As the country with the deepest hatred with China, although Japan is paranoid, narrow-minded, cruel, tyrannical, and always greedy and shameless, Japan's respect for the strong is also well known, and the Japanese army's respect for General Zhang Zizhong as "living Guan Gong" is entirely due to General Zhang Zizhong's impressive achievements in the anti-Japanese battlefield and the spirit of sacrifice for the country.
General Zhang Zizhong was one of the highest-ranking generals who died on the anti-Japanese battlefield.
In the capital, Beijing, only three places are named after modern figures: Zhang Zizhong Road, Tong Linge Road, and Zhao Dengyu Road. All three men, including General Zhang Zizhong, were national heroes who died on the anti-Japanese front.
What kind of achievements did General Zhang Zizhong have that made the Japanese army call him "Living Guan Gong"?
The "Battle of Taierzhuang" in the Battle of Xuzhou has long been famous all over the world, and almost everyone knows this extremely tragic and brilliant victory. However, many people do not know that the Linyi Blockade Battle, which also belonged to the Battle of Xuzhou, also had a fierceness and splendor that was not inferior to the Battle of Taierzhuang at all.
After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese in northern China attacked from the north and south, joined the Japanese and Kou occupying Nanjing, and launched a large-scale Battle of Xuzhou with the Chinese army in Xuzhou. At the beginning of 1938, the Japanese Isogu Division went south along the Jinpu Railway, and the Banyuan Division landed from Qingdao, and the two large armies directly approached the important town of Linyi in Lunan, and once Linyi was lost, the north of Xuzhou was fully exposed, and the Battle of Xuzhou would be extremely passive.
Li Zongren immediately sent Pang Bingxun's troops to aid Linyi, and Pang Bingxun led his troops in a bloody battle with the Japanese in Linyi, although the troops suffered heavy casualties, but Pang Bu held the determination to coexist and die with Linyi, fought a bloody battle, and held his position, and Zhang Zizhong was ordered to lead the 59th Army to reinforce.
Zhang Zizhong knew very well that the Japanese army was well-trained and well-equipped, and it was difficult for the 59th Army, which was backward in weapons and equipment, to fight head-on with the Japanese Kou. He then led his troops to a long-distance raid at night, using the method of night combat and close combat, regardless of the fatigue of long-distance raids, fighting continuously, and annihilating thousands of Japanese in one night. As a result, the Japanese abandoned the siege plan and had to turn back to the 59th Army.
The 59th Army and the Japanese repeatedly charged and killed, and even fought from village to village, and the battle was extremely fierce. Although it caused great casualties to the Japanese Kou, it also suffered heavy casualties, almost half of which were lost. In the face of such heavy casualties, Zhang Zizhong still gritted his teeth and insisted, he said: "Both the enemy and us are struggling, and the victory or defeat of the war depends on who can persist until the last five minutes", he immediately issued a combat task, and asked all officers to go to the front line to command and fight with the Japanese and Kou to the death.
In the end, under the leadership of Zhang Zizhong, the Japanese Itagaki Division that attacked Linyi suffered heavy casualties and was forced to flee. In this battle, the Japanese army suffered more than 5,000 casualties and more than 3,000 deaths, which was the heaviest casualty battle since the Japanese entered China. In this battle, General Zhang Zizhong's 59th Army suffered extremely heavy casualties, and most of the whole army was killed on the battlefield.
We all say if"
Civilian officials do not love money, and military attaches are not afraid of death
", then the country is saved. As a military general, General Zhang Zizhong completely achieved that "military attaches are not afraid of death", and he always personally led his troops to charge in the front line of anti-Japanese resistance.
In the Battle of Zaoyi, which broke out in May 1940, Zhang Zizhong led only 2,000 people to fight against the Japanese. However, due to the arrival of Japanese reinforcements, Zhang Zizhong was surrounded, and Zhang Zizhong, who regarded death as a homecoming, led his troops to fight with the Japanese Kou in a bloody battle, fighting until the last soldier was killed, and finally was shot and killed, and martyred heroically.
After Zhang Zizhong's sacrifice, the always arrogant Japanese army admired his loyalty and bravery, and they lined up to take off their hats and salute Zhang Zizhong's body.