The heavens start from Changjin Lake

Chapter 745 Retreat
At about 12 a.m. on December 10, a jeep drove from the Central China Front Headquarters of the Japanese Army in Zhousu and parked not far from Zhongshan Gate. Four Japanese soldiers got out of the car. They were Deputy Chief of Staff of the Central China Front Army Muto. , senior chief of staff Fairy, intelligence staff officer Nakayama, translator Nao Okada.

After the four people got off the car, they looked at the entrance of Zhongshan Gate. They were waiting for representatives of the Chinese military to appear there and accept their persuasion to surrender.

At noon on the 12th, Muto reached out to look at his watch, shook his head and said: "There is no hope for that. If they agreed to lay down their weapons, they would have come long ago."

The senior chief of staff gritted his teeth fairly and fiercely: "If they don't surrender, just let them perish."

The jeep started again and returned to Zhousu along the original route.Muto reported the situation to Matsui Iwane. After hearing this, Matsui Iwane lowered his head and remained silent for a moment. Then, with a fierce look in his eyes, he said to Muto: "According to the plan, order the troops to launch a full-line attack early tomorrow morning, all the way to the Yangtze River!"

"Yes!" Muto stepped back and conveyed to each division.

12 month 11 day.

It had just dawned, and the cold wind was making my cheeks hurt.

Explosions were heard everywhere in Jinling City. At this time, most of the residents in Jinling City were still asleep, and there were only a few small vendors who had just set up their stalls in the market.

The sudden explosion directly woke everyone up from their sleep. The violent explosion caused the bombarded houses to tremble continuously. What followed was the piercing air raid siren. A large number of citizens rushed out of their houses and ran towards the air raid shelters. They were all the panicked cries of the people, searching for their lost relatives.

The surrounded Japanese army opened fire on Jinling, a famous city with a history of more than 500 years.

The roar of artillery continued, houses in the city were blown up, bricks and tiles were blown to pieces, and smoke and dust filled the air.

Japanese troops across the board began a frenzied attack following the early morning shelling.

Wang Jingjiu, the commander of the 71st Army in charge of Dongcheng's defense, hid in the basement of Fugui Mountain at the foot of Zijin Mountain. He learned about the situation of defending the city by phone and issued counterattack orders in a timely manner.

The defenders then engaged in a desperate struggle with the Japanese army. It was not until the evening of the 11th that he learned that a huge gap had been opened in the Guanghuamen city wall by the Japanese army. Then, the Guanghuamen defenders kept reporting to him that there were too many enemies and it was difficult to resist. Ask him what to do?
Wang Jingjiu thought briefly and immediately ordered the defenders to place thirty gasoline barrels at the gap to deal with the Japanese troops attacking the city from the gap.

At the same time, night defense should be strengthened.

At midnight, Japanese troops poured in from the gap. Xie Chengrui, the regiment leader responsible for guarding Guanghua Gate, gave an order. Several soldiers hiding on the city wall lit torches and threw them at gasoline barrels. In an instant, fire shot into the sky, reflecting half of the sky. The fire was red, and the fire directly burned the entire gap. The Japanese soldiers who were caught off guard were ignited by the fire and rolled on the ground, screaming in pain.

The defenders stood condescendingly, and their light and heavy firearms intertwined into a dense firepower network, angrily sweeping towards the enemy group.

Chinese Gate, Yuhuatai.

They were also attacked by a large number of Japanese troops one after another. The 88th Division was defending these two places. After the battles in the previous days, the remaining troops of the 88th Division were very few. Facing the Japanese attacks one after another, the 88th Division The remnant soldiers were still fearless and fearless, like a nail, piercing deeply into the position.

At this time, the Zhonghua Gate was leaderless. The division commanders and regiment commanders who participated in the battle suffered numerous casualties due to the Japanese attack throughout the morning. The remaining soldiers were remnants and wounded soldiers.

Xia Yuan threw away the curled sword and took on the responsibility of command.

A few days earlier, the Zhonghua Gate had been breached by the Japanese army. Xia Yuan led a group of 88th Division soldiers who were still in good health to form a death squad. They carried a broadsword on their backs and rifles to build fortifications in the streets near the breach.

Then Japanese tanks and infantry poured in from the gap.

Xia Yuan led his troops to fight back, using all available means to repel the Japanese army.

The battle lasted from early morning to afternoon. The soldiers did not drink a drop of water or eat a grain of rice. They were hungry and fought with the Japanese army. It was not until three o'clock in the afternoon that the Japanese army's attack was repelled and no more troops were sent to attack.

Xia Yuan sat down on the ground, resting his elbows on his knees, looking at the remaining ten soldiers. They had more than 200 soldiers since this morning, and they had been fighting for most of the day. Now there are only these few left.

However, not only their 88th Division was the only one in Zhonghua Gate, but Qiu Weida's regiment of the 51st Division next door was still holding on.

