is not the most glorious moment to be written into history. Those most painful memories will become epics forever.
The deeds of "Eight Hundred Lone Army Bloody Battles Four Line Warehouse " is one of the most shocking scenes in the history of China's war of resistance. From October 27 when the lone army was ordered to stay in Zhabei, to October 30 when the order was received to withdraw into the concession, four days of fierce fighting made the Sixing Warehouse on the Suzhou River a focus of worldwide attention. In the following eight years of the War of Resistance,
only mentioned the "spirit of the lone army" and the "eight hundred strong men", which was enough to make a person's blood and fighting spirit high. It has become a symbol of the patriotic spirit of the Chinese people in fighting foreign aggression. To this day, this heroic history has become a precious national memory.
's film "Yao Hundred" adapted from this period of history was released yesterday (August 21), detonating a box office boom. However, this topic does not use the popular number of "eight hundred", but uses the real number of "four hundred and twenty" that has been rigorously verified by historians.
These are four hundred and twenty vivid lives. Even today, we are 83 years apart from them. But if they take off their military uniforms, you will find that these heroes, whom later generations admire, are no different from us. They also have violent tempers and young people's restlessness. They will speak ill of the chief secretly, and they will tremble with fear as the enemy approaches.
But in those four days, each of them burst out the most heroic and fearless character in human beings. They knew that under the siege of a powerful enemy, no matter how strong the fortifications were, it would be difficult to hold on for long; they also knew that they were fighting alone and would never have reinforcements to rescue them. The moment they accept the order, death is doomed.
But it was them who, with their bravery and perseverance, carried the hope and determination of this country to fight to the end in those four days. Although it seems to us today that this battle is minimal in the entire history of the War of Resistance Against Japan, its impact has surpassed those major battles measured in tens of millions. This cannot but be said to be a miracle. It makes people believe that there are always things in humans that are so sacred and inviolable. Even this blasphemy and false remarks under the banner of "questioning" and "seeking truth".
Written by Li Xiaen
The plume of smoke rises into the sky, and connects with the low dark clouds to form a thick wall of smoke, winding between the ruined walls, wherever it passes, the blazing flame greedily devours everything, and it will be late autumn in October The rustling wind turned into a scorching heat wave. But the gray embers, like winter snowflakes, slowly fell on this scorched black ground with residual warmth. The wide streets have turned into potholes, and the trails are buried by rubble and become rugged hills. Crushed stones and bricks are dropped from time to time from the swaying buildings, desperately adding bricks and tiles to the ruins.
Zhabei after the war, only a piece of debris remains.
This is what Zhang Qiuming sees. He is an ordinary soldier, belonging to the first battalion and second company of the 524th regiment of the 88th Division. In the past seventy days, he has witnessed Zhabei, the bustling and noisy area of Shanghai’s Chinese world, how it is under frequent bombing and fierce bombing. Turned to ruins in street fighting. During the two worst weeks of the war, an average of more than two hundred bombs were poured on this land every day. On this killing field of death, the brothers next to him were harvested like wheat stalks. Almost two out of every five soldiers would die.
Zhang Qiuming can live safely until now, it can be said that half of it depends on luck. Looking around, those familiar figures have been sleeping on the battlefield, and the new faces, he hasn't been familiar with, are separated by Yin and Yang.
as a soldier
Ordinary man
Zhang Qiuming can be regarded as a veteran in the camp. But just over two months ago, he was just an ordinary coppersmith in Shanghai, and the only thing he had in contact with the profession of a soldier was that he had done gun repair work in the Hanyang Arsenal. His experience as a soldier was also quite accidental. As a craftsman who relies on his hands for food, he doesn't have to think of "serving as a soldier and eating food" as a way out for a living like those poor people.
"Fuck, go to the battlefield!" The idea of
, when the battle was getting tighter before the "August 13" Incident broke out, also wandered in Zhang Qiuming's mind, but it was not put into practice. Until August 11, when he was walking on the road, he was suddenly dragged by the army to carry the sacks. Zhang Qiuming "won't rest for a day and a half, only ate one meal", did not get itOne share of the wages, but I ate a lot of sticks, "I couldn't do it anymore. The wooden stick made me thick and thick marks. I complained, and my temper made me unable to bear it, so I decided to take revenge." .
So, at two o'clock in the afternoon on August 12, he took the opportunity to escape, went straight to the enlistment of the 88th Division, and volunteered to join the army. The
88 division was originally one of the four elite German weapon divisions in China before the war. In the photos remaining to this day, you can see this mighty teacher wearing a German-style helmet, wearing a stiff uniform, and holding a firearm. But the addition of Zhang Qiuming broke this appearance of mighty majesty. Such a small soldier with no combat experience is "very qualified" to join the army only by being able to handle a few light machine guns. It can be inferred how many newcomers like Zhang Qiuming were urgently recruited by this elite division before the battle. After a simple training, they were thrown into the fierce killing battlefield and used their fragile bodies to dodge the dense shells to gain experience points.
Many people were ruthlessly eliminated. After more than two months of fierce fighting, there were very few veterans who were initially put on the battlefield. "The original officers and the backbone of the soldiers are now only two to three percent." In a report to the third theater deputy commander Gu Zhutong on October 26, Zhang Boxing, the chief of staff of the 88th Division, stated that "this division has already added six Second, there are only two or three out of ten veterans." He compares this situation to tea. The veteran is tea, and the recruit is boiling water: "The taste is very strong when it is first brewed, but after six times of boiling water, it is diluted once, and the more it is diluted, the more it is diluted."
, a veteran of the 88th Division, is smoking a cigarette leisurely. The combat effectiveness of the
88 division has deteriorated sharply. A friendly soldier described that these additional recruits didn’t even know how to crawl forward during battle. He also ridiculed this kind of "fighting on the face" as "hidden head and tail, a little afraid of death." On the other hand, he stood up and "played while standing." Although it seemed brave and fearless to stand up in battle, he charged forward. "The sound of enemy guns and their wailing has unfortunately been composed of a symphony." The soldier's military appearance is naturally no longer as strong and mighty as before. After interviewing a group of soldiers from the 88th Division at close range, Rodz Farmer, a reporter from the "Zi Linxi", wrote:
"They seem to be very weak, some of them are carrying oiled paper umbrellas; one soldier even carried one. Canary. Many soldiers walk hand in hand. The funny thing is that these thin and ragged boys are all heroes of China."
Jiao Yousan is one of these "Chinese heroes" that have been added. He is from Hubei. A small village named Yangzhen in Tongcheng is a member of the Hubei Provincial Security Team. The security team is not an informal military organization, but a force organized by the local to maintain law and order, similar to a complex of rural police and militia organizations. The security team described by
writer Wang Zengqi in "The Story of Da Nao" can be described as a typical security team. They are like a group of stragglers. They mostly spend their time in virtual training, boring gun cleaning and gambling, and occasionally fight with local bandits. Fighting is considered military practice.
These security team members were simply assembled and reorganized, and in the farewell voices of the villagers, they boarded the train with branches disguised as the front of the train, and arrived in Shanghai after seven days and nights. Jiao Yousan was recruited to the third company of the first battalion. He soon discovered that Hubei people accounted for eight in ten people in this battalion. The fellow villagers in Tongcheng with him accounted for 60 to 70% of them, with a total of more than 150 people. And his fellow town, Fancheng, noticed that before they arrived, this unit had suffered a great deal. "In general, there were only five or six people left in each company, and no more than seven or eight people at most." The tragic battle of
can be imagined, and they can naturally realize the cruel situation they are about to face. After a brief training, these recruits were immediately thrown into the Zhabei battlefield to accept the trial of death. Each of them received a centering rifle, 300 rounds of ammunition, and two boxes of grenades. Few combat experience is "when the enemy charges, shoot with a rifle at a distance and throw a grenade at a distance."
