Chapter Thirty-two: No Choice but to Leave (Part 2)

  On the train, Baoshan Camp Temporary Command Center.

  "Rush to Jiujiang for reinforcement?" Yue Weihan said after reading Liu Xin's translated telegram, "Map!"

  Liu Xin hastily took out the map from her bag and spread it out in front of Yue Weihan. Yue Weihan quickly found Jingjiang on the map, which was located north of the Yangtze River, with the famous Jiangyin Fortress directly across the river. However, judging by the time, the Jiangyin Fortress should have fallen long ago.

  Yue Weihan judged that the Battle of Nanjing should have already entered its most brutal moment.

  If history had not taken a dramatic turn, the main direction of attack for the Japanese army at this time should have been three. The Shanghai Expeditionary Force's main force should be attacking Nanjing fiercely, the 10th Army should be attacking Wuhan direction fiercely, and then circling to the left side of Nanjing, and another part of the 13th Division and the Taiwan Defense Corps' Heavy Gun Battalion are advancing towards Yangzhou and Pukou.

  The Nanjing Garrison Command ordered the Baoshan Camp to rush to Jingjiang hundreds of miles away!

  Jingjiang is neither a strategic stronghold nor a national defense fortress, and even if the Japanese army sends troops to attack, it can only be a small force, at most a few infantry battalions. The strategic purpose is nothing more than to disperse the resistance forces of the National Army in order to reduce the pressure on the Japanese army on the Yangzhou front.

  As for the intention of Nanjing Garrison Commander Tang Shenzhi, Yue Weihan was crystal clear. Obviously, General Tang was worried that the Bao Shan camp would be defeated and he would have no way to explain it to Chiang Kai-shek.

  However, Yue Weihan did not intend to accept this feeling!

  As a Chinese from the afterlife, Yue Weihan was well aware that the shadow of death was quietly closing in on hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians within Nanjing City. Although Yue Weihan had already shot and killed Aosaka Yoshio, and although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the National Government had stepped in to mediate, Yue Weihan was fundamentally uncertain whether the Nanjing Massacre could be avoided.

  The Nanjing Massacre is an eternal pain in the hearts of all descendants of the Yellow Emperor, and it is also a shameful mark that can never be erased!

  Although from a later generation, Yue Weihan is also a thorough Chinese man. He is more of a hot-blooded man, a real man with a sense of justice, who has something to stand up for and something to die for. In the end, it all boils down to one thing: for the safety of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in Nanjing City, why should Yue Weihan be afraid to die? Why should the entire Baoshan Garrison be afraid to die?

  So, in this Battle of Nanjing, Yue Weihan and the Baoshan Garrison must participate!

  However, disobeying orders on the battlefield is not a glorious thing. When Principal Chiang wanted to transfer him to Nanjing for promotion and expansion, Yue Weihan could resolutely refuse, and no one would criticize him for it. But if Yue Weihan refused to execute the command headquarters' rescue order, that would be another matter altogether. So, this time, the Jingjiang and Baoshan troops must go!

  However, after going to Jingjiang, how this battle is fought will be decided by Yue Weihan!

  A bold idea suddenly became clear in Yue Weihan's mind. At this time, Jiangbei was probably full of scattered soldiers and brave warriors who had retreated from the Songhu front line. Going to Jingjiang, it would be possible to gather three or two thousand defeated soldiers! These defeated soldiers were all elite troops from various systems, and with just a little reorganization, they could immediately return to the battlefield.

  With these two or three thousand elite defeated soldiers, Yue Weihan dared to go and rescue Yangzhou!

  Saved Yangzhou, Yue Weihan dared to go to Pukou, as long as he held on to Pukou and kept the lifeline of Nanjing going north, even if Nanjing was lost in the end, the tens of thousands of innocent civilians trapped inside the city could still be evacuated safely. As long as they can save the tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Nanjing, let Yue Weihan do whatever he wants!

  In short, Yue Weihan was determined to change history and prevent the Nanjing Massacre from happening!

  To prevent the Nanjing Massacre from happening, Yue Weihan even risked his life to assassinate Asakaze Kiyoshi at the Ashio Palace, as long as he still had a breath left, he would stop at nothing to do whatever it took!

