Get people's money, eliminate disasters for people, from this point of view, the national army is indeed extremely commercial credit, after getting Jiang Cheng's 3 million legal currency, in just five days, three pontoon bridges were built, although I know that there are now many people in Nanjing City know about this matter, but in order to hide people's eyes, Jiang Cheng still decided to temporarily sink the pontoon bridge into the water, ready to wait for the critical moment to use, Zhou Weiguo and Wang Yong built a large number of dark forts one after the other in order to control the pontoon bridge, fortunately this place is relatively remote, In the name of military management, outsiders were forbidden to enter and exit, but not many idlers found out.

When Jiang Cheng designed a way for the military and civilians in Nanjing, the fangs of the Japanese army had gradually approached the city of Nanjing, Zhenjiang was declared lost six days later, and the citizens of Nanjing could already see countless Japanese planes flying over their heads, although Jiang Zhong hoped to defend Nanjing, but did not have any extravagant hopes for victory in the defense of Nanjing, so the precious planes would naturally not be placed in Nanjing, Nanjing had become a playground for the Japanese air force at this time, and bombs continued to fall on the forward positions and military and political organs. The long-term passive beating caused an uneasy atmosphere in the sky over the city of Nanjing.

"Boom!!" Another building was destroyed by a Japanese bomb, and Tang Shengzhi, who was in the basement, anxiously waited for news from Wuhan. The complete loss of air supremacy made the defenders too passive.

"Wuhan called back." The communications soldier nervously finished deciphering the code, stood up and said.

"Hurry up and show me, I heard that the Soviet Union gave us a military loan of 100 million US dollars and a lot of aircraft, and I believe that the commission will give us support immediately." Tang Shengzhi pretended to be calm and said to Luo Zhuoying and Liu Xing next to him.

Tang Shengzhi picked up the telegram at this time. I saw that his face first turned white, then blue, then red, and finally turned white, just like the face change of Sichuan Opera, it made Liu Luo and the others feel eye-opening.

"Commander? What's wrong? What do you say? Luo asked curiously.

The commissioner said. The number of pilots of Soviet aircraft is not large, and it is in the run-in period, Shanxi and Shandong and other regions in North China are not yet able to effectively supply, and the Soviet air force under the leadership of Prokofiev had a fierce battle with the Japanese army, and the losses are not small, and it is temporarily impossible to ensure the safety of the sky over Nanjing, so we can temporarily overcome the difficulties. Forbearance for the country. As he spoke, Tang Shengzhi threw the telegram aside.

"What about reinforcements? When will the reinforcements arrive? Liu Xing continued. You must know that Jiang Intermediary said at the beginning that he would personally bring reinforcements to save Nanjing.

Tang Shengzhi shook his head and did not speak. Liu Luo and the two glanced at each other, and they already understood in their hearts.

"Command the troops. Prepare to repay your country with your death. After Tang Shengzhi finished speaking, he stood up and walked out of the headquarters.

Tang Shengzhi knew in his heart at this time that Nanjing had been abandoned, and Wuhan, which was not even willing to send planes, would order reinforcements to come to the rescue. What made Tang Shengzhi feel even more chilled. He Nanjing was originally trying to win the favor of Jiang Mediation, but at this time, he didn't even have a plane to pick him up and leave Nanjing, Tang Shengzhi was completely panicked.

At this time, the peripheral war outside Nanjing had already begun.

The Japanese army deployed the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 10th, 16th, 18th, 114th, and Yamada detachments (the 13th Brigade of the 13th Division) outside Nanjing, and there were 2 independent field heavy artillery brigades and 3 field heavy artillery brigades, siege heavy artillery wings, 7 siege heavy artillery brigades, 1 heavy mortar artillery brigade, and 1 heavy artillery squadron. 16 anti-aircraft artillery units and 3 reserve mountain artillery units, 21 separate automobile units and other support units. The total number of troops is more than 200,000. The armament is equipped with more than 240 artillery anti-aircraft guns, including 150mm howitzers, 700mm cannons and other heavy guns, more than 2000 rapid-fire guns, infantry guns, mortars and grenadiers, as well as 300 tank armored vehicles. Among them, the north road is Shanghai, and the dispatch army is led by King Hatohiko of Chaoxiang Palace to attack along the railway, and the south road is the tenth army, led by Yanagawa Heisuke, which first attacks the Jurong-Moling Pass line and then returns to Nanjing.

