At the Sichuan Army reorganization meeting in early July, representatives of the Central Committee and the Sichuan warlords were engaged in intrigues, and the Sichuan warlords also plotted against each other. Everyone used all kinds of martial arts, and the scene was like a chaotic dance of demons.
However, on the third day of the meeting, news of the July 7th Incident came, turning the strange Sichuan army meeting into a passionate swearing-in meeting.
From Liu Xiang to the small warlords of the Sichuan Army, they all expressed their support for the Central Committee and resolutely resisted the war to the end.
Chang Kaishen spoke highly of Liu Xiang's patriotic enthusiasm and made a promise to establish a seventh theater in Anhui, Henan, and Shandong. Liu Xiang would serve as the commander of the theater and lead the main force of the Sichuan Army to resist Japan in the seventh theater.
Liu Xiang agreed full of longing, so the Sichuan army under his command was divided into two groups. One group started from Chongqing, went east out of Kuimen and entered Henan; the other group started from Chengdu, went north to Jiange and entered Henan. The two groups of Sichuan troops agreed to attack on the third day.
Seven theaters converge.
However, the two Sichuan troops on the East Road and the North Road were divided by the commanders of each theater as soon as they left Sichuan. They were scattered and transferred to the anti-Japanese front line. Liu Xiang had almost lost control of the Sichuan troops on the front line.
By the way, there was another Sichuan Army participating in the Anti-Japanese War, and that was Yang Sen's troops starting from Guizhou.
Yang Sen failed in the warlord war with Liu Xiang, so he defected to Chiang Kai-shek and was transferred to "Qingxiang" in Guizhou. In fact, Chiang Kai-shek planned to transfer Yang Sen to Yunnan to replace Wang Longyun of Yunnan, but Long Yun blocked his return.
Yang Sen's troops were the first Sichuan army to go to the front line. They set out on foot from Guizhou and completed the 50-day journey in 24 days. They took a car and ship in Hunan and transferred to Shanghai. They were thrown into the Songhu battlefield without any time to repair. This Sichuan army
After seven days and seven nights of bloody battle with the Japanese invaders, only 5,000 soldiers remained out of 12,000.
Even more tragic was the 26th Division of Yang Sen's old 43rd Army. Guo Rudong led his army from Guizhou and arrived at the battlefield after a 46-day trek. They entered the battle the next day. Two of the four regiment commanders were killed, and 13 of the 14 battalion commanders were killed.
The company commander and platoon commander suffered more than 250 casualties. There were only 700 soldiers who could stand up out of the 7,000-strong division. The casualty rate was as high as 90%. But they held on for seven days and nights and completely handed over the position.
Replace the defense with friendly troops.
Although Yang Sen and Guo Rudong fought fiercely, they had a good relationship with Chiang Kai-shek and received due treatment afterwards, while Liu Xiang's troops were not so lucky.
Historically, Deng Xihou led the Sichuan Army on the North Road and entered Shaanxi on foot from the Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway. The original plan was to go to Henan to accept the leadership of Liu Xiang. Jiang Dingwen, the governor of Xi'an, slapped his head and ordered the train to take this Sichuan Army to Shanxi to fight.
Deng Xihou was confused, but he could only obey the arrangement. His only request was that the weather was hot when the Sichuan army set off, and now it is getting colder in the north. He hoped that the tenth theater could solve the problem of cotton-padded clothes. Jiang Dingwen said: "In the second theater, the equipment and
Yan Xishan will arrange supplies for you."
When Deng Xihou led his troops to arrive in Shanxi, Yan Xishan, an old man who had nothing to do with anything, ignored the hunger and cold of the Sichuan army and was unwilling to provide cotton clothes and equipment. Most of the materials Yan Xishan hoarded later became the Japanese when Taiyuan fell.
The devil's trophies.
Not only that, the 60,000-strong North Sichuan Army was scattered to various fronts, and its real combat effectiveness could not be exerted at all. During the retreat, they were abandoned by friendly forces, and even their commander Deng Xihou was almost killed in an ambush.
The Sichuan Army hardly fought a decent battle on this journey and had already lost nearly half of its troops. The Sichuan Army's son, who died in a foreign land, was still wearing the same single clothes he had left Sichuan when he died in the biting northern cold wind.
In this way, the 22nd Army led by Deng Xihou and Sun Zhen only had 20,000 defeated soldiers left. They lived in the north and lacked food, clothing and ammunition, so they had to rob the Jin army's armory. They lost the entire Taiyuan and threw a large amount of supplies to
Yan Xishan, who did not give the Sichuan Army any support from the Japanese, was furious at the Sichuan Army's "robbery" behavior and roared at Chiang Kai-shek to transfer the Sichuan Army that did not resist the Japanese but only robbed.
Lao Jiang asked Cheng Qian: "Are you willing to transfer the Sichuan army to the first theater?"
Cheng Qian said angrily: "Yan Laoxi doesn't even want the rags, and you give them to me? You definitely don't want them!"
