In mid-November, we have entered the late autumn season.
The citizens in Jinling City have put on thick clothes, and the streets have gradually returned to some prosperity.
Although the war is coming, everyone's life still has to go on.
Entering Jinling City, which has not been bombed by the Japanese army, you can see street vendors and shouts.
Citizens wearing thick gray cotton clothes wandered the streets or gathered together to chat.
Perhaps after the bald man's fiftieth birthday passed, the first lady purchased a lot of aircraft, which made many citizens in Jinling City feel more stable. They all felt that their air force was enough to compete with the Japanese army, so now everyone dared to
Run to the street.
It had only been three days since Xia Yuan and Wang Sangou entered Jinling.
After retreating from Shanghai, they took a small road along the way. They didn't meet any soldiers, but they met refugees fleeing. The place they went to was also Jinling. Xia Yuan asked Wang Ergou to change into civilian clothes, and then hid the gun.
He got up, kept the two pistols he got from the Japanese squad leader, and more than 20 rounds of ammunition, and followed the refugees to escape in the direction of Jinling.
It was already more than half a month after we arrived in Jinling.
This was Xia Yuan's first time to see the capital city during the Republic of China. The low-rise houses were much more prosperous than the villages and towns. The citizens on the streets were simply dressed in black and gray, with few other colors.
Either wearing a small felt hat or wearing a long coat, most of them were thin and dark in appearance.
Looking at the scene in front of me, it feels like watching a gray and white worn-out video tape.
Although this is not the first time that I have personally experienced the 20th century, it is really rare to see Jinling in 1937.
There are many human porters walking up and down the streets. Those selling candied haws and making candy can only be seen in some scenic spots in the ancient city.
The bustle is not as lively as that of modern cities, but Jinling is still considered a big city today, with a large population. The houses on both sides of the street are of different heights, and some buildings are quite impressive, with a bit of Western style.
"Where is your sister? It's getting dark soon. Let's find a place to stay first." Xia Yuan walked along the long street with Wang Sangou.
With a height of about 1.8 meters, he is somewhat conspicuous among the skinny citizens of Jinling City. He always attracts some people's attention when he walks by.
Wang Sangou has a relatively thin body, about 1.6 meters tall. He holds his hands in his sleeves and looks left and right as he walks, as if it is his first time in such a big city, with a bit of excitement on his face.
"I can't believe it. We were on the battlefield before, but we didn't expect to be in the capital now."
Wang Sangou looked a little excited and turned to look at Xia Yuan: "I have to look for it and ask for directions."
He seemed to remember where his sister lived and the name of the street, so he took Xia Yuan to wander around Jinling.
Wang Sangou, who came to a big city for the first time, was full of curiosity about everything here.
The Japanese army hadn't attacked yet, so Xia Yuan seemed to have nothing to do. He followed Wang Sangou to take a look at the customs and customs of Jinling.
While wandering around, I saw many ruins of houses and many bullet points on the road.
Jiading was also bombed by the Japanese army, and most of the town was destroyed by Japanese aircraft. Although Jinling was bombed, it was rebuilt after the bombing. At the same time, there were many air raid shelters in Jinling. Therefore, although Jinling was heavily bombed by Japanese aircraft, it was not
The will of Jinling citizens has not been destroyed.
On the contrary, the anti-war sentiment in the country was rising.
Wandering around until sunset, Wang Sangou also asked the people on the road and came to his sister's house.
A two-story building with a courtyard, it looks like a pretty good life.
Wang Sangou asked Xia Yuan to wait here while he went up to knock on the door. He knocked three times and heard footsteps in the courtyard. The strange thing was that judging from the footsteps he heard, it was not...
One person or several people were walking towards the house, and then a woman's voice sounded:
"Who is it?"
"Sister, it's me, Sangou."
"Three dogs!? Why is it you!"
The door latch was opened, and a woman wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket opened the door. When she saw the three dogs outside, her eyes suddenly filled with tears.
"sister!"
When relatives meet, the scene is somewhat heart-wrenching.
