Chapter 17: Tactical Genius (Part 1) (Urgently Seeking Recommendation Tickets)

  Zhabei, 4th floor of Sihang Warehouse, Baoshan Garrison Command Center.

  Liu Xin handed a telegram to Yue Weihan and said, "Commander, encrypted telegram from the war zone commander's office."

  "What's the telegram?" Yue Weihan furrowed his brow, took the telegram from him, and after reading it, his face changed slightly. Cao Xinglong, who had just been promoted to be the captain of the first company of Baoshan Camp, couldn't help but ask with concern, "Captain, what does the confidential telegram say?"

  "There's nothing." Yue Weihan immediately folded the telegram and put it in his pocket, calmly saying, "The headquarters ordered us to defend the Fourth Line Warehouse for at least half a month, violators will be punished by military law!"

  Liu Xin's face immediately showed a hint of weirdness, she didn't understand why Yue Weihan wanted to spout nonsense.

  The telegram from the General's office clearly stated that if Baoshan Camp could hold on, it would hold on; if not, it would disarm and retreat to the International Settlement. But how did this guy turn it into holding out for at least half a month?

  "Damn it." Cao Xinglong didn't know that Yue Weihan was lying, and he pulled at the armed belt on his chest, saying in a bad tone, "Half a month? Isn't this pushing us to death?"

  "Are you forcing me down a dead end? Not necessarily." Yue Weihan sneered.

  "Alright, I'll go take a look downstairs." Cao Xinglong scratched his head and went downstairs with a creak.

  After Cao Xinglong walked far away, Liu Xin curiously asked: "Officer, the secret telegram clearly said..."

  "Shut up!" Yue Weihan's face changed slightly, and he rudely interrupted Liu Xin, "Liu Xin, don't forget your identity, is this a question you should be asking?"

  Liu Xin suddenly pouted her small mouth in frustration, but in her heart she thought resentfully, this guy must be a dog, he can turn his face so quickly, just now he was still smiling and joking around, and now he's putting on a straight face to scold people.

  "The devils have come!"

  "The Japanese devils are attacking!"

  "Brothers of the National Army on the opposite side, the little devils are coming up!"

  Yu Weihan wanted to say a few more words when suddenly a deafening roar erupted from the other side of the Suzhou River.

  Sergeant Liu Tiezhu immediately ran up with a series of quick footsteps, panting: "Sir, sir, the devils are coming, they're here."

  Yue Weihan let out a low voice, took big strides to the window facing south and looked outside. He saw that on the river embankment of Suzhou's southern shore, several thousand civilians had gathered. They were all anxiously jumping up and down, and a few young men even carried a large blackboard with the words "The devils are attacking" written on it.

  "Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

  A loud explosion suddenly came from outside the west wall of the warehouse, Liu Tiezhu's face changed greatly, and he quickly flashed in front of Yue Weihan, while loudly reminding the nearby police squad soldiers: "Protect the camp seat, the little devils have started shelling!"

  "Don't panic," said Yue Weihan calmly. "This is a small mortar, with a range of 400 meters, and it's not possible for it to pose a threat to the warehouse's concrete walls."

  Next to him, Liu Xin, who was still sulking, couldn't help but sneak a peek at Yue Weihan. Her beautiful eyes already had a hint of admiration. This guy is really awesome, just by listening to the sound, he can actually tell what kind of weapon the little devil is using? And how many meters away it is? No wonder he's from the Central Military Academy, it's truly amazing.

  …………

  Four-line warehouse floor.

  Two rows of soldiers stood up, their rifle butts at the ready. The squad leader yelled, "Listen up, you bunch of bastards! When we go out, just fire a few shots casually, and when the enemy infantry comes, hurry back. Nobody is allowed to be reckless, or else I'll show no mercy. Did everyone hear that?"

  "Understood." The dozen or so soldiers in two rows responded thunderously.

