In the evening, most of the commanding heights and barricades near Dexin Company were occupied by the Japanese army, and the Changda Trading Company, which had been the battalion headquarters three hours earlier, also planted the sun flag.

There are no more intact buildings around. Most of the Pacific Warehouse was destroyed by artillery fire, and the foreign cloth and yarn stacked in the warehouse burned in the afterglow of the setting sun. The smoke smelled of burnt smoke from time to time on the ground and second floors of the DXN Building, choking the brothers to tears. The low houses across the street had been almost bulldozed, and from a distance there was a mess of scorched wood and rubble, and even the remnants of the broken walls were hard to see. On the ruins, there are abandoned corpses everywhere that have not been cleaned up. One of the brothers' thighs was blown off and poked against the crooked corner iron of the telephone pole, and a piece of torn trouser was stained with blood, dangling in the surging wind and smoke.

Lin Qiming, the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 1776th Regiment, accompanied Lieutenant Colonel Bradick to stand in front of the window on the third floor of the Dexin Company and watched all this silently, and there was hardly any expression on his face full of smoke and dust. Lieutenant Colonel Bradick also looked very melancholy, he first looked out with his naked eyes, and then, he took the telescope from Lin Qiming's hand, adjusted the focus and searched around from different angles. When Lieutenant Colonel Bradick's head was about to poke out of the window, Lin Qiming silently buckled his steel helmet onto the lieutenant colonel's head.

Peter Zheng, a Chinese translator who came with Lieutenant Colonel Bradick, stood behind Lieutenant Colonel, occasionally probing his head to say a few foreign words, and when he spoke, he pointed at the battlefield outside the window. The lieutenant colonel's two guards, a short sergeant and a tall, thin blond boy, gestured to talk to Niu Kangnian, the machine gunner in front of the other window, and Fei Xingyuan, the battalion deputy, about the battle situation. Niu Kangnian and Fei Xingyuan couldn't figure out what they meant, they only nodded or shook their heads in confusion, and later, Lieutenant Colonel Bradick, who was standing in front of the window, turned around and scolded him sternly, and the sergeant and the blonde boy shut up.

After Lieutenant Colonel Bradick finished observing, he left the window with the sack, returned the binoculars and steel helmet to Lin Qiming, and muttered a foreign language. He spoke slowly and solemnly, with occasional interspersed words of hard-to-understand Shanghainese dialect. Lin Qiming only heard one syllable that seemed to be "Nong", and he didn't understand anything else.

Peter Zheng looked at Lieutenant Colonel Bradick, then at Lin Qiming, and translated as quietly as possible:

Lieutenant Colonel Bradick said that it was all over, and that the Chinese government's jurisdiction over the international city had been automatically lost by the defeat in the war. A few hours ago, Mayor Yu Hongjun issued a farewell letter to the citizens of Shanghai, acknowledging the regrettable fact that the Japanese army occupied Shanghai by force. ”

Lin Qiming smiled reluctantly:

"But our national flag is still flying on this building guarded by brothers, and the Chinese defenders are still fighting!"

Peter Zheng turned his face to Lieutenant Colonel Bradick, talked with the lieutenant colonel, and then said to Lin Qiming:

Lieutenant Colonel Bradick expressed his deep admiration for the Chinese soldiers, but he felt that there was no point in continuing to resist. The lieutenant colonel said, "The situation is extremely unfavorable for you, and the Japanese army has occupied the Changda trading house and the nearby favorable terrain, and is surrounded on three sides. If they forcibly cross the concession in disregard of public international law and attack from the direction of the concession, everything will be irreparable, and a third country will not be able to help if they want to. In fact, the Japanese military has already made unreasonable demands on the concession. Therefore, the lieutenant colonel advises you and your men to face up to reality, stop fighting, disarm immediately, and withdraw into the concession. The concession authorities will absolutely guarantee the safety of you and your subordinates. ”

Lin Qiming asked rhetorically:

"What if I and my men don't withdraw?"

