Relevant information about the 29th during the Anti-Japanese War

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Song Zheyuan and the 29th Army of the Anti-Japanese Army (1)

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In March 1938, when Song Zheyuan and his army headquarters withdrew to Maojin Ferry on the north bank of the Yellow River, they received an order to be transferred to the position of deputy commander-in-chief of the first theater. Song Zheyuan knew that this was an arrangement of rising and falling covertly, so he sadly left the army and crossed the Yellow River to Zhengzhou. His First Group Army (adapted from the 29th Army) was immediately revoked. Song Zheyuan, who lost the right to command the troops, was depressed and soon fell ill with liver disease. His condition worsened day by day. In March 1940, he returned to Mianyang, Sichuan, the hometown of his wife Chang Shuqing, for recuperation. On April 5, Song Zheyuan died suddenly at the age of 54 due to ineffective treatment. Just over a month later, Song Zheyuan's old subordinate, the famous anti-Japanese general Zhang Zizhong, died heroically in a pumpkin shop in the mountains of western Hubei. If Song Zheyuan had known better, he might have envied his former comrade who died a worthy death.

Posterity has concluded the coffin for Song Zheyuan. Considering the important events of his life, he still respects Song Zheyuan as a famous anti-Japanese general. If you only look at his performance in the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War in 1933, Song Zheyuan is worthy of the title of famous anti-Japanese general. In June 1935, the 29th Army moved to Pingjin, and Song Zheyuan got the coveted territory. However, it was a blessing in disguise that it was not a disaster. Song Zheyuan came to Pingjin, a land of disputes, and was pushed to the forefront of the Sino-Japanese political struggle. He had to complete the role change from a simple soldier to a soldier-cum-politician. In the next two years, Song Zheyuan served as the commander of the Pingjin garrison, mayor of Peiping, and chairman of the Hebei-Cha government affairs committee. It can be said that he reached the pinnacle of his political career. However, the ups and downs in these two years almost ruined his lifelong reputation.

1. The Anti-Japanese Army

Song Zheyuan, courtesy name Mingxuan, was born in Zhaohongdu Village, Chengguan Town, Leling, Shandong in 1885. His family was poor when he was young, so he studied hard. He joined the army at the age of 13, and at the age of 17, he entered the Suiying School run by Shaanxi Marshal Lu Jianzhang. Later he joined Feng Yuxiang's department and served successively as company commander, battalion commander and regiment commander. In 1922, he participated in the Zhili-Fengtian War and was promoted to commander of the 25th Mixed Brigade. He was one of the five tiger generals of the Northwest Army. Feng Yuxiang admired him very much, praising him as "brave and calm", "loyal and diligent", "meticulous in dealing with problems" and "well-trained troops". In October 1924, the Feng Division was reorganized into the National Army, and Song Zheyuan was appointed commander of the First Division (later changed to the Fourth Division) of the First Army. In the autumn of 1925, he was appointed as the governor of Rehe.

Song Zheyuan was the most popular of the nine governors of Rehe during the Republic of China. He once established a silkworm and bee school in Chengde Summer Resort, promoted mulberry planting and beekeeping, and revitalized Rehe agriculture. Slogans such as "If you don't work, you don't deserve to eat" are plastered all over the streets of Chengde. Chengde's markets, which had been lifeless for many years, have taken on a new look. Song Zheyuan also set up an ordnance factory in Chengde, which could imitate German Mauser 20-ring shells in small batches. In 1926, when Song Zheyuan's troops evacuated Chengde, the people of Rehe walked across the road to see them off.

In May 1927, Feng Yuxiang and the generals of the Northwest Army swore an oath in Wuyuan and joined the Northern Expeditionary Army, which was renamed the Second Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army. Song Zheyuan was appointed commander-in-chief of the Fourth Front Army and concurrently served as chairman of Shaanxi Province in November. In 1929, Feng Yuxiang rebelled against Chiang and was placed under house arrest in Shanxi by Yan Xishan. Song Zheyuan then acted as the commander-in-chief of the National Army and led his troops out of Tongguan to march into Henan. After the defeat, he returned to Shaanxi.

