readx;? Just when the two battalion commanders were a little worried, Wang Shuhuai, the commander of the 613th Regiment, came to the position again. The two battalion commanders of the pen & fun & pavilion www.biquge.info made a report to Commander Wang on today's battle situation, and Wang Shuhuai didn't speak for a long time after hearing it. Behind this first line of positions is the main position of Zhenjiang City, Dantu Town, although Dantu Town has a city wall, there is a position under the city wall, but whether it is the fortifications on the position or the city wall of Dantu Town, can not withstand the bombardment of the Japanese heavy artillery, once the fortifications and the city wall are lost, how to block the Japanese attack?

Wang Shuhuai thought about it for a long time, and felt that he had to let Dai Zhiqi, the deputy division commander who was in command in Dantu Town, have an idea about this matter. Therefore, Wang Shuhuai said to the two battalion commanders: "Guarding Zhenjiang is the task given to us by Commander Wang of the Nanjing Urban Defense Command for the 103rd Division, and without Commander Wang's retreat order, our 103rd Division will coexist with Zhenjiang City." Now I will go back and ask Deputy Division Commander Dai, but until the order to retreat is given, your two battalions must hold this position to the death, and must not take a step back. Retreat without authorization, don't blame the ruthless military law. ”

The two battalion commanders immediately replied, "Yes, regimental seats." Rest assured, there is no order to retreat, and the humble oath is to live and die with the position!" Wang Shuhuai nodded and said, "Okay! After speaking, Wang Shuhuai left the position. Wang Shuhuai, who returned to Dantu Town, and Dai Zhiqi, the deputy division commander, reported on the battle situation on the position and said: "Division Commander Dai, if this continues, this position will be difficult to hold, can we let the independent heavy artillery brigade support us?"

Dai Zhiqi thought for a while and said: "It's not very likely, the use of the heavy artillery of the independent heavy artillery brigade must be personally agreed by Commander Wang of the Nanjing City Defense Command, this is one of them, and the second is that it is too far away from the artillery position of the independent heavy artillery brigade, and it is difficult to say whether the heavy artillery can hit here, and there are not a few shells for its triple artillery, and now it is used, what should I do when it comes to the critical time to defend Zhenjiang City in the future?"

Wang Shuhuai said anxiously: "Then Senior Commander Dai, what do you say? Can't you just watch the brothers on the battlefield lose all their losses, and then lose the position, right?" Dai Zhiqi glanced at Wang Shuhuai and said, "Don't worry, and then think of a way, I'll report the situation to Commander Wang, and see what Commander Wang says." ”

When Dai Zhiqi's request telegram was sent to Wang Haitao, Wang Haitao was busy with his feet not touching the ground. Now not only Zhenjiang is exchanging fire with the Japanese army, but several places are fighting with the Japanese army is inseparable, except for the Jurong direction in Maoshan Town, the Japanese Third Division has no choice, and the battle situation is relatively stable, the Japanese 22nd Division outside Liyang City is using the tactics of crowds to storm the defenders' positions, after the field artillery wing of the 22nd Division arrived, the attack of the 22nd Division is even more ferocious, and now the 562nd Regiment of the 91st Division has retreated to the third line of defense.

The 9th Division of the Japanese Army in front of Dangtu Town, with the help of the 5th Brigade of Heavy Artillery, could not take Dangtu Town, and the 9th Division actually used poison gas bombs again. Wang Haitao was ready to once again gather the media to raise a solemn warning and protest against the Japanese army's repeated use of poison gas bombs in disregard of international conventions. Now facing Dai Zhiqi's message, Wang Haitao is also thinking about how to respond.

Zhenjiang City is actually a difficult and easy place to attack, because there is no advantageous type of land to defend on the periphery of Zhenjiang City, and the riverside of Zhenjiang City is also a weakness when the Japanese army has warships to sail freely on the Yangtze River. The reason why Wang Haitao put the 83rd Army in Xiashu Town was precisely to prevent the Japanese army from landing behind the Zhenjiang River.

In Wang Haitao's view, it is best to hold Zhenjiang City, as long as more Japanese troops are eliminated in Zhenjiang, then once the Japanese army attacks Tangshan or even Purple Mountain, it is a good time to block or annihilate the Japanese army, and the reason why Wang Haitao put the most reassuring 90th Division in the Purple Mountain position is precisely for this consideration.

Thinking of this, Wang Haitao immediately called back to Dai Zhiqi, asking Dai Zhiqi's 103rd Division to use the positions and fortifications to eliminate the Japanese army's living forces as much as possible, and if the fortifications on the position were seriously damaged by Japanese artillery fire, they could retreat. Zhenjiang City can defend the best, if it can no longer be coded, it can be retreated to the front line of Tangshan to standby.

As soon as the telegram was sent, the adjutant came to report that reporters from all major Chinese and foreign media in Nanjing were already waiting in the large conference room. Wang Haitao asked the adjutant to inform Xiao Shanling to get ready, and he walked towards the large conference room. When Wang Haitao walked into the large conference room, the reporters who had been talking in the large conference room were suddenly silent.

Wang Haitao strode to the rostrum in front of him, glanced at the people below, and said: "Fellow journalists, I have invited you here today because I want to tell you. Just yesterday, when the 9th Division of the Japanese Army attacked the defenders of our Dangtu County, it openly used poison gas bombs against the defenders of our position in disregard of international conventions.

