Rise From Eight Hundred

During the more than ten years of the Patriotic War, from east to west, from south to north, the land of China was full of smoke and fire, and blood and sacrifice were the norm.

However, there are not many places that are qualified to build a special anti-Japanese war monument after the war.

At the intersection of a mountain stream and a river in the upper reaches of Yiling, there is such a 15-meter-high monument, quietly watching the surging river flowing eastward, reminding people in later generations not to forget that countless martyrs had shed their blood here in this mountainous area.

The famous Shipai Defense Battle is an existence that anyone who studies the history of China's Patriotic War cannot ignore.

Tang Dao is naturally very clear. He knows that there were actually two Shipai Defense Battles. One was not long after the New Year of 1941. The Japanese army that had occupied Yiling launched an attack here to open the gateway to the mountain city of China's secondary capital, but retreated without success; the second time was in May two years later. The Japanese army gathered two divisions and a brigade to launch a fierce attack here again, causing 40,000 Chinese officers and soldiers to die on the battlefield.

A battlefield with an area of ​​no more than 3 square kilometers actually killed a reorganized division of Chinese soldiers, which shows how cruel this battle was.

You should know that in the battle of Wusheng Mountain, which defeated the will of the Americans in a battle on the snowy plains in the future, the entire mountain was blown down by 2 meters after 43 days of fierce fighting, and the Chinese soldiers only lost 150,000 people, of which nearly 5,000 died in battle, which was much less than this battle.

Tang Dao also knew that this battle belonged to the glory of the 18th Army of the Third War Zone. It was after this battle that the Lieutenant General Hu of the 11th Division of the 18th Army, who was guarding the central axis, rose to prominence and became a famous general who could compete with the commander of the Tenth War Zone.

But the wheel of history turned a corner here. The Sixing Regiment, which was waiting for the news of the transport ship outside the mountain city, received a telegram from the Fifth War Zone Command, ordering Tang Dao to lead the Sixing Regiment to arrive at Shipai Fortress within 20 days at the latest, and fight against the powerful enemy together with the 18th Army of the Third War Zone.

It turned out that after capturing Yiling, the Japanese army did not stop. The 11th Japanese Army in Hunan Province dispatched two divisions to Yiling, which would bring the number of Japanese troops in western Hubei to 170,000.

What did the Japanese want to do? The answer was obvious.

Not to mention that the military and political leaders were frightened by the Japanese madness, even Tang Dao was greatly surprised.

I don’t know if it was because the Japanese suffered a setback in the Hunan defense line, or because they suffered huge losses in the last bombing of Shancheng, and they were greatly stimulated to bring out the routine that should have been used two years later in time and space in advance.

The strategic purpose of the Japanese in launching the Zaoyi Campaign was actually very simple, but they hoped to occupy Yiling and gain a bridgehead to Shancheng, and then use it to conquer Shancheng and completely solve China’s highest resistance force once and for all.

But conquering Yiling was only the first step. In order to enter Shancheng, the Yangtze River waterway must be kept unobstructed, and the Chinese defenders along the Yangtze River must be eliminated.

The Shipai Fortress, which is stuck on the right bank of Xiling Gorge, is a must-take place!

The Yangtze River turns a 110-degree bend here. Six 190mm caliber fortress guns are deployed in the fortress. Not to mention transport ships, even cruisers can't withstand a few bombardments from such a big guy.

Of course, the mountains are high and the water is deep, and there are no roads. If you just want to attack from the front, you don't know how much it will cost. The purpose of the Japanese army's heavy troops is to surround it from all sides, break through the front, and continuously attack the rear of the two wings of the Shipai Fortress.

For this reason, in the past, in addition to the outer periphery of the Fifth War Zone in western Hubei, the Japanese army invested more than 60,000 people to attack. On the battlefield belonging to the Shipai Fortress, it invested 2 divisions and a brigade, totaling more than 50,000 people.

The 18th Army has about 30,000 troops. The Japanese army has 50,000 to 30,000 troops, with an absolute advantage in heavy firepower. The only advantage China can have is the terrain. The key to whether it can win in the end depends on the will to fight.

But this time, the 11th Army transferred two more divisions to western Hubei, with a total force of 170,000. The pressure on the Shipai defense line was greater than ever before.

