December 13, 1937, 2:30 AM:

Further ahead lay Maqun and Baishui Bridge, two locations that were originally key defensive points for the Nationalist army.

When Liu Laopao led his team to Maqun, the anticipated Japanese soldiers were nowhere to be found.

There were only the Nationalist army's former defense positions, not a single Japanese soldier in sight.

Since they hadn't encountered any Japanese soldiers, his team, being the vanguard of the Special Operations Company, naturally had to continue running forward.

Anyway, they were advancing along the highway, so there was no fear of getting lost.

When they rushed into the Baishui Bridge defensive line, they still didn't encounter any Japanese soldiers.

Liu Laopao was familiar with Baishui Bridge, having fought there before.

But still, there were no Japanese soldiers to be found.

Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

Liu Laopao didn't know. All he knew was that his squad could still run, so they would just keep charging forward.

Liu Laopao led the Second Squad forward, all the way to Qilin Gate. This place was already fourteen or fifteen *li* away from Nanjing City. By this time, it was already 3 AM.

They encountered a Japanese camp again.

Colonel Noda Kengo led the remaining few hundred soldiers of his regiment up the mountain.

They nervously set up defensive positions on the mountain, and were overjoyed to discover that the teams that had attacked them hadn't followed.

However, tonight was destined to be an uneasy night.

Just as they were preparing to descend the mountain, another burst of noise came from below. Although they couldn't see clearly,

the Japanese soldiers of the 33rd Regiment could tell that there were at least a hundred people down there.

Although they didn't know who they were, they had no intention of going down to question them.

These people gradually moved away, and the Japanese soldiers of the 33rd Regiment sat on the mountain, watching the events unfold.

After some time, a long convoy of vehicles drove over from the direction of Nanjing.

The bright headlights cut through the pitch-black night, creating a long line in the darkness. It was a convoy that only had a beginning, with no end in sight.

The Japanese soldiers of the 33rd Regiment standing on the mountain were dumbfounded. Whose convoy was this? Such a long line of vehicles!

Could it be the Empire's?

In their view, the defending forces in Nanjing City couldn't possibly deploy such a long convoy.

It could only be the Empire's convoy. Could it be that Nanjing City had fallen, and the Empire was already transporting supplies from Nanjing to the rear?

When the convoy got closer, the Japanese soldiers on the mountain heard the rumbling of the engines and immediately recognized the sound.

It was the sound of their own tanks! There was no mistake now, the people below were their own!

The soldiers of the Special Operations Company had long developed a habit: when wearing Japanese uniforms, they would remain silent if possible.

The long convoy continued to move forward. The vehicles at the front continued onward, while a few vehicles stopped here, preparing to load goods.

Further back, a mule and horse team slowly followed.

However, the sounds of the mule and horse team were much noisier.

Colonel Noda Kengo became excited and immediately led his team down the mountain.

The impulsive soldiers of the 33rd Regiment, only concerned with their joy, descended the mountain in the dark.

They wanted to return the way they had come and issue a warning to those teams still stopped in front of the stone tablet. Of course, if this team could help them chase down the team that had just bullied them and give them a good beating, that would be even better.

Jia Shusheng and his hundred-plus men had their heavy machine guns set up for almost half an hour, and they were already itching for action.

They could hear the voices of Japanese soldiers on the mountain, but they couldn't determine the exact location of the enemy.

Now, they finally heard the voices of the Japanese soldiers getting closer and closer, clearly indicating that they were coming down the mountain.

This discovery made Jia Shusheng extremely happy.

He whispered, "Wait a little longer. Let all the Japanese soldiers come down the mountain before we attack!"

How could they determine when all the Japanese soldiers had come down the mountain on such a night?

They would rely solely on Jia Shusheng's word.

Noda Kengo was a veteran of many battles. When descending the mountain, he deliberately chose to let his soldiers go first.

He fully displayed the demeanor of a modest and courteous regimental commander.

His team still had five or six hundred Japanese soldiers, and some chose to remain on the mountain.

In any case, the regiment would definitely not have any actions tonight.

