A transport plane of the Chinese Air Force drilled into the sky over Hengyang, where a major of the Nationalist Army found Chiang Kai-shek's handwritten letter to Fang Xianjue, which was quickly forwarded to Fang Xianjue.

Fang Xianjue, who was exhausted, had long lost his former excitement, and he flattened the letter and read it to the senior officers of the military department in a calm tone:

"The sacrifices and hardships of the officers and soldiers guarding Hengyang, as well as how to quickly reinforce and relieve the siege as soon as possible, are all exhausted. However, the success of an extraordinary undertaking must be tempered by extraordinary means, and there must be extraordinary magic to hinder it, in order to test the firmness and strength of one's faith and determination. The gains and losses of Hengyang this time are really related to the survival of the country, and it is by no means comparable to ordinary success or failure, and it will inevitably experience unimaginable dangers and sacrifices. Such a matter of survival has its own destiny, but we must go to it with the determination to repay the country with the determination to die without success, so that we can overcome the magic and break the danger and complete the great cause of final victory. God will bless the final victory and glory of our Hengyang defenders. The second reinforcement of various roads has arrived at the scheduled line of Ertang, Tuolidu, Shuikoushan, Zhangjiashan and Qilishan this morning. Yu will order the air force to cover and strictly supervise the fierce advance! ”

Fang Xianjue slowly put down the letter, and Sun Mingyu, Cai Jigang, artillery commander Cai Rulin, senior staff Peng Kefu and others were silent.

Fang Xianjue knocked on the table and said, "Let's talk about it, the matter has come to this, we must always come up with a way." ”

Cai Jigang broke the dullness: "The commission has reached the current point, it can't be said that the organization is not effective, except that Xue Yue's troops are far away in the sky, and there are at least seven army numbers around Hengyang, according to the campaign plan, these troops are responsible for breaking the siege of Hengyang, but at present, only three troops are considered to have reached the outskirts of Hengyang, and the rest of the troops are basically still in place." I think this is the ** illness of the national army, all the armies want to preserve their strength, and they are unwilling to fight, and the excuse is always not difficult to find, it is nothing more than 'the Japanese army is strong, and our army is fighting fiercely', so there is a reason to retreat, and you can ignore the life and death of friendly troops. I can conclude that we will not receive reinforcements, and we will have to make a last-ditch effort on our own. ”

Fang Xianjue was full of resentment and grievances, but he couldn't take the lead in complaining, which would affect the morale of the officers and soldiers. He looked at Sun Mingyu and said, "Chief of Staff, what do you suggest?" ”

Sun Mingyu replied: "Military seat, now that the communication between us and the various positions has been cut off, how many soldiers, how much ammunition and food do we still have in our hands?" What about our thousands of wounded? These are all pressing issues. I suggest that summons be sent to the division headquarters immediately and inform the division commanders and officers at the rank of major general to come to the military headquarters for joint discussions. ”

Gao Shen Peng Kefu said: "I agree, everyone will discuss together, once a decision is made, I will obey it unconditionally!" ”

Cai Jigang interjected coldly: "The collective resolution may not be correct, if most people think that surrender is the best choice, will we also lay down our arms and surrender?" ”

Fang Xianjue looked at Cai Jigang and found that although his face was calm, a cold light shot out of his eyes, which made people shudder.

Fang Xianjue just said simply: "Let's have a meeting, there will always be a way." ”

Cai Jigang and Cai Jiheng walked into the courtyard of the central bank with ***. The streets they had just passed through were engaged in a fierce exchange of fire, the nearest of which was only 300 meters from the military headquarters, and the brothers had opened fire all the way.

In the courtyard of the military headquarters stood a number of soldiers armed with Thompson***, "Stern" style*** and ***, all of whom were guards brought by the commanders of various divisions.

Cai Jiheng said in surprise: "Brother, they are all American guns and British guns, it seems that the equipment of the 10th Army is good." ”

Cai Jigang snorted: "Jiheng, don't be naïve, it was Stilwell who had the equipment of the Lend-Lease Act, and he gave most of the American-style equipment to the troops stationed in India, and even the expeditionary force was very few, and the rest of the troops were only allocated some symbolic light weapons, and each army was only one hundred and ten guns." We can't complain, how much people give, if they don't give you something, there's nothing to say, and live on other people's gifts, then it's better to keep your mouth shut. ”

Cai Jiheng said in surprise: "A hundred and ten soldiers? What is this enough for? It's a drop in the bucket. ”

"Yes, you can't count on these guns in battle, you can only give the guards a strong façade. The 10th Army is also the elite of the Central Army, and its armament has not changed much compared with the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, with one light machine gun per infantry squad, and the rest are single-shot manual medium and formal rifles. ”

Cai Jiheng said dissatisfiedly: "Our army only relies on light weapons to fight, and our allies don't provide equipment, but they have very high requirements for the Chinese army, and some American pilots always say to me, your army is so bad that it can't even hold an airfield, and even General Chennault holds this view." ”

"I don't blame them, they haven't worked in the army, they don't understand the situation. Firepower in modern warfare is the first element, and the composition of its firepower backbone is based on artillery and close air support, who can calculate how many rifles a 150 mm heavy gun or a fighter-bomber can withstand? I'm afraid only a stupid person calculates that. ”

Cai Jiheng said self-deprecatingly: "Now I finally understand why I always say, 'Build our new Great Wall with our flesh and blood'." Fuck, the guy in my hand can't do it, we have to build the Great Wall with flesh and blood, or what else should we do? ”

Cai Jigang unceremoniously patted him on the back of the head: "Okay, what's the complaint?" You go get some bullets and hands in a while, no matter what the outcome of this meeting is, I can't control it, let's prepare to break through! ”

"Really? Let's do it ourselves, great, damn it, I've wanted to do it for a long time. Cai Jiheng said excitedly.

"Jiheng, why do you have so many dirty words in your mouth? Where did you learn it? ”

"That's swearing? I speak civilly in our 3rd Brigade, and my American colleagues are rich in language, so you can listen to it on the radio during air combat, one bite at a time! Fuck when you shoot fire! It's also Fuck when you are hit by an enemy and jump in a parachute! Even General Chennault has quite a few similar mantras. ”

"Humph! If your father knew that you were full of swearing, he would have to whip you. ”

"Oh, if I smack me when I say a dirty word, then I shot down so many enemy planes, he should reward me with something, right? The Cai family's family style has rewards and punishments. ”

"It's almost time to get to the venue, don't talk nonsense at the meeting for a while, do you hear?"

"I hear, you're all generals, how can I speak as a little captain? Aren't we going to go it alone anyway? ”

Cai Jigang said thoughtfully: "It depends on the situation, if the worst result occurs, we will have to go it alone." ”

In the afternoon of that day, in the basement of the headquarters of the 10th Army of the Central Bank in Hengyang City, all the generals of the 10th Army gathered together to discuss a major event that would determine the fate of the 10th Army.

