Chapter 62: Bathed in Blood!

  In the late afternoon, all officers and soldiers hastily ate the dried rations such as fried rice they carried with them, and rested in the fortifications that had been hurriedly repaired in the afternoon.

  Zhang Xinghan leaned against the back of a bunker, expressionlessly smoking a cigarette. Since he came onto the battlefield, in order to alleviate the pressure of constantly facing death threats, Zhang Xinghan quickly learned how to smoke and his nicotine addiction rapidly rose.

  He actually knew that he wasn't really addicted to tobacco, but was being forced by the current tense situation.

  If Zhang Xinghan was not mistaken, the reinforcements of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army should have arrived by now. The first batch of reinforcements consisted of two divisions, namely the 3rd Division and the 11th Division, led by General Shigematsu Hashimoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army.

  Due to the arrival of Japanese reinforcements, General Zhang Zhizhong, commander-in-chief of the Ninth Army Group, was forced to order all units of the Ninth Army Group to cease active attacks and switch to defense, awaiting reinforcements.

  At this time, the total strength of the Japanese army in the Songhu area had already exceeded 50,000 men, and more reinforcements would arrive after October. After October 5th, the battle on the North China Plain basically ended, and the Japanese army would dispatch troops from the North China Expeditionary Army to reinforce the Songhu battlefield, which was when the National Army retreated completely.

  As all units of the Ninth Army Group retreated in disarray and switched to defense, it was impossible to expect anyone to come to their rescue. Even if they wanted to rescue them, they had no power to do so.

  However, it is worth noting that after the arrival of Japanese reinforcements, the National Government also urgently formed the 15th Army Group to rush to the Shanghai battlefield, at which time the National Army will launch a counterattack against the Japanese army at each landing point.

  So as long as Zhang Xinghan and all the officers and soldiers could hold on until the arrival of reinforcements from the Fifteenth Army Group, they still had a glimmer of hope for survival.

  This is also the reason why Zhang Xinghan ordered to repair and reinforce the fortifications, as the continuous military strength can now no longer be mobilized for a counterattack. Otherwise, under the bombardment of the Japanese army's strong ships and cannons and the encirclement of superior forces, it is feared that there will only be a complete defeat.

  But Zhang Xinghan also knew that defending this strategic location and holding out until reinforcements arrived would not be easy. Once the Japanese discovered them, they would certainly commit overwhelming forces to attack them, and the ensuing battle would be extremely brutal.

  Whether he and his more than 60 men could hold out until reinforcements arrived was a question.

  At this time, Sun Siwei walked over with a crouched waist and sat down beside Zhang Xinghan, seeing that Zhang Xinghan's eyebrows were tightly locked, as if he had something on his mind, and asked, "Xinghan, what are you thinking about?"

  "There's nothing much, I'm just thinking about what to do next." Zhang Xinghan replied calmly while smoking.

  "Is there a good way? Zhou Wei's words are also right, if we really defend here, it's not a solution. I think the devils should find us soon." Sun Siwei said.

  "At present, the Japanese army is massively reinforcing its troops in the Songhu battle field. The Central and the principal will not sit idly by waiting for death. I think the reinforcement should arrive soon, so we must hold on until they arrive, this way there's still a glimmer of hope." Zhang Xinghan said thoughtfully.

  "What if the reinforcements can't arrive in time, then we'll probably all die together, Xing Han, are you afraid of death?" Sun Siwei asked and patted his forehead, awkwardly smiling: "This question I asked is really a waste of words, back when you were fighting with the little devils at Jifengkou with your big knife, the danger was no less than this."

  "I didn't expect Zhang Xing's Chinese to be so astonishing: 'Afraid of death? Of course, I'm afraid of death. Anyone would be. But there are some things that can make people forget their fear of death, even numb it. Take now, for example. Our country is being invaded. If we soldiers are too afraid to fight the invaders because of our fear of death, then what's the point of the country paying us? As the saying goes, 'death can be lighter than a feather or heavier than Mount Tai.' At this critical moment when our nation and ethnicity are in danger, we military men should stand up, fight bravely, and die for our country!'"

  Sun Siwei heard the words and immediately became solemn, nodding in agreement: "You're right! As the principal said, once the war begins, there is no distinction between north and south, old and young, everyone has the responsibility to defend their homeland against the enemy! We are soldiers, we should be at the forefront of the battle, protecting our homes and defending our country. If we don't go to the battlefield, do you want our fathers and mothers to take up guns and fight against the Japanese devils?"

  "Hmm! So, although we fear death, we can die for our country and fight for our nation! Dying is also glorious!" Zhang Xinghan nodded.

  "Enemy ahead! There are little devils!" a sentry's voice rang out.

  Zhang Xinghan and Sun Siwei quickly grasped their guns, turned over and got up, and shouted in a low voice: "Prepare for battle!"