On December 13, 1937, the last day before the six-week Nanjing Massacre began, Japanese soldiers descended on the city of Nanjing. Nanjing, the former capital of the Republic of China, has now become a purgatory on earth, with houses destroyed, artillery fire, and gray-headed refugees rushing to the Xiaguan Wharf on the Yangtze River, desperately fleeing their former homeland. The large Kuomintang troops in the city had long since withdrawn, and only a few gendarmes remained, relying on the command of their own major generals, to repel the charging Japanese army again and again. In the evening, the Japanese army began to attack again, the disparity between the enemy and us was really too great, under the impact of the Japanese machine guns and heavy artillery, the soldiers who insisted on the city wall ran out of ammunition and suffered casualties. The major general who commanded them, who was also the mayor of Nanjing At that time, shouted with his arms when the Japanese army swarmed up: "Kill to become a benevolent, today is also!" Then he took up his bayonet and led the few remaining soldiers to engage the Japanese in a white-knife battle. The generals fell one after another, and the major general, unwilling to be a prisoner of the invaders, committed suicide with a gun, at the age of 45.
The tragic history of the Nanjing Massacre is believed to be familiar to chinese people, but do you know the story before the Nanjing Massacre began? Who was this major general who fought the Japanese until the last moment? Why, at the last moment when the people fled and the officials withdrew, knowing that the city of Nanjing had been abandoned, he still chose to stay and coexist with Nanjing?
Pictured | Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall
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National backbone! The whole city of Nanjing collapsed, and only this general fought a bloody battle with the Japanese army to the end
This general who stubbornly defended Nanjing was Xiao Shanling, the highest guard commander of Nanjing City, who was later posthumously promoted to lieutenant general.
In fact, at that time, he was the only general left in the city of Nanjing, and he acted as the leader of Nanjing, and became the highest officer who died in the defense of Nanjing. When he learned that the city of Nanjing had fallen, Xiao Shanling had martyred himself, and the Kuomintang troops had held a memorial service for him, and the sixteen-character inscription on the posthumous photo was a faithful portrayal of his life: "
Dun Shi Du Li, righteous and loyal to the liver, qi swallowing the day, and the name is Zhong Shan.
”
Picture | Portrait of Xiao ShanLing and honorary certificate of "Revolutionary Martyr" are hung in the homes of General Xiao Shanling
Xiao Shan ordered the abandonment of the pen from Rong to protect the homeland
Do you think such an anti-Japanese hero is a brave man with a furious eye? No, on the contrary, according to the recollections of the comrades-in-arms of the troops, Xiao Shanling was completely a humble gentleman, full of a gentle and scholarly appearance. Xiao Shanling was born on June 11, 1892, and his ancestral home is Yiyang County, Hunan Province.
His family is not bad, called the Bookish Mendi
Xiao Shanling's father and uncles and uncles had all obtained meritorious names, and the young Xiao shanling also studied poetry under the influence of the elders of the family.
He conscientiously comprehended the self-cultivation and self-governing way in the mouths of the sages, and cultivated a good character of gentleness, courtesy, frugality, loyalty and self-denial.
Xiao Shanling studied very early, and when he was 6 years old, he graduated from the Yiyang Longzhou Higher Primary School he had been reading since he was a child, and went to school at a private school in his hometown. At that time, during the reign of the imperial court of the late Qing Dynasty, the country was poor and weak, and the great powers rushed to come and divide the land of China, and the people struggled to survive in the chaotic world. Although Xiao ShanLing was young in appearance, his mind had long been mature,
He was indignant at the inaction of the government, and understood that only swords, guns, and powerful people or armies could restore social order with heavy rules.
His fathers were all scholars, but when the country was broken and the family died, he also responded to the old saying: "A hundred useless students are scholars." Looking at the chaos in front of him, and the innocent people who suffered a lot in the smoke of war, Xiao Shanling decided to abandon his pen and obey.
