readx; On the eve of the encirclement of the Kunisaki Deng Brigade to the annihilation, the Battle of Xuzhou was also carried out in an orderly manner under the general command of General Li Zongren!

Li Zongren, the emperor of Guangxi, when the Anti-Japanese War broke out, he also threw himself into the rolling torrent of resistance without hesitation. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

At this time, the whole of China has echoed the roar that soared straight into the sky in the sky: War of Resistance! All-out War of Resistance!

On July 29, 1937, the bad news of the loss of Pingjin spread to Nanjing and spread throughout the country. Although Chiang Kai-shek was in a heavy mood, he still showed the calmness and confidence of the head of state of a major country when he delivered a speech to foreign reporters from Britain, the United States, France, and other countries to answer questions about the loss of Pingjin. Considering his subordinates on the front-line battlefield, and supporting those who dared to fight back against the army, he alone took the responsibility for the defeat of Pingjin. He said:

"Yu is the highest military governor in the country, and he also bears administrative responsibility, and all the problems of Pingjin failure are not related to Song Affairs, and I am willing to bear the responsibility of Yu Yi."

When asked by a British reporter about China's future policy, Chiang Kai-shek replied in a firm tone: "The Battle of Pingjin is only the beginning of its war of aggression, and it is by no means the end of the war. Our people are at a critical juncture for the survival of this country, and they will be able to fight to the end in unison. Yu has decided to take all necessary measures in this matter, but I hope that the people of the whole country will be calm and cautious, fulfill their duties, and coexist with the determination to sacrifice for the country, then the final victory will belong to me! ”

A few days later, when he met with Reuters reporters, he wanted to expand the anti-Japanese war that had already arrived to the international scale. He said:

"The present invasion of China is not only to destroy China and seek to establish a continental empire of its own, but also to threaten the security of the whole world; China's War of Resistance was not only fought for China itself, but also for the interests of the expatriates living in this territory in accordance with the sanctity of the treaty, especially those whose commercial interests in China were destroyed by the enemy and driven away on their behalf. Finally, he reaffirmed China's determination to fight to the end: China must preserve its sovereignty and preserve its administrative and territorial integrity. ”

Since Chiang Kai-shek had made up his mind to prepare for the War of Resistance, he did not care how he would react to his words, and he even deliberately wanted him to hear his voice, so he created public opinion at home and abroad. Not to mention the sudden change in his attitude towards resisting the Japanese language, even many high-ranking generals of the Kuomintang were suspicious, wondering what kind of medicine he was selling in his gourd.

Over the years, Chiang Kai-shek has played a great deal of political tricks inside and out, and has frightened military and political personnel everywhere, and no one wants to be the first to be beaten.

However, General Li Zongren, a powerful figure in Guangxi who had been fighting with Chiang Kai-shek for many years, had his pulse on Chiang Kai-shek's pulse this time.

When the Lugou Bridge Incident broke out, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi were in Guangxi. At that time, Liangguang was in a semi-free state outside the central political axe in Nanjing. After many years of fighting, although Li and Bai have no lack of military strategies, they are far from being right from Lao Jiang politically. hand, several times poured Jiang ended in failure.

However, in the face of Guangxi, where the mountains are high and the road is far away, and there are two generals, Li and Bai, Chiang Kai-shek has no choice but to turn a blind eye and accept the recognition of the central government by Guangxi and Guangxi, and the power of taxation, personnel, and administration is vested in Guangxi's unique half-reading power.

Of course, Chiang Kai-shek did not forget the two tigers lying on the couch. About four or five days after the Lugou Bridge Incident, Chiang Kai-shek sent an urgent telegram from Lushan to General Li and Bai Er, who were far away in Guilin, declaring that the central authorities had decided to resist the war of resistance, and asking General Li and Bai to go to Lushan as soon as possible to discuss the great plan of resistance and salvation.