"It would be very regrettable. The lieutenant colonel said that he would like to draw your attention to the international character of the city, and that all neutral third countries do not want the flames of war to reach the concession. The lieutenant colonel implores you to stop fighting. The lieutenant colonel also said that up to now, there have been nearly 30,000 Chinese officers and soldiers and armed men of all kinds who have laid down their arms and entered the concessions of various countries, and I hope that you and your soldiers will stop being stubborn......"

Lin Qiming shook his head indifferently:

"Nope! Brothers do not withdraw! Brothers are determined to serve the country! If even the Chinese soldiers are trying to make a living, what future does China's War of Resistance have at all?! Thank you Mr. Lieutenant Colonel and the concession authorities for your kindness, there is no choice but to fight brothers. ”

Peter Zheng truthfully translated Lin Qiming's reply to Bradick, and tears appeared in his two squinting eyes when he translated.

The lieutenant colonel was silent, stared at the battalion commander Lin Qiming for a long time, and then slowly raised his hand, saluted and said goodbye, and said to Lin Qiming through Peter Zheng when he left:

"The concession's commitment to the protection of your officers and men will not be invalidated by your final reply, Battalion Commander Lin. When you decide to stop fighting, we still have a duty to protect. ”

Lin Qiming nodded indifferently, and at the same time ordered the brothers around him to salute and send off the guests.

Accompanied by Lin Qiming and battalion deputy Fei Xingyuan, Lieutenant Colonel Bradick walked to the top of the stairs. Just a few steps down the stairs, the lieutenant colonel stopped and whispered something to Peter Cheng. Peter Zheng hurriedly climbed up to the floor again, leaned into Lin Qiming's ear and said:

"Battalion Commander Lin, the lieutenant colonel revealed that the Japanese army will launch a general attack at seven o'clock tonight, and the imperial garrison in the concession has entered a state of alert, and the lieutenant colonel wants you and your brothers to take care!"

Lin Qiming said "thank you" with difficulty and nodded to Lieutenant Colonel Bradick. When he nodded, the lieutenant colonel stood on the stairs and waved his fist at Lin Qiming. Lin Qiming knew what this meant, and he clenched his fists and shook them tremblingly.

The chance of survival was once again pushed away by him, although when he pushed away, he was firm and rational as a battalion commander, but once the matter passed, he couldn't help but be a little stunned. During the days of fierce fighting, such friendly advice from the third country in the concession continued one after another, and some friendly troops withdrew into the concession one after another because of this friendly advice, except for them, the whole of Shanghai gave up resistance, and the officers and men of their three battalions did not withdraw. Lin Qiming is not sure, what will the brothers in the camp think about this? He can do justice for the country and the nation, and do his brothers also have this determination?

Lieutenant Colonel Bradick was right, the building they were defending was surrounded on three sides, and as soon as the Japanese general attack began, everything would be irreparable, and the more than 400 brothers in the building would surely die with this building.

The last chance wasn't lost, and he could still seize it.

Lin Qiming thought for a while, and called the battalion deputy Fei Xingyuan and the second company commander Lu Xiping to the front:

"Pass my orders to those who are willing to withdraw and those who are injured to withdraw before seven o'clock to withdraw into the concession, and those who voluntarily remain to continue to obey my command."

Fei Xingyuan was stunned:

"Battalion commander, if you want to withdraw together, you want to stay together, how can you go, stay behind?!"

Lu Xiping, the commander of the second company, also said:

"Don't go! Battalion commander, let's fight the devil to the end! ”

Lin Qiming shook his head:

"We don't have the power to decide where the brothers stay or don't. Shangfeng ordered us to stay until the last moment, and now it is the last moment, whether it is the brothers who have been withdrawn or the brothers who have been left behind, they are all worthy of admiration! Go and deliver the order! ”

As soon as the words fell, the machine gunner Niu Kangnian and several brothers who were close to him had already shouted, saying that they would stick to the end with the battalion commander.

Fei Xingyuan and Lu Xiping looked at Niu Kangnian and the brothers around him, and then at Camp Commander Lin Qiming, and still went downstairs silently.

When they returned, both of them were very excited and rushed to report to Lin Qiming that the brothers in the whole battalion were unwilling to evacuate, even the wounded.

