A multi-brigade regiment of the Japanese 8th Division, supported by 15 aircraft, took turns to storm Shanhaiguan, and the naval guns of the Japanese 2nd Foreign Fleet also bombarded the defenders of the Northeast Army from the sea east of Shanhaiguan. The fierce battle lasted until the afternoon of the 3rd, and under the combined attack of the Japanese army, the southeast corner of the city was broken through by the Japanese army. The regiment commander Shi Shi'an organized several counterattacks without success.

Heavy artillery fire flooded the entire southern city, and the Japanese army poured into the blasted city wall under the cover of overwhelming fire.

In front of him were sparse soldiers, half less than before the war, An Dexin had a look of determination on his face, and shouted bitterly at his subordinates, "The Japanese really bullied us to the home." Before they occupied Mukden, now they want to occupy Shanhaiguan without a single shot, if we do not fight with them to the end, we will be sorry for the Shanhaiguan fathers and elders, and there is no blood of the Chinese. If the Japanese want to pass, they can only pass on our corpses, and swear to live and die with Shanhaiguan! ”

Under An Dexin's raised arms and shouted, more than 600 officers and soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Battalions launched a desperate counterattack against the Japanese army. But how can flesh and blood withstand the indiscriminate bombardment of Japanese aircraft, artillery, and warships? Almost the entire Shanhaiguan was submerged in artillery fire, and one after another houses and businesses collapsed in the explosion, and the artillery fire and gunpowder smoke soared into the sky, adding a bit of tragic atmosphere to the Andexin Department who fought back desperately.

"Under the pressure of Japan's step-by-step advance, the soldiers of the Republic of China, who had been retreating, began to wake up, and the courage shown by such a backward army was no less than that of any great power, and they faced life and death. Undaunted. Only under the powerful attack of the Japanese army. These resistances all seem to be futile...... according to the provisions of the Treaty of Xincho. Britain, the United States and other 11 powers had garrisons along the line from Peking to Shanghaiguan, and the French military attaché among them could not help but lament with sympathy when they saw this tragic scene.

At 3 p.m. on January 3, An Dexin first suffered a hand injury and did not care about it. The time-moving bullet hit the leg, and he was still wounded and fighting. Then he was shot in two places in the head and abdomen at the same time, and finally fell to the ground. An Dexin's body was desperately snatched out by the guards. Put it in a sack and flee on its back. The 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Company Commanders, Company Lieutenants, and Platoon Commanders were all killed. Two battalions suffered casualties. The regiment commander Shi Shi'an led the rest of the army to retreat from Xishuimen to the west bank of the Shihe River with only more than 20 people. The Japanese army chased all the way, and the guard Wang Hongwu was driven all the way by the Japanese army. As a last resort, An Dexin's body was hastily buried near the West Water Gate and entrusted to the care of the Hui people near the mosque. The Japanese army entered and occupied Shanhaiguan. Controlled the main traffic arteries leading to the inside and outside of the gates.

The Japanese army that captured Shanhaiguan took advantage of the situation to attack the Wulitai area outside the Guan. In view of the fact that the main force of the Japanese attack on Rehe has been arranged in place, the battle at Shanhaiguan has been interrupted, but the main force of the Japanese army is moving towards Rehe. As early as the 23rd, Matsui Ishine set a planned offensive plan. At this time, the Japanese government used its usual tricks, and the embassy in China demanded that the Republic of China troops in Rehe withdraw from the entire territory of Rehe and recognize Rehe as the territory of the puppet Manchurian state, otherwise it would be difficult to ensure that the war would not expand to North China.