At this time, more than 100,000 troops had been collected in the city of Nanjing, most of which were composed of dissatisfied troops who had retreated along the Shanghai line, and their combat effectiveness was weak, and their will to fight was like a frightened bird.

The battle was first started by Jurong.

Guarding Jurong was Ye Zhao's 66th Army, which first participated in the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Jiangyin, and was already extremely tired at this time. Under the indiscriminate bombardment of Japanese artillery and aircraft, the suppressed ones could not raise their heads.

"Hey, is it a military seat, we can't hold it here, ask for support, ask for support." Luo Cequn, the deputy commander of the 159th Division at the forefront, was frantically calling on the phone.

"What? Can't hold it? Do you know what's behind you? What about your commanders? Tell him to roll over and answer the phone. Ye Zhao scolded angrily.

I only heard Luo Cequn crying and said, "The division commander has gone up, now the headquarters is just me, the military seat, the devils are divided into troops to raid, our position has been divided, it has lost control, and without reinforcements, we are finished!" ”

After speaking, he only heard a gunshot on the other side of the phone, and Ye Zhao anxiously shouted, "Hey, hey!" Talking, in absentia? ”

"Yo Xi, what kind of person are you?" The unfamiliar Chinese with a Japanese accent made Ye Zhao's scalp explode, and Ye Zhao said in disbelief, "Who are you?" ”

"Wha, I drop, the 3rd Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, your troops are finished, please wash your neck and wait for me to cut off your head as a gift to His Majesty the Emperor!" After saying word by word on the other side of the phone, he hung up the phone. And Ye Zhao's entire back was sweating profusely in the cold wind of December.

"Throne, Throne, are you alright?" The staff officer next to him said anxiously.

"Withdraw, withdraw quickly, immediately order the troops to withdraw to Qilinmen, Jurong is lost, and another telegram is sent to Commander Tang, and the 159th Division will be annihilated." Ye Zhao sat down slowly as if his whole person had been drained.

- Nanjing Headquarters

Tang Shengzhi felt as if the whole sky was about to fall, and more than 200,000 Japanese troops surrounded the city of Nanjing, attacking from three sides. The railway, which was supposed to be safe, was cut off by the Sixth Division in an instant, and if it weren't for the people who fled back, he wouldn't have known about it. Tang Shengzhi looked at the map, except for the fact that there were no Japanese troops on the river, there were Japanese troops everywhere, and Gu Zhu's troops facing the river were defending Yangzhou and Chuzhou, this was his only way to survive.

But Tang Shengzhi took the initiative to ask for help, if he took the initiative to retreat, there would be a good life in the future, Tang Shengzhi could only continue to send reports to Wuhan. Report on the situation of the battle, hoping that Chiang can take the initiative to order the defenders of Nanjing to retreat.

At this time, a correspondent came in and reported: "Report, 66th Army emergency telegram. Jurong was lost, and the 159th Division was completely annihilated. ”

Tang Shengzhi was shocked and said, "Send a message to Wuhan to explain this matter, and add that I, Tang Shengzhi, am willing to lead the whole city to follow the 159th Division." Just ask for broken jade. If you don't want to be complete, you will fight to the death in the spirit of "breaking the kettle and sinking the boat" to repay the kindness of the party-state and the committee. ”

Jiuhua Mountain, outside Nanjing, became the temporary headquarters of the Japanese army at this time, and Matsui Ishine and King Hatohiko of Asaka Palace sat together and discussed the situation in Nanjing. At this time, Matsui Ishine had been promoted to the commander of the Central China Front Army, and he had a good view of the overall situation. The two were dressed in military uniforms, with tea sets and a fence in front of them. There was a Japanese artist playing the shamisen next to me, so I was so uncomfortable.

King Hatohiko of Chaoxiang Palace took a sip of tea lightly, closed his eyes and said, "This water in the south of the Yangtze River is really not ordinary." Even the brewed tea has a softness, which is really beautiful. ”

"I think it's only a matter of time before the city of Nanjing is broken, and the defenders of China must be in panic all day long, so it is better to strengthen persuasion to surrender in order to reduce the losses of the imperial army." Matsui Ishine looked at the good news that kept coming from front of him, and said with a smile to King Hatohiko of Asakanomiya.

