Lieutenant Colonel Smith said as he stared at Xie Jinyuan closely.

Judging from Lieutenant Colonel Smith's experience, when there is no way to retreat, even if you choose the battle of the trapped beast, there is nothing wrong with it. But I believe that any person who suddenly sees the hope of survival in a desperate situation, even if it is just a glimmer of hope, no matter how high the cultivation is, it will be like a person who is about to drown suddenly grabs a straw in his hand, and he will hold on to it, right?

What's more, it was their British royal forces that allowed these [***] people, who were already surrounded by enemies on three sides, to pass through the barracks of the concession and withdraw from this battlefield, and even promised to provide them with proper cover?

You know, the concession is equivalent to their British territory, and it is quite inconceivable to allow an army to pass through their British territory. And once the British [***] team promises to provide proper cover, it is tantamount to giving them an extra talisman when the [***] team retreats.

But Smith was destined to be disappointed, Xie Jinyuan sat there quietly, no matter what he said, Xie Jinyuan always had a flat smile on his face, and even in his bright eyes, there was no emotional fluctuation. Only when he heard Lieutenant Colonel Smith say the words "it can even be allowed" did Xie Jinyuan's eyebrows twitch slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

It was only at this time that Lieutenant Colonel Smith, who was fluent in Chinese and had a considerable understanding of Chinese culture, understood what was called immobility in Chinese idioms and what honor and disgrace were not shocked. Smith suddenly realized that he was wrong, and he was very wrong. If persuading the [***] team to leave the Sixing warehouse was a negotiation, he had misplaced himself in the position of the strong from the very beginning.

Since Xie Jinyuan is not even afraid of death, in this world, what other strong posture can he be moved by?

"Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Smith, for risking his life to come to us; Thank you also to the British political axe, who is willing to help us withdraw from the battlefield with such an army surrounded by the enemy on three sides. On behalf of all the soldiers in the Sixing Warehouse, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the soldiers who are fighting bloodily against the enemy. ”

Xie Jinyuan finally spoke, "However, defending the Sixing Warehouse and holding back the enemy's attack is the task entrusted to us by our superiors. Lieutenant Colonel Smith, you and I are both soldiers, and we should all clearly understand that a soldier must never lose his gun on the battlefield, and a soldier must not leave his post without receiving an order from his superiors! Otherwise, it is a dereliction of duty and a crime. ”

"The order you received from your superiors should be to delay the enemy's attack and cover the smooth westward retreat of the large army, right?" Smith narrowed his eyes cautiously and said, "Your troops have been sniping at the Yue army since the early morning of the 27th, and have been holding the Sixing Warehouse for four days and three nights. According to my personal rebellion, it is very likely that your army and the Yue army will use Nanjing as a stage to break out again in a general battle. I think that if an excellent soldier like Lieutenant Colonel Xie can join the Battle of Nanjing, he will definitely make a greater contribution, it is better than being trapped in a lonely city here, and finally fighting with his excellent subordinates to fight to the death, right? ”

Xie Jinyuan nodded slightly, and he suddenly asked, "Then according to Lieutenant Colonel Smith's judgment, how many troops did the Yue army use in order to attack the Sixing warehouse?" ”

"According to our observations and records, in four days, in order to conquer the Sixing warehouse, the army sent out a total of 48 fighter planes and bombers, and 11,000 army troops."

Before entering the Sixing Warehouse, Smith had obviously made sufficient intelligence preparations, and after sorting out the various data, he pondered for a while, and then said categorically: "If you count the troops stationed in the trenches and pillboxes in order to surround the Sixing Warehouse, there are now about 15,000 well-trained professional troops surrounding the Sixing Warehouse. Without the help of our British political axe, Lieutenant Colonel Xie would never have succeeded in breaking through with the troops you led and the weapons and equipment you possessed. ”

"Lieutenant Colonel Smith, your judgment is very accurate, in the face of the enemy who relies on semi-permanent fortifications, surrounds us, and occupies absolute superiority in personnel, firepower, and intelligence, we don't want to say that it is a breakthrough, as long as we walk out of the four lines of warehouses, within three hours, the whole army will be annihilated."

Xie Jinyuan said very pertinently, Lieutenant Colonel Smith turned his head again and again, and at this time, Xie Jinyuan's words changed again, "However, I would like to ask Lieutenant Colonel Smith to make another judgment, how long do you think we can hold out in the Sixing Warehouse if we can't hold out?" ”

It's definitely a super puzzle!

