Chapter 29: Escaping Death (Part 1) (Tears of Blood Seeking Votes)

  Nanjing Garrison Command

  The country's first-class general, Nanjing Garrison Commander Tang Shenzhi is convening a military meeting with more than a dozen division commanders under his command overnight. The central topic of the meeting was only one: to defend or withdraw? After fighting until now, all the national defense fortifications outside Nanjing have been lost, and relying solely on the Purple Mountain position and city wall fortifications, it is already impossible to hold out for too long.

  In addition, the Jiangyin fortress has also fallen, and the Japanese 13th Division's 104th Brigade has crossed the river from Zhenjiang and is now cooperating with the Shigeo Detachment to launch a fierce attack on Yangzhou. The goal of this route of the Japanese army is very clear, that is, to occupy Yangzhou, and then strike westward by land to cut off the Tianjin-Pukou Railway, thereby completely blocking the retreat route for the Nanjing garrison and civilians in the city to the north.

  Just now, Chairman Chiang has sent a secret order, stating that Nanjing can no longer be defended and instructing the Tang Department to withdraw. However, Tang Shengzhi is unwilling to give up and has thoughts of disobeying orders and continuing to defend.

  Putting aside the chaos of the warlord era, Tang Shenzhi at this time can indeed be called a man with blood.

  After the Battle of Shanghai, anyone with a bit of military common sense could see that the situation in Nanjing was hopeless and that it was impossible to defend. Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, both renowned for their military prowess, advocated for abandoning the city, and most high-ranking generals agreed with them. Only Tang Shengzhi insisted on defending Nanjing to the death against the Japanese invaders.

  However, winning a battle requires not only determination but also strong military strength. In the Battle of Shanghai, the 70-odd fully equipped and elite divisions of the National Army could only fight to a draw with the 5 elite divisions of the Japanese army. At this time, Tang Shengzhi had only a dozen or so understrength and incomplete divisions under his command, how could he possibly stop the lightning-fast attack of the 9 elite divisions of the Little Devils?

  "Gentlemen..." Tang Shen-zhi suddenly stood up, his eyes gleaming as he swept his gaze across the faces of the dozen or so senior officials present. With a resolute tone, he declared, "I, Tang, have made up my mind to share life and death with Nanjing! I swear to share life and death with the Premier's mausoleum! However, since we cannot disobey the orders of our superiors, you gentlemen may each lead your respective units and withdraw from Nanjing in succession..."

  "Tang Shang, what are you talking about?" The commander of the Central Military Academy's Training Division, Gui Yongqing, stood up indignantly and said, "You want to coexist with Nanjing until death, you want to coexist with the tomb of the former Premier until death. Am I, Gui Yongqing, a coward who fears death? Is my Central Military Academy's Training Division a timid and fearful army?"

  Tang Shen Zhi furrowed his brow and said: "However, the imperial edict..."

  "Being abroad, there are orders that cannot be obeyed!"

  Just as the two were at odds, Tang Shen's deputy suddenly rushed in with a strange expression and said loudly: "Commander, reports from the front lines of Zijin Mountain, Zhonghua Gate, Guanghua Gate, and Yuhua Tai all say that the Japanese army has suddenly stopped advancing and some have even begun to withdraw, their actions are extremely suspicious!

  "What did you say?" Tang Shen Zhi said in disbelief, "The Japanese army suddenly stopped advancing?"

  The dozen or so division commanders of the various countries present were also stunned, it was clear that this move by the Japanese army had greatly exceeded their expectations. The Japanese army has always been arrogant and would not easily stop its momentum, let alone voluntarily retreat. Today, however, they seemed to be acting out of character. Had they taken the wrong medicine? Or... had their Emperor passed away?

  The deputy officer hesitated and said: "Commander, there's another situation..."

  Tang Shen's big hand waved, and he said loudly: "What's going on? Speak!"

  Deputy officer said: "The technical department of the Nanjing garrison of the Military Commission recently discovered that the communication between various departments of the Japanese army suddenly increased. According to their analysis, if there is no major change within the Japanese army, then they are brewing some major action. Before the Battle of Shanghai, when the Japanese army landed in Jinshanwei, a similar situation also occurred."

  "What's going on with this little devil?" Tang Shen Zhi frowned and said, "It's shrinking again, and it's also sending a telegram."

  "Since the battle has reached this point, the strengths of both sides have already been laid out in the open. The little devils can't play any tricks anymore, I think it's 80% likely that something unexpected happened on their side."

  Tang Shen's voice was firm and resolute: "Regardless of whether the little devils have changed their ways, this is a rare opportunity. Order, each division and brigade to launch a full-scale counterattack, swearing to retake the outer perimeter positions!"

  "Yes!" The dozen or so superiors present at the meeting stood up simultaneously and responded thunderously.

  …………

  Wuhan, on an expedition.

