Chapter 22: The War Horn (New Book Seeking Attention)

  Everyone in the Security Command felt the commander's anxiety, although they were not clear why Commander Chen was worried, but everyone knew that at this time it was best not to disturb the commander, otherwise they might be scolded by the commander.

  News from the Peiping front is getting worse and worse. Since late June, the Japanese troops stationed in Fengtai have been holding what they call military exercises one after another, with the sound of gunfire and artillery clearly audible within the city walls of Peiping.

  More and more refugees are fleeing from Beiping, no one knows the tense atmosphere there better than these refugees. Some sensitive businessmen also withdrew from Beiping.

  Chen Feng was indeed very anxious, and during this time he secretly sent someone to investigate the defense situation of the surrounding counties. The scouts' feedback made Chen Feng's mood very heavy. The situation along the Datong border was still good, after all, it was the gateway to northern Shanxi, and Yan Xishan did not dare to be careless.

  However, the situation from Fengzhen to Jining and Chahar Right Wing Front Banner was not so good. Jining, as a major military town in Suiyuan, had only one regular army regiment stationed there, plus another security regiment that was nominally called a regiment but actually just an enhanced battalion, with a total strength of less than 2,500 troops.

  Chahar Right Wing Front Banner, the gateway to Jining, has only 300 troops stationed there, with simple and outdated equipment, and extremely limited combat effectiveness. The situation in Fengzhen is similar, with only one understaffed security regiment stationed there.

  Later, Chen Feng ordered an investigation into the situation in Shangdu, Zhangbei, Tianzhen, Yanghe and other counties, and found that the situations were not much different. The military commanders of these places had not made any preparations for the outbreak of war at all.

  It can be imagined that when tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops descend from the sky, what kind of flustered expression these people will have.

  But Chen Feng knew this, yet he was powerless to change it. He was just the captain of a security team in Xinghe County, and his defensive area was limited to only a small piece of land in Xinghe, other areas were not within his jurisdiction.

  All he can do now is to constantly order the warriors to reinforce the city's defenses, build air-raid shelters, and build anti-aircraft fortifications, making their preparations as thorough as possible before the outbreak of war.

  On July 1st, Chen Feng received the system reward for July. Perhaps it was a massive explosion of good fortune, but this time Chen Feng actually drew a rifle production line, model Mauser 98K from Germany.

  Nothing to say, in a medium-sized cave behind the big green mountain, Chen Feng has installed the rifle production line. Then he appointed the Jew William as the general consultant of the arsenal, and also invited his old father Chen Binggong to the mountain to be responsible for all matters of the base.

  However, before Chen Feng had time to rejoice, the shocking Lugou Bridge Incident broke out.

  On the afternoon of July 7, 1937, the Japanese garrison at Lugou Bridge, without notifying local Chinese authorities, sent a company of troops under the command of Major Kiyonao Ichinose to conduct exercises in the area between the Marco Polo Bridge and the town of Wanping.

  The Japanese army then began to maneuver in the area, claiming that a soldier was "missing" and immediately demanding to enter the Chinese garrison's Wanping City for a search. The 29th Army of China's 37th Division, 110th Brigade, 219th Regiment categorically refused. The Japanese army immediately opened fire on the Lugou Bridge area and attacked the Chinese garrison inside the city. The Chinese garrison, the 29th Army's 37th Division, 219th Regiment, counterattacked, thus opening the prelude to China's all-out war of resistance against Japan.

  After the Japanese army launched the July 7th Incident, it caused a strong reaction across the country. Chiang Kai-shek had telegraphed Song Zheyuan and Qin Dechun, instructing: "Wanping City should be firmly defended and not retreated", "Lugou Bridge and Changxin Village must not be lost".

  At the same time, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent a telegram to the whole nation, calling on: "Compatriots, Peiping is in danger! North China is in danger! The Chinese nation is in danger! Only by waging a war of resistance by the entire nation can we find a way out!"

  After the outbreak of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Japanese army's attack was resisted by Chinese troops. The Japanese army found it difficult to occupy the Marco Polo Bridge for the time being, so they conducted "on-the-spot negotiations", on the one hand trying to use the negotiations to force China to surrender, and on the other hand trying to gain time to deploy troops.

