Defense area of the National Army's 88th Division.
The long and fierce battle left the entire defense area in a mess.
The surrounding buildings were severely damaged by artillery fire. Most of the buildings were turned into ruins.
The Japanese invaders did not use heavy artillery here. They used 92 infantry artillery.
For ordinary masonry structures, the damage capability of the 92 Infantry Cannon is sufficient.
As for those sturdy buildings, they could not be blown up by the 92 Infantry Artillery. The Japanese invaders sent soldiers to fight for them one by one until they were captured.
The street fighting was very fierce.
The casualties were very serious.
Once the Japanese invaders launched an attack, casualties occurred almost every minute.
The Japanese aggressors were completely unafraid of death. They were wiped out one after another. Their terrifying human sea tactics made it impossible for the 88th Division to effectively stop them.
You can only fight to consume.
After more than half a month of continuous fierce fighting, the 88th Division was exhausted.
Of the original 12,000 troops, there are now less than 4,000 left. The other 8,000 have lost their combat effectiveness.
Or die fighting.
Or disappear.
Either he was injured and sent to the rear.
The remaining 4,000 people were already dying and clinging to life.
What's more serious is that the Japanese invaders have completed the siege of the entire Zhabei. In other words, the 88th Division has been surrounded by the Japanese invaders.
Except for the access to the concession, all other roads were cut off by the Japanese invaders.
Surrounding the 88th Division were the new forces of the Japanese invaders. The Sixth Division and the Ninth Division were both the ace divisions of the Japanese invaders. Their combat effectiveness was very strong.
There is also the newly formed 105th Division. The backbone of this division are all retired soldiers of the 5th Division. The combat effectiveness is also very strong.
Obviously, the Japanese invaders specifically targeted the 88th Division of the National Army and mobilized the most elite divisions to deal with it.
This resulted in the casualties of the National Army's 88th Division remaining high.
Retreat to the concession? Of course it is impossible. Inside the concession, the French army is waiting in full formation. The national army is prohibited from entering the concession.
"Why haven't the reinforcements come yet?"
"Why haven't the reinforcements come yet?"
Teacher Sun Yuanliang thought quietly, like a resentful woman.
The officers and soldiers of the 88th Division next to him were indifferent. They seemed to be numb.
They are also looking forward to reinforcements. But they also know that there will be no reinforcements from the frontline headquarters.
Because the telegram contained words of encouragement and sincere words.
As experienced veterans, we know very well that this kind of comforting language means that reinforcements are impossible.
There are no reinforcements.
There was no order to retreat.
The 88th Division still has to hold on to Zhabei and is not allowed to retreat.
Because this is outside the concession. Everything that happens here can be seen clearly from inside the concession.
Every day, or even every moment, a large number of people gathered on the side of the concession to watch the battle.
There are ordinary people, journalists, and military observers from various countries.
They are mainly military observers. They will record daily combat situations and then report them to their superiors.
Disaster……
Every minute is torture...
Sun Yuanliang felt that the 88th Division was going to be completely wiped out.
well……
Sighing helplessly.
The entire command headquarters was silent.
Everyone is sad.
However, the fight must continue. They must hold on.
An order is an order. No matter whether there are reinforcements or not, they must stick to it. They have never doubted it.
Even Sun Yuanliang did not dare to mention the word retreat.
"boom……"
"boom……"
Suddenly, intensive artillery fire came from the northwest.
The distance was a bit far away. The sound of cannons was not that shocking, but it was very dense and continuous.
Sun Yuanliang immediately pricked up his ears and listened carefully.
Judgment is a mortar.
There are 60 mm. There are 82 mm.
The mortars equipped by the national army are of these two calibers.
Confuse……
Who broke out the fighting in the northwest?
Judging from the sound of the cannons, the battle seemed fierce. The scale seemed to be quite large!
There was such a dense mortar fire, at least the size of a division or even a corps. The sound of artillery continued without any pause in the middle.
"Thank you Jinyuan!"
"arrive!"
"Send someone to find out what's going on."
"yes."
Xie Jinyuan immediately took people out.
The only person responsible for guarding the vicinity of Zhabei Railway Station was Xie Jinyuan.
The long battle caused great losses to this regiment. There were more than 500 people left.
