The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 433 The Breakthrough (Bonus Chapter for "The Song of the Flowing Water")

January 16, 1930, at 8:00 AM.

Without any artillery preparation, air cover, or probing attacks, the Nationalist army launched a general offensive against Nanning.

Amidst resounding commands or the whistling of metal whistles, troops poured out of their starting positions and slowly advanced towards Nanning City.

Even on the south bank of the Yong River in the south of the city, there were two units of the Guangxi Army: the 131st Division and the 135th Division.

They mobilized more than a hundred wooden boats, and even rafts and bamboo rafts, which they had urgently collected, to carry more than two thousand elite soldiers and begin the crossing operation.

The Nationalist army launched a full-scale attack on Nanning from all directions, intending to achieve its goal in one battle today.

However, after the battle began, all the attention of the four big shots, Bai, Chen, Li, and Zhang, was focused on Ying'en Gate in Nanning City, which is the north gate.

Because that was not only the direction of attack for the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, but also, at the military conference the day before yesterday, Hu Biao had guaranteed that they could enter the city from there within two hours.

So don't look at the other offensive directions, they're also very active right now, but they're just used to attract and distract the Japanese.

The real breakthrough and hope lie here at the North Gate.

The newly formed 22nd Division's tank units, along with the elite veterans of the 1st Honorary Division, were already prepared; once the city gates were breached, they would rush in and head straight for the Japanese command center at the Xiyuan Hotel.

Just over twenty minutes into the battle, after putting down his binoculars, Commander Bai uttered a harsh curse:
"What's wrong with Hu Yitong? Has he become arrogant after winning so many battles in a row?"

Or does he really think he's all grown up and that even I, Bai, wouldn't dare to court-martial him?

Amidst the jeers, the other three bigwigs, Chen, Li, and Zhang, remained silent, but their solemn expressions indicated that they also largely agreed with Commander Bai's words.

Frankly speaking, under the lens of their binoculars, the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment is currently fighting very well.

Among the many troops attacking Nanning City at this moment, they were even considered to be the best performing.

They deployed three-man combat teams, using light machine guns and submachine guns as their primary firepower, and these teams coordinated with each other to launch an attack on the Japanese defense line.

From a distance, it looks like a Swiss watch with its case removed.

Once they're running, they all have an indescribable beauty.

During this time, rockets were continuously fired, knocking out one Japanese firing point after another; it can be said that the fighting was very well organized, and they had gradually suppressed the Japanese on the north gate defense line.

The key point is that all four of them are veterans of military affairs, and they can see that even so, Hu Biao and the Subei Independent Regiment have absolutely no chance of taking the North Gate within two hours.

If they don't deal with Hu Biao by then, there will probably be a lot of gossip in the army.

If Hu Biao is dealt with, given his current fame among the Chinese people, he will likely face even more criticism.

All of the above is putting the four of them in a very difficult position, which is why Commander Bai and his group are so angry.

However, they soon realized that Hu Biao and his men had only just revealed their true killing move.

At 8:30, just as Commander Bai was about to unleash another torrent of curses, loud explosions, gunshots, and shouts of killing suddenly rang out from inside the North Gate of Nanning.

In an instant, Commander Bai and the others exchanged bewildered glances, a single, profound question swirling in their minds:

When did Hu Biao and his men manage to deploy such a strong force in the city?

At the same time, there was no longer any doubt that Hu Biao and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment could open the North Gate within two hours.

Just kidding! It would be strange if the Japanese could hold out under such a coordinated attack from both inside and outside.

******
"It took two hours to open the north gate. Who do they think they are?"

Old Tai, who had just traveled through time and was a veteran PLA scout who had fought monkeys in Laoshan back then, muttered a curse in a young man's tone.

This tone and sarcastic manner were naturally influenced by spending time with Hu Biao and his men. However, that's not important. What matters is the operational details finalized via telegram the night before last.

After the battle began today, Hu Biao and his men's previous attacks were merely to draw the attention of the Japanese troops on the North Gate defense line.

When the time came, Lao Tai, who had long been hiding in some nearby houses through various means, led more than two hundred people out from behind them.

They wore red cloths tied around their arms as identification, and although they didn't have many guns, they had plenty of hand grenades made from black powder.

The raindrops pelted down, catching the Japanese soldiers completely off guard.

In the blink of an eye, they captured two barricades built by the Japanese, and wiped out all fifty or sixty Japanese soldiers on them.

The only problem was that when they reached the vicinity of Ying'en Gate, they encountered a tough nut to crack.

It is said that Ying'en Gate was built in the Song Dynasty. It is 19 feet tall. The inside is made of earth, but the outside is covered with a layer of solid blue bricks, making it quite sturdy.

After they reached this point, the Japanese soldiers on the city wall had already realized what was happening.

Some remained where they were, desperately firing at the attacking troops of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment outside the city, while others turned around and rushed to the other side of the city wall, setting up rifles and light machine guns on the battlements.

They had a high vantage point and were excellent marksmen.

For a time, neither the main force attacking from outside the city nor the auxiliary force led by Lao Tai, which consisted mainly of a small number of reconnaissance company members and mostly civilians from the city, could get close to this crucial city gate.

After one fierce charge, twenty or thirty people were killed or wounded, but they couldn't even get within twenty meters of the city gate tower.

And so, Hu Biao and his men's carefully prepared plan was thwarted by the Japanese.

How could that be? As a proper PLA reconnaissance soldier, Lao Tai had explored this terrain many times before and had anticipated this situation, and had prepared a response.

Old Tai was seen hiding behind a stone lion, taking a deep breath.

Unlike those country bumpkins like Hu Biao, who would shout out a string of orders at the top of their lungs without fear of being exposed by the Japanese soldiers, they did not do that.

Instead, he used simple hand gestures to convey some commands to his brothers:
I'll count to three in a minute, then the brothers with guns will open fire with all their might to suppress the Japanese; the artillerymen will set up all their cannons and bombard the Japanese devils.

Once such an order is conveyed through gestures...

After Lao Tai shouted out three consecutive numbers, "One, two, three," more than sixty people holding various long and short firearms emerged from their current hiding places and opened fire.

Old Tai, standing over a hundred meters away, fired short bursts with his MP28 submachine gun, managing to kill or wound three Japanese soldiers in succession. His marksmanship was exceptionally good.

Together with the other brothers, they managed to suppress the Japanese firepower.

At the same time, more than thirty brothers, each carrying a pickaxe, shovel, oil drum, and explosive pack, rushed out from an alley on one side.

They charged forward until they reached about seventy meters from the city gate tower before stopping.

The reason for this is that the oil drum and the explosive pack were unscrupulous weapons that Lao Tai and his men secretly manufactured during their infiltration.

The cannon that Lao Tai was talking about is actually this thing; otherwise, how could it be a proper cannon?
There are a total of six Heartless Cannons, and this time they have all been brought to the North Gate.

As for why we needed to bring picks and shovels, it was because we had to dig up the old bluestone pavement in order to install the heartless cannon.

Three minutes later, of the six explosive charges that flew through the air, only two landed on the city gate tower.

But it doesn't matter, that terrifying power is enough to completely wipe out the Japanese soldiers above.

At 8:43 AM, the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment breached the north gate of Nanning, a total of 43 minutes in total…

(End of this chapter)