Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 177: The city was broken, and a fortune was made

Chapter 177: The city was broken, and a fortune was made

Outside the warehouse, Lieutenant Colonel Nakata and his escort squadron of more than 80 Japanese soldiers rushed over in a hurry;

As the fighting situation on the city wall was intense, the guard squadron was also withdrawn, leaving only these few people, who were left behind by Colonel Katagiri for emergency use, and they came in handy.

The sound of gunfire in the city became clearer and clearer, indicating that the Chinese had already entered the city. This was their last chance. Whether they could blow up the supply warehouse depended on this one deal.

They formed two battle formations and headed straight for the supply warehouse from the main street, with Major Nakata running in front;

They were racing against time, so they didn't notice that dozens of gunmen suddenly appeared in the alleys on both sides of the street.

They fired at the Japanese with their submachine guns, and the dense rain of bullets swept towards the Japanese in the center of the street, mowing them down row by row;
Major Nakata cried out, and then was riddled with bullets from a dozen submachine guns. The strafing from both wings made the Japanese soldiers who were marching at high speed at a loss as to what to do. Most of them were shot to the ground without even raising their guns, and the soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion did not give them a chance to fight back.

This urban ambush came and ended quickly, and more than 80 Japanese devils were completely wiped out.

Inside the 9th Regiment Headquarters, Colonel Katagiri was wielding his command knife to kill the confidential personnel of the regiment. These people must not fall into the hands of the Chinese.
The gunshots outside the command center were getting closer and closer. Just after he killed the last secret operator, a team of Chinese soldiers rushed in, led by Major Li Jiaxun, the captain of the first team of the second detachment.

When Yue Qianli was the battalion commander of the Second Battalion, he was the one who said the most weird things and was indignant for the company commander Liao Jianping;

Now he has become a team leader with thousands of people under him, which makes him very satisfied. Unknowingly, he has become Yue Qianli's loyal brother and regards himself as a direct descendant of everyone he meets.

After following Yue Qianli for more than a year, he was promoted from a second lieutenant platoon leader to a captain. Although his military rank had not yet been raised, it was only a matter of time.

He was now a battalion commander, but he still liked to lead the charge and was the first to rush into the Japanese command post.

When he saw Colonel Katagiri, he couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"Oh my god, my luck is on fire, I caught a big fish!
This colonel is mine, no one can snatch it from me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Colonel Katagiri swung his knife at him. Gunshots rang out, and the old Japanese was shot in the forehead and died instantly.

Li Jiaxun's nose was crooked with anger, and he roared:
"Who the hell fired that shot?"

Guard Wang Mingdong said cautiously:
"Captain, this old devil wants to chop you, I have to protect you."

"I don't need you to protect me, you were still playing in the mud while I was fighting the Japs with bayonets!"

Li Jiaxun was about to kick him, but after thinking about it, he held back. The commander hated officers who beat and scolded soldiers the most, so he glared at him and said:
"What are you still standing there for? Clean up the battlefield, and I'll change it for you when we get back."

Wang Mingdong then realized that he seemed to have done something stupid. He stood there in a daze. His squad leader came over and patted him on the shoulder and said:
"You're lucky, kid. If you kill a colonel, the captain will definitely make you a platoon leader."

When Wang Mingdong heard that he was going to be a platoon leader, his heart was immediately beaming with joy and he was already thinking about the good things that would happen after becoming a platoon leader.

"I have to write a letter to tell everyone in the village!"

Colonel Katagiri's eyes suddenly widened. He really couldn't die in peace, dying at the hands of an idiot.

At the 527th Regiment Headquarters, Chief of Staff Chen Zhongyuan ran in excitedly, holding a telegram in his hand, and almost fell down in excitement. Yue Qianli quickly and kindly reminded him:
"Brother Zhongyuan, be careful, is it a small matter that requires you to get so excited?

How am I going to explain to my sister-in-law if you get hurt? "

Chen Zhongyuan had no time for irrelevant jokes, and said excitedly:

"We've taken it! We've wiped out 2 defenders. The supplies in the warehouse are piled up like a mountain. We've made a fortune!"

Chen Zhongyuan had just joined the 527th Regiment system and had never done such a big deal before, so it was inevitable that he was excited.

Yue Qianli wanted to despise him and call him a fool, but after reading the list of seized items, he couldn't help but yelled:
"Good! Brothers, you did a great job. We really made a fortune this time. The credit should go to the reconnaissance team!"

After Yue Qianli finished yelling, he saw a group of people looking at him expectantly, so he stopped keeping them in suspense and continued:
"We found 90 50mm mortars with their oil seals still on, 36 infantry guns, 24 anti-aircraft guns, 37 12mm anti-tank guns, and various shells, bullets, and grenades piled up in a mountain, which we cannot count for the time being.