  "On-the-spot negotiations" gave the Japanese army time to increase its troops in North China, and also blinded the authorities of Rehe Province, slowing down the preparation for battle deployment of the 29th Army. By July 25, the Japanese troops gathered in Pingjin had exceeded 60,000.

  After the basic combat deployment of the North China Garrison Army was completed, the Langfang Incident and Guang'anmen Incident were created on July 25 and 26.

  On the afternoon of the 26th, the North China Garrison issued an ultimatum to the 29th Army, demanding that Chinese troops withdraw from the Pingjin area by the 28th. Otherwise, they would take action. Song Zheyuan refused and on the 27th issued a nationwide self-defense declaration, resolutely defending the land against war. On the same day, the Japanese General Staff, with the approval of the Emperor, ordered the North China Garrison to attack the 29th Army, mobilizing five divisions from Japan, approximately 200,000 men, to China and issuing a formal combat mission to Commander-in-Chief Shanhai Qing: "Responsible for suppressing Chinese troops in the Pingjin area." The bloody battle of Pingjin was now unavoidable.

  On the morning of July 28, the Japanese army launched a general offensive against Beiping as scheduled. The Japanese army lieutenant general Kiyoshi Kasa commanded the assembled Korean military's 20th division, the independent mixed brigades of the Kwantung Army's 1st and 11th divisions, and approximately 10,000 Chinese garrison troops, under the cover of over 100 large-caliber artillery pieces, armored vehicles, and dozens of aircraft, launched a comprehensive attack on the Chinese 29th Army's 132nd, 37th, and 38th Divisions stationed in Nanyuan, Beiyuan, and Xiyuan in western Beiping.

  The clarion call of war has sounded, and people from all walks of life across the country have come together in unprecedented unity under the frenzied attack of the Japanese army. The time for national resistance against the enemy is ripe.

  Soon, the National Government, based on the spirit of the National Defense Conference, referred to the 1937 National Defense Combat Plan, and drafted two documents, "War Guidance Program" and "Combat Guidance Plan". It was decided to establish a General Headquarters, with the Military Commission as the Supreme Command of the General Headquarters, promoting Chiang Kai-shek as the Grand Marshal of the Navy, Army and Air Force, Cheng Qian as the Chief of Staff, and Bai Chongxi as the Deputy Chief of Staff, leading the national anti-war effort.

  The National Government then promulgated the combat sequence of the entire army, dividing the country into five major war zones. The First War Zone (jurisdiction: Pinghan and Jinpu railway lines) Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek (concurrently), under which were the 1st, 2nd, and 14th Army Groups, with Song Zheyuan, Liu Ye, and Hu Zongnan as Group Army Commanders, totaling 36 divisions, 7 brigades, and 4 regiments.

  The Second War Zone (jurisdiction: Shanxi, Chahar and Suiyuan) Commander-in-Chief Yan Xishan, under which were the Sixth Army Group, Seventh Army Group and Reserve Force, with Yang Aiyuan and Fu Zuoyi as the commanders of the army groups respectively, totaling 13 divisions, 16 brigades and 4 regiments.

  The Third War Zone (jurisdiction: Jiangsu and Zhejiang) Commander-in-Chief was Feng Yuxiang, under which were the 8th Army Group, 9th Army Group, 10th Army Group, and 15th Army Group. The commanders of these army groups were Zhang Fakui, Zhang Zhizhong, Liu Jianxu, and Chen Cheng respectively. The total number of troops was 18 divisions, 6 brigades, and 3 regiments.

  The Fourth War Zone (jurisdiction: Fujian, Guangdong) Commander-in-Chief He Yingqin, under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Army Group and the Twelfth Army Group, with Jiang Dingwen and Yu Hanmou as the commanders-in-chief of the army groups, respectively. The total number of troops is 13 divisions and 3 brigades.

  The Fifth War Zone (Jurisdiction: Lu) Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Han Fuqu, under the jurisdiction of the Third Army Group and the Fifth Army Group, respectively with Han Fuqu and Gu Zhutong as the commander-in-chief of the army group, with a total of 20 divisions and one brigade.

