There was already chaos in the city of Nanjing, and crowds of people rushed to Xianguan Ferry.
The hobbling old man was struggling to support himself in the crowded crowd, the baby who was waiting for breast milk was crying in the arms of the woman, and the businessmen in suits and ties were stumbling around carrying boxes.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
Many defeated troops were eager to retreat. They couldn't help shouting and cursing at the crowds blocking the way. Some even smashed a path with their rifle butts, and many soldiers fired into the air.
Both sides of the road were covered with wounded soldiers covered in blood and dirty. They desperately prayed to the hurried troops: "Please don't leave us... please..."
There was also a wounded soldier who could not walk, crawling on the ground toward Xianguan, with a long bloody ribbon trailing behind him. Despair and pain enveloped everyone's hearts.
The army defending the city was in chaos. The car in which the garrison commander Tang Shengzhi was riding was blocked by the surging flow of people. No matter how hard the driver pressed the horn, the road was blocked and the cannons were rumbling behind him, but the car was so slow that it was almost on the road. crawl.
"Sir Tang, I'm afraid this won't work. Let's get out of the car and walk." Chief of Staff Zhou Lan looked at the impassable road and had to suggest walking to Xiaguan Ferry.
Tang Shengzhi looked gloomy and lifeless at this moment. Looking at the chaotic Nanjing, his heart was filled with despair. He nodded and agreed to the suggestion of Chief of Staff Zhou Lan.
Under the protection of armed guards, a group of officers from the garrison commander's headquarters abandoned their cars and forced their way through the crowd. It took them two full hours to reach Yijiangmen.
Although the 36th Division guarding here shot and killed people, tens of thousands of people came over, and they were soon rushed to pieces. The city gate had been blown open, and people rushed to the river.
Under the protection of the guards, Tang Shengzhi and others pushed through the surging crowd and arrived at the Coal Port Pier. There was a small boat parked here, which was used to cross the river for the commander's headquarters.
The river beach was already dark and covered with human heads. The few ferries on the river did not dare to dock because they had not received the order to retreat. Crying, cursing, and calls for help were heard all along the river, and many people were in desperate need. Holding the barrel in his arms, the wooden plank jumped into the river.
The winter in Nanjing is extremely cold, and the river water in the twelfth lunar month of winter is freezing cold. People who jumped into the river disappeared as soon as the waves hit them. Those who were good at swimming were exhausted halfway through the swim, and their heads were submerged and they never came up again.
"Don't squeeze! Don't squeeze!" More and more people rushed to the river beach. Many people standing by the water were squeezed into the water, just like dumplings, and they disappeared without a trace after they fell.
Machine guns were set up on sandbags near the small steamer of the Coal Terminal Commander's headquarters. Soldiers wearing helmets kept firing warning shots at those who tried to come closer, but some still pressed forward desperately.
"Da da da--"
The soldiers guarding the small steamer fired at the people who were rushing towards them, and blood spattered. More than ten people were immediately beaten to a sieve, and the remaining people were so frightened that they did not dare to come closer.
"What a dog officer! What a dog officer!" Seeing Tang Shengzhi and others boarding the small steamer under the protection of the guards, the people on the shore yelled and cursed, making Tang Shengzhi and others' faces turn blue and white.
"Set the ship quickly! Sail the ship quickly!" The senior officials who crowded onto the small steamer were worried about the rout on the shore and seized the ship, so they hurriedly ordered the ship to sail.
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!"
Under the protection of the adjutant, Deputy Commander Luo Zhuoying and others struggled to squeeze through the crowd and stumbled over.
The people on the boat hurriedly reached out and pulled the embarrassed deputy commander Luo Zhuoying and others onto the boat, but deputy chief of staff Yu Nianci was nowhere to be seen.
Tang Shengzhi looked at the city of Nanjing with its flames soaring into the sky, and then at the crowds surging on the river beach. He no longer had the intention to wait, so he ordered the ship to sail, and the ship sailed slowly towards Pukou on the other side.
Those ferries that were swimming on the river and did not dare to dock saw their officers running away. Only when they saw the flags on the small steamers did they dare to go to the river to pick up people.
