The heavens start from Changjin Lake

The Japanese army launched an attack on Gao Zhisong's 264th Brigade with two regiments.

The officers and soldiers of the 264th Brigade resisted tenaciously, but the Japanese army was not to be outdone. They roared and launched a death-like charge towards the position despite the bullets and grenades fired by the officers and soldiers of the 264th Brigade. More and more people fell down. The national army, The Japanese army has them all.

According to the actual situation of the battle, Gao Zhisong adjusted his deployment and thought at the same time. He believed that light blocking could not defeat the enemy's attack. A fierce counterattack must be carried out. He could not just hold on without attacking.

So, he picked up the phone and gave the order to each regiment to fight back. Then he took the lead, raised his pistol, and shouted: "Brothers, charge with me!"

Under the leadership of Gao Zhisong, the officers and soldiers of the 264th Brigade fought bravely towards the enemy position and engaged in fierce and bloody hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese army. The sound of killing was loud, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and the pungent smell of blood filled every corner of the position.

When the bayonets were bent, the officers and soldiers threw away their guns and hugged the enemy, fighting and fighting. Many officers and soldiers rolled down the bottom of the mountain with the enemy, and their efforts were lost.

During the close encounter, one of Gao Zhisong's ears was bitten off by the enemy, and blood flowed freely. During the short battle interval, he did not bother to bandage the wound. He was in severe pain and said to the officers and soldiers: "Brothers, the enemy will come again. We can only wait a moment." Take a rest and prepare for a more brutal battle."

Gao Zhisong asked each regiment to count how many soldiers could participate in the battle.

The statistics table is sent up.

When they arrived at Yuhuatai to participate in the blocking war, the 264th Brigade had nearly 500 people. However, after two days of fighting, there were only [-] people left in the entire brigade.

At this time, the brutal Japanese army launched another attack. Gao Zhisong made a conscious decision and ordered the officers and soldiers to open the back covers of all grenades, connect the fuses, and place them in front of the position.

The enemy was getting closer and closer. When they were still 30 meters away, Gao Zhisong observed the enemy calmly and ordered everyone to listen to his command.

Seeing that there was no Tokyo on the Chinese army's position, the attacking Japanese troops thought that the Chinese had run out of bullets and relaxed their vigilance. They danced excitedly and shouted, "

Catch them alive, catch them alive! "

They shouted and rushed forward.

As we got closer and closer to the position, everyone could see the excited and happy expressions of the Japanese soldiers, and they couldn't help but hold on to the steel guns in their hands.

Gao Zhisong suddenly shouted: "Pull the fuse!"

Locked tightly, the giant sound swallowed up the attacking Japanese troops and the defenders on the position. It was like a huge bomb, raising thick smoke on the position.

Calm returned to the battlefield.

Xia Yuan, who came for support, led a company to the position. The explosion engulfed the position. It was completely unclear what happened. Until the position returned to calm, there was no one alive on the entire brigade's defense line.

This tragic blocking battle deeply shocked Xia Yuan and inspired him to keep moving forward.

He then led the last battalion to participate in the battle to defend Yuhuatao.

If one battalion defends the defense line of two brigades, the end can be imagined.

In just one day, the entire battalion's defense line was swallowed up by the Japanese army. The officers and soldiers fought desperately and caused huge casualties to the Japanese army. In the end, they were still defeated by the Japanese army. Only one row of more than [-] people withdrew from Yuhuatai.

The defenders in the direction of Yuhuatai held on until December 12. Due to the lack of sufficient troops and timely replenishment of ammunition, the troops became larger and smaller. Blood was spread all over the hills and corpses were everywhere.

That afternoon, as Xia Yuan retreated, the new commander of the 264th Brigade counted the remaining soldiers and horses of the two brigades, and led less than 2000 people to move to Xianguan.During this period, he contacted Xia Yuan and wanted Xia Yuan to evacuate with him and withdraw from the sequence of the Jinling defense battle. Xia Yuan shook his head:
"Jinling is the capital of the country. The battle is not over yet and I cannot evacuate yet."

It was on this day that Japanese tanks and infantry rushed through Yuhuatai and swarmed towards the Zhonghuamen city wall.

As early as the evening of December 12, the rumble of cannons in the suburbs could be heard clearly at Xinjiekou in the center of Jinling City.

Moreover, the Japanese army's flares have already hit the city, and the people are helping the elderly and children move to the refugee area west of Zhongshan Road.

The war is about to begin, but the Tang Mansion in Baiziting is bustling with activity, with various cars and jeeps parked at the door.

In the living room, many chairs were temporarily added, and they were filled with senior generals guarding Jinling.Each of them has at least one shining star on their epaulettes.

This is the general of the Jinling Guards. All commanders above the major general level are sitting here respectfully. The atmosphere in the venue is serious and tense. The generals can only whisper and lower their heads to talk.

"The Chairman is here!" Suddenly, the adjutant who was delivering the order called out, and the generals stood up as usual and paid attention.

