Huayuankou, located on the south bank of the Yellow River, 17 kilometers away from Huiji District of Zhengzhou City, was originally a very common ferry port in the Central Plains.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, because of the breach of the embankment, Huayuankou became famous in one fell swoop and became known to the world.
On the morning of June 9, 1938, there was a sudden explosion in the area around the garden mouth.
After the explosion, the embankment on the south bank of the Yellow River suddenly broke, and the water of the Yellow River was like a wild horse, and the Qianli Plain became a zeal country.
In 44 counties and cities in Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, 12.5 million people were affected, and 893,300 people were engulfed by floodwaters.
Not only that, because the water of the Yellow River forcibly entered the Huai River, it brought endless troubles to the Huai River area, and floods have continued since then.
Moreover, the breach of the embankment also turned hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land in Henan on the south bank of the Yellow River into saline-alkali land, bringing about a large-scale drought that lasted for two years from 1941 to 1943, resulting in a terrible "Henan" famine, displacing tens of millions of people and starving 3 million people to death.
The tragedy of the Garden Mouth shocked the world, and everyone asked a question - who blew up the Garden Mouth?
The Japanese army or the Nationalist army blew up the garden mouth?
At 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the 11th, the Truth Came, and the Central News Agency sent the first telegram from Zhengzhou to disclose the "truth" of the Huayuankou dike breaking incident to the whole world for the first time: "The enemy army blew up a section of the Yellow River embankment at this place, causing a breach, and the water flooded, which was very serious. ”
Subsequently, Chen Cheng, director of the Political Department of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government, also held a press conference for Chinese and foreign journalists in Wuhan to inform the reporters present of the details of the explosion of the Yellow River Garden Mouth embankment by the Japanese army, and to sternly and strongly condemn the heinous atrocities committed by the Japanese army.
As soon as the news came out, public opinion surged and countries around the world unanimously condemned the atrocities committed by the Japanese army.
However, unexpectedly, the Japanese side immediately came out to refute it, "refusing to admit guilt", and said that it wanted reporters from all over the world to go to the field to conduct interviews and make the truth public.
The strong reaction of the Japanese side made the clear-eyed people feel that the breach was not so simple, and there were many articles in it.
The Times, the Washington Post, and other Western media raised questions, and the Japanese media reported one after another, saying that "the Chinese army did not hesitate to dig up the Yellow River and flood several provinces in the central branch," and at the same time reported on the situation of the Japanese army's so-called relief of the victims of the Yellow River.
Who is the perpetrator has become a historical mystery.
Until the 1970s, in the 12th volume of the book "History of the War of Resistance Against Japan" published by Taiwan's "Ministry of National Defense," he did not admit that he had opened the garden mouth without admitting himself, and shamelessly called this act a major achievement of the Kuomintang's War of Resistance: "Made the most important contribution to saving the country from danger." ”
As early as 1967, Dong Hsien-kwong, then vice minister of Taiwan's "Propaganda Department," bluntly admitted in his "Biography of President Chiang Kai-shek" that "our side blew up the Yellow River embankment."
At this point, the truth of the Huayuankou dike breach incident came out: it was the Kuomintang army that blew up the Huayuankou.
Why blow up the garden mouth?
In July 1937, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out in full swing; in August, the Songhu War of Resistance broke out, and after three months of defeat by the Nationalist army, Shanghai fell into the hands of the enemy, Nanjing was in danger, and the Nationalist government was forced to move to Chongqing.
In December, Nanjing fell, and the Nanjing Massacre, which shocked China and foreign countries, occurred.
After this, the Japanese army became more rampant, clamoring to conquer China within half a year.
The Kuomintang was forced to organize the Battle of Xuzhou in an attempt to stop the Japanese. Although he won a certain victory in the Battle of Taierzhuang held in April 1938, he was forced to withdraw due to the strength of the enemy and the weakness of the enemy.
In May, the Japanese occupied Xuzhou.
In June, the Japanese army took advantage of the victory to pursue and occupy Kaifeng, and Zhengzhou was in danger.
At this time, Chiang Kai-shek could not sit still.
If Zhengzhou falls and the gate of the Central Plains is suddenly opened, the Japanese army will go south along the Pinghan Railway, and the Nationalist army will have no danger to defend and will be very passive.
As a result, Wuhan will fall by the end of June.
At that time, not all the national government organs and materials were evacuated to Chongqing, and a considerable part was in Wuhan, and it was too late to evacuate.
Once this happens, the consequences are unimaginable.
