Chapter 1389 Send heroic souls to the long street!
The morning of July 30, 1940!
The streets of Yiling were crowded with people, but what didn't match the crowds was that the streets were eerily quiet.
In addition to the soldiers with white flowers on their chests and holding guns on guard along the street, there were more Chinese people holding soul-calling flags and looking seriously into the distance as if they were expecting something.
They are waiting for someone, or they are sending someone off.
Throughout the three years of the Great Patriotic War, the coffins of China's top generals who died on the frontline battlefields will pass through Yiling City at 8:30 this morning and arrive at the airport farther west.
According to incomplete statistics, the number of people who went out to greet General Zhang's coffin that day exceeded 100,000, which was almost 90% of the entire population of Yiling City.
Perhaps, except for infants and octogenarians, the people of Yiling who could move came out in full force.
Because they all know that General Zhang died fighting for them.
As the war situation developed, the Chinese high command had to admit that they had made a mistake. One of the main purposes of the Japanese army in launching this campaign was to capture Yiling City.
They attempted to use this as a bridgehead to attack the mountain city along the Yangtze River with both land and sea armies.
In the distance, in the early morning mist, a group of slowly moving black figures appeared, and the crowd became commotion.
As the team of people came closer and closer, people could finally see clearly that walking in the front were two rows of soldiers in ragged clothes, with the gunpowder smoke and blood stains on their faces not even having time to wipe off.
The nameplates on the left chest of their military uniforms read '33rd Group Army, General Headquarters', and the armbands on their right arms read 'Give me back my rivers and mountains'. Everyone's expression was extremely sad, but their steps were still strong and firm.
Perhaps only those who know the organization of the army will know that this front team, consisting of only a few dozen capable soldiers, was actually the officers and soldiers of the 33rd Group Army's Special Agent Battalion who accompanied General Zhang in the bloody battle that day.
There were more than 600 officers and soldiers in the battalion. In order to snatch the general's remains and send them to the rear, the battalion paid the price of 85% death in action.
They tried their best, and they were worthy of the title of the most elite unit of the 33rd Army, but they still blamed themselves, thinking that they did not protect their commander well, so much so that they did not even want to take any rest, and just guarded the general's coffin day and night.
.
If we include wartime, many of them had not slept for several days and nights. Just staying up could kill the remaining members of the most elite unit of the 33rd Group Army.
Colonel Tang Dao, the deputy Fuling officer who arrived in Yiling on a special plane last night, ordered them to go to bed immediately. The reason was very simple. When the general was sent through Yiling City tomorrow morning, they would be the front team to clear the way for the general.
This is an honor, a respect, and an encouragement!
In Tang Tuanzuo's words: "You are my brother Zhang's most elite guard, and you are also the sharpest knife of the 33rd Army against the Japanese. If you die, the happiest will be the Japanese, and the saddest will be me, the Chinese."
The general died on the front line, which is a huge loss for our country. If he sees you again and asks you how you got here and what our China is like, how do you answer? Tell him that you blame yourself for this.
Are you willing to die from overwork? Or should you tell him that I don’t know what China is like now because when I left, the war was still raging?”
Tang Dao's words made the remnant army bow their heads and remain silent, but they lay down on the ground 20 meters away from the coffin and slept for five hours.
Although their military uniforms are torn and dirty, and their faces are still unwashed, their energy has returned, and they hold steel guns in their hands to clear the way for their supreme commander.
As they walked slowly, they were followed by three trucks. White flags and huge white flowers were hung on the front of each truck. But inside the truck compartment when the tarpaulin was lifted was a twin-mounted machine gun with a muzzle.
High up in the sky.
Those were the last anti-aircraft artillery and trucks that the 67th Army could use to prevent Japanese aircraft. There were six trucks with such machine guns in the entire convoy.
Until four soldiers walked into the long street carrying a photo in military uniform, two army lieutenant generals, a major general and an army colonel.
