On May 16, 1940, Zhang Zizhong, commander-in-chief of the Right Wing Army of the Fifth Theater and commander-in-chief of the Thirty-third Army, was martyred at the Battle of Zaoyi. On May 28, Zhang Zizhong's body arrived in Chongqing, and Chiang Kai-shek led all the civilian and military officers and soldiers to the wharf to greet the spirits, and boarded a ship around the coffin to mourn, and held a grand and grand memorial ceremony.
In order not to affect the morale of the military and the people of the whole country, the news of Zhang Zizhong's martyrdom was not announced at that time. More than a month later, on the third anniversary of the July 7 Incident, the JoongAng Daily announced the news, and at the same time the Nationalist government issued a commendation order and posthumously promoted Zhang Zizhong to the rank of army general. Solemn mourning activities were held one after another, and military and political leaders and celebrities gave poems and inscriptions to mourn.
Due to the long distance and traffic blockage, Yan'an did not learn of Zhang Zizhong's martyrdom until August 6. On August 15, more than 1,000 representatives from all walks of life in Yan'an held a solemn memorial meeting for Zhang Zizhong. Zhou Enlai sent a tribute to Zhang Zizhong:
"His loyalty and righteousness, his heroic spirit, can be the soul of China's anti-war soldiers."
Zhang Zizhong, who sacrificed his life for the country with the above rank of general and the commander-in-chief of the group army, was the highest general of China in the War of Resistance Against Japan and the 50 allies in the world who died on the battlefield in the anti-fascist war.
Zhang Zizhong
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On August 11, 1891, Zhang Zizhong was born into a family of eunuchs in Tangyuan Village, Linqing, Shandong, and his father, Zhang Shugui, was a former Qing inspector. As a disciple of an official eunuch family, Zhang Zizhong received a good Confucian education from an early age and had a profound foundation in Confucianism. According to the set life route, he should have embarked on the old path of the imperial examination system, but at the age of 14, Zhang Zizhong's father died of illness and died in office.
After his father's illness died, the family fell in the middle of the road, and Zhang Zizhong followed his mother Feng shi back to his hometown Linqing to live. At the age of 16, Zhang Zizhong, under the arrangement of his mother, married the daughter of a local parliamentarian. The following year, Zhang Zizhong was admitted to the Linqing Higher Primary School.
In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution broke out and the Qing government was overthrown. Zhang Zizhong entered the Tian Ji Beiyang Law and Politics School to study, and began to come into contact with Sun Yat-sen's Three People's Principles. At the end of the year, Zhang Zizhong secretly joined the League. Yuan Shikai's usurpation of the fruits of the revolution made him deeply aware that only force could save the country and the nation. After careful consideration, Zhang Zizhong resolutely threw himself into the pen.
In the autumn of 1914, Zhang Zizhong went to Fengtian to serve as a soldier under Che Zhen. Three years later, in the Mixed Brigade of the Sixteenth Army, Feng Yuxiang's army, because of his outstanding performance, was soon promoted to platoon commander. Starting as a small platoon leader and rising to the commander of the 22nd Division of the Eleventh Army in 1929, Zhang Zizhong spent 12 years.
Zhang Zizhong's military career has never had a slack. Although he was born in a family of officials and eunuchs, he did not have a little bit of squeamishness of the children of a rich family, endured hardships and stood hard work, and led the soldiers strictly, which was deeply appreciated by Feng Yuxiang.
In 1930, the Central Plains War broke out, and Zhang Zizhong, as Feng Yuxiang's fierce general, served as the commander of the Sixth Division and entered the battle. During the battle, Zhang Zizhong was brave and decisive, and his command was determined, showing the talent of a great general.
