In the sequence of the Kuomintang army, the troops of the Consort clan and the miscellaneous troops were clearly distinguished, and there were differences in the color and fabric of the equipment, supplies, and even the standard uniforms, and over time, the Consort troops were superior to the people, and gradually formed a kind of atmosphere.
As a miscellaneous unit, the 57th Division had the honor of joining the Kuomintang 74th Army during the reorganization period in Changsha, and Shi Zhongcheng, the former commander of the 57th Division, also served as the deputy commander of the 74th Army.
However, when the 57th Division officially joined the 74th Army, they did not feel as good as expected, and even often felt embarrassed.
Shi Zhongcheng, commander of the 57th Division, graduated from the Baoding Military Academy and was a "miscellaneous general" who had long served the Beiyang government. This unit participated in the Battle of Songhu, and after that, it experienced the bloody battle of Tianjiazhen, and it was also a unit that fought from the vicious battle and saw the world.
When the 57th Division first entered the Kuomintang 74th Army, although the officers and men changed their uniforms, they could still see at a glance the differences between them and the officers and men of the 51st Division and the 58th Division, the former being cautious and cautious, while the latter was arrogant and very confident.
Taking the Battle of Nanchang as an example, during the period when the Nationalist 74th Army participated in the battle, the 51st Division and the 58th Division cooperated tacitly, full of combat strength, and the playing style was very fierce, while the 57th Division, which had just arrived, was like a stage supporting role without much drama, although it stood in the whole scene, there were no few lines, and there was no chance of "leading the lead actor" and winning applause.
Not only that, the Nationalist 57th Division, from top to bottom, was worried that it would be bullied or harmed by the Yan Army. In order to prevent the military personnel from playing tricks, the 57th Division of the Nationalist Army was extremely cautious during the Battle of Nanchang, and they would record a copy of the combat order issued by the military department and then issue it, and even the number and time of the combat order were clearly recorded.
It can be seen from this that although the officers and men of the 57th Division, who were born in the miscellaneous army, joined the 74th Army of the Nationalist Army, they were caught between the 51st Division and the 58th Division, which were like wolves, and the days of "begging for life" were not easy.
There was also an embarrassing person in the 57th Division of the Nationalist Army, he was the old qualified deputy division commander Yu Chengwan, from May 1938 to join the 57th Division, Yu Chengwan was the deputy division commander until February 1940, at this time, Liao Lingqi of the Huangpu Fourth Phase became the commander of the 58th Division of the Nationalist Army, at this time Yu Chengwan could no longer sit still, these were all looked at by Wang Yaowu, who was good at observing the color.
In terms of age, Yu Chengwan is two years older than Wang Yaowu; in terms of seniority, Yu Chengwan is the first phase of Huangpu, Wang Yaowu is the third phase of Huangpu, and Wang Yaowu privately calls Yu Chengwan an old senior.
It was time to give Yu Chengwan an explanation, and Wang Yaowu, the commander of the 74th Army, who had always been a "long-sleeved good dancer", began to move up and down, hoping to get Shi Zhongcheng to withdraw from the 57th Division and at the same time to include his old senior Yu Chengwan into his circle.
Seven months later, Deputy Commander Shi Zhongcheng officially stepped down as commander of the Nationalist 57th Division, and Yu Chengwan took over as division commander.
After Yu Chengwan took office, his first task was to appease the emotions of the generals at all levels of the 57th Division, fortunately, he had spent more than two years in the 57th Division, and his relationship with Li Yan, Zhou Yizhong, Du Ding, and other powerful figures of the 57th Division was good, so the run-in period passed smoothly.
Next, yu Chengwan must really control the 57th Division, he must also establish his prestige, and in the army, the best place and time to establish prestige is the battlefield and battle.
Half a year later, Yu Chengwan received his first combat mission from Wang Yaowu after his promotion to division commander, and the 57th Division was ordered to defend Shanggaocheng head-on, which was the first time that the 57th Division of the Zapai Army joined the Nationalist 74th Army to "lead the starring role", and Wang Yaowu arranged for the famous 58th Division of the Nationalist Army to be their supporting role.
In the face of the menacing Dahe Mao, Yu Chengwan sent several regiments in his hands to the battlefield in turn and fought alternately, so that each unit could get a short rest and maintain the combat effectiveness of the troops to the greatest extent, and he and the 57th Division of the Nationalist Army did not live up to this "leading lead", and this arrangement and the final result of the battle made Wang Yaowu very satisfied.
At the end of the meeting, Chiang Kai-shek rewarded and punished all units in the Second Battle of Changsha according to their performance, and rewarded the two regiments and other units of the 57th Division of the 79th Army who first crossed the river to attack Changsha, as well as Li Hanqing, commander of the infantry of the 57th Division, and other dead officers and men.
While the 57th Division was greatly praised, Liao Lingqi, commander of the 58th Division, was sentenced to capital punishment for escaping from the battlefield.
In the next winter offensive, the Nationalist 57th Division had more opportunities to "lead the lead", they dared to fight and rush, the VietnamEse war became more courageous, and successively conquered the Japanese strongholds, and performed very well. It is precisely because of these outstanding performances of the officers and men on the battlefield that this miscellaneous unit has gradually won the respect and admiration of the officers and men of the Huangpu Clan.
When the 57th Division was included in the battle sequence of the Nationalist 74th Army, no one would have imagined that this miscellaneous unit would become the third tiger and wolf division of the 74th Army. In the Battle of Changde on November 12, 1943, the 57th Division of the Nationalist 74th Army killed and wounded more than 10,000 Japanese troops, but it was almost exhausted.
The famous writer Mr. Zhang Hexhui wrote a sensational novel "Long Live the Tiger" based on the theme of the 57th Division's Changde Defense War, and since then, "Tiger Ben Army" has become the indelible code name of the 57th Division.