The Japanese Are Here
In July 1927, a Japanese plane flew over Yuezhou. They flew leisurely in the sky, or dropped bombs on fishing boats in Dongting Lake, or dropped bombs on Cishi Tower, or dropped bombs on Zhuyin Street. The Japanese were using bombs to tell the Yuezhou people," The Japanese are here!
The invasion of Yuezhou by Japanese planes was actually a part of the Battle of Wuhan1 between China and Japan. The battle began in June of the 27th year of the Republic of China and ended in October of that year.
That day, Mei Di was selling water on Bamboo Street. He carried a bucket of water and walked barefoot on the hot stone road. Suddenly, he heard a buzzing sound from the sky. The people on the street looked up at the sky. The people in the shops on both sides also came out to look at the sky. Mei Di also put down the bucket and looked up. Suddenly, he saw the iron bird in the sky defecate from its stomach. This pile of feces was very, very big. It was not round, but long. Someone shouted,"Run, it's a bomb!" The people on the street immediately hid in the shops or at the sides of the street.
With a loud bang, the bomb exploded in the middle of the street. The two beggars were so hungry that they couldn't move. If they were a step slower, they would be blown into powder. Mei Di's buckets bounced a few times on the ground, and half of the water inside splashed out. One of the buckets even caught a falling hand.
It happened in an instant, but the streets were no longer the same. Mei Di watched everything. He stood there with his mouth agape, looking at the bucket, the hand in the bucket, and the half bucket of blood. Suddenly, he woke up and quickly poured the water and the broken hand out. He then washed the bucket with the other half of the bucket of clean water and left with the empty bucket. He thought that if he stayed any longer, others would recognize him and no one would buy the water he picked in the future.
In the evening, Mei Di and Mei Hua were in the rented house telling their own stories of the day. Mei Di first told her story, and Mei Hua said," I happened to be at the North Gate Ferry. I saw a Japanese plane chasing a small fishing boat on the lake. The small fishing boat couldn't escape the Japanese plane's evil claws no matter if it went east or west. The Japanese plane dropped a bomb and the fishing boat sank. I couldn't see how many people were on board. Later, the Japanese planes flew around the harbor. At this time, they did not drop bombs. Was this a conscience?”
Mei Di said," They have no conscience. Haven't you heard of the massacre in Nanjing? After Nanjing was captured, the Japanese soldiers wantonly burned, killed, and raped Nanjing. Do such enemies have a conscience?”
"Then how do you explain the actions of the Japanese planes today?"”
" That's easy to explain," Mei Di said." He's telling us that the Japanese are coming.”
Mei Hua said worriedly," What should we do? We've been selling water in Yuezhou for more than ten years. If the Japanese come, how can we live in peace?"”
Mei Di said," So what if we can't live in peace? What can we be afraid of when we go home?"”
Plum Blossom said,"I'm afraid that the moment you leave, the Japanese will follow you. Can you still run?"”
Mei Di said,"If only our national army could stop the Japanese army."”
"I'm afraid he can't be stopped. It would be good if the national army could hold him for a while." Look at how powerful the Japanese army is. They have planes, cannons, and tanks. They have everything they need. Our national army doesn't have good weapons, and their training isn't good.”
Mei Di said," Our government is too corrupt. It's good that the Japanese overthrow it.”
Plum Blossom said," You're talking nonsense. No matter how corrupt it is, it's still the government of the people of China. If no one makes trouble and no one rebels, how can our government not be self-clean? How can our people not be united? I feel guilty when I think about the farming transport that year!”
Mei Di said angrily," Don't mention it, don't mention it. Go to sleep. You still have to fetch water to sell tomorrow."”
For 10 days, the Japanese planes would hover over Yuezhou every day. They would drop a few bombs every day, and there would be news of casualties every day. It did not carry out large-scale bombing, but only came to harass and scare them. Its goal was to subdue the enemy without fighting.
During the Battle of Wuhan, the national army deployed troops on the south bank of the Yangtze River under the command of Zhang Fakui of the Second Corps to ensure the front of the Jiujiang-Ruichang line and form a position belt along the river to prevent the Japanese army from advancing westward from Ruichang and heading straight for Yuezhou, Puqi and Xianning. Tang Enbo's army was controlled between the important strongholds so that they could support the frontline at any time. To put it bluntly, Yuezhou City didn't have any troops stationed there.
