The Chinese army's tenacious resistance and resolute attack caught the Japanese army by surprise. No one in the Japanese army, who was so arrogant before the bombardment of Nanjing, could have imagined that the always cowardly Chinese army would dare to attack their powerful naval ships, detain their merchant ships and disperse their ships in the Yangtze River Basin.
Groups of Japanese overseas Chinese dared to confiscate the property of Japanese industrial and commercial enterprises and overseas Chinese.
The furious Japanese commander Koichi Shiosawa and Consul General Murakami urgently reported the details to the country and issued a protest declaration overnight, condemning the Chinese army for killing its innocent citizens in an attempt to seize the moral initiative.
Unfortunately, at this time, the Chinese and foreign media were denounced by the Japanese army for their blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, bombardment of Nanjing, the capital of China, and bombing of the Zhabei slums in Shanghai, which resulted in heavy casualties among the poor and the destruction of large areas of houses. The Chinese government and all walks of life have become increasingly vocal in their protests and denunciations.
The Japanese army's protest seemed feeble, but instead inspired the Chinese military and civilians to have greater confidence in the war of resistance.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the Japanese military and political parties stationed in Shanghai immediately immersed themselves in formulating a larger military plan, and desperately looked forward to the military's aircraft carrier fleet and large-scale reinforcements arriving as soon as possible.
The "Plan Raging Dragon", launched in advance due to the Japanese bombardment of Nanjing, was quickly implemented throughout the Yangtze River Basin. The operations from Yichang to Chongqing waters commanded by Yang Bin, Ding Zhicheng, and Deng Bin sank two Japanese river gunboats and damaged four.
Five Japanese merchant ships were detained, and under the astonished gazes of Liu Xiang's army and the Central Military Forces stationed in Chongqing, the Japanese community was sealed off, the property and materials of Japanese industrial and commercial enterprises were confiscated, and nearly a thousand Japanese nationals and more than 30 Japanese prisoners were taken into custody for investigation.
All the captured merchant ships were sent to Luzhou in southern Sichuan for centralized custody.
A division of Zhang Hongluan's 44th Army, led by deputy commander Zhang Cunzhuang and division commander Xiao Yangming, divided into two groups and launched a sudden attack on the Japanese garrison in Yichang and Shashi, killing more than 70 Japanese troops left behind and capturing more than 40 people.
All the Japanese nationals, prisoners and confiscated property from the two places were sent to western Hunan; after the Special Forces Brigade directly under the 44th Army notified He Jian, under the astonished gaze of He Jian and his soldiers, they suddenly attacked Changsha and Yuezhou waters.
Three Japanese gunboats sank two and captured one. Then they followed the same pattern and sent all the captured guns to the hinterland of western Hunan.
When the operation ended at 5 p.m., Lieutenant General Zhang Hongluan, commander of the army, director of the Xiangxi Pacification Office, and commander of the Garrison Command, immediately sent a telegram to the whole country:
Support the righteous deeds of the officers and men of the 19th Route Army in the Anti-Japanese War, declare the determination of the five million soldiers and civilians in western Hunan to fight against the Japanese invaders, implore the central government to transfer the 44th Army to the front line of the Anti-Japanese War, and express that they will go all out and use all means to fight against the Japanese invaders.
!
Just ten minutes after Zhang Hongluan's call was sent out, Yunnan Provincial Chairman Zhu Peide, Commander of the 38th Army Zhu Shigui, Yunnan Provincial Security Commander Zhan Huanqi, Director of the Qianxi Pacification Office and Commander of the 43rd Army Shi Zhen and other generals also sent calls to the country one after another to express support for the ten
The heroic resistance of the soldiers of the Ninth Route Army expressed the same meaning as Zhang Hongluan.
