In the Xi'an Incident in December 1936, Yang Hucheng's Guard Battalion, like Zhang Xueliang's Guard Battalion, played a crucial role.
And what was the final outcome of the Yang Hucheng Guard Battalion? Most people don't know.
Shortly after the Xi'an Incident, Yang Hucheng was forced to leave the country, and the Guard Battalion was expanded into a teaching regiment, which was later reorganized into the 38th Army Instruction Regiment.
The regimental commander was the former battalion commander of the Guard Battalion, named Li Zhenxi.
The regiment was then ordered to participate in the War of Resistance.
On October 10, 1939, the teaching regiment engaged in a white-knife battle with the Japanese army at the Tuotuo River in Pingshan County, with more than 100 casualties, and the regimental commander Li Zhenxi was wounded in the leg, and then was ordered to hold on to Jingxing and enter Yuejiazhuang in LuXian County, Shanxi.
One day, the telephone switchboard of the teaching regiment suddenly reported that Huang Shaohu, deputy commander of the Second Theater of Operations, was speaking with Yan Xishan of Taiyuan on the telephone line from Yangquan to Shouyang. Li Zhenxi took over the hearing, and it turned out that Huang Shaohu was in a hurry: "Snowflake Mountain was suddenly lost, the enemy's division and regimental strength approached Niangziguan from Jingxing, the first few hundred cavalry, have already left the pass ditch, cut off the railway channel of Niangziguan, Sun Fanglu and Feng Qinya were surrounded at Niangziguan Station, there were only two special agent battalions. There were no other troops nearby, the situation was urgent, and they quickly drew troops from Taiyuan to Yangquan by ironclad car, and first opened the communication line of Niangziguan. ”
Yan Xishan said: "The war on the Xinkou side is very tight. All the troops that can be taken up have gone up, and they can't divide the troops..."
At this time, Li Zhenxi said, "Can we go?"
Yan Xishan immediately jumped like a thunderbolt: "Who is eavesdropping?" ”
Li Zhenxi hurriedly said: "I am Li Zhenxi, the commander of the 38th Army's teaching regiment, and I lost contact after being transported down the Tuotuo River. ”
Huang Shaohu said, "You are Commander Li, where are you now?"
"We are in Yuejiazhuang, Luxian County."
"How far is it from Niangziguan?"
"Look at the map is only 100 miles, it's only five o'clock in the afternoon, leave immediately, and you can arrive tomorrow."
Huang Shaohu immediately said to Yan Xishan, "This is Yang Hucheng's guard regiment, just tell him to drive it!" Then he said to Li Zhenxi: "There are only two special agent battalions in Niangziguan to resist there, and when you get there, you will be under the command of Commander Sun." ”
In this way, because of "eavesdropping" on the phone, Li Zhenxi led his troops to Niangziguan and fought a big battle.
Early the next morning, the 1st Battalion of the Teaching Regiment arrived at the Shangjiao Garden opposite Niangziguan and found hundreds of Japanese cavalry cooking, and even the sentry headquarters did not let go, so they rushed over at once, and rushed the Japanese army into the ditch. The 1st Battalion sealed off the trench and waited for the arrival of the follow-up troops.
After Li Zhenxi led the main force to arrive, he was summoned by Sun Lianzhong, the commander of the First Army. Sun Lianzhong was with Feng Qinya, the commander-in-chief of the Seventeenth Route Army. Sun Lianzhong said: "The two divisions of the 7th Army did not contact each other, the Chifengcheng Division of the 30th Army arrived in Xiyang, Niangziguan had no troops to defend, and once Niangziguan was lost, Taiyuan would be threatened." It's up to you for now. As long as it could last for two or three days, Chi Feng City arrived. As long as you keep the Niangzi Pass, I guarantee to ask the central authorities to expand the teaching group. ”
At this time, the 1st Battalion was fighting the enemy, and the 2nd Battalion also went into the ditch and fought with the devils, and the wounded soldiers were carried out one by one. Enemy aircraft hovered overhead. The ditch was 20 miles long, with cliffs on both sides, thousands of enemies crowded into the ditch, cavalry, artillery, and heavy soldiers' cars blocked the road, and the enemy soldiers crowded backwards. Due to terrain limitations, the teaching group could not attack either.
Li Zhenxi concentrated 48 machine guns and divided them into four firepower assault groups, swinging the machine guns one by one, causing a sea of fire in the ditch, and the infantry followed behind the assault group, attacking wave after wave of fire. At dusk, the Japanese 78th Regiment, cavalry brigades, and artillery brigades in the ditch were annihilated, and the remnants of the enemy retreated to the top of the hill outside the pass, relying on the cover of the high ground and holding firm.
Li Zhenxi believed that the Japanese army occupied the mountain, still threatening The Old Pass, and decided to seize the mountain. Feng Qinya was very happy to say: "Attack a mountain and reward 5,000 oceans!" And write a note.