Feng Yuxiang in his later years
Feng Yuxiang was defeated in the Battle of the Central Plains, Zhang Zizhong retreated into Shanxi with song Zheyuan and led the remnants, and in January 1931, Zhang Xueliang was incorporated into the Third Army of the Northeast Border Defense Army, renamed the 29th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, with Song Zheyuan as its commander. The following year, the Twenty-ninth Army moved to Chahar and expanded into 3 divisions, with Zhang Zizhong serving as commander of the 38th Division.
In January 1933, the Japanese army attacked Shanhaiguan, and the Great Wall War of Resistance began. The vanguard of the Japanese army tried to capture Xifengkou, the enemy was present, the Twenty-ninth Army was urgently stationed at Xifengkou, and Zhang Zizhong was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the front line, which was his first engagement with the Japanese army. The Twenty-ninth Army reached the front line and engaged in positional warfare with the Japanese.
The Japanese army was well equipped, and the Twenty-ninth Army suffered heavy losses and suffered heavy casualties. Zhang Zizhong organized a large knife team to launch a night attack on the enemy, and under his mobilization, a 2,000-strong death squad was soon established. Brigade commander Zhao Dengyu led a large knife team of 500 people to attack the Japanese army at night, killing more than 500 Japanese troops and winning the initial battle.
However, in the daytime, the Japanese army began to counterattack, and the Twenty-ninth Army suffered heavy casualties. Zhang Zizhong once again organized a large knife team to attack the enemy camp at night, hacking and killing more than 200 enemy troops, burning more than 200 enemy military vehicles, and capturing more than 20 cannons.
The Twenty-ninth Army fought bravely against the enemy and confronted the Japanese army at Xifeng Pass for 3 months. Zhang Zizhong's Thirty-eighth Division served as three-quarters of the entire army's defensive position, and although it made great sacrifices in the battle against the enemy, it greatly dealt a blow to the arrogance of the Japanese army.
The Xifengkou War of Resistance was the first major victory fought by the Chinese army since the September 18 Incident, and the First Defeat of the Japanese Army since the War of Aggression against China. The great victory of Xifengkou also made the names of the Twenty-ninth Army and Zhang Zizhong famous.
Big Knife Team
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On July 7, 1937, the Japanese shelled the county town of Wanping county garrisoned by the 29th Army, shocking the Outbreak of the Lugou Bridge Incident in China and abroad, and the Japanese army invaded China in an all-round way, and China began an eight-year War of Resistance Against Japan. Song Zheyuan misjudged the situation, believing that "at present, Japan is not yet able to launch an all-out war against China, and as long as we express some concessions, a partial solution is still possible." The Nanjing side also gave instructions to "fight without seeking war", and the Twenty-ninth Army stationed in the Pingjin area did not move and fell into a passive situation.
The Japanese launched a full-line attack, and the Twenty-ninth Army rushed to battle and suffered heavy losses. The situation was critical, and Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram ordering Song Zheyuan to retreat to Baoding. The heavy responsibility of staying in Beiping fell on Zhang Zizhong's shoulders. Before leaving, Song Zheyuan shook Zhang Zizhong's hand and said:
"It is easy to die generously, and it is difficult to bear the burden calmly." I'm leaving tonight, embarrassing you. ”
Zhang Zizhong said to all the officers of the Thirty-eighth Division:
"Ming was ordered to stay in Pingping, leave the troops temporarily, and instruct his subordinates to unite as one, obey the command of the commander under the leadership of the deputy division commander, resolutely resist the war, and strive to kill the enemy."
The Twenty-ninth Army retreated, Peiping fell, and Zhang Zizhong stayed in the area occupied and controlled by the Japanese army to carry out aftermath maintenance work and clean up the mess. While perfunctory Japanese and delaying time, he also accelerated his actions: secretly ordered the opening of warehouses to release grain to help the people in the war tide over famine; secretly transferred undrew troops, buried the bodies of fallen soldiers, dispersed hidden wounded, and specially received and resettled Liuping military dependents...
Notices signed by Zhang Zizhong were posted everywhere, exhorting the people to settle down and not to panic and disturb themselves. As a result, public opinion was in an uproar, and the people who did not know the truth all thought that Zhang Zizhong had become a traitor, and for a time the whole country denounced it.
