Chapter 3: What's this kid's background?

  The Xiaoshan commander issued a series of orders to the bewildered crowd: First, all battalion-level officers immediately went to the Kongdao meeting at the Jiangmen Gate to form a temporary command center and start simple reorganization and unification of forces; Second, all troops cleared the roads to allow refugees to enter the dock and prioritize crossing the river; Third, the 36th Division's communications company immediately contacted Hu Zongnan's First Army stationed in Jiangbei to requisition all available ships to transport weapons and ammunition to the Jiangmen Gate dock, and on the return trip to transport retreating civilians and troops; Fourth, given that the Wulongshan position had already been lost, the "Wentianxiang" torpedo boat squadron anchored at Caoshixia and Santaidong was immediately notified to rush to the Jiangmen Gate area to block Japanese naval vessels and cover the retreat; Fifth, the military police force directly reported to the temporary command center and began to exercise its duties.

  Soldiers who flee before civilians will be killed!

  Ministers who board the ship before soldiers will be killed!

  Deserters will be killed!

  Those who shake the military's morale shall be killed! Counter-Revolutionary Agent No. 3

  Kill those who surrender with their arms!

  The order was announced, and General Xiao Shan stood before tens of thousands of people to make a military oath: he would personally lead the troops to block the Japanese army rushing towards the Jiangmen Wharf, and even if they retreated, he would be the last one to board the ship.

  Five consecutive ruthless kill orders were issued, and all the officers and soldiers of various departments were solemn. The army of hundreds of thousands of people immediately found its backbone. The Japanese devils' 50,000-strong army attacked Nanjing, while only the Jiangwan dock gathered more than 60,000 officers and soldiers from various Chinese military units. The Japanese had already issued a massacre order, retreat was death, so it was better to fight fiercely with the little devils, victory or defeat was still unknown. If they won, they could safely withdraw to the north of the river in triumph; if defeated, no more than going to extinction with the little devils.

  Upon arriving at the dock, Xiao Shan and others only then discovered that there were very few usable ships available. The troops who had retreated earlier had taken away most of the ships, and some had been burned by the retreating troops, who were afraid that the Japanese would use these ships to pursue them. As a result, there were only more than 60 usable transport ships, while there were nearly 80,000 soldiers and civilians on site. If they relied solely on these ships, it would take at least three to four days.

  Xiaoshan Ling and Lei Zhen furrowed their brows, their faces growing increasingly solemn. They clearly hadn't expected the situation to deteriorate to this extent either.

  However, the bad news doesn't stop there. The signal corps came to report that the First Army north of the Yangtze River replied that they had not received any information about the withdrawal of the Nanjing garrison, so they were unable to provide support for Jiangnan in a hurry. They are now mobilizing all available ships, but it is estimated that the ships will not be able to depart until this afternoon. Therefore, please ask the troops defending Zhenjiang Gate to hold on for six hours. Also: The "Wentianxiang" gunboat squadron retreated towards Dantu last night and has lost contact, which means that the withdrawal across the river must be carried out without cover.

  Xiaoshan Commander stamped his foot and scolded: "One incompetent general, causing the death of thousands of soldiers. Previously, he said to hold on to Nanjing firmly, but in the end, the Japanese didn't even attack the city gate, yet he ordered a retreat on his own accord. The retreat was not prepared at all, there wasn't even a plan, it's as if he abandoned the 100,000 defending soldiers like abandoned children!"

  Lei Zhen and other officers were all silent, exchanging a glance with each other, and they all saw the unmistakable worry in each other's eyes.

  The people outside the Jiangmen Gate, led by the constabulary, have begun to enter the dock in an orderly manner. Upon seeing the dozens of ships standing alone on the dock, many people started whispering to each other. However, no matter what, there is now a way to escape, so people followed the constabulary's arrangements and quietly boarded the ships.

