On November 2, 1943, When Yokoyama, then commander of the 11th Army, led 5 divisions and 100,000 Japanese to invade Changde, China, Chairman Jiang sent a telegram and ordered Yu Chengwan to personally go to Changde to defend the city, and also called Wang Yaowu, then commander of the 74th Army, and Xue Yue, commander of the Ninth Theater: "The garrison must coexist and die with Changde and strive to protect Changde!" ”
After receiving the order of Chairman Chiang Kai-shek, Yu Chengwan immediately led the 57th Division, which had only 8,000 troops, to garrison Changde and engaged in a fierce battle with the Japanese.
On the sixth day of the war, the reinforcements were unable to support, the original 8,000 troops were getting smaller and smaller, in the face of the fierce attack of the Japanese and the gradual increase in troops, Yu Chengwan vowed to resist to the death! With a righteous face, he said firmly: "The bullets are exhausted, the aid is exhausted, there is no one, and the city is broken." The deputy division commanders, commanders, division attachés, directors of the political department, chiefs of staff, etc. held the central bank, and the regimental commanders divided the areas, held a house, made a final resistance, swore to die, and wished victory. Long live the Seventy-fourth Army..."
This was the last telegram sent by Yu Chengwan to the commander, and he seemed to be ready to "die with the Japanese". The soldiers, such as the accompanying doctors, brothers-in-law, politicians, and so on, were all arranged by Yu Chengwan to the front line.
In the end, the enemy army was overwhelmed and suffered a severe blow, and the Japanese wing commander Fukami Daisaku and more than a thousand Japanese Kou led by him were all annihilated.
Yu Chengwan (film and television drama image)
In this battle, Yu Chengwan led 8,000 troops to resist the invasion of Changde's 40,000 troops, annihilated 12,000 Japanese troops, resisted the Japanese Kou for 16 days, three division commanders and tens of thousands of soldiers sacrificed their precious lives, while a total of 280,000 citizens of Changde were killed or seriously injured, residents' residences were burned and blown up 77,000 rooms, direct economic losses reached 470,5569 million yuan, and finally only 83 people broke out, writing a brilliant page in the history of China's War of Resistance...
In addition, according to the description in the "Record of the Fall of Changde and Taoyuan" written by the historian Zhai Bozan, in this battle, 131,900 ordinary people in China were innocently killed, 38,850 ordinary people were injured, 35,185 civilian women were raped by the Japanese Kou, of which 4237 women died of rape, 82,497 people were robbed, a total of 16589484 stones were robbed, 86,512 cattle were lost, and more than 3 million refugees were left homeless.
The American journalist Epstein once commented on the "Battle of Changde": The losses caused by any war in Shanghai, including the famous "Battle of Taierzhuang" in history, are not enough to compare with the "Battle of Changde".
"General Hu Ben" Yu Chengwan
Yu Chengwan, also known as Shi Jian, was born in 1902 in a small village in Taishan County, Guangdong Province, with eight children, the second eldest. His father's name was Yu Zhouwu (余周武), the character Weihong (伟宏), who enjoyed a high reputation in the local area, was selfless, honest and benevolent, and was known as "Ren Weng" by his neighbors.
Since he was a child, Yu Chengwan listened to his father tell him the touching story of his ancestor Yu Long who rebelled against the inaction of politicians and finally died in battle, and taught him and his brothers and sisters to strive to inherit the legacy of their ancestors and fight for justice all their lives. Under the guidance of his father, Yu Chengwan in his childhood secretly resolved to become a soldier who defended the country like his ancestors.
On weekdays, he especially likes to play combat games with his friends and often plays the role of the leader. If he loses the war, he will inevitably fight with the other side again until the other side is defeated, and these experiences have planted a small seed for him to stubbornly carry out the War of Resistance Against Japan in the future.
In 1918, at the age of 16, Yu Chengwan was admitted to the Panyu Normal School in Guangzhou with excellent results and graduated with the fourth honor in the school. Subsequently, at the age of 20, he was admitted to the Guangdong Railway College, and after entering the school, he dabbled in a wide range of knowledge in various fields, from reading the poetry collections of ancient celebrities to science and technology, and finally obtained a graduation certificate with the second best grade in the school.
In the year of graduation, Yu Chengwan met Chen Jiongming's rebellion, at this time he witnessed the aggression of foreign powers against China, but also experienced the faint rebellion of many Chinese. Therefore, he began to think about the major events of the country and how China could be saved that day, and he once said: "The eldest husband must learn the knowledge of the military and serve the country." ”
a little more than a million
Finally, Yu Chengwan's passionate love for the country finally had the opportunity to show it. In the spring of 1924, the First Congress of the Chinese Kuomintang was held in Guangzhou, at which Dr. Sun Yat-sen decided to establish an officer school to enrich the professional talents of the army and supplement the rejuvenation of the country.