Li Zongren watched coldly, feeling that Lao Jiang's statement this time was definitely not a joke. At the military meeting of the senior generals of the two Guangzhous, Li Zongren confidently said to his generals:

"Old Jiang Sheng's surname is cunning, and he has long intended to take the opportunity to eat us and the local armies. But this manifesto is believed to have come from his heart. ”

Glancing at everyone present, Li Zongren flashed a pair of shrewd eyes, and continued in an orderly manner: "The current situation forces him to have to resist the war. At present, I say that I am pressing on China step by step, and it is by no means just encroachment, but the realization of his national policy of conquering China in one fell swoop. It is believed that there is no room for forbearance in the center. There are only two ways to follow in today's situation, either to survive the War of Resistance or to surrender and lose the country. Today, even if the Nanjing Central Committee and Lao Jiang intend to delay, I am afraid that I may not allow it! ”

As he spoke, his tone changed and he said: "If Lao Jiang does not resist the war this time, but wants to take the route of surrender, not only will the whole [***] people not agree, I am afraid that his descendants will also automatically carry out the war of resistance." ”

Li Zongren's words were reasonable and well-founded, and he persuaded his subordinates, and even the smart "Little Zhuge " Bai Chongxi nodded yes.

Li Zongren was too familiar with Chiang Kai-shek, and he knew China in the war-torn era well, so his words naturally came to fruition. Seeing that everyone nodded in agreement, he changed his words and turned to the topic that the generals at the venue were most concerned about.

"This time, if Lao Chiang wants to recruit the two Guangxi armies to participate in the war, he will also recruit local troops from all over the country to participate in the war. It can't be said that he didn't have the idea of taking the opportunity to eliminate the miscellaneous cards, but the timing of his catch was favorable. At present, the masses in all parts of the country are excited, and the momentum of resistance is overturned, and whoever does not resist the war and refuses to send troops is tantamount to the public enemy of the whole country and the scum of the nation. We are already warlords in the eyes of the people of the whole country, and we must not be ugly in the eyes of the world. ”

At this time, Li Zongren seemed to be a little moved: "In addition, from a conscience point of view, as soldiers of the country, descendants of China, and the country is in trouble, how can we sit idly by." If everything that was done in the past was to fight for civil rights and Wei Ming, then now it is said that it is the duty of the country and the people without hesitation. Nor can we give Nanjing an excuse to attack us on the issue of the War of Resistance Against Japan. ”

On the same day, Guangxi took the lead in making a plan to participate in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Li Zongren did not hesitate, and immediately sent an urgent telegram to Chiang Kai-shek, saying: "Since the central government has decided to resist the war, my generation vows to support it to the end. ”

Although Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi have been enemies of Chiang Kai-shek for many years, when the country and the nation are in danger, they have no hesitation in complying with the will of the people, responding to the call of the central authorities, and going to the national disaster together.

Later, Bai Chongxi, as the deputy chief of staff of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, made great contributions to the victory of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression!

Like Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, a number of local army generals, such as Liu Xiang in Sichuan, Long Yun in Yunnan, and Erma in Qingning, resolutely stopped splitting and fighting at home when ancient China was faced with many disasters and difficulties.

This nationwide unanimous effect is the total outburst of anger and awakening that has accumulated in the chest of an ancient country with a long history after being oppressed and humiliated by foreign enemies for hundreds of years. Chiang Kai-shek was also stunned by the flames that rushed to the sky, and at this moment, he understood a wise saying: water can carry a boat, and it can also capsize a boat.

Chiang Kai-shek strengthened his confidence in the all-out war of resistance. On August 8, Chiang Kai-shek published the "Letter to the Soldiers of the Anti-Japanese War Again" in Nanjing, claiming:

"This time, the army has entered the Kou, despicable fraud, tricked our Pingjin, burned, killed and plundered, ravaged my compatriots, Tianjin turned into ashes, and Beiping became a nest of widows. To this end, the officers and men of the whole army must establish a five-point spirit: 1. Determination to sacrifice to the end; 2. The self-confidence of the final victory; 3. Use intelligent maneuvers to cope; Fourth, the unity of the military and the people, love and sincerity; Fifth, there is no advance or retreat in holding the position. ”

The Chinese people are united, and the all-out war of resistance has begun!

At this time, Li Zongren, who was sitting on the front line, set his sights on the battlefield in Xuzhou!

With the success of Beijing, Shanghai and Shandong, the base camp of the Yue army has turned its greedy eyes to Xuzhou, an important town in the Central Plains of the ancient country.

Xuzhou belongs to the intersection of China's two major railway arteries, the Jinpu Line and the Longhai Line, and is the hub of China's railways from east to west, north and south, and has always been a battleground for soldiers. The army aimed at Xuzhou, with a very clear intention, that is, to open up the Jinpu Road, remove the threat from the right side of the Yuehou march into Wuhan, and then go west from the Longhai Road, cut off the Pinghan Line, take Wuhan in one fell swoop, and lead to a showdown with Chiang Kai-shek.

said that my wishful thinking was rattling. The success of this move was tantamount to striking while the iron was hot, and then dealing a fatal blow to Chiang Kai-shek, completely crushing Chiang Kai-shek's will to resist and surrendering to Yue himself.

