Nine Songs of Anti-Japanese War

Feeling powerless at the same time, he probably really isn't a soldier who can put his mind to work and fight.Although it is the place where the Hunan Army was founded, he still can't get rid of a certain kind of softness, and he is not used to being the backbone at a critical moment.The commander of the 10th Army, Fang Jun, is handsome in appearance, but he is a typical warrior. He is just like the others, and he is much closer to the chief of staff who is more literary.

It just so happened that the chief of staff came to him: "A company found some unfamiliar officers in the enemy army outside Xiaoximen. Would you like to go over and have a look? Maybe they are people you know."

Hengyang ran to the high ground closest to Xiaoximen, and raised his binoculars to observe.This group of enemy soldiers was the main force of the siege 68th Division, the Zhimo Brigade. After the day and night of hand-to-hand combat the day before yesterday, the brigade advanced another 100 meters to the front of the gate.There were three officers talking together, besides Kumamoto, whom he had seen before, and two new faces.

He glanced at the photos of the city masters who would participate in the battle in the Japanese army, and quickly recognized the two extra people as Sendai and Nagoya.The 68th Division was originally organized in Osaka, but I heard that Osaka himself is not very good at leading the army. I haven't seen him in the Chinese battlefield for several years, so it is understandable to let Kumamoto lead it.But where did Sendai come from?Doesn't she have a serial number in the siege troops?Nagoya is even more strange, he is a support staff who does not go to the front line...

The chief of staff beside him asked, "Is it your kind?"

"Yeah, they're still together." Heng Yang tried his best not to laugh on the spot.It is conceivable that there are probably more than these three Japanese city lords gathered under the city, and there are other positions.He is not a famous big shot, but he is lucky enough to be surrounded by several Japanese warriors who are capable of conquering and fighting!Look at their faces when they talk, they are still very serious!

At this time, the three people broke up after talking, Sendai and Nagoya walked back, Kumamoto stood where he was, turned to the direction of the small highland where Hengyang was, and made a provocative gesture.

Hengyang is not surprised: Occasionally there will be some strange interactions between the personifications of the city.When he saw Kumamoto's gesture, the blood in his whole body was almost boiling.But he has no intention of responding to the provocation.What Kumamoto cares about is the victory or defeat of the siege, to prove his strength and defend his self-esteem; these things are all air to Hengyang, and they are the last.He also cares about winning or losing, but for the sake of not shedding the blood of the soldiers in vain, so that his people can return to the city happily to live their lives.Pride and dignity?He thought, if that kind of thing can be exchanged for victory, it can roll as far as it can!

He thrust the binoculars into the chief of staff's hand heavily, then turned and walked back.The way he gritted his teeth probably frightened the chief of staff, and he didn't dare to talk to him along the way.

The Japanese city owner is actually not having a good time here.

As July drew to a close, the three of them got together again, and mentioned the sudden change in the domestic political situation for the first time.Saipan was captured by the United States, and the 7 soldiers guarding the island were almost wiped out. The decline in the Pacific Ocean has become more and more obvious; the Japanese army in Burma is fighting with the Chinese and American coalition forces, and the situation cannot see any improvement.All the troops that can be mobilized have been transferred to China for the "Operation No. [-]", expecting to attack the city in a short period of time, but they have not pushed the gate of Hengyang city for a month... Prime Minister Hideki Tojo Already under pressure to resign, his entire cabinet subsequently resigned.The whole country is discussing what to do in the future, and the crisis within the government continues.This also affected them who were on an expedition.This time, the Japanese army almost put all their eggs in one basket and put their forces on the battlefield in China. Hengyang was unable to attack for a long time, and it suffered heavy losses.They always feel that they are more or less responsible for the domestic crisis.

After discussing it, they felt that they had exhausted all they could do and could no longer find a shortcut.

