Chapter 16 A Hundred Men

While Lin Fan was searching for food, the Japanese army, after resting for less than an hour, launched another attack on the Zhabei Railway Station.

The magnificent four-story waiting building, once so impressive, had been reduced to a concrete framework on the first floor after three months of Japanese bombing.

Battalion Commander Yang Ruifu directed his soldiers, using the ruins of the building to construct fortifications.

They established shelters and firing points, dodging the rain of falling shells.

After two rounds of shelling, a piercing whistle came from the sky: the sound of aerial bombs dropped by Japanese bombers rapidly descending.

These bombs often destroyed an entire company's defense line with a single strike.

Whenever this happened, the Nationalist soldiers could only pray that the bombs would not land on their positions.

Fortunately, the accuracy of these bombs was not high, and the defense line was able to hold for the time being.

Battalion Commander Yang had been fighting in Shanghai with his troops for more than two months.

His battalion, which initially had a full complement of eight hundred men, had been replenished five times, and now only four hundred and seventy-three remained.

The intense bombing had just ended, and the Japanese in front of the position were beginning to peek out again.

The quality of the replenished soldiers was worse with each batch.

Fortunately, these men were still very enthusiastic about resisting the Japanese, although soldiers occasionally went missing.

Most of the soldiers were still able to hold their ground on the battlefield.

Watching the enemies in helmets cautiously approach the station.

Machine Gun Company Commander Lei Xiong hid in the bunker, nervously watching the Japanese approach his position step by step.

Last night, he had led his sixty-odd men to quietly work in the ruins in front of the railway station all night.

They had managed to build three hidden bunkers, each with two machine guns and one water-cooled heavy machine gun.

He was waiting for this moment.

Since the beginning of the station's defense battle this morning, his machine gun company had been conspicuously absent.

He had watched the Japanese walk past him and attack the brothers defending the station.

Lei Xiong could not move without orders!

His machine gun company could not move without the battalion commander's order!

Lei Xiong's machine gun company was now hidden on the Japanese army's inevitable path of attack.

Less than a hundred meters from the main position.

Every time the Japanese attacked, bullets from both sides hit the top of the hidden bunkers.

The noisy sounds made the soldiers inside the bunkers' hearts clench, never relaxing.

During the most recent Japanese attack, the battalion commander had even sent out the reserve team.

But he still hadn't allowed his ambush force to fire.

This time, the Japanese had sent a full company!

A Japanese platoon generally consisted of a 7-man platoon headquarters, three 13-man squads, and an 8-man grenade launcher squad equipped with three grenade launchers, totaling 54 men.

In an enhanced configuration, each squad had 15 men and an additional grenade launcher, for a total of 62 men per platoon.

This time, the Japanese sent a normal company.

The three platoons each had fifty-four men, plus nineteen men in the company headquarters, for a total of one hundred and eighty-one men.

They were carefully rushing towards the position from the front.

It was clear that the Japanese were intensifying their attack this time.

The battalion commander finally issued the signal: "Machine guns! Machine gun company, prepare!"

Yang Ruifu's roar did not attract much attention from either side.

Only Lei Xiong understood that this was a signal for his company to prepare.

Having sneaked into these three narrow bunkers with more than sixty men since dawn, they were all waiting for this moment!

The one organizing the attack on the Zhabei Railway Station was Lieutenant General Fujita Susumu, commander of the Japanese 3rd Division.

He hated the Nationalist 88th Division in front of him very much.

Since joining the battle, his troops had been advancing, but the army opposite them was too tenacious!

The opposing force was still resisting under the relentless bombing of large-caliber naval guns, artillery, and aerial bombs.

According to battle reports and intelligence gathered from the battlefield, the division opposite them had lost at least 25,000 men.

According to the organizational structure, this division had been completely wiped out three times.

But they were still holding on, still holding on step by step!

The soldiers of the Empire were paying a heavy price in blood and lives for every step forward on this land.

