Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1482 The first military order!

After the headquarters was established, the first military order issued by Fang Xianjue was to evacuate all the people in Hengyang!

Fang Xianjue understood that since he and the 10th Army had to defend Hengyang City to the death, the entire city of Hengyang would become a position.

  The only ones left here are warriors!

But the evacuation of the people cannot be done with just a military order. These are 30 living people, not 30 sheep.

Even the extremely capable Zhao Junmai had a bitter look on his face when he received the military order that gave him full responsibility for evacuating the civilians.

Hengyang had accepted Zhao Zili's order three days ago to destroy all roads outside the city. If one wanted to leave Hengyang, one had to either walk or rely on rail transportation.

Fang Xianjue was extremely decisive. After issuing the military order to evacuate all citizens that afternoon, he drove to Hengyang Railway Station with Tang Dao who had just arrived in Hengyang.

More than 10 people have gathered there.

These people carried bedding on their backs, had packages containing the most valuable items in their homes hung around their necks, and held their babies in their hands, standing in the wilderness of the train station looking around blankly.

Hengyang is no longer the small county town it once was, but a "Little Shanghai" with a population of over 30. To evacuate 30 people within a week is not something that can be done overnight even in the future with developed transportation, let alone in China at this time.

There were only two tin trucks coming from Guangxi Province. Even if they were packed full, with people even sitting on the roof, they could only take away 10000 people. In seven days, no more than 7 people could be carried.

The panic on people's faces and the heart-wrenching cries of children became the main theme in this desolate wilderness.

Fang Xianjue frowned deeply. If the people could not be evacuated and fled to the wilderness, they would be destined to become living targets for the Japanese army to hunt. In the city, they would only become victims of artillery fire.

Not only will there be heavy casualties, but more importantly, the army will be responsible for the food supply of these people, which will also lead to a deterioration in the army's sustained combat capability.

But people cannot grow wings and fly away. Even he is somewhat helpless in the face of this situation.

"Commander Fang, I suggest that we should not tell the people about the difficulties of evacuation first, but instead make clear our Hengyang army's determination to defend the city to the death in order to reassure the people." Tang Dao, who was standing next to Fang Xianjue, suddenly spoke.

"What do you mean?" Fang Xianjue obviously didn't quite understand what Tang Dao meant.

"In the past, the 67th Army and I were ordered to defend Songjiang for three days. The people of Songjiang took the initiative to stay and help fight off the enemy, who numbered up to 6000. They might not be able to fight the Japanese with guns, but without their help in digging trenches and building fortifications, we soldiers alone would not be able to complete the military order." Tang Dao replied with a firm look in his eyes.

"In Songjiang, our army had to retreat after completing the order, but this time, I am a little tired. If there are really people willing to stay and fight against the Japanese pirates with me, then this Hengyang City will become the burial place for me and all the officers and soldiers of the Four Lines Regiment!"

Songjiang was the second defensive battle that Tang Dao had fought since he came to this era, and it was also one of the most brutal battlefields he had experienced in this era.

3 VS 10, mortars confront 105 howitzers, the combat effectiveness of both sides is completely not on the same level.

After the Battle of Songjiang, Tang Dao almost never mentioned Songjiang in public, and few people knew that this battle was actually a hidden pain in Tang Dao's heart.

Yes, the 67th Army avoided the tragedy of the past and did not completely collapse after losing its commander on the banks of the Huangpu River. It also maintained a certain combat effectiveness after killing and wounding a large number of Japanese invaders in Songjiang City.

But what about Songjiang City? It was still lost.

What about the people of Songjiang who took the initiative to stay and fight against the Japanese pirates? They took great risks to stay in the city to transport supplies and build fortifications for the army. Their most simple purpose was to protect their poor homes.

Before the evacuation, more than 6000 of the 1000 young and strong men who voluntarily stayed behind died in the artillery fire, more than 2000 were temporarily conscripted into the army, and nearly 3000 survived.

But they could only watch helplessly as the troops that had completed the blocking order evacuated under the cover of night. Otherwise, the remaining more than 10,000 soldiers would all die in that small town.

Whether from a strategic or tactical perspective, the 67th Army and the Four-Line Battalion had to retreat.

But for those people who stayed behind, they were abandoned, their lives were wasted, their blood was shed in vain, and their homes were still occupied by the Japanese.

