Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 150: Roasting the Japs on the Fire
At the 9th Division Headquarters, Yoshika Ryosuke was so angry after receiving Hitomi Hidezo's call for help that he couldn't avoid a round of greetings involving Hitomi Hidezo's female relatives. This was also a routine operation. Colonel Nakagawa Hiroshi was already immune to it and was waiting for the division commander to return to normal.

"Nakagawa-kun, is this Yue Qianli really the nemesis of my martial arts corps? The 7th and 19th regiments were defeated by him one after another. In just one day, this bastard Hitomi Hidezo was beaten to the point of asking for tactical guidance. He has no shame at all!"

Although Yoshika Ryosuke has returned to normal, his words are full of resentment, which damages his reputation within the empire.

Colonel Nakagawa despised him in his heart, then took over the conversation and said:
"Your Excellency, the basic intelligence shows that the 527th Regiment has also suffered heavy casualties and has almost exhausted its ammunition. The 19th Regiment has already attacked the building several times, and Yue Qianli has already personally fought with the bayonet;
Although this is only information revealed by the Chinese military reporter, one thing is certain: the 527th Regiment suffered heavy casualties in the previous fierce battle, and the 19th Regiment also broke into the building. The resistance in the headquarters building has reached a critical point. "

Yoshika Ryosuke's face looked better. They agreed with Nakagawa Hiroshi's judgment. Although Hitomi Hidezo was a bit useless, he believed in the combat effectiveness of the 19th Infantry Regiment.

“Mr. Nakagawa, the 527th Regiment still has a lot of troops on the periphery, so we have to leave enough guard forces.

从辎重联队抽调1500人补充给步兵19联队，令步兵第35、36联队各派出一个大队协助19联队作战；

In this way, Hitomi Hidezo has 5 infantry battalions, which is several times more than the defenders. I will give him one more day. If he still cannot capture the headquarters building, he will apologize to His Majesty the Emperor!"

Nakagawa Hiro knew that the division commander was really being pushed into a corner. The article published by the 527th Regiment's military reporter in the Central Daily News in China put tremendous pressure on him.
Now all major newspapers are reprinting the news, and Westerners are outspokenly questioning the Japanese army's combat effectiveness. Voices unfavorable to Japan have already appeared in the League of Nations Assembly. The commander is furious and has sent three telegrams a day demanding the annihilation of the 527th Regiment as soon as possible, with each telegram becoming more severe than the last.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, Yue Qianli is the soul of the 527th Regiment and the spiritual pillar of the Chinese people. We can now confirm that Yue Qianli is in the headquarters building;

As the saying goes, to capture a thief, you must first capture the leader. As long as we break into the headquarters building and kill Yue Qianli, all problems will be solved. A few thousand casualties are nothing to the empire. Crushing the will of the Chinese to resist is more important than anything else."

Yoshika Ryosuke's expression became extremely stern, and he said murderously:

"Mr. Nakagawa is absolutely right. It would be best if we could capture Yue Qianli alive. China is too big. If everyone fights like the 527th Regiment, it would be difficult to destroy the country in three years, let alone three months.

The 527th Regiment must be annihilated, the headquarters building must be surrounded, and Yue Qianli must be found alive or dead!
Since Yue Qianli is inside the headquarters building, the remaining soldiers outside are not that important. Order the Cavalry Regiment and the 35th and 36th Infantry Regiments to set up fences firmly and not let anyone enter the security area, not even Westerners!"

It was another fine morning, and the flag-raising ceremony was going on at the headquarters building amidst the flames of war;
Hundreds of representatives from each platoon attended the ceremony. The troops lined up in formation, and military reporter Duan Yaqin recorded this historic moment with pen and camera.

Yue Qianli's speech was very brief but very contagious:
“Brothers, the Japanese boasted in the newspapers that they had occupied the city, but our 527th Regiment is still fighting in its Marine Corps headquarters building;
Our national flag is still flying high above the city. As long as the 527th Regiment is still fighting, Shanghai will not fall!
Matsui Iwane threatened to occupy Shanghai in one month and destroy China in three months. China has reached a moment of life and death. They want to destroy China. My 527th Regiment is the first to disagree.

I would rather die in battle than become a slave of a conquered country!
The 527th Regiment is waiting for the devils in the headquarters building. Come over if you have the guts!"

"Bakayarū, Yue Qianli is too arrogant. This is a naked provocation to the Imperial Army and the greatest insult to the Martial Arts Corps.

Warriors, charge into the headquarters building, capture Yue Qianli alive, and cut down the flag with your samurai swords!"

Colonel Hitomi Hidezo was completely enraged. He did not even prepare for artillery fire because he knew that the top floor was full of ruins and it would be useless to waste precious shells.

The Japanese still focused their artillery preparation on blasting open the gap in the front. The six or seven passages before were obviously not enough. They concentrated several infantry guns and fired continuously for half an hour, blowing up the doors of several warehouses.

In this way, there are about ten channels, and the attack front is expanded to more than 300 meters, which increases the defensive pressure on the defenders exponentially.

At nine o'clock in the morning, 3 Japanese soldiers had finished their battle array. They formed ten attack waves on the 300-meter-long attack front. This was the Japanese's pig-rush tactic.
Behind them, dozens of light and heavy machine guns were lined up to provide them with continuous fire support, including infantry guns, 37mm anti-tank guns, and mortars. Hitomi Hidezo took out all the belongings of the 19th Regiment. He was determined to achieve his goal in one battle and decide the outcome.

