In the second half of the 26th year of the Republic of China, from July to December, the Chinese and Japanese armies fought simultaneously in the northern and eastern battlefields. The Eastern Battlefield only included three metropolises, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, and the area was relatively small, but the number of people fighting was large, more than 1 million, about 750,000 in the Republic of China, and about 250,000 in the Japanese army. The Northern Battlefield has a large area, including five provinces, Hebei, Chahar, Suiyuan, Shanxi, Shandong, and part of Henan Province; The number of men who fought was less geographically proportional, but not less than a million; The Japanese army had eight divisions, four brigades, and a number of special forces; The Republic of China has 60 divisions and 22 brigades.

After July 7, the Japanese invaders made the decision to expand the war, and while planning military operations, they did not forget to carry out the evacuation operation (it's amazing, they actually took human life seriously). Fearing that the overseas Chinese would be taken hostage or that they would be affected by the war, on July 28, the Japanese overseas Chinese in China began to concentrate in Shanghai and Qingdao on the orders of the Japanese government. Prior to this, Takai, the acting consul of Japan in Changsha, reported to Counselor Shinrokuro Hidaka, who was acting ambassador at the Japanese Embassy in Nanjing: "The staff officer of Hunan Provincial Chairman He Jian told Takai that Nanjing had given Chairman He a secret order that if there was a clash between the Japanese and Chinese armies in Shanghai, the Japanese warships would be bombarded with artillery in Changsha. Therefore, before the problem occurs, I earnestly ask you to withdraw the Japanese warships anchored in Changsha. ”

At this time, the Japanese expatriates along the Yangtze River were concentrated in Hankou and Shanghai. In particular, after the killing of a group of Japanese soldiers in the township by the security team of the "Jidong Autonomous Government" in Tongxian County on 28 July, the 11th Squadron of the 3rd Fleet of the Japanese Navy, which was originally in the Yangtze River, accelerated the evacuation of overseas Chinese. By 9 August, 2,923 Japanese nationals along the Yangtze River and more than 300 Japanese Special Marines who were originally stationed in the Japanese concession in Hankou had all withdrawn to Shanghai under the cover of the ships of the 11th Squadron. In order to facilitate the battle in Shanghai, all the old, weak, women, and children who are now in Shanghai will be withdrawn to Japan, but about 10,000 young and middle-aged soldiers and soldiers in the countryside will be left in Shanghai, and they will be prepared to participate in the Shanghai operation if necessary. About 11,650 Japanese nationals living in southern China were also evacuated to Japan in August, and the diplomatic staff of the Japanese Embassy in Nanjing and a small number of concerned Japanese were evacuated to Qingdao by train on August 16.

"Just watching them go?"

"No hurry, no hurry, no one can run away anyway." It doesn't make sense to do anything to these civilians now, it will only damage its own image, but little Japan is very good at using public opinion, "What about the government?" ”

"Knowing that there is going to be a war, the arming work has only been carried out partially, and the army has not been fully mobilized, and there are still people who hope to negotiate peace with the Japanese side and calm the conflict." Ryuji's tone was very disdainful, if the Battle of Songhu had been a preemptive strike, maybe the situation in the future would not have collapsed so much.

"The knives are all on the neck, and I still try to deceive myself that the other party is a vegetarian, and I don't know the pain until I cut off my head?" Those troops who have strengthened their armaments may not be able to avoid the original fate, "The pace of our army expansion will be accelerated, and if the battle situation collapses too much, we will lose in the end." ”

"Yes!"

At around 5 p.m. on 9 August, Lieutenant Yuo Oyama, commander of the No. 1 Squadron of the Japanese Marine Corps stationed in western Shanghai, and Saito Yozo, a first-class sailor, drove their car to the vicinity of the guards of the Chinese garrison at Hongqiao Airport to forcibly cross the cordon to reconnoiter the situation of the 658th and 659th regiments of the 61st Division, which had just arrived there. This is the "Dashan Incident", and the skillful method of provoking trouble is a trick that the Japanese are accustomed to, and since 918, they have been looking for trouble in this way, detaining the other party's basin, and then seizing the excuse to "force" counterattack as a reasonable party.

In the following days, the two sides launched rounds of confrontation and talks for the two dead men, and the Japanese side demanded: 1. Withdraw the security team stationed in Shanghai (in fact, the Shanghai garrison). 2. All fortifications of the security corps shall be dismantled.

The Chinese side categorically refused, and at this time, the war had already started on all fronts in the northern theater, and China and Japan were already at war, and President Chiang was finally not confused to the end.

The Japanese army has already occupied China's Pingjin region and is making preparations for expanding its aggression, but at present it is carrying out provocations in Shanghai and sending planes to reconnoiter China's Zhejiang region. In view of these circumstances, the Military Commission of the Nanjing Nationalist Government issued an order on the evening of August 11 to mobilize troops to Shanghai to besiege the enemy forces, the main contents of which were as follows:

(1) Zhang Zhizhong, commander of the Beijing-Shanghai garrison, led the 87th Division of Wang Jingjiu, Sun Yuanliang, and Sun Yuanliang's 88th Division and its subordinate troops assembled in Wuxi, Suzhou, and Changshu to advance to the predetermined siege line of Shanghai, preparing to besiege the enemy forces in Shanghai.

(2) Liu Heding's 39th Army, Liu Shangzhi's 56th Division and two security regiments of Jiangsu Province assembled in the Bengbu area, served as the river defense in the Jiangyin and Liuhe areas on the south bank of the Yangtze River.

