Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 133 Retreat into the Concession

Under the cover of Type 95 light tanks, the Japanese suicide squad rushed to the gate with high explosive packs. In order to stop them from storming, the defenders kept throwing cluster grenades, which made the Japanese scream and howl. Two tanks were also blown up.
Under the fierce firepower of the defenders, the Japanese suffered heavy casualties and were still unable to break through the dense firepower network of the first battalion. They returned in defeat again after leaving behind hundreds of corpses.

The Marine Corps' fighting spirit and combat effectiveness were still not comparable to the Army's, and the defenders were the elite German-equipped 88th Division, so their sixth attack was repelled again, with more than 200 deaths and countless wounded, which was beyond their endurance;
Major General Iida watched the attacking troops flee in a panic and cursed angrily, but he had no better way. If he continued to fight, he would be left alone.

In this time and space, there was an additional powerful force, the 527th Regiment. The main force of the enemy Marine Corps lost thousands of people in the headquarters building, and hundreds were killed or injured in the Sihang Warehouse. For the Marine Corps with a total strength of only 3 people, most of them had been killed or wounded, and they were almost crippled.

"Damn it! The 88th Division is really stubborn and they are all a bunch of desperate criminals!"

After complaining, Major Iida ordered his troops to recuperate and attack again another day. In fact, he already knew that the defenders were going to abandon the Sihang Warehouse. Since he couldn't annihilate the defenders, he might as well take advantage of the situation.

As soon as the battle ended, Xie Jinyuan received a telegram from his superiors, saying that the political negotiations between the National Government and Britain and France had made progress. With the help of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the League of Nations agreed to the withdrawal of the isolated army into the International Settlement.
Major Yang Ruifu said unwillingly:
"Deputy Captain Xie, we can still fight. Why should we give up our position? The people are there as long as we are in the position!"

Xie Jinyuan closed his eyes in pain. He did not want to retreat. From the moment he was ordered to enter the Sihang Warehouse, he was mentally prepared to sacrifice his life. He even wrote a suicide note.

But he was a soldier and could not disobey military orders, so he had to put on a serious face and said:
"Captain Yang, this is an order from the National Government. We have achieved our goal of holding on to the Sihang Warehouse. The League of Nations Congress has been convened. The higher-ups have ordered us to withdraw to the concessions overnight. Military orders are as heavy as a mountain. We just need to follow them.
The time of retreat was set at midnight, with one troop left behind to cover the retreat, while the others retreated from Laji Bridge into the British Concession.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Captain Yang proposed that he lead a platoon to cover the retreat, and Xie Jinyuan agreed to his proposal.

At midnight on the 31st, the isolated corps was ordered to retreat. They quickly crossed the river from the Garbage Bridge and entered the British Concession.
When the Japanese saw that the defenders began to retreat, they could not wait to launch an attack on the Sihang Warehouse. Battalion Commander Yang commanded the remaining platoon to fight desperately to stop the Japanese.

Unfortunately, the enemy's attack was too fierce and their firepower was unable to suppress them, so they took the opportunity to blow open the gate.
Captain Yang had no choice but to lead a platoon of soldiers to retreat towards the Garbage Bridge. As long as they crossed the bridge, the Japanese would have no way to do anything to them.

At this time, the main force had crossed the bridge, and their task of covering the rear had been completed, so they fought and retreated. The Japanese invaders who had entered the warehouse were chasing them closely, so Captain Yang had to lead a squad to block the Japanese invaders on the bridge and cover the evacuation of others.
He led the covering squad across the bridge last only after everyone else had crossed the bridge. The Japanese soldier in the front fired a volley of bullets at their backs, and one of the stray bullets hit Captain Yang's thigh.

Seeing that Captain Yang was injured, the third squad leader who was left behind picked up his machine gun and fired several rounds at the Japanese, killing the two most aggressive Japanese soldiers. The other soldiers took the opportunity to carry the injured Captain Yang across the bridge. The third squad leader left the bridge only after he had used up an entire magazine.

