Chapter 12: The Parting of Ways for Civil Rights

  Who would have thought that after parting ways at Minquan Station, they would never meet again, and this drink would never be had. Later, Geng Zhongyue took his wife and daughter to retreat to Shaanxi, where he was killed by devils' planes while building the Baoji-Lanzhou section of the Longhai Railway, sacrificing himself on the railroad tracks west of Baoji.

  Geng Zhongyue immediately organized the repair of the damaged railway. The plain area had no bridge or tunnel facilities, and as long as it was repaired to a temporary passable state, the repair work progressed rapidly.

  Daybreak, the enemy troops in Lanfeng City went crazy and bombarded the train station area.

  It turned out that Tofu learned the news of Lanfeng Station being recovered by our army, and he was furious, scolding the commander of the 28th Division for being stupid: "Putting the main force in the county seat, while only dispatching a battalion to defend the station, is truly pig-headed! If you can't cut off the railway, what's the use of just defending a county seat?! Order them to counterattack at all costs and take back the station with all their might!"

  Chief of Staff Sano Tadayoshi: "Division Commander, the 28th Brigade has suffered heavy casualties and is exhausted from the fierce attack by the enemy's 28th Army. If we launch a full-scale counterattack on the station now, there may be a risk of losing Lankao County as well..."

  Tsuchihara waved his hand: "The loss of the station, Lanfeng City is no longer important. Tell the 28th Brigade to launch a desperate counterattack on the station at all costs, without regard for the gains and losses of the county seat. Hmm, Mr. Sano, tell the troops stationed in Kaocheng to prepare to respond when necessary and break through towards Kaocheng."

  "Yes!"

  After occupying Lanfeng Station, Deputy Regimental Commander Wang immediately reported to the 28th Army and also reported that Regimental Commander Zhang led a small number of personnel from the regimental headquarters to change into casual clothes and escape.

  Gu Yongqing, who was directing the battle of the 82nd Division, heard that the station had been recovered and his spirit was lifted. He ordered Wang, the deputy regimental commander, to act as the commander of the Independent Regiment of the 28th Army, and issued a warrant for the arrest of Zhang and others who had deserted in the face of the enemy.

  Commander Wang immediately transferred a regiment and the direct troops under his command from Luo Wang Station to Lanfeng Station. At this time, he had already admired Chen Hao, Xu Liang and others: he himself led two regiments to fight for half the night, with heavy casualties, and there were less than two companies left, while the other side's security team of 600-700 people was annihilated by a single attack at a small cost. Commander Wang willingly accepted Chen Hao's unified command in the Lanfeng Station area. When Xu Liang and others went to attack Neihuangji Station, Chen Hao commanded the troops to attack northward with the station as cover, advancing about 1 kilometer and linking up with the 28th Army's Western Wing troops.

  At this time, the 1st Battalion of the 28th Army Independent Regiment and the directly affiliated troops, together with the remaining troops attacking Lanfeng Railway Station, still had more than 800 people. The 2nd Battalion of the 4th Guard Regiment suffered relatively small losses and still had more than 300 people. Many soldiers were equipped with newly captured Type 38 rifles. The 28th Army was one of the best-equipped units in the National Army at that time, and the equipment level of the 4th Guard Regiment was also higher than the average level of the National Army. The quality of the troops of both units was relatively high in the Chinese army at that time.

  The devils launched a charge from the south gate towards the station, and the 28th Army's assault troops saw the devils coming out and immediately concentrated their firepower to fiercely shoot from the flank. The devils disregarded casualties and desperately charged towards the station. Chen Hao ordered all firearms on the front line to open fire together when the enemy approached within 50 meters, and then threw hand grenades when the enemy rushed to about 30 meters away, followed by a combination of charging guns and big knives for close combat.

  The first batch of devils who participated in the impact were all unlucky, and those who fell down were only two or three meters away from our military formation. Our big knives didn't even have a chance to be used.

  The enemy began shelling again.

  The artillery of the 28th Army also launched a fierce counterattack and soon suppressed the enemy's firepower.

  The assault troops of the 82nd Division took advantage of the emptiness and entered the city from the west and north, and the devils resisted stubbornly, fighting hard to resist house by house.

  The sky was overcast and at dawn a light rain began to fall again. Neither side's air force appeared.

  The 28th Brigade threw caution to the winds and organized charge after charge. Casualties mounted at the front.