Zhang Zizhong struggled to support himself in the occupied areas, but he was not understood by the people. In the second half of 1937, the newspapers mostly scolded him for "traitorous renegade." As a patriotic anti-Japanese general, Zhang Zizhong's heart was extremely painful.
In the midst of the scolding, he silently maneuvered with the Japanese army. On the tenth day of the successful evacuation of the Twenty-ninth Army led by Song Zheyuan, Zhang Zizhong secretly left Beiping and fled to Tianjin to meet with his family in a hurry, planning to take a boat from Qingdao to Nanjing.
However, in Shandong, Zhang Zizhong was detained by Han Fuyu on charges of collaborating with the enemy. Song Zheyuan quickly called Chiang Kai-shek to defend Zhang Zizhong. The Nanjing side dismissed Zhang Zizhong for "abandoning his responsibilities and losing his position." During his detention, Zhang Zizhong, who had suffered injustice, wrote to his subordinates:
"At a time when there is considerable incomprehension in society, I hope that the brothers will lift their spirits, inspire courage, swear to sweep away the enemy atmosphere, and return the rivers and mountains to me." Otherwise, you cannot save the country, you cannot save yourself, and you cannot forgive the people. Facts speak louder than words, and they will die and then live. ”
On October 10, Zhang Zizhong finally arrived in Nanjing to meet Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang Kai-shek soothed: "I understand all the situations in the north. You need to take care of your body with peace of mind and avoid contact with outsiders. Chiang Kai-shek arranged for him to recuperate in Nanjing, and Zhang Zizhong was greatly moved and said that he "swore to die to repay the country."
After the Twenty-ninth Army withdrew south, it was expanded into the First Army Group, and Zhang Zizhong soon returned to the army as the commander of the Fifty-ninth Army. Meeting with the old subordinates of officers and men, Zhang Zizhong said: "When I return to the army today, I want to lead everyone to find a way to die and see where they will die for the country in the future!" When the officers and men heard this, they all burst into tears.
Song Zheyuan
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In March 1938, the Japanese army attacked Xuzhou, and the Battle of Taierzhuang began. Guarding Linyi was Pang Bingxun's Third Army, which encountered the Japanese Banheng Division, which suffered heavy casualties due to the disparity in strength. Zhang Zizhong led the Fifty-ninth Army to reinforce in time at a speed of 90 kilometers a day and night.
Zhang Zizhong and Pang Bingxun were both generals of the Northwest Army, and the two had a grudge. But before the great righteousness of the family country, Zhang Zizhong did not hesitate. Pang Bingxun saw Zhang Zizhong, and the two looked at each other for a long time, and the resentment accumulated for several years was frozen.
In the early morning, the battle began, and the Fifty-ninth Army forcibly crossed the Yi River, launched a fierce attack on the Japanese army, and inserted itself into the right back of the Sakagaki Division to break through the enemy's defense line. The defenders in Linyi City were greatly encouraged, morale was greatly boosted, and Kaesong went to battle. Attacked the Sakagaki Division from front to back, annihilating more than a thousand enemy troops overnight.
Zhang Zizhong personally went to the front line to command the battle, and the battle lasted for 3 days, and the Sakagaki Division was defeated and routed. The "Linyi Victory" effectively prevented the Japanese army from reinforcing Taierzhuang, and finally guaranteed the victory of the Battle of Taierzhuang.
After this battle, Zhang Zizhong completely washed away his humiliation during the Peiping period, and his reputation rose to prominence, and he was promoted to the commander of the Twenty-seventh Army. In October of the same year, Zhang Zizhong was promoted to commander-in-chief of the 33rd Group Army and commander of the 59th Army, and soon after he was also the commander of the Right Wing Corps of the Fifth Theater.
In August 1939, 100,000 Japanese soldiers invaded northern Hubei in two ways, and Zhang Zizhong ordered the frontal troops to hold on to the front, while quickly sending two divisions to detour behind the enemy army and attack the Japanese army on both sides. He also personally led two regiments to cross the Xiang river to attack the enemy, killed 3 Japanese wing commanders, annihilated 13,000 enemy troops, and recaptured Zaoyang, Tongbai and other areas in one fell swoop, known in history as the "Great Victory of Ebei".
After that, Zhang Zizhong led the officers and men of the Fifty-ninth Army to kill the enemy bravely, and in December of the same year, he achieved the "Xiangdong Victory", crushing the Japanese army and retreating 30 kilometers. Chiang Kai-shek called many times to commend him, praising Zhang Zizhong's troops as "model troops" and his defense area as "model defense area." The common people were also rejoicing, calling Zhang Zizhong a "living Guan Gong".
After Zhang Zizhong became the commander-in-chief of the Thirty-third Group Army, he was stationed in the Xiangfan area and became a mobile unit in the Fifth Theater.
In May 1940, the Japanese army gathered more than 100,000 troops, with the cooperation of more than 100 tanks and more than 70 aircraft, launched a fierce attack on the Fifth Theater on the east bank of the Xiang River, and the Battle of Zaoyi was officially launched.
The Japanese army vainly tried to control the traffic on the Yangtze River and cut off the Chongqing transportation line, and Zhang Zizhong would not let the Japanese plot succeed. While ordering the east bank troops to block the Japanese, he instructed the west bank troops to prepare for the attack. Zhang Zizhong wrote a handwritten letter to inform all officers and men:
"As long as the enemy comes to attack, the brother will go to Hedong to sacrifice with the brother and others." The country has reached such a point that there is no other way but for me to die for it. ”
In addition, in a letter to Deputy Commander-in-Chief Feng Zhi'an, he said:
"Whether you do good or bad, you must ask your conscience to be comforted, and in the future, both public and private will have to ask my brother to be responsible." From now on, in the future or temporarily, forever away, it is not known. ”
According to the recollection of his aide-de-camp, Zhang Zizhong would leave a suicide note every time he went out to fight, and when he came back, he would tear it up and burn it. On the eve of the Battle of Zaoyi, Zhang Zizhong led the officers and men to cross the river to supervise the battle, and left two letters before leaving, which became his "suicide note".
Every sentence is touching to the heart, and every sentence is written into a book of blood. Every word shows the determination to kill the enemy and serve the country and sacrifice oneself to become a benevolent person. The two "suicide notes" were preserved, but General Zhang Zizhong did not return safely.
Zhang Zi counseled the officers and men to write a letter in person
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On May 7, 1940, Zhang Zizhong led the pistol battalion and the 74th Division to the Battlefield of Hedong. When The Generals of Hedong learned that the Commander-in-Chief had come to the front, their morale was greatly boosted, and the battle was more powerful, almost completely cutting off the rear road of the Japanese army.
On May 11, Zhang Zizhong led his troops to chase the fleeing enemy to the east in the rain, killing more than 1,400 enemy soldiers in the battle of Meijiagao Temple, and severely damaging the Japanese army. Three days later, Zhang Zizhong led his troops to fight fiercely with the enemy in the south at Fangjiaji, repelling many Japanese attacks.
Unfortunately, the radio code used by Zhang Zizhong's command was deciphered by the Japanese communications unit, and the pre-military deployment was learned by the Japanese army. Zhang Zizhong only led more than 2,000 people to intercept the Japanese army moving south along the Han River from Xiangyang, and the Japanese army not only did not retreat, but increased a large number of troops.
Zhang Zizhong led his troops to break through the siege and moved to the pumpkin shop. The enemy suddenly concentrated tens of thousands of soldiers, more than 30 cannons, and dozens of aircraft and launched an onslaught on the pumpkin shop and its flanks. Although Zhang Zizhong's troops were brave and good at fighting, they repelled the enemy's attacks many times, but they were eventually outnumbered and fell into an encirclement.