"You've been waiting for a long time. Please sit down." Chiang, who was wearing a military uniform and a yellow-green military coat, was accompanied by Mrs. Song, Qian Dajun, director of the attendant's office, and the chief and deputy commanders of the Jinling Guards Tang Shengzhi, Luo Zhuoying, and Liu Accompanied by Xing, he entered the venue.

The generals waited until Chiang and his party were seated before they all sat down.

"The Chairman is still in Jinling!?" Jiang's appearance caused a stir in the hearts of the generals, because the facts exposed the rumors that Jiang had already left Jinling.

Jiang said in his Jiangsu and Zhejiang Mandarin, "We have been resisting for five years, and the results are still there. The enemy's ambitions have been more exposed, and our soldiers and civilians are more excited about the war. Everyone, don't look at the situation at face value, don't think that we have temporarily lost it." Here, lose it there. Let us not care about the gains and losses of one city or one place. In the long run, if the people are on our side and the international public opinion advocating justice is tilted towards us, we will definitely win. Now, in order to direct the overall situation, I have no choice but to If I don’t leave Jinling temporarily, I will come back.”

"Everyone, Jinling is the capital city, attracts international attention, and is also the location of Mr. Sun's mausoleum. I hope that under the command of General Tang, you will be determined to succeed or succeed, defend Jinling to the death, and make sure that everyone is in Jinling. , live and die with the city!"

Although Jiang said a few things here and there, he still won a round of applause.

On behalf of the officers and soldiers guarding the city, Tang Shengzhi expressed to Jiang his determination to live or die with Jinling.

Jiang took Tang Shengzhi's hand and said, "We are rid of General Tang. On behalf of the government, I thank you!"

"Don't worry, Chairman, it is the duty of soldiers to defend Jinling. Without your order, I will never take a step back!"

Tang Shengzhi vowed to do so.

The car at the door started, and Jiang and Mrs. Song said goodbye to everyone. They watched Jiang leave the Tang Mansion and went straight to the Huangpu Road official residence.

In the early morning of the 7th, Jinling City had not yet begun its day of hustle and bustle. Only heavily armed soldiers hurriedly passed through the deserted streets.

A fleet of ten limousines set off from Chiang Kai-shek's temporary residence in Qingliangshan, drove through the streets covered with sycamore leaves, and arrived at the Ming Palace Airport.

Security inside and outside the airport is tight.Jiang and Mrs. Song, escorted by a team of guards, walked to the ramp of the special plane. They shook hands one by one with Tang Shengzhi, Luo Zhuoying and other senior generals who came to see him off: "Thank you for your hard work, Jinling, it depends on you." ."

"Take care of yourself!" the generals replied.

This is the final goodbye.

At 45:[-], the Meiling special plane started to launch. Under the escort of a small group of fighter jets, Chiang's plane rose into the air.

The plane circled over the ancient city.

The Yangtze River is like a wide yellow strip, surrounding half of Jinling City.Zhongshan Suzuki, covered with blue glazed tiles, stands among the pines and cypresses of Purple Mountain.

Inside and outside Shicheng, there were beacon fires and trenches.

Jiang looked through the porthole at Zhongshan and Shicheng in the distance, with a rather melancholy expression and an ups and downs in his heart. He recalled the famous poem by Saducai, a man from the Yuan Dynasty:
On the stone city, looking at Wu Chu, the sky is low, and there is nothing in his eyes.Pointing out the six dynasty-shaped resorts, only the green mountains are like walls.The sun is covered with banners, the clouds are flying, and the bones are as white as snow. How many heroes are wasting away in the north and south of the river! '

Jinling Zhonghua Gate Tower was built by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.The Zhonghua Gate Tower is the largest tower among Jinling City Gates. It is magnificent and powerful, with a length of 128 meters from north to south and a width of 90 meters from east to west. It has four gates at the front and rear, and has 23 caves for hiding soldiers. It is said to be able to hide 3000 soldiers. , the best in the world.

The city wall is wide enough for five horses to gallop, and it looks like the Great Wall. If you climb up high and look far away, you can have an unobstructed view of the inside and outside of the city.

The Qinhuai River outside the gate runs across the front of the city gate, which further enhances its military value.

Since the Zhonghua Gate Tower is connected to the Qinhuai River with the sound of oars and lights, there are usually many tourists here.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang built the city wall, there have been nearly a hundred bloody battles at Zhonghua Gate. However, those large and small battles are nothing compared to the battle that took place in December 1937.

On December 12, the Japanese army was fiercely attacking Yuhuatai. At the same time, Niushou Mountain and Chunhua Town were in emergency. Tang Shengzhi learned the news and estimated that the enemy would continue to attack these places with an infantry force, and would soon surround them with an infantry force. Pass through Niushou Mountain and Chunhua Town and go straight to Yuhuatai and Zhonghua Gate.

He informed his deputy commanders Luo Zhuoying and Liu Xing of his judgment.

Luo Zhuoying agreed and said: "After the Japanese army fails to attack Guanghua Gate, Tongji Gate, and Purple Mountain, they will concentrate their elite troops to launch a fierce attack on Zhonghua Gate."

