Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 135 Building momentum
The attack of the Araki Battalion looked fierce, but it was actually just a bluff. They didn't even dare to rush within a hundred meters, and they were just wasting bullets from a distance.

The Japanese's tricks naturally could not be hidden from Li Jie, who was rich in combat experience, so he only sent a platoon to play with the Japanese, and the main force rested on the spot.

He was not worried that Duan Yulin would be fooled. This kid was Lao Yue's direct disciple and was as cunning as Lao Yue. They were the only ones who could plot against the devils.

Duan Yulin was in charge of the outside, and Li Jie even took the opportunity to catch up on his sleep. He hadn't slept for two days and two nights. It was a rare opportunity given by the Japanese, so he just let it go.

Outside the building, Duan Yulin was indeed not fooled. No matter how the Japanese tossed him around, he just wouldn't be fooled. Major Sugiyama's clever plan failed. Colonel Okato had to call a halt to the attack and ran to find Major General Akiyama to discuss countermeasures.

South of Suzhou River, 72nd Army Headquarters

From a distance, I could hear Sun Yuanliang cursing:
"What is Yue Qianli up to? He's getting cocky, right?

It's been a few days and he still hasn't come to the military headquarters. He didn't reply to my telegrams. Does he still have a regard for me as the army commander?"

No wonder he was angry. The 524st Battalion of the 527th Regiment was detained by the foreign devils, and the 88th Regiment could not be contacted. This was already % of the th Division's strength. He didn't know how to explain it to the Military Commission.

The 88th Division was the principal's favorite. The capture of an infantry battalion at the Sihang Warehouse had already made him furious. If the 527th Regiment was completely wiped out by the Japanese, his tenure as a corps commander might be over.

"Commander, good news, the 527th Regiment has won a victory--"

"Brother Xianghao, what are you yelling about here? Don't you know I'm annoyed?"

Sun Yuanliang obviously hasn't reacted yet, that is, his old partner Zhang Baiting. If it were someone else, he would start scolding, saying that he has no vision!
"Commander, the 527th Regiment has won a victory. Yue Qianli has won another battle."

Sun Yuanliang was stunned at first, and then he was delighted - yes, it was the 527th Regiment, there was finally news about the idiot Yue Qianli!
He snatched the telegram from Zhang Baiting and began to read it impatiently. He first glanced through it, then read it carefully again. After making sure there were no problems, he cursed:
"Stupid kid - I'm going to beat up his leader!"

"Brother Xianghao, what are you standing there for? Report the victory to the Military Committee!"

"Forget it, I'll just draft it myself. With this good news, the principal won't curse me anymore!"

After Sun Yuanliang finished speaking, he left Zhang Baiting to draft the telegram himself, one copy to the Military Commission and one copy to the Secretariat. He selectively forgot about the Central Army Headquarters.

A few hours later, the 527th Regiment still held on in Hongkou, defeating the th Division and annihilating enemies. The news spread throughout Shanghai and then spread to the north and south of the Yangtze River at the fastest speed.
Newspaper offices in Jinling, Wuhan, Guangzhou and other places were also working overtime to print newspapers, and paper was in great demand for a time.

"Selling newspapers, selling newspapers, the Nationalist army is still holding on in Shanghai, the 527th Regiment has crippled the th Regiment and annihilated enemies!"

"Extra, Extra, the National Army's elite 88th Division counterattacked Hongkou and captured the enemy's Marine Corps headquarters again. Commander Yue won three battles and three victories!"

"Selling newspapers and selling newspapers..."

The Nationalist government publicized the 527th Regiment's perseverance at the enemy's naval headquarters in a big way just to build momentum; if the 524st Battalion of the 527th Regiment fought a political battle at the Sihang Warehouse, then the th Regiment challenged the th Division in the urban area and won several battles, which meant that the Nationalist government had not given up on Shanghai militarily!

The 527th Regiment soon replaced the 800 warriors and became the fig leaf of the Nationalist government. It also became the spiritual pillar of the general public. Even the League of Nations had to admit that the Chinese army was still fighting in Shanghai, and the Shanghai war was far from over.

In a sense, the bigwigs of the League of Nations such as Britain and France were actually instigating the trouble. They did not want to see the Japanese take over Shanghai and even China alone, but they were also afraid of angering the Japanese and causing harm to innocent people, so they were doing bad things behind the scenes and disgusting the Japanese in the war of public opinion.

"Baka, Matsui Iwane has failed to live up to my trust. He can't even annihilate a small 527th Regiment. How can I expect him to capture Nanjing?
If he is not capable, he should give way to others. Don't just sit there doing nothing and bring shame to the empire!"

Konoe Fumimaro sensed something different from Yuren's words. The newly formed Tenth Army had already set out and would land in Hangzhou Bay in a few days.
The Battle of Songhu was about to be decided, and Nanjing was like a ripe peach waiting for them to pick.

Whoever picks it will get it. This is a great achievement. The royal family is interested in getting involved. It seems that the rumor of replacing Matsui Iwane with His Royal Highness Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko is not groundless.

"The royal family has stretched their hands too far!"

Konoe Fumimaro said this in his heart with disdain. As the Prime Minister, he did not want the imperial power to expand too much, so he boldly said:
"Your Majesty, it's just a small infantry regiment, a minor problem. It was hiding like a bedbug before and didn't attract the attention of Mr. Matsui.
Hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops have been defeated and fled south of Suzhou River. Now they are exposed to the sun. I believe that the powerful Seventh Regiment will tear apart the last fig leaf of China!"

Yuren frowned. He did intend to replace Matsui Iwane with his uncle, but there was a lot of opposition from the headquarters. This could also be considered a struggle between the cabinet and the royal family.
It is normal that as prime minister, Fumimaro Konoe does not want the imperial power to expand too much, but he will not give up. His will is the will of the empire. If they don't obey, the worst that can happen is that the prime minister will be replaced.

This matter cannot be rushed. He was just testing the waters. A small 527th Regiment was not enough to shake the foundation of Matsui Iwane. So he snorted coldly and said:

"Konoe-kun, a thousand-mile dam can be breached by a tiny hole. Don't underestimate a small disease. I still have confidence in Matsui-kun's ability.
However, the war of the Marine Corps Headquarters has attracted the attention of Western gentlemen. They are afraid that the empire will swallow up China and will definitely make a fuss about this matter.

For the glory of the empire, these scattered soldiers in the city must be wiped out as soon as possible, and we must not let the Westerners laugh at us. "

Konoe Fumimaro bowed deeply, then turned and left. He felt that he needed to remind Matsui Iwane that the stragglers in the city must be wiped out as soon as possible, especially the 527th Regiment!
Yue Qianli never thought that he, a small regiment commander, would be on the blacklist of Yu Ren and Konoe Fumimaro, and would soon be hated by General Matsui Iwane. He didn't care too much about these things, they were just a bunch of devils;

It is said that people are afraid of becoming famous just as pigs are afraid of becoming fat. His biggest headache now is the trouble from the Kuomintang government. The Blue Shirts Society, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Political Department have all sent people over, and they are blatantly stuffing them into the 527th Regiment. It is impossible for him to refuse.

"Captain Yue, this is a handwritten letter from Boss Dai to you."

Yue Qianli frowned and said:
"Can you talk to Brother Yunong and get a man instead? The 527th Regiment is full of men, so it's not convenient."

"Captain Yue, you are a well-educated person, why do you still have such a big prejudice against us women? Are only men able to fight the Japanese?"

The other two expressed their agreement. No wonder Yue Qianli was so worried. The three great gods who came were all women, and they were "acquaintances".

(End of this chapter)