Chapter 603: The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Shanghai and the War of Resistance in Songhu

The Nanking government said that it would avoid giving the Japanese an excuse to act, but when the wolf was determined to eat the sheep, anything ridiculous could be used as an excuse, as long as the wolf was a scoundrel enough.

The problem is that this area has never been under the control of the Ministry of Industry of the concession, and this is the area where the Chinese have been exercising full management rights.

At this time, it was the 19th Route Army that was brought from Jiangxi to Nanjing and Shanghai to garrison because it had to act as an intermediary.

Shanghainese people have seen many armies, from the braided Qing soldiers to the Feng soldiers wearing dogskin hats, from the bearded White Russian volunteers to the British Gurkha hired mercenaries with their heads, all kinds of armies have been seen.

Compared with all kinds of armies that I have seen before, the 19th Route Army that entered the city this time is really inconspicuous, and even looks shabby.

In terms of military appearance, the soldiers of the 19th Route Army, mainly Cantonese, were all black, thin, and short, and many of them looked like teenagers. In addition, they carried hats on their backs, wore straw sandals, did not even have cotton clothes in winter, and swayed in the cold wind in single clothes and jackets, so they couldn't see the domineering spirit of the elite troops.

In terms of equipment, the 19th Route Army is even more inconspicuous, but their equipment is very distinctive.

The equipment characteristics of the 19th Route Army can be summed up in two ways, the first is miscellaneous, and the second is old.

The so-called miscellaneous, there are 12 models of rifles and 9 types of machine guns in a brigade of the 19th Route Army, not counting two light machine guns.

To say that the weapons are old, the equipment of the 19th Route Army should be in the lower reaches, if not the worst, among all the troops of the national government in the country. If there is still a regular army with worse equipment than the 19th Route Army, it is probably only the Red Army in Jiangxi and Hubei, Henan and Anhui.

In terms of rifles alone, the 19th Route Army has more than 30,000 people and only more than 15,000 rifles, including 1,762 old sleeves. Probably only slightly better than the Red Army.

The old sleeve is a rifle made by the Hanyang Arsenal in the former Qing Dynasty Guangxu period, and it has been produced for more than 30 years.

Rifles that have been used for thirty years, many of the barrels have been polished, and the bullets can be shot, not to mention where they hit. But this kind of old rifle accounted for more than one-seventh of all rifles in the brigade of the 19th Route Army.

The 19th Route Army was equipped with the most Han-made 79 rifles produced by the Hanyang Arsenal, 7,200 pieces, which is commonly known as Hanyang-made. There are also 79 rifles made by the Shijing Arsenal in Guangdong, 2680 pieces. Speaking of which, these two rifles are relatively new, and they are both German Mauser rifles copied from a full set of drawings.

If these guns can reach the level of German Mausers, they are good guns. It's a pity, just as we now like to buy original imported goods, rather than imitation goods, the gap between the original German Mauser gun and the imitation Hanyang-made, Guangdong-made is also very large.

Imitation is not a set of drawings on everything, the materials used are good, whether the process is in place, whether the management is good, the impact on the quality of firearms is great, take the seven or nine guns made in Guangdong, for example, when the quality is good, the dispersion range of the shooting bullet is the size of a teacup lid, when the quality is poor, the same distance, the dispersion range of the bullet is the size of a water tank. Unfortunately, most of the Guangdong-made products obtained by the 19th Route Army were made when the political situation in Guangdong was chaotic and the directors of the arsenal were constantly changing.

In terms of machine guns, a brigade also has only 30 heavy machine guns and 5 light machine guns. This kind of equipment is not too bad when compared in China, but when it is compared with the Japanese, it is obviously a step worse.

The army's appearance is not in order, and the equipment is inferior, which is probably the first impression of the Shanghai people on the 19th Route Army.

However, behind this shabby appearance, the 19th Route Army has a strong combat power that is unimaginable to ordinary people.

In the Northern Expedition War five years ago, the Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army fought all the way from Guangdong to Henan, known as the "Iron Army". In fact, the 4th Army participated in the Northern Expedition, only the 10th and 12th Divisions and Ye Ting's Independent Regiment. The 19th Route Army is the authentic descendant of the 10th Division in the "Iron Army". …,

How strong the combat effectiveness of the 19th Route Army is, the opponent's evaluation is the most convincing.

When the Jiangxi Red Army countered the encirclement and suppression three times, it really saw God killing God, seeing Buddha killing Buddha, and almost none of the national army units that were caught and attacked by the Red Army could retreat with their whole body. And the only one that could draw with the Red Army was the 19th Route Army.

