readx;? While the Japanese army was re-attacking the Fumohama defensive line, Seishiro Itagaki, the commander of the 5th Division in the Kanayama Acropolis, was also preparing to attack Matsue Castle again. Before coming to Shanghai, the Fifth Division of the www.biquge.info had already participated in the Nankou Battle and the Battle of Pingxingguan on the battlefield in North China, and made great achievements for the Japanese invasion of China. It was also a standing division that was known for its fighting strength in the Japanese army.

Itagaki Seishiro asked Noboru Kunisaki about the whole process of the Battle of Matsue in detail, and through the narration of Major General Noboru Kunisaki, Seishiro Itagaki knew something about the team of the New 90th Division of Shina that was about to face up. To Itagaki Seishiro's surprise, this new 90th Division not only had a large number of heavy artillery, but also an armored force, and the soldiers had an astonishing number of automatic weapons in their hands, and the only thing that could defeat the Shina army was that the individual skills and tactics of the soldiers of this unit were inferior to those of the Imperial Army.

In the face of such an ace army in the squadron, even the always arrogant Itagaki Seishiro must think carefully about how to defeat the opponent. On 6 November, while the Japanese army was attacking on the front north of Shanghai, Seishiro Itagaki led the Japanese Fifth Division, led by the replenished Noboru Kunisaki's 9th Brigade, to the south bank of the Huangpu River again.

In order to take Songjiang County and open the way to Shanghai, Lieutenant General Yanagawa Heisuke, commander of the 10th Army, ordered the 18th Division of the Japanese Army to divide a brigade to attack Songjiang County from the east and west of Songjiang County, while the other brigade continued to attack the first-line defender positions in Xinzhuang on the outskirts of Shanghai. The 114th Division attacked Qingpu around Shanghai and Jiaxing in Zhejiang, with the aim of holding back the rest of the squadron and preventing them from having the opportunity to reinforce Songjiang. An independent heavy artillery brigade that had just been strengthened to itself set up an artillery position outside Jinshan County, and the target was Songjiang County.

This heavy artillery brigade is armed with 36 150 caliber heavy cannons and 12 240 caliber heavy howitzers. The power of these two types of artillery is very powerful, the firing range of the 150 heavy cannon reaches 20,000 meters, and the weight of a shell is more than 50 kilograms. The 240 heavy howitzer has a range of 16,000 meters, and the weight of one shell reaches 185 kilograms. The entire area of Songjiang County was within the attack range of the heavy artillery brigade. The brigade commander, Major General Ichiro Mishima, had the observation team raise the lookout balloon for the observation of targets and the correction of artillery.

When the Japanese reinforcements landed near Jinshanwei, they were discovered by the scouts sent by the reconnaissance battalion of the new 90th Division, and the scouts observed for a whole day before returning to Songjiang County to report to their superiors. Therefore, the Japanese Fifth Division and an artillery unit with large-caliber artillery were reinforced, and Wang Haitao had already received the information. Wang Haitao knew very well that after he completely annihilated the Sixth Division of the Japanese Army, the Japanese army would definitely retaliate against him, but what he didn't expect was that the Fifth Division was sent this time, which was the Itagaki Division that had made a name for itself in North China in history.

The Itagaki Division, like the Sixth Division, was also known for its strong combat effectiveness in the Japanese army, and unlike the Sixth Division, the Sixth Division was arrogant and did not hit the ** After using various means to weaken the Sixth Division, he seized the opportunity to annihilate the Sixth Division with superior strength and equipment, and this time the Fifth Division came prepared, and with the assistance of heavy artillery units, in turn, his own new 90th Division was also weakened in the battle to destroy the Sixth Division, and the combat effectiveness of the new 90th Division was far less than when he first arrived in Shanghai, Wang Haitao knew that this battle was difficult to fight.

But no matter what, he has to fight again, and behind his Songjiang county is the downtown area of Shanghai, so he doesn't have to think about retreating at all, unless Chiang Kai-shek decides to abandon Shanghai and orders a retreat, he can retreat. So how should the next battle be fought? Wang Haitao summoned all the officers at and above the regimental level of the New 90th Division and some officers of the 108th Division to hold a meeting together.

At the meeting, Wang Haitao first explained the situation detected by the scouts, and then said: "The Japanese army is targeting Songjiang County this time, and this attack will be an attack with some preparations, and heavy artillery and planes will be the two major weapons of the Japanese army. After Wang Haitao finished speaking, the people below did not speak, and after a while, Zhang Wenqing, the commander of the 108th Division, said: "In this battle, my 108th Division still obeys the arrangement of your Commander Wang. ”

Wang Haitao nodded and did not speak. The brigade commander of the 272nd Brigade, Wang Haitao's uncle Tang Longzai, stood up at this time and said: "Division, since ancient times, soldiers have come to block, water has come to cover, for so long, how many times have you taken us to withstand the attack of the Japanese army, this time it is the same, we all listen to you, you can fight how you say, no one here will say a word." ”

Tang Longzai's words attracted a chorus of approval, and the regiment commanders below all said: "Master, we all listen to you, how you say how to fight, we will definitely not say anything." Seeing this scene, Wang Haitao said: "Since this is the case, I will give orders for combat." Commander Zhang of the 108th Division, your division is mainly to deal with the 18th Division of the Japanese Army in the east, and at the same time to defend the north gate, the north gate is our only and last retreat, we must hold it. ”

