On May 7, 1940, Zhang Zizhong led his troops to participate in the Battle of Zaoyi, and with the headquarters pistol battalion and two regiments of the 74th Division, crossed the Xiang River from the east of Yicheng, posing a great threat to the enemy. It was immediately counterattacked by the main Japanese army. After seven or eight days of bitter fighting, the troops were severely reduced and there was a shortage of food and ammunition.
On May 16, Zhang Zizhong and the rest of the people were trapped by the Japanese army at Xing'er Mountain in the pumpkin shop. From morning to noon, he fought bravely and refused to retreat. In battle, he was shot in the shoulder and still commanded Ruoding.
Zhang Zizhong was a general who was good at using soldiers, he loved soldiers, but never doted on and indulged, he was deeply influenced by traditional Chinese culture, and he had studied the use of soldiers by ancient Chinese generals such as "Sun Tzu's Art of War". He was very strict with his subordinates, and placed "love" in "strictness". In 1932, when he organized a military summer training of cadres at Mai Mountain in Heshun County, he trained three nine in winter and three volts in summer, which was so severe that people could not stand it. However, after two cold and hot trainings, he trained an anti-Japanese brigade in the Taihang Mountains. In 1938, when he organized the Hanshui Defense Line to defend Yichang and Shashi, and stationed at Jingmen, due to the solemn military discipline, the people carved a monument next to the Lu Jiuyuan Ancestral Hall of Longquan Academy to commemorate the use of soldiers. He believed that carrying a gun as a soldier was itself a profession of dealing with the devil and death, which in itself meant sacrifice. At the end of his period of humiliation and burden in Beiping, when he returned to the original 59th Army, at the meeting held by the 59th Army to welcome his return, Zhang Zizhong said passionately: "When I came back this time, I did not take the brothers to get rich, but led the brothers to die!"
He felt that a soldier died on the anti-Japanese battlefield, even if Ma Ge wrapped his body, his bones still left incense. Since crossing the river, the two regiments and one battalion he led were caught by the Japanese army and suffered heavy casualties. Whenever he heard the name of a fallen officer, he bowed down to him and held a moment of silence. Then look up, can't help but grit your teeth and scold something...
The small number of pistol battalions was deploying southwards in the mountain rush, and the enemy had already occupied most of the positions and was approaching the General Headquarters. Xu Wenqing, the commander of the pistol battalion, rushed to the commander of the engineer battalion: "Fight, the enemy is rushing up!" ”
The engineering battalion suffered heavy casualties, and the enemy had three or four squadrons charging en masse, and the machine guns and artillery fire were intertwined, so that the engineering battalion could not lift its head. Xu Wenqing looked at the engineering battalion's somewhat shaken appearance and was busy: "Commander Zhao, you have to stand up well, the commander-in-chief is behind." “
Commander Zhao turned his head and said, "You can rest assured..." Before he could finish speaking, he was shot and killed.
The enemy rushed up, the engineering battalion suffered casualties, and Xu Wenqing's chief of staff had to retreat west with a guard...
On the morning of the 16th, the Japanese army rushed to Xing'er Mountain. Zhang Zizhong's soldiers were less than 200 people, and they were still fighting hard.
When the news of the death of the commander of the guard company Zhang Zizhong reached Zhang Zizhong's ears, he was stunned and shouted: "Ma Xiaotang, organize the team!" ”
Major Adjutant Ma Xiaotang jumped up from the trenches: "Commander-in-Chief, you must go now, leave the battlefield, here we are!" ”
"You want me to be a deserter?" Zhang Zizhong said angrily, "I didn't see a spineless soldier!" ”
The locust-dense Japanese had reached their last line of defense. In order to remove this thorn, the Japanese army spent enough money to deal with a team of less than 3,000 people with 30,000 people.
"Commander-in-chief," Lieutenant Guard Jia Yubin rushed over, put his hands on Zhang Zizhong's left arm, turned his head and shouted at another guard, "Gu Ruixue, pull the commander-in-chief down, pull down!" ”
"Fight the enemy and catch me for what!" Zhang Zizhong roared.
In emergency situations, however, the Defenders had the power to use coercive means to move their chiefs to safety.
"You are afraid of death!" I'm not going! Zhang Zizhong and the guards were pulling at each other in the trenches.
"Commander-in-Chief!"
Zhang Zizhong followed the sound, and it was the commander of the Wang Company of the pistol battalion who arrived.
"Commander Wang, how many troops do you still have?"
"Commander-in-Chief, I still have a dozen bloody men!"
"What are you doing here, go and fight the enemy and avenge Commander Zhang!"
"Commander-in-Chief, I have come to persuade you to leave immediately and leave immediately!" Commander Wang knelt in front of Zhang Zizhong, "Please commander-in-chief take a step first, we will not fight back the enemy in front of us, and we will not die here in the line of fire!" ”
"Company Commander Wang, you... You..."
"Quick, you drag the commander-in-chief down, hurry up!" After the commander of the Wang Company finished speaking, he swung his gun and rushed toward the enemy.
Looking at The commander of Wang Company commanding the troops to rush towards the enemy group, Zhang Zizhong laughed loudly: "Good look, worthy of my subordinates!" ”
"Da-da..."A burst of Japanese machine gun bullets swept over, covering Zhang Zizhong's voice.
"Lieutenant Ma is injured!" Someone shouted.