"The Chinese troops enlisted in Burma have not turned back. This is the greatest good news. The only thing I am afraid of now is that reinforcements will arrive near the city to meet the defenders. The possibility of this is not great according to the reports of other troops. They have all intercepted It was relatively successful." Sendai analyzed, "General Yokoyama has put all the strength of the 11th Army to the top, and added new troops and artillery. If the enemy's consumption is not replenished, there will always be flaws. Don't worry, just advance steadily. "

"That's the conclusion you came to?" Kumamoto said.

"Then what do you want to do?" Sendai was not in a good mood at all, and the disdain in Kumamoto's tone was very sensitive.

"We rely too much on aircraft and artillery. There is no intact part of the city, and it will be useless to blow it up. It happens to be very close to the city gate. We should use infantry to carry out a bolder attack."

"It's already bold enough! Most of the soldiers in front of you who pressed your 'bold charge' were killed by cluster grenades. Intensifying the onslaught will only cause more sacrifices! It's a general like you who doesn't know how to adapt. In front of the heavy firepower of the U.S. military, the soldiers have to charge and die." [Note 5] "That's not sending to death, I won't argue with you about this. The people in the city are not the U.S. military, and their equipment is far worse than ours."

"Whether it is the US military is not my focus. What I mean is, even if you can break the city a day or two earlier in your way, does it make sense?"

"After all, you are just a woman. You can't attack this city with four times as many troops, and you don't feel at all. Don't you feel ashamed? His Majesty Tokyo specifically entrusted us to win the No. It is of course meaningful for the flag to be planted on the top of Hengyang city!"

"Whatever you think, I'd rather not be a stupid man like you." Sendai sneered.

"Stop arguing!" Nagoya stopped them.He is not very involved in tactical discussions, but he can still lead the topic. "It's best not to change the original plan. Death Squad will be used sooner or later, but we need to assess the situation. Now is a critical moment, and we must treat it with caution. Think again, is there another way? I can't think of it now, and I may think of it in two days... ..."

The three people in the military tent fell silent.Then it was Kumamoto who broke the silence: "I've already thought of one. If you kill that city lord, as long as you cause enough damage, you can hit the morale of the enemy army. Hengyang City is not very big anyway, and he often goes to the front line to set up a gun and just stare at it. He was alone and there was always a chance to shoot him."

"But the possibility is not high." Nagoya said persuasively, "Maybe the city has already been won before finding the opportunity."

"Let it be luck! Both of you have teamed up against me, so you have to find another way. Call Hirosaki from the artillery team. Her sniper skills are the best among us."

There was another silence.Finally, Sendai said bluntly, "Okay, I'll call her."

At the beginning of August, Yokoyama, the commander of the Japanese 8th Army, arrived at the city of Hengyang from Changsha with illness.The army with more than four divisions, three bomber formations, and two fighter formations surrounded the city tightly.After day and night bomber raids, heavy artillery barrages and death squad charges, the North Gate was captured.

The Japanese army had mastered the air supremacy, and the only source of supply in the city-airdrop was cut off.

At this time, Hengyang is fully aware that it is impossible to count on reinforcements to rescue the siege.Even if reinforcements approached the city, or even heard gunshots from outside the city, those troops would not dare to come to reinforce them.The Japanese army has surrounded so much and for so long, and the enemy is also fighting with a desperate heart.What could be saved by a small force of reinforcements coming in?His city is a hearth, a crematorium, whoever throws in will be destroyed in ashes.

The caliber of each corps is different. The caliber of 81 cm has been exhausted, and there is still a little stock of 82 cm. However, mortars capable of firing 82 cm shells have not been found.In desperation, people used bricks and stones to grind away the middle diameter of the 82 cm shells according to the idea of ​​the chief of staff, so as to prepare for the final desperate use.

Hengyang mechanically grinds shells on bricks.He found that at this moment, he and the soldiers around him no longer had any hope, and there was no need to fight against despair.They have survived for two weeks and more than a month, and they have almost exhausted all their strength.A few days ago, the Central Committee sent a telegram, saying that "the gains and losses of Hengyang this time are really a matter of the country's survival, and it is by no means comparable to ordinary success or failure... The second reinforcements from all walks of life have arrived as scheduled this morning." There are very few people left warmed by this telegram.

