Chapter 16: A Letter to All Compatriots (Part 2)

  Zhabei, Sihang Warehouse.

  After a tense afternoon of construction, the original six-story warehouse had basically become a military fortress. The windows on the front and back sides were mostly blocked with sandbags, leaving only shooting holes. The east and west walls originally had no windows, but according to Yue Weihan's requirements, two rows of shooting holes were dug out on each floor and side.

  On both sides of the building's edges and between the Suzhou River embankment, two rows of street barricades were also piled up.

  In addition, according to Yue Weihan's instructions, on the first floor of the building, except for the corner near the gate, three hidden bunkers were built with bricks in each of the other three corners. Each bunker also reserved two hidden shooting holes, and the crossfire formed can absolutely cover the entire first-floor hall without leaving any shooting blind spots.

  "Third Aunt, what's the use of building three machine gun bunkers here?" Chi Chengfeng said with a sigh as he led his brothers in quickly laying bricks, "If you ask me, these bunkers should be built on the outside, but here they can't even hit those little devils. Are we going to use them to shoot our own people?"

  "You don't understand anything!" Yue Weihan cursed bluntly.

  "Grandma, I don't understand," said Chi Chengfeng. "Then you'd better tell me, what's the use of this bunker?"

  "Shut up and get to work, you'll know what they're for later." Yue Weihan said, then turned his head to the brothers chiseling the wall on both sides, "You few, put the bricks that were unloaded earlier back in place, remember, we need to make a disguise, it can't look suspicious, but absolutely cannot be sealed off."

  "Yes!" The soldiers who had just chiseled shooting holes in the wall hastily bricked them up again.

  …………

  Just as Yue Weihan led the Baoshan camp with more than 200 officers and soldiers to intensify defensive fortifications, Liu Xin had already sent the "Letter to Compatriots Nationwide" in plain code to major radio stations and newspapers in Shanghai. At the same time, various departments of the Japanese army's Shanghai expeditionary force and the National Army's Third War Zone, as well as each group army, division, and regiment, also received this plain code telegram.

  The Great Rear of the Songhu Battle Zone, Headquarters of the Third War Zone.

  When the commander of the Left Wing Army, Cheng Cheng, arrived, the deputy commander of the Third War Zone, Gu Zhu Tong, was already furious: "This is outrageous! How dare a small regimental commander issue a proclamation to the people on his own? Who does he think he is? Does he still recognize me as his superior officer? This is absolutely unreasonable!"

  As soon as he saw Cheng City, Gu Zhuang immediately threw the telegram in his hand over and asked loudly: "What's going on? Huh? Can you tell me what's going on?"

  Jian Gu Zhu Tong Fa Biao, Cheng Cheng's heart was somewhat unhappy.

  In terms of seniority, Gu Zhuotong and Cheng Qian are equally matched. In terms of military rank, they are both high-ranking generals of the party-state. Although Gu Zhuotong is the deputy commander-in-chief of the Third War Zone, did Cheng Qian really treat him as a superior? Frowning, he said: "I've already learned about this matter. Yue Weihan has no discipline and arbitrarily issued a proclamation to the people. I will definitely investigate this thoroughly."

  "Thorough investigation? The proclamation has already been issued, what's the use of a thorough investigation?" Gu Zhuang said coldly, "Besides, why did you only leave half a battalion to guard Beishan? And it's still the Baoshan Battalion! I didn't tell you before to leave an elite division? You'd better think carefully about how to explain this to the Commander-in-Chief!"

  "What does this mean?" Cheng Cheng furrowed his brow even more and asked, "Explain it to me?"

  Gu Zhu hummed softly and said in a gloomy tone, "To be honest with you, this Yue Weihan is also from Fenghua, and he's an old acquaintance of the old man! I've said that much, you should understand now, shouldn't you?"

  "What? Yue Weihan is actually from Fenghua?!?" Cheng Cheng's face was suddenly covered in cold sweat.

  …………

  Nanjing, Presidential Palace.

  Just as Gu Zhu predicted, Principal Jiang was indeed furious, and it was an unprecedented fury!