Liu Xing pointed at the map and said, "Look, there is a long-pole bridge outside Zhonghua Gate. We must try to block the enemy on the south side of the bridge. If the enemy is allowed to cross the bridge, Zhonghua Gate will be in trouble."

At this point, he said to Commander Tang: "The 88th Division and the 74th Regiment of the 51st Division of the 306th Army are guarding the Zhonghua Gate. I will immediately convey our intentions to them and ask them to defend to the death and not let the enemy succeed."

The commander of the 88th Division was concurrently served by Sun Yuanliang, the commander of the 72nd Army. Sun Yuanliang was a lieutenant general and a senior member of the Kuomintang. At this time, Liu Xing was a major general. Commander Tang was worried that Liu Xing would go alone and would not be able to suppress Sun Yuanliang, so he ordered Luo Zhuoying to Said: "You are a general, and Sun Yuanliang is a lieutenant general. The first level of officialdom is overwhelming. I think it would be better for you and General Liu to go together."

Luo Zhuoying nodded, and then he and Liu Xing came to the Zhonghua Gate and discussed with Sun Yuanliang and division chief of staff Zhang Boting on the castle how to defend the Zhonghua Gate.

At this time, Luo Zhuoying's adjutant Lu Weisan pointed to the sky in the distance and said nervously: "Quick, quick, quick, the enemy plane is coming to bomb, hurry up and take cover!"

Sun Yuanliang and Zhang Boting commanded the troops to quickly enter the Tibetan Soldier Cave and hide.

Luo Zhuoying, Liu Xing and Lu Wei followed into the Tibetan Soldier Cave three nights ago. As soon as they entered, the enemy plane flew over the Zhonghua Gate and dropped bombs one after another.

As the bombs were fired, the Zhonghua Gate Tower and nearby residential buildings were instantly transformed into a sea of ​​flames.

The house was burning and shaking in the fire, tiles were flying everywhere, and the vegetation was swinging left and right with the shock wave generated by the explosion. A gust of wind blew away the smoke and spread it everywhere. Suddenly, the sky was dark and the earth was dark, and the sun and the moon were dim.

The common people were also shaken by the earth-shaking explosion and temporarily lost their hearing. They shouted in terror, ran around and shouted, looking for hiding places.

The Japanese troops attacking Zhonghuamen were the 6th Division and the 114th Division.The 6th Division was the main attack, and the 114th Division was the auxiliary attack.

The division commander of the 6th Division was Hisao Tani, who was known for his brutality among the Japanese army.

Hisao Tani was an Army Lieutenant General. He was born in Fukuoka Prefecture of the Japanese Army in 1882. He graduated from the Infantry Department of the Japanese Army Sergeant School in 1903. He participated in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. He made many meritorious service due to his bravery in combat.

After graduating from the Japanese Army University in 1912, he successively served as a military attaché at the Japanese Embassy in India.During this period, he secretly murdered anti-Japanese senior Indian officials many times.

Later, he served as the captain of the 6th Infantry Regiment, and secretly killed a colleague who influenced his promotion, Tian Gongjiro.

When he was the chief of staff of the 3rd Army Division, he once got drunk and threw an unknown person into the river and drowned him alive.

In 1930, he was promoted to Army Major General, and in 1934 he was promoted to Army Lieutenant General and served as the commander of the 6th Division.

Hisao Tani has two characteristics. The first is that he is cruel and cruel, and he will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.The second is his official career.And his official career was won by fighting and by brutally killing people to pave the way.

After the July 1937th Incident in 6, Hisao Tani, then commander of the Japanese [-]th Division, led his troops to attack the Yongding River in North China.After he captured the Yongding River, he connived with the troops to kill all the prisoners, robbed all the property of the village where he was stationed and burned it to the ground, and raped and killed all the local women.

On November 11, Hisao Tani's division participated in the Battle of Songhu.

Hisao Tani bombarded the Chinese army with naval guns, and then used infantry to tear a hole in Jinshanwei, capture Jinshanwei, Jinshanzui, Caojing and other places, and break through the Chinese defenders' positions.

Then, he advanced further north and bloodbathed the villages he passed, killing all men, women, old and young. There were dozens of villages he bloodbathed. The hands of him and his soldiers were stained with the blood of the Chinese people.

An American reporter once wrote in an article: "Hisao Tani, with the mad rage of a devil, rushed in all directions in the heavy fog, killing people and setting fires everywhere. He killed every man, woman, and child in every village."

Hisao Tani massacred the Jinshan Guards and commanded the troops to capture Songjiang Town in the suburbs of Shanghai.

Subsequently, in Songjiang Town, Hisao Tani's division burned, killed and looted wildly.

A British reporter came to Songjiang Town nine weeks later. He disclosed to the outside world what happened after he witnessed Songjiang Town being looted by the Japanese army:

“There was hardly a building that had not been burned, and the smoldering ruins of houses and deserted streets presented a horrifying sight. The only ones alive were the wild dogs that had become bloated by eating dead bodies. In Songjiang, a town in Noda that was once densely populated with a population of about 10, I only saw five old Chinese people. They were in tears, hiding in the courtyard of the French church."

(End of this chapter)