Pictured| Xiaoshan Order
In 1909, at the age of 17, Xiao Shanling married under the arrangement of his family. Although he has repeatedly expressed his determination to make a career and defend his family and country, his parents still hope that he can start a family before starting a business. The filial piety of Xiao Shan ling could not help but his parents had to agree. Although he was married, Xiao Shanling's ambitions did not change, he still apologetically bid farewell to his new wife, quickly went to the Hunan Army Primary School to learn about the relevant military knowledge, and vowed to "
The soldiers are in their hands, sweeping away the demons
”。 In 1911, the Outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, the Hunan Army Primary School was affected, stopped running, Xiao Shan Ling transferred to the Baoding Military Academy to continue further study, becoming the third batch of students here. In December 1916, Xiao Shan Ling graduated from the military academy because of his excellent grades and good performance.
He was absorbed by the Hunan Army, became a junior instructor here, and officially began his military career.
In 1927, the National Government was established, and under the envious eyes of the people around him,
Xiao Shanling was transferred to Nanjing, where the large army was located, and was responsible for the patrol of the city of Nanjing.
This is a very important position, and it also means that he is valued by his superiors, and his future career will definitely be smooth. Because of his bravery in battle, the good management of the army, and his humble and courteous personality, he was praised by the whole army. On the eve of the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1937, Xiao Shanling had been promoted to the rank of major general, held many important positions in the Kuomintang troops, and became the most famous and promising young general at that time.
The picture | Nanjing during the Republic of China
whereas
In November 1937, Xiao Shanling was promoted again and became the second-in-command leader of all the guards in Nanjing.
In such a short period of time, Xiao Shanling can be said to be in a smooth and prosperous manner, but this time not many people envied him, because at this time the Japanese invaders had mobilized a large number of people and horses to rush to the Nanjing side, they were strong and well-equipped, while the large troops on the Kuomintang side were far away, and the guards in Nanjing were not much at all, and the equipment was not as good as others. In this situation,
The precarious city of Nanjing is a hot potato,
No one wanted to take over, lest they die in the ensuing battle with the guns of the Japanese.
Background of the Defense of Nanjing
The Battle of Nanjing took place shortly after the End of the Battle of Songhu.
Although it experienced the fierce battle in Shanghai, the Japanese side also suffered heavy losses, and the dream of "occupying China in three months" that was originally planned was officially crushed by the Chinese army. However, judging from the overall situation, the Japanese army still retained a part of its living strength, while the Kuomintang side completely lost the ability to confront the enemy head-on. After all, the Battle of Songhu made it
The Kuomintang army suffered nearly 300,000 casualties, and the elite troops were all scattered.
The loss of personnel is serious, and the foundation has almost disappeared for many years.
Picture | the Battle of Songhu broke out, and Song Meiling went to the front line to comfort the soldiers
After the Battle of Songhu, the Japanese army entered a temporary rest due to the attrition of troops, and their commander-in-chief of the invasion of China issued an order not to do further expansion and light plunder for the time being, and to stop attacking and standing by. However, there is an old Chinese saying that "the king's life will be outside, and the king's life will not be affected", and Japan also has related military traditions.
The young officers of the Japanese Tenth Army carried forward the same spirit of the following system, left the large troops resting in Shanghai, and rushed towards Nanjing without stopping.
Nor could they be watched alone, and the Japanese garrison in Shanghai had no choice but to send troops to cooperate with them and raid Nanjing. As a result, the Japanese side had no choice but to abandon the operational strategy of maintaining the existing battlefield at the beginning, and the commander-in-chief of the invasion of China re-ordered and sent two large armies to attack Nanjing.
The two units sent by the Japanese army to attack Nanjing were the Tenth Army and the Shanghai Dispatch Army in Japan.
In total, there are 9 divisions and regiments, with a total strength of 200,000.
Before the Battle of Songhu, the Japanese army dispatched 300,000 troops, which had already caused the elite troops of the Kuomintang to be completely damaged, and the leader surnamed Jiang was "defeated", and this time another 200,000 came.
The Kuomintang could not really allocate enough manpower to carry out counterattack operations.
Picture | the Defense of Nanjing
Considering this unfavorable situation, in the Kuomintang army,
Senior officers such as Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi put forward their own opinions: abandon Nanjing
。 In fact, the reason why they advocated abandoning Nanjing was very simple; at that time, the defeat at the Battle of Songhu caused heavy losses to the troops, morale was low, and everyone's will to fight was not strong; moreover, Nanjing was located on the plain, surrounded by rivers on three sides, easy to attack and difficult to defend, and it was easy to be surrounded by the Japanese army, and there was a situation where the troops were surrounded and annihilated on a large scale.
