Two: The Nanjing people began a great retreat

Whether the defense of Nanjing was a symbolic resistance or a stubborn defense, there was no clear order from the base camp. Reinforcements were required to hold out for three months to relieve the siege. The situation will change dramatically.

Whoever listens to such a request will understand it as a rigid obstacle. In accordance with this request, Commander Tang swore to the people of the country and to the whole world to live and die together with Nanjing.

Strategically and tactically, he divided it into three lines: the outer line and the inner line for defense. In terms of battle plans, only defensive plans were made, and there was no retreat plan.

Commander Tang is not a general with a quick battle theory. He clearly knew how powerful the Japanese army was, and the defense of Nanjing would be extremely tragic in the face of the Japanese army's crazy attack.

He also knew that his army of 100,000 was a tiger army. The defensive battle can slow down the Japanese offensive and give the rear enough time to prepare for the resistance against Japan.

But the defenders of Nanking could not crush the attack of the Japanese troops. Nanking will fall. He was determined to start a street battle in the city, fight to the last soldier, and die for his country.

He also knew that more than 500,000 residents of Nanjing, with a population of one million, had not yet been evacuated, and more than 100,000 people who had been exiled from other places to Nanjing were still stranded in Nanjing.

He must be responsible for the safety of these civilians, and he understands the weight of the burden on his shoulders.

On the day Commander Tang took office, the Japanese army occupied Suzhou. The Nationalist army retreated westward. The Battle of Nanjing began, and the government announced the relocation of the capital to Chongqing. Commander Tang resolutely issued martial law.

This day was the first day that the people of Nanjing entered a state of war and were extremely tense. It was also the day when the Nanjing people began their great retreat.

After the order to move the capital was issued, the people of Nanjing responded positively. Those who could go went into exile. Exile with the government is the best option.

Long before the order to move the capital was issued, the government had already arranged for exile to the interior. For example, Zhongshan Middle School received a notice of self-relocation on November 11.

The government should protect the people and young students of Nanjing. Protect Nanjing's property and military enterprises and institutions. This is the relocation of the whole city. Strive to leave an empty city for the Japanese army.

State institutions, schools, museums, libraries, arsenals are busy moving inward. Take away everything you can take, and destroy everything you can't take away. It will never be left to the Japanese army.

The government was organizing a planned retreat from Nanjing, and more than 100,000 people were going into exile to the rear every day. Some went to Wuhan, and some went directly to Chongqing.

Several parishioners who were familiar with her came to greet her when she was leaving a few days ago, and she told her that the bishop and priest of the Catholic Church had gone to Chongqing.

They hoped that their mother-in-law would leave sooner. They were waiting for her in Chongqing. After they left, my mother-in-law was thinking about leaving.

The defeat was like a mountain, and the defense line built by the Chinese army was broken through by the Japanese army one after another. The Chinese army does not want to say that it will fight back, and it will not even have the power to parry.

The flames of war were spreading in the direction of Nanjing, and the Japanese army came quickly. The Nationalist army no longer had the strength to stop the Japanese army's westward advance.

It's time for exile. My mother-in-law said from the bottom of her heart that she didn't want to leave. She pinned her hopes on the national army to defend the city to the death, hoping to hold on for three months and usher in a great change in the situation.

As soon as the reinforcements arrived in Nanjing, the siege was lifted. Everything will be fine. When the mother-in-law thought about it, she thought that Nanjing would not only not be able to hold for three months, but would soon fall.

The mother-in-law didn't want to put the lives of her whole family on defending the city for three months. Should go or should go. But when I really decided to go, my mother-in-law hesitated again.

The mother-in-law thinks that this time is different from the one decades ago. That time when the Eight-Nation Coalition attacked Beijing, my mother-in-law fled to Nanjing with her whole family, although the distance was far away, but it did not hurt her vitality.

This time, the Japanese army is going to die in China, and my mother-in-law's vitality will definitely be greatly damaged when she goes to Chongqing, and it will not be easy to make a comeback in business when she arrives there.

I don't know when the war will be fought, my mother-in-law is old, and I am afraid that I will never come back if I leave this time. Mother-in-law's old bones are going to be buried in another country.

Mother-in-law hovers between walking and not walking,

A good friend of my mother-in-law came to ask my mother-in-law to go to the office of the Eighth Route Army in Nanjing, and earlier my mother-in-law heard that there was an office of the Eighth Route Army in Nanjing, which was on the side of the Drum Tower.

