"Now that our army is ready, even if the Japanese army comes again, it will not take any advantage, I believe that if the 114th Division does not come, it will be enough, and if they come, they will definitely not return." Long Shaogang said confidently.

"Ahh

Wu Ming sighed, and suddenly felt a little excited: "Our victory on the local battlefield can only be regarded as a small gain, and the entire Songhu war situation has been eroded to this point, and we can't support it for long just by relying on us." ”

Wu Ming's words poured a basin of cold water on Long Shaogang and Dai Ziran's heads, and both of them buried their heads and thought silently

"Okay, although the overall battle situation is unfavorable, our new second division still has to strive to win the battle and wipe out the Japanese army in front of us in one fell swoop" Speaking of this, Wu Ming raised his head: "Ziran, old dragon, you don't have to be depressed, I am a beautiful China, with a history of more than 5,000 years, how can I be defeated by small Japan?" ”

"That's right, our 450,000,000 Chinese compatriots are united, and everyone can drown the Japanese with a mouthful of spit." Dai Ziran cheered up and said.

"In the long run, China will naturally win" Long Shaogang's face was heavy: "But judging from the current situation, the war in Songhu is on the verge of collapse...... If the Nationalist Government and the Third Theater of Operations fail to reorganize their armies near the defense line, the next situation will be a thousand miles away."

"Master's seat, emergency electricity"

Du Pingzhang, the chief of the confidential section, strode into the division headquarters and handed over several telegrams to Wu Ming.

After reading them one by one, Wu Ming stuffed a few telegrams into Dai Ziran's hand, went straight to the large map of Songhu hanging on the wall on one side, carefully studied it for a while, and then pointed to the banks of the Yangtze River and said:

"The latest battle report I just received...... The 16th Division of the Japanese Army and the Shigetto Detachment officially landed at Hupukou and Baimaokou, because the shore fortifications there were re-repaired before the war, and the 14th Division of the 54th Army guarding the Yangtze River resisted stubbornly, and the Japanese army could not advance an inch after a day of hard fighting, but under the fire of the Japanese ships and the attack of aircraft, Chen Lie's troops suffered very heavy losses."

In addition, General Gu Zhutong, deputy commander of the Right Wing Army Headquarters and the Third Theater of Operations, sent telegrams one after another, ordering our division to cooperate with Liu Jianxu's Tenth Group Army, stabilize the existing positions, and respond to the withdrawal of all front-line units to the defense line

Wu Ming's voice paused, and then pointed to the Hangzhou Bay area: "It's just that now that the Japanese army has occupied Songjiang and Fengjing, the Shanghai-Hangzhou railway hubs, it is difficult for the units of the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Group Armies on the Songhu front to withdraw to the Hangzhou Bay line by rail, and we must respond to the enemy alone for a long time." ”

Long Shaogang thought for a moment and asked, "Is Zhang Fakui still on the front line?" ”

After reading the battle report, Dai Ziran said mockingly: "It's no longer there, our Commander Zhang sent us a report on the way to escape...... He took the headquarters of the Right Wing Army to bypass the Japanese occupied Songjiang County from the side, and almost did not collide with the Japanese army attacking Qingpu

Wu Ming shook his head: "This can't be blamed on Zhang Fakui, the chairman of the committee changed his order every day, and the main reason for the confusion was the confusion of the front-line departments." As far as I know, Zhang Fakui originally received an order to hold on to the western part of Shanghai, and when other troops began to retreat, he received an order to retreat, and when he gave the order, the various units under his command had already retreated on their own, and it was already commendable that Zhang Fakui was able to make a detour back to the border between Jiangsu and Zhejiang, instead of retreating to the safer Wufu line."

According to the information sent by Zhu Wenhua, this strategic retreat on the front line was indeed a tragedy, not only was there almost no operational coordination and cooperation between the two major groups on the left and right, but also between the various group armies, armies, and divisions within the two wings, they often did not coordinate with each other, and they went their separate ways, like a broken bag of potatoes scattered on the ground, and each of them rolled away, and no one cared about anyone.

In particular, many units of Zhang Fakui's right-wing group, because they were in close proximity to the Japanese army between the Suzhou Creek and the Huangpu River, began to retreat westward without any preparation in order to avoid being surrounded by the rapidly advancing Japanese army, and the route of retreat was not clearly demarcated, and the contact with friendly and neighboring troops was cut off.

The command of Chiang Kai-shek as commander-in-chief was also problematic.

As a result of following Wu Ming's advice, Chiang Kai-shek had been deploying ten divisions of troops on the defense line of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, in order to use them for mobile operations at critical moments.

However, after the Japanese army landed on the front line of Hangzhou Bay, Chiang Kai-shek did not let these ten divisions take the initiative to attack, but stayed on the defensive line and did nothing.