Not knowing whether the Japanese army would attack Zhonghua Gate next, Xia Yuan collected grenades, weapons and ammunition and prepared for the next battle after giving the fire a short rest.

What Xia Yuan didn't know was that the 88th Division was now alone.

Sun Yuanliang led 2000 troops and moved to Xianguan.

On the evening of December 12, Commander Tang was busy with command until 10 a.m., when he fell asleep on the sofa in the office exhausted physically and mentally. He was so sleepy that he began to snore not long after he fell.

Until Liu Xing broke in and brought bad news: "Gui Yongqing called and said that more than 1000 Japanese soldiers in the Qilin Gate area participated in the attack on the second peak of Zijin Mountain, and the situation was critical. The troops they led were in Zijin Shan’s troops suffered more than half casualties, and Gui Yongqing requested reinforcements from an artillery regiment.”

Commander Tang was confused after hearing this. Now all the troops have been sent to the front line. There is not even a single troop in Jinling City. Where did he get an artillery regiment to reinforce Gui Yongqing.

At this time, the phone on the table rang. Liu Xing stepped forward and picked up the phone. After listening to it, he said to Commander Tang: "This is a call from Sun Yuanliang, saying that Yuhuatai has been lost, Zhonghuamen is also in a hurry, and their ammunition is about to run out." It’s over, please ask us to send someone to deliver ammunition quickly.”

Commander Tang saw stars in his eyes, "We have fought so much in the defense of Jinling, and the weapons and ammunition that should be reinforced have already been almost reached. Where can we get ammunition from?"

He stopped talking and said to Liu Xing: "Hurry up and call Sun Yuanliang. It's okay if Yuhuatai is lost, but Zhonghuamen must do everything possible to defend it. If there is no ammunition, borrow some from their friendly neighbor 74th Army."

After a while, Sun Yuanliang called again. Sun Yuanliang said to Commander Tang on the phone: "We have no ammunition. I will immediately lead 2000 people to move toward Xiaguan."

After Commander Tang heard this, he was about to speak when Sun Yuanliang hung up the phone.Commander Tang put down the phone and said to Liu Xing: "Sun Yuanliang is going to Xiaguan. Why is he going to Xiaguan? Is there any ammunition there?"

When Liu Xing heard this, he suddenly felt that something was wrong: "There is no ammunition in Xiaguan. There is not even an ammunition depot there. Could it be that he wanted to retreat across the river from Xiaguan?"

Commander Tang was confused and cursed: "How could he run away at the critical moment? This is an escape from the battlefield. Catch him and engage in military law!"

Liu Xing thought quickly, and then said: "Commander, in this case, I will immediately call Commander Song Xilian at Yijiangmen and ask him to send people to Xiaguan to block Sun Yuanliang, let him rush back to Zhonghuamen, and ask him to live or die with Zhonghuamen. !”

"Go, go."

Liu Xing conveyed Commander Tang's intentions to Commander Song on the phone, but Commander Song told him that Yu Jishi, Commander of the 74th Army, led his troops to build a pontoon bridge from the Sancha River to Xianguan Pass in preparation for retreat to Xianguan Pass. What should he do if he asked for instructions?
This is a wave that has not subsided, and another wave has arisen. Even Liu Xing felt as if his head was about to explode after hearing this.

Commander Tang was anxious and stammered: "Why are they all possessed by evil spirits? Why are they running to Xiangguan? Take measures quickly to stop their escape!"

He snatched the phone from Liu Xing's hand and ordered Song Xilian's 36th Division to be the martial law force at Yijiangmen, focusing on protecting the Xiaguan area. Immediate martial law would not allow any soldiers to move, let alone any excuse to retreat through Yijiangmen.

What Tang Shengzhi didn't know was that his order blocked the only retreat route for the troops in the city. In the end, 10 officers and soldiers were used as targets and massacred by the Japanese devils.

At this time, there were numerous spies in Jinling. They often wore Chinese army uniforms and openly set up radio stations on the side of the road in the name of a certain unit to instruct Japanese aircraft on bombing targets.Since Chiang Kai-shek left Jinling, the Tang Mansion has been the main target of bombing. Every day, planes take turns bombing, swooping and strafing. The Tang Mansion was bombed almost beyond recognition.

Commander Tang was very helpless against the Japanese bombing and could only hide in Tibet.

On this day, the Japanese army ended their bombing of the Tang mansion. Commander Tang hid in the basement with his entourage. After a while, the phone rang. Liu Xing picked up the phone, listened for a while, then handed the phone to Commander Tang and said: : "It was Deputy Commander-in-Chief Gu Zhutong who called from Jiangbei."

