Zhang Zizhong, the general who died in the battle of Zaoyi.
"Because of the overall war situation in the theater and our own responsibilities, we have to cross the river to fight the enemy. Now we have decided to head for the east bank of Xianghe tonight. After arriving in Hedong, if we can get in touch with the 38 th Division and 179 Division, that is, three regiments with horses run to our ultimate goal, we must seek comfort from our conscience. "
This is a letter written by Zhang Zizhong to Feng Zhian, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the 33rd Army, late at night on May 6, 1940. It is considered as Zhang Zizhong's "suicide note" before the war.
Xianghe is a section of the Han River that flows through Xiangyang, and the locals call it Xianghe. At that time, the 33 rd Army was stationed on both sides of Xianghe. After the Battle of Zaoyi broke out, Zhang Zizhong ordered the troops on the east bank of Xianghe to meet them separately, and instructed the troops on the west bank to prepare for the attack.
On May 3, the situation in Hedong was grim. Changshoudian was captured by the Japanese army, and the third division of the Japanese army captured Biyang. The 39th division and Ikeda detachment launched a frontal attack from Suiyang.
On the evening of 6th, Zhang Zizhong organized a general meeting at Kuaihuopu headquarters, and the sound of guns in Hedong was clearly audible. At the end of the meeting, Zhang Zizhong threw out a sentence, "I will cross the river to supervise the war tomorrow."
The generals discouraged him and said, "The commander-in-chief should sit in the city, not go!" Zhang Zizhong pushed his way through the crowd and wrote this "suicide note" to Feng Zhian. The last two sentences are "from now on, later or temporarily, or forever, it is unknown."
After crossing the river, Zhang Zizhong got in touch with various ministries one after another. Hedong soldiers learned that Commander-in-Chief Zhang was on the front line, and their morale was greatly boosted. On May 1 1 day, Zhang Zizhong led his troops to chase down the enemy fleeing eastward in the rain, and the enemy suffered heavy losses. 14, Zhang Zizhong led a fierce battle with the enemies fleeing south in Fangjiaji, repelling many Japanese attacks.
On May 15, Zhang Zizhong came to Gouyan, and the first 1 1 Military Communication Team of the Japanese army cracked the password of Zhang Zizhong headquarters and knew where Zhang Zizhong was. The 39th Division of the Japanese Army mobilized five or six thousand men and a large number of aircraft and artillery to March into the ravine.
15 night, dysentery recurred in Zhang Zizhong, and he stayed at Yu Dabao's house. Yu Dabao's son Yu Youcai recalled, "Zhang Zizhong saw that the people in the village were living in poverty and gave each family 10 foreign currency." In order to keep Zhang Zizhong healthy, Yu Dabao cooked pumpkin porridge for Zhang Zizhong. Because of this pumpkin porridge, there is also the name of the pumpkin shop near the ditch.
16, the battle of pumpkin shop started in the trench surrounded by 6000 Japanese troops.
"The core battlefield of the Pumpkin Shop campaign is in the almond mountain area beside the ravine. Zhang's army only has more than 2000 people. Later, while fighting, he retreated and was trapped on the fifth mountainside of Changshan. Be a martyr there. " Zhang Zizhong, former secretary general of Yicheng CPPCC, lobbied for Angola.
According to the records of Yicheng literature and history, "16 May, blood and fire intertwined, and the long mountains trembled." Japanese military aircraft and artillery bombed the pumpkin shop into a sea of fire.
According to Gu, a Zhang Zizhong guard who survived the injury at that time, the last time he saw Zhang Zizhong, Zhang Zizhong was seriously injured. Gu couldn't help crying out loud, but Zhang Zizhong said, boy, why are you crying? It is the duty of soldiers to die in battle. Then, facing the sky again, he muttered in an unusually calm way, "I died a good and glorious death like this." For the country, for the nation, for the chief executive, conscience is safe, you go! "
The Japanese army described Zhang Zizhong's martyrdom in "A Man's Death": "He * * * Fujioka * * held a bayonet and rushed at the tall officer who looked like the supreme commander of the enemy. The man suddenly stood up from a pool of blood, his eyes glued to Fujioka. Private Fujioka felt an indescribable majesty in his eyes, and he stood involuntarily. At this time, gunshots rang out from behind, and the third mid-team leader Tang Ye fired a shot. The bullet hit the officer's head, and his face showed a slightly uncomfortable expression. At the same time, Private Fujioka seemed to be awakened by gunfire, but he also made a determined effort to raise his bayonet and plunged into his tall body. Under this thorn, this tall body collapsed like a mountain. "
After Zhang Zizhong's sacrifice, the gunfire in Changshan stopped, and Fujioka took out a Parker pen from Zhang Zizhong with the words "Zhang Zizhong" engraved on it. Fujioka stepped back and gave a military-like salute to Zhang Zizhong's body.