Why else would they fight?Because there is no retreat, because what is waiting is only the difference in the way of death.

His hands were blistered quickly, and his nails were cracked down the middle, bleeding out.Although it was a minor injury, the ten fingers connected to the heart still brought a heartache.It's useless!The Japanese army had already reached a hundred meters away from the military headquarters, and the chief of staff led non-combatants from the department to fight with bayonets. His hand would still hurt from a small injury...then continue to hurt!If it doesn't hurt, how does he know he's still alive!

He suddenly looked through the window and saw a street fighting in full swing, with blood flying everywhere, and he didn't know which division's troops were guarding that street.Let's go and have a look, now that communication is isolated everywhere, knowing how much ammunition is left in the nearest division and how long it can last will always be helpful...

He picked up a gun and rushed out.Before taking a few steps, he was suddenly knocked down by a thrust from his side and back.He lay on the ground, touched his lower back first, and then looked at his hands.On the blood stains that had already flowed all over his fingers, there was a hand full of steaming, greasy blood.Only then did he react: he was hit by a bullet.

On a commanding height in the city that had just been captured by the Japanese army, Hirosaki and the others let out a sigh of relief.They finally managed to make the enemy city lord lose their fighting power before completely taking down the city, so they can be a little lucky.

After Hengyang was shot, he developed a high fever, and had intermittent dreams in the drowsiness of day and night.Sometimes he knew it was a dream, but he tried desperately to break free but still couldn't wake up, so he could only follow the dream and throw him on the tip of the rough waves.Later, the nightmare eased a little bit, the waves were no longer rough, and the water flow became gentle, like the river flowing by the shoal where wild geese play at sunset in autumn, flowing calmly and gracefully... A bamboo raft went along the river Floating over, Zhijiang stood on it, dressed in the clothes of a Dong girl, with a beautiful silver jewelry that made a crisp sound on her head, smiling and waving to herself...

He felt that he liked her several times, but he was not sure whether this ethereal intention was true, and whether he should confess this intention to her.Every time the air force flew over the city, even though he tried his best to restrain himself, he still couldn't help wondering whether the planes that rescued them took off from Zhijiang's airport, and whether the pilots had heard Zhijiang's sweet voice... He understood this Is it a dream, or is he walking towards the bamboo raft without hesitation.Suddenly a wave of shells fell, the bamboo raft overturned into the river, and the Zhijiang River disappeared.He hurriedly wanted to jump into the river to find her, but he couldn't move no matter what.He looked down, and saw that only his head was stuck on the bayonet, the blood had flowed out, and his body, hands and feet were gone...

Hengyang fell off the plank bed and was awakened by severe pain.The sound of killing outside was loud, the machine gun was still firing, and the grenades were still exploding one after another, but it sounded full of grief, with a determination to abandon everything.He leaned on the wall and crawled towards the room where the voices of the army were being heard, and then he heard the hoarse and choked voice of Commander Fang, dictating a message to the only radio station that could be connected to Chongqing: "... There are no more ammunition or reinforcements in the city, and the crisis is extremely serious. The only thing we can do is to die for the country, and see you in the next life..."

After finishing the message, the army commander continued: "The ministries have completely disconnected, and are on the verge of running out of ammunition and food. It is only a matter of time before Hengyang falls. We all have to die to thank our country."

A subordinate said: "Commander, we can still protect you to break out!"

"There are still [-] wounded soldiers in the city. What should I do if I break through them? Leave them and let the devils slaughter them? Die, we will die together. If we want to commit suicide, I will do it first!"

Gunshots rang out.Horrified and frightened, Hengyang rushed into the room and found that the commander was still alive, and that shot was shot down by the adjutant.Hengyang's legs softened and he knelt on the ground.

Several military generals in the room were startled when they saw him rushing in, and hurriedly tried to help him up.Borrowing their strength, Hengyang barely stood up straight, stepped forward step by step, and said: "Commander, don't be too anxious...the whole army is pointing at you. If you are still alive, they still have a glimmer of hope... ..."

