Bright Sword's Bloody War of Resistance

Chapter 864: Recovering Shangqiu

As the sky gradually darkened, the sound of gunfire outside the city suddenly disappeared. The Japanese and puppet troops on the city wall couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as they watched the attacking Eighth Route Army retreat like a tide.

When the Japanese army in Shangqiu lost the Yucheng area, it was equivalent to losing the bridgehead protecting Shangqiu. In order to ensure the safety of Shangqiu City, Sadahiro Araki ordered the construction of a defense system with a depth of 12 kilometers around it.

However, when the power between the two sides became unbalanced, the so-called defense system lost its due function. The concrete fortifications built by the Japanese army along the railway could not stop the Eighth Route Army from entering and exiting, let alone some brick and stone strongholds.

Throughout the day, the 16th Brigade concentrated its artillery advantage to destroy the enemy's fortifications, and deployed its troops in echelons to launch assaults and attack the city in one fell swoop.

The fierce offensive launched by the Eighth Route Army gave the enemy a strong deterrent. If it had not been dark, it would have been difficult to defend the city wall with just one wall. This was the common feeling of all the defenders.

Several puppet soldiers hid at the corner of the city wall stairs. Each of them lit a cigarette, but their faces looked bleak.

"Platoon leader, you have to find a way out for our brothers!"

An older puppet soldier in the crowd spat on the ground and sneered, "The Eighth Route Army has surrounded Shangqiu like an iron barrel. Even if Japanese planes come, they will be shot down!"

"I'm afraid there's nowhere to run this time. Bullets don't have eyes on the battlefield. You guys should be smart. If you're lucky enough to be captured by the Eighth Route Army, you should burn more paper money for us next year!"

As they were talking, the sound of a loudspeaker was heard outside the city, and the political cadres of the 16th Brigade began to carry out political propaganda as usual.

"Damn it, you guys are slacking off, you're dead!" A Japanese soldier suddenly appeared and kicked several puppet soldiers with his military boots.

One of them stood up suddenly, with his right hand on the bayonet at his waist, veins bulging on his arm. The other puppet soldiers were angry but dared not say a word. They could only pull him hard, fearing that he would stab the Japanese in front of them to death.

"Madam, this kid's brain was damaged by a shell and he's not very smart anymore. Please don't bother with him!" The puppet army platoon leader hurriedly said something nice.

The Japanese were no longer as arrogant as before. In the past, killing a few puppet soldiers was not a big deal, but now they were so scared that they took two steps back and said, "You, knock down the loudspeakers outside the city, quickly!"

"Hey, Taijun, I'll take them there right away!"

Several puppet soldiers climbed onto the city wall. The puppet soldier who had just fought with the Japanese said angrily, "Platoon leader, I really wanted to stab that son of a bitch to death. He always shows off his power on weekdays, but he doesn't even realize what time it is now?"

"Fusheng, you are just trying to have fun but don't let your brothers get hurt. The Japanese are desperate and can do anything!"

"Listen to my instructions and keep your guns raised high and shoot!"

The best way to describe the current state of the Japanese and puppet troops in Shangqiu City is that people's hearts are in a state of unrest. It's just that the supervision team is watching from behind with guns, and the time is not right yet.

"Mr. Kuroshima, I think tonight's action is too hasty. Zhou Weihan is going too far. He is not willing to give us one more day?"

Kuroshima Morita and Sun Liangcheng were plotting in the house. He also felt that time was too tight, but Terauchi Isamu told him that the only way to survive was to save himself. As long as Araki Sadahiro didn't die, he would have to die himself.

"Sun Sang, there is an old Chinese saying that an arrow has to be shot once it is on the string. Don't you understand this truth? At this critical moment, you are still trying to persuade Araki Sadahiro!"

Perhaps because he had been dealing with the Eighth Route Army for a long time, the term "ideological work" actually came out of Kuroshima Morita's mouth. This made Sun Liangcheng feel extremely absurd. Who exactly are the Chinese?

"The Empire of Japan has never had a brigade commander who surrendered. Araki Sadahiro is a stubborn guy. You and I together are enough to kill him!"

"Zhou Weihan promised to protect our safety as long as we surrender Shangqiu City. Do you have a better plan? Or should you follow Araki Sadayo and wait here for reinforcements that may arrive at any time?"

Sun Liangcheng would certainly not be buried with Araki Sadahiro, he just felt that the time was not right yet. However, Kuroshima Morita was very dissatisfied with Sun Liangcheng's two-faced behavior at the critical moment and forced him to make a choice.