  Under Lei Zhen's arrangement, Lin Xiaotang sent Er Gou and Fang Rou onto the first batch of departing ships. Lin Xiaotang stuffed all the money he had on him into Er Gou's hands, instructing him that as soon as they reached Jiangbei, he must immediately think of a way to go to Changsha, and under no circumstances follow the refugees to Xuzhou or Wuhan. He faintly felt that these two cities would also become another battlefield soon.

  Two dogs and Fang Rou grabbed his hand and refused to let go, saying that you are not a soldier, why do you want to wait for death here!

  But Lin Xiaotang had his own difficulties. The first batch of ships transported the old, weak, women and children. Originally, Er Gou was not qualified to board the ship, but Lin Xiaotang found Lei Zhen and, relying on his minor merit of having killed three Japanese devils, begged Lei Zhen to let Er Gou board the ship. As a result, Lei Zhen went to ask Xiao Shanling, fortunately, Xiao Shanling had a good impression of Lin Xiaotang, so he made an exception and allowed Er Gou to board the ship. However, Lin Xiaotang did not tell Er Gou or Fang Rou about this.

  Watching the ship slowly leave the dock, Lin Xiaotang was clear that this farewell was also a permanent one. Fortunately, he had already sent these two little guys out of danger, and he could finally account for them and their families. As for the road ahead, they could only rely on themselves to walk from now on.

  In the distance, Nanjing City was still shrouded in cannon fire, as the Nationalist Army that had not retreated in time was engaged in a fierce battle with the Japanese army. Since the Japanese had already entered the city, their artillery and air force had fallen silent, giving the defenders of Jiangmen Gate some breathing room. Commander Xiao Shan ordered his soldiers to take advantage of this brief respite to dig trenches near the docks and Jiangmen Gate, lay landmines, and wait quietly for the arrival of the Japanese army.

  Lin Xiaotang still wore the same student uniform. Although his clothes had long since lost their original appearance, he had a weak-looking face, but he carried a brand-new Type 92 light machine gun on his back, with bullet clips hanging all over his body. Coupled with his earlier rallying cry outside the city gate of Yizheng, many soldiers and civilians recognized him, and when they saw him, they stood up to greet him.

  Lin Xiaotang didn't know where he was going, he lowered his head and ignored the greetings of people around him. From morning till now, it was as if he had been in a dream, to the point that even now he couldn't clearly distinguish whether this was reality or not.

  The temporary command post was set up in the air-raid shelter of the dock warehouse, and Lei Zhen stood at the door of the warehouse smoking. He had just buried the body of his comrade-in-arms Xie Chengrui, and he wasn't feeling very good either. As he looked up, he saw Lin Xiaotang walking over with a distracted look on her face.

  He called out a few times, but Lin Xiaotang seemed to have not heard him. He simply threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and walked over to grab Lin Xiaotang.

  Lin Xiaotang looked up and saw him, calling out "Officer Lei", but his face still didn't show any expression. Lei Zhen let out a sigh, patted his shoulder, and invited him into the command center. ??Reversal of the Republic's Special Agent 3

  The space of the command post is not large, and all the equipment of the 36th Division's communication company is installed here. As soon as you enter the door, it is filled with the sound of "tick-tock" and keyboard tapping. Commander Xiao Shan stands behind the communication soldier, hands on his hips, face iron-gray.

  Lei Zhen shouted a report, and Xiao Shanling finally turned his head to see Lei Zhen and Lin Xiaotang. A smile was squeezed out on his face, followed by some surprise: "Why didn't you get on the boat?"

  Lin Xiaotang forced a smile: "I've sent my younger brother and sister onto the ship, now those boarding are all the elderly, weak, women and children, it's already thanks to Commander Xiao and Officer Lei that my brother can board, I'm a grown man with hands and feet, and I know how to shoot, going up there wouldn't be suitable. Besides, I also want to stay behind and fight against the devils."