  In addition to the five major war zones, four reserve armies were established. The First Reserve Army was mainly composed of Guangxi troops and stationed in Guangxi. The Second Reserve Army was mainly composed of Sichuan troops and stationed in Sichuan. The Third Reserve Army was mainly composed of Yunnan troops and stationed in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. The Fourth Reserve Army was composed of Hunan troops and other provincial forces, and stationed in several provinces including Hunan and Hubei.

  In addition, the Ma family army in Ningxia, Qinghai and Gansu provinces also received orders to prepare for deployment to the front line at any time.

  According to the National Government's division of war zones, Chen Feng and his security regiment belonged to the combat sequence of the Second War Zone, specifically belonging to the combat sequence of the Seventh Army Group of the Second War Zone, with Fu Zuoyi as the highest commanding officer.

  On August 1, the Seventh Group Army sent an urgent telegram ordering Xinghe County's Security Regiment to be reorganized into the Third Reserve Brigade of the Seventh Group Army, under the jurisdiction of the Suiyuan Security Command. Chen Feng was appointed Colonel and Commander of the Reserve Brigade and Garrison Commander of Xinghe County, Li Wensheng as Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Commander of the Reserve Brigade, and Yang Yi as Major and Chief of Staff.

  At the same time, the headquarters of the Seventh Army Group ordered the reserve troops to prepare for the training of the troops and wait for the order from the headquarters at any time to go to the front line against Japan.

  After receiving the order, Chen Feng immediately convened a battalion-level military meeting to convey the superior's command.

  Chen Feng knew that no one would take his security team seriously now, and these orders were just a routine matter for the Seventh Army Group. This can be seen from the number of troops, what is called a reserve team, a reserve team is only allowed to go up when there is really no other way.

  This is the first all-military meeting of the Security Corps since its establishment, with all battalion-level military officers from three infantry regiments and two cavalry regiments attending.

  Chen Feng first read out the order of the 7th Group Army Headquarters, and then Chen Feng reported to all officers the events that had occurred between China and Japan since the Lugou Bridge Incident on July 7.

  "Brothers, the Japanese invaders are rampant, offending our China. At this critical moment of national crisis, it is our duty as soldiers to defend our homes and country, and drive out the Japanese invaders. If international governance is not good, it is the fault of politicians; if we cannot defend our country's gate, it is our shame as soldiers. I, Chen Feng, make a vow here that for my whole life, I will take fighting against the Japanese invaders as my own will. If I violate this vow, heaven and earth will not tolerate me!"

  "You are all my brothers, comrades of Chen Feng. I won't hide some things from you, the enemy's strength is far superior to ours. A few days ago, Lieutenant General Tong Lin Ge, deputy commander of the 29th Army, and Major General Zhao Deng Yu, commander of the 132nd Division, died heroically in battle against Japan. Maybe after this one battle, many of us here will not be able to see the sun tomorrow. So if anyone is afraid of losing their life, I Chen Feng will give him a chance. Put down your weapons, and I Chen Feng will give you 1,000 yuan, send you away from the army, go home and become a rich man. Is there anyone? Please raise your hand?"

  Chen Feng looked around and saw that no one raised their hand, so his tone suddenly changed, and he said sternly: "No one is leaving, good! Since everyone is a good fellow who wants to serve the country and the nation, I now announce our security team's five battlefield prohibitions: First, surrendering to the enemy and betraying the military will be executed! Second, disobeying orders on the battlefield and losing the opportunity to fight will be executed! Third, abandoning one's post and losing ground will be executed! Fourth, harming civilians and looting property will be executed! Fifth, **women, undermining military discipline will be executed!"

  These five prohibitions were spoken slowly by Chen Feng, but they were decisive and unyielding. All the officers had no doubt about Chen Feng's determination to enforce battlefield discipline, and everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

  "Brothers, since you all want to be heroes, then don't make it difficult for Commander Chen. Even if we have to die, we must die with dignity, die with honor, and die in the right place. If anyone violates any of the above five prohibitions and is executed on the battlefield, don't say that I, Chen Feng, am your brother, do you all hear me?"

  "Listen clearly, live as a hero, die as a brave ghost, fight against the Japanese and make contributions to the country!"

  ......