In April 1930, the Zhongyuan War broke out between Chiang Kai-shek, Feng and Yan, and Song Zheyuan was appointed commander-in-chief of the Fourth Route of the Second Front Army of the Northwest Army. The Northwest Army was once unstoppable, but due to the Jin Army's ineffective fighting, it gradually fell into trouble. In September, the commander-in-chief of the Northeast Army Zhang Xueliang, who had been watching the fight between tigers and tigers, sent a telegram to support Chiang. He immediately sent his troops into the pass and occupied North China. The anti-Chiang coalition failed. Ji Hongchang, Liang Guanying, Jiao Wendian, Ge Yunlong, Sun Lianzhong and other troops successively defected to Chiang Kai-shek; Pang Bingxun, Sun Dianying, Liu Chunrong and other troops broke away from the Northwest Army. The remaining 60,000 to 70,000 troops of the Northwest Army, led by Song Zheyuan, Zhang Zizhong, Liu Ruming, Tong Yuzhen, Sun Liangcheng, Qin Dechun, Zhao Dengyu, Zhang Weifan and others, retreated into Shanxi, and the famous Northwest Army fell apart.

In January 1931, the remnants of the Northwest Army were absorbed by Zhang Xueliang and became the Third Army of the Northeast Frontier Defense. Song Zheyuan was appointed commander, Qin Dechun and Liu Ruming were appointed deputy commanders, Feng Zhian was appointed commander of the 37th Division, and Zhang Zizhong was appointed commander of the 38th Division. In June of the same year, the name was changed to the 29th Army of the National Revolutionary Army.

Zhang Xueliang gave the 29th Army a resettlement fee of 500,000 yuan and then walked away. Southeast Shanxi is the territory Yan Xishan has been operating for many years. The 29th Army is stationed here under the protection of others. The army has no military expenses and is in poverty. The soldiers are in ragged clothes and look like beggars. More than a year later, the 29th Army moved to Chahar and had to march at night for fear of being regarded as bandits. The difficulties during this period made Song Zheyuan more and more eager to get a piece of his own territory.

In August 1932, with the strong recommendation of Zhang Xueliang, the Central Political Conference of the Kuomintang appointed Song Zheyuan as Chairman of Chahar Province. Although Chahar is small and sparsely populated, it is still a place to stay. The 29th Army was expanded into three divisions in Zhangjiakou, with the sequence as follows:

Army Commander Song Zheyuan

Deputy Army Commander Qin Dechun

Chief of Staff Zhang Weifan

General Counselor Xiao Zhenying

Commander of the 37th Division Feng Zhian

Commander of the 109th Brigade Zhao Dengyu

110th Brigade Brigade Commander Wang Zhibang

38th Division Commander Zhang Zizhong

112th Brigade Commander Huang Weigang

113th Brigade Commander Tong Zeguang

Temporary Commander of the Second Division Liu Ruming

Commander of the First Brigade Li Jintian

General Counselor Xiao Zhenying was actually a confidant of Chiang Kai-shek. He was in the 29th Army The sowing dissension among the generals led to the subsequent division and disintegration of the 29th Army.

The Central Plains War taught Song Zheyuan many lessons. First of all, civil war can only bring disaster to the country and the people. Therefore, at the beginning of the founding of the 29th Army, Song Zheyuan made it clear that he would not fight civil war and use his guns to target foreign enemies. The slogan was unanimously supported by all the generals under his command. Chiang Kai-shek tried several times to mobilize the 29th Army to go south to suppress the ***, but Song Zheyuan used various reasons to shirk it; secondly, Chiang Kai-shek turned his hands into clouds and rain in the warlord melee. , also made Song Zheyuan suspicious of Chiang Kai-shek and the Central Committee of the Kuomintang. This mentality affected many of his future important decisions.

Less than half a year after the 29th Army was stationed in Chahar, the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War broke out. The 29th Army was transferred by Zhang Xueliang to the front lines of Lengkou and Xifengkou east of Peking. There were more than 300,000 Chinese troops participating in the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War, coming from the Central Army, Northeast Army, Northwest Army, Jin Army and other mountains. Xu Tingyao's Central Army has the best weapons and equipment; Wang Yizhe, Wan Fulin's Northeast Army, and Shang Zhen's Jin Army are not far behind; Song Zheyuan's 29th Army is the worst, with only more than 10 field artillery and mountain artillery in the entire army, and heavy There are no more than a hundred machine guns, and each company has only two light machine guns. Most of the rifles are Type 38 made in Hanyang or imitated by Shanxi. What is unique is that every soldier of the 29th Army has a broadsword made of iron.

In the ensuing battle of Xifengkou, the 29th Army fought a bloody battle with the Japanese Suzuki and Hattori Brigade and became famous in one battle. Soldiers of the 29th Army used machetes and grenades to fight against the advanced weapons of the Japanese army and wiped out 5,000 enemies. The Xifengkou defense line remained standing despite many fierce battles. Japan's "Asahi Shimbun" commented: "Since Emperor Meiji established his army, the reputation of the imperial army has been completely lost outside Xifengkou, and it has suffered an insult unprecedented in the past sixty years." After the war, Song Zheyuan, Zhang Zizhong, Feng Zhian, Zhao Dengyu, Liu Ruming and others were killed. Awarded the "Blue Sky and White Sun" Medal.