The Yuezhou government also saw this situation. They were only a first-level government office and had no right to request the chairman to station troops in Yuezhou, much less to request the chairman to build a defensive line in Yuezhou. The chairman was thinking about the national situation, the national chess game, and Yuezhou was just a chess piece.
Since that was the case, there were only two things left for the Yuezhou government to do. One was to organize the government to retreat. Yuezhou would fall sooner or later. If they did not retreat, they would perish together. The other thing was to tell the people that the Japanese army was coming. They had to be prepared to run and hide, to strengthen the walls and clear the fields, and to organize resistance.
The head of Jinsha township, Zhou Yin, came to Maple Ridge with a secretary. He first found Mr. Rain to talk about the Japanese army. He said that the Japanese army had already captured Nanjing, the capital of our country. At present, China and Japan are fighting in the area of WuHan. The fall of Yuezhou is a matter of time. We villagers have to prepare early.
Mr. Rain said," The Japanese army is really vicious. I've actually heard about it long ago, but I'm very puzzled. I wonder if the Japanese army will come to our Maple Ridge?”
Zhou Yin said," You're just trying to get away with it. You're a scholar, yet you know this. How stubborn are the villagers?" If the Japanese army occupied Yuezhou, would he stop? He still wanted to invade Changsha. Our Jinsha village is between the Xinqiang River and the Miluo River.”
Mister Rain said,"Then tell us what we should do." The Japanese are here and our home is going to be destroyed. What should we do? How should we deal with this incident?"
Zhou Yin said," I don't know what to do either. It's nothing more than running away from the soldiers. It's nothing more than strengthening the walls and clearing the fields. It's nothing more than harassing him. That's what the county government said.”
Mister Rain said," It's so difficult to hide from the soldiers. Take my family for example. The eldest daughter is only thirteen years old, and the youngest is only one year old. Five daughters and one son are a nest of maggots. They hide outside to eat and drink. Who will carry the food and water? It's a nest of troubles.”
Zhou Yin said," No matter how difficult it is, we have to hide. Protecting people is a big deal. Do you still remember the invasion of the Northern soldiers? I heard that one of your brothers died at the hands of the Northern soldiers at that time.”
Mister Rain said," Yes, I was also young at that time. Although eighteen years have passed, the tragic scene is still vivid in my mind. The one who died was my fourth brother."”
Zhou Yin said," I don't have the time to argue with you. You're a country squire and a cultured person. You have to do the work of the villagers. Go and mobilize them now. Ask the villagers to gather under the big tree. I'll go to Sui Chu's house to take a look and ask him to come and help. Resisting Japan is everyone's business. We have to do it."”
Sui Chu and Zhou Yin had known each other for a long time. Sui Chu often went to the township government and sometimes helped Zhou Yin with some paperwork. After a while, the two of them had become like brothers.
When Sui Chu saw Zhou Yin, he said,"Village Head Zhou, you must have something important to attend to."”
Zhou Yin said," Aren't you talking nonsense? The Japanese are bombarding Yuezhou every day. You should have heard the sound of artillery here. There is only one topic now, and that is the resistance against Japan.”
Sui Chu said," How can we, the common people, resist the Japanese? Even the government army can't resist the Japanese's attack. We only have a pair of hands and have not been trained. Isn't it suicide to resist the Japanese?"”
Zhou Yin said," Let's cut the idle chatter. Today, help me do one thing. Call your villagers to gather under the big tree. I want to give them a lecture and let them know the truth of resisting Japan.”
After Zhou Yin left, Sui Chu didn't dare to be negligent. He went down the mountain to the few central rooms and informed everyone.
Ling Chu, who was on duty, was already 18 years old. When he heard that the Japanese were coming, he became excited. He had never seen a foreigner before, so he did not know what these Japanese soldiers looked like. He took the gong and sifted it through the halls of the big house, shouted again, and then started to beat it on the embankment of the big pond.
Zhou Yin had already brought the villagers to stand under the forbidden garden tree. The Maple Ridge people came in groups of three to five before him.