Lin Qiming's eyes were moist, and he endured it so that the tears did not fall. He stared at Fei Xingyuan and Lu Xiping in a daze for a long time before patting Fei Xingyuan on the shoulder and saying:

"That'...... Then let's fight! Protect...... Defending the country and defending the land is a military ...... Military Duty ...... Where, I ...... We can't get rid of it! ”

It was decided, not just by him, but by more than 400 brothers, and the brothers were red-eyed, and it seemed inevitable that the fierce battle after seven o'clock, and perhaps the final one, would be inevitable.

Outside the window, the sky was dark, and the dull twilight replaced the burning dusk. In the twilight, cold guns rang out non-stop, and occasionally an explosion could be heard, and it was impossible to tell whether it was a small cannon or a grenade. Leaning in front of the window, by the dazzling light of the Pacific Warehouse, you can see the ghost soldiers who occupied the Changda Merchant House holding machine guns directly in front of the window of the Dexin Building. From time to time, a swaying steel helmet appeared above the window. The surrounding barricades were being reinforced, and some creeping and jumping devil soldiers were struggling to move sacks under the cover of the ruins. At the foot of the west wall where the warehouse is not on fire, there are enough shadows and shadows to pull the wires. The brothers here also shot coldly, and one of the guys who pulled the wires was knocked down, lying on his back on a tray of wires, and was dragged back by two devil soldiers.

Lin Qiming thought at first that the devil was answering the phone, but it was wrong: the devil soldier who pulled the wire connected the searchlight to the wire, there were a few on the ground, and there were a few on the roof of the Changda Commercial Bank.

If the searchlights are lit, the situation will be even more unfavorable for them, Lin Qiming immediately marked the locations of several searchlights that had been found on a sketch, and called Fei Xingyuan's battalion deputy to the front and said:

"Immediately arrange the sniper with good marksmanship in position, as soon as the searchlight comes on, immediately shoot it out!"

The snipers did not do a good job, and after the power was turned on, only three of the seven searchlights were knocked out, and the two on the roof of the Changda building and the two on the corner of the Pacific Cargo Yard could not be knocked out due to the restrictions of terrain and orientation.

Before seven o'clock, the devils, guided by four searchlights, launched an attack on the Dexin building they were guarding, and bullets rained down where the lights hit. The porch fortifications at the entrance of the company were almost incapacitated, and the brethren behind the sacks could not raise their heads at all.

Fei Xingyuan was in a hurry, and personally took Niu Kangnian and three other brothers to go around behind a wall of ruins not far from the Pacific Warehouse, and then swept away the two searchlights on the ground with a hand-held machine gun. When he returned, two of the three brothers were missing, and Fei Xingyuan and Niu Kangnian were also injured.

The two lamps on the upper floor of Chanda were still sweeping around, and the lights not only illuminated the fortifications here, but also exposed some of the ghost soldiers who rushed to the front to become targets for the brothers to shoot. Later, I don't know if the wires were blown up, or the devils didn't want to be targets in the lights, the two lights on the upper floor of Chanda stopped turning on, and the devils who were almost close to the porch fortifications retreated in panic.

This is not like a general attack, the enemy of the attack is mainly from the direction of Changda Commercial Bank, and the left and right flanks are not moving, which is obviously tentative. Therefore, as soon as the devil retreated, Lin Qiming ordered the fortifications to be strengthened and ammunition replenished without waiting for the brothers in the building to cheer.

The porch fortifications were abandoned by Lin Qiming's order, and he knew that if the searchlight was turned on again, the porch fortifications would not be able to be kept. The next general attack and counterattack is destined to be very tragic, the success is unexpected, and Chengren is a foregone conclusion.

Maybe tonight is the night of farewell, he will not forget Shanghai, he will not forget the blood-stained land under his feet, and the Japanese will not forget, they will remember a solid resistance.

Just thinking about it hotly, Fei Xingyuan, who had a bandage on his arm, rushed to report, saying that Mayor Yu Hongjun had called from the concession and asked him to pick him up.

