China Heroic Spirit 4 Zhao Dengyu
Zhao Dengyu (1898-1937), also known as Shun Cheng, was born on March 16, 1898, in the lunar calendar, in a poor peasant family in Zhao Lou Village, Heze County, Shandong Province. In 1914, he joined Feng Yuxiang's troops and served as platoon leader, company commander, and battalion commander. After the Five Originals Oath in 1926, he participated in the Northern Expedition with the army. In 1927, he was promoted to brigade commander. In 1928, he became the commander of the 27th Division of the Second Group Army. After the disarmament in 1929, he again served as brigade commander. During the Central Plains War in 1930, he commanded the 25th Division of the Fourth Route Army against Chiang Kai-shek. In 1931, he became the commander of the First Brigade of the 37th Division of the 29th Army. In 1933, during the Battle of the Great Wall, his troops defended the Xifengkou position and inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese army. On June 1933, he was appointed commander of the 132nd Division and concurrently served as a member of the preparatory committee for the special party department of the 29th Army. On January 25, 1936, he was promoted to lieutenant general. In the spring of 1937, he led his troops to defend Beiping (now Beijing) in the Nanyuan, Tongzhou, and Jizhong areas. On July 28, 1937, during a fierce battle against Japanese forces attacking Nanyuan, he died heroically.
Rushing to the Great Wall to resist Japanese invaders
After the September 18th Incident, the Japanese invaders quickly annexed the three northeastern provinces and implemented a "continental policy" to nibble at China, step by step pressing into the interior. In early March 1931, a large number of crack Japanese troops arrived at various passes along the Great Wall. The Beijing-Tianjin area was in imminent danger, and the Chinese nation faced another severe test.
On the Chinese side, He Yingqin replaced Zhang Xueliang as acting chairman of the Beiping Military Affairs Committee in early March. Chiang Kai-shek's instructions to him were "to resist on one hand and negotiate on the other". Seeing the Japanese army advancing towards the Great Wall, He Yingqin hastily deployed troops to defend the Great Wall line. He ordered Song Zheyuan's 29th Army to take over the defense of Xifengkou and Luowenyu, Shang Zhen's 32nd Army to take over Lengkou, and the 17th Army led by Guan Linzheng to rush north overnight to defend Gubeikou. Fu Zuoyi's 35th Army was deployed on the flank at Dushikou, intending to use the Great Wall as a barrier to confront the Japanese army.
The eyes of the whole nation are focused on the ancient Great Wall, and the hopes of the whole nation are pinned on the Chinese army that rushed to the Great Wall overnight to resist the enemy. The commander of the 29th Army, Song Zheyuan, received the order to defend the Great Wall in early March. This patriotic general, known for his strict military discipline, decided to send the 109th Brigade of the 37th Division, led by Zhao Dengyu, as the vanguard to rush to Xifengkou and block the Japanese enemy who was pursuing the remnants of Wan Fulin's troops, and to defend the Great Wall to the death, not allowing the Japanese army to advance any further.
In the early March of the north, it was still a cold winter season. The Great Wall along the mountainous terrain, with high winds and steep slopes, made it extremely difficult to march. Zhao Dengyu led the way in person, urging his troops forward. When they arrived at Santunying, 60 kilometers away from Xifengkou, they encountered the remnants of Wan Fulin's defeated army. These defeated soldiers were disheveled and demoralized. When asked about the strength of the Japanese army, they replied: "Machine guns are more powerful than cannons, and mountain cannons can flatten a mountain with a single shot." Zhao Dengyu despised these defeated soldiers from the bottom of his heart and asked: "Why didn't you fight to the death?" They replied: "What's the point? The officials have already fled in their cars." Zhao Dengyu could no longer contain his anger and shouted to all his officers and men: "As soldiers, defending our country is our duty. When the enemy is at hand, we must resist with our lives. We have been training for a thousand days, and now it's time to put that training into action. The time has come to repay our country." All the officers and men of the 109th Brigade were inspired by their commander's words, and their fatigue from several days of marching disappeared instantly. The 109th Brigade marched forward like an iron torrent, straight towards the treacherous Xifengkou Pass.