At the suggestion of Lieutenant General Fang Xianjue, the commander of the army, Major General Cai Jigang, the commander of the 10th Army sent by the National Military Commission, also attended the meeting as an observer. Captain Cai Jiheng, pilot of the Sino-US Air Force Mixed Regiment, was specially invited to attend the meeting.

Presiding over the meeting was Lieutenant General Fang Xianjue, commander of the 10th Army.

The meeting was attended by:

Major General Sun Mingyu, Chief of Staff of the 10th Army.

Major General Ge Xiancai, commander of the 10th Division of the 10th Army Reserve.

Major General Zhou Qingxiang, commander of the 3rd Division of the 10th Army.

The commander of the 190th Division of the 10th Army is a slightly larger general.

Major General Rao Shaowei, commander of the provisional 54th Division.

Major General Cai Rulin, artillery commander of the 10th Army, was stationed in the 9th Theater.

Major General Peng Kefu, senior staff officer of the 10th Army.

Major General Peng Wenjin, deputy commander of the 3rd Division of the 10th Army.

Major General Zhang Dingguo, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Division of the 10th Army.

Major General Zhang Yuequn, deputy commander of the 10th Division of the 10th Army Reserve.

Major General He Zhuben, Chief of Staff of the 10th Reserve Division of the 10th Army.

Major General Pan Zhen, deputy commander of the 190th Division of the 10th Army.

Major General Li Changyou, Chief of Staff of the 190th Division of the 10th Army.

Most of these generals have just arrived from the front line, and it seems that they have exchanged fire with the Japanese army when they passed through the city, their military uniforms are tattered, their faces are dark and shiny after being roasted by gunpowder, everyone carries pistols and ***, and Zhang Yuequn, deputy commander of the 10th Division, and Zhang Dingguo, chief of staff of the 3rd Division, even have their hands on their armed belts. Ge Xiancai and Rong Youluo were both injured and had bandages wrapped around their bodies.

Cai Jigang thought with emotion, even the generals participated in the battle with weapons in hand, and it seemed that the 10th Army was really in danger.

Before the meeting began, Chief of Staff Sun Mingyu first took stock of the casualties of each division. As of this morning, more than 90 percent of the casualties of the three infantry regiments of Ge Xiancai's 10 th Division had been achieved, and the special forces of the division's direct subordinate units, such as the special service company, the defensive artillery company, the engineer company, the search company, and the anti-poison company, had all been put into battle as ordinary infantry, while the five company commanders directly under the division had also been killed one after another, and there were not many soldiers left in each company. Yueping Mountain, Jielong Mountain and other positions are still holding on.

Zhou Qingxiang's 3rd Division had suffered 70 percent casualties, and the division's direct subordinate units and division headquarters personnel, including the deputy division commander and chief of staff, also entered the battle. At this point, the 3rd Division no longer had any reserves to use, and most of its second-line positions outside the city had been lost, and only the Castle Peak Street position was still holding on.

The 190th Division, which was the rear division, was already less than a regiment, and as of yesterday, there were less than 400 men. This morning, the Yanwuping position was broken through by the Japanese army, and more than 30 officers and men of the 5th Company of the 568th Regiment were all killed. The Japanese army immediately expanded to the left flank, and Li Shi, deputy commander of the 568th Regiment, led 20 people, including the staff of the regimental headquarters, the cooking soldiers, and the heralds, to stick to a Catholic church.

The special service battalion, engineer battalion, artillery battalion and other units directly under the military headquarters have long been put into battle as infantry, and the casualties have now reached two-thirds. Chief of Staff Sun Mingyu organized more than 200 staff officers, staff, and miscellaneous personnel of the military department to be assigned to various street fighting fortifications in the urban area, and they have now been engaged in street fighting.

At present, the only complete formation is a battalion of the Provisional 54th Division, which is stationed in the city with the headquarters of the Provisional 54th Division. The temporary 54th Division is Xue Yue's descendant unit, and for various considerations, Fang Xianjue has not used this battalion.

After the ministries were summed up, everyone fell silent. The situation is here, and there is no point in discussing how to defend now, there are only three ways to go: the first is to organize the remnants of the army to break through; the second is to fight to the last soldier and live and die with the city; Third...... No one can say this sentence, and that is to lay down their arms and surrender.

Fang Xianjue first broke the dull atmosphere: "The situation is clear to everyone, the purpose of today's meeting is to bring everyone together and discuss what to do next." I hope that everyone will share their views, which have a bearing on the fate of our 10th Army and on the issue of life and death and honor and disgrace for each of us. ”

Ge Xiancai asked Cai Jigang: "Brother Yunhe, you are a member of the Military Commission, and you should see the overall situation of the entire battlefield more clearly than us, do you think we can still wait for reinforcements?" ”

Cai Jigang shook his head: "There is no hope, we should think about what to do next, instead of thinking about waiting for reinforcements." ”

Ge Xiancai couldn't help but scold: "Waste, it's all fucking waste!" Our army is less than 20,000 people, and the devils have not attacked for more than 40 days, but the hundreds of thousands of reinforcements on the periphery of Hengyang can't get in! What a fucking shit! ”

Zhou Qingxiang also complained: "Our 10th Army has been completely abandoned, for more than 40 days, the expeditionary force can fight a few back and forth, they have first-class American equipment, and they have such strong mobility ability, why can't they come to save us?" Don't our headmaster want the 10th Army? ”

Ge Xiancai still didn't let go of Cai Jigang, and he asked, "Yunhe, why do you say there is no hope?" What is your basis? ”

Cai Jigang has already disassembled the *** and is carefully wiping the parts, he replied casually: "I don't have this judgment now, to put it mildly, the Ninth Theater has a big loophole in the pre-war campaign plan, Chief Xue is always wishful thinking when formulating the battle plan, just from the perspective of the campaign plan, there seems to be no problem, it can be said that it is comprehensive, but it ignores one of the most important issues, that is, who is in the hands of the strategic initiative." Unfortunately, we have to admit that it was in the hands of the Japanese army, more precisely, in the hands of Isamu Yokoyama. The time, place, and direction of the campaign are all up to the people. What about us? Whether it is the Military Commission or the Ninth War Zone, there is no big strategy in my heart, and I have no understanding of the shortcomings of our army......"

