馬將軍名占山，遼寧懷德人，青年從軍，勇猛善戰，步步高陞。九一八事變，日寇侵佔東三省，當局奉中央命，以「不抵抗」放棄東北。此時，黑龍江省主席萬福麟於北平養病，將軍代理主席，抵抗日軍。嫩江橋一仗，大挫日軍，名震中外，婦孺皆知，國人稱為民族英雄。李炎武將軍詩曰：「江橋一仗成英名，豪氣凌宵舉世駑，天地常存忠義魄，好扶民族運中興。」後因彈盡援絕，撤出東北，轉入俄境，由莫斯科轉道德國，返回南京。一九四五年秋，日本無條件投降，將軍歸故土，不勝有滄海桑田之感。
註解：
馬占山將軍，東北遼寧省懷德縣人，他青年的時候就投筆從戎，沒有讀過多少書。他生性「勇猛善戰」，智足多謀，「步步高陞」，官一年比一年陞得高。「九一八事變」時，「日寇侵佔東三省」。在佔領東三省的時候，你們說怎麼佔領？我現在就簡簡單單講。
「當局奉中央命」，中央那個時候就是國民政府，所有的人都要聽命於中央。當時中央派一個人和日本勾結，就把東北送給日本。因為要保持關內的土地，所以把東北三省送給日本，就等於獻給日本一樣。因此他就沒有法子向日本抵抗，因為已經送給人家了；人家來接收了，他還來抵抗，這麼是對不起人。因為拿東北送給人了，所以叫「不抵抗」。
那時候黑龍江那兒萬福麟做主席，去養病去了，馬占山代理主席職位，就互相開會，說我們到底打不打啊？中央下命令說不可以打，不抵抗，要鬧到國聯——那時不是聯合國，是國聯——去用外交交涉，來解決問題。
其實交涉什麼？中央默默中就和人家有協定，就要把東北送給日本人；把東北送禮，就講不抵抗。這可以說「外交途徑」交涉，就把這件事拖到國聯去，不了了之這樣子。
中央究竟情形什麼樣子，外邊不知道。當時經手人姓齊，現在還在臺灣任著，至今手奉中央的命令，和日本簽證秘密協定。所以「不抵抗」這裡頭有文章做的。
這樣子，馬占山也就和他們開會，討論說我們到底抵抗不抵抗呢？互相推說因為中央說不抵抗，所以就不能抵抗啊；我們若是抵抗，就違背中央命令了，所以就不抵抗。講完了，當時馬占山的參謀長李炎武將軍，當時大約二十多歲，是後起之秀。他就主張什麼？他說我們不能不抵抗，我們這裡的人要給日本下彈，要打他們。
那麼怎麼子打呢？於是又開會，討論要打或不打，結果還是不打。馬占山就把自己的手槍往桌子一放：「以後我們誰要再說不打，不和日本開戰的話，我就一槍給他槍斃。」這樣一來，沒有人敢說不打了！打了，就說在什麼地方埋伏，等日本過嫩江橋過了一半的時候就開火了，把日本軍隊打得落花流水，一敗塗地。由李炎武紀念馬占山這一仗的詩說著：
江橋一仗成英名 浩氣凌霄舉世驚
天地常存忠義魄 好扶民族運中興
「江橋一仗成英名」：在個嫩江橋一仗成義士，成英雄了。
「豪氣凌宵舉世驚」：馬占山這時候這一種豪氣干雲的氣概，沖到天上去，所以全世界，不是全中國，全世界中外的人都認眞起來，都說，「東北馬占山敢打日本，把日本打敗了。」以後他也常常和日本開戰，常常打仗。
日本那個坦克車很厲害的，據人家傳說，我也沒有實際去看去。他用什麼破坦克車呢？中國有搓麻繩那個麻，用沒有搓成的麻繩鋪上路上，一路上一路上鋪的麻，用膠水粘住了，坦克車一過輪子就不能轉了；不能轉，坦克車也沒有用了，就這麼樣子，所以他每一仗都打勝仗。
他有一種神通鬼沒用兵如神的智。這樣子馬占山的軍隊，在東北把日本打得很厲害的，所以叫抗日英雄，這是馬占山的情形。
黑龍江省主席萬福麟，他有個外號，叫什麼呢？叫萬半拉子。什麼叫半拉子？我東北莊稼人，鏟地才鏟半拉壟，所以叫半拉子。他年輕也是種田的，工作也不太好，也可以作半拉子，但是以後他做了省主席。那時候就因為眞的擋鬼子打土匪，一下就起來了。他說擋鬼，他們自己就結拜兄弟，萬福麟盤據東北，也就做了省主席了。
「於北京養病」，他在北京這養病，馬占山就代理萬福麟的職務。「於嫩江橋上一仗」，在嫩江橋上那一仗，「大挫日軍」，把日軍，就是日寇、日賊，都給他打敗了。「名震中外，婦孺皆知」，中國外國都知道，大人小孩子都知道，「國人稱為民族英雄」。李炎武將軍有詩給他說，就是方才說的。「後因彈盡援絕」，沒有人援助他，「撤出東北」，他才走了，到蘇聯境內。
以後就從莫斯科到德國去，從德國回到中國南京。一九四五年秋天，日本投降之後，將軍回到東北去了。「不勝有滄海桑田之感」。滄海變桑田，這是表示世事無定，沒有一定的，所以有很大的感觸。
待續
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Essay:
General Ma Zhanshan was a native of Laoning Province, Manchuria. In his youth he joined the army and exhibited impressive valor and prowess on the battlefield. Step-by-step he ascended the ranks.
On September 19, 1931, the Japanese Army invaded the three provinces of Manchuria. The provincial authorities had to accord with the Central Government's decision not to resist the enemy, but to relinquish Manchuria. It happened that Governor Wan Fulin of Heilongjiang (Black Dragon River) Province was ill and convalescing in Beiping (now called Beijing) at that time, and General Ma was appointed as the acting governor. The General won the Battle at Nen-Jiang Bridge and greatly demoralized the Japanese troops. His reputation rocked all of China and the world. Even women and children knew his name. His countrymen lauded him as their national hero. General Li Yanwu wrote a poem in praise of him that says:
The battle at Jiang Bridge forged his name of honor
His vast and proper energy soared to the skies and startled the whole world.
A spirit of loyalty and righteousness forever abides
in heaven and earth
To aid the people in changing the fate of China.
However, ammunition eventually ran out, and aid was not forthcoming, so the General had to withdraw from Manchuria. He escaped into Russian territory and from Moscow went to Germany, and eventually made his way back to Nanjing. In the fall of 1945, when the Japanese unconditionally surrendered, the General was able to return to his homeland. He was overwhelmed with the many changes that had transpired. It was as if the fields had turned into the ocean, and the ocean had turned into fields.
Commentary:
General Ma Zhanshan was a native of Laoning Province, Manchuria. The General was from Huaide county of Laoning Province of northeast China. In his youth he joined the army. When he was young, he gave up academics and joined the army, and exhibited impressive valor and prowess on the battlefield. By nature he was very brave and valiant, with a knack for the art of war. He was also very intelligent and had a sense of strategy. Step-by step he ascended the ranks. His official position was promoted each year.
On September 18, 1931, the Japanese Army invaded the three provinces of Manchuria, in the northeastern region of China. The provincial authorities had to accord with the Central Government's decision not to resist the enemy, but to relinquish Manchuria. At that time, the Nationalist Government made a secret pact with the Japanese, intending to give all three provinces of the Northeast Region (Manchuria) to Japan. The Japanese were about to come and take over Manchuria, and the Nationalist Government announced that China should not resist the enemy. Since the Central Government had given Manchuria away as a gift, it would not be right for the local governments to repel the Japanese.
It happened that Governor Wan Fulin of Heilongjiang Province was ill and convalescing in Beiping (now called Beijing) at that time, and General Ma was appointed as the acting governor. The Governor was recuperating in Beiping, and so General Ma acted as governor on his behalf and was managing official affairs.