King Hatohiko shook his head and snorted and said, "These people deserve to die, let them survive, they will only secretly fight against the imperial army, General Matsui still remembers Manchuria, the resistance of the people there has not stopped until now, I think, it is easier to kill them all." ”

Matsui put the telegram aside and said, "We can't let our warriors die at the last moment, we should bring more emperor's warriors back to our homes, after the city of Nanjing is broken, the country will be destroyed, and our warriors can also go home." ”

King Hatohiko of the Asaka Palace said in disbelief, "After Nanjing is broken, will China really surrender, Jiang has already reorganized his troops in Wuhan, I don't think he will surrender so easily." ”

Matsui Shigen said indifferently, "That's better, we will continue to attack and take Wuhan, if he wants to run Changsha again, we will take Changsha, and this is only a few months of effort." Besides, there are people in Chiang's government who are willing to cooperate with the empire, and we will find someone else when the time comes, and these are not problems. ”

King Hatohiko of Asakanomiya nodded in agreement.

I only saw nearly 100 planes flying over Nanjing, but this time, they did not drop bombs, but dropped a large number of declarations, hoping to make Tang Shengzhi surrender.

Tang Shengzhi opened it and saw that it was written like this: "A million Japanese troops have swept through the south of the Yangtze River, and the city of Nanjing is under siege. However, the land of Jiangning is an ancient city in central China, the capital of the Republic of China, and the Ming Tomb of Filial Piety, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and other historical sites and places of interest are gathered, which has the essence of East Asian culture. Although the Japanese army was extremely harsh and forgiving to the resisters, they were lenient and unharmed by the innocent people and the Chinese army, which was not hostile. As for East Asian cultures, there is a particular zeal for conservation. If your army wants to continue fighting, Nanjing will inevitably suffer from the scourge of war, which will turn the thousand-year-old culture into ashes and the ten-year operation will eventually become a bubble. Therefore, on behalf of the Japanese army, this commander advises your army to open the city of Nanjing peacefully, otherwise the Japanese army will have to attack Nanjing. Commander-in-Chief of the Great Japanese Army - Ishone Matsui"

Tang Shengzhi immediately tore up the letter of persuasion to surrender with three strikes and five divisions, and said with a smile: "Look, this little devil has no one in his eyes, and he thinks that our national army is a coward who doesn't dare to shoot, what do you say?" ”

The sergeant next to him listened with sparkling eyes. They all shouted, "Fight to the death and not retreat, fight to the death and not retreat." ”

Tang Shengzhi nodded, expressed satisfaction and said, "Send the full text to Wuhan and tell the chairman that none of the officers and men of the whole army have been bewitched, and they are willing to defend Nanjing." Only then did he return to his office, Tang Shengzhi, who returned to the office, slowly took out a cigarette and inhaled it vigorously, he could only use this way to ease the fear in his heart.

Tang Shengzhi looked to the northwest, anxiously waiting for Jiang Mediation's response to his constant hints.

- Wuhan

Jiang Zhong, Bai Chongxi and others were also looking at the map of Nanjing at this time, seeing that Nanjing had been surrounded on three sides. Jiang knew in his heart that Nanjing could no longer be held.

"Commission, you should inform Tang Shengzhi in advance. Let him prepare for retreat, when Shanghai retreated, it was because he was too anxious, causing the whole army to lose tens of thousands of people because of the retreat, and he couldn't make this mistake again. Bai Chongxi persuaded.

Jiang Zhong nodded and said, "Send a report to Nanjing, and let Commander Tang prepare a retreat plan." ”

When Tang Shengzhi saw the telegram. The whole person seemed to jump up with joy, but after a second, he immediately said with an angry expression, "The mausoleum of the former prime minister is here." If you want me Tang Shengzhi to be this wicked person, what face will I have to see the first prime minister after I die. ”

Luo Zhuoying saw that Tang Shengzhi was still pretending at this time, and said anxiously, "Commander Tang." Since the commission has said it. If we are soldiers, we should just do it, after all, soldiers are obedience, and now we should go and collect ships at once. ”

Tang Shengzhi glared angrily and said, "What's the hurry, are you in such a hurry to escape, the commission just let us make a preparation plan, and didn't let us really retreat, um." A report was sent to Wuhan in the hope that the General Headquarters would give clearer instructions. ”

Liu Luo and the two looked at each other and smiled after listening. This Tang Shengzhi is really afraid of taking the responsibility of giving up Nanjing, after all, he blew the cow, and it is not easy for him to withdraw now.