Such a proposal is actually seeking truth from facts, and nanjing is indeed not suitable for the Kuomintang troops who were seriously injured at that time to carry out defensive operations.
They should cross the Yangtze River and choose a suitable location, such as Chongqing, for defensive recuperation.
Some generals said they could leave some officials behind while evacuating, indicating to the Japanese that the city had surrendered, hoping that they could spare the innocent people in the city and not slaughter them.
Pictured| sichuan army in the defense of Nanjing
The leaders of the Kuomintang deliberately convened a military conference to discuss how to solve the Nanjing problem.
Most of the officers agreed to abandon Nanjing, but Tang Shengzhi and Xiao Shanling, who were stationed in Nanjing at the time, believed that they should resist to the end.
When explaining the reasons, Tang Shengzhi was even more excited: "Nanjing is the capital of the Republic of China, and it is the place where the mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the father of the country, is located. I advocate defending Nanjing to the death and fighting the enemy to the end, even at the expense of my own life. ”
After careful deliberation, the Kuomintang side agreed with Tang Shengzhi and Xiao Shanling's opinion, and sent the two to stay in Nanjing to garrison and engage in a final death-defying battle with the Japanese army.
After all, Nanjing is still the capital of the country, and it is really unreasonable to give it to the Japanese invaders on the opposite side in vain without firing a single shot or a cannon.
However, it turned out that Tang Shengzhi only spoke loudly and sounded good, and when it came to the last moment, his true face was exposed, or only Xiao Shanling did what he called "bloody battle to the end".
The battle began, and Tang Shengzhi escaped from the battle
The | the Nanjing garrison in the film and television works
The Kuomintang side began to deploy troops,
The original defenders of Nanjing, coupled with the troops retreated from the Battle of Songhu, finally left 13 divisions and a large number of auxiliary legions in the city of Nanjing, totaling about 150,000 people.
At that time, there were 200,000 Japanese troops. Just by looking at the comparison of pre-war troop strength, the Kuomintang side did not have much chance of winning, not to mention the huge differences in the individual combat capabilities and weapons and equipment of the Chinese and Japanese armies at that time. At the Battle of Songhu, the Kuomintang troops sent 800,000 soldiers to fight against the 300,000 Japanese troops, and the outcome of the war was so miserable, and now the 3:4 gap in strength was doomed to defeat.
But even though he knew his fate clearly, Xiao Shan Ling still said that he was a soldier and could not leave the people of the city alone when the brutal invaders were coming.
He got rid of all distractions in his mind and actively fought a fierce battle with the vanguard of the Japanese army.
On November 26, 1937, Xiao Shan Ling and his own gendarmerie units encountered a surprise attack by the Japanese army in the area of Qingliangshan and the Ming Forbidden City, even though the weapons were rudimentary and the number of soldiers was very different, they still rose up to resist, causing countless casualties to the Japanese army, and for a time they no longer dared to drive straight in. However, after a few days of fierce fighting, the japanese reinforcements arrived, and although Xiao ShanLing and his gendarmes fought bravely, they still suffered heavy casualties and could only retreat to the city of Nanjing.
Picture | former nanjing garrison gendarmerie headquarters
On December 1, the Japanese front command issued a formal order to the assembled 200,000 troops:
The Central Chinese Army must coordinate with the nearby navy to capture the enemy capital, Nanjing.
Subsequently, the war was launched, the Japanese army made a large-scale attack, and on December 4, it attacked the outskirts of Nanjing City, and on the 9th, the soldiers approached Nanjing City and exchanged fire with the guards in the city.
At first the Kuomintang troops still carried out some effective attacks on them
Under the command of Xiao Shanling and Tang Shengzhi, trenches were built, bunkers were excavated, machine guns were erected to increase firepower, and guard patrols in the defensive area were strengthened.
In case the Japanese spies who were mixed into the city of Nanjing heard about the battle plans of the troops. On the 10th, Xiao Shan Ling refused the Japanese army's surrender request and led his soldiers to engage in a fierce battle with the Japanese army on the cotton causeway, causing certain losses to the Japanese army. But then the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and a large part of the reason for this was caused by Tang Shengzhi, who had been generous and outspoken about coexisting and dying with Nanjing, so he was appointed by the Kuomintang leadership as the commander-in-chief of the Nanjing Defense War.
