Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 104 Promotion to Leader
It was impossible to conceal the fact that a heavy artillery regiment had been annihilated. The Shanghai Expeditionary Force was furious from top to bottom. Matsui Iwane cursed everyone he met. All the staff members in the headquarters, both big and small, were silent for fear of bringing disaster upon themselves.

"Bakayalu, why are you hiding from that guy? Do you still look like an imperial soldier?"

"Bakayalu, you are a bunch of rubbish. The heavy artillery regiment was destroyed and we don't even know who did it. What's the point of the empire keeping you guys?"

Chief of Staff Mamoru Iinuma had no choice but to explain:
"Commander, based on the intelligence from the Takeda Battalion's counterattack, it is believed that this was done by the Chinese special forces. They carried large-caliber mortars to attack the heavy artillery regiment's position, and exploded after hitting the shell pile, resulting in heavy losses of personnel and equipment. This should be an accident."

"Nani, special forces?

The Empire's special forces have not yet formed combat effectiveness, but China already has special forces that can be used in actual combat?"

Special operations are still a new military topic worldwide, but as the commander of the expeditionary force, Matsui Iwane still has some understanding of it. The Japanese army also has its own special operations team, but it is still in the exploratory stage and has not yet been applied in actual combat.

Mamoru Iinuma didn't quite believe that China already had a special operations team that could be used in actual combat, but he had consulted professionals, and they doubted that this was a special operation. Now that the commander was also questioning, he lost his confidence and took over the conversation and said:
"Commander, there are officers in China who returned from studying in Germany. Some of them should have been exposed to special operations theory, and then tried it once, and happened to run into the heavy artillery regiment—"

"Bakayalu, this is the responsibility of the intelligence department, we must order them to find out as soon as possible.

Until the situation is clarified, no more heavy artillery will be sent to the front line to assist. Additionally, vigilance must be stepped up and the Chinese must not be allowed to get close to the heavy artillery brigade. Anyone who gets close will be killed without mercy!

Have the 13th Division send out a unit to conduct a dragnet search in the defense zone. We must find this small unit, alive or dead!"

Matsui Iwane completely hated Yue Qianli and others, and sent a large number of troops to search for them in the rear, causing chaos in the Japanese-controlled area for a while.

At this time, Yue Qianli and his special attack team had already advanced deep into the Japanese-occupied area. Based on the principle that the more dangerous the place, the safer it was, they hid in the morning and moved out at night, penetrated deep into the city, and soon entered the city, and then arrived at Zhabei;

Zhabei was the area where the Ninth Army confronted the Japanese army. After the Japanese landed at Huishan Wharf, they gradually recovered the Japanese concession and pushed the front line to the railway station, Jiangwan and Chuansha.

The control areas of the two sides in the urban area of ​​SH are intertwined, and you are in me and I am in you.

Yue Qianli's dozens of men have few targets and are very easy to infiltrate, so although advancing into the city seems dangerous, it is actually the safest way.

At this time, two days had passed since the heavy artillery regiment was bombed. The Japanese searched the rear control area but could not find any trace of them, so they had to give up.

The Blue Shirts Society of the National Government also obtained the intelligence they urgently needed. When Dai Yunong saw it, he could hardly believe it. This was a heavy artillery regiment, at the strategic level. He just felt a pity that such a prominent thing was not done by their secret service.

So far, no one has come forward to admit that they did it, and the Blue Shirts Society was worried that it was done by the CC's action team, so they did not dare to claim the credit, but reported it directly to the attendant room. For a time, the top leaders of the National Government were shocked;

CC did not dare to admit that he did it, so the principal ordered the Blue Shirts Society and CC to find out who did it as soon as possible. He was eager to use this "great victory" to boost the morale of the army. At the 72nd Army Headquarters, Sun Yuanliang was also very worried. He also knew that the Japanese heavy artillery regiment had been bombed. The group army also asked him whether it was related to the 88th Division.
This was a huge achievement, and he wanted to take it for himself, but he didn't dare to, for fear that the real owner would suddenly show up and he would be embarrassed.

Chief of Staff Major General Zhang Baiting came in excitedly and reported to Sun Yuanliang:
"Commander, Yue Qianli led dozens of people into Zhabei and was controlled by the 524th Regiment. He said he had something important to report to you, which was related to the bombing of the heavy artillery regiment."

When Sun Yuanliang heard that it was related to the heavy artillery regiment, he asked without hesitation:
"Did they do it?"

Sun Yuanliang's sixth sense told him that Yue Qianli must have done this, and only someone with his lawless character could do such a thing.

Zhang Baiting just nodded at him. This matter had to be kept secret, so he didn't explain it directly. Sun Yuanliang was delighted and said loudly:
"Then why are you still standing there? Tell this kid to come over here. Who gave him the courage to leave the defense zone without permission?
Today I will severely punish him and remove him from his position as battalion commander!"

Zhang Baiting knew that Sun Yuanliang would do what he said. He couldn't let him be the battalion commander after making such great contributions. Of course, the power of personnel appointment and removal lay in the Military Commission, and he only had the right of recommendation.

A few minutes later, Sun Yuanliang saw Yue Qianli. After asking for details, he took Yue Qianli's hand and said:
"Brother Yue, I knew it was you who did it. No one else could make such a big noise. But you need to change your habit of acting on your own."

"Commander-in-Chief, you have always been strict in managing the army. How dare I act on my own without your order?"

Yue Qian said righteously. Sun Yuanliang was stunned at first, but then he reacted. He was so happy that his mouth almost stretched to the back of his head. Then he patted his shoulder and said:

"Yes, you have completed the mission very well. Now that you have come back to report, the military situation is urgent, so I will not keep you here. Hurry back to the defense zone.
I will recommend you to the Military Commission. You are lucky. You destroyed dozens of heavy artillery pieces of the Japanese with just a few mortars. You are really lucky."

"Commander, this is God's blessing on China. One shell detonated the Japanese shell pile, which is why we have such a great effect with just a little effort."

Yue Qianli deliberately said that it was a Type 20 mortar that detonated the explosion, and Sun Yuanliang pretended not to know. He knew that the Second Battalion had several rocket launchers brought back from the West, but he did not intend to requisition them. Anyway, he would be the one to receive the credit in the end, so there was no need for him to be the bad guy.

After Yue Qianli left, he personally wrote a telegram to the attendant's office. He used all the skills he learned in the military academy in this. It was thousands of words long and full of his strategic planning and command. At the end, he praised Yue Qianli a few words.

Then he reported the victory to the Military Commission in the name of the 72nd Army and recommended that Liao Lingqi be promoted to deputy brigade commander of the 264th Brigade with the rank of major general.

Sun Yuanliang's telegram caused a huge sensation in one day. The principal was so happy that he almost laughed his dentures off. He immediately praised Sun Yuanliang, calling him a model of anti-Japanese resistance and a role model for Whampoa students, and awarded him a Blue Sky and White Sun Medal.

Liao Lingqi was awarded the Yunhui Medal and was promoted to deputy brigade commander, major general, for his merits. Yue Qianli, the former second battalion commander of the 527th Regiment, led his troops to annihilate the enemy's heavy artillery regiment and destroyed dozens of heavy artillery pieces. He was awarded the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal and was promoted to colonel, commander of the 527th Regiment.

Promoting meritorious soldiers was just a prelude, while the main course was to publicize the complete annihilation of an entire regiment of the Fifth Brigade of the Japanese Heavy Artillery, which was called the "Great Victory in Northern Shanghai"!
(End of this chapter)