Wuhan's Jiang intermediary saw the callback, as a veteran of decades of politics, where would he not know the twists and turns in Tang Shengzhi's heart, but he really had no choice, since the original idea of Nanjing was to defend and then withdraw, then there must be a relatively strong combat effectiveness and better organized troops. Therefore, Chiang left his most elite division, but which lost more than half of the German 36th Division, 87th Division, 88th Division, the Central Teaching Corps, and the 74th Army, one of the five main forces, in Nanjing. If all these troops were wiped out, Chiang would have to cry in his diary.

Jiang thought for a moment and sent another telegram, which read: "If the situation cannot last for a long time, the camera can retreat in order to sort out and hope for a counterattack." At this time, Jiang Zhong's heart was dripping blood, and the Battle of Songhu that he fought desperately for was actually such an ending.

And the international rescue that he is looking forward to is still slowly hovering in the stage of "verbal condemnation". At the moment of crisis, only Einstein, Russell, and a few other great international scientists and philosophers sent messages of support.

Jiang Zhong left the headquarters and returned to his residence, the more he thought about it, the more angry he became, the more uncomfortable he became, he finally couldn't hold it back, took out his diary and wrote, "I can't bear to give up the capital that I have built with great difficulty, and I can't bear to give it up for a day. After writing, he was about to lie down, but he remembered the international aid that made him uncomfortable, and got up and wrote: "It has been nearly five months since the start of the war, and there is still no news of international aid, and only the Soviet Union has given some support, and only self-improvement and self-reliance are the only way out for the overall situation of resisting Japan." ”

After writing this, Jiang finally felt relieved, thought of the achievements of the Eighth Route Army, and wrote: "Recently, the Red Party's good news has been reported frequently, and it is suspected that there is support from the Soviet Union, and the Red Party's affairs cannot be taken lightly, and the heart of the Soviet Union is by no means goodwill." Jiang Intermediary slept with peace of mind.

When Tang Shengzhi in Nanjing saw this sentence in the telegram that clearly stated the retreat, he finally made up his mind and ordered all officers at and above the division level to hold a meeting.

At this time, the Japanese army had already broken through the Qilin Gate and the Wulongshan Fort on the side of the Yangtze River.

In fact, the Nanjing government still attaches great importance to this easy to attack and difficult to defend Nanjing city, and has built a large number of pillbox fortifications, but many of the pillboxes are built on the top of the mountain and on the ridge line of the mountain, which is very significant and can be seen a few miles away. The fortifications were made of concrete and concrete, and it would have been sufficient to deal with the warlords of the various factions in the country and the Red Army, since they had no heavy weapons, and light and heavy machine guns and mortars alone could not damage them.

But it was not possible to deal with the Japanese army, because the Japanese army had a large number of mountain artillery and field artillery, which could follow the advance of the front-line troops. Such pillboxes, although strong, could not withstand the blows of such artillery. After a few artillery shots by the Japanese army, these pillboxes were basically destroyed, and the officers and soldiers of the defenders inside were either blown up or shocked to death, which actually had no effect.

More importantly, because the Nationalist Government was actually ready to abandon Nanjing, it naturally would not give Nanjing too many heavy weapons, at this time Nanjing only had one battalion each of the 8th Artillery Regiment and the 10th Artillery Regiment, and the total number of artillery pieces was only a dozen, in addition to 8 anti-tank guns, plus a light tank company of 10 tanks.

Such heavy firepower against the Japanese army's more than 700 artillery pieces of 75mm or more and 2,000 other artillery pieces is really not enough for each enemy to be 100, so the battle is advancing quickly. The flames of war have burned to the front line of Lion Rock.

- Late at night

After a day of fierce fighting, all parties in Nanjing finally rested, in fact, both the defenders and the Japanese army were extremely tired, both sides have been fighting continuously for more than three months, what is this concept, the three-day exam makes many people feel extremely tired, and the fierce battle between China and Japan where is the tension of the exam can be compared, this is the place where you will die at any time, therefore, in the night, even the Japanese army had to give up the idea of attacking overnight and taking Nanjing as soon as possible.

In the headquarters, there was no smile on everyone's faces, in less than three days, Nanjing's peripheral positions had been lost, only the most important Yuhuatai was still completely in the hands of the national army, and the other positions were almost unable to hold. (To be continued......)