on their own. The city was full of gunshots, sniping the enemy everywhere, which aroused the enemy's anger and massacred wantonly.And the sound of the grenade exploding, one after another, became the cannon of our officers and soldiers' collective sacrifice for the country and the enemy!At this time, there are still more than 7,000 wounded and sick officers and soldiers groaning in pain in the decaying wall, or committing suicide with guns, jumping into the river by jumping into the river, or hanging to death; With one shot, the remaining life is destroyed, and the tragedy cannot be described in words! Wu Zhihong, who broke out at the time, said: "It's all about breaking the boat and saving the country with your life. You have to kill a Japanese before you die to be willing. Why did I come out alive again? Because the Japanese are really afraid of the Chinese." On the same day, the 46th Army and others dispatched from the Fourth War Zone arrived at Ertang, 8 kilometers away from Hengyang.Takeji Shimanuki, the staff officer of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, wrote in his diary: "Conquering Hengyang at 8 am and attacking for 40 days...is a battle with all-out efforts. Only one day later, the enemy's mechanized corps appeared. We Facing the enemy troops who came to rescue the siege, the troops on both sides were somewhat shaken. The victory of the war really lies in the last 5 minutes. If the enemy who sticks to Hengyang fights to the death, there may be an "Imphal ending"." On the same day, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary: "It took forty-seven days and nights for the defenders to fight hard in the Battle of Hengyang, so we prayed silently at 4:00 a.m. to turn the crisis into peace. By 5:00 a.m., we still got Hengyang's telegram, which was interrupted after 15 minutes. Since then, it will never be connected again! At about ten o'clock, I received the air force reconnaissance report: "Hengyang City has disappeared." So I knew that Hengyang had fallen. Because of my self-recording feeling, I said: "The grief is so real that it has never been seen before." Not yet.'” In the Battle of Hengyang, the Chinese army suffered more than 17,000 casualties. "The Final Battle of the Imperial Japanese Army (Part of the Battle of Hengyang)" claimed that the Japanese army suffered 19,380 casualties, including 910 officer casualties (390 officers died in battle).However, in August 1945, when General Li Yutang, who had served as the commander of the Tenth Army, accepted the surrender of the Japanese army in Hunan, he asked the Japanese general how many casualties the Japanese army had suffered in the Battle of Hengyang. The Japanese general replied: "More than 48,000 people." According to the U.S. Library of Congress: "The Japanese army suffered more than 70,000 casualties, of which 48,000 were killed; the Chinese suffered 15,000 casualties, of which 7,400 were killed." The Battle of Hengyang was an unprecedentedly tragic battle for the city with the longest fighting time and the most casualties between the enemy and ourselves during the Anti-Japanese War.The Japanese side admitted that the "sacrifice was horrifyingly large" and that it was "the only difficult and memorable siege battle in the eight-year Sino-Japanese war." The history of the Japanese army said: Fang Xianjue was "a brave general who fought well", and the Tenth Army "will fight for every inch of land, and his spirit of fighting in an isolated city is really admirable". Chongqing's "Ta Kung Pao" editorial said: "47 days in Hengyang is a huge price for taking the enemy, and 47 days in Hengyang is a shameful teaching war." In mid-August of that year, the captured brothers Peng Zhongrong and Peng Zhongzhi secretly escaped from Hengyang, taking advantage of the lax guard of the Japanese army. The captured Lu Qingyi and his comrades were forced to harvest grain for the Japanese.One day, he and more than 20 comrades killed the Japanese guarding them and managed to escape. Most of the captured officers and soldiers of the Tenth Army escaped from the prison camp by taking advantage of the shortage of Japanese logistics supplies and lax detention. Generals such as Zhou Qingxiang, Sun Mingyu, and Rao Shaowei were among them. On November 18, with the help of Chongqing, Fang Xianjue, who had been guarded for more than three months, also escaped and returned to Chongqing on December 11. On December 13, Chongqing's "Ta Kung Pao" published an editorial "Cheers to Commander Fang Xianjue": "Commander Fang Xianjue, the hero who fought hard in Hengyang for forty-seven days, is back!...We can't help but cheer to Commander Fang: 'We Our heroes are back! Our anti-Japanese spirit is back!'" "Take Hengyang as an example, every big city has been fighting for forty-seven days, fighting hard one by one, and desperately fighting everywhere. May I ask: What is the fate of the Japanese invaders?" How many forty-seven days are there?" On February 19, 1945, the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government awarded Fang Xianjue the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal. In February 1946, Ge Xiancai, the commander of the 10th Preparatory Division, was ordered to return to Hengyang. Together with more than 60 officers and soldiers of the former 10th Army who were stranded, they collected more than 3,000 dead bodies in the original position for more than 4 months, and built a martyr memorial. The cemetery is on the top of Zhangjiashan. Ge Xiancai wrote in his memoirs: Looking back on the days of searching for the remains, we were crying and working almost every day.This "ancient battlefield" is not "ancient"; but a year and a half ago, these "ancient people" were all lively fighting partners.Now, this "ancient battlefield" has become barren, with rusty guns, shell casings, fragments of shells and bombs... all over the place; People discard it there with disdain; and the place where the grass grows tallest and most lush must also be the place with