In 1937, after the Anti-Japanese War broke out, The National Government recruited young men in Xu Wansheng's hometown. His two brothers heard that being a soldier was hard and that they had to go to the front line to fight, so they said that they were not in good health and were unwilling to go, so they left home and hid somewhere else. The township office asked his father, Xu Sunzhi, who was in his 50s, to ask for help.
Xu's father couldn't hand over anyone, so the township government arrested him and used him as a bargaining chip. He was imprisoned in the village for two nights and forced the Xu brothers to exchange. As a result, no one came to replace him. The township leader Zhong Tong took Xu's father to the Meixian District Government and gave him only one meal a day. He said that if no one came to replace him in half a month, he would be taken away.
A sister-in-law in the family told Xu Wansheng that if his father was taken away, the family would be broken up. She asked him to get his two brothers back and discuss whether they should join the army themselves or pay for a young man. Anyway, To get my father back.
Xu Wansheng told his sister-in-law that he could not find his two brothers, and even if he found them, he would not go. He had studied on his own, so it was better to go by himself. My sister-in-law said you can go, but I'm afraid the army won't want you because you're so tall that you can't even hold a gun. Xu Wansheng said helplessly that he could always work in the army kitchen, but only if he went there could he get his father back.
My sister-in-law could only think of this and asked him to give it a try. So Xu Wansheng found 's security guard and said that he would replace his father. The chief security officer wanted to engage in troops, but he had no other option, so he said that as long as the troops agreed, it would be fine. To prevent Xu Wansheng from escaping, he tied Xu with a rope. At that time, there were more than ten young men in the district office. The next day, Xu Wansheng was sent to the Meixian District Government, 30 miles away.
Veteran Xu Wansheng, a native of Pingjiang, Hunan
The district chief saw Xu Wansheng and asked: "What is this kid doing?"
Xu replied: "He is here to be a soldier."
"Is it okay for you to be a soldier? You have a gun. "I can't afford it."
Xu Wansheng said: "You don't need to use a gun to do things in the kitchen."
"Yes, yes, this kid is very naughty!" Xu Wansheng said that his father is still locked up here, and if he wants it, he must put him back. The district chief released him after asking his father's name. When his father saw Xu Wansheng, he burst into tears. Xu Wansheng later gave his father two cents and asked him to go back, but his father went back without asking for money.
After arriving in the county, Xu Wansheng reported to join the army at Qingshi Lane (now between Wusheng Road and Wensheng Road in Pingjiang County). A month or two later, he arrived at Nanjiang Bridge and joined the 1st Battalion and 3rd Company of the 1148th Regiment, 119th Division, 87th Army. The 87th Army was essentially reorganized from the Hunan Provincial Local Security Corps, with Army Commander Liu Yinggu, Division Commander Luo Shujia, Brigade Commander Luo Sijia, and Regiment Commander Hu Sisheng.
In May 1938, the troops went to Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. As soon as they arrived in Hefei, Anhui Province, they encountered Japanese invaders and had a fierce battle with the Japanese troops in Dashu Mountain .
Dashu Mountain was occupied by the Japanese army. In order to regain the position, Xu Wansheng's 3rd company charged up the mountain as an advance force. After the Japanese army found out, they fired with machine guns, and the "click-click-click" gunshots kept ringing. The battle lasted for seven days and six nights, and many soldiers of the 3rd Company died.
With no reinforcements to rescue them, the 3rd company was surrounded by the Japanese army. In this case, squad leader Yang Benyou led the whole class to break out. During the charge, 12 of the 14 people unfortunately died. Only Xu Wansheng and Yang Benyou survived.
The squad leader grabbed his hand and said: "Kid, stop charging. The Japanese machine guns are pointed at us now. If you charge again, you will die in vain. Boy, take the flag (used for charging) and retreat to the regiment headquarters. I Come immediately with guns and ammunition. "
Because the Japanese firepower was too intensive, they retreated to a dry pond at the foot of the mountain and lay down in it, not daring to move. When the Japanese firepower weakened, Xu Wansheng lay down on the embankment and fought back, finally injuring a Japanese machine gunner. But it's okay to stay inside all the time. Sooner or later, they will be captured alive by the Japanese army.
The squad leader then said: "Kid, I can't help it. Once we lose the battle, the platoon leader will hold me accountable. Don't be afraid, I'll divert the enemy's fire away." Seeing that Xu Wansheng's hand was injured, He was bleeding, and the squad leader tied up the wound with a piece of cloth before preparing to leave.
Xu Wansheng later recalled: “I was very scared when I saw that the squad leader was leaving and I was alone.The squad leader repeatedly warned me not to run around. If I wanted to run, I could only crawl forward. "
So I took a rifle, a bayonet, 4 grenades, and 60 rounds of ammunition, ready to retreat at any time. The squad leader repeatedly told me that the moment I jumped out of the dry pond, I would first shoot violently at the top of the mountain. .
I fought for a while and felt my hands hurt, so I found a branch to prop up the gun, fired three more rows of bullets, and then crawled forward. At this time, the Japanese artillery and machine guns fired at me, and my clothes were shot. It was beaten to pieces and covered with blood. I saw that my left arm had been shot and had a big hole.