A typical Chinese soldier with two grenades in the ammunition bag on his chest.
Courage and belief more or less make up for the lack of training, experience and tactics. On October 18th, the 88th Division organized a large-scale raid. Under the cover of artillery and mortar bombardment, the soldiers marched quickly along the North Railway Station Street. While the Japanese were still in consternation. Occupying a section of Sichuan North Road with lightning speed, cut off the Japanese supply chain. But just five days later, the situation reversed. The Japanese army launched a fierce counterattack, occupyingAccording to the Japanese fighter planes with absolute superiority in the air, they bombed the Chinese positions in turn. Many soldiers were left to pieces before they could fight back, or they were smashed into the ground by the air waves of artillery shells.
On October 26, under the offensive of the Japanese army's powerful suppressive firepower and sophisticated armored forces, the big field fell and was immediately plunged into flames. Almost all of the military pressure north of the Suzhou River fell on the Zhabei defenders. The Japanese army carried out large-scale air raids on Zhabei. A Chinese reporter stood on the new garbage bridge leading to Zhabei in the public concession and looked north. He saw that starting at 5 in the morning, the Japanese had sent forty or fifty planes to carry out indiscriminate bombings. The air raid was not reported until 5:30 in the afternoon. One paragraph, "The flame caused by the enemy is several feet high, and the whole is surrounded by red light." The rout of
is inevitable. For the Chinese side, the only reasonable plan is to ensure an orderly retreat as far as possible and preserve the vitality. On the evening of the 24th, the general retreat of the Chinese army proceeded in an almost silent manner. With fierce fighting as a cover to ensure that the retreat of the large troops can be carried out in a secret and orderly manner, a large number of soldiers and carts and horses are constantly moving. On the evening of October 26, almost all the troops withdrew from their positions north of Suzhou Creek. What is puzzling is that the Japanese army hardly noticed the signs of the large-scale transfer of the Chinese army. After the indiscriminate bombing of Zhabei, they did not pursue the victory, but were busy planting sun flags on the ruins.
veterans of the 88th Division like Zhang Qiuming and new recruits like Jiao Yousan, who are newly added, will also evacuate with the large troops and transfer their positions if there is no accident. At least this evening at 10 o’clock, the order they were in for the first battalion was:
"The big field has been lost. Our troops have news to move to a new position tonight. The battalions can immediately order the companies to prepare and stand by at their original positions. Tools, utensils, ammunition, etc. are not allowed to be lost."
But only an hour later, their fate is about to change drastically.
ordered
the fate of the little man and the calculation of the big man
Two shells roared from the front, Yang Ruifu slumped to the ground keenly, dodged the bomb, but the dust from the explosion and the diffuse fireworks were almost Let him suffocate. The sound of guns around him became more tense. He plucked up courage and rushed to the regiment building at Shanghai North Railway Station with shrapnel.
35-year-old Yang Ruifu is the battalion commander of the first battalion of the 88th Division 524th Regiment. If the existing photos can be used as reference, then he looks more like a gentle scholar with gold-rimmed glasses. But in fact, he is already a battlefield and experienced veteran. Since enlisting in the army at the age of 19, Wu Peifu’s army has been tossed and turned, and he was transferred to the National Revolutionary Army during the Northern Expedition. He was not promoted to battalion commander until Songhu Battle .
Yang Ruifu like
An hour ago, he had just been ordered to the regiment headquarters to accept the order of the troops to move to a new position that night. This order made Yang Ruifu's heart "as if he had lost a precious thing, suffering indescribably". Back at the camp, he dialed the number of the regiment leader Han Xianyuan and told him his dissatisfaction with the retreat order. He cited that in the two months since the start of the war, our army has successfully repelled four total offensives carried out by the enemy with massive artillery fire. He replied: "Today, our army has casualties, but there are still many fortifications and strengths. Just like this, lose our big game in vain?" The head of
rejected his request to stand on the ground on the grounds of "strategic relationship". Yang Ruifu had no choice but to answer: "Okay!"
But an hour later, he went to the regiment headquarters again under a rain of bullets, but he saw a nervous and strange scene: "I saw the head of the regiment saluting, The two eyes stared at the head of the group for a long time, but the head of the group did not say a word, watching his expression, privately hesitant and unspeakable suffering." Twenty minutes later, Xie Jinyuan, affiliated with the regiment, returned from the division, and with the same nervous expression, handed a small note into his hand-the mystery was finally revealed. The note stated that the 88th division commander Sun Yuanliang ordered the 524th regiment. The first battalion guarded Zhabei's orders.
To Yang Ruifu and the officers of the 524 regiment, this order came suddenly. But it was not a temporary motive, but the result of some consideration and weighing. On the morning of October 26, the 88th Division received a call from Gu Zhutong, the deputy commander of the theater. On the phone, Gu sought the advice of his commander Sun Yuanliang and deliberately kept the 88th Division in the Zhabei area, dispersed its guards, and launched a guerrilla warfare. Sun Yuanliang believed that this move was a meaningless waste of troops. He knew that the 88th Division was not the pre-war eliteLiang's moral machine division, but a team put together by the security team and recruits. In his criticized memoir "A Moment in a Billion of Light Years", he wrote that he had simply rejected Gu Zhutong’s consultation:
"I disagree. Why? If we die, the enemy will die too. One person, even ten of us, and one enemy dead, I am willing to stay in Zhabei and defend Shanghai. The most worrying thing is that we are isolated here. After the fierce fighting, the cadres were injured and killed, the contact was isolated, and the organization was disintegrated. Being slaughtered by the enemy in a state of unsustainable ammunition, chaos and no command, is worthless, not even glorious! The morale of the 88th Division is of course very high, and it has shown a record of holding Zhabei for more than two months. , But we have also been supplemented five times! Although the recruits are equally loyal and patriotic, the training time is shorter and they lack the skills to fight each other-this is the actual situation, so I can’t agree.”
If Sun Yuanliang’s memories are reliable, His objection is indeed irrefutable. To dismantle a group of untrained recruits and send them to well-equipped enemy positions is tantamount to collective death. He specially sent Chief of Staff Zhang Boxing to meet with Gu Zhutong to give a detailed explanation. On the way to the headquarters, Zhang Boxing saw groups of wounded soldiers scattered from the Dachang position were fleeing in a hurry, and enemy planes kept circling and shooting in the air. After repeated parking and avoidance, Zhang Boxing finally arrived at the headquarters. He first reported to Gu Zhutong the collapse he saw along the way, intending to use this to trigger Gu Zhutong to change his idea of letting the 88th Division stay in Zhabei. However, Gu Zhutong told him that this was not his personal opinion, but an instruction from the Supreme Commander Chairman Chiang Kai-shek . Gu Zhutong explained that the League of Nations will meet in Geneva in early November. During the meeting, it will accept my country’s complaints and will discuss how to stop Japanese aggression. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek intends to let the 88th Division stay behind and continue to fight:
"Every inch of land must be contested, and the enemy must pay the price of blood; and guerrilla, try to buy time, and arouse the sympathy of allies." The memory of the conversation can easily give readers the impression that the purpose of the soldiers of the 88th division who stayed behind in the Zhabei warfare is just a "performance war" to please the Western powers and win "friend sympathy", and further gain The conclusion is that to determine the military's top level is to sacrifice the flesh and blood of the soldiers to seek peace.
After all, the "League of Nations" is known for its weakness and incompetence. There are many precedents for this incompetence. Two years ago, when Italy invaded Ethiopia, the League of Nations made a sanctions decision but failed to implement it at all. Four years earlier, when the Litton investigative team appointed by the League of Nations went to Northeast China to investigate the puppet Manchuria concocted by Japan. Despite the statement condemning Japan after the investigation, Japan responded directly to withdraw from the League of Nations.
