On September 1, 1937, Yang Sen led the 20th Army from Guiyang and Anshun garrisons and set off on foot along the Xiangqian Highway.
On October 12, it arrived at the Shanghai front, under the command of Xue Yue, commander of the 6th Corps of the Commander of the Songhu Theater, and on the 13th, it was put into the war-torn Songhu Battlefield.
The first task was to recover the lost positions of friendly forces around the Hashitei Mansion and Epiphany Temple.
Yang Sen ordered the 804th Brigade of the 402nd Brigade of the 134th Division, which was closest to the area, to organize a counterattack against the Wenbin Regiment and recover the lost territory.
Yang Sen said: "This is the first battle of the Sichuan army out of Sichuan, we must fight to the end in blood, recover the lost land, and must not pull the egg!" ”
Lieutenant Colonel Xiang Wenping was well trained and famous in the whole army, although there were only two battalions, but when he first entered the battlefield, he had a high morale.
Xiang Wenbin
The Sichuan army braved the enemy's guns and bullets to rush towards the enemy in turn...
The Japanese guns and artillery were like a storm, and the planes bombed one after another, and the smoke of gunfire filled the sky with flames...
By the 17th of the battle, after repeated battles of rushing and killing and making huge sacrifices, the enemy was finally defeated, the bridge pavilion house and the Epiphany Temple position were recovered, and a large number of guns and ammunition were captured.
After counting the officers and men of the whole regiment, there was only 1 battalion commander left, the company commander was either killed or wounded, none of them were spared, only 4 platoon leaders were left, and only more than 120 soldiers were left.
Chiang Kai-shek personally sent an edict of commendation: "Xiang Wenbin, commander of the 804th Regiment of the 402nd Brigade of the 134th Division of the 20th Army, led his troops to attack bravely, recaptured the qiaoting house and the position of the Epiphany Temple, and was immediately promoted to major general and awarded a prize of 6,000 yuan!" ”
During xiang Wenbin's three hours of fierce fighting in one day, Chiang Kai-shek knew of his bravery and personally called from lieutenant colonel to colonel, and even general, and was considered to be a prominent representative of the Sichuan army who was in danger and bravely served the country.
Yang Sen was both happy and sad: "Xiang Tuan played the spirit of the first battle of the Sichuan people, grew the prestige of the Sichuan army, and the ambition of the Sichuan people." This is the result of the battle that was exchanged for the lives of 2000 Sichuan army brothers......... The position must be consolidated, don't throw it away again! ”
During the fierce battle between the Japanese army and the XiangWenbin regiment, on the 15th, lin Xianghou, the commander of the 802nd regiment, led his troops to cover the flank at the Position of Yunzaohama, and died heroically in the fierce battle with the Japanese army on the evening of the 18th.
Lin Xianghou (1900-1937), a native of Luchuan, Sichuan, was born as a defender of Yang Sen, the first regimental commander of the Sichuan Army to sacrifice his life for the country on the battlefield of Songhu, and in December 1988, the Sichuan Provincial People's Government posthumously recognized him as a revolutionary martyr.
Xiang Wenbin, a native of Tangjiawan, Guangfu Town, Guang'an County, Sichuan, was appointed commander of the Chongqing Security Police Corps in July 1948, commander of the Independent Division of the 20th Army and a member of the Military Commission of the 20th Army in December 1949, and revolted in Guanghan, Sichuan on December 23.
Later, he served as a teacher at the Second Senior Infantry School of the People's Liberation Army, a member of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and a vice chairman of the CppcC Committee of Guang'an County, Sichuan Province. He died of illness in Guang'an, Sichuan on June 12, 1987.
In the Battle of Songhu, the 20th Army fought fiercely with the Japanese army for seven days and nights through the front line of Qiaoting House, Dunwu Temple, Yunzaobang, and Chen Jiaxing, and although it won the victory, the cost was extremely heavy. There were more than 7,000 casualties, and only more than 5,000 remained.
After the war, Janssen's face was iron blue, extremely uncomfortable, and he muttered to himself: "7,000 casualties, 7,000 ... It's my Yang Sen's disciple soldier, a good brother in Chuanzhong..."
The remnants of the 20th Army withdrew to Nanjing, and Chiang Kai-shek immediately summoned Yang Sen.
Yang Sen's clothes were dirty and old, and in order not to lose his manners, he went to the Nanjing flea market to buy old military uniforms, wear the lieutenant general's badge, and went to the official residence to see Chiang Kai-shek.
Chiang Kai-shek commended Yang Sen for his bravery, was promoted to commander-in-chief of the 27th Group Army, replenished a large number of guns returned from abroad, and transferred to Anqing to replenish the troops and rest.
Since then, the 20th Army has been renewed, morale is high, and it continues to fight on the anti-Japanese front.