Shanghai has just entered July, there has been no rain for many days, it seems a little stuffy, the ten-mile ocean field is still so prosperous and calm, in the appearance of calm waves, a storm is coming. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

At this time, the Japanese garrison troops in North China were sharpening their knives, and the sky over the entire North China was overcast.

When the Japanese garrison in North China sharpened their knives, how could the Chinese people not notice it?

As the saying goes, if you don't want people to know, you can't do it unless you don't do it.

On the evening of 6 July, Shi Yousan, commander of the Jidong Security Department, hosted a banquet for Takeo Imai, the military attache of the Japanese Embassy in Beiping.

Takeo Imai had already arrived in North China at the beginning of the year to serve as the military attache of the Japanese Embassy in Beiping, but in fact, he was secretly carrying out a fishing plan.

The first fish that Takeo Imai caught was Shi Yousan, the commander of Jidong Security.

The evening feast began in a joyous atmosphere, as if the war was still far away.

The guests present raised their glasses one after another, but Shi Yousan looked restless and restless, he got a top-secret message, and he was weighing it in his heart.

Shi Yousan walked up to Imai Takeo with a wine glass, and after some greetings, Shi Yousan said: "Imai Military Attaché, the Japanese and Chinese armies clashed at Lugou Bridge at 3 o'clock this afternoon, and are currently fighting, does Imai Military Attache know about this situation?" ”

"Oh? Is there such a thing? How did I not know? Commander Shi, if such a major incident occurs as you said, the Japanese military will not fail to inform me. ”

Imai Takeo was very sensitive and immediately inquired about the source of the news from Ishi, who seemed to want to keep the news secret from the person who told him, and no matter how Imai Takeo asked, he just refused to tell the source of the news.

Shi Yusan was only concerned about preserving his own strength, and he said to Takeo Imai: "Even if a full-scale war suddenly breaks out between Japan and China, my subordinates in the eastern suburbs of Peiping will not have the intention of fighting against the Japanese army, so please try not to attack them." ”

The traitor's face is undoubtedly exposed!

Shi Yuzo's words made Takeo Imai vigilant, and Takeo Imai thought, could it be that Shi Yuzo's words and the rumors circulating among well-informed people in Tokyo were just simple coincidences?

Imai Takeo judged that this was Shi Yousan telling himself in another way that the plan of the Japanese army to prepare a surprise attack tomorrow and attack the lower 29th Army in Wanping Castle may have been leaked.

Confronting the Japanese garrison in North China was Song Zheyuan's 29th Army.

The soldiers of the 29th Army were basically from the northern provinces, especially the three provinces of Hebei, Shandong, and Henan, and they were generally tall, strong, simple, able to bear hardships and stand hard work, and easy to receive organization and training.

As soon as the soldiers entered the battalion, they had to be trained in splitting knives, bayonet guns, and instrumental exercises, and had the ability to endure cold, heat, wind, and rain.

The 29th also inherited the tradition of patriotic education in the Northwest Army.

Under the situation of Japanese invasion and deep national crisis, army commander Song Zheyuan put forward the slogans of "the muzzle of the gun is not inside" and "the Chinese do not kill the Chinese."

Before eating, the soldiers sang the "Eating Song": "These foods, the people provide; We should work for the people. Japanese warlords, enemies of the nation; For the country and the people, it is my generation's vocation. ”

The 29th Army also followed the method of the Northwest Army to hold a commemoration of the "national shame", compiled the "National Shame Song", and ordered the troops to sing it. Or order the officers and soldiers to fast for a day to reflect on the national shame, so that the officers and soldiers will be brave after knowing the shame.

At the same time, the 29th Army often held "national humiliation" speeches to expose Japan's aggression against China.

At the morning drill every day, the officers and men had to ask questions and answers in a loud voice:

Q: "What country is the Northeast?" ”

Answer: "It's us Chinese!" ”

Question: "Do you hate the fact that the three eastern provinces were occupied by Japan?" ”

Answer: "I hate it!" ”

Question: "Our country is dying, are you still not vigilant?" What are you going to do? ”

Answer: "We have long been vigilant, we must unite and work together!" ”

Under the influence of the clear-cut patriotic and anti-Japanese education, the officers and men of the 29 th Army all hated the enemy, remembered the national humiliation, and had a very high anti-Japanese spirit.

