I am Jiang Weiguo in World War II

Page 327

In the early morning of January 1, the 3th Division, which traveled more than 220 kilometers in the starry night on the Bashang Plateau, officially came to the city of Chengde.

Six years ago, in March 1933, the Japanese army approached the city of Chengde, and the total number of Japanese troops approaching the city of Chengde was only 3 cavalry. Tang Yulin, chairman of Rehe Province, was so frightened that he was invincible and fled without a fight. As a result, Chengde was almost captured by the Japanese army. Captured without bloodshed;

Six years later, in January 1938, Nanjing soldiers approached the city of Chengde and launched a battle to recover Chengde.

Chengde City is completely in a narrow basin, and it is not a bowl-shaped basin, but a multi-forked basin. The urban area is in the shape of "Y", as if it is embedded in fragmented mountains, and different urban areas are far apart. Far away, there are mountains between the urban areas, and there are many large rivers running through the urban areas.

This kind of terrain makes the defense of Chengde City very troublesome. If there are many troops, Chengde City is easy to defend and difficult to attack, because the many mountains and mountains on the edge of the city are natural lines of defense, but if there are not many troops, Chengde City is easy to defend. Offensive is difficult to defend, because there are too many places to defend, and the troops will be scattered.

Just like a theorem in mathematics: when the area is the same, the side length of a circle is the shortest, and the more irregular the shape, the larger the side length.

In military terms, the more irregular the shape of a city, the larger and more force-bearing surfaces and points it is, and the more difficult it is to defend.

The urban area of ​​Chengde City is "very irregular and very scattered". If there are not many troops, it is almost impossible to fight defensive battles outside the city, and they can only shrink into the city to fight street battles.

Despite the haste, the 17th Division was a little late.

In Chengde City, there are already two brigades of the Puppet Manchukuo Army and one regiment of the Japanese Army. The 24th Wing of the 26th Brigade of the Division, which was going to Pingjin via Kuancheng, rushed to Chengde overnight after receiving the order.

The commander-in-chief of the Japanese and puppet troops in Chengde City was a "famous figure".

When the September [-]th Incident broke out, Rong Zhen was in Beiping. After the Battle of Pingjin, the Japanese army occupied Beiping. He defected to the Japanese army and became a traitor. Then he transformed into the "Army General" of the Puppet Manchukuo and commanded the Fifth Army. Jurisdictional area (the jurisdiction of the military area is Rehe Province).

In Chengde City, the puppet Manchukuo army had two infantry brigades and two cavalry brigades, about 5000 people, and the Japanese army had one infantry regiment, about 4000 people. Although the number of the puppet Manchukuo army was four times that of the Japanese army, Rong Zhen had to take orders Shizuo Yokoyama, captain of the 17th Regiment.

After the soldiers approached the city, Chen Mingren looked at Chengde City, and did not order to attack the city, but ordered: "Two shifts should rest on the spot!"

The officers were puzzled, but Chen Mingren had his intentions in issuing this order. First of all, the Puppet Manchukuo Army in Chengde City was not large, with a total number of about 17, which was comparable to that of the 17th Division. To put it bluntly, although the puppet Manchukuo army is not determined, but after all, the weapons and equipment are not bad, so the defense of the Japanese puppet army is not too low. The [-]th Division marched for a day and a night, and the officers and soldiers were exhausted. Increase casualties.

Chen Mingren needed to wait a while, and the halfway point was just for the officers and soldiers to take a rest.

More than two hours later, thunder was rolling in the sky of Chengde, and the air force's transport fleet arrived.

Chen Mingren looked at the sky and smiled with satisfaction, the timing was just right.

Seeing the Chinese Air Force's transport fleet dropping paratroopers over the urban area, the Japanese and puppet troops were really shocked. After all, enemy paratroopers appeared in the city, and their destructive power is beyond doubt. Rong Zhen had to dispatch troops from outside the city to search and suppress the Chinese army. The paratroopers led to many loopholes in the defense lines outside the city of the Japanese and puppet troops.