Today, he had personally come to the front line to see the symbolic position of the Zhabei Railway Station captured by his troops.

With the division commander present, the on-site commander finally made up his mind to intensify the attack, in order to ensure success this time!

Watching a company of Japanese soldiers carefully rush towards the Nationalist position after the bombing.

Fujita Susumu had also seen the station opposite when it was intact.

At that time, the three-story waiting hall, with its arched doorways, was full of a blend of Eastern and Western architectural beauty.

Now, the three-story waiting hall and the arched doorways were all gone.

All that remained was the concrete framework on the first floor, like a dead giant, leaving only its indestructible bones.

Nakayue Ryota was the son of an ordinary businessman in Nagoya City, and he joined the army a few years ago.

He had been training very hard and finally stood out from a group of recruits.

He had risen step by step from an ordinary soldier to the position of company commander today.

Being able to command a team of more than a hundred men filled him with pride: this land would eventually submit to the Empire!

Just as the Empire had once submitted to this country.

Thinking of this, Company Commander Nakayue Ryota's eyes flashed with a fanatical light, and he pointed forward: "Charge!"

Closer!

Lei Xiong nervously watched the Japanese getting closer and closer!

These Japanese soldiers were cautiously scanning their surroundings, only thirty meters away from the muzzle.

The commander who drew his command knife and shouted loudly: "Charge!"

His ferocious face and fierce expression were clearly visible.

The machine gun company hiding in the pile of construction waste heard Lei Xiong's order: "Fire!"

The water-cooled heavy machine guns in the three hidden bunkers fired one after another.

Not only three tongues of fire shot out from the three hidden bunkers simultaneously.

Six machine guns also followed suit at the same time.

From three directions, the Japanese who had just rushed to the front of the Nationalist position were suppressed without any blind spots.

The dense firepower left these Japanese soldiers with no power to fight back.

Not only did Lei Xiong dislike the Japanese commander, but the machine gunners also had the same idea.

Company Commander Nakayue Ryota fell in the first moment the gunfire sounded.

His entire body was torn to pieces by the bullets of the heavy machine gun.

Limbs and flesh splattered on the bodies of the Japanese soldiers next to him.

Those Japanese soldiers, as if contaminated by filth, fell one after another.

Captain Ono Daisuke had just shouted: "Counterattack! Counter..."

Before the second "attack" could be uttered, he followed his company commander to meet Amaterasu.

The entire attacking Japanese company was panic-stricken.

Looking around, they found that their company had completely entered the Nationalist ambush.

In this circle, no matter which corner these Japanese soldiers hid in, they could be hit by bullets fired from the hidden bunkers.

What drove these experienced and well-trained Japanese soldiers crazy was that even if they counterattacked desperately.

The counterattacking bullets could only hit the construction waste, and the opponents hiding in the hidden bunkers were completely unaffected.

The narrow space left the Japanese soldiers of this company unable to advance or retreat.

The firepower in front was too fierce to rush up at all.

Some soldiers had frantically turned around and ran back the way they had come.

It was just that the distance between the two sides was too close, and wanting to escape the range of the machine guns was simply a pipe dream.

The soldiers lying in ambush opposite were leisurely, and some of them were even monitoring the entire company of Japanese soldiers.

The grenade launcher soldiers in the middle of the Japanese army had just prepared, and immediately the most violent attack would come.

Where there were grenade launchers, there was a rain of heavy machine gun bullets.

The soldiers who still had a breath of life tried their best to avoid being with the grenade launcher soldiers.

Making those grenade launcher soldiers more exposed and die faster.

This short ambush started suddenly and ended too quickly.

Fujita Susumu watched with his own eyes as his company, nearly two hundred soldiers, were all knocked to the ground in less than ten minutes.

Not a single one came back.

In his binoculars, he could no longer see a single Japanese soldier firing back.

One by one, the Nationalist soldiers dismantled pieces of broken stones.