As soon as the ferry, which could accommodate three to four hundred people, docked, a huge crowd rushed over. No one could care less about escaping for their lives. The soldiers also opened fire on the people, causing blood to fly everywhere.
Those refugees who saw that they could not climb onto the boat picked up the grenades on the ground, pulled the fuse, and exploded with a loud bang, causing blood and flesh to fly everywhere. However, soon the people behind them stepped on the corpses and rushed over. It was horrific and chaotic.
"Don't crowd! Don't crowd!"
There were military police with guns roaring and trying to maintain order, but they were soon pushed into the river by the crazy flow of people. People fell into the water and splashed, and bodies floated up.
…
When the Shengguan Pier was in chaos, in the Nanjing city where the flames were blazing, liaison officer Jiao Chaoming was holding a shell gun in his hand, stumbling and running through the ruins of Daguang Road, looking for Yang Ling and his troops.
"Flower girl! Hahaha!"
Creepy laughter came from the street, and Jiao Chaoming hurriedly hid in a bombed-out house.
A group of men and women who were escaping in panic were running wildly on the street. Behind them was a large group of Japanese soldiers with their teeth and claws snarling. They were laughing maniacally and constantly raising their guns and shooting.
From time to time, the running men were hit by bullets flying from behind, piercing their bodies and falling to the ground. The women screamed and ran, trying to escape from the clutches. The men also ran in fear and were shot and killed.
"Kill all the men! Keep the pretty girls!" The ferocious Japanese officer waved his saber and smiled ferociously.
The Japanese soldiers running and jumping between the ruins also had fierce looks on their faces, just like cats playing with mice, showing playful expressions, and shot and killed the men among the common people.
"Snapped!"
"Snapped!"
A small group of Japanese soldiers suddenly emerged from the ruins and blocked the way of the fleeing people. They were blocked in the street by two groups of Japanese soldiers.
Liaison officer Jiao Chaoming, who was hiding in the ruins, saw this scene and his heart suddenly tightened. He was only one person, but there were thirty or forty Japanese, so he did not dare to go out.
Facing the Japanese troops blocking them from both sides, these panic-stricken people were filled with fear. Looking at the hideous and ugly faces of the Japanese troops, the women's faces were as white as paper and their bodies were as white as chaff.
"We are ordinary people, please spare us, please spare us." The men did not have the courage to fight against the Japanese soldiers who were armed with live ammunition, so they all knelt down and asked for mercy.
"Haha, Chinese people are weak." When the Japanese officer saw this scene, he laughed sarcastically.
The Japanese soldiers with guns also laughed. Their sharp laughter echoed in the scorched streets and alleys, like the screams of ghosts, which made people's hair stand on end.
"Hand over the women and lead the way for us, and we will spare your lives." The Japanese officer ordered in broken Chinese.
The men kowtowed and said, "No, no, you can lead the way. Please don't hurt these women."
When the Japanese officer heard this, he immediately became angry and ordered the soldiers behind him: "Bring out the women and kill all the men!"
"Snapped!"
"Snapped!"
Clear gunshots rang out, and the men who were still kowtowing were shot one by one on the spot, blood spattered, and the women screamed in fright, hugging each other and crying in fear.
Seeing these women hugging each other, the Japanese soldiers all showed lustful expressions, which aroused their sexual desire and rushed towards them, tearing off their clothes.
When Liaison Officer Jiao Chaoming saw the women being thrown to the ground, he felt a surge of rage in his heart. He could no longer bear it, raised his rifle and fired at the unsuspecting Japanese soldiers.
"Bang - bang - bang -" Jiao Chaoming continuously pulled the trigger, and several Japanese soldiers who had just taken off their pants were shot to the ground immediately, and their blood flew out.
The sudden turn of events caused the Japanese soldiers to ignore the women and hurriedly grabbed their guns and lay down.
"Run! Run!" Jiao Chaoming shouted at the women while shooting.
"Bagaya road!" The Japanese officer spattered blood on his face and grinned angrily when he found that there was only one Chinese soldier among the ruins.