China Heroic Spirit 6 Wang Ming Zhang
Wang Mingzhang (1893-1938), also known as Zhizhong, was born in 1893 in Taixingchang, Xindu County, Sichuan Province into a small business family. After his parents died early, he relied on the support of his uncle's grandfather to attend Xindu County High Primary School and entered the fifth period of Sichuan Army Elementary School in 1909. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he led his troops out of Sichuan to fight against Japan, serving as the acting commander of the 41st Army of the Sichuan Army and the commander of the 122nd Division. On March 17, 1938, he defended Teng County with inferior forces and weapons, putting up a strong resistance against the Japanese army. He laid the foundation for the great victory at Taierzhuang and finally sacrificed himself for his country at the age of 45.
1. Okada anti-war
On September 5, 1937, Wang Mingchang led the 41st and 45th Armies, which were reorganized as the 22nd Army Group under the command of General Deng Xihou. They marched out of Sichuan on foot to join the Second War Zone's combat sequence under Yan Xishan. After arriving in Shanxi, they encountered a large-scale Japanese attack on Niangzi Pass. Wang Mingchang was ordered to lead his 122nd Division to reinforce Niangzi Pass immediately. On October 24, 1937, Wang Mingchang led his troops into battle against the Japanese 14th Division at Donghui Village and Xihui Village in the southwestern part of Niangzi Pass. The Sichuan Army under Wang Mingchang's command was poorly equipped with only homemade rifles and a few light and heavy machine guns, while many units were armed mainly with big knives and hand grenades, lacking medical care, rescue, transportation, and other logistical support. Despite being outgunned by the heavily armed Japanese troops, Wang Mingchang led his entire division to fight fiercely against the enemy with their outdated weapons, demonstrating a fearless patriotic spirit. Wang Mingchang personally directed the battle on the front lines, where the fighting was extremely brutal. After seven days of intense combat, both sides suffered heavy casualties, but the Chinese army's position remained unchanged, ensuring the safe transfer and redeployment of the main forces.
In November 1937, the Twenty-Second Army Group was ordered to move to Xuzhou and Dangshan area to intercept the enemy advancing south along the Tianjin-Pukou Railway. In January 1938, Chiang Kai-shek held a military meeting in Kaifeng and decided to execute Han Fuju, the Shandong warlord who retreated without fighting. After the meeting, it was decided that Wang Mingchang would be the commander-in-chief of the Forty-First Army, replacing the current army commander. Wang Mingchang led his troops to defend Teng County in the northern section of the Tianjin-Pukou Railway.
In March 1938, although it was already spring, the cold air still lingered. At this time, Wang Mingchang, who led the 122nd Division of the 41st Army stationed in southern Shandong, did not feel the arrival of spring because the enemy was about to attack, and he had ordered each unit to strengthen their defenses to meet the incoming enemy.
It has been half a year since the Northern Expedition against Japan. Wang Mingzhang's nerves were always tense. He often thought of last year, September 12th, 1937, in Deyang, where he and his soldiers took a solemn oath to resist the Japanese invaders with action and blood, and to serve the country. First to Shanxi, now transferred to Shandong, as long as it was anti-Japanese, he didn't care where he went. He even had no time to think about his wife and children, and before heading north, he had already returned to his hometown of Xindu, written a will, and settled all that needed to be settled...
Wang Mingchang's troops were stationed in Teng County, a strategic point on the Tianjin-Pukou Railway. From early March, Japanese troops began to gather north of Teng County in Yanzhou and Zou County, and on the 12th, they moved their elite 10th Division to Zou County, with the aim of advancing southward and capturing Xuzhou, a key transportation hub connecting north and south, east and west. To capture Xuzhou, Teng County was the first line of defense.
The task of defending Xuzhou was assigned by the Fifth War Zone and given to General Sun Zhen, who knew it would be a tough battle. Wang Ming-chang was renowned for his bravery and military prowess in the Sichuan army, so Sun Zhen appointed him as the acting commander of the 41st Army, with unified command over the 122nd and 124th Divisions.
This was a rather unusual force! Although it had two divisions, each division only had two brigades, but each brigade actually only had one regiment's worth of troops. The numbers were far from sufficient to compare with the enemy. Moreover, the equipment used by the troops included Sichuan-made Type 79 rifles, big knives, hand grenades, as well as light and heavy machine guns and pursuit cannons, but there were too few of them, and their quality was poor. It often happened that shells could not be loaded or fired.
As for the enemy's heavy artillery, such as mountain, field, and heavy cannons, special weapons like anti-aircraft machine guns and tank defense cannons, Wang Ming-chang's army did not have any at all. Even essential transportation and communication tools on the battlefield were lacking. Medical equipment was also insufficient, including stretchers.