They crawled out of the ruins and quickly cleaned up the battlefield.

This battle took place too quickly.

Most of the weapons left behind by the Japanese were intact.

These soldiers were reluctant to part with them.

Fujita Susumu pointed to the several hidden bunkers that had just fired: "Artillery! Artillery! Bomb that area thoroughly for me!"

Lei Xiong directed the soldiers to start carrying the heavy machine guns away.

This time, the enemy's shells came faster than before.

The density of the bombing was even stronger.

The Japanese shells, as if they didn't cost money, kept plowing the entire railway station again and again.

The entire station was shrouded in the smoke and dust that rose into the air.

At this time, in Nanjing City, President Chiang was issuing an order: the entire army should withdraw from Shanghai and defend the western part of Shanghai.

Gu Zhutong's 88th Division stayed in the city, persisting until the opening of the Nine-Power Treaty Conference on November 6.

Knowing that the President's current intention was to leave a lone army in Shanghai to create an international impact.

Hoping to attract the attention of major powers, and then put pressure on the Japanese.

Hoping that the negotiations with the Japanese would pay less of a price.

This was called using foreigners to control foreigners!

The 88th Division was Gu Zhutong's elite and his precious possession!

Just give up like this?

How could that be possible?

When Sun Yuanliang, commander of the 88th Division, received this mission, he immediately knew that he was going to sacrifice his entire division.

To exchange for the sympathy and support of other major international powers!

Sun Yuanliang, commander of the 88th Division, suggested to Gu Zhutong through Chief of Staff Zhang Boting: since it was for political purposes, the troops staying in Zhabei would be sacrificed whether they were strong or weak; defending multiple strongholds was still defending, and concentrating forces to defend one or two strongholds was still defending. Gu Zhutong immediately agreed to the plan of sacrificing less.

He asked Sun Yuanliang to formulate a defense plan: there were only two requirements, leaving a regiment to defend for seven days.

Seven days was President Chiang's order!

Sun Yuanliang immediately began to look for a place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The target was finally chosen as the Sihang Warehouse, and the reason for choosing this place was that it was only a river away from the British Concession, which reduced a direction for defense.

Another original reason was that the building was too strong.

The framework was made of concrete and filled with granite.

Thinking that one of his regiments was going to be sacrificed here, Sun Yuanliang finally made a decision: send the 1st Battalion of the 524th Regiment of the 262nd Brigade of the 88th Division of the 72nd Army of the 19th Army to garrison the Sihang Warehouse.

In order to strengthen command, the deputy regimental commander of this regiment was specially sent to command.

The plan had been formulated.

It was immediately put into action.

Lin Fan, who was tired and hungry, walked for a while in the direction guided by Jia Shusheng, and finally found a room where there was steamed rice.

After having a good meal, Lin Fan returned to the door again.

Looking at the several stragglers, each lying on the ground, lazily.

He couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid that the Japanese will come over like this?"

Chen Sichuan smiled: "There are still tall people in front holding on, the Japanese can't get through."

Lin Fan now understood that this place seemed to be in the rear, so these people were so relaxed.

He asked, "How many people are still upstairs?"

"No one knows, this place is so big, who cares about them?"

Lin Fan said loudly, "Get up, all of you! If the Japanese come at this time, wouldn't we be dumplings without even knowing it?"

"Chen Sichuan! You are on guard, shoot to warn if anyone comes!"

"Yang Daren, assist here!"

"You guys come with me, go upstairs, gather everyone together, and everyone takes turns on sentry duty!"

Chen Sichuan originally wanted to argue, but when he heard that everyone would take turns, even the people upstairs would have to participate.

He immediately fell silent.

Liu Laopao stood up: "Who do you think you are? Dare to command us?"

It was customary in the army that whoever had the bigger fist was listened to.

Laopao was tall and strong, and didn't look easy to deal with.

