Did you know that during the Sino-Japanese War, there was a huge army that barely fought directly with the Japanese army? This was the first theater of the Kuomintang commanded by Hu Zongnan, with a force of up to 600,000. Why is such a powerful force always in the rear, and not in the front? The reason behind this is not only the simple strategic layout, but also many little-known historical details. Today, let's find out, unveil this mysterious army, and see what kind of stories are hidden in the depths of history.
Back in the late 1930s and 1940s, China was in the white-hot stage of the War of Resistance Against Japan. Chongqing and Kunming in the southwest, as the political and military centers of wartime, undertook the heavy responsibility of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In China's northwest region, the situation is quite different.
At that time, although the northwest was remote and there were not many wars, it was a large army stationed here, Hu Zongnan's First War Zone. This army not only has the top ace troops in the country, but the strength of the army was as high as 610,000 in 1945, which is comparable to the entire military strength of a medium-sized country. But the strange thing is that such a powerful army rarely has a record of going head-to-head with the Japanese army. Why is that?
We need to know the main tasks of this force. In the War of Resistance Against Japan, Hu Zongnan's troops were mainly responsible for protecting the Yellow River defense line and the security of the rear in the northwest. The Yellow River defense line is not only a geographical defense line, but also a strategically important node. Once the Yellow River defense line is breached, the gates of the northwest will be open to the Japanese army, which will seriously threaten the security of the entire southwest, including the wartime political center of Chongqing.
And, let's not forget, the Northwest was the main channel of Soviet assistance to China. Before U.S. aid arrived, large quantities of Soviet aircraft, tanks, and other military supplies entered China through this route. Hu Zongnan's troops actually took on the heavy responsibility of guarding this lifeline. If something goes wrong here, the supply of anti-Japanese materials throughout China will be fatally affected.
Protecting the Yellow River defense line is not an easy task. The Japanese army repeatedly tried to cross the Yellow River and push straight to the northwest. If Hu Zongnan's troops were to fight alone, it would have been difficult to resist the well-trained and well-equipped Japanese army. Hu Zongnan's strategy is to focus on stability and stick to the defensive line, rather than attacking easily.
On the other hand, although Hu Zongnan's troops were numerous, their combat effectiveness was not satisfactory. The elite strength of the national army has been seriously attrition in many battles with the Japanese army, and although Hu Zongnan's troops here are numerous, there are not many who can really fight tough battles. This is one of the reasons why conservative tactics are often chosen in the face of a potential Japanese attack. According to incomplete statistics, due to the problem of corruption in history, there are still quite a few situations of "empty salaries" in the troops, and the actual available troops are not as huge as they appear on the surface.
In the war, Hu Zongnan's troops played more of a deterrent and diversion role. Their presence ensured relative stability in the northwest, so that the Japanese army did not dare to attack easily. This unit also effectively protected the important material supply lines that entered China from the Soviet Union, which played a non-negligible role in the victory of the entire War of Resistance Against Japan.
In addition to the tasks of the Anti-Japanese War, the existence of Hu Zongnan's troops also has a deeper political significance. At that time, the domestic situation was complicated by the various factions, and the stationing of Hu Zongnan's troops in the northwest also had the consideration of curbing the expansion of the influence of other local forces, especially the Communist Party in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border region. This dual political and military consideration made Hu Zongnan's army, although strong, often in a state of silence.
This does not mean that Hu Zongnan's troops did not participate in any battles. They played an important role in several key battles in which the Japanese army attempted to cross the Yellow River. Although they did not encounter fierce battles as frequently as on the front line, their persistence and occasional counterattacks effectively delayed the Japanese army's offensive plan and bought valuable time for adjustments and counteroffensives in other theaters.
For such a unit with a low historical presence, we cannot simply measure its value by the frequency of combat. War is a contest of comprehensive national strength, and the stability of the rear is equally important. One such example is Hu Zongnan's troops, who protected the backbone of a country in obscurity, although it was not obvious, but it was indispensable.
By taking a closer look at the historical role of Hu Zongnan's troops, we can find that history is often more complex than it seems. This army, which does not seem to have fought bloodshed on the front lines, is in fact tasked with multiple important tasks such as protecting the rear, ensuring the security of supply lines, and political balance. Their perseverance and containment made indelible contributions to China's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. This is a historical lesson worth remembering and pondering, and it is also another tribute to those bloody years.