readx; The Sichuan Army Political Propaganda Team that Chen Mutang participated in stayed in the village outside the gate because he came back late from Beishahe last night. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 There are more than 20 people in this propaganda team, except for Chen Mutang, who is a middle-aged man in his thirties, the others are all young people in their twenties. There are three political workers in the Sichuan army, Luo Shunan, Chen Huai and Gu Jianying, Gu Jianying is a young female political worker, and her accent is not Sichuanese, and the others are all locals.

The propaganda team mainly performed the three-act one-act drama "Put Down Your Whip", "Tang Guantun" and "Poison", and also gave oral lectures on the crimes of the army's invasion of China.

In "Poison", Chen Mutang plays the old man, and Gu Jianying plays the granddaughter. The propaganda team not only gave propaganda to the common people, but also expressed condolences to the troops on the front line. There are two weapons in the team, team member Wang Shiyan has a big knife on his back, Liu Entan has a 38-type pistol hanging from his waist, and the rest are unarmed. When the devils began shelling, the propaganda team and some of the fleeing civilians moved south to the gate of Shanguo. Team member Wang Shiyan's home was nearby, and he only had time to knock on his home and shouted to his father:

"Run, the devil is coming!" I went back to the propaganda team.

It was here that the propaganda team encountered the devil. Wang Shiyan raised the big knife, shouted and threw himself at the devil. The devil saw a common man raising a big knife and rushing towards him, maybe he didn't know what was going on, or he wanted to catch a live play, and he was there for a while. It's really too late, it was fast, I saw Wang Shiyan raise the knife and fall, a devil had been cut to the ground, Liu Entan pulled out a gun and hit the devil. At this time, the devils reacted and fired together, and the two strong men died heroically outside the gate of the good country.

The gang of devils killed two members of the propaganda team and were still angry, and they opened machine gun fire on the fleeing crowd, and many ordinary people were killed here.

On 14 March, the army began to attack Puyang Mountain and other forward positions, and the battle had been going on for three days. Although as of noon today, our outer position has completely fallen, Tengxian County is still standing. Such stubborn resistance by the contingent from Sichuan really surprised Major General Seya, who had succeeded Tajima Eijiro as commander of the 33rd Brigade.

On this day, more than 10,000 shells and bombs fell in Dongguan, the city, Xiguan, and the railway station in Tengxian County, and all the forgotten houses in Dongguan were destroyed, becoming broken walls and ruins, and many places in the city were destroyed, and thick smoke was billowing out. A telephone line from Zhang Xuanwu's headquarters at the east gate of the city to Yanyi's camp headquarters in Dongguan was blown up as many as 25 times in one day

At night, the flares fired by the Japanese army continued to rise in the sky, and the headquarters was illuminated brightly.

After receiving the order from the commander of the tax agency division to return to the city and hold on, the two regiments of the 124th Division, which were resisting the Yue army in Dashiqiang Village, immediately prepared to disengage from the Japanese army and leave the line of fire.

The 740th Regiment, which was entrenched on the left flank of the front, was always supervised by Lu Kang, the commander of the 370th Brigade. After reinforcements from the 743 Regiment came, it was also led by the brigade commander Zeng Suyuan. The two brigade commanders knew that this order was of great importance, that the command organs of the troops were all in the county seat, and that the task was not trivial. The 370th Brigade then followed up and began to move towards the county seat in the afternoon.

The 372nd Brigade took the second and third battalions under the command of Battalion Commander Xiong Shunyi as the advance guard. Brigadier Zeng Suyuan specially called him to him and ordered him:

"No matter what kind of obstruction you encounter from the enemy on the way back to the city, you must break it with all your might, break through a bloody road, and pay any heavy sacrifices, there are still two of our battalions and a brigade of 370 behind you, and the division commander is waiting for us in the city!"

This is the entire population of the 124 Division, and the two brigades are really just two reinforced regiments.

At this time, Xiong Shunyi, who was the battalion commander, actually had a letter of appointment from the regiment commander, but he didn't know that there was such a thing, and his immediate boss, Brigadier Zeng Suyuan, also withheld the letter of appointment and did not announce it.

Brigade commander Zeng Suyuan, a native of Xiaohan Township, Guanghan City, Sichuan, was an apprentice in Chengdu at the age of seven, and later became a soldier, and since the age of fifteen, he has followed Sun Zhen to work hard in the army, firmly believing in the truth that "a fierce general must be sent to a soldier", and now he also holds the position of deputy commander of the 124th Division. probably wanted to sharpen Xiong Shunyi one last time, and he would wait until the battle was over.

Xiong Shunyi commanded the team to trot all the way. Walking next to him were Lu Gaoxuan and Huang Boliang, commanders of the 3rd Battalion, who were classmates of the Tongchuan Military Academy of the 29th Army, and they were also very good comrades-in-arms and friends.

