Chapter 11 The Eve of the Storm

November 20, 1937. An order arrived from the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, lifting the previous restrictions on the Central China Area Army's advance on Nanjing.

This lifting of restrictions was influenced by the Tenth Army's unauthorized attack on the battlefield and the Nanjing government, led by Chang Kai-shek, which stubbornly resisted and refused to negotiate.

Originally, the general strategic plan within Japan had always been for their forces to start from the Northeast and slowly nibble away at the country's territory.

They would swallow a piece of land, manage it well, and use the method of slowly boiling a frog to paralyze the warlords on that land.

Then, they would rule the country in the name of the puppet state of Manchukuo.

Regarding the Nanjing government, the Japanese had always wanted to stabilize them through negotiations.

As long as neither side broke the agreement, the Nanjing government would not openly announce or advocate resistance.

This way, the Japanese Empire could slowly nibble away at all the land in the country.

Due to a political incident the previous year, the red organization on this land proposed that all people, regardless of party or region, unite and fight against Japan.

Chang Kai-shek, who had been under house arrest, had to accept the policy of national resistance, and the country's national policy had changed from that time onward.

Chang Kai-shek was forced to temporarily put aside his national policy of "domestic pacification before foreign resistance," which he often talked about.

He began a true resistance mode, and the Battle of Songhu was a carefully planned battle by him.

The purpose of launching the battle was simply to drive the Japanese troops stationed in Shanghai out and to secure the safety of the Nanjing government's capital.

Otherwise, the most prosperous, industrial, and economically developed area of ​​Central China would remain under the eyes of the Japanese.

Even in Nanjing, he would be restless. After all, in the past, the Japanese army was stationed in Shanghai when the Nanjing government's relationship with them had not yet broken down.

Now it was different. The two sides had become de facto enemy countries, and the Japanese army stationed in Shanghai had become a thorn in the Nanjing government's side.

Therefore, Chang Kai-shek put in a lot of effort and made thorough preparations before starting the war.

However, none of his goals were achieved in this battle.

The goal of driving out the Japanese army was not achieved, nor was the goal of uniting friendly nations.

The goal of demonstrating his power internationally was also not achieved.

The only thing that Chang Kai-shek could take comfort in was that the entire country was unprecedentedly united in this battle, making it possible for him to realize his long-cherished dream of reorganizing the warlords across the country.

Chang Kai-shek never thought that this battle would receive unanimous approval from all the people and warlords in the country.

People across the country contributed money, and all the warlords contributed guns and people, all united against the foreign enemy.

This unprecedented unity of the entire nation not only allowed the Japanese to see the will of this country.

It also allowed many interested people across the country to see Chang Kai-shek's appeal in this country.

Even Chang Kai-shek himself did not expect that his popularity would be so high since the start of this battle.

This also showed how high the entire Chinese nation's enthusiasm for resisting Japan was.

In this situation, everyone understood that this country could not surrender.

The determination to persist in resistance to the end would not change.

As the battle progressed, the Japanese domestic hopes of using force to pressure the Nationalist government into negotiations were shattered.

They wanted to continue to use force to capture Nanjing as a bargaining chip for negotiations.

In their eyes, succumbing to force was a very normal thing.

Because they had always been like this, succumbing to the strong, preferring to be slaves to the strong rather than friends with the weak.

From this moment on, the Japanese army began a full-scale attack on the Xicheng Defense Line.

The entire Xicheng Line was ablaze with gunfire, the fighting was fierce, and everywhere there were battles between the National Revolutionary Army and the Japanese army.

Only the Jiangyin Fortress suddenly became quiet, like a paradise.

The calm before the storm was the most realistic portrayal of the Jiangyin Fortress at this moment.

The front line was fighting very fiercely, and there had not been a single enemy plane over the entire Jiangyin Fortress in the past two days.

On the Yangtze River, there used to be some small Japanese gunboats running over to provoke, but they were also gone today.

Everyone knew that this was the darkness before dawn, the calm before the storm.

Lin Fan seized the time to drill the troops. The entire Special Operations Column had driven cars along the Jiangyin Fortress's gun emplacements four times.