Xie Jinyuan had been waiting for them on the other side of the river, and only left after everyone had crossed the bridge. As expected, the Japanese did not dare to chase them across the bridge, as they were not yet ready to declare war on the British Empire.

The isolated army crossed the river and headed towards Nanjing Road. When they arrived at the gate of the Bank of China, they saw densely packed sentries from the Municipal Council and the International Settlement. After entering the hall, the red-headed Asan immediately closed the bank door.

The soldiers of the first battalion had no idea what was going on. Faced with the red-headed Indians armed with live ammunition, the hot-tempered Yang Ruifu was about to lead his troops to charge out on the spot, but was stopped by Xie Jinyuan. This was the British Concession, and firing a gun would mean declaring war on the most powerful British Empire!
"Deputy Commander Xie, are we just going to let others slaughter us?" Xie Jinyuan consoled him.
"Captain Yang, please be patient and make sure we understand the situation first. The higher-ups have issued a strict order again. Do not clash with the concession authorities and avoid causing international disputes. Otherwise, you will be subject to military law."

Yang Ruifu had no choice but to give up. Military law was ruthless and he, a small battalion commander, could not bear it. The British Empire did not even dare to provoke the Japs, so the National Government naturally did not dare to act rashly. They had a natural fear of the great powers, so they issued the most stringent military orders to the isolated army, and Xie Jinyuan and others did not dare to disobey the orders.

It was not until 3 a.m. that the concession authorities finally sent Colonel Ma Fei, commander of the International Merchant Corps, with an interpreter. He said to Xie Jinyuan in the office on the ground floor of the Bank of China:
"Lieutenant Colonel Xie, I'm very sorry. The concession authorities have received a protest from the Japanese consul. If the British concession allows the Chinese Army to enter, it will be equivalent to armed intervention in the Sino-Japanese dispute. The Japanese army will enter the concession to wipe you out.
In order to avoid causing international disputes, the wisest way is for you to lay down your weapons, so that you will no longer be considered an army, and the Japanese will have no excuse to send troops into the concession."

Xie Jinyuan immediately objected:
"Colonel Ma Fei, weapons mean life to soldiers. Giving up weapons is like giving up life!

You want us to surrender our guns?
Ask our soldiers if they agree? Ask our guns if they agree! "

Colonel Ma Fei waved his hand and said:
"No, no! Lieutenant Colonel Xie, please don't get excited. Don't misunderstand. We respect your honor as soldiers. This is not surrendering your weapons. We are just keeping them for you temporarily and will return them when you leave the concession."

Colonel Ma Fei played word games. He felt a strong murderous aura from these elite soldiers of the First Battalion who had experienced many battles. The British and Indian troops of the concession authorities were no match for the National Army, so he used words to trick Xie Jinyuan and others into surrendering their arms, but Xie Jinyuan still refused to lay down his arms.

Seeing that the two sides were deadlocked, Major General Smollett, the British Indian Army Commander of the Concession Authority, who had been hiding in the back, also came over to explain:
"Lieutenant Colonel Xie, we are only keeping your weapons temporarily. We promise to return them in full when you leave. You should believe in the credibility of the British Empire!"

Xie Jinyuan remained firm, and Major General Smoley said with a smile:

"If you don't believe my verbal promise, the concession authorities can give you a written receipt."

Xie Jinyuan still refused to give in, and Smoley had no choice but to ask the government to send someone to persuade him.

The National Government was worried that Xie Jinyuan would cause trouble and anger the foreign leaders, so they brought military orders to Xie Jinyuan and others. Of course, these were all verbal orders, and no one wanted to take responsibility.

Faced with the military order, Xie Jinyuan had no choice but to execute it. The officers and soldiers of the first battalion then surrendered their weapons to the concession authorities in tears.

(End of this chapter)