In 1937, during the Songhu War of Resistance, Zhang Zhizhong, commander-in-chief of the Chinese Ninth Army and commander-in-chief of the Left Army, commanded the battle on the front line for 40 days from August 13 to September 23, but why did he resign when the battle was at its most intense and he was needed?
In fact, he already had the intention of resigning.
This has to do with what happened on August 24.
On the same day, the enemy situation in the areas of Chuanshakou and Wusongkou in Shanghai was serious. Luo Zhuoyingxin, commander of the 18th Army, led 2 divisions stationed near Jiading, and Zhang Zhizhong wanted to transfer Luo's eastern aid, but the telephone could not be reached, so he had to personally go to the arrangement. As soon as he arrived at the military headquarters, Luo Zhuoying asked in surprise:
"How did Commander-in-Chief Zhang get here?"
Zhang Zhizhong said: "You are in my defense zone, naturally under my command, shouldn't I come here?" ”
However, after talking, he learned that Chen Cheng had become the commander-in-chief of the Fifteenth Army, that the defense of the area north of Yunzaohama had been placed under the responsibility of the Fifteenth Army, and that the 18th Army had been placed under the command of Chen Cheng by Chiang Kai-shek.
Zhang Zhizhong couldn't help but feel depressed in his heart: How could such a big adjustment not be notified in advance?!
Then, he heard that Gu Zhutong, deputy commander of the Third Theater, had arrived in Suzhou, so he immediately rushed to Suzhou to discuss military information with Gu Zhutong.
As soon as he arrived in Suzhou, Zhang Zhizhong first called Chiang Kai-shek for instructions. Unexpectedly, as soon as the phone was connected, Jiang asked in a sharp voice:
"Where are you?"
Zhang replied: "In Suzhou." ”
"Why Suzhou?"
As soon as Zhang Zhizhong explained, Chiang Kai-shek lost his temper: "I can't find you in two days." Run to the back! With that, he reprimanded him severely, and then hung up the phone violently.
Zhang Zhizhong was also so angry that he smashed the microphone.
Since the beginning of the war, the Songhu battlefield has been divided into left and right wing armies, but the war has always been on the left wing, and Zhang Zhizhong has worked hard day and night, running on the battlefield and commanding the battle. In particular, since the Japanese army landed at Wusongkou and Chuanshakou, he personally commanded at the front, did not close his eyes for several days and nights, and finally had to walk with two people, still insisting on not being able to reach the line of fire, and finally stabilizing the war situation and lifting the danger.
Now, he is being reprimanded and suspicious for no reason, and he is very humiliated and bored.
At midnight, Zhang Zhizhong returned to Shanghai, pressed down on the resentment in his heart, and continued to command the battle.
Soon, Chen Cheng commanded the Fifteenth Army to launch a full-line attack on the landing Japanese army, but it failed to work, the enemy's follow-up troops continued to reinforce, Luodian and other parts of the position fell, and the battle situation was chaotic. At this time, it is particularly important for the various units to cooperate with each other and cooperate in combat. Zhang Zhizhong considered his current situation and believed that it was not conducive to coordination with friendly forces, coupled with weak physical strength, it was difficult to support. Therefore, on September 4, he sent a letter to Chiang Kai-shek requesting permission to resign, and suggested that Zhu Shaoliang should succeed him or that Chen Cheng should unify his command.
However, it was not approved.
In mid-September, the number of Japanese landing troops increased to 100,000. The Chinese army began to shift from offensive operations to defensive operations. On September 22, Zhang Zhizhong was suddenly allowed to resign, so he resigned his post and left Shanghai with mixed feelings.