>The 19th Route Army and the Battle of Songhu

The 19th Route Army and the Battle of Songhu (1) Why the 19th Route Army was stationed in Shanghai (Part 2) Yu Yushu Judging from the above historical background, it is definitely not Chiang Kai-shek who specially arranged the ten...

The Nineteenth Route Army and the Battle of Songhu (1) Why the Nineteenth Route Army was stationed in Shanghai (Part 2) Yu Yushu From the above historical background, it is definitely not Chiang Kai-shek who specially arranged for the Nineteenth Route Army to guard Shanghai to fight a tough battle with the Japanese army. Because Chiang's strategy was to trade space for time to prepare for a long-term war of resistance, such as the accumulation of supplies and transfer to the mainland. But the more important thing is to calm down the inside first and then revitalize the outside. What is called "an internal peace" actually means "suppressing communism". First, Chiang Kai-shek did not expect that the Guangdong-Guangxi faction in the "National Government" in Guangzhou would only trust the Guangdong troops to guard Beijing and Shanghai to monitor him. However, he thought that Chen Mingshu had always been "loyal" to him and there should be no problems. Therefore, the 19th Route Army was accidentally transferred to the area around Greater Shanghai, and the urban area was limited to the Chinese border. (The rest of the areas include the British Concession, the French Concession and the Japanese Concession) Secondly, Chiang Kai-shek could not have imagined that the Guangdong force of the 19th Route Army, from officers to soldiers, kept saying "Diao Na Ma!" every day, but they were brave and good at fighting. The commander of Japan's First Foreign Fleet, Koichi Shiozawa, who caused the war, threatened to conquer Shanghai within four days. Chiang Kai-shek himself even stated in a statement published in the Shanghai Current Affairs Newspaper from January 21 to 23, 1932: If the equipment of the Chinese army at that time went to war with Japan, Japan would be able to conquer China within ten days. But objectively speaking, if Japan did not attack Pearl Harbor and ignite the war in Southeast Asia, but instead devoted all its strength to attacking China. Chiang's words are not alarmist, but what the Chinese people should be proud of is that the 19th Route Army, a group of Cantonese soldiers, managed to hold on for thirty-three days under the predicament of limited reinforcements. We were never defeated, and the enemy was never defeated. Even if it was a draw, it was the only thing that had happened since the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894. The Chinese army could be considered a victory. After the Japanese civilians and troops repeatedly caused trouble in Shanghai, the Cantonese people had always been outspoken and hot-tempered because they could no longer bear it. The commander of the 19th Army, Cai Tingkai, sent a telegram to the Nanjing Central Committee on January 23: "It is reported that the Japanese navy and marines forced me to accept intolerable conditions and will be dealt with decisively. The rank is a measure of national character. If the bandits invade, they will resist near Shanghai. Even if the entire army is sacrificed, it will not be considered!" Chen Mingshu was nicknamed Zhenru, but Cai Tingkai's military headquarters was located in Zhenru. On January 26, Japan’s Consul General in Shanghai, Matsu Ikura, issued an ultimatum to the Shanghai Municipal Government, demanding five items including the dissolution of anti-Japanese goods groups, an apology, punishment of the perpetrators, and compensation, with a deadline to respond before 6 p.m. on the 28th. After receiving the report, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Shanghai Mayor Wu Tiecheng to fully acknowledge the ultimatum in the afternoon of the same day, and on the other hand, he urgently dispatched the Sixth Military Police Regiment to Zhenru to take over the 19th Army's defense. Unexpectedly, during the handover of defense, the Japanese army ignored the ultimatum and still planned to attack. Therefore, Commander Cai Tingkai took command in Zhenru and issued an order to resist across the board. Even the newly arrived Sixth Military Police Regiment joined the 19th Route Army to fight side by side. Chiang Kai-shek recorded in his diary the next day: "I heard yesterday's request for the Japanese consul in Shanghai. We have acknowledged it and he has satisfied it. He also expressed his intention to withdraw troops in the evening. How come there was another conflict at midnight."