The original regimental commander had died. Xie Jinyuan was replaced by the regimental deputy, and the troops he led were basically remnants.
Including Xie Jinyuan himself, he was also very tired and could fall asleep even while standing.
The original color of the military uniform on his body has long been lost. It has not been changed since entering the battlefield.
In the eyes of those foreign military observers, even the most elite national army has no distinctive color. Everything has been worn away.
After walking through a large number of ruins, we finally arrived near the battlefield.
It was discovered that the defense line of the Japanese Sixth Division was under fierce attack. The artillery fire was overwhelming and very brutal.
Raise the telescope.
It can be seen that the Japanese invaders were almost completely covered by artillery fire.
He has never seen such ferocious artillery fire. It has never been so dense and lasted so long.
The combat effectiveness of the Japanese Sixth Division was very strong. The 88th Division knew this very well.
A squadron is difficult to deal with. If it is a large group, it will be absolutely tough.
However, at this moment, Xie Jinyuan felt that the Japanese invaders' defense line seemed to be torn open.
Under such brutal artillery fire, the Japanese invaders simply could not bear it.
To be precise, no living thing can withstand it. Even the Japanese Sixth Division.
Unbelievable.
incredible.
Whose army is it? It has such ferocious artillery fire?
Judging from the explosive power of the artillery shells, they should all be mortars, with calibers of 60 mm and 82 mm.
But caliber is not important, nor is quantity.
The important thing is the shells.
Whose army is it? Has so many artillery shells?
How many bases is this?
Five?
Ten?
Xie Jinyuan was frightened.
This idea is so scary.
He actually shot out 10 bases of ammunition in one go?
This was completely beyond his imagination. Really, five cardinal numbers were already outrageous. Let alone ten?
Who is it...
What are they going to do?
Who is the commander over there?
"Made..."
"The Japanese invaders are really fanatical..."
Here, Zhang Yong secretly complained. He didn't expect the battle to be so fierce.
Covered by overwhelming artillery shells, the defense line of the Japanese Sixth Division did not collapse. It was still resisting stubbornly.
According to the radar map, the Japanese invaders he fought were a large group.
It was not full because there were casualties, about 800 people.
And he, Zhang Yong, led the Yao Ziqing battalion, the tax police corps, the central teaching corps, and the 51st division's special operations battalion. A total of 1,500 people!
Twice the force.
At least five times more artillery fire.
The Japanese invaders were not defeated.
After the continuous fierce bombardment, there were still more than a hundred Japanese invaders.
It took so many artillery shells to kill more than 600 Japanese invaders. But they were not all wiped out.
What the hell...
The battle is really hard to fight!
That’s several bases of ammunition!
"Baga!"
"Ahhhh..."
However, Zhang Yong did not know that the Japanese invaders on the opposite side had also collapsed.
Of the 800 Japanese invaders, more than 600 were killed by artillery fire. The remaining more than 100 were only breathing their last breath. All of them were seriously injured.
The entire Japanese defense line was silent. There were no Japanese invaders left to shoot at.
"superior!"
"superior!"
Zheng Guangyi advanced with his elite troops.
Be prepared for the most brutal and bloody street fighting.
It may fall down at any time.
In street fighting, you have no idea where the enemy is.
In any ruins, there may be Japanese invaders hiding, who can fire deadly bullets at any time.
"superior!"
"superior!"
Other troops also pressed forward one after another.
However, their mission is not to search for the remnants of the enemy. It is to quickly move through the ruins.
To the southeast of the ruins is the defense area of the 88th Division. They will join up with the 88th Division. Then together with the 88th Division, they will counterattack the Japanese invaders and give the Japanese invaders a fatal blow.
"quick!"
"quick!"
Everyone hunkered down and passed as quickly as possible.
Facts have proven that as long as the speed is fast enough, it is indeed difficult for bullets to catch up.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Intermittent gunfire.
It's the sound of a Garand semi-automatic rifle.
There was no firing of the Type 38 rifle, which means it is safe for the time being.
Pass quickly.
Zhang Yong also moved forward among the team.
There was danger, but he had to take risks. He had to hurry up and join Sun Yuanliang.
Not bad. Passed successfully.
The Japanese invaders didn't shoot. Maybe they were all unconscious?
It's possible.
There are so many cannonballs that can't kill them, or at least they can stun them.