  "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Principal Jiang cursed three times in a row, still unable to hold back the raging fire in his chest. He slammed his hand on the table again, "Cheng Cheng, as a high-ranking general of the party and state, instead of helping the leader share worries and difficulties, he only knows how to pull strings and form factions! I ordered him to leave at least one elite division to guard Zhanbei, but he left only half a battalion. Is this reasonable? Absolutely unreasonable!"

  Although Mrs. Chiang beside him did not make a sound, she knew that Principal Chiang was angry not because Cheng Cheng only left half of the troops in Zhabei, but regarding the defense of Zhabei, Gu Zhu had already sent a telegram repeatedly stating it before, defending one division or one regiment is the same in political terms, and Principal Chiang also tacitly agreed.

  What really made Principal Chiang furious was that Cheng Cheng left Yue Weihan's Treasure Mountain Camp in the Fourth Line Warehouse.

  Since Yue Weihan led the Baoshan Regiment to defeat the Japanese army, break through Baoshan and return to the National Army sequence, Chiang Kai-shek had already regarded this little fellow villager as a future star among the National Army generals. Although there was some unpleasantness last time because of the New Seventh Regiment, it was not enough to change Chiang's ardent expectations for Yue Weihan.

  Now it's good, Cheng Cheng mistakenly understood the leader's intention and directly left Yue Weihan and Bao Shan Camp in the Sihang Warehouse in Zhabei as cannon fodder for the Japanese army. Is this okay? At present, the National Army has retreated to the west of Shanghai, and the Japanese army will soon surround Shanghai. Isn't this going to make Yue Weihan, a future star of the party and country, wither away?

  "Send a telegram, and have Gu Zhu send one immediately as well." Principal Jiang paced back and forth several times before suddenly stopping in front of Wang Shihe and saying, "Have Sun Yuanliang's 88th Division move up, and replace Yue Weihan and the Bao Shan Garrison!"

  "Your Excellency, it's too late." Wang Shihe sighed and advised in a low voice, "The National Army has already retreated to the west of Shanghai, while the Japanese army has completed its encirclement of Shanghai. At this time, if we send Sun Yuanliang's 88th Division up, not only will we be unable to rescue Yue Weihan and the Baoshan Regiment, but we may also lose another elite division."

  "Alas..." A hint of regret flashed across Principal Jiang's face, accompanied by an indescribable sense of loss.

  Yue Weihan and the Baoshan camp are beyond salvation, even Madam can see that, how could Principal Jiang not see it? He just didn't want to admit this cruel fact.

  After a long silence, Principal Chiang finally spoke to Wang Shih-wei in a solemn tone: "Immediately send a secret telegram to Ku Cheng-tung and have him forward it to Yueh Wei-han: Have the Paoshan camp guard the Sihang Warehouse symbolically for two days before retreating into the International Settlement. The Japanese army, under pressure from international public opinion, may not dare to openly enter the settlement to arrest people."

  Wang Shihe responded with a "yes" and was about to leave when Principal Jiang said, "Shihe, wait a minute. After you send the telegram, call Dai Li and tell him that after Yue Weihan and the Baoshan Regiment retreat into the International Settlement, have the Shanghai branch of the Military Intelligence Bureau's special agents extract Yue Weihan from Shanghai at all costs. Remember, no matter what the cost!"

  "Yes." Wang Shihe responded with a single word and then went off to carry out his orders.

  Principal Chiang again said to Madame Chiang: "Madame, you immediately call Soong and have him negotiate with the Public Works Bureau of the International Settlement. No matter what, we must allow General Yue Weihan and the Baoshan Garrison to enter the International Settlement. As for whether they will surrender their arms, that can be negotiated, but we must guarantee the safety of all officers and men under General Yue Weihan and the Baoshan Garrison."

  "Alright, I'll go call my brother now." Mrs. Jiang nodded immediately, thinking to herself that Commander Zhang was really going all out this time to protect his talented but unruly student and fellow townsman.

  ……

  PS: Looking for eight tickets, just eight.