The military police in the city who were responsible for maintaining public order were directly under Kuroshima Morita. In addition, they also developed many of their own people in the independent 4th Infantry Brigade. There were still more than 2,000 Japanese troops withdrawn to the city, but many of these little devils were Kuroshima Morita's men. The puppet 4th Army also had more than 8,000 people, adding up to more than 10,000 people.

It stands to reason that as long as we are united, there is still hope of holding on, but now people's hearts are unsettled, and the Eighth Route Army has even issued an ultimatum, demanding that the city be broken into at noon tomorrow.

Kuroshima Morita brought Sun Liangcheng on board in order to make him show his loyalty, but Sun Liangcheng immediately handed the task over to his trusted subordinate Zhao Yunxiang.

The Japanese military headquarters in the city was guarded by military police, but at this time the guards at the gate and in the courtyard withdrew quietly. Zhao Yunxiang led the guard company into the headquarters compound and then occupied the commanding heights.

"Commander, the division headquarters has called back and ordered our troops to continue to hold on and wait for reinforcements. We must hold on until the reinforcements arrive!"

"Damn it, are we going to hold on just by talking?" Araki Sadahiro threw the telegram on the table angrily. At this moment, he suddenly heard a noise outside the office, followed by several gunshots.

Araki Sadahiro was also a veteran of battles. He knew the gunshots came from inside the headquarters compound when he heard them. At this time, he still believed that it was the underground personnel of the Eighth Route Army lurking in the city who were launching a sneak attack, and even secretly cursed the gendarmerie as trash.

The adjutant walked out of the office first with a gun, but was shot multiple times. Araki Sadahiro looked at the puppet soldiers who broke in and couldn't help but get angry: "Baga, you're dead!"

"Fuck you, I'll send you to death first!" The leading officer pulled the trigger first and shot Sadahiro Araki into a sieve.

In addition, the Japanese soldiers in other office areas of the headquarters fell beside their seats one by one, and the puppet soldiers who took action checked one by one to see if there were any survivors.

"Sir, there were thirty-two people in total, all dead!"

"Retreat!" Zhao Yunxiang gave an order and everyone quickly evacuated from the headquarters.

Not long after, shrill sirens sounded at the headquarters and a large number of military police gathered. The headquarters then announced to the public that it had repelled the attacking Eighth Route Army. At the same time, Kuroshima Morita asked the middle and high-level Japanese and puppet troops in the city to come to the headquarters for a meeting.

As soon as the Japanese and puppet army officers entered the headquarters compound, they were horrified by the scene before them. Dozens of corpses were lying on the ground, and Sadahiro Araki was among them.

"Didn't they say they were repelled? How come even Araki Sadahiro is dead?"

"Shh, don't talk. I'm afraid this day is going to change. Don't you see whose people are most of those lying on the ground?"

Inside the house, Kuroshima Morita and Sun Liangcheng received a telegram and they both breathed a sigh of relief. Just as everyone was whispering and talking, the two of them appeared in the yard together.

Kuroshima Morita coughed lightly and said, "Everyone, the Eighth Route Army raided the headquarters tonight. Unfortunately, the brigade commander died for his country. We mourn for him and all the warriors!"

No matter what he thought in his heart, he could only follow the crowd due to the situation. Then Kuroshima Morita continued: "I will take over the command now. Commander Sun and I have decided to break out in the second half of the night. When you go back, convey the order and enforce strict military discipline!"

"During the retreat, you are not allowed to loot the property of the residents in the city. If you violate this rule, you will be punished by military law!"

The current Japanese and puppet army officers are all Sun Liangcheng's direct subordinates, while the Japanese army officers are mostly Kuroshima Morita's men. Although a small number of them have noticed that something is wrong, they dare not speak out.

At four o'clock in the middle of the night, the sky was slightly bright and there were some movements in Shangqiu City, but the Eighth Route Army outside the city did not seem to notice until the Japanese and puppet troops had finished gathering.

Sun Liangcheng's 19th Division of the puppet Fourth Army took the lead. After the city gate was opened, they rushed towards the Eighth Route Army's position. After a brief exchange of gunfire between the two sides, the Eighth Route Army's position was easily broken through.

"Report to the brigade commander, the enemy troops in the city have fled westward!"

After Li Yunlong learned the news, he repeatedly thought about whether to take the opportunity to eat up this group of Japanese puppet troops, but finally decided to obey the order: "The 10th Regiment will enter the city to maintain law and order, and the rest of the troops will remain stationed outside the city!"