"Commissioner!"
"Commissioner!"
Someone is coming from ahead.
He is a soldier from the 88th Division.
"Reporting to the commissioner, Commander Xie of our division is here."
"Which Xie Commander?"
"Thank you, Commander Jinyuan."
"oh."
Zhang Yong nodded.
I feel like this name seems a bit familiar.
Could it be that Xie Jinyuan?
It's possible. It's impossible for the 88th Division to have two Xie Jinyuan, both of whom are regimental commanders.
It's like there can't be two Sun Yuanliangs in the 88th Division. They are both division commanders. It is indeed possible that I met Commander Xie in advance.
Then I saw a lieutenant colonel officer coming in a hurry. I judged that it was Xie Jinyuan.
His current military rank is still lieutenant colonel. He has not yet been promoted. Or he has been promoted but has not had time to change his insignia.
The 88th Division has been intercepted behind enemy lines by the Japanese invaders and has temporarily lost contact with the rear. The situation is precarious.
"Reporting to the specialist! His subordinate is Xie Jinyuan, commander of the 88th Division."
"Where is your teacher?"
"Inside Zhabei Railway Station."
"take me."
"yes."
Xie Jinyuan led the way.
Zhang Yong looked around and found that many buildings had been destroyed.
It seems that the Japanese invaders have used a lot of artillery fire. However, there are some restrictions on the angle. They do not dare to fire from the north and south.
To the south of Zhabei Railway Station is the Suzhou River. To the south of the Suzhou River is the concession. If artillery is fired from the north, the shells may fall in the concession, causing protests in the concession.
At this moment, the Japanese invaders have not yet fully entered the state. They dare not launch direct artillery fire on the concession.
This was also a favorable factor for the later defense of Sihang Warehouse.
In fact, the battle in Sihang Warehouse was not fierce. It was just a special location.
Because it is right next to the concession, military observers from various countries can see it. The Chinese in the concession can also see it.
As a result, under the exaggeration of newspapers and media, it became an iconic battle.
A very special show. Not representative.
The truly cruel battlefields are places that cannot be seen in the concession.
In areas far away from the concession, the Japanese invaders used all weapons, including aircraft, heavy artillery, and tanks.
Finally met Sun Yuanliang.
Of course, Sun Yuanliang also received the report in advance.
"Zhang Yong?"
"It's actually him?"
Sun Yuanliang was very surprised and didn't know why.
Why is Zhang Yong here?
Inspectors have the power to punish.
Theoretically, as long as the other party is not an inspector, he has the power to punish.
For a moment, Sun Yuanliang couldn't help but think differently.
He thought Zhang Yong was here to punish him. He might have to send him to a military court.
reason?
Of course the battle was not fought well.
Everyone knows that Zhang Yong is the sword in the hands of the commissioner.
Zhang Yong will kill whomever the committee members want to kill.
If the 88th Division performs poorly, the committee may want to chop off his head, Sun Yuanliang.
well……
Tired.
He simply closed his eyes.
Whatever!
If you want to behead him, behead him. He has nothing to say.
With the battle going like this, he really had no choice.
"Mr. Sun."
Zhang Yong's voice came loudly.
Sun Yuanliang had no choice but to pull himself together. He came forward and stood at attention.
"Commissioner Zhang."
"Commander Sun, I will take over the command of the 88th Division."
"clear."
Sun Yuanliang cooperated and took off the holster of the gun and handed it to Zhang Yong.
He is a division commander. He is equipped with a Browning M1903 pistol. This is only available to officers above the brigade level.
Even the leader of a regiment is equipped with a shell gun according to regulations.
"Give me a gun for what?"
"I have no objection. Just obey."
"Misunderstood. I didn't mean to arrest you."
"Um?"
"I am only taking over the command temporarily. You are still the commander of the 88th Division."
"Um?"
Sun Yuanliang realized something was wrong.
Zhang Yong didn’t come to arrest him?
Did you actually make a mistake?
"I'm here to take over the command and help the 88th Division fight back against the Japanese invaders."
"Fight back?"
Sun Yuanliang thought he heard wrong again.
He would rather believe that he is going to court-martial than to fight back.
How to fight back?
Where to counterattack?
Where does the 88th Division currently have the strength to counterattack?