Shadow Spy

Chapter 192 The Heroic Heroes of the Eight Hundred Warriors

Friday, August 8th, is no different for other people, but for a group of people in Jiaozhou Park, it is a big day!
In a corner of Jiaozhou Park, there is an area surrounded by wooden fences and barbed wire, covering an area of ​​dozens of acres. Outside is littered with garbage and dead leaves, and inside are dozens of simple wooden houses... One of the ten-mile foreign farms here. An extremely special place - Lonely Army Camp!
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In the early morning of October 1937, 10, 31 Chinese soldiers who fought for four days and four nights in Sihang Warehouse and were known as the "Eight Hundred Warriors" joined Xie Jinyuan and the First Battalion Commander in the 400th Regiment of the 88nd Brigade of the 262th Division. Under the leadership of Yang Ruifu, they were ordered to evacuate their positions and entered the public concession through the new garbage bridge.

The British soldiers on the north bank of the Suzhou River warmly welcomed Xie Jinyuan and his troops. The British commander, Brigadier General Alexander, said to the tearful Xie Jinyuan: "I have never seen a more heroic scene than this."

But then, the politicians of the concession authority fulfilled their promise to the Japanese army and asked the British army to disarm all the officers and soldiers and sent them all by bus to No. 888 Changping Road and Jiaozhou Park in the Italian Defense Zone in the western part of the concession. Isolated in an abandoned military camp inside.

After hearing the news, the Chinese side immediately negotiated with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau of the Public Concession. However, under pressure from the Japanese side, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau refused to implement the original agreement on the grounds of the "neutrality principle" and did not dare to allow the "Eight Hundred Warriors" to withdraw from Shanghai. , returned to the army, but at the same time rejected Japan's request to extradite the lone soldier.

As a result, four hundred officers and soldiers, under the supervision of the Italian army and the White Russian team of the International Merchant Corps, settled down in this dilapidated and crude military camp, which was called the Lone Army Camp by the citizens of Shanghai and Hainan.

The Solitary Army Camp covers an area of ​​dozens of acres. At that time, the ground was full of garbage, infested with mosquitoes and flies, the housing was simple, and it was surrounded by dense barbed wire. The outside of the camp was guarded by soldiers from the Belarusian team of the All Nations Merchant Group. Not far away was the Italian military camp. Since then, the soldiers of the Nationalist Army have entered the camp. After that, he lost his freedom and never had the chance to leave the camp.

At first, the concession authorities did not restrict ordinary people from entering and exiting the camp. Therefore, many Shanghai citizens came to the Gujun camp every day to offer condolences, hold parties, and carry out anti-Japanese education activities.

On the first day when the "Eight Hundred Warriors" entered the Solitary Army Camp, Gu Zuyin, then director of the sales department of the Commercial Press, spent 200 silver dollars equivalent to three months' salary of himself to buy "Infantry Drill Code", pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and exercises. This grade was issued to each officer and soldier, and a refined diary was also given to Xie Jinyuan.

Xie Jinyuan wrote on the title page of the diary: "This diary was given to me by Mr. Gu. I will definitely start keeping a diary from today on, in order to live up to Gu Jun's kindness and elegance." The diary was later published by Zhengyan Zhu Wen, the head of the society and translator, compiled and published "Xie Jinyuan's Diary".

In Shanghai at that time, the song "Song of the Eight Hundred Heroes" was very popular:

"China will not die! China will not die!

“Eight hundred warriors fought hard on the eastern battlefield, with artillery fire and wolves on all sides.

“I would rather die than give in; I would rather die than surrender!
“Our flag is flying, flying, amid the siege!
"Eight hundred strong men are of one mind, and a hundred thousand strong enemies dare not stop.

“Rise up, my compatriots, hurry to the battlefield and follow the example of the eight hundred warriors.