The 18th Army was already the strongest elite of the Third War Zone. The Fifth War Zone was currently struggling with 100,000 Japanese troops. It was too late to transfer troops from the Ninth War Zone. The Sihang Regiment, which had just arrived in Shancheng, naturally became the first choice of the Military and Political Department and the Fifth War Zone.

Military orders are like mountains. Even if the battle situation was beyond Tang Dao's expectations, Tang Dao also readily accepted the military order.

Although a deadline of 20 days was given, the transportation of a heavy-armored regiment of thousands of people could not be completed overnight. The Military and Political Department had already used all its means to summon various types of ships, and even requisitioned medium-sized fishing boats that could only carry one infantry squad.

The Yangtze River at this time was not the Yangtze River that would be built into China's largest reservoir in the future. In addition to the beautiful scenery, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River also had surging rivers, turbulent waters and dense shoals.

In addition to the dangerous natural factors, there may be strafing and bombing by Japanese planes in the sky.

Tang Dao didn't want his officers and soldiers to die on the way to the battlefield instead of on the battlefield against Japan, so he drove to the Military and Political Department in person and met with Minister He again, asking for high salary to recruit experienced boatmen and asking the Air Force to escort the fleet.

If it were someone else, Tang Dao, the small regiment commander, might have been kicked out for making such a request. It's easy to hire experienced boatmen, at most it would cost more money, but asking the Air Force to use precious fighter planes for escort, who do you think you are?

"I can't guarantee that Shipai will be defended, but I can guarantee that the lives of Tang Dao and all the officers and soldiers of our Four Lines Regiment are with Shipai. All the officers and soldiers of our Four Lines Regiment will shed their last drop of blood on the Shipai battlefield. If Tang Dao can come back to see you alive, it must be because the stone tablet is still in the hands of our Chinese soldiers." Tang Dao stood in the big boss's office and made a shocking assurance.

Not only did the colonel in the external secretary's office burst into tears, but Minister He, who had gone through so many trials and hardships in life, had his eyes bright. After looking at Tang Dao up and down for a long time, he finally said in a deep voice: "Okay! I will try my best to do it for you." Of!"

Everyone can make an impassioned speech, but there are not many people who are as determined as Tang Dao to risk the fate of the entire regiment!

Moreover, Tang Dao's eyes and voice convinced the powerful general that he would do what he said.

With Minister He's commitment and deployment, Tang Dao was notified the next morning that the work of transporting ships and recruiting boatmen would be handled by Lu Kuixian, the general manager of Minsheng Company, and Tang Dao was asked to contact him.

The Air Force, because of Minister He's face, has also agreed to send a flying squadron stationed in Jiulongpo to escort the transport fleet, and has agreed to establish a direct radio station with the Air Force Headquarters, so that they can be notified immediately if they encounter enemy situations. , the fighter aircraft formation on combat duty will also arrive on the battlefield within half an hour.

There is no support from the fame and favor of Tang Dao and Si Xing Regiment. Even after arriving in the mountain city, the designation of Si Xing Regiment is still the infantry brigade in the 10th theater. At most, the Air Force knows that it is a force to reinforce Shipai. That’s all.

That afternoon, Tang Dao met Lu Kuixian, who had just successfully organized the Yiling evacuation, in the somewhat crude office of Minsheng Company.

A middle-aged man in a suit was arranging work with his subordinates. When he saw Tang Dao in military uniform striding over under the leadership of his secretary, he hurriedly greeted him.

"Hello, Manager Lu!" Tang Dao was the first to extend his hand.

This patriotic businessman who used all his company's ships to successfully evacuate tens of thousands of people and hundreds of thousands of tons of supplies at the cost of 16 ships being sunk by the Japanese, 69 ships being damaged, and more than 100 employees sacrificed, is worthy of anyone's respect. Respect.

"Minister He has personally spoken to me on the phone. I will try my best to meet any needs of your army. But before that, I need to know how many personnel and heavy equipment your army needs to transport, so that I can calculate how many ships to use. I hope your army It is understandable that in the previous evacuation, all the crew members of our company's ships were seriously damaged." After shaking hands with Tang Dao politely, without asking Tang Dao's position and name, the man got straight to the point, showing his resolute personality.