  The submachine gun's ammunition was almost exhausted, and the position had been held several times by bayonet fighting against the devils who rushed up.

  At noon, the railway was restored. The military train coming from the east rushed westward through Lanfeng Station amidst gunfire.

  At around 3 pm, a regiment withdrawn from the eastern front was ordered to reinforce the defense north of Lanfeng Railway Station. The Japanese 14th Division's 28th Brigade could no longer retake Lanfeng Railway Station with its existing strength.

  By dusk, the 28th Army had occupied more than half of the county seat. The devils were compressed in a small area between the South Gate and the train station.

  Tsuchihashi saw the situation was unfavorable and ordered his troops to retreat in the direction of ***.

  Although it was not within the time limit set by the committee chairman, the 28th Army finally recovered Lankao County.

  The First War Zone army launched a pincer movement against the 14th Division.

  At this time, the enemy's 10th Division saw that Tachibana was stuck in Lankao and rushed west to support the 14th Division. The First Army also urgently dispatched the 16th Division to cross the Yellow River to reinforce Tachibana.

  The troops that entered southwestern Shandong in the First War Zone retreated southward. The enemy's 10th, 14th and 16th divisions also closed in on each other. The front line temporarily stabilized northeast of Lankao.

  The Battle of Lanfeng made the name of the 4th Security Regiment rise. After Kaifeng fell later, the three security regiments originally under the Kaifeng Garrison Command were transferred to Wuhan to participate in the outer defense war. The First War Zone only retained the remaining part of Chen Hao's 4th Security Regiment and left it in the First War Zone.

  The situation is still very unfavorable. The enemy on the eastern front approached Shangqiu, a key town in eastern Henan known as Guide Prefecture at that time, and the troops stationed in the fifth war zone were entrenched to the east of Shangqiu.

  After several days of busy military transportation, the railway line has become much quieter.

  Geng Zhongyue became busy again, this time not busy repairing roads but dismantling them, removing rails, sleepers, telegraph poles and wires... in short, as much railway equipment as possible was dismantled and loaded onto trains to be transported west. The security mission was still carried out by the 4th Guard Regiment.

  The 4th Battalion was quite dispersed along the railway stations from Kaifeng to Shangqiu. Chen Hao led the 2nd Battalion and a part of the machine gun company to garrison Lanfeng. Xu Liang led the battalion's direct troops, a part of the 1st Battalion, and a part of the machine gun company to garrison Minquan Railway Station.

  Geng Zhongyue marched from Shangqiu to Minquan, and the troops in this area also concentrated on Minquan. The troops left in Yu Dong no longer retreated by train, and the troops near Shangqiu were ordered to rush southwest to Wuhan's outer suburbs after completing their tasks.

  Endless refugees, old and young, trudged westward along the railway. Every time Geng Zhongyue and his men sent a train loaded with railway equipment westward, it was always crowded with Chinese people who refused to live under the iron hooves of the devils and were forced to flee.

  Geng Zhongyue, after reporting to his superiors, recruited a large number of young and middle-aged refugee temporary workers, which can also be considered as a relief measure in the form of work instead of aid. These temporary workers indeed greatly accelerated the progress of road demolition. Time was pressing, and the main force of the Fifth War Zone had already withdrawn, making it difficult to expect that the Shangqiu defense line could hold out for too long. The undefeated Tu Fei Yuan, after receiving reinforcements and replenishment, prepared to launch an attack on Lanfeng again. At this time, in the Lanfeng area, the main force of the National Army, such as the 74th Army, had already withdrawn from the First War Zone to the south.

  Before Geng Zhongyue and others dismantled the Minquan Railway Station, Xu Liang and Chen Hao had a phone call. They shared the same understanding of the critical situation on the battlefield. Chen Hao said that although the situation was treacherous, as soldiers, they must be loyal to their duties and would not retreat without orders, and were willing to sacrifice themselves for the country. He also discussed with Xu Liang whether to transfer most of the troops from Minquan Railway Station to Lanfeng after the workers dismantled the facilities at Minquan Railway Station. In Chen Hao's view, after completing the task of covering the road demolition, it was not necessary for Xu Liang and others to stay in Minquan, and it was very dangerous. Once the enemy broke through the Shangqiu defense line from the east and north, even if there were withdrawal orders, it would be difficult to escape.

  Xu Liang said faintly: "The country is in trouble, as a soldier, I think we will all fulfill our duties."