(3) The 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment of the 2nd Artillery Brigade in Jiaxing and the 10th Regiment of 15-centimeter howitzers in Nanjing marched from Nanjing and Yixing to Suzhou and came under the command of the Beijing-Shanghai Garrison Command.

(4) The navy blocked the Yangtze River according to the predetermined plan.

The next day, the 98th Division of Xia Chuzhong in Hankou was ordered to be transported to Nanjing by water, and the 169th Brigade of the 57th Division of Ruan Zhaochang in Jiaxing was transported by train to Longhua, Shanghai; Song Xilian's 36th Division, which was transferred to Xi'an due to the "Xi'an Incident" last year, was transported to Shanghai via the Longhai Road. The division arrived in Shanghai on 18 August to reinforce the counterattack in the Shanghai area.

The 87th and 88th Divisions and artillery units were transported to Shanghai by train and car on the night of August 11 (the first mechanized transportation was created). On the morning of the 12th, Wang Jingjiu's 87th Division advanced to the area north of the Yangshupu Concession; Sun Yuanliang's 88th Division reached the line north of Hongkou Park.

The Japanese side was not idle, and at the same time as the navy was mobilized from the country, reinforcements were also dispatched, and the marines of more than 4,000 men in Shanghai were also ready for battle. At 16:50 on August 13, the Japanese Marine Corps who entered the position in the Ito Shigeru 3rd Brigade in the Bazi Bridge area first launched a surprise attack on the 88th Division of the *** Army that had just arrived there, and the defenders immediately counterattacked, and the "August 13" War of Resistance kicked off (also known as the Battle of Songhu).

On the 12th, 8 SFH18150-mm howitzers of the 2nd Battalion of the 10th Artillery Regiment rushed to Shanghai and entered the front line of Zhenru and Dachang, and then the 3rd Battalion also arrived. This was the only heavy artillery unit on the Chinese side in the Shanghai battlefield in the original history, and now the 9th Artillery Regiment, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Independent Artillery Regiments will be transferred to Shanghai together, and they will be deployed before the war.

On the 13th, the Japanese attacked and our army defended. In the east, the Japanese army took the Gongda Yarn Mill as a starting point and occupied Hujiang University; In the west, with the Marine Corps Headquarters as a base, they robbed Yuedong Middle School, Patriotic Girls' School, Zhizhi University, Wuzhou Cemetery and Bazi Bridge.

The 88th Division recaptured the Bazi Bridge on the same day, and recaptured the Zhizhi University and Wuzhou Cemetery the next day; The 87th Division also recaptured Hujiang University the next day.

General Zhang Zhizhong issued a general attack order at 15 o'clock on the 14th, and attacked the enemy on the front line of the North Railway Station, Bazi Bridge, and Zhizhi University with the 88th Division to the east; With the 87th Division, he attacked the enemy on the front line of Xingang, Jinjiazhai, and Hujiang University (on the west bank of the Huangpu River) to the south. At 18 o'clock, the artillery and ground forces of the national army began a fierce attack.

"Hurry up! Ammunition in place! "Preparations are underway on the artillery positions before the opening of the artillery, and for the sake of these precious heavy artillery, the government gritted its teeth and chose more expensive cars as towing tools, including 3.9-ton M1928 155mm howitzers, although it increased the cost, but greatly improved the mobility of the heavy artillery regiment. Right now, the artillerymen are unloading shells from the trucks.

The heavy guns were lined up with thick camouflage nets, and the raised barrels waited silently for the moment of roaring.

The warhead is loaded, the propellant package is filled, and the bolt is closed. Many of the artillerymen who were waiting for the battle began to plug their ears, and these manic big guys were eardrum piercers.

"Hello? Be! Be! The offensive begins, fire! "The chief officer received the call and gave the order.

"Cannon !!" The herald screamed at his throat, and his voice was drowned out by the roar of heavy artillery.

"Boom!" "Boom! "Boom! ”…… These heavy artillery, which would not have appeared, announced their debut in a unique way, and the training ground was a little boring in the end, and only the explosion mixed with flesh and blood was officially announced!

"Squad leader, can the guy who shoots artillery outside the city do it?" The vanguard of the 88th Division on the attack position did not rush upward, and said that there was heavy artillery cover, so that they should not rush to rush, and they would have to shed their skin if they were rubbed by heavy artillery and did not die.

"Shut up!" The squad leader holding the flower machine dragged his subordinates back who were probing out, "I'm going to die!" If you want to eat guns, you have a chance! Forgot about the coordinated training of infantry and artillery, right, it was a joke to be blown by the wind of the shell? ”

"Hehe......" The people around looked at the trained companions with a smile, since the change of clothes, everyone has a little more confidence, and a little less fear of well-equipped devils, although they say that the artillery is unreliable, but their hearts are still a lot more steady.

While a group of people were laughing, there was a low whistling from the sky, like the whistle of a train, but it was quieter than the whistle. Then a strong vibration came from the ground, like a mythical giant hitting the surface with a sledgehammer, and the strong air currents and deafening bangs overhead made everyone behind the cover shrink their bodies, hugging their helmets and lowering their heads as much as possible.

The private lay on the ground, feeling as if the roar and vibration had lasted for a century, until he was kicked a few times by the squad leader: "Get up!" Follow me! Only then did he realize that the terrifying roar had disappeared, and then remembered that it was time for them to play next, "It's not so scary when training (the charge of the training bullet is not the same as the live ammunition)!" He muttered under his breath as he pounced on the brand-new Mauser 98K.