Jiangning, the Japanese Central China Front captured the Nanjing Advance Command.
After the assassination of Asaka Miyakohiko, the commander of the Japanese Condemnation Force in Shanghai and the commander-in-chief of the capture of Nanjing, Matsui Iwane, the commander of the Central China Front Army, resumed the post of commander of the Condemnation Force. At the same time, in order to facilitate the command, an advanced headquarters for the capture of Nanjing was established.
Lieutenant General Yanagawa Heisuke, commander of the Tenth Army, serves as the overall commander.
In the spacious and bright conference room, Yanagawa Heisuke occupies the leading position.
In addition to the Kunisaki detachment that has crossed the Yangtze River and the Chongteng detachment that has been destroyed, the remaining nine main divisions, including the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 16th, 18th, 101st, and 114th, etc.
Almost all the chief officers were present. Even if the division commander could not come in person, at least the chief of staff was sent to attend the meeting.
This meeting can be said to be the final mobilization to capture Nanjing!
"Your Excellency, Commander, is deeply disappointed with the progress of our Central China Front, and the base camp is very dissatisfied with the performance of our frontline units." Lieutenant General Yanagawa Heisuke was making his final concluding remarks, "Don't forget, the Empire of Japan is an island country.
, resources are scarce, and the empire’s treasury cannot support our long-term war. If the imperial army cannot force the Chinese government to surrender in the short term, the situation will be very unfavorable to the empire.”
"For this reason, the base camp ordered us to capture the capital of China, Nanjing, within three days!"
"Now I order..." Yanagawa Heisuke suddenly stood up, and the participating division commanders and chiefs of staff also stood up suddenly. At the same time, they all turned their heads to pay attention to Yanagawa Heisuke. Yanagawa Heisuke said again, "Except the 18th Division to Hangzhou
In addition to attacking and advancing in the direction of Pukou, the Kunisaki detachment will attack and advance in the direction of Pukou, and the remaining divisions will concentrate all their efforts to capture Nanjing!"
"Hai!" The nine division commanders lowered their heads suddenly, and at the same time, they suddenly put their feet back and stood at attention.
…
Wuhan, travel camp.
At the same time that Yanagawa Heisuke was holding a military meeting, the leader of the national government, Chairman Chiang Kai-shek, was also holding a military meeting.
This meeting is not only a summary of the war situation on the two fronts some time ago, but in a sense it can also be seen as a meeting to wipe Yue Weihan's butt. If Yue Weihan had not issued a so-called complaint in the name of Jiang, he would have been killed.
And it has caused a great impact, and today we will not have to convene a military meeting with the generals of each theater in such a hurry.
Deputy Chief of General Staff Bai Chongqi was standing in front of a huge map, pointing at Xuzhou with the wooden stick in his hand, and said: "According to the information provided by the Military Command Bureau, we are now certain that the Japanese troops advancing southward along the Jinpu Railway are the 10th Japanese Army.
Division, and it was the 5th Division that secretly landed in Qingdao soon."
"These two divisions are permanent divisions in the Japanese army's order of battle. They are well-equipped and have strong combat effectiveness. Han Fuqu's Shandong Army may not be able to withstand it for too long. Once the Shandong Army is defeated, the Japanese 10th Division and 5th Division
They will advance hand in hand, and the two forces will attack Xuzhou, the important military town in the Central Plains."
"The situation in the North China battlefield is roughly the same. Now let's talk about the Nanjing battlefield."
"Including the main position of Purple Mountain, most of the defense fortifications outside Nanjing have been lost. At present, the Japanese army has mobilized two heavy artillery brigades and is bombarding Zhonghua Gate and Guanghua Gate. It is only a matter of time before the city gate is breached. If nothing happens,
, the battle to defend Nanjing will turn into street fighting today."
Chairman Chiang suddenly said: "Let's just fight in the streets. Isn't it just a bayonet seeing red? We are not afraid! But how many refugees are there in Nanjing? How long will it take to move them all to Jiangbei?"
At this moment, Chairman Chiang really wished that there were only a few hundred refugees in Nanjing and they could be transferred to Jiangbei at once.
In this way, the hundreds of thousands of direct aces in Nanjing will no longer have to fight against the Japanese invaders. This is more important than anything else!
Chairman Chiang never thought that once he ordered the retreat again, Commander-in-Chief Tang, who was a former warlord, would simply not be able to suppress the proud and powerful generals who were directly affiliated with the Central Army in Nanjing. At that time, there would be a fight between officers and soldiers, and various ministries would compete for priority.
The scene of withdrawal will eventually lead to a historical tragedy in which hundreds of thousands of elite national troops give up their resistance.
Bai Chongqi hesitated for a moment and said: "I'm afraid no one can tell how many refugees there are in Nanjing City, but I think there must be half a million. With the current capacity of Xiaguan Wharf, even if it is operating at full capacity
, it will take at least twenty days to transfer all the refugees in Nanjing to Jiangbei."
"Twenty days!?" The faces of the senior generals present at the meeting were not very good.
Bai Chongqi added: "The most worrying thing is the Baoshan Regiment. This time their opponent is the Guoqi Detachment!"
Li Zongren, commander of the Fifth War Zone, also said: "Although the Baoshan Regiment has defeated the Chongteng Detachment before, this Chongteng Detachment was composed of the Taiwan Garrison Brigade and actually only had the strength of three infantry brigades, both in terms of strength and equipment.
The quality of individual soldiers is not at the same level as that of the Kunisaki detachment, so I am also very worried about it."
Bai Chongqi looked at Chairman Chiang and said: "Based on the strength and equipment of the Baoshan Regiment and the Guoqi Detachment, once the Guoqi Detachment reaches the attack position, the Baoshan Regiment can only hold on for three days at most!"
The senior generals present at the meeting were immediately in an uproar, and Chairman Chiang's brows instantly tightