The top general of the Kuomintang who died in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression - Zhang Zizhong.
Zhang Zizhong (August 11, 1891 - May 16, 1940), the name Xunchen, later changed to Xunchen, Han nationality, Linqing in Shandong; At the time of his death, he was the commander-in-chief of the Right Wing Corps of the Fifth Theater and the commander-in-chief of the 33rd Group Army, the rank of general of the Chinese Kuomintang, and was posthumously awarded the rank of second-class general. From 1937 to 1940, he successively participated in the Battle of Linyi, the Battle of Xuzhou, the Battle of Wuhan, the Battle of Suizao and the Battle of Zaoyi, etc., and in 1940, he commanded in person in the battle with the Japanese army in Xiangyang, and unfortunately was shot and died.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the people posthumously recognized General Zhang Zizhong as a revolutionary martyr, and in 2009, he was named "100 heroes and exemplary figures who made outstanding contributions to the founding of New China".
In September 2014, General Zhang Zizhong was included in the first batch of 300 famous anti-Japanese martyrs and heroes.
After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Zhang Zizhong, who led the troops to the battlefield again, was a senior general, and he was not afraid of personal life and death in every battle, and personally went to the front line to command the battle. Every time he went out to fight, Zhang Zizhong would make a will and go to the front line to guide. So much so that during the battle, Soviet military advisers who asked the commander to be in front of him repeatedly warned him: "The armies of Europe have never seen a commander within the range of a cannon." As a high-ranking general, you are taking an adventure. In this regard, Li Zongren also persuaded him many times, but Zhang Zizhong never changed his approach. In 1940, he finally died in Xiangyang, because he personally led the assault troops to fight on the front line and died heroically.
Many friends want to ask, why did General Zhang Zizhong do this? There is indeed a twisted history here.
After the September 18 Incident", Chiang Kai-shek believed that "to fight abroad, we must first secure the interior", and firmly implemented: first destroy the Red Army, and then prepare for the war with Japan to regain the country. On May 31, 1933, Chiang Kai-shek** signed the Tanggu Agreement with the Japanese army, giving up a large part of North China. The 29th Army could only retreat, and General Zhang Zizhong chose to stay and deal with the Japanese army at such a time of crisis. The intentions are good, but the risks are extremely high. In the dealings with the Japanese army, if it is not handled properly, it is difficult to say clearly that he is not a traitor. Coupled with the fact that the Japanese fanned the flames and fooled public opinion, the outcome is likely to be indisputable.
During this period, he served as Governor of Chahar and Mayor of Tianjin. After the July 7 Incident, he continued to stay in Beiping to support anti-Japanese efforts. The Japanese army has been trying to win him over and create ** to force him to surrender and become a real traitor. In 1937, Beiping and Tianjin were lost one after another, and it was meaningless for Zhang Zizhong to stay in North China. After escaping from Beiping, he finally returned to Nanjing to plead guilty. This story has an artistic reaction in Jiang Wen's movie "Evil Does Not Prevail Over Justice".
After the fall of Beiping, the anti-Japanese sentiment of the people of the whole country was high, and he became a punching bag, thinking that he was "the number one traitor in North China", and the newspapers at that time used the title "Zhang Rebellion" when reporting on him.
In the face of such surging public opinion across the country, how can a staunch patriot endure it? The only way he can clear his name is to defeat the Japanese army on the battlefield, and even sacrifice his life to prove his innocence.
Upon his return to Nanjing, Zhang Zizhong's emotions were mixed with grief and anger, although he kept asking Chiang Kai-shek to lead his army again. Chiang Kai-shek was just an opportunistic politician, and it was absolutely impossible to help him solve his current predicament, citing his "bad reputation" as an excuse not to respond immediately, and even going so far as to plan to "investigate" him.
After General Feng Yuxiang personally mediated with Chiang Kai-shek, Zhang Zizhong obtained Chiang Kai-shek's permission at the end of 1937 and became the commander of the 59th Army.
On May 1, 1940, the Battle of Zaoyi began, which was the largest offensive operation launched by the Japanese army on the frontal battlefield after the Battle of Wuhan.
Before the war, Zhang Zizhong personally wrote a letter to the officers and soldiers: "The country has reached such a point that there is no other way but to die for us." I also believe that as long as we can make this determination, our country and our nation with a history of 5,000 years will never die at the hands of the Japanese slaves of the three islands. The determination to die for the country and the nation will not change in the slightest. ”
On the front line of the Battle of Zaoyi, Zhang Zizhong wrote a personal letter to Feng Zhi'an, deputy commander-in-chief of the 33rd Group Army: "My brother Yangzhi is like a meeting: It has been decided to march to the east bank of the Xiang River tonight, desperate for everything, and fight to the death against the enemy advancing north. Whether you do good or bad, you must seek comfort in your conscience. From now on, it is unknown whether it will be a temporary farewell or an eternal departure. Dedicated to Buda. ”
After General Zhang Zizhong died, friends who knew him said: He died to prove his innocence.
At that time, the secretary of the Southern Bureau of the Communist Party of China praised it: "Its loyalty and heroic spirit can be the soul of the Chinese Anti-Japanese War soldiers."