The victory of the Xifengkou Anti-Japanese War was China’s first major victory since the September 18th Incident, and the whole country was filled with joy. People from all walks of life formed condolence groups to come to Laojun, and reporters from various newspapers also flocked to the scene. News films documenting the 29th Army were shown in theaters in major cities across the country. Every time Song Zheyuan was shown in the film, the audience stood up and applauded. The Broadsword Team of the 29th Army became famous all over the world because of the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War. The "March of the Broadsword" composed by composer Mai Xin for this occasion was immediately sung everywhere.

Although the 29th Army won the victory at Xifengkou, the three divisions of the 17th Army of the Central Army were defeated one after another at Gubeikou. The Japanese army broke through here, causing the entire defense line of the Chinese army to collapse. . Zhang Xueliang resigned, and He Yingqin took over as chairman of the Peking Army Branch. In May 1933, he signed the "Tanggu Agreement" with Japan, which was humiliating and humiliating the country. In fact, it recognized Japan's occupation of the three eastern provinces and classified Jidong and Chadong as "unarmed". area" and allowed the Japanese troops to enter.

The failure of the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War made Song Zheyuan heartbroken. He asked: "Why can't our 300,000 troops defeat the 50,000 Japanese troops?" The Xifengkou Anti-Japanese War of the 29th Army was actually a tragic victory. Although the enemy was wiped out, Five thousand, he also suffered over 10,000 casualties, and Xu Tingyao's 17th Army suffered more than 20,000 casualties.

2. Hebei-Chahar Autonomy

After the Great Wall War of Resistance, Song Zheyuan led the 29th Army back to Chahar. At this time, Feng Yuxiang organized the Popular Anti-Japanese Allied Army in Chahar. They were banned by Chiang Kai-shek and had to be disbanded, so they were all absorbed into the 29th Army. Song Zheyuan obtained the approval of the central government and expanded the 29th Army to four divisions with more than 60,000 people. The newly added 143rd Division (formerly the temporary 2nd Division) was commanded by Liu Ruming, and the 132nd Division was commanded by Zhao Dengyu. The 29th Army also received a large number of weapons and equipment from the Anti-Alliance, including more than 30 mountain cannons from the Tang Yulin Department of the former Northeastern Army, which greatly increased its strength and became an important military force in North China.

In 1934, Japan continued to stir up trouble in North China. This year, the Chadong Incident, the Hebei Incident and the Zhangbei Incident occurred successively. Under pressure from Japan, on June 10, 1935, the Nationalist Government signed the "Ho-Mei Agreement" with Japan, agreeing to withdraw the Kuomintang's Central Army, Northeastern Army, and party and secret service agencies from Hebei and Pingjin. On June 19, the Nanjing Executive Yuan dismissed Song Zheyuan from his post as chairman of Chahar Province on the grounds of "repeated troubles." On June 28, the Chahar local government signed the "Qintu Agreement" with Qin Dechun, deputy commander of the 29th Army, and Kenji Doihara, the spy chief of the Northeastern Army of Japan, ceding six counties in Chadong, and the 29th Army withdrew to Zhangjiakou. to the south.

Song Zheyuan dealt with the Japanese in Chahar. He endured the humiliation and endured humiliation. He did not want to be dismissed from office, so he couldn't help but feel extremely angry. He left Chahar and went to Tianjin to recuperate in his private residence. Before leaving, he publicly criticized Chiang Kai-shek at Zhangjiakou Railway Station: "Whoever believes in Chiang Kai-shek's war of resistance is a fool!" After arriving in Tianjin, rumors spread that the Central Committee would mobilize the 29th Army to go south to suppress the Communist Party, which made Song Zheyuan believe that the Central Committee was going to attack the 29th Army. . During the ten days that Song was in Tianjin, he was surrounded by a large number of traitors. Figures such as Wang Yitang, Cao Rulin, Chen Juesheng, Qi Xieyuan, Chen Zhongfu and others visited his house one after another to persuade Song Zheyuan to defect to Japan. Song wavered and agreed with Xiao Zhenying to contact Dofeihara. He only waited for the central government to issue an order to mobilize the 29th Army to go south before openly surrendering to Japan.

