In modern times, the greatest catastrophe suffered by the Chinese people is undoubtedly the 14-year-long war of Japanese aggression that began in 1931. This is also the largest foreign invasion war on the mainland since ancient times, and it is also the war with the heaviest casualties. It took the mainland a total of 35 million soldiers and civilians to kill them before they drove the Japanese invaders out of the land of China.
In the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, due to the full preparation and well-equipped Japanese army, on the frontal battlefield, it was almost crushed against our army. Our army often has to pay 3 to 4 times the strength of the troops in order to barely compete with the Japanese army. When a war is fought, the casualties of our army are often several times that of the Japanese army.
However, thanks to the superior wisdom of the mainland people and the amazing application of China's ancient military techniques, in some places, the Japanese army not only did not get a little cheap, but also consumed a large number of elite troops. For example, there is a place where 400,000 Japanese troops have attacked for 3 years in a row and paid a heavy price of 110,000 elite troops, this place is Changsha.
Hunan has been in the hinterland of the southern part of the mainland since ancient times, due to the development of agriculture, almost all the military and political grain used during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was produced in Hunan, which is also known as the "Chinese barn". Moreover, if the Japanese army wants to invade Guangzhou and completely control the southern part of the mainland, it must also take Hunan, which shows the importance of Hunan's geographical location.
Moreover, Hunan was also the gateway to the southwestern part of the mainland, and because of its backing to the National Government of Chongqing at that time, once it was lost, Chongqing was completely exposed to the range of Japanese artillery. Therefore, Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, became the main battlefield with the most exchanges of fire between China and Japan, and a total of 3 battles were fought here before and after.
The first battle began in September 1939, and after taking north China, the commander of the Kwantung Army, Okamura Ninji, gathered 100,000 Japanese troops to prepare for an attack on southern China. Hunan bore the brunt of the attack, and the Japanese army formed a corner from Hubei and Jiangxi to form a corner in an attempt to eliminate the Changsha defenders in one fell swoop.
In order to defend Hunan, the nationalist government at that time sent Xue Yue, one of the so-called "Three Masters of Huangpu", who also participated in the Northern Expedition before the War of Resistance Against Japan and made many military achievements. On this expedition, the Nationalist government directly mobilized 240,000 troops for Xue Yue and issued him a military order to defend Hunan.
Xue Yue was indeed a talent, and he created a heavenly furnace tactic of his own, that is, to lure the enemy deeper and finally surround and annihilate the "retreat decisive battle" fighters, and beat the Japanese army to a pulp. The Japanese army consumed 30,000 troops and was forced to retreat back to the pre-battle sphere of influence.
Because of such a big loss, the Japanese army did not dare to attack Hunan for a long time. Until 1941, the Japanese army regrouped, once again mobilized 120,000 troops, and launched a fierce attack on the provincial capital Changsha.
However, this time, the Japanese army's calculations failed again, and they mobilized a large number of heavy troops to besiege Changsha, and the rear was bound to be empty. Our army adopted the strategy of encircling Wei and saving Zhao, and the Chinese troops in other Japanese-occupied provinces knocked on the side and attacked one after another. Due to the lack of skills, the Japanese army was forced to evacuate Changsha and rush back. On the way, our army took advantage of the victory to pursue, annihilated 50,000 Japanese troops, and only paid the price of 17,000 casualties, which can be said to be the most beautiful frontal war during the War of Resistance.
However, the Japanese invaders were still thieves in Hunan, and after a month of rest, they decided to launch the Third Battle of Changsha to achieve the purpose of containing 300,000 Chinese garrisons in Hunan. At this time, Xue Yue came on the field again, repeating the old tricks of the Tianlu Battle Method, and the Japanese army was blinded by the smoothness of the early stage of the war, and in the case of having already suffered a loss, it still rushed forward at all costs. In the end, the only troops of the Japanese commander Anan were surrounded by our army, and it took a great price to break out of the encirclement.
After three great victories in the Battle of Changsha, Xue Yue completely destroyed the psychological defense line of the Japanese army. 400,000 troops were invested in the battle for 3 years but no achievements were achieved, leaving behind the remains of 110,000 elite Japanese troops. Since then, Changsha has become the city that the Japanese army is least willing to remember, and Xue Yue has become "the Chinese general who annihilated the Japanese army the most in the War of Resistance."
The victory in this war greatly boosted the confidence of the army and people of the mainland's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and it also became a turning point in the War of Resistance Against Japan. After that, the Japanese army was overwhelmed by the Pacific War, and began to lose and retreat in the Chinese battlefield.