China Heroic Spirit 5 First Martyred Army Commander

  Hao Mengling (1898-1937), also known as Xi Jiu, was born on February 18, 1898, in a peasant family in Gaocheng, Hebei Province. Hao dropped out of school after three years of private tutoring and worked as an apprentice at a general goods store in Zhengding County at the age of 14. Due to the cruel treatment by his boss, he fled to Northeast China to join Wei Yisong, a relative of his family who was then the commander of the 30th Army of the Fengtian clique. Wei sent Hao to study at the Military Officer School and Baoding Military Academy, after which he became a battalion commander. He was later promoted to regimental commander, brigade commander, division commander, and army commander. On October 15, 1937, Hao led the National Revolutionary Army's Ninth Army northward to participate in the Battle of Shanxi Xinkou, where he died in combat while commanding at the front line. Hao Mengling was the first army commander to die on the battlefield against Japan during the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

  I should go to the Anti-Japanese War

  In May 1937, Hao Mengling opposed the civil war and requested to retire again. However, the authorities decided to send him to study at the Sichuan Army University. In early July, Hao Mengling was on his way to Sichuan Army University when he learned about the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. He immediately returned to his unit from Chongqing and requested to go north to resist Japan. He said: "I am a soldier, I have been fighting internal wars for half my life, which has brought no benefit to the country. The Japanese invaders occupied Northeast China, and people are filled with righteous indignation. Now that the Japanese want to destroy China, our country is at the last moment of life and death. I should go to war, I should go to fight against the enemy." Later, he submitted a request to lead his troops north, which was finally approved. At that time, Hao Mengling was the commander of the 9th Army of the National Revolutionary Army.

  In September of that year, Hao Mengling led his troops from Guiyang to the north to resist Japan. Before departing, he had already made up his mind to die for his country. When passing through Wuhan, he took advantage of a brief moment to bid farewell to his family. He stroked his children's hair and said with a heavy heart: "I love you all, but I love our country even more. Now the enemy is slaughtering our compatriots every day, everyone should go and kill the enemy. If the country is destroyed, you will not have good days either."

  This time going north to resist Japan, I am determined to sacrifice myself. If I die in battle, you must listen to your mother's teachings and be filial to your ancestors and elders. As for your education, personally I don't have the money. In the future when our country is victorious, you can attend a government-funded school.

  Yu Huiying, Hui Lan, Yin Huai, Yin Nan, and Yin Sen's five children

  Father stayed until September 15, 1937

  Hao Mengling led the 9th Army from Wuhan to Shijiazhuang and was incorporated into the 14th Group Army under Wei Lihuang. At that time, Xiguan Pass in Shanxi had already fallen, and Xinkou in northern Shanxi became the first line of defense against the Japanese invasion. Yan Xishan, commander-in-chief of the Second War Zone, decided to organize a decisive battle at Xinkou to defend Taiyuan and repeatedly requested Chiang Kai-shek to send Central Army troops to fight in Shanxi. Chiang Kai-shek agreed to send the 14th Group Army to Shanxi, and Yan Xishan appointed Wei Lihuang, commander of the 14th Group Army, as the front-line commander-in-chief of the Second War Zone, with full responsibility for commanding the Battle of Xinkou.

  In early October, General Hao Mengling led his troops to arrive in Xinkou ahead of schedule and actively dispatched reinforcements to the original Pingzhen army besieged by the Japanese enemy. After hearing and witnessing the brutal behavior and arrogance of the Japanese invaders, he became even more determined to fight to the end. On October 10, as the Battle of Xinkou was about to officially begin, Hao Mengling wrote his last will to his wife, Ju Qiu:

  When I left Wuhan, I left a will for my children and others. This time in the war of resistance, it is the last moment for the survival of our nation and country. With a determined heart to sacrifice, if we do not succeed, we will become martyrs, to fight for the final victory, so that the Chinese nation can exist forever in this world. Therefore, success does not have to be mine, I am willing to sacrifice first. After my sacrifice, as long as the country exists, the education of my children is naturally not a problem... If I die, I hope you will take good care of my elderly mother and educate our children well, and also take care of your brothers and sisters. Therefore, even if I die, it can be said that I have died for a noble cause!

  Book and autumn virtuous wife, clumsy husband's age character, double ten festival at Xingyuan mouth.