"How are your parents doing? Why did you come to Jinling? Where are your parents? Why didn't they come with you?"
When Wang Sangou's sister saw Wang Sangou, she couldn't keep calm anymore. Her voice was crying and she asked anxiously.
Just as Sangou was about to speak, someone came from the courtyard following the sound: "Cui Cui, who is it?"
"He's my brother." Wang Sangou's sister, named Wang Cui, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, introduced him to the man coming behind him, and took Wang Sangou's hand and said, "This is your brother-in-law, Wu Youhua."
"Brother-in-law." Wang Sangou wiped the corners of his eyes and said to Wang Cui: "Sister, this is my friend, Xia Yuan. We came to Jinling all the way from home and want to rest at your place temporarily."
"This..." Seeing this, Wang Cui glanced at Wu Youhua rather embarrassedly.
"Just let them in." Wu Youhua met Wang Cui's family for the first time. He didn't want to have a tense relationship, so he stepped aside.
"Thank you sister, thank you brother-in-law." Wang Sangou thanked him repeatedly and called: "Brother Yuan, come in."
Thanks to Xia Yuan's care, I was able to reach Jinling safely along the way. Without Xia Yuan, I probably wouldn't have been able to reach Jinling on my own.
Moreover, along the way, Wang Sangou gained a new understanding of the soldier he met on the road.
He has a lot of skills, knows a lot of things, and can be said to be well-informed.
Therefore, Wang Sangou respects Xia Yuan very much.
Wang Sangou introduced Xia Yuan to Wang Cui and Wu Youhua, "Sister, brother-in-law, this is what I met on the road... uh."
Wang Sangou didn't know how to continue talking, because their accents were different, and they said they were from the same hometown, which was revealed as soon as he opened his mouth.
"I'm from Yu, and I escaped from there." Xia Yuan answered Wang Sangou's words.
"Hey, you guys come in first." Wang Cui said nothing and led the two of them into the courtyard, while Wu Youhua closed the door and pulled the latch.
Entering the yard, the keen Xia Yuan noticed that someone was staring at him and Wang Sangou through the gap in the second floor window. But as Xia Yuan looked up, the person hiding behind the window was hiding quietly again.
It seems that Wang Sangou's family is not in peace.
Xia Yuan pursed his lips and followed Wang Sangou without saying a word. He didn't really want to know what was going on with Wang Sangou's sister's family.
At the moment, the most important thing is to prepare for the defense of Jinling.
The Japanese army, full of revenge, will still carry out another inhumane massacre.
The extreme rhetoric of destroying China in three months made the Japanese army go to an extreme.
In the Battle of Songhu, the Japanese army encountered strong resistance from the Chinese. They were trapped in a quagmire and fought for several months. In the end, their arrogant remarks were crushed by the Chinese. The Japanese held a grudge and thought of a more extreme method, which was to create
A massacre completely crushed the Chinese people's will to resist.
The Jinling Massacre did not happen, but there were massacres such as Huimuling and Tuling.
Regarding the mystery of Wang Cui's family, Xia Yuan vaguely guessed something, but did not investigate in detail. He took a good rest in the room arranged by Wang Cui to relieve his tense spirit.
Wang Sangou ran to Wang Cui's room and heard crying coming from the room from time to time.
Using the sound to identify the location, Xia Yuan also heard the movement upstairs, the subtle and somewhat messy footsteps, and vaguely heard their conversation.
"The troops on the front line have been withdrawn, and the Battle of Songhu has failed. What does this mean in terms of organization?"
"This matter is rather troublesome. The comrades in Shanghai conveyed the news that the Japanese reinforcements landed at Jinshanwei, which opened the door to the south wing of the battlefield in Shanghai."
The voice was a bit softer and could not be heard clearly.
Xia Yuan can basically guess the identity of the other party.
After the Battle of Songhu, although the Shanghai dispatched troops successfully captured Shanghai, it did not make the Japanese generals happy.
They encountered a fierce counterattack by the Chinese army in Shanghai, causing many divisions to pay a heavy price. The Japanese wanted revenge.