Fortunately, the change of situation saved Song Zheyuan from embarking on the road of no return from rebellion and surrender to the enemy. After the signing of the "He-Mei Agreement", Huang Jie and Guan Linzheng of the Central Army withdrew from Hebei Province, resulting in a power vacuum in Pingjin. At this time, former Northwest Army general Shi Yousan, with the support of the Japanese, gathered the traitors Bai Jianwu, Pan Yugui and thousands of local ruffians to start a uprising in Wanping and openly marched on Peiping under the banner of autonomy, which shocked the whole country. At this time, except for Chahar's 29th Army, there were no Chinese troops around Peiping. The Peiping Army Branch had no usable troops and suddenly panicked. At this time, Xiao Zhenying took the opportunity to persuade everyone and mobilized the 29th Army to come to the rescue. When Song Zheyuan received a call from Xiao Zhenying in Tianjin, he jumped up with excitement and overturned the coffee table. He immediately ordered Feng Zhi'an's 37th Division to march to Peiping. The 37th Division set out from Zhangjiakou in the morning and ran 120 kilometers. In the afternoon, it stationed at the Xiyuan Military Camp in Peiping. Shi Yousan, Bai Jianwu, Pan Yugui and others retreated and fled back to Tianjin.

After that, Song Zheyuan successively transferred Zhang Zizhong's 38th Division to the area around Tianjin, and Zhao Dengyu's 132nd Division was transferred to the Renqiu, Gu'an, and Hejian areas of Hebei Province, while Liu Ruming's 143rd Division stayed for inspection. Since then, the 29th Army has controlled Peiping, Tianjin, Hebei, Chahar and other places. Song Zheyuan finally obtained the territory he dreamed of.

The 29th Army stationed in Pingjin also received the tacit approval of the Japanese garrison in North China. The Japanese believe that the Northwest Army has been marginalized by the Nanjing government for a long time and has long been estranged from Chiang Kai-shek. It is most likely to cultivate a pro-Japanese force. But the Japanese obviously underestimated the national integrity of Song Zheyuan and the generals of the 29th Army. Nanjing was uneasy because Japan was carrying out the "North China Autonomy" movement at this time. As long as Song Zheyuan nodded, North China would immediately become the second Manchukuo. Chiang Kai-shek immediately sent Xiong Bin to Tianjin to win over Song Zheyuan. Song Zheyuan was also unceremonious and asked for food and salary, and Xiong Bin agreed one by one.

In August 1935, Chiang Kai-shek invited Song Zheyuan to meet in Lushan. Song Zheyuan still had a grudge against Chiang Kai-shek and was afraid that this would be a Hongmen banquet, so he asked Qin Dechun to go there on his behalf. In Lushan, Chiang Kai-shek and Qin Dechun had a heart-to-heart talk, which convinced Qin Dechun that he would loyally follow Chiang Kai-shek all the way to Taiwan.

Chiang Kai-shek finally said to Qin Dechun: "The current national defense construction has not been completed, and we cannot fully resist Japan. We have to buy time. The longer we maintain it, the greater our contribution to the country. We must endure the humiliation and bear the burden, but this matter can only be reported to Commander Song and not to others."

August 28. The Nationalist Government officially appointed Song Zheyuan as the commander of Pingjin garrison, director of Hebei-Cha appeasement and chairman of Hebei Province. As soon as Song Zheyuan took office, he faced strong pressure from Japan. The Japanese military headquarters transferred two of the "Four Heroes of the Kwantung Army", Kenji Doihara and Shun Tada, to Tianjin to accelerate the invasion of North China. Although Song Zheyuan was unwilling to surrender to the Japanese, he also hoped to deal with Japan and the Nanjing government to preserve the hard-won territory of Jicha, Pingjin.

In March 1935, the Nanjing government implemented currency reform and replaced silver dollars in circulation with legal tender. The silver dollars collected from various places were transported to the Shanghai treasury. Currency reform is a major measure taken by the Kuomintang government to unify China economically. With financial power concentrated in the central government, local separatist forces will be unable to cause trouble. The Nanjing government's financial measures made the Japanese military furious. The Japanese garrison in Tianjin proposed an "Emergency Financial Defense Plan for North China" to Song Zheyuan, demanding a ban on the transportation of silver dollars to the south, and warned: "The concentration of state-owned silver and North China cash silver in Shanghai will endanger the economy of North China, hinder the interests of the Japanese Empire, and ravage Japan's influence on North China in recent years. It is advocated that if you cannot prevent and deal with it thoroughly, Japan will use its strength to achieve its own goals." At the same time, the Japanese Kwantung Army also moved into the territory, and Japanese aircraft circled over Peiping every day to demonstrate. Under pressure from Japan and unwilling to lose financial autonomy, Song Zheyuan ordered a ban on the transportation of silver coins to the south. Shang Zhen in Henan and Han Fuju in Shandong responded immediately, which ruined the Nanjing government's plan to control North China's finance.