  Hao Mengling was strict in his dealings, with no vices such as smoking, drinking, gambling or visiting prostitutes. He was diligent in reading books and purchased a large number of rare ancient books, including the Twenty-Four Histories that filled half a wall, various military strategies, rubbings of Buddhist scriptures, the Kangxi Dictionary, and other reference books. He often used stories from history about loyal officials such as Wen Tianxiang, Shi Kefa, Yue Fei, and Su Wu to educate his subordinates and children. He especially revered Wen Tianxiang and could recite "The Righteousness Song" and "Crossing the Frozen River" fluently. In his lifetime, he enjoyed sports and was interested in playing ball, ice skating, swimming, and other activities.

  Hao Mengling governed the army with strict discipline. He did not allow concubines or prostitutes, nor did he permit opium smoking or gambling. In the military, he did not use relatives, and rewards were distributed to his subordinates. When the troops camped in the countryside, they never disturbed the civilians lightly. They often slept under the stars with straw and grass, and always returned the borrowed items to the villagers. He emphasized that after drinking water, one should fill up the container again, sweep the floor clean before leaving, so as not to leave any traces of the army's campsite. He once recorded a military song in his "Treatise on Governing the Army", which was distributed throughout the army for recitation and singing. The lyrics were:

  All three armies listen carefully

  Marching requires loving the people

  Don't scoop water from ponds with fish.

  Don't knock on other people's doors.

  On October 11, the Xinkou Campaign officially began. The commander of the Japanese Fifth Division, Lieutenant General Itagaki Seishirō, who was in charge of attacking Xinkou, had a strong desire for revenge after being severely defeated by the Eighth Route Army's 115th Division in the Pingxingguan area. He concentrated his elite troops and equipped them with advanced weapons such as aircraft, artillery, and tanks to form a dense firepower network, launching an all-out attack on our Xinkou positions.

  At that time, the Ninth Army, led by General Hao Mengling, was stationed in the central region and bore the brunt of the enemy's attack. Unfazed by the strong enemy forces, General Hao personally went to the front line to direct the battle.

  On the 12th, the Japanese army captured our military positions in the central region. The fighting was extremely fierce. Both sides engaged in a intense tug-of-war on the 204 high ground northwest of Xinkou and northeast of Nanhechuan, with the position changing hands as many as 13 times in just one day and night.

  Both sides suffered heavy casualties. Under the enemy's superior firepower, our army averaged over 1,000 casualties per day. After retaking the positions occupied by the enemy, some regiments of the Ninth Army were left with only a single battalion. General Hao still rallied his officers and men, saying:

  "This war is a national war. If we win, the country will survive; if we lose, the country will perish. Everyone should be determined to fight to the death for our nation. The duty of a soldier is to protect the country and its people. Now that the country is on the brink of collapse and the people are suffering, it means that we military personnel have not fulfilled our responsibilities.

  To save the country from destruction and rescue the people from disaster, we must fight with all our might and sacrifice ourselves. We must be determined to die for our nation and live for our nation."

  On October 15th, at dawn, when the 322nd Regiment had only over 100 men left, General Hao Mengling personally came to the regiment's position and addressed the officers and soldiers: "...... Previously, we defended this position with one regiment, now there are only over 100 people left, forming a company, still defending this position. Even if only one person is left, he must defend this position. We must have the determination to die, and our soldiers must not be greedy for life. As long as we do not die, our responsibility to resist Japan will not be fulfilled. Before departure, I had written my last will at home, vowing not to return alive unless the Japanese are defeated. Now I am defending this position with you, and I will not retreat first. If I retreat first, no matter who you are, you can shoot me; if any of you retreat one step, I will immediately shoot him! Are you willing to stay with me and defend this position to the death?" The officers and soldiers responded in a thunderous voice: "We swear to defend the position to the death!" He said happily: "Good, we must have the determination to die, and our soldiers must not be greedy for life." He shared this motto with the officers and soldiers, and quickly wrote the eight characters "Stand there, die there" to inform all officers and soldiers.