Seeing this opportunity, Chen Mingren immediately shouted and ordered: "All attack!"

Although the officers and soldiers who rested for more than two hours did not have enough rest and sleep, they did recover a lot of spirit and energy, and then unstoppably launched a strong attack on Chengde City amidst the roaring and killing sounds that shook the sky.

Because of the terrain, Chengde City was easy to attack and difficult to defend when the defenders were small. The Japanese and puppet troops totaled [-], which obviously belonged to the situation of "not many troops".

The 17th Division divided into multiple groups, crossed the mountains outside the urban area, and poured into Chengde City.

Fighting until dusk, most of Chengde City, the capital of Rehe Province, was controlled by the 17th Division of the Nanjing Army. This is the third capital of the occupied province captured by the Nanjing Army in this counterattack. Seven and a half years after the outbreak, it was the first time to fight back to the Northeast and break into the "land" of "Manchuria", which is of great significance.

But at the same time, the "spirit" of the Nanjing Army officially stopped after the Battle of Chengde, and then the Nanjing Army was unable to attack anymore.

Chapter 398 Fighting Again (5)

This counterattack by the Chinese army was like a tornado, overwhelming and unstoppable, but it did not last long. It came and went quickly. This was determined by the capital of the Chinese army (Nanjing Army). It roared for 20 days The tornado of the Nanjing Army swept through Suiyuan Province, Chahar Province, and southern Hebei Province, and even swept all the way into the Northeast and Rehe Province, the "land" of the puppet Manchukuo, and won the heat in one fell swoop. Chengde, the provincial capital.

General Alexander von Falkenhausen, head of the German Military Advisory Group in China, said with great emotion: "Facts have proved that if there are no factional disputes within the Chinese army, if energy is not spent on internal intrigue, and morale is high, With tenacious spirit, firm will, good equipment, sufficient logistical supplies, courage to sacrifice, and the courage to fight hard, coupled with the courage, courage, determination, means, vision, and command of the commander, the Chinese army is a world-class powerful army. Defeating the Japanese army was by no means difficult.

If the Chinese army has 150 million Nanjing troops, and the reserves of weapons, ammunition, and supplies are increased tenfold, I have no doubt that the Chinese army can absolutely completely defeat the Japanese army on the East Asian continent, and recover all the fallen land within a year , and even drive the Japanese army out of the Korean peninsula!"

The attack on Chengde was the last effort of the Nanjing Army in this counterattack. After taking Chengde, the Nanjing Army also exhausted its energy, and then turned to attack in an all-round way.

Chengde is about to start a defensive battle, and Zhang Yuan is about to start a defensive battle to defend the two provinces of Suicha, which the Nanjing Army has already won. On the battlefield in southern Hebei, the Nanjing Army and the Henan Central Army seem to have surrounded the 12th Division of the Japanese Army. To fight a war of gathering and annihilating, in fact it is still fighting a defensive war, so that more Japanese troops can be contained and the pressure on the troops stationed in Jin can be relieved.

In general, the Nanjing Army has regained Suicha provinces in this counterattack, invaded Rehe Province, captured Chengde, and is still suppressing the Japanese army on the battlefield in southern Hebei. It has achieved maximum results. Next Therefore, the task of the Nanjing Army is to protect these victories.

The wind and snow are boundless, and the situation in the four provinces of Hebei, Sui, and Chare is changing, and the mountains and rivers are changing colors.

In this war, the Chinese army has invested a total of about 40 troops (the Nanjing Army is about 25, and the Henan Central Army is about 15). The Japanese Army has already invested in 9 divisions (the fullness of these divisions varies, and the closer the position is to China The divisions in the army-controlled area are fuller), with a total force of more than 20.

According to common sense, the more than 20 Japanese troops were able to withstand or even beat the 40 Chinese troops, but the reality is that the Japanese troops were almost completely suppressed and beaten by the Chinese army, and the overall situation fell into a passive state.