On the afternoon of March 9, the 217th Regiment of Zhao Dengyu's division arrived at Xifengkou. The regimental commander, Wang Changhai, had been through many battles, but he couldn't help taking a deep breath as he saw that the Japanese army's vanguard had occupied the high ground northeast of Xifengkou and was blocking the pass with firepower.
The situation was critical, and Zhao Dengyu ordered Wang Changhai to retake the high ground at all costs. The officers and soldiers of Wang Changhai's regiment, who had been accumulating their desire for revenge against the enemy, climbed up the cliff and launched a fierce attack on the Japanese army.
The Japanese army occupying Xifengkou was an elite force, and they desperately defended themselves with the advantageous terrain and advanced weapons. After several hours of intense fighting, the Japanese army, which had always considered itself invincible, was finally driven off the high ground. Both sides suffered hundreds of casualties in this battle. The battalion commander Shi Zhenkang and company commander Liu Shichang were wounded, and platoon commander Hou Fengming died heroically.
Although the first battle was a success, it greatly boosted the morale of the Chinese army. After being driven off the mountain, the Japanese army became enraged and launched a fierce bombing campaign against the 29th Army's position with planes and artillery, almost turning the entire high ground into a scorched earth.
Zhao Dengyu was an experienced commander who had been through many battles. He realized that the enemy's advantage lay in their airpower and artillery, but if he could lure them to his front line, he could take advantage of the Chinese army's strong close combat capabilities and engage the enemy in a face-to-face battle, rendering the enemy's artillery advantage useless.
Therefore, he ordered his troops to use the terrain and city walls as cover, avoid the enemy's firepower, and wait for the enemy infantry to enter their firing range before launching a fierce counterattack. This tactic proved effective, and after the Japanese army's intense bombing, they thought that the Chinese army had lost its combat effectiveness and organized an infantry charge towards the mountain top.
As they approached the summit, the Chinese defenders' light and heavy weapons swept across the enemy like a storm, filled with hatred. The Japanese army was caught off guard, suffered heavy casualties, and was repeatedly driven down the mountain.
The Japanese army saw that the Chinese army's combat effectiveness was so strong that they did not dare to underestimate them again. They mobilized a group of machine gunners, infiltrated the left side of Xifengkou, occupied advantageous positions, and launched a fierce attack on the 109th Regiment soldiers guarding the city wall.
The Chinese army suffered increased casualties due to the lack of cover, but Zhao Dengyu quickly responded by dispatching an elite force to outflank the enemy's machine gun position, catching them off guard and wiping out the Japanese snipers. The Japanese army did not dare to launch another attack but instead mobilized a battalion of artillerymen to adopt a long-range bombardment strategy, launching a prolonged artillery attack on the Chinese defenders.
The casualties of the 109th Regiment continued to mount, but Zhao Dengyu persisted in fighting at the forefront, standing tall and unafraid under the intense artillery fire. He continuously adjusted his troops' positions, encouraging them to fight bravely. The soldiers were inspired by their commander's bravery and fought fearlessly, killing the Japanese army and holding their ground.
The Japanese army was unable to make any progress and eventually retreated in disarray.
The Japanese army relied on its superior weapons and continuously increased the firepower of its heavy artillery, subjecting the Chinese defenders to their most severe test. On the evening of March 9th, the Japanese concentrated a large number of heavy artillery pieces and destroyed over 20 meters of defensive fortifications built by the 109th Brigade using sandbags. A large group of Japanese soldiers took advantage of the opportunity to swarm up and charge straight at the gap. An entire squad from the 217th Regiment's 9th Company was killed in action while defending their position. Another unit from the 9th Company immediately moved up to replace them and engaged the Japanese in a fierce bayonet fight. The 29th Army had trained its troops with a focus on close combat, emphasizing the use of big knives as the primary subject. The soldiers wielded their large knives, charging left and right, and the Japanese who claimed to be skilled at hand-to-hand combat found it difficult to withstand the onslaught under the 29th Army's knives. Although they suffered heavy casualties, the Japanese refused to retreat due to their numerical superiority, and both sides held their ground, fighting until the sky grew dark.
