On August 8, 1944, the Battle of Hengyang, which lasted for 47 days, came to an end with the loss of the national army and the fall of Hengyang. Fang Xianjue persisted on the 47th, died for his country and became a martyr hero. This is a normal "story".

On August 8, 1944, the battle of Hengyang , which lasted for 47 days, came to an end with the loss of the national army and the fall of Hengyang. Fang Xianjue persisted on the 47th, died for his country and became a martyr hero. This is a normal "story". But he eventually chose to give up resistance and go to the Japanese invaders' choice to surrender, become a prisoner, or even a "traitor". As the highest commander of China during World War II, Chiang Kai-shek praised Fang Xianjue for being "loyalty and righteousness can express heaven and earth", and is worthy of heaven and earth, the party and the country, and the people.

This surrender is still a good thing, but why does it become a bright and majestic image? Are there any other hidden stories in this Hengyang Battle? Let's continue to look down.

swears to get Hengyang will not give up

In April 1944, later Chinese people knew that this time was less than a year and a half before the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan. The Japanese invaders were already declining and were not far from defeat. However, the Japanese army in 1944 was still arrogant and raging the land of China. In the eyes of the Chinese at that time, this was not a dying struggle at all.

In April 1944, Japan mobilized 12 divisions and 410,000 people to launch a large-scale offensive battle throughout the three provinces of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi in China. It is known in history as " Henan, Hunan and Guangxi Battle ". The Japanese army called "Operation No. 1". Its purpose is to open up the transportation line in mainland China and attempt to connect Japan, mainland China, Southeast Asia, and the Southwest Pacific into a battlefield to change the crisis of the Japanese army in the Pacific battlefield.

5 In May, before the end of the battle between and the Central Henan Campaign, the Japanese army could not wait to divide the troops into three groups and carry out the fourth invasion of Changsha, and the Guangdong-Han Line and the Hunan-Guangxi Line were their targets. On May 25, the Japanese army launched an attack on China's Ninth War Zone. On May 29, the Military Commission of the National Government (hereinafter referred to as the Military Commission) prepared for the future and issued an order to defend Hengyang to the 10th Army and the 54th Division.

htmlOn June 18, Changsha fell. In the offensive and defensive battle in Changsha, the eight Kuomintang army in the Ninth War Zone suffered little losses, and most of them retreated safely into the Xiangjiang Mountains. However, because of the long battle, each army drew one division to the rear to adjust, so the Ninth War Zone had fewer troops and weaker combat power.

Changsha is the gateway to Hengyang. Once Changsha is lost, the Japanese military operations of the attack on Hengyang will be put on the agenda. Hengyang is the southern part of Hunan, and is the confluence of Hunan water and steamed water. The two railway trunk lines, , intersect here. This is also the central hub of highways in the southeastern provinces. Important materials in Hunan must pass here. There is a Hengyang Airport located on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River in Hengyang. It is the largest military airport on the front line of Guangdong-Han Road, and it is also the main base for supporting the first air force of the US Air Force in China.

Hengyang was one of the three major central cities in China during the war. It was ranked second in tax revenue in the country. Hengyang’s strategic position is self-evident.

Zhang Liangjian and the wall ladder

On the other hand, the Kuomintang army in the Ninth War Zone received Chiang Kai-shek's military order to "avoid the front, station troops in the mountainous areas to preserve their strength", hid in the mountainous areas to rest and preserve their strength; on the other hand, the Japanese army that had just captured Changsha began to deploy the next battle and gathered heavy troops to attack Hengyang. When deploying an attack on Hengyang, the Japanese invaders were gradually cleaning up the Chinese army in the eastern Hunan region, and the places such as Youxian County were successively lost.

The Japanese army chased and tried to capture Hengyang in one fell swoop. Chiang Kai-shek did not sit idly by. Five armies "attacked" the enemy in the northeast and north directions of Liling , two armies harassed and blocked the enemy between Lukou and Hengshan , and four and a half armies attacked on the right bank of Xiangjiang River. One army was waiting for an opportunity to move in the southwest of Hengyang, while the 10th Army and the temporary 54th Division were released in Hengyang. Hengyang's configuration is because the 10th Army lacks one division.

The Kuomintang army has a very good plan, which is very consistent with the strategy of military strategy, and it seems that there is a great chance of winning that will protect Hengyang. However, when looking at a person, you have to see what he does rather than what he says, and when looking at the success or failure of an army, it also depends on how it fights rather than how it plans.

Hunan has been lost one after another, and a large number of Chinese troops on both sides of the Xiangjiang River have retreated one after another. The Chinese army’s plan to annihilate the enemy was not achieved, and the Japanese army also failed to achieve the goal of eliminating the main force of the National Army in the Ninth War Zone. Hengyang was completely exposed to the Japanese army's nose during the slow retreat of the Chinese army.