There is a whole warehouse full of canned beef, food, bedding, medicine, and a lot of looted property, enough for us to use for a year or so."

After hearing this, everyone cheered. Now they no longer had to worry about having food and supplies, and it was great to just follow along.

"COSCO, quickly notify them to empty the warehouse. If the Japanese send a plane over here, it will be troublesome."

Yue Qianli looked at the time and it was just past 5 o'clock in the morning. It would take at least 3 hours for the Japanese planes to take off. They had enough mules and horse carts for the transfer.

There was a lot of traffic in Kunshan City, and the brothers of the guerrilla column were excitedly moving supplies.

It is said that there is strength in numbers. The 8 soldiers of the second and third detachments in Kunshan City carried one box each, which meant 8 boxes. Thousands of mule and horse carts were soon filled to capacity, and this was only a small part of the total.
There were too many to move, so we had to move the important ones first and then the grain.

It took three trips from 6am to 8am to transport all the urgently needed supplies. The remaining food could only be distributed to the people in the city, and they were told to hide in the countryside for a while after getting the food.
When leaving the city, each person carried a box of ammunition, regardless of whether it would be needed or not.

In Shanghai, at the East China Expeditionary Army Headquarters, Matsui Iwane had been called out of his warm bed by Iinuma Mamoru. He was furious after seeing the farewell message forwarded by the 16th Division.

He cursed for more than ten minutes, spraying saliva all over Iinuma Mamoru's head and face. He didn't even need to wash his face with water, but it was a bit smelly.

"Bakayaloo, a bunch of rubbish!
It would be fine if they couldn't defend Kunshan City, but they could also throw away the material warehouse to the Chinese. That was a month's worth of military supplies for five divisions on the front line. Without these supplies, what would the Imperial Army use to capture Jinling City!"

Iinuma Mamoru didn't know how to respond to Matsui Iwane's roar. Even a skilled cook cannot cook without rice, and he couldn't conjure up any supplies, so he gritted his teeth and suggested:
"Commander, the Songhu Guerrilla Column did not blow up the supplies. As long as the Ninth Division destroys them, we may be able to recapture them--"

"Bagayalu, the supplies that have gone into Yue Qianli's mouth are like taking food from a tiger's mouth. If they are pushed into a corner, they will destroy them.
Since the Imperial Army can't get it, then blow it up. Send air warriors to Kunshan City immediately. They definitely can't move all that supplies in a short time, so don't blow them all up!
Hurry up and apply for another batch of supplies from the headquarters, hurry up, otherwise the offensive in Nanjing will be affected;
Order the Ninth Regiment to eliminate the Songhu Guerrilla Column, and all divisions on the front line to suspend their offensive for a few days and rest in place..."

This batch of supplies had a huge impact on the East China Expeditionary Force. China had at least 20 troops around Jinling City, and their combat power was still there.

Launching an attack rashly without sufficient supplies could result in defeat, so Matsui Iwane had to press the pause button on the Nanjing offensive to allow several divisions to rest.

Matsui Iwane was unable to produce any supplies and could only ask for help from the base camp, which gave Yu Ren an opportunity.

He first scolded Matsui Iwane, and then began to question his ability. This time, Konoe Fumimaro could not openly go against Yu Ren's will, so he had to use the "delay tactic" and said:
"Your Majesty, the Nanjing offensive is a matter of life and death for the empire. The arrow is on the string and must be fired. Moreover, changing generals in the middle of a battle is a taboo in military strategy.

It would be better to let Matsui continue to command the battle and wait until the situation becomes clear before changing the general."

Yu Ren finally smiled. If this was the case, he could accept it. There was a lot of room for maneuver.
It would be best if Matsui Iwane was responsible for fighting the war and the royal family was responsible for picking the fruits of the labor. At worst, we could just compensate Matsui Iwane appropriately after he returned home.

Thinking of this, he nodded with satisfaction and said:
"King Wei, this is a patriotic statement. I am very pleased. Jinling City is surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side. It is easy to attack but difficult to defend.

China had just experienced a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Shanghai. The army had lost all morale and fighting spirit, and its elite troops were almost completely annihilated. The people were in panic, so it only took a few days to capture the city of Nanjing.

The replacement of generals must be planned in advance, so why not let the emperor's uncle set off for Shanghai in advance so that he can take over after arriving. That's it."

Konoe Fumimaro saw that Yuhito was determined and Matsui Iwane himself was not doing his best. The cabinet had no choice but to compromise and sacrifice the interests of the army in exchange for the royal family's recognition of the cabinet. So he agreed to Yuhito's request.
In return, Yu Ren agreed to allocate another batch of supplies to the East China Expeditionary Force to ensure the offensive, while not pursuing responsibility for the loss of supplies.