Therefore, after urgent consultation, the Nationalist government made the decision to blow up the Huayuankou levee and block the Japanese army.
Who first proposed the blasting plan?
Regarding the proposer of the plan, historians have different opinions, one saying that Chen Guofu, Bai Chongxi and others proposed it;
It is said that cheng qian, commander of the Kuomintang First Theater, was commanded by Shang Zhen, commander of the 20th Group Army, and executed by his subordinate Jiang Zaizhen, commander of the New Eighth Division.
A more reliable account comes from Kuomintang Lieutenant General Yan Xunfu, who admitted in 1949 that when he was the chief of staff of the First Theater Commander's Department in 1938, he and Deputy Chief of Staff Zhang Xuxing proposed to Cheng Qian that Cheng Qian, if he thought it was feasible, would report to Chiang Kai-shek. Considering that he had already revolted at that time, there was no need to excuse Chiang Kai-shek, so his words had a high degree of credibility.
The book "Chronicle of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression" compiled by Li Hong, director of the Literature and History Materials Committee of the Zhengzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, is based on "the most original paper documents and archives." ”
However, the huayuankou breach is not a military operation, it concerns the lives of millions of people, and if it is not good, it will be very passive in front of the whole world, and it will also fall into the name of history, if Chiang Kai-shek does not approve, lend Cheng Qian a hundred guts, he does not dare.
The fact is that after receiving Cheng Qian's request for instructions, the Central Military Commission finally made a decision and agreed to break the embankment at the mouth of the garden.
Chiang Kai-shek righteously and sternly said: This decision has a bearing on the fate of the country and the nation. Where there are no small sacrifices, there are great achievements. At the critical juncture of the survival of the nation, we must avoid the benevolence of women, we must break all worries and do it to the end.
Although the Huayuankou dike break plan was proposed by the commanders of the First Theater of Operations, before that, many people at the top of the Kuomintang had made similar suggestions.
On April 10, 1938, Chen Guofu called Chiang Kai-shek and suggested breaking the embankment in Wuzhi.
On April 15, Chen Cheng forwarded Wang Ruoqing's proposal to break the embankment at Heigangkou.
On April 21, Yao Chun, deputy director of the General Office of the Central Military Commission, called the Central Military Commission and suggested breaking the embankment in Liuzhuang and Zhukou!
In short, breaking the yellow river, like Guan Yu flooding the Seventh Army, "replacing the soldiers with water" and blocking the advance of the Japanese army is the unanimous idea of most military and political leaders of the Nationalist Army.
Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek's approval of this decision was not a whim, but a confident decision.
In their view, in the face of national strategy, the lives of innocent people are secondary.
But in doing so, they cannot be said to be calm and guilty.
Therefore, before the breach of the embankment, they decided not to admit it, and they wanted to fake the scene and blame the Japanese army.
On June 9, when the Water Breach at Huayuankou was successfully released, Shang Zhen ordered the New 8th Division to use explosives to blow up the Xiaolongwang Temple, houses and trees near the breach, faking the scene of the Japanese bombing of the Yellow River levee.
On the morning of June 9, 1938, Jiang Zaizhen, who had just blown up the garden mouth, sent this telegram to the Wuhan base camp: "At 8:00 a.m. on the 9th, three enemy planes blew open the embankment of the garden mouth, and the staff was rushing to block it. ”
On June 11, Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Cheng Qian: "We must publicize to the people that enemy planes blew up the Yellow River levee."
So far, when it comes to the garden mouth breach, there are still many people who hold a favorable attitude, saying that this is a last resort and is justified. Because the Garden Mouth breach did block the advance of the Japanese army, it also drowned 7,000 Japanese troops.
If this is the case, it is the KmT's fault, so why don't we dare to be bold and admit it to the outside world?
The words of Li Hanling, commander of the 64th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, are profound:
The breaking of the Garden Mouth embankment has indeed changed the entire offensive and defensive situation, but please do not ignore our people, and we cannot bear to ask about the tragedy that has occurred with the flood of yellow currents.
1000 Aki Ison, Merit And Sin Senshu!
Huang Duowu, chief of the staff of the 39th Army, recalled bitterly:
In the endless waves, only sparsely falling treetops can be seen swaying on the surface of the water. The child's cradle floats with the river, and intermittent cries can be heard. In some villages, even the whole family, the whole clan, and the whole township, men, women, and children were buried in the flood and became the ghosts of wrongdoers.
Who will comment on the sin of a thousand autumns?