Chapter 51 National Defense Fortifications (2)

Xue Ru smiled: "Brigade Commander Peng, I won't hide it from you, since you and I are both in Kunshan, it's time to be in the same boat." The Japanese army landed at the mouth of the Liuhe River and attacked in the direction of Shanghai, but did not attack Jiading, Kunshan, and Taicang, do you think they will stop the offensive once they occupy Shanghai, and then sit down to negotiate with the government? ”

Peng Yue shook his head: "The Japanese have a lot of ambitions, they want to destroy China, and they will not stop attacking." ”

"Since you said that they want to destroy China, where is the direction of attack?" Xue Ru asked unhurriedly.

Peng Yue was taken aback: "Nanjing? You say the Japanese army will attack Nanjing? ”

"What do you say?" Xue Ru asked a simple rhetorical question, and then said: "What is the key point in attacking Nanjing?" ”

Peng Yue suddenly realized: "Kunshan, Taicang, Suzhou." This is the path that the Japanese army must pass. ”

Xue Ru nodded: "Then does Brigade Commander Peng still think that we are preserving our strength and not fighting on the front line?" ”

In this way, Peng Yue understood that this was a line of defense to prevent the Japanese army from attacking Nanjing. It is no wonder that the Snow Fox Brigade, which is known for its strong combat effectiveness, was sent to the army, and the commander also sent a telegram asking for full cooperation. A little embarrassed, he said: "Peng is ashamed." The commander did not explain, how could the military council not give instructions on such a plan? ”

Xue Ru really wanted to say that Lao Jiang was a stupid person, and he still had illusions. But she knew when it was, and there were some things she couldn't say. smiled and said: "You and I can't change this, and we have no right to decide things, so we can only do our duty and responsibility." ”

As a brigade commander, he is already a major general, of course, he is not a soldier who doesn't understand anything, and these things can be understood with a little thought. Besides, as long as you have a certain strategic vision, you can understand the situation. Said worriedly: "With our little strength, we can't solve the problem, do you ask the commander to send reinforcements?" ”

Xue Ru shook his head helplessly: "Brigade Commander Peng, this is just speculation, and it must be believed by the highest authorities." What do we use to ask for reinforcements, are there devils? ”

Peng Yue sat down in frustration, and he also felt speechless. Since they have a common idea and understand that Xue Ru is not escaping from the battle, the relationship will naturally ease up.

Xue Ru said: "Brigade Commander Peng doesn't need to be discouraged, no matter how rampant the Japanese army is, it is impossible for them to destroy China." The 40,000,000 compatriots cannot be destroyed by Japan, and a temporary defeat does not mean forever. The War of Resistance is a long-term battle, and it will not be fought overnight. As long as they kill and injure devils, with their population, they will not be able to annex China if they destroy the country and species. ”

"That is, what kind of thing is little Japan, and we will definitely defeat them." Peng Yue regained a little confidence and said firmly.

Xue Ru's confidence was much stronger than his, and he knew that Japan would be defeated. It's only eight years, which is a little too long: "Brigade Commander Peng, there are six or seven hundred thousand troops of the national army in Shanghai, and once the command knows that it can't hold it, it will inevitably retreat." We are here to block the pursuit of the Japanese army and cover the retreat, so please ask Brigade Commander Peng to help. ”

"It is incumbent upon Peng Yue to serve the country in the War of Resistance" Peng Yue said firmly: "Peng did not hesitate to spill blood on the battlefield and became a benevolent person." ”

This spirit of not being afraid of death can be praised, but Xue Ru does not approve of the statement that he will die at every turn. She pursues your death, not my death. Death is simple, but living is the hardest. Shaking his head: "Don't sacrifice lightly, it's the truth to kill devils with a useful body." ”

Peng Yue found that it is not easy for a girl of such age to be able to command thousands of troops, and it is even rarer to be able not to be impulsive and aggressive. No wonder he was appreciated by people like Xue Yue and Luo Zhuoying, and he became polite: "Since Captain Xue has established this line of defense, how should Peng cooperate?" ”

Xue Ru said: "You go to Chief of Staff Wu for the weapons and ammunition I brought, and I will supplement it to you, there is only one security regiment in Taicang, and the defensive force is too weak, if possible, send some troops to support them." Mainly on the road from Jiading to Kunshan, it is necessary to ensure the existence of bridges and smooth roads. ”

Peng Yue said: "The order I received was to blow up the bridge and destroy the road to stop the Japanese attack. ”