Yu Chengwan, who heard this news, sprung up like a mushroom and immediately applied for the famous "Whampoa Military Academy." He passed the examination in May of that year and graduated with the 11th place in the school in December of that year, becoming the first graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy at the age of 22.
Yu Chengwan, who had just graduated, seized the military power and went out on two expeditions in the following years to fight against Yang Ximin and Liu Zhenhuan. Subsequently, he attacked north with his troops, and successively exerted his hands and feet in Xiang, Gansu, Zhejiang, And Jiangsu.
At his father's suggestion, he also understood that a soldier needs to master both military skills and political knowledge. Therefore, in 1928, Yu Chengwan was admitted to a Chinese university to transfer politics, to create a new environment and greater hope for China, and graduated with a third-place degree in politics. Subsequently, he entered the Army University to study, and in the 21st year of the Republic of China, he entered the Research Institute of Junjun University for further study, and became the chief of staff in August 22 of the Republic of China.
Since the army, Yu Chengwan has never been on the battlefield. The war in the north of Tongguan in 1938 made him even more famous, and he was later appointed deputy commander of the 57th Division of the 74th Army.
Later, the troops led by Yu Chengwan and Li Tianxia waged a fierce struggle against the Japanese in Gao'an, Hubei Province, and in the end the Japanese Kou were defeated by the strong attack of our army and were defeated and retreated; later, he cooperated with Zhang Lingfu and Li Tianxia to fight with the Japanese in Shanggao, Jiangxi, to prevent the Japanese from further attacking the mainland territory; the famous "Battle of Changsha" and the "Battle of Wufeng" in western Zhejiang, Yu Chengwan also used his political strategy and military knowledge to firmly occupy the land, and was subsequently promoted to commander.
When leading the troops, Yu Chengwan was not only very strict with himself, but also lenient and strict with the troops, and even he himself was no exception, demanding that he lead everything by example, so the troops he led rarely violated military discipline.
He often said to his soldiers: "Soldiers must be rewarded for meritorious service, soldiers must be punished if they make mistakes, rewards are not bad, punishment is not bad, punishment is not enough, everything must pursue justice, a good army must have steel discipline, whether it is the leader of an army, or a soldier, or even a man in a unit must abide by the discipline of the army!" ”
Therefore, the troops he led got along very well with the people everywhere he went, and "military and civilian family" was the most authentic description at that time.
Led by General Yu Cheng Wanyu, the 57th Division, code-named Tiger Ben, had strict military discipline, and in battle, this unit was as fierce and powerful as a tiger. Under the leadership of Yu Chengwan, the 57th Division not only ensured the safety of the lives of the broad masses of the people, but also often enthusiastically helped the people to carry out productive labor, increase the people's income, and truly did not deceive or disturb the people. On the eve of the "Battle of Changde", the 57th Division also personally commanded the evacuation of the large local people, which was deeply supported by the people.
The people of Changde often say: We in Changde are really so lucky, we have never seen such a disciplined and loving unit as Hu Ben, and we will never forget that we have two good generals who loved the people before and after Changde, formerly General Feng Yuxiang and now General Yu Chengwan!
Yes, the Northwest Army, led by General Feng Yuxiang, used the mule and carriage of its own army to carry goods for the people, and sometimes carried ordinary people; and the Tiger Ben army led by General Yu Chengwan not only served the people as masters, but also did not pull the people's husbands, which really touched the people. In the atmosphere of military and civilian families, the dead city began to be resurrected.
The "Battle of Changde" has created a generation of famous generals
The Battle of Changde not only occupies an important position in Chinese history, but also plays a very important role in the process of world history.
On June 22, 1941, after winning major victories in the war with France and other Europe, Germany openly tore up the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact and launched a war against the Soviet Union, and the Soviet-German war broke out. On December 8 of the same year, The Japanese "kamikaze" attacked Pearl Harbor in the United States by suicide, and the Pacific War was on the verge of breaking out.
The Pacific War between the Soviet Union and Germany and between the United States and Japan completely changed the direction of the world situation, and China thus joined the world anti-fascist camp and became the main battlefield in the east of the world anti-fascist united front, which had a great impact on the strategy of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
On the day of the outbreak of the Pacific War on December 8, the Kuomintang government declared war on the Japanese army, and many countries in Europe, the United States, Asia and other countries joined the anti-Japanese occupation war queue, and at the same time, the United States also signed the "Sino-US Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Resisting Aggression and Mutual Assistance" with the Kuomintang government, which determined that the United States would fund the weapons and equipment of the Kuomintang government, as well as training to fight against Japan in unison, and at the same time send pilots and other professionals to conduct professional training for Chinese soldiers, and returned up to 500 million yuan in loans to China.