The two divisions of the Fiftieth Army defending the fortress, the 111th Division and the 112th Division, plus the 103rd Division, were all familiar with Lin Fan's team.

These days, they could see Lin Fan leading a team of over a thousand people, driving cars and moving around the entire defense area every day.

And when these soldiers were moving, everyone was carrying full marching equipment and a box of ammunition.

They were like a group of ants moving house every day.

The special forces had to conduct a drill every day, and each time the entire team was dispatched, protecting twelve cars and carrying all the equipment.

Lin Fan was rehearsing the situation for the final retreat.

On the 23rd, Lin Fan led the team past Jiangyin County and continued forward, heading towards Wuxi.

This was the farthest the special forces had run during their exercises.

Lin Fan required every detachment in the entire column to be familiar with all the routes around Jiangyin.

No one knew what would happen when the real retreat came.

Every road here could be a retreat route. Only a few detachment leaders knew that the Jiangyin Fortress would not be defended to the death.

The commander-in-chief of the Jiangyin defense was General Liu Xing, commanding a total of three divisions: two divisions of the 57th Army plus the 103rd Division.

On the 23rd, the 154th Division, which had retreated from the Wufu Line, began to move into the forward defense line of Jiangyin. There were now four infantry divisions defending the Jiangyin defense line.

There was also a Jiangfang Regiment, plus Lin Fan and his company!

On November 23, Detachment Leader Shigetō Chiaki pointed to the Huishan Fortress in front of him and ordered fiercely, "We must capture it no matter what."

The soldiers in Shigetō Chiaki's detachment were all recruited and trained on the island of Taiwan. Originally, they had been carrying out security, guarding, and suppressing local resistance activities on the island of Taiwan.

Not long after the start of the Battle of Songhu, as the battle grew larger and larger, Japan's domestic forces were almost exhausted.

This team from Taiwan was sent out. They landed in Yangshupu on September 6 via the Huangpu River.

Thus began their sinful journey on this land.

The 1st and 2nd Regiments, the Taiwan Mountain Artillery Regiment, and the newly formed Taiwan 1st and 2nd Medical Teams, the Taiwan Temporary Automobile Team, and the Taiwan 1st and 2nd Transport Surveillance Teams were reorganized into the Shigetō Detachment.

Major General Shigetō Chiaki was the detachment leader. From its troop composition, it was a highly integrated independent combat unit with a total strength of 14,000 men.

Since its participation in the war, the Shigetō Detachment had been known for its courage and skill in battle.

The detachment leader ordered that they take the lead in breaking through the Nationalist army's Xicheng defense line, thereby achieving the most remarkable military feat.

These Taiwan soldiers, who were still second-class citizens within the empire, immediately became excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

The 1st Regiment of the Shigetō Chiaki Detachment immediately entered the siege battle.

The Taiwan Mountain Artillery Team launched a bombardment of the Huishan National Defense Bunker.

The 46th Regiment, which had just retreated from the Songhu battlefield, defended this place with one battalion.

Battalion Commander Shi Zhan commanded the soldiers to fight back relying on the solid fortifications.

The bunkers on Huishan were built of real reinforced concrete, and the Shigetō Detachment's mountain guns had no effect on such bunkers.

However, the soldiers of the 1st Regiment, under the order of Regiment Commander Tang Jingzhong, charged towards the Nationalist army's position regardless of everything.

Tang Jingzhong was a local Taiwanese. He had received an imperial education since he was a child, had always excelled in his studies, and had entered the Imperial Military Academy for further studies after growing up.

He had participated in the Russo-Japanese War and was promoted for his bravery in battle.

Being able to become a regimental commander as a Taiwanese, his heart was full of gratitude to the empire.

The entire regiment under his command had always regarded the regimental commander as their goal.

Being able to run from the other side of the strait to the mainland this time was, in the eyes of these soldiers, an opportunity for them to get promoted and make a fortune.

Now the opportunity was right in front of them!

No matter how fierce the Nationalist army's machine guns were or how solid the Nationalist army's bunkers were.

These soldiers from Taiwan desperately charged forward.

These soldiers only had the fortresses blocking their way in their eyes, and they did not even look at the corpses of their dead comrades under their feet.