Fang Xianjue interjected: "What are the shortcomings of our army that you are referring to?" ”

"The biggest shortcoming of our army is that it is completely incapable of attacking, and it is inferior to our opponents in terms of equipment, firepower, mobility, and especially the will to fight. When drawing up a campaign plan, we should take all the shortcomings of our army into account as a parameter, and not wishful thinking. For example, in Yokoyama Yong's plan, Hengyang is determined to win, he will definitely consider the issue of reinforcements while considering the attack, and now the dilemma of Hengyang's defenders waiting for reinforcements has already been reflected in the battle plan, but the stubborn resistance of the 10th Army for more than 40 days was beyond Yokoyama Yong's expectations. Of course, the issue of reinforcements to Hengyang was also considered in our campaign plan, but it was still wishful thinking, and the troops responsible for the reinforcements were scattered in their locations, too far away, and subordinate to different command organs, so they could not form a powerful assault force at all, and this was the strength of attacking the enemy army with the short length of our army. As I said, our army was not good at attacking, but at this time all the reinforcements on the periphery of Hengyang were forced to fight an offensive battle, which was precisely due to the initial battle layout of our high command. ”

Cai Jigang said as he reassembled ***, pushed the bullet into the chamber of the gun, and closed the safety.

Rong Youluo looked at Cai Jigang and asked, "Brother Yunhe, looking at you like this, are you preparing for a street fight?" ”

Cai Jigang smiled: "Of course, in addition to breaking through and fighting in the streets, what else can we do?" It's nothing more than hitting the last bullet, and I also reserved a bullet for myself in my ***. ”

Fang Xianjue sighed and said, "Brother Yunhe, since you have already thought of today's ending, why don't you report it to the Military Commission?" ”

Cai Jigang was sad: "How do you know that I didn't say it?" The Military Commission even has a record of my written report, which is well documented. But Cai is soft-spoken, he has done everything that should be done and what he shouldn't have done, and what I can do now is to turn myself into a soldier and prepare for street fighting. ”

Zhou Qingxiang asked Rao Shaowei: "Senior Rao, the situation is serious, what is your opinion?" ”

Rao Shaowei replied very simply: "Stick to it!" ”

Zhou Qingxiang sneered: "The outer positions have been divided by the enemy, and there have also been street battles in the city. ”

Rao Shaowei said unhurriedly: "Since this is the case, then break through!" ”

Zhou Qingxiang stood up and shouted angrily: "Break through? Do you know how many wounded soldiers there are? More than 8,000 people, do you want to leave them alone? If so, who will be with us in the future, and who will share with us in our suffering? How else can we lead troops? ”

Fang Xianjue said calmly: "The order of the commission is still to wait for help, not that we can break through if we want to, without an order, the so-called breakthrough will become an escape from the battle, and everyone here will go to the military court." ”

The air in the venue suddenly became tense, and anxiety and resentment invaded everyone's hearts. This is indeed a dilemma, a dangerous city with no ammunition and no food, more than 8,000 wounded people on the verge of despair, since it is not allowed to break through, then there is only a way to live and die with the city, as for other methods, no one wants to say.

The question is, if you hold on, then what's the point of sticking to it?

The 10th Army had been holding Hengyang for more than 40 days, and the defense of Hengyang attracted more than 100,000 Japanese troops, strategically effectively delaying the offensive momentum of the Japanese army and disrupting the strategic deployment of the Japanese army. The Japanese field corps lay in ambush under Hengyang City, suffering heavy casualties, and the casualty ratio of the Chinese and Japanese armies reached 1:3! This was unprecedented since the rise of the Anti-Japanese War, and it reversed the casualty ratio of the two armies for the first time. The morale of the Japanese army was severely damaged, which was also one of the reasons for the collapse of the Tojo cabinet in Japan.

However, the favorable fighter plane created by the 10th Army opened up a vast strategic space for the Chinese army, and the Supreme Command of the Nationalist Army could have seized this fleeting fighter plane, readjusted its strategic deployment, and made great achievements in terms of the campaign situation, but Chairman Chiang did not seize the opportunity, and he did nothing but send a telegram and write a letter urging reinforcements to the defenders of Hengyang. Advantageous fighters are just like that passing in inaction. As far as the Chinese military is concerned, the unfavorable situation of the war has not been reversed in time, and the war situation has continued to deteriorate. The glorious achievements of the 10th Army were annihilated in inaction.

As a commander-in-chief, even a great military commander has no right to ignore the lives of more than 10,000 officers and soldiers of the 10th Army; Meaninglessly squandering one's life is not a good commander.

Fang Xianjue was exhausted, and his spirit was under tremendous pressure. He is not afraid of death, since he entered the Whampoa Military Academy in 1925, he has been in the army for 19 years, in the long war career, death has long been a commonplace, a person who is afraid of death can not do the position of lieutenant general. He Fang Xianjue led the 10th Army to hold Hengyang for more than 40 days, causing heavy casualties to the enemy.

The question now is, Fang Xianjue must make a choice, if he wants to be a national hero in the annals of history, what else does he lack? There is only one conclusion: there is only one death! If Fang Xianjue chooses to defend Hengyang to the death, and finally fights and dies in the desperate battle of ammunition and food, then the image of a national hero can be regarded as standing, just like Wen Tianxiang and Shi Kefa, leaving Dan to take care of his sweat. No matter how many years have passed, people will continue to chant the hero's name for a long time. Yes, as far as Fang Xianjue is concerned, everything he should do in this life has been done, and if he wants to achieve fame, he only needs to die. After death, everything becomes simple, Fang Xianjue will go down in history as a hero with a perfect life, and the national ** will award another Blue Sky and White Sun Medal, posthumously awarded the second-class army general, and the family members enjoy the most generous pensions......

However, what about the more than 10,000 officers and soldiers of the 10th Army who were born and died and fought bloodily? What do they do? If you have achieved your fame, should the lives of more than 10,000 soldiers of the 10th Army be abandoned?

Once the success is ten thousand bones, how can Fang Xianjue bear to take the lives of more than 10,000 soldiers to fulfill his fame?

Facing reality, Fang Xianjue had almost no choice. Disobeying orders to break out cannot be considered, it is an escape from the battle, and it is a crime. After the city was broken, more than 8,000 wounded could not escape the end of being killed by the Japanese army. There is another way, and that is to lay down your arms and surrender.

Thinking of this, Fang Xianjue shuddered, and he felt an unprecedented fear. In the traditional concept of the Eastern peoples, soldiers lay down their arms and surrender, which is no different from treason and surrender to the enemy. Fang Xianjue couldn't imagine that after he led the 10th Army after more than 40 days of bloody battles and suffered heavy casualties, he finally ended up treason and surrendered to the enemy and was ruined, which was really cruel and unfair. Fang Xianjue can not care about death or being a hero, but he is afraid of being misunderstood by the Chinese people, being insulted as a traitor, and nailed to the pillar of shame in history.

Compared with being ruined, what a happy thing it is to die honorably at this time!

Thinking of this, Fang Xianjue couldn't help but burst into tears. He took out his pistol and slapped it on the table, crying out in pain: "It's nothing more than a death, isn't it easy to die?" Grab this gun and aim it at your temple, pull the trigger, and you're done...... Colleagues here, which of you is afraid of death? Which of you didn't come through a hail of bullets? Who cares to shoot themselves in the head? But...... What about the more than 8,000 wounded? More than 8,000 lives, these are brothers who have been born and died with us, and have shared weal and beyond...... They also have high parents, wives and children, and how many relatives are waiting for them to come home, and I feel that I can't ignore them......"

Everyone was stunned by Fang Xianjue's crying, none of them had ever seen Fang Xianjue cry, not even Ge Xiancai and Zhou Qingxiang, who had followed Fang Xianjue for many years. Fang Xianjue's long-suppressed crying aroused the sadness of everyone in the venue, and several division commanders and deputy division commanders also cried bitterly, they were venting the depression in their hearts.

Zhou Qingxiang's tears rained down: "Military seat, I, Zhou Qingxiang, entered the 3rd Division after graduating from the Whampoa Military Academy, from lieutenant platoon commander to major general division commander, almost 20 years, I have never fought such a tragic battle." For whom are we fighting such a bitter battle? It's for the country and the nation, but ...... Why doesn't the state care about us? ”

Ge Xiancai said with tears in his eyes: "All of you here are Huangpu students, and our 10th Army has not disgraced the principal, but how can the principal not mobilize the troops to relieve the siege?" With so many people in the yang and yin disobeying, preserving their strength, and seeing us being wiped out, this kind of person is a sinner of the nation, wouldn't the principal shoot a few of them? ”

Tears are contagious, and since the generals have shed tears, the combat staff officers, confidential officers, and telegraph operators in the military headquarters, including the guards at the door, have also shed tears. These lieutenants, officers and soldiers alike had a sense of abandonment, a sense of grievance, and a fear of an unknowable fate ahead. From inside and outside the venue, most people were immersed in a mournful atmosphere.

Cai Jiheng looked at the crying crowd coldly and felt an inexplicable irritability. What is there to cry about? Some of the highlands outside the city are still fighting fiercely, and the streets in the city that are only 300 meters away from the military headquarters are also fighting to the death, and now there are people dying every minute in this city, and the attacking and defending sides are bombarded by heavy aviation, large-caliber artillery shells, and even cluster hands, and there are bloody and corpse-heavy scenes everywhere, and the soldiers on both sides are fighting street by street and house by house, fighting frantically...... At this critical juncture, how can there be time to cry sadly?

Cai Jiheng insisted that soldiers should not have grievances, because such emotions are always based on personal feelings, while war never takes personal emotions into account. For example, in order to cover the transfer of the large corps, the troops responsible for the rear of the palace were completely annihilated, which is a move that the battlefield commander must make to break his wrist out of consideration of the overall situation, which is the minimum military common sense, and it is the iron law of war.

Cai Jiheng believes that an excellent soldier must remain calm in any dangerous environment, and must resolve the crisis with an enterprising spirit and a rational way of operation. Complaining and complaining not only do not help, but ultimately lead to inaction, which can be devastating for the disadvantaged side.

Cai Jiheng knew very well that it was not appropriate for him to express his position in his own capacity, there were so many generals with golden collar badges here, and it was not the turn of a small air force captain to speak. Besides, the eldest brother Cai Jigang is also there, he can be ignored by others, but he will never dare to be presumptuous to the eldest brother.

Cai Jiheng picked up *** on his back and decided to leave the venue to go to the courtyard to breathe the air.

Cai Jigang was standing in front of the huge city defense map with his hands behind his back, as if he was studying the map. When Cai Jiheng walked past him, Cai Jigang was motionless, his eyes were still fixed on the map, and he whispered: "Stop!" Go back to the meeting! ”

Cai Jiheng stopped, leaned into his brother's ear and whispered: "Brother, I understand why our army always loses in wars. ”

"Shut up! What do you know? Don't jump to conclusions about what you don't know, remember my words! Cai Jigang turned around and walked to the conference table and sat down.

Cai Jiheng returned to his seat stupidly.

Zhou Qingxiang had already wiped away his tears, he stood up and walked to Fang Xianjue's side and opened his mouth, wanting to speak again.

Fang Xianjue said: "Qingxiang, if you have anything to say, there is no secret here." ”

Zhou Qingxiang mustered up the courage and said: "Junzao, we still have a way to go. ”

Fang Xianjue stared at him: "Say!" ”

Zhou Qingxiang went out: "Negotiate with the Japanese army and negotiate a ceasefire!" ”

Fang Xianjue's face turned pale, and he was aggressive: "You mean, lay down your arms and surrender?" ”

Zhou Qingxiang did not flinch: "It's not a surrender, it's a fraudulent surrender, leave some seeds for our 10th Army, once the time is ripe, we can make a comeback." Of course, whether it is a fight or a talk, the military seat has the final say, and I resolutely obey the order! ”

Ge Xiancai said in surprise: "Senior Commander Zhou, I will never agree with this idea, whether it is surrender or surrender, I think it is almost the same, I would rather die in battle than surrender!" ”

Fang Xianjue looked at Rong You and asked, "Master Rong, what do you think?" ”

Rong Youluo's answer was resolute and concise: "I can't control anyone else, and our 190th Division will never surrender!" ”

Rao Shaowei took a step forward and said: "Military seat, there is only one battalion of the 54th Division for the time being, although there are few troops, our determination remains unchanged, resist to the end, and never surrender!" ”

Fang Xianjue looked at Cai Jigang and asked, "Warlord, what is your opinion?" ”

Cai Jigang stood up and said: "As long as the 10th Army is fighting, I, Cai Jigang, will accompany me to the end and never quit the battle!" ”

Zhou Qingxiang looked at everyone and said with some embarrassment: "Okay, since everyone has decided to fight to the end, I will retract the suggestion just now." ”

Fang Xianjue narrowed his eyes and stared at Zhou Qingxiang and said, "Senior Master Zhou, let me ask you, are you afraid of death?" ”

Zhou Qingxiang seemed to be greatly insulted, he blushed and shouted loudly: "Junzao, I, Zhou Qingxiang, have followed you for many years, and others don't understand me, don't you understand?" When have I ever been afraid of death? Commander, I dare to say again, for those of us who lead the troops, it is the easiest and most trouble-free to die now, but it is also the most irresponsible. I will say something from my heart, looking at these more than 8,000 wounded, I have no face to die, I just went to the underworld to become a ghost, and the parents, wives and children of these wounded will also scold me so that I can't live in peace. ”

Fang Xianjue's face gradually softened, he nodded and said, "Qingxiang, I believe in you!" I assure you, as long as our foresight is there, these more than 8,000 wounded will not be abandoned, and they will all die together! ”

Zhou Qingxiang turned around and copied ***: "Military seat, division commanders, I will go first, the Qingshan Street position is still fighting, and I want to be with my troops." Please take care of the military seat and all colleagues! ”