In the first battle of Xingwei, the 19th Route Army and the Red Army fought fiercely for a day and a night, the Red Army and the 19th Route Army each suffered more than 2,000 casualties, and two division commanders of the Red Army were killed, which shows the fierce battle at that time.

Many years later, when Taizu commented on the third anti-encirclement and suppression of the various armies of the Nationalist Government Army, he listed the 19th Route Army as the first in combat effectiveness, and later rebelled to join the Red Army and was reorganized into the 26th Route Army of Sun Lianzhong of the Red 5th Army, which could only be ranked second.

It's just that the Japanese are not interested in this.

The Japanese believe that when the Northern Expeditionary Army attacked Henan, the "Iron Army" and the Feng Army commanded by Zhang Xueliang fought very hard, but Zhang Xueliang's Northeast Army did not even have the courage to fight in the face of the Japanese army.

The so-called "iron army" is, so far, only an "iron army" in which the Chinese fight the Chinese.

It's just that Shiozawa Koichi forgot the saying, "A sheep led by a lion is better than a lion led by a sheep."

The reason why the "Iron Army" is called the "Iron Army" is that without an outstanding "lion" leader, it will definitely not become an "Iron Army". So the "Iron Army" Northern Expedition is invincible, what kind of lions are the leaders?

In the Northern Expedition that year, the Kuomintang Central Organ Newspaper "Republic of China Daily" once commented on the generals of the "Iron Army": "Zhang Xianghua was indomitable, Chen Zhenru commanded Ruo Ding, Jiang Jingran planned and fought, Ye Xiyi bravely crowned the three armies, and Huang Yuxing and Cai Xianchu immediately fought on the battlefield. ”

Zhang Xianghua was Zhang Fakui, the commander of the 12th Division, and later became an important general of Wang Jingwei's anti-Chiang movement. Huang Qixiang (Huang Yuxing) became the leader of the third party, and Ye Xiyi is the famous general Ye Ting, but this will be his trip to Europe.

The remaining three, Chen Mingshu (Chen Zhenru), Jiang Guangnai (Jiang Jingran), and Cai Tingkai (Cai Xianchu), were all in the 19th Route Army at this time. To make a not very accurate analogy, the three of them have a bit of a relationship with Liu Guanzhang.

Among the three people, Chen Mingshu is Liu Bei, and he has absolute control over the 19th Route Army. Because the entire 19th Route Army was developed from the 10th Division of the Northern Expeditionary Army under which Chen Mingshu was the commander, and the cadres were basically promoted by Chen Mingshu, it is not an exaggeration to say that the 19th Route Army is the Chen Family's Army. Therefore, no matter how Chen Mingshu stood in line politically, supported Chiang and opposed Chiang, and returned to Guangdong and left Guangdong, the 19th Route Army could follow Chen Mingshu's baton.

And Jiang Guangnai is similar to Guan Yu. Speaking of which, Jiang Guangnai is two years older than Chen Mingshu, and he is definitely the eldest of the three in terms of age. But in the 19th Route Army group, Jiang Guangnai has always played the role of second in command. Chen Mingshu is the division commander, he is the deputy division commander, Chen Mingshu is the army commander, he is the deputy army commander. Jiang Guangnai and Chen Mingshu were both from Guangdong Army Primary School, and they joined the alliance under the introduction of Chen Mingshu, and the two have been standing together for more than 20 years. Speaking of which, Jiang Guangnai served as the commander-in-chief of the 19th Route Army and was the supreme commander, but in fact, Jiang Guangnai faithfully respected Chen Mingshu's orders.

And Cai Tingkai is more like Zhang Fei, of course, Cai Tingkai does not have Zhang Fei's leopard eyes and the mighty shape of the bridgehead, at first glance, Cai Tingkai is thin and tall, more like a telephone pole, and does not have much majesty. But in this trio, there is no separation from the 19th Route Army, and it is Cai Tingkai, the commander of the 19th Route Army, who must be with every battle.