Jia Shusheng could already vaguely see the figures of the Japanese soldiers in the darkness. The enemy was almost within ten meters.

He gave the order, "Fire!"

Just as the ten heavy machine guns started firing, four deep, heavy explosions rang out twenty meters in front of them.

These were directional mines that Jia Shusheng had specifically ordered to be planted in advance.

Mines as the main attack, machine guns as a supplement.

As soon as the gunfire rang out, Battalion Commander Noda Kengo immediately turned around and tried to run back.

However, the iron pellets fired from the directional mines couldn't catch up to him.

With just these four explosions, several hundred Japanese soldiers fell, and the heavy machine guns stopped firing in less than two minutes.

The soldiers of the Third Squad, carrying rifles, rushed forward. Jia Shusheng fired a flare into the distance, wanting to see where the Japanese soldiers had run.

Using the remaining light of the flare, the soldiers of the Third Squad quickly cleared the battlefield.

The heavy machine guns opened fire again, targeting the Japanese soldiers who were still struggling to climb up the mountain.

The teams that had been resting in the open space in front of Xiaoling Tomb were already setting off.

Lin Fan heard the sound of explosions coming from the direction where the Third Squad was ambushing.

Without waiting, he trusted that Jia Shusheng could handle it.

He needed to move his team further away.

They were still too close to Nanjing.

When Colonel Noda Kengo returned to the fortifications on the mountain and sat down, he was still wondering: Whose team was this?

So many cars, tanks, and a mule and horse team in the back – it didn't seem like something the Nationalist army would have!

Now, he and his soldiers were astonished to see that in the pale light of the flares, the soldiers clearing the battlefield were also wearing the same uniforms as them, and their weapons were also Type 38 rifles.

He couldn't understand why this team was bullying them so much.

Was it just because they were too weak?

Jia Shusheng, of course, didn't know about Colonel Noda Kengo's resentment. He only ordered his team to take the weapons and ammunition.

There wasn't enough time to clear more supplies. His team needed to catch up with the main force as quickly as possible and get to the front.

When the team reached Baishui Bridge, they were already twenty *li* away from Nanjing City.

Looking at the time, it was already five in the morning.

They had only traveled ten kilometers after rushing out of Nanjing City all night. This speed was a bit slow.

Lin Fan, who had originally planned to let the team rest here, had to order them to speed up their advance.

At six o'clock, the Special Operations Company's convoy arrived at Qilin Gate, where Jia Shusheng's Third Squad was guarding.

Lin Fan ordered, "The entire company will rest here for two hours and eat breakfast.

Inform the First and Second Squads at the front that the distance between them and the main force should not exceed five kilometers."

Xiao Dongbei's cavalry had been serving as messengers these days.

Three messengers immediately rushed out to deliver the orders.

Hearing that they would be resting here for two hours, Old Man Qian got out of the car.

Throughout the journey, only the Qian family and the Sheng Shicai family had been sitting in the cars.

The soldiers of the Special Operations Company had all been running alongside the vehicles.

After getting out of the car, Sheng Shicai quickly started preparing food. He was now truly a squad leader.

He had twenty-seven soldiers under his command. This was the Special Operations Company's long-standing habit – each squad would send three soldiers to cook.

In the past, they would just cook casually, but now that they had a squad leader, the soldiers who were temporarily assigned to help were extremely happy.

Although they had only eaten the food he made once, the food made by someone who ran a restaurant was definitely different from that made by ordinary people.

Only now did Sheng Shicai realize that this company was extraordinary. Everyone had dried meat, and half a car was filled with horse legs.

The company commander had ordered that there must be meat for breakfast.

Although he didn't understand fighting, he knew that this team was able to come out of Nanjing City and get here as if they were just traveling normally.

He knew what that meant.

While instructing the soldiers to cut meat and vegetables, he also had time to talk to Wang Yufen. "I'm telling you, Yufen!

Company Commander Lin might be right. We really can become generals in Sichuan!"

"What do you know now?"

"Think about it! So many of us came out of Nanjing City unscathed and made it all the way here.