After Doihara arrived in Tianjin, he immediately proposed the "North China High Autonomy Plan" and requested the establishment of a North China autonomous government. Doihara frequently visited Song Zheyuan's apartment and forced Song Zheyuan to sign the plan. Seeing Song Zheyuan's excuses, Doihara issued an ultimatum to Song Zheyuan on November 11, 1935, requiring Song Zheyuan to implement the plan within nine days, otherwise the Japanese army would send troops to Hebei and Shandong. Song Zheyuan was once again forced to have no choice. After discussing with Qin Dechun and Xiao Zhenying, he clearly rejected Dofeihara's proposal, but at the same time, he sent a message to the whole country, demanding that the Nanjing government end the political discipline, implement constitutional government, and return the government to the people. Song Zheyuan's electrification was tantamount to a declaration of "autonomy". Public opinion was loud for a while, and all walks of life accused Song Zheyuan of surrendering to the enemy and treason. Meanwhile, traitors and pro-Japanese organizations in North China were jumping up and down, preparing for autonomy. The Nanjing government immediately questioned Song Zheyuan. Song defended himself while suppressing the autonomy farce of the Tianjin traitor organization. Fortunately, the Japanese government was worried that the military was too radical and announced the postponement of the "North China High Autonomy Plan," which made Song Zheyuan breathe a sigh of relief.

Although the crisis has been temporarily resolved, Japan has no intention of giving up its claim for autonomy in North China. Song Zheyuan saw that this stalemate was not an option. After obtaining Chiang Kai-shek's consent, he established the Hebei-Cha Government Affairs Committee on December 18. Song Zheyuan personally served as the chairman. The Northwest Army, the Northeast Army and pro-Japanese elements were three pillars of the committee. In the eyes of the Japanese, the Jicha Administrative Committee is the autonomous regime of North China, and in the eyes of Nanjing, it is the local government. It can be regarded as an explanation for both Japan and Nanjing. The establishment of the Hebei-Cha Government Affairs Committee made Song Zheyuan one of the most powerful figures in North China, and the 29th Army immediately became the largest local armed group in North China.

3. Lost Pingjin

After the establishment of the Hebei-Cha Government Affairs Committee, the 29th Army quickly expanded to 5 divisions, totaling 48 regiments, with a total strength of more than 100,000 . Among them, Zhang Zizhong's 38th Division has 5 brigades, 11 regiments, and nearly 30,000 troops. The equipment of the 29th Army was also impressive at this time. Soldiers generally use Czech rifles, the platoon leader uses a German Bergmann submachine gun, the company commander each has a twenty-shot shell gun, and each squad is equipped with 2 grenades, 2 grenades, and 1 Czech light machine gun. The entire division is equipped with more than 700 light machine guns, which is more than double the 274 established by the Central Military A Division. Due to the improvement of training level and weapons and equipment, the 29th Army at this time can be regarded as one of the most powerful units in China.

In the winter of 1936, the Japanese garrison in North China held a military exercise with Peiping and Fengtai as imaginary targets to demonstrate against the Chinese government. Song Zheyuan immediately decided to fight tit for tat and hold a major exercise of the 29th Army. The Japanese army's exercise troops numbered more than 10,000, and the 29th Army's exercise troops numbered more than 50,000. The twenty-ninth army had strong soldiers and horses, which also gave Song Zheyuan a lot of confidence.

The Xi'an Incident broke out on December 12, and a force settlement faction headed by He Yingqin and a political settlement faction headed by Song Meiling and Feng Yuxiang appeared in Nanjing. Shandong Han Fuju sent a "horse telegram" praising Zhang Xueliang's action as a wise feat, claiming that his troops "were ordered to open westward" and asked Zhang and Yang to "please not misunderstand". Song Zheyuan stood on the side of the old chief Feng Yuxiang and sent out a "wave", calling for a peaceful solution and ensuring the safety of the leader. Han Fuju misjudged the situation and paved the way for his future death by Chiang Kai-shek. Song Zheyuan firmly supported Chiang Kai-shek and was very favored by Chiang Kai-shek. Later, Song Dynasty made repeated mistakes and lost Pingjin. Chiang Kai-shek did not add insult to injury and use him as a scapegoat.