The nameplates on the chests of the three generals all read '33rd Group Army', which means they are all directly under the generals. Only the nameplate on the chest of the army colonel read 'Second Theater Headquarters'.
Behind the four people, a truck with a large word "Dian" written on it came into people's eyes, and a huge black coffin was placed in the truck bed.
It is said that when a wealthy local businessman in Jingmen heard that the general died in battle, he donated the nanmu coffin that his old father had kept for 20 years to put the general's remains.
On both sides of the truck were two rows of people wearing white flowers on their chests. They included generals in uniforms, old men in robes, and middle-aged men in black suits.
Perhaps only those who are familiar with them will know that these people escorting the coffin are all elites from the military, political, literary and business circles in Dushan City.
A female announcer's heavy voice came from the radio in the open shop on the street: "The general commander of the 33rd Army Group heroically sacrificed his life for the country on the front line of the Anti-Japanese War a few days ago. He died at the age of 49. The government issued the No. 1 Memorial Certificate of Honor.
, give the general a state funeral.”
"General Qiangu!" An old man in a long gown suddenly shouted heartbreakingly in the queue.
"General Qiangu!" the people shouted together.
"Kneel down to see the general!"
As the motorcade slowly moved forward, the people's grief was extremely intense. Regardless of men, women, old or young, they actually used the most simple and profound farewell gift in China, falling to their knees and touching their heads to the ground!
"Grandpa General, have a good trip!" A child, no more than five years old, knelt on the ground under the leadership of his mother and shouted out loud.
Perhaps, a child does not understand what life and death are, what separation is, and what sacrifice is, but he still imitates his mother's example and bids farewell to this Chinese soldier who is not in his world.
When he grows up, he will understand, and he will learn to stand there with his head held high like the military uncles in front of him.
The inheritance of China has always been like this!
"Return the favor!" An army lieutenant who was at the forefront and was responsible for clearing the way suddenly shouted with tears rolling down his face.
He is now the supreme commander of the 33rd Group Army's Special Agent Battalion. These remnants of the army would like to thank the Yiling soldiers and people for their great gift on behalf of the general.
All the soldiers put away their guns and hung them on their shoulders, raised their right arms, performed standard military salutes, and sent the generals off to the people.
The four generals who were carrying the portrait of the deceased also put the wooden frame on their left hands and raised their right hands!
Soldiers know that their sacrifice is worth it!
The people also know that the people sacrificed are all their fathers and brothers!
One hundred thousand soldiers and civilians, at that moment, looked at each other with tears in their eyes.
There was a faint roar from the sky!
.........
As the squadron commander of the 1st Squadron of the 12th Air Force of the Second Combined Air Force of the Navy, Captain Saburo Shinteng was actually very reluctant to carry out this mission.
But Shang Feng’s words still ring in my ears: “It is indeed a blessing for our Japanese Empire that a Chinese general died on the front line. However, the Chinese are best at using propaganda to incite the emotions of those numb lower-class people. We must completely eliminate this possibility and must not
Let the Chinese return it safely to the capital and thus inspire stronger resistance.
What does personal honor and disgrace mean compared to joining Tengjun and allowing more imperial warriors to return home?"
Looking at the dilapidated small town in the distance and the crowds of people on the ground like moving black ants, Captain Shinteng Saburo knew that the imperial intelligence agency had made no mistake, and the coffin of the Chinese general was indeed transported into Yiling City today.
The mission of him and the total of four Zero fighter jets he led was actually very simple. They were to shoot at the funeral crowd with machine guns and bomb the coffin of the Chinese general with two aerial bombs hanging under the wings.
Destroy his body so that his soul cannot return to his hometown, further destroying the Chinese people's will to resist.
Although this is very immoral, it is a military order, and the bottom line of etiquette he once insisted on cannot be tolerated in a war between the two countries.
"Every aircraft is ready to enter the battlefield and freely search for targets to attack, but you must be careful, the Chinese will definitely have protective power!" Captain Shinteng Saburo gave the order through the wireless communication device.