Almost everyone was here. Zhou Yin cleared his throat and said,""Everyone still knows me, right? I am the township head of Jinsha township, Zhou Yin. Do you know why I came to your house today?”
Someone below said,"I don't know. They're here to hunt for food, right? They're here to take advantage of the autumn wind!"”
Someone else said,"Don't talk nonsense. Listen to the township head."”
Zhou Yin said," Everyone knows what we've been discussing at the Upper and Lower Lotus Pond recently. It's about the Japanese. The Japanese are a pack of wolves. They have already fought Nanjing and our capital has fallen. They have fought to the point of entering the battle of China and Japan in the city of Wuhan1. The Japanese planes are dropping bombs in Yuezhou every day. What is he doing? He wants to take Yuezhou and Changsha. Our Jinsha Village and our Shangxia Lotus Pond are between these two cities. Tell me, do we still have a good life?”
There was a commotion in the crowd. The old people naturally remembered the brutality of the Northern soldiers. They just didn't know what the difference was between the Japanese soldiers and the Northern soldiers. Was it better or worse?
Zhou Yin said," We shouldn't take any chances. We shouldn't think that the Japanese won't come to our village, and we shouldn't sit back and relax. The Japanese will definitely come. Their goal is to occupy all of our land. Yuezhou is an undefended city. There is no national army stationed here. Our county government is preparing to move. The Japanese will occupy Yuezhou after taking down Wuhan. Once they occupy Yuezhou, they will advance south and pass by our Shangxia Lotus Pond. I am not sure if the national army will fight them here. Our National Government is a stubborn government. Our Generalissimo Jiang is a national hero who is determined to resist the Japanese. They will not let the Japanese easily get our Hunan. My personal opinion is that we should be the battlefield of the war between China and Japan.”
Shi Xian said,"Isn't this going to destroy our home? Isn't this going to destroy our ancestral temple?"”
"Do we still have a way out if the Japanese come?" They'll definitely be worse than the Northern soldiers."
Zhou Yin continued," These Japanese people are here to destroy our homeland and our ancestral temple. If they come, we won't have a good life. That's for sure. However, we can't let the Japanese live peacefully. We can't live under the same sky as them. The Japanese want to occupy our land and enslave our people. We must resist them and resist the Japanese.”
Resist Japan? This was a new name to the Maple Ridge people. What kind of resistance was this?
Zhou Yin said," Let's put it this way. First of all, each and every one of us wants to resist the Japanese emotionally. We have to see the Japanese as irreconcilable enemies. Secondly, we have to strengthen the walls and clear the fields. The Japanese are using war to support war. It is impossible for them to bring food from Japan and well water. We have to hide the food. We can't let them get a grain of rice, a fennel, or a peanut. We also have to hide the well water. We have to cover the well with a door and cover it with straw to make it a good disguise. Third, we must be good at hiding and running. If the Japanese come, we must not meet them. We must avoid them and run far away. Children should not be tempted by the Japanese's candy. Fourth, we must pick up weapons. Young people must join the national army to resist the Japanese. We must also set up anti-Japanese plainclothes armed forces in the upper and lower lotus ponds. Young people who are not afraid of death must join the plainclothes team.”
Zhou Yin said," Alright, I've finished speaking to the villagers today. I'm very busy and won't be coming back to speak again in the future. You just have to remember my words. I won't take advantage of you. I'm going back." If you have any problems in the future, you can go to Mr. Rain or Suichu. I'm leaving.”
Once Zhou Yin left, the villagers under the trees in the forbidden garden scattered in twos and threes. They were discussing with their heads lowered.
Shi Xian's wife, Kong Bie Bie, said,"What should I do? I'm almost fifty years old. How can I run?"”
"I'm a few years older than you. If you can't run, it'll be even harder for me to run." I'm not planning to run. If I die, I'll die at home. There will be someone to collect my corpse in the future.”
Chicken Soup happened to be twenty years old this year. He had a sturdy body and was as sturdy as a block of iron. When Zhou Yin mentioned the matter of participating in the national army's war, his heart warmed up and he thought of joining the army. Anyway, he was not married yet, and his family was poor. He wanted to see what kind of future there would be if he joined the army. The only thing Chicken Soup did not expect was that people would die in war. He believed that he was lucky and would survive even if he fought a war.