  …………

  Shanghai, Japanese Concession.

  Yue Weihan's efforts to struggle have indeed caused history to deviate slightly from its original trajectory. General Matsui Iwane, Commander of the Japanese Central China Area Army, is currently meeting with journalists from neutral countries at his temporary official residence.

  In fact, General Matsui Iwane was not willing to hold a press conference at this time, but he had no choice. This morning, the Foreign Minister of the Chinese government held a press conference in Wuhan, claiming that the Japanese army had already planned and prepared to implement a massacre policy after occupying Nanjing, and had formally sued the League of Nations for this!

  If it were merely a demand of the Chinese government, Matsui Iwane could have ignored it.

  However, the truth is that the Japanese army did have such a plan, due to food shortages, and before his assassination, Chōshōin Shirakawa had already issued a top-secret telegram to various front-line divisions stating "In principle, do not spare Chinese prisoners of war". Matsui Iwane also didn't know whether the Chinese government really grasped concrete evidence.

  Facing the international public opinion and the heavy pressure from the headquarters, General Shōjirō Iida felt it necessary to hold a press conference to reverse the international public opinion as much as possible, and also take the opportunity to rectify the military discipline of various divisions on the front line. From Iida's point of view, he did not agree with the massacre of prisoners of war.

  "General, I am David Lee, a special correspondent of the Associated Press. I would like to ask if the news announced by the National Government in Wuhan this morning is true? Specifically, does the invading Japanese army really plan to violate the Geneva Convention and massacre Chinese prisoners of war and innocent civilians after occupying Nanjing?"

  Matsui's eyebrows immediately furrowed, and he said somewhat unhappily: "First of all, I'd like to clarify a fact - the Great Japanese Imperial Army did not invade the Republic of China. We came with the noble desire for 'Greater East Asia Co-prosperity', hoping to help the Chinese people achieve prosperity and strength. This is not an invasion."

  "Next, I guarantee to you all in the name of the Commander-in-Chief of the Central China Area Army of the Imperial Japanese Army that our army will absolutely not massacre enemy prisoners after capturing Nanjing, nor can we possibly slaughter innocent civilians. We are here to help them, how could we possibly slaughter them? Isn't this a joke?"

  Another British journalist asked, "General, the Chinese government revealed another piece of news this morning, claiming that their elite unit, the Baoshan Regiment, not only intercepted a top-secret telegram from the Shanghai Garrison Command to the frontline divisions, but also sent snipers to assassinate Aoyama Koto himself. Is this true?"

  "This is a rumor, a complete rumor." Shōsuke Ishizuka said coldly. "I can frankly tell you that Tatewaki Komura has indeed died, but he was not shot by the Chinese Bao Shan camp. He was inspecting the heavy artillery brigade's position when an accidental explosion of ammunition occurred due to improper handling by the artillerymen, and he died on the spot."

  A French journalist added: "General, can you provide any factual evidence?"

  "Of course." Matsui Ishizuka said with extreme confidence, "Because the Chinese elite troops you mentioned, that is, the Baoshan Camp that defended the Four Banks Warehouse and broke through, was surrounded by the Great Japanese Imperial Army near Kunshan last night. I believe the battle should have ended by now..."

  Before he had finished speaking, Lieutenant General Takaeda Kaku, Chief of Staff of the Army Group, suddenly walked in with a serious expression.

  Takada Kōshō attached to Matsui Iwane's ear and whispered a few words, Matsui Iwane's face changed instantly, and he turned around and left without saying a word. The news media reporters on the scene immediately **got up**, many people wanted to rush up to ask what was going on, but were all blocked by the military police maintaining order at the scene.

  "Ladies and gentlemen!" Okada Kōji hurriedly waved his hand and shouted, "Don't push, everyone don't push! General-sama has urgent military affairs to attend to, so I'll be answering your questions from now on."

  "What urgent military matter is it? General, you can't leave temporarily?" a reporter asked sharply.

  "This...," General Taka said with a frown, "This is a military secret, I'm afraid I have no choice but to keep it from you."