Friday, August 11th, this day was no different for others, but for a group of people in Jiaozhou Park, it was a big day!

In a corner of Jiaozhou Park, there is an area enclosed by wooden fences and barbed wire, with an area of dozens of acres, with garbage and dead leaves everywhere outside, and more than a dozen simple wooden houses inside,...... There is an extremely special place in the ten-mile ocean field here - the lonely military camp!

——

In the early morning of October 31, 1937, 400 members of the National Army, known as the "800 Heroes", who had been fighting in the Sixing Warehouse for four days and four nights, were ordered to withdraw from their positions under the leadership of Xie Jinyuan and Yang Ruifu, the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 262nd Brigade of the 88th Division, and entered the public concession through the new garbage bridge.

British soldiers on the north bank of the Suzhou Creek warmly welcomed Xie and his troops, and Brigadier General Alexander, the commander of the British army, said to a tearful Xie Jinyuan: "I have never seen a more magnificent scene than this." ”

But then, the politicians of the concession authorities fulfilled their promise to the Japanese army, and the British army disarmed all the officers and soldiers, and sent them all to an abandoned military camp in Jiaozhou Park at No. 888 Changping Road in the Italian defense zone in the western part of the concession for isolation.

Upon hearing this, the Chinese side immediately negotiated with the Ministry of Industry Bureau of the Public Concession, but the Ministry of Industry Bureau, under pressure from the Japanese side, refused to implement the original agreement on the grounds of the "principle of neutrality" and did not dare to allow the "800 brave men" to withdraw from the Shanghai Sea and return to the army.

As a result, 400 officers and soldiers settled down in this dilapidated and simple barracks, which was called the lonely barracks by the citizens of Huhai, under the supervision of the Italian army and the White Russian Brigade of the International Merchant Regiment.

The lone army camp covers an area of dozens of acres, at that time the garbage is full of land, mosquitoes and flies are overgrown, the housing is simple, the barbed wire is dense all around, the periphery of the camp is guarded by the White Russian soldiers of the International Chamber of Commerce, not far away is the Italian military camp, the national officers and soldiers have lost their freedom since entering the camp, and there is no chance to leave the camp.

At the beginning, the concession authorities did not restrict ordinary people from entering and leaving the camp, so many Huhai citizens came to the lonely army camp every day to pay condolences and visits, hold parties, and carry out anti-Japanese education activities.

On the first day when the "800 Heroes" entered the lonely army camp, Gu Zuyin, then director of the sales department of the Commercial Press, spent 200 silver dollars, equivalent to his own three-month salary, to buy the "Infantry Drill Manual," pen, ink, paper, inkstone, exercise books, etc., and gave each officer and soldier a set, and gave Xie Jinyuan a refined diary.

Xie Jinyuan wrote on the title page of the diary: "This diary was given to me by Mr. Gu, and I must start keeping a diary from today, in order to live up to Gu Jun's kindness and elegance." This diary was later compiled by Zhu Wen, the head of Zhengyan Publishing House and a translator, and published "Xie Jinyuan's Diary".

In Shanghai at that time, the song "Song of Eight Hundred Heroes" was very popular:

"China will not die! China will not die!

"Eight hundred brave men fought on the eastern battlefield, and there was artillery fire on all sides, and jackals on all sides.

"I'd rather die than back down; I'd rather die than surrender!

"Our flag flutters and flutters in the encirclement!

"Eight hundred strong men have one heart, and one hundred thousand strong enemies dare not stop it.

"Rise up, fellow citizens, and hurry up to the battlefield and follow the example of the eight hundred mighty men.

"China will not die, China will not die, it will not die!"

——

Since the concession authorities did not provide funds, Xie Jinyuan organized the officers and men to be self-reliant, producing soap and towels and doing carpentry work in the camp to barely maintain their basic living needs.

It has been nearly two years since the "800 Heroes" entered the lonely military camp (more than four years before and after in history), and in addition to self-reliance, part of their daily life was maintained by the "Shanghai-Haihai Reunification Committee" of the Kuomintang at that time, but it was mainly enthusiastic support from all walks of life. At that time, universities, primary and secondary schools, and other business circles broke through many obstacles, and often organized visits to condolences, and gave food and other condolences.

Although the freedom of the officers and men was restricted, Xie Jinyuan still strictly maintained military discipline, strictly enforced regulations, hoisted the national flag, conducted morning exercises, took turns to be on duty and stood guard, and conducted daily military training, but the flag-raising ceremony was often interfered with by the concession authorities. As a result, Xie Jinyuan changed it to a "spiritual flag-raising" ceremony, that is, before the morning exercise, the officer on duty led all the officers and soldiers to stand solemnly and salute to the sky, expressing everyone's determination to love the motherland and resist the war to the end.

In early August 1938, in order to commemorate the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Songhu Anti-Japanese War, Xie Jinyuan repeatedly negotiated with the Ministry of Industry of the Concession and requested that the national flag be raised in the lonely military camp.

On August 9, the Ministry of Industry sent a flagpole, but only one day after the flagpole was erected, the concession authorities wanted to retract their promise for fear of angering the Japanese.

Xie Jinyuan argued on the basis of reason, and the concession reluctantly agreed, but demanded that the flagpole be cut four feet shorter.

In the early morning of August 11, as soon as the national flag was raised, the Scottish team and the Italian team of the International Chamber of Commerce immediately gathered outside the lone army camp, as if facing a great enemy. And the White Russians went straight to the camp and wanted to tear down the national flag!

Xie Jinyuan and the "Eight Hundred Heroes" firmly said: Defending the national flag is like defending the country!

Large-scale clashes broke out between the two sides, and four of the disarmed officers and soldiers were killed and more than 100 wounded. In the end, not only was the national flag looted, but the lone camp was also occupied by foreign troops.

In order to protest against this barbaric act of the concession authorities, the "800 brave men" went on a hunger strike.

Xie Jinyuan said: The head can be broken, the blood can be shed, and he will definitely not be an imperialist obedient people!

After a tenacious struggle and strong support from the citizens of Shanghai, the Ministry of Industry was so frightened by public outrage that it had no choice but to return the national flag.

Xie Jinyuan encouraged the soldiers for this reason: "In the Great Huhai Concession, our words and deeds must enable foreigners to see from us the spirit of the Chinese and understand the spirit of the Chinese. ”

——

Today is August 11, 1939, the first anniversary of the flag-raising conflict.

Early in the morning, after Xie Jinyuan led all the officers and soldiers to hold a "spiritual flag-raising" ceremony, he made an impromptu speech and said: "We should contribute our personal lives to the country and the nation, and we have only the freedom of the country and the nation, but not personal freedom; There is only the life of the nation and the nation, not the life of the individual. A year ago, in order to hang the national flag, four of our comrades were killed and more than 100 people were bled out. ”

Then, he made a will and wrote to his parents: "The situation in Shanghai has deteriorated, the concession itself is difficult to protect, and the enemy's attempt against the man is bound to succeed." The husband is born in the light, and he will die in the light, the righteousness of the man to death and life, seeking benevolence, the purpose of Mount Tai Hongmao, and the thoughtfulness. There must be a death in life, and dying here and now is the pleasure of real life. ”

Eight hundred heroes! Brave! Great! The spirit lives on!

(End of chapter)