The | the defenders of The city of Nanjing
Tang Shengzhi was a flower rack of soldiers on paper, he spoke loudly, but in fact he lacked basic military literacy, did not fight, blindly ordered the troops to die, and had no initiative and guerrilla combat ability, resulting in the officers and men being passively beaten everywhere. However, some soldiers of the Kuomintang troops did not have the consciousness of fighting a battle against the waters, neglected their duties, and only took advantage of their leisure time to wander and play on the banks of the Qinhuai River, causing the delay of the fighters and further deteriorating the situation. To make matters worse, from the 10th,
Tang Shengzhi ordered the troops to destroy all the ships along the Yangtze River, and also ordered his 36th Division to guard the ferry.
In case any soldiers escaped from the battle and retreated without permission.
His move was obviously to create an atmosphere of bottom-up salary, but although the posture was enough, it also cut off the last way for his own people to live. On December 11, the Japanese army launched another onslaught,
Xiao Shanling was seriously wounded in the previous battle and was unable to lead his troops in a counterattack, and many positions around the city of Nanjing were lost.
The battle continued until the 13th, and the destruction of the city of Nanjing was a foregone conclusion. Originally, according to the general mode of operation, in the face of this deadlock, the troops should consider whether to withdraw or find an opportunity to break through, but because Tang Shengzhi had destroyed all the ferries before, the remaining defenders of Nanjing City could not withdraw from the Yangtze River on a large scale.
Pictured| the ferry boat of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
Tang Shengzhi issued an order that a small number of troops cross the river to withdraw, and most of the soldiers made a breakthrough.
This is undoubtedly a stupid statement that does not consider reality at all, not to mention that those who have now been besieged to death, where there is a chance of a breakthrough, only how to distribute the troops, the odds of survival of the part of the soldiers who evacuate are greater, but how is this small part arranged, and who is so lucky that they have the hope of survival.
I don't know how Tang Shengzhi originally planned to arrange it, but it is clear that there is himself in this wave of lucky people:
Tang Shengzhi made preparations early, left a motorboat for himself, and secretly withdrew alone.
He was born to escape, but he also lived forever under the accusations of the people. Because there was no commander-in-chief on the army's side, it fell into chaos, and the breakthrough action of the nanjing city guards was directly blown away, and the troops did everything, retreating from the periphery to the city, and running from the city to the surrounding mountains.
Pictured| Tang Shengzhi
Later,
Except for the 66th and 83rd Armies, which Xiao Shan ordered to temporarily take over, they continued to fight the Japanese army on the frontal battlefield, and the remaining Nationalist troops began to run towards the ferry port in one fell swoop
To rob fishermen's boats to cross the river. There was also the 36th Army sent by Tang Shengzhi to guard the ferry, they saw a large number of soldiers pouring in, shooting in a hurry, many soldiers fell directly into the river and drowned, the rest of the soldiers dropped their weapons and changed into the clothes of the common people and hid, for a time the troops basically disintegrated directly, and the scene was chaotic.
The chaotic situation made the people in the city even more panicked and uneasy, and began to drag their families and mouths to flee, but there were few boats left to cross the river, so a large number of people could only kneel on the bank of the Yangtze River hopelessly and cry.
The whole city of Nanjing was in a state of rout, like a purgatory on earth.
The | troops and refugees at the crossing
Xiao Shan Ling stubbornly defended Nanjing
Seeing that the situation was so tense, Chen Jichuan, an old friend of Xiao Shanling, could not sit still, and he asked the relationship to buy a boat and prepare to flee with his family to Chongqing for refuge. Chen Jichuan came to the door to persuade Xiao Shan Ling, saying that he would stay in Qingshan without worrying about firewood,
Now that the outer positions have been lost, it is only a matter of time before the city of Nanjing is destroyed, and I hope that he will clearly understand the situation and go with himself first
Only by preserving strength can we calculate later.