  The head of the Military Bureau, Dai Liyin, requested an urgent meeting at night. The chief of the National Government's Guard Corps, Wang Shihe, did not dare to delay and quickly led him to Chiang Kai-shek's office. Seeing that it was Dai Li, Chiang put down his brush and asked in a gentle voice: "Yunong, what brings you here so late? Is there something urgent?"

  Dai Li approached Chiang Kai-shek and said in a low voice, "Director, the Military Intelligence Bureau's Nanjing garrison office and Shanghai station have both sent secret telegrams stating that this afternoon there was a sudden increase in communications between the Japanese military headquarters, the Central China Area Army Headquarters, the Shanghai Expeditionary Army Headquarters, and various front-line divisions, and repeatedly mentioned one person's name!"

  "What name? Whose name?" Chairman Chiang was slightly displeased.

  "Your Excellency, the name repeatedly mentioned in the Japanese army's telegrams is the same person as the newly appointed Shanghai Expeditionary Army Commander! According to information provided by our undercover agents in Tokyo, the new commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army is named Asaka-no-miya Tadahiko, a member of the Japanese imperial family and the nephew of General Ito, the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Japanese Army. Our people believe that he was likely ambushed and killed this afternoon!"

  "Really?" Chairman Chiang immediately stood up upon hearing the words. If they could really take out the commander of the Japanese Shanghai Expeditionary Army, it would be great news to boost the morale of the nation! Moreover, this person was a member of the Japanese royal family, with an identity that was noble beyond words. Once the news got out, it would inevitably deal a significant blow to the prestige of the Japanese military! The myth of the invincibility of the Japanese army would be thoroughly ridiculed - even a high-ranking member of the royal family and commander-in-chief of the group army had been shot down by the National Army, how could they still claim to be invincible?

  Chiang Kai-shek hastily asked: "Junong, is this done by your Military Bureau people?"

  Dai Li wanted to take credit for this great achievement, but he also knew that taking undeserved credit in front of the old man would not end well. He shook his head and said: "I didn't arrange an ambush, and neither did the Military Bureau's Nanjing Garrison or Shanghai Station plan any assassination action beforehand. So, it must not be our people from the Military Bureau who did this."

  "Who else could it be if not the Military Bureau?" Chairman Chiang frowned and said, "Since that Cao Xianggong is the commander of the Shanghai faction's punitive army, the security measures around him must be very strict. If we launch a strong attack, even if we send two divisions, it's uncertain whether we can take him down. Yunong, could you have made a mistake?"

  Dai Li cautiously said: "Although this news is speculative, I have 60% confidence in it. However, to finally verify it, we need to crack the Japanese military code again and then corroborate it."

  "Immediately organize an elite force and crack the Japanese military code as soon as possible!" - Chiang Kai-shek

  "Yes!" Dai Li responded with a single word, then turned around and hastily left.

  As Dai Li's figure disappeared into the distance, Chiang Kai-shek's mind was unable to calm down again. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly turned to his aide-de-camp Wang Shih-chieh and asked: "Shih-chieh, if what Dai Li said is true, and the Japanese Shanghai Garrison Commander Asaka Yasuhiko has been killed, do you think it was done by the troops of Chung Hsun?"

  Wang Shi's heart skipped a beat, and he noticed that when mentioning Yue Weihan, the delegate no longer addressed him by name, but rather by his courtesy name. This showed that this young man had gained even more weight in the delegate's eyes. Furthermore, thinking about how Yue Weihan had graduated from the Central Military Academy less than two years ago and was still so young, even Wang Shi couldn't help but feel a little envious.

  However, Wang Shihe quickly suppressed this jealousy and replied: "Commissioner, if this is true, it's probably Zhongxu who did it. The troops of the Third War Zone have already withdrawn from the Shanghai area, but only Zhongxu's Baoshan Regiment has been missing since they broke out of the Fourth Warehouse, and they are likely still active in that area."

  "Heh heh, thinking carefully about it, this matter indeed seems like something Zhongxiao would do." Chairman Chiang smiled and said, "Previously in Baoshan, didn't this kid blow up the advance base of the Japanese 3rd Division and kill that Lieutenant General Teng Tian or whatever his name was? This time killing another Japanese army group commander, I wouldn't be surprised at all."

  "Yes indeed." Wang Shihe also said with emotion, "It's really true that a newborn calf is not afraid of tigers. Zhong Shuo, this kid, dares to think and do anything, and can actually get it done! I think, if the Emperor sends him to Tokyo, he might even be able to take down the Japanese Emperor."

  "This is a bit of an exaggeration, haha. Moreover, it's still unclear whether Chōshō was killed by Zhong Xiang or not. There's no final verdict yet." Chairman Jiang chuckled and waved his hand, then suddenly said, "By the way, go get that bottle of foreign wine your wife brought back from America. I'm in a good mood today and want to have a couple of drinks."