If the army is still like it is now, relying only on small-caliber artillery that cannot penetrate the solid walls of the Sixing warehouse, and cooperating with the army to launch an attack on such a war fortress as the Sixing warehouse, it will not be a miracle to hold out for another month with the weapons and ammunition in the Sixing warehouse, as long as it is not because of morale problems, as long as there are problems from within.

However, once the army became angry and mobilized the warships anchored on the Huangpu River to bombard them with heavy artillery, or sent bombers to drop heavy bombs, it was not necessary to send army troops, and the troops led by Xie Jinyuan could be buried alive in the ruins of the Sixing warehouse.

"I really want to participate in the Battle of Nanjing, although I don't want to admit it, but I must say that we lost in Shanghai, and I hope more than anyone else that I can win back a game for our motherland with all my compatriots who are willing to protect their country with their lives in the Battle of Nanjing. But ......"

Lieutenant Colonel Smith swore that he really hated the Chinese word "but", and now that he had become familiar with Xie Jinyuan's way of speaking, Xie Jinyuan would always follow the other party's train of thought and empathize with the correct surname of the other party's point of view. Therefore, when Xie Jinyuan said the word "but", the objections he raised were bound to be more fierce and irrefutable.

"There are many soldiers like me in China, many of them go to the battlefield with full of blood, but maybe it was just a momentary negligence, they were bombed by the enemy, or even just accidentally encountered a stray bullet, and they died before they were paid. In the face of a battle with millions of troops, the ability of an individual is very limited. I think that even if I took all my subordinates around me and rushed to Nanjing in time to participate in the defense of Nanjing, at most I could only play a little role on the local battlefield. Here, however, it's different. Lieutenant Colonel Smith, you have also helped me analyze that in order to strangle the defenders in our four line warehouses, the army has mobilized at least 15,000 well-trained professional soldiers, not counting their aviation units that are circling around our heads every day and wasting gasoline in vain. ”

Xie Jinyuan wrenched his fingers and said, "If we continue to hold on here, we will be able to hold back their 15,000 well-trained professional soldiers." This soldier once said that one of their divisions can top our eight divisions. If we deduct their superiority in the air force and navy, and deduct the water that they think is boastful, we will treat them as one division that can withstand our three divisions, and I will use a few hundred men to drag the equivalent of 45,000 troops, so that they cannot participate in the Battle of Nanjing. In this case, if I continue to fight here, it will be equivalent to participating in the Battle of Nanking and making a near-miraculous contribution. If they are not willing to leave so many troops for the Sixing Warehouse, it will be even better, their defense network will inevitably have irreparable holes, and at that time, if we want to break through, it will no longer be difficult to climb to the sky. Or I simply followed the earliest instructions of the headquarters and led everyone in Shanghai to fight guerrilla warfare with the Japanese army, which was also a pretty good choice. As long as we still have troops fighting in Shanghai, they won't win the Battle of Songhu! ”

"Of course, after all, we are a small army, and we are isolated, we are really tired of fighting guerrilla warfare, and we are surrounded and intercepted by others, if we really can't beat it......" Speaking of this, the corners of Xie Jinyuan's mouth hooked up slightly, revealing an absolutely weird smile, he leaned forward slightly, deliberately lowered his voice, and said: "We can also escape into the concession of friendly countries, hand in the gun that has already been fought in tatters in our hands, and hand in the gun with a good bullet, and then change into a set of civilian clothes, and run for our lives with our heads in our hands!" Isn't that right, honorable Lieutenant Colonel Smith? ”

Lieutenant Colonel Smith was really dumbfounded. "You're good, but have you ever thought that this army is really in a hurry, and directly use the large-caliber artillery on the battleship, or send out a group of bombers, and directly drop bombs on you, what will happen to you?"

Xie Jinyuan smiled and said: "It's going to rain, and my mother is going to get married, I'm really at a loss." If they want to blow up, let them blow it up. ”

Xie Jinyuan said it lightly, and Lieutenant Colonel Smith was really angry and anxious, "Then have you ever thought that if the military bombards with large-caliber artillery, or dispatches bombers to drop heavy bombs, these heavy firepower are likely to be shot into our concession, and even hit the gas cylinder that is only a few dozen meters away from the Sihang warehouse......"

Speaking of this, facing the expression that seemed to be a smile that was slightly raised at the corner of Xie Jinyuan's mouth, Lieutenant Colonel Smith's low roar stopped abruptly. At this time, Smith completely understood Xie Jinyuan's thoughts.

If I don't use heavy weapons, I don't know how long it will take for them to capture this four-line warehouse. Xie Jinyuan relied on a four-line warehouse to hold a considerable number of enemies, and he was definitely able to make a lot of money without losing money. If he is unwilling to use heavy weapons, and does not want to waste too many troops because of a small four-line warehouse, just like Xie Jinyuan said, there will inevitably be irreparable loopholes in their encirclement, and Xie Jinyuan is a surprise attack expert who personally planned the surprise attack on the "Izumo" and the "Iron Fist" operation.

If you want to use such a net full of loopholes to block his steps, it is simply a fantasy night! As long as there is still a Chinese army fighting in Shanghai, the army will not achieve a complete victory in the Battle of Songhu, and this is tantamount to a slap in the face on the international stage in the international arena. Those soldiers who regard face as more important than life and shout the spirit of bushido every day will never allow such a situation to happen.

Then the most likely choice, and the one that is most in line with the style of the soldiers, is to use the heavy weapons in their hands to launch the most vicious attack on the Sixing warehouse before the whole line of troops is transferred to Nanjing. At that time, the lone army led by Xie Jinyuan who was trapped in the Sixing warehouse was, of course, annihilated. However, no matter whether heavy artillery bombardment or heavy bombs are used, it is absolutely impossible to think that no stray bullets will fly into the British Concession, which is only a few tens of meters away.

Once a shell or bombshell flew into the concession, it was equivalent to a direct bombing of the British mainland. At this time, whether the British political axe is willing or not, even if it is for the sake of face, even if it is to protect their dignity as a world political and military power, they must no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb, and must be involved in this Sino-Chinese war.

With hundreds of lives, a military power was brought in to become an ally, and Xie Jinyuan was even more profitable, and he died well, and he couldn't become a national hero if he didn't want to.

Thinking of this, Lieutenant Colonel Smith couldn't help but gasp slightly. The soldier sitting in front of him, who always had a smile on the corner of his mouth and looked gentle and elegant, was really not afraid of death!

The water on the kerosene stove boiled, and the white water vapor curled up from the military portable lunch box made of aluminum alloy, and the faces of Smith and Xie Jinyuan became even more hazy through this layer of water vapor.

Xie Jinyuan walked over and picked up the portable military lunch box, and brought two cups with him.

"Soldiers, especially those who must stand up for the survival of the country, are most afraid of coveting material comforts. But I couldn't quit drinking tea. Maybe it's because drinking tea not only picks me up, but also allows me to concentrate and think about some issues. Fortunately, it is because of this habit that I can make a cup of hot tea and entertain a distinguished guest like you, Lieutenant Colonel Smith. ”

Xie Jinyuan actually took out a paper bag and poured a little tea in both cups, "The military salary of the [***] people among us is not as good as that in the United Kingdom, I am so poor that my pocket clanges every day, and the tea is also the cheapest loose tea bought directly from the grocery store on the street." ”

Xie Jinyuan tilted the lunch box in his hand sideways, and a stream of boiling water pulled out a brief arc in the air, and landed on the cup in front of Lieutenant Colonel Smith, making a slight rippling sound. Just as Lieutenant Colonel Smith nodded politely, a dull roar suddenly came from the distance, and Lieutenant Colonel Smith didn't have time to tell what was happening, and he didn't know how many shells there were, and they fell on the four rows of warehouses at the same time.

"Boom! Rumble!! Boom ......"

More than a dozen fires suddenly bloomed on the hard walls of the Sixing warehouse, and in the deafening roar, the entire Sixing warehouse was like a sudden electric shock, emitting a subtle and dense tremor, bringing even the horse lantern above Lieutenant Colonel Smith's head to shake continuously. In their small space, the dust deposited in all corners of the house fell one after another.

Listening to the terrible shelling that was so dense that every second on average, a shell fell on the warehouses of the four rows, and felt the constant tremor of the entire warehouse, the only thought in Lieutenant Colonel Smith's heart was: "It's bad, it's shelling!" ”

At this time, Lieutenant Colonel Smith really wanted to cry without tears and want to say goodbye, why did his luck be so bad, saying that his soldiers did not shell for a long time, and when he entered the Sixing warehouse, this kind of deadly shelling began? The thought of the entire Sixing warehouse being blown up and all the hundreds of people buried in the rubble sent chills through his body. Xie Jinyuan They died here, they were heroes, they sacrificed their lives for the country, and he, Smith, as the lieutenant colonel of the British [***] team, died here and couldn't even find his body, what is it?

"This is just a three-inch caliber flat-firing gun equipped with this army, and the biggest advantage of this kind of artillery is that it has high shooting accuracy, there will be no deviation of tens of meters, and their shells are dense enough. However, if they want to use such small-caliber artillery to blow up the four rows of warehouses, they will have to fight for at least a day. And I think the shells in their hands can last for an hour, which is good. ”

At this time, Xie Jinyuan continued to pour boiling water into the cup in front of Lieutenant Colonel Smith with a calm smile. Listening to his flat voice, looking at the table top that was clean and not spilled with a single trace of water, and looking at his hands that were so stable that they could no longer be attacked, Lieutenant Colonel Smith was really stunned.

The cup in front of Lieutenant Colonel Smith was filled with boiling water, and then he poured boiling water into his own cup. Xie Jinyuan blew off the tea leaves floating on the water, took a sip lightly, then raised his head and said to Lieutenant Colonel Smith: "I'm sorry, it's not a good tea, so you must drink it while it's hot." Personally, I think that no matter what kind of tea it is, as long as it is hot, it tastes good. ”

Lieutenant Colonel Smith subconsciously picked up the teacup in front of him, just in this area of intensive shelling, the entire Sixing warehouse was trembling slightly, he tried to calm himself, even for the dignity of a soldier, he had to be like Xie Jinyuan, in the bombardment of an average of one shell per second, he drank quietly.

At this time, the door of the management room was slammed open, and this unexpected change made Lieutenant Colonel Smith's hand tremble slightly, and a little splash of water swung out of the rim of the cup and fell on Lieutenant Colonel Smith's military uniform.

It was a company commander who broke into the management room, he looked at Xie Jinyuan and shouted: "Regiment commander, it's not good......

Xie Jinyuan ignored the company commander, he still slowly tasted the cup of tea made with inferior tea leaves and boiling water. The company commander quickly withdrew from the management room, and after closing the door of the management room again, he stood outside and shouted: "Report! ”

Xie Jinyuan finally responded: "Come in!" ”

The company commander strode up to Xie Jinyuan, and after saluting the army, he reported: "The army set fire to the houses on the west, south, and north sides at the same time, and to see how much the fire grew, they should have used gasoline." The fire is very large, and it is likely to spread to the Sixing warehouse by taking advantage of the direction of the wind! ”

Xie Jinyuan nodded and ordered, "Be careful and report to me the enemy's movements at any time." ”

Seeing the company commander walk out of the management room, Xie Jinyuan said in a low voice: "Bluff!" ”

Facing Lieutenant Colonel Smith's puzzled eyes, Xie Jinyuan said indifferently: "The east side is close to your country's concession, so the army did not set fire; It's already late October, and the wind is on the northerly side, so there's no point in them setting fire to the north; The houses on the west side are separated from the four rows of warehouses by a flat street, and no matter how much the wind fuels the fire, the flames will not jump on their own. If they really want to use the fire to attack the Sixing warehouse, it is enough to only set fire to the houses on our south side, so why waste manpower and material resources to make the pomp and circumstance so big? ”

After making these comments, Xie Jinyuan raised the teacup in his hand at Smith, "Please drink tea, it won't taste good if it's cold." ”

Lieutenant Colonel Smith's eyes widened, looking at the calm and calm Lieutenant Colonel Xie in front of him like a monster, he really couldn't understand that since he set fire from the south, the fire could spread all the way to the Sixing warehouse. According to their intelligence, it was full of easy-to-burn rice, soybeans and cowhides, and a large amount of ammunition, and the water pipeline was blown up by the sappers on the afternoon of the 27th.

"Report!"

Xie Jinyuan responded while sipping tea that basically had no fragrance except bitterness, "Come in!" ”

It was the company commander who walked into the management room just now, and he quickly reported: "The fire that burned in the southern dwellings spread all the way to the Sixing warehouse with the help of the wind, and it will burn to us in about twenty-five minutes, depending on the situation." ”

Listening to the intensive shelling, watching Lieutenant Colonel Smith sip tea while wiping the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead with a handkerchief, Xie Jinyuan smiled again. "It's not bad to use artillery bombardment to exert psychological pressure, to use fire on three sides to create the illusion that the general trend is gone, and then to use the real threat of fire to spread, to force us to mess up! I really want to meet this opponent for a while, it's really a thing! ”

Xie Jinyuan picked up the portable military lunch box and shook it gently, there was still half a box of boiling water in it, he raised the lunch box to Lieutenant Colonel Smith and asked, "Do you want to add some boiling water?" ”

Lieutenant Colonel Smith wanted to shake his head, to be honest, this tea is really unpalatable, bitter and astringent, it feels like he has directly made a handful of rotten leaves and thrown it into the cup, but looking at the half-wet handkerchief in his hand, Lieutenant Colonel Smith still nodded, pushed the cup in front of Xie Jinyuan, and said in a gentlemanly manner: "Thank you!" ”

(To be continued)