When the mother-in-law was young, she was very fond of them under the influence of the children's uncle, and this was because Sun Yat-sen's first cooperation with them took root in the mother-in-law's heart.

In front of her son and daughter-in-law, her mother-in-law often talked about Sun Yat-sen's three major policies of uniting Russia and helping workers and peasants. My mother-in-law has always wanted to go to the Eighth Route Army office to have a look.

But it always feels difficult to be introduced to her.

After the Xi'an Incident, the second joint national salvation began. As soon as the Eighth Route Army set out on the expedition, it had a great victory at Pingxingguan. It was an amazing thing, and the mother-in-law didn't sleep all night with excitement.

The mother-in-law happily followed her friend. When I got out of the car, I realized that their office was in 'Fu Hougang. ’

My friend told my mother-in-law that this was originally the residence of Mr. Zhang Boling, the president of Nankai University, and that Zhang Boling and Zhou Enlai were teachers and students, so they gave the house to the Eighth Route Army as an office.

Mother-in-law understands that this is the love of teachers and students. He looked closely, and it was a fake three-story building with Western-style brick and wood structure.

My friend introduced to my mother-in-law: "The hut on the left side of the courtyard gate is the communication room, and there are three rooms, a bathroom and a stairwell in the upstairs and downstairs of the main office building.

"Downstairs, the north-facing room is the staff office and reception room, and the south-facing east room is Li Kenong's office and bedroom.

"I'm here to see Li Kenong. You look around. Most of the staff in the office have moved inward. ”

He entered Mr. Li's office--bedroom. The mother-in-law went to the back of the main building and looked at it, where there were two bungalows, one for the dining room and one for the kitchen.

The mother-in-law was about to go upstairs to have a look, when a friend came out of Li Kenong's office, and Li Kenong saw him off. A friend introduced Li Kenong and said: "This is the governor of Jinling Silk Village I am talking about. ”

Li Kenong held his mother-in-law's hand and said, "I've heard about you. You're amazing. You're a big businessman, you've built such a big company, and you're a celebrity. ”

The mother-in-law was very surprised when she heard this. They even know that little people like their mother-in-law know what else they don't know.

Li Kenong is very talkative. I chatted with my mother-in-law for a while and asked: "The order to move the capital has already been issued, why didn't you leave when you had the conditions to go?" ”

The mother-in-law didn't know how to answer him. I had to laugh and didn't answer.

He said, "Let's go early." Go to Wuhan or go to Chongqing. It's also good to go to Xi'an and Chengdu. In short, we have to leave Nanjing and go to the rear. China's big rear is very big.

"The government is going to preserve its strength and lead the people to resist the war for a long time. As long as the government is there, the hearts of the people will be stable. There is hope for those in the occupied areas.

"The retreat of the army is a protracted battle with the Japanese army. The Japanese army is on the cutting edge, and it is necessary to avoid their edge. Save your own living force.

"If the battle line is lengthened and the time drags on, the Japanese army will fall into the quagmire of this war of aggression. By that time, the Chinese army will come back to pick them up.

"The army is like this, and the common people are like this, a truth. The army preserves its strength and looks for an opportunity to beat them hard. The common people preserved their strength, worked hard to do a good job in production, and supported the war of resistance. ”

Li Kenong polished his mother-in-law's eyes with a few words. She smiled and nodded and said, "No one tells me about the situation like you, I listen to you, I go, take my family with me."

Li Kenong laughed and said, "Okay, good." Go back and prepare early and leave early. The sooner you go, the smaller the loss. I'll put you in the car. ”

My mother-in-law and her friends got into the car and came back. A friend said: "There are still seven of them here, so they will leave in the next two days and take two cars from Nanjing to Wuhan via Wuhu, Nanchang and Changsha."

"I took my family to Xi'an by train the day after tomorrow. My aunt was there. You can't be wrong by listening to Li Kenong, let's go early. ”

The mother-in-law said, "He is an amazing person. I listened to him, and I made up my mind to go resolutely. And, just go. I'll arrange to leave when I get home.

"You should have brought me to meet them a few days earlier. When I meet them today, I'm going our separate ways. I can't say if I'll be able to see them in the future. ”

A friend said, "It's easy to do, I arranged for my family to go to Wuhan in Xi'an." I'm going to meet them again. Everyone will have a period later. ”