He found the chief of staff in the crowd again, and smiled at him: "It's really impossible. On that day... I will die first, and you can follow. I will follow the road ahead, so you can walk behind safe..."

The chief of staff said: "You can't die with us! You are different. This city can be rebuilt after being destroyed, and your people will come back. You can still live well. Just let us die!"

He shook his head: "I don't help you much, I'm already very guilty... Besides, I don't think death is a difficult thing at all now. You have fought to defend my city for more than 40 days, which is already better than my son. The people even kissed each other... I am... very happy to be able to die together with my own people..."

His eyes were hot, and he couldn't hold it back anymore, tears welled up in his eyes, mistying the people who were also choking up in his vision.He is excited on the outside, but extremely calm on the inside.He looked into the depths of his heart without emotion, and confirmed that what he had just said came from the heart.Although he still misses life and wants to see the smiling faces of his relatives again and hear Zhijiang's voice, all this does not conflict with his heart that is no longer afraid of going to death.He and the soldiers of the 10th Army lived together for more than 40 days, and felt the fall from hope to despair together. He loved these lovely people.

How happy it is to be able to join hands with them to the end, to usher in the final relief.

After that, there was silence in the military headquarters.

Until the next night, the Japanese army released a prisoner back with a letter asking the 10th Army to stop resisting.At the same time, Kumamoto also came to Hengyang.

"You dare to come to the enemy's military headquarters alone, it's really brave." Heng Yang said lightly, trying to sit upright on the chair.

"Thank you for your compliment." Kumamoto accepted it naturally, "Besides, I'm here to negotiate, not to fight with you."

"Negotiation? Isn't it just asking us to surrender? I remember that your Japanese army is very contemptuous of the surrendered prisoners of war. You have always humiliated them in every possible way and even massacred them on the spot..."

Kumamoto was silent for two seconds and said, "It means stopping resistance, not surrender."

"Is there a difference?"

"Yes, there is a big difference. This is an armistice agreement. You hand over the city to us. In exchange, we will treat your people well. There will be no surrender document for you to sign, and there will be no talk of prisoners."

Seeing that he did not answer, Kumamoto said: "Actually, we have witnessed your battle from beginning to end, and we are already full of respect in our hearts, and it is impossible to have any contempt. When I saw many soldiers on your side were injured, they used hand grenades to kill themselves." Blowing up and killing nearby enemy soldiers, this kind of suicide attack is hard to imagine such a large-scale even in our army who follow the samurai way and are good at daring to die... Our army tried its best, and... cast A lot of poisonous gas," he paused and sighed, "but your will to fight has not been destroyed. We have always respected the stubborn enemy. Otherwise, we only need to attack for a few more days to take this city, at most More casualties."

"You said you admired us..." Hengyang gritted his teeth and said, "Then do you think that there will be people in the city who are greedy for life and afraid of death!"

"No, I didn't think that way. But Hengyang, think about it, you are not afraid of death, and the generals of the defending army are not afraid of death. Do you have the right to decide the life and death of those soldiers who are still alive? Most of them lost their combat effectiveness, and the rest We can only do sporadic resistance. At this point, there is no need to fight. They had a chance to live and see their wives and children again. Do you have the heart to cut off this opportunity? As long as you are willing to continue the dialogue with us, the conditions are all We can talk about it, and we promise to treat the officers and soldiers of the 10th Army well and not do them any harm."

"..."

"You are not ashamed of the country, but the country is ashamed of you. Agreeing to a truce will not be a stain."

Hengyang suddenly hated Kumamoto deeply.He and the 10th Army have already signed a contract in front of death, why does Kumamoto disturb his mind and bring hope in!That would make him weak and prevent him from drawing a perfect conclusion to this hellish journey.It would be nice if the prisoner who sent the message and Kumamoto didn't come!