Governor Wan Fulin was nicknamed "Half-a-job Wan." He had been a farmer before coming to office. For each furrow of weeds that the typical Manchurian farmer was able to dig, Wan Fulin could only dig half a furrow. He didn't do his work very well. Because he could get only half of his job done, he was called "Half-a-job Wan." He followed the warlord Zhang Zuolin. When Zhang Zuolin occupied Manchuria, he was made Governor of Heilongjiang Province.
The General won the battle at Nenjiang Bridge and greatly demoralized the Japanese troops. His reputation rocked all of China and the world, to the point that even women and children knew his name. His countrymen lauded him as their national hero. When the general was acting governor, he asked his staff if they should stand against the Japanese. Some of them said that the Central Government had given orders not to resist the enemy and had already taken the matter to the League of Nations (forerunner of the United Nations). The truth of the matter was that the Central Government used the excuse of "seeking a solution through a diplomatic course," hoping to drag the matter to the League of Nations, to drop it and put an end to it there. Outsiders were not aware of this arrangement. A person surnamed Qi signed the secret agreement with the Japanese, under the order of the Central Government. This person still lives in Taiwan right now—there are a lot of skeletons in the closet.
When General Ma discussed this with his staff, they said that by fighting the Japanese, they would be disobeying the Central Government's orders. And so it was decided that they would not resist the enemy. However, there was General Ma's military advisor, General Li Yanwu, who was only twenty-three or four at the time. He was young and promising, and the cream of the upcoming generation. He insisted on doing battle. He took the stand that they could not fail to resist the Japanese, and that they should fight. So the staff had another meeting to discuss whether or not they should fight. The staff again rejected the idea. This time General Man Zhanshan pulled out his pistol and set it on the table and said, "Whoever says again that we should not fight will be shot." Thereupon they decided to fight the Japanese. They opened fire on the enemy when the Japanese were halfway across Nenjiang Bridge. As a result, the Japanese troops were beaten so badly they were like "fallen blossoms on flowing water"; the soldiers were scattered and totally disorganized.
General Li Yanwu wrote a poem in praise of him that says: The battle of Jiang Bridge forged his name of honor. The battle at Nenjiang Bridge won great fame for General Ma. He had the wisdom of being able to appear and vanish suddenly, like the spirits and ghosts. That was how he won every battle. He also had the wisdom of "manipulating the troops with spirit-like energy." General Ma's troops defeated the Japanese army very badly. And so he is known a hero of war in resisting the Japanese. He was recognized both in China and abroad, by both adults and children.
His vast and proper energy soared to the skies and startled the whole world. A spirit of loyalty and righteousness forever abides in heaven and earth to aid the people in changing the fate of China. General Ma's spirit reached to the heavens. Not only the Chinese, but everyone in the world was shaken by his daring to fight the Japanese and defeating them. After this battle, there were other battles with the Japanese. The Japanese tanks were devastating. General Ma had his men cover the ground with hemp and then spread glue on top of it. When the Japanese tanks rolled over the hemp it stuck to the caterpillar treads and gummed up the works so that the tanks could not move and were rendered useless.
However, ammunition eventually ran out, and aid was not forthcoming, so the General had to withdraw from Manchuria. Because ammunition ran out and no military aid was coming he left Manchuria. He escaped into Russian territory, and from Moscow went to Germany, and eventually made his way back to Nanjing. After leaving Manchuria, he went to Russia and on to Moscow. From Moscow, he came back to Nanjing, China.
In the fall of 1945, when the Japanese unconditionally surrendered,the General was able to return to his homeland. He was overwhelmedwith the many changes that had transpired. It was as if the mulberry Fields had turned into the ocean, and the ocean had turned backinto the mulberry fields. General Ma returned to his homeland, Manchuria, after the Japanese surrendered and was overwhelmed bythe uncertainty of the affairs in the world.
To be continued |