  Chen Hao apparently misunderstood Xu Liang's meaning, and his voice on the phone was somewhat urgent: "Brother Xu, retreating from Lanfeng is not a last-minute escape, we've completed all our tasks east of Lanfeng. As long as we have a foothold, we won't worry about losing a city or land. Didn't you say that resistance will surely win, and we don't care about gains or losses? And didn't you also say that we're not afraid to sacrifice, but can't make unnecessary sacrifices? Big Brother Xu, bring your people over here, let's fight the devils together at Lanfeng Station, our strength will be greater."

  Xu Liang smiled: "Brother, don't worry, I'll take care of these brothers. Our troops still have to stay and eliminate the devils, we can't make unnecessary sacrifices."

  "That's great, I'm relieved now."

  "Geng Duanzhang's people are in a hurry to dismantle the line, no more talk, later contact is afraid that someone will be sent to run, looking at their momentum it seems that tomorrow they can dismantle all the railways to Kaifeng without any problem. Okay, no more nonsense, they're getting impatient."

  "You'd better withdraw as soon as possible."

  "Take care of yourself too."

  In fact, at this time Xu Liang did not want to lead his troops to Lanfeng, and he also intended to persuade Chen Hao to pull the troops in the west to the east.

  The Battle of Lanfeng Railway Station resulted in some losses for the 4th Regiment, with one-third of the assault team wounded or killed. The second battalion suffered relatively minor casualties during the capture of the station but lost nearly half its men in the subsequent battle against enemy counterattacks. Two comrades from Zhugou also sacrificed themselves in the fighting. Debate over whether to continue fighting within the Nationalist Army's ranks resurfaced. Xu Liang felt that the time was ripe for withdrawal. What made him uneasy were Chen Hao and the second battalion. This Chen Hao, with his deeply ingrained orthodox thinking, would be extremely difficult to persuade to leave the Nationalist Army and join their own forces. According to Li Weiming's opinion, they should eliminate Chen Hao, Dong Dahai, and other unwilling "rebels" and forcibly take away the second battalion. Xu Liang and Liang You Tian disagreed with this view. Xu Liang said: "This approach does not conform to our party's current policies. During this period of national resistance against Japan, we have formed an anti-Japanese united front with the Nationalist Party. If we kill Chen Hao and his men and forcibly take away the troops, it would be tantamount to open mutiny. The Nationalist Party could easily pin labels such as 'rebellion,' 'desertion in the face of the enemy,' or 'sabotaging resistance' on us, which would not conform to the principles of 'justification, advantage, and propriety.' It would damage our party's image and hinder the work of the united front. Moreover, Chen Hao has considerable prestige within the troops. If we kill him, it is unlikely to be beneficial for us in taking away the troops."

  In fact, Xu Liang was really unwilling to betray his comrades-in-arms from yesterday in his heart. However, a few words made Li Weiming and others also have to admit defeat.

  "What about Secretary Xu's opinion?"

  "We must actually grasp the troops in our hands, hurry to recruit new soldiers, collect as many kinds of weapons and ammunition, military materials as possible, and quietly arrange for party members to prepare to pull away."

  "When will we take action?"

  "This requires choosing the right moment. Currently, the devils from the east are pressing in, and the 14th Division of devils from the north will definitely not be willing to fail again and will launch another attack on Lanfeng. The main forces of the Nationalist Party have already withdrawn, and the remaining troops are all exhausted, it's estimated that they won't be able to resist for long. Once our unit is cut off behind enemy lines, the timing for pulling out will be fully ripe, this is something that will happen soon, we must quickly report to headquarters and await instructions."

  "Director Xue, why do we have to wait until the devils isolate us in the enemy's rear before we can show our own flag?" The speaker was Wang Pingyuan, a key worker and the first Communist Party member at Gongxian Arsenal.

  "We were isolated from the enemy by the devils, so no matter which direction we broke through was justified, and whether we accepted the 18th Army Corps, the New Fourth Army or other party army numbers was also justified. This is the need to persevere in the anti-war struggle, trapped behind enemy lines, undaunted by hardships. What 'desertion', 'mutiny' and other crimes cannot be pinned on our heads. If in the future the Kuomintang die-hard military has actions unfavorable to us, it is creating friction and undermining the war effort, we can resolutely counterattack. Those Nationalist troops who cooperate with us in the anti-war effort will not be subjected to harassment from their superiors, this is called 'justified, beneficial and reasonable'."