"Wait a minute." Fang Xianjue stopped Zhou Qingxiang, turned around to face everyone, his face was calm, and his demeanor instantly returned to his previous self-confidence and domineering, his voice was not high, but he showed a kind of resoluteness: "Now I announce that the 10th Army of the National Revolutionary Army has decided to defend Hengyang to the death, never break through, never surrender!" From now on, only four guards are allowed to stay with each general-level officer, and the rest of the personnel will go to the front line to fight. ”

All the officers saluted the commander and said in unison: "Yes!" ”

Zhou Qingxiang asked: "Military seat, all communication has been interrupted, tomorrow the enemy will quickly divide the positions between the divisions and regiments, and I am afraid that the herald will not be able to deliver the message at that time, we still agree, where is the final assembly place?" ”

Fang Xianjue replied: "It's still in the military department, right here!" If we can't hold it here, at the last moment, we will all gather in Tianma Mountain, and we will die together! ”

When Cai Jigang, Cai Jiheng, and Shen Guangya came out of the military headquarters, fierce street battles were going on in the nearby neighborhoods, and the sound of guns and artillery was incessant, and one or two shells fell next to the military headquarters building from time to time. They turned two streets and were stopped by two gendarmes, one of whom was a lieutenant of the gendarmes and saluted Cai Jigang: "I'm sorry, sir, you can't go any further, there is about to be a battle in this area, it's dangerous!" ”

Cai Jigang also saluted: "Lieutenant, I am Cai Jigang, the military commissioner, and my duty is to supervise the battle when the battle breaks out, do you understand?" ”

The lieutenant of the military police looked at Cai Jigang's major general badge and nodded sincerely: "Understood, sir." ”

Cai Jigang asked, "Who is the commander here?" Which unit is defending this area? ”

"Report to the chief, there are no fully formed troops here, they are all withdrawn from the second-line positions outside the city, there are only more than 40 people, there are 10th divisions, there are 3rd divisions, and there are some military headquarters miscellaneous personnel, and the commander is Major Tong Ziliang, the combat staff officer of the military headquarters."

Cai Jigang continued to walk forward: "Lieutenant, you lead the way, take us to see the fortifications, and call the commander in a while." ”

In the middle of the street were triangular anti-tank piles welded with railroad tracks, and in the center of the intersection was a ring barricade made of sandbags, with firing holes on all sides, and two light machine guns in the fortifications. Makeshift fire points were also set up on the roofs of houses on both sides of the street. Some soldiers are digging holes in the courtyard walls of civilian houses for individual soldiers to enter and exit, connecting the courtyards.

A major hurried over to salute Cai Jigang: "Chief Cai, I am Tong Ziliang, the combat staff officer of the military department, and I am responsible for defending this neighborhood under the order of Chief of Staff Sun, please give me instructions!" ”

Cai Jigang pointed to the ring-shaped barricade at the intersection and said: "Staff Officer Tong, there is a problem with the design of this firepower point, its front is a straight street, and it can be seen at a glance within 100 meters, so it naturally has a good firing range for your machine gun firepower." But have you thought about it? For the enemy's 92 infantry guns, this barricade fortification is also a decoration, pushing the cannon to about 100 meters to shoot at close range, one shot can solve the problem. ”

Staff Officer Tong looked at it and embarrassedly admitted: "The commander is right, I did ignore the enemy's artillery close fire. You see, how can you change it......"

Cai Jigang said unceremoniously: "Tear down this barricade and change all the frontal firing points to side-firing fire, if you think about it, this 100-meter-long street, all the sides of the street are side-firing fire points, so that the depth of defense will be there, and the enemy artillery will not be able to find an obvious target for close firing, unless all the streets in this area are destroyed." ”

"Yes! Thank you, sir, for your guidance! ”

"Staff Officer Tong, it's a good idea for you to break through all the courtyard walls, and you want most of the soldiers to use the way of sports defense, understand? Be sure to move, change positions after each shot, and try to set as few fixed firing points as possible. Remember, as soon as a fixed point of fire appears in a street fight, then the time to be destroyed is not far off. ”

Cai Jigang drilled through a hole in the wall and entered a courtyard, it seems that the owner of this courtyard is very wealthy, the house is tall and spacious, the living room is all red sandalwood furniture, and the back wall of the main house is also made of holes, so that the defending soldiers can calmly pass through the hall during the battle. For the defenders who are familiar with the terrain, every courtyard and every house can be turned into a fortress.

Cai Jiheng looked at the house and furniture of this family, and sighed regretfully: "What a good yard, and such valuable furniture, as soon as the battle starts, there will be nothing left here." ”

Cai Jigang touched the rosewood furniture and said, "Yes, the worst thing in the world is war; There is nothing worse in war than fighting on your own soil. You see this rosewood, growing in subtropical forest areas, the maturity period is as high as hundreds of years, as the saying goes, ten sandalwood and nine empty, it is said that the largest diameter of rosewood is only about 20 centimeters, to make a larger furniture is quite consuming materials, these furniture can imagine its preciousness. But now, such a valuable piece of furniture has become useless in the war, and at best it is only an obstacle, a tyrannical thing. These precious furniture, along with these streets, are about to turn into a pile of rubble, alas! ”

Adjutant Shen saw that several soldiers were delivering a Makqin heavy machine gun to the roof, and hurriedly shouted, "Hey! Those brothers, you put the heavy machine gun on the roof of the house to find death, and the people even brought you the house with a shot. ”

A soldier replied: "Sir, this machine gun only has a chain of 200 rounds, and we can't wait for the devil artillery to take aim, we are all finished and run." ”

Cai Jigang felt that the soldier's voice was a little familiar, and when he looked back, it turned out to be Tong Mantang.

Cai Jigang greeted: "It's a full house, why are you here?" ”

Mantang hurriedly saluted: "Chief Cai, I just withdrew from the Xiaojiashan position, and the total number of people in the whole regiment is less than 100, so let the regiment commander send it here." ”

Man Tang and the others withdrew into the city yesterday, and after reorganization, the remnants of the 30th Regiment of the original 10th Division were organized into three platoons, and the platoon where Man Tang was located was composed of 30 soldiers from the remnants of the original first battalion, and Man Tang was designated as the acting platoon commander. Among these 30 people, he didn't know anyone except Sun Xincang, Ma Laowu, and Li Changshun. Li Changshun's mortar company suffered heavy casualties in the artillery battle, most of the mortars were destroyed, and all the shells were exhausted.

Ma Lao Wu said to Cai Jigang flatteringly: "Sir, Mantang is now my platoon commander, and he has been promoted to the rank of officer, but he has not been promoted, and he is still a private." ”

Cai Jigang said with a smile: "Mantang has been a platoon commander, and his military age is less than half a year, so he has done a good job." ”

Man Tang said embarrassedly: "It's the acting platoon commander, isn't there no one at the moment, and when the battle is over, as soon as the new platoon commander comes, there will be nothing to do." ”

Cai Jigang looked at the soldiers and suddenly remembered something: "Hey, full hall, where is the iron pillar?" ”

Mantang's eyes turned red, and he replied in a low voice: "Sir Cai, the iron pillar is gone." ”

Cai Jigang was shocked: "What? The Iron Pillar was sacrificed? When? ”

"Yesterday, in the Xiaojiashan position, it was the last battle, and the 3rd Company was left with me, Sun Xincang, and Ma Laowu, and the rest of the brothers and Company Commander Kong were all dead." Mantang couldn't help but sob.