Using inferior troops and equipment to resist the enemy would be a mismatch in strength. However, the officers and soldiers did not mind; each one of them was preparing carefully, rubbing their fists and getting ready for battle.
Looking at his fellow officers and soldiers who had been through life and death with him, Wang Ming-chang spoke out his inner thoughts: "With the weak forces and poor equipment of the Sichuan army, we are shouldering the heavy responsibility of defending Xuzhou on the Tianjin-Pukou Railway's first line. It goes without saying that our strength is insufficient. As soldiers, sacrificing ourselves is our duty. Now we have no choice but to sacrifice everything to complete our task. Even if not a single soldier remains, there will be no regrets. If not for this, how can we face the nation? How can we atone for the Sichuan army's twenty years of internal strife?"
The battle on the outskirts of Heng County began at dawn on March 14. On the ground, the enemy launched a fierce attack on our position with more than 10,000 troops, over 20 large-caliber artillery pieces, and over 20 tanks. In the air, more than 20 enemy planes assisted in the battle, and for a time, the sound of gunfire and explosions filled the air, with flames and smoke filling the sky, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
On the 14th, the enemy's artillery fire was uninterrupted throughout the day. Wang Mingchang commanded the soldiers on the outer periphery of Tung County to fight bravely, and the enemy could not advance, having tasted the hardness of Wang Mingchang's bone. Wang Mingchang thought: The enemy can only rely on a frontal assault, which is difficult to achieve its purpose, and must change its attack method. Sure enough, on the morning of the 15th, while attacking the front line, the enemy also began to encircle from the side, attempting to surround Tung County. Wang Mingchang wanted to stop the enemy's encirclement, but he was powerless because his troops were stuck on the front line, fighting fiercely with the enemy, and really had no strength to withdraw.
In the afternoon, the vanguard of the enemy army with more than 10,000 people had arrived at a place ten miles northeast of Teng County, and was approaching Teng County step by step. At this time, there were only three divisions (122nd, 124th, and 127th) and three brigades in Teng County; each division and brigade had only one special operations company, one communications company, and one medical team, as well as the police and security forces led by County Magistrate Zhou Tong. How could such a thin force defend against the enemy?! He immediately ordered the 366th Brigade, which was still 100 miles away and had not yet engaged with the enemy, to rush back to Teng County for reinforcement. At the same time, he called the Group Army Headquarters to request reinforcements. Sun Zhen, the anxious commander-in-chief, dispatched three infantry companies from the 41st Army's special operations battalion to Teng County. The defensive forces were still too weak, so Wang Mingzhang picked up the phone and ordered Zhang Xuanwu, the commander of the 727th Regiment who was fighting against the enemy at the North Shahe front line, to immediately bring one battalion back to the city to prepare for defense.
On the 16th, at dawn, the earth-shaking gunfire and bombing sounds woke up Wang Mingzhang. He immediately realized that the enemy had begun to attack the city. From 8 am to 10 am, for two whole hours, shells flew from the ground and fell from the sky like raindrops; the explosion of ammunition and the roar of aircraft engines made people's heads dizzy and ears ringing. Especially in the east gate and train station, which became the enemy's main target, suffered intense bombing.
To counter the enemy, Wang Mingchang gathered 127th Division Commander Chen Lishi, 124th Division Deputy Commander Sai Tiqing, 3rd Brigade Commander Wang Zhiyuan, and Garrison Commander Zhang Xianwu to discuss countermeasures. Everyone spoke their minds, and after seeing that everyone's opinions were basically consistent, Wang Mingchang picked up the telegram and contacted General Sun Chen, who was stationed in Lincheng. After reporting on the battle situation in Teng County, he asked: "With the current troop strength in the city, defending Teng County may be difficult. Can we launch a mobile warfare outside the city?" Sun Chen replied without hesitation: "The Chairman has ordered us to defend Teng County to the death and wait for Tang Enbo's group to come and relieve us. The vanguard of Tang's troops arrived in Lincheng yesterday, and their follow-up troops are also rushing over. I will urge Wang Lianzhong's army to hurry northward, and you should ensure that Teng County is held until the arrival of the relief troops. Your command post should immediately move into the city to personally direct the defense. If the troop strength is insufficient, all the 41st Army units outside the city can be transferred into the city to defend and wait for reinforcements!"