Lin Fan wanted to establish his authority, and Laopao was the one who could hold the ground among these seven people.

Lin Fan squinted at Liu Laopao: "Let's have a match? Whoever wins, we'll listen to!"

"Okay!" The sound of Liu Laopao's words had just fallen.

The whole person rushed up.

He was tall and strong, and thought of getting close.

Lin Fan didn't dodge or avoid, and waited until Laopao rushed close before moving his body, shifting two steps to the side.

He hooked his left foot, and Laopao fell down like a dog eating shit.

Liu Laopao, who got up, was really angry this time.

His eyes were red, and his nose was bleeding.

He reached out and pulled out a dagger, waving it as he rushed towards Lin Fan.

Lin Fan didn't dodge or avoid, but stepped forward, and the bayonet of the Zhongzheng rifle in his hand was pointed at Liu Laopao's chest.

Looking at the furious Laopao, he didn't dare to move.

Lin Fan then put the gun away and carried it on his back: "Come again!"

Liu Laopao threw away the dagger and rushed up again, this time he was much more careful.

He didn't rush forward like he did just now.

When the two sides approached, he punched.

Laopao was tall and had long arms, and at this distance, he could hit Lin Fan.

Lin Fan's hand couldn't reach him.

When two people were fighting, the deserters hiding in the entire Sihang Warehouse all ran down to watch the show.

These days, some of them had been separated from the team, and some had deliberately dropped out of the team.

Originally, they wanted to sneak into the concession quietly, but they didn't expect the British on the opposite side to guard the concession border very tightly.

There was no loophole for these people to drill.

They could only hide in this warehouse, but fortunately, it was a warehouse with water, electricity, and food.

Enough for them to live on.

When they had nothing to do every day, they could only secretly look at the lives of those people on the other side from upstairs.

Today, a newcomer wanted to be the boss, and was fighting downstairs!

Immediately attracted everyone down.

Lin Fan watched for a while, and the number of people who ran down was as many as a company.

He was happy in his heart, and everyone supported him, so he performed more.

He reached out and grabbed Liu Laopao's wrist, pulling it in the direction he was waving.

"Four ounces can move a thousand pounds!" Someone immediately shouted.

"Using force to fight force!" Lin Fan said with a smile.

Laopao's caution just now paid off, he didn't use all his strength, and although he was driven by Lin Fan at this time.

His body only took two steps forward before he stabilized.

It was just that these two steps of the body's spontaneous reaction were used by Lin Fan again.

He stretched out his right foot and inserted a bar between his two feet.

This time, Liu Laopao fell down again.

Laopao wasn't stupid, and immediately knew that he was no match for Lin Fan.

He rolled over on the ground and wiped the dirt off his mouth:

"I'm not fighting anymore, I can't beat you, you win."

With no excitement to watch, those people who had just run down from upstairs to watch the excitement began to return in twos and threes.

Lin Fan pulled the gun off his back and shouted at the crowd preparing to go upstairs: "Everyone has it! Attention!"

Everyone looked at Lin Fan.

Like looking at a fool.

Lin Fan stood steadily and said coldly, "Did you hear that? Everyone has it, attention!"

Liu Laopao had just lost and accepted his defeat!

Standing properly!

The few people Lin Fan knew first also stood up.

Among the crowd who came down from upstairs, some people also hesitated and stood over.

Some people, seeing this scene, just stared at Lin Fan, sneered, and turned to leave.

Continuing to walk upstairs.

Lin Fan's cold voice sounded: "If you take another step, I'll shoot."

The person who had walked the farthest turned to look at Lin Fan again, like looking at a fool: "Shoot! Shoot here!"

He pointed his finger at his forehead.

Lin Fan smiled coldly: "I've lived so long, and this is the first time I've met someone who asks for this."

"Bang!"

A gunshot!

That person's finger froze.

Lin Fan looked at the few people behind that person: "Do you have any requests?"