Cai Jigang's heart was sour, and he muttered to himself: "Alas, Tiezhu, just left, I can't forget the scene when your brother and I broke through in Kunshan, what a good kid Tiezhu is......"

Man Tang wiped away his tears and said: "Sir, I have already thought about it, and if I fight, I will have to die, Tie Zhu, Kong Company Commander, and Zhang Baowang are one step earlier, maybe tonight, or tomorrow, I have to go, anyway, we will meet sooner or later." ”

Cai Jigang said sharply: "Shut up!" Who says you have to die sooner or later? Mantang, you remember, we don't fight for the sake of death, the purpose of war is to make the enemy die, and our people die less or not at all, otherwise there is no point in fighting. ”

"Yes! I remembered. Sir, just now the brother in front of me has sent a message, saying that the devil has already hit the street in front, and there will be a fight here in a while, so Chief Cai should leave quickly. Mantang picked up his rifle.

Cai Jigang smiled: "I'm not going anywhere, we're here to participate in the battle, you listen, after the battle starts, everyone listens to my command!" ”

Ma Lao Wu said in surprise: "Sir, are you ...... The one with the gold medal on the collar has a bigger rank than our regiment commander, how can he fight the war with his own hands? ”

Cai Jiheng sneered: "Who told you that you don't have to fight when you are older?" Now that Chairman Chiang is here, he still has to take part in the battle with a gun. ”

Cai Jiheng likes to say something deviant, these pilots who have been trained abroad are easy to speak openly, the pilots are all baby bumps, and generally no one cares about them, but Man Tang and Ma Lao Wu are scared, good guys, what is the origin of this Air Force captain? Do you even dare to say that? Dare to use Chairman Jiang as a big soldier, what a leopard gall!

Cai Jiheng didn't notice it, and still began to give orders with a big grin: "Hey! This platoon commander, where can I find gasoline and bottles? We're going to hurry up and do something *** so we can deal with the enemy's tanks. ”

Staff Officer Tong said: "There are still a few barrels of gasoline in the warehouse of the military headquarters, and there are also empty wine bottles, and I will send someone to pick them up immediately." ”

Cai Jigang looked at his younger brother appreciatively and said, "Well, where did you, a pilot, learn anti-tank tactics?" It's very thoughtful. ”

Cai Jiheng replied proudly: "I know Luo Shen, the Soviet military attache stationed in Chongqing[1]

, the old guy fought in Stalingrad, he called *** '*******', he said that it worked well against enemy tanks in street battles. ”

Cai Jigang said to Mantang: "The enemy's Type 97 tank hull and turret are very poorly sealed, and the anti-tank fighters should be arranged on the roofs on both sides of the street, and smashed down from a high place with ***, and try to hit the upper part of the tank's turret, so that some burning gasoline will flow into the tank along the turret gap, causing the ammunition inside the tank to explode." ”

Adjutant Shen Guangya added: "The thickness of the armor of the enemy's tank is only 25 mm, and if you smash a few more ***, the armor plate will transfer the high temperature into it, and the tanker will become a smoldering duck." If a tanker escapes from the cockpit, he will become a live target for a rifle. I looked at the anti-tank piles you set up, I'm afraid that thing is not very useful, the buildings on both sides of the street are just some cardboard boxes for tanks, they only need to knock down the house to open a way, so we have to prepare some more bundles of four bundles ** and 5 kg **bag, the cluster hand ** can blow up the tank track, 5 kg ** bag can completely destroy the tank. ”

Staff Officer Tong said to Cai Jigang: "Sir, you don't have a guard by your side, I want to draw two soldiers to protect you." ”

Cai Jigang shook his head and refused: "Forget it, just these dozens of people, I have to fill in at the end, what's the use of asking for guards?" Hurry up and prepare, the battle is about to begin. ”

A loud roar of tank engines was heard around the corner of the street, and four Type 97 tanks cautiously turned the corner into the field of view of the defenders, followed by a large group of Japanese infantry.

Man Tang, who was guarding the roof on the side of the road, felt a little furious in his heart, and he turned his head to look at Cai Jigang, only to see that he was as calm as water, staring at the enemy motionlessly.

Mantang took a few deep breaths before his nervousness eased. He thought to himself, Chief Cai is behind him, even if the sky falls, there is Chief Cai on top of it, what am I afraid of?

Cai Jigang was calculating the distance of the Japanese army's approach, and he had to wait for the Japanese tanks to move to the predetermined position before firing. Street fighting is different from positional warfare, there is no strong fortifications to rely on, the defenders can only use the terrain to block the enemy in the movement, this tactic requires more accurate calculations and reasonable planning, in order to maximize the effect of firepower.

The 37-mm gun on the turret of the first tank was making slight adjustments, the muzzle of the gun slowly drooped, and with a "boom", a shell blew apart the ring sandbag fortifications at the crossroads......

Cai Jigang smiled lightly, this is a fake firepower point he set up, which is to attract the attention of the other party. The opponent's tank had already reached the predetermined position, Cai Jigang pulled the trigger sharply, and a long burst shot knocked down five or six infantry behind the tank......

At this time, on the roofs on both sides of the street, under the walls, and behind the walls, gunshots like beans suddenly rang out, and the Japanese infantry was knocked down one by one, and the tanks broke away from the cover of the infantry.

Cai Jiheng, who was guarding the roof on the east side of the street, lit the fire twist, condescendingly, and smashed *** on the tank turret. With the sound of glass bottles shattering, a flame rose from the tank turret. Cai Jiheng did not pause at all, he fell six *** in a row, turning the tank into a blazing fireball. The tank hatch was opened with a "bang", a tankman who was covered in fire screamed and jumped out of the cockpit, Sun Xincang knocked him down with a shot, Cai Jiheng took the opportunity to throw a hand ** into the cockpit, there was a muffled sound, and the tank did not move.

A tank on the west side of the street was also hit by Shen Guangya's *** and burst into flames, and a national soldier bravely rushed towards the tank from the front with a ** bag......

Cai Jiheng's eyes turned red in a hurry, and he shouted: "Stupid! Approaching the tank ...... from the side "

The parallel machine gun on the turret of the tank suddenly erupted tongues of fire, and the national soldier was hit by several bullets and fell, the ** bag was thrown far away, and the burning tank continued to rush forward.

