That night, at twelve o'clock at midnight, Ma Fawu summoned the officers of the garrison battalion and above, and held a meeting on the retreat overnight.
At three o'clock in the morning that day, the 115th Brigade of the 39th Division of the 40th Army of the National Army, led by the division commander Ma Fawu, withdrew from Mengyin overnight, leaving only an empty city for the Japanese army.
Even the firearms and ammunition scattered outside the city were picked up. In short, not a single gun or artillery piece was left to aid the enemy.
At this point, the entire Third Army Corps, together with the security regiment of Zhang Liyuan, Commissioner of the Third Inspectorate of Shandong Province, had assembled six regiments of troops in the Linyi area, totaling more than 15,000 people.
In addition, on the front lines of Yishui, Zhucheng and Juxian in the northeast of Linyi, there were the Marine Corps of Shen Honglie and the first guerrilla commander of the Fifth Theater Liu Zhendong who were desperately resisting the Japanese attack.
If we also count Zhang Tianhai's command of the first regiment directly under Lanling's third theater, there are seven regiments of the national army in Linyi area.
On February 3, the day Ma Fawu led his troops to retreat from Mengyin, the Japanese army Itagaki Seishiro's fifth division captured Mengyin.
In addition, the 116th Brigade of the 39th Division, under the leadership of brigade commander Li Yuntong, has already moved to the line from Tangtou to Gegou to build an advance position, and from Baita along the east bank of the Yi River south to Yujiuqu to build a forward position The main position.
At the same time, Pang Bingxun, commander of the Third Army Corps, sent people to the mountainous areas west of Linyi to reconnoiter the terrain, in preparation for the fall of Linyi, and to carry out guerrilla operations against the Japanese army there.
On the same day, our army and air force went south to bomb the enemy troops in the Mingguang and Chuxian areas.
On the same day, the commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone, Li Zongren, was ordered to express his condolences to Deng Xihou and Sun Zhen who had fought bravely and had excellent military discipline.
But at this time Deng Xihou had returned to Sichuan to handle military affairs, and the 22nd Army was taken over by Deputy Commander-in-Chief Sun Zhen.
As for the reason why Deng Xihou returned to Sichuan, it was because Liu Xiang, chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Government and commander of the Seventh War Zone, passed away on January 20. Deng Xihou returned to Sichuan to serve as director of the Sichuan-Kanglan Appeasement Office and prime minister of military and political affairs in Sichuan.
Regarding Liu Xiang, many people may only have an impression of him as "the overlord of Sichuan" and "the princes along the way", but as a person, he was a patriotic general and warlord. Even before his death, He also had a will: "We will fight to the end and remain unswerving, that is, the enemy troops will not withdraw from the country for a day, and the Sichuan army will never return home for a day!"
Looking at the heroes of the Sichuan Army who came out of Sichuan, Liu Xiang had a share of the credit behind it. As the de facto boss of Sichuan during his lifetime, if he had not said anything, how many Sichuan soldiers would have dared to run out? Not to mention that a full four million warriors later came out to fight in Sichuan!
The wind is rustling and the water is cold. How brave the warriors are when they come out of Sichuan!
Ahem, at this point, I would like to make a digression. In the book review area, I saw a sentence that said: "Don't insult the word soldier. Soldiers of the Republic of China are really not considered soldiers."
Here, Xiongying just wants to say one thing: All those who sacrifice themselves for the country and the nation are worthy of respect. They have sacrificed their lives for the country and the nation. They are also born and raised by their parents. Why? Do you think the term "disciple soldier" should not be used?
On February 4, Zhang Zizhong, the 59th Army of the Second Group Army of the National Army, was ordered to be seconded to the Fifth Theater and at the same time transferred to the southern section of the Jinpu Line for reinforcements.
On the same day, the enemy troops captured Zhucheng.