Soldiers take obeying orders as their bounden duty. "Hold out until reinforcements arrive, hold out until reinforcements arrive!" Putting down the phone, Wang Mingzhang declared to everyone with a resolute and heroic air: "Immediately issue an order to all officers and soldiers in the city: We have decided to defend Tengzhou to the death, I will do so together with everyone. If the city survives, we survive; if the city perishes, we perish! Immediately block off the south and north gates, temporarily leave open the east and west gates, but also prepare to seal them at any time. Without an order from the commander-in-chief, no one is allowed to leave the city. Those who disobey will be executed on the spot!"
Very soon, Wang Mingchang's order was conveyed to every soldier. The soldiers learned that Commander Wang had decided to stay with everyone and were greatly encouraged, each determined to fight to the death and kill the enemy to avenge their country. Morale is an intangible force, high morale is a guarantee of a unit's combat effectiveness. Wang Mingchang's army was just like this, they used their flesh and blood to make it difficult for the enemy to advance. On the 16th alone, more than 10,000 shells fell on Teng County, and the telephone line from the east gate to the east pass was cut off 27 times; The enemy's dozen or so planes also continuously flew low over the city walls. The enemy launched continuous attacks from dawn till dusk, first using artillery fire to attack the city wall, opening a gap, then covering infantry attacks to advance, attempting to enter the city through the gap. Wang Mingchang personally ran to the east pass to direct the battle. When the enemy's infantry reached the gap, the brave defenders immediately threw out a group of hand grenades, blowing the enemy to pieces. On this day, the enemy launched three major offensives, each time organizing infantry to attack in batches, but all were repelled by our defending army. In the final offensive, the enemy even captured the east pass, but Wang Mingchang's officers and men fought fiercely with the enemy at great cost, recapturing the east pass. On this day, Teng County was still in the hands of the defenders, but the enemy had already surrounded Teng County from three sides: east, south, and north. The enemy was not accustomed to night battles, so as soon as it got dark, the fighting naturally stopped. In this way, from nightfall to dawn became the most precious time for the defending army to redeploy. Wang Mingchang first withdrew more than 2,000 officers and men of the 41st Army outside the city back into the city, thus strengthening the defensive forces. Then he ordered the soldiers to spend the whole night replenishing ammunition, repairing fortifications, digging air-raid shelters, and binding ladders, making the most adequate preparations with all their might. The enemy was also deploying troops at this time. Under the cover of darkness, they concentrated nearly 40,000 troops, as well as more than 70 mountain, field, and heavy artillery pieces, and four or five dozen tanks, preparing to break through Teng County's defenses in one fell swoop the next day.
At dawn on the 17th, the enemy's dozens of large-caliber artillery and 27 aircraft began a fierce bombardment. The entire city was shrouded in smoke and flames, with the sound of explosions and collapsing houses filling the air. Two hours later, the streets of Teng County were reduced to rubble, with only the American church at North Gate still visible.
The enemy's intense artillery fire caused more than half of the defenders at South Gate to be killed or wounded. The commander of the 370th Regiment, Lü Kang, and his deputy, Wang Zhaoliang, were both seriously injured while directing the defense from the base of the city wall.
The defensive positions at East Gate were destroyed by the enemy. The defenders continued to resist fiercely with their bodies against the enemy's tanks and artillery fire. At noon, the commander of the 740th Regiment, Wang Lin, was seriously wounded, and the political commissar, Hu Qingxi, was killed in action.
The defenders suffered heavy casualties. Wang Mingchang was extremely anxious, directing his troops to resist while sending a telegram to the military department: "At dawn, the enemy launched a fierce artillery attack on the city, breaching several sections of the southeast wall. Commander Wang Lin is wounded, and we are currently fighting hard to block the gap."
However, the situation continued to deteriorate, and Commander Wang Lin eventually succumbed to his injuries. Wang Mingchang sent another telegram to Sun Zhen: "The enemy is using artillery to bombard our positions inside the city and on the southeast wall. The east gate has been breached in several places, and enemy infantry have climbed onto the wall. We have repelled them with heavy casualties, but if friendly forces do not arrive tonight, the isolated city will be in danger."
By 2 pm, South Gate and East Gate had fallen one after another, with the defenders suffering heavy casualties. Wang Mingchang understood that this was his final moment, and he sent a third telegram to Sun Zhen: "Friendly forces have still not arrived, probably due to enemy obstruction. The enemy has been using heavy artillery and aircraft to bombard us from morning till noon without cease. There are many gaps in the city wall, and enemy infantry have repeatedly climbed onto the wall, only to be repelled time and again.
I recall the teachings of our leader and the words of encouragement from the commander-in-chief. I am determined to fight to the death, to repay my country, and to repay those who have treated me with kindness."