That means Sichuan can fight! Heroes emerge in times of chaos. We've found a treasure in our family."

Sheng Menghan knew that Chen Sichuan had led the team as the vanguard last night, rushing ahead of the entire force.

Now wasn't the time to look for him. Hearing what her father said, she felt a little embarrassed.

She said in a low voice, "Dad! What are you talking about!"

The soldiers from the First Squad who had come to help with the cooking immediately cheered for their squad leader. "Old Squad Leader, you really have an eye for talent. Our Squad Leader is the First Squad Leader. What's the First Squad?

Of course, it's the number one squad to be called the First Squad."

There was nothing wrong with that statement. The first squad was called the First Squad.

However, this made the soldiers of the Ninth Squad unhappy. "Aren't you saying that our Ninth Squad is the ninth?"

"Isn't it? Did you want to be the Tenth Squad?"

This statement left the soldiers of the Ninth Squad speechless. This was mainly because they had only joined when the Jiangyin Fortress was breached.

Their confidence was still not as strong as that of the soldier from the First Squad.

This was because this soldier had personally witnessed the company commander killing people with a gun at the Sihang Warehouse and then establishing the Special Operations Company.

Sheng Shicai was willing to listen to this soldier. He wanted to know more about Chen Sichuan.

He only had one daughter, and he wanted to rely on his son-in-law to take care of him in his old age.

The soldier didn't disappoint him and immediately began to tell the must-hear stories of Chen Sichuan.

As dawn broke, Lieutenant General Nakajima Kesago of the 16th Division learned that one of his regiments had been completely annihilated.

The 38th Regiment had suffered heavy losses in an attack by Nationalist troops breaking out of the city the previous night. By dawn, the entire regiment had only gathered less than five hundred soldiers.

When it rains, it pours!

The 33rd Regiment also reported an unhappy message: they had also been attacked by a team with a large convoy the previous night, and only three hundred and twenty-three soldiers remained in the entire regiment.

Careful soldiers of the 33rd Regiment specifically counted one hundred and eight vehicles, and countless mules and horses.

When Lieutenant General Nakajima Kesago of the 16th Division heard about the one hundred and eight vehicles, his previously excited mood instantly soured.

Did they think this was the *Water Margin*? Were they going to play with thirty-six Heavenly Spirits and seventy-two Earthly Fiends?

Hearing the reports from the surviving soldiers of the 38th Regiment that the Zhongshan Gate had been opened and that soldiers had already entered without encountering any resistance,

Lieutenant General Nakajima Kesago immediately ordered, "The entire division will enter the city immediately!"

The order that the China Area Army had privately conveyed to the soldiers' ears was remembered by every soldier:

Seven days of unchecked freedom upon entering the city.

This was a chance to get rich, and no soldier wanted to miss it.

The 618th Regiment of the 103rd Division, guarding the Zhonghua Gate side.

December 13, 1937, dawned.

The soldiers of the 618th Regiment opened their eyes and looked at the city wall to the right, using the light of day.

Why wasn't there a single friendly unit?

Wan Shi-tong received the report and looked to the left of the position. The friendly units that had been guarding the left were also gone.

He quickly called, but no one answered.

Now he knew: the entire army must have retreated.

While cursing inwardly, he wondered how to escape.

He hadn't received the retreat order, let alone the retreat plan.

As a mere regimental commander who had only arrived in Nanjing, he didn't know the surrounding situation at all. He wasn't familiar with the terrain, so he didn't even know which way to run.

He remembered arriving at the Xiaguan Wharf, and now he should still be able to cross the river at Xiaguan.

He immediately led his team towards Xiaguan.

At this time, the Japanese launched another artillery barrage on Zhonghua Gate.

When Wan Shi-tong led his team to Yijiang Gate, it was still crowded and chaotic.

Many bodies of soldiers and warhorses were lying on the ground.

These soldiers were either trampled to death after being pushed to the ground or beaten to death in disputes.

The soldiers of the 618th Regiment, seeing the surging crowd in front of them, immediately became chaotic as well.

