The fall of Guangzhou had a huge impact on the Battle of Wuhan, and even the impact of the entire nation's anti-Japanese resistance was also far-reaching. When the chairman thought of the sea of fire in Guangzhou and the soldiers and civilians who were fleeing with their voices, his thin face still showed wisps of sadness and pain.

It's been a year, and there have been so many places lost this year, that the sadness and pain of the chairman when he first lost his land have now turned into numbness, and it seems that everything is reasonable, and it's just a matter of time.

However, the fall of Guangzhou still shook the chairman. He will not forget that the Nationalist Revolution began in Guangzhou, and his career and later rule of the country are inseparable from this southernmost city in China.

But now, everything slipped out of his hands one by one and fell into the hands of Dongying Fanbang. This deeply pierced his heart that was not full of national bearing and was especially prosperous in a great country.

Troubles, pains, tormented the chairman of the committee tossing and turning, and he couldn't sleep at night.

In the morning, the Central Military Commission convened the military dignitaries still in Hankou to discuss the fate of Wuhan. This problem is urgent at this moment, and the deafening sound of Japanese artillery and clattering military boots is approaching the three towns of Wuhan step by step.

At this moment, north of the Yangtze River, the 3rd and 10th divisions of the Japanese army and a cavalry brigade reinforced from North China a few days ago have captured Yingshan and are rushing to Anlu northwest of Wuhan. Northeast of Wuhan, the 13th Division has taken Songbu, and behind them is Macheng, which is a strong 16th Division. The 6th Inaba Reinforced Division, which Chairman Chiang had been closely watching, had arrived at Huangpi and had a direct look at the three towns of Wuhan.

The battle situation in the south of the Yangtze River was not much better, and the inexhaustible Botian detachment, relying on the Japanese ships in Jiangzhong, approached Wuchang City, which seemed to be the dream of entering Wuhan City for the first time, while the 9th Division and the 27th Division were directly inserted into Zhanyangxin, attacked Chongyang, arrived at Hesheng Bridge, and the Xianning area, and the Guangdong-Han line was cut off, which was a matter of time or time.

The elite 184th Division of the Yunnan Army suffered heavy losses in the Paishi blockade, and Sun Du's 58th Army and Zhang Chong's New Third Army were all new recruits and were not vulnerable at all.

Like a dark cloud that was gathering more and more, the Japanese army pressed on Wuhan from the east, south, and north. In the suburbs of Wuhan, with the fall of the periphery and the key passes along the river, it has reached a situation of being embattled and ambushed on all sides. Wuhan has become a place of death for soldiers.

Chiang Kai-shek learned the bloody lessons of Shanghai and Nanjing, and as early as September and October, he began to evacuate the party, government, and local government offices in batches and evacuate millions of people. By mid-October, Wuhan was almost empty.

Because of this, there are very few high-ranking generals here today. In addition to Xu Yongchang, Minister of Military Orders, Bai Chongxi and Chen Cheng, who returned from the front line not long ago, there were several lieutenant generals and major generals such as Wuhan Garrison Commander Guo Chen. The venue was also like a battlefield, losing its former majesty and magnificence.

At this point in the war, it is obvious that Wuhan will be abandoned. However, Chairman Chiang's attachment to the city, or his own authority and face, often made him seldom give up a city happily. This is true in Shanghai, Nanjing and Xuzhou. But in the end, not only will the city not be protected, but also the army and the people will be affected. The lesson of blood has chilled the hearts of the generals.

Chen Cheng, commander of the Wuhan garrison, who was sitting next to Chairman Chiang, was more worried than others. Now that the troops on the periphery of Wuhan have lost control, as long as they can jump out of the encirclement of the Japanese army, it will be considered a blessing.