In 1937, the situation in North China was surprisingly calm. In early February, the Japanese cabinet came to power and immediately promoted a new non-military policy. The Japanese business community has frequently extended an olive branch and sent delegations to visit China, talking only about economics and not politics. In April, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs adopted the "Third Outline for Dealing with North China," stating that it would "adopt a fair attitude...to form friendly relations between Japan and China." The North China garrison also went against the norm and took the initiative to improve relations with the Hebei-Cha authorities, which was not only unprecedented. He presented more than a dozen mountain artillery pieces to the 29th Army, and also invited Song Zheyuan and Zhang Zizhong to visit Japan and observe joint land, sea and air exercises. Song Zheyuan was unwilling to go, so Zhang Zizhong led the delegation to visit Japan. When asked by the press, Song Zheyuan said: "China and Japan are big countries in the Far East. They should be jointly responsible for events in the Far East. Otherwise, others will benefit, and both China and Japan will suffer. He hopes that the leaders of the two countries will be responsible." Each country understands the status of its own country and strives to eliminate existing difficulties and promote prosperity and peace for both parties based on the principle of equality." These words were criticized by all walks of life, which made Song Zheyuan extremely distressed. In fact, Song Dynasty was just conforming to the tone of the Nanjing government's diplomacy with Japan. The Japanese had a smiling face for the first time, so they had to give them some face.

In fact, the olive branch extended by Japan is completely false. In the spring of 1937, Japan transferred a large number of Kwantung troops from outside the customs into the customs. The number of Japanese troops between Beijing and Tianjin increased to 30,000 to 40,000. Starting from April 25, the North China garrison conducted frequent combat exercises in the suburbs of Pingjin and Tianjin. In June, they began to conduct day and night exercises with the goal of attacking Marco Polo Bridge and seizing Wanping City. On June 21, the North China Garrison Army urgently established a temporary combat section. All signs indicate that the Japanese military is actively preparing for war.

Since the 29th Army had been in a stalemate with the Japanese army in Pingjin for two years, during which conflicts continued, but they were all resolved politically, they were paralyzed from top to bottom and lacked attention to the frequent activities of the Japanese army. On the other hand, the officers and soldiers of the 29th Army also overestimated their own strength. They believed that the Japanese army in the Pingjin area, with only 30,000 people, was absolutely unable to fight against the 100,000-strong 29th Army. In May 1937, Song Zheyuan was tired of the life of dealing with the Japanese, so he left Peiping and returned to his hometown in Leling, Shandong to recuperate. While Song Zheyuan was enjoying his rare leisure time in his hometown, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which shocked both China and the world, broke out.

On the evening of July 11, Song Zheyuan returned to Tianjin from Shandong. At this time, Song Zheyuan believed that "Japan is not yet ready to launch a full-scale war against China. As long as we show some concessions, a partial solution is still possible." Nanjing's instructions were also to "respond to the war without asking for it." In accordance with this spirit, all units of the 29th Army remained stationary. He Jifeng, the brigade commander of the 37th Division, asked to take the initiative to attack when the Japanese troops in Fengtai were empty, but Zhang Zizhong stopped him. In fact, the Japanese government had already made the decision to expand the war. It was only in the Battle of Wanping that the Japanese army in North China discovered that the 29th Army was strong in combat strength, and then they felt that the force was insufficient. Negotiations with the Hebei-Cha authorities were just a delaying tactic to buy time to increase the number of troops. . Song Zheyuan, Zhang Zizhong and others lacked clear judgment on this and were still committed to resolving the incident through diplomatic mediation, so they signed an armistice agreement with Japan.

The situation in the Pingjin area during the Marco Polo Bridge Incident was that the Japanese army occupied various strategic locations in accordance with the "Xinchou Treaty" and intertwined with the positions of the 29th Army. In this way, the 29th Army had to watch helplessly as the Japanese troops mobilized frequently under the cover of the armistice agreement and occupied a favorable attack position. Until late July, Song Zheyuan still had no clear understanding of the situation. At this time, the reinforcements of the Central Army had already arrived in Baoding and Cangzhou. At this time, Song Zheyuan was still worried that the Central Army would come to seize his territory. In a letter to Chiang Kai-shek on the 24th, he still said, "I would like to ask you to sit down and bear with me for a long time." , temporarily surrendering and retreating the troops heading north slightly in order to ease the current situation and complete preparations.

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By the end of July, the Japanese army had successively deployed additional 5th, 6th, 10th and 20th divisions and independent mixed 1st and 11th brigades from the country and the Northeast to the Pingjin area, in addition to the original On the evening of the 26th, the commander of the Chinese garrison, Xiangyue Qingsi, issued an ultimatum to Song Zheyuan, requiring the 29th Army to withdraw from Peiping before noon on the 27th, but Song Zheyuan sternly refused. Only then did Song Zheyuan realize that war was inevitable. On the 27th, Song Zheyuan held a military meeting and prepared to launch an attack on August 1. Feng Zhi'an's 37th Division and Zhao Dengyu's 132nd Division mainly attacked Fengtai. The division attacked Haiguang Temple in Tianjin.