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Guan and Zhang gathered in the ancient city to raise troops again, Liu Guan came from the bare pole, and the team had to rely on Zhang Fei's team in the ancient city. At this point, Cai Tingkai also played a great role in the 19th Route Army, thinking that Chen Mingshu and Jiang Guangnai left the team alone because they refused to oppose Jiang, leaving only Cai Tingkai alone with the 10th Division, Cai Tingkai was also pulled by Ye Ting to participate in the Nanchang Uprising, but as soon as he got out of Nanchang City, Cai Tingkai took the 10th Division to smear oil on the soles of his feet and fled to Fujian. It was precisely by relying on the team pulled out by Cai Tingkai that Chen Mingshu and Jiang Guangnai were able to meet Cai Tingkai again and laid the foundation of the 19th Route Army. …,

Chen Mingshu is a native of Hepu, Guangdong, Jiang Guangnai is a native of Dongguan, Guangdong, and Cai Tingkai is a native of Luoding, Guangdong. The children of the 19th Route Army, officers and soldiers, are also mostly Cantonese. Wandering is the so-called guest army, and it can even be said to be a wandering army. For them, Shanghai is not their hometown, let alone their territory. Once defeated and dispersed, this army without territory will not even have a chance to turn around, only the fate of being destroyed or annexed by other military systems.

The army is gone, and of course the political capital of individuals is gone. However, the three men did not flinch in order to preserve their strength.

After the Japanese army issued an ultimatum, Jiang Guangnai said at a meeting of the 19th Route Army, "Although Shanghai is not a hometown, Shanghai is a national land." In order to defend the country, we must have the spirit of resolute death, even if we sacrifice everything. Our death can awaken the soul of the nation, and our blood can chill the enemy's courage."

Such earth-shattering rhetoric should be worthy of killing Zhang Xueliang!!

The 19th Route Army is willing to die in this foreign land, which is really different from not resisting to the end and preferring to abandon their homeland.

However, fighting a war is not something that can be won with just one courage. Sun Tzu's Art of War said that if you don't fight the temple, you will win if you calculate more.

When the 19th Route Army entered the Beijing-Shanghai area, it did not expect to fight the Japanese army in Shanghai. At that time, the army commander Cai Tingkai's biggest headache was how to ask the Nanjing Sun Ke government for military salaries and let the troops change into winter clothes, and he did not prepare for war in advance. After the incident on the 18th, the generals of the 19th Route Army realized that something was wrong and began to prepare for war.

There is no position. On the outskirts of Shanghai, it is a standard water town in the south of the Yangtze River, with flat terrain and lack of concealment. Without the support of fortifications, in the face of the Japanese army with strong firepower, the loss will definitely not be small. Cai Tingkai heard that only in the Wusongkou area was a preset position, because it was the mouth of the Huangpu River into the Yangtze River, which belonged to the important area of national defense, so some fortifications were built. But when Cai Tingkai ran over to take a look, he found that the fortifications were very simple. Hurry up and build it, you have to ask for materials, but the Ministry of Military Affairs not only has no money, but also can't even get ready-made fortification materials, so you can only buy them yourself.

Speaking of money, Cai Tingkai remembered. The second problem is that there is no money.

19. The Route Army even owes salaries. No way, this money has to be spent, gritting his teeth, Cai Tingkai squeezed out a little money at the bottom of the box, but he has to spend it carefully, how much can he spend? Cai Tingkai told his subordinates that the maximum should not exceed 40,000 yuan. This amount of money is much less than the work expenses of the Japanese to find hooligans to make trouble and provoke trouble.

The third is equipment. How about the equipment of the 19th Route Army, as I said earlier, the old sleeves are still being used. There is an arsenal in Shanghai, and it is said that it can also build mountain artillery, if it can be replenished, it would be good, so Cai Tingkai hurriedly ran to collect some equipment, but when he arrived at the Shanghai Arsenal, he was sweating again. Not to mention the small scale of mountain artillery production here, the quality is really not good, and the shells fired out are "inaccurate". This can't help but make Cai Tingkai feel a lot of emotion, compared with Zhang Shaoshuai's Shenyang Arsenal, the gap between the Shanghai Arsenal and Zhang Shaoshuai's Shenyang Arsenal is too big, how can the Shenyang Arsenal be such a good property, Zhang Shaoshuai really can't bear to lose it.

Finally, there is another one, and the deployment of troops is not in place. The 19th Route Army was to garrison Beijing and Shanghai, not the whole army to guard Shanghai.

The 19th Route Army had a total of 3 divisions and 6 brigades, with a total of 18 regiments. The two divisions with the strongest combat effectiveness, one 61st Division in the Nanjing area, and the other 60th Division in the Suzhou and Wuxi areas. There is only one 78th Division in Shanghai, but this 78th Division is still a new unit that has only been established for half a year, and it is composed of the 19th Route Army Supplementary Brigade Troops, and its combat effectiveness is relatively weak.