  By the night of the 15th, Hao Mengling was ordered to command seven brigades to launch a surprise attack on the enemy from the front, with the left and right wings attacking simultaneously in response. At 3 o'clock in the morning, Hao Mengling personally went to the front line, led the charge, and captured several mountain heads one after another. The commander of the 54th Division, Liu Jiakui, also followed Hao Mengling to supervise the advance of the troops. By 5 o'clock, it was already dawn. Hao Mengling was worried that the newly occupied positions would be threatened by enemy air and artillery fire after daybreak, so he decided to pursue the victory immediately, with a view to annihilating the remaining enemy forces instantly. He led the charge again, and under the pursuit of our army, the enemy's array was in chaos, and they had to retreat under the cover of machine guns and howitzers. At this time, Hao Mengling and Liu Jiakui were already in front of the scattered troops, only 200 meters away from the enemy. Suddenly, Hao and Liu fell down after being hit by bullets. The two generals still shouted to their subordinates to kill the enemy and report to the country while they were dying, and then made a heroic sacrifice. At the same time, others who died for the country included Zheng Tingzhen, commander of the Independent Fifth Brigade, and so on.

  General Hao Mengling was the first military commander to sacrifice himself in the anti-Japanese war at the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War. The sad news spread, and the whole country mourned. When his coffin arrived at Wuhan on October 24, more than 4,000 representatives from various circles in Wuhan went to the station to welcome him. On November 15, a grand memorial service was held in Wuhan, with the city's flags flying at half-mast. He Yingqin, the head of the Wuhan garrison, represented Chiang Kai-shek to offer sacrifices. Later, General Hao Mengling's coffin was buried in Hongshan Zhudaquan, Wuchang, with a national funeral ceremony. On December 6, the National Government issued a commendation order, posthumously promoting Hao Mengling to Army General, and Liu and Zheng were posthumously promoted to Lieutenant General. The order stated that "the deceased will be given preferential treatment, their deeds will be recorded and stored in the history museum, to praise their merits and virtues, and to be remembered forever." To commemorate the martyrs, Beihua Road in Hankou's Japanese concession was renamed Hao Mengling Road (now Jilin Road).

  Chairman Mao delivered a eulogy at the memorial meeting for the fallen anti-Japanese soldiers in Yan'an on March 12, 1938, highly praising the spirit of sacrifice for the country and nation demonstrated by Hao Mengling and others. He said:

  In the past eight months, we have fought bravely on both land and air; our nation has achieved great unity; hundreds of millions of troops and countless people have joined the front lines, with tens of millions sacrificing their lives in the execution of their sacred duties. Among these people, many were Kuomintang members, many were Communists, and many belonged to other parties or had no party affiliation. We sincerely mourn the deaths of these individuals and will forever remember them. From General Hao Mengling, Tong Linge, Zhao Dengyu, Rao Guohua, Liu Jiagui, and other leaders to every single soldier, they have all set a great example for the Chinese people. The Chinese nation is not a flock of sheep, but a great nation rich in national self-respect and human justice, who will fight for their national dignity and human justice, and ensure that China exists on its own land, making Japan pay a heavy price for its lawless purposes. Our method is war and sacrifice, using war to counter war, using revolutionary justice to counter barbaric invasion; this spirit has been proven by our nation's thousands of years of history, and now we will prove it again. Generals Hao Mengling and others have sacrificed their lives for this cause... The hot blood of General Hao Mengling and others will not be shed in vain, who can say that the expulsion of Japanese bandits from China is not inevitable?

  Chiang Kai-shek also wrote a memorial for the two generals who died in battle at Xinkou, Hao Mengling and Liu Jiaqi:

  Alas! The island barbarians and snakes, recommending food to the upper country, have bitten into Taiwan, and again grasped the northeast. Greedy and insatiable, they pressed their troops on Pingjin, invaded and attacked Jin, saying that we had no one. Hao Jun, a general, led his army alone, taking the lead in battle, galloping horizontally; Liu Jun followed closely, like a shadow following a form. Our army gained strength, with the power of thunder. Just as they were about to meet the enemy, they did not spare their lives, standing up and killing the bandits, vowing to wipe out the national shame. In the forest of guns and rain of bullets, they perished together with the thieves. The morale of the soldiers was greatly boosted.

  No shame in being poor and humble.

  The musician Xian Xinghai composed the "General Hao Mengling's Elegy". On October 16, 1939, the Xinhua Daily published a short review commemorating the general, praising that "the general's sacrifice for the country is the greatest loss of our nation, but this glorious death is heavier than Mount Tai". On the fourth anniversary of General Hao Mengling's sacrifice for the country, Feng Yuxiang wrote an article to commemorate the general, praising him as a model for citizens, a model for soldiers and a model for revolutionary party members.

  On September 13, 1983, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China awarded Hao Mengling as a revolutionary martyr in recognition of his dedication to the country. The Wuhan Municipal Government also renovated the General's Mausoleum at Zhongjiaoquan, Hongshan, Wuchang.