Rise from eight hundred.

"Before my father chose to end his life, he left a suicide note to us children. He said that the achievement he was most proud of in his life was that he had personally participated in the great Patriotic War and contributed to it. However, the person he admired most in his life was not a certain person, but the soldiers and civilians who defended Hengyang.

They have demonstrated what it means to be fearless and loyal, fearless in sacrifice, and loyal to their country, nation, and comrades! "

This is a passage written on the title page of his father's memoirs published 60 years later by the eldest son of Chen, the think tank who went to Guilin Airport to see off the Four-Bank Group.

No one knows why the old man, at the moment before his life was about to end, specifically mentioned a guard with whom he was not close.

Because no one knows how shocking the old man experienced on that battlefield during that period of time.

The city of Hengyang had long been reduced to ruins in the flames of war, but the surviving soldiers and civilians were not in a hurry to clean up the ruins; they were burying people.

They even rejected the goodwill of an infantry division of the 27th Army stationed around Hengyang and completed everything by themselves. This work alone took them half a month.

The mountains south of Hengyang City are full of tombs and covered in mourning!

White cloth was actually the primary material that the Hengyang Command requested from the Military Commission after communications were restored.

It would be almost impossible to put all the 1.1 officers and soldiers and 1.5 young and strong men who died in the battle into coffins. Wrapping them in white cloth was the only feasible option.

Even so, the cloth factories in Sichuan, Guangxi and Yunnan provinces worked together to gather the 30 feet of white cloth needed by the Hengyang defenders within three days.

Each body was wrapped in white cloth and buried, with soul-calling banners and white flowers placed on the graves. From afar, the hills of all sizes in the south of the city looked as if there was a heavy snowfall.

"Everyone knows about the glory of our Battle of Hengyang, but few people know that behind the glory are sacrifices!" The army lieutenant general standing in front of the cemetery spoke in a low voice, but his chest was straight.

Standing behind him were all the soldiers and civilians from Hengyang who had participated in the war, as well as the infantry division of the 27th Army who had come to watch the ceremony spontaneously.

"Salute!" Accompanied by a thunderous roar from Ge Youcai, who had recovered from his injuries.

"Bang!" All the colonels and generals in the front array stood at attention and "swish!" raised their right arms.

"Salute!" The officers in front of the square formation roared hoarsely one after another.

"Bang!" One phalanx of soldiers after another stood at attention and raised their right arms.

  Some soldiers had no legs, but they had arms, and they tried to sit upright on the ground, raising their hands.

Some soldiers have no arms, but they stand straight

At that moment, Chen, the think tank, felt as if his pores suddenly exploded. It was at that moment that he suddenly understood why Hengyang had been able to hold out for nearly four months without falling.

The impact of that scene on him often resurfaced in his mind even at the last moment of his life many years later.

Next, of course, comes the routine awarding of honors and prizes.

However, this was already the 40th day after the end of the Battle of Hengyang, and it was already late autumn.

The Battle of Hengyang was an outstanding achievement, and had an immeasurable impact on the Chinese battlefield both tactically and strategically.

  The Ministry of Military Affairs was of course generous in rewards. 28 Blue Sky Medals alone were awarded, one for each of the generals who participated in the war and the colonels who had outstanding military achievements!

More than 800 Baoding Medals were awarded, almost one to every officer of the rank of second lieutenant and above. However, more than half of them were unable to come in person to receive the medals, so they had to be mailed to their homes.

The Medal of Loyalty and Bravery was even more like cabbage, with an exaggerated 3000 pieces available. Anyone who reported their military exploits would receive one.

The medal that could be received on stage was even rarer than the Baoding Medal, and the Hengyang defenders reserved this precious spot almost entirely for the officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives.

In their words, being able to survive is the highest reward for them.

However, this time the military and political department did not disappoint the Hengyang defenders. A month ago, at the suggestion of the shocked think tank Chen, a batch of commemorative medals were made in Guangxi Province. All of them were made of silver. On the back of the commemorative medals were engraved the four words "Fearless Hengyang" written by the person himself. Everyone who participated in the battle in Hengyang, whether military or civilian, had one.

The promotion order was also announced by a think tank named Chen.

As the highest commander of Hengyang, Fang Xianjue was promoted to lieutenant general and general, and was appointed commander of the 10th Army Group, with two infantry corps under his command, the 10th Army and the 103rd Army. The 190th Division was changed into an independent division directly under the army group. The 10th Army was an expansion of the original 10th Reserve Division, and the 103rd Army was an expansion of the original 3rd Division.