Commander Tang picked up the phone and heard Gu Zhutong say on the other side of the phone: "Commander Tang, the Chairman called from Hanwu and ordered all Jinling garrison to retreat immediately. Come to Pukou quickly, Hu Zongnan is waiting for you in Pukou."

retreat! ?
Commander Tang wanted to stick to Jinling and live and die with Jinling. After Jiang arrived at Hanwu, he kept in touch with him and told him the good news that Nanyun troops were now supporting Jinling and would arrive in a few days. As long as Tang Shengzhi defended Jinling, he In half a month, Chiang will lead a million-strong army to relieve the siege. At that time, the inside should cooperate with the outside, and the enemies outside Jinling will be wiped out in a week.

However, just a few days later, the Chairman changed his order and asked them to retreat.

Commander Tang was very surprised when he heard this. He was stunned for a while before he came to his senses. When he heard Gu Zhutong yelling "Hey, hey, hey" from the other end, he came back to his senses.

He said to Gu Zhutong: "Now the defenders at every city gate in Jinling are intertwined with the enemy. It is difficult to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy. It is impossible to retreat in this situation. If there is a sudden retreat, the enemy will follow them into Jinling like a scourge. The defenders will I will be chased to pieces by the Japanese army. You said to retreat, but in this situation, how can you tell me to retreat? If I retreat, where will I retreat to?"

Gu Zhutong was impatient and did not give Commander Tang any face, "This is the Chairman's order. You must resolutely implement it unconditionally! You are a veteran and the top commander of Wei Xu Jinling. You should know what unconditional implementation means!" "

Seeing that Commander Tang did not respond, he continued: "When you accepted the mission, you should have thought about how to retreat and where to retreat if you were unable to hold on to Jinling. This is the basic requirement for a commander. Now But you come to ask me, how did you become a commander?"

Gu Zhutong was sarcastic and sarcastic. Commander Tang felt as if he had knocked over a five-flavor bottle. The five flavors were mixed, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and very unpleasant.

But he still insisted on his idea, "Sir Gu, it's urgent now. What's the use of talking so much? I have a lot of things to do. I have to make it clear to all divisions and armies before retreating, right? It turns out that they have always been asked to work with Jinling. Life or death, and now I want them to retreat, how can I say this!?"

Tang Shengzhi was as worried as an ant on a hot pot, "There are more than [-] people. I, the polished commander, walked away with a pat on my back. How can I explain to the Chairman? How can I explain to the people who are subject to the ban? I left alone, I am not Have you become a sinner through the ages?”

"You are a soldier, why did you become a mother-in-law today?" Gu Zhutong said impatiently: "Let me remind you, you leave a chief of staff to clean up the mess, and forget about other things. Come to Pukou quickly. You have to cross the river tonight, the Japs have already arrived at Liuhe, there is only one day left, and Pukou will become the Japs’ world tomorrow!”

After that, Gu Zhutong dropped the phone.

Ten minutes later, the Director of Communications sent Commander Tang a telegram from the Chairman of the Generalissimo. The telegram said: "Commander Tang, if the situation cannot last for a long time, we will retreat in order to organize and counterattack in the future."

Commander Tang's original idea was to live and die with Jinling, but now he has received orders from Jiang. Although he is a little confused, it is the duty of a soldier to obey orders.

But at this moment, Commander Tang was in a dilemma. It was easy to go up the mountain but difficult to go down. With so many troops still fighting and fighting with the Japanese army on the city wall, retreating was not easy. Once retreated and the city wall was unguarded, the Japanese army would definitely enter Jinling. Then the people of Jinling would have to what to do?
At this time, no one would realize that after the Japanese army entered the city, they would brutally massacre more than 30 people.

While Commander Tang was hesitating, the Chairman's order arrived again. Like the previous order, it was obviously urging him to evacuate as soon as possible.

Two consecutive orders shook Commander Tang's determination to hold on. In order to prevent being chased and annihilated by the enemy during the retreat, he thought for a long time and came up with a plan. If his plan could be realized, it would alleviate the contradiction between chasing and retreating.

So he took a car and came to the Ninghai Road International Committee, where Germans, British, Americans, Danes, etc. lived.

He went to Spolin, the director of the International Committee, and said in an almost pleading tone: "In order to protect our wounded and sick, we also ask you to come forward to negotiate a truce with the Japanese, and let representatives from both sides negotiate for post-truce negotiations and placement of the wounded."

After hearing this, Spolin shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Commander Tang, there's nothing I can do now. Besides, what time is it now? The day you received the surrender letter, you asked for a truce and it was still possible to negotiate. Now, people are angered by your actions and have troops approaching the city. Jinling is within easy reach again, will they agree to your peace talks? Unless the Japanese are fools, which they are obviously not fools from now on, you'd better leave Jinling as soon as possible. If you leave too late, you will be in danger."

Commander Tang's last glimmer of hope was blown out. He returned to Baiziting Mansion with a red face and dejected face, and asked Adjutant Wang to inform the officers above the division level to come here to attend the meeting.

At this moment, he thought of another person.

"Go to the Zhonghua Gate, call Xia Yuan, and let him attend the meeting!"

(End of this chapter)