Chapter 61: Surrounded! Seeking Recommendation Tickets!

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  "What? Surrounded? What's going on?" Zhou Weida asked in confusion.

  "I didn't know, we had just walked onto the street when we saw a large number of devils wearing yellow military uniforms and steel helmets, carrying real guns and ammunition, attacking our original teaching team's battle array."

  The gunfire over there isn't dense, it seems our unit and the brother units have already retreated. The devils probably haven't discovered us yet." Zhao Desheng said somewhat anxiously.

  "Commander Lian, I suggest we break through immediately!" Zhou Wei shouted at Zhang Xinghan as soon as he heard the words.

  "Break through? There are at least a thousand devils in front of us, and with just our few dozen men charging out like this, we won't even be enough for the devils to shoot twice." Sun Siwei retorted, still relatively calm.

  "If we can't break out, let's fight to the death with those little Japanese! At worst, we'll die a heroic death!" Zhou Wei looked at Zhang Xinghan and others and shouted: "We are Huangpu soldiers, soldiers should have the courage of soldiers, even if we die, we must die on the battlefield, how can we stay here waiting for death?"

  "No one wants to wait for death, a soldier's courage is not about going to die, but how to save himself as much as possible and kill more enemies! The devils' reinforcements have arrived, now there are at least several tens of thousands of little devils on the ground in Songjiang, and it's likely that there will be even more in the future. It's only by surviving with a useful body that we can kill more devils!" Zhang Xinghan said thoughtfully.

  "Hum! Cowards, a group of cowards! As a Huangpu soldier, dying on the battlefield is an honor!" Zhou Wei coldly snorted.

  "You're talking nonsense! Who's a coward? Just now when our brothers were fighting the devils with swords, you didn't see it!" Sun Siwei retorted immediately.

  "You're not cowards, are you? Then come with me and charge out! At worst, we'll die together with those little devils!" Zhou Wei's temper flared up, his face reddening as he choked out the words.

  "How dare you!" Zhang Xinghan's face turned red with rage as he shouted, his eyes fixed on Zhou Wei like a knife. "Deputy Company Commander Zhou, who is the company commander?"

  "Zhang Xinghan!" Zhou Wei replied irritably.

  "What is the soldier's duty?"

  "A soldier's duty is to obey orders!"

  "Alright! Now I order, all units to immediately construct defensive fortifications and prepare for battle!" Zhang Xinghan shouted with a stern expression.

  "Yes!" Sun Siwei and all the soldiers responded in unison.

  Zhou Wei felt a bit embarrassed, and finally responded with a "yes" before turning around and leaving with a cold hum.

  …………..

  Nanjing, Presidential Palace.

  Chiang Kai-shek was worried about the war situation on the front line and left after eating only a few mouthfuls of lunch, arriving at his study.

  No sooner had he sat down than urgent footsteps were heard outside the study, and General He Yingqin, Chief of Staff of the Military Affairs Commission, hastily walked in.

  Chiang Kai-shek and He Yingqin became acquainted at the Baoding Military Academy, and were familiar with each other at the Whampoa Military Academy. In 1925, during the National Revolutionary Army's Eastern Campaign, He even saved Chiang's life once, making their relationship extremely close.

  So Chairman Chiang stood up as soon as He Yingqin had just walked in, and calmly asked: "Jingzhi, what's the matter? Your face is so hasty."

  "Your Excellency, news has arrived from the Shanghai-Hangzhou front line that Japanese reinforcements have arrived." He Yingqin said with a rather heavy expression. Although he had a close relationship with Chairman Chiang, he still understood the distinction between monarch and subject.

  "Oh? So soon? How many Japanese reinforcements are there?" Chiang Kai-shek asked in surprise.

  "According to intelligence, the Japanese reinforcements this time are two divisions, namely the 3rd Division and the 11th Division, with General Matsui Iwane, a renowned expert in Japanese siege warfare, as the commander-in-chief. The Japanese reinforcement troops have landed in various areas such as Shizi Lin, Kuanshakou, Zhanghuahang, etc. My besieging troops, the First Instructional Regiment, were fiercely counterattacked by the Japanese reinforcements and suffered heavy casualties, forcing us to withdraw from the battlefield. I fear that our current forces in the Songjiang area cannot withstand the Japanese attack. I suggest that we immediately dispatch reinforcements to the Songjiang front; if we delay, it will be too late!"

  "Hmm!" Chairman Chiang nodded thoughtfully and immediately asked: "Was the loss of the First Division's instruction very great?"

  "According to the report of Captain Zhou Zhenqiang, the loss of the First Battalion this time is quite heavy. When the Japanese army counterattacked, the entire first company led by Company Commander Zhang Xinghan was still launching an attack on the Japanese position, and now they may have been surrounded and sacrificed their lives!" He Yingqin nodded solemnly.

  Chiang Kai-shek's face suddenly turned gloomy upon hearing this, and he slowly sat down, falling into deep thought. As for Zhang Xinghan, Chiang still held him in high regard. This young man, although somewhat arrogant and impulsive, seemed to Chiang to have great potential, requiring only a bit of nurturing before he would surely achieve great things and become a loyal and brave general.

  It is inevitable to be sad, but Mr. Chiang Kai-shek was able to become the leader of modern China and lead the National Army in the eight-year War of Resistance against Japan, his endurance and tolerance were not comparable to ordinary people.

  A moment later, Chairman Chiang raised his head and ordered: "Jingzhi, immediately withdraw the 11th Division, the 98th Division, the 67th Division, and the 14th Division to form the Fifteenth Army Group. Appoint Luo Zhuoying as the commander-in-chief of the army group, and immediately dispatch them to Songhu to resist the enemy!

  "Yes! I'll go and take care of it right away!" He Yingqin stood at attention, saluted with a loud "click", then turned around and quickly walked away.

  After He Yingqin left, Chiang's calm and composed demeanor instantly disappeared. It was not because he regretted the loss of Zhang Mingyu, his beloved student, but because the battle situation in Songhu was unfavorable. In the previous period, the National Army had an absolute advantage on the Songhu battlefield, but the results were disappointing. With the well-equipped Fifth Division, plus artillery and part of the armored forces, they besieged more than 4,000 Japanese troops, yet they could not take them down after a long time.

  The arrival of the Japanese reinforcements suddenly turned the tide of the battlefield. Chiang Kai-shek was forced to reinforce with all his might, in order to ensure that the Chinese army would ultimately emerge victorious from this battle.

  At present, the National Army is retreating step by step on the North China battlefield, losing cities and territories one after another. The Songhu Battlefront cannot afford to lose, otherwise the capital Nanjing will definitely not be preserved.

  The next day, the Fifteenth Army was formally established, and Luo Zhuoying took office on the same day. The 98th Division, the 11th Division, and the 67th Division, which had arrived at the Songhu Battlefront, immediately joined the battle, blocking the enemy's advance and waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.