In 1937, after Japan launched a full-scale war of aggression against China, the invaders set their sights on Shanghai, which was the economic, cultural, and political center of the time, believing that occupying Shanghai would destroy the resistance confidence of the Chinese, and threatening to destroy China in three months.
Shanghai was relatively close to the capital Nanjing at that time, Chiang Kai-shek invested 800,000 troops in the songhu defense war, and the Japanese side also invested 300,000 troops, they launched an attack on Shanghai from three aspects of land, sea and air, this campaign can also be called the largest battle of the War of Resistance, breaking the illusion of the Japanese army's three-month destruction of China.
Battle of Songhu
The war lasted for three months before and after, and finally ended with the withdrawal of the Nationalist army from the Songhu battlefield. When retreating, Chiang Kai-shek let his concubines retreat first. However, in order to show his example, he left the troops of Sun Yuanliang of the 88th Division of the Yan Clan.
But Sun Yuanliang, as a general of the Huangpu clan, also knew that staying would definitely be a life of nine deaths. So he applied to Gu Zhutong, anyway, for political purposes, there was no need to cut off the strength of a division, so he applied to leave a regiment to hold.
"Flying" General Sun Yuanliang
But withdrew and thought about it, one regiment is too much, or leave a battalion, leave a reinforcement battalion with a total of 400 people to stay in the Sihang warehouse, and claim 800 people.
The Sihang Warehouse was a joint warehouse between the Bank of Communications and the North Sihang (Jincheng Bank, Zhongnan Bank, Mainland Bank and Salt Industry Bank) at that time, which was very strongly built and had sufficient ammunition and food supplies in it when it was withdrawn.
Ruins of the Sihang Warehouse
Relying on the advantages of the terrain and the fact that they bravely killed the enemy, the 400 brave soldiers held the Sihang Warehouse for 4 days and 4 nights, repelling countless attacks by the Japanese army.
However, the efforts of the brave men were Chiang Kai-shek's bargaining chips to solicit the sympathy of the great powers, and the Western European countries did not agree to Chiang Kai-shek's interference in Japan's invasion of China, and finally in the name of "humanitarianism", Chiang Kai-shek was asked to withdraw the 400 heroes to the British Concession.
Stick to the four-line warehouse
The 400 brave men (only 300 men, 100 who died in battle) were disarmed immediately after withdrawing into the British Concession, which was a great shame for the soldiers.
The brave men who were disarmed after withdrawing into the British Concession
After Xie Jinyuan withdrew to the concession, he was often assassinated by Japanese agents. In the middle and late period of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he was persuaded by the Wang puppet traitors to surrender, hoping that he could become the commander of the First Front Army of the Wang puppet government, but xie Jinyuan refused.
Xie Jinyuan
At 5:00 a.m. on April 24, 1941, Xie Jinyuan went out for morning exercises as usual, but he did not know that his men had been bribed. Hao Dingcheng, Long Yaoliang, Zhang Wenqing, Zhang Guoshun and four others who were bribed by the Japanese puppets killed Xie Jinyuan with a dagger at the age of 37.
Yang Ruifu
In May 1939, Yang Ruifu came to the southwest with his wife and children and injured brother-in-law to treat his injuries, due to poor medical conditions, Yang Ruifu relapsed in 1940 and was sent to Chongqing to rescue ineffectively and died at the age of 38.