Anti-Japanese Guangxi celebrity: General Zhou Yuan China Net | Time: 2005-09-16 | Article source: Xinhuanet Guangxi Channel General Zhou Yuan’s former residence is located in Donglang Village, Mingjiang Town, Ningming County, Guangxi, close to the famous The scenic area "a single tree becomes a forest". Zhou Yuan, whose courtesy name was Kaiyuan, was of Zhuang nationality. He was born in Donglang Village, Mingjiang Town, Ningming County (Shimingjiang County), Guangxi in December 1895. Zhou Yuan was born into a poor family, was quick and studious, and had little ambition to serve his country. In 1909, he was admitted to the Longzhou Xuebing Hall in Guangxi and joined the army. He served as a member of the Southern National Revolutionary Army and participated in the War to Protect the Dharma and the Northern Expedition. He made many military exploits and was promoted to regimental commander. In 1934, he entered the advanced class of the Sixth Branch of the Central Military Academy. After graduating in the autumn of 1936, he served as the deputy commander of the 173rd Division of the 48th Army of the 21st Group Army and the commander of the 517th Brigade, stationed in Li. Pu, in 1937, after the "July 7th Incident" broke out, he followed the commander of the Fifth War Zone, Li Zongren, to the north via Guangzhou and assembled in Xuzhou. In October of the same year, he was shot and wounded while participating in the Songhu Battle. However, he still commanded the battle. His loyalty and bravery were extraordinary, and he was promoted. Army lieutenant general, after the fall of Songhu, he led his troops to fight in East China and made many military exploits. In April 1938, after being severely damaged by Taierzhuang, the Japanese invaders mobilized heavy troops to encircle Li Zongren's main force of 600,000 troops in Xuzhou. In order to annihilate Li's troops, they advanced towards Mengcheng, the fortress in northern Anhui. General Zhou was ordered to lead a regiment of more than 2,000 troops to rush into Mengcheng on May 6th to block the enemy from the north and cover the retreat of our main force. On the 7th, the Japanese aggressors stormed Mengcheng with a force several times our own. Under the cover of aircraft, artillery and tanks, General Zhou commanded calmly and led his officers and soldiers to fight bravely and defeat the Japanese aggressors' attack. On the 8th, the Japanese invaders increased their forces and attacked the city again. More than 20 aircraft bombed the city and attacked the city from three directions: east, west and south. The main battle in the southwestern city was particularly fierce. Our army fought tenaciously and repelled the enemy invaders many times. Soon, a corner of the southwest city wall was blown down, and the enemy invaders took the opportunity to rush in. The enemy and we fought repeatedly, causing heavy casualties on both sides, but the Japanese invaders were finally driven back outside the city. General Zhou reorganized his troops and vowed to fight the Mengcheng rebels for life or death and fight the Japanese invaders to the end. At dawn on the 9th, the Japanese invaders attacked the city from three sides with more armored vehicles and tanks. At noon, the southwestern part of the city fell. The defenders in the southwestern part of the city blocked the enemy who entered the city with blood. Because they were outnumbered, they all died heroically, and the enemy took advantage of the opportunity to enter the city. General Zhou led his troops to engage in street fighting with the bandits, killing them along the streets. The enemy bandits were littered with corpses all over the streets, and our troops were also covered in blood. Soon, all four gates were broken, and our army retreated to the city. General Zhou mobilized 200 to 300 people, including the wounded, abandoned soldiers, and Qinzao, to fight to the death with the enemy. In the afternoon, General Zhou was shot several times in a fierce battle and died heroically in the line of duty. On the same day Mengcheng fell, all but twenty-one of our defenders died heroically after breaking through. This battle was fought fiercely for three days and nights, killing and wounding more than a thousand Japanese invaders, which dealt a heavy blow to the arrogance of the Japanese invaders and greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers and civilians during the Anti-Japanese War. The brutality of the battle shocked the world and made the gods cry. General Zhou Yuan died for his country at the age of forty-four, and was even more respected by the people of the country. The death of a famous general shocked the whole country. The Communist Party of China published an article "Mourning Deputy Master Zhou Yuan" in the "Xinhua Daily", saying that it "sadly regrets that the country has lost a good general." After the Japanese troops withdrew, the people of Mengcheng were filled with grief. They collected the remains of General Zhou and his subordinates and buried them in a tomb on the east side of Zhouzhuang Temple. A monument with the inscription "Martyrdom of Deputy Commander Zhou" was erected in front of the tomb, and the name of Chengguan Town in Mengcheng was changed to Zhou Yuan. Keep it in mind. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of General Zhou’s martyrdom for the country, Mengcheng County rebuilt the “Monument to General Zhou Yuan and the Soldiers who defended Mongolia in the Anti-Japanese War and Martyred for the Country.” In Guilin, where General Zhou fought, the local soldiers and civilians built the "Memorial Tower for Army Lieutenant General 173rd Division's Deputy Commander who died in the Anti-Japanese War." Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi wrote inscriptions "Benevolent for Righteousness" and "Loss of Qiancheng" to commemorate it. The folks in Mingjiang Town, Mingjiang County (now part of Ningming County), the hometown of General Zhou, once built a Martyrs' Shrine to place the memorial tablet of General Zhou. A giant bluestone monument was erected in front of the temple to highlight the heroes of the martyrs. Unfortunately, all the monuments and monuments were destroyed during the "Cultural Revolution". There is a brick-and-tile Zhuang-style house in the former residence. There is a memorial tablet of General Zhou in the main hall on the second floor of the inner room. There is a huge plaque hanging on the memorial tablet, with an inscription written by Li Zongren, "You Ji You Ning". Under the plaque hangs a photo of General Zhou in military uniform. Due to years of disrepair, the former residence was seriously damaged. In order to commemorate General Zhou Yuan, an elite of the Zhuang ethnic group, carry forward General Zhou's spirit of loyalty and service to the country, and inspire future generations, the Ningming County People's Government decided to allocate funds to build a memorial tower for General Zhou Yuan's anti-Japanese martyrdom in General Zhou's hometown.