Committee member Jiang seemed to see the thoughts of the generals. He opened his mouth and said, "Everyone, I am ready to give up Wuhan. ”

These words were amazing, but they shocked the generals to put down a stone in their hearts. On the face of the crowd general who became relaxed, he also clearly saw everything.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Battle of Wuhan has been nearly 5 months. The Kou army has suffered unprecedented attrition, and our army's strategic intentions have been achieved. Moreover, the Japanese army attacked Guangzhou, several places in South China were lost, and the Guangdong-Hanzhou line was cut off. As a result, Wuhan's strategic position has been lost. It is better to decide to give up voluntarily and retain a certain number of forces as the foundation for a protracted war of resistance and final victory. ”

Chen Cheng lost no time but praised from the bottom of his heart: "Chairman Gao Jian, Wuhan is dead, and it must not fight to the death with the Japanese army. ”

The chairman glanced at Chen Cheng and continued: "Today, Wuhan, factories and mines, institutions, organizations, schools, and refugees have all been evacuated as planned, and Wuhan is just an empty city. Abandonment of Wuhan, and strategic needs. Politically, however, we must not allow the enemy to set foot on our sacred homeland. You won't forget that Wuhan is a place with a revolutionary tradition. Therefore, a force should be given a symbolic resistance. ”

After that, he turned to Bai Chongxi and Chen Cheng and asked, "Jiansheng, Cixiu, tell me, how many troops should be left?" ”

Chen Cheng didn't want to divide his troops for this kind of façade anymore, so he dealt with it at the moment: "You can leave 1 brigade of troops." "White

Chongxi was obviously not interested in this kind of thing, so he nodded at the moment and perfunctory.

After the meeting, Chen Cheng suggested in front of everyone: "Chairman of the Committee, the war in Wuhan is getting tighter, and the Military Commission has completed its retreat, so you and your wife should leave Wuhan as soon as possible." ”

The chairman of the committee looked at everyone and replied noncommittally: "I have my own arrangements for this. ”

On the 24th, the Wuhan Command officially ordered the abandonment of Wuhan and the retreat of the peripheral troops of Wuhan, and planned to set the assembly location: the armies south of the Yangtze River withdrew to northern Hunan and western Hubei; On the north bank of the Yangtze River, the 33rd Group Army withdrew to the areas of Jingyangmen and Yicheng, the 32nd Group Army was scattered to the areas of Xiangyang, Fancheng and Zhongxiang, and the 11th Group Army was withdrawn to Sui County, Tangxian Town, and Zaoyang to deploy defenses. Tang Enbo's 13th Army entered Tongbai Mountain, Liu Heding's 39th Army entered Dahongshan to serve as guerrillas, and the 21st Group Army and Xu Yuanquan's 10th Army entered Dabie Mountain under the command of Liao Lei to serve as guerrillas behind enemy lines. The headquarters of the commander of the 5th theater was moved to Fancheng.

In the afternoon, the Central Military Commission summoned dozens of Chinese and foreign journalists who were still stranded in Han and held a final press conference.

At the meeting, on behalf of the Chinese government, the spokesperson emphasized: "The Chinese military's voluntary abandonment of Wuhan is a strategic necessity. The Chinese government's determination to resist Japan has not changed, and it has become more determined. As long as the Japanese army is in China for one day, China's war of resistance will not last for a day. The Sino-Japanese war will be protracted until China completely expells the aggressor. ”

Before leaving Wuhan, Chairman Chiang did not forget to warn Tokyo. Of course, this speech is also a gesture he made to the whole country and the world.

The Japanese army was making all kinds of preparations for entering Wuhan.

Jiujiang. In the advance headquarters of the Central China Dispatch Army, the thin figure of General Tian Junliu appeared as the commander. He had only come to Jiujiang from Nanjing a few days ago, and he wanted to see the demeanor of the three towns of Wuhan with his own eyes as soon as possible, but more importantly, he could not rest assured about the troops.

At the end of last year, General Matsui led his troops to Nanjing. Due to the lax restraint on the troops and the wanton connivance of officials at all levels, the Japanese army burned, killed, and plundered in Nanjing, committing heinous crimes, which aroused the indignation of the whole world. For this reason, the Japanese government was intimidated by international public opinion and was forced to recall a number of high-ranking generals such as Matsui and Tani Toshio back to China. Depreciated depreciated, transferred to the reserve to the reserve.

The bad deeds of Matsui and his ilk have led the world to associate the Japanese Imperial Army with the word "beast".

Compared with Nanjing, Wuhan is not only a matter of the face of the Japanese army. Tokyo's insistence on conquering Wuhan was to demote the Chiang regime to a local regime, seize the opportunity to support the pro-Japanese forces in power, and end the war against China at an early date.

If the Japanese army repeatedly committed violence, the sequelae of Nanjing may never be eliminated, and the support of the new regime can only be a castle in the air without a foundation. Tian Junliu, who has been in Nanjing for more than half a year, knows this very clearly.