Chicken Soup immediately thought of his good friend Huai Ren. Huai Ren was only a year older than him and his situation was exactly the same. If he could persuade Huai Ren to join the army with him, the two of them would have company.
Chicken Soup went to find Huai Ren. When he told Huai Ren his thoughts, Huai Ren said happily,""That's exactly what I want. I think so too. We'll be soldiers for a few years. If we don't kill them, we'll be promoted. After we're promoted, we'll have money.”
Chicken Soup said,"Will your mother stop it? What if she doesn't agree?"”
Huai Ren said," Don't worry about that. We have five brothers in our family. My mother can't wait for one or two of them to die."”
Chicken Soup said," I'm fine. My mother died when I was two years old. My master lived his life in a daze. He didn't know that someone died in the family. I don't have any worries.”
Chicken Soup and Huai Ren continued to talk and look forward to it, as if they had already arrived at the barracks. They did not know how far away their thoughts were from the barracks.
The Japanese continued to succeed step by step. By the end of October, the Battle of Wu Han was over. The Japanese had already occupied Wu Han, and the second largest city in China had fallen.
On the 10th of November, the county government office in Yuezhou was officially evacuated. They moved to Dongxiang, which was close to Mufu Mountain. It was a place with high mountains, dense forests, and deep ditches. It was not easy for the Japanese to reach them.
At this time, the Japanese were already heading straight for Yuezhou. They had already crossed Xianning and Tingsi Bridge, and then crossed Red Cliff. They finally occupied Yuezhou on the second day after the Yuezhou government withdrew.
Mei Di and Mei Hua also climbed the train back to Xiushui Station on the day the county government withdrew. The train ran like a convulsion and shook a few times, as if the Japanese were chasing after their buttocks.
Mei Di and Mei Hua returned to Maple Ridge. Their return became a major event in Maple Ridge.
Ai Ting asked his eldest son,"The Japanese are really coming. Are they chasing after you?"”
Mei Di said," How can this be fake? Look at how old I am. How can I coax you?”
Ai Ting's wife said,"What should we do?" Your family has five wolf cubs to feed. If you don't fetch water to sell, how are you going to feed them?”
Mei Di said," Mother, why are you so worried? Xiuxin and Yazi are already 15 years old and can work. Xiuyou and Yazi are already 13 years old and can work. Are we going to starve to death?"”
Chicken Soup grabbed Plum Blossom's hand and asked," Did the Japanese really come to Yuezhou? Did you see the Japanese?"”
"When we left, the Japanese had already reached Chenglingji. They should be in Yuezhou by today." " As for the appearance of the Japanese, they have noses and eyes. Many people in Yuezhou have seen the Japanese before. They all say so, but I have never seen them before.”
Rong Fa saw the plum blossom and asked,"Did the Japanese kill people? Did they burn houses?"”
Plum Blossom scared him and said," The Japanese kill people, kill pigs, slaughter cows, and eat chickens. They set fire to houses, burn shrines, and rape women. You have to be careful. Your family has two precious girls.”
"What are you talking about? Our two precious daughters are only thirteen or fourteen years old."”
The twenty-three-year-old Mei Yu stood up and said,"Brother Meihua, don't scare my master. If the Japanese really come, I'll kill them and see if they're cool or not!”
Rong Fa said," You have guts. You're bold. You're good. Do you know why I raised you? I want you to carry on the family line, not fight with others.”
Mei Yu said," Master, you're mistaken. I'm not risking my life against a human. I'm risking my life against a pig. The Japanese are stupid pigs. If a human fights with a pig, only a human can defeat a pig. What are you afraid of?"”
The Japanese didn't stop after they occupied Yuezhou. The next day, they sent many small teams deep into the countryside of northern Hunan. There were hundreds of villages in Guozhen, Matang, Kangwang, Shanhe, Pingdi, Qiaokou, Xitang, Baiyangtian, and other places. The Japanese were moving around. They carried shiny spears on their shoulders, wore leather boots on their feet, and wore Japanese hats on their heads.