After sending the telegram, the enemy had already climbed over the city wall and swarmed into the city. Wang Mingzhang had made the worst preparations, he rushed to the central crossroads of the city, personally commanding his troops to fight hand-to-hand with the enemy. He wanted to use his own example to inspire those soldiers, to kill the enemy for revenge, to kill the enemy for the country.
As dusk approached, the enemy broke into the west gate and occupied the west city wall. Wang Mingchang led his staff to climb up the northwest city wall immediately and directed the battle. The west gate was the only passage for the defenders to contact the rear, and losing this passage meant a lot, which Wang Mingchang understood very well. He ordered a platoon of the special duty company of his division to retake the west gate tower, but all the brave warriors were sacrificed in the fight. Watching his comrades fall down, Wang Mingchang couldn't hold back his emotions and immediately ordered his attendants to go with him to the west pass to direct the 372nd brigade which was fighting fiercely against the enemy there. He wanted to continue fighting against the enemy until the end.
At this time, the enemy on the city wall looked down at them, and Wang Mingchang's actions were clearly seen by them. When Wang Mingchang led the crowd to the vicinity of the Xiguan Power Plant, the enemy's machine guns fired densely towards them, and Wang Mingchang was hit. He knew he was done for, "You quickly fight with the enemy, kill the enemy! Kill the enemy! Don't worry about me, I'll die here happily...", he said to his subordinates in a hurried voice, then fell down.
After Wang Mingzhang's sacrifice, the battle continued. Although the enemy had entered the city in large numbers, the soldiers continued to fight; the defenders at the east gate held out until dusk, and the northeast, northwest corners and north wall of the city were still in the hands of the defenders after nightfall. The defenders on the north wall, numbering 200-300 men, broke through the enemy lines under cover of darkness and retreated to the rear, while the 300-400 men who could not retreat continued to fight against the enemy, engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat street by street, alleyway by alleyway, and house by house. The wounded used grenades to blow themselves up rather than be captured, fighting on until noon on the 18th.
In the Battle of Teng County, Wang Mingzhang's unit paid a heavy price of 4,000-5,000 casualties but held off the Japanese army's elite troops for three and a half days. This gave the subsequent units time to regroup and caused the enemy's plan to capture Xuzhou to fail.
As Li Zongren, commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone, said: "If Teng County had not been defended so stubbornly, there would have been no great victory at Taierzhuang. The fruits of the Battle of Taierzhuang were actually created by the martyrs of Teng County."
Even Japanese journalists noted: "In early March 1938, after our army occupied Jinan, we organized a mixed brigade under General Shigeyuki and continued to advance south with two infantry regiments, supported by artillery, tanks, and aircraft. We encountered no resistance in Tai'an or Yanzhou, but when we reached Teng County, we met fierce resistance from the 122nd Division of the 41st Army for three days, suffering heavy casualties."
Wang Mingzhang demonstrated the noble spirit of our nation with his life, arousing more people's determination to resist Japan. On May 9, 1938, when General Wang Mingzhang's coffin arrived in Wuhan, tens of thousands of people lined up at the station to pay their respects, and during the procession back to his hometown of Xindu, Sichuan, crowds paid tribute along the way. Even British and French ships on the Yangtze River fired salute guns and lowered their flags to mourn.
Guo Moruo praised in a broadcast eulogy on May 9, 1938: "General Wang is an outstanding descendant of the Yellow Emperor, a brave warrior who defended his country and people, and a model soldier for China. His death was for the nation, for the ethnic group, and for all Chinese people. His meritorious name will be forever remembered in history, and his spirit will never die!"
He also co-authored a couplet with other central leaders Chen Shaoyu, Qin Bangxian, Wu Yuzhang, and Dong Biwu:
Fight for the lonely city, regard death as homecoming, is the true color of revolutionary soldiers;
Determined to annihilate the strong enemy, sacrifice for the country, and win glory for the Chinese nation.
Chiang Kai-shek replied to Li Zongren, Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth War Zone, on March 30 after the battle: 'The former commander Wang Mingchang fought bravely and sacrificed for the country, completing his mission. I deeply mourn his heroic death and approve a special allowance of 12,000 yuan. Please request the National Government to specially commend him, posthumously promote him to General, and give him a funeral according to the regulations for generals. His life achievements will be recorded in history to commemorate his loyalty and bravery!' Former Chairman of the National Government Lin Sen wrote the four characters '壮节殊勋' (Heroic Deed and Outstanding Merit) on the gate of Wang Mingchang's tomb.
In September 1984, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China officially recognized Wang Mingzhang as a revolutionary martyr.
