When Guo Xiangfei heard what Zhang Xuewu said, he suddenly had a feeling of five thunders, his three younger brothers were all sacrificed? Although the news obtained from the operational command of the provisional First Mechanized Division from the Rehe side that the four fortress cities of Chengde, Chifeng, Zhangjiakou, and Chaoyang had annihilated more than 30,000 enemy troops, which seemed to be very easy, in fact, the Rehe side did not report many of the tragic points and difficulties, and it was not only his own patent that reported the good news but not the bad news, but also made certain adjustments in the propaganda in order to maintain the high morale of the troops and the people's morale.

Guo Xiangfei finally retreated with the seriously wounded, looking at the city of Nanjing, where the smoke and artillery were rumbling, Guo Xiangfei solemnly swore that "I will definitely come back within five years!" ”

Sending Guo Xiangfei away, Zhang Xuewu's heart was calm, although the cannon outside was rumbling and deafening, but Zhang Xuewu found that his mood at the moment was unusually calm? Even calm to the point that he himself couldn't believe it? At present, among the various units defending Nanjing, except for the 48th Division and the 159th Division of Wu Jianxiong, which guarded Yanziji and Wulongshan fortresses, are still complete, and the 103rd Division of Gui Yongqing's Teaching Corps, which retreated from Qixia Mountain, is less than 1,000 people.

The remnants of the two divisions of the 87th Division and the 88th Division were only organized into four battalions, and the 36th Division also suffered more than half of the casualties, and even the 74th Army, which was late in the battle and was not the main direction of the army, also suffered more than 7,000 casualties, especially Wang Yaowu's 51st Division suffered more than half of the casualties, Feng Shengfa's 58th Division also relied on the Guanghuamen city wall to resist the enemy, and the 57th Division, of which Yu Jishi was the commander of the division, was split into regiments and battalions and put into battle separately.

Zhang Xuewu knew that this was a typical refueling tactic, and he also knew that Yu Jishi knew better that putting the troops into battle battalion by battalion was a very passive attrition, but even Zhang Xuewu had no way! Because the position is such a large place, I am afraid that there will be nothing left after my heavy artillery is smashed down.

The army occupies the superiority of artillery fire and air, but in the extremely close street battles, the heavy artillery and bombardment of the Yue army are not of much use, and the tactics of covering the infantry assault with chariots that the Yue army is proud of cannot be eaten at all in Nanjing, because from the West Water Gate to the Guanghua Gate, and then to the Zhonghua Gate and other key attack points of the Yue army, the Chinese defenders have fire strike points composed of jackal light tanks and hounds armored vehicles, auxiliary and hail rocket artillery vehicles, and the Rehe Corps is temporarily organized into the first mechanized division, including the first infantry brigade, the second infantry brigade, The 3rd Infantry Brigade, the 4th Infantry Brigade, and the eight regiments under the headquarters were all dispersed.

The Rehe Corps was equipped with a large number of submachine guns, Mauser pistols, anti-tank rifles and German-made anti-aircraft guns, so in the fierce street battles, it was difficult for the Yue army to take advantage of the firepower, especially in the extremely close combat distance, the submachine guns of the Chinese defenders had great power and lethality compared to the Type 38 rifles equipped by the Yue army.

Is it necessary to hold on to the walled position? So many casualties among the troops? In particular, the troops who held the West Water Gate, Guanghua Gate, Zhonghua Gate and other key points were fighting and killing the Yue army almost inch by inch of mountains and rivers, and the corpses were blown up by artillery fire, and the living people continued to resist desperately among the broken corpses.

All the officers and soldiers know very well that they have no way to retreat, and if they retreat, they will be in the urban area, and then everyone will have to jump into the river in a group! Moreover, the city of Nanjing has become a dangerous city, only the north of the city is bordered by the river, and there are gunboats to break through the attack, and there are frequent bombing by military fighters in the air, in fact, the situation in Nanjing at the moment is to borrow one from the city, break the situation of the ship, born in the land of China, die in Nanjing, the slogan has been shouted countless times, but they did not expect that it will really come true, heroic martyrdom, how heroic and tragic.

Nanjing has become an isolated city, and it is the only belief of all the officers and soldiers guarding Nanjing that they would rather die than be taken prisoner.

After repeated consideration, Zhang Xuewu finally decided to abandon the West Water Gate, Guanghua Gate, Zhonghua Gate, etc., put the Yue army into the front line of Confucius Temple, and concentrated troops to reinforce the Purple Mountain, using the Purple Mountain as the last barrier, and using the deep street battle to consume the living force of the Yue army.

Zhang Xuewu's decision made the Chinese defenders on the front line beat their chests and feet, if it weren't for the fact that Zhang Xuewu was majestic and good, and took benevolent care of the officers and soldiers, I am afraid that someone would have scolded his mother a long time ago? If it is in the northeast, I am afraid that the ancestral tomb of the old Zhang family will be bombed to the sky all of a sudden, you must know how many troops are formed into a group, and the meaning of living in the sea of corpses and blood is to kill more enemies and avenge their comrades-in-arms.

Fall back? In the eyes of almost all people, this is an escape, it is a kind of blasphemy and betrayal, and it is a great honor to die in Nanjing, especially when the remains of those robes on the battlefield have not yet been buried, many officers and soldiers are crying with tears and unwilling to leave, even if it is sprinkled with a thin layer of soil. Entering the soil for security is a deep-rooted ideology and concept of the Chinese.

