On July 7, 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident broke out, 9 days later, Chiang Kai-shek issued the "Lushan Anti-Japanese War Statement", the national War of Resistance officially began, but unfortunately in the face of the wolf-like Japanese army, the Republic of China government was defeated and retreated, on July 29, Peiping fell, on July 30, Tianjin fell, november 12, Shanghai fell.
The distance from Shanghai to Nanjing, that is, 300 kilometers, the loss of Shanghai, made the officials in Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, panic, and Chiang Kai-shek summoned the generals of the Nationalist army three times in a row to discuss the issue of defending Nanjing, but almost all the generals believed that they should not die in Nanjing, and only one person stood up and said indignantly:
“
Nanjing is the capital of our country, the place of international observation, and the tomb of the prime minister, if it abandons the guard, why should it be the spirit of the premier in heaven?
”。
This person was Tang Shengzhi, who was then the director of military training at the Base Camp of the Nationalist Government.
Tang Shengzhi, a native of Dong'an County, Yongzhou, Hunan, came from a family of officials and eunuchs, entered the Hunan Army Armed Armament Academy at the age of 18, had excellent grades, and was often praised, but laughed at the mourning ceremony held by the school for Cixi and Guangxu, and was punished by the school.
In 1909, at the age of 19, Tang Shengzhi was admitted to the Third Army School in Wuchang, Hubei Province, where he met the revolutionary Tan Renfeng and, under his influence, joined the League; in 1912, he was admitted to the Baoding Military Academy and became a proud protégé of Jiang Baili.
After that, Tang Shengzhi successively participated in the campaign to expel Tang from Yuan's protection of the country, the movement to protect the law, the expulsion of Zhang Jingyao, the expulsion of Wang Zhanyuan, and by 1923, he was the governor of Hunan Province and the commander-in-chief of the Xiang Army.
Although Tang Shengzhi was a national army, but has always been close to the Ccp, after the outbreak of the April 12 counter-revolution in 1927, Tang Shengzhi opposed Chiang Kai-shek three times, until after the September 18 Incident, the two shook hands and made peace, unanimously to the outside world, even so, Tang Shengzhi still adhered to the principle of never slaughtering a communist ~ proletarian ~ party member, after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Tang Shengzhi actively resisted Japan, which had a scene of advocating the oath of nanjing, above the meeting, he said:
If Nanjing does not sacrifice one or two generals, we will not only be sorry for the spirit of the premier in heaven, but also sorry for our supreme commander. I advocate sticking to Nanjing and fighting the enemy to the end!
Tang Shengzhi's words were exactly in the arms of Chiang Kai-shek, and he also felt that he could not account to the people without guarding Nanjing, so Tang Shengzhi became the commander of the Nanjing garrison, but unfortunately, Tang Shengzhi did not become the general who "sacrificed one or two members" as he wished, but his close friend Xiao Shanling became the supreme general who died in the defense of Nanjing.
Xiao Shan Ling is a native of Yiyang, Hunan, 2 years younger than Tang Shengzhi, half a fellow countryman, born in the local Shuxiang Mendi, a family of three generations lian zhongxiucai, but when Xiao Shan Ling was born, the Manchu Qing Dynasty had fallen and was wantonly humiliated by Western powers, which made Xiao Shan Ling very indignant, so in 1909, 17-year-old Xiao Shan Ling was admitted to the Hunan Army Primary School and vowed to "
The soldiers are in their hands, sweeping away the demons
In 1916, Xiao Shanling graduated from the Baoding Army Officer School, joined the Xiang Army, and became a subordinate of Tang Shengzhi, because of his courage and insight, he was quickly valued by Tang Shengzhi and rose all the way to the regimental commander.
Around 1927, the form of the revolution changed, Xiao Shan was discouraged, returned to his hometown in 1928, and was appointed governor of Yuanjiang West County, but at this time Tang Shengzhi was planning a second anti-Chiang Kai-shek, where can he let his confidant Xiao Shan ling idle? Therefore, in 1929, Xiao Shan Ling went out of the mountain again and entered the garrison headquarters.
After the defense of Nanjing began, Tang Shengzhi and Xiao Shanling cooperated very tacitly, but in the face of several times their own Japanese troops, the soldiers guarding Nanjing, still fell into a bitter battle, on December 8, 1937, on the 6th day of the battle, the Japanese army had already attacked the outskirts of Nanjing, and at this time, Chiang Kai-shek summoned Tang Shengzhi to Chongqing for an emergency meeting, and the heavy responsibility of guarding Nanjing fell on Xiao Shanling alone.
Tang Shengzhi's departure also caused the soldiers guarding Nanjing to fall into pessimism, and some people advised Xiao Shanling."
Measure up the situation to ensure safety
But Xiao ShanLing resolutely said:
Ordered to defend the capital, defense is no way, there is no way to kill the party-state, there is no way to kill the enemy, there is no way to kill the old and young in Jinling, greedy and afraid of death, bowing down to the slave, how to see the father and elder of Jiangdong, I go, what should the people of Nanjing do?
On December 9, the situation in Nanjing, which was defending the city, was in turmoil, and he was advised to make an early retreat plan, but Xiao Shanling said: "
Defending the land for the country is the duty of a soldier, I should be loyal to the country, smile on the battlefield, and stick to Nanjing, I intend to make an early decision!
On December 12, Chiang Kai-shek and Tang Shengzhi ordered a "full-line breakthrough retreat", hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians poured into the lower pass, chaotic, Xiao ShanLing saw the pain in his eyes, he did not take the lead in evacuating, but ordered the gendarmerie zhang to block the Japanese army, and he and his subordinates demolished houses and rafts to try to let more people cross the river.
On December 13, Xiao Shan Ling led thousands of soldiers to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese army, fiercely fighting for 5 hours, thousands of soldiers died heroically, Xiao Shan Ling raised a gun to martyr the country, to achieve the wish of defending Nanjing.
When Xiao Shanling was sacrificed, he was only 45 years old, the Republic of China government posthumously awarded him the title of army general, and when Chiang Kai-shek trained his officers, he was often called "anti-Wu giant", and after the reconquest of Nanjing, Xiao Shanling's name was engraved on the Yuhuatai and enjoyed the honor he deserved.
During the war to defend Nanjing, Tang Shengzhi, who was urgently recalled by Chiang Kai-shek, also resigned from all his posts after the fall of Nanjing, returned to his hometown to run a school, and trained anti-Japanese rescue talents.
After the outbreak of the civil war, Chiang Kai-shek invited Tang Shengzhi to nanjing to take up a post, but Tang Shengzhi refused, in August 1949, Tang Shengzhi telegraphed the uprising, served as vice governor of Hunan Province and other positions, in 1970, Tang Shengzhi died at the age of 79.