Zhao Dengyu understood that the Japanese army attacking Xifengkou had two main force brigades, plus the total strength of the puppet Manchurian army was over 30,000 people, while he only had a few thousand people, and the difference in military strength was huge; Moreover, the Japanese army's weapons were excellent, and their morale was arrogant and invincible. If they continued to confront each other for a long time, they would inevitably put themselves in a passive position. To gain the initiative, Zhao Dengyu disregarded his fatigue and ordered the two regiments of the 218th Brigade, which had just arrived, to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese army at Baitaizi and Caijiayu in two routes on the night of the 9th. The two routes of soldiers were lightly equipped, holding big knives and flying behind the enemy. At around 2 o'clock on the 10th, they arrived at the launch point. With a loud shout, the Chinese army descended from the sky like divine soldiers, with big knives dancing and chopping towards the Japanese army. The Japanese army never dreamed that someone would come from behind to kill them, and they responded hastily, but in front of the 29th Army's knife team, they seemed particularly incompetent. After an hour of fierce battle, the 218th Brigade killed over 500 Japanese soldiers and successfully occupied Baitaizi and Caijiayu.
The Japanese army lost two positions and knew they had encountered a strong enemy, so on the 10th, at dawn, they concentrated all their firepower to cover several thousand infantrymen in a ladder formation, launching a fierce attack on Zhao Dengyu's main position at Xifengkou and Tiemenguan. The 109th Brigade did not yield an inch of land, repeatedly jumping out of the trenches to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese army. Zhao Dengyu led by example, holding a knife to direct the troops, and personally led the special operations battalion to reinforce the flank position. In the intense battle, he was shot in the leg and bled profusely, but he wrapped his wound while directing the battle without retreating. By noon, more than 400 officers and soldiers of the 109th Brigade had been killed or wounded, including the commander of the special operations battalion, Wang Baoliang, who died heroically. The enemy was swarming up, and the situation had reached an extremely critical moment. Zhao Dengyu decided to stand with the position until death, always standing at the forefront, inspiring his subordinates. At this most critical moment, the reinforcement troops of the 110th and 113th Brigades of the 29th Army marched overnight for over a hundred miles on mountain roads and miraculously appeared at Xifengkou. The two armies joined forces, and the military prestige was greatly boosted. The attacking Japanese army finally retreated in defeat.
After two days of fierce battle, both sides suffered heavy losses. When Zhao Dengyu was thinking about a good strategy to defeat the enemy, he received an order from the military department, instructing him to immediately organize a dare-to-die corps, bypass the enemy's flank, and launch a surprise attack on the enemy's artillery and main flank positions. Zhao Dengyu was overjoyed when he received the order and immediately made arrangements: the 217th Regiment led by Wang Changhai would lead four companies to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's artillery positions at Caijiayu and Baitaizi; while he himself would lead the 228th Regiment led by Dong Shengtang, along the Great Wall, attacking the enemy at Beitushan and Nanbeizhangzi. After success, the two routes would converge to launch a joint attack on the enemy at Xifengkou. The regimental commanders received the order, each rubbing their fists and preparing to attack. However, his subordinates believed that Zhao Dengyu's leg injury made it unsuitable for him to travel far, and they advised him to stay in place to command. Zhao Dengyu used a big knife as a cane, stood up with difficulty, endured the intense pain, and said: "The great enemy is before us, how can the commander-in-chief shrink back? I swear to sacrifice myself for the country, what's this little injury?!" After saying that, he resolutely led his troops forward, embarking on the journey.
