In the Huaihai Plain in the spring of 1943, the cold breath was still pervasive. However, the military and civilians in the Huaihai anti-Japanese base area were in full swing carrying out a large-scale production campaign, and at the same time, they were also making full preparations for the upcoming battle.
At this time, Japan was carrying out a policy of luring Chiang Kai-shek, and Chiang Kai-shek also launched the third ** climax. At the same time, the Japanese army was also actively preparing for a sweep. In March, Kawashima, commander of the Japanese division, personally led more than 3,000 soldiers to launch a large-scale sweep in the center of the Huaihai base area by adopting the tactics of separate attacks and joint attacks, in an attempt to destroy the main force of our army and destroy the party and government leading organs in the Huaihai region, so as to achieve the goal of destroying the Huaihai anti-Japanese base area.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, our army's intelligence officers were keenly aware of the Japanese army's conspiracy. On March 17, 1937, General ** issued an operational order to Hu Bingyun, commander of the 7th Brigade and 19th Regiment of the 3rd Division of the New Fourth Army, requiring the troops to assemble quickly and march to Shanzitou in Sihong County at night to block the troops of Wang Guangxia, a diehard faction of the Jiang army, so as to jump out of the encirclement of the Japanese army.
The 19th Regiment was the predecessor of the Nanchang Uprising Teaching Regiment, and had a fine tradition of fighting bravely and well. After receiving the order, Regiment Commander Hu Bingyun immediately organized all companies to assemble and prepare for transfer.
However, at dawn on March 18, the enemy suddenly appeared near Liu Laozhuang. It is only a short one-hour away from the Liutang River, the seat of the party and government organs in Huaihai District.
When the fourth company of the 19th Regiment was assembled and ready to move, intermittent gunfire and the cries of ordinary people were heard in the distance. Company commander Bai Sicai said that they did not expect the Japanese army to come so quickly, and now they do not know the enemy's intentions, whether it is a small number of people or a large force to sweep up, and further confirmation is needed.
Bai Sicai, who joined the Red Army in northern Shaanxi at the age of 16, experienced many battles and became a company commander who was witty and good at fighting. He disguised himself as a commoner and quickly figured out the enemy's situation. The enemy's large force and the commander's spearhead unit were advancing towards the company's position, and Bai Sicai quickly returned to the command post to deploy.
The fighters quickly entered the ambush site, and everything was ready. When the enemy was only about 50 meters away from the ambush site, Bai Sicai gave an order, and the heavy machine guns and rifles of the whole company were fired in unison, and the enemy's sharp troops were beaten to pieces, the commander's mount was frightened, and the commander also fell from his horse.
The enemy panicked and began to retreat. However, they soon redeployed, pouring in from all sides to the company's positions in an attempt to encircle the company.
We are the people's soldiers, and we must always keep the people's safety at heart. Bai Sicai and Li Yunpeng instructors said. In the face of the enemy's attempt to eliminate the leading organs in the area of the Liutang River, the 4th Company decided to hold its position, hold back the enemy, and buy time for the transfer of the organs and the masses.
Do you have the confidence to resolutely break the enemy's plan of joint attack? Instructor Li Yunpeng issued a mobilization to the soldiers of the whole company. The soldiers responded one after another: "Instructors and company commanders give orders!"
We resolutely carry it out! The fourth company retreated to the open area behind Liu Laozhuang and prepared to meet it. At around 9 a.m., the Japanese launched their first charge, which was quickly repulsed by the soldiers of the 4th Company.
Kawashima, the commander of the enemy division, climbed onto the roof of Yang Santang, looked around with a telescope, and then arranged a second attack. A squadron of the enemy launched a fierce attack on the positions of the four companies with shells and machine guns, and the fighters of the four companies quickly aimed at the points of fire and counterattacked with grenades and machine guns.
The enemy was ** heavy, and the few who fled were hit by the sharpshooters of the fourth company. However, there were still more than 20 enemies who were not afraid of death and crawled around the positions of the fourth company.
The soldiers rushed out of the trenches, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, and after ten minutes of fighting, successfully eliminated the enemy. The second charge, the enemy failed again. This is the Fourth Company, which, with their heroic and fearless spirit, successfully held the position and protected the lives of the people.
They are the heroes of the people, and their deeds deserve to be remembered and learned forever.
The Fourth Company is facing a shortage of ammunition, and instructor Li Yunpeng is thinking about a solution. Suddenly, he noticed dozens of enemy corpses 30 meters away from the forward position, and he suddenly had an idea.
They came up with a clever plan, and that was to collect the enemy's ammunition. Bai Sicai agreed with the idea, so they immediately returned to the company and encouraged the soldiers to collect.
