On the morning of December 6, 1937, Chiang Kai-shek led Tang Shengzhi, Luo Zhuoying and others to pay homage to Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and bid his final farewell to the Father of the Nation. In the early morning of the next day, Chiang Kai-shek flew out of Nanjing with Soong Meiling.

After Chiang Kai-shek left, Tang Shengzhi immediately summoned the generals of all ministries to hold a meeting at the garrison headquarters. Bai Fei was the last officer to get the news. When he hurried to the Nanjing garrison headquarters, the meeting had already begun, and he didn't wait for him at all, only listening to Tang Shengzhi talking:

“… Ladies and gentlemen, since the chairman of the National Committee has handed over the city of Nanjing to us and others, I am already ready to live and die with Nanjing, and the national crisis is at the head, it is the time when our generation has shed their blood and be loyal to the country, and the thousand-year-old capital can not be lost to the enemy, I hope that each of you can make up your mind, be ready to sacrifice, and make sure that the people are in the position, and make a resolute struggle against the enemy, even if you fight to the death of a single soldier, you will never give up..."

After Tang Shengzhi finished speaking, seeing that the circle of people sitting below did not react, he coughed and said: "In order to strengthen the determination of the soldiers to resist the enemy, I have decided to blow up all the pontoon bridges from Xiaguan to Pukou..."

As soon as these words came out, everyone immediately raised their heads, and it was a matter of everyone's retreat, and no one was not nervous.

Bai Fei stood up and said: "Chief Tang, the pontoon bridge was personally ordered by Chairman Jiang to be built, and it has been entrusted to my military police regiment directly under the Central Committee to take care of it, you still focus on directing the battle, don't worry about this matter." ”

Tang Sheng angrily slapped the table and roared, "Bastard! If the pontoon bridge is not blown up and the retreat is cut off, how can the armies fight against the water and fight hard to kill the enemy? ”

Yu Jishi, the commander of the 74th Army, was a little unhappy when he heard this, and said: "Chief Tang, my officers and men of the 74th Army are not greedy for life and afraid of death. Could it be that if there is a way out, we will abandon the order and ignore the imminent escape? ”

After Yu Jishi finished speaking, the other generals immediately chimed in, saying that they would all fight hard, and it didn't matter whether there was a way out or not.

Tang Shengzhi's face was pale, and he was silent.

But Bai Fei knew that some of these people were indeed unreliable, and what they said was good, but when it came to doing things, it was not like that.

So he stood up again and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, before the commission leaves, hand over the only way of retreat from Nanjing City to me to take care of, then I will do my best to handle this matter." I am not afraid to tell you that this is indeed the way of life left by the commission for my officers and soldiers to defend the city of Nanjing. But don't think that with this way of life, you can retreat and escape at any time and passively slack off, I am here to tell you clearly, last night, I have blocked all the Nanjing City along the river, not only the pontoon bridge is forbidden for anyone to pass, even the river is also 24 hours a day to send boats and boats to patrol strictly, no one has an order, no one can retreat, up to the commander, down to the ordinary soldiers, if there are people who flee in fear of war, once discovered, regardless of the reason, there will be no forgiveness! ”

Bai Fei said murderously: "I, Bai someone, killed tens of thousands of Japanese devils in Taihang Mountain and Shanghai before, and now as a military policeman, I have the responsibility of supervising the war, you must not think that I am joking, when it comes to the end, it is unpredictable..."

As soon as these words came out, the faces of the commanders of the armies changed again, and some people began to whisper below, and those who were careful had to put away their careful thoughts and began to think about how to meet the enemy.

After Tang Shengzhi listened to Bai Fei's words, his face was cloudy, and he hastily ordered some defense matters, and then ended the meeting.

After coming out of the headquarters, Bai Fei suddenly heard someone behind him calling him: "Brother Zhenyu, take two steps slowly..."

Bai Fei turned around and saw that it was Xiao Shanling, the deputy commander of the military police.

"It turned out to be Commander Xiao, I don't know what to say?"

Xiao Shanling said with a smile: "I don't dare to be a teacher, but I just have a few questions I want to ask Brother Zhenyu..." He is the deputy commander of the national gendarmerie, although Bai Fei is now also a military police establishment, but it is a direct subordinate sequence of the central government, and it is not under his control.