"Jin Tengjun is overthinking. What kind of threat can the Chinese's air defense force, which uses army heavy machine guns as anti-aircraft machine guns, pose to the empire's latest fighter planes?" a Japanese pilot chuckled.
"Yo Xi! Let the Chinese tremble in front of the lightning speed of the empire's new fighter planes!" Another Japanese pilot laughed on the radio channel.
It's no wonder that these Japanese pilots are so proud. The performance of the Zero fighter jets that the Empire just put into service is really excellent.
At an altitude of 4,000 meters, the maximum airspeed is 270 knots; it only takes 7 minutes and 30 seconds to climb to an altitude of 6,000 meters; it carries various radio equipment, including directional equipment; the internal fuel range can reach 2,200 kilometers, and the additional auxiliary fuel tank can reach an exaggerated 3,300 kilometers
kilometer.
Such a high-performance fighter jet is still top-notch even if you look around the world, let alone on the Chinese battlefield.
In their eyes, the old biplane fighters such as the Yin 15, Yin 16 and Hawker III equipped by the Chinese are just heavy and slow living targets, let alone the anti-aircraft machine guns modified from the army heavy machine guns on the ground.
If you can eat their exhaust, the Chinese are considered powerful.
In fact, these Japanese pilots are not blindly arrogant. If nothing happens, in the Bishan air battle a month and a half later, under the leadership of Captain Shinteng Saburo, they will fight 13 vs 30 and 24
With a record of 0-0, the Chinese Air Force gained the most humiliating air battle in the entire history of the Anti-Japanese War.
The Chinese on the ground were obviously not deaf. They all heard the roar of engines from the sky. When they looked up, they saw six small black dots appearing on the horizon getting closer and closer.
The height of the Japanese aircraft will never exceed 3,000 meters, and their purpose is also obvious.
According to common sense, when the crowd sees this, the most important thing to do is to flee immediately. Judging from the density of the crowd on the street at this time, riots and terrible stampedes are inevitable.
Even the Army Lieutenant General who personally arranged General Zhang's body and put on his military uniform had a mixture of shock and anger in his eyes when faced with this situation.
This move by the Japanese army will not only disturb the heroic soul of the general, but what is even more frightening is that it will cause huge damage to the hundreds of thousands of people who are seeing him off. This leaves the lieutenant general and division commander who has experienced hundreds of battles at a loss what to do at this time.
He knew that if he shouted a warning, the people would become even more panicked.
Even the man in Mao suit who was the number one think tank around him and the head of the eight supporting spirit officials had a look of panic on his face at this time and turned his attention to Tang Dao.
After all, Tang Dao is the person personally appointed to be responsible for security.
"Fall!" Tang Dao roared in a heavy but firm tone.
The four of them stood still and placed the wooden frame carrying the general's photo on the long street.
"All anti-aircraft and anti-aircraft guns are ready for first-level firepower! All soldiers, pull out your guns for me." Tang Dao's voice continued to echo on the long street. "The general's heroic spirit is not far away. Let's see how many Japanese soldiers and civilians I kill today."
You see me off."
The originally agitated crowd on the long street actually calmed down. They just watched the soldiers in the six trucks firmly sit on the shooting seats of the double-mounted machine guns. They kept shaking their handles and holding the long guns in response to the commands of the artillery squad leader.
The gun barrel was pointed in the sky in the direction of the incoming Japanese plane.
"Find the commanding heights and give me a hard time." The Chinese Army lieutenant at the front waved his hand and ordered with anger flashing in his eyes.
Although there were only a few dozen people, and most of them were armed with either rifles or submachine guns, these capable soldiers still obeyed the military orders, passed through the crowd, and rushed to the roofs of the houses on both sides.
The soldiers all stood on the roof, pointing their guns in the direction of the swooping Japanese planes from high altitude.
Facing the enemy planes rushing in at high speed, they knew that the guns in their hands were no better than fire sticks. The Japanese planes only needed to fire a wave of fire, and they would be bloody.