To the north of the Xinqiang River was the Xintang River, which became a boundary river. The north bank of the river was occupied by the Japanese army, and on the south bank of the river, the Chinese army was digging fortifications and preparing for war. The national army had set up two lines of defense here, one was the Xintang River and the other was the Xinqiang River.
The strange thing was that China and Japan seemed to be frozen here. The Japanese army was on the north bank of the river, and the national army was on the south bank. No one thought of attacking the other, but they were always vigilant and watched each other's every move. In reality, the armies of these two countries were accumulating strength and preparing their forces. It was as if they were preparing to fight two bulls, grinding their horns on a small mound.
What the Japanese wanted to do, of course, he would not tell the national army. The national army could only rely on their own judgment. Chairman Jiang placed the ninth theater army of the national army general Xue Yue in the northern part of Xiangbei and northern Jiangxi to resist the Japanese attack. They judged that the Japanese army's next goal was to surprise Changsha.
General Okamura held an army of 100,000. He was the commander-in-chief of the Japanese army's attack on Changsha. Part of his plan was like this: The 6th Division advanced from the west of Xinqiang Town to the south of Mishui. The left wing of the Nara Division advanced from the west of Yanglin Street to the north bank of the Mishui River. The right wing of the Shangcun detachment landed at Yingtian at dawn on September 23; They advanced towards the Pingjiang area upstream of the Miluo River. These three troops worked together to annihilate the 15th group army of the Chinese garrison in that area.
The Upper and Lower Lotus Pond was within the range of the Japanese army. The nearest place was at the junction with Xinqiang Town, and the farthest place was only 30 to 40 miles away.
There were many mountains and rivers in the northern part of Hunan. Four rivers flowed into Dongting Lake from the east to the west. They were Xinqiang River, Miluo River, Laodao River, and Liuyang River. Besides these four rivers, there were countless small rivers. The small rivers near Xinqiang River were Fangyang River, Xiushui River, Cangping River, and so on. They were also rivers that flowed from east to west. Such a flow direction and so many rivers were really not conducive to the advancement of the Japanese mechanized troops.
General Xue Yue's strategic policy was to " retreat and fight for the outer wing." He wanted to use the terrain characteristics of the northern Hunan region to lure the Japanese army to destroy it.
The 15th Army was guarding the front line of the Xinqiang River. The 52nd Army was positioned between the Xintang River and the Xinqiang River.
Chicken Soup and Huai Ren finally found an opportunity. The two of them ran into the 52nd Division's headquarters and requested to join the national army in fighting Japan. The commander punched this person's chest twice, then punched that person's chest twice, and then said,""I promised the two of you to join the army. If you kill me, I won't be responsible.”
Chicken Soup said," We're not afraid of death. Besides, there are so many soldiers. It's not necessarily just the two of us who will die.”
The commander handed the two of them over to a staff officer and asked him to take them to the training team for three months.
The young and middle-aged men of Maple Ridge had gone to the front line to help the national army dig fortifications. Their earliest mission was to disrupt traffic, dig holes on the main road to cut off the road, and destroy the stone bridge on the river. There were usually three or four stone bridges on the Xiushui River, and each stone bridge was built by four stone strips side by side, connecting them one by one to form a bridge.
The Anji Bridge had a total of four rows of sixteen stone strips, each stone weighing about a thousand pounds. This bridge was built by Shi An Gong back then, and it had a history of more than two hundred years.
Xi Gui complained as he walked,""This Japanese is really vicious. They live well in their own country, but why did they come to our country to do evil? How can we make a living as noodle shops?”
Mei Chen said," These Japanese people, they just want to eat Brother Xigui's noodles. When they heard that your noodles were delicious, they came all the way here with their guns. How can you close down your business? If they came, they wouldn't have any noodles to eat. They would kill your head.”
Xigui said,"I cut a bowl-sized scar on my skull. If you want to cut it, then cut it." Didn't you see the Japanese plane? He's flying here a few times a day. Yesterday, he even threw a bomb on Jinzui Ridge. If this bomb was thrown in the big house, it would kill a lot of people.”
Mei Chen said," This plane is also a strange thing. It's just a lump of dead metal, but it can fly around in the sky without falling. It can even shit. This shit doesn't smell bad, but it can kill people. Tsk, tsk, tsk!”
