In 1937, after the Lugou Bridge Incident, the Japanese army captured Pingjin, intending to occupy the entire north of China, and Shanxi became the focus of the Japanese attack. The Japanese army gathered more than 70,000 troops, with the Fifth Division as the main force, including the 15th Brigade and Regiment, to attack Shanxi. Since ancient times, Shanxi has been a place where soldiers must fight, so Yan Xishan heavily deployed various strategic locations in Shanxi, and the eighth route army that was fully equipped also participated.
At that time, Yan Xishan's Second World War was divided into three major armies, with a total of 200,000 troops to resist the Japanese attack, with Wei Lihuang, commander-in-chief of the 14th Group Army, concurrently serving as the commander-in-chief of the former enemy, the Left Route Army commanded by Li Mo'an, the commander of the 14th Army, the Middle Route Army commanded by Hao Mengling, the commander of the 9th Army, and the Right Route Army commanded by Liu Maoen.
While the Nationalist army was resisting the Itagaki Division on the frontal battlefield, the Eighth Route Army launched an active attack on the Japanese army behind the enemy flank. The Battle of Xinkou began on October 13, 1937, lasted 20 days, and ended on November 2, with more than 100,000 Chinese casualties and four generals on the battlefield.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="5" >1, Jiang Yuzhen, then major general of the 196th Brigade of the 65th Division of the 66th Army of the Jin Sui Army</h1>
Jiang Yuzhen, a native of Heze, Shandong, registered as a soldier at the Shaanxi Recruitment Station in 1913, all the way to the battalion commander, after the Northern Expedition He went to the Central Military Academy to study, after graduation to Yan Xishan's Jin army, followed the Jin army also participated in several major battles, because he was very brave in the army, so he had the title of "fierce general", in 1934 for merit, he was promoted to brigade commander of the 196th Brigade of the 65th Division of the 66th Army.
After the Japanese army attacked Shanxi, the northern gate of Taiyuan, Xinkou, had to be defended, because if Xinkou was lost, the principle was not guaranteed. To this end, Yan Xishan was ready to mobilize 80,000 troops to defend Xinkou, but for a while it was impossible for so many troops to reach Xinkou, so in order to complete the strategic deployment of Xinkou, Yan Xishan had to put a strong brigade in the town of Yuanping, 15 kilometers north of Xinkou, to block the advance of the Japanese army in order to complete the deployment of Xinkou. Jiang Yuzhen had the title of "fierce general" in the Jin army, and the brigade was also a kind of brigade, so this heavy responsibility was entrusted to Jiang Yuzhen and ordered him to stay here for seven days.
General Jiang Yuzhen
After receiving the order, Jiang Yuzhen led his troops to the town of Yuanping to deploy defenses, on October 1, the battle began, Jiang Yuzhen commanded the battle during the day, inspected the position at night, encouraged the officers and men to kill the enemy bravely, in the case of the disparity between the enemy and our forces, the 196th Brigade suffered heavy casualties but did not discount the task of holding out for seven days, but at this time the superiors let them hold out for three days, and Jiang Yuzhen still completed the task despite great losses. On October 10, Jiang Yuzhen led his troops to break through after completing his mission, and unfortunately was shot and killed outside Yuanping City, at the age of 43, after his death, the Japanese army stabbed him several times and cut off his head.
After the war, the Nationalist government posthumously awarded him a lieutenant general in the army, and Chairman Mao, then chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, praised him for "giving a lofty and great model to the people of the whole Chinese." On September 1, 2014, Jiang Yuzhen was included in the first list of 300 famous anti-Japanese heroes and heroes released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="12" >2, Zheng Tingzhen, then commander of the 5th Independent Brigade of the 25th Army</h1>
Zheng Tingzhen, a native of Shangqiu, Henan, joined Feng Yuxiang as a soldier in 1917, and because of his resolute, brave character and excellent memory, he was deeply valued by Feng Yuxiang, so he was able to participate in Feng Yuxiang's military operations. After the Battle of the Central Plains, Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army was crushed, Zheng Tingzhen's troops were absorbed by Chiang Kai-shek, and the unit number was changed to the Independent 5th Brigade.
General Zheng Tingzhen
After the Outbreak of the Lugou Bridge Incident, he personally went to Nanjing to ask for resistance against Japan, and at the same time ordered his troops to assemble in Hefei. When passing through Henan, he also expressed to his old mother the news that his troops would not survive by defeating the Japanese army. After arriving at the Xinkou battlefield, Zheng Tingzhen's troops were deployed in the central position of Nanhuaihua. The Japanese army occupied the position of Nanhuaihua with the support of strong artillery fire, in order to regain the position, Wei Lihuang gathered the strength of 5 brigades to prepare to retake the position, Zheng Tingzhen personally went to the forward position to command the operation, when he crossed the trench to observe the enemy situation, he was violently attacked by the Japanese machine guns, heroically sacrificed on the spot, at the age of 54, after the war, the National Government posthumously awarded him as a lieutenant general of the army, and in 1983 the Ministry of Civil Affairs posthumously recognized him as a martyr.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="18" >3, Liu Jiaqi, then commander of the 54th Division</h1>
Liu Jiaqi, a native of Wuchang, Hubei Province, entered the Baoding Army Officer School in 1916 and served as the commander of the 54th Division after graduating from the Army University in 1937. After the outbreak of the Lugou Bridge Incident, Liu Jiaqi took the initiative to ask for resistance against Japan, and after receiving permission, he led his troops north, and after reaching the Xinkou front line on October 4, he was deployed to fight against the Japanese army in the area of Xinkou Town, Jinshanpu, Sanjiazhuang, and Wanghui Village.
On October 16, Liu Jiaqi was unfortunately shot and died while commanding forward troops to retake the Southern Huaihua Heights, and after the war, the Nationalist government posthumously awarded him the title of lieutenant general.
General Liu Jiaqi
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="23" >4, Hao Mengling, then commander of the 9th Army of the National Revolutionary Army</h1>
Hao Mengling, a native of Gaocheng, Hebei Province, graduated from the Baoding Army Officer School in 1919, and after graduation, he entered the Feng army as a soldier and later joined Feng Yuxiang. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1937, Hao Mengling was on his way to the Sichuan Army University, and when he heard the news, he immediately returned to the army from Chongqing and requested to go north to resist the Japanese.
General Hao Mengling
After Hao Mengling led his troops to the Xinkou front, he served as the commander-in-chief of the Zhonglu Army, and the commander of the Fifth Division of the Japanese Army, Itagaki Seishiro, concentrated his superior forces and launched a fierce attack on the Nationalist army with the support of superior firepower. On October 16, Hao Mengling personally commanded the operation in the front-line position, and was hit by a Japanese machine gun bullet while passing through a narrow passage 200 meters from the Japanese position, and died heroically at the age of 39. After the war, the Nationalist government posthumously awarded him the title of General of the Army, and he was also the highest general of the Nationalist Army who had died since the outbreak of the War of Resistance. On September 1, 2014, Hao Mengling was included in the first list of 300 famous anti-Japanese heroes and heroes released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
brief summary:
In 1938, at the commemoration of the anti-Japanese martyrs, Chairman Mao specifically mentioned these four generals and spoke highly of their contributions. The generals died on the battlefield and sacrificed their lives for the country, and in terms of resisting foreign humiliation, they were heroes and models for the people of their country to learn.