Cai Jiheng suddenly felt the fire hit the door of his head, he roared, jumped down from the three-meter-high roof, rolled a few times when he landed, picked up the **bag, pulled it away, and quickly caught up with the tank from the side and rear, and threw the **bag under the tank body with all his strength, and quickly pounced......

There was a violent explosion, the tank jumped more than three feet high on the ground, and slammed heavily on the ground, the fire flashed, and there was another explosion, the turret of the tank flew forward dozens of meters in the firelight, the shells in the body of the car were detonated, and the Type 97 tank completely disintegrated.

On the roof, Mantang manipulated heavy machine guns and fired heavily at the Japanese infantry. This was calculated before the battle began, this Maxim heavy machine gun had only one cartridge belt, and it could be finished in less than a minute, as long as the ammunition was exhausted, the full hall could be calmly transferred. Before a cartridge belt could be finished, a tank at the end had already turned its turret and fired a shell with a "boom", and although the power of the 37-mm shell was not large, it was more than enough to destroy a residential building. Before he could react, the house under his feet fell apart in the explosion, and the sound of heavy machine guns stopped abruptly, and a strong wave of air lifted Man Tang and his machine guns, drew a parabola in the air, and fell heavily......

Shen Guangya jumped out of a courtyard gate facing the street, he ran forward quickly against the wall, the *** in his hand fired again and again, and the scorching bullet casings burst to the ground from the shell throwing window of the gun body, making a clanging metal sound. He ran to the burning wreckage of the tank and found Cai Jiheng, who was stunned by the explosion, he barely dragged Cai Jiheng with his disabled left hand, and held the gun in one hand with his right arm, and retreated backwards while firing repeatedly. Ma Lao Wu and a soldier rushed up and assisted Shen Guangya in dragging Cai Jiheng to safety.

When Mantang fell from the sky, he smashed on the grape trellis in the yard, and the grape trellis made of bamboo poles and the vines with dense branches supported his body and played a cushioning role. By the time he retrieved his rifle, four or five Japanese soldiers had already rushed into the courtyard. Full house reflexively threw out a hand**, and while the hand ** exploded, he drilled through the hole in the wall and entered another yard, and met Ma Lao Wu head-on, Ma Lao Wu was holding a 38-type rifle in his hand, and his two baby **** were still inserted in his belt.

Ma Lao Wuyi shouted in surprise when he saw the full house: "Hey! Mantang, are you still alive? I watched you let the cannonballs crash into the sky, and I thought this thing was dead, but I didn't expect you to be fucking alive. ”

Man Tang didn't care about gossiping with him, he turned around with his gun, and found that a Japanese soldier just showed his head from the hole in the wall, Man Tang raised his hand and shot the Japanese soldier in the head, the Japanese soldier's body was weak, his head drooped, and his body blocked the hole in the wall.

Mantang pointed over there: "Throw your hands away**, there are devils on the other side of the wall!" ”

Ma Lao Wu reacted quickly, he took out two hands ** and threw them across the wall, after the explosion, the screams of Japanese soldiers came from the other side of the wall.

Two Japanese tanks were destroyed, and the tanks behind hurriedly retreated, but the Japanese infantry rushed up and fought with the defenders house by house, and the real street fighting began.

Throughout the battlefields of World War II, the most brutal battles often took place in street battles. This kind of hand-to-hand combat is disorganized, there is no distinction between front and rear, and there is no distinction between offense and defense, and the two sides engage in face-to-face battles in a narrow area, using everything from advanced automatic firearms to traditional cold weapons. The entire combat area became a flesh mill, and the living forces that both sides had continuously invested were crushed in the blink of an eye.

A Japanese soldier carrying a grenadier had just entered the courtyard facing the street, and was stabbed in the heart by Li Changshun, who was hiding behind the door, with a bayonet, and the ammunition hand behind him turned his head and ran, Li Changshun jumped out of the courtyard door and shot down the Japanese ammunition man, and then removed the ammunition bag from the corpse and returned to the courtyard.

Li Changshun inspected the grenadier that had just been captured, this is an 89-type grenadier canister with an effective range of 500 meters, and the ammunition bag is neatly packed with eight rounds **, according to the regulations of the Japanese army, this is the ammunition base of a grenadier configuration. In Li Changshun's view, this kind of grenadier is a miniature mortar, and the 800-gram weight used is less powerful, but it is better than nothing, and Li Changshun is still very satisfied. As a mortar gunner, he was used to fighting with mortars and was always not very comfortable with rifles.

Li Changshun found Cai Jigang with a grenadier in his hand, and Cai Jigang was lying behind a short wall and shooting at the enemy. Li Changshun raised the grenadier and said, "Sir, this is just captured, there are a total of eight **, where to shoot?" I listen to you. ”

Cai Jigang nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Are you a mortar gunner?" How many years have you been doing? ”

"Three years, sir."

"Well, veteran, then show me a hand, you look ahead, the corner of the street, the distance is about 200 meters, the commander of this gang of devils may be hiding there, it is a dead end, if your ** falls from the top down, I'm afraid the angle is wrong, you can only hit the roof, think about it, how to fight?"

Li Changshun looked at it and replied: "The landing point of ** should fall on the ground at the corner of the house, as long as ** explodes, the person hiding behind the corner will eat at least dozens of shrapnel." ”

Cai Jigang said: "Then try it, don't be nervous, it doesn't matter if you can't fight." ”

Li Changshun knelt to help up the grenadier, calculating the angle in his heart, he first pulled the grenadier firing rod, and then loaded ** from the mouth of the barrel, he held the launcher with his left hand, turned the adjustment lever on the handle according to the target distance, and after roughly aiming through the aiming line, he pulled the belt on the firing machine to shoot **......

**A parabola was drawn in the air and landed on the roof of the house around the corner of the street, and it exploded with a "boom".

Li Changshun gritted his teeth and slapped his head twice with his fist.

Cai Jigang encouraged: "It's okay, no matter how good the gunner is, he needs to test fire a few rounds, and then come!" ”

Li Changshun readjusted the adjustment lever and put it in**, he held his breath and pulled the belt of the trigger machine, ** flew out "through", this time the landing point was very accurate, ** rubbed the corner of the wall, the fire flashed and exploded, and then the wailing of the Japanese army came from behind the wall.

"Well played!" Cai Jigang said excitedly.

Li Changshun did not pause, and fired two more ** shots in a row, and after the explosion, there was no movement behind the wall.

Cai Jigang picked up *** and pulled up Li Changshun: "Quick!" Hurry up and transfer! ”

The two of them rushed through the hole in the wall to the courtyard next door, and before they could catch their breath, they heard a continuous and violent explosion in the courtyard where they had just stayed.

"Oh my God, it's dangerous!" Li Changshun said in shock.