That evening, Zhang Zizhong's body was sent to the headquarters of the 39th Japanese division at Chenjiaji, 20 miles away from the battlefield, and was personally verified by Tada Shengshou, chief of staff of the division who met Zhang Zizhong. According to Japanese records, "Masada Shoujie held a candle for a long time, looked at Zhang Zizhong's cheek, and suddenly said sadly,' Yes, it is indeed Zhang Jun'. The people present first cheered, and then there was a silence."
Japan Radio immediately broadcast the news. Compared with the previous overbearing press releases, the radio station said at this time: Commander-in-Chief Zhang died calmly with a calm and dignified attitude, and was worthy of being a gentleman admired by the military and civilians. On the desolate battlefield, the officers and men of the 39th Division of our Imperial Army offered the most pious and pious silent prayers to the heroic soldiers who died, and solemnly gathered the remains into coffins.
Chiang Kai-shek was shocked to hear of Zhang Zizhong's martyrdom and immediately ordered the Fifth Theater to recapture Zhang Zizhong's body at all costs.
On the night of May 16, Huang Weigang, the commander of the 38th Division, rushed to the pumpkin shop and led a team to attack Chen at night, fighting fiercely with the enemy for two days and nights. Finally, he found the tomb of the hero and got back Zhang Zizhong's body.
On May 2 1, Zhang Zizhong's body arrived in Chongqing from Yichang. On that day, 65,438+10,000 people in Yichang spontaneously gathered in the streets to attend the funeral. Japanese planes circled over Yichang, and no one was spared.
194 1 May, Huang Weigang erected a monument for Zhang Zizhong in Changshan.
Zhou Shouwen, the father of Zhou Chengzhi, a villager of Group 7 in Wuluo Village, Zhang Zizhong, participated in the construction of Zhang Zizhong Martyrdom Memorial Hall in Changshan. When Zhou Shouwen was alive, he told Zhou Chengzhi that at that time, in order to transport the stones from other places to the top of the mountain, the villagers donated their cows for free, because the mountain was steep and seven or eight cows were exhausted.
"After the monument was built, Changshan people had an idea." Zhou Chengzhi, 60, said that in her memory, Changshan people's commemoration of Zhang never stopped. When her father was alive, he would draw a circle at the intersection every year, or go to the foot of Changshan Mountain to order some paper to pay homage to the dead hero.
Villager He Zhiyuan is over ninety years old. He still remembers that when Zhang Zizhong led his troops to Changshan, he stood in the village and called the villagers' voices: "Folks, come out, we are back."
"Yicheng has a kind heart and a conscience."
This month, Xiang Anyou became the busiest person in Yicheng.
Xiang Anyou was the Secretary-General of Yicheng, and has been studying the Battle of Zaoyi and Zhang Zizhong for more than 30 years. He must "step forward" and make suggestions for many things to commemorate Zhang Zizhong.
1980, a news item entitled "People from all walks of life in Yicheng, Hubei held a memorial service to commemorate patriotic general Zhang Zizhong" caused a heated discussion. This is the first article publicly commemorating Zhang Zizhong in Chinese mainland after liberation. The author of the press release is An You.
At that time, Xiang Anyou had just joined the work and worked in the United Front Work Department of Yicheng City. Xiang Anyou and his colleagues are interested in holding a commemoration of Zhang Zizhong in Yicheng.
"I know that what I wanted to do at that time was also risky, but after visiting Wuluo Village at the foot of Changshan Mountain, I felt that our official commemoration was nearly forty years late, and I felt very ashamed."
Recalling Anyou, he noticed that after nearly 40 years, the Zhang Zizhong Martyrs Monument and Zhang Zizhong Martyrs' Tomb built by 194 1 were still intact. It was hard to add new soil to the tomb of the martyrs, and there was just burnt paper money at the tombstone.
An You's United Front Work Department, together with relevant departments, organized a series of activities to commemorate Zhang Zizhong. 1985, Zhang Zizhong memorial hall was established in Yicheng. Since 1980, Yicheng has held more than 30 commemorative activities for Zhang Zizhong.
In 20 14, Yicheng * * * began to build Zhang Zizhong Anti-Japanese Memorial Park in Changshan. "The core project investment is 80 million yuan, plus landscape roads and greening, with a total investment of more than 654.38 billion yuan." Zhang said, deputy director of Yicheng Civil Affairs Bureau.
When the Beijing News reporter came to Yicheng, the memorial park had been completed. The fragrance of Sophora japonica in Shili Changshan Mountain is fragrant, and the memorial garden looks majestic among the green hills. The steps of the memorial garden are 1234 steps from the monument at the top of Changshan Mountain to the memorial archway at the foot of the mountain, with a length of 8 1 1 m.