It is said that I have a very deep understanding of the words of Sun Tzu, the originator of Chinese military science thousands of years ago: a soldier who surrenders without a fight.

Taking a step back, even if Chiang Kai-shek does not surrender and loses Wuhan, it means that he will be driven into the mountains of the southwest, and the national political axe will be reduced to a local power in China, and how much authority does Chiang Kai-shek's regime really have at that time? What is so much about China's half-reading regime is that Chiang Kai-shek is the focus of attention on the warlords in the provinces, and if he steps down, he will surely be enthusiastically supported in the provinces. At that time, it will not be easy for him to start anew and support a new regime built under his wing.

On January 16, 1938, Prime Minister Konoe issued a statement stating:

"In the future, the imperial political axe will not be an opponent of the national political axe, but hopes for the establishment and development of a new Chinese regime that can really cooperate with the empire."

He didn't take Chiang Kai-shek in his eyes at all.

Lest the weight be insufficient, on the 26th, Konoe once again unreasonably declared to the world:

"1. Under no circumstances shall this be negotiated with the Nationalist Government; 2. In order to prevent foreign aid to China, it is still possible to declare war on China; (3) The new regime for China is in the position of guardian; Fourth, no third party is allowed to mediate. ”

Although he was anxious to end the war in China, he thought that he was able to deal with Chiang Kai-shek's national political axe. Konoe hurriedly threw out this statement, which was later considered the most stupid by the diplomatic and military circles.

Chiang Kai-shek killed Han Fuyu and wanted to fight with him on the battlefield again. However, in the bloody battle between Beijing and Shanghai, [***] suffered heavy casualties, and there were no troops to adjust.

As a last resort, he had no choice but to put the Sichuan Army, the old Northeast Army, the Northwest Army and the Shandong Army into the Central Plains battlefield.

Seeing that the troops were hopeless, Chiang Kai-shek could only hope for the commander of this force.

His eyes were naturally aimed at Li Zongren, the pillar of the Gui family, and he asked Li Zongren to command the Gui troops and command all the miscellaneous troops to create miracles.

Li Zongren, who had just entered Xuzhou, certainly understood Chiang Kai-shek's intentions. Chiang Kai-shek was really shrewd, even if he was chased and beaten to this point, he did not let go of Li Zongren, a local powerful figure who had been fighting with him for more than ten years.

Until Li Zongren went to Beijing to resist the war, Guangxi was actually still a half-reading kingdom outside Nanjing. What made Chiang Kai-shek even more troublesome was that Li Zongren's self-government in Guangxi caused Liu Xiang in Sichuan and Long Yun in Yunnan to be quite restless, and he always disobeyed the central government in Nanjing, which made Chiang Kai-shek very sad. Now let Li Zongren command these hundreds of thousands of miscellaneous troops, once a miracle is created, Chiang Kai-shek's face will shine, and the expansion and reorganization of Wuhan troops will also be settled; It was just that it could not create a miracle, the Sichuan and Gui armies were weakened, and Li Zongren's reputation was hit, which was also what Chiang Kai-shek could not ask for.

Besides, no matter how bad these miscellaneous troops are, it is still entirely possible to survive on the Jinpu Road for three or two months.

Li Zongren seemed to be pushed into a sizzling hot pot.

Ji Zongren's words are indeed not good. The chairman of the committee held him very seriously, and put him on the muzzle of his own gun, but what kind of troops were given to him? Let's just say that the Sichuan Army was stuffed into the 5th War Zone like a bad deal.

The Sichuan army, which has been living in Bashan and Shushui for decades, wants to go out of Sichuan to resist the war, not to mention outsiders, even the Sichuan army itself feels very fresh. For decades, they have had too few opportunities to really fight Sichuan, and the paradise-like Sichuan Basin has raised these Sichuan troops to stay in love with the land, and they are reluctant to leave Sichuan.

The guns in their hands are quite backward, and many of them are even locally made "singles". Fighting pheasants and hares can also be dealt with, but in the face of the iron armor and heavy artillery of the modern army, such firearms are no different from a pile of burning sticks. The perennial defense of Sichuan made this unit rarely participate in battles, so military discipline was lax and morale was low. In the final analysis, the Sichuan army was nothing more than Liu Xiang's guard to rule Sichuan, a bargaining chip with Chiang Kai-shek.