Xiao Shanling pulled Bai Fei to a place where no one was, and said straight to the point: "Brother Zhenyu, tell me the truth, what did the chairman think?" If you say that you are stubborn, why do you have to leave a way out and let you take care of it? Since there is a way out, why is it not clear how to defend this Nanjing city and how to fight the battle? ”

Bai Fei looked at Xiao Shanling in front of him, remembering that after Tang Shengzhi ran away in history, he left a mess for Xiao Shanling, in order to cover the friendly army crossing the river, Xiao Shanling gave up the hope of survival, fought back and forth with the Japanese army in Xiaguan and other places, and finally died heroically. At that time, some subordinates analyzed: "The defenders are backward in equipment, there is no hope for reinforcements, the garrison troops are temporarily patched together, it is difficult to command, and although the soldiers are brave, they have sacrificed heavy ......", and advised Xiao Shan to "adapt to the situation and plan for safety". Xiao Shanling pondered for a long time, and resolutely replied: "Ordered to defend the capital, there is no way to defend, there is no way to fight the party-state, there is no way to kill the enemy, there is no way to fight the old and young in Jinling, greedy for life and afraid of death, bow down and call slaves, how can I see the Jiangdong father, I go, what should the people of Nanjing do?" ”

When Bai Fei read history, he also admired him very much. Therefore, when he heard Xiao Shanling ask this, he sighed and said honestly: "Commander Xiao, I shouldn't have told you this, but I know that you are a real and honest military tough guy, so it doesn't hurt to tell you, just don't spread it again..."

At the moment, he said Chiang Kai-shek's general thoughts, and then said: "Commander Xiao, you and I are both military policemen, and you also serve as the deputy commander of the wartime garrison, and the responsibility of supervising the war during the war lies with you and me, so whether we can meet the expectations of the commission is also on you and me, that is to say, we can only save the lining after fighting to the death, defeating the Japanese army, and earning face, do you understand when I say this?" ”

Xiao Shanling nodded and said, "As soon as you explain this, I will have the bottom in my heart." You can rest assured, our military police force of more than 6,000 people will all be sent out to supervise the battle when the time comes, and if you want to have a way to live, you must first risk your life to fight. ”

……

Just when Xiao Shanling and Bai Fei were discussing and talking, Tang Shengzhi also returned to his office, and his staff member Xia Suiliang looked at him listlessly and asked, "Meng Xiao, but what happened?" ”

Tang Shengzhi sighed and said: "Mo Shu, I originally thought that this time I would be able to gain all the trust of Chiang Kai-shek by being ordered to serve as the commander of the Nanjing garrison that no one took over, but I didn't expect that this Jiang bald head would still guard against me..."

As he spoke, he recounted what had happened at the meeting.

Xia Suiliang heard this and said: "So Chiang Kai-shek actually doesn't plan to defend Nanjing City to the death? ”

Tang Shengzhi nodded and said: "Ten is the case, this time I fell for Lao Jiang's evil, at the Supreme Military Conference, I thought I guessed Lao Jiang's mind, and swore to jump out and say that I supported the defense of Nanjing, for which I did not hesitate to offend a bunch of people, and laughed at them for being afraid of war and death, this is a good job, I made it for a long time, and asked Jiang to play me bald..."

Xia Suiliang asked: "Meng Xiao, if Chiang Kai-shek didn't have this idea, could it be that you really planned to stick to it?" ”

Tang Shengzhi was silent for a while and said: "Take a step and look at the step, what Lao Jiang thought, I can't say, but listening to the meaning of Bai Fei's words, it is possible for Lao Jiang to order the withdrawal of the army, but when this order will be given, whether it will be given, it is not good." Mo Shu, what do you think I should do now? ”

Xia Suiliang thought for a while and said: "Meng Xiao, you are now the commander of the garrison, no matter how the situation changes, the most important thing for you is to fight the battle well, defend Nanjing, and stabilize the situation, the best result is to hold out until Chiang Kai-shek orders the withdrawal of the army, then you will be a hero of the Anti-Japanese War, but if there are other changes in Nanjing City before this, then the result is not easy to say..."