The mountain was steep and the wind was strong, the moon was bright and the snow was white. The two routes of the surprise attack army had big knives on their backs, braving the wind and trampling the snow, advancing rapidly along the mountain path. Zhao Dengyu, despite his painful wound, didn't fall behind by half a step, always walking at the front of the troops. At midnight, the Big Knife Troop arrived at Beitu Mountain. The Japanese cavalry unit stationed here had no idea that the Chinese army, which had been fighting hard all day, still had the strength to make a long-distance raid, and they were sleeping soundly. The Big Knife Troop suddenly burst into the enemy's tent, and under the moonlight, only saw the cold light flashing, the big knife fell, and the enemy's corpses lay all over the ground. Those who were lucky enough not to die were scared out of their wits, hugging their heads and fleeing in panic. The Big Knife Troop fought bravely, and in an instant, they annihilated this small group of Japanese soldiers.
The third battalion, which attacked the enemy of Sanjiazi, was discovered by the enemy's sentry when approaching the enemy camp. In an instant, gunfire broke out, and the enemy army woke up from their sleep and responded hastily to the battle. Zhao Dengyu ordered the vanguard to concentrate on launching a surprise attack on Hengchengzi and Beizhangzi. The big knife team members rushed down like fierce tigers, unstoppable, with flying knives, and the enemy's heads fell to the ground one after another. After a moment of panic, the Japanese army relied on their excellent weapons and engaged in close combat with the big knife team members. In a night of chaotic battle, by dawn, more than half of the enemy army had been annihilated. Due to the main force of the Japanese army constantly coming to reinforce from the highway, Zhao Dengyu led the big knife team to retreat into the Great Wall at 2 pm after capturing a large number of confidential documents from the Japanese army.
King Changhai's troops arrived at Caijiayu before dawn, taking advantage of the sharp momentum to charge into the enemy camp, exerting the mighty power of the big knife to annihilate the defending enemy and control the highlands around Caijiayu and Baitaizi. Soon after daybreak, the enemy concentrated their forces to launch a counterattack with heavy weapons against our army, and Deputy Regiment Commander Hu Chonglu and Acting Battalion Commander Wang Fengzhi both sacrificed themselves in the chaotic battle. After destroying a large amount of enemy ammunition, the troops withdrew along the original route.
In this night raid, the 29th Army mobilized thousands of people, killing over 1,400 Japanese soldiers and wounding over 1,000 enemy personnel. They captured a large number of guns and ammunition, destroyed countless strategic materials, and at the cost of over 1,000 casualties, achieved the first major victory after the War of Resistance. The news of the victory spread, and people all over the country rejoiced. Zhao Dengyu became famous throughout the nation, and the Nationalist Party headquarters awarded him the rank of Lieutenant General, conferred on him the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun, and promoted him to Commander of the 132nd Division.
The big knife anti-enemy tactics invented by Zhao Dengyu were later used in the Anti-Japanese War, making the Japanese army tremble with fear. Later, a musician wrote "The Big Knife March" based on the story of the 29th Army's Big Knife Team, and its lyrics quickly spread throughout the Anti-Japanese battlefield:
The big knife chopped down towards the devils' heads.
Brothers of the 29th Army!
The day of resistance war has arrived
The day of resistance war has arrived!
In front of us is the Northeast's Righteous and Brave Army
Behind them are people from all over the country.
Our 29th Army is not a drum corps
Take aim at the enemy!
Destroy him, destroy him!
The big knife chopped down towards the devils' heads!
Charge! Kill!
On July 7, 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident broke out. Japan launched a comprehensive armed invasion of China, and people from all over the country were outraged, sparking a national anti-Japanese war. The Twenty-Ninth Army, where Zhao Dengyu was stationed, was garrisoned in Beiping at the time. On the night of the incident, the Thirty-Seventh Division of the Twenty-Ninth Army, led by He Jianguo, fired the first shot of the national resistance against Japan. In the following 10 days or so, a large number of Japanese troops arrived around Beiping, surrounding the Twenty-Ninth Army, and the situation was extremely critical. Zhao Dengyu saw that Pingjin was in danger and his heart was burning with anxiety. On one hand, he intensified military training and repeatedly encouraged his subordinates to defend their country to the death; on the other hand, he made several suggestions to Song Zheyuan, the army commander, on how to defend Beiping. To defend the ancient capital, Song Zheyuan ordered Zhao Dengyu's 132nd Division to reinforce Beiping from Renqiu and Hejian as soon as possible. On July 22, Zhao Dengyu's vanguard arrived at Nanyuan, and on the 23rd, the 132nd Division entered Beiping City. When the people of Beiping heard that General Zhao, who had defeated the Japanese at Xifengkou, had arrived, they were immediately filled with enthusiasm. Patriotic students from various universities and anti-Japanese organizations in Beiping took to the streets to comfort the soldiers of the Twenty-Ninth Army, help build fortifications, and the anti-Japanese sentiment was extremely high.
