Rise From Eight Hundred

Yes, the two divisions of the Japanese army coming from the southeast have already exchanged fire with the Chinese army on the Huai River.

And the 5th Division of Itagaki Seishirō and the 10th Division of Isogai Lianjie, sent by the Japanese North China Front Army, also split into two groups and headed for Xuzhou, just like in the past.

The Japanese army is playing a big game.

A few months ago, the main force of China retreated smoothly due to the blockage of Songjiang in the Battle of Shanghai. This time, because of the dispute over the transportation line, the two major Japanese fronts hope to annihilate the 600,000 Chinese troops in one fell swoop with 200,000 troops, so as to form a crushing force against the Chinese who refused to compromise, occupy the entire Chinese territory as soon as possible, and reduce the huge consumption of Japanese domestic industry and agriculture.

Not to mention the North China and Central China Front Armies of Japan, even the Japanese Army Headquarters are also extremely concerned about this battle.

But perhaps only Tang Dao knows that for both China and Japan, this battle is destined to make the Japanese army unable to achieve their greatest goal, and the Chinese side did not completely defend the transportation line as imagined.

However, although the Japanese finally occupied northern Jiangsu after a fierce battle in March, the Japanese army lost more than 10,000 soldiers because of the battles of Tengxian and Taierzhuang. It was the first time since the war between China and Japan that so many Japanese soldiers were annihilated in a local battle in a large-scale battle, and Chinese soldiers could leave the battlefield with their heads held high.

Moreover, this time, because of the participation of the 67th Army, the 59th Army was more flexible and maneuverable. Tang Dao was not worried about the outcome of the upcoming Xuzhou battle. If things went wrong, the battle of Taierzhuang might make Itagaki Seishirō and Terauchi Hisaichi angry and have a heart attack.

To be honest, compared with Xuzhou, which was hundreds of kilometers away, Tang Dao was more concerned about the war on the front line of Henan Province. As if to vent the failure of the New Year's Eve bombing and the New Year's attack on Tang Dao, the Japanese army strengthened its offensive against the defense line of the First War Zone from the second day of the Lunar New Year.

This is probably the main reason why Commander Cheng did not come to visit Tang Dao in person even though he knew that Tang Dao was injured and hospitalized. The Japanese army mobilized more than 50,000 troops to launch an offensive along the Yellow River.

Tang Dao knew that he had to lead the Four-Line Regiment to leave the First War Zone quickly, otherwise, once the Japanese army broke through the defense line, the Four-Line Regiment would not be able to leave even if they wanted to.

However, before leaving the First War Zone, he had to meet someone.

If his wings, a little butterfly from the future, had not flapped so violently, that person would still be in Xinxiang.

The Four-Line Regiment rested for almost a week in the suburbs of Zhengzhou, and on the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the whole regiment was ready to set off.

It was no secret that Lao Jia brought the Textile Association and three other bosses who had signed a cooperative factory agreement with Tang Dao to see the Four-Line Regiment off.

"Speed ​​up the factory relocation!" This was Tang Dao's advice to them before leaving.

It is not that Zhengzhou, the second largest city in Henan Province, will fall soon. In June, when the Japanese army was approaching Kaifeng, he ordered the explosion of the Huayuankou section of the Yellow River 17 kilometers away from Zhengzhou, turning half of Henan Province into a swamp. The Japanese tanks and artillery could not move, and had to give up the plan to march into Zhengzhou. It was not until 6 years later that Zhengzhou really fell.

But this move of "killing 100 enemies and losing 10,000 of oneself" was the prelude to the abyss of the people of Henan Province. With the successive natural disasters, the people of Henan Province fell into the abyss completely.

If these businessmen do not evacuate as soon as possible, I am afraid that all their equipment will have to be left there to eat dirt in the next few years, and eventually they will be sold to the Japanese.

After a week of repair, the four-line regiment, which entered the marching state again, is much better than a week ago.

All shoes were replaced with new cloth shoes. Straw shoes had long been thrown away by Tang Dao. They were as cool as sandals in summer, but in winter, if they were not on the march, they would feel like a knife scraping on the feet. Only Chinese soldiers of this era could bear it.

Bitterness, this kind of taste, after tasting it too much, it really became a habit.

No one was worried that their new shoes would break after three or five days of marching. The hardworking women in the town and the surrounding areas spent a week and used their hardworking hands to make a full 12,000 pairs of cloth shoes and sent them to the Four-Line Regiment.

Although the Four-Line Regiment would never let them work in vain, the 12,000 pairs of cloth shoes were purchased by the Four-Line Regiment for nearly 5,000 oceans, but this was also a favor, a favor from the most ordinary working people in China.

Before the Four-Line Regiment left, the officers and soldiers cleaned the small courtyard they rented, filled the water tank with water, and some officers and soldiers even bought some snacks and put them in the house as a thank you to the host.

