Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 170 Tacit Battle

Yue Qianli was just being stubborn. It turned out that the one who knows you best is always your enemy. Yoshika Ryosuke was right. He didn't need to fight the Ninth Division anymore. It was meaningless.
His intention of staying has been achieved, and now the time is ripe to gather the defeated troops, but Yue Qianli has always been a man of integrity, and he will never withdraw his troops until the enemy crosses the river!

The two sides seemed to be fighting a tacit battle, and the 9th Division advanced steadily, reaching Jiangwan on the first day;

After giving Yue Qianli enough time to retreat, they marched towards Hongkou with great fanfare the next day, and all that was missing was to tell Yue Qianli, "We are coming to kill us, and we'll give you one last chance."

The speed of the Japs' advance was very well controlled, and they reached three kilometers north of the headquarters building before dark;

Then they set up camp and waited to launch the general attack before dawn. This night was the time Ji Jialiangfu gave Yue Qianli for retreat.

Now the pressure came to Yue Qianli. Monica, who usually never interrupted, said to Yue Qianli excitedly:
"Yue, the Foot Basin Chicken Man is preparing to have a manly duel with you. I am very optimistic about you. It will definitely be very exciting. I can't wait for the dawn to come.

You are a true western cowboy, and Duel Pumpkin is definitely not your opponent."

When he heard the little gourd, Yue Qianli smiled. He looked at Monica as if she was a fool and chuckled:
"What a fool."

Monica looked at Yue Qianli in confusion. Her Chinese level was not high enough to understand such profound words.

Yue Qianli just said lightly:

"Pack your things in advance. We will attack the south bank of Suzhou soon."

The difficulty of this reading comprehension is at least the tenth level of Chinese. Monica waited until Yue Qianli left for a long time before she realized that the super cowboy in his mind was going to retreat, that is, to run away. She immediately shouted in disappointment:
"Yue, you disappoint me so much. You are not a real cowboy!"

Duan Yaqin, who was standing by, couldn't stand it any longer and said to him coldly:

"Brother Yue is not some western cowboy, he is our Chinese hero, a real man is one who can bend and stretch."

Women's hostility is always inexplicable. Ever since Yue Qianli brought back a "foreign horse", Duan Yaqin has been extremely wary of her. She can't let the pig she has raised for several years be tempted away by a cabbage.

Monica seemed to sense a strong hostility from Duan Yaqin. Although she had no such intention towards Yue Qianli, as a proud woman, she would not lose to an equally beautiful woman.

"Duan, Yue has lived in West Point for a few years, and his business is also in the United States. No one can guarantee that he won't become a cowboy in the future. Everything is possible!"

Duan Yaqin knew Yue Qianli's love for China, so she was too lazy to argue with a foreigner. She just snorted coldly and said:
"This is really impossible. I believe in Brother Yue."

Monica raised the corner of her mouth slightly and said provocatively:
"I believe in Yue too!" But this time Yue Qianli disappointed her a little. He really retreated, and ran as fast as a rabbit, and emphasized while running:
"Monica, let me correct you again. This is not a retreat. This is an attack south of Suzhou River. China's military tactics are profound and mysterious. You don't understand!"

Although Monica still disagreed, she wisely kept her mouth shut because she saw Yue Qianli holding a disgusting towel in his hand, and if she dared to chatter again, she would be blocked.

That night, to Ji Jialiang's great anticipation, Yue Qianli led his troops to retreat across the Suzhou River. They left very thoroughly, without taking away a single cloud.

When the red sun rose again, Yoshika Ryosuke issued an order for a general attack without hesitation. After a large amount of artillery preparation, the troops were divided into three groups and attacked the headquarters building directly.

Then there were gunshots and roars of "Ban Zai" everywhere. After a whole morning of "fierce fighting", the 9th Division successfully defeated the Songhu Guerrilla Column and retook the Marine Corps Headquarters Building.

After receiving the victory report from the front, Yoshika Ryosuke excitedly waved his fist and said loudly to Nakagawa Hiro:
"Mr. Nakagawa, report the victory to Commander Matsui!
The Ninth Division severely damaged the Songhu Guerrilla Column, recaptured the headquarters building, and annihilated thousands of enemies. The Ninth Division suffered 21 casualties in the battle. "

Yoshika Ryosuke finally felt proud, at least he didn't have to commit seppuku!
Nakagawa Hiroshi was also very happy. The future was bright again. No one cared how many people in Yue Qianli's troops were wiped out. The most important thing was to recapture the headquarters building.

After the 9th Division occupied the entire area north of Suzhou River, it did not rush to launch an attack south of Suzhou River, but was eager to hand over the position to the Marine Corps;
They are a field division and are heading to Jinling City for a banquet. How can such a feast be complete without the military division?
Matsui Iwane had not thought of keeping the 9th Division in the city all the time, as the front lines were in great need of fresh troops;
But he was also worried that Yue Qianli would make a comeback, so he asked the 9th Division to stay for another two days and wait for the arrival of reinforcements from the Marine Corps before handing over.

In order to strengthen the control over the urban area, the Japanese army transferred three battalions of marines from the mainland. Together with the previous five, the total number of marines was expanded to eight battalions with more than 3 people, which was enough to deal with emergencies.
Although the Ninth Division had broken Matsui Iwane's heart before, now was the time to use people. In order to occupy Nanjing as soon as possible, he had no choice but to forget the previous unpleasantness and continue to let Yoshika Ryosuke make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence.

As for the remnant of Yue Qianli's army, Matsui Iwane selectively forgot about them. There were only a few thousand people left, and several thousand more were wiped out by the 9th Division. They had been devastated and posed no threat to the north of Suzhou River. Everything was for Nanjing!
The reason why Matsui Iwane was in such a hurry to take the seat without even cleaning his seat was for one reason only: he didn't want anyone else to take his seat.

He had heard rumors that Yuren intended to send Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko to pick peaches, and the royal family's eating habits were very ugly;

At his level, nothing else can arouse his interest. Only the city of Jinling and the rank of Army Marshal can make him jealous. This is his ultimate pursuit, and even the royal family cannot deprive him of it!

"Commander, Yue Qianli is just a minor case, they can no longer make any waves;
As long as we capture Jinling City, the Chinese will surrender, the Empire will win this war of annihilation, and the few defeated soldiers will disappear into thin air. Capturing Jinling is the top priority."

Chief of Staff Mamoru Iinuma seemed to be able to see through Matsui Iwane's thoughts, and every word he said touched his heart.

They both knew that leaving Yue Qianli behind was risky, and the best option was to have the Ninth Division continue to encircle and suppress them, and prevent them from reviving.
But the battle outside Nanjing requires the powerful Ninth Division. Only in this way can the speed of capturing Nanjing City be accelerated and the matter can be settled before Yu Ren makes a decision.

Thinking of this, Matsui Iwane's eyes became firm, and he said to Iinuma Mamoru with full confidence:
"Tell Yoshika Ryosuke that I will give them three more days to rest, and then we will launch an attack in the direction of Jinling City!"

(End of this chapter)