On November 10, 1944, the Japanese Kou mobilized more than 7,000 troops and launched a large-scale "sweep" of the New Fourth Army and the central area of the western base area in two ways.
In light of this situation, the 15th Regiment of the Fifth Brigade of the Second Division of the New Fourth Army was ordered by its superiors to move to the area around Caojiagang in Shou County, Anhui Province, as a mobile force of our army.
Regimental commander Li Shihuai (major general in 1962) led the whole regiment to caojiagang on the night of the 13th, nearby Baishi village, and decided to spend the night on the mountain at the head of the village.
The troops arranged sentries throughout the hill, and the rest rested after dinner.
After several days of marching and fighting, the soldiers were already exhausted and soon fell asleep.
Although Chen Congyi, a soldier of the second battalion and a platoon of four companies, did not immediately lie down and rest, although he did not have to stand guard, he walked alone toward the outside of the village.
What is he going to do? Is it necessary to act on your own? This is not the case, and there is a touching story behind it.
It turned out that Chen Congyi was a native of Longtan Town, Gao'an, Jiangxi, who had lost his father at an early age, and whose mother had been widowed for many years and vowed not to marry again.
In January 1943, the Japanese army invaded Gao'an and burned and looted Chen Congyi's hometown, bringing deep disasters to the local people.
Although Mother Chen is a peasant woman, she has a strong sense of patriotism. Witnessing the various atrocities of the Japanese army, she indignantly made Chen Congyi join the New Fourth Army, asking him to kill the enemy bravely and be loyal to the country.
Chen was reluctant to let his elderly mother stay alone in the house, but in order not to disobey his mother's wishes, he had to defect to the New Fourth Army.
But after he enlisted in the army, he could not rest assured of his mother at all times, and whenever he went to bed, he always had to find a place where no one was, kneel in the direction of his hometown, and loudly pray to his mother for safety and health at home, and report to his mother that he was safe, otherwise he would not be able to sleep peacefully.
Over time, the comrades-in-arms all knew about Chen Congyi's unusual habit. Some people do not understand, so they ridicule Chen Congyi as a "doll who does not grow up", "can't live without his mother when he becomes a revolutionary fighter", "can't abandon old ideas, is not a pure revolutionary fighter..."
It can be said that the habit of praying for his mother every day has made Chen Congyi laugh at him countless times, but he does not care and still goes his own way.
When the regimental commander Li Shihuai learned of this incident, instead of criticizing Chen Congyi, he praised him for his commendable filial piety, and also warned the soldiers to respect Chen Congyi's practice, and that there was no contradiction between "being loyal to the country" and "filial piety for the mother."
For the support of the regimental commander, Chen Congyi was grateful from the bottom of his heart, so he was always particularly brave when fighting, and he made many meritorious contributions.
Now that the troops had arrived in Baishi Village, where they were not familiar with life, chen Congyi's longing for his mother was even more aroused, and he routinely wanted to find a secluded place that would not disturb the sleep of his comrades-in-arms, and was ready to pray to the heavens.
Because the New Fourth Army strictly implemented the "three major disciplines, six requirements and ten precautions", the soldiers did not enter the homes of the common people, but scattered in the woods to rest. Chen Congyi turned around a few times and couldn't find a suitable place, so he could only go farther and farther.
On this night, the moon was bright, and Chen Congyi unconsciously walked out more than two miles away, and finally stopped next to a large rock near the hillside.
He was about to kneel down and pray to the heavens when he suddenly noticed an unusual situation - only to see a long string of figures coming from the foot of the mountain towards the mountain in the bright moonlight, estimating the number of people, at least a thousand!
Chen Congyi took a closer look, only to see that those people were holding shining bayonets in their hands, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat: "No, it must be the enemy, and it is the devils who are preparing to sneak up on our army!" ”
He deduced correctly that the enemy who came to sneak attack the New Fourth Army was the 13th Division of the Japanese Central China Dispatch Army, and also brought with it a lot of puppet troops.
What's worse is that this is a joint operation between the Japanese puppet army and the Kuomintang recalcitrant army! In order to "attack" the New Fourth Army and control the central Anhui region, the shameless 171st Division of the Gui Recalcitrant Army sent agents to contact the Japanese army, provide detailed information, and encircle the New Fourth Army.
In general, the Japanese were accustomed to flying during the day because they had aircraft to provide air support. However, in order to catch the New Fourth Army by surprise, they took a car to the west of Caojiagang and then approached on foot, so they moved extremely quickly.
If Chen Congyi had not walked out of the garrison and prayed in front of the hillside, it would have been impossible to discover the whereabouts of the Japanese army in time.
After Chen Congyi discovered the enemy, he immediately ran back to the garrison at full speed and reported the enemy situation to the commander of the company and battalion.
The head of the company battalion was shocked, and on the one hand, he immediately reported to the regimental commander Li Shihuai, and on the other hand, he woke up the soldiers from their sleep and told them not to be silent and ready for battle.
Li Shihuai calmly made a combat deployment and decided to lead his troops to break through to the east.
Just then, an underground party member hurriedly came to report that the enemy had also been found south of Caojiagang, as many as thousands of people.
Li Shihuai judged that it was most likely a trick used by the recalcitrant army - hiding behind the Japanese army to "pick up ready-made food".
The two enemies have formed a pinch attack on our army with absolute superiority in troops, and the situation is extremely critical! What to do?
At such a critical juncture, Li Shihuai became unfazed and decided to make a plan and direct a good play of "dog bites dog".
He immediately sent a guide familiar with the terrain to lead a battalion and a company to the west to meet the Japanese puppet army first, and covered the main force of the regiment to break through to the northeast.
After the battle began, a company immediately retreated to the south of Caojiagang, and after successfully luring the Japanese puppet army over, it quickly withdrew from the battle from a hidden path, allowing the Japanese puppet army and the stubborn army to kill each other.
It was precisely by virtue of Li Shihuai's ingenious strategy that the commanders and fighters of the Fifteenth Regiment not only successfully "escaped the golden cicadas" from the enemy's encirclement, but also induced the two enemies to mistakenly think that the other side was the New Fourth Army after meeting, and they beat each other in a chaotic manner, paying a considerable casualty price to both the Japanese puppet army and the stubborn army.
It is worth mentioning that if Chen Congyi had not stayed away from the large troops because he went to pray to his mother, so as to discover the Japanese sneak attack attempt in time, the Japanese puppet army and the recalcitrant army could have surrounded the Fifteenth Regiment, and the consequences were unimaginable.
After the battle, Li Shihuai gave Chen Congyi a special commendation and praised him for his great contribution to the breakthrough. It can be said that it is precisely because of Chen Congyi's habit of being often ridiculed by people that he made great achievements at a critical moment and saved the entire army.
Reference historical materials: "The History of the Second Division of the New Fourth Army in the War of Resistance", "The New Fourth Army's War of Resistance in Anhui" and so on