"Warriors, His Majesty the Emperor is watching you. We will not withdraw until the headquarters building is destroyed. Kill the chicken!"

Hitomi Hidezo issued the order for a general attack, and the Japanese rushed towards the ten gaps opened in the headquarters building, attacking on all fronts without any priority.

"Damn it, you really tried your best, I like it!

Since the Japanese are fighting desperately, we should not hide anything. Tell the Flying Thunder Artillery Company that when the Japanese break through the building, it is time for them to fire. Use up the three explosive packs as quickly as possible and then evacuate. The gasoline barrels will be blown up by the Japanese.
All 12 mortars are on the roof, targeting the enemy's heavy firepower. If the enemy comes up, kill them!"

The brothers of the infantry company on the second floor could no longer hold back. They opened fire with their machine guns and rifles, and thousands and thousands of bullets were sprayed at the group of Japanese soldiers. The Japanese soldiers fell down in rows, and soon the ground was covered with their corpses. The battle instantly became fierce.

The Japanese heavy firepower was also at full capacity, with bullets raining down on the front of the building. The defenders were shot down from time to time, and casualties were rising sharply. The Japanese rushed to the gap in the building in waves, sweeping down one group and then another group rushed up, as if there was no end, which put a lot of pressure on the defenders;

The Japanese soldiers of Ishino's squadron lay in the ruins and kept shooting at the defenders dozens of meters away. The Type 38 rifle had a very high accuracy. Although the defenders were protected by the outer wall, they were still able to hit the defenders hiding in the windows.

Captain Ishino was extremely lucky. There were not many Japanese soldiers who could survive several charges, and he was one of them.

This guy was as slippery as a loach. When he rushed to a distance of fifty or sixty meters, he consciously found a ruin and lay down, just in time to avoid the dense bullets.

He fired while commanding Ishino's squadron to charge, he was numb to the soldiers falling around him, both sides fought to the last breath;

A soldier retreated out of fear, and Captain Ishino shot him dead with one shot, then yelled viciously:

"Bakayaloo, coward, retreater - die!"

Private First Class Nagayama Nobuhide was frightened and immediately gave up the idea of ​​retreating. As a replacement soldier, they were consumables in the eyes of the officers.

Nagayama Nobuhide was transported to Shanghai from mainland China only ten days ago. He was discharged from the army three years ago and was a member of the second replacement army.
The Kanazawa Division suffered heavy casualties, and the first batch of reinforcements had all gone to the battlefield, and it was finally his turn.

All he heard at home were news of victory. The slogan of destroying China in three months almost drove the local people crazy, and countless reservists were craning their necks waiting for the empire's call.
Some people would even give gifts to the conscription officials in order to get a spot. His parents and family all supported Nagayama's decision to go to China and establish meritorious service, including his fiancée Sakagami Akiie.

But Yongshan had no money to bribe the conscription officer, and there was no other way. His fiancée went to find the conscription officer and sacrificed her body to win him a chance to board the ship. Unfortunately, it was just a replacement soldier.

Not long after arriving in Shanghai, he was fortunately added to the 19th Regiment, one of the most elite regiments, and it was worth it for him to give up his fiancée.

When he thought of his fiancée being ravaged by that old man, he directed all his anger at the Chinese;
On the boat, he set a goal for himself: to kill 100 Chinese people, enjoy 50 Chinese women, and rob enough money to last him half a lifetime. He came to China to kill people, rob money, and rob women!

The battle at the headquarters shattered his fantasy. He was terrified when he witnessed his childhood playmate having half of his head cut off by a large-caliber machine gun bullet.

Now he just wants to survive. The war is far more cruel than he imagined. The Chinese bullets can still blow their heads off.

When he saw the squadron leader lying in the ruins, he also lay down, then placed his gun on the ruins and opened fire. He had already used up one clip, so it didn't matter whether he hit the target or not.

There were many people who had the same idea as him. The ruins were filled with Japanese soldiers who kept shooting at the headquarters building. They watched the charging warriors being knocked down one by one. Instead of feeling ashamed, they were complacent.

Yongshan had just changed into a bridge clamp when he heard cheers from the front. Yongshan looked up and saw that someone had broken into the building. This made him very excited. The squadron said that whoever captured Yue Qianli alive would be promoted three levels!
"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"

Before Captain Ishino could give the order, many Japanese soldiers got up from the ground, like flies smelling shit and rushing towards the building. Yongshan was also waiting for his life, fearing that his military merit would be taken away by others;
Only the old Japanese soldier Ishino was still lying in the ruins, and he was just driving the others forward, because he had experienced the rain of grenades flying down from the upper floors, so it was better to let others take the blame.

After rushing for more than ten steps, Yongshan found that more and more people were rushing into the building. He became as excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood. Victory was just around the corner!

When he looked up at the building, what he saw was not victory, but large "stones"...

"Bagayalu, what era is this? Are you still throwing stones?"

Yongshan said something disdainful about the Chinese, then he heard a series of explosions and he himself flew up.

"Nani, where is my lower body?"

Nagayama's eyes were filled with fear, and then half of his body fell heavily next to Captain Ishino.

(End of this chapter)