  "Alright, follow me!" Chi Chengfeng pulled out the handkerchief again and a dozen or so people suddenly rushed out of the gate like a swarm of bees, and then scrambled to get behind the barricade outside the warehouse door. When they saw the National Army come out, the other side of the Suzhou River immediately erupted in cheers and shouts of encouragement that were like thunderous waves.

  This scene is also a rare spectacle in the history of warfare, with two armies engaged in a fierce battle to the death on the north bank of the Suzhou River, while hundreds of thousands of Shanghai citizens and foreigners from various countries watched from a distance of 100 meters across the river, with some even cheering for one side, creating an atmosphere more intense than that of a World Cup soccer final featuring the host country.

  Soon, the bombardment ended, and more than 40 Japanese infantrymen crouched and rushed towards the four warehouses from the west.

  The National Army crouched behind the barricade began to fire their guns, but unfortunately, only the sound of gunfire was heard, and not a single Japanese soldier fell. Soon, the Japanese soldiers were less than 200 meters away from the warehouse. The leader of the Japanese squad shouted an order, and the Japanese infantry immediately stood up straight and started sprinting at full speed.

  "Brothers, retreat." Chi Chengfeng raised his rifle and fired two shots into the air before fleeing.

  Behind him, more than a dozen defeated soldiers also hastily followed suit, "hiding their heads and fleeing in disarray". An old soldier even ran away without his shoes, not daring to pick them up. Seeing the National Army's sorry state, the Japanese soldiers suddenly began shouting loudly. The Shanghai citizens watching from the other side of the river shook their heads and sighed, each with a sorrowful and indignant expression.

  Several British officers hiding behind the barricades on the street also couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh: "This is an army built with sand, this is completely an army built with sand."

  In less than a moment, more than 40 Japanese soldiers easily occupied the two street barricades at the entrance of the Sihang Warehouse, leaving only a few to guard them, while the rest of the Japanese soldiers rushed towards the warehouse gate. Further away, at least one company of Japanese infantry was rapidly advancing in this direction.

  Just as the crowd on the other side was filled with grief and indignation, a sudden burst of gunfire erupted from the warehouse like popping beans.

  Almost at the same time, several bundles of hand grenades were thrown out from the second floor window, and several little devils guarding the warehouse door were instantly swept into the air by a huge shockwave.

  On the rooftop of the warehouse, the figures of National Army officers and soldiers also appeared. At least six light and heavy machine guns fired at a terrifying rate of 3,000 to 4,000 rounds per minute towards the following Japanese infantry battalion, crazily spewing out firepower. The Japanese soldiers who were in high spirits had no idea they would suffer such a sudden attack, and instantly a large number of them were mowed down.

  "Ah ah ah, hit them hard, kill these damn things!"

  "Comrades of the National Army on the opposite side, good job, fight on, fight to the death!"

  "He's dead, the little devil is dead, all the little devils are dead, hahaha..."

  The originally desperate crowd suddenly cheered like a tsunami, and several British officers also showed an incredible expression on their faces. This is impossible! Didn't the Chinese army already retreat in defeat? Just now they looked like they had lost all will to fight when they were running away, but how did they suddenly become so spirited again? Unable to understand, the few British devils could only conclude that the Chinese are really too cunning.

  The Japanese attacking troops suffered a not-so-small loss, and the frontline commanders immediately realized that they had fallen into the Chinese army's trap. The vanguard squadrons used to test the Chinese army's firepower configuration were mostly unlucky, and in fact, it was indeed the case. Before the Japanese artillery began their retaliatory bombardment, one after another, the bodies of Japanese soldiers were thrown out from the gate by the Chinese army.

  "Agreed!"

  "Two!"

  "Three!"

  ……

  "Thirty-nine!"

  Every time a body was thrown out of the warehouse gate, there would be a loud counting sound from the other side. Later on, thousands and tens of thousands of voices gathered together, making a deafening noise. Finally, the number stopped at thirty-nine! If we add the six devils guarding the gate who were blown to death, this time the little devils lost forty-five men in battle!

  The entire infantry squad was annihilated, not a single one could escape!