Militarily, Tian Junliu felt that Wuhan could not be damaged too much. The enormous attrition of the troops in the peripheral warfare and the overstretched deployment of troops in Tokyo had already told him unmistakably that the Japanese army's troop mobilization in the Chinese theater had reached its limit. Wuhan may be the base from which he will be stuck in the southwest exit and deal with the Chinese army in the future. Naturally, he couldn't destroy this base himself.

On October 24, after thorough consideration, General Tian Shunliu, commander of the remnant army sent by Japan to Central China, promulgated the precautions for entering the city to all troops arriving in the suburbs of Wuhan:

…… The camping area of the troops should not be located in the city, but should be located in large buildings in the suburbs, so as to facilitate the maintenance of military discipline and discipline; In Wuchang's Liangdao Street, Hankou's Dawu Temple to the lower wharf, Hanyang's Chaozong Gate, to set up refugee areas, it is necessary to protect the buildings, temples, universities, libraries, exhibition ......halls of Hanyang, Hankou, Wuchang, Wuhan has concessions and embassies of various countries, the army's every move, the world has attracted attention, so it is an excellent opportunity to promote the imperial prestige with practical actions, so that everyone must be cautious in this regard, and in view of the lessons of the past, to prevent slackening over time. In addition, Wuhan is the base for the army's permanent stationing and operations in the future, and the destruction of all buildings and facilities is strictly prohibited. ……

Tian Junliu has good intentions and takes care of him in all directions. But the last sentence reveals his painstaking work.

The rumbling guns have shaken the three towns of Wuhan, and after four and a half months of desperate struggle, the building is finally about to collapse, and the fall is imminent.

In the gray building where the Central Military Commission was bombed by Japanese planes, Chairman Chiang still sat firmly on the high platform and had no intention of leaving. On Luojia Mountain, Song Meiling was not as calm as him, and the phone call was urged several times, but each time there was no result.

(PS: Who said that Lao Jiang ran away as soon as he fought, he was the last person to fight in the Battle of Wuhan.) ）

What exactly does Chairman Chiang want to show? No one knows, and no one dares to ask.

On "bravery", right? The chairman's subordinates and even Soviet advisers had praised him for "not changing his face in the midst of a hail of bullets," and there was no need for him to show it at this moment. Besides, there is no such way to show courage.

What about saying "being in the same boat with the soldiers"? But the main forces of the two theaters have gone south and westward, how can he be in the same boat?

No one can tell. But the attendants and generals can make one thing clear, that is, if they stay any longer, not only will the chairman not be able to escape, but even they will suffer.

Lin Wei, the director of the attendant room, couldn't hold his breath and entered Chairman Jiang's room again. But soon, he was also blown out by Chairman Jiang's bluffed face. Lin Wei was really dumbfounded, like a hundred claws scratching his heart, but he could only be in a hurry, who knows, at this time, there is someone who is more anxious than him, this person is the garrison commander Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng is not only responsible for the leaders and the stranded personnel of the Military Commission, but also for the troops. If the chairman of the committee does not leave for a day, he will have to transfer troops from division to brigade to fight this kind of meaningless and chaotic battle. In particular, the troops have no intention of fighting, and they are forced to move upwards, and thousands of casualties are frequent, and this sacrifice is worthless.

When Chen Cheng learned from the phone that the commission had not yet been evacuated, he was so anxious that he stomped his feet, and immediately said on the phone: "Oh, Wei Wenshi, why are you not leaving?" There is chaos outside the city, you hurry up and ask the chairman to leave?! ”

Lin Wei was also full of resentment: "Resignation, I can't do it if he doesn't leave!" I asked for instructions again and again, but he didn't say anything about it. ”

"What else hasn't left yet?" Chen Cheng's mind turned and asked tightly.

"No, only Minister Xu Yongchang didn't leave."

"Okay then, I'll ask Minister Xu to transfer Chen." Chen Cheng hung up the phone after speaking.

Chen Cheng is a close confidant of Chairman Jiang in the end, and he has been with him for many years, and he knows the old man's temperament very well. At this time, his cronies asked him to evacuate, but he would not leave. But those who are in important positions and are not cronies, such as Xu Yongchang, the minister of military orders, come forward to intercede, and the situation may be very different. To put it bluntly, it is a matter of face, and it also shows that Chairman Jiang is not in a hurry.