Under such circumstances, it was not easy for Zhang Fakui to return to the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to organize defense.

"Boom—"

There were bursts of dull explosions in the distance, Wu Ming came to the window in surprise, pushed open the window, the explosions one after another became louder, and the reverberating sound waves shook the reeds in the nearby river bay from side to side.

Dai Ziran's face changed, and he asked a little frightened: "Master, listen—this cannon sound, many of which are bombarded by the main guns of Japanese battleships with a caliber of more than 350 mm?" ”

"That's right...... It was the left flank defense line of East Lake that was shelled," Long Shaogang also had a very ugly face and muttered. Before Long Shaogang's words fell, there was another violent explosion, and the earth-shattering sound was endless......

Wu Ming was secretly frightened.

According to the density of the shelling, not only did the artillery group of the Japanese naval fleet open fire, but I am afraid that even the field artillery wing under the 114th Division also joined the shelling.

Wu Ming turned around and said to Long Shaogang, who came to his side: "Deputy division commander, you now immediately notify Yin Dizhong to transfer all the three supplementary regiments that are strategic reserves to the preset positions, and you will personally go to Yin Dizhong's headquarters to sit in the command and send reinforcements to the front line at any time." ”

"Yes"

Long Shaogang took the order and left.

Wu Ming thought for a while, and then ordered: "Ziran, you now order all departments to be on guard, especially the defensive troops along the line from Zhapu to Pinghu, they must pay close attention to the movements of the Japanese army, and then order Steve in the field hospital to let him do a good job in treating the wounded." In a word, the most difficult moment for our new Second Division has arrived.

Dai Ziran nodded, and also left the headquarters to carry out Wu Ming's orders.

Long Shaogang has a strong ability to execute, and he will hand over the reserve soldiers such as the supplementary brigade to him, once there is a mistake on the front line, he can make arrangements according to the battlefield situation, whether he goes out to rescue or responds on the spot. Dai Ziran has a keen sense of war and can often grasp the key points, Wu Ming needs him to stay by his side to remind him one or two.

Wu Ming exhaled a heavy breath, went out to the courtyard, raised his head and looked at the direction of the Japanese artillery bombardment. After more than ten minutes of fire preparation, the sound of explosions gradually stopped, and the Japanese army must have begun to attack

The thunderous explosions gradually died down, and the officers, who were the first to wake up from the shelling, desperately crawled out of the dirt. The whole position was in shambles, full of craters, large and small, jagged trenches were blown to pieces, the air was filled with the choking smell of gunpowder smoke and the pungent smell of blood, and human stumps and severed arms could be seen everywhere.

Several large trees at the front of the position were turned into torches, except for one pine tree that miraculously escaped the bombardment, and a bloody arm hung from the branch and shook incessantly.

In the front enemy command post in Pingbei Village, about four kilometers away from the frontline position, Luo Yuming, commander of the 1st brigade, raised his binoculars and calmly observed the situation on the battlefield.

"Dazhong, the devil has come up and ordered the second regiment to enter the forward position" Luo Yuming turned around and instructed Lu Dazhong, the chief of staff beside him.

"Yes"

Lu Dazhong soon went out to inform him.

Deputy Brigade Commander Jin Yonghe put down his binoculars and said to Luo Yuming: "Brigade seat, the Japanese artillery fire is too fierce, and I am afraid that the casualties of the Han Tiecheng Regiment left on the front line are indispensable."

"Yes, although our weapons and equipment are relatively advanced, under the threat of Japanese aircraft and naval guns, artillery does not dare to use them easily, and there is no advantage in the three-dimensional attack of Japanese artillery, aircraft and tanks, so the division has always opposed the rigid defense...... However, in such a situation now, we have to guard" Luo Yuming patted his thigh in annoyance.

The new Second Division was already on the front line of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and Zhang Fakui, who was on the run, and Gu Zhutong, the deputy commander of the theater sitting in Jiaxing, successively issued death orders -- the new Second Division could not take a step back.

If the order is not carried out, the new 2nd Division will retreat from Zhapu to Pinghu, and as the flank threat is lifted, the Japanese army's offensive strength on the Jiashan, Qingpu, and Taihu lines will be greatly strengthened, and it is very likely that the Japanese army will make dumplings for more than 700,000 soldiers on the Songhu battlefield.

If nothing else, just for the lives of these 700,000 soldiers, and for the sake of preserving the vitality of the Anti-Japanese War, the new Second Division cannot take a step back.

Luo Yuming raised the telescope again. In autumn and winter, the flat fields where the rice is harvested are full of devils marching with guns. The Japanese soldiers spread wide, the net of the attack was wide open, and they slowly advanced towards the forward fortifications of the New Second Division.