Among the hundreds of thousands of troops fighting between the two sides, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese army, General Toshiichi Terauchi, was undoubtedly the most painful, because he was too difficult, and the overall unfavorable situation made him feel deeply aggrieved. Suiyuan was lost, and Chahar was also lost. , Southern Hebei is in danger... The Nanjing Army even broke into the territory of the puppet Manchukuo, and broke into the Manchurian colony, which is the most important, most precious, and most related to the foundation of the national power of the Japanese Empire at this time.

In the final analysis, the reason why the Japanese army lost so much was because they misjudged the direction of the Nanjing Army’s attack before the war. Most of the top Japanese army believed that if China and Japan fought again, the main battlefield would be Hebei Province. Suiyuan Province's attack greatly caught the Japanese army by surprise. In fact, before the war, some high-level Japanese army believed that if China and Japan fought again, it should not be the Chinese army's active attack and the Japanese army's passive defense. It should be the opposite. The beating is definitely not the Japanese army's fault. Tradition, the tradition of the Japanese army is to attack and attack again, so the heavy army group should be kept in Suiyuan. Once China and Japan fight again, the Japanese heavy army group in Suiyuan will directly make a big detour to the Northwest of China.

This strategic assumption is not unreasonable, but time has passed, because the Japanese army has not completely occupied North China. In the hands of the Chinese army, there are hundreds of thousands of Nanjing troops stationed. If the Japanese army bypasses Shanxi and makes a big roundabout to the northwest of China, the Nanjing army in Shanxi can easily cut off the rear transportation line of the Japanese army as long as they attack from northern Shanxi to the north, allowing them to enter The Japanese army in Northwest China became a tree without roots and water without a source, so the Japanese army had to give up this strategic concept and only kept one division in Suiyuan; the second reason was that the Japanese army seriously underestimated the strength of the Nanjing Army. The speed of action. On the sixth day after the Jeju Island assassination incident, the Nanjing Army launched a counterattack. According to common sense, it would take at least a month or more to prepare for a big battle. Prescribe the right medicine, if it is found that the Nanjing Army is preparing to attack Suiyuan, the Japanese army can naturally strengthen Suiyuan's troops, but the Nanjing Army is too fast, and it will attack after five days, and the vanguard is only one division, which abruptly defeated the 5th Division .

The four words "soldiers are precious and fast" were brought into full play by the Nanjing Army, which then triggered a domino-like chain effect, making the Japanese army slow at every step and losing the initiative in the battle.

"When did the Imperial Japanese Army become so 'weak and deceitable'!" The general in the temple was suffering and unwilling, and he was furious, but he didn't have time to worry, there were too many things waiting for him to solve.

First of all, on the southern Hebei battlefield, although the 12th Division is in danger, the danger is not critical and can be slowed down; the two cities of Pingjin and Tianjin have been exposed to the Nanjing army, but Pingjin and Tianjin are both big cities. Zhang Yuan’s Nanjing The Japanese army should be powerless to attack. As for the Japanese army's counterattack against Zhang Yuan, it must be delayed, because the top priority is Chengde and Rehe.

After all, Suiyuan, Chahar, and Hebei are all North China, but Rehe is different. Rehe is China's Northeast, Japan's Manchurian colony, and the territory of the Puppet Manchukuo. Politically, it means Totally different.

The loss of Suicha and even Hebei is extremely difficult for Japan to accept, but it can still be accepted with gritted teeth, but it is completely unacceptable for Japan to lose the Northeast.

The Chinese army entered the Northeast and entered the puppet Manchukuo. This precedent must never be set.

"Jinan and Zhang Yuan, you can take a break. Chengde must be recovered immediately!" The general in the temple stood in front of the map, his face livid, "Contact me immediately, General Maeda, the commander of the 8th Division!"

Lieutenant General Maeda Toshiwei, head of the 8th Division who had already led his troops to the eastern Hebei region, received a new order from the general in the temple: "Stop going to the southern Hebei or Suicha battlefields, and return to Chengde immediately! Take back Chengde!"

