Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 175: Attack on Kunshan City (Today's 3 chapters, 1 words)

"Commander, due to the tight time schedule, even the Chinese Military Commission cannot confirm whether it was the Songhu Guerrilla Column that did it.
They left only one organized force behind the Imperial Army, commanded by Yue Qianli, the former commander of the 88th Regiment of the 527th Division.

The 527th Regiment suffered heavy casualties in the previous battle with the th Division, so it was changed to the Songhu Guerrilla Column, a unit not included in the Huaxia Military Commission’s organization.”

Matsui Iwane suddenly had an idea and said with great certainty:
“It must be Yue Qianli!

Only he could do such a thing. Yoshika Ryosuke, this bastard, lied about military intelligence again. His conscience is seriously broken."

He didn't have any good way to deal with Yoshika Ryosuke now, and he needed someone at this time, so he said to Iinuma Mamoru:
"Tell Ji Jialiangfu that it was Yue Qianli who besieged Kunshan City. This is the case of hitting the snake but not killing it, but suffering the consequences.
Now Yue Qianli's troops have fled to Kunshan again. You have to solve the troubles he left behind yourself, or else you can explain yourself to His Majesty the Emperor!"

In the Japanese army, division commanders were powerful figures, and Matsui Iwane did not have the power to deal with them. At most he could just scold them.

In Kunshan City, a fierce battle was going on. The second and third detachments launched fierce attacks from the east and south.

Several captured infantry guns bombarded the city gate, and mortars and mountain artillery fired shells at the city wall like rain, causing heavy casualties to the Japanese soldiers defending the city.

In the face of modern artillery, the city gates could not withstand a few shells and were quickly destroyed by infantry guns, opening the way for attack;

This was the first time that Yue Qianli's troops had officially attacked a city. Although they had attacked the headquarters building before, it was still very different from the county town. Yue Qianli just wanted his troops to accumulate experience in sieges.

Attacking is much more difficult than defending. The National Army did not have many troops that could attack, and even the elite troops like the 527th Regiment had experience in sieges, which were still in the period of military conquests. They all used the tactic of human waves, fighting with bravery and without any tactics at all.

The Songhu Guerrilla Column's attack was relatively methodical. They first sent out two guerrilla battalions to launch a tentative attack.
The Japanese on the city wall were fooled. Dozens of light and heavy machine guns fired at the attacking troops below the city, causing a lot of casualties but also exposing their firepower.

Before the enemy's machine gun firepower could last too long, rows of mortar shells were fired at them, destroying machine guns one by one, and the enemy's firepower gradually weakened.

The heavy machine gun group deployed on the second line continuously fired dense bullets onto the city wall, suppressing the Japanese so that they could not raise their heads.

The infantry took the opportunity to charge, and the Japanese on the city wall could only fire at the infantry of the guerrilla column under the hail of bullets. From time to time, people were shot and fell down. Both sides paid a heavy price.

Because the guerrilla column was the main force in the attack, the casualties were far greater than those of the defenders, with the exchange ratio being about 3 to 1. After less than an hour of attack, the bodies of the soldiers were lying in front of the city gate.

Since this was just a tentative attack, the front-line commander Liao Jianping saw that he could not gain any advantage, so he ordered a retreat. He carried all the wounded back with him when he left. The two guerrilla battalions suffered a total of more than 400 casualties.

After the troops withdrew, Liao Jianping's face was not very good. The casualties were too great, so he cursed and asked all the teams to make a summary.

In order to achieve the purpose of training, the eight guerrilla battalions of the two detachments took turns to fight the Japanese invaders in a round-robin battle, strictly controlling the rhythm and distance, taking advantage of firepower, and consuming as many Japanese invaders as possible.

"Brothers, training is training, but we cannot have too many casualties. We must apply infantry-artillery coordination, squad coordination, platoon tactics, and company tactics. We must give full play to the striking effect of long-range firepower. Heavy machine guns and mortars must suppress the firepower on the city wall. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Ou Xiaoquan from the third team stood up and said:
"It is recommended to select a group of sharpshooters to carry out precise shooting at a distance of about 100 meters. As soon as the Japanese show their heads, they will be sent back home."

Ai Jian from the second team took over and said:
"This method is very good. The Japanese used it before when they attacked the headquarters building, causing many casualties to our brothers.

I think it can also be extended to grenade launchers and mortars, which can suppress the enemy from all directions, making it difficult for the enemy to raise their heads. "

Next, everyone expressed their opinions, discovered many problems, and improved the attack plan. The summary meeting was very successful.

One hour later, the guerrilla column launched another attack, this time with two new battalions. Although the tactics were still crude, they were obviously more organized, which greatly increased the pressure on the Japanese.

When thousands of guerrilla column fighters launched fierce attacks from the east and south, the defenders on the city wall could only put up a desperate resistance.
Light and heavy machine gun bullets were poured onto the attacking troops as if they were free, causing them many casualties.

The attacking force's accurate shooting also caused heavy casualties to the Japanese. Under the precise attack of the mortar, machine guns were destroyed one after another. The firepower dropped significantly. The exchange ratio between the two sides gradually dropped to about 2 to 1, and the pressure now fell on the defenders.

The commander of the 9th Regiment, Colonel Katagiri, had a gloomy face. Now he had no reserve troops at his disposal, and all the men had been sent to the city walls. The guerrilla columns launched wave after wave of attacks, and the defenders were holding on tightly. Each attack would cause them dozens or even hundreds of casualties.

