The street battles in the middle of the city began as encounters.

Two squadrons of the Japanese Xiangchuan Brigade rushed into the alleys on both sides of the avenue in an attempt to attack the main defensive positions around the regimental headquarters of the 391st Regiment from the flanks, while a company of the 2nd Battalion of the 391st Regiment had just stretched out from the main position of the regimental headquarters to both sides.

This company of the 391st Regiment faced the two squadrons of the Japanese army alone, and soon fell into a state of exhaustion, but fortunately they were more familiar with the streets and alleys in the city and the layout of private houses, relying on the buildings, and resisting one by one; After more than ten minutes of fighting, the men of the first and second battalions rushed over one after another according to the sound of gunfire; This time, the two sides were evenly matched in numbers, but the defenders had the advantage of the position, and the battle became extremely stalemate.

It's just that it suffers the people in the neighborhood.

In many people's homes, like Xia Lily's family, there are young people who have been temporarily taken to help defend the city; Until this morning, they got the message that the Central Army was ordering to desperately defend the city, but before the sun was rising, the Japanese actually came in from the northern city. The entire Fengdian was suddenly in chaos.

The people north of the city were the first to suffer. They were close to the north gate, and as soon as the Japanese advance broke through, a rain of bullets fell on their heads. Due to the rapid retreat of the 391st Regiment to the center of the county, Beicheng almost suddenly became the world of the Japanese, and many people who did not know the truth went out to find out, but they were constantly shot and killed by the Japanese soldiers who swept over, and many people were even stabbed to death with bayonets. Of course, the devils were anxious to chase and kill the defenders, and did not attack the people's homes for the time being, and after they entered the city, they adjusted a little, and then attacked forward along the avenue in the center of the county.

As a result, the focus of the battle shifted to the city.

The increasingly fierce street fighting gradually turned the fighting area into ruins and a sea of fire: the explosion of the grenadier canister* blew many houses to the ground and collapsed beyond recognition; Since it was the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, many people's homes had firecrackers and firecrackers set aside, and at this time, they were ignited by guns and ammunition, and the explosion caught fire. A large number of civilians died as a result of the Japanese army's deliberate killings and stray bullets.

……

After Qin Zhongxiao ordered the opening of the Nancheng gate, the news spread, and people began to rush to the south gate. Since the headquarters of the 391st Regiment was located in the center of the city, the sound of gunfire in the street fighting in that area could be heard almost all over the city, which added to the panic and fear of the people.

Xia Lihe's mother and son and Sun Nier, following the soldier of the 391st Regiment, were also running towards the south gate. The only road that runs through the north and south of the county town gathered more and more fleeing crowds, and it didn't take long for Xia Lily to fall into the torrent of the crowd, and the soldier at first tried to turn back and take the hand of Xia Lily's master and servant, and from time to time separated the crowd that rushed over, but as the flow of people intensified, they were finally separated, farther and farther away, until they lost contact. In desperation, they had no choice but to hug the child tightly, and in the crowded and messy crowd, they stumbled and continued to run in the direction of the south gate.

What Xia Lily didn't know was that his husband had run down from the walls of the southern city.

At that time, the people who remained on the city wall and continued to be on duty were waiting for the first batch of young men who went home for breakfast to come back to take over, when they suddenly found that there was a change in the soldiers of the Central Army guarding the city gate tower and the city gate hole, and an officer (that was the chief of staff of the 391st regiment) gathered most of the soldiers, left the south gate, and hurriedly ran along the city avenue towards the city. A brave person went to ask the soldiers left behind, and the answer turned out to be: Beicheng was attacked by Little Japan!

When they heard that the Japanese had entered the city, they panicked, and some people took the lead and began to run down the city, and then everyone began to run; This company of the 2nd Battalion of the 391st Regiment, which was originally left at the South Gate, now has only one platoon left, where can the bullets withstand the impact of these hundreds of young people!

Xia Lily's man, the king shopkeeper, was caught in the flow of fleeing people and went down to the city. At first, he planned to run home from the avenue, but the people who fled to the south gate gradually congested the avenue, and in a hurry, the shopkeeper Wang went into the alley next to him, and zigzagged through the path to his home.

As a result, he missed out on his beloved wife, young sons, and maids.

……

At the same time, several squadrons of the Futian Brigade of the Japanese Army were respectively along the base of the city walls of the East City and the West City, and went straight to the flanks and rear of the core area of the street fighting.