In January 1942, 26 countries, including China, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom, signed a joint anti-German, Japanese, Italian, and French fascist joint declaration, and at this moment, different socialist countries abandoned their prejudices, reached a consensus beyond consciousness, and formed an anti-fascist legion. The British and U.S. governments have changed their previous negative attitude toward China and have provided economic and material assistance to China for their own benefit.
When the world anti-fascist war was moving towards a counter-offensive, the Battle of Changde broke out. In June 1942, the United States and Japan fought a naval war on Midway, which ended in a crushing defeat for the Japanese army, so the Midway Maritime War became a strategic turning point in the Pacific War.
In order to recover its losses in the Pacific War, the Japanese army made a strategic measure to "contain the Chongqing Army's counterattack on Burma". Therefore, the Japanese governor chose Changde, a strategic place in the southeast that could spy on Hengyang and Changsha, and the west that could spy on the east of Sichuan, threatening Chongqing.
Changde could not only prevent the Chinese army from restoring the international communication line of the Burma Highway, but also be very beneficial to the Japanese army's railway plan to penetrate the entire East Asian region. The Japanese army vainly tried to cover up its defeat in the Pacific War, thereby motivating and improving the morale of the Japanese soldiers, calming the fears of the Japanese soldiers, and diverting the international media's attention to the Pacific War. Therefore, the Japanese army did not hesitate to borrow all costs to attack Changde, an important strategic place. At this time, for China, Changde's gains and losses were related to the survival of the Republic of China.
In 1943, the Sino-Japanese Battle of Western Hubei broke out, and the prelude to the Battle of Changde sounded. In August of the same year, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Chinese Foreign Ministry member Song Ziyi attended the Quebec Conference in Canada, at which Roosevelt issued a declaration on strengthening the war against Japan.
In October, the Four Nations Declaration of the Communist Party of China, the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom issued a four-nation declaration at the Moscow Conference, established an international security agency, and established China as an important position as the main battlefield in the strategy of unanimous resistance against Japan, and China assumed the main responsibility for defeating the Japanese army.
On November 2, Rikou led the Third, Thirteenth, Thirty-ninth, Sixty-eighth, and 116th Armies, as well as small armies composed of other units, and other teams totaling more than 100,000 people.
Armed weapons such as heavy battle convoys, chemical weapons gas gas bombs, and so on were used, and the commander of the 11th Army, Yong Yokoyama, as the commander-in-chief, attacked Changde mainly from these three directions from Shimen, Nuanshuijie, Taoyuan, and Cili at ximen, nanxianan county, Anxiang, Huarong, and Hanshou in the east, and Lixian, Linli, Gong'an, and Jinshi in the middle.
On November 18, our army launched the first head-on confrontation with Tujiahu, officially opening the prelude to the "Battle of Changde".
On November 21, Deng Xianfeng, the commander of the 188th Regiment of the 63rd Division of the 100th Army, escaped because of his cowardice and greed, fearing death, which led to the occupation of Tokuyama by the Japanese.
In comparison, the soldiers we stationed in Changde City only had 57 divisions led by General Yu Chengwan, with only 8,000 troops. But it was these 8,000 men who single-handedly waged a 16-day war with the Japanese. In the end, the lives of 6,000 soldiers stopped in this war, more than 1,000 soldiers were poisoned by the gas gas bombs of the Japanese Kou, and only 200 people survived from this war...
On the right is General Yu Chengwan
On November 23, Nguyen Chi Fong, the commander of the Yucheng Wanbu Battalion stationed at Hehuan Mountain, launched a fierce war with the Japanese army, unfortunately lost the defense, and hundreds of soldiers were killed. At this time, the troops stationed in Changde City, led by Yu Chengwan himself, became a lone army that was embattled and isolated.
On the 26th, in order to occupy Changde as soon as possible and achieve victory, the Japanese army accelerated the pace of the attack. In the face of the Japanese army's sophisticated weapons of war and fierce attack, Yu Chengwan was calm and calm, rushing to the four gates of Changde to command. Under his command, the soldiers fought with the same enemy and stubbornly resisted with the mentality of coexisting and dying with the Japanese.