Seeing that his regiment's mountain guns could not break the fortresses in front, Tang Jingzhong immediately ordered, "Send someone up to blow it up."

Since their landing, the entire Shigetō Detachment had been fighting like this.

Places that the artillery and planes could not bomb were blown up by people charging up to blow up these fortresses.

And these soldiers under his command were willing to do such dangerous things.

Zheng Zhi was a soldier from the mountains of Taiwan. He greatly envied the command swords worn by those officials and dreamed of becoming an officer.

Today, the opportunity came. His squad leader pointed to a bunker with four firing holes in front and said, "Go blow it up, and you'll be the deputy squad leader."

Their deputy squad leader had been killed by machine gun bullets in the previous attack while trying to blow up the bunker. His entire body had been torn in two.

Now this position was vacant.

Zheng Zhi immediately became excited, picked up a reinforced explosive pack, and ran.

He was a man from the mountains, accustomed to running in the mountains since he was a child. He had long legs and ran like the wind.

The squad leader commanded his machine guns to suppress the firepower from the opposite bunker as much as possible.

At the same time, Tang Jingzhong, the regimental commander behind them, also commanded the infantry artillery to fire directly at the bunker.

Creating an opportunity for the infantry to charge up and explode it.

Zheng Zhi was very lucky. Several machine gun bullets splashed mud at his feet.

But not a single bullet hit him.

When he placed the explosive pack under the bunker and rolled away.

With a loud noise, the bunker was blown up by him.

Now he was Deputy Squad Leader Zheng.

The Shigetō Detachment pulled out the nails one by one in this way.

Battalion Commander Shi's soldiers were from the Songhu battlefield. This battalion was still the same battalion in name only.

Most of the soldiers in the battalion had been replaced several times like flowing water.

This was because they were a main force division, and they were given priority to replenish troops after each reduction in strength.

Battalion Commander Shi had also been promoted from platoon leader all the way to deputy company commander, company commander, deputy battalion commander, and battalion commander just last month.

Now, looking at the fierce momentum of the Japanese devils in front and the rapid reduction in the strength of his soldiers.

He felt a little drumming in his heart and kept calling for reinforcements.

The regimental commander told Battalion Commander Shi that the reinforcements were on the way and would arrive in ten minutes!

When Lin Fan led his team on a drill, he heard the sound of gunfire coming from ahead.

And the wounded were constantly being sent down.

He got out of the car and inquired, learning that the Japanese army was attacking Huishan like crazy.

Lin Fan waved his hand, "Let's have a real battle."

He pointed to the smoke rising in the air in front of him and ordered, "Chen Sichuan! Send a squad to scout ahead!

The rest of the team, advance slowly.

Pay attention to alert and be ready to fight at any time."

Chen Sichuan personally led a dozen people to the front and returned in less than ten minutes, "Report, company commander! There are Japanese troops 1,500 meters ahead, attacking the Nationalist army's defense line.

The Nationalist army's defense line is about to collapse."

At this time, Battalion Commander Shi was asking the regimental commander, "Reinforcements! Where are the reinforcements?

Three of my battalion's defending fortresses have been blown up by the Japanese devils.

The brothers can't hold on any longer!"

Battalion Commander Shi's tone was almost crying.

Regiment Commander Tang Jingzhong looked at the bunker that had just been blown up by his soldiers and thought to himself, "Captured it."

At this moment, Regiment Commander Tang Jingzhong suddenly saw many black dots flying out from the rear of the Nationalist army.

Shells!

The Nationalist army's artillery support!

Tang Jingzhong understood instantly.

Battalion Commander Shi had already made up his mind to coexist with the position. The reinforcements that the regimental commander had promised to send had not arrived after an hour.

He was really powerless.

At this moment, Battalion Commander Shi suddenly heard a series of violent explosions. The sound did not stop from the first explosion.

The explosions continued non-stop, and Battalion Commander Shi's heart turned cold.

These Japanese devils saw that this section of their defense line was about to be unsustainable and must have increased their artillery bombardment in this direction.

His face turned pale. Since the start of the war in August, retreating had long become a habit for the Nationalist army.

But this time was different!

