Zhou Wen saw that the problem with the Nineteenth Route Army's adjustment and deployment this time was not that there were any loopholes in the tactical arrangements, but that it was a lack of troops.
At the same time, he also saw General Chiang's difficulties and concerns, so he stood up and volunteered: "Commander-in-Chief, please send our volunteers up. Our volunteers will first deploy to Miaohang Town behind the Yunzaobang defense line. If part of the front line of defense is broken through, we can quickly step forward to provide support; if the entire line of defense is broken through, we will stand firm at Miaohang and wait for reinforcements to protect the flanks of the Jiangwan line of defense."
Commander-in-Chief Jiang secretly praised in his heart that this guy is really smart. He just took the initiative to ask for a fight. He nodded immediately and said: "I agree to your request for defense deployment, but there is one condition. If the situation collapses, I do not require you to be there." The temple guards will hold on, you can retreat, everything is done to ensure your safety."
Zhou Wen knew the concerns of Commander-in-Chief Chiang, and did not want their advance force of the Central Army to suffer excessive losses. This was a political consideration, and Zhou Wen certainly understood it.
Therefore, Zhou Wen, who quickly returned to Huangdu Station, immediately agreed on the departure details with Meng Yuting, Gao Xiaoshan and other officers. Zhou Wen and Meng Yuting would lead the first detachment, the engineer platoon, the 1st and 2nd machine gun companies, and The two infantry companies set off first in the afternoon and marched on foot to Miaohang Town, thirty kilometers away.
Gao Xiaoshan, Chen Wanli and Old Uncle Wu led the remaining unit personnel and logistics materials in private vehicles specially allocated by the 19th Route Army, and set off to the temple at night.
Since Miaohang Town is still some distance away from the front line, and the Japanese naval guns cannot reach that far, Zhou Wen mobilized the rescue team, including Cui Xiaolu and more than a dozen nurses, and ordered Feng Tianpei to go to the temple. A field hospital was established in Xingzhen.
…
Miaoxing Town, Baoshan County, Shanghai is located on the bank of Yunzaobang River. There is a Sicao Temple in the local area, which is very popular. There is a village next to the temple. The alley leading in and out of the village is called "Miaoxiang". Later, people gathered and the village gradually expanded into a market town. , called Miaoxiang Town.
alleys and rows (ha
g), has the same pronunciation in Shanghainese. Later written records mistakenly wrote it as Xing, and the name of Temple Xing has been used to this day.
In the evening, smoke rose from only a few houses in Miaohang Town. Most of the people in the town had evacuated to the urban area and the rear to avoid the war. Only a few residents who were bold or reluctant to part with their property still held on. They were unwilling to evacuate because they were lucky, including the house of a wealthy man named Sun who occupied a large area.
Zhou Wen led a detachment to arrive at Miaoxing Town first. Zhou Wen looked around and found that the market town was small in area, similar to some large villages in later generations. Sure enough, there was a temple near the river, and the monks in the temple had already evacuated. , during this period the temple was conscripted into the brigade headquarters of the 156th Brigade of the 19th Route Army.
Just before Zhou Wen and others set off, the 156th Brigade Headquarters had been ordered to move forward. There was only one platoon of left-behind troops and a liaison staff officer from the 156th Brigade in Miaohang Town.
The terrain of Sicao Temple is relatively high. Zhou Wen stood in the open space at the entrance of the temple, looking at the smoke coming out of the town. He frowned at the captain's liaison staff named Zhang and said, "Commander Zhang, why are there still people in the town?" Common people, didn’t you force them to evacuate?”
You must know that villages and towns that are strategically important areas on the front line are generally not allowed to retain ordinary people. One is because it is difficult to manage, and the other is to keep it secret.
Think about it, ammunition, food, and headquarters are all stationed here, and you can't lock everyone up. This person's talkativeness is not conducive to confidentiality, not to mention what if the people accidentally catch a fire? Therefore, unless there are special circumstances, people will generally be driven away. This is the cruelty of war.
Staff Zhang spread his hands and said, "Mr. Zhou, we have tried our best to persuade you, but you also know that not long after our 19th Route Army arrived in Shanghai, the military headquarters issued a military order not to embarrass the local people too much. We are not good either." Let's do it, especially the rich man named Sun, who almost made his whole family lie on the ground and roll around. Our brigade commander had no choice but to station all the troops outside the town. Fortunately, Miaohang Town is still safe now. , the Japanese naval guns can’t hit here.”
"No, you have military orders, but we don't. We must evacuate the remaining households today. This is no joke." Zhou Wen said without any doubt.
I was very dissatisfied with the handling measures of the 156th Brigade. Of course, military orders must be obeyed, but we should not be too dogmatic. Isn't there a saying that generals will not accept the orders of the emperor? The headquarters and logistics center do not tolerate the slightest carelessness, and Zhou Wen and the others He brought too many logistical supplies, and he didn't count on others for logistical support. Not to mention the bullets and artillery shells that were enough to last a month of fierce fighting, even the white flour, canned food and medicine he brought were not a small number.
At this time, Miaohua stepped forward and said: "Scholar, didn't a vehicle from the Shanghai Public Organization come up tonight? I heard that many of the people in the convoy have gang backgrounds. Let them help with the persuasion work. If it doesn't work, let's do it harder. After all, We are also considered guest troops, and it would not be good if our relations with the locals become too tense."
Zhou Wen thought it made sense, so he said nothing more and said to Meng Yuting, who had just arrived: "Yuting, let the troops not rest for the time being. First, Staff Zhang will lead the way to the positions outside the town for deployment. Repair what should be repaired, and what should be repaired. Make changes, make changes according to our method, and the headquarters will be temporarily located here. I will take people to the town first and determine the addresses of the hospital and warehouse. "
To the east outside Miaohang Town is the defensive position previously set up by the 156th Brigade. Zhou Wen knew that this place would become the main battlefield in more than ten days, so he did not dare to slack off. You must know that this place is no longer far away from the first line of Yunzaobang. At 10 kilometers, it can be said that we are already on the front line. Anything can happen on the battlefield. From now on, we must be ready for battle.
Zhou Wen took Miaohua and Zhang Xiaoping into the town. At this time, Miaoxing Town also had two streets running through the town, east-west and north-south. They met in the center of the town, but the streets were quite spacious. , there is no problem with trucks coming and going.
Zhou Wen and the others basically visited the whole town in a short time, and also selected several places as warehouses and hospitals. Among them, the house of the rich man Sun was very suitable for use as a hospital. Although Zhou Wen and the others did not go in, just Looking at the large courtyard and the two-story blue brick house inside, Zhou Wen was very satisfied. The blue brick house was relatively strong and relatively safe, and the entire yard was surrounded by walls, which was also conducive to maintaining hygiene and guarding.
In fact, given Zhou Wen's temperament, if he asked to open the door and threatened him with a gun, would he still be afraid that this rich man wouldn't move out quickly? I’ve never seen anyone who dares to act arrogant in front of a gun. If we were in Shanxi, we would have done this long ago. But considering that Miaohua’s suggestion is also very reasonable, why not just wait a little longer, those who come to support The gang members must have some ideas.