Everyone joined the crowded flow of people, scrambling to be the first.

In less than two minutes, half of Wan Shi-tong's regiment had run away.

He now wanted to find another place to leave the city.

If he wanted to find another place to leave the city, he would go to Shuixi Gate.

Wan Shi-tong, accompanied by seven soldiers from his guard platoon, encountered a team of thirteen Japanese soldiers rushing out from around the corner before they even reached Shuixi Gate.

The seven soldiers from the guard platoon were so frightened that they turned around and fled.

Wan Shi-tong, who was at the front, couldn't escape as he faced the Japanese soldiers.

The thirteen Japanese soldiers shouted, raised their bayonets, and charged forward.

Wan Shi-tong could only fight it out.

Holding a rifle, the two sides moved towards each other from a distance of less than three meters.

Regimental Commander Wan only took three steps before encountering the first Japanese soldier, who thrust and retracted his bayonet.

He shifted his foot to the left, letting the Japanese soldier continue to charge forward.

Wan Shi-tong continued to thrust and retract his rifle at the Japanese soldier charging from the left.

On the third step, he killed another Japanese soldier.

His series of three steps, each killing a person, shocked the charging Japanese soldiers.

They shouted even louder than they had during their charge and turned to flee.

Wan Shi-tong knew that he had to be aggressive at this time. He chased after the ten Japanese soldiers alone, thrusting and retracting his bayonet, catching up with and killing two more soldiers.

Seeing the fleeing Japanese soldiers disappearing around the corner, he turned around and ran wildly.

There were still eight Japanese soldiers on the other side!

Those Japanese soldiers had only been intimidated by his aura.

Thinking about how he had killed a person with each step, killing five Japanese soldiers in a row, he couldn't help but feel proud.

He didn't dare to go to Shuixi Gate, so he could only return to Yijiang Gate.

It was still crowded here. He thought about it, climbed onto the city wall, untied his leggings, and tied them together.

He lowered them down from the wall.

When he escaped to the riverbank, he finally squeezed onto a boat.

At this time, he saw that the river was full of soldiers who couldn't squeeze onto the boat, hugging a piece of wood and plunging into the Yangtze River.

Many people only managed to paddle a few dozen meters before being hit by a wave, sinking into the water, never to be seen again.

The Yangtze River already had wind and waves, and with the impact of the waves caused by passing ships, few of the soldiers with their own river-crossing equipment survived.

Thinking that his regiment of more than a thousand people had been reduced to just himself crossing the river, he was filled with emotion. The grand and vigorous defense of Nanjing had ended like this.

He didn't know that Xie Chengrui, the commander of the Second Regiment of the Central Training Corps, who had refused to lead his team to charge with Lin Fan at Zhongshan Gate yesterday, had fallen in front of Yijiang Gate at this time.

He had been pushed to the ground and trampled to death at the city gate while trying to leave the city.

The most elite Central Training Corps in the entire country had not been annihilated by the Japanese attack, but had all died during the retreat.

At this time, Tang Shengzhi had no choice but to condescend and sit on an ox cart that still had cow dung on it.

He, who had always been pampered, could no longer walk after only two hours of night travel and had to endure his disgust and sit on the ox cart.

The Qian family of ten had followed the Special Operations Company yesterday and, although they hadn't had to walk, they also felt tired.

Old Man Qian was unusually silent. He just walked around during the two-hour rest, picking up a piece of shrapnel from the ground.

He said to his daughter, "This is good steel. It would be perfect for making a knife."

Qian Jiao took the palm-sized piece of shrapnel, which clearly had "USA" stamped on it.

"This is a Westerner's shell. How is it here?"

Old Man Qian said bitterly, "Easterners, Westerners, they are all foreigners! They are united in their interests. We may not be able to avoid cooperating with these foreigners in the future."

Qian Jiao widened her eyes. "We cooperate with foreigners? What can we give them?"

"People! People are always the most important.

When the authorities in power know this, they will succeed.

Forgetting this means the beginning of their decline."

