After the Qiqi Lugou Bridge Incident, the Japanese changed their previous plans to encroach on China, and when their patience was exhausted, they began to decide to swallow China, and even more arrogantly clamored to destroy China in three months.
Due to the inferiority in weapons and equipment, china can only adopt the strategic approach of exchanging space for time
。 In the vast Battlefield of China, the situation of the General War was used to deplete Japan's living forces, let them fall into the Chinese battlefield, and then achieve the goal of dragging down the Japanese.
The Battle of Songhu broke out
On the frontal battlefield, in order to shift the direction of the Japanese army's attack from the southwest to the southeast, it is conducive to China's long-term attrition and war with the Japanese army. The Chinese government has decided to sacrifice Shanghai, the economic center, and turn Shanghai into a battlefield. To this end, our army took the initiative to launch an attack on the Japanese garrison in the Shanghai area, and the Battle of Songhu broke out.
The Battle of Songhu was the first large-scale battle between China and Japan in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The fierceness of the war exceeded the expectations of both China and Japan. After the outbreak of the war, China successively transferred 48 infantry divisions from various places, in addition to 15 independent brigades and local troops, with a total strength of more than 700,000 troops. Unfortunately, however, because China's transportation facilities are very backward, some of the troops transferred from all over the country are still on the road after the end of the war, so the actual number of troops on the battlefield is about 400,000.
At the cost of more than 60% of the casualties of elite troops, the bloody battle with 300,000 Japanese troops lasted for three months.
Because the Japanese artillery fire was far sharper than our army, the front line positions were reduced to ashes during the three-month war. The casualties of the soldiers were heavy, my country had lost the ability to continue fighting, and the troops were in dire need of rest before they could enter the fighting.
On November 11, 1937, the mayor of Shanghai issued a letter to the people, painfully declaring the fall of Shanghai.
Xie Jinyuan took the "Eight Hundred Heroes" behind the palace
After the fall of Shanghai, elite troops must be left to block the Japanese army to cover the retreat of the main force to the south. Those who stay will have the determination to die.
In order to cover the westward retreat of 100,000 troops, at this time of danger, Xie Jinyuan was ordered to lead the first battalion of the 524 regiment to cover, and he expressed his willingness to complete this task with his life.
His only request was for the division commander to leave more ammunition.
After the main force withdrew to the west, Xie Jinyuan led a battalion of 410 soldiers to lie to the outside world that it was a regiment of 800 people stationed in the Sihang warehouse. Therefore, the troops led by Xie Jinyuan were called "Eight Hundred Heroes". At this time, the west and north sides of the Sihang warehouse had completely fallen under the control of the Japanese, while the southeast two directions were public concessions, and more than 400 people led by Xie Jinyuan had been completely isolated at this time. They could only rely on the "isolated island" of the Sihang Warehouse to resist the Japanese army and buy time for the main force to retreat.
Since the 27th, the "eight hundred brave men" led by Xie Jinyuan have already exchanged fire with the vanguard of the Japanese army. At this time, only the Sihang warehouse in the Shanghai area was still resisting. When the people across the river from the Sihang warehouse heard the gunshots, they knew that there were still troops fighting in Shanghai, and they rushed to tell each other.
The patriotic people came to the nearby high-rise buildings to watch the battle in spite of the fierce flames of war and shouted for Xie Jinyuan's "eight hundred soldiers" .
What's more, taking advantage of the darkness to risk sending a national flag into the Sihang warehouse.
After receiving the flag sent by the people, many people were left in tears. Xie Jinyuan even shouted the slogan of "swearing to coexist and die with the national flag".
The "eight hundred heroes" carried by Xie Jinyuan were like a nail nailed to the heart of the Japanese. The Japanese sent tens of thousands of men to launch a frenzied attack on our positions.
The two sides fought fiercely for four days, during which more than 200 Japanese were killed, and the number of wounded could not be calculated.
Our army only lost 9 people, and the Japanese army was never able to advance half a step.
The feat of the Sihang Warehouse shocked the whole country, and Xie Jinyuan was awarded the rank of colonel. Later, under the mediation of the British, eight hundred heroes retired to the British lease. However, the British reneged on their word, and they detained Xie Jinyuan and others.
They were held captive by the British
。 Even so, Xie Jinyuan and his men still insisted on raising the national flag every day.
Xie Jinyuan, a hero known as a loyal hero, was assassinated by traitors in 1941, and after Xie Jinyuan's death, 300,000 citizens of Shanghai went to mourn.
Xie Jinyuan and more than 400 of his men were also hailed as "typical of national revolution."
Afterwards, Xie Jinyuan was posthumously awarded the rank of major general and was awarded the Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun, the highest honor of the War of Resistance. Although Xie Jinyuan died, his deeds of not fearing violence and heroic resistance to the enemy will forever remain in our hearts.