After a fierce battle, Zhang Zizhong had only more than a thousand people left around him, and he encouraged the officers and men to "fight to the end in blood", and all the soldiers regarded death as a homecoming and launched a white-knife battle with the enemy. Reinforcements have not arrived, and the Japanese encirclement has been closed, Zhang Zizhong was shot in the left arm, still insisting on supervising the battle at the front.
The Battle of Zaoyi is planned
Zhang Zizhong ordered the guards to be transferred to the front to provide support, and he took out his pen and wrote a combat report to the theater headquarters, and when he handed it to his adjutant Ma Xiaotang, he said:
"I fought and died, and I asked myself whether I was worthy of the country and the nation, and you should work hard to kill the enemy and not live up to my ambitions." Kill the enemy and repay the country! ”
The Japanese locked zhang Zizhong's headquarters on the radio and quickly surrounded it from three directions. The subordinate generals tearfully asked Zhang Zizhong to retreat, but Zhang Zizhong did not retreat, and everyone had to fight with the Japanese army to the end. Zhang Zizhong's troops suffered casualties, and there were only a few senior staff and adjutants around him.
The Japanese rushed up, and Zhang Zizhong was hit by Japanese machine guns. Zhang Zizhong was severely wounded and still shouted to kill the enemy. At 4 p.m. on May 16, 1940, Zhang Zizhong, a famous anti-Japanese general, was martyred at the age of 49. The 2,000 officers and men who followed Zhang Zizhong across the river were all killed.
Zhang Zizhong was killed on the battlefield, and the Thirty-eighth Army, which was ordered to rush to the aid, came one step too late. When the division commander Huang Weigang learned the bad news, he was deeply saddened. Chiang Kai-shek ordered the Fifth Theater to recover the remains of the hero at all costs. Huang Weigang led the death squad to cross the river again that night, fought fiercely with the enemy for two days and nights, and finally recovered the remains of General Zhang Zizhong.
On May 18, the remains of the general arrived at The Happy Shop amid the cries of the officers of the Thirty-third Army. Three days later, Li Zhiyuan and Xu Weilie were ordered to escort Zhang Zizhong's coffin to Chongqing, and tens of thousands of people along the way made tears of tribute.
The guardian team arrived in Yichang, stopped at Dongshan Temple, and 100,000 people spontaneously came to deliver the funeral. On that day, the Japanese planes hovered and roared in the air, but none of them evaded, and none of them fled. Thousands of people were in mourning and solemnity, and the invading Japanese aircraft was unusual, not dropping a single bullet, and flying away without firing a shot.
On November 16, 1940, General Zhang Zizhong was buried in Chongqing Beibei Yuhuatai Mountain, and Feng Yuxiang wrote "The Tomb of General Zhang Zizhong" and carved a stone stele in front of the tomb. In 1942, Feng Yuxiang imitated the meaning of the Ming Dynasty Shi Kefa tomb Meihualing and changed the Yuhuatai Mountain to Meihua Mountain.
Tomb of Zhang Zizhong
On April 16, 1982, in order to commemorate the heroic martyrs and commend Zhang Zizhong's anti-Japanese achievements, Zhang Zizhong was posthumously recognized as a "revolutionary martyr".
Zhang Zizhong's life has a certain tragic meaning. As the commander-in-chief of the group army, he did not have to be on the front line of the battlefield. But the misunderstanding he suffered during the Pingjin period, he could not let go of it for the rest of his life. Therefore, in the subsequent War of Resistance Against Japan, he did not once not charge forward, and he had the determination to die: the first battle was in Shuishui, then in Linyi, in Xuzhou in the third, and in Yichang. Ride the battlefield, but also fight and die on the battlefield. With the death of Ming Zhi, General Zhang Zizhong is worthy of the country and the nation, and he is also worthy of his conscience.
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