This time the Japanese attack on Hengyang was arranged to arrange the 11th Army with extremely strong combat effectiveness, and its highest commander was the well-known Hengshan Yong . Hengshan Yong despised Hengyang City, which was already "naked", and only arranged the 68th Division and the 116th Division to carry less than 20 days of food, and went on lightly to attack Hengyang first. The Japanese senior Japanese army, including Yokoyama Yong, believed that taking Hengyang was as easy as taking out a bag, three days, only three days.

It seems that Zhang Liangjiyuan of the National Army cannot deal with the Japanese army's simple ladder. Chiang Kai-shek, who was behind the Great Wall, and the Ninth War Zone Command, worked tirelessly to order the 10th Army guarding Hengyang to strengthen fortifications and defend Hengyang. There is a city in Hengyang, which is about 500 meters long from east to west and about 1,600 meters long from north to south. It is a rectangular city with its feet on the Xiangjiang River and its back against Hengshan Mountain. It is a good place to be surrounded by mountains and rivers in peacetime, and it has become a difficult bone in the war years.

The troops guarding Hengyang City are the 10th Army, which are the results obtained through layers of screening and consideration. The 10th Army accumulated enough experience in the first two battles in Changsha . The soldiers who survived the 10th Army were all veterans who had seen blood. Fang Xianjue, the commander of the 10th Army, was a long-standing general who fought on the battlefield. He fought all the way from Northern Expedition, , Central Plains War, and Battle of Changsha. He was very capable.

On the night of Changsha fell, Chiang Kai-shek called Fang Xianjue's residence by phone, asking him to ensure the safety of Hengyang for 2 weeks. After receiving a personal call from Chairman Chiang, Fang Xianjue was frightened and surprised and assured the Chairman: "This army will sacrifice no matter how much it is, and I will fight to the last one. I will be ready to fight to the death with the enemy." Chiang Kai-shek was quite satisfied when he heard this. Before the battle between

, Fang Xianjue issued layers of instructions to the Hengyang defenders, and three principles must be implemented: that is, do not hit if you cannot see, do not hit if you aim correctly, and do not hit if you cannot fight if you cannot fight if you cannot fight to death.

As soon as the news of the fall of Changsha was heard, Fang Xianjue immediately organized all officers and soldiers of the 10th Army to evacuate the residents at the foot of the city wall, destroy all roads inside and outside Hengyang City, and build a defensive position. Due to the special terrain of Hengshan, the west lakes of the city and the Xiangjiang River, it is inconvenient and even impossible to pass through the Japanese army, and a small number of troops can defend it. There are many hills in the south of the city, and the 10th Army created a cliff nearly ten meters high on the south side of the city. When the Japanese army attacked from here, they could only use the ladder to fill it with their lives.

From the perspective of the right time, place and people of the war, Hengyang defenders have an absolute advantage. What about the man and? I can only barely gain unity. The Hengyang City Defense Force seems to be a full army, with 5 divisions of troops, but in fact there are only 17,600 people. The Kuomintang army had a division of about 8,000 people, or 15,000. The 5 divisions of the 10th Army that Fang Xianjue had in his hands were pitifully small.

176,000 people, plus the troops directly under the 10th Army headquarters, only the actual strength of 7 regiments. Such a force defending Hengyang has a feeling of being a mantised mantis arm, no wonder the Japanese army that had received information would despise it. Although there are many Chinese troops scattered around Hengyang, do they dare to support Hengyang? Aren’t they afraid of being attacked by the Japanese army? Moreover, Fang Xianjue and the commander-in-chief of the Ninth War Zone Xue Yue are dirty.

Hengyang is surrounded on all sides, becoming an isolated city, waiting for reinforcements from nowhere.

Fierce attack and tenacious resistance

The 68th Division and the 116th Division of the Japanese pioneer troops rushed to the periphery of Hengyang City, and deployed the main force on the main roads outside Hengyang, while other troops launched an attack on the Hengyang defenders. A few days after the first firefight between the two sides, the Japanese army successfully crossed the river, and then ignored the morality of martial arts. They used inhumane incendiary bombs, tear gas bombs and rotten gas bombs. The Chinese army on the positions outside Hengyang City either died in battle or retreated into Hengyang City and the positions on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River. The Japanese army paid a price for achieving such significant results.The Chinese army sent 8 mortars in succession, directly knocking down the command system of the 68th Division of the Japanese Army. The commander of the 68th Division, Sakuma, and his staff were destroyed. The 68th Division was therefore classified as the 116th Division combat sequence, and the division commander Iwaaki was commanded by the division commander.

