Kuomintang chemical forces in the Battle of Chishui in HuaXian County, Xi'an Incident

Recall that the Kuomintang Central Chemical Corps participated in the Chishui Confrontation Battle

Written by Shi Hengxun

In 1936, I served as a squad leader in the observation squad of the first brigade of the Chemical Corps Corps (equivalent regimental level) directly under the Military and Political Department of the Nanjing Government of the Kuomintang, and the barracks were stationed in Nanjing. After the Xi'an Incident broke out, the Ministry of Military Affairs ordered Li Nintao, commander of the chemical corps (a native of Yunnan, a student studying abroad), to immediately lead a part of the officers and men to Shaanxi to rescue Chiang Kai-shek. The general brigade sent our first and second brigades to march westward day and night on military trains.

During the march, the second brigade got off at Gong County, Henan Province, and stationed at the Gong County Arsenal. Our large team went straight to Huayin and stationed at the Huayin Yue temple arsenal. Remember that our brigade carried six mortars, four large trucks, a small car (for the captain's passengers) and gas bombs and other equipment.

When we were stationed in Huayin, I followed Li Nintao, the commander of the general team, to the county seat of HuaXian County once. Li was specifically in contact with Dong Zhao, commander of the Army's 28th Division, and the inside story is unknown. When the county seat of Hua County was captured, the 28th Division and the Central Teaching Corps marched westward and the Northeast Army fought fiercely at the Chishui River at the junction of Weihua and Hua Counties, and the students of the Teaching Corps suffered heavy casualties. Our superiors urgently ordered our brigade to depart from the Huayin garrison overnight and take a military train to the forward position of Chishui. Because it was a night march, I remember passing through the village behind the shop on the way.

The section behind the stone embankment river paving Song Dynasty Peak

At that time, our reconnaissance situation was: The fortifications built by the Northeast Army in the area of Zhanglingzi (a village on the eastern edge of Weinan) were strong, mostly constructed with cotton bales, and the infantry attacked hard, and the casualties would be heavy. Therefore, after careful study and deployment, our brigade decided to take Zhang Lingzi as the target of artillery, fire poison gas bombs, launch a fierce attack at dawn the next day, break through Zhang Lingzi in one fell swoop, and then enter Weinan along the Longhai Line in the west. At that time, the atmosphere of war preparedness was very tense.

The appropriate evening emergency telegram informed that the two armies had each retreated fifteen miles. The next day, our brigade returned to huayin Yuemiao arsenal from the chishui forward position in Huaxian County. This time, when we came to Shaanxi to participate in the war, our team did not fight a war. Within a few days, he was ordered to return to Nanjing, but unexpectedly, on the way back to the division, the train suddenly stopped at a small station, leaving the troops on standby on the train. Then our troops returned to the Huayin Yue temple arsenal station.

At that time, everyone was talking about Chiang Kai-shek having been released, and the central authorities might use force to deal with the Northeast Army and the Northwest Army. This incident is not in line with the facts. After about a month, we drove back to the Nanjing barracks.

Original source: Huaxian Literature and History Materials, Vol. 6

Original author: Dictation Yao Mingde Finishing Zhang Jianwen

Compilation and editing: Huazhou Literature and History Collection