The northernmost troops are in Wusongkou, the southernmost troops are in Nanshi, and there is a large concession in the middle, and the garrison of the 78th Division is bent into an arc, and it takes seventy or eighty miles to run down from south to north, while the Japanese marines are all concentrated in the area of the public concession, and if the Japanese concentrate their forces to hit a point, they are bound to die an ugly death. …,

Cai Tingkai inspected this circle, and the situation was also inseparable. Position, money, weapons, he can't change them for a while, and when he sees such a situation, he will inevitably panic when he changes others. Cai Tingkai is different, since the Northern Expedition, he has pinched his fingers and calculated, and his 19th Route Army really hasn't lost a battle. Are the Japanese awesome? Cai Tingkai really wanted to break his wrists with the Japanese, and he had a trick.

Since the 9th Route Army decided to resist, the first thing that had to be decided was the question of where to resist. At this time, the troops of the 19th Route Army in Shanghai were all stationed in the suburbs. Relying on the existing position for defense is a good choice. Therefore, at the military meeting before the 19th Route Army, some people advocated defending on the spot.

But will the Japanese run to the outskirts to attack the positions of the 19th Route Army?

There is a saying that the puppet is not guilty, but he is guilty. What the Japanese want most is the flowery world of Shanghai, not the rice fields on the outskirts of the city. Everyone knows that if the Japanese want to fight, they will first attack the Huajie on the edge of the concession -- the urban area of Zhabei. In case he occupied Zhabei and did not continue to attack the suburbs, then the 19th Route Army guarding the suburbs would be in a very embarrassing situation. Counterattack, it's always you who shoot first, those Westerners will come to point fingers, don't counterattack, what's the difference between this and not resisting.

Moreover, the Japanese are well equipped, and it is easier to play in the field on the outskirts. On the contrary, it will be urban street fighting, and the Japanese will have a suppressed advantage in firepower. There is another one, Zhabei is close to the concession, and it is inevitable that the city gate will catch fire in the fight, and the pond fish will be affected, as long as the Japanese attack and fire the first shot, they will definitely provoke those westerners.

The plan is set, and the deployment will be adjusted immediately.

The 6th Regiment of the 156th Brigade of the 78th Division was ordered to move from Dachang in the suburbs to Zhabei in Shanghai, and had a close contact with the Japanese marines. Why was this group transferred to the city? Because Liang Dai, the regimental attaché of this regiment, and Wu Luxun, the commander of the third battalion, both graduated from the Japanese non-commissioned officer school, they can speak Japanese fluently, and they also know how to deal with Japanese soldiers. After all, if you get closer, one accidentally brushes the gun and goes off, and if you don't want to fight, you will really fight.

In addition to the 6th Regiment, the 156th Brigade also has two regiments, and the 4th Regiment is stationed in Wusong, which is the mouth of the Huangpu River into the Yangtze River, the throat artery, and it is also an important place, which cannot be transferred. One remaining 5th regiment, which remained at the brigade headquarters of the 156th Brigade in Oba, could serve as a reserve.

The remaining 155th Brigade of the 78th Division used the railway from Nanjing to Shanghai as the demarcation line, guarding the southern part of Shanghai and guarding the railway. Because there is also a "Huajie" urban area managed by the Chinese to the south of the concession, this brigade also has to assume the garrison, and basically becomes a pawn that cannot be moved. In a real fight, this brigade cannot be counted on as reinforcements.

Therefore, a regiment of the 60th Division, which was originally stationed in Danyang, was transferred to Nanxiang, Shanghai, which is relatively close to Zhabei, and once the 156th Brigade on the Zhabei side cannot withstand it, there is still this regiment that can be used as a reserve.

At the same time, the general headquarters of the 19th Route Army was originally in Nanjing, but at this time it also moved to Shanghai, and the headquarters was re-established at Shanghai Zhenru Station, which was convenient for front command.

The main forces of the other 60th and 61st divisions still stuck to their positions. It's very simple, the battle hasn't started yet, so many troops are pressing forward together, and nothing has happened. Besides, if you abandon the capital Nanjing, you still have to have troops to take over the defense. Therefore, if the enemy does not move, it will be difficult for me to move.

At this point, the posture of the units of the 19th Route Army to meet the battle was completely opened.

But at this moment, the situation in the rear changed subtly. Two days after the 19th Route Army's preparatory meeting ended, Cai Tingkai received a telephone call, saying that He Yingqin, Minister of Military Affairs, had made a special trip from Nanjing to Shanghai and invited Cai Tingkai to meet at the residence of Kuomintang veteran Zhang Jingjiang.