"China will not die, China will not die, it will not die!"
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Since the concession authorities did not provide funds, Xie Jinyuan organized the officers and soldiers to be self-reliant, producing soap and towels in the camp, doing carpentry work, and barely maintaining their basic living needs. It has been nearly two years since the "Eight Hundred Heroes" entered the Solitary Army Camp (historically, it was more than four years ago). In addition to making ends meet by themselves, their daily lives were partly maintained by funds allocated by the Kuomintang's "Shanghai-Hai Unification Committee" at that time, but mainly There is also enthusiastic support from all walks of life.At that time, universities, middle schools, primary schools and other industrial and commercial circles overcame numerous obstacles and often visited and expressed their condolences in an organized manner, and presented food and other various gifts.

Although the freedom of officers and soldiers was restricted, Xie Jinyuan still maintained strict military discipline and regulations, raising the national flag, going out for morning exercises, taking turns on duty and standing guard, and conducting daily military training. However, the flag-raising ceremony was often interfered with by the concession authorities.Therefore, Xie Jinyuan changed it to a "spiritual flag-raising" ceremony, that is, before the morning exercises, the duty officer led all the officers and soldiers to stand with their heads held high and salute to the sky to express everyone's determination to love the motherland and resist the war to the end.

In early August 1938, to commemorate the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Songhu Anti-Japanese War, Xie Jinyuan made repeated representations to the Concession Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau, requesting that the national flag be raised in the Solitary Army Camp.

On August 8, the Ministry of Industry Bureau sent a flagpole, but it had only been erected for a day, and the concession authorities wanted to withdraw their promise for fear of offending the Japanese.

Xie Jinyuan argued hard, and the concession reluctantly agreed, but requested that the flagpole be shortened by four feet.

In the early morning of August 8, as soon as the national flag was raised, the Scottish team and the Italian team of the International Merchant Group immediately gathered outside the Lone Army Camp, as if they were facing a formidable enemy.But the Belarusian team rushed straight into the camp and wanted to tear down the flag!
Xie Jinyuan and the "Eight Hundred Heroes" firmly stated: Defending the national flag is like defending the country!

A large-scale conflict immediately broke out between the two sides. With the enemy outnumbered and ourselves outnumbered, four disarmed officers and soldiers died and more than a hundred were injured.In the end, not only was the national flag robbed, but the lone military camp was also occupied by foreign troops.

In order to protest against this barbaric act by the concession authorities, the "Eight Hundred Warriors" went on a hunger strike.

Xie Jinyuan said: My head can be cut off, my blood can be shed, and I will never be an obedient citizen of imperialism!

After tenacious struggle and strong support from Shanghai and Shanghai citizens, the Ministry of Industry and Industry was overwhelmed by public outrage and had no choice but to return the national flag.

Xie Jinyuan encouraged the soldiers for this: "In the Greater Shanghai Concession, our words and deeds must make foreigners see the Chinese spirit in us and understand the Chinese spirit."
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Today is August 1939, 8, the first anniversary of the flag-raising conflict.

Early in the morning, after Xie Jinyuan led all the officers and soldiers to hold a "spiritual flag-raising" ceremony, he made an impromptu speech and said: "We should contribute our personal lives to the country and the nation. There is only the freedom of the country and the nation but no personal freedom; there is only the life of the country and the nation but no individual freedom." life. One year ago, four of our comrades died and more than 100 people were shed while they were flying the national flag. We must retaliate with tooth for tooth and blood with blood, and never forget it."

Then, he made a will and wrote to his parents: "The situation in Shanghai has deteriorated, the concession itself cannot be protected, and the enemy's attempt on the man is bound to succeed. A man who lives brightly will also die an upright man. The man's meaning in life and death, pray for Benevolence leads to benevolence, this is the purpose of Taishan Hongmao, which has been carefully thought out. Death is inevitable in life, and dying here and now is the joy of life."

Eight hundred warriors!Be brave!nice!The spirit lives on!
(End of this chapter)