Chapter 19: No Retreat (Part 2) (Kneeling and Begging for Recommendation Tickets)

  Zhabei, south bank of Suzhou River.

  A young man in a suit and leather shoes stood on the riverbank, holding a loudspeaker and shouting towards the four warehouses on the north shore: "Brothers of the National Army on the other side, brothers of the Baoshan Garrison, I am Secretary to Vice Premier Soong Tzu-wen of the National Government's Administrative Yuan. Vice Premier Soong has asked me to inform you that your mission at Baoshan Garrison is accomplished. Now, please withdraw into the concession area to preserve your useful lives and wait for the future when you will again take up arms and fight against the devils..."

  Before he had finished speaking, many citizens also began to persuade him.

  "Hey, brothers of the National Army on the opposite side, why don't you retreat to the southern bank!"

  "Yes, the south bank is a concession of the British Empire, those little devils dare not pursue us over here."

  "Brothers, you are all good, but continuing to guard the warehouse for four more lines is meaningless. Just listen to Deputy Director Song and retreat, okay?"

  The British commander of the Shanghai Public Concession also finally made a formal statement, as long as the Baoshan Camp is willing to lay down their weapons and retreat into the concession, they will definitely guarantee their personal safety!

  However, the request made by Soong Tse-ven for the troops in Baoshan to return to the Nationalist Army's combat sequence through the concession was rejected by the concession authorities. The reason is simple: if the Nationalist Army is allowed to pass through the concession, the Japanese army will also enter the concession to pursue them. Therefore, the concession authorities can only guarantee the personal safety of the Nationalist Army and cannot allow them to return to the combat sequence through the concession.

  In the eager anticipation of the people on the south bank, a loud response finally came from the warehouse of the Four Lines.

  "On the other side of the river, fellow villagers and elders, we, the entire Baoshan camp, appreciate your kind intentions. And to the secretary who came from Nanjing, please convey this message to Vice Director Song: We still hold to our original stance - defending our land is the sacred duty of party members and soldiers. As long as we have a breath left in us, as long as there's one person standing, we will never let those little devils set foot in the Sihang Warehouse!"

  That young secretary was about to persuade again, a middle-aged man wearing glasses finally couldn't help but stand on the riverbank, and snatched the loudspeaker from the young secretary's hand, shouting: "Is it Commander Yue of the 98th Division of the National Army on the opposite side? I am Song Ziwen, Vice President of the Executive Yuan of the National Government. I have brought with me the order of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, Chairman of the Military Affairs Commission. He orders you to disarm immediately and retreat into the International Settlement!"

  "Brothers, as soldiers, our duty is to obey orders, let's retreat!"

  "Your mission to defend the warehouse against Japanese attack has been accomplished, your bravery has greatly inspired and encouraged people all over the country, even overseas Chinese have been moved by you. Now, people all over the country hope that our heroes can come back alive, return to us alive, and continue to lead everyone in fighting against the enemy..."

  Soong Tse-ven's words were heartfelt and immediately infected many of the people on the scene.

  Many elderly people even burst into tears on the spot, while many enthusiastic young people present expressed their desire to join the Baoshan camp and follow Commander Yue's command to fight against the Japanese invaders and defend China!

  A middle-aged man wearing glasses suddenly stood on the riverbank, holding a loudspeaker and singing loudly. In an instant, a magnificent melody echoed on the south bank of Suzhou River!

  China will not perish, China will not perish, look at national hero Yue Fei

  China will not perish, China will not perish, look at those two hundred brave warriors fighting alone on the eastern battlefield.

  All sides are cannon fire, all sides are jackals and wolves.

  Rather die than retreat, rather die than surrender.

  Our national flag is waving in the heavy siege, waving.

  Two hundred brave warriors united as one, ten thousand strong enemies dare not confront them.

  Our actions are magnificent, our spirit is heroic.