These were not military orders issued by Tang Dao, but were decided by many officers and soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment after receiving the new shoes.

How the people treat the soldiers, the soldiers will give back to the people, and vice versa, this is the simple Chinese.

It was in this long-term relationship with the people that the army gradually gained the recognition of the working people, who occupied the largest population base, and finally established a brand new China.

The Four-Line Regiment, without deliberate education, is gradually changing to the style of that army because of the harmonious relationship between the army and the people.

Tang Dao was very happy about this change that he did not expect.

Xinxiang is about 100 kilometers away from Zhengzhou. The repaired Four-Line Regiment can reach it in 3 days at full speed.

But Tang Dao seemed a little impatient. When he was still 40 kilometers away from Xinxiang, he took Lü Sanjiang and a cavalry squad with ten horses and went straight to the headquarters of the First Group General stationed in Xinxiang.

The First Group Army may be unfamiliar to some people, but if you talk about the predecessor of the First Group Army, the 29th Army, many people may suddenly realize it.

That's right, the First Army Group was based on the original 29th Army, and it was under the command of the 59th Army (expanded from the original 38th Division), the 68th Army (expanded from the original 143rd Division), and the 77th Army (expanded from the original 37th Division and the 132nd Division). After the fall of North China, the newly formed First Army Group was under the command of the First War Zone.

And its army commander was naturally the famous General Song, who was also the person Tang Dao wanted to meet on this trip.

The reason why the First Army Group was in Xinxiang at this time was naturally because the Japanese offensive was urgent, and the First Army Group had to retreat again and again. Xinxiang was the last line of defense they established before Zhengzhou.

If it was broken again, the First Army Group would have to retreat to Zhengzhou.

When Tang Dao arrived in Xinxiang, it was already dinner in the evening. In the deep night, the checkpoints were strictly checked. Even though Tang Dao had a pass with the seal of the war zone headquarters, an officer certificate issued by the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs, and the title of the head of the Four-Line Regiment, it still took nearly an hour to reach the headquarters of the First Army Group.

Perhaps due to the bombing of Japanese fighter planes, the headquarters of the First Army was not placed in Xinxiang City, but in a relatively quiet village.

However, the villagers were persuaded to leave. The village was like a position. There were fortifications built with sandbags on the passages and flat roofs. At least one guard battalion was stationed in the village. It is conceivable that there was at least one infantry regiment on the position outside the village.

After all, this was a supreme command organization commanding nearly 100,000 troops.

Let Lv Sanjiang, Erya and others wait at the fortifications at the entrance of the village. Tang Dao followed a major staff officer who came to lead the way into the village and arrived outside a quiet small courtyard.

Yes, it was quiet.

On this somewhat quiet winter night, except for the dim lanterns hanging around the courtyard, there was no imagined strict security or busyness. Two soldiers stood at the gate of the courtyard with their hands on the handles of their Mauser pistols on their waists. A faint light shone through the crack of the courtyard gate. It should be lit by a special horse lantern for marching, otherwise the light would not be so weak, and the quietness was almost lonely.

There was no pomp and ceremony that a general-level army commander should have.

No one came to greet Tang Dao. The army major who was ordered to lead the way smiled at Tang Dao apologetically: "Captain Tang, I was ordered to lead you here, please go in by yourself!"

Tang Dao nodded slightly to express his gratitude to the major who was nearly ten years older than him, took a deep breath, strode forward, opened the door, and walked into the courtyard.

Perhaps it was the cold winter night, the door was closed.

Tang Dao approached, and before he could shout to report, a voice came from the room: "It's Tang Dao of the Four-Line Regiment! Please come in!"

Tang Dao pushed open the door, and a soldier sitting behind a square table in the room, wearing a military uniform without a military cap, with gray hair, looked up at him.

"I am Song Zheyuan!" Knowing that Tang Dao might have never seen him and was not sure, the gray-haired soldier introduced himself first.

Tang Da stood at attention with a snap and reported loudly: "Tang Dao, the commander of the Four-Line Regiment of the 43rd Army, on behalf of the Four-Line Regiment, greets General Song!"

"I remember that my First Army and your 43rd Army have no friendship. What is it worth for you, Commander Tang, to leave your own troops and come to see me?" General Song's face was stern, and his words were also a bit repellent.

Tang Dao certainly knew that this should be the lowest point in the life of the general in front of him. Not only was the North China headquarters that he had run for several years occupied by the Japanese army, but the seemingly powerful 29th Army with more than 100,000 troops was far less combat-effective than he imagined. Not only did it lose a lot in North China, but it also lost repeatedly in the battles in Shanxi and Henan Province after the reorganization of the First Army, and retreated all the way to this place.