But they still have to do it, and they must do it. Even if they can't land a bullet on the enemy plane, they still have to be a living target for the enemy plane to shoot at, and they can't let the Japanese plane leave bullets to those who are still standing on the street.
people.
When the Army Lieutenant passed through the crowd, he passed by a pale young woman who was holding a five-year-old child's hand tightly. He had already run a few meters away, then returned, squatted down and touched the child's head: "Remember later.
Hold on tight, mom, but don't open your eyes. When uncle finishes beating the Japanese, I'll give you a bag of bullet casings as a gift, okay?"
"Really?" The child couldn't help but cheered.
You know, bullet casings are quite hard currency in today's playmate circle. Not only can they improve their status, but they can even be exchanged for sweets with peddlers. Even adults can exchange collected bullet casings for some food.
A bag of bullet casings, how much does that cost?
"My name is Lu Weizhen. I never tell lies. As long as you can do it, I will keep my word." The lieutenant of the army solemnly promised.
"Then let's pull the hook!" The child opened his innocent eyes and stretched out his little hand.
"Hang yourself with a hook, and it won't change for a hundred years!" the army lieutenant stretched out his rough fingers and hooked them with his young hands.
"Wait a minute, stay as far away from here as possible and help me cover his eyes." Before leaving, the Army Lieutenant whispered something.
The young woman cried!
As a soldier's wife, how could she not know what the soldier in front of her wanted to express?
This is the battlefield where they fight the Japanese planes to the death.
They have no chance of victory.
But he didn't want this child to see the tragic situation of their military uncles being bloody and bloody!
Would her husband, the father of her child, also make such a choice? Thinking of this, the young woman's heart ached.
But the think tank named Chen over there looked helpless. He didn't expect that the infantry commander who was famous in North China would make what he thought was the stupidest choice.
What is the use of 6 machine guns? Yamashiro has deployed 3 anti-aircraft regiments with more than 100 anti-aircraft guns and dozens of fighter planes. Will they still be bombed by Japanese bomber groups from time to time?
When a bomb falls from an altitude of two thousand meters, what do they use to block the six machine guns? Do they use their heads to block it?
Why did you kill a few Japanese soldiers to see off the general? Was it with those machine guns or those small pistols?
The rumors were indeed true, Tang Dao was really a madman!
However, he is a stupid lunatic!
Glancing at the people around him who were gradually calming down due to the military defense and the preparation of anti-aircraft guns, the think tank named Chen had a bitter look on his face.
He knew that today there was a 50% chance that he would become cannon fodder along with these common people who knew nothing about military knowledge.
The Japanese plane was obviously heading for General Zhang's coffin. The most correct approach at this time was to lift the coffin from the car and hide it in a residential building on one side.
But the consequences of that would cause great panic among the people. There are tens of thousands of people on this street alone. Once a mass panic forms, the casualties caused by stampeding and crowding will be no less than the upcoming bombing by Japanese planes.
and strafing.
Since Colonel Tang Dao, the first person in charge of security, has issued a military order to counterattack on the spot, even with his current status, he can only obey the order. Otherwise, the consequences of resisting the order in front of the battle will be
Several elites from all walks of life lined up on both sides of the truck followed the wise man named Chen. When they saw him standing on the spot with a grimace, their calves almost didn't cramp. It means that many years of cultivation and life experience still managed to support them in standing still.
But those who cursed Tang Dao in their hearts probably accounted for 10% of them.
I don’t know whether it was sadness that outweighed fear, or whether it was the soldiers’ calmness that gave the people confidence. Facing the menacing enemy planes, the more than 10,000 people on this long street did not flee in all directions, but just retreated.
Under the eaves on both sides of the long street, look up at the sky.
The outline of the Japanese plane gradually became clearer, and the huge roar became closer and louder.
The sound is deafening!
Because, higher up in the sky, there were actually a few small black dots rushing down, and the roar of the engine was even louder than the Japanese aircraft at an altitude of less than 2,000 meters.