Those people's eyes were frightened, and they immediately said, "We're coming back, coming back!"

Lin Fan said coldly, "Stand still! Go see him, if I've fulfilled his request or not."

Several people didn't dare to move.

Lin Fan said loudly, "Go quickly! Drag him over."

Only then did a few people run to the corpse that had fallen on the ground in a hurry, and dragged the corpse to Lin Fan.

Lin Fan looked coldly at the bullet hole, and a cold voice sounded: "Everyone, take a look, he wanted me to hit his forehead.

I also hit the center of his forehead, these are all his own requirements, don't blame me."

While Lin Fan was speaking, those lazy troops who had just wanted to go upstairs were standing straight, not daring to make a sound.

Looking at the team in front of him, which was a mixture of heights and sizes.

Lin Fan shouted loudly: "Is this a line?

Arrange it in order of height!

Re-form the line!"

Some of the people in front of him had fear in their eyes.

Some people's eyes only had hatred.

Lin Fan looked coldly at these people, and waited until they had re-lined up according to height.

Only then did he say: "You are all soldiers, although I don't know which team you were in before.

Now you have a new team, this team is called: Anti-Japanese Special Forces!

From now on, you only have two destinies in this team:

One is to follow me, live on, fight on, until the Japanese surrender!

One is to kill me, and you continue to fight on, until the Japanese surrender!

I've already remembered you, you can run, you can escape.

Just don't let me see you, if I see you, you'll be like that light bulb."

Lin Fan pointed to the light that was shining at least a hundred meters away, and fired a shot.

This was the second shot here today, and the gunshot echoed back and forth in the closed warehouse.

What surprised everyone was that the light slowly hung down from the roof, and the light it emitted became lighter and lighter, until it fell to the ground when only a fiery red light remained.

At this time, there should have been the sound of the light bulb falling and breaking, but this sound was drowned out by the echoing gunshots.

Looking at the soldiers who Lin Fan had just performed for, the shock in their hearts was more intense than the echo of the gunshots.

This was a sharpshooter! A sharpshooter who didn't blink an eye when killing people!

It was impossible to run away from him.

If they could: killing him was the best way.

In the team, a few people exchanged glances with each other.

Lin Fan looked at this team that he had just forcibly gathered together.

He spoke again: "Now let's allocate it, Chen Sichuan! You will be the squad leader of the first squad, and these twenty people will be under your control.

Liu Laopao! You will be the squad leader of the second squad, and these twenty people will be under your control.

Jia Shusheng! You will be the squad leader of the third squad, and these twenty people will be under your control.

Pu Pengju! You will be the squad leader of the fourth squad, and these twenty people will be under your control.

Zhen Danxiao! You will be the squad leader of the fifth squad, and these twenty people will be under your control.

Ye Dadan! You will be the squad leader of the sixth squad, and these twenty people will be under your control.

Yang Daren! You will be the squad leader of the seventh squad, and these twenty people will be under your control.

The remaining fifteen of you, follow me, and be under my control.

Everyone listen carefully, your squad leader is your sky, if your squad leader dies.

It means the sky has fallen, and since the sky has fallen, you don't have to live anymore.

Anyone who is not convinced can come to me, come and kill me.

I'll give each of you three chances, and within three times, I won't pursue it!

If you can't kill me three times, it's my turn to kill back.

Now Chen Sichuan, take your people and guard the door.

The rest of you, follow me, and get familiar with this building."

Lin Fan specially arranged those people who were obviously hostile to him by his side.

There were also a few soldiers who were obviously still teenagers who were also arranged by his side.

These teenagers were more suitable to be messengers.

Looking at the team in front of him, which was dressed in at least ten colors and styles of clothing, Lin Fan sighed in his heart:

The road of the Anti-Japanese War was full of difficulties and obstacles!

The road was tortuous, and the future was bright!

He couldn't be frightened by the difficulties in front of him, and think more about the time of victory!