Qian Jiao didn't understand. "People, don't we have four hundred million? Why can't we defeat the Japanese?"

"Because no one treats these people as people! When someone truly treats these four hundred million people as people, the Japanese will be destroyed," Old Man Qian said with a sigh.

Just as they were about to start eating, a group of planes flew over from the north.

Lin Fan immediately came to the anti-aircraft gun. As long as they stopped during the day, these guns would immediately enter firing mode.

Although they were now wearing Japanese uniforms, Lin Fan never placed his hopes on the Japanese being careless.

Pilot Tamogawa Haruki flew over their heads and said to the other planes in his formation, "There's our convoy below. It's quite a large convoy. It should be the Tenth Army Corps' supply convoy."

He didn't notice that the front of the convoy below was heading away from Nanjing.

Today, Lin Fan finally didn't actively provoke the Japanese planes.

During the two-hour rest, the soldiers of the Special Operations Company carefully cleaned up the hundreds of Japanese soldiers that the Second Squad had killed here the previous night.

This time, they were seriously cleaning up. Not only did they collect the weapons and ammunition, but they also gathered all the Japanese soldiers' uniforms, shoes, socks, and bedding and put them in the convoy.

The Sheng family of three were all helping in the cooking squad. Wang Yufen had been used to assisting her husband all her life.

Sheng Menghan usually did these things at home, and now she had nothing else to do.

Lin Fan very much approved of their behavior and said to Wang Yufen, "If you're willing to join us, I'll give you a share of the salary."

"I want one too!" Sheng Menghan certainly wouldn't let the money go to waste.

Coming from a family of small business owners, she certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Of course, she didn't know what kind of results her initiative would bring to her life.

Lin Fan only regretted that his team wasn't big enough and that he didn't have enough manpower, and he immediately agreed.

After the entire company had eaten and rested for a while, they officially set off at eight o'clock.

When they set off again, perhaps it was because it was daylight, but the Qian family began to feel tired.

Sitting in the car, they began to doze off one by one.

Near noon, a messenger ran back to report, "The First, Second, and Third Squads are being blocked at the front, encountering a large group of Japanese soldiers.

The front is six *li* away from the main force."

Lin Fan hadn't expected that the Japanese China Area Army's headquarters was really in Tangshan.

There was no other explanation.

He immediately ordered, "The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth Squads, speed up and run to the front to reinforce them.

The mule and horse team continues to advance.

Starting from here, the Seventh Squad will prepare to intercept the pursuing troops from behind. The direct-controlled squad will advance three *xing* and set up an artillery position to support the Seventh Squad.

After the Ninth Squad goes to the rear, they will use heavy artillery to blast open the Japanese defense line after arriving at the Japanese defense position."

At this time, Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, commander of the Japanese Shanghai Expeditionary Army, was in the Tangshan headquarters.

Limping with a leg injured from a riding accident, he was loudly ordering inside the headquarters, "Have the soldiers hold on! Hold on!

Issue orders to the troops in Nanjing: rush to reinforce us!"

Liu Laopao, Chen Sichuan, and Jia Shusheng's three squads had finally come together after receiving Lin Fan's notification not to be more than ten *li* away from the main force.

When the Special Operations Company officially set off at eight o'clock, they set off at the same time.

Nothing had originally happened along the way. Not only were there no Japanese soldiers, but there weren't even any pedestrians.

However, this didn't mean that they hadn't noticed anyone spying on them.

In the nearby mountains, some local villagers had fled to the mountains and were watching the team walking on the highway.

In fact, there were other people in the mountains watching them: this was a team that had retreated last night. They had separated from the main force and were now watching the Japanese team on the highway from the mountains.

However, these soldiers, although there were still hundreds of them, no longer dared to actively attack the Japanese team, which was clearly three companies strong, below the mountains.

Chen Sichuan and the others had been walking along fine.

After entering Tangshan, they encountered a Japanese checkpoint in front of them.

Now Chen Sichuan's First Squad was dumbfounded: there were no soldiers in his squad who could speak Japanese.