the most bones!But a year and a half ago, these skeletons were still good men of the country, beloved sons of their parents, and dreams of spring girls.The enemy's bullets, shells, and bombs did not "touch" us, otherwise, today we don't know who will pick up our bones! ... On the day when the collection of the remains was completed, we hired a photographer to take photos.Facing this hill about ten feet high and piled up with Yu Zhong's remains, I intuitively feel that it is majestic, sacred and magnificent!I silently prayed in my heart: "Brothers, rest in peace! You did not die in vain. Japan has surrendered, and the country has been saved because of your death. You are seeking benevolence." Then we moved the loyal bones into the grave one by one for burial.For some reason, my nose suddenly became sore, and I couldn't help feeling sad, and tears fell like rain.Ah, brethren!brothers!My beloved brothers!If I hadn't experienced the situation myself, how could I have realized that behind the "seeking for benevolence and gaining benevolence" is such a deep sorrow! "Historical Research" published Deng Ye's article "The Judgment on Chiang Kai-shek Fang Xianjue's Surrender to the Enemy" in the fifth issue of 2006, in which he said: "The historical controversy caused by Fang Xianjue does not lie in how to evaluate his merits and demerits, but focuses on his Whether or not they defected to the enemy. In this regard, Taiwan’s related works basically deny it, while the mainland side, on the contrary, mostly affirms it. As far as the author sees, the basic arguments of both sides are mostly the later testimonies of the participants in the Battle of Hengyang. The environment is different, and the testimonies are naturally different, so each has its own basis and holds its own theory. However, because neither party has presented original evidence, the basis for each other's arguments is not convincing enough." Deng Ye believed that Fang Xianjue's defection to the enemy was a fact, "The reason why this case is indistinguishable is largely caused by Chiang Kai-shek's ruling back then."Jiang "categorically vetoed Fang's surrender to the enemy" was a political need. "Any battle, the more strategic it is, the more political it is, and the more extensive its political involvement is, just like the Hengyang campaign. Soon after the battle started, it was inevitably involved in a series of political issues." Article Said, "On December 25th, Yan'an's "Liberation Daily" published a long special report on the issue of Fang Xianjue's defection to the enemy, citing Fang Xianjue's speeches on surrendering to the enemy published by the Japanese army. These traitors were actually very popular in Chongqing, and they were hailed as models of Chinese soldiers, and Chiang Kai-shek gave them great encouragement.'” Ding Min's article "How Do We Correctly Evaluate the "Anti-Japanese Hengyang Defense War"" believes that Fang Xianjue should have been captured, not surrendered. He voluntarily gave up breaking out to escape in order to save the lives of 7,000 wounded in the Tenth Army. Opportunity, I chose to live and die with everyone. Peng Houwen's article "Analysis of Characters: An Analysis of the Incident of Fang Xianjue's Surrender to the Japanese Army in the Defense of Hengyang" said: "The incident of Fang Xianjue's surrender to the Japanese army cannot be simply labeled as 'greedy for life and fear of death' or 'treasonous surrender to the enemy'. Instead, we should look at To: Fang Xianjue's performance during most of the defense of Hengyang is worthy of recognition. The defense of Hengyang lasted for 47 days, which is inseparable from Fang Xianjue, who is the chief general of the defenders; If he surrendered when the failure of the Hengyang defense battle was a foregone conclusion, the responsibility for the failure of this battle cannot be borne by him; Fang Xianjue's surrender, in addition to subjective reasons such as low ideological level and weak will, also had important reasons. For objective reasons, the Kuomintang reinforcements outside Hengyang City, Zhou Qingxiang, the division commander who first advocated surrender, and others should bear considerable responsibility for his surrender. In addition, we should also see that Fang Xianjue’s surrender was also caused by the destruction of the Japanese army. Under the unavoidable situation in the city, the consideration of preserving the lives of the remaining officers and soldiers. From a humanitarian standpoint, such considerations are understandable. After he surrendered to the Japanese army, he did not sell himself wholeheartedly, and successfully escaped in less than five months. Back to Chongqing. In this way, we will find that Fang Xianjue's surrender is not necessarily related to "greed for life and fear of death" or "treason and surrender to the enemy". It is incompatible, and it is also incompatible with the national integrity advocated by the whole country during the War of Resistance Against Japan. This made his surrender a disgraceful incident that even he himself was ashamed to admit. The negative aspects of his surrender The meaning is here." Xie Rudi's book "The Years of Chiang Kai-shek's Accompanying the Capital" records: "No wonder he (Fang Xianjue) said to people later: 'The biggest regret in my life is that I didn't kill myself when I raised my gun. He was beaten to death." Even Chiang Kai-shek felt wronged and regretted his misfortune, so at a National Political Council meeting, some politicians deliberately asked: "During the defense of Hengyang, did Fang Xianjue count as surrender?" The tragedy of Fang Xianjue is not understood by the people of the country, but the Japanese people, who were an enemy country, went to lay wreaths at Fang's grave after his death, not for his "surrender". On the contrary, it was his spirit of daring to fight to the death with the 200,000 besieging Japanese army with a tired army of thousands of people."

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