Now, since the Lugouqiao Incident, Japan has invaded and occupied northern China, and the Shanghai and Sujia regions are also at risk. The League of Nations seemed to be useless except for meetings and making some seemingly painless statements. After the Lugouqiao Incident broke out, on July 14, the ambassador to Britain Guo Taiqi was ordered to raise a complaint to the League of Nations with the British government, but the British and French both declined. Until the beginning of the Battle of Songhu, the diplomat Gu Weijun rushed to lobby, but the heads of state still only verbally claimed sympathy for the cause of China's war of resistance, but "no one can take any action alone."
However, one month after the outbreak of the Battle of Songhu, the 18th National League Congress, which opened on September 13, announced that China's complaint was included in the agenda of the conference. As China's chief representative, Gu Weijun spoke at the meeting and asked the international community to assist China in resisting Japanese aggression. On the 16th, the General Assembly decided to submit China's complaint to the Far East Advisory Committee for investigation. On the 28th, the League of Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning the indiscriminate bombing of innocent Japanese aircraft.
On October 6, the League of Nations General Assembly passed a resolution: “Express moral support for China and recommend that the member states of the League of Nations should not take any actions that would weaken China’s resistance and increase its difficulties in the current conflict. It is recommended to all member states. We should consider how to provide assistance to China separately." And it is recommended that a meeting be held as soon as possible for further discussion. On the same day, the United States officially declared Japan as an aggressor country, destroying the "Nine Nations Pact" and the "Locarno Non-War Pact".
Why has the attitude of the international community changed like this? The answer lies in the outbreak of the Battle of Songhu.
chess piece
The international choice leading to the four-row warehouse
"I feel shameless to see people, China will be a laughing stock."
Gu Weijun felt helpless. July 29, atAfter learning the news of the fall of Peiping, this diplomat, who has always been a clever tongue, bumped into walls everywhere in front of dignitaries. The French ambassador to Britain, Corbyn, gave his visit coldly. British Prime Minister Aiden’s report in the House of Commons declared that Japan has the right to station troops anywhere in North China, and the current crisis was not provoked by the Japanese. U.S. ambassador Pu Lide showed sympathy to China but made false impressions. The attitude of the United States, until two days before the Battle of Shanghai, was "cautious and silent." The most frustrating thing about modern warfare is that only the war under the lens is the real war. For the international community, even though China has a vast territory, its national image is concentrated in cosmopolitan cities such as Peking and Shanghai. Only when a war breaks there is it enough to attract the attention of the international community. However, in the Battle of Ping-Tianjin that broke out in July, the panic defeat of the Chinese army made the international community believe that China's fate as a failure is inevitable, and no one will risk betting on the side that is doomed to fail.
However, the outbreak of the war in Shanghai allowed the world to see an image of China that has repeatedly fought and fought. Although the price paid is huge, the Chinese soldiers fight every inch of the land and regard death as home. This tenacious belief and several timely victories in September have given the international community confidence and convinced them that China has the potential to eventually win. The balance of international snobbery has gradually turned to the side of justice.
China's diplomatic lineup during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937. From top to bottom, from right to left: Foreign Minister Wang Chonghui, Chief Representative to the Nine Nations Convention Gu Weijun, Ambassador Guo Taiqi to the UK, Ambassador Qian Tai, Ambassador to the United States Wang Zhengting, Ambassador to the Soviet Union Jiang Tingfu (middle).
However, the aforementioned resolutions and statements made by the League of Nations are, after all, lip service rather than actuality. As the supreme military commander of China at that time, Chiang Kai-shek knew this well. On October 24th, Gu Weijun and others who were going to attend the international conference in early November received instructions from Chiang Kai-shek, which clearly stated: “According to the current situation, there is no hope for success in the conference, and we must understand this level clearly”.
However, it is clear that failure is not without a goal that needs to be achieved: "Our purpose in dealing with the meeting is to make countries adopt sanctions against Japan after the meeting fails." This point, the resolution made at the Supreme National Defense Conference held the next day, A more detailed explanation:
"(1) Maintain the governments and societies of participating countries in the movement to step up their consistent economic oppression against Japan, that is, actively boycott Japanese goods, and passively not help Japan with financial and material resources, so that the League of Nations condemns Japan The resolution is factualized. (2) Request for war money loans and ordnance loans from the participating major countries, and try to meet the conditions as far as possible. Regarding transportation matters, China must always provide the greatest convenience to ensure that the League of Nations does not reduce China’s resistance and help China’s resolution is concretized.” The last clause of the
resolution is particularly important, and it can almost be said to be related to the future direction of China’s War of Resistance. According to research by Huo Anzhi, a historian of the War of Resistance Against Japan, weapons and equipment were the biggest shortcomings for China at that time. Although China has developed a national defense industry plan since 1931, it has invested heavily in the purchase of weapons and equipment and the establishment of factories. But even so, according to the plan, the factory is expected to be completed by 1939.
However, the war that broke out in 1937 suddenly interrupted this process. When the Anti-Japanese War broke out, China fell into a crisis of weapon shortages. On August 1, 1937, Yu Dawei, Director of the Department of Ordnance Industry, submitted an emergency report to Chiang Kai-shek that the existing ammunition in the country could only last for three months. At the same time, arms dealers in Europe and the United States who witnessed the defeat of China's Ping-Tianjin war have turned down the urgent arms orders from China. Fear that they will offend Japan for accepting Chinese arms purchase orders. European and American countries have imposed de facto arms embargoes on China. The worsening situation of
occurred the day after the fall of Peking. On July 30, Gu Weijun called on Varenna, the governor of French Indochina, and asked him if China and Japan go to war and Japan blockades Chinese ports, whether France allows China to freely use the coast of Indochina to import weapons. Japan's bombing and blockade of China's seaports has made this problem urgent. But Varenna rejected Gu Weijun's request. He said that if Chinese weapons and military materials are allowed to pass through the border, it may cause a big dispute between France and Japan. Not only that, France even "tends not to allow China to use the Indochina coastline."
The domestic strong enemy is Ping Ling, the foreign friends stand by, and China is isolated and helpless. But on the battlefield in Shanghai, the heroic performance of the Chinese army boosted the confidence of European and American countries. On October 6, the League of Nations General Assembly approved that countries should consider assisting ChinaSupport. Two days later, Gu Weijun set off for Paris to meet with French leaders and discuss the transit transportation of Chinese materials through Indochina.
With the expansion of the battle in the Battle of Songhu, France's attitude is softening, but it is still vacillating. On October 19, in negotiations with French Foreign Ministry Secretary General Les Gets, Gu Weijun almost persuaded Les Gets to dispel Japan's fear of retaliation. But at the end of the conversation, Leger stated that he hopes to wait until the international conference to be held after October 30. If all the participating countries agree to adopt a more positive attitude towards assisting China, then France is also willing to reconsider arms and supplies in Indochina. Of transit issues.
But at this moment, the sudden defeat of the big battle on October 26 put China at a sudden disadvantage in the war. The balance of snobbery in the international community swings again. China desperately needs a battle to restore its reputation and boost confidence before the eyes of the international community. In order to have enough confidence in the upcoming international conference to achieve the goal of obtaining foreign aid and combat readiness support.
When Gu Zhutong mentioned the reason for "arousing the sympathy of friends", Zhang Boxing keenly caught this point. He pointedly pointed out that "the chairman's instructions are for political and strategic purposes," not for strategic considerations during combat. Therefore, as long as it can serve the purpose of attracting Chinese and foreign audiovisual political propaganda, then "it is not necessary to rigidly stipulate the strength of the troops, nor is it necessary to stick to any method. It is only necessary to authorize the troops to take into account the actual conditions of the battlefield and make appropriate measures."