The first general attack of the Japanese army launched several fierce attacks in succession, but did not make substantial progress in siege. It was still bleeding from the head under Hengyang City, where the Chinese army had been preparing for a long time. The troops suffered too many casualties, and Hengshan Yong chose to stop the first general attack and slowly planned it. After a period of rest, the Japanese army was supplemented with various ammunition and drug supplies, and the 68th Division and the 116th Division also supplemented the recruits, and the Japanese army, who were more prepared, began the second general attack.

For the second general attack, the Japanese army first fired thousands of artillery shells at Hengyang City, and arranged for the air force to bomb in the sky, which destroyed all the ground buildings in Hengyang City. Fang Xianjue had no choice but to place the command post on the mountain in the underground warehouse in the city. The Hengyang defenders suffered heavy casualties, while the Japanese army only consumed some ammunition.

Between the bombing gap between the ground and the air, the Japanese ground force also started an attack, making progress but not much. During the fierce battle of 10 days and 10 nights, the 116th Japanese Division pushed the position 400 meters and the 68th Division advanced 200 meters. And this has already used all the Japanese army's efforts, such as chemical weapons, night attacks, bombings, etc. But the positions they occupied were often quickly taken back by the Hengyang defenders commanded by Fang Xianjue. This is a fierce battle, which is exchanged for the Chinese army with blood and life.

Fortunately, the second general attack was defeated. At this time, Hengyang City had been holding on for more than 40 days, and the promised reinforcements were nowhere to be achieved. Fang Xianjue, who was waiting for rescue, sat in front of the radio day and night, asking Chongqing for various resources, but nothing was left except Chiang Kai-shek's airdrop encouragement, which had made Fang Xianjue numb, and a small amount of airdrop materials. The supplies placed are a drop in the bucket. Not to mention reinforcements, the loss of food and ammunition was almost impossible to replenish. More and more wounded soldiers were injured, and there were inflamed wounds, countless maggots were produced, and there were sorrows everywhere. Many wounded soldiers who could survive died because they did not receive medicine treatment.

Two general attacks failed to conquer Hengyang, which caused great anger to the Japanese base camp. He directly issued a military order to the 11th Army that "if you can't capture Hengyang again, all the generals and officials will be broken", which means that all the officers of the 11th Army of the Japanese army committed suicide and apologized. The dozens of days of bombing turned Hengyang City into a pile of rubble, which no longer had the conditions for our army to fight in the streets when the Japanese army attacked the city. Once the Japanese army invades Hengyang, the war in Hengyang will basically be declared over.

Fang Xianjue hopes that reinforcements can break through the Japanese encirclement and meet with the Hengyang defenders. But the arrival of reinforcements is nowhere to be achieved, and I don’t know what Chairman Jiang, who is "respected" and has given up Hengyang? Judging from the relevant information, Chiang Kai-shek did not break his promise. He ordered elite troops to rescue, but the orders were intercepted and mastered by the Japanese intelligence agencies. The Japanese army made corresponding adjustments and deployments for our reinforcements, causing huge casualties to the Chinese reinforcements. Wang Jiaben, the commander of the 79th Army, died in the front line, and the reinforcements were still unable to be sent to Hengyang.

Hengyang defenders have reached their limit. On August 7, the Japanese army launched the third general attack. The Hengyang defenders were exhausted and could no longer defend. The north gate of Hengyang City fell as soon as they were in a hurry. Hengyang City is completely unable to defend.

What is the result of the surrender trip

The Chongqing Military Commission's instructions to persevere for two weeks, and the 10th Army held on for nearly 7 weeks. Before the Japanese army launched its third general offensive, Fang Xianjue observed the situation of the troops: "It is estimated that the 10th Division had suffered more than 90% casualties, the 190th Division still had 400 officers and soldiers, the 3rd Division had more than 70% casualties, and there were 500 troops directly under the army." On August 7, Hengyang City was completely dead. Fang Xianjue summoned officers at the group level and above to convene the last military meeting of the Hengyang Defense Battle , allowing the defenders to break through.

At that time, there were less than 1,000 combat-capable soldiers in Hengyang City, and more than 7,000 wounded people. Fang Xianjue sent the last telegram to Chongqing: "I only die for my country in life, and I will repay my best for my nurturing. I will see you again in the next life." Fang Xianjue had tidied up his military uniform and was about to commit suicide. The guards rushed in took away the pistol, and the commanders of the division tried their best to dissuade him.Fang Xianjue believed that if he committed suicide, the commanders and soldiers of the 10th Army could find an opportunity to break through, and Chongqing would never hold these people accountable. Fang Xianjue, who was stopped by

, once again thought about a way to break through; and the soldiers under his command also gave up the idea of ​​breaking through. The Japanese army attacking Hengyang City did not immediately kill all the 10th Army, and they also knew the reason why trapped beasts still fight. On the night when the city was broken, the Japanese army sent representatives to the defenders to request a truce; whether to request or request, or surrender or a truce, it is hard to say.