When they retreated on the Songhu front, there was still the Wufu Line to defend.

When they retreated on the Wufu Line, there was still the Xicheng Line to defend.

Now he was on the Xicheng Line, where else could he retreat to?

If he retreated again, it would be the capital.

Shi Zhan made up his mind, put down the phone, and prepared to order a full battalion assault.

He didn't want to retreat anymore.

At this moment, he looked at his defense line and realized:

Although the defense line was still filled with smoke, it was definitely not being bombarded by artillery fire.

On the contrary, the Japanese devils attacking in front of his defense line were being subjected to a fierce artillery bombardment.

Behind his defense line, countless figures were striding forward with vigorous steps, charging towards the position.

Battalion Commander Shi excitedly reported to the regimental commander, "Report, regimental commander! The reinforcements have arrived! The reinforcements have arrived!"

On the other end of the phone, the regimental commander asked in confusion, "Which support army is it?"

The regimental commander knew very well that the Japanese devils were attacking on all fronts today, and he could not send out any reinforcements at all.

The reserve team in the regiment had already been sent out.

Otherwise, he would have really sent reinforcements to Battalion Commander Shi!

The signal soldier Liu Neng ran out, grabbed a soldier who was charging forward, and asked, "Which unit are you from?"

The soldier whose clothes were grabbed said impatiently, "From the Special Operations Company!"

Afraid of being grabbed by the soldier again, he immediately quickened his pace and charged forward after replying.

"Report, regimental commander! They are from the Special Operations Company." When Regiment Commander Shi heard that it was the Special Operations Company, he thought to himself, "How could there be this establishment in the regiment?"

Thinking that the signal soldier had misheard, he changed "Special Operations Company" to "Special Service Company" according to his understanding.

The regimental commander was even more confused, "Let the Special Service Company commander come and report!"

After speaking, he looked at Wu Potian, the Special Service Company commander standing next to him.

He wondered, "Which unit's Special Service Company is this? It came just in time!"

Lin Fan, who was leading his team to the highest point of Battalion Commander Shi's defense line, was impatiently saying to Liu Neng while firing artillery, "I can kill a Japanese devil every minute.

You want me to answer the phone?

Can't you see that I'm busy?"

Liu Neng looked at the boastful company commander and watched him fire artillery.

Liu Neng had not paid attention just now, but now that he really paid attention, he realized:

This company commander was really not bragging. His soldiers were charging, and every artillery shell from this company commander was hitting in front of his soldiers' charging path.

As long as the Japanese devils' machine guns or several Japanese devils gathered together to fire.

They would be bombarded by his artillery shells.

There were also sixteen similar mortars around this company commander.

Liu Neng looked at the charging crowd and suddenly remembered something: "There are so many people, more than the soldiers in my battalion, how can it only be a company?"

What kind of company is this?

With questions in his mind, Liu Neng returned to Battalion Commander Shi's side, "That company commander said that he can kill a Japanese devil every minute and doesn't have time to answer the phone."

Of course, Battalion Commander Shi could not let the regimental commander know these words. He could only report to the regimental commander, "The newly arrived Company Commander Lin is fighting and cannot be withdrawn."

Battalion Commander Shi, who walked out of the command post bunker, saw the Nationalist army soldiers not far away, "Is this a company?"

Liu Neng said aggrievedly, "I asked, and they said it was just a company!"

Battalion Commander Shi's soldiers were still on their own defense line, watching the Special Operations Company's soldiers charging into the Japanese devils.

The melee had begun!

These soldiers are wild!

Too wild!

Battalion Commander Shi had an evaluation in his heart after just one glance.

Throughout the entire War of Resistance against Japan, the teams that dared to fight the Japanese army in close combat were all particularly powerful teams.

This team had just rushed to the position, and clearly had the advantage in firepower, and could have used artillery and gunfire to attack the Japanese devils.

But they insisted on rushing up to fight with bayonets.

This simply subverted the battalion's understanding of the Nationalist army.

What surprised Battalion Commander Shi and his soldiers even more was that this team that suddenly rushed up was not only powerful in artillery fire, but also more powerful in bayonet fighting.

They not only killed the Japanese devils and forced them to retreat, but also pursued the victory.