Although Zhang Boxing and Gu Zhutong decided to keep only one regiment for defense after discussion, but after some pacing, Sun Yuanliang felt that the strength of the regiment would have caused him to lose too much, so he reduced it to one. Strengthening Battalion-the first battalion of the 524 regiment. Led by the lieutenant colonel attached to Xie Jinyuan, the major regiment attached to the official logo, and the major battalion commander Yang Ruifu, they shouldered this difficult task.
For Yang Ruifu and Xie Jinyuan who received the order, they naturally may not know the trade-off game hidden behind the order. The snobbery and calculations of the international community, the urgency and effort of the Chinese government to seek foreign aid, and the ardent expectations of the Chinese people who are eager for a victory to strengthen their confidence. In a sense, they are indeed chess pieces, string puppets performed on the international stage, and tools used by great figures to achieve their goals. No matter how noble and important the purpose is, they are pawns as tools.
Xie Jinyuan is like
, but there is no doubt that when the whole army retreats, the only one who stays behind is a lone army whose reinforcements will never appear. The most probable fate of a lone army against a powerful enemy is that the entire army is annihilated. The moment he received the order, Death had placed the sickle on the neck of every soldier, waiting for their lives to be harvested at any time. At this point, their hearts must be insightful—they know exactly what they are about to face. When regiment leader Han Xianyuan handed over the order to Yang Ruifu, he said he was very sad, and he knew that this was an order to die. But Yang Ruifu acted very passionately: "Please rest assured, the leader, I swear to fight for the personality of the Chinese nation with the last drop of blood." When the words were not over, the leader quickly walked over and held his hand and said: "Okay! You! Let's fight the enemy one last time here!"
did not complain, did not anger, did not feel disappointed, but calmly, and even accepted this isolated and helpless task of death with excitement. When the eyes of the Chinese people’s sincere hope are poured into their bodies that are also sincerely going to die, they are no longer chess pieces, puppets, or tools, but living people with flesh and blood and independent consciousness. . This is certainly obedience to orders, but it is also a choice made by personal will. When Xie Jinyuan shouted to the soldiers:
"Who is willing to hold up his hands."
Zhang Qiuming saw that many comrades raised their hands enthusiastically, "I also held my hands high."
At 00:20 on October 27, 1937, these four hundred and twenty soldiers will walk to the fateful place that is destined to pour history into a myth-Sixing Warehouse.
defended the birth of the "eight hundred warriors"
fierce snakes danced wildly, twisting their hot bodies, arrogantly surrounding these young Chinese soldiers. Thick smoke was wrapped in crackling sparks, hovering around, waiting for an opportunity to surprise. At 7 o'clock in the morning on October 27, the Japanese army, which had occupied almost all of Zhabei, began to set fire on purpose. As of noon, a 6-kilometer-long wall of smoke rose from the ground. Thousands of fire snakes wandered around with the help of the wind, looking for all combustibles that could be swallowed. Of course they are also in thisThese young bodies, especially with the accompaniment of bullets, appear more aggressive.
This is Zhang Qiuming's first close contact with death in this battle. He and a few of his colleagues are performing cover tasks on the periphery, and all the soldiers who are responsible for cover are rushed to the four-row warehouse. But encountered a sudden flame offensive. "We were wrapped in the middle like rice, and we were dying immediately."
is in desperate situation, Zhang Qiuming and his colleagues are determined to face the violent fate bravely and survive from the dead. And the vitality is hidden in the place closest to death-in a wooden row that is being consumed by fire. The craftsman's background made him realize that the more flammable the place, the more fire-fighting facilities will be installed. "I found seven or eight fire extinguishers in the most prosperous wood shop. I carried two of them on my back and poured them all the way."
was in the turmoil of fire fighting and self-help, Zhang Qiuming and his colleagues finally waited. After this late order—the messenger who was supposed to be responsible for the messenger was already wounded, the company commander had to personally convey the order to have them, the soldiers in charge of outer cover, retreat to the four-row warehouse.
Sixing Warehouse on the Suzhou River
Sixing Warehouse has been one of the strongest reinforced concrete buildings in Shanghai since it was completed in 1935. For a long time, it has been mistaken for the design of the talented Hungarian architect Udak, but in fact, this simple and large warehouse was created by Scottish Tonghe. As the warehouse of the four major banks, when designing and constructing, it fully considered the two characteristics of sturdiness and practicality. It covers an area of more than 20,000 square meters and has a huge internal space. It has five floors and is one of the tallest buildings within 0.53 acres. Although it was originally selected for the three major considerations of commerce, transportation, and land price, it was deliberately selected near the North Station of the Shanghai Transportation Hub, on the Suzhou River, and just a new garbage bridge away from the public concession. But by mistake it became a well-placed fortification during the war. Yang Ruifu, who was responsible for the construction of the fortifications, was very excited to see this warehouse:
"This warehouse is really a'natural fortress'. It stores tens of millions of packages of grain. The first, second and third floors are filled with wheat and other grains. The fourth and fifth floors are made of cowhide and silk cocoons, which are very useful. From the first to the third floor, we finished it in three days. The door of each window was closed, and the hemp bag on the south wall was pushed It’s five meters thick, and the gates on the north are more than ten meters thick, from floor to roof. The fourth floor has insufficient materials and consumes a lot of ammunition to lure the enemy. In fact, no one lives on the fourth floor. The level of fortifications was completed yesterday. This level of fortifications is very good, much higher than the warehouse of the Bank of Communications occupied by the enemy. We can control the enemy completely, and the enemy has nothing to do with us. "
Yang Ruifu didn't mention this." In addition to convenient transportation, "Natural Fortress" is also adjacent to a huge flammable hazardous material: the huge gas storage tank of the British Firehouse. If the Japanese army rashly bombards the Sixing warehouse, if the gas storage tank is accidentally caused to explode, it will inevitably shake the public concession on the other side of the river, attracting international negotiations from the Western powers. Even out of consideration of throwing rodents, the Japanese had to be timid when they attacked the four-row warehouse and did not dare to act rashly. This kind of measures to kidnap public concessions as a shield, although seemingly cunning, plays an essential and important role in defense. But the lone army guarding the warehouse should not worry about heavy artillery attacks. The location near the concession also made Japanese fighters afraid to drop bombs easily, so as not to miss the concession on the other side of the river and the huge gas storage tank.
The "Four Elements Warehouse Attack Map" drawn by the Japanese army, see the battle report "The backbone of the China Incident Shanghai battle case" compiled by the Shanghai Marine Special Marine Corps Command. Face the two biggest dangers. But time does not wait. Just as the fortifications on the first floor of the warehouse were rushed to build, at 8:10 in the morning, the security forces reconnaissance outside reported that the enemy had occupied the North Station Building where the original regiment headquarters was located, and planted the Sun Flag. Three hours later, the first group of enemies approached the four-row warehouse. Holding the sun flag, they were aggressive, and seemed to scorn these Chinese soldiers who were standing alone in the warehouse, but their arrogance was immediately met with a head-on attack from the guards in the outer positions. Yang Ruifu claimed that they were victorious and killed five enemy troops, while the others fled.
An hour later, the Japanese army assembled again and made a comeback. This time they learned the lesson of underestimating the enemy and were more careful. Reporter Rodez Farmer is in the safe concession on the other side of the river, enjoying the fierce battle across the river with thousands of Chinese who have come by. He saw this groupThe Japanese soldiers crawled slowly and cautiously among the rubble, crawling from one bunker to another. It took them 50 minutes for a distance of more than 40 meters. But what they didn’t expect was that the Chinese garrison hiding in the dark kept watching their every move. Once the Japanese army got close enough, the Chinese soldiers would use the basic methods they learned when they first joined the army to defeat the enemy, with grenades like a torrential rain. Like to smash at them. After the smoke cleared, the Japanese soldiers who were still active were dealt with by rifles one by one. Several Japanese soldiers who tried to rescue the wounded were also killed mercilessly. The
war is so cruel. The Japanese army’s methods were even more cruel. Zhang Qiuming saw nine brothers from the security guard evacuated into the warehouse before they were captured by the Japanese army, tied their arms behind them, and killed them by the Suzhou River. In this round of offensive, the soldiers had to abandon their outer positions and retreat into the warehouse. The Japanese onslaught continued uninterrupted, and several enemy soldiers even stormed into the warehouse. Inside the Four Lines Warehouse, the first bloody battle also kicked off. Shi Meihao, the third company company in charge of the door, was covered with flour. “His face was shot through and his face was covered with blood. He was still laying on a towel and staying on the ground.” Not long after, his hind legs were also pierced by bullets. Seven or eight Japanese soldiers who had attacked the warehouse were seen by Zhang Qiuming. At this time, he was the only one guarding the post, and the others were strengthening the second fortification inside.
This is the second time death has been provoked. Although he has experienced bullets and bullets on the Zhabei battlefield in the past two months, the imminent crisis still made him fear. He gently crawled into the sack, but his body But she trembled involuntarily:
"I hugged the column firmly without shaking, and at the same time slowly raised the gun, the upper end was against the face, the lower end was against the buttocks, and touched the waist. Fortunately, there was still left. A few bullets were loaded with difficulty and breathlessly, and then poke a hole in the sack, aiming the muzzle at the enemy, the sound of guns and shelling outside, at this moment, I heard it, especially loud, terrifying, physical It was piping hot, as if immersed in boiling water, and the skin was feverish. Everything that I could see from the sack was horrible and hideous. I waited and waited, waiting for the opportunity for them to gather at the door, the'PapPai' shotgun started , Three or four enemies fell to the ground, and the rest fled in embarrassment. I was relieved.”
Zhang Qiuming’s witty act of escaping and killing the enemy soldiers was praised by the same robes, although The sound of the shooting broke his nerves, but it was the most glorious thing in his life. But for the soldier who had escaped from the dead, what impressed the most was the tragic sacrifice he witnessed:
"There is a comrade, very old, surrounded by seven or eight grenades, hands He also took one, climbed to the highest building, and saw that when a group of enemies came, he jumped down, and at the same time the grenade was thrown out. The enemies were dead, and he himself sacrificed." The
body was tied to the bomb from The story of jumping down from a high building and ending up with the enemy is the most tragic scene in the battle of the Four Lines Warehouse. In addition to Zhang Qiuming's mention of this in an interview one year after the battle, he also received support from at least two colleagues. An veteran named Zhang Weiyuan mentioned in his memories 54 years later that his fellow sacrificed was named Chen Shusheng. He tied the bomb to his body and jumped out of the window on the sixth floor, but not only the enemy was killed. It is an enemy tank. Another veteran named Jiao Yousan mentioned in his memories 50 years later that not only Chen Shusheng, but also Zhang Qiumin and Yang Shunguang, who jumped off with bombs, killed more than 200 enemy troops. The lower floor has also changed from the sixth floor to the seventh floor-but as pointed out earlier, the warehouse itself has only five floors.
Some researchers therefore doubt the authenticity of this detail. They pointed out that the warehouse windows were equipped with metal grids at the time. It was impossible to smash the glass in a hurry. Moreover, the high-rise windows could not be fully opened due to the warehouse's special design. There is no room for an adult to jump out.
Therefore, this story of being tied up with a bomb and jumping out of the window and sacrificed is a myth made up by tabloid media who do not understand the structure of the warehouse to promote the bravery of the Four Elements Defender. These myths spread, and even infiltrated the memories of experienced veterans, creating false memories mixed with real memories.
But if you examine the ins and outs carefully, you will find that this tragic story of sacrifice has spread at least in the month following the end of the battle. In the first edition of the book "Eight Hundred Heroes Defeating Zhabei" in November 1937, the editor Zhao Jingshen had already told the story: "A soldier of our army caught a glimpse of the fight to death. The grenade was tied to the waist and burst from the sixth floor. Leaping down, a burst of green smoke, the enemy and me disappear together."
Zhao Jingshen's illustration in "Eight Hundred Heroes Defeating Zhabei", a soldier leapt from the upper floor with a grenade tied to his body and died with the enemy.
Zhao Jingshen specifically stated in the preface that although the book was drafted before the lone army quit the Sixing warehouse, he specially waited until the lone army withdrew from the Sixing warehouse, and asked Battalion Commander Yang Ruifu who commanded the battle to personally modify and add The content will be printed. Therefore, at least in terms of authenticity, this story should be recognized by those who witnessed it. Zhang Qiuming's memories a year later, although he did not mention the name, he repeated the story again.
Looking at the account of Yang Ruifu, you will find that you recalled with Zhang Qiuming, and you will find that there is one thing in common, that is, Yang Ruifu arranged for soldiers to throw grenades down and Zhang Qiuming saw his comrades tied bombs and jumped off the building. They were all on the top floor. . Therefore, the victim did not jump out of the window, but jumped off the roof, and died with the enemy.
Regardless of the ultimate truth of this story, casualties linger over the heads of the defenders, swooping down from time to time to test their nervous nerves. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon on October 28, the second bloody battle began in the drizzle. Yang Ruifu described: "In the warehouse, bullets flew horizontally and eyes closed in smoke." The number of casualties is increasing rapidly, but the poor environment of the warehouse cannot provide them with the necessary treatment. A soldier named Zhou Fuqi and his comrades could only watch the wounded comrades groan in pain, "They died one by one, but we had nothing to do. Some of the wounded even asked their comrades to give him a shot to end his attack as soon as possible. Painful." The conditions of
became more difficult. It wasn't until nine o'clock in the evening that they found a phone to contact the outside world, requesting the assistance of the British and American troops in the concession close at hand to transport the wounded soldiers into the concession for treatment. Before the wounded left, Yang Ruifu deliberately told them that if someone asked how many people there were in the Four Lines Warehouse, "say there are 800 people. Never say that there is only one battalion, lest the enemy knows that we are small and even more aggressive." ——The myth of "eight hundred heroes" was born.
sent out at the same time, there was also a bundle of letters—this is the suicide note written by the soldiers in the warehouse. Most of the Chinese soldiers were born in a humble background and were almost illiterate. Zhou Fuqi recalled that at that time he could only ask his literate colleagues to write on his behalf, "it was nothing more than words of comfort to his parents." Some soldiers don't even write their own names. They can only bite their fingers and press their handprints where they should sign-if they die, this is the only relic of their lives.
But there are also some educated soldiers who, in the face of the imminent death, use short but affectionate pen and ink to leave their last word in the world:
"Now we are here to stay; death is bound to die, but I want a chance to replace the Japanese soldiers with more than 20 lives when I die. Wife: Don't think of me coming back, and don't think of me as a whole body. The child is still young, this is my suspense. But I and you are all respected Education, I am fortunate not to worry about your future life. I cut the thread of my own life. You put away your tears. Farewell."
donated
people’s eagerness
The word "dead" is in the mind of Qin Ge In a flash. A few words popped into his mind: "We shed the last drop of blood, fight for our beloved motherland to the last breath!" But before he could sing it, a young child next to him involuntarily sang and became happier. "The future is infinitely bright! Go up..."
"Hey! Don't sing!" The
driver's anger cut off the singing. Except for the sound of the engine, there was silence all around.
is now half past eight in the night, and the dusk is already deep. Although the concession during the war was not as prosperous as it used to be, it still looked brightly lit compared to Zhabei, which was shrouded in darkness on the other side of the river. Looking at Zhabei in the distance, you can only see the unquenched flames of war looming in the ruins. And the dim light in the four-row warehouse-in order to prevent the enemy from spying, Yang Ruifu ordered all the lights to be broken on the first day after entering the warehouse. It was the sleepless four-stranded solitary soldiers, rushing to build the kerosene lamps illuminated by the fortifications before the enemy's raid the next day.
The three trucks drove all the way to the north, and the more they headed north, "the darker the night, the more tragic and majestic. On the road closer to the north, there are only a few patrolling shadows moving in the faint light." They have reached the garbage bridge from the concession to Zhabei. The British garrison knew the purpose of these vehicles, and they opened the way through the barbed wire in the center. The car slid slowly into the darkness across the bridge. The coachmen are comfortableThe vehicle drove to the lightest and slowest, and the front and rear lights were turned off to avoid attracting the attention of the enemy. But even so, there are still annoying sounds from the bottom of the car, making Qin Ge and other companions’ hearts, "suddenly heavier like a molten lead."
Qin Ge and his party are so worried about going to Zhabei at night, the risk is naturally not Fantasy in mind. What they undertake is a dangerous and arduous task. They will deliver the materials used by the people during the day to assist the four lone soldiers in the warehouse at night. Although the four rows of warehouses occupied by the lone army are abundant in materials and there is no shortage of rice and wheat food, other materials are quite scarce. It is likely that the enemy army cut off the water supply, causing the warehouse defenders to have difficulty even basic washing and drinking water. Yang Ruifu had to order all sewage and urine to be collected and stored properly for firefighting purposes. Naturally, there is no excess water to cook food. Since the tap water was cut off, the soldiers continued to fight for two consecutive days, but no grain of rice entered. They desperately need food and water supplies. And these are exactly what the people who stand on the other side of the river and watch the battle across the water in the security zone of the concession during the day are the most capable and willing acts.
The scene where the Chinese soldier
who is eating out their cakes donates supplies to the Four Orphans is probably one of the most passionate scenes in the war. It fully demonstrates that the people's enthusiasm for the war is not just a few slogans, but the real effort to do their best. Since Qin Ge and his comrades opened the rear office, the telephones in the office have been constantly ringing, "All kinds of people are coming in groups, and the condolences from all walks of life are directly and indirectly like rolling mountains and seas. Then, I would almost think of opening a department store of the largest scale." The variety is dazzling. "Drinks include beer, soda, fresh orange juice, Coca-Cola, and foods include light cakes, bread, biscuits, steamed bread, etc. Cakes, coffee, sugar, braised bamboo shoots in oil, assorted vegetables, jackfruit, fruits, eggs, milk, salt, sugar...", even including cod liver oil and white fungus that were expensive at the time. The
donors also cover all sectors of society, from big merchants to traffickers. There are apprentices from poor old-fashioned shops, clerk in new-style shops, many lovely children and young ladies, some people buy in batches with bank deposits, and some workers buy them with their hard-earned money. Among the donors, including all the refugees in the refugee shelter, they launched a one-day hunger strike and donated the food money they saved to the orphans.
Light cakes weigh one jin and one foot in diameter. They are a convenient ration that is easy to store and can carry hunger. The
campaign of enthusiastic donation of the whole people is behind the reshaping of the image of soldiers in modern China. In traditional China, the profession of soldier has always been regarded as a low-level profession engaged in by the inferior. The so-called "Qiu Ba" is a contempt for soldiers. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, the reality of continuous misfortunes and melee between warlords has also caused the public's impression of soldiers to drop repeatedly. Think they are just a group of bandits who kill and looting for their jobs. The only difference between a soldier and a bandit who robbed the house is that the former wore a uniform during the robbery. In the 1920s, a commentator pointed out that one of China's major disasters was the "soldiers and bandits".
However, the Battle of Songhu completely changed the public's view of the military as a profession. The people watched these uniformed men charge and fight in order to defend their homes and fight the invaders. Especially in the early days of the war, those elite German weapons who had received rigorous military training, their mighty and majestic posture on the battlefield was overwhelming. The positive image of the national army, which fights every inch of land for the country, rather than grabbing power, was quickly shaped in the early days of the War of Resistance. The Miller Review reported that:
"Millions of Chinese people unite and enthusiastically support their soldiers. High-class men donate money; women prepare clothes for the soldiers and bring condolences to them; boys and girls act as "boys" The army' provides services within its capacity to raise funds for the soldiers on the front line. Now the Chinese are beginning to say that this is'our army', this is'our soldier' and'our hero'." The self-awareness of
soldiers themselves is also Changes have taken place, and their allegiance is no longer a certain ruling group, but has risen to the country itself. The purpose of joining the army is no longer to serve as a soldier and eat food, but to protect the home and the country. It has become a common sense of modern soldiers. The traditional Chinese moral concept of "loyalty" is combined with modern national consciousness to form the military concept of modern China. It is the bounden duty of soldiers to take justice and sacrifice for the country. As Yang Ruifu wrote in his diary:
"I think: if I become a gong this time, I am worthy of being a revolutionary soldier in a country... I believe that after I become a benevolentAs long as the history of the Chinese nation continues to die out, I will definitely leave a glorious name in history. "
In the 1938 film "Eight Hundred Heroes", the Four Lines Lonely Army and the Girl Scout Yang Huimin were together
The truck carrying supplies finally slid outside the Four Lines warehouse under the cover of night. They climbed into a shop outside the warehouse and climbed. After passing the sandbag pile, I finally saw the four lone soldiers waiting for supplies in the dark:
"They are dressed so thin, with grenades hanging on their waists, and their strong eyes are projected, like a few bright lights, they are all two. The ten-year-old scene, Shen Yi and brave, they have an eternal life, as if the waves of the ocean are surging. Although the demon hand of the god of death was scratching in front of them, there was no trace of fear or sorrow. "
When the piano song handed...and cigarettes into their hands, these young soldiers "suddenly screamed in enthusiasm, and their bodies jumped up like wild children." The print "Eight Hundred Heroes"
was made in 1938. "Everyone hasn't slept for three days, making them mentally tired. That's a fact. But if we don't work hard to complete the fortifications, the enemy will immediately kill us. Let us ask whether you want to sleep or not. Terrible? In the future, if I see people who sleep without obeying orders, I will punish them severely. "
fatigue is spreading, consuming the fighting spirit of the lone soldiers. At three o'clock in the morning on October 29, when Yang Ruifu went to each company to inspect the progress of the fortifications, he found that some soldiers were tired and sleeping on the ground, like dead people. He had to issue a severe warning to force them to get up and continue to work. But soon after, Yang Ruifu found out that these exhausted soldiers had learned to violate the power and the yin. They established an offensive and defensive alliance. When he came over, he quickly awoke the other party. Some soldiers, even when Yang Ruifu came to supervise the work, still sat motionless, and said to him in a joking gesture: "Brigade commander! We rested just now, but really didn't sleep. "
No one knows how long the days of being alone will last. They can only work hard to seize every second. Through the newspapers sent from outside, they already know that their persistence here has become the focus of attention throughout Shanghai and the world. What they shoulder is not only to guard the entire warehouse, but also the belief and determination of the people across the country to fight the war to the end.