  Xiaoshan Ling listened to Lin Xiaotang's old-fashioned and arrogant answer, looking at his still slightly immature face, the expression on his face relaxed a lot. He nodded in approval and said to Lei Zhen: "Old Lei, I'll leave this kid to you. This is a good seedling for being a soldier, you must take care of him for me!"

  Lei Zhen smiled and saluted, agreeing to it.

  Lin Xiaotang glanced around absent-mindedly, and said in a daze: "Xiao Shuai, we fought to the death at Yi Jiang Gate, does the rear know about it?" After finishing speaking, even she herself was somewhat surprised.

  Xiaoshan hesitated for a moment, but involuntarily replied: "I have already contacted the Wuhan headquarters, what do you mean?"

  "Spread the news nationwide, saying we will fight to the death, especially in the rear areas along the Yangtze River. Spread the Japanese massacre order and mobilize the people's forces to gain support from the rear. If things remain as they are now, we will be a lone army, relying on a few broken ships and meager ammunition, unable to complete the withdrawal no matter what. It is better to take a gamble, create a bigger stir, and attract various parties to send ships to rescue us."

  As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xiaotang touched his mouth and chin, his eyes a bit strange, seemingly not believing that these words came out of his own mouth.

  Xiaoshan Ling and Lei Zhen were thoroughly stunned, and the two of them looked at Lin Xiaotang as if they had never seen her before.

  Xiaoshan Lian's eyes lit up in an instant, after all, he was the mayor of Nanjing and also held a military position, belonging to the kind of official who excelled in both politics and martial arts. After a moment's thought, he immediately understood the true meaning behind Lin Xiaotang's seemingly illogical words.

  "What's this, what's this? How did you students come up with this?" asked Xiao Shanling in puzzlement.

  Lin Xiaotang talks nonsense without drafting, claiming that he cares about domestic and foreign politics, especially loves military affairs, has studied the Sino-Japanese War in depth, and so on.

  After finishing speaking, his old face turned red. Fortunately, the command center's lights were dim, and his face was covered with oil mud left by gunpowder, so he was not discovered by Xiaoshan Leng and others.

  "Besides," Lin Xiaotang suddenly had an idea in his mind, he imitated Lei Zhen's style and stepped back with one foot: "Commander Xiao, we can't just stay here and defend to the death. I understand Japanese, I think I should sneak into Nanjing City to gather some information about the enemy's situation. If I run into our troops, I can also guide them to meet up with us at Jiangmen Gate. At this time, one more person means one more share of strength!"

  Xiao Shan's curiosity and surprise gradually faded, his eyes staring unwaveringly at Lin Xiaotang: "Tell me the truth, do you have any other purpose!"

  Lin Xiaotang lowered her head: "My elder brother and sister-in-law are still in the city, they are my only remaining relatives, I want to go back and find them, if...if they really met with disaster, I also want to confirm it!"

  Xiaoshan was silent, and all personnel in the command center were silent.

  Lin Xiaotang raised her head again, and the black mud on her face was washed away by tears, revealing two clear marks: "Please fulfill Commander Xiao's wish!"

  Xiaoshan Commander thought for a long time, pacing back and forth in the command center. After a while, he finally walked to Lin Xiaotang's side: "Remember, I'm sending you there to fulfill your feelings, just take a look and come back, be careful!"

  After finishing, he turned his head: "Lei Zhen, send a few people to follow him, also good to have someone to take care of him, and at the same time keep an eye on him, don't let him do anything stupid. Make it clear, if there's any news, come back immediately, not allowed to go deeper, understand?"

  Lin Xiaotang thanked Commander Xiao Shan and followed Lei Zhen out. When he reached the door, he stopped again and turned to smile at Commander Xiao Shan: "Commander Xiao, I'd like to remind you of something! The devils have snipers in every battalion or even company, your uniform is really too eye-catching, you'd better change into another one."

  Xiaoshan Commander Zhang's mouth was agape, staring blankly at the thin and determined figure in the distance. He then lowered his head to look at his own military uniform: "This kid, where did he come from?"