November 5, 1937, the third day of the tenth lunar month.
There is heavy fog and tide in Jinshanwei, Hangzhou Bay, carrying an uneasy atmosphere that stretches across the sea.
At 5:30 in the morning, more than 80 warships suddenly appeared on the sea near Jinshanwei. Under the cover of warship artillery fire, more than 100,000 people from the Japanese 10th Army landed at Jinshanwei, quickly opening up the southern flank of the Chinese army in the Songhu Battlefield.
Door.
November 3rd was the birthday of Emperor Meiji of Japan. Matsui Iwane, who dispatched troops to Shanghai, hoped to celebrate this day as a "conqueror of Shanghai". However, the protracted war in Shanghai made him feel surprised and unhappy. He even wrote in his diary
He wrote that it was extremely humiliating for the celebration to be held under such circumstances.
After the July 7th Incident, the Japanese army clamored rampantly to destroy China in three months. However, the Songhu battlefield lasted for nearly three months. The Japanese army increased its troops many times, but it still failed to achieve the victory they wanted. The Japanese army staff decided to continue to increase the number of troops in the north and south.
Attack the national army stationed on the south bank of the Suzhou River.
On October 20, the Japanese Army Headquarters ordered to mobilize troops from North China and Japan to form the 10th Army with the 6th, 118th, and 114th Divisions as the basis.
The landing site was Jinshanwei.
Shanghai has a special terrain, protruding toward the sea, forming a sharp triangle, with the Yangtze River on the top and Hangzhou Bay Jinshanwei on the bottom. If you want to attack Shanghai, the only way is to land from above or below and carry out a north-south pincer attack.
The commander of this landing was Yanagawa Heisuke, who was the former commander of the Taiwan Army. He had participated in the Russo-Japanese War and was famous for his use of roundabout tactics.
Before the battle, he warned the soldiers that all mountains, rivers and vegetation are enemies.
At this time, the Japanese army's strength in Shanghai reached six divisions to contain the Chinese army on the south bank of the Suzhou River. Three divisions, nearly 100,000 people, landed in Hangzhou Bay to outflank the Chinese army in Shanghai.
On the 4th, the Japanese Fourth Fleet entered the Jinshan waters of Hangzhou Bay with 155 ships.
At dawn on the 5th, taking advantage of the heavy fog and rising tide, the 10th Army landed at Jinshanwei from the beach that stretched for dozens of miles.
The 90-kilometer coastline on the north shore of Hangzhou Bay was originally defended by two divisions of the 8th Army. China did not have no consideration for the status of Jinshan Guard. The commander of the 8th Army, Zhang Fakui, knew the history.
During the period, Japan once landed at Jinshan and disrupted the territory of Zhejiang.
It is very likely that the Japanese army will use history as a basis to repeat this history.
Zhang Fakui once visited Jinshan Guard on the spot, deployed an artillery company and an infantry battalion there, and repeatedly warned to be on alert at sea.
The importance of Bald Head to Hangzhou Bay is also quite clear. After the outbreak of the "August 13" Anti-Japanese War in Shanghai, Bald Head deployed three divisions of troops near Hangzhou Bay to fight against the Japanese landing.
The battle was fierce, and the troops were constantly mobilized northward, and finally only one was placed in Hangzhou Bay.
As time progresses, the fighting on the Songhu frontline has expanded, the supply of troops has dried up, and the Chinese army has become increasingly difficult.
After the fall of Dachang, the south bank of the Suzhou River was also in crisis, and Pudong suddenly became tense. Zhang Fakui deployed the main force of the 62nd Division defending Hangzhou Bay to station in Pudong on November 3. On the second night of the main force of the 62nd Division arriving in Pudong, the Japanese army
Landed at Jinshanwei.
On the dozens of kilometers of coastline on the north shore of Hangzhou Bay, there are only two infantry companies of the 62nd Division, the 6th Company of the 2nd Regiment of the 2nd Artillery Brigade, and a few local armed defenses. There are neither heavy artillery nor decent fortifications.