The Fifth War Zone gave Tang Dao a deadline of 20 days, and the Ministry of Military Affairs also gave him a stipulated deadline. Knowing that military orders are so important, the general manager may not have time to be polite to a colonel-level deputy chief.

Tang Dao frowned slightly. Although he knew that what this person said was correct, the personnel and equipment were military secrets. Once leaked, the Japanese would definitely know what kind of army this was through analysis, even if they had not guessed him. It is the Four Elements Group, and they will definitely take more precautions against it.

While still thinking about how to answer him, he saw this famous patriotic businessman in the history of the Republic of China suddenly staring straight at him. After a while, he waved the secretary to exit the office and closed the door, and then hesitantly asked: "Are you Commander Tang?"

"General Manager Lu knows me?" Tang Dao's mind was spinning and he didn't deny it.

"Haha! It is indeed Captain Tang. Lu was a little anxious just now and did not recognize the honor of Captain Tang. Please don't blame me." Lu Kuixian's face was full of smiles.

"But I remember that it was my first meeting with General Manager Lu." Tang Dao really couldn't think of any place where he had interacted with this person.

"This is the first time that Captain Tang and I have met, but if it weren't for you, Captain Tang, my little brother would never be able to return to his hometown. My mother has always told me that if I have the chance to see you in the future, I will definitely I want to thank you for her," Lu Kuixian said with a smile.

It turned out that Lu Kuixian's hometown was in the mountainous city of Hechuan County. Lu Kuixian joined the Tongmenghui in his early years and was determined to save the country through revolution. However, as the revolutions failed one after another, warlords fought in Sichuan again. He felt that propaganda and education alone could not save China, so he had to 'save the country through industry'. 'abandoned school and went into business', started with a borrowed 8,000 yuan. After 12 years of development, by the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, it had become China's largest national shipping company, with 46 ships, a total tonnage of tens of thousands of tons, and more than 4,000 employees.

If it weren’t for a shipping company of this size, it might not have been possible to complete the Yiling evacuation comparable to Dunkirk.

After pain and hardship, Lu Kui first embarked on another path of his own choice to save the country. Under his influence, his third brother was also determined to save the country. However, his brother, who was more than ten years younger than him, chose his own path. road.

He chose to join the army and when the Anti-Japanese War began, he was the company commander of a company in the 26th Division of the 43rd Army.

"Captain Lu is actually a member of the Lu family?" Tang Dao almost knew who he was without Lu Kui saying his third brother's name first.

That was the company commander in the body of Tang Dao. He fought bravely. On that day, the 26th Division and the Japanese army fought a bloody battle in Dachang Town. The company commander surnamed Lu was on the front line with all the officers and soldiers of the company. He fought with dozens of weapons for three days without retreating even half a step. Later, a position was besieged by the Japanese army in order to counterattack. Tang Dao, who was already a sergeant squad leader, led two infantry squads to break out of the siege and rescued him and sent him to the rear ambulance team for treatment.

However, Tang Dao was later injured by heavy Japanese artillery fire and was sent to a field hospital where he was eventually abandoned in the ruins. The two never saw each other again.

But even Tang Dao did not expect that the brave and fearless company commander actually had such a rich family and a famous elder brother.

If you think Lu Kuixian is just a big businessman, then you obviously underestimate him. You should know that in the 1930s, he served as the director of the Construction Department and the Deputy Minister of Transportation of Sichuan Province. Later, he was awarded the Jade Medal for this great retreat that was unique in the world.

"Yes! My younger brother was seriously injured for more than a year before returning home to visit his relatives. During this period, he talked about your life-saving grace countless times. My mother loves my younger brother the most and feels deeply for you. She treasures all the news about you. If it weren't for this, I really couldn't recognize you. However, you are three times more handsome in person than in the photo. No wonder my younger brother said that you are definitely not a fish in the pond, and you will soar to the sky one day!" Lu Kuixian looked at the young Tang Dao with great emotion.

Since the two of them have such a layer of origin, they naturally talk more casually than before.

"Please understand, Brother Lu. I hope that the number of equipment and personnel will be kept secret as much as possible. If the Japanese army knows about it, my brothers will have to pay a heavy price for it." Tang Dao also stated his concerns directly.