Li Zhenxi transferred the 1st Battalion, which had suffered heavy casualties, and ordered the 3rd Battalion to attack from the right flank and the 2nd Battalion from the left flank.
The enemy in front of them is about 2,000 thousand.
At 12:00 p.m., the two battalions touched the Japanese army, and suddenly there was a killing sound, and the shock was so loud that the mountains and valleys sounded. The enemy woke up from the dream, and before he could resist, the large knife was cut in the head. Soon, two important hills facing The Old Pass were taken down by the Teaching Regiment. Then, taking advantage of the victorious attack, they successively took all the important hills of the old barrier pass, killing and wounding three or four hundred Japanese troops.
Sun Lianzhong and Feng Qinya were relieved to receive a successful call. Sun Lianzhong smiled and said to Feng Qinya:
"Brother Chinza, you have to pay for it now."
Feng Qinya said: "My order is to retake a mountain, reward 5,000 yuan, they recapture 8, how to reward?" Later, he really did not give anything, And Huang Shaohu did not want to go, and took out 3,000 yuan.
At this point, the teaching group did not rest for a day or two nights, and only ate one meal. Officers and soldiers were carried away by the victory. The fortifications were not done, and they lay down on the position to rest. The cooks cook on the positions. The rise in cooking smoke showed the Japanese exactly the location. When the officers and men ate and went to sleep, there was a sudden "boom" and the world fell apart, and everyone woke up from their dreams.
In the air, 12 enemy planes were combing and strafing, and all the artillery of a Japanese company were discharged and fired. The bare hill was unobstructed, and a single shell flew in and inflicted huge casualties on the teaching regiment. Under the cover of aircraft artillery, the Japanese tanks galloped forward, and the infantry behind them came up to charge, wave after wave. Thanks to the Rolling Mountain Thunder made by Yan Xishan, which was like a watermelon, when the Japanese army launched a charge, the defenders pulled the fuse to roll the Rolling Mountain Thunder down, and the lethality was two or three times greater than ten grenades. Wave after wave of Japanese troops charged upwards, and were hit by rolling mountain thunder, killing a large number of casualties, and all five charges were repulsed.
However, the officers and men of the teaching regiment also suffered heavy casualties, the commanders of the 2nd and 3rd battalions were seriously wounded, and more than 100 company platoon leaders and more than 1,000 soldiers were killed or wounded.
At 2 p.m., the Japanese launched one of the fiercest attacks. More than 1,000 Japanese troops advanced toward the positions of the 6th and 8th Companies, and the first contact was hand-to-hand combat. The officers and men of the two companies all sacrificed their lives for the country, and the positions were occupied. Li Zhenxi hastily added two companies of the 1st Battalion at Shoukou Pass and braved the enemy's tanks to shoot and launch a counter-offensive.
At this time, the Japanese attacked the positions of the 7th Company of the 2nd Battalion. Cui Lingying, the commander of the 7th Company, was the only one of more than 20 old company commanders who was not injured, and the whole company still maintained about 100 people. This is the most important stronghold of the left wing of the barrier old pass, overlooking the entire old pass. When the Japanese army attacked, Cui Lingying led the whole company to fight a bloody battle. Casualties continued to increase, and the soldier reported: "Report company commander, I am the only one left in the whole platoon." The soldier said, "Report to the company commander, our platoon leader is dead, and I am the only one left." ”
Li Zhenxi then ordered the regimental headquarters's signal troops, health troops, as well as the messengers, drivers, military doctors, and adjutants, to be grouped together and added up, and after two hours of fierce fighting, they finally repelled the Japanese attack and stabilized the war situation. After that, although the Japanese continued to bombard with artillery, the infantry never dared to come over. Although the position was still in the hands of the teaching regiment, there were only eight or nine hundred people left in the regiment.
The next day, the two sides fought fiercely for another day.
In the afternoon, when the sun was about to set, Sun Lianzhong came to call: "Brother! Chi Feng City has arrived!"
Li Zhenxi finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Our task has been completed." ”
Before dawn on the third day, the 31st Division of Chifengcheng took over the position of the teaching regiment. When the teaching group withdrew, only 200 people were left, but unexpectedly, just out of the pass ditch, the officers and men were resting on the tracks when they passed the railway, and suddenly the mother closed a locomotive, with 4 carriages, and flew by, and more than 80 officers and men who had no time to dodge were crushed and injured. At this point, there were more than 3,000 officers and men in the teaching regiment, and only more than 100 people remained.
However, the deeds of the officers and men of the teaching regiment in fighting the Niangziguan in blood, defeating the strong with the weak, and fighting in blood still caused a sensation throughout the country and were called the "Iron Army." And Li Zhenxi, the commander of the iron army, has also become a well-known "iron-blooded warrior" in China.