I am here today to lodge a solemn protest to the Japanese Government through various news media, and second, to warn all units of the Japanese army invading China that the 13th Division of the Japanese Army, which openly used poison gas bombs against our troops on the battlefield in Shanghai, has been completely annihilated.

Third, if the Japanese Government turns a blind eye to such a flagrant violation of international law by the Japanese army, and we still have hundreds of poison gas bombs captured in the 13th Division on the battlefield in Shanghai, I do not rule out the practice of using poison gas bombs to carry out retaliatory attacks, and I do not even rule out the practice of sending death squads to infiltrate the Japanese mainland and detonate poison gas bombs. ”

As soon as Wang Haitao's words were finished, the reporters below immediately asked Wang Haitao questions. Wang Haitao looked at it and motioned for a female reporter to ask a question, and the female reporter said loudly: "Hello General Wang! I am a reporter from the Central Daily, may I ask General Wang that you said that the Japanese army used poison gas bombs that violated international conventions in the attack, is there any evidence?"

Wang Haitao replied: "Naturally, there is evidence for what I said this, and all the officers and men who were killed and wounded by the Japanese poison gas bomb attack on the Dangtu position last night have been sent to the field hospital in Nanjing, and someone will take you to the hospital to interview the wounded and doctors." At this time, another reporter raised his hand to ask a question, and Wang Haitao signaled that he could ask a question.

The reporter asked, "Hello General Wang, I'm a reporter from the Jinling Evening News." May I ask you just said that if the Japanese army uses poison gas bombs to attack our defenders again, then you will also use poison gas bombs to counterattack, isn't this also a violation of international conventions?" Wang Haitao laughed for a moment and said: "For the mad dog that dares to bite you, your protest and warning will not be useful, and the only way is to beat him to death with a stick." With regard to the Japanese Government and army's daring to openly use poison gas, my principle is: Blood for blood and tooth for tooth! I will not say anything about benevolence, righteousness and morality to them, they do not deserve to listen to them, and they do not understand them. I can only stop them if I use the same means to beat them up and beat them in fear. ”

After Wang Haitao finished speaking, he saw that there were still many reporters asking questions, so he called another reporter, and this reporter said: "Hello General Wang, I am a reporter from Nanjing Daily. As far as I know, this time the Japanese army mobilized a large number of troops to attack the city of Nanjing in several ways, may I ask General Wang, are you sure to hold the city of Nanjing?"

Wang Haitao replied: "Nanjing is the capital of our Republic of China, as the commander of Nanjing City Defense, I will swear to defend Nanjing City, as for whether I can defend Nanjing City, I dare not assert, but I want to tell you that even if the Japanese army occupies Nanjing City, they will only get a ruined Nanjing City, and they will pay an unbearable price for this." Even if I, Wang Haitao, did not die in Nanjing City, I will be the last person to leave Nanjing City, please wait and see. ”

After answering this question, Wang Haitao said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry, I still have a lot of official business to do, so I won't answer your questions one by one, and now I invite you to go to the field hospital in Nanjing with General Xiao Lingshan, commander of the Shanghai Military Police, to interview the officers and soldiers who were killed and wounded by the Japanese poison gas bombs." After finishing speaking, Wang Haitao took the lead and left the large conference room, and the reporter who followed Wang Haitao out was stopped by Xiao Lingshan, who had already prepared.

The next morning, all major news newspapers in major cities across the country published the full text of Wang Haitao's speech and answering reporters' questions on the front page. Naturally, this report also reached the base camp in Tokyo, Japan, through the media. Let these people in the Japanese base camp hate and fear.

What I hate is that this Wang Haitao has hit his own weakness many times, but he has nothing to do with him, what he is afraid of is that there is a precedent of the 13th Division, if the army led by Wang Haitao is allowed to destroy one of his own divisions under the city of Nanjing, then the base camp will not be able to explain to His Majesty the Emperor, what is even more terrible is that this Wang Haitao is a mysterious existence, all the heavy artillery of the Shanghai Third Heavy Artillery Brigade is still an unsolved unsolved case, if this Wang Haitao really sent someone to detonate poison gas bombs in Japan as he said, it will cause panic throughout Japan。

Therefore, on the one hand, the base camp ordered the commander of the Central China Dispatch Army, Lieutenant General Hatohiko Asakanomiya, to demand that the Central China Dispatch Army Command strictly order all divisions and regiments not to use poison gas bombs during the attack, and to transport all the poison gas bombs of each division and regiment to the Central China Dispatch Army Headquarters in Shanghai for unified safekeeping. On the other hand, he instructed the agents lurking in Nanjing to find a way to assassinate Wang Haitao, the commander of Nanjing's urban defense.

Turning back to talk about the 103rd Division guarding Zhenjiang City, the deputy division commander Dai Zhiqi finally breathed a sigh of relief after getting Wang Haitao's reply, and then called Wang Shuhuai, the commander of the 613th Regiment, and told him to let the first-line defenders hold on for another day, and after dark, the Japanese army stopped attacking the Keshun communication trench and withdrew to the main position of Dantu Town to rest.

Wang Shuhuai immediately asked the signal corps to convey this order to the two battalion commanders on the front-line position. When the signal corps arrived at the front-line position, the defenders had just repelled an attack by the Japanese army, and the two battalion commanders were also relieved to see the order, looked at each other, and decided not to announce the order first, so as not to disturb the morale of the army.