Just as Zhao Dengyu's main force was advancing north to Beiping, the Japanese army launched a general attack on the Pingjin area. On July 26, they occupied Langfang and pointed their spearhead directly at Nanyuan. That night, the commander of the North China Garrison Army, Sugiyama Hajime, sent an ultimatum to Song Zheyuan, ordering the 29th Army to withdraw from Beiping within a time limit. Song Zheyuan convened an emergency meeting with Feng Zhian, Zhang Zizhong, Zhao Dengyu, Liu Ruming and other generals that night, expressing his determination to fight back resolutely and never surrender, "determined to defend Beiping to the death, and vowed to share its fate". He also sent a telegram to the whole nation. On the 27th, he formally replied to Japan, flatly rejecting the unreasonable demands of Japanese imperialism, and vowing to share the fate of Beiping.
After receiving the reply, the Japanese army advanced towards Nanyuan on the evening of the 27th. Nanyuan is located at the southern end of Tianjin and is the last barrier to the ancient capital. The headquarters of the 29th Army had been stationed in Nanyuan for a long time, and at that time, the 29th Army had less than one division of the 38th Division, a regiment of the 9th Cavalry Division, and the Instructional Brigade and Special Duty Brigade led by Deputy Commander Tong Lin'ge, totaling about 5,000 people. Due to the complex organization, this small force was also difficult to unify command. When the Japanese army began to advance towards Nanyuan on the 27th, Song Zheyuan realized the severity of the situation and urgently ordered Zhao Dengyu to be the commander of Nanyuan, together with Tong Lin'ge, to jointly command the defense battle of Nanyuan, while also dispatching troops to reinforce Nanyuan. General Tong Lin'ge, who was defending Nanyuan and preparing to fight the Japanese army to the death, and Zhao Dengyu were old comrades-in-arms who had cooperated in resisting Japan for many years. At this critical moment, the two met on the front line of battle. Zhao Dengyu said to Tong Lin'ge with great enthusiasm: "Brother Jie San, the country is in danger, it's time for us to fulfill our ambitions and shed hot blood. I vow to turn Nanyuan into Xifengkou again and let the devils taste the flavor of the 29th Army's Big Sword Brigade once more."
In late July, when the summer was in full bloom and the night fell, the heat did not retreat at all. Zhao Dengyu and Tong Linhe braved the sweltering heat to personally inspect the military situation and deploy defenses at various campsites. The Nanyuan area is located at the northern end of the North China Plain, with vast flatlands stretching as far as the eye can see, without any natural barriers or defensive positions. Due to the sudden outbreak of war, most of the campsites did not even have defensive fortifications, and could only rely on the walls surrounding the campgrounds for cover.
On August 8th, at dawn, the Japanese army launched a general attack on Nanyuan. On the flatlands without any obstacles, the machine gun fire was as dense as a beehive, causing heavy casualties to the 29th Army. Zhao Dengyu and Tong Linhe also lost contact with each other.
However, the patriotic officers and soldiers of the 29th Army did not retreat. Under intense artillery bombardment, they fought bravely, using their bodies to block the enemy's tanks; some charged out of their campsites into the enemy ranks, wielding their revenge knives at the Japanese devils' heads. After the gun battle was over, it was followed by a fierce bayonet fight, and after that, it was a desperate struggle with hand grenades until both sides were exhausted.