Lao Jiang was also angry: "Then let them go back to Sichuan and become kings and hegemons!"
At this time, Bai Chongxi came out to smooth things over and contacted Li Zongren to take in this poor Sichuan army.
Li Zongren only distributed 500 rifles and some ammunition to the Sichuan Army, which made the Sichuan Army burst into tears of gratitude, which was bullied everywhere. This led to the great victory of Taierzhuang.
As for the Sichuan Army on the East Route led by Liu Xiang himself, although the treatment was much better, it was messed up by Chiang Kai-shek's dirty tricks. At that time, Liu Xiang was seriously ill, and the troops were commanded by Tang Shizun and Pan Wenhua. Chiang Kai-shek bribed Tang Shizun, suppressed Pan Wenhua, and brought Dong
Lu Chuan's army fell apart, and Liu Xiang was so angry that he vomited blood and screamed for his life.
As a result, all the Sichuan Army units became bitter stepmothers. They put aside their original conflicts and only had one common wish left, that is: fight the Japanese invaders to the end, and then... die together!
What Zhou Hexuan can do now is to give new clothes to the Sichuan soldiers, so as not to let them die in a foreign country wearing single clothes in the cold wind.
September 1st, Chengdu.
Deng Xihou summoned the officers and soldiers of the 45th Army to leave Sichuan and gave a final mobilization speech: "The officers and soldiers of the 125th Division have threatened that they will not leave until the wages owed are paid. Your arrears should be paid, but I really want to pay them.
Don't come out... The Japanese invaders invaded our land, killed our compatriots, and robbed the property of our country and people. The whole country unanimously asked for help to kill the enemy. It is the duty of our soldiers to go out to Sichuan to fight the Japanese for the sake of the entire Chinese people. The situation on the front line is as urgent as a spark, how can we say that
Do you want to pay off the back wages before setting off?"
Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers stood in the scorching sun, silent. They were thin, wearing ragged single clothes, and wearing worn-out straw sandals. They seemed about to fall down if they were blown by the wind.
Deng Xihou asked loudly: "Are you waiting for the unpaid wages to be paid, or are you leaving immediately?"
Suddenly, all the officers and soldiers responded: "We are willing to set out immediately to kill the enemy!"
"very good!"
Deng Xihou showed a smile and said to Zhou Hexuan: "Mr. Zhou, would you like to say a few words?"
Zhou Hexuan walked up to the stage with a heavy heart and said: "It's September now. By the time you go to the north, it will be late autumn. The climate in the north is very cold. Wearing only a single coat can freeze someone to death. Brother, I am a scholar and I have no ability to go to school.
When you kill the enemy on the battlefield, you can only express your feelings in the rear. I brought 60,000 sets of cotton clothes, trousers, shoes and hats today. Everyone will go and collect them after the meeting. In addition, brothers who are really in trouble at home, please come to my place later.
Register. I will send people to conduct on-the-spot investigations, help arrange work for those poor family members, and ensure that the heroes do not bleed on the front line, while the heroes’ relatives starve and suffer in their hometowns. If anyone dies in the war, I will raise his children, and I will also
Let the children study and become talented. I, Zhou, will do what I say!"
After saying these words, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers suddenly smiled, and some even shouted: "Zhou Shenxian insists on getting it, long live Zhou Shenxian!"
The whole army was jubilant and their morale was high.
Seeing this situation, Deng Xihou was so happy that he couldn't help but said: "Mr. Zhou, I'm so ashamed that I have to cost you money."
Zhou Hexuan warned in a low voice: "If you go to the north, be careful of the Central Army's deception. The Sichuan Army must stay together and not be broken up by others. Remember, remember!"
"I understand, thank you Mr. Zhou for your advice." Deng Xihou nodded and said.
Zhou Hexuan couldn't help but sigh to himself. Once he reached the front line, he might not be able to make the final decision. Once he objected, he would be disobeying the military order.
Boxes of cotton-padded clothes, cotton trousers, cotton shoes, and cotton hats were carried to the school grounds by logistics personnel. They were all produced by Zhou Hexuan's quilt factory and shoe and hat factory. Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers queued up to receive them.
Many Sichuan soldiers who received the clothes happily showed off in their new clothes despite the 36-degree heat.
"Hey, they are all made of good cotton. They will definitely be warm to wear in winter."
"Ba Shi, it must be Ba Shi. I have lived for more than twenty years and I have never worn such good clothes."
"It's worth dying to wear these clothes on the battlefield."
"Second brother, do you think I'm handsome in this outfit? Do I look like a groom?"
"You have a crooked eyebrow and a slanted eye. You are holding out your hammer. You are a son of a bitch and your mother-in-law can't even marry you. You still want to be a bridegroom and an official. I'm afraid you haven't woken up from drowsiness."
"Platoon leader, I want to ask you something."
"What's going on?"
"Can I take this outfit home?"
"What are you going to do with taking it home?"
"My mother doesn't wear good clothes. I want to take them back and give them to her old lady."