Cai Jigang patted the dust on the military uniform: "Remember, every time you fire one or two rounds, you have to change the location, the devil's grenadier reacts quickly, as long as he finds the target, he will immediately suppress it." ”

As he was talking, Staff Officer Tong hurried over and reported to Cai Jigang: "Sir, a herald came to the military headquarters, and when he arrived here, he was seriously injured, and he died after delivering the notice. ”

"Got it, Staff Officer Tong, we have to abandon this street, the enemy is making a detour to our rear, you lead the brothers to alternate cover, and withdraw to the second line of defense. Manhouse, you find two or three more people, come with me! ”

Mantang agreed: "Yes!" Changshun, Xincang, and Ma Lao Wu, come with me! ”

On August 7, the Japanese army broke through the Qingshan Street position from the north of the city, and a battalion of the 7th Regiment of the 3rd Division of the National Army was killed. A large number of Japanese infantry rushed into the city and quickly interspersed and divided along the streets and alleys, and the situation was extremely critical. Rao Shaowei, commander of the 54th Division, personally led a company to launch a counterattack on the Japanese army, and the two sides fought fiercely for more than two hours. At the same time, the nearby Yanwuping position was also broken through by the Japanese army, and the Japanese troops who broke into the city from two directions had already joined together, and went down the front street, and the battle line gradually approached the Central Bank, where the headquarters of the 10th Army was located.

At this point, the communication between the various positions inside and outside the city of the 10th Army of the Nationalist Army and the military headquarters was completely cut off, and the remaining troops fought separately, fighting for every inch of land, and doing their best to fight the final battle. The 10th Army of the Nationalist Army was exhausted and completely lost its ability to counterattack.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the Japanese artillery outside the city re-calibrated the firing Zhuyuan, and the muzzles of hundreds of heavy guns were aimed at a new coordinate, that is, Hengyang County** at the intersection of Zhongshan South Road and Qingquan Road in Hengyang City, and the field hospital of the 10th Army was located near the county**.

Before the war, Fang Xianjue considered that the focus of the Japanese attack was in the southwest of the city, and the northwest of the city was relatively safe, which was close to the confluence of the steaming water and the Xiangjiang River, and was located in the lower reaches of the river, so it was more convenient for the field hospital to get water. In accordance with international practice, a huge red cross sign was placed on the roof of the field hospital, telling the other party unmistakably that this was a hospital and should be treated humanely.

In fact, the bad thing is that the Red Cross logo is bad, the Japanese army has never been a civilized army, their way of thinking and acting is still stuck in the barbaric state of the Middle Ages, and it is pleasant for the Japanese army to torture prisoners and attack civilians in war, not to mention attacking the enemy's field hospitals.

In the Pacific theater, the U.S. military initially paid attention to some gentlemanly manners, acted in full accordance with the Geneva Conventions and international practice, and never attacked Japanese hospitals and wounded ships. But the naïve Yankees soon discovered that the Japanese army had no moral bottom line at all, and the Japanese pilots actually regarded the attack on the enemy hospital as a carnival festival, which made the Americans extremely angry, and these yellow-skinned monkeys were simply too unruly. In that case, let's do it! As a result, the enraged American soldiers also began to retaliate violently, turning the attack on the Japanese hospital and the wounded soldier ship as a hunting activity, and for both sides, the Geneva Convention has become a toilet paper.

Of course, Fang Xianjue understood the brutality of the Japanese army, he had planned to build an underground hospital before the war, but he didn't expect the battlefield situation to develop so quickly, and even the fortifications were hastily built, so how could he have time to build an underground hospital? Therefore, Fang Xianjue temporarily requisitioned the former Hengyang County Hospital to serve as a field hospital for the 10th Army.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the Japanese artillery began to concentrate fire, and a dense ballistic trajectory like a spider web appeared in the sky over the city, and hundreds of large-caliber shells whizzed and landed in the area where the hospital was located, and the Japanese bomber formation also carried out dive bombing in the air......

The Japanese bombardment lasted 30 minutes, and after the bombing, the walls of the field hospital collapsed and turned into a slaughterhouse, and the roof, treetops, and walls were littered with human fragments, and the small square in front of the hospital was full of blood, and the plasma flowing on the ground was several inches thick, and the stumps and broken arms of the wounded soldiers were covered in the square.

A wounded soldier with only half of his body left was still alive, and he screamed desperately, dragging half of his body and crawling on the ground, leaving a crawl mark covered in blood behind him......

The commander of the 190th Division, Rong Youxiao, happened to pass by here with a few guards, seeing this tragic situation, the guards turned pale with fright, they surrounded the wounded soldier at a loss, and watched him crawl forward wailing, Rong Youwei gritted his teeth and took out a pistol, fired a shot at the head of the wounded soldier, and the wounded soldier did not move.

Rong Youxiao put the pistol back in the holster and raised his head, and the guards found that their division commander was in tears.

A seriously wounded man lying on a stretcher, having lost both legs, struggled to prop himself up and shouted, "Sir, I have a request......"

Rong Youwei turned around and asked, "Say, what are the requirements?" As long as I can do it, I will say yes! ”

"Sir, I beg you, leave me a hand**, that's it!"

Rong Youluo's tears kept rolling down, he gritted his teeth and roared: "Okay, I promise you, I'll give!" ”

A guard took out an M24 hand** from his hand** bag and handed it to the wounded, who took the hand**, carefully hid it under him, and said loudly: "Sir Xie, please get out of here quickly, sir." ”

Rong Youluo touched his heels, straightened up and solemnly saluted the wounded, and then turned to leave.

Turning a street corner, countless leaflets fell in the sky, and a guard picked up one and handed it to Rong Youluo. The header of the leaflet was called "Return Certificate", and it said that the Japanese army was persuaded to surrender:

"Officers and men of the 10th Army, your mission has been accomplished. This is the inherent tenacious character of Hunan people. It's a pity that your fate is not good, the reinforcements can't advance, and your king's fate is on the line! But to join the Peace Army, it will never be treated as hostile acts, and the Imperial Army is determined to destroy the US Air Force! ”

Rong You smiled slightly wryly: "Who wrote this?" The level of Chinese is a mess. ”

According to the prior agreement, Rong Youlu, commander of the 190th Division, Ge Xiancai, commander of the 10th Reserve Division, Rao Shaowei, commander of the 54th Provisional Division, and others led a small number of guards to fight and retreat, all of them were moving closer to the military headquarters, and finally miraculously gathered at the military headquarters.

Cai Jigang led Cai Jiheng, Shen Guangya, Man Tang and others to rush through several streets where fierce exchanges of fire were being fought and returned to the military headquarters.

All the generals of the 10th Army remembered the agreement: "To die, everyone will die together!" ”

Only the commander of the 3rd Division, Zhou Qingxiang, had not yet arrived.

[1]

Roshin, also known as Nikolai Vasilyevich Roshin, served as the Soviet military attache in Chongqing from 1943 to 1945. From 1949 to 1952 he served as Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the USSR to China.