Among them, the platoon commander Wei Qingzhong volunteered, saying that he had served as a quartermaster cadre at the regimental headquarters and was good at accepting ammunition on corpses.
The old Red Army captain Qingzhong led the assault team and bravely rushed to kill. Suddenly, the Japanese troops in the distance discovered their actions and increased their firepower, and Wei Qingzhong commanded the team to recapture the ammunition and unfortunately died.
The Japanese launched three attacks, but all of them were repulsed. During a short break at noon, the 4th Company convened a branch committee and unanimously decided to hold back the enemy and organize a breakthrough after the transfer of the leading organs and the masses.
After the meeting, the branch committee encouraged all the fighters to continue fighting, and the fighters were tired but determined.
The positions of the fourth company were again under heavy enemy fire, the fortifications were destroyed, and the bunkers collapsed. But the soldiers, with their iron will, quickly repaired the fortifications and held their positions.
The enemy's shells were next to Bai Sicai**, and his left hand was wounded, but after waking up, he immediately got up and went to the trench to direct the battle and comfort his wounded comrades. The trench was constantly bombarded by shells, and when a soldier broke one of his legs, Bai Sicai tore off a piece of cloth with one hand to bandage him.
The warrior's voice was hoarse, but he gestured with both hands to continue the fight, observing the enemy in the crater, and Bai Sicai tearfully agreed. Li Yunpeng was covered in blood and wounded in many places, but he was still organizing the shooting of the whole company of sharpshooters.
He also wrote a report to the battalion commander in the trenches about the fighting of the entire company. Li Yunpeng handed the report to Bai Sicai, who signed it and said, "Okay, we also have to ask for the approval of the organization to accept new party members on the firing line." ”
As dusk approached, enemy shells were still firing. After a whole day of fighting, half of the soldiers of the whole company were sacrificed, and the surviving fighters did not eat a single bite of food or drink a drop of water, their eyes were red and swollen from the smoke of gunpowder, and their throats were dry and hot.
When the bullets were almost finished, Bai Sicai discussed with Li Yunpeng, believing that the leading organs and the masses had been safely transferred, and that the last moment of the battle had come, and they decided to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.
Bai Sicai ordered all the remaining ammunition to be fed to the heavy machine guns, the other rifles were disassembled, and the bayonets were loaded with bayonets, and all classified documents were destroyed. When everything was ready, Li Yunpeng encouraged the soldiers to face the upcoming final battle and go all out to destroy the enemy.
The flames of war burned violently, lighting up the entire sky. The roar of shells stopped, and the position became quiet and solemn. All the commanders and fighters of the fourth company held their guns tightly and waited for the final decisive battle.
The enemy besieged the position from all sides, and when the fighters waited for the enemy to approach, they fired heavily at the enemy with heavy machine guns, and the enemy fell one after another.
On the battlefield, the bullets run out and the enemy is approaching. Bai Sicai led the soldiers, armed with bayonets, to meet the enemy and launched a fierce battle. When night falls, the battle ends.
The enemy stayed by the trench for a long time before daring to enter cautiously. They carried away nearly 200 corpses and more than 300 mutilated soldiers, but did not capture a single soldier of our army.
After the enemy withdrew, Zhou Wenke, head of Zhangji District, Huaiyin County, and Zhou Wenzhong, head of the joint defense brigade, led the masses to the position. At night, the starlight was faint, the cold wind was howling, and the ground was full of tragic scenes of sacrificed soldiers, some holding their guns and leaning against trees, and some biting the ears of Japanese soldiers.
Tears rippled in the crowd. Zhou Wenzhong suddenly heard a faint voice, he immediately squatted down to check, and found a seriously wounded warrior, so they found a stretcher to send the warrior to the rear for treatment.
The warrior was pierced in the chest by three bullets and covered in blood. He endured severe pain and intermittently described the battle to District Chief Zhou Wenke for a whole day.
However, due to the severity of his injuries, he could not be saved. Early on the morning of the third day, the warriors closed their eyes forever. All 82 commanders and fighters of the Fourth Company died heroically.
They stubbornly resisted the Japanese army's attack for a day, so that the main force of the 7th Brigade successfully annihilated the remaining puppet army. At the same time, the leading organs of Huaihai District and the broad masses of the people were all safely transferred.
The villagers tearfully collected the remains of the warriors, built a ten-meter-high martyr's tomb, and built a Zhuangzhi Pavilion in the cemetery. The monument is inscribed with the heroic deeds of 82 warriors.
These 82 warriors used their blood and lives to compose a magnificent song of triumph. Later, the New Fourth Army rebuilt the fourth company and named it: Liu Laozhuang Company.