Finally, it was dark. After a day of fierce fighting, more than half of the defenders had been killed or wounded, with only more than 700 people left. They could not even take care of the east and south city walls.

Taking advantage of the Chinese people's suspension of attack, he summoned officers above the rank of battalion commander to discuss countermeasures. Senior staff officer Major Nakata Tamon also participated. He was ready to blow up all the supplies.

When Colonel Katagiri saw that everyone had arrived, he said with a straight face:
"Gentlemen, Commander Matsui has asked us to defend Kunshan City for three days. The 9th Infantry Division will arrive in two days."

When everyone heard that reinforcements were coming, they were immediately delighted. Lieutenant Colonel Hiroshi Ueyama, the commander of the Kunshan garrison, said excitedly:

"Katagiri-kun, the Wushi Group is the elite of the empire. As long as they get to the vicinity of Kunshan City, this group of rabble outside the city will behave like birds and beasts, and the siege of Kunshan City will be lifted!

But I heard that you sent Nakata-kun to plant explosives in various material warehouses to destroy the entire city. I don't agree with this.
This batch of supplies is crucial to the success of the attack on Nanjing, and you have no right to dispose of it in this way."

The others also turned pale with fear after hearing this. This meant that everyone would be buried with Kunshan City. This was also the reason why the garrison captain stood up to oppose it. Not everyone wanted to die.

Colonel Katagiri didn't know how the news was leaked. In response to Lieutenant Colonel Kamiyama's questioning, he said nonchalantly:
"Mr. Shangshan, you may have misunderstood. This is just an emergency plan. We can't just hand over this batch of supplies to the Chinese."

After the city was broken, Colonel Katagiri would certainly not survive, and no matter how great the disaster was after his death, Lieutenant Colonel Kamiyama did not think so. He was just the captain of the garrison, and if he really could not hold on, he would break out to the north. His life was precious.

Of the remaining 700 men, nearly 400 were from the garrison battalion. The two sides were equally matched in strength. He was directly under the command of the headquarters, and the th Regiment was not subordinate to each other. Colonel Katagiri had no right to decide his life or death, so he said firmly:
"Katagiri-kun, I have received orders to protect this batch of supplies. No one is allowed to blow them up. I have reported this matter to Commander Matsui. Please let the commander make the final decision.
In addition, I have sent people to control the warehouse and remove the explosives. No one is allowed to approach."

"Bakayaloo! Your conscience is so bad, it's dead."

Colonel Katagiri was furious after hearing this, and immediately drew his sword, ready to chop off Lieutenant Colonel Kamii if they disagreed.
Everyone changed color and grasped the knife handle. Lieutenant Colonel Kamii said coldly:
"Katagiri-kun, this is Kunshan Castle, and I am the commander of the Kunshan garrison. Are you going to disobey Commander Matsui's orders?"

There was a flash of murderous intent in Colonel Katagiri's eyes, but he still restrained himself. Now half of the defensive forces in the city were from the garrison battalion. It would be easy for him to kill Shangjing, but once an internal conflict was triggered, the Chinese would be the only ones to benefit in the end.

Colonel Katagiri sheathed his sword with a whoosh, suppressed his anger and said:
"Then let's wait for the Commander's decision!

The city defense force is already under strain, so I hope Shangjing-kun will put the overall situation first and transfer the warriors around the warehouse back to the city walls to fight."

"Katagiri-kun, the mission of these warriors is to guard the warehouse. Once the Chinese get close to the warehouse, they will blow up all the supplies in the warehouse and leave nothing for the Chinese."

Colonel Katagiri's expression improved a little, and he said calmly:
"In that case, I'll have to trouble Shangjingjun to keep an eye on the warehouse and make sure it doesn't fall into the hands of the Chinese."

Shangjing said with a stern look:
"Katagiri-kun, you worry too much. The garrison battalion is also the warriors of the empire. They will be loyal to the empire even after Kunshan City is captured."

"Yoshi, I still believe in the bravery of the garrison. Let's discuss how to hold out until reinforcements arrive."

As the tone of voices from both sides softened, the tense atmosphere that had previously drawn tensions disappeared. Now was not the time for internal strife.

Just as the old devils were discussing countermeasures, fierce gunfire rang out again outside the city. The guerrilla column launched a night attack. Colonel Katagiri had to adjourn the meeting and let the others return to the city wall to command the battle.
Lieutenant Colonel Kamii took the opportunity to leave the 9th Regiment Headquarters and returned to the City Defense Headquarters. The squadron leader Asano Yoritada, who accompanied him to the meeting, whispered:

"Captain, the Katagiri Regiment is a bunch of lunatics. We must guard against them taking risks. If we blow up the supplies, the commander will never let us off. Someone has to be held accountable."

Lieutenant Colonel Kamii nodded and said:
"I would rather let the Chinese seize it than blow it up. If we seize it, we can still take it back. If we blow it up, you and I will have to apologize to His Majesty the Emperor.

You must take the warriors to guard the warehouse, and no one is allowed to approach. Once the city is captured, these are our life-saving money."

Captain Asano is the brother-in-law of Lieutenant Colonel Kamii, but he knows his brother-in-law too well. It is impossible for him to survive and die with Kunshan City. At worst, he can make a deal with the Chinese. It should not be difficult to exchange their lives for so many supplies in the warehouse.

(End of this chapter)