Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 120 Breaking the Queen
527th Regiment, when Yue Qianli received the task of covering the rear, his face did not show much expression. The loss of Dachang and the retreat of the main force to the south of Suzhou River were inevitable in history. If they could decisively admit defeat and hundreds of thousands of troops could take turns to cover the retreat to the depths, it would be even better.
Unfortunately, the National Government still lacked determination, was hesitant, and treated military and national affairs as a joke, so it was inevitable that it would pay a heavy price.

It was not even his turn as a small regimental commander to speak out. All the generals and lieutenant generals in the Military Commission who opposed it were overruled by one vote. What was a colonel and a regimental commander worth?

All he could do now was to cover the rear for the 88th Division, and the 88th Division had to cover the rear for the 18 divisions of the Central Army, and the 524st Battalion of the 800th Regiment had to cover the rear for the face of the country. Yue Qianli felt very uncomfortable when he thought of the tragic situation of the warriors.

Since he had come to this era, he had to do something for the heroes. Anyway, Sun Yuanliang did not stipulate when he should withdraw after completing the mission, which gave him room to operate. His eyes became firm and he said loudly:
"Brothers, someone has to stay behind to cover the retreat. Our 527th Regiment will charge ahead and retreat behind. All the soldiers in the regiment must risk their lives to ensure the safety of the main force of the division!"

Everyone stood up and expressed their opinions. Their morale was high and they didn't even want to retreat if possible.

After completing the pre-war mobilization, Yue Qianli retained several key members above the battalion level. Everyone knew that they would be given instructions in person, so they were all excited and looked at Yue Qianli with expectation. Now Yue Qianli has completely become their backbone.

"Brothers, it is not difficult to complete the cover mission. The Japanese army is not thinking about this. They are eager for the National Army to give up control of the urban area so that they can take over the area north of Suzhou River without bloodshed and confront the main force of the National Army across the Suzhou River.
After more than two months of fierce fighting, the main divisions of the devils have suffered serious losses in manpower and supplies. The divisions are old and tired, and they also need time to adjust. The most important thing is that they have to delay hundreds of thousands of main forces of the National Army. Their goal is not just Shanghai, but the main force of the National Army! "

Everyone's faces changed after hearing this, and the battalion commander Li Jie asked worriedly:
"Captain, there are dozens of divisions south of Suzhou River, no less than 50 troops. Do the devils have such a big appetite?"

Yue Qianli did not hide anything and said directly:
"Brothers, before losing Dachang, the Nationalist army still had hundreds of thousands of troops north of Suzhou River, while the Japanese had only tens of thousands at most. However, the Nationalist government still chose to abandon the urban area and retreat to the south of Suzhou River.

If one day the Japanese army sends an army of more than 100,000 troops, transported by the navy to land on the side and rear of the National Army, as if to cut off the National Army's retreat, there will be another defeat.

By then, the Japanese will have 30 troops, attacking the Nationalist army from both sides. No one can control the rout of hundreds of thousands of troops. Add to that the pursuit of 30 troops, and the defeat will be overwhelming. This will definitely be a disaster for the Nationalist army!"

Everyone was knowledgeable about military affairs, and they knew that Yue Qianli's words were not alarmist. If hundreds of thousands of people were defeated, it would be like a flood and a beast, and the consequences would be disastrous. Liao Jianping asked with lingering fear:
"Then is there no way for us to avoid this tragedy? These are hundreds of thousands of comrades, the backbone of the national army. If we lose these veterans, even if we replenish them, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced, which is very detrimental to the long-term war of resistance."

Liao Jianping has a more far-sighted vision. As a grassroots troop leader, he knows better than anyone the importance of veterans to a unit.

Yue Qianli glanced at Liao Jianping with appreciation, and then said:
"Brothers, this is why I kept you all here today. After completing the rearguard mission, I do not plan to retreat south of Suzhou River.
Instead, we should break out from the front, advance into the city, open up a second battlefield, use urban guerrilla warfare to hold back the Japanese, and share the pressure with the troops south of Suzhou River, so that they may have fewer casualties when they retreat. "

Li Jie, who was always warlike, suddenly had a gleam of hope in his eyes, and he immediately stood up and said:

"This is a good idea! They fight theirs, and we fight ours. It's exciting just to think about it. We are going to attack 20 Japanese!" Deng Zhuxiu took over and said:
"Captain, let me make it clear that I am not trying to dampen your spirits. My 527th Regiment only has 3 people, while there are at least hundreds of thousands of Japanese soldiers in the city. The difference in strength between the two sides is too great. Even an army of hundreds of thousands has to retreat. How much of a wave can we make with just 3 people?"

Ideals are full, but reality is skinny. 3 versus hundreds of thousands, passion alone is not enough. Deng Zhuxiu's worries are very realistic issues.

He must solve this problem, otherwise it will be difficult to maintain the morale of the army. Seeing that others were also looking at him, Yue Qianli said confidently:
"Brothers, you should have read Journey to the West, right? Princess Iron Fan's iron fan can destroy the heavens and the earth, but once Monkey King gets into his belly, she has no way to stop him and can only let him torment her.
We advanced into the city to fight, just like Monkey King entering the belly of the Japanese. Even with an army of more than 100,000, they couldn't do anything to us.

Urban guerrilla warfare requires very high tactical qualities of the troops, and quality of soldiers is more important than quantity!

Besides, there are many scattered defeated soldiers in the city, especially in the concessions. As long as we make a name for ourselves, many of them will choose to join us.

These are all veterans who have survived hundreds of battles. We don't need many, two or three thousand will be enough. If we add some passionate young people and gang armed forces, the source of soldiers will not be a problem at all. Only a few thousand people will be enough to give the Japanese a headache. "

Liao Jianping completely understood Yue Qianli's intention and said excitedly:
"By then, the main force of the Japanese will be pinned down on the Suzhou River, and the troops available to encircle and suppress us will be no more than one division.
This division thrown into the huge city of Shanghai will not cause much trouble. As long as we win the support of hundreds of thousands of people, we will fight them as long as they want, even if they destroy the city!"

"It's better to destroy it than to hand it over to the Japanese. It's better to die in glory than to live in disgrace."

Li Jie's words won the approval of others, but the deputy regiment commander Tian Xiyuan said worriedly:

"Captain, I'm afraid that those social elites will put the blame on you and use public opinion to force the government to punish you."

Yue Qianli waved his hand nonchalantly and said:
"It's no big deal. It's nothing more than removing me as the regiment commander. For the sake of hundreds of thousands of comrades and the great cause of the war of resistance, my personal gains and losses are not worth mentioning.

It's settled. Everyone go down and get ready. We're going to kick Princess Iron Fan's belly this time!"

After everyone cheered, they dispersed. Yue Qianli's expression returned to being serious again. Strategically, he could despise the Japs, but tactically, he had to pay great attention to them.
Urban guerrilla warfare and street fighting were still new topics in this era, but the population, supplies, and equipment north of Suzhou River were enough to support him in a good fight with the Japanese. Moreover, there was Custer in the concession to rely on, and the supplies and equipment he had hidden in the concession could finally come in handy;
The raw materials for the rockets can be replenished, and dozens of 40 rocket launchers can be built. Just like Hamas insists in Gaza, the strength of the devils is always inferior to that of the fish. Thinking of this, he showed a weird smile. People who know his character will know that the devils are going to be in big trouble...

(End of this chapter)