Liu Xiang was deeply affected and immediately stopped the war with his uncle Liu Wenhui. At eight o'clock that night, he led his generals and the generals of the allied forces to jointly send a nationwide telegram to support the 19th Route Army's righteous deeds, calling for an end to the civil war and unified resistance to Japan, and made a high-profile announcement at any time
Waiting for orders from the central government and the Central Military Commission, he led the Sichuan army out of Sichuan to resist Japan.
An hour after Liu Xiang's telegram was released, Liu Wenhui, who was licking his wounds, was not far behind and jointly sent a telegram to the whole country with three Allied generals to express their determination to resist Japan.
At this point, the three southwestern provinces surprisingly gave up their disputes and united to deal with the outside world. The soldiers and civilians across the country were shocked and deeply encouraged. The positive impact quickly spread across the country. The warlord images of Liu Xiang and Liu Wenhui suddenly became taller and began to be highlighted by the people and newspapers.
He is called a patriotic general who assesses the situation and takes the overall situation into consideration.
Eleven o'clock in the evening on February 2nd, Luoyang Appeasement Office.
The spacious compound of the Office was overcrowded with the arrival of thousands of officials from various central ministries. There were noisy voices everywhere, and the complaints were full of helpless pessimism and despair.
Chairman Lin Sen, leaning on a civilized stick, entered the spacious office of Executive President Wang Jingwei, waved down the hot tea offered by confidential secretary Liu Shoujiang, stood in front of Wang Jingwei's desk, and said with a worried look:
"Zhaoming, officials from various central ministries have been running around for several days and finally settled down. However, they are now hungry and unable to make ends meet. The pitiful food provided by the Luoyang garrison is not enough for their families and guards. If it continues like this, I am afraid it will be too late."
They will starve to death just like the people in the disaster area."
Wang Jingwei stepped forward to help Lin Sen sit down and said helplessly: "Chairman, I am also suffering from a headache because of this! Sun Ke went to Shanghai and left us a mess. It has been two months since we paid salaries to the officials of various ministries. All ministries are looking for
I came to complain that the logistics and food storage only lasted a week, and my life was very difficult. I thought that the Luoyang camp and the surrounding garrisons could generously donate, but the army politely refused on the grounds that they could not protect themselves from successive years of disasters, and we had no choice.
There is no way. Alas... Chairman, there is only one solution now, but it must be supported by Mr. Jie, otherwise it will not work!"
"Oh? As long as there is a way. Although Jieshi is a bit arbitrary in military and political affairs, he is still broad-minded and conscientious. Zhaoming, please tell me what you can do." Lin Sen asked.
Wang Jingwei shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Currently, the only way to solve the urgent problem is to transport grain from Wuhan or Pukou via railway. If Jie Gong is willing to help, even if it is impossible to raise a sum of funds from the Jiangnan chaebol for the time being, through its strong strength, in the crisis of several years
The outstanding Jiangnan Group temporarily borrowed a sum of money to tide over the crisis. Jiangnan Group has branches in various provinces and big cities, and there is one of their offices here in Luoyang. As long as the arrears of wages of officials from various central ministries are paid in time
, so that everyone can get through the difficulties and feel at ease about national affairs."
Lin Sen immediately asked worriedly: "In the final analysis, this matter still needs An Yi's nod, right? But in the past few days, everyone has complained because of An Yi's accusations. Many people have complained about him, and some even complained about him.
Calling him a more dangerous and cunning new warlord leader, there are many close friends and relatives of An Yi among the officials of the central government. I believe these remarks have reached his ears. In case he has a grudge,
What should I do if I refuse?"
"That's why Chairman Lao and his younger brother went to find Mr. Jie for help! As long as Mr. Jie speaks out, An Yi, as a general under Mr. Jie, the deputy chief of staff of the Military Commission, and a disciple of Mr. Jie, can he refuse to agree?" Wang Jingwei
Asked with a smile.
Lin Sen nodded: "That's all. Without further ado, let's go see Jieshi. Sigh... To be honest, if our army generals were like An Yi, the Japanese would not dare to be so rampant.