But at the same time, he also knows: Kumamoto's words are true and credible, and they are justified.Who doesn't miss life, and who wants to die at a young age?War is a monster. It takes the massacre of people for granted, advocates the "not afraid of death" which is against human nature as a virtue, and instead blames those behaviors that cherish life, as if they have become a terrible evil. okay.He has no sense of identity with Kumamoto's bushido spirit, but if this spirit can save the rest of the people, why can't they accept it?He had long thought that if his empty dignity could be exchanged for victory, he could have thrown it away long ago.Now it can be exchanged for the survival and future of the remaining thousands of people, so where does he have the right not to hand it over?

His ears were buzzing, his wound was throbbing, he watched Kumamoto's mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't hear it anymore.There are only a few words lingering in my mind: "You are not ashamed of the country"... "Conditions can be negotiated"... "I promise to treat you kindly"... "Do you have the right to decide the life and death of those soldiers who are still alive? "...

Gradually, he couldn't even sit still in the chair, and his face turned pale.As soon as Kumamoto left, his body went limp, and he fell to the ground with the chair and lost consciousness again.

When he woke up later, the chief of staff asked him what he thought, and he said, "Don't ask me about your decision."

The chief of staff still insisted on asking him.He had no choice but to say, what do you think is best for the officers and soldiers of the 10th Army, just do it.

"If someone will blame the 10th Army for this in the future... say that you have persevered to the end, but you didn't all die in battle and keep the last name..." He sat up, panted for a while, and said, "That is They have never been to Hengyang City, and they have never experienced the current situation...Sometimes, it is easy to die, but difficult to live...Death is a momentary thing, and after that, all pain is gone...Live, it is a lifetime problem……"

After listening, the chief of staff covered his hand, then stood up and bowed deeply to him.

On the morning of August 8, after more than 8 days of bloody battle in Gucheng, the 10th Army and the Japanese 11th Army reached an agreement to end the war.The Japanese army promised to maintain the military system and honor, and to rescue wounded officers and soldiers.

The morning wind blows slowly, and the sun jumps out of the clouds, unscrupulously releasing light and heat, shining on this scorched earth, and also shining on the countless complete or incomplete dead bodies lying on it.The sky and the earth change color, and the vegetation is sad.

Under the shining of the sun, peace finally came.Hengyang fell.

Note 1: There was no military conflict in the first war zone for three years after the Shanxi-South War in 1941. The national army in this area could not guarantee its own food and pay, and its vigilance and morale were very low. One month after the battle, Henan was occupied, and the national army was defeated across the board.The 1944 troops in the first war zone were disarmed by local farmers on the way to retreat. The commander-in-chief and deputy commander both said that they were captured by the mob and fled in disguise.

Note 2: According to the description of the fourth Changsha battle in the second part of "National Memorial", the entire decision-making system of this battle was relatively chaotic, which directly affected the outcome of the battle.However, the writing in the second part is... peculiar, and I like to use a sarcastic tone to describe the internal conflicts of the national army, which may be exaggerated.

Note 3: The leaders of the Xingui faction are Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, who had many political and military conflicts with Jiang.The old and new Guangxi factions and the Guangdong faction also broke out many wars, and the relationship eased later. In 1936, they jointly launched the "Guangdong Incident" against Chiang.After the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, he participated in many large-scale battles, and directly contributed to the victory of the Taierzhuang Battle.

Note 4: Stilwell and Chennault, two important figures in the U.S. military’s support to the Chinese battlefield, had many conflicts in their work together, and their attitudes towards Jiang were very different. To some extent, this was the epitome of the dispute between the Army and the Air Force.Generally speaking, Stilwell's theory of emphasizing the army is more practical. However, in the Battle of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi in 1944, Stilwell sent too many troops to Burma and refused to send troops back to aid. responsible.

Note 5: Long live charge, a Japanese infantry tactic, that is, destroy the enemy's firepower point in the first charge, cover the charge of the first unit, and finally resolve the battle with hand-to-hand combat. It was seen in the Russo-Japanese War in the early days.However, under the suppression of the firepower of the US military in the Pacific battlefield, the long live charge had little effect, and later evolved into a suicide attack.