At this time, the American reporter stood up and asked: "Mr. Jiang, it is said that the German Ambassador Taudemann is mediating the Sino-Japanese war. Is this true? Can the Sino-Japanese war turn hostility into friendship?"
Jiang said: "You are really well-informed. To be honest, this matter is under negotiation. I can't comment on the specific details."
Mentioning Ambassador Todman cannot help but make people wonder what Chiang's true intentions were in the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Jinling.
According to Li Zongren, who made great contributions in the Anti-Japanese War and knew Chiang Kai-shek very well, he once analyzed in an article: Mr. Chiang’s original motivation for making the decision to fight the Songhu Campaign was, first of all, that he was motivated and did not hesitate to fight the Japanese warlords.
, to compete with each other; secondly, it may be that he made a mistake in judging the international situation.
In Mr. Jiang's view, Shanghai is an international city, and European and American people have invested a lot of money here. If they fight with the enemy with all their strength in Shanghai, it will not only change the Westerners' always scornful China, but also may cause a dispute between European and American households.
Mediation, or even armed intervention. Unexpectedly, this was completely wrong. Mr. Chiang had a serious judgment on the international situation, Germany was rising, and the attention of Western countries was no longer on China.
Third, because Mr. Chiang does not know soldiers and engages in large-scale international wars with the courage of an ordinary man, we should not use the best of our country's military strength to make a desperate move in the Songhu Triangle.
Chiang Kai-shek's true intentions for the Battle of Jinling were actually similar to the Battle of Songhu.
He once called Tang Shengzhi to his office and secretly revealed to Tang Shengzhi that he was going to ask Tao Deman to mediate and make peace with Japan. Japan may not really come to Jinling. Brother Tang only needs to defend for a while. Once he makes peace with the Japanese,
Jin Ling went into the safe.
In fact, Chiang and the Japanese both had intentions regarding peace talks, but their goals were different.
On December 5, Chiang secretly discussed peace talks with the German Ambassador to China Taudemann in Jinling. Almost on the same day, Japan accelerated the development of the war in China and paralyzed Chiang's fighting spirit. Foreign Minister Hirota Hiroki reported to the German Ambassador to Japan
Ambassador Dixon expressed the hope that Germany would come forward to 'mediate' the Sino-Japanese war.
Germany was naturally willing to mediate the matter and sent a telegram to Todman, asking him to convey to Chiang Kai-shek Japan's seven conditions for peace talks:
1. Establish the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Government; 2. Establish a demilitarized zone in North China and appoint pro-Japanese elements as the administrative heads of North China; 3. The Shanghai Demilitarized Zone needs to be expanded and under the jurisdiction of the international police; 4. Stop anti-Japanese; 5. Jointly prevent communism;
6. Reduce import tariffs on Japanese goods; 7. Respect the rights of foreigners.
In response to these seven points, Chiang expressed that he welcomed German mediation, but that restoration of the status quo before the Marco Polo Bridge Incident was a prerequisite for Sino-Japanese negotiations.
Chiang was quite satisfied with Article 5, which was exactly what he wanted. He even told Todman that he could accept these seven articles, especially Article 5. Regarding how to prevent communism, Chiang wanted to have further consultations with Japan to work out the specific details.
In early December, the main force of the Japanese army approached Jinling, forming a large siege. The Japanese also learned that the Chiang government was moving west to Qingchong, and that the Chinese army would stick to it for a while and then move west to Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan. The Japanese government changed its mind and went even further, adding four more lines to Chiang.
Conveyed orally to Chiang Kai-shek by Todman.
At this time, Jiang was holding a press conference. Qian Dajun, director of the Attendant Office, walked in and whispered in Jiang's ear: "Taudman has something to ask for."
Jiang felt that he had said everything he needed to say to the reporters, so he announced the end of the meeting, and then took a bus to No. 3 Huangpu Road, where Tao Deman was already waiting, and the two exchanged pleasantries.
Todman then told Chiang, "Japan's conditions have increased. They will establish formal Japanese-administered government agencies in the occupied and soon-to-be-occupied Northeast, Pingbei, Shanghai, and Jinling. They will also double the compensation for Japan's operations in the North.
Damage costs incurred in the wars in the East, Pingbei, and Shanghai, and..."
"Pa!" Jiang was furious. He slammed the table and stood up, interrupting him: "Shameless, really shameless. What kind of peace talks are they? They are obviously blackmail, ceding territory, and asking for compensation. I finally understand, they are eager to
You will only be satisfied if you ask me to give up all of China!"
The more Jiang talked, the angrier he became, and he cursed loudly: "Who are the Japanese? They want to take advantage of my peace-seeking mentality and force me to submit step by step. They don't think about it. If I agree to their conditions, then I will be in the public eye."
What's in his eyes? Hasn't he become 100% Qin Hui? I won't talk about it anymore, I want to talk to them until the end of the day!"
Chiang's dream of peace talks was shattered. He was ready to accept the policy of protracted debate proposed by the Red Party, leave Jinling and go to Hanwu to further adjust his internal and external policies, adjust relations in all aspects, and fight a protracted war with the Japanese!