Among these three squads, Ji Guohen could speak Japanese, but he was in the Second Squad, and he was still behind them.

Chen Sichuan and the others had already been exposed to the Japanese soldiers, and stopping would only increase the Japanese soldiers' suspicion of them. In this situation, Chen Sichuan could only bite the bullet and go forward.

When they were still fifty meters away from the Japanese sentry post, Japanese soldiers were already pointing at the pushcarts they were pushing and saying something.

These were the Special Operations Company's improvised armored vehicles. Before Chen Sichuan could open his mouth, the improvised armored vehicles had already opened fire.

There was no other reason. It was just that a Japanese soldier was pointing in this direction and was switching the rifle he was carrying on his back to his chest.

This was a dangerous signal.

One heavy machine gun opened fire, and the two heavy machine guns lined up next to it also opened fire.

Chen Sichuan and the others immediately launched an attack.

There were only a dozen Japanese soldiers at this checkpoint, and they were swept away.

Four hundred meters behind this checkpoint, many Japanese soldiers immediately popped their heads out.

At the same time, machine guns began to fire from the hillside behind them.

Mortar shells were even being fired down.

Chen Sichuan was furious. In this day and age, who didn't have a mortar?

His team even had infantry guns.

The artillery in the front opened fire, and Liu Laopao, who was following closely behind, was already anxious.

His artillery also joined the battle.

Jia Shusheng's Third Squad was naturally unwilling to fall behind.

The three squads had six Type 92 infantry guns and eighteen mortars firing back at the Japanese soldiers.

Two teams with identical equipment were fighting in Tangshan.

This amazed the Nationalist soldiers and villagers who were watching the two teams from afar.

Now those Nationalist soldiers who had escaped knew, "This team that came out of Nanjing should be the same as us.

But I don't know how so many soldiers found so much Japanese equipment.

They even have Japanese infantry guns and mortars."

The place where they were stationed was the Japanese Shanghai Expeditionary Army headquarters, and Commander Asaka Yasuhiko was originally in a very good mood.

He had received news that the Imperial warriors had entered Nanjing City and were advancing in an orderly manner.

It was only a matter of time before Nanjing City was completely occupied.

Commander Asaka Yasuhiko, who was in a cheerful mood, was thinking that he could enter Nanjing City today at the latest, and that he must organize a grand ceremony on this history-making day.

Commander Asaka Yasuhiko, who was already imagining how to organize the ceremony, was awakened by the sudden sound of gunfire.

His mood instantly turned unpleasant.

The sound of explosions that followed made his mood even more unpleasant.

The subsequent report made him furious: a team wearing Imperial soldiers' uniforms, with all Imperial weapons and equipment, was attacking his headquarters.

This immediately reminded him of his nephew, Fujiwara Yuma, who was also equipped with all national army equipment and disguised as Nationalist soldiers.

Now there was even a team that had learned this trick.

Had they come up with a full Imperial army equipment, disguised as Imperial soldiers?

It seemed that this team knew that he was here and had deliberately come to capture him.

Guarding here in Tangshan was the direct-controlled unit of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army headquarters, with two infantry battalions.

Now they were occupying favorable terrain, blocking the advance of Chen Sichuan, Liu Laopao, and the others.

The Japanese soldiers all knew that Prince Asaka Yasuhiko behind them was not just a commander.

He was someone worth defending with their lives.

Therefore, these Japanese soldiers fought extremely stubbornly. As long as they were not dead, they would keep fighting.

Sergeant Yamaga Yusuke was such a soldier. When he saw Commander Asaka Yasuhiko's staggering steps in the camp these days,

he wished that he could turn into a handful of earth on the ground, raising a layer to make Commander Asaka Yasuhiko's way of walking not so strange.

Of course, his wish could not be fulfilled. Commander Asaka Yasuhiko still walked around the camp with his ridiculous steps.

Sergeant Yamaga Yusuke was still quietly staying in his position, boredly watching the clouds in the sky.

Today was another boring day, Sergeant Yamaga Yusuke thought when he saw the rising sun in the east.

