In August 1937, an important historical event unfolded in eastern China, the Battle of Songhu. The war saw a number of local leaders such as Liu Xiang and Li Zongren send troops into the war. At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Nationalist **, ordered the 87th and 88th Divisions of the National Revolutionary Army to go to Shanghai. On August 12, Wang Jingjiu and General Sun Yuanliang led their troops to Hongqiao, Shanghai, and confronted the Japanese army. Immediately afterwards, on 13 August, fighting between the two armies officially broke out.
At that time, the Japanese army was equipped with advanced equipment, with heavy ** aircraft carriers and infantry guns. In stark contrast, the National Revolutionary Army, armed with Mauser guns, fought a tough battle against the Japanese.
On August 19, the Japanese army launched an attack on Luodian. Sun Yuanliang received an order to support General Huang Wei and jointly defend Luodian. Sun Yuanliang and Huang Wei were both graduates of the first phase of the Whampoa Military Academy, and the two fought side by side in the Northern Expedition and the Central Plains War. In the face of the fierce attack of the Japanese army, Sun Yuanliang and Huang Wei led the troops to resist bravely. According to records at the time, the battle of Luodian was extremely tragic, and the Kuomintang army suffered a heavy blow under the heavy machine gun and artillery fire of the Japanese army. By August 28, the Kuomintang army was forced to evacuate Luodian after paying tens of thousands of **. Huang Wei withdrew to Kunshan to regroup, while Sun Yuanliang remained in Shanghai and was responsible for the defense of the Sixing warehouse.
At this time, the main forces of the Kuomintang retreated to Suzhou and Wuxi, and the Shanghai garrison was left with only one regiment under the command of Sun Yuanliang. Under the leadership of the regimental commander Xie Jinyuan, the defenders successfully resisted several attacks by the Japanese army. Sun Yuanliang provided fire support to Xie Jinyuan and won the reputation of a famous general in the War of Resistance Against Japan. On 13 November, the defenders of the Sixing Warehouse completed their task and retreated to the Public Concession, while Sun Yuanliang led the remaining troops to retreat to Nanjing.
On December 1, with the Japanese attack on Nanjing, the sound of artillery sounded in Purple Mountain and Qixia Mountain. Sun Yuanliang was responsible for the defense of Zhonghua Gate, and in the fierce battle with the Japanese army, the troops were extremely heavy. To avoid being captured by the Japanese, Sun Yuanliang hid in a brothel, from where he commanded the battle. According to rumors, Sun Yuanliang frequently mingled with brothel women in addition to fighting. On December 13, with the fall of Nanjing, Sun Yuanliang, with the help of a prostitute, crossed the Qinhuai River at night and broke out.
After several days of trekking, Sun Yuanliang finally arrived in Wuhan and met with Chiang Kai-shek. Due to the annihilation of the 88th Division, Chiang Kai-shek was extremely angry with Sun Yuanliang and ordered him to be imprisoned. On bail from Gu Zhutong and Zhang Zhizhong, Sun Yuanliang was released and sent to the United States for investigation. In 1943, Sun Yuanliang returned to China as commander of the 29th Army and participated in the fighting in southeastern Guizhou. On the battlefield, Sun Yuanliang showed a tenacious will to fight, but it is said that he had an uninhibited private life and still indulged in pleasure after fighting.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Sun Yuanliang was praised as a famous anti-Japanese general for his performance in the war and was promoted to the commander of the Corps. In 1948, when the Huaihai Campaign broke out, Sun Yuanliang's troops were completely annihilated at Chenguanzhuang and Qinglongji. He fled to Taiwan in disguise and has since retired from the military. In his later years in Taipei, Sun Yuanliang lived a leisurely life, entertaining himself by reading books and planting flowers. In 2007, Sun Yuanliang died in Taipei at the age of 103. Throughout his life, it can be summed up in one sentence: he was a famous anti-Japanese general who fought bravely on the battlefield, but he was indulgent and uninhibited in his private life.
The life of General Sun Yuanliang is a complex and thought-provoking chapter in modern Chinese history. His heroic performance in the Sino-Japanese War is commendable, but his private life and certain actions have caused controversy. Sun's story reminds us that historical figures are often not one-dimensional, and that their lives and choices reflect the complexity of the era and the multifaceted nature of humanity. Through an in-depth understanding of historical figures like Sun Yuanliang, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of history and the choices made by the figures in a particular historical context.
In August 1937, in the thick smoke of the Battle of Songhu, China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression entered a critical stage. Local leaders such as Liu Xiang and Li Zongren sent troops into the war, while the 87th and 88th Divisions of the National Revolutionary Army were ordered by Chiang Kai-shek to garrison Shanghai. On August 12, General Sun Yuanliang and General Wang Jingjiu led their troops to Hongqiao, Shanghai, and began a tense confrontation with the Japanese army.
Fighting broke out on 13 August. The Japanese army is equipped with advanced equipment, with aircraft carriers, infantry guns and other heavy **. In contrast, the National Revolutionary Army was poorly equipped and dominated by Mauser guns. Despite the huge disparity in equipment, the National Revolutionary Army showed an indomitable fighting spirit.
On August 19, the Japanese army launched an attack on Luodian, and Sun Yuanliang was ordered to support Huang Wei. Two outstanding graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy had outstanding performances in the Northern Expedition and the Central Plains War. In the face of the ferocious offensive of the Japanese army, Sun Yuanliang and Huang Wei led the troops to put up stubborn resistance. According to recollections, the battle of Luodian was extremely brutal, and the Kuomintang troops suffered heavy under the intensive machine gun and artillery fire of the Japanese army. By August 28, the Kuomintang army had to withdraw from Luodian, Huang Wei retreated to Kunshan to recuperate, and Sun Yuanliang stayed in Shanghai to continue to resist the Japanese army.
By this time, the main forces of the Kuomintang had withdrawn to Suzhou and Wuxi, and the Kuomintang defenders in Shanghai were left with only a regiment under the command of Sun Yuanliang. Sun Yuanliang, under the leadership of Regiment Commander Xie Jinyuan, successfully repelled many attacks by the Japanese army. His heroic performance made him a famous anti-Japanese general. On 13 November, the defenders of the Sixing Warehouse retreated to the Public Concession after completing their mission, while Sun Yuanliang led the remaining troops to retreat to Nanjing.