Knowing that his friend was well-intentioned, Xiao Shanling still refused without hesitation, and he said to Chen Jichuan: "I Xiao Jichuan, who was entrusted by the central authorities to guard the capital, is now guarding unfavorably and cannot go back to his life; if he cannot completely annihilate the Japanese Kou, but is also greedy and afraid of death and flees from the battlefield, as the hero Xiang Yu said, what face will he have to see Father Jiangdong?" If I leave, what will happen to the people of Nanjing? Brother Chen was kind enough to lead me, and I was determined to stay and coexist with Jinling for life and death. ”
A few days later, Chen Jichuan packed up his belongings and came to resign with Xiao Shan Ling, also wanting to persuade him one last time, but Xiao Shan Ling still said firmly:
I have made up my mind that it is the duty of a soldier to defend the country, and I am determined to serve the country and be loyal to Nanjing!
In fact, at this time, the Kuomintang leaders in Chongqing had already learned of the current situation in Nanjing, and had also issued a final retreat order, but Xiao Shan Ling came to the ferry port and saw that the soldiers of the army were fighting for their lives and even using force against innocent people, and they were very sad, and they had decided to stay until the end of the responsibility and put life and death aside. He ordered his subordinates not to fight with friendly forces, and quickly arranged for the evacuation of his own gendarmes after the other troops had left. And his gendarmes, grateful for his kindness, also built a raft to take him away safely. but
Xiao Shan Ling still did not board the raft, insisting on being responsible for the break,
It also means that he is now the highest official of Nanjing City, and he wants to
Arrange for the orderly evacuation of all troops and civilians, and also give an account to this city.
Pictured| The defenders of Nanjing
The Japanese army learned of the withdrawal of a large number of troops in Nanjing and sent heavy troops to attack.
Xiao Shan ordered the speed of evacuation of the people of Nanjing across the river, and then gathered all the soldiers who did not choose to cross the river to fight with him for the final battle
This is also the scene depicted at the beginning of the article. Using the terrain to fight the Japanese army high above the city wall for 5 hours, Xiao Shan ling left few thousands of soldiers, and the weapons and ammunition at hand were also depleted.
In the face of the swarming Japanese troops, Xiao Shan Ling stood up, shouted the slogan of killing Chengren, and led the last bloody warriors to rush to the enemy.
As a result, it can be imagined that a dozen fighters have fought tens of thousands of Japanese troops, all the fighters have died heroically, and there is only one living person left on the Chinese side of the Chinese army, which is precisely because the Japanese army saw that he was an officer and was ready to capture him alive for torture.
Surrounded by hundreds of Japanese legions, Xiao Shan Ling understood that the time for his death was coming. Never disdainful of being a coward or a slave, Xiao Shan ling chose to be a dignified warrior all his life. Pulling out the pistol that had been prepared long ago, with only one bullet left, Xiao Shan Ling aimed the muzzle at his temple and quickly pulled the trigger before the Japanese pounced... With a gunshot, Xiao ShanLing slowly fell, and his body fell from the city wall into the billowing river.
The general guarded the lonely city, and the heroic soul was buried in the long river, and he finally used his life to fulfill the vow of "coexisting and dying with Nanjing".
Figure | The body of General Xiao was washed away by the river, and posterity built a "crown tomb" for it.
epilogue
After the fall of Nanjing, the Japanese invaders drove straight in, the people in Jinling City suffered an unprecedented massacre, 300,000 people lost their lives, and the Nanjing Massacre became a wound in the hearts of all Chinese that was difficult to heal. Looking back, the defense of Nanjing was a hopeless struggle from the beginning, and there was all kinds of chaos in the middle, exposing various shortcomings such as the poor command of the Kuomintang troops, the low quality of individual soldiers, and the greed of some officials and soldiers for fear of death, but Xiao Shanling was the brightest shining point in this battle after all, and later when the leaders of the Chinese army reprimanded their officers and men, they often used him as an example, saying:
In the war against the Wu Dynasty, those who could coexist with the city and die were actually made of Deputy Commander Xiao as a giant
”。 After liberation, Xiaoshan Ling was also posthumously recognized by the state as a revolutionary martyr and received due honor and respect. His name was forever engraved by posterity on the flower and rain platform in Nanjing, and was also forever remembered by the Chinese people.
The deceased are gone, the living are like this, but the national shame must not be forgotten, history needs to be remembered, and our generation should be self-reliant.