However, the hearts of the Sichuan officers and soldiers to kill the captives were fiery. When "VII. When the "Seventh" incident broke out and troops from all parts of the country rushed to the battlefield of resistance, the Sichuan army stationed in the distant and quiet Sichuan was also stirred up by the pride of the Chinese in their chests. Although Liu Xiang, chairman of Sichuan Province, is famous throughout the country for his attempts to protect himself and to support his troops and respect himself, he is absolutely unwilling to give Chiang Kai-shek an excuse to clean up the Sichuan army in the matter of resisting the Japanese army, which is not worth it.

In September 1937, Liu Xiang gave an order, and 100,000 Sichuan soldiers wore straw sandals and walked out of Sichuan in single clothes. Soon, they were in the middle of the harsh winter of the northern kingdom. The Sichuan army has not yet entered the battlefield, but it first encountered the test of nature. In the cold and hunger, no one complained, no one cried bitterness. If anyone shouts to return to Sichuan, they will immediately attract countless pairs of eyes and a lot of ridicule:

Something that has no interest, go back, don't embarrass the Sichuan people!

The 100,000 Sichuan army went upriver in the rout of the Jin Sui Army and the Central Army, and came to the battlefield of Lihu and the front line of Shanxi resistance. The harshness of nature failed to impress these shrewd and short Sichuan men, but the hearts of the people in the world made them chill!

The Sichuan army went out of Sichuan, not as good as Chiang Kai-shek's proud Central Army, and it was trucks and manpower to transport military supplies. Their military supplies had to be dealt with on the spot, and no one cared about the replacement and replenishment of guns and ammunition.

The 100,000 army had to find food for themselves and clothes to wear. When faced with the disdainful gaze of the Central Army and the local emperor Jin Suijun, they felt like a beggar.

Reaching out to the rich man in front of him to beg with cold eyes, this made the Sichuan army, who had been the king for decades, unbearable.

The Sichuan army was finally enraged. As long as they could get food and clothing, they would not care about so many precepts, and they would buy and rob them. When encountering the armory, he also smashed the big lock and supplied himself

The commander of the 2nd Theater of Operations, Yan Xishan, the real soil emperor of Shanxi, was anxious. A phone call was made to the Wuhan Military Commission, accusing the Sichuan army of not resisting enough, disturbing the people, and being a group of bandits. Please ask the Military Commission to order the Sichuan army to leave immediately, and the 2nd theater cannot afford to feed it.

Wuchang, at the highest military meeting of the Kuomintang High Command, Chiang Kai-shek heard the report that the green tendons on his neck jumped, but now the [***] elite was newly defeated in Beijing and Shanghai.

After thinking about it, Chiang Kai-shek instructed Lin Wei, the director of the chamberlain, to say: "The 2nd War Zone refuses to ask for it, transfer them to the 1st War Zone, and ask Chief Cheng if you want it." ”

But what I didn't expect was that when I heard that it was the Sichuan army, Cheng Qian was like encountering a flood beast, and without waiting for Lin Wei to finish speaking, he replied on the phone:

"Don't, don't. Don't even want Yan Laoxi, you still push me here. I don't want this rotten army. ”

Chiang Kai-shek has been angry for the past few days because of the fall of Nanjing, and when he heard Lin Wei say this, he couldn't help but be furious.

Bai Chongxi, who was sitting on the side, had a lot of eyes at this time, and remembered his Gui brother Li Zongren, so he said to Chiang Kai-shek: "I'll call Chief Li and ask if you want the 5th War Zone." ”

In this way, the Sichuan army, which had entered the north, came to the 5th theater of operations

Deng Xihou, Pang Bingxun, Yu Mingzhang and other senior generals of the Sichuan army learned what happened afterwards and were grateful to Li Zongren for his kindness. Deep down, they never want to go back like this, wouldn't that be a loss of face for the Sichuan people. Li Zongren is in urgent need of soldiers, not to mention that he has always firmly believed that there are no unusable soldiers in the world, only unusable generals. As long as the commander is fair and considerate of his subordinates, the soldiers will kill the enemy with their lives

Therefore, Li Zongren was very devoted to the Sichuan army, an orphan far from his homeland, and repeatedly asked the Military Commission to replenish the Sichuan army with guns and ammunition, and to postpone the withdrawal and merging of the Sichuan army during the war. This made the Sichuan army generals who had been discriminated against since leaving Sichuan grateful, and Li Zongren finally got a sentence from the Sichuan army generals that the commander was most looking forward to:

"The Sichuan army promises to obey the commander's command and fight bravely to kill the enemy in order to repay the kindness of the encounter!"