This can startle Xue Ru, and at this time, he also gave this order, which idiot gave the order, and hurriedly said: "No, hurry up and give the order, not only can it not be blown up, but it is also necessary to build a pontoon bridge in the main place." Guarantee the withdrawal of troops, if the Shanghai troops cannot return, what will be used to hold Nanjing. ”

Hearing this, Peng Yue was also nervous, stood up and said, "I will immediately give an order to mobilize the people to build roads." ”

Xue Ru nodded: "Then it's troublesome for Brigade Commander Peng." I'll go to Wuxi to Changshu to see, there is the Xicheng defense line. It is said that it is a fortification, and if we don't retreat, we can still block the Japanese attack. ”

"Well, I haven't seen the fortifications of the Xicheng Line, which is said to be the Eastern Maginot and was built with the help of German advisers. If you are prepared, it will be difficult for the devil to get over. Peng Yue said with confidence.

Xue Ru explained to Wu Yuzhao, and led Fan Tiezhu and the guard squadron to leave Kunshan and go to Changshu.

According to the records of later generations, when the national army retreated, it was impossible to find the key and could not enter the fortifications, so the panicked troops directly crossed the Xicheng defense line and retreated to Nanjing, and the defense fortifications built with huge sums of money did not work.

Since you are here, you know all this in advance, and there is no reason not to prepare in advance. If you are prepared, you can at least buy time for the defense of Nanjing. If the people could retreat calmly and the troops did not panic, would that tragedy be avoided?

On which day the Japanese army landed in Hangzhou Bay, and when Chiang Kai-shek ordered a full retreat, Xue Ru did not remember. I just know that in November, it is late October, and the time is very tight.

Xue Ru did not delay any longer, asked the squadrons to step up training, and asked Peng Yue to inspect the road from Jiading to Kunshan, erect a pontoon bridge, protect the bridge, and ensure that the road is unblocked. He led the guard squadron to leave Kunshan on horseback under the protection of Tian Jiasheng and went to Changshu.

Xue Ru is not used to riding horses, but war horses are already the best means of transportation for the national army, and if you don't ride a horse, you can only walk.

Xue Ru, who was helpless, had no choice but to let Fan Tiezhu hold the horse. But before he could run far, his legs hurt, so he gritted his teeth.

Even then, it's not fast. Originally, this distance could be reached by riding a horse for more than a day. Xue Ru walked for two days before arriving in Changshu.

The battle of Jiangyin has been fought for several months, just like Shanghai, although the Japanese army has not been able to break through the Jiangyin fortress, but the Chinese navy and air force have been completely lost. How long can the sunken ship and the river resist to save Nanjing depends on whether he can use this fortification to block the Japanese attack. Xue Ru gritted her teeth and finally arrived in Changshu.

This is the middle point of the Xicheng defense line, east to Baimaokou, west to Yangcheng Lake, Changshu in the middle. Suzhou to Fushan is the Sufu line, and west to Suzhou to Wujiang is the Wusu line, which constitutes the outer defense line of the entire Shanghai area and protects the capital Nanjing.

Xue Ru's team entered Changshu and was not familiar with Xue Ru here, but he knew that these national defense fortifications were usually handed over to the local security forces for management, and before the unified reorganization, the security forces were under the management of the local government.

Xue Ru entered the city and rushed directly to the Changshu County Government. There has not been a war here, although the fighting between Zhangjiagang and Jiangyin not far away is very fierce, but it is on the Yangtze River. On the other hand, Shanghai is also fiercely fighting, and for the people of Changshu, it is still calm here. There are also only a few security forces stationed in the garrison, which are under the command of the Jiangsu Security Department.

When you enter the city, you don't feel the atmosphere of war, the people live relatively peacefully, and the streets are very lively. Business, workmanship, a peaceful scene. Xue Ru is very sad about this, the more she experiences, the more depressed she feels, the soldiers in front are bleeding and dying, and there will be thousands of casualties every day, but there is no atmosphere of war behind.

Is it because the state does not publicize enough, or does the people not care about the life and death of the country? Is it really insensitive to this point? So many soldiers who participated in the war, the Sichuan army, the Yunnan army, the Gui army, the Hunan army, and the Guangdong army, why are they?

This made Xue Ru somewhat understand why there were so many traitors, the Nanjing puppet government, and Wang Jingwei.

It seems that what some people in later generations said is not unreasonable, if there is no Pacific War, it is really impossible to say whether China can win. With a wave of anger, Xue Ru dismounted in front of the county government, and Xue Ru, who could barely walk, swore with difficulty that when he had the conditions, he must get a car. Like General Patton, he stood in a car and commanded his own army.