The Japanese army launched a preemptive attack on all fronts in the early morning of the 28th. Fierce fighting broke out in Nanyuan, Beiyuan, Xiyuan, Tongxian and other places. The 29th Army rushed to respond, and the situation was very serious. Unfavorable. Song Zheyuan now faces a dilemma: there is no danger to defend the Pingjin area, and the Japanese army has superior strength and an advantage. Not only is it difficult for the 29th Army to win this battle, but it may even lose its capital; if it retreats, The loss of Pingjin was a heavy responsibility and he could not explain it to Nanjing and the people. When Song Zheyuan was hesitating, bad news came. The 29th Army headquarters in Nanyuan was attacked by the main force of the Japanese army. Deputy Commander Tong Linge and Division Commander Zhao Dengyu were killed. The troops directly under the Ministry and the 132nd Division were outnumbered and defeated. Nanyuan was lost, and the 29th Army's defense line was cut off.

Chiang Kai-shek just sent a telegram asking Song Zheyuan to withdraw to Baoding. At that time, he was very concerned about preserving his strength. He said to Zhang Zizhong: "The Northwest Army was built by Mr. Feng with his whole life. We must preserve the foundation left by him. This is something you cannot do. The 29th Army's front is too long now. We have to contain the troops. Only you can negotiate with the Japanese and delay it for a week..." Zhang Zizhong was ordered to act as the mayor of Peiping at the critical moment. He said to Qin Dechun: "You and Mr. Song have become National hero, I’m afraid he’s become a traitor! "In the early morning of the 29th, the 29th Army withdrew except for four regiments left to maintain public security.

The people of Peiping went out early in the morning and found that the national army had abandoned the people of Peking and Tianjin and retreated. The notice signed by Zhang Zizhong Posts were posted everywhere, admonishing the people to keep their jobs and not to panic. As a result, public opinion exploded, and everyone believed that Zhang Zizhong had become a traitor, and the whole country denounced "Zhang Ni Zizhong." This encounter had a great impact on him, and he was determined to die from then on.

4. Ended in depression

After Song Zheyuan retreated to Baoding, he still imagined that Zhang Zizhong would settle the Japanese and solve the problem peacefully. After the incident, he was able to lead his army back to Pingjin. However, Zhang Zizhong received news from Peiping that the Japanese troops were still coming from outside the pass, and there was no sign of the war ending. In the following period, major newspapers across the country began to investigate the responsibility for the loss of Pingjin. , the finger was directed at Song Zheyuan, and Nanjing's attitude was also ambiguous. Song Zheyuan knew that Chiang Kai-shek was good at catching scapegoats, and he could be pushed to justice at this time to blame the countrymen, so he was very worried.

In mid-August, Song Zheyuan was uneasy when he received a telegram from Chiang Kai-shek summoning him to Beijing, so he sent Qin Dechun to meet him on his behalf. Chiang Kai-shek not only did not criticize Song, but instead expressed comfort and agreed to expand the 29th Army. The organization of the First Group Army is: the original four divisions are expanded into three armies, with Song Zheyuan as the commander-in-chief, the original 37th Division and the 132nd Division are expanded into the 77th Army, with Feng Zhian as the army. The original 38th Division was expanded into the 59th Army, with Song Zijian as the commander (Zhang Zizhong later returned to the army), and the original 143rd Division was expanded into the 68th Army, with Liu Ruming as the commander.

However, Nanjing soon appointed Feng Yuxiang as the commander-in-chief of the Sixth War Zone to command the Jinpu Road War. Song Zheyuan knew that this was a disguised attempt to seize his military power, so he resigned due to illness and went to Mount Tai to recuperate. The First Group Army found that his former subordinates had already alienated him and could not command him at all. Xiao Zhenying took the opportunity to stir up trouble and win over Feng Zhian, and alienate the General of the First Group Army. In early September, the Isoya Division began to attack southward along Jinpu Road. At this time, the First Army was full of internal conflicts and the generals were suspicious of each other. As a last resort, Nanjing transferred Feng Yuxiang and asked Song Zheyuan to come back to clean up the situation.

Song Zheyuan wanted to make a difference after returning to the army. He took the initiative to request Nanjing to launch a counterattack and attack Xingtai. His combat plan was approved by Chiang Kai-shek and was discovered by Japanese reconnaissance planes before the various units of the First Army entered the attack site.

So a mixed brigade of the Japanese army set out from Handan to attack the Daimyo. The 179th Division of He Jifeng was stationed at Daimyo. It resisted tenaciously for seven days and then retreated. This battle fully reflected the general idea of ????the generals of the First Army to preserve their strength. When the daimyo was in crisis, the three Shiyou tribes on the left and Huang Weigang's tribe on the right refused to help. The name was lost, and Song Zheyuan's counterattack plan was aborted.