How violent!”
In the lobby on the first floor of the antique small building on the east side, Chiang Kai-shek was having urgent discussions with his military advisers and accompanying generals. An Yi's sudden and uninvited "Operation Raging Dragon" made Chiang Kai-shek feel mixed but uncomfortable.
In the urgent report sent secretly, Chiang Kai-shek could see at a glance that what happened in the thousand-mile-long stretch of water in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River was a long-planned and huge military operation. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for the Japanese to bombard Nanjing in just three hours.
Within a short period of time, a resolute strike was launched across the board, which was as fast as thunder. This situation made Chiang Kai-shek have mixed feelings and his mood was extremely complicated.
What Yang Yongtai and other think tanks saw was that the bold An Yi was already full-fledged and gradually lost control, fearing that there would be another great warlord who surpassed Feng Huanzhang and Li Delin; what Ge Jingen, Lin Wei and other military staff saw was the powerful An Jiajun.
The combat effectiveness and indomitable fighting spirit can only be seen from the tragic Zhenjiang raid. The soldiers who stayed at the Liuhe camp actually sent dozens of death squads when they fired more than two hundred mortar shells and failed to sink the "Tsushima" gunboat.
He took a ferry to pursue the Japanese ship that was struggling to escape, and at the cost of more than 40 lives, he forcibly boarded the ship and used explosives to sink the enemy ship. Then he fought his way back to Longmen Port and annihilated all the more than 50 Japanese soldiers and armed foreigners guarding the oil depot.
They blew up the oil depot and destroyed the corpses before heading away. The attacks on the Japanese navy's supply bases along the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the rapid seizure of Japanese nationals and the confiscation of their property were quite gentle compared to the Zhenjiang assault. A Zhenjiang assault was enough.
It fully reflects An Jiajun's firm determination and crazy revenge methods at any cost, and also allows the generals to see An Yi's ruthless character when he attacks without regard for the consequences.
"Ming Wei, what do you think of the war that happened today?"
Chiang Kai-shek walked up to Cao Haosen, the deputy military and political minister, and asked. When he saw Cao Haosen about to stand up, he quickly stretched out his hand to hold his shoulders and told him not to be polite.
Cao Haosen hesitated for a moment, raised his head and said with a smile: "Commissioned, to be honest, I feel very happy."
Everyone smiled, and Chiang Kai-shek nodded for him to continue. Cao Haosen put away his smile and expressed his opinion: "Although General An did not ask for instructions and report on such an important battle plan in advance, which was suspected of overstepping his authority, but since 11 o'clock on the morning of the 2nd
After the Japanese army bombarded Nanjing, the central government and the Central Military Commission quickly issued a call for an all-out counterattack by the entire army. From this perspective, General An Yi did not exceed his authority. Instead, he complied with the central government’s order and launched a surprise attack to inspire people and boost morale.
The war spread throughout the Yangtze River Basin, and its positive impact on the military and civilians across the country is immeasurable.
The only thing my subordinates think General An Yi made wrong is that he did not report such a major military plan before."
"Brother Ming Wei's last comment is a logical inference, but it cannot be used as a basis to blame or punish An Yi for violating military regulations. I also have some thoughts on this." Ge Jing'en added with a smile.
Chiang Kai-shek nodded and looked at Ge Jing'en with encouraging eyes: "Please speak, Lord Kan!"
"yes!"
Ge Jing'en organized his speech slightly and spoke eloquently: "At the beginning of the crisis in Shanghai, General An had secretly mobilized two divisions of troops with the consent of the commissioners and secretly stationed them at Liuhe Camp and Hukou Poyang Lake Marine Police Headquarters.
camp, and issued warnings to the troops stationed in the middle and upper reaches of the river. At the same time, in the name of the Military Commission, Generals He Chengjun of Hubei, He Jian of Hunan, and Zhang Hongluan of Xiangxi were notified to closely guard against Japanese ships provoking trouble. I believe that everyone
I still remember them all.