Sure enough, Xu Yongchang came forward and succeeded, and Chairman Chiang finally agreed to evacuate.

The plane swayed into the pitch-black night sky. Song Meiling breathed a long sigh of relief, leaned her head back in the chair, and closed her eyes. But Chiang Kai-shek craned his neck and looked out the window, and the three towns of Wuhan under the control of the lights were already dark, with only a few scattered lone lamps and the occasional fireballs reflected by the shells that fell into the city, showing that the life of the metropolis had not yet died.

On the outskirts of Wuhan, artillery roared and fires flickered. He knew that this was the last bloody battle between the defending troops and the Japanese army, and he also knew that the artillery fire would soon be extinguished, and the night would return to a dead silence.

His face was dumbfounded, and he muttered, "Wuhan is finally over." ”

But it's not over. God also played an international joke with the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, perhaps because God knew that the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee was too reluctant to Wuhan, and when he set off from Wuhan, he found that the plane was almost lost. The dark night sky was up and down, left and right, and I couldn't tell anything. The plane spun around and didn't come up with a reason. If you run out of fuel if you continue to fly around, you will undoubtedly go to hell.

Captain Yi Fuen reluctantly asked Chairman Jiang for instructions: "Return to Wuhan." ”

When Chairman Chiang reaffirmed that there was no other way, he could only nod his head in agreement.

The plane flew back to Wuhan along the same route.

At the Wuhan airport, a team of Chinese sappers was working hard to sabotage the facility, and the runway was even blown up. After coming back a little later, Chairman Chiang would indeed be staying in Wuhan.

It's dangerous! Chiang Kai-shek stepped out of the hatch, and his thin hands were wet.

It is known that at 4 o'clock in the morning on October 25, Chairman Chiang's landline rushed into the sky again in the autumn wind.

At this moment, not far away, the ghostly figure of the Japanese soldiers of the 6th Inaba Division and the 23rd Wing of the Sano Detachment has appeared.

On the night of the 25th, Hankow fell!

In the early morning of the 26th, the Botian detachment took the lead in breaking into Wuchang from Binyang Gate!

On the afternoon of the 27th, a dazzling sun flag was also raised in Hanyang. The national anthem of "Jun's Generation" was finally played frantically over the three towns of Wuhan.

Before the defenders retreated, they burned down all the facilities that could be used by the Japanese army, and the Wuhan fire burned for two days and two nights.

In this way, the Battle of Wuhan, which had the largest investment in troops, the widest area, the longest time, and the largest annihilation of the Japanese army in modern Chinese history, came to an end.

The national army invested 1.1 million people in 140 divisions, with 400,000 casualties; The Japanese army participated in 12 divisions and regiments before and after, replenished 5 times, and lost more than 200,000 troops. Among them, more than 700 officers and colonels were killed, more than 100 ships and more than 100 planes were lost.

Since then, the Japanese army has never mentioned the arrogant words of a quick war against China. The larger the area occupied by the Japanese army, the more dispersed the forces became, which also created extremely favorable conditions for the development of the Eighth Route Army in North China behind enemy lines and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Wuhan, the heart of China, fell, and the whole country of Japan celebrated, men joined the army in droves, and even the places for comfort women were full. But did they really win?

Japan naively believes that 90% of China's industrial production, 80% of tariffs and salt taxes, and %60% of grain revenue have fallen into their hands. No matter how it is calculated, the Nationalist Government will no longer have the strength to continue the war of resistance.

So, what does Wuhan, which the Japanese army bought at the greatest cost, mean to them?

Japan is a country of rejoicing. Only the senior officials in the base camp realized that Japan had moved into China's strategic trap.

The orderly withdrawal of the Nationalist army from Wuhan and the planned detention of a large number of troops to the east of Wuhan posed a great strategic threat to the rear of the Japanese army.

In 1939, Japan's military expenditures far exceeded its own reserves. The Japanese army had to maintain a supply line of thousands of roads from Tokyo to Wuhan, thus depleting Japan's limited defense and economic resources.

Therefore, the Battle of Wuhan became a turning point in Japan's strategic offensive and strategic shift. The Japanese army was at the end of the crossbow because of the Battle of Wuhan, and China gained the initiative and advantage in strategy.

With incomparably tenacious strength and iron will, the Chinese military and people are continuing to plunge into the great war of resisting Japan, saving the country, and striving for national independence.

(End of chapter)