My hand hurt so much that I couldn't move it, so I threw away the rifle, bayonet, and grenade. , lying in the pond. I don’t know how long it took, and the sky was getting dark. I heard the Japanese gunfire seemed to be quieter, so I slowly rolled into a trench. These trenches were dug by the soldiers before the war. That’s it, I finally managed. After getting rid of the siege, he ran back to the regiment headquarters. "
Seeing the regiment leader, Xu Wansheng was heartbroken and cried and shouted: "Captain, I'm hanging, I'm afraid my hand will be broken."
The regiment leader came over. After rubbing it for a while, he said, "Kid, it's okay. The bones are not broken. The diagnosis was good." Then he called Adjutant Liu and asked him to give Xu Wansheng two bills.
Xu Wansheng quickly gave the regiment leader a military salute to express his gratitude. Other wounded soldiers were only given one ticket, so why did the regiment commander give himself two? He was a little confused. It turned out that during the battle in Xiaoqianshan, he let the regiment commander pass the sentry post.
The regiment leader then said: "Kid, can you come to the regiment headquarters as an orderly?"
Xu Wansheng thought to himself that he had to serve people at the regiment headquarters and didn't want to go. The next day I met the regiment commander and he said that the regiment headquarters was short of an orderly. Xu Wansheng remained silent.
The regiment leader said: "Hey, you kid is so naughty. You can't even hold a gun, and you don't want to come to the regiment headquarters yet!" He then said: "Little kid, go to the rear hospital for treatment. Don't take a stretcher. Take a car. If they If you don't stop, you go to the front and stop me.
Xu Wansheng recalled: "According to the regimental commander's instructions, I came to the side of the road and saw wounded soldiers on the road, some with their heads wrapped, some with their waists wrapped, and some lying on the ground. They were taken away on stretchers, some in cars, and they kept saying "ouch, ouch".
I finally stopped a car, and two soldiers dragged and pulled me into the car. I saw that people were seated on both sides of the bus and no one was allowed to stand in the middle. After traveling 200 miles in one night, we arrived in Huangchuan County, Henan Province.
Only then did I understand, no wonder the group leader asked me to take a car, it turned out to be so far away. Originally, I was going to recuperate in Xinyang , but because the Japanese army came, the army sent us to Wuhan. There, the nurse helped me give me medicine every day, and I had three meals a day. Each meal only cost , 50 cents, or one yuan. The conditions were pretty good.
My comrades also told me that during the battle in Hefei, the 119th Division was surrounded by the Japanese army and all were captured, with not many people left. The bodies of the sacrificed soldiers were not recovered, which is so pitiful. "
The bustling Changsha market before the fire
Later, several captured soldiers escaped and said that after being captured, some of them built roads for the Japanese army and some worked in factories. After the mission was completed, the Japanese army did not need prisoners anymore, so they They were told to dig a hole themselves, and then they were driven into the hole and fired with machine guns. The scene was horrific.
After recuperating in Wuhan for a while, Xu Wansheng's injuries improved a lot. Because the battle of Wuhan was imminent, he moved to Changsha to recuperate. .
In October 1938, the Japanese army invaded northern Hunan and bombed Changsha. When Xu Wansheng moved to Changsha to recuperate, he often saw Japanese aircraft bombing, 3, 6, and 9 at a time. As soon as the plane left, firetrucks went to put out the fire.
Later, Xu Wansheng went to the explosion site to see some people. Dust was flying everywhere, and people and cars were running around. There was chaos on the street. Then came the Wenxi Fire.
In order to prevent the materials in Changsha City from being used by the Japanese army, the Nationalist Government implemented the scorched earth policy . Zhang Zhizhong ordered the burning of Changsha City. This is the famous Wenxi Fire.
The ancient city of Changsha during the Wenxi Fire
Since the plan to burn the city was strictly confidential, and the action of burning the city happened suddenly without receiving orders, the people who stayed in the city were still sleeping when the fire broke out. Some woke up from their dreams and thought that the Japanese army had entered the city. Xu Wansheng was about to take the road and escape, but the fire was already approaching and most of the streets and alleys had been blocked by fireworks.
People fleeing for their lives in the raging fire, in the crowding and chaos, were trampled to death by the crowd, crushed to death by cars, and burned alive by the fire. The shrill cries, horrifying screams, and the explosions of burning buildings intertwined into a tragic world.
After the Wenxi Fire, Changsha City was in ruins
Xu Wansheng witnessed countless citizens scrambling for their lives, and a serious stampede occurred at the Xiangjiang River Ferry in Changsha City. The fire burned for five days and five nights. More than 30,000 people died in the fire, more than 90% of the houses in the city were burned, and the ancient city of Changsha became a complete ruin.
In a blink of an eye, there are not many veterans who are still alive and participated in the Anti-Japanese War. I hope that the elderly can enjoy their old age in peace!
alive, they are the heroes of the Chinese nation, respected by thousands of people!
passed away, they are monuments to the Chinese nation and will remain in the world forever!