At nine o'clock, there was a burst of intense gunfire from the checkpoint.

He jumped up at once, and his excitement was beyond words. The time had finally come to be loyal to Commander Asaka Yasuhiko.

Soon these soldiers were dispatched because the enemies charging up in front were too powerful.

They had already beaten the troops of today's duty officer, Lieutenant Yoshizumi Takuya, so badly that they couldn't lift their heads.

This was just a saying inside the expeditionary army headquarters. In fact, Yoshizumi Takuya's company had all been destroyed in the first quarter of an hour of the battle.

Of course, news of this horrifying nature could not be allowed to reach ordinary soldiers.

In fact, Chen Sichuan and Liu Laopao were very dissatisfied with their combat progress, after only advancing fifty meters in a quarter of an hour.

The Japanese soldiers today were unusually stubborn, fighting to the death. They were really fighting to the death.

The Japanese soldiers' firepower was strong, not a bit worse than that of their three squads.

At the same time, they also occupied favorable terrain. If they weren't retreating, they had to pass through here.

In ordinary times, Chen Sichuan and Liu Laopao would never have fought such an unprofitable battle.

The entire Shanghai Expeditionary Army headquarters was now in chaos.

It was in a mess, and in the eyes of these Japanese soldiers, all of them combined were not as important as a single hair on Commander Asaka Yasuhiko's head.

This was the uncle of the god!

These headquarters commanders were sending out requests for help with all means possible.

Telephones, telegrams, messengers, all were sent out.

The closest to the Tangshan Japanese Shanghai Expeditionary Army headquarters was of course Nakajima Kesago's division.

Knowing that Commander Asaka Yasuhiko was in danger, the 18th Division immediately organized twenty vehicles and sent three elite companies to Tangshan to reinforce them.

It was thirty kilometers from Zhongshan Gate in Nanjing to Tangshan, and although the road was difficult, this Japanese advance team didn't care about anything now.

Even though the Japanese soldiers in the carriages were suffering from the bumps, they had to endure them. They were now going to save the star of the empire, and everything was secondary.

Yang Daren's squad from the Seventh Squad, who were guarding the rear for the Special Operations Company, had set up directional mines along the highway over a range of thousands of meters after learning that the First and Second Squads' advance had been blocked.

The soldiers who were pulling the detonator wires were ambushed on both sides of the road, and they had only one order: "When the heavy machine guns in front open fire, the mines on the road can be detonated where there are Japanese soldiers."

The twenty vehicles sent by the 18th Division made Yang Daren's mouth water.

Now everyone in the Special Operations Company knew how to drive, but there weren't enough cars for them to drive.

Now these twenty-odd vehicles were destined to be left behind.

Battalion Commander Izosaki Yuji, who personally led his three companies to the rescue,

was frightened and shouted to stop when he suddenly saw the heavy machine guns blocking the road ahead.

As he issued the order, the heavy machine guns in front opened fire.

The Type 92 infantry guns also opened fire, and only one shell blew up the car he was riding in.

Behind them, a series of explosions rang out.

The battle had actually ended as soon as it had begun.

These twenty-odd vehicles had a total convoy length of more than two hundred meters.

Being hit by the bombs that the Seventh Squad had placed every thirty meters, they basically had no ability to resist.

Then, with Yang Daren's organization of his team's charge, this team was gone.

Battalion Commander Yang kindly pushed the vehicles in this team that hadn't caught fire to the side of the road.

He continued to replenish the locations where bombs had just been used, preparing for the next use.

The second reinforcement team dispatched by the 16th Division was cavalry, and a cavalry battalion of more than five hundred men was rushing along the road.

It wasn't just the 16th Division that sent reinforcements.

At this time, all the divisions attacking Nanjing, regardless of their distance from Tangshan, were sending teams over.

Even the Okasaki Detachment that had landed on the north bank of the Yangtze River was sending people to cross the river. They also wanted to send people to support Tangshan.

The teams were dispatched, but whether or not they could arrive in time was one thing. Whether or not to send a team was another.

