When Yang An and his party left Yijiang Gate, the skirmishers who had been watching had already hid far away, fearing that they would be accidentally injured by bullets fired from their own guns.

Of course, they couldn't see Yang An and Ding Xiaozheng being presented with gifts.

On the spot, when they saw Yang An and his party returning to the city with two boxes of ammunition, many stragglers sighed: "Hey, we are going to die again!" Others showed respect and secretly praised: "Good brother! What a pity for our troops.

It’s long gone!”….

After Yang An and others left, they blocked the horses at Yijiang Gate and the skirmishers did not dare to get within ten steps. At Yijiang Gate, except for the common people who could leave the city, no skirmishers could even think of flying out.

However, outside Yijiang Gate and Xiaguan Wharf, there were countless people fleeing for their lives. Only two boats crossing the river were controlled by the 78th Army. The ticket price was like gold, and it was difficult to get a ticket. It was not an option for ordinary people.

Standing by the river, there is no boat to cross, and there is no way to survive. The people who are fleeing are staring at the river, and their hearts are burning with anxiety.

At 14:00 on the 12th, Tang Shengzhi, commander-in-chief of the Nanjing Garrison Command, issued an order to the 36th Division of Song Xilian's 78th Army to maintain order in the city and Xiaguan. At this point, martial law was implemented from Yijiangmen to Xiaguan Pier, and all traffic was prohibited. Yijiangmen

Inside, the 212th Regiment responsible for city gate security drove away the stragglers in the city. However, there were too many people in the city, so they had no choice but to leave the matter alone. However, the eviction still achieved certain results, and the horses were kept within thirty to fifty meters.

, the skirmishers remained alert and did not dare to approach without permission.

At 5 p.m. on the 12th, at the Tang Gongguan Nanjing Garrison Headquarters, Commander-in-Chief Tang Shengzhi convened a meeting with Deputy Chiefs Luo Zhuoying, Liu Xing and senior generals above the division commander level.

This meeting was the last meeting of the Nanjing Garrison Battle. In the Tang Mansion, senior officers who had just come off the front line of the battle came in one after another. They were all gray-headed and with bloodshot eyes. They did not have the appearance and demeanor of the generals in the past.

.Some people have determination in their eyes, some people have confusion in their eyes, some people have worries in their eyes, some people have pain in their eyes, and some people have anxiety in their eyes...

The staff officers of the headquarters walked neatly through the conference room and quickly placed mimeographed written evacuation orders in front of the senior officers. The ink on the paper orders had not yet dried, and there was still a strong fragrance of ink.

.However, at this moment, no one had the intention to notice the undried paper documents and the rich fragrance of ink.

The senior officers who had received the order first were just about to take a look when they heard Tang Shengzhi say in his thick Hunan accent: "Nanjing is now very critical. A few enemies have already rushed into the city. In your opinion, do you think it is possible to continue?"

Do you want to be on guard?"

Everyone here was a senior general who had just come down from the firing line, and was already familiar with the critical battle situation. Suddenly, when they heard Commander Tang ask such a question, they all raised their heads in unison and looked at each other.

Maybe it was because I guessed what Commander Tang was thinking without permission, or maybe because I thought about Commander Tang's words about whether he and Nanjing would live or die together, and everyone shuddered as if they were falling into the Yangtze River.

Seeing this scene at the meeting, Tang Shengzhi stopped making excuses. After a slight pause, he read aloud two messages from Chairman Chiang Kai-shek: "...If the situation cannot be maintained for a long time, we can retreat with the camera in order to plan for the future.

"After that, the retreat order, breakout plan and assembly location were announced.

After Tang Shengzhi delivered the order, everyone was silent. The conference room was shrouded in dead silence for an instant. Soon this dead silence was replaced by an atmosphere of sadness. Some people shed tears silently, grieving for the sacrifice; some people were filled with sorrow, for

Worrying about their home and country; some people's faces are filled with anger because they are dissatisfied with the current situation; some people are gnashing their teeth to suppress the pain; some people's eyes are dull because they are confused and desperate...

For a long time, there was silence in the conference room. This silence was suffocating and despairing.

Seeing the painful, disappointing and decadent atmosphere in the venue, Tang Shengzhi said loudly: "The war does not end today, but continues tomorrow! The war did not end with the Nanjing Garrison, but extended indefinitely outside Nanjing.

, please remember today's shame and avenge today's hatred! Each unit should point out the commander. If he is unable to command because the unit is out of control, he can cross the river with me."