I'm afraid anyone would be in a bad mood. Looking at the small courtyard where he is now, he is not even placed with the staff under the headquarters. I'm afraid he is also depressed and wants to be quiet at night.

But Tang Dao knew that this man, who thought he had reached the bottom of his life, had not reached it yet. It would be a month later when the battle of Xinxiang was lost again. The First Army lost Xinxiang and had to retreat to Zhengzhou. He was forced to resign from the post of commander of the First Army and became the deputy commander of the First War Zone in the middle of the year. He completely lost the command of the army before he really fell to the bottom.

From the once prominent first person in North China to a stranger who died in Sichuan Province, it was probably related to this huge psychological gap.

"Report to the commander, this is a letter that Commander Zhang asked me to bring to you!" Tang Dao was straightforward. Seeing this cold man, he immediately took out a letter from his purse.

It was before leaving Xuzhou, Commander Zhang asked him to bring it to this person when he passed through Henan Province.

Tang Dao was also quite puzzled at the time. He knew that it was that person who had caused the righteous Commander Zhang to fall into the situation where everyone called him a "traitor". For Commander Zhang, the pain of being betrayed by his brother and comrade was no less than being misunderstood by the people.

"Mingxuan is not good to me, but he is still the head of an army after all, and he is still leading his troops to fight the Japanese. He is no longer a brother, but also a comrade. I wrote this letter to him in the hope that he understands that the hatred of the country and the nation is above everything else. As long as he continues to fight, I, Zhang, will be willing to return to his command!" Commander Zhang looked at Tang Dao meaningfully and said his reasons indifferently.

Although Tang Dao did not read the content of the letter, he admired General Zhang even more. Perhaps only such a person with such a broad mind could achieve his future reputation! Rather than just going to die as a general.

"That General Zhang?" General Song was slightly stunned, and obviously had not reacted yet.

Then, his face moved slightly, and he whispered in a low voice: "You came from northern Jiangsu. Apart from Xu Chen, there must be no other General Zhang!"

His eyelids drooped, perhaps because he did not want Tang Dao to see the sudden realization in his eyes: "I thought of many reasons why you, Tang Dao, came to see me before, but I didn't expect it to be because of Xu Chen. I trapped him in injustice in the past, so how could he contact me again."

Although the commander of the group army tried his best to maintain a calm expression, Tang Dao could still feel his complicated emotions at the moment.

Perhaps, this former 'No. 1 in North China' threw the blame on his friend to get rid of his own defeat. In fact, he did not regret it!

This is human, one thought of heaven and one thought of hell!

Behind the glamorous life, there may be rottenness and dirtiness, and seemingly humble and cowardly, there may be a heart of gold.

People's eyes will always deceive themselves.

Tang Dao will not judge the personal grudges between these influential figures lightly, and time will give the final answer.

Or, is the answer important? What is important is what they have done for this country and nation in the era of life and death of the country and nation.

However, after all, he is an extraordinary figure who has commanded 100,000 troops. He quickly calmed down and took the envelope from Tang Dao's hand. While opening it, he waved his hand to signal Tang Dao to sit down.

The first three words on the letter "Brother Mingxuan" made the commander-in-chief excited and read it out in a low voice.

This was naturally an unexpected address for him, even if it was just polite.

The letter was not long, only one page, but he read it over and over again three or four times for ten minutes.

After a long time, he gently put the letter into the envelope and put it in a file bag, and then looked at Tang Dao.

His face was no longer as cold as before, and his eyes showed not only gentleness but also some unconcealed surprise, and he just quietly examined Tang Dao.

Tang Dao couldn't help but feel a little scared.

Could it be that his elder brother Zhang recommended him to join the First Army in the letter? That's too bad.

Although the First Army is strong now, even if it can't beat the Japanese army, it will not be defeated like ordinary troops, and it can still resist layer by layer. But it won't be long before the commander-in-chief in front of him will have to resign, and the number of the First Army will become history. However, the armies under his command have not lost the reputation of the original 29th Army, and have outstanding performance in the Anti-Japanese War.

"Haha! Don't be nervous, Captain Tang! Although Xu Chen strongly recommended you, my little brother, in front of me, it was not because of my First Army." As expected of the former elder, he immediately saw through Tang Dao's somewhat angry expression.

Then, he gently stood up from his seat, walked slowly to Tang Dao, and said in a shocking way: "First of all, I have to thank you!"

Tang Dao

Having a general say thank you to him is more shocking than joining them!

In any case, based on Tang Dao's life experience, once someone says thank you to you, it will definitely not be a good thing.

Obviously, he almost guessed it right again...

PS: Today is the anniversary of the July 7 Incident, and it happens to be a coincidence to write about this highest commander in North China who commanded the North China Anti-Japanese War! There is nothing much to say, the descendants of China will never forget the efforts of their ancestors.