Politics is the product of mutual compromise. For the benefit of the cabinet, Matsui Iwane had no choice but to be wronged and sold out.

I thought the matter was over, but Yu Ren suddenly lost his mind again and said to Konoe Fumimaro:
"Lord Konoe, Yue Qianli has become a chronic disease for the empire. We cannot allow them to stay in the rear of the imperial army any longer.
We must eliminate him now while he is still weak, otherwise he will become a serious threat to the empire one day."

Konoe Fumimaro had never thought that Yujin, as the ruler of a country, would get angry with a small regiment commander. This would be too damaging to his reputation.

Konoe Fumimaro secretly despised Yu Ren in his heart, then changed his face to a slave and said:
I will convey His Majesty's order to Mr. Matsui. He should know what to do. Yue Qianli, this little flea, has been jumping around a little too much recently. It's time to slap him to death.

Yuren's goal had been achieved, so he had no mood to waste any more time with Konoe Fumimaro. He wanted to tell his "father" - no, it should be the emperor's uncle - the good news as soon as possible, he almost let it slip.

Konoe Fumimaro's goal was achieved. He was eager to gather all the supplies, so he knelt down and licked Yuhito before turning around and leaving.

The news that the Songhu Guerrilla Column had recaptured Kunshan City soon shocked the National Government, and the principal did not expect that the previous idle move would play such a big role.

Kunshan is an important station on the Beijing-Shanghai Railway. Occupying Kunshan is equivalent to cutting off the supply line of the Japanese army. The strategic significance is self-evident.

Therefore, he immediately ordered the Songhu Guerrilla Column to be changed to the Shanghai-Nanjing Guerrilla Column, awarded a third-class Yunhui Medal, sent a telegram to the whole country to commend it, and rewarded 10 French francs.

After rewarding the horses with some handfuls of grass, he let them run and asked them to defend Kunshan City for more than a week to buy time for the Military Commission to deploy the Battle of Nanjing.

The Shanghai-Nanjing Guerrilla Column was still a ragtag group. Yue Qianli had only been promoted to colonel and less than a month had passed, but he was about to be on the same level as many first- and second-term students.

Other people will definitely have strong opinions, because the principal's foundation is the entire Whampoa clique, not Yue Qianli alone.

Later, because he crippled the 9th Division, he was still not given a real position, but only some honors, which was considered a compromise.

Yue Qianli just smiled faintly after receiving the commendation order. He didn't expect that Dai Yunong would come in person, saying that he was here on official business, but in fact he came to appease Yue Qianli.

"Brother Yue, the principal originally wanted to promote you, but there is no vacancy at the moment, so he had to upgrade the Songhu Guerrilla Column to the Shanghai-Nanjing Guerrilla Column. Of course, it is still at the regiment level, but the jurisdiction is larger;
All officers and soldiers in your unit will be promoted one level in rank. You can draft the promotion plan and submit it directly to the Military Commission for filing.

I have never seen such a great favor before, and I am very jealous. I would like to congratulate Brother Yue first."

Yue Qianli would naturally not let Dai Yunong down, so he immediately took over the conversation and said:
"On behalf of the soldiers of the guerrilla column, I would like to thank the principal for his training. We will definitely abide by the military order and defend Kunshan City for seven days.

In addition, Brother Yunong's Operations Department also helped a lot in restoring Kunshan. This is a letter from me to request credit for the brothers in the Operations Department. I would like to ask Brother Yunong to submit it as well."

Dai Yunong smiled. He preferred talking to smart people. The Operations Department had indeed made great efforts this time.
It would be better for him to ask Yue Qianli to take credit for it than to do it himself. The effect would be completely different. The contribution of recovering Kunshan was too great, so he would be able to get a share of the action.

Dai Yunong was not polite either. The relationship between the two of them became awkward. After finishing the official business, they talked about personal matters. This could be regarded as Dai Yunong's return of favor:
"Brother Qianli, the principal also knows that Kunshan cannot be defended for long. This is just a political necessity. We can't let it fall right after it has been recovered. This will have a huge impact on the morale of the army.

You can hold on for a few days and control it yourself. The Battle of Nanjing is about to start, and the government is in need of manpower. It is the right time to abandon Kunshan and rush back to Nanjing as soon as possible. The most important thing is to keep the troops."

Yue Qianli and Dai Yunong looked at each other, then smiled meaningfully, and everything was said without words.

When Dai Yunong left, Yue Qianli gave him a colonel's saber and some captured gold bars;

Dai Yunong accepted it with a smile. They were all brothers, so there was no need to be so formal.

(End of this chapter)

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