  "Then, isn't it too risky for us to fall into the devils' encirclement?"

  "Heh heh, in the eyes of the Nationalist army, this is very dangerous. However, our army has always developed and grown under the heavy encirclement of the enemy. The Japanese devils' encirclement in a vast area is just a strategic encirclement posture. Although the Japanese military's combat strength is strong, their troop numbers are limited, and they can only concentrate on important points and lines. In a larger range, the so-called encirclement circle is full of loopholes, not even as good as a broken bamboo fence. It's not difficult for us to insert ourselves into the enemy's rear.

  The Japanese military executes orders decisively but mechanically. When advancing, even if they encounter the enemy, as long as we don't entangle with them, the devils won't give up their predetermined tasks to pursue us specially. If we encounter small groups of devils, we will resolutely wipe them out. As for the Nationalist side, once the Japanese military occupies the central cities and important transportation lines, they will retreat completely from the entire area, leaving behind a large number of "vacant areas" without government management.

  This provides us with vast space to mobilize the masses in the enemy's rear, expand our anti-Japanese forces, and develop our armed forces. Establishing an anti-Japanese regime in the occupied areas represents the country and nation recovering lost territory, which is a matter of course. Currently, we must seize the opportunity, actively recruit soldiers, supplement weapons, ammunition, and various materials, educate and train troops, and prepare to unfurl our own flag at any time.

  Under the leadership of our party, we will independently and autonomously carry out the glorious struggle against Japanese invaders!"

  Everyone's spirits were greatly lifted.

  After the battle of Lanfeng Railway Station, the First War Zone supplemented some weapons and ammunition to the Fourth Battalion, in addition to the captured Japanese weapons. At this time, Xu Liang's control over the first regiment and part of the direct team, machine gun squad had sufficient weapons, at least everyone had a gun, and there were some reserves. Especially the submachine guns and machine guns bullets were supplemented. However, the captured weapons had limited ammunition due to incompatibility with Chinese ammunition, each gun had only a few bullets. The First War Zone also issued some silver dollars as rewards for occupying Lanfeng Railway Station, which alleviated the financial difficulties to some extent. Xu Liang instructed Liang You Tian, Yan Xue Wen and others to actively purchase weapons and ammunition from the retreating Nationalist Army along the railway line with silver dollars. He also sent people to get some hand grenades from He Wu Ting in Gong County and brought them back with Geng Zhong Yue's engineering vehicles. The personnel from the ordnance factory and the railway played a significant role in the development of this unit.

  This disciplined team, which is diligent in training, loves to study and knows how to publicize, has attracted many young people among the Western withdrawal refugees. In just a few days, more than 100 new soldiers were added locally.

  Geng Zhongyue and his men retreated westward, holding Xu Liang's hand as they departed: "Brother, take care of yourself. After the battle, we'll have a good drink together." He also told Zhang Lin: "Follow Vice-Commander Xu and do your best to kill those devils!"

  Who would have thought that after parting ways at Minquan Station, they would never meet again, and this drink would never be had. Later, Geng Zhongyue took his wife and daughter to retreat to Shaanxi, where he was killed by devils' planes while building the Baoji-Lanzhou section of the Longhai Railway, sacrificing himself on the railroad tracks west of Baoji.

  Enemy 14th Division, after replenishment, launched another attack on Lanfeng. The goal of surrounding the main force of the Chinese army was no longer possible, and at this time, Tōjō's mind was to occupy Kaifeng, the provincial capital of Henan Province, before other troops, and then pursue the retreating Chinese troops in the march, occupying the headquarters of the war zone commander-in-chief Zhengzhou railway hub. This arrogant guy firmly advocated for expanding aggression against China, consistently using fait accompli tactics to force his superiors to formulate strategies according to his will. If his plot succeeded, he could both advance westward to encircle the National Army defending the Yellow River and move south along the Pinghan Railway to threaten Wuhan, the temporary residence of the Chinese command center, while the defensive deployment in the Wuhan area at that time was far from complete.

  Chen Hao received the order to retreat back to Kaifeng, at which time Lankao County had also been abandoned. Chen Hao hastily dispatched a team of messengers by motorcycle to inform Xu Liang. News came from the troops retreating from the east that Neihuangji Railway Station had been occupied by the Japanese army, and contact between Lankao and Minquan had been cut off! With an uneasy heart, Chen Hao led the Ba Si Tuan troops in Lankao to retreat westward amidst intense gunfire.