The brothers in the guerrilla camp quickly built a new line of defense on the dilapidated streets. Sandbags, linen and barbed wire were densely packed, and the narrow and dilapidated streets were almost blocked.
Yang Ling and the others were well aware of the Japs' attack tactics, so they left a few observation posts while the rest of the brothers withdrew to a sturdy house a few hundred meters away to brag and talk nonsense.
A truck full of ammunition was also delivered to the Zhonghe Bridge position from the rear, along with verbal praise from Liu Xing, deputy commander of the garrison. He praised their guerrilla battalion as the backbone of the country and an example for the entire army. He hoped that they would continue to fight bravely.
Kill the enemy and don't let down the leader's expectations.
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Liu Xing's praise made many recruits feel like they had been given a shot of blood, and their morale became high, as if they were really talented people.
The veterans who were rolling over in the mountains of corpses and seas of blood didn't care at all. Their ears were getting calloused hearing these words. They were just sugar-coated shells to encourage them to become cannon fodder. Whoever believed them was finished.
In a rare act of generosity, the commander-in-chief's headquarters sent sufficient weapons, ammunition and food, but Yang Ling was not happy at all, as he wanted them to stay in Nanjing.
Yang Ling patrolled the positions of each company with a gun in hand. His figure was like a shot in the arm, making the brothers feel at ease and knowing that he, their commander, was with them.
"Little brother, are you afraid of fighting?" Yang Ling lost his seriousness during the battle and became extra friendly.
The student soldier answered hesitantly: "I'm not afraid..."
Yang Ling smiled and patted his shoulder: "I'm not afraid it's fake. I was afraid when I went to the battlefield. I was so scared that I almost peed my pants."
Hearing the self-deprecation of the officer Yang Ling, the student soldier chuckled. Suddenly he felt that it was no longer shameful to be afraid, and he admitted: "Sir, actually I am also afraid."
Yang Ling encouraged and said: "Men, don't be afraid to stand tall. There are 40,000 people behind us waving flags and shouting. We are fighting a national war, and we must not embarrass the elders in our hometown."
"yes!"
Yang Ling's words seemed to have infinite power, dispelling the tension and uneasiness in the student soldier's heart and making him firm.
The Guanghuamen counterattack allowed the guerrilla battalion to earn enough face and stand up in front of the brothers. Yang Ling, the battalion commander, played an important role, but he also knew that without the hard work of his brothers, Yang Ling's three heads and six arms would be in vain.
Veterans who have been fighting in the rain of bullets will naturally not be deceived into working hard like recruits with a few words. What they care about is real things.
"Qin Shou, bring out some silver coins."
Almost all the silver coins seized by the guerrilla camp were handed over to Qin Shou for safekeeping. It was also regarded as the guerrilla camp's own mobile treasury, used to buy scarce medicine and food, because the salary from above was not enough.
Qin Shou, the great steward, pulled the canvas bag and asked distressedly: "Batalion Commander, how much do you want?"
Yang Ling thought for a moment and then said: "Take two hundred silver dollars."
The shining two hundred silver dollars were heavy in his hand. Yang Ling summoned some brave veterans and praised them in public.
"Shunzi, your reconnaissance platoon did a good job. This time we will reward you with fifty silver dollars. Do your best."
Shunzi grinned, clicked his heels and stood at attention, raising his hand to salute Yang Ling, but Yang Ling stopped him with a smile: "You want the Japanese to shoot me with a black gun, right?"
Shunzi smiled coquettishly and hurriedly took the silver dollar from Yang Ling's hand. His heart was filled with joy. After the battle was over, he could go have some fun again.
Yang Ling commended all the brave veterans and company members one by one, and the actual silver coins gave these veterans great satisfaction.
"Brothers, I, Yang Ling, still say the same thing. If I, Yang Ling, have a mouthful of food, you will definitely be indispensable. As long as you follow me and fight the Japanese, I will never treat you badly."
Yang Ling's voice was not loud but was sonorous and powerful. Every veteran heard it and felt lucky to have met such a good commander.
The National Revolutionary Army was severely starved of pay, and most of the military pay was embezzled by the officers, leaving very little of it in the hands of the soldiers. The soldiers dared not speak out when they were angry, so they had no intention of working hard during the war.
Not only was Yang Ling not greedy for his brothers' military pay, but he often rewarded his meritorious brothers with captured supplies. This not only enhanced the cohesion of the troops, but also enabled the brothers to work wholeheartedly for him.
Although Yang Ling was extremely strict in battle, in the eyes of the guerrilla battalion soldiers, he was a good commander worth working for, and he was respected by them both for his clear rewards and punishments and for charging into battle.
The Guerrilla Battalion's counterattack at Guanghuamen not only recaptured the gap in the city wall, but also took advantage of the situation to regain the Zhonghe Bridge position. Although it gained enough limelight, it made the Japanese angry and angry.
Colonel Jiro Wakiba, commander of the Japanese 36th Regiment, called for support from the aviation artillery, so the revenge came quickly.
The roar of the motor vibrated in the air, and four Japanese planes appeared in the sky, swooping down towards the Zhonghe Bridge position.
"The machine gun is ready to hit me!"
The machine gun company commander, Blacksmith, had a hot temper and yelled, preparing to fire into the air.
"What are you fighting for? Hurry and take cover."
For the Japanese aircraft, the firepower of the machine gun was no different than scratching an itch. On the contrary, it would expose the position and the gain would outweigh the loss. Therefore, Yang Ling spoke up in time to stop it. It was better to leave the bullets to the Japanese infantry.
The Japanese planes were arrogant and arrogant. They roared and swooped down. Bullets as thick as corn stalks rained down on everyone with a loud clatter.
The brothers in the guerrilla camp had already gotten into the strong houses. Although the Japanese swooping and strafing fire looked fierce, they did not hurt anyone. They swooped back and forth several times, circled angrily a few times, threw bombs and flew away.
"Why isn't our plane flying?" Seeing the Japanese planes showing off their power, someone asked loudly, spitting dust from their mouths.
"I heard that there are not many planes left, and they have all been withdrawn to Wuhan..."
Although the Chinese Air Force fought tenaciously, its strength was inferior to others. Facing the crow-like swarms of Japanese aircraft, it had to withdraw from the battlefield after suffering heavy losses, resulting in the complete loss of Nanjing's air supremacy.
As soon as the Japanese plane left, a sharp whistling sound was heard in the air. The Japanese heavy artillery troops deployed at Gaoqiao Gate immediately began bombarding, and the 150-caliber heavy artillery began to roar violently.
The artillery shells poured towards the Zhonghe Bridge defenders' position with arrogance and arrogance.
The first shell smashed through the rubble and fell into a newspaper office. With a bang, the entire newspaper office was lifted into the sky in the flames of the explosion, and a mushroom cloud tens of meters high rose.
All the window glass in the entire Zhonghe Bridge neighborhood was shattered by the violent tremors, falling to the ground with a crash. The ground shook suddenly, causing many crumbling walls to collapse suddenly as they could no longer withstand the shock wave.
The Japanese soldiers' revenge came fiercely, and the second and third shells came one after another. The ground was shaking, the sky was filled with smoke and dust, the ears of the defenders were roaring, nothing could be heard, nothing could be seen, and the roofs were covered with rubble.
It fell down and light came into the room.
Although Zhang Lingfu's troops who were deployed on the front line hid in strong houses, under the bombardment of such heavy artillery, any bunkers were of no use. From time to time, some people were blown into the sky. When they fell, they were covered in blood, and their arms and legs were already dead.