For the task of "recovering Chengde" assigned by the general in the temple, Maeda was deeply embarrassed. He had participated in the Nanjing battlefield, and his 8th division participated in a battle, launching an attack on the Zhonghuamen, which was defended by the Nanjing army. .

In that nightmarish battle, the 8th Division, which rushed to the Nanjing battlefield with full strength, was disabled at once. Almost all the more than 5000 Nanjing troops of Zhonghuamen were killed in battle, but Lieutenant General Maeda's 8th Division More than 6000 people were killed or injured in the [-]th Division (a large part of the Japanese army was killed and injured by the heavy artillery firepower of Zijin Mountain).

The 8th Regiment of the 16th Brigade of the 17th Division had already fought against the Nanjing Army in the battle of the Nanjing Army's attack on Chengde. The whole regiment suffered two-thirds of casualties and was driven out of Chengde by the Nanjing Army. The general situation of the Nanjing Army: the number is almost [-].

[-] Nanjing troops, this number made Maeda shudder.

The 8th Division was almost paralyzed in the fierce battle at the Zhonghua Gate. After resting for more than two months, it has only recovered to 17 soldiers. More than 8.

More than 1000 Japanese troops attacked [-] Nanjing troops, and the combat mode was urban offensive and defensive warfare, and the Nanjing army was the defender of the city, and the Japanese army was the attacking side, so the Japanese attack was basically tantamount to death.

Admiral Maeda is not a timid person, he just knows that it is impossible to complete the task of "recovering Chengde" by relying on the 8th Division alone.

Therefore, after much consideration, Admiral Maeda sent a telegram to reply to the general in the temple: "The enemy's army who attacked Chengde has about [-] troops. It is really difficult for our division to undertake the task of 'recovering Chengde'. Please add no less than one division for reinforcements!"

After reading Lieutenant General Maeda's reply, although the general in the temple felt depressed, he also knew that Lieutenant Maeda was telling the truth, so after hesitating for a while, he ordered the 7th Division, which had already arrived in Pingjin, to transfer a brigade Reinforcement of the 8th Division (if the general in the temple wants to counterattack Zhang Yuan, the counterattack troops must be the 5th, 14th, and 7th divisions in Pingjin, but the general in the temple has decided to temporarily give up counterattacking Zhang Yuan, so the Japanese army in Pingjin only needs to defend. attack, so a brigade can be dispatched to the Chengde battlefield), and ordered the 19th Division, which was crossing the Yalu River from North Korea to join the battle, to also join the battle in Chengde, and at the same time ordered all the puppet Manchukuo troops in Rehe and Liaoning provinces to go to Chengde In addition, the 5th Field Heavy Artillery Brigade in Pingjin was also transferred to the Chengde battlefield.

即将反击承德的日军包括2个师团、1个旅团、1个重炮旅团，总兵力约4.5万，另有超过5万伪满军助战，日伪军总计约10万兵力。

As for the 17th Division of the Nanjing Army guarding Chengde, after deducting the casualties in the process of attacking Chengde, there are about 1.7 combatable soldiers at this time.

However, it took time for the Japanese army to assemble these troops, and it took four days before and after.

"With one of our divisions, we can contain two or three divisions of the Japanese army! Even if the entire army is wiped out, it is still a profit!" In Chengde City, Chen Mingren read the emergency information sent by the Maritime Control Bureau without fear, but smiled in relief.

If the 17th Division is really wiped out, it will at least buy precious time for the main force. If the 17th Division really persists, it will hold back [-] to [-] Japanese troops for the main force.

Either way, the 17th Division is worthy of its responsibilities and has made its own contribution in this war.

The 8th Division of the Japanese Army and some of the Puppet Manchukuo Army that had arrived in Chengde began to surround the city and block the access to the city. At the same time, the 7th Brigade of the 14th Division and the 5th Heavy Artillery Brigade were coming from Pingjin. The 19th Division The regiment is also coming across the Yalu River.

The four days were not only the time for the Japanese army to prepare to attack the city, but also the time for the Nanjing army to prepare to defend the city.