Zhao Dengyu's eyes turned red with rage as he braved the artillery fire, dashing back and forth between various campsites, commanding his troops while fighting the enemy. The chaotic battle raged on until noon, when due to the overwhelming disparity in strength, the Japanese army had already broken through the 29th Army's defenses from three directions - east, west, and south.
Zhao Dengyu fought bitterly, while anxiously inquiring about Tong Lin's situation. In the afternoon, a messenger brought news that made him almost collapse: Deputy Commander Tong Lin, who had always been loyal and dedicated to the country, had fallen heroically at the Great Red Gate during the intense battle.
"Deputy Commander! Big brother..." Zhao Dengyu couldn't control his grief and let out a long wail. At this moment, he called over the 30 or so guards following him and said with great passion: "Commander Tong has taken the lead and gone ahead of us. What else can we think about? For years, we've been shouting 'Kill the enemy and report to the country.' Now is the time." With that, he led the charge against the enemy.
The guards were filled with fervor, like a sharp arrow shooting straight at the enemy's main force. The Japanese army was shocked and temporarily stopped attacking. At this moment, the command center issued an order for all defenders to gather in the Great Red Gate area.
Zhao Dengyu arranged for his men to search for Commander Tong's remains during their retreat while leading the charge towards the Great Red Gate. The Japanese army discovered our intention and used machine guns to block the path to the Great Red Gate. Zhao Dengyu, to boost morale, ignored his subordinates' advice and insisted on commanding from a car, which was equivalent to exposing himself to the enemy.
When the car reached the vicinity of the Yuhua Bridge near the Great Red Gate, it was destroyed by intense enemy fire. Zhao Dengyu suffered multiple injuries and his uniform was stained with blood. His guards advised him to retreat to a safe place quickly, but he refused and instead led a daredevil squad in a counterattack against the enemy.
During the fierce battle, a shell exploded near him, severing both his legs. He was in excruciating pain, bleeding profusely, and almost fainted. A messenger saw that he could no longer move and wanted to carry him back. Zhao Dengyu said: "Don't worry about me! It's only natural for a soldier to die on the battlefield. There's nothing to be sad about. My old mother is still in Beiping. Tell her that I died for my country, which is what I owed to our ancestors. Let her be at peace."
With that, he shed hot tears, glared at the enemy, and stopped breathing, aged 39.
In the Battle of Nanyuan, tens of thousands of soldiers from the 29th Army fought to the death under the command of Generals Tong and Zhao, making a heroic sacrifice for their country. The Japanese army also suffered heavy casualties. The Battle of Nanyuan shook heaven and earth, with the Chinese army, led by Commander-in-Chief Tong Lin'ge and Zhao Dengyu, writing a heroic poem of resistance against foreign invasion with their mighty deeds. Song Zheyuan was grief-stricken when he heard that General Zhao had died in battle, beating his chest and crying out: "My left arm is broken! This enmity will not be shared under the same sky!"
On July 31, the National Government posthumously awarded Zhao Dengyu the rank of General of the Army. His life and achievements were announced to be recorded in the history books to commemorate his loyalty and bravery. After the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, at the request of people from all walks of life, Beigou Street in Xicheng District, Beijing was renamed "Zhao Dengyu Road". General He Jishen, under the order of General Feng Yuxiang, relocated Zhao's remains to Lugou Bridge. This patriotic general who shed his last drop of blood defending his motherland rests eternally at the forefront of China's resistance against Japanese aggression.
July 28, 1946, on the ninth anniversary of Zhao Dengyu's sacrifice and the first anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the people of Beiping held a grand memorial meeting in Zhongshan Park to mourn Zhao Dengyu and General Tong Lin'ge. The meeting was presided over by Li Zongren, who highly praised the patriotic spirit of the two generals.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Central People's Government recognized Zhao Dengyu as a martyr and issued a martyr certificate signed by Chairman Mao himself. In June 1980, the Beijing Municipal People's Government rebuilt Zhao Dengyu's tomb and re-erected his monument. People from all walks of life often visit to pay their respects.