Furthermore, after the Japanese army invaded Songhu, General An was commissioned and dispatched by the Military Commission to secretly rush to the battlefield as deputy chief of staff to assist the 19th Route Army. He was named the former enemy chief of staff of the 19th Route Army and was actually the highest-ranking frontline officer of our Central Army.
The commander is higher than the two generals Jiang Guangding and Cai Tingkai in terms of position and power. However, due to the current situation and the central government's policy, General An Yi is not allowed to exercise his power. From the current situation, An Yi
The general also knew this very well and did a very good job taking the overall situation into consideration.
Also, I am afraid that everyone here knows the hatred that General An Yi and his subordinates have towards the Japanese army since the tragedy of the Second Northern Expedition to Jinan. I dare to say that as long as the commissioner and colleagues on the Military Commission give the order regardless of the consequences, General An Yi will dare to send troops.
He rushed into the Japanese Concession and launched a ruthless attack on all Japanese troops. He even dared to launch a maximum attack on the docks of the Huangpu River and any Japanese ships anchored in the river. Moreover, I also believed that General An Yi could achieve a staged victory.
From the beginning of the war to the present, General An Yi is still very restrained, still strictly abides by orders, and takes the overall situation into consideration. And from the telegrams sent by generals Chen Shuming, Jiang Guangding, and Cai Tingkai, we can see that they have great respect for General An Yi.
I am satisfied and respected. Therefore, I think General An Yi has done a good job.
As for the suspicion of concealing military information and overstepping the authority, we can only think about it in our hearts and cannot become a reason to accuse General An Yi. Otherwise, it will definitely chill the tens of thousands of soldiers who fought bloody battles on the front line, and it will also make General An Yi and all his subordinates feel chilly.
Resentment will arise, which will do a lot of harm to the overall situation but not a single benefit."
Everyone nodded in agreement. At this time, in this situation, An Yi cannot be accused of anything, nor should he be accused of anything. Only Yang Yongtai has different opinions:
"Nevertheless, the brutal actions of the troops stationed along the Yangtze River against the Japanese nationals under the instruction of General An Yi will definitely put our central government and military in a disadvantageous situation. It is a clear violation of international law. Although the Japanese are cruel, how can we, a righteous army,
Can it use brutal means to retaliate against its unarmed civilians? What will the friendly countries that are mediating the crisis think? How much pressure will our diplomats and Wu Changzi Zengxiong, who are seeking an armistice in Shanghai, bear? After all, General An Yi is young and energetic.
Sheng! It seems that it is difficult for such a reckless person to take on a big responsibility for a while. It is difficult for him to take on a big responsibility!"
There was silence all over the place. Ge Jingen and other military attachés thought that you civil servants could stand and speak without hurting their backs. Lin Weigang, who had never spoken and had a steady personality, was about to say a few words for An Yi when Lin Sen and Wang Jingwei came in.
When Chiang Kai-shek saw the two men coming hand in hand late at night, he knew something was going to be difficult. He waved his hand to signal everyone to go back and rest for the time being. He ordered the guards to serve tea and kindly led Lin Sen to his seat: "Mr. Lin has worked hard all day, but he still doesn't know what to do late at night."
Take a rest, there must be something urgent, right?"
Lin Sen laughed at himself: "Jieshi, I am here to ask for alms from you, haha!"
Chiang Kai-shek sat down with a surprised look on his face and asked in confusion: "Where is Finance Minister Song? The key to the treasury is in his hand, why don't you look for him?"
Wang Jingwei cursed in his heart, but his face was full of smiles: "Ziwen went to Zhengzhou early in the morning to collect the millions of taxes Henan owed to the central government last year. It is estimated that the provincial chairman General Liu Jingfu will not be able to get the money for a while.
They will definitely still be arguing with each other!"
