August 13, 1937 AD, the eighth day of the seventh lunar month in the Ding Chou year of the lunar calendar, at one o'clock in the morning.
Perhaps because they were not confident enough in their strategic depth, the First Division of the Japanese Marine Corps crossed the concession area and set up defenses at Baoshan Road, North Sichuan Road and other places, and cooperated with the 88th Division of the Chinese Navy Corps who were repairing fortifications in the Baziqiao area.
Encountered by the 1st Battalion of the 523rd Regiment of the 262nd Brigade.
In the dark night, the Japanese army thought that the Chinese *** team had quietly launched an attack. In panic, the major commander immediately led his troops along the North Sichuan Road and Jungong Road to attack first, and used naval gunboats to bombard the 87th and 88th Division defense areas.
, the Chinese *** team quickly responded with mortars, and since then, the Songhu War has begun in an all-round way.
At two o'clock in the morning, the Nationalist Government convened the media in Beijing and the envoys of various countries in Beijing held a press conference. At the meeting, Chiang Kai-shek publicly issued the "Declaration of Anti-Violence and Self-Defense", declaring that "China's territorial sovereignty has been invaded by Japan. International
The Covenant, the Nine-Power Pact, and the Non-War Convention have been completely destroyed by Japan." "China has to accept its territorial sovereignty and the dignity of the above-mentioned various treaties," and "it can only respond by exercising its natural right of self-defense."
At 2:30 in the morning, half an hour after Chiang Kai-shek's press conference, Zhang Zhizhong summoned reporters from the Chinese community in Shanghai, representatives from all walks of life in Shanghai, and consular officials from various countries in Shanghai. He pointed at the sky in the south that was dyed red by artillery fire and said with great sadness and indignation:
"My compatriots, journalists, and respected envoys, just an hour and a half ago, Japan suddenly broke the peace in Shanghai. It first stormed our Chinese border defenses, and then bombarded our Zhabei with heavy artillery from warships, causing our residents to
The casualties were heavy. The Japanese army combined land and water firepower to continuously destroy several of our defense fortifications, causing hundreds of casualties. In order to defend our country and safeguard our sovereignty, our country is determined to fight back!
"Everyone, at this moment, peace has been completely despaired, and sacrifice has reached the last moment. I have no hesitation in saving the nation from humiliation. In response to my solemn voice, the peace in Shanghai has been destroyed by Japanese artillery fire, and the land managed by my ancestors has been miserably managed.
We were trampled by the Japanese cavalry again, and we had no choice but to launch a sacred and solemn war of resistance with heroic determination to defend ourselves!"
After that, Zhang Zhizhong saluted the audience with a solemn military salute and turned to leave.
Only then did people realize that this was the clarion call issued by the Chinese Army to counterattack. Next, Shanghai would become the main battlefield between China and Japan. For a time, the venue was filled with cheers, applause, or
Despair, or curses and abuse, the reactions are very different.
Six o'clock in the morning, Shanghai, Nanjing Central General Hospital.
An Yi, who got up early, was dressed neatly. With the support of Feng Jieyun, he walked into the temporary war room of the Second Route Army on the third floor of the hospital building. Feng Jieyun smiled and nodded to Liu Qing and several staff officers on duty before going downstairs.
.
Seeing An Yi walking directly towards the large map of Shanghai, Liu Qing, who had been busy all night, quickly followed and came to the map to report the progress of the battle in detail:
"At three o'clock in the morning, after General Wenbai issued a full-line counterattack order, our army quickly recovered the three lost positions, and then concentrated its artillery fire to bombard the Japanese strongholds. The 87th Division on the left attacked the Japanese Club, the Naval Base and Shanghai
Jiang University, Public University Cotton Factory and other positions, the 88th on the right wing
The main force of the division stormed the Japanese strongholds of Tomb Hill, Bazi Bridge, Law School, and Hongkou Park, forming a pincer-like attack that outflanked the Japanese troops stationed in Shanghai. The Japanese troops relied on the solid strongholds they had maintained for many years to resist stubbornly, and launched street-by-street battles with our attacking troops.