原第10军参谋长孙明玉担任独立师师长，190师原师长容有略晋升为第10集团军参谋长，葛有才和周庆详则分别为第10军军长、第103军军长。

Zhao Zili, the former chief of staff of the 9th War Zone, was transferred to the Army University as deputy director of academic affairs. Although he did not serve as a military chief, after two years of training at the Army University, it was a foregone conclusion that he would be the commander of an infantry corps or even the commander of a group army. This was completely different from the previous time and space when he had a dispute with Commander Xue in the Battle of Tanzhou and was transferred to the Army University to serve as the head teacher of a small Class B general officer class.

Zhao Junmai is still the mayor of HY, but he has been given the title of member of the Hunan Provincial Government and director of the Hongjiang Administrative Office, which puts him among the top civil affairs officials in Hunan Province.

All the young and strong reserve civilians who participated in the war were awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of Hengyang", and were exempted from taxes from then on. They were rewarded with 10 dollars, and if they joined the army in the future, they would automatically be awarded the rank of private first class. Those who had already been recruited into the army would be promoted one level according to their existing rank.

The officers and soldiers who died in the Battle of Hengyang were all promoted two levels in military rank and received pensions according to their promoted ranks.

Both the 10th Reserve Division and the 3rd Division were expanded into infantry armies, and the organization naturally increased. Moreover, after the Battle of Hengyang, Fang Xianjue's reputation in the country was at its peak, and he also held great weight in that person's heart. No matter how arrogant Commander Xue was, he would no longer interfere in the internal promotions of the 10th Army as he did in the past. Basically, Fang Xianjue and the two army commanders had the final say.

The title of "Taishan Army" was inherited by the 10th Group Army, and the 10th Army was given a new title "Zhangjiashan Army" to commemorate the sacrifice of the former 10th Reserve Division at the main position of Zhangjiashan in the south of Hengyang City. The title of the 103rd Army was "Hengshan Army", which means that the officers and soldiers of the former 3rd Division were as tenacious as Mount Hengshan in the battle of Hengyang.

As for the reinforcement of the 10th Army, after publicity, more than 3 of the approximately 2 surviving Hengyang reservists were willing to join the army. Most of them had not only experienced war, but also fought with guns. Both their mental and physical qualities were much stronger than those of ordinary conscripts. With only two months of training, the 2th Army could recover more than 10% of its pre-war combat effectiveness.

But what really made Fang Xianjue overjoyed was not only the reservists who had been tested by war joining the army, but also the promise of Tang Dao, who had gradually "awoke", that all the heavy equipment of the Four-Line Regiment would be left to the 10th Army.

That is definitely a big gift!

Perhaps only Fang Xianjue, who saw the list of weapons and equipment, knew how powerful the Four Ranks Regiment once was.

火炮计有：12门75口径博福斯山炮、8门150口径迫击炮、10门40口径博福斯高射炮、28门20毫米苏罗通双联装机关炮。

Tanks, combat vehicles, and heavy machine guns include: 14 TKS tanks, 19 assault jeeps, and 32 quad-mounted 12.7mm heavy machine guns.

And these were the remnants after the 113-day Hengyang War. If they were in their full strength before the war, Fang Xianjue doubted whether his "Taishan Army" would be beaten into a dog when facing such a four-line regiment.

  The heavy firepower equipment of both sides are completely not on the same level!

Of course, the rocket launcher from the Bear Country that had wreaked havoc in the Battle of Hengyang was not on the list, and Fang Xianjue wisely pretended that such equipment did not exist.

Although leaving all the heavy equipment in northern Hunan was one of the conditions for the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs to agree to the Four-Line Regiment's return to North China, the Four-Line Regiment could have taken the initiative to send these heavy weapons and equipment to other troops, such as Tang Dao's old superior Xie Jinyuan, who is now the commander of a security brigade directly under the theater of war. Another example is the 27rd Army under the 43th Army Group. Their old commander was an elder who had always taken care of Tang Dao's growth.

Tang Dao was able to leave all these heavy equipment to the 10th Army because of the friendship between the two sides who had fought side by side for more than 100 days. It was a favor!

The Four-Line Regiment, which returned to North China for rest with only light weapons, was not threatened by the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs. This time they could enjoy the treatment only available to the American military.

This time, they no longer have to measure the mountains and rivers with their feet, but will take a special plane.

Not just the senior officers, but the entire Four-Line Regiment.

The living must bring the dead with them!

The 2024 officers and soldiers of the Sihang Regiment who died in Hengyang did not hide in Hengyang, but returned to Taihang Mountains.

There their comrades are waiting for them, return! (End of this chapter)