But they also know very well that the glorious image that they have established in the international community has already lost the face of the Japanese army. If you talk about the first two Heaven, the Four Lines Warehouse is just a burr on the fingers of the Japanese army, so now, after repeated exaggerations by the media, this lonely fortress with flags flying above the ruins has become a barb in the minds of the Japanese army. They cannot tolerate such a stick. Little barbs turned out to be a confession. At 2 o’clock in the afternoon, the Japanese army launched the first wave of general offensives. The intensive guns slammed into the warehouse, but they were blocked by a solid outer wall. A naughty soldier used The long bamboo pole picked his helmet out of the window, acting as a snoop, and attracted the enemy to shoot with machine guns. It became a moment of laughter in the exhausted battle of the lone army. The sound of enemy guns continued throughout the night. But Yang Rui Fu discovered that some extremely exhausted soldiers had turned aside the fierce artillery fire and slept sweetly on the ground. The
time finally arrived on October 30. The fierce artillery fire even forced the British soldiers stationed on the garbage bridge to retreat. This Heaven, the Japanese finally used a flat-fire cannon to fire at the wall and opened a few holes. But in Yang Ruifu's eyes, these holes were “thank you very much.” He immediately asked the soldiers to set up machine guns at the entrance to the enemy. The gathering place was strafed. But this optimism did not last long. At 11 o'clock in the night, the Japanese began to bombard the warehouse with heavy mortars and flat artillery. "When it was the most intense, it fired every second. . The sound of the boom broke the silence of the long night. "At the fiercest moment of the fighting, suddenly, they received a retreat order from the highest military commander.
was 12 o'clock in the middle of the night. The sudden retreat order was just like the original stay order, making Yang Ruifu and Xie Jin Yuan is indescribable. But they can only obey the order to withdraw from the warehouse as soon as possible. Although reading newspapers for days and days let these lone soldiers know that one of the important reasons for staying in the warehouse is to attract the attention of the world with the brave and fearless spirit of resistance. In turn, he won the sympathy of the international community to offset the adverse effects caused by the defeat of the strategy.What we didn't expect was that the goal was achieved so quickly. The world-renowned London Times published an editorial on October 29, changing the tone of pretending to be objective and even teasing China, praising:
"Chinese soldiers have now emerged from the fog of comical stories, this is modern For the first time in history, although most of the Chinese soldiers are still inadequately trained and armed, and because they cannot afford raincoats, they still carry umbrellas, but they still think they can’t support a position for a week, but it’s as long as ten weeks. Its retreat is also under the fierce artillery bombardment that any new army cannot resist. Here we will see the resistance of the Shanghai Chinese Army, which will have a spiritual impact throughout China, not only today, but also in the future."
At the subsequent international conference of the Nine Nations Convention, China's stubborn resistance was recognized and sympathized by the participating countries. As Gu Weijun pointed out in his analysis of the battle situation and international relations, the battle in Shanghai gave the world an impression that China has the power to fight back:
"This matter has not only attracted the attention of the participating countries of the Brussels International Conference, It has also attracted the attention of the world. The West is convinced that China's potential is still great." Gu Weijun, chief representative of China, fought hard for China at the International Conference of the Nine-nation Pact, and won support from other countries for the cause of China's war. The most important point of
is that they have reversed their previous prejudice against China's disunity and poor fighting spirit. These Western countries believe that, "If appropriate help is provided in terms of materials, China can hope to fight on its own. So, there is a confrontation with China. Provide new possibilities for military supplies."
European countries that have no direct conflict of interest with Japan first provide China with urgently needed armaments. Belgium quickly sold a large number of 79 rifles and light machine guns, all of which were delivered from stock; Austria sold a batch of mortars; the Danish government released a large arms order from the Danish Rifle Group, including 320 Madsen 20mm cannons and a batch of wheat Desen machine gun, and a full set of machine equipment from Madsen machine gun factory. Czech President Benas personally instructed China to donate the drawings of the Czech light machine guns that China has long desired to China free of charge. Not long after, France also opened Indochina as a transportation line for military supplies to China.
Although the balance of the international community is snobbery, this time it finally chose the side of justice. Although it is sad that it is the blood of thousands of ordinary Chinese soldiers who died fighting like Siping Lonely Army. From a strategic point of view, the blood of
can easily be regarded as a waste of wise people afterwards. Among the many views on Siping Warehouse's bloody battles, one is the harshest and most confusing readers who are not familiar with historical materials. According to a Japanese historical material, the battle report "The backbone of the China Incident Shanghai Battle Site" compiled by the Shanghai Marine Special Marine Corps Command, the battle of the Four Elements Warehouse ended with the Japanese occupying the warehouse and winning a complete victory. In the entire battle, the Japanese army The loss was only a minor loss of "three severely injured, 24 lightly injured, and 14 slightly injured, for a total of 42 people" (the original text, the total of these three figures should be 41). After the war, this data was cited in Volume 72 of the authoritative war history work "War History Series" compiled by Japanese scholars. In the third volume of the "China Incident All Faithful Records" also compiled by the Navy, it was mentioned that only one deceased was killed in this battle, a naval agent ensign named Shilu Tanaka who was seriously injured and died.
The page of "Zhabei Attack" in the battle report compiled by the Shanghai Special Marine Corps Headquarters in the "Inner Core of the China Incident in Shanghai". It is stated that the Chinese left 100 corpses and the Japanese wounded 42 people. On the previous page of this report, it is stated that the number of Chinese troops is 800. If
believes that the figures in the Japanese military report are true and correct, then we can only draw conclusions with regret. The Chinese data, especially the reports provided by the lone soldiers, are completely incorrect. On October 27th, Xie Jinyuan wrote in a report to Sun Yuanliang:
"The results of the enemy's attack on the 27th, according to the observation post report, killed more than 80 enemies. At 6 o'clock in the morning on the 28th, he personally sniped. Kill one enemy".
Yang Ruifu's diary also confirmed Xie Jinyuan's statement. But the number reported by the Chinese side alone on this day exceeded the number reported by the Japanese military.
So who is lying? During the war, in order to play a role in propaganda, both sides may be mixed with water when collating the battle reports, exaggerating the other's casualties and reducing their own losses. The report submitted by Xie Jinyuan is naturally not without exaggeration, but the Japanese army’sThe death of only one person in the report also cannot withstand scrutiny. At that time, foreign reporters who were watching the battle witnessed at least two Japanese soldiers killed. Moreover, in the battle report "The Inside Story of the China Incident in Shanghai", the Japanese army claimed that they had found more than one hundred corpses of Chinese soldiers. And this point, three days after the end of the fighting, Xie Jinyuan pointed out its falsehood in an interview with a foreign newspaper reporter:
"According to Japanese propaganda, it was said that when Japanese soldiers entered the house, they searched the stack house, and there was my soldier's body. More than a hundred, is it true? According to the answer, the enemy’s propaganda is completely untrue. In the four-row stack, except for some sandbags, there are no such corpses. I have a total of 420 in the army of soldiers. There were three hundred and seventy-seven people. Except for more than ten who were martyred, the rest were being treated in the hospital, and the enemy was killed by our lone army. There were indeed more than one hundred. Because the enemy did not know how many officers and soldiers we had, so Believe or spread rumors, never be credible.”
But as Xie Jinyuan frankly said in the interview, many lone soldiers died during the retreat. The Japanese army used intensive artillery to stop the lone army from retreating. Open searchlights to track the lone soldiers who are trying to withdraw into the concession, and shoot them. This is a cruel unilateral massacre. Although the British troops stationed in the concession wanted to help these Chinese heroes who they admired for many days, the intertwined bullets prevented them from saving lives. They can only wait for these evacuated lone troops to be lucky enough to reach the British defense line through a dense fire blockade.
Yang Ruifu was penetrated with his left leg when he was about to reach the defense line. The nervousness of directing the battle for several days made him realize that his thigh was pierced by a bullet and fell to the ground with severe pain until he found that his hands were covered with blood. Zhang Qiuming decided to take his place because his comrades were overwhelmed by fire, dropping a bomb every ten minutes as a fire cover for his comrades to retreat. But just as he was about to jump out of the sandbag bunker, a bullet hit his left arm and the grenade slipped from his hand. Although he rolled off the sandbag alertly, the bomb exploded.