Competition.
"Although the artillery of each division of the Ninth Group Army is equipped with new artillery purchased from Germany and various artillery produced by Jiangnan Arsenal, because the Japanese army is located inside the concession, our artillery is afraid that the sputtered shrapnel will fly into the adjacent concession, causing the British and American etc.
The Nationalist Army did not dare to let go of the artillery bombardment, and the suppression effect was not good. So far, the entire war is still in a tug-of-war situation, and neither side has been able to achieve a breakthrough."
An Yi nodded: "This is expected. Since the Japanese army suffered from our Anjia Army in 2032, they have often used our army as a reference to deliberately strengthen the defense of the Japanese Concession. After five years of construction,
, the entire concession area has been built into an extremely strong three-dimensional fortress of urban defense, and our army has thrown a weapon against rats. It is not surprising to have such a performance. As time goes by, the war situation will become more and more tragic. By the way, how is the war in North China? "
Liu Qingdao: "The 29th Group Army and the 13th Army are still fighting fiercely in the north of Peiping. Yesterday afternoon, the Sixth Air Force Regiment launched a half-hour bombing of the Japanese offensive positions. The Japanese army suffered heavy losses, but as night fell, another
They took advantage of the darkness to launch an attack. Fortunately, Song Mingxuan had already taken precautions.
The various ministries cooperated with each other and performed well. As of five o'clock in the morning today, they were still evenly matched. The 29th Army was following the orders of the central government to organize the transfer of people. Now the entire north of Peiping is full of refugees with their families and children.
The report sent by the fourth department is terrible!"
An Yi shook his head and smiled bitterly: "There is nothing we can do about it. It is too difficult to defend the counties north of Beiping. With the Ping-Han Railway cut off and supplies continue to be consumed, the supply of ammunition will become more and more difficult. It is wise to give up decisively.
act.”
Speaking of this, An Yi sighed longly: "Washgar and the others don't know when they will wake up? The entire top-level military division of the Fifth Army was almost paralyzed. Last night I saw Lu Yixuan brought up the
Although I know every one of them, most of them are my students, and I also know that they are all time-tested and loyal soldiers, I was suddenly promoted from battalion commander to division and brigade commander.
Even with the appointment of a member of the Communist Party of China, it is still somewhat counterproductive."
"Don't worry, there should be no problem. Now Deputy Commander Yin has rushed to North China to serve as the Chief of Staff of the First Theater Command. Lao Qu has also rushed to Datong to serve as the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Fifth Army. Guo Peirong has also served as the Deputy Commander of the Seventeenth Army.
Take a look at the four new division commanders of the 17th Army.
Ni Xianrong, Yuan Jin, Xiao Ruofei, and Li Jun all graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy and returned to the Xufu Military Academy. Aren't they all talents you are optimistic about? They can now take the lead, and with Deputy Yin
Commander and the others will give you guidance and there will be no problem," Liu Qing comforted.
"Hopefully!"
An Yi smiled: "Speaking of which, the Chairman is really generous this time. With a wave of his hand, he established two divisions. Although the New Fifth Division and the New Sixth Division are both Type B divisions of the Two Brigades and Sixth Regiment,
Don’t we want the central government’s recognition? As long as each division is equipped with a teaching brigade, plus artillery regiments, etc., it will not be worse than the 17th Division and the 68th Division.”
Liu Qing nodded: "With the fighting in Shanghai, the Chairman is counting on our Anjia army to kill more Japanese soldiers. Naturally, Han Xin will be the one to recruit more troops..."
"Commander, Beard is awake!"