On the 5th, Chiang convened a meeting of senior generals above Jinling. At the meeting, he mobilized impassionedly, "Since the War of Resistance, we have gained and lost. The gain is that we have annihilated a large number of enemies, but the loss is that we have sacrificed many good officials and good officials.
Soldiers have lost a lot of land. Our biggest gain is that by betraying the enemy, we have boosted the fighting spirit of the army and the people, and gained the sympathy and support of more and more countries in the world. One day, we will be able to defeat the enemy!"
Then, he talked about the significance of defending Jinling: "Jinling is the capital and the tomb of Mr. Sun. The whole world is paying attention to the battle to defend Jinling. This battle is of extraordinary significance. We must not give up easily. In the long run,
In the interests of the Anti-Japanese War, we must leave here. The important task of defending the capital falls to General Tang. General Tang is a general who has experienced hundreds of battles and is both civil and military. He will definitely follow my wishes and shoulder this important task. Everyone must obey General Tang.
Just obey my command!"
Commander Tang was very grateful for Jiang's trust in him. He stood up excitedly and said solemnly: "I will never let down the principal's respect and trust and go to defend the city with all the generals. I vow to live and die with Jinling!"
However, when Jinling fell, he was the fastest runner.
...
The 262nd Brigade of the 88th Division is responsible for defending the right wing of the Yuhuatai position.
Brigadier Zhu Chi is a native of Xiushui County, Jiangxi Province, and graduated from the third phase of the Infantry Department of Huangpu. When he was studying in the military academy, he liked to read history, philosophy, geography and other subjects, especially the history of European philosophy, such as Plato, Nietzsche, etc.
Feuerbach, Hegel, etc.
He can speak clearly and eloquently.
Some people disagreed and laughed at him as a nerd. However, his superiors admired him very much and said that he was a Confucian general and was especially appreciated by the army commander Zhang Zhizhong.
Before the Anti-Japanese War, Zhu Chi was the colonel commander. During the Battle of Songhu, he led his troops to set up defenses in the area of Zhabei Bazi Bridge. When the Japanese cavalry rushed towards the 262nd Brigade position, Zhu Chi taught the officers and soldiers to fight with a philosophical mind.
Japanese cavalry.
He believes that usually our main focus in fighting is to destroy the enemy, but the contradiction is special. The Japanese cavalry relies on horses to fight, so when attacking people, they must hit the horses first. If the horses fall, the people on the horses will naturally fall.
This is, if you go forward to fight the enemy, the enemy will be unable to resist.
It was with this idea that when the enemy cavalry rushed over, he would command the soldiers to throw grenades to knock down the horses, or trip the horses with ropes, and then direct everyone to rush out of the position to capture the prisoners.
Zhu Chi used this method to eliminate batches of cavalry. Due to his outstanding military exploits, he was promoted to major general and commander of the 262nd Brigade.
After becoming a general, Zhu Chi did not sleep on his honor. He worked more diligently on the training and combat of the troops. Before every battle, he had to gather the troops to fight against Japan and save the country with glory. He would rather die than be a slave to the country.
The revolutionary principles encouraged officers and soldiers to fight bravely and vow to fight the Japanese invaders to the end.
After the first battalion led by Xia Yuan fell, he knew that the next target of the Japanese army was their Yuhuatai.
Zhu Chi asked the troops to use the terrain and build fortifications to hide themselves. When the locals attacked about fifty meters in front of the position, they suddenly launched an attack. Rows of enemies fell to the ground like cut wheat.
His arrogant arrogance was suddenly frustrated.
The Japanese army was a stubborn opponent. They were not frustrated at all. After retreating, they reorganized and then charged towards the 262nd Brigade position again.
In front of the crazy enemies, Zhu Chi ordered his officers and soldiers to obey his orders and act.
The officers and soldiers of the 262nd Brigade responded calmly and waited for the enemy. When the Japanese soldiers cautiously approached the front of the 262nd Brigade's position, Zhu Chi suddenly gave an order, and hundreds of Chinese soldiers threw grenades together, and the machine gun fire points on the left and right sides opened fire.
The rattling sound of the machine gun was connected with the explosion of the grenade. The angry bullets roared and sank into the enemy group. The grenade was like tearing open the wound of the locust swarm, and it was out of control.
During a fierce attack and the Japanese troops were in disarray, Zhu Chi suddenly jumped up from the trench, picked up a rifle with a bayonet, and shouted: "Brothers, when the opportunity comes, charge for me!"
He jumped out of the trench, fought towards the enemy group, and started hand-to-hand combat with the enemy group. The sound of killing on the position was loud, corpses piled up layer by layer, blood gathered in the low areas, and flowed down the mountain along the ditches and ridges. The Japanese army suffered heavy casualties, and the position is still in China.
in the hands of the military.
The next morning, the angry Japanese army dispatched 20 aircraft and took turns bombing over Yuhuatai. During the artillery fire, the mountains collapsed and the ground cracked, and flesh and blood flew everywhere. The soldiers' flesh and blood bodies were ultimately unable to withstand the fierce Japanese artillery fire. The 262nd Brigade suffered heavy losses, and Zhu Chi also suffered heavy losses.