The Japanese naval guns and aircraft bombed continuously for more than 4 hours, and the defending Chinese army was completely defeated.
The mistakes in the defense of Hangzhou Bay completely changed the direction of the entire Songhu battlefield.
Bald Head even recorded in his diary: "There is no one in charge of the Jinshan Guards and Zhapu area. They do not pay attention to the importance of the flanks. They only think that the troops in Pudong are insufficient. They move Jinshan and Zhapu and move most of them to Pudong, which will allow the enemy to take advantage of the weakness."
Entering, this is the biggest failure of the strategy."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Recording a diary cannot prevent the disaster from happening. Once the Japanese army forms an encirclement from the north and south of Shanghai, it will not only seriously threaten more than 60 divisions, but also hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops participating in the Songhu Anti-Japanese War.
It will also endanger the security of Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi and Jinling.
The fangs of the Japanese army after landing at Jinshanwei were also exposed.
They brutally killed 1,015 innocent people, cut off the arms of 1,600 people, and made them stand by the river, waiting for General Chen to see them. Not only did they create military difficulties for the Chinese defenders, they also created killing difficulties.
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After the Japanese troops landed, they quickly advanced toward Jiading, Wujiang, Kunshan, and Taicang. Their strategic intention was very clear. They were to join up with the Japanese troops crossing the Suzhou River in the north, form a north-south pincer attack, and encircle the Chinese defenders guarding Shanghai.
The situation on the battlefield took a turn for the worse, which was unexpected by all Chinese generals. The lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers were at stake.
To retreat or to defend?
Zhang Fakui, Chen Cheng and others once again proposed that they should immediately implement a strategic retreat, deploy defenses along the way, and block attacks at all levels.
Chen Cheng's idea was that China's vast territory could allow the Japanese troops to come in, and then contain them from all directions, dividing the Japanese troops' strength and preventing them from concentrating.
However, the bald man has not yet been able to make a decision. What he wants is to call back the troops and stabilize the position.
He also recorded in his diary, 'If our army can hold its current position, there will be no danger in three days.'
The bald man was considered a talented person. He considered all aspects quite well. He was well aware of the shortcomings of the Chinese army. It was extremely difficult to use the Chinese army to complete the War of Independence and Anti-Japanese War, considering the national strength and national conditions at the time.
Therefore, from the beginning of the Battle of Songhu, Baldhead’s idea of using international interference to mediate and help China overcome this predicament has never stopped.
Even in such a dangerous situation now.
Therefore, Baldhead has always had great expectations for the 'Nine-Nation Pact' meeting.
Far away in Brussels, the meeting of the 'Nine-Nation Pact' is being held. Baldhead's hopes all fall on the Nine-Nation Pact. He hopes that the Chinese army will desperately hold on to Shanghai, which will attract international attention and put pressure on the Japanese army.
Xia Yuan sat back in his chair and continued to recall this special era.
"Bald's idea is destined to fail. The Nine-Nation Pact cannot sanction Japan."
Because, a European mustache emerged during this period.
The rise of the mustache marks the rise of fascism. All the eyes of many countries in Europe and China are focused on the mustache. How can they still have the energy to take care of China's affairs?
Europeans will not offend Japan again for the sake of China.
However, these Europeans don't know that Japan's ambitions are not limited to China.
The United States is pursuing an isolationist policy and does not want to offend Japan.
Baldhead’s excessive hopes for the Nine-Nation Pact are completely unrealistic.
This directly affected the war in Shanghai.
After the Battle of Songhu, General Chen Cheng reflected quite well: "Political strategy affects strategy. Strategy is originally a means to achieve political goals. But once the war has begun, strategy should be the main focus, and political strategy should not interfere with strategy."
This view was confirmed in the Korean battlefield.
In the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, if you want to force the United States to sign the armistice agreement, you must use war to defeat the U.S. defense line, thereby achieving the goal of completing the political strategy.
Although political strategy is important, it should not be influenced by political strategy. Strategy should be used to influence political strategy.