Tang Shengzhi's passionate words spread to every corner of the conference room, but to everyone present, these words were so pale and weak at the moment, and did not stir up any waves. Therefore, the venue was still silent.

I don't know which frontline general stood up first, looked around, then patted the old comrades beside him and said: "Take care!"

Without waiting for the other party to respond, he left in a hurry.

When one person stood up, others moved. As soon as he turned around, senior generals stood up and left one by one, and the conference room became empty again.

This meeting was an extremely brief one, lasting only about twenty minutes. It was these twenty minutes that decided the fate of the Chinese soldiers defending Nanjing.

Just now, Tang Shengzhi's last words made a bold guess about the current situation. He said, "If the troops are out of control and unable to command, you can cross the river with me."

In fact, when he said these words, this situation had already happened and was still happening. Perhaps, the situation was far worse than he estimated.

The sound of Japanese gunfire was getting closer and closer, exacerbating the panic and chaos in the city. This postponed meeting pulled the national army commanders out of the line of fire, and also weakened the control and command of the defending troops.

.

The most terrible thing is that after Commander Tang Shengzhi issued the retreat order, he hesitated and dictated an additional order: "If the 87th Division, 88th Division, and 74th Army cannot all break through, they can cross the river and assemble in the direction of Chuzhou.

"

The Nanjing Garrison's retreat plan was worked out by the staff after racking their brains. Although it was still rough in haste and there were still problems of one kind or another, it was ultimately a relatively realistic retreat plan that addressed every aspect of the retreat.

They all considered it. However, Commander Tang's oral order seemed to find a shortcut for these troops to break through and retreat, but it laid the foundation for the retreat of the entire city defenders.

Watching the senior officers disappear one by one, Tang Shengzhi was completely unaware of the fatal problem of his dictated orders. How these troops would leave the city and cross the river, Tang Shengzhi never considered, nor did anyone in the headquarters consider it. However, when he heard

Commander Tang gave an impromptu dictated order, but there was no time to think about it.

After three o'clock in the afternoon on the 12th, the radio contact with Chen Yiding, deputy commander of the 87th Division, was interrupted. Seeing the silence of the enemy in front of him, Chen Yiding felt uneasy in his heart.

Listening to the sound of gunfire and explosions in the distance, and looking at the silence in front of him, Chen Yiding didn't know if he should be grateful for his short-term good luck. He wondered what tricks the Japanese were playing?

After nightfall, the liaison officer sent by Deputy Commander Chen to the Ma Weilong Brigade of the Left-wing Friendly Army Training Corps hurriedly returned and breathlessly reported: "The Guangdong troops went northeast from Taipingmen, and they refused to answer their whereabouts. The Ma Weilong Brigade of the Teaching Corps is heading to the left.

The railway is moving in the same direction and its destination is unknown."

After receiving the report, Chen Yiding was silent and asked the communications troops to contact Shangfeng as soon as possible.

Not long after, the roar of heavy artillery was heard in the sky. Listening to the roar and explosion of the shells, there was no order at all. There were explosions inside and outside the Zhongshan Gate, and several shells fell on their position.

Chen Yiding was surprised and followed the roaring sound. It was in the direction of the Wulongshan Fortress. Could it be that the fortress artillery of the national army there had also been taken over by the Japs?

Thinking of this, Chen Yiding felt worse and worse and felt that the situation of the war must change.

Late at night, one of Chen Yiding's subordinates brought back shocking news that all the troops defending the city were retreating towards Xiaguan.

"No wonder the radio with Shangfeng was interrupted?" Chen Yiding got an answer, but he had another question in his heart: "Why didn't Shangfeng give us an order to retreat? Is it our task to cover the retreat? Even if it is to cover the retreat of a large force,

Should there be an order? Could it be...?"

With questions one after another, Chen Yiding convened a meeting of officers above the regiment level to collectively discuss the decision to retreat and share the responsibility for evacuating the position.

Seeing the officers above the regiment signing the resolution, Lin Zhentang frowned and thought to himself: "What is this? What kind of drama is this performed by the garrison commander's department?"

After signing, Chen Yiding looked at Lin Zhentang, who was deep in thought, but hesitated to speak.

Chen Yiding's troops were confronting the enemy. Guanghua Gate had been sealed by the enemy, and behind it was a moat. There was only one way to retreat to the left toward Xiaguan.
Chapter completed!