In the battle of urban defense, the Nanjing Army is handy and familiar with the road, because the Nanjing Army rose up in the Battle of Nanjing, and the Battle of Nanjing was a super-large urban defense battle, so although the Nanjing Army is already an active offensive at this time Army, but fighting defensive warfare is still the strength of the Nanjing Army.

Considering that the 17th Division has not enough soldiers, it is impossible to launch a full-line defense. After all, the terrain of Chengde City is fragmented, and there are endless mountains and mountains outside the city. It is very low, with too many weak spots, and it is very easy for the Japanese and puppet troops to take advantage of it. Therefore, Chen Mingren decided to abandon the mountains outside the city, and only keep a few most important commanding heights, and then seize the time to build urban warfare and street warfare fortifications.

The army guarding the city will certainly not be able to do without the support of the civilians in the city.

At this time, Chengde City had a total population of about 30, including more than 17 young and middle-aged men. There is no doubt that this is a very large human resource. The [-]th Division must mobilize the civilians in the city to help in the battle.

However, this issue is a bit complicated.

When the 17th Division attacked Chengde, it fought many fierce battles with the Japanese and puppet troops inside and outside the city. The civilians in Chengde mainly just waited and watched, with uncertain stances. Some helped the Nanjing army, while others helped the Japanese and puppet troops.

At this time, the county magistrate of Chengde County was naturally a pseudo county magistrate appointed by the Puppet Manchukuo, called Sun Tingbi. Strictly speaking, this county magistrate Sun was a traitor, but there are two sides to the matter. It was appointed by the national government. During the defense of Rehe six years ago, Sun Dianying led his troops to defend Chifeng. Sun Tingbi tried his best to mobilize the people of Chifeng to help Sun Dianying. Because the battle was too fierce, the Japanese army used artillery to bombard him. In Chifeng, Sun Tingbi saw that the city was about to be destroyed by gunfire and the lives of the residents were about to die. Out of consideration for the safety of people's lives and property, he shed tears and begged Sun Dianying to withdraw his troops. Afterwards, the Japanese army occupied Chifeng. He was very influential, and he "repulsed the Chinese army" during the war and "helped" the Japanese army to win, so the Japanese thought he was a pro-Japanese element, and they greatly appreciated and reused him, making him Chengde, the capital of Rehe Province In fact, Sun Tingbi's heart is for China. He is just afraid that the Japanese will be powerful, so he swallows his humiliation and assumes a false post to try his best to protect the people under his rule and get a little peace.

When the Nanjing army attacked Chengde, Sun Tingbi did not escape, but stayed calmly.

Chen Mingren met with Sun Tingbi and asked about Chengde's support. Sun Tingbi sighed and said: "Mr. Chen, you also know that although the entire Rehe was under the control of the National Government in name before it was invaded by the Japanese, it was actually the private property of the warlord Tang Yulin. The territory, the small kingdom of the Tang family.

During Tang Yulin's eight years in power in Rehe, it can be said that he had no political achievements and countless misdeeds. He was extravagant, extravagant, extravagant, extortionate, and greedy. , Undermining the judiciary, it is simply a bad thing to do, and the whole province of Rehe can be said to be full of complaints and complaints. The three provinces were so much an "emperor's paradise" under the rule of the Japanese, so many people in Rehe who hated Tang Yulin so much welcomed the Japanese to fight over.

The Japanese occupied Rehe for six years. To put it bluntly, although the people of Rehe can’t talk about having enough food and clothing to live and work in peace and contentment, at least their lives are much more peaceful than before. Although the Japanese also raided Rehe, they made many rules. Including themselves, they cannot break the rules. In addition, the Japanese have done a lot of "good things". Selling to the Kuomintang-controlled area, one is to corrupt the Kuomintang-controlled area, and the other is to use this method to plunder the wealth of the Kuomintang-controlled area), vigorously suppress bandits (most bandits in North China were recruited by the Japanese as puppet troops, one is to reduce the number of Japanese-occupied areas The banditry in the country, the second is to deal with the Chinese army), also opened a lot of factories, schools, hospitals, built a lot of roads and so on.