"I understand. I will arrange this matter myself and will not ask anyone else to do it. No one except me will know the number of people and the total tonnage of my fleet this time. In addition, when those heavy equipment are loaded on board, they will be arranged at night. Except for those who I absolutely trust, no one will be present. After loading, all heavy equipment will be covered with canvas. Even if someone is interested in spying, they will not know what equipment it is." After listening to Tang Dao's request, Lu Kuixian made a guarantee to Tang Dao.

Tang Dao knew that this would undoubtedly increase his workload. He was so grateful that he could only solemnly salute to express his gratitude before leaving.

With Lu Kuixian's help, Minsheng Company, which had just suffered a heavy loss, took out all its assets this time.

Even the ships that had not been repaired yet were put into transportation. In less than 3 days, 43 large and small ships gathered on the river, including 4 iron-hulled ships that could carry 500 tons of cargo, 12 200-ton merchant ships, 6 150-ton ships, 12 30-ton to 50-ton ships, and the rest were larger fishing boats collected from the public with a tonnage below 30 tons.

The large carrying capacity this time was far beyond the expectations of the shipping tycoon. Originally, he thought that an infantry regiment would only have two or three thousand people, several thousand guns and a few cannons. He didn't know that the Four-Line Regiment not only had more than 5,000 personnel, but also had dozens of various types of cannons.

Especially after boarding the large iron-hulled ship, the 40mm anti-aircraft guns mounted on the bow and stern for air defense, each weighing two tons, and two iron-hulled ships were needed just to transport such a big guy.

It's OK that there were artillery, but there were also jeeps and tanks. General Manager Lu, who personally went to the port to supervise the boarding in the night, was stunned when he saw the tanks rumbling onto the ship with black smoke coming out of the tail.

At that moment, he realized that his younger brother said that Tang Dao would soar into the sky not because of any life-saving grace, but because of his true heart. Just for these equipment and the record that Tang Dao had led the Four Lines Regiment in recent years, he firmly believed that the Japanese would hit their heads in Shipai and Juebi this time.

It took another 3 days for the Four Lines Regiment personnel, horses and equipment to be loaded on the ship.

The reason why it took so long was, firstly, to keep it secret. All heavy equipment would arrive at the port for loading only after sunset; secondly, to wait for the opportunity. The old boatman predicted that there would be heavy fog in three days based on astronomical observations. Although that would affect the ship, it would be insignificant for the possible air raid.

The fog on the river surface was the best protection for the fleet.

However, Tang Dao still had the old habit and would never put his life in the hands of others. The four large iron-hulled ships were basically loaded with heavy equipment such as anti-aircraft guns, mountain guns, and tanks. Two anti-aircraft guns were placed at the bow and stern of each iron-hulled ship, and some redundant buildings in the middle of the ship were directly demolished and anti-aircraft guns were also placed.

When sailing, the 12 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns were all in wartime status. As long as the canvas covering them was torn off, the high black muzzles would be exposed.

Two ships led the way, and two swung the tail, protecting the entire fleet in the middle!

That's not all. On those 200-ton merchant ships, the 20mm machine guns and quadruple anti-aircraft machine guns were also selected by the officers and soldiers of the anti-aircraft machine gun squad. All infantry squads with MG42 also received orders to use machine guns for air combat when necessary.

The first thing the soldiers did after boarding the ship was to vacate air combat positions for the machine guns in their squad, and they carried sandbags to build a temporary shelter for themselves.

However, it is not only used to block bullets, but also for shooting.

What's wrong with rifles? Thousands of rifles fired at the sky together, and who knows if that bullet could hit the Japanese planes flying low and strafing the fleet with machine guns!

It is better to die in battle than to bleed and sacrifice in vain! This is also a tradition of the Four-Line Regiment.

Whenever a Japanese plane attacks, the entire fleet will become a porcupine covered with thorns, but the thorns are all made of metal bullets, and they will be injured or killed if hit!

There are more than 500 boatmen involved in the transportation of 43 ships, all of whom have been checked and reviewed by the captain who was responsible for Tang Dao's safety when he came to Shancheng last time.

Such a huge workload was completed in less than 4 days, and the captain was almost tired to vomit blood, but seeing that Tang Dao was very considerate to send a large yellow croaker, he still worked overtime to complete it.

During this week, with the help of Laura, Tang Dao completed another technological upgrade for the entire group.

Before the war, the combat effectiveness of the Four Lines Group was increased by at least 10% again!