Fang first thoughtfully and decided to negotiate with the Japanese army. If he agreed to his three conditions, he could put down his weapons and cease to fight: first, ensure the safety of the soldiers; second, contain the injured and treat them, and bury the fallen soldiers; third, the officers and soldiers guarding the city will never leave Hengyang City. Fang Xianjue made a harsh statement. If he could not agree, he would continue to fight to the end, fighting to the end. Judging from these three conditions, Fang Xianjue put the soldiers under his command first, and wanted to save them, and silently swallowed the bitter fruit of his promise to the Japanese army and his crime of being a traitor and lackey.

htmlOn August 8, the Japanese army accepted Fang Xianjue's conditions and the two sides officially ceased to fight. Senior Japanese officers such as Yokoyama Yong were full of respect for the 10th Army of the Hengyang Guards, believing that their heroic battle and tenacious will could be called "outstanding soldiers." This does not represent the ideas of the lower-level Japanese officers and ordinary soldiers.

In the battle of Hengyang, the 10th Army injured more than 7,400 people, more than 7,600 people were killed, and more than 2,600 remained, but later part of them were brutally slaughtered by the Japanese army. Nearly 20,000 people were killed or injured by the Japanese army. This record was recognized by the Japanese army. Fang Xianjue commanded the 10th Army to defend, and attacked the Japanese army six times that of his own. He insisted on defending for 47 days and also severely damaged the Japanese army. This is a very small case where the Chinese army has severely damaged the Japanese army with fewer battles.

is not right or wrong, and it has no decisive negative impact on the entire battle situation. The fall of Hengyang is inevitable. The Hengyang defenders exceeded the task, delaying the Japanese attack to a considerable extent. A large amount of existing Chinese and Japanese information shows that Fang Xianjue is not a cartilage, nor is he arbitrage in order to survive and become a prisoner.

Japan's strategy of opening up mainland transportation lines is generally successful, but it is far from the original plan of "three-day opening". The difference between 47 days and 3 days is 43 days, which is completely different from the high speed of soldiers on the battlefield. The Battle of Hengyang was praised by military history as the "Defense of Moscow in the East" because it left two first records in the history of the War of Resistance.

The first item is that the enemy and us have suffered the most casualties, and the second item is the urban offensive and defensive battle in which the Chinese army has been fighting the longest frontal period and defense. Take the second item as an example. The Kuomintang army was forced to launch the Nanjing Defense War , which was forced to launch in order to defend the capital of the Republic of China, officially began on December 1, and Nanjing fell on December 13, and it only lasted for 13 days, which shows how valuable the War of Resistance in the Battle of Hengyang was. Because of this battle, Hengyang City, as the only anti-Japanese war memorial city in the country, became another more shining business card in Hengyang except Hengshan.

And Fang Xianjue, as the supreme commander of the Kuomintang army in Hengyang, finally chose to surrender to the Japanese invaders after 47 days of persistence. Surrendering and becoming a prisoner of war is an extremely shameless thing in Chinese traditional culture and is easily despised because he has long advocated the fight against Japan.

and Fang Xianjue graduated at the same time. Li Tianxia, ​​the commander of the 100th Army who participated in the military operation to reinforce Hengyang, said something very pertinent to Fang Xianjue: "When Hengyang lifted the siege, wouldn't Fang Xianjue become a hero of anti-Japanese war? They (those reinforcements) regard the success or failure of Hengyang's anti-Japanese war, and to watch the fire from the other side of the river and gloat, how shameful it is."

Chairman Mao after Hengyang's defense battle wrote an editorial for the Liberation Daily in Yan'an : "The defenders who hold on to Hengyang are brave, and the people of Hengyang have made great sacrifices." This is naturally included the defending general Fang Xianjue. Chiang Kai-shek twice awarded the title of the surrendered general Fang Xianjue, and he highly praised: "Loyalty and righteousness represent the world."

Even if Fang Xianjue surrendered to the Japanese army, he would definitely be worthy of his identity as a "Chinese soldier", unlike other generals of the national army who only know how to eat, drink, play, and drink soldiers. Fang Xianjue was imprisoned by the Japanese army for three months, and once he found an opportunity, he ran back to Chongqing, which was warmly welcomed by people from all walks of life in Chongqing.

Finally, he used the "Return of the Battle of Hengyang" written by Fang Xianjue before his death. "The end of Gu":

The matter has been going on for thirty years, and the one who has made me feel uneasy is that I have failed to ensure that Hengyang and failed to sacrifice my life with Hengyang to capture the enemy. In my personal opinion, not only did I dare not express my merits, but I still felt ashamed of my duty, and I have been grateful for my country's kindness, and I will not pursue the responsibility of losing my land. I also have great honors and favored me, which is a shame.

30 years have passed, and Fang Xianjue still believes that he owes the soldiers who died in order to defend Hengyang.