Two machine gun bullets hit Ma Xiaotang in the leg, and Ma Xiaotang fell to the ground and could not stand up. Zhang Zizhong shouted loudly: "Jia Yubin and Cui Yongxiang, quickly send Deputy Ma away!" The two guards ran to Ma Adjutant Ma and held him away, and Ma Xiaotang pushed them away: "Leave me alone, quickly rescue the commander-in-chief." ”
At this time, a small group of Japanese troops had rushed to less than 30 meters in front of them, and the bayonets on the three or eight large covers flashed a chilling light.
"Dada..." The Japanese heavy machine guns strafed over, and Ma Xiaotang and two guards were shot and killed at the same time. The small group of Japanese troops seemed to have spotted Zhang Zizhong, a high official, and rushed up to him screaming, while Zhang Zizhong was only left with a few guards. At this critical moment, Wang Company Commander rushed over with a group of people, and a hand-to-hand battle of bayonets and bayonets finally annihilated the small group of Japanese troops.
Hundreds of corpses fell in front of Zhang Zizhong's last line of defense, their offensive was more fierce and fierce, shells poured into the Chinese army positions in front, like rolling thunder cannons were trembling, dust stirred and smoke filled the air above the positions, and at noon the sun turned dim yellow, and the entire mountain was shrouded in a sea of iron blood and fire.
At this time, Zhang Zizhong came from the high ground, and several guards wanted to get close to him, but he resolutely disagreed. Defender Gu Ruixue pointed to his blood-soaked tweed uniform and said, "Commander-in-Chief, the wound on your left shoulder is bleeding again!" ”
Everyone gathered around the commander-in-chief.
Zhang Zizhong asked loudly, "Is there anyone in the Staff Office?" ”
"Yes!" Lieutenant Colonel Chief of Staff Li Xianmo ran over to answer. Zhang Zizhong held the wound in one hand and looked at Li Xianmo and said, "You are afraid that you can't do it alone." Staff Officer Cheng, you two have one arm on each side, and Director Wu must also endure some pain. Let's go over the Long Mountain in the northeast direction, hurry! If you don't go any further, you won't have a chance. ”
"Commander-in-chief go, take the commander-in-chief away!" Wu Guangliao said in a long voice.
At this critical juncture of life and death, Zhang Zizhong disregarded his personal safety and was so concerned and considerate of his subordinates that the officers and men present shed tears and had to turn around step by step and two times to set up Director Wu Guangliao and leave. Lieutenant Colonel Li Xianmo glanced at his watch at this time, and it was exactly 12 noon. (After the war, Lieutenant Colonel Li wrote an article entitled "Not Afraid of Danger" in memory of General Zhang Zizhong.) ）
After Zhang Zizhong sent Wu Guangliao away, there was a loud gunfire around him. Amid the mutual fighting, the last line of defense of the Chinese army was broken by the Japanese army. The officers and men of the headquarters had no choice but to retreat in the direction of Changshan in the northeast. The explosions of rifles and grenades sounded in unison. The Japanese artillery began to extend its firepower, and it was obvious that the infantry had hit the target. Almost none of the officers and men of the headquarters survived. At this time, Zhang Zizhong only had the guardian Gu Ruixue by his side. Gu Ruixue dragged Zhang Zizhong's arm: "Commander-in-Chief, the officers and men are dead, the enemy will rush over immediately, go fast!" ”
"Can't go, fight!"
"Commander-in-Chief, get down this ditch, hurry!" Gu Ruixue grabbed his uninjured right arm.
"No, I can't be a deserter!" As soon as his words fell, a heavy machine gun bullet hit him in the left chest, and the bullet flew out from behind again.
"Commander-in-Chief!" Gu Ruixue hugged Zhang Zizhong and cried.
Zhang Zizhong touched the head of the guard and smiled: "You little boy, what are you crying, dying on the battlefield is the duty of a soldier." I feel that this is a good intention for the country, for the people, and for the governor. ”
"Dada..." Another string of Japanese heavy machine guns strafed over, "Ah..." Zhang Zizhong let out a low roar, Gu Ruixue looked up, and the commander-in-chief had a machine gun bullet in the upper part of his left eyebrow and a temple...
General Zhang Zizhong was martyred for the country, and Gu Ruixue put down the general's body, and he cried and put the general's coat on the general's body. The Japanese pounced like mad dogs, and with a tear in his eyes fired the 20-shot gun in his hand at the swarming enemy...
At the same time as Commander-in-Chief Zhang, more than 300 officers and men of the pistol team were killed, including regimental commander Hong Jintian, Li Shichang, guards, and pistol team officers...
The day of General Zhang Zizhong's martyrdom was May 16, 1940, and Zhang Zizhong's death caused a strong shock throughout the country and greatly boosted the morale and determination of all soldiers to take revenge. They sang the "Revenge Song": "The sea has dry, the stone has rot, and death cannot forget the pumpkin shop," killing the enemy.
The soldier's manual of the 32nd Army reads: "Who killed the commander-in-chief?" This vendetta is not repaid to anyone! ”
Even the Japanese invading army admired him very much and admired his integrity and bravery.
When the Japanese army found the body of General Zhang Zizhong on the bloody battlefield, it was in awe of the rival who fought in the former battlefield. They carried general Zhang's body to the south of the Chen Family Ancestral Hall, 30 miles away, and buried it with the coffin of a carpenter named Wei Huashan on the Chen family. And on the back of the coffin was written the line "Spirit of General Zhang Zizhong". It can be seen that the heroes on the battlefield are not only loved by their own people, but also loved by the people, and even the enemies are respected.