The horizontal comment on the archway is Chiang Kai-shek's inscription "Millennium of Heroes", and the couplet is Dong's "Pumpkin wrapped in horse skin, go forward bravely".
The inscription on the archway was chosen by An You. He said, "In the pumpkin shop, I realized my grand wish of' running to the ultimate goal'.
When the Zhang Zizhong Memorial Park was completed, I felt to Anyou that I had fulfilled a wish for Yicheng people.
Zhang Zizhong's daughter Zhang Lianyun has been to Yicheng eight times. She told her son Che Qing, "Yicheng has a good heart and a conscience."
"I said I died well! Can leave an immortal example for everyone ... I said I died well! You can leave some officials an example of dedication to the country ... "
This is a eulogy written by Feng Yuxiang for Zhang Zizhong in July 1940.
Zhang Fushan, vice chairman of Yicheng CPPCC, said: "Look, how well Feng Yuxiang wrote his eulogy. I said he died well! Some officials can be models of loyalty to their country. The people clearly know what kind of officials they need. We should not just build a monument to commemorate Zhang Zizhong, but should actually benefit the people. "
"The Changshan area has beautiful scenery, and Yicheng has always wanted to turn it into a scenic spot and find new economic growth points for the local area." Zhang Fushan said, "For this new economic growth point, the city has been making preparations and attaches great importance to local ecological protection."
The reporter saw in Changshan area that a large area of Sophora japonica was planted on Changshan, which coincided with the season when Sophora japonica was in full bloom. When the wind blows, the fragrance of Sophora japonica blooms. Beekeepers can be seen from time to time in the locust tree forest.
Zhang, deputy director of Yicheng Civil Affairs Bureau, told the reporter, "The city plants trees in Changshan every year, but due to the lack of water in Changshan area, it is difficult for local people to eat water in spring and summer, so it is very difficult to plant trees, and it is necessary to replant them three or four times." He said that the greening of Changshan has taken 30 years, waiting for the opportunity to develop tourism.
The reporter noticed that the rural road leading to Changshan in Yicheng City is as wide as ten meters, with newly planted green trees on both sides of the road. Zhang said that people in Changshan area grow fruits for a living, and convenient transportation is very important to them. They took advantage of the opportunity of building a memorial park to widen the local roads. Now the rural roads in Changshan are all provincial highway standards.
Zhang said that the memorial park was established to commemorate Zhang Zizhong, and also to promote red tourism and local economic development. In the planning of the memorial park, there are many projects that benefit the people, including building a tourist service center to let local farmers come in to do business. Zhang Zizhong Memorial Hall is also preparing to distribute Zhang Zizhong's materials to local farmers free of charge. "Farmers have a systematic understanding of Zhang Zizhong and the Battle of Early Yi, and can be used as tour guides for tourists to increase their income."
"Being able to increase the income of local farmers is also a commemoration of Zhang Zizhong." An official of Yicheng told reporters, "A giant stands here, either you stand behind him or you walk in front of him, and people will compare."
Casualties in Zaoyi Battle
The Japanese army once again demonstrated its combat power in front of the national army. According to the report of theNo. 1 1 Army, there were only about 7,000 Japanese casualties in this campaign. Compared with this, our army admitted that 36,983 people were killed, 23,000 people were missing and 50,509 people were injured. If the casualty ratio is converted, the Japanese army has invested 56 brigades, and the number of casualties accounts for about 12.5% of the effective combat force. However, there is no doubt that our army was defeated. After this battle, the main force of the fifth war zone was greatly weakened and its importance declined rapidly until the end of the Anti-Japanese War.
However, there is basically no problem with the operational plan of the fifth theater. Before the start of the battle, China discovered the Japanese attempt in time, correctly judged the Japanese attack direction, made corresponding arrangements, and prepared to pre-empt the Japanese army in Wushengguan and Guangshui sections of Pinghan Road, harassing the Japanese rear, threatening Wuhan, conducting campaign reconnaissance on the Japanese army and sabotaging its attempt. Although the plan was good, it failed to come true. The Japanese army broke through under the cover of 100 planes and 200 chariots. During the three-day siege, China's poorly equipped army hit the 3rd Division hard and bruised its spirit.
On the southern line, it was right for the 33rd Army to intercept the Japanese army, but its strength was not thick, and its communication was breached, which led to the counterattack of the Japanese army 13, 39th Division, with great losses, and the commander-in-chief Zhang Zizhong died heroically. Judging from the battlefield situation, it is not completely controlled by the Japanese army, but still maintains a certain initiative. The problem lies in overestimating the combat effectiveness of our army, but the fact is that our army is extremely short of equipment. At least three troops of our army were badly hit by the enemy, but the Japanese army only captured 23 mountain guns/field guns and had to rely on manpower to attack hard, so that when the siege was staged again, it could neither destroy opponents nor cause heavy losses.