Oh, what can I say!We ordinary people should definitely be patriotic, but at least we can eat and wear warm clothes before being patriotic! "Sun Tingbi looked very bitter.

Chen Mingren nodded, and he also sighed: "Yes, the people of Chengde don't support us, so we can't blame them, the country, and us officials! If the government and officials of any country let the people live in dire straits On the one hand, it is shameless for the common people to be patriotic!"

When the 17th Division entered Chengde, the common people in Chengde reacted differently, some rejoiced, some looked on coldly, some were nervous, some panicked, and some even had expressions of disgust and rejection.

Rehe is one of the four provinces in Northeast China and is part of China's territory. However, when the Chinese army regained the Chinese territory, it did not receive all the support of the local Chinese people. It has to be said that this is a kind of sadness.

Faced with this special and complicated situation, the senior officers of the 17th Division had different opinions. Some officers demanded to "kill one as an example" and publicly execute "pro-Japanese elements" who did not support their country's army, so as to shock people's hearts.

Chen Mingren categorically rejected this crude and barbaric method. After thinking for a while, he ordered the officers and soldiers to go door-to-door in the city, and politely invited the residents to gather at the intersection in the center of the city.

There are more than 6 residents in the city. Due to some scruples and doubts, not all of them came. There were only [-] to [-] people, but it also made the scene crowded.

On a high platform in the center of the venue, Chen Mingren stood awe-inspiring, raised a tweeter, and delivered a speech:

"Fathers of Chengde! My compatriots! You are suffering! As a Chinese, you are forced to accept Japanese rule. It is the country that has failed you, the government that has failed you, and us soldiers. Stay with you! We didn't protect you well! Looking at you now, we feel very ashamed and guilty.

Six years ago, although it was Tang Yulin and not me, Chen Mingren, who lost Chengde and you to the Japanese with a single shot, I, Chen Mingren, hate it!I hate, what do I hate?I hate that my troops and I were not in Chengde, otherwise, even if we were all dead, we would not have handed you over to the Japanese!Parents and folks of Chengde!I'm here to apologize to you guys! "

Chen Mingren spoke very emotionally, his eyes were moist, and he bowed deeply at the same time.

Tens of thousands of Chengde residents at the scene looked at Chen Mingren in amazement.

Chen Mingren continued: "Now, the national army is back! Chengde has been recovered! Chengde is now China's territory, and you are upright Chinese again! In the future, the central government will definitely send a good official to Chengde to manage it well. , so that you can all live a life of sufficient food and clothing, live and work in peace and contentment, and will not let you suffer anymore! The country has sorry for you in the past, so it will definitely compensate you well in the future! Right now, although we have recovered Chengde, the Japanese have The call is coming! Six years ago, the Japanese called, and Tang Yulin was invincible. Six years later, the Japanese called again, and I, Chen Mingren, are here to show you that I and the national army are invincible. .The determination of all the soldiers of the 17th Division, including me, all the national troops of the No.17th Division will fight to the last moment to defend Chengde! The next battle, either we defeat the Japanese and keep Chengde, or the Japanese will fight again Occupy Chengde, all of our No.17 Division died in battle! If Chengde is occupied by the Japanese, but I, Chen Mingren, are still alive, then I, Chen Mingren, swear that I will not be a human being, not as good as a pig or a dog!" He looked righteous and spoke loudly.

I don't know who was the first to applaud, and there was thunderous applause immediately.

Most of the residents in Chengde were excited, mixed with joy, anticipation, and emotion. Some residents shouted with tears in their eyes: "Mr. Chen! We believe in you! I believe in your troops! You will definitely be able to defend Chengde!"

Chen Mingren said with tears in his eyes: "Fathers and folks of Chengde! We thank you for your understanding and trust! Next, we will start the battle to defend Chengde. I hope you can help us. We, the army and the people, will defeat Japan together. people!"