Tang Shengzhi thought for a while and said, "Well, what you said is that it seems that I still have to put more effort into defending the city." ”

On the morning of December 6, 1937, Chiang Kai-shek led Tang Shengzhi, Luo Zhuoying and others to pay homage to Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and bid his final farewell to the Father of the Nation. In the early morning of the next day, Chiang Kai-shek flew out of Nanjing with Soong Meiling.

After Chiang Kai-shek left, Tang Shengzhi immediately summoned the generals of all ministries to hold a meeting at the garrison headquarters. Bai Fei was the last officer to get the news. When he hurried to the Nanjing garrison headquarters, the meeting had already begun, and he didn't wait for him at all, only listening to Tang Shengzhi talking:

“… Ladies and gentlemen, since the chairman of the National Committee has handed over the city of Nanjing to us and others, I am already ready to live and die with Nanjing, and the national crisis is at the head, it is the time when our generation has shed their blood and be loyal to the country, and the thousand-year-old capital can not be lost to the enemy, I hope that each of you can make up your mind, be ready to sacrifice, and make sure that the people are in the position, and make a resolute struggle against the enemy, even if you fight to the death of a single soldier, you will never give up..."

After Tang Shengzhi finished speaking, seeing that the circle of people sitting below did not react, he coughed and said: "In order to strengthen the determination of the soldiers to resist the enemy, I have decided to blow up all the pontoon bridges from Xiaguan to Pukou..."

As soon as these words came out, everyone immediately raised their heads, and it was a matter of everyone's retreat, and no one was not nervous.

Bai Fei stood up and said: "Chief Tang, the pontoon bridge was personally ordered by Chairman Jiang to be built, and it has been entrusted to my military police regiment directly under the Central Committee to take care of it, you still focus on directing the battle, don't worry about this matter." ”

Tang Sheng angrily slapped the table and roared, "Bastard! If the pontoon bridge is not blown up and the retreat is cut off, how can the armies fight against the water and fight hard to kill the enemy? ”

Yu Jishi, the commander of the 74th Army, was a little unhappy when he heard this, and said: "Chief Tang, my officers and men of the 74th Army are not greedy for life and afraid of death. Could it be that if there is a way out, we will abandon the order and ignore the imminent escape? ”

After Yu Jishi finished speaking, the other generals immediately chimed in, saying that they would all fight hard, and it didn't matter whether there was a way out or not.

Tang Shengzhi's face was pale, and he was silent.

But Bai Fei knew that some of these people were indeed unreliable, and what they said was good, but when it came to doing things, it was not like that.

So he stood up again and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, before the commission leaves, hand over the only way of retreat from Nanjing City to me to take care of, then I will do my best to handle this matter." I am not afraid to tell you that this is indeed the way of life left by the commission for my officers and soldiers to defend the city of Nanjing. But don't think that with this way of life, you can retreat and escape at any time and passively slack off, I am here to tell you clearly, last night, I have blocked all the Nanjing City along the river, not only the pontoon bridge is forbidden for anyone to pass, even the river is also 24 hours a day to send boats and boats to patrol strictly, no one has an order, no one can retreat, up to the commander, down to the ordinary soldiers, if there are people who flee in fear of war, once discovered, regardless of the reason, there will be no forgiveness! ”

Bai Fei said murderously: "I, Bai someone, killed tens of thousands of Japanese devils in Taihang Mountain and Shanghai before, and now as a military policeman, I have the responsibility of supervising the war, you must not think that I am joking, when it comes to the end, it is unpredictable..."

As soon as these words came out, the faces of the commanders of the armies changed again, and some people began to whisper below, and those who were careful had to put away their careful thoughts and began to think about how to meet the enemy.

After Tang Shengzhi listened to Bai Fei's words, his face was cloudy, and he hastily ordered some defense matters, and then ended the meeting.

After coming out of the headquarters, Bai Fei suddenly heard someone behind him calling him: "Brother Zhenyu, take two steps slowly..."

Bai Fei turned around and saw that it was Xiao Shanling, the deputy commander of the military police.

"It turned out to be Commander Xiao, I don't know what to say?"

Xiao Shanling said with a smile: "I don't dare to be a teacher, but I just have a few questions I want to ask Brother Zhenyu..." He is the deputy commander of the national gendarmerie, although Bai Fei is now also a military police establishment, but it is a direct subordinate sequence of the central government, and it is not under his control.