"Touch your arm, hey, the arm can be twisted like a towel, the flesh and blood are mixed, it's limp." Seeing that his colleagues had already evacuated, he walked a few steps with support, and finally fell down. A foreigner thought he was dead, so he came over and wanted to take his gun:
"My gun is carried on my chest-the gun is my life, even if I really die, I have to carry him. "
He was dragged over by the gunman. The foreigner discovered that the bloody lone soldier was still breathing, so he was taken to the hospital. His arm was amputated time and time again, and his severe injury and infection made him "come out of the morgue several times." But Zhang Qiuming managed to survive and learned to paint:
"I am disabled, it doesn't matter, I will fight again, and I have a mouth to tell my little brothers and sisters about my experience. The left arm is gone, so still If I have a right arm, I use my right hand. I am now studying wireless telegraphy, soap, and pictures. If I can’t live, I’ll live on them.” The trials of the
war have come to an end, and for these lone soldiers, survival The training has just begun.
Zhang Qiuming, who learns to paint with only his right arm,
This article is especially grateful to Huo Anzhi, Chen Xubin, and Wu Jingzhu for their great help in historical materials and discussions.
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Explanation of the materials used in this article
Some of the materials listed below are personal interviews, narratives and memoirs (not including related works) used at the time of writing this article. I would like to list them below for those interested in this issue. further research.
A recent interview and self-report:
Xie Jinyuan: "An Interview with the Commander of the Zhabei Lone Army", November 2, 1937, "The Blood History of Zhabei"
Yang Ruifu: "The Zhabei Lone Army Withdrawal", 1937 November 1, "Ta Kung Pao" (Shanghai Edition), November 1, 1937, third edition. The content is almost the same as "The Beginning and End of Struggle with a Solitary Army" ("The Story of a Solitary Army in Zhabei")
Yang Ruifu: "An Interview with Chief Yang", November 1937, "Eight Hundred Solitary Army"
Yang Ruifu: "Yang Yingguan Zuo" "The Self-report", November 1937, "Eight Hundred Lone Army"
Yang Ruifu: "Four Diaries of a Lone Army Struggle", June 1939, "August 13 Songhu Anti-Japanese War", and "Four Diaries of a Lone Army Bloody Battle" ("Da "Xia Hun" was published in four periodicals in 1939), with the same content
Zhang Qiuming: "An Interview with Zhang Qiuming of the Lone Army", 1938, "Shanghai Women"
veteran recalls
Hu Yongbo:"Four Lines Storehouse Holds the Battle", "Yueyang County Literature and History Materials", Volume 1
Fancheng: "Reminiscences of Participating in the Battle of the Four Line Warehouses in the Battle of Songhu", "Tongcheng Literature and History Materials", Volume 4
Wan Lianqing: "Participate The Memory of the Four Lines Warehouse Defending War , "Tongcheng Cultural and Historical Materials", 4th series
Wan Lianqing: "Eight Hundred Heroes Reporting the Kingdom", "Songhu Anti-Japanese War in Memory" Middle Volume
Lu Fengsheng: "We Exit After the Four Lines Warehouse", "Tongcheng Literature and History Materials", 4th series
Chapter Weiyuan: "Following the Memory of Xie Jinyuan Mission with the Bloody Four Lines Warehouse", "Jiaoling Literature and History", 8th series
Chapter Weiyuan: "Loyal to the Liver" Zhao Sun and Moon-Recalling Xie Jinyuan in the Lonely Army Camp", "Jiaoling Literature and History", 14th series
Jiao Yousan: "Recalling the Front and Back of Guarding the Four Lines Warehouse", "Tongshan Literature and History", 1st series
Chen Desong: "From Persevering in the Warehouse of Four Elements to Expedition to Burma: A Self-report of a Survivor of the Eight Hundred Warriors", "Eastern Anhui Culture and History", No. 1
Tian Jitian: "The Self-report of the Eight Hundred Warriors-Survivors", "Memory The Songhu Anti-Japanese War in the Middle Volume
Tian Youshou: "The General Died in Hundred Battles, and the Strong Returned in Ten Years-The Memory of a Veteran in the Four Lines Warehouse Defending War", "Pu Qi Wenshi", 4th series
Zhang Mingqiu, Zhang Qingxuan, Li Jintang, Zhou Junming, Yu Changshou, Cao Mingzhong, and Dai Guangde collated: "The Chronicles of the Four Lines of Solitary War of Resistance in Shanghai", "Selected Works of Nanming Literature and History" 4th series
Yang Genkui: "I also participated in the War of the Four Lines Warehouse", "The Last Sichuan Army: Oral Records of Veterans" (Suspected, see Mao Jianjie’s textual research article "Finding the Last Eight Hundred Soldier Yang Genkui: The Truth We Have Silent for Ten Years")
Yang Yangzheng dictated, Zhu Chunxian sorted out: "Yang Yang is defending the four-line warehouse Sticking to midnight for four days, the left eye was blown blind", "Looking for the Last Anti-Japanese War Veteran"
Yang Yangzheng: "Four Lines Lonely Army, Eight Hundred Warriors", "The Last Sichuan Army: Veteran Oral Record"
Witness:
Ling Weicheng: "Today" Death, and the heroic spirit of the male will live forever-Recalling my husband Xie Jinyuan," Jiaoling Literature and History", 1st series
Ling Weicheng: "Remembering the Anti-Japanese Hero Xie Jinyuan and Eight Hundred Heroes", "Tongcheng Literature and History Materials" , 1st series
Ling Weicheng: "Looking for the Anti-Japanese Hero Xie Jinyuan", "Songhu War in Memory" Middle Volume
Zheng Xiafei: "My Opinions on Eight Hundred Heroes Fighting the Enemy", "Tongcheng Cultural and Historical Materials", 1st series
Zheng Xiafei: "Head of Xie Jinyuan and the Eight Hundred Heroes", "Songhu in Memory of the War of Resistance", middle volume
Chen Linzhuang: "Four Lines of Solitary Heroes-What I Hear and See", "Songhu in Memory" "Anti-Japanese War" middle volume
Yang Huimin: "Eight Hundred Heroes and Me"
Xie Jimin: "My Father Xie Jinyuan General"
Notes on the use of data:
First of all, it is generally believed that historical records describe the incident. The closer the birth time, the more credible it is; the further away, the possibility that the description will be forgotten or distorted and contaminated increases. But this view is not universal. There are many important historical events. At that time, it was difficult to make correct understandings and judgments because the archives had not yet been made public, or because important people were still alive. Only when this page was completely turned over, the archives and documents were made public, and the truth of this historical event In order to surface. But as far as the historical event of a bloody battle alone is concerned, because of the purpose of this battle, to a large extent, China is to boost the confidence of Western countries in China and to inspire the faith of the people to fight to the end. Therefore, at the time, it was indeed inevitable that some exaggerations and fictions of the battle situation and the results of the battle would appear to meet the needs of propaganda. But on the other hand, as a personal experience, to a large extent, it still follows the general principle of "the closer you are, the more real, the farther and the more vague". From this perspective, as long as the content is not obviously exaggerated and unrealistic, and if no reasonable questioning points are found, then this article still tries to use earlier accounts as the main material when selecting historical materials, and the memoirs of a later era Used as supplementary material.
Secondly, if different narrators oppose each other due to their positions, political opinions, private grievances, etc., they slander and insult each other in their respective accounts. If these historical materials with slander and insult cannot be proved by the evidence of third-party neutrals, they are generally not accepted. In the personal account, there are historical materials with words of beautification and protection, but because I am an important witness
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