Li Ren said,"Don't fight with words. Save your strength and lift the stone slab!"”
"Two hundred years ago, Duke Shi 'an built this bridge. Isn't it a pity that we're going to tear it down today?" Mei Gu said. We are all the descendants of Duke An.”
"This is something that can't be helped. It's all the Japanese's fault for causing trouble."”
Arriving at the Anji Bridge, Li Ren looked at the stone sticks on the bridge thoughtfully. He leaned on the wooden pole with one hand and placed his other hand on his waist, as if he had seen the figure of Duke An working in the past.
Xin Rong said,"Which end of the stone sticks should we lift first? The south or the north?"”
Ziren said,"Is there any rule to be followed about which head to raise first? What nonsense!"”
Li Ren looked at Xin Rong and felt that this young man was not bad and knew how to think. He said," There's a lot to decide which head to lift first. The Japanese came from the north. If they want to go to the south, we'll lift the stone sticks to the south.”
Kai Feng said," In my opinion, we have to hide this stone stick after we lift it up. We'll hide it in Hezhen ditch and cover it with mud. The Japanese won't be able to find it."”
Li Ren said," That's a good idea. We have to hide it, but we have to remember the location. It'll be easier to find it when we recover in the future."”
Kai Feng said,"This is called a pile of shit on the tea leaves.”
This group of people laughed. Kai Feng had described the most mysterious thing on that woman as tea leaves. It was very humorous.
People began to lift the stone strips. Of the four stone strips, only the middle two were lifted. The remaining two were placed on both sides of the bridge for people to pass through. It would be very difficult for the Japanese mechanized troops to pass through.
Jiashan led a group of people to dig a hole on the main road of Golden Mouth Ridge. The place he chose was very unique. The two sides of the road were suspended in the air without a bar. The road was not completely cut off, leaving a few inches wide in the east for easy passage.
Jiashan said," It's impossible not to do this. If you do it, it'll be an empty task. It's just like how a man works hard on a woman. Most of the time, it's an empty task.”
"How old is Fifth Brother Jia this year?" Why did he always talk about women?”
Jiashan said," I'm forty-eight years old this year. There are only two people in this world, a man and a woman. If I don't talk about women, can I talk about you?!"”
Fei Zhang said," Actually, it's easier to talk about women when you're doing things. Isn't that right, Uncle Jia Wu?"”
Jia Shan said," Fei Zhang's son really got the gist. He's the same as me, he likes women. He has two daughters now. It'll be fine if he doesn't have any children in the future like me."”
Fei Zhang said,"I can't learn from you. I don't want to be a lonely old man."”
Mei Mo said," Jiashan, this pit must be dug so deep. Will the Japanese really come?"”
Plum Blossom said," Your brother is a stubborn old man. Go to the Xinqiang River and take a look. The other side of the river is full of Japanese. If they don't attack today, they will definitely attack tomorrow."”
Meggie said,"It's good that the Japanese are here. I'll sharpen my harpoon so that I can kill a few of them."”
"Aren't you afraid of killing the Japanese?"”
Meggie said," I'm not afraid of a d * ck. I have no family and no money. I have a round belly on my back and a round belly under my belly.”
Jiashan said," Meiji, don't be unreasonable in your nest. If the Japanese really come, you have to cross!"”
Xiulang brought a group of people to dig fortifications at Mashi Mountain in the east.
Chao Fan said,"Xiulang Yazi, is your oil mill closed?"”
When Hidekuro heard this, he didn't reply or make a sound. He thought to himself, You're only a few years older than me, yet you keep calling me Hidekuro Yazi. He couldn't be unconvinced. After all, this Chao Fan was two factions above him.
Chao Fan said," Are you deaf? I'm asking you a question. Didn't you hear me?"”
Xiu Lang said,"Ah, I heard it, I heard it." Our oil mill has been closed for two months. Don't these Japanese people want to come? Why are we still squeezing oil?”
Chao Fan said," That's good. This Japanese has closed the gap between us. You people from the oil mill can't make money, and we don't have money to begin with.”
Xiu Pin said," Is Chao Fan's father jealous? The Japanese are coming, and you're cheering!"”
Chao Fan said," I can still cry. If I cry, the Japanese won't come." Then I'll cry."