Lin Qiming was very puzzled, why did Mayor Yu look for him? He and Mayor Yu did not know each other. When I picked up the phone, I realized that Mayor Yu was looking for the top military commander of the defenders of the Dexin Building.

Lin Qiming said into the microphone in a hoarse voice:

"I am Lin Qiming, the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 1776th Regiment, and I am now fully responsible for the defense of the Dexin Building."

An old and anxious voice rang on the phone:

"I'll look for you! Battalion Commander Lin, immediately order all the officers and men of your battalion to withdraw into the concession! ”

"The division headquarters ordered the brother to defend it, and the brother can't disobey the order, and then ......"

"Don't say it, Battalion Commander Lin, you have completed the task of defending the territory against the enemy, your heroic battle, Shanghai citizens have seen it, international people have also seen it, this mayor thanks you! But you must withdraw, the concession authorities do not want to see the flames of war burn to the concession, and our city government and the state government do not want to see the flames of war burn to the concession! At present, there are more than 30,000 Chinese officers and soldiers in the concession who have not yet retreated, and hundreds of thousands of Shanghai citizens! The mayor of this country must be responsible, and you must also be responsible, and you must not be rash! ”

Lin Qiming was stunned, holding the microphone for a long time, unable to say a word.

The microphone is still ringing:

"Did you hear me clearly? Battalion Commander Lin, this mayor is talking to you on behalf of the government and Chairman Chiang, and the withdrawal into the concession is an order of the Supreme Command, and the soldiers must obey the order! ”

Only then did he spit out a word from between his teeth:

"Yes!"

At this moment, the general attack of the devils began, and the searchlights on both wings of the Changda Commercial Bank, at least a dozen of them, were lit up at the same time, and the surroundings of the Dexin building were illuminated as if it were daylight. Fierce gunfire erupted from three sides, and the brothers in the Shou Tak Shin building fought back, and a fierce battle could not be contained.

The phone rang again, and it was still Mayor Yu Hongjun:

"Battalion Commander Lin, why haven't you withdrawn yet? The bullets have entered the concession! ”

Lin Qiming said:

"Withdraw...... Can't be withdrawn! The devils are attacking! ”

Mayor Yu Hongjun almost cried out:

"If you can't withdraw, you have to withdraw! Battalion Commander Lin, the War of Resistance is a long-term war, not a battle in front of you that determines the outcome of the war, you have to understand, you have to withdraw! ”

"Yes! Elder brother...... Brother understands! ”

"Withdraw immediately! Lieutenant Colonel Bradick is ready to assist you in your retreat, and you must obey the arrangements of the concession! ”

"Yes!"

That's all there is to it. Putting down the phone, Lin Qiming ordered all the doors and windows facing the concession side to be opened, and under the cover of machine guns, an organized retreat was carried out.

Twenty minutes later, after the wounded and all the brothers had withdrawn, Lin Qiming stumbled into the concession with more than 20 people who had made the last cover.

Next to a barricade fortification in the concession, Lin Qiming saw Lieutenant Colonel Bradick, and he could no longer suppress his feelings and cried bitterly.

Lieutenant Colonel Bradik shook his shoulder and offered him some comforting words. He didn't understand the lieutenant colonel's words, but the meaning was clear, and the lieutenant colonel's hand first pointed to the ruined wall outside the concession, and then pointed to the Chinese flag still hanging high on the DXN building, and raised a big thumbs up at him.

He raised his head with a steel helmet and saw the flag. The national flag fluttered in the night sky illuminated by firelight, red and red. He was so shaken that he ordered the brothers to assemble.

Lin Qiming, the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 1776th Regiment, led the 386 officers and soldiers who gathered together, and gave the last gun-wielding military salute to the fallen night of Shanghai and the national flag defended by the Chinese soldiers......

That night, the Songhu War ended, and the Shanghai Concession became an isolated island. On behalf of the concession authorities, Lieutenant Colonel Bradwick disarmed the last Chinese soldiers of Lin Qiming's department and sent them to the 9th Chinese Military Battalion the next morning.

This is where the heavy years begin.