By the 10th day of the war, the Japanese had already rushed into Changde City from all directions, and Yu Chengwan also raised his steel gun to make a final resistance with the Japanese. The battle lasted for another 6 days and 6 nights, the troops led by Yu Chengwan had run out of ammunition and food, and the reinforcements were still delayed, and at this time the task of Chairman Chiang Kai-shek to hold Changde for 15 days had been completed.
Therefore, Yu Chengwan, in desperation, ordered the regimental commander Chai Yixin to continue hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, while Yu Chengwan led a small number of officers and soldiers to retreat, Chai Yixin was subsequently killed, and Changde was lost. On December 3, Yu Chengwan led the remaining troops and the commander of the 58th Army who came to reinforcements to break through the Japanese encirclement, repulse the Japanese army, and retake Changde.
This war, let Yu Chengwan and all the soldiers who participated in this war shine through the ages and use things for a long time! With their actions and lives, they let the world see the bravery and wisdom of the Chinese, and wrote an extremely tragic and magnificent chapter for the world's anti-fascist war and China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression...
The fall of a generation of famous generals
The famous "Battle of Changde" made Yu Chengwan famous in China, and he was subsequently promoted to commander of the 74th Army. In order to publicize and commemorate the Battle of Changde, General Yu Chengwan brought in Zhang Hexhui, a famous novelist at the time, hoping that he could record the Battle of Changde and the Tiger Army he led.
At first, when Yu Chengwan first found Zhang Hexhui, Zhang Hexhui refused Yu Chengwan's invitation on the grounds that he had not rewarded the war, could not appreciate the details of the war, and therefore could not depict the emotions in it.
Therefore, Yu Chengwan, who was bent on publishing the Battle of Changde, simply lived next to Zhang Hexhui's residence, and the two met more often, and they became familiar with each other, and finally became very good friends. When Yu Chengwan once again offered to invite Zhang Hexhui to depict the Battle of Changde and the Tiger Army in a touching story, Zhang Hexhui naturally agreed.
Zhang hates water
In the spring of 1945, Zhang Hexhui began to write "Long Live the Tiger". When the novel landed in the book, Zhang Hexhui resolutely refused Yu Cheng's generous manuscript fees, and even did not attend the final dinner. Among the rich cash and many valuable gifts sent by Yu Chengwan, Zhang Hexhui only selected a saber collected from the Japanese prisoners of war.
As soon as "Long Live the Tiger Ben" was published, it was read by many celebrities and celebrities, as well as ordinary students, and Yu Chengwan and the Tiger Benjun greatly increased their popularity. It is quite interesting that a very beautiful Suzhou lady, after reading this book "Long Live the Tiger", is determined to get to know this tiger hero written by Zhang Hexhui.
At that time, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression had been completely victorious, and Yu Chengwan and his troops were stationed in the city of Nanjing to recuperate. Once, on a trip to Shanghai, he met this Suzhou lady who had admired him for a long time, and the two quickly developed a relationship. Soon after, this beautiful Suzhou lady Wu Bing married Yu Chengwan and became his second wife.
After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, China's economy began to recover in an all-round way, and Yu Chengwan began to engage in business. Because he knew many high-ranking officials and nobles, coupled with his natural businessman's mind, he became more and more popular in the shopping mall and accumulated a lot of wealth in the mainland.
In his later years, he chose to settle in Hong Kong and began to change his career to a grocery store and rice shop, and also co-founded a pawnshop with friends. Since he had accumulated a lot of business experience before, his business in Hong Kong was getting bigger and bigger, and it was becoming more and more prosperous. This made Yu Chengwan more and more famous in the Hong Kong business community, and soon accumulated a certain amount of wealth within a few years.
a family by any chance
But what was worse was that Yu Chengwan's wanguan family property attracted the attention of the robbers. On the evening of August 27, 1955, Yu Chengwan was patronized by robbers at his residence in the countryside of Pingshan. The robbers broke into the house and kidnapped Yu Chengwan's second wife and the servants in the family. On the other hand, the gang of robbers also tied up Yu Chengwan, who was far away in the kowloon city area.
The robbers' movement in the house alarmed Yu Chengwan's neighbors, who kindly called the police, and the police quickly rushed to their residence in Kowloon District and engaged in a shootout with the robbers. Unfortunately, in the darkness, Yu Chengwan was unfortunately shot and died.
Since Yu Chengwan's death, the family's business has not been as good as a day, and finally the whole family has ended up with a family situation of subsistence. Later, the youngest daughter of the family, Wu Bing, the youngest daughter, Yu Sally, became a famous Hong Kong star in the 1970s in order to improve the family's life.
Yu Sally
In 1976, Yu sally married a man, and the marriage did not last long, she separated, and in her later years, she became a stallwoman who lived by buying and selling fake jewelry.