Everyone laughed. Kai Feng was digging with a pickaxe in his hand. He didn't use much strength, but the pickaxe touched a stone and his pickaxe jumped to the side and fell to the ground.
Xiu Lang said,"Uncle Kai Feng, you have to use some strength. Do you want to save your strength for your homework at night?"”
Kai Feng said,"You're such a handsome boy. If your aunt hears you saying such silly things to your old uncle, she will take off your pants and spank your white buttocks."”
Xiu Lang said,"Why would my aunt take off my pants? I'm not a three-year-old child."”
"No matter how old you are, in the eyes of my wife and I, you are just a three-year-old.”
Qiyan said," Uncle Kaifeng, what's wrong with you? You've dug for so long, but you've only dug up a few catties of mud?"”
Kai Feng threw the pickaxe away and supported himself with his four feet and four hands. He bent his body and said,"Bow Up, Bow Up, this is what it looks like.”
Qiyan said,"You're not serious. Do you think I don't know how to do it just because I don't have a wife?"”
Kai Feng said,"It's a man's nature to eat and sleep. Are you a man?"”
At this moment, a squad leader of the national army came over. He called Xiulang over and said,"The trench you dug is still too small. You have to widen the sides so that we can carry the shells inside.”
Shun Yan said," Are the Japanese coming? We've been building fortifications here for a few months, but we haven't seen the Japanese. Don't let us waste our time!"”
The squad leader of the national army said,"You, a farmer, can't wait for the Japanese to come. Do you want to see something rare?" I'll send you to the north of Xintang River. There are many rare things there.”
Shun Yan said,"Boss, please forgive me. I just said that I'm very tired!"”
After a busy year of preparation, people relaxed their minds as they busied themselves. When they did not see the Japanese attack, they thought that the Japanese were really not coming.
Just as everyone relaxed their vigilance, the Japanese began to attack.
On September 18, 1928, about 50,000 Japanese troops from the 6th Division, Nara Division, and Uemura Division attacked the front line of the Chinese army north of the Xintang River. General Guan Linzheng commanded the 15th Army to fight back. The 52nd Army guarded the Xinqiang River defense line and was deployed from Yanglin Street on the right to Jiumazui on the east bank of Dongting Lake on the left.
While the Japanese army captured the two alert positions of the 52nd Army, they also captured the important strongholds of the 52nd Army's forward positions on the north bank of the Xinqiang River, such as Xiayan and Majiayuan. The 52nd army was forced to retreat to the south bank of the river. After General Guan Linzheng received the report that the 52nd Army had lost all their guard positions and forward positions on the north bank of the Xinqiang River, he immediately ordered the 37th Army to move to the south bank of the Xinqiang River with the exception of one division to guard the camp fields.
It was not easy for an army to defend a 30-kilometer long defense line.
On the morning of September 23, the Japanese 6th Division and Nara detachment first concentrated more than 80 artillery to defend the position of the 2nd Division of the 52nd Army on the south bank of the Xinqiang River. An hour later, the artillery fire extended. Under the personal command of Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, the Japanese 6th Division began to cross the Xinqiang River from the vicinity of Qibu Pond. They were met with the stubborn resistance of the national army. At sunset, the two sides were still confronting each other at the Xinqiang River.
While the cunning Okamura Yasuji attacked the Xinqiang River defense line with the 6th Division and Nara Division, he also sent the Uemura Division to take a boat to Dongting Lake and land at Yingtian. At this time, General Guan Linzheng's 15th Army was about to fall into the danger of being surrounded on three sides and facing the water. After obtaining the consent of General Xue Yue, he took his brother's 15th Army to escape the Japanese encirclement and retreat to the north of the Miluo River.
General Guan Linzheng had spent nearly a year building the defensive line and was about to abandon it. He couldn't bear to do so, but he had no choice. If he fought them head-on, his troops would be surrounded by the Japanese.
The national army crossed the Xiushui River and headed south. The Japanese had really come. They had crossed the Xinqiang River and chased after them. The roads were destroyed, the bridges were destroyed, and their mechanized troops had become turtles. It took them three days to climb to the Miluo River. Once they reached the Miluo River, they were blocked by the national army on the Jiangnan shore.
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