He was injured by a Japanese bomb, his face was bleeding and his eyes were blurred.
The health worker ran over to bandage his wound, but he pushed him away. Zhu Chi's face showed a hatred of the enemy, and his fortitude and determination to defend Jinling. He said to everyone: "Brothers, there will be bloodshed and sacrifice in war. You
Don't worry about me. After the enemy fires artillery, their infantry will charge. We must repel the enemy's attack and defend this position to the death!"
As expected, the enemy quickly organized a large-scale group attack. Facing the enemies swarming in like locusts, Zhu Chi shouted loudly: "Brothers, the time to serve the country has come. We must live and die with our position! Cruelly
beat!"
Under the leadership of brigade commander Zhu Chi, the officers and soldiers of the 262nd Brigade preferred death to surrender and fought bravely against the enemy. The enemy was repulsed again. In this battle, more than 190 enemies were wiped out at the cost of more than 180 casualties.
Although the Japanese army retreated, Zhu Chi knew in his heart that the Japanese army, which was bound to capture Jinling, would not give up the Yuhuatai position, and they would definitely make a comeback.
He took advantage of the air strikes in the battle to order the troops to repair the fortifications and rescue the wounded. He ran back and forth on the position, supervising, inspecting the fortifications, and condolencing the wounded. Suddenly, there was a piercing scream followed by a flying artillery shell, which landed on Zhu Chi.
At his feet, he didn't have time to dodge, and with a loud noise, he fell into a pool of blood.
In a blur, the shouts of the 262nd Brigade soldiers sounded in my ears. With his last breath, he said: "We must, must, hold the position!"
The Japanese army returned, and fierce fighting continued until the next day.
All the officers and soldiers of the 262nd Brigade did not move an inch, coexisting with the position.
The cold wind howled, the logs lying across the position were burning, the position was a scorched earth, corpses were piled up layer by layer, and blood flowed into rivers.
The Japanese tanks ran over the corpses, squeezing out large amounts of blood and internal organs, and rushed towards the Zhonghuamen Castle.
In addition to Zhu Chi who died in the battle, Gao Zhisong, commander of the 264th Brigade of the 88th Division, also died in the Yuhuatai blocking battle.
Gao Zhisong was ordered to guard the left wing of Yuhuatai.
Gao Zhisong has two distinctive features in commanding battles. First, he must be fully prepared before the battle. After receiving the order, he led the troops to enter the left wing of Yuhuatai. He first organized officers at all levels to inspect the terrain, study combat deployment, and then repaired the fortifications.
.
Gao Zhisong did not miss any point. He personally took people to each battalion position to inspect the excavation tasks of the fortifications.
The fortifications of one of the battalions did not meet the requirements, so he said to the battalion commander with a straight face: "You sweat more in peacetime and bleed less in war. Don't you understand this simple truth? Look at you guys
The battalion's fortifications are so-so. If the enemy attacks from here, can you withstand the enemy's grenades and bullets?"
The battalion commander lowered his head and accepted Gao Zhisong's reprimand. Gao Zhisong waved his hand and said, "Why don't you put down the bowls and chopsticks quickly and gather the brothers to dig again!"
After that, he said: "If you don't dig the fortifications well, you won't be allowed to eat!" Then he hurried to other camps to inspect.
It was not until the battalion commander came to report an hour later that he allowed the battalion to start eating.
Gao Zhisong's requirements for preparation before the war are quite strict.
The second characteristic is that mobilization is required before war.
When Xia Yuan was leading a battalion to block the Japanese army at the front, he gave a generous lecture in front of the team, "Brothers, have you heard the sound of the artillery? A new battle is about to begin. We are now responsible for defending the capital."
As a soldier, it is shameful to lose your position, and it would be even more shameful to escape from the battlefield."
"Have you ever heard of Qin Hui? He is a fearful man who has been notorious for thousands of years. We cannot imitate him. Brothers, you can endure any hardships and suffer any sins in the world. Even the sufferings of subjugation of the country must not be endured, and the sins of slaves who have subjugated the country must not be tolerated.
by."
"Now the enemy is here. For the sake of our motherland and the future of our Chinese nation, we must fight the invaders bloody to the end!"
After he finished his lecture, he led the officers and soldiers to raise their fists and chant slogans with him word for word:
"Fight the Japanese invaders hard!"
"I swear to live and die with the position!"
“I would rather die than be a slave to the country’s subjugation!”
"If you have the guts, fight the enemy to the bitter end!"
The slogans swallowed up the mountains and rivers and echoed in the air.
Although the avant-garde battalion severely attacked the Japanese army, it also suffered heavy casualties, and only a few people retreated from the position.
The Japanese tanks rumbled over and drove towards their position. Under the cover of the tanks, a large number of Japanese infantry swarmed in.
Gao Zhisong clenched his fists and said: "The time has come to live and die with the position. Show your blood and let the Japanese devils see the backbone of us Chinese!"