readx;? The city wall of Changzhou City is ten meters high, and it is relatively strong, the Japanese shelling left craters on the city wall, but the entire city wall did not collapse, only a few places collapsed two or three meters of gaps. The officers and men of the 156th Division guarding the city www.biquge.info condescending from the city wall and used all kinds of light and heavy weapons to block the Japanese army.

In the face of the strong city wall, the Japanese army had no choice but to increase the intensity of artillery bombardment. The commander of the 16th Division, Lieutenant General Nakajima, had no choice but to urge the independent heavy artillery brigade still in Wuxi to speed up to the city of Changzhou and use their large-caliber heavy artillery to attack the city wall of Changzhou City.

The two sides fought fiercely for an afternoon, and by six o'clock it was dark, the Japanese had stopped their attack, and the defenders of the city were relieved. Division Commander Li Jiang was ready to retreat. At eight o'clock in the evening, the 156th Division left one battalion at the head of the city and continued to hold out until eleven o'clock in the evening, while the rest of the troops quietly left Changzhou City through the West Gate and withdrew in the direction of Zhenjiang.

The next morning, the Japanese army outside the city noticed that something was wrong on the top of the city, and sent a team to climb the city, only to find that Changzhou City had long been left without a defender, and the Japanese army occupied Changzhou City effortlessly. After the two divisions of the 83rd Army, the 154th Division and the 156th Division, were gathered in Xiashu Town, Zhenjiang, the army commander Deng Longguang also came to Xiashu Town.

The 154th Division fought a vicious battle with the Japanese army in Wuxi City, while the 156th Division carried a three-day attack by two Japanese divisions in Changzhou City, and both divisions suffered more than half of the casualties and suffered serious losses in heavy weapons. Deng Longguang could only reorganize each division into a brigade, and then sent Wang Haitao a report on casualties and the reorganization, and hoped that Wang Haitao could replenish a batch of weapons, ammunition, and military supplies to the 83rd Army.

The war is getting closer and closer to Nanjing, and the citizens of Nanjing are also feeling some panic, although everything is still normal in Nanjing now, but the mountain rain is about to come and the wind is full of buildings. After Xiao Shanling promulgated the "Nanjing Wartime Interim Regulations", he raided a number of unscrupulous merchants, including a few people with backgrounds, Xiao Shanling still withstood the pressure and went to business, and this behavior also made Wang Haitao look down on Xiao Shanling.

These days, nearly 100,000 old and weak women and children have been persuaded to cross Jiangxi, and nearly 10,000 enthusiastic young people have signed up for the militia brigade, and many of them are students from Nanjing colleges and universities. This militia brigade composed of 10,000 enthusiastic young people was handed over by Wang Haitao to the teaching corps for intensive training. The teaching corps also attached great importance to the task handed over by Wang Haitao, and Colonel Qiu Qingquan, chief of staff, was personally in charge of the matter.

After the Japanese army occupied Changzhou City, it rested for two days, and then prepared to continue to attack Nanjing, and a brigade of the Third Division pursued the ** 44th Division that fled to Jintan County, the 44th Division of ** saw that the Japanese army was catching up again, and even the Japanese army gave up Jintan County without knowing how many pursuers there were, and continued to flee in the direction of Nanjing.

Garrisoned in Jurong was the 562nd Regiment of the 274th Brigade of the 91st Division. Although the 562nd Regiment was prepared for the upcoming attack of the Japanese army in Jurong, the regiment commander Xie Boting did not expect that there was no major movement in Lishui, and the Japanese army would attack from the direction of Jintan. On the one hand, Xie Boting arranged for the 44th Division to repair in the city first, and on the other hand, he sent an urgent telegram to the division commander Guo Rudong.

The current Guo Rudong is completely different from the situation when he first arrived in Shanghai to participate in the war, no one looked down on him, reorganized into the 91st Division, merged into Wang Haitao's 90th Army, and became the Central Army series. Today's 91st Division is well-fed and well-equipped. Wang Haitao put the 91st Division in Liyang, which shows Wang Haitao's trust in him.

But today, Xie Boting's urgent telegram scared Guo Rudong into a cold sweat, and he seemed to have ignored the guards in the direction of Jurong, Jurong was behind his side, if Jurong was lost, how could this Liyang County be defended under the attack of the Japanese army, and easily lost Liyang County, could Wang Haitao let himself go? Thinking of this, Guo Rudong sent an urgent telegram to Wang Haitao on the one hand, and ordered Xie Boting to defend Jurong City on the other hand, and if he lost Jurong City, he would come to see him.

However, this was not enough, with a regiment guarding Jurong, in the face of the attack of the Japanese army, it was difficult to ensure that it would not be lost, Guo Rudong hurriedly called the deputy division commander Liu Yuqing and his cousin Guo Rugui over. After the two came, Guo Rudong asked Liu Yuqing to lead Guo Rugui's guard battalion to reinforce Jurong City. Guo Rugui's guard battalion was all reequipped with new equipment, and then trained by the Tangshan Leopard's guard regiment, not to mention that there is only one battalion, and its combat effectiveness is stronger than that of an ordinary regiment, and this guard battalion is also the unit that Guo Rudong values the most, and it is used as the general reserve of the whole division.

Liu Yuqing and Guo Rugui couldn't help but be startled when they heard that they wanted all the guard battalions to reinforce Jurong City, they also knew that once Jurong City was lost, the entire Liyang would be difficult to protect, and they heard that the military seat Wang Haitao seemed to value Jurong City very much, so the two did not dare to slack off, and urgently gathered all the officers and soldiers of the guard battalion to reinforce Jurong City.