First lose the Northeast, and then lose Jinzhou. In the face of the Japanese army's pressure again, there was no buffer between Zhang Xueliang's Hebei and the Japanese army, and the Northeast Army had no way to retreat at this time. After consulting with Zhang Zuoxiang, a plan was drawn up to defend Rehe. The purpose of its operation was to protect Rehe, and the entire territory of Hebei was to consolidate Pingjin. Concentrate the main force in the north of Rehe and Hebei, and the area of southern Cha. Break through the Japanese troops that might land on the coast of Hebei, and organize the existing garrison in North China into 8 corps and 1 reserve corps. Yu Xuezhong's First Army was stationed in the Jintang area. The 2nd Army Corps Shang Zhen Department was stationed in Luandong, and the 3rd Army Corps Song Zheyuan was stationed in northern Hebei. Yang Jie and the reserve corps of the 8th Army Corps assembled near Beiping.

It consists of 6 divisions of the 53rd Army of the 4th Army of Wan Fulin, and 1 division and 4 brigades of the Tang Yulin Division of the 5th Army Corps. Zhang Xueliang served as the commander-in-chief of the 1st Group Army, Zhang Zuoxiang served as the commander of the 2nd Group Army, and Tang Yulin served as the deputy commander, a total of more than 100,000 people directly took charge of the defense tasks of Rehe Province and were responsible for fighting the Japanese army.

At this time, the main direction of attack of the Japanese army, which was divided into three routes, was the main force of the 8th Division, the 16th Brigade, the 8th Cavalry Wing, the 8th Artillery Wing, the 8th Engineer Brigade, and the 1st Tank Squadron, Lushun Heavy Artillery Brigade, the Kwantung Army Automobile Team, and about 15,000 people from the Li Shoushan Division of the 1st Independent Brigade of the Zhishan Division of the puppet Fengtian Provincial Garrison Army had arrived at the first combat front. However, the defending 4th Army Corps had a long defensive line of nearly 400 miles. The fortifications are simple, the rear transportation is difficult, and if the first line is broken, there is a worry that the whole line will be shaken. The Japanese army successfully captured Chaoyang, and the 130th Division only fought with the Japanese army for less than a day before the Japanese broke through the position. With the 129th Regiment of the 1st Division, which came to reinforce it, retreated to Pingquan. Preparations were made for another battle, but due to the fact that the other divisions of the 4th Army Corps were shaken on all fronts at this time, they had no choice but to withdraw the two divisions to Xifengkou with the main force of the 4th Army Corps.

Without wasting much effort, the Japanese army that repelled the 4th Army Corps, which Zhang Xueliang had placed high hopes on, continued to attack the 5th Army Corps on the line from Zhuluke, Jianping Town, Heishui Town to Chifeng.

"He Zhang Xueliang withdrew from the three eastern provinces without firing a shot, but now he is going to fight in our Rehe, thanks to him, if our 5th Army Corps fights the Japanese army cleanly, what will the Tang family use to gain a foothold in the future? Zhang Xueliang is no better than his father, and Yang Yuting is a lesson from the past. Dad, can't we make a wedding dress for Zhang Xueliang, without the 5th Legion, how can there be a foothold for our Tang family in the northern military circles in the future. Tang Zuorong, who suffered a big loss in Jiang Li's hands, jumped up and down at this time, and said hatefully, "And that Jiang Li, he will also send troops to Rehe, he must still have a grudge against him last time, and he may take the opportunity to attack us this time." You can't help but leave some foundation to prevent problems before they happen. ”

"The second brother is right, the last time he was slandered by Jiang Li, there are already many people who are worried about the Tang family's property, and the Japanese army will definitely not be able to defeat it, if the little troops in his hand are defeated by the Japanese, I am afraid that someone will immediately have to treat us for the crime of defeating the army. If you still have soldiers and guns in your hands, even if you lose your position, it's not a big deal. Zhang Xueliang even lost the Northeast, Jinzhou, Shanhaiguan were defeated again and again, and Nanjing didn't just say a few words verbally, as for those abusive public opinion, they were just some scholars who were powerless and disease-free**. ”

Tang Zuorong also stood up to support Tang Zuofu and said, although Zhang Xueliang gave Tang Yulin face and gave Tang Yulin a 5th Army Corps, but his own family knows his own affairs, and these people inside them know what the 5th Army is all about. (To be continued.) )