When Takeo Imai reported to the base camp, he made this comment on the 29th Army: "Because the army has a relationship with the anti-Japanese leader Feng Yuxiang, the anti-Japanese consciousness has penetrated into the officers and soldiers, and it is actually an army of bad nature. ”

On July 6, 1937, it rained heavily in Beiping.

The 8th Squadron of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Wing of the 3rd Brigade of the Japanese Army's Hebian Shosan Regiment stationed in Fengtai, despite the muddy roads and under the leadership of Squadron Leader Setsuro Shimizu, braved the rain to carry out an attack exercise with Lugou Bridge as an imaginary enemy.

The Japanese army also made a request to the 29th Army to conduct exercises in the Changxindian area west of the Yongding River through Wanping County, but the 29th Army naturally refused.

The Japanese army's exercise in front of the 29th Army as it pleased, and the task of attacking cities and seizing land was not only a violation of international law and bilateral treaties, but also a war provocation.

Refused, the Japanese army was very annoyed, Lai refused to retreat outside the city, and carried out a tense military deployment, the two sides were deadlocked for more than ten hours, and the air was extremely tense.

Not to be outdone, the 29th Army guarding Wanping City would never budge.

It was getting late, and the Japanese army, which had not made progress, retreated to Fengtai.

The Japanese army was pressing forward step by step, which made the 29th Army stationed in Beiping feel that the situation was grim.

He Jifeng, commander of the 110th Brigade of the 37th Division of the 29th Army, showed the bravery and determination of a soldier in the face of the arrogance of the Japanese army.

He Jifeng ordered all the officers and men of the brigade to "resolutely fight back if the Japanese army provokes." ”

The officers and men of the 3rd Battalion of the 219th Regiment of the 110th Brigade, stationed in Wanping City, had already been furious when they witnessed the frequent exercises of the Japanese army in the past few days, and when they received the order from the brigade commander, the officers and men of the 3rd Battalion were greatly excited and unanimously expressed their determination to resist to the death.

The third battalion was a reinforced battalion, with a total of four companies, including one light and heavy mortar company and one heavy machine gun company, totaling 1,400 men, and one battalion had such a strength, which was very rare in the Kuomintang army at that time.

The battalion commander, Jin Zhenzhong, was a brave officer who had made meritorious contributions in the Battle of Xifengkou.

After the 3rd Battalion was stationed in Wanping City, Jin Zhenzhong often conducted patriotic education for officers and men, requiring them to shout the slogan "It is better to be a ghost who died in battle than to be a slave to the country" before eating and sleeping, so as to stimulate the will of the officers and men.

In order to reconnoiter the enemy's situation and grasp first-hand materials, Kim Zhen-chung changed into civilian clothes after lunch, carried a shovel, and walked to the Japanese army's exercise site near Dayao.

As soon as Kim Zhen-chung passed the Lugouqiao Railway Station, he saw in the distance a contingent of Japanese troops, who were conducting an offensive exercise with Lugouqiao as their target, despite the pouring rain and muddy roads.

The artillery behind the Japanese army was busy building fortifications as if they were facing a great enemy, and then behind them, rumbling chariots also drove up.

There are all kinds of signs that the big war is coming!

With the intuition of a soldier, Kim Zhen-jung felt that today was too unusual, and he slipped back when he saw the opportunity.

When he returned to the battalion headquarters, Kim Zhen-chung did not rest, and immediately convened a military meeting, where he spread out the military map and inquired about the combat readiness one by one.

When asked about the platoon commander of the guard platoon of the Lugou Railway Bridge, Jin Zhenzhong specially told him that the railway bridge is as important as the stone bridge, and the railway bridge does not have an arch acropolis, only an open space at the head of the bridge, and the troops cannot be mobilized, so they can only defend it.

The purpose of building Lugou Bridge and Wanping City was to defend the capital, Wanping City was on the side of the bridge Tokyo City, and now the situation is different from the past, the Japanese army has occupied Fengtai, and the troops are behind.

Guarding the Lugou Bridge is no longer to defend the capital, but to defend the passage between Beiping and the Central Plains.

The direction of troop deployment should also be the opposite of the original, on the Beiping side on the east bank of the Yongding River, the prominent part of troop deployment is Wanping City.

There are nine companies and heavy machine gun companies and light mortar companies stationed in Wanping City, eleven companies are stationed at the east end of the railway bridge in the north of the city, and twelve companies are stationed along the river in the south of the city.

Heavy mortars and reserves were in Hexi.

The bridge builders and city builders of the year probably would never have thought that these teams with guns pointed at the capital were actually defending Beiping.