Tang Dao still remembers clearly the numb and desperate looks of the team of Songjiang youths who followed his Fourth Battalion to transport supplies when he took his last look at the small town before leaving.

  Tang Dao turned around and never looked back!

But that scene kept reappearing in his mind vividly.

Tang Dao doesn't want Hengyang to remain like this.

"I understand what you said!" Fang Xianjue lowered his head and thought for a moment, and made the most important decision at the beginning of his defense of Hengyang.

In the Battle of Stalingrad, weren't all the residents in the city evacuated? Since we can't evacuate everyone, we should stay here and live and die with the city!

After receiving the news that Fang Xianjue was going to give a speech to the people, the municipal government under the leadership of Zhao Junmai was quite efficient. In just half an hour, they had set up the broadcast and loudspeaker. Fang Xianjue climbed onto a platform near the train station and delivered a speech:

"Dear fellow villagers of Hengyang, our 10th Army has been stationed in Hengyang for three years since entering Hunan, and has won the care and love of the people of Hengyang. Fang and the 10th Army are grateful. However, I am ashamed that this time when the Japanese invaders attacked, our Chinese soldiers disappointed the fellow villagers. More than 11 Japanese 10th Army is heading straight for Hengyang, forcing everyone to leave their homes. This is a shame for us as soldiers!

  However, I can tell you the wish and attitude of someone on my side. I will fight the Japanese pirates to the end with my blood and flesh. I will never leave the front line until the Japanese pirates are completely eliminated!

The 10th Army is determined to stay with Hengyang City. The 10th Army is Hengyang, and Hengyang is the 10th Army. I am determined to repay the kindness and love that the people of Hengyang have shown to my 10th Army over the past three years! "

Fang Xianjue's emotions were getting high when he spoke up to this point. He pulled out his Browning pistol from his waist and said, "As long as I am Fang Xianjue, there is Hengyang City! Please bear witness, fellow villagers. If the city is breached, this will be the pistol that will kill me!"

Fang Xianjue's voice echoed in the wilderness. Looking from afar, the body of the army lieutenant general holding a pistol was as straight as a javelin.

Even the dumbest person could understand the general's determination to defend the city at this time.

"General Fang is mighty!"

"The 10th Army is mighty!"

There were also many well-educated people among the people. After a brief silence, they were stimulated by Fang Xianjue's remarks and raised their hands and cheered.

More and more people joined in the response, and the shouts of tens of thousands of people rumbled around the wilderness. The fear that had previously enveloped everyone's faces was replaced by excitement.

Although their most urgent thing now is to leave Hengyang, which is about to become a battlefield, at least Fang Xianjue's determination makes them feel a little more at ease.

In case we can't leave, as long as Hengyang City is still there, the family will at least have a place to stay.

Tens of thousands of people shouted for nearly five minutes. Fang Xianjue let them vent their inner panic before he pressed down and leaned closer to the microphone again: "I came to the train station today to solve the problem of my fellow countrymen evacuating to Guangxi Province. The government of Guangxi Province has already coordinated. Special departments have been arranged in various cities along the way to solve the problem of food and water for the people who fled there. The Executive Yuan has allocated special funds for this purpose. The fellow countrymen who left their hometowns don't have to worry too much.

But the reality is also before us. Due to insufficient transport capacity, we can only guarantee two train runs a day, with a capacity of 30 people. However, Hengyang has a population of . Some of them leave by walking or horse-drawn carriages, and nearly half of the people are still stranded at the train station.

Based on this, I would like to make a suggestion: let the elderly, children, women and children go first, and the young and strong go last, if they really cannot leave."

The scene suddenly fell silent. Zhao Junmai, who was standing not far away, looked a little pale, and with his hands behind his back, he signaled the surrounding security guards to be on high alert.

Mayor Zhao, who had just returned from studying in the United States, understood that Fang Xianjue was telling the truth, but sometimes the truth is the most hurtful. These ordinary people gathered at the train station and still maintained order and did not rush into the temporary cordon made of sandbags. That was because they still had a glimmer of hope in their hearts, hoping to quickly escape from the battlefield by train.

  Fang Xianjue's words cut off their last hope of escape. God knows what people in despair will do?