Song Zheyuan only then felt that the morale in the army was low and there were many contradictions. Soon, Nanjing successively transferred Liu Ruming's 68th Army and Zhang Zizhong's 59th Army to the south. At this time, Song Zheyuan had completely lost his fighting spirit and was trying every means to preserve his remaining strength. His subordinates saw through his mind and scrambled to escape, leaving Song Zheyuan and his group army behind. Withdrawing to Maojin Ferry, Song Zheyuan received an order to be transferred to the deputy commander-in-chief of the first theater, so he sadly left the army he had worked hard for many years.

Two years later, Song Zheyuan died in depression in Mianyang, Sichuan, and was posthumously awarded the rank of first-class general. Zhu De and Peng Dehuai presented an elegiac couplet to Song Zheyuan: "One battle and one peace, in the moment of change, you can be great in the world; if you keep up your efforts, there will be many people who are coming up, but Yuan will be worried about nine springs." Zhou Enlai tried to save Song Zheyuan: "The lost ground has not been recovered, but the power of the tiger is still there." The moon is hanging over Lugou; Mianyang cannot be frightened, and the cuckoo's crow breaks through the spring of Jinjiang. "Chiang Kai-shek rescued Song Zheyuan: "The mainstay stands in the middle of the stream, and the final force is to deter the arrogant; the starlight is five feet cold, and it cannot be cherished to mourn Yuan Liang. ”

The story of the 29th Army of the Anti-Japanese Army is not over yet. Liu Ruming’s 68th Army and Zhang Zizhong’s 59th Army both participated in the Battle of Xuzhou and made outstanding achievements. Later, the 33rd Army was formed, which included Cao Fulin's 55th Army, Zhang Zizhong's 59th Army, and Feng Zhian's 77th Army. Zhang Zizhong was the commander, and Feng Zhian was his deputy. It was regarded as a continuation of the 29th Army. The Thirty-third Army later participated in the Battle of Suizao and the Battle of Zaoyi, both of which achieved great military exploits. Zhang Zizhong died heroically in the Battle of Zaoyi, and Feng Zhian took over as commander. After the Battle of Zaoyi, the strength of the Thirty-third Group Army was severely damaged, and because it was a miscellaneous unit, it could not be replenished. Its combat effectiveness deteriorated. Three years later, it was reduced to a second-rate unit when it participated in the Battle of Changde. After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, the Thirty-Third Army was reorganized into the Thirty-Third Army, with Feng Zhian still serving as its commander. Feng Zhi'an led his troops to participate in the Huaihai Campaign and revolted near Hanzhuang and Taierzhuang.

5. Conclusion

Song Zheyuan is a very complex character. His inner patriotism and warlord consciousness are equally strong, which often makes him fall into fierce ideological struggles. Song Zheyuan had deep-rooted thoughts of warlord separatism. What he did in Pingjin was partly forced by the Japanese, and partly still hoped to establish an independent kingdom and engage in military separatism. Chiang Kai-shek made great efforts to win over him, but Song Zheyuan finally refused to embrace him. After the Lugouqiao Incident, Song kept saying that he wanted to leave some ground for Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army, which reflected that in his heart, Feng Yuxiang was always superior to Chiang Kai-shek. The situation at that time was that Chiang Kai-shek had achieved unification. Those who obeyed me prospered, and those who went against me perished. How many generals of the Northwest Army kept pace with the times and took refuge with Chiang Kai-shek. Song Zheyuan's loyalty to Feng Yuxiang was amazing.

Song Zheyuan did not want to fight against the Japanese and kill the enemy, but the deep-rooted warlordism in his mind eventually ruined his military career. Chiang Kai-shek was able to reuse Zhang Zizhong, Feng Zhian, Liu Ruming and other generals of the Northwest Army, as well as Sun Lianzhong and other generals of the Northwest Army, but his refusal to use Song Zheyuan was because he saw through his selfish thoughts. Zhang Zizhong fought hard with the 59th Army and Banyuan Division he had cultivated by himself in Southern Shandong, completely ignoring casualties, and achieved the great victory of Linyi; Sun Lianzhong defended Taierzhuang, and it was also with the determination to destroy all the troops that he achieved the great victory of Taierzhuang. It was this spirit of sacrificing the individual and fulfilling the greater self that finally won China the victory in the War of Resistance.

In the final analysis, Song Zheyuan was a figure created during China's decades of warlord war. Although he had unyielding national integrity, he was unable to become a mainstay in resisting Japan and saving the country due to fatal ideological flaws. Song Zheyuan failed to die on the battlefield in the end and got the most ideal destination for a soldier. It is indeed regrettable, but it is also reasonable.

Reprinted from: Muwen Financial Forum