"Brigade seat, look at the scale, there are at least two brigades of devils in front of the Han Tiecheng Regiment...... How is it that the Japanese have gone crazy at the beginning? The more this battle goes down, the harder our life will be," Jin Yonghe sighed.

"yes...... But there is no way, even if you fill it with human life now, you have to resist it......" Luo Yuming said with a hard heart, and a trace of grief appeared on his face.

The construction of the fortifications on the line from the northeast of East Lake along the Haitang to Jiashan was completed by the 53rd Division, which was far less solid than the fortifications built by the New Second Division from Zhapu to Pinghu and then to Jiaxing.

Although the Han Tieseong Regiment immediately commanded the excavation of anti-artillery holes after taking over the defense, it still seemed powerless in the face of the fire coverage of the Japanese large-caliber naval guns, as evidenced by the collapsed fortifications and the flattened trenches, and the vague flesh and scarlet blood could be seen everywhere on the position.

About 500 meters behind the position, Han Tiecheng climbed out of the anti-artillery hole with a few staff officers and rushed into the crumbling regiment command post.

Behind the Japanese offensive formation, the infantry guns and mortars accompanying the infantry attack had already fixed their gun positions, and they continuously fired shells at our fortifications, so that the officers and men of the defending battalion and company were powerless to fight back

"Tuanza, hurry up and send troops to the front line, I can't stand it for a while"

According to the operational regulations, only a small number of troops could be placed in the front-line positions, and the main forces were concentrated in the rear reserve positions, and troops were sent forward after the Japanese army launched an attack, so as to reduce the casualties of the Japanese artillery bombardment. Now seeing Han Tiecheng standing quietly in front of the lookout, Mo Mingqi, the deputy commander of the regiment, was a little anxious, and every minute of delay, the officers and soldiers of the company in front had to suffer huge losses.

"Wait"

Han Tiecheng roared violently, and the people next to him looked at him in confusion. Han Tiecheng squinted his eyes slightly, stretched out his hand to stop Mo Mingqi, and looked into the distance, as if he was waiting for something.

There was a sudden earth-shattering sound in the southeastern sky, and immediately after, the front position was once again plunged into a sea of fire. A dull roar sounded one after another, and clusters of black and red flames soared into the sky, and in the flames and smoke, the mud that exploded into the air turned into a rain of mud and scattered on the ground.

The Japanese naval artillery group, which had obviously been fired, accurately hit the positions held by a company, and the trenches were buried by the falling mud, and some of the trenches that were unfortunately directly hit by heavy shells collapsed, and the flesh and blood of some officers and men lying there fused with the mud.

The dense shells fell to the ground, and no "boom" explosions could be heard, only a series of roars like rolling thunder were heard.

The soaring flames formed walls of fire on the ground, and the raging waves of air flew in all directions, and concrete slabs, sand, and mutilated flesh were swept into the air, and when they fell to the ground, only bursts of sand and gravel that could be pinched into powder remained.

The Japanese artillery groups covered the positions again and again, and the trenches and painstakingly managed fortifications were blown to pieces in the light of the flames that rose into the sky.

Han Tiecheng didn't care about feeling sorry for his troops, and saw that the Japanese naval artillery group began to extend to the rear, turned around suddenly, and shouted at the soldiers around him: "Quick, enter the air-raid shelter"

The officers and men on the reserve positions hurriedly rushed to the nearby anti-artillery holes.

Fortunately, the difficulties were well considered before the war, and the anti-artillery holes built were enough and deep enough, and the time of the last round of shelling was not long ago, and most of the soldiers quickly took cover.

Han Tiecheng was about to pick up the telescope to check the situation on the front line, when Mo Mingqi and a regimental staff officer rushed into the anti-artillery hole with him on the left and right.

"Boom-"

An explosion that burst the eardrum sounded, and a fireball burst out two or three meters in front of the regimental command post, and the splashed earth quickly filled in the regimental command post.

Mo Mingqi gasped heavily, rejoicing in the rest of his life. Turning his head to look at Han Tiecheng again, he saw that the head of the regiment's face was dark, and there were tears in his eyes.

Han Tiecheng cried, he was crying his soldiers, just listen to the movement outside, the Japanese artillery bombardment this time was more fierce than the previous one, and the officers and soldiers guarding the front-line fortifications must be more than lucky.

The Japanese artillery fire continued to extend to the rear, stunned the entire Fan Dao regiment, which was rushing to reinforce through the communication trenches, and many officers and men lay in the trenches, suffering in pain.

Patches of bombs roared to the ground, bursts of orange flames rose on the ground, fireworks swept and spread out with air waves, raging shrapnel flew in all directions, devouring all targets within the killing range, yellow flames rose into the sky, and the sky was illuminated as blood red as the setting sun.