Mayor Zhao doesn't know what the people will do. I'm afraid the people themselves, who are shrouded in despair, don't know either, and are mostly confused.

Staying on the battlefield means almost certain death, but separation from family is also an unacceptable option!

"Damn it! I fled from Pingbei City to Xuzhou, but Xuzhou was gone. I kept running and fled to Jiangxia, but Jiangxia was also occupied by the Japanese. I finally ran to Hengyang, but the Japanese are heading for Hengyang again. How long will this run end?" A big man threw the bag on his shoulders to the ground fiercely.

"Father, please stop talking! Stop talking." A woman with a worried look on her face grabbed her husband's hand tightly and begged.

"Mother of my children, it's not that I don't want to run away, but I can't. If I run again, you and my three kids will have nowhere to run. Didn't you listen to what the officer said? We can only transport 3 people at most every day, and here, there are at least over a hundred thousand people, and half of them can't leave. You say which family should be transported and which one should not. If everyone wants to leave, then no one can leave." The big man looked back at his wife and three children and said sadly.

"Gouwaer, Dad can't accompany you this time. You are the eldest brother, remember to look after your younger brothers and sisters, and take good care of your mother." The big man reached out and touched his eldest son's head, and whispered.

Although the boy who was patted on the head and warned was not small in stature, he was actually only 12 years old. When he heard his father's instructions, his eyes were full of fear.

In 1937, the whole family, led by his father, migrated from Pingbei City to the inland. The most vivid memory of the 5-year-old child at that time was hunger. If his father had not found wild vegetables and caught fish and clams in the river, their family would have starved to death in the wilderness long ago.

  In the eyes of the 12-year-old boy, his father is the sky and the support of the family. What should he do if he is not around?

"Dad!" Before the 12-year-old boy could open his mother's hand, he saw his father had already pried open his mother's hands, gently placed all the bags on her body on the ground, and carefully placed the small bag containing 10 yuan in his hand.

"Remember what Dad said. Take good care of your mother and your brothers and sisters at all times."

Then, the big man resolutely turned around, walked into a group of people amid the screams of his wife and children, and shouted: "If you are a man, follow me and earn a living for my wife and children!"

That group of people should have fled from the north, and they all spoke with a northern accent. As the saying goes, when fellow villagers meet, their eyes are filled with tears. No matter where Chinese people go, they will feel very close to their fellow villagers and will naturally gather together. This habit will not change because of the war.

Within two minutes, hundreds of young and strong men gathered behind the big man amid the cries of women and children, and then walked towards Fang Xianjue under the leadership of the big man.

A captain in charge of the alert led his men forward with a nervous look to stop them. Although the soldiers did not point their guns at the group of people, they had quietly opened the safety.

"Let them come over!" Fang Xianjue, who was standing on the earthen platform, suddenly spoke.

"Commander Fang, my name is Luo Dahu. I'm from Pingbei City. I came to Hengyang five years ago. These are my fellow northerners. I want to ask, is what you just said about letting women and children go first true?" the big man asked with his hands clasped together.

"Of course. My 10th Army is fighting on the front line just to protect my parents, wives and children from being humiliated by the Japanese invaders. At this time and place, the old, the young, the women and the children should be the first group to evacuate." Fang Xianjue answered straightforwardly.

"Okay! As long as my parents, wife and children can leave, my fellow villagers and I will not mind giving up our worthless lives. We are willing to stay in Hengyang City and work for the army." The big man suddenly knelt down and shouted loudly.

"As long as our parents, wives and children can leave, we are willing to work for the army!" Hundreds of young and strong men followed the example of the leader Luo Dahu and knelt on the ground together.

"Everyone, please stand up. Everyone, please stand up! I feel guilty for not being able to get all the fellow villagers to evacuate. I feel guilty!" Fang Xianjue was deeply moved and hurried to help these young men up.

Although he had just followed Tang Dao's suggestion that if someone could stay to help build fortifications, the defense of the entire Hengyang city would definitely increase by 10%, but he was deeply moved when the people suddenly took the initiative.

"People coming from the north are real men, and we Hunan people are not weaklings!" Seeing this situation, the local people from Hunan who were still a little confused were unhappy.