When the troops passed through the Beisha River, the time was in the afternoon. On the road, in the wheat fields, the enemy's tank ruts and traces of battle could be seen everywhere, and the troops suddenly became nervous and searched and advanced in battle formation. Suddenly, a dense burst of gunfire rang out in front, and the avant-garde Lian Jiang Youhou reported:

"Enemy cavalry patrol spotted ahead!"

"Defeat it!" Jiang Youhou is a young officer under Xiong Shunyi who can fight, and Xiong Shunyi's son-in-law. Jiang Youhou didn't say a word, and took two platoons to surround him from the left and right flanks. The cavalry of the devils did not have a large army, no heavy firearms, and they immediately scattered and fled after passing through the river, only to be on guard outside the firing range. Xiong Shunyi concocted the same method, and also sent a guard to the devil cavalry, and the men and horses of the headquarters still rushed towards the county seat. On the way from Beishahe to the county seat, the troops encountered the enemy a total of five times, but fortunately, the devil's troops were not large, either they were on guard from a distance, or they were patrolling in small groups, and they were rushed by Xiong Shunyi with three or five times the strength of the troops, and all of them were opened a bloody road, but fortunately, the devil's tank had gone back to add fuel and did not appear here. At about 10 o'clock in the evening, Xiong Shunyi arrived near Xiguan, the county seat.

Outside Xiguan is the train station. Xiong Shunyi immediately led his two battalions to raid at night, which caught the devils off guard, and the railway station was firmly controlled by the 124th Division, removing the threat of the devils in the west of the city.

After Xiong Shunyi occupied the railway station, he immediately gathered more than 20 soldiers and played the military horn "The 372nd Brigade is back" to the city on the south side of the station.

March 14, the fifteenth day of the second lunar month. The fifteenth moon hangs high in the sky, it is the saying of "looking up at the bright moon, bowing the head and thinking of hometown", the cold wind and the earth are sprinkled with a layer of snow-white frost under the illumination of the bright moon. A row of trumpeters with their heads held high looked even more majestic in the silver-white moonlight.

In an instant, the sound of a neat military horn resounded in the sky. Wang Mingzhang, who was at the command headquarters, heard the sound of the trumpet rising to the sky, and immediately rushed to the courtyard and ordered the trumpet to be blown.

Zhang Xuanwu and other officers who were looking forward to reinforcements also heard it, and the officers and soldiers of the whole city also heard it, and the city and Dongguan were suddenly jubilant and cheering, and their courage doubled. Soon, the trumpeters who gathered in the West City Tower and the North City Tower also sounded the "Answer" trumpet, telling outside the city: "I know that the 372nd Brigade is back!" ”

Less leaning, the 370 Brigade that walked behind also reached Xiguan. A military trumpet sounded "370 is also back" and rose to the sky again. The more than 20 trumpeters at the beginning were not willing to be lonely, and immediately joined the group of trumpeters of the 370 Brigade. Soon, the sound of the city trumpets came out again, and groups of army trumpets sounded one after another, like an impassioned symphony echoing in the sky.

Wang Mingzhang greeted him out of the West Gate, took Lu Kang's hand, and called out his words: "Linan, as soon as you come, my heart will be much more stable." Both you and your 370 Brigade have always been something I admire. Lu Kang was also very excited in his heart, and held Wang Mingzhang's hand tightly: "Please don't be polite, teacher, I will absolutely obey the order and fight desperately." ”

The 370 Brigade had a harder way back. Not only did they break through the obstruction of the Yue army many times, but they also had to repel the pursuit that followed. At this time, the Japanese army had discovered the 124th Division's attempt to retreat, and continued to shell our marching troops from the Beisha River. Our troops had to run in a loose formation, and many soldiers were killed on the way in the constant smoke and dust of explosions.

As soon as Xiong Shunyi gained a firm foothold at the railway station, he immediately sent someone to Beiguan to visit Mr. Huang Futang. Mr. Huang Futang is over 70 years old, is the head of the three elders who are highly respected in Tengxian County, Xiong Shunyi Battalion stationed in the county seat, lived in the Huang family, Xiong Shunyi, who is quite skilled in poetry and books, and Mr. Huang established a friendship with Mr. Huang. When Xiong Ying galloped to the aid of Chitou Ji, Huang Lao's family said goodbye, and when the northwest cannon roared, Huang Lao leaned on the door and looked at each other, giving poems and wishes. The friendship between Huang Lao and Xiong Shunyi lasted for many years. After the war, Huang Lao also mailed his poems and paintings for Xiong Shunyi to Xiong's hometown in Weiyuan, Sichuan. But at this time, the person sent back said that the Huang family went to the empty building and didn't know where they went.

Xiong Shunyi did not find Mr. Huang, but ushered in another old man. After a while, a special group of guests arrived at the West Gate train station. The leader was over 60 years old, and Mr. Zhang Shouqian, a well-known martial arts instructor in Beiguan, Teng County, brought in more than 20 young people with vigorous skills, and asked to participate in the battle, cooperate with the defense of the city, and ensure the completion of the task.