In the continuous sound of explosions, waves of invisible sounds were like a hammer, smashing fiercely at the officers and soldiers in the traffic trench.

Many officers and men at the center of the explosion had bloodshot eyes bulging and dizzy, and their bodies were even more bounced back into the tunnel by the violent and raging invisible sounds, and they were pressed against the bottom of the trench, and some officers and men even began to bleed from their faces, eyes, and ears

In the violent explosions, the officers and men around the bombing sites were torn to pieces before they even had time to scream, and some officers and soldiers were directly hit by grenades and blown into blood and minced flesh and flew in all directions.

The trench was littered with gun parts, fragments of flesh and blood, and charred corpses.

Fan Daoquan hid in a blood-ridden crater, between the reserve position and the rear, and although there was a communication trench connection, no anti-artillery holes were built, and the soldiers suffered heavy casualties.

Fortunately, the Japanese large-caliber shells were too expensive, and the wear and tear of the barrels was frighteningly high, and the shelling lasted for two minutes before it ended......

The sound of the cannon finally passed, Fan Daoquan jumped up from the ground like a carp, looked back at the gray-faced officers and soldiers around him, and there were many soldiers with missing arms and legs lying on the ground, Fan Daoquan was like a knife, but he could only endure his grief and anger, and shouted loudly: "Quick, move to Lao Tzu to get up"

Hearing the call of the regiment commander, the officers and soldiers struggled to get up from the ground, and many seriously wounded soldiers also tried to support themselves, but could not move.

As soon as Fan Daoquan received the order of Lu Dazhong, the chief of staff of the brigade, he immediately summoned the troops directly under the group and the officers and soldiers of the first and second battalions to reinforce the defense line garrisoned by Han Tiecheng, but he did not expect that the Japanese army would come again to cover it with firepower.

After this round of artillery fire, the first battalion at the head was already reduced by one-third, and although the second battalion was better, it had lost at least 20 percent of 100 elements, and many of the officers and men who stood up were wounded, and red blood burst out from the wounds.

Fan Daoquan gritted his teeth and roared: "Qiao Yan, where is your grandson dead, don't move forward as a team soon"

No one answered, Fan Dao was in a hurry, and hurriedly ordered to find a battalion commander.

A soldier searching above the trench suddenly threw himself into a bush two or three meters away, picked up a stump leg that had been blown off, and cried.

Fan Daoquan's heart tightened, climbed up the trench, rushed over in a few arrow steps, and when he saw the brand-new cloth shoes on his broken leg and foot, his eyes turned red all of a sudden, and bean-sized tears poured out of his eyes.

Before going to the battlefield, Qiao Yan, the commander of the first battalion, pulled Fan Daoquan, took out the brand-new cloth shoes wrapped in white cloth in his backpack, and boasted about the handiwork of the cloth shoes - the cloth shoes were made by the fiancée of the battalion commander Qiao. Battalion Commander Qiao patted his chest and told Fan Daoquan that when he went to the battlefield, he would wear new shoes made by his fiancée and fight devils a lot.

The words are still in my ears, and they are already different paths. Although his heart hurts like a knife, he is on the battlefield at this time, and he can't care about his children's private affairs. Fan Daoquan wiped away his tears, restored the image of a tough guy with iron bones, turned around and shouted loudly to the back: "Jianfei? Chen Jianfei——"

A person rushed out of the back of the team, out of breath, it was Chen Jianfei, a staff officer of the regiment, and his face was also sad: "Tuanzao, are you looking for me?" ”

Fan Daoquan pointed to the wounded officers and soldiers, and instructed Chen Jianfei: "I will bring reinforcements, you bring a platoon, take care of the wounded, and help carry them down when the stretcher team comes up.

"Yes"

Chen Jianfei nodded heavily.

Seeing that the matter was explained, Fan Daoquan did not dare to delay any longer, waved at the soldiers around him, and said loudly: "Brothers, follow me"

Under the leadership of Fan Daoquan, the officers and soldiers ran one after another, and those wounded soldiers moved slowly, wanting to refuel to catch up with the large army, but were stopped by Chen Jianfei and others.

Several officers and soldiers with minor injuries also wanted to join the advancing queue, but under Chen Jianfei's strong order, they had no choice but to stay and follow Chen Jianfei to find the seriously wounded who could still be saved.

Fan Daoquan, who rushed to the front of the team, ran very fast, and at this time he couldn't care about other things.

The military situation is urgent, and the second regiment has suffered a lot of losses due to the coverage of artillery fire just now, so the losses of the first regiment on the front line must be even greater. The Japanese army is on the offensive, and the situation on the front line is in full danger and is in dire straits.

Fan Daoquan has always been good friends with Han Tiecheng, and he can fully imagine how anxious Han Tiecheng was at this time.