They already knew that the assault of the Aikawa brigade in the center of the city had been intercepted. Yesterday, the Futian Brigade, as the main attacking force of the siege, suffered a blow from the defenders in the first wave of the attack and was replaced by the wing commander; Today, it was still the Aikawa Brigade that was the first to break through the city, which made the main force of their wings very depressed. Knowing that the Xiangchuan Brigade was finally overpowered by the Shina Army in the center of the city, the officers and men of the Fukuda Brigade were a little happy at this moment, and they received an order from the wing commander to outflank the rear of the Shina Army's position, and they all rushed enthusiastically.

As they advanced, they did not encounter any resistance from the defenders, so much so that some officers and men began to shoot boredly at the civilians who came into view as they ran. Based on the judgment of the location of the dense gunfire, several squadrons of the Futian Brigade inserted themselves into the flank of the street fighting area almost at the same time, and then began to quietly encircle the 391st Regiment.

……

Qin Zhongxiao quarreled with his chief of staff in the regiment headquarters.

From the moment the colonel of the Central Army made up his mind to set up this line of defense in the center of the city, he did not consider a way to retreat, and his greatest wish at this moment was to put the Japanese troops entering the city to the north of the defense line, exchange space for time, so that more people could flee for their lives out of the city.

However, the chief of staff advocated fighting and leaving, and the main force of the whole regiment gradually shrinking to the east city, and finally withdrawing from the east city gate.

Both of them understood that Fengdian would eventually be unable to hold on, and even if it was a street fight, it could only be supported for a while.

What Qin Zhongxiao wants is: if you can keep it for a while, you can keep it for a while. He regretted that he had ordered the gates to be closed yesterday. I knew that the city would be breached, so it was better to let the people live earlier, but now the Kou soldiers have invaded, and the lives are ruined, and there are no eggs under the nest. Of course, this account should be recorded on the head of the 12th Brigade of the Jin Army! The 570th Regiment, as a soldier of the Sanjin Dynasty, was currently a great enemy, and he abandoned his hometown and fled shamelessly. If it weren't for this mutation, Qin Zhongxiao felt that at least he wouldn't have lost the city defense so quickly. Therefore, with a mentality of atonement, the colonel of the Central Army was determined to fight to the death with the Japanese army on this line of defense.

The Chief of Staff, when he had just been ordered to bring reinforcements from the main force of the company of the 2nd Battalion, almost met the flow of fleeing people on the avenue, and he knew that as time went on, the whole city would flock to the south gate, which would inevitably cause a blockage; If the 391st Regiment wants to retreat from the south gate, it is absolutely impossible. He didn't understand the atonement mentality of the group, so from a tactical point of view, he tried his best to ask the whole group to fight and retreat. There used to be Japanese troops outside the West Gate, so the East Gate became the only way to retreat.

Of course, this was categorically vetoed by Qin Zhongxiao, and the two escalated from arguing to quarreling, and the chief of staff, who usually obeyed the regimental seat, began to argue with reason at this critical moment of life and death. As a result, the annoyed colonel of the Central Army took out his pistol and slapped it on the sand table with a snap:

"I have decided to fight to the death with the Japanese army, and those who dare to retreat will be killed!"

The chief of staff also let go, grabbed the regimental commander's pistol, and pressed it against his temple:

"Tuanzao, if you can save the blood and bones for the 391st regiment, Zhao is willing to lead the crime of withdrawing the army alone!"

Seeing this, the guards on the side hurriedly rushed up, snatched the gun from the chief of staff, and divided the two officers who were eyeing each other into two sides.

At this moment, there was a commotion in the courtyard, and a company commander of the first battalion ran in with a face full of gunpowder smoke, and angrily reported: A large number of devils have come up from behind the defense line!

Everyone was amazed: where did these devils come from? Could it be that after the city gate was opened, the Japanese army took the opportunity to break in?

Since the telephone bus of the regiment headquarters had just been blown up by the * of the Japanese grenadiers, it had not yet been restored, so the telephone calls to the various city gates were no longer available. The situation was unclear but critical, Qin Zhongxiao's heartbeat couldn't help but intensify, and he glanced at the chief of staff: Suddenly the enemy was attacked on his back, at this time, I am afraid that he will not be able to withdraw if he wants to!

In the blink of an eye, the Japanese troops from the rear attacked a very close distance, and the shouts of the Japanese soldiers could be vaguely heard in the courtyard. Qin Zhongxiao ordered to immediately divide the troops to defend the rear, and he and the chief of staff rushed from the hall into the courtyard with the sound of explosions and gunsmoke, and at this moment, a figure ran in from outside the courtyard gate, without a military uniform.

A* flew in from an unknown direction, and exploded not far from this figure, and half of his head was blown away.

The people in the regiment headquarters still recognized him: he was the male owner of this mansion, Xia Lily's man, and the king's shopkeeper.