Hunan is a special place in China. It was called Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Yes, it was the Chu State that said "Even if there are only three households in Chu, the Qin will be destroyed by Chu". As expected, although Liu Bang accepted Ziying's surrender, he destroyed the main force of the Qin army with Xiang Yu, the grandson of the former Chu general, and his main force was the people of Hunan Province today.

People in Hunan love spicy food, and their personalities are just like the chili pepper, wild, domineering and fierce, which also makes Hunan a place where strong soldiers are produced.

Take the Battle of Shanghai for example. The Chinese army that participated in the battle had a total of about 70 divisions, and the Hunan Army that participated in the battle had a total of 15 infantry divisions. This is not just boring data, but all the troops in Hunan Province at that time. They were not just supporting roles, but could make any central army and local troops take notice.

When the Hunan Army soldiers went into battle to kill the enemy, they often said "see you in the next life" and rushed to the battlefield without hesitation. The Hunan Army's spirit of "die like a egg facing the sky, and become immortal if alive" gave the Japanese a headache.

How could the people of Hunan Province, which gave birth to such a strong army, be any worse? Before Fang Xianjue and Tang Dao left, at least ten thousand young men had said goodbye to their wives, children and parents, and walked to the registration table set up by the overjoyed Mayor Zhao to register.

In the evening, at the suggestion of Tang Dao, the Hengyang Command issued a notice that the families of all young and strong people who chose to stay and assist the army in building fortifications would be given priority to board the train, and each person would be given 5 yuan as resettlement allowance.

By the evening, the numbers reported to the headquarters were simply staggering: as many as 5 young and strong people chose to stay.

The youngest is 16 years old and the oldest is 53 years old. It is said that they are a grandfather and grandson. The grandfather was reluctant to part with his 35-year-old son and even more reluctant to part with his 16-year-old grandson, so he insisted that he was under 50 years old to deceive the registration staff, but was later exposed.

But they had already received the 5 yuan resettlement allowance given to each person, and the old man refused to return it no matter what.

That's 5 people! Rather than being helpless, it's the trust that the people of Hengyang have in the 10th Army. They believe that they will definitely defend Hengyang, so they will hand over their sons, husbands, and fathers to the Hengyang Army. All the generals present had tears in their eyes.

"Mayor Zhao, the people of Hengyang have placed their trust in us so much, we must live up to their trust and transport the elderly, children, women and children stranded at the train station at all costs." Fang Xianjue said solemnly to Zhao Junmai.

"I can also ask the US transport planes to help. After unloading the various materials being transported, they can take the people away. A transport plane can squeeze in 50 people, and 20 planes can take in 1000 people. Two shifts a day can take away 2000 people, and at least 7 people can be taken away in 1.4 days." Tang Dao said.

"That's great. If we can get some people to take shelter in the countryside, there won't be any more people stranded in the city within 8 days. I can also focus on building fortifications with the laborers." Zhao Junmai, who was having a headache, was overjoyed. "Captain Tang! You are the savior of Hengyang! Tell me, how can I thank you?"

Letting the US transport aircraft carry the troops, not to mention that a small mayor like Zhao Junmai wouldn't dare to think about it, even Fang Xianjue and even the commander surnamed Xue of the 9th War Zone wouldn't have that much face.

But the Tang sword might really work. Captain Tang is not only famous throughout China for his fierce fighting ability, but the passionate "kiss" between him and Miss Laura from the Rockefeller Foundation at the Jiulongpo Airport is also something that the army talks about with great relish.

Moreover, although Tang Daolian offended that person, he was only demoted to Hengshan to build a shrine for martyrs, and was not dismissed or punished, which indirectly confirmed the authenticity of the rumor.

  Everyone knows that the guy is now clinging to the Americans. It is more realistic for Tang Dao to have a awesome foreign girl lover!

The originally elegant middle-aged man looked at Tang Dao so affectionately that Tang Dazuanzu felt a chill and waved his hands repeatedly: "Then I have to rely on you to lead people to strengthen my regiment's position, then I will be qualified to be thanked by you!"

  All the generals burst into laughter!

This was perhaps the first time that everyone had smiled so happily since they knew they would have to fight a decisive battle with the Japanese army in Hengyang.

Because, be trusted!

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PS: I recommend my friend Chang Feng’s new book "This Doctor is a Little Fierce". Reborn in a different world, Lin Miao relies on his medical skills to counterattack and embark on a path to become a saint!