Guo Rudong's emergency call surprised Wang Haitao, but there is only one simple road connecting from Jintan to Jurong, and it is not far from Jintan to enter the hilly area, this simple road also runs through the mountains, as long as this simple road is held, it should not be difficult to hold Jurong for a period of time. While comforting himself, Wang Haitao was also a little annoyed by the ** 44th Division that easily gave up Jintan.

On the battlefield in Shanghai, Wang Haitao had never dealt with the 44 th Division, but when he was guarding the Suzhou Creek, the 44 th Division was also among them, so how could he be so vulnerable? Wang Haitao telegraphed Tang Xiaoshan's reconnaissance group to pay attention to the movements of the Japanese troops in the direction of Jintan, and at the same time prepared to go to Jurong to take a look at it in person.

After Wang Haitao confessed to Xiao Lingshan, he took a guard company of Tangshan Leopard and drove straight to Jurong County. When Wang Haitao arrived in Jurong County, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, and when he saw that Guo Rudong had sent Liu Yuqing, the deputy division commander, and the most elite guard battalion in the division to Jurong County, Wang Haitao was quite satisfied with Guo Rudong's reaction.

When Wang Haitao saw Major General Chen Yong, the commander of the 44th Division, who was ashamed, he did not get angry with him, but first inquired about the situation of the 44th Division. When Wang Haitao learned that after the Battle of Shanghai and the Battle of the Xicheng Defense Line, the 44th Division had only more than 2,200 officers and men, and that it had run out of ammunition and food and had never been replenished, and that it was really impossible to block the Japanese army, it was not good to blame Chen Yong, the division commander, too much.

On the spot, Wang Haitao said to Chen Yong: "Division Commander Chen, your 44th Division is not under the jurisdiction of the Nanjing Urban Defense Command, if your division decides to stand by to rest after crossing the river, then after replenishing military supplies here, you can go to Xiaguan Wharf to cross the river." If your department is willing to help me Wang Haitao defend Nanjing City, my Wang Haitao welcomes you, and your department will rest and stand by in Jurong City, and I will replenish your department with guns, ammunition and military supplies. ”

Chen Yong thought that he had given up Wujin and Jintan two counties without firing a shot, and the commander of Nanjing City Defense in front of him would at least reprimand himself fiercely, and might even take himself down on the spot, but he didn't expect him to be so good at talking, not only did he not reprimand himself, but he was also willing to let himself lead the troops across the river to rest, and he was grateful and felt a little guilty at the same time.

Chen Yong thought for a moment and replied: "Commander Wang, my 44th Division has also fought with Little Japan, if it is not really impossible to fight anymore, who will easily lose the city and lose the ground, today since Commander Wang still believes in our brothers of the 44th Division, as long as Commander Wang is willing to replenish our 44th Division with guns and ammunition, our 44th Division will fight with Little Japan to the end outside this Nanjing City." ”

Wang Haitao said with a smile: "Division Commander Chen has this determination, worthy of my Chinese soldiers, your department will rest in this Rongcheng first, and I will immediately arrange to replenish the required guns and ammunition to your department." Chen Yong thanked Wang Haitao before retreating. Wang Haitao said to Liu Yuqing at this time: "Deputy Division Commander Liu, how did you arrange the defense of Jurong?"

Liu Yuqing replied: "Back to the military seat, there is only one simple road from Jintan to Jurong, and this road runs through the mountains. Humble duty has been checked the terrain, out of the sentence Rong City 30 miles away there is a Maoshan town is the only way for the Japanese army to advance, there is the main peak of Maoshan in front of Maoshan Town, the height is more than 370 meters, the terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. And the highway runs through Maoshan Mountain, it is very difficult to walk, if our department occupies Maoshan Mountain, then according to the danger of Maoshan Mountain, can block the enemy at the foot of Maoshan Mountain. ”

Wang Haitao asked for the map of Jurong here, and after looking at it for a while, he said: "Your method is good, but when defending Maoshan Mountain, the periphery of Jurong City must still pay close attention to building defensive positions and fortifications, so that it can be foolproof." After Liu Yuqing agreed, Wang Haitao left Jurong City with confidence. After returning to Nanjing, Wang Haitao took out a batch of light and heavy weapons, ammunition, military supplies, and 10,000 legal currency from the warehouse and gave them to the 44th Division.

The 44th Division was replenished with guns and ammunition, and also received military supplies and 10,000 legal currency, and the whole division swept away the shadow after the defeat, and the morale was even more boosted, and the division commander Chen Yong took the initiative to find Liu Yuqing, deputy division commander, and asked to participate in the construction of Jurong periphery fortifications, and asked to repair the fortifications, and after the fortifications were repaired, the 44th Division was stationed on the periphery of Jurong. At this time, Liu Yuqing had sent the 562nd Regiment to Maoshan Town to garrison, there was only a guard battalion in the city, and he was feeling that there was a shortage of manpower.

After the Japanese occupied Changzhou, they waited for two days, and the 18th Division left a brigade in Wuxi, and the rest of the troops joined the independent heavy artillery brigade and rushed to Changzhou City, and the 3rd Field Artillery Wing of the 3rd Division also rushed from Suzhou to Changzhou to join the 3rd Division. After discussion, several division commanders decided that the 3rd Division would attack from Jintan to Jurong, and after taking Jurong County, they would join the Zhina army encircling Liyang, while the 16th and 18th Divisions and the Independent Heavy Artillery Brigade would continue to attack and advance in the direction of Zhenjiang.