The Xikou Anti-Japanese Martyrs' Tomb

The Xikou Anti-Japanese Martyrs' Tomb

The Xikou Anti-Japanese Martyrs' Tomb is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

Xikou is located northeast of Shangcheng County, Xinyang City, Henan Province today. The *Shangcheng County Annals* compiled during the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi era records: “Thirty li east of the county lies a mountain called Qingshan. Its peaks rise majestically through the mist, with grotesque rocks jutting out. Two cliffs stand opposite each other with a single path running between, hence the place is also known as ‘Xikou’ (the Gorge Mouth).” “Although it is on a main route, it is actually a remote and rugged area, full of steep and dangerous paths, where bandits and fierce beasts often roamed.” A Qing-era poem titled *Qingshan Gorge* reads: “Twin peaks soar to the heavens, the entire gorge shrouded in solemn aura. Tree hues blend with the sky as they fall, cloud emotions emerge from the deep valley.” The gorge is about 1.5 km long, with the valley floor ranging from 80 to 200 meters in width. The highest peak to the northwest is Yingzui Mountain, over 350 meters above sea level, while the highest to the southeast is Yanjia Mountain, at 240 meters. The Xinyang–Hefei highway runs through the gorge, serving as the throat for east-west military movement between Henan and Anhui, and has long been a strategic battleground. Seventy-seven years ago, the National Revolutionary Army fought fiercely here against Japanese invaders, engaging in an earth-shattering and heroic battle.

In the summer of 1938, Japanese invasion forces launched a major offensive toward Wuhan along both banks of the Yangtze River, advancing on five fronts. One of these forces moved westward along the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains in late August. On September 11, the Japanese captured Fushan Mountain, a strategic border stronghold between Henan and Anhui (located in Honghua Village, Chenlinzi Town, Gushi County). The 13th Division under Lieutenant General Teizo Ishiguro and the 16th Division under Lieutenant General Kesago Nakajima continued their westward advance through Fangjiaji, attempting to seize Shangcheng. They then planned to push south along the Shangcheng–Macheng Highway to break through the Dabie Mountains, take Macheng, and coordinate with enemy forces moving upriver from the west to encircle Wuhan.

On the 12th, when the 93rd Brigade of the 31st Division (commanded by Major General Chi Fengcheng) of the 30th Army, which had been dispatched to reinforce Fushan Mountain, arrived at Xikou, Brigade Commander Major General Ye Zibin learned that Fushan Mountain had fallen. He immediately led his troops to seize the high ground and deployed along the mountain ridge. Meanwhile, one regiment of the vanguard forces of the 51st Army under General Yu Xuezhong and approximately two battalions—remnants of the 36th and 88th Divisions of the 71st Army under Song Xilian, who had just withdrawn from Fushan Mountain—also reached Xikou. They set up defensive positions on the flanks around Yanjia Mountain and Yingzui Mountain, ready to ambush the Japanese forces.

By dusk on the 13th, the Japanese 16th and 13th Divisions entered Jiangpeng and Budian, east of Xikou, via Wumiao and Fangjiaji. At dawn on the 14th, the Japanese 13th and 16th Divisions launched a fierce assault on Xikou with superior numbers, supported by aerial bombing and artillery fire. The 93rd Brigade of the 31st Division under Chi Fengcheng and various units of the 51st Army under Yu Xuezhong held their ground from the elevated terrain, heroically repelling multiple enemy attacks. After their advance was stalled, the Japanese set up nineteen heavy and 60 mm cannons in Jiangpeng and Budian to bombard the defending forces’ positions at Xikou, while aircraft repeatedly bombed the mountaintops on both sides of the gorge. For a time, Xikou was engulfed in thick smoke, and the deafening roar of explosions filled the air. The Japanese then launched another fierce assault on Xikou, engaging in intense combat with the defenders until nightfall, yet still failed to break through our lines.

On the morning of the 15th, the 10th Division’s Sawada Detachment of the Japanese forces arrived from Zhangbai Ridge and Fangjiaji to reinforce the 13th and 16th Divisions. Under the cover of aircraft and artillery, they attacked Xikou again but were still unsuccessful. In the afternoon, the Japanese divided their forces into three routes: reinforcing the frontal assault to directly take Xikou, while simultaneously launching flanking maneuvers from the north and south, forming a three-sided encirclement. The left flank circled from Erdaohé and Siguodun to Hedian, while the right flank moved from Zhaopeng and Wangji to the county seat. The defending forces, undaunted, risked total annihilation and fought desperately against the surging enemies attacking from all sides.

By evening, the Japanese took advantage of rain and fog to approach our positions. Our troops engaged the enemy in fierce hand-to-hand and bayonet combat. The defenders, with towels wrapped around their heads and insignias tied to their arms, fought valiantly against the enemy in a scene of great heroism. The several-li-long valley was engulfed in a fiery inferno of iron and blood, with the sounds of battle shaking the heavens and earth. Ultimately, due to being outnumbered, our defending forces, after inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese, retreated while fighting on the early morning of the 16th, moving to the strategic mountain passes of Daquan Store and Shawo, south of Shangcheng, within the Dabie Mountains. Around 10 p.m. that evening, the Japanese captured Shangcheng County under the cover of aircraft and artillery.

The battle lasted three days, with the Japanese suffering heavy casualties, their bodies all burned nearby. Our army suffered over 7,840 casualties among officers and soldiers. Due to the urgency of the battle, many of the fallen heroes were left unburied on the mountains. On September 17, 1938, the second edition of the *Xinhua Daily* reported: “The enemy attacking Fangjiaji had part of its forces lured by our army to Xikou, forty li east of Shangcheng County. That area features overlapping mountains and treacherous paths. Our infantry and artillery are engaged in fierce combat in the perilous mountain terrain, with the situation extremely intense.” These few words pierce through the mists of time, making people feel as though the gunshots and bloodshed are still vividly before them.

After the battle, local gentry called for action: “These are martyrs who sacrificed their lives resisting the Japanese invaders. How can we, as descendants of the Yellow Emperor, allow their bones to be exposed to the elements?” By the spring of 1939, local residents around Xikou and the Taoist priests of Guanyinshan Temple had collected the remains of 1,878 anti-Japanese martyrs, along with countless fragmented remains. They selected a spot on the southern slope of the mountain by the Xikou highway, dug deep burial pits, and built mounds for interment, commonly referred to as the “Tomb of Ten Thousand Men.”

In 1944, local gentry and residents once again contributed funds to construct a massive tomb mound and worship platform, erecting a stele inscribed with “Central Army Anti-Japanese Martyrs’ Tomb.” The stele stands nearly two meters tall, bearing the inscription: “In the seventh month of the year of Wuyin, late in the lunar calendar, our National Army fought fiercely with the enemy at Shimen in Xikou. The shouts shook the heavens, and they held firm for several days. Countless lives were lost, corpses filled the green mountain valleys, and blood flowed through the ditches and ravines. The loyal souls and heroic bones were buried here, and this place was named: the Martyrs’ Tomb. Fearing that over time it would be forgotten, funds were raised to erect this stele as a permanent memorial.” A memorial hall was also built west of the tomb, where seasonal commemorations are held in spring and autumn.

Era: 1939

Location: Dongcun Village, Fengji Township, Shangcheng County

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Henan Province