"Rather a centurion, better than a book student." ——Yang Jiong, "From the Army"
There are many warriors who believe that they would rather be a small soldier in the army than to be a student, and these heroes used their bodies to block the enemy's steel knives and guns in war, in exchange for a happy life for us. Before the founding of New China, there had been war in the country, and heroes were needed to come forward.
In the battlefield, there are many people who are very heroic, and there are also many people who have created miracles by mistake, for example, there was once an officer whose superiors asked him to keep it for seven days, but he listened to it on the phone for 47 days, and the result was a military miracle.
Fang Xianjue was a general in the defense of Hengyang, and he eventually surrendered his weapons in this battle, but it still became a good story. During World War II, Hengyang was an important city and financial center in China, and at that time Hengyang even had the title of Little Shanghai, so Hengyang became a key target of the Japanese army.
Due to the geographical location of Hengyang and the development of the financial industry, if Hengyang is lost, it will cause the blockage of communication and transportation lines.
In 1944, Fang Xianjue received a phone call from Chiang Kai-shek, in which Chiang Kai-shek hoped that he would be able to lead his troops to hold out for seven days and try to withstand the enemy's attack. Unexpectedly, Fang Xianjue heard on the phone for 47 days, although Fang Xianjue felt very confused, but he could not resist the order of his superiors, so he decided to carry out this impossible order with doubts, and then he took the army to hengyang and joined the 54th Division.
On June 23 of that year, the Japanese army came to Hengyang and seized control in the air, and then Fang Xianjue's troops began to deploy a confused formation in order to reduce losses, so that the Japanese army mistakenly believed that there were not many soldiers in the small city of Hengyang and could easily occupy Hengyang. What the Japanese army did not expect was that they suddenly encountered the bombardment of grenades, in fact, all this was the deployment of Fang Xianjue behind his back, blowing up the Japanese army to the ground, and the Japanese army did not occupy an inch of land.
On June 27, the Japanese once again dropped a large number of shells on us and launched an attack on us, and at this time the city of Hengyang was in a sea of fire. Shi Fang xian felt isolated and helpless, and could only swear to resist to the death, and the defenders of Pingdingshan and Gaoling were all martyred, and the Japanese army also suffered more than 5,000 casualties. Then the Japanese army was not dead, on July 11 they once again released gas bombs, because the soldiers led by Fang Xianjue did not have gas masks, many soldiers died, and the air was full of burnt smell, so that the breath of death struck again.
On July 20, the two sides engaged in another deadly fight. In this battle, Fang Xianjue defeated the Japanese army several times with fewer victories, and although he achieved a temporary victory, Fang Xianjue did not relax, after all, the army had run out of ammunition at that time, and there was already no way to retreat, and the soldiers were killed and wounded a lot, and even those men had to charge into the battle, which showed the urgency of the situation at that time.
On August 4, the Japanese attacked again, at this time Fang Xianjue struggled to resist, while praying for reinforcements to arrive quickly, but there were still no reinforcements. It is reported that at that time, the factional struggle within the Kuomintang was serious, and no one was willing to rescue Fang Xianjue, and finally Fang Xianjue was isolated and helpless, and could only send a telegram to express "goodbye in the next life", which shows that Fang Xianjue has long decided to martyr the country. But at this moment, the adjutant next to him stopped Fang Xianjue.
Although Fang Xianjue's martyrdom can end up with a good name, how can the 7,000 wounded soldiers behind him survive? There was no way, Fang Xianjue could only choose to surrender his weapons and save the lives of nearly a thousand soldiers, at this time he seemed timid, but he saved the lives of soldiers, and presented his loyalty and righteousness in another way.
He was a true national hero, and in more than forty days of fighting, our side participated in the battle with more than 17,000 people and suffered 10,000 casualties; the Japanese side participated in the battle with more than 116,000 people and suffered 80,000 casualties. Such a disparity in the battle, such a record, is indeed a miracle.
When Fang Xianjue negotiated with the Japanese army, he also said that he must ensure that the lives of all soldiers are worry-free, and that he must treat the wounded soldiers. At the end of 1949, Fang Xianjue finally went to Taiwan, and in his later years he wrote "Hengyang Persistent Battle Memories" and used his own words to let future generations know about that past.
"Qin Shi Mingyue Han Shi Guan, The Long March of Ten Thousand Miles has not been returned." ——Wang Changling, "Out of the Plug Two Songs, Part I"
We all respect those on the battlefield who are not afraid of life and death, and hate those who are timid and steal their lives, but many people only look at the phenomenon and ignore the essence. People once thought that Fang Xianjue was a coward, but with the revelation of the truth, we found that Fang Xianjue was originally a tragic figure, he was isolated and helpless, and there were thousands of soldiers standing behind him, and he could not be martyred.
Time has passed and the war is over. Fang Xianjue no longer cared about the fame and fortune before his death. The defense of Hengyang was a brilliant stroke in the entire War of Resistance, and Fang Xianjue, for his comrades-in-arms to continue to live, used a strong hidden heart, was not afraid of the gossip of the outside world, and used his body to carry off all the pressure.
Resources:
Yang Jiong's "March from the Army"
Wang Changling's "Out of the Plug Two Songs · Part I"