Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 191 Three-Way Siege of Jinling City

General Matsui Iwane's days as the commander of the Central China Expeditionary Army were already running out, and Prince Asaka Naruhiko was on his way to pick peaches, so he didn't have much time left.

After looking around, he said:
"Gentlemen, there are many voices coming from outside, but we are soldiers of the Empire. We don't care about politics. The Central China Expeditionary Force has only one goal now, to occupy Nanjing.
The troops attacking Nanjing City were the 9th Division, 13th Division, 16th Division, and 10th Brigade of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Prince Asaka Yasuhiko (who was commanding remotely from Shanghai);
The 6th Division, 114th Division, 18th Division, and th Brigade (Kunisaki Detachment) of the th Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Heisuke Yanagawa.

The specific deployment is as follows:
The 10th Brigade, the 11th Division, and the 13th Division advanced westward along the Beijing (Nanjing)-Shanghai line via Danyang, Zhenjiang, and Jurong;
The 3rd (fighting on the periphery, did not participate in the attack and defense of Nanjing) and the 9th Division attacked Nanjing from Jintan;
Part of the 6th Army advanced along the Yixing, Liyang, and Lishui roads, and the 18th and th Divisions attacked Wuhu along the Ningguo-Wuhu road to cut off the Chinese army's westward retreat;
The 13th Division attacked Nanjing from the north of the Yangtze River..."

Following Matsui Iwane's order, the 20-strong Central China Expeditionary Force launched an attack on the Nanjing defense line from multiple directions and occupied the Jiangyin Fortress that night.

In Jinling City, at the headquarters of the 72nd Army, a battle deployment meeting was underway. Sun Yuanliang, who had been working hard among women for a while, finally remembered to do his business. He called a meeting of officers above the 88th Division to discuss a defense plan.

The meeting began with Chief of Staff Zhang Baiting reporting the latest battle situation. The three armies of the Japanese invaders were coming with murderous intent and advancing very quickly. Everyone had a solemn look on their faces.

Next, it was the turn of the speech by Sun Yuanliang, the army commander and commander of the 88th Division. He seemed to have little interest in defending the city of Nanjing. The president had left Nanjing by plane a day ago, and the military and political organs and important departments of the National Government had also withdrawn to Wuhan, Chongqing, Changsha and other places, which was tantamount to giving up the city of Nanjing.

The disastrous defeat in the Battle of Songhu had already crushed his spirit, and the withdrawal of the Nationalist government had made him lose his will to fight. All he could think about now was how to leave so as not to cause a burial for the city of Nanjing.
Considering that he had to fight before escaping, otherwise he would not be able to explain to the principal, and the battle would have to rely on the brothers below, he said:

"Brothers, the Japs are advancing very fast. Although the Nationalist Army has 15 troops, this is in terms of organization. In reality, there are only 11 troops. The difference in strength between the enemy and us is huge. It is estimated that it will not take long for them to break through the outer defense line and reach Yuhuatai.
The military also has a plan for the defense of Yuhuatai. I would like to hear your opinions. Speak freely. Only by listening to both sides can we gain a better understanding. "

After Sun Yuanliang finished speaking, he looked at Yue Qianli. Yue Qianli's fame was at its peak and he was good at defensive battles. He still hoped that Yue Qianli and the guerrilla column would take on more responsibilities.

Yue Qianli wanted to wait for Zhu Chi and Gao Zhisong, two seniors and old leaders, to speak first. This was also a kind of awakening. Gao Zhisong was the one who understood Yue Qianli's ability best, and he said immediately:
"Qianli, you are the recognized defensive warfare expert of the 88th Division. We are all old brothers. There is no need to be too reserved. Just tell us what you think first."

Zhu Chi also agreed. Although Yue Qianli was a sixth-term student, his outstanding military achievements since the Battle of Shanghai were there. In wartime, this was the right to speak.

Yue Qianli was humble and said, "Yuhuatai is about 1 kilometer away from Zhonghua Gate. It consists of three hills, East, Middle and West, covering an area of ​​about 1.5 square kilometers. The area is hilly and has a herringbone layout. The Middle Hill is 60 meters high and is the highest point in the park. The East Hill and West Hill are about 56 meters high.
There are two small peaks coaxial with Zhonggang, and a total of five peaks just protect Zhonghua Gate, which is the last line of defense for entering Zhonghua Gate.

The terrain of Yuhuatai was not dangerous and did not have much depth. Although the Nationalist government built permanent fortifications on both the left and right posts to protect the central post, the Japanese army had large-caliber artillery, and if they wanted to hold their positions, they had to build a large number of civil engineering works.

The anti-artillery holes should be built on the reverse slope of the hill, so as to reduce the damage caused by heavy firepower. When defending, the focus will be placed on the left and right posts. As long as the left and right posts are not lost, the middle post can be recaptured even if it is lost.

The firepower deployment should be heavy at the front and light at the back, and the troops should be light at the front and heavy at the back, leaving enough reserves..."

During this period, Yue Qianli also did a lot of work. The reconnaissance battalion surveyed all the terrain near Yuhuatai, so the suggestions he put forward were very targeted and were unanimously recognized by the participants.

Yue Qianli suddenly changed the subject and continued:

"The terrain of Yuhuatai has no depth at all. If we simply defend it, we won't be able to hold out for long, and there will be heavy casualties.

Once the positions on the left and right wings were lost, Yuhuatai would become an isolated force and would have no choice but to retreat. If they wanted to fight the Japanese for a long time, they would have to engage in street fighting with them in the city.

Street fighting can narrow the gap in the strength and firepower of both sides to the greatest extent. As long as the will to fight is resolute, a 1:1 or even 1:2 exchange ratio is possible. "

Sun Yuanliang felt a headache when he heard about the street fighting. He was scared after the fighting in Shanghai. But now he needed Yue Qianli to delay the Japanese through street fighting and buy time for him to escape from the cage of Nanjing. So he adopted his opinion and decided to modify the original battle plan.

(End of this chapter)