It was also on this day that Zhang Tianhai's cavalry battalion of the first regiment directly under the Third War Zone finally selected its recruits. More than three hundred recruits of the cavalry battalion were lined up in rows in the main hall of the city defense headquarters. In the courtyard.
Looking at the rows of recruits wearing brand-new military uniforms in front of him, Zhang Tianhai's eyes flashed with a stern look: He must train these loose recruits into a roaring iron-blooded army!
In fact, this batch of recruits is at least better in appearance than any previous batch of recruits. After all, this batch of recruits are all Shandong men. They are indeed tall in height, but they just don't have the bloody spirit of soldiers. , let alone the murderous aura of the group of veterans who followed Zhang Tianhai from Nanjing!
"All brothers have just come out of their homes and come to our glorious group, the First Regiment directly under the Third Theater Command. Maybe you are not particularly familiar with our First Regiment directly under the Third Theater Command. But let me tell you, The first regiment directly under our third theater has been fighting since the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War until now! Countless Japanese soldiers have died under our hands." Zhang Tianhai was roaring. He must inject a force into this batch of new soldiers. The pen is called a sense of honor.
Of course, Zhang Tianhai's words were not bragging, but he did not tell these recruits how many people and good brothers had died along the way!
"I, Zhang Tianhai, am the commander of the first regiment directly under the third theater, which is also your commander. From now on, you will be under my jurisdiction. I want to ask you now, what is the purpose of joining the army?! "Zhang Tianhai looked at everyone and shouted.
"Fight little Japan!" Some recruits in the team began to respond.
"Yes, fight Little Japan!!" The people around agreed.
"Okay, please tell me loudly, what is your purpose of joining the army?!" Zhang Tianhai asked loudly.
"Fight little Japan!!!" the recruits replied loudly.
"I tell you, since it is a war! There will be sacrifices! Let me ask you, are you afraid of death?!" Zhang Tianhai put his hands behind his back, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's aim.
“Don’t be afraid!!!”
The recruits were roaring, the war was approaching home, and no one could feel the urgency and suffering better. If they did not stand up, what awaited the people of Lanling would be their families destroyed, their wives separated from their children!
Looking at these young faces, Zhang Tianhai felt as if he had returned to the Songhu battlefield. Xu Mu, Li Haocheng and many other brothers who died in the battle seemed to appear before his eyes.
War is a huge meat grinder. Zhang Tianhai is not a machine. He is a living person. He also has emotions. If a big stone hits his chest, it will still hurt.
The brutality of the Songhu battlefield will be an unforgettable memory that will linger throughout his life. That battle was also the first time that he faced the cruelty of war.
If possible, he would rather not be the leader of this so-called reinforcement group, and would also like the world to be peaceful, happy, and healthy.
Thinking of those good brothers who had passed away, Zhang Tianhai's eyes became moist. He pressed his hands to signal everyone to be quiet.
After everyone calmed down, Zhang Tianhai spoke: "Recruits and brothers, to be honest, seeing you is like seeing me six months ago. At that time, I was as young as you and had not experienced that. It's a pain of separation and death. But that battle is an unforgettable memory for me."
Zhang Tianhai paused and continued to speak in his slightly hoarse voice: "Our 36th Division fought in Shanghai for three full months. Every day was a matter of life and death. In addition to fighting, we were still fighting. At that time, we All the brothers who set off from Xi'an together have died. The supplementary troops coming up from the rear have also died in batches. The scene is too terrible, you are too cruel.
But let me tell you, the war has just begun. Little Japan has invaded our land, wantonly destroyed our homes and massacred our relatives, brothers and sisters. We should pick up guns and knives to fight them and tell them that we Chinese people will not surrender. We must tell them with blood that our heads may be cut off and our blood may be shed, but our will is indispensable! Starting today, since you have become the officers and soldiers of the first regiment directly under our third theater, you will receive the most rigorous training and practice your killing skills! do you understand? ! "
"Got it! Sir!!!" the recruits were roaring, and the whole scene was already boiling with excitement!
…
PS: The second update is here!