But thinking that China doesn't even have armored troops, Xue Ru's ambition can only be a wish. There were two policemen standing guard at the door, all dressed in black. Seeing a group of cavalry dismounted here, they hurried over to say hello. They dare not offend the soldiers. The military is not something that their police can afford to provoke, and besides, this is not the uniform of those security forces, but the uniform of the Central Army.

Seeing that the leader turned out to be a girl, and let people support her, it turned out that she was injured. Hurriedly said flatteringly: "Miss, who are you looking for?" ”

Xue Ru's grinning leg hurt, but Tian Jiasheng was fine. I wanted to laugh when I saw Xue Ru's appearance, but I didn't dare. He wasn't Xiao Yong, and he didn't know Xue Ru too well. Seeing Xue Ru's appearance, he walked over and said, "Look for your county magistrate Feng Zaidao." Lead the way. ”

The police originally wanted to say that they were waiting for me to report to you, but before he could say anything, he was pushed through the door by Tian Jiasheng. After moving around, Xue Ru was much better, and she could barely walk. A hand was placed on Fan Tiezhu's arm and he entered the gate of the county government directly.

The courtyard is not small, as soon as there is movement outside, the county magistrate Feng Zaidao was just about to ask what was going on, the door was opened, Xue Ru let go of Fan Tiezhu's arm, and came in with Tian Jiasheng.

Seeing that it was two soldiers, Feng Zaidao hurriedly stood up: "Who are the two chiefs?" Why come to Changshu? ”

Tian Jiasheng has always been in the tax police corps, they are responsible for the task of anti-smuggling and tax collection, and they have a lot of dealings with local officials, and they have no good impression of these corrupt officials. So he said, "Do you care who you want?" This is our captain, of course we have something to do with you. ”

Feng Zaidao thought that the female soldier was the woman of this officer, but it turned out that the woman was the commander. Although he is the county magistrate, he is not a fart in the eyes of the soldiers. Hurriedly said: "Your surname, sir, what can Feng do?" ”

Xue Ru is not Tian Jiasheng, there is no need to be white-faced with others. With a hint of a smile, he said: "In Xia Xueru, come to inspect the national defense fortifications, these fortifications are managed by you, and send someone to lead the way." ”

When Feng Zaidao came here to be the county magistrate, the national defense fortifications were no longer repaired, and he really didn't know. Hurriedly said: "Okay, but the contemptible people don't know, it has always been the security force in charge, and Company Commander Wang has participated in the construction, and I asked him to show the way for the commander." ”

Xue Ru nodded and said; "County Magistrate Feng, there is a war ahead, the devil is on the Yangtze River, only a hundred and ten miles away from Changshu, why is there no preparation here? Aren't you afraid of devils attacking here? ”

"Huh?" Feng Zaidao said in surprise: "Isn't there a national army brother blocking the front?" I heard that the battle was won, and the devils will soon be driven out, what else to prepare? ”

Xue Ru didn't know what to say, this is the war mobilization of the national government? When the country is in danger, when the whole people are in the War of Resistance, the country has reached the critical point of life and death, and it is no wonder that it is all such false propaganda!

I didn't want to say anything, it would cause panic, but I was so defenseless, once the devils attacked, it was the people who would be lost. Before the devil's law and order purge plan came out, the Japanese wanted a quick victory and also wanted to conquer China with bloody killings, so there was a large-scale massacre. It was not until they knew that it was impossible to destroy China quickly and planned to make long-term preparations that they began to adopt a policy of softness and co-opt traitors to establish a traitorous government of the Restoration.

From the bottom of her heart, Xue Ru didn't want Japan to use the Huairou policy, because she knew better the inertia of the Chinese people, and gave some benefits to forget the habits of her ancestors. Even the later generations are literate people, and they are still virtuous, let alone at this time.

It was this idea that had it, so when entering the general area, Xue Ru would let Wei Ming and them pretend to be devils and forcibly rob food and money. Not only can they solve their own problems, but they can also increase the hatred of the people against the Japanese.

Hearing Feng Zaidao's words, he said, "It's better to prepare, right?" The devils will attack here soon, otherwise why should we inspect the fortifications? ”

As soon as he said this, Feng Zaidao's fat face turned white at that time, and cold sweat was already oozing from his head, so he hurriedly said, "Please tell me what to prepare?" ”