One is the Minister of Military Affairs who is in charge of the national army, and the other is a respected veteran of the party.

When he arrived at the mansion, he was really talking and laughing, Minister He smiled and introduced Cai Tingkai to Zhang Jingjiang. But as soon as the scene passed, the main topic came out. He Yingqin said: The Japanese asked your 19th Route Army to retreat 30 kilometers, and the government should have refused, but in order to preserve national strength and endure humiliation, please withdraw your troops and redeploy them. I hope you will follow the will of the central government. …,

Although Cai Tingkai is a soldier, after so many years of hard work, he is not in vain politically. Such a big matter as the transfer and withdrawal of troops is not ordered by telegram, nor is it discussed in the military and political organs. Instead, I went to a private house to chat, and there was no formality. Why? Black-box operation.

At such times, in the face of the threat of the Japanese, they had to retreat and avoid it, and whoever gave the order would be scolded. What's more, Chen Mingshu was the vice president of the Executive Yuan of Sun Ke's government at this time, and for such a big matter, as the leader of the 19th Route Army, it was impossible not to tell him a letter.

He Yingqin's meaning is very clear, if the government does not issue an explicit order, you will quietly adjust your own defense, so that the government will not be scolded by others again, and you will bear the black pot to the central government, and of course you will not be treated badly in the future.

Cai Tingkai replied that the garrison of the 19th Route Army was originally Chinese territory, and it was not close to the Japanese army, so there was no reason to retreat. Of course, if the Ministry of Military Affairs officially issued an order, the 19th Route Army resolutely obeyed.

Cai Tingkai's attitude made He Yingqin touch a nail that was not big or small, and after chatting for an hour, He Yingqin had to return empty-handed.

The order of the "Central Committee" to withdraw the 19th Route Army was quickly issued.

Jiang Guangding and Cai Tingkai were dumbfounded when they saw the order.

Although the "Central Committee" assumed the responsibility for the withdrawal, the humiliating retreat before the Japanese provocation would inevitably be reviled by the countrymen, and the prestige of the 19th Route Army would be cut off in their hands. Moreover, this time he offended He Yingqin again, and forced the Ministry of Military Affairs to retreat, which is called toasting and not eating, and finally eating punishment wine.

However, private care can be refused, but military orders of the Ministry of Military Affairs cannot be openly disobeyed. The telegram said that the military police would be sent to Shanghai to take over the defense, and Jiang Guangnai and Cai Tingkai could only order their subordinate troops to prepare for the defense and retreat.

The order to disarm was given, and a few people came to the door.

Here came Wang Xiaolai, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce, and Du Yuesheng, a tycoon of the Wen Dynasty, as well as Bi Guangheng of the Fourth Route Army and a middle-aged man who looked like a soldier at first glance.

Wang Xiaolai and Du Yuesheng were both members of the presidium of the Shanghai Anti-Japanese Salvation Association. The Shanghai Anti-Japanese Salvation Association is the most influential and largest anti-Japanese organization in Shanghai. And Bi Guangheng is no stranger to Jiang Guangding and Cai Tingkai, when Bi Guangheng ran for Shi Yousan to contact, he had many contacts with the two.

Did the two leaders of the Anti-Japanese Salvation Association come to the door to condemn the 19th Route Army for withdrawing in the face of the Japanese army's provocation?

Wang Xiaolai came to see off the 19th Route Army. Wang Xiaolai told Jiang Guangding, "The commander of your army remembered the painstaking efforts of the government and retreated according to the order, in order to calm the people and save the lives and property of millions of people in Shanghai. And immediately on behalf of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce to send the Ocean 5000.

Wang Xiaolai, vice chairman of the Anti-Japanese Salvation Association, donated money on stage in front of the media, but privately encouraged the 19th Route Army to retreat to the Japanese. Is it for personal gain? Or did you come "on instructions"? I'm afraid it's hard to explain. But at least, it is difficult for many people to be clearly explained by the label of "anti-Japanese patriots" or "traitors".

However, Du Yuesheng's attitude was very unnatural, and he kept talking about him haha.

When Wang Xiaolai said goodbye, Du Yuesheng said that he wanted to accompany Bi Guangheng to reminisce with Jiang Guangding and Cai Tingkai, and did not follow Wang Xiaolai

Thank you for the monthly pass for "haven't found it yet"!

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