Xiao Shanling pulled Bai Fei to a place where no one was, and said straight to the point: "Brother Zhenyu, tell me the truth, what did the chairman think?" If you say that you are stubborn, why do you have to leave a way out and let you take care of it? Since there is a way out, why is it not clear how to defend this Nanjing city and how to fight the battle? ”

Bai Fei looked at Xiao Shanling in front of him, remembering that after Tang Shengzhi ran away in history, he left a mess for Xiao Shanling, in order to cover the friendly army crossing the river, Xiao Shanling gave up the hope of survival, fought back and forth with the Japanese army in Xiaguan and other places, and finally died heroically. At that time, some subordinates analyzed: "The defenders are backward in equipment, there is no hope for reinforcements, the garrison troops are temporarily patched together, it is difficult to command, and although the soldiers are brave, they have sacrificed heavy ......", and advised Xiao Shan to "adapt to the situation and plan for safety". Xiao Shanling pondered for a long time, and resolutely replied: "Ordered to defend the capital, there is no way to defend, there is no way to fight the party-state, there is no way to kill the enemy, there is no way to fight the old and young in Jinling, greedy for life and afraid of death, bow down and call slaves, how can I see the Jiangdong father, I go, what should the people of Nanjing do?" ”

When Bai Fei read history, he also admired him very much. Therefore, when he heard Xiao Shanling ask this, he sighed and said honestly: "Commander Xiao, I shouldn't have told you this, but I know that you are a real and honest military tough guy, so it doesn't hurt to tell you, just don't spread it again..."

At the moment, he said Chiang Kai-shek's general thoughts, and then said: "Commander Xiao, you and I are both military policemen, and you also serve as the deputy commander of the wartime garrison, and the responsibility of supervising the war during the war lies with you and me, so whether we can meet the expectations of the commission is also on you and me, that is to say, we can only save the lining after fighting to the death, defeating the Japanese army, and earning face, do you understand when I say this?" ”

Xiao Shanling nodded and said, "As soon as you explain this, I will have the bottom in my heart." You can rest assured, our military police force of more than 6,000 people will all be sent out to supervise the battle when the time comes, and if you want to have a way to live, you must first risk your life to fight. ”

……

Just when Xiao Shanling and Bai Fei were discussing and talking, Tang Shengzhi also returned to his office, and his staff member Xia Suiliang looked at him listlessly and asked, "Meng Xiao, but what happened?" ”

Tang Shengzhi sighed and said: "Mo Shu, I originally thought that this time I would be able to gain all the trust of Chiang Kai-shek by being ordered to serve as the commander of the Nanjing garrison that no one took over, but I didn't expect that this Jiang bald head would still guard against me..."

As he spoke, he recounted what had happened at the meeting.

Xia Suiliang heard this and said: "So Chiang Kai-shek actually doesn't plan to defend Nanjing City to the death? ”

Tang Shengzhi nodded and said: "Ten is the case, this time I fell for Lao Jiang's evil, at the Supreme Military Conference, I thought I guessed Lao Jiang's mind, and swore to jump out and say that I supported the defense of Nanjing, for which I did not hesitate to offend a bunch of people, and laughed at them for being afraid of war and death, this is a good job, I made it for a long time, and asked Jiang to play me bald..."

Xia Suiliang asked: "Meng Xiao, if Chiang Kai-shek didn't have this idea, could it be that you really planned to stick to it?" ”

Tang Shengzhi was silent for a while and said: "Take a step and look at the step, what Lao Jiang thought, I can't say, but listening to the meaning of Bai Fei's words, it is possible for Lao Jiang to order the withdrawal of the army, but when this order will be given, whether it will be given, it is not good." Mo Shu, what do you think I should do now? ”

Xia Suiliang thought for a while and said: "Meng Xiao, you are now the commander of the garrison, no matter how the situation changes, the most important thing for you is to fight the battle well, defend Nanjing, and stabilize the situation, the best result is to hold out until Chiang Kai-shek orders the withdrawal of the army, then you will be a hero of the Anti-Japanese War, but if there are other changes in Nanjing City before this, then the result is not easy to say..."

Tang Shengzhi thought for a while and said, "Well, what you said is that it seems that I still have to put more effort into defending the city." ”