  Compatriots, arise! Compatriots, arise! Hasten to the battlefield, and take two hundred heroes as examples.

  China will not perish, China will not perish, it will not perish...

  The hustle and bustle on the south bank of Suzhou River suddenly disappeared, and even the little devils on the north bank stopped firing in a very timely manner. The two banks were left with only one sound, a slightly hoarse but majestic voice, singing "The Song of Two Hundred Heroes" with great passion, making people feel hot-blooded and enthusiastic!

  After a long time, the loud voice sounded again in the warehouse: "China will not perish, yes, China will never be destroyed. Vice President Song, please tell Chairman Chiang that our back is Shanghai, and Shanghai's back is our capital Nanjing. We have retreated to the point of no return, except for a final battle, we have no other choice! For the sake of defending Shanghai, for the sake of defending Nanjing, for the sake of defending the Republic of China, why should we be afraid of death?"

  "General Yue, I..."

  Soong Tse-ven originally wanted to persuade a few more sentences, but when the words reached his lips, he found that he couldn't say anything else. Behind Soong Tse-ven, tens of thousands of people were silently shedding tears.

  On the other side of the river, that loud voice rang out again: "Fellow villagers, don't cry and don't be sad. Is there a war without death? Since we put on this military uniform, we have not considered ourselves as living people. In these chaotic times, in the face of national destruction and family ruin, it is our misfortune as soldiers, but also our great fortune!"

  "We do not want to die either, who does not miss the mundane world, who does not miss their parents and children at home? However, as soldiers, we should rush to the battlefield for our country, even if we are wrapped in horse leather, it is still without complaint. Fellow villagers, being able to die for one's country, being able to perish for one's nation, isn't that a blessing for us soldiers? A great blessing!"

  "Commander Yue!" The middle-aged man who had just been shouting through a loudspeaker suddenly yelled, "You and the GMD brothers from Baoshan Camp are all good examples! As you said earlier, behind you is Shanghai, and behind Shanghai is our capital Nanjing. We have already retreated to the point of no return, so we will not persuade you again, nor will we persuade you to retreat into the concession. But what can we do for you? Even if it's just a small thing within our power?"

  The crowd around them echoed in agreement and gazed longingly at the four warehouses on the north shore.

  That loud voice rang out again: "We don't lack food, we don't lack drink, and we don't lack ammunition. Moreover, these things are all prohibited items designated by the concession authorities, you can't even transport them if you want to; If possible, please send someone with a camera over, it would be best if there's also a tape recorder. We, the Baoshan camp, will soon sacrifice our lives for the country and leave this world forever. The brothers all want... to leave some memories for their families and loved ones."

  At this, the people on the other side of the river could no longer hold back their emotions and burst into loud wailing, even many tall and strong men were crying loudly. On the riverbank, Soong Tse-ven couldn't help but take off his glasses to wipe away tears, then immediately looked up and said: "General Yue, don't worry, I'll arrange for people to go over there right away, bring recording machines and cameras, must bring them!"

  …………

  That afternoon, major newspapers in Shanghai, Nanjing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau reprinted the speech, highly publicizing Yue Weihan's "heroic farewell" to the people of Suzhou. The next day, students from various cities took to the streets again, and for a time, Yue Weihan's farewell speech became the most popular slogan.

  Shanghai is right behind us!

  Shanghai's back is the capital Nanjing!

  We have reached the point of no return! Except for a final battle, we have no other choice!

  In just a few short days, these words swept across the entire Chinese mainland like the wind.

  Moreover, many reporters from the US, UK and France witnessed the entire "farewell" process on site, and they quickly sent back this news to their home countries via telegram. In no time, mainstream public opinion in the West began to pay attention to the heroic resistance of the Baoshan Camp at the Sihang Warehouse. Overseas Chinese living in Nanyang and the shores of the Pacific Ocean were even more deeply moved, and many overseas Chinese youths abandoned their studies or careers and returned home to join the army.