Any team that didn't send a team at this time must be disloyal to Commander Asaka Yasuhiko.

Disloyalty to Commander Asaka Yasuhiko was disloyalty to the supreme king of the empire, which was a matter of principle and could not be tolerated.

When Lin Fan led his team to Tangshan, he was also blocked by the situation in front of him. There were many mountains and ponds here, large mountains, and small mountains. The Japanese soldiers were on the mountains, blocking the road from a high position.

Seeing this situation, Lin Fan immediately ordered, "Drag the anti-aircraft machine guns up."

He was going to do it himself.

The Shanghai Expeditionary Army's frantic request for reinforcements was first met by a group of Japanese soldiers falling from the sky.

This was a decision made by the Air Combat Team after receiving the request for reinforcements, after the Third and Second Fleets on the Yangtze River urgently discussed it:

First, send a team of planes to reinforce and suppress the attacking troops.

Then, organize a 500-man Marine Corps to airdrop to the location of the Tangshan Shanghai Expeditionary Army headquarters to replenish troops.

At the same time, send teams from Jurong and Chunhua behind Tangshan to support.

However, there were not many Japanese soldiers with combat effectiveness in these two places. There were many medics and wounded soldiers.

Now these two places were organizing lightly wounded soldiers, preparing to go to Tangshan to support them.

Before Lin Fan had a chance to fire the first shot, he heard the familiar sound of plane engines overhead.

He could only have the two tanks in his team rush to the front, followed by the machine guns.

Just as Lin Fan arrived at the anti-aircraft gun position, enemy planes appeared from the top of the mountain.

He fired at the planes that had just appeared.

Today, the Japanese planes were really willing to crash in droves rather than run away.

After the first batch of seventeen planes crashed and no more planes came over,

Lin Fan bombarded the Japanese positions that could be seen in the distance with the anti-aircraft gun.

But even so, those Japanese soldiers still didn't retreat. They wouldn't retreat until they were all dead.

The First, Second, and Third Squads of the Special Operations Company all pressed forward.

The Fourth and Fifth Squads had climbed over the mountains and were preparing to attack from the other side of the mountain.

Listening to the continuous gunfire in front, the Qian family was a little anxious.

Qian Youcai's face also changed a little. The convoy hadn't moved forward an inch in half an hour.

The Qian family couldn't sleep, only Old Man Qian was snoring loudly.

The Qian family didn't dare to disturb him and could only walk around anxiously.

Commander Asaka Yasuhiko listened to the reports from his staff officers and also saw his soldiers desperately resisting.

However, the team that had come to attack was too strong. Even the most elite troops of the empire couldn't stop their advance.

Fortunately, Commander Asaka Yasuhiko had received a telegram from the Third Fleet that reinforcements would arrive on the battlefield in five minutes.

Before that, another wave of fighters rushed over.

Company Commander Suita Naoya issued an order to the entire air squadron: "The entire empire is watching us. His Majesty's uncle is below, facing the danger of being captured by the enemy. We must stop this team at all costs."

The team watching the battle from afar saw the familiar eighty-eight-millimeter anti-aircraft gun, and a soldier who recognized it spoke up.

"Isn't that the weapon of the Special Operations Company of the 88th Division?"

Looking at the one hundred and fifty-millimeter heavy artillery in the team, these had been used in Nanjing, and the defenders of the city knew it.

Now these heavy artillery were firing again.

Commander Asaka Yasuhiko was startled by the loud noises outside and repeatedly asked, "Whose shells are these?"

When he learned that these were shells fired by the defending troops on the opposite side, he could no longer remain calm.

He immediately ordered, "The headquarters will retreat to Jurong!"

He had been unwilling to leave all along, just because he was afraid of losing face. Now the team on the opposite side had heavy artillery, and the strength was seriously unequal.

Giving him a chance to step down, the Shanghai Expeditionary Army headquarters immediately retreated.

At the same time as they were retreating, the transport planes had arrived. Lin Fan saw that there were paratroopers coming down in the air.

Even though they were now mortal enemies, he admired the