Zhang Wenqing stood up and replied: "Commander Wang, don't worry, as long as there is still one soldier in my 108th Division, I will not let the east gate and the north gate be lost." Wang Haitao nodded, motioned for Zhang Wenqing to sit down, and continued: "The 546th Regiment and the 547th Regiment are still guarding the Huangpu River defense line. You are the first line of defense in Songjiang City, and in terms of strength and firepower, you are not much worse than the Japanese army, so you must firmly hold the defense line of the Huangpu River, and you are not allowed to retreat a step without my order! However, there will be Japanese gunboats on the Huangpu River to assist, and I will reinforce each of your regiments with five 75 infantry guns to deal with the Japanese gunboats. It's just that you must pay attention to the heavy artillery of the Japanese army, and don't let the soldiers sacrifice needlessly under the fire of the Japanese army. ”

Wei Erxi, the head of the 546th Regiment, and Zhang Lingfu, the head of the 547th Regiment, got up at the same time and replied, "Yes! Wang Haitao looked at his subordinates again and said: "Last time, the Guozaki detachment approached Songjiang County from the west after capturing Songjiang Railway Station. Now General Zhang Fakui has sent the 107th Division of the 67th Army to guard the railway station. Division Commander Zhang, you should be familiar with the situation of the 107th Division, can you tell me about it?"

Division Commander Zhang Wenqing nodded and said: "The 107th Division is similar to our 108th Division, and it is also the establishment of the 2nd Brigade and 4th Regiment, the division commander is Major General Jin Kuibi, and the commander of the 319th Brigade under his command Wu Qian, and the commander of the 321st Brigade Zhu Zhirong. The armament is similar to that of when I first arrived in Songjiang County. However, their division had an additional pistol battalion with all Mauser pistols, which was the guard battalion of division commander Jin Kuibi. ”

Wang Haitao thought for a while and said: "Chief of Staff Su, you and Division Commander Li Wenqing went to the 107th Division and sent them 20 Japanese-style heavy machine guns, 30 Japanese-style light machine guns, and 15 Japanese-style mortars and ammunition. Su Zuxin agreed, and Li Wenqing's eyes were full of admiration when he looked at Wang Haitao.

Wang Haitao continued: "Although the 107th Division is stationed at the railway station in the west, in order to prevent accidents, the West Gate position is defended by the 545th Regiment, and the South Gate position should be the most stressed position, so it will be defended by the 542nd Regiment. The 544th Regiment was stationed on the city wall, and 10 Gao Ping 2 twin heavy machine guns were handed over to your regiment for air defense and ground support. The 543rd Regiment was all recruits, and they stayed in the city to continue their training and serve as a general reserve. ”

After the task was arranged and everyone withdrew from the headquarters, Wang Haitao called out to the deputy division commander Zhao Zhongwu. Wang Haitao pointed to the map and said to Zhao Zhongwu: "Zhongwu, look at the map, although Sheshan in the north of Songjiang City is not high, but the location is very important. The armored battalion was of little use in this battle, and it was feared that it would be destroyed by enemy fire if placed in the city. Now I will ask you to bring two companies of the guard battalion, two companies of the reconnaissance battalion, and all the armored battalions to garrison Sheshan. ”

Zhao Zhongwu looked at Wang Haitao, wanted to say something, but held back, and finally responded: "Yes! Wang Haitao didn't understand what Zhao Zhongwu was thinking, so he said: "Zhongwu, I know what you're thinking, don't worry, follow me to fight hard." This trip to Sheshan is very important, first, you must build a defensive position on Sheshan, second, you must take on the responsibility of supporting when there is a rout, and third, you must respond when our new 90th Division retreats. In Sheshan, you can recruit some local militia groups or miscellaneous troops, and reorganize them to expand their strength. In addition, I asked the logistics department to transfer some unneeded materials to Sheshan, and you will keep them, these materials are not needed now, they will be used in the future, you have to keep them carefully. ”

Wang Haitao said so much in one breath, and Zhao Zhongwu understood that the garrison of Sheshan was indeed very important, and Wang Haitao had handed over the back road to himself. Zhao Zhongwu was grateful to Wang Haitao for his trust in him, and on the other hand, he was secretly determined to do a good job of what Wang Haitao had explained. After Zhao Zhongwu left, Wang Haitao sat behind the table, repeatedly thinking about whether there were any mistakes or omissions in his arrangement. You must know that against a strong army like the Japanese army, a little mistake or omission may bring very serious consequences.

The 546th Regiment and the 547th Regiment were ordered to go forward to guard the Huangpu River, and the 544th Regiment had built a lot of fortifications at the No. 30 bridge of the Huangpu River, but they were abandoned because of Wang Haitao's need to prepare for the tactics of the 6th Division, and now the 546th Regiment will continue to use them after repairing them. The 547th Regiment was still guarding the Victorious Port guarded by the 545th Regiment, and the original fortifications were still repaired and continued to be used.

However, Wang Haitao repeatedly emphasized the strength of the Japanese army's heavy artillery, so Wei Erxi and Zhang Lingfu only put a company of soldiers on the front-line position, and the rest of the soldiers were concealed in the anti-artillery hole a few hundred meters behind. The anti-artillery holes built later have been reinforced, and there are quite a few of them, and only one company of soldiers is arranged in a anti-artillery hole, so as to reduce the casualties caused by the Japanese artillery as much as possible.