Like the Sichuan Army, Zhang Zizhong's Northwest Army, which supported the battle and was well-known throughout the battlefield of resistance against the Japanese, was also moved by Li Zongren's sincerity and justice.

In the second half of 1937, after Zhang Zizhong absconded from Beiping and returned to Nanjing, he was denounced by the Chinese people as Han Annihilation, and he was idle at home. Although he himself intends to lead the army out of the mountain to resist again, how dare he open this mouth at that time. When Li Zongren, who had just arrived in Nanjing, heard about this, he went around to visit the old people of the Northwest Army to find out about the matter.

Huang Jianping, an old colleague of Zhang Zizhong, helped at the critical moment, and he defended Zhang Zizhong and said: "Zizhong is chivalrous, strict in governing the army, commanding operations, and especially worthy of being a brave general in the Northwest Army. ”

Li Zongren, as a soldier, knows the surname of the soldier best, and thinks of the Great Wall War of Resistance in 1933, and when he hears these reports, he feels sorry for Zhang Zizhong in his heart.

One day, Li Zongren specially ordered Huang Jianping to invite Zhang Zizhong to come and talk about it, who would have thought that Zhang Zizhong was honest and didn't dare to come, so he only replied: "The person who wears the guilt, what face does he have to see Chief Li." ”

Later, after Li Zongren's sincere invitation, he came to see Li Zongren.

Li Zongren knew it in his heart, and said to General Zhang Zizhong, who didn't dare to raise his head: "Brother Xinchen, I know that you have been wronged. But I think the Central Committee understands it, and you yourself understand it. We understand you. Now that public opinion blames you, I hope you forgive them. The masses are irrational, they don't know the background to scold you, you should forgive them for their pure motives"

Zhang Zizhong sat silently, sighed and said: "I personally took the risk to come to Beijing, surrendered with my crimes, and waited for the central government to punish the crimes!" ”

Li Zongren said without the slightest hesitation: "I hope you will not be discouraged and will atone for your sins in the future." I am ready to make a statement to the chairman of the committee, let you go back and continue to lead your troops! ”

When Zhang Zizhong heard this, he raised his head in surprise. At this time, Li Zongren found that his eyes were full of tears. Zhang Zizhong swore and said:

"If Chief Li eases his cheeks, the central government can forgive me for my sins, let me wear my sins, and I should repay the country with my life!"

When Zhang Zizhong stated, the loyalty of Yan Zhao's generous and tragic people overflowed with words and deeply moved Li Zongren

Later, Li Zongren first talked about this matter to He Yingqin, Minister of Military Affairs, and He Yingqin seemed to be intent on fulfilling it. Li Zongren went further to see Chiang Kai-shek and confessed to Zhang Zizhong. Li Zongren said to Chairman Jiang: "Zhang Zizhong is a loyal general, and he is by no means a person who wants to be a Han annihilator. Now that his troops are still in Henan, the central government should let him go back and take his troops. I heard that someone wanted to receive the partition, but it turned out to be stimulated and changed, and it would be bad if he really went to be a Han anniversary. Rather than that, it's better to let him go back and take advantage of the crime."

Chiang Kai-shek pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, let him go back!" ”

After speaking, he immediately picked up the pen and approved a note, asking Zhang Zizhong to return to his own army immediately and be included in the battle sequence of the 1st War Zone.

When others were in trouble, Li Zongren, who had no friendship with Zhang Zizhong, pulled him along, which naturally made Zhang Zizhong grateful. Before leaving Beijing and returning to his post, Zhang Zizhong came to bid farewell to Li Zongren and said sincerely: If it weren't for Chief Li's words, even if I, Zhang, would not have been shot, I would have been trapped in a rope and a national sinner. Now that the chief has been fulfilled and recreated, I Zhang has said in my life that I should repay the country with my bloody life and repay the grace of knowledge.

The words were sincere, and this statement was exciting and poignant, which greatly moved Li Zongren!

(To be continued)