Xiong Shunyi had long experienced the abilities of these Liangshan heroes in later generations, and he had great respect for their passion for defending the homeland and the country, and immediately worked with battalion commander Huang Boliang to open the warehouse where the guns were stored at the railway station, took out a large number of grenades and bullets, and distributed them to them, and asked them to take charge of guerrilla missions and reconnaissance missions on the periphery of Xiguan. Later, in actual combat, they not only served as a guard and reconnoitred the enemy's situation, but also used cluster grenades to blow up the army's railway armored vehicles and transport vehicles, and assisted our army in repelling the attacks of the army many times!

Teng County, an ancient city under the moonlight, is a busy scene.

The troops returning to the city, except for Cai Zheng's battalion of the 740th regiment, were all assigned to the designated defensive areas because they had not yet arrived as a rear guard, and immediately began intense pre-battle preparations. The troops outside the city used houses, courtyard walls, and terrain to build fortifications, and the troops inside the city dug anti-artillery holes under the city walls, and each squad also tied a pair of ladders for climbing the city, so that after the artillery, they could quickly climb the city wall to attack the enemy. In addition, there are those who deliver food, receive ammunition, and convey orders, as well as the stretcher team organized by Zhou Tong, and the whole city is full of people coming and going.

Wang Mingzhang first met with the responsible persons of the brigades to encourage and report on the situation, and then convened a military meeting with officers and assistants above the company level.

He first gave a brief account of the fighting during the day, and then announced the deployment adjustments and divisional responsibility arrangements. He said that the positions outside the city were mainly in charge of the 124th Division, the commander of the 370th Regiment of the 740th Brigade was responsible for defending Dongguan and Wang Lin, the Cai Zheng Battalion and the Military Guard Company of the brigade were responsible for defending the Nanguan, the South City Wall and the West City Wall, and the Brigade Commander Lu Kang was in charge; The 372nd Brigade defended the railway station and Xiguan, as the general reserve of the whole army, and Brigade Commander Zeng Suyuan was in charge; The 122nd Division defended the eastern and northern walls and included the southeastern corner of the city. He advised:

"You have a heavy responsibility, you must not relax in the slightest, the military order is like a mountain, everyone remember!"

Then, Wang Mingzhang said: "With our weak troops and rudimentary weapons, it is self-evident that our strength is not enough to undertake the important task of defending the first line of Xuzhou on the Jinpu line. But as soldiers, sacrifice was originally our duty, and now we can only sacrifice everything to complete the task, although there is not a single soldier left, there is no complaint, otherwise, there is no way to repay the country. Our slogan is, the city is in the people, the city is dead and the city is dead! ”

As soon as the roar of the oath dissipated, Wang Mingzhang continued:

"I think everyone still remembers that on the day when I took the oath in Chengdu before leaving Sichuan, someone generously stated at the meeting that 'life is a hero, and death is also a ghost'. Do you know whose poem this is? Famous female lyricist Li Qingzhao! Do you know where Li Qingzhao is from? Jinan Mansion of the Southern Song Dynasty. This poem expresses the nostalgia of Xiang Yu, the hero of the world, the overlord of Chu, but I don't expect this slender woman to have such an earth-shattering husband's anger, which is sincerely admirable! This Chu overlord is here again from Pengcheng, which is now Xuzhou! We are martial artists, and at this time of national crisis, we are born at the right time; According to this, the Qilu River Huai is also a coincidence. 'Life as a hero, death as a ghost', for my 41st Army, can really be described as a double artistic conception, on the eve of this decisive battle, this commander-in-chief is willing to encourage you with this.

Finally, I would like to add that Commander-in-Chief Sun had telegraphed that Tang Enbo's 100,000-strong army had arrived at Lincheng, and that as long as we held out until to-morrow evening, reinforcements would come to relieve the siege. Meeting! ”

At this time, the 100,000 troops of the 20th Army Corps had indeed gathered in the Lincheng area, and their logistical burdens were nervously unloaded at the Lincheng Railway Station. Tang Enbo was invited by Sun Zhen to the headquarters of the group army, and Dong Songheng, deputy commander of the 41st Army, pointed to the combat map hanging on the wall, and described in detail the enemy's strength, the route of attack, and the location of our army.

Tang Enbo held a cigarette in his hand and remained silent. When he heard that all the reinforcements of our 41st Army had entered the county seat that night, Tang Enbo took a heavy puff of cigarette, two white smoke slowly exhaled from his nostrils, a trace of pleasure passed over his face, and the cigarette in his hand was fiercely snuffed out in the ashtray.

This graduate of the non-commissioned officer school has made up his mind that Wang Zhonglian will send troops to defend the official bridge to the death, and when the 22nd Group Army reinforces the county seat, tomorrow the whole army must seize the opportunity to quickly pass through this place, bypass the Tengxian frontal and enter the mountainous area of Yixian, and don't let Yue himself block himself in Lincheng!

Tang Enbo's selfishness has put Wang Mingzhang and all the [***] defenders of Teng County in a very dangerous situation!

(To be continued)