Shen Fengdao took a telegram, rushed into the door of the war room, and came to An Yi in the blink of an eye: "Sir Zhang also woke up at the same time. Although their eyesight has not yet recovered, they have inflammation of the respiratory tract and digestive tract. But he was very conscious, and Huzi also asked about the situation of the Fifth Army Corps and the commander. Now they washed their eyes with antibiotic eye drops, and after injection and infusion treatment, they fell asleep again. I believe they will be in much better spirits when they wake up next time. "
An Yi was so excited that he grabbed the telegram, read it carefully, and kept applauding: "This is the best news I heard today. Hu Hu and Lao Zhang woke up, which proves that the rescue efforts of our medical experts are effective. I believe Others will slowly wake up next. To be honest, I have been worried about Brother Hu and the others these past few days, and now I am finally half relieved."
Shen Fengdao smiled and said, "Who says it's not the case? In fact, everyone is in the same mood. I believe Hu Tou, Xia Jian and Yang Bin will be extremely happy when this good news spreads."
An Yi nodded and suddenly remembered something. He glanced around and Liu Qing turned his head knowingly. An Yi dragged Shen Fengdao to the window and asked softly:
"Has Sister Qing woke up? I haven't looked at her since the crash. During the time when I woke up and passed out again, she was transferred to Xufu General Hospital for treatment along with the medical expert team. I'm a little worried. Don’t worry.”
Shen Fengdao looked serious: "She hasn't woken up yet, but the doctor said that Miss Ye's vital signs are very stable and she is not in danger. More sleep will be good for her physical and mental recovery."
An Yi was slightly disappointed: "I've been awake for so many days, why is Sister Qing still... Forget it, I don't want to think about this anymore, Lao Shen, is there any good news from Xu Mansion?"
Shen Fengdao's expression calmed down: "The drought in the southwest and northwest regions has finally been completely relieved. It has been raining for several days, and the mountains and rivers have been soaked with water. The rivers and lakes are full of water. The agricultural production in the entire southwest region has basically stopped. The area has returned to normal. In many places where the rice harvest failed, our high-yielding sweet potatoes and potatoes were replanted in a timely manner, and winter wheat was planted as soon as the harvest was harvested. There is basically no need to worry about next year's food. In addition, due to the timely dispatch of medical teams to the disaster areas, so far, , no major plague has occurred, and the plague vaccine heads in some places have basically not spread under the strict isolation and treatment of our doctors and nurses. On the contrary, I have heard that epidemics have occurred in Henan, Guangdong and other places, and a large number of people and animals have died. The Appeasement Office of the Xufu Government has Send an official letter asking if you need our assistance.
"By the way, there is an interesting thing. When the famine came, some landowners were reluctant to open warehouses to store grain and provide relief to the countryside. As a result, a large number of people fled from famine, and a lot of land was abandoned. Those refugees who came to southern Sichuan adapted to working in factories Many people are unwilling to return to their hometowns due to the life of workers in the mines. Now there is no one to cultivate the land in most areas of Sichuan, Gannan, Shaanxi, Western Hubei and other places. Many landowners have no choice but to send people to intercept the people heading south. We attract refugees to farm with lower land rents, which in turn popularizes our policy of reducing rents and interest rates, and the power of urban industrialization is initially revealed."
An Yi nodded happily: "Yes, with the acceleration of industrialization, cities will absorb more and more labor, and land is no longer people's only choice. Now the harvesters and seeders of Xufu Tractor Factory have been developed If it succeeds, the land will no longer require so much labor in the future, and a large number of farmers will flock to factories, shops, hotels, restaurants, and engage in production and service industries. Urbanization will be a trend in economic development."
While the two were talking, the clock hand pointed to eight o'clock in the morning. Yang Fei, Fang Zhanpeng and more than ten staff officers walked into the war room on time.
Yang Fei saw An Yi and Shen Fengdao talking in front of the window, stopped Fang Zhanpeng who wanted to say hello, and asked Liu Qing and the staff on duty to go to bed. Then he picked up last night's battle report and read it carefully.