Chiang Kai-shek was also happy: "The new government had just been established a few days ago, and everything was waiting to be done. The capital was hurriedly moved to Luoyang before all matters were started. Telegrams from the army requesting for military pay were flying in like snow flakes every day. My little brother has a big head! Lin
Brother Zhaoming, tell me, what can I do?"
"The central government asked Brother Jieshi for help and temporarily borrowed 100,000 tons of grain and 1 million in cash from General An Yi. This amount can be deducted from the taxes payable by Jiangnan Group in the future, and many preferential policies and policies will be given to Jiangnan Group.
Commendation." Wang Jingwei smiled kindly.
When Chiang Kai-shek heard this, he felt that Wang Jingwei was indeed a great person. Even after the lion opened his mouth, he did not forget to write a bad check. Rewards were fine, but preferential policies and tax deductions were within the scope of Song Ziwen's power. Without Song Ziwen's nod, Wang Jingwei's words were nothing.
Chiang Kai-shek did not tell the truth, but told the truth seriously: "Maybe you two don't know that the large amount of grain purchased by An Yi from the United States at his own expense has long been depleted by the allocation of the Central Disaster Relief Committee, and An Yi himself has only
480,000 tons of grain were left as strategic stocks to prepare for unnecessary use.
As early as half a month before the Songhu War, An Yi had successively transported 400,000 tons of imported grain stored in Pukou, Nanchang, Hukou, and Hankou to southern Sichuan and western Hunan. Due to the continuous civil war in Sichuan, many people in the disaster were in urgent need of relief. There was also a road
The refugees who entered Hunan and Sichuan from the Northeast needed to be appeased. In addition, a large number of migrant workers were recruited in the border areas of western Hunan, western Guizhou, Yunnan and southern Sichuan to build bridges and roads to improve transportation. These grains were far from enough. An Yi used the remaining 10,000 tons
After it was transported to the 19th Route Army Logistics Station in Suzhou and Hangzhou, we also called the United States to purchase an additional 500,000 tons. At this time, a war was imminent, and the army was in urgent need of food. How could we ask An Yi, who was responsible for the eating, drinking and diarrhea of tens of thousands of soldiers on the front line?
ah?"
Lin Sen shook his head and sighed. Wang Jingwei rolled his eyes and laughed: "Brother Jieshi, the war on the front line is certainly tense, but thousands of troops from our central ministries are also waiting for food! The Luoyang office of General An Yi Jiangnan Group is on Dingding Street.
, and based on General An’s meticulousness, the two large military stations in Yichang and Nanchang still have tens of thousands of tons of grain inventory. If Brother Jieshi is inconvenient to speak, would you please ask Mr. Yongzhi (Kong Xiangxi) to come forward? Mr. Yongzhi is in Shanghai at the moment. See you.
General An Yi is only a few steps away, right?"
Seeing that he couldn't shirk it, Chiang Kai-shek smiled slightly and nodded to Lin Sen: "That's fine, otherwise it would be disrespectful for me, the principal, to shamelessly borrow money and food from students. Let Yongzhi do it!"
Lin Sen stood up happily, held Chiang Kai-shek's hand and thanked him repeatedly.
After seeing off the satisfied Lin Sen and Wang Jingwei, Chiang Kai-shek shook his head and returned to the house. The captain of the bodyguard, Wang Shihe, laughed softly: "I'm afraid those literati politicians will eat and use Junior Brother An's food, and they will also scold Junior Brother An.
He is domineering and uneducated. How ridiculous!"
Chiang Kai-shek also laughed: "An Yi's few scoldings can be regarded as half offending the civil servants of the central government, haha! They deserve to be hungry. Who made them so afraid of death? They came to this disaster just a few days after the war started.
If there is an undiminished place to hide, if a full-scale war really breaks out, can you hide? It's a pedantic opinion!
Get ready, we have settled in here, we will return to Nanjing tomorrow, otherwise I will be so restless that I can’t sleep..."