After the break, it became the most sought-after job, Colonel Wang Huaijiang of the First Brigade of the Rehe Army Provisional Division and several brigade commanders of friendly forces almost turned their faces and moved, a colonel and three or four major generals covered in blood and gunpowder smoke were torn together, and Ye Yunfei, who went to mediate, was almost beaten by the crowd because he helped Wang Huaijiang speak.

In the defense of Nanjing, each department is first of all based on the Huangpu department, the main component of the army is single, and before Zhang Xuewu generously donated money, the advance unit of the Sichuan Army and the Guangxi Army were redressed, won the hearts of the people, in the defense of the city wall, especially in the battle of the Zhonghua Gate, the Sichuan Army was killed and wounded.

A brigade of more than 5,000 people followed Zhang Lingfu's bloody work to form a reinforced company, and in this way, it also pulled up the second peak of the Purple Mountain and drove a company of the 36th Division down, but after the angry Song Xilian arrived, a lieutenant colonel of the Sichuan Army hugged Song Xilian's thigh and said: "Chief Song, the brothers of more than 5,000 people below our brigade commander have become benevolent for the country, this is a war against the country!" Let the brothers die on this Purple Mountain! Please! We walked thousands of miles with a footboard! Hungry and full, in order to fight Xiao Dongyang, now that the brothers have all sacrificed their lives for the country, how can we live alone? ”

Song Xilian has seen a battle and escaped, but he has never seen someone who is in a hurry to die, because the area where the reinforced company of the Sichuan army is located is the main point of the army's main attack, if they can't hold it, the death is small, and he Song Xilian will not give up if he loses the second peak position! Zhang Xuewu's entrustment and trust and the entire city of Nanjing, everything came to naught.

Song Xilian hesitated for a long time and said: "I will hand over my Song Xilian's life to you, this is the key point of the second peak, if the position is lost, the second peak must be lost, we rely on the Purple Mountain, Oolongshang, and Yanziji Fortress to fight street battles, and it is this Purple Mountain that we rely on." ”

The lieutenant colonel of the Sichuan army snapped and said: "Please rest assured that the commander will never give up his humble position!" ”

Song Xilian snorted coldly and said, "Don't give up? This includes my head, and it's not as good as an inch of land here? How much is your dog's life worth? You have lost your position and lost your life at most, and you have lost the second peak, and the more than 200,000 brothers who participated in the defense of Nanjing, including the friendly troops who are coming in for reinforcements, will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history forever, do you understand? I need you all to be alive, to live on the battlefield, and I want to see the corpses of myself in front of the battle. ”

The lieutenant colonel of the Sichuan army shook slightly, and looked at Song Xilian with gratitude: "Chief Song's rebirth grace and humble duty are unforgettable, thank the commander for giving us this opportunity and trust, please rest assured, the commander is in the position, and the remaining officers and soldiers of our Sichuan Army are determined to die, so as to atone for the crime of decades of civil war in our Sichuan army." ”

Song Xilian nodded with satisfaction, and suddenly said as if he remembered something: "What's your name?" ”

Lieutenant Colonel Sichuan Jun smiled and said, "Report to the sir, humble Mengshanhe!" ”

"Monsan?" Song Xilian frowned slightly and said, "What a domineering name?" That's what it was called? ”

Meng Shanhe blushed and said embarrassedly: "It was originally called Meng Dagou, and when you become an official, you must have an official name, and when you became a platoon commander, you changed it to Meng Changqing, and later generations of Xiao Dongyang called, so I changed it to Mengshanhe, and I also mean the river and mountain!" The chief smiled! ”

Song Xilian didn't say anything and patted Meng Shanhe on the shoulder, Meng Shanhe saluted and watched Song Xilian leave, as well as the captain and company commander who was driven down by him before, and made a fuss again and again.

Song Xilian hadn't gone far yet, and Meng Shanhe raised his arms and shouted: "Born in Sichuan, died in Nanjing!" Glory, brethren! ”

Song Xilian's footsteps paused slightly, and his heart suddenly stirred, who is not that? Commander Zhang and ordered to abandon the West Water Gate, Guanghua Gate, and Zhonghua Gate, and put the Yue army into the city for street fighting, so the first, second, and third peaks of the Purple Mountain he guarded could only become the last barrier of Nanjing City, although the Wulong Mountain Fortress was fiercely bombed by the Yue Army fighters, but it was still able to support the first line of the Purple Mountain with artillery fire, including the Yanziji Fortress can also provide some artillery support, these are all Song Xilian's reliance, Song Xilian, who feels a heavy responsibility, is really a little uneasy at the moment, he is not afraid of himself, he was afraid that the loss of his position would lead to the final collapse of the defense of Nanjing, so he would be to blame for his death!

In a private house on the outskirts of Nanjing's eastern city, the headquarters of the Central Branch of the Imperial Army is set up here, and if you simply look at the appearance of Tada Jun's headquarters, it is really impossible to see that this is the location of the headquarters of the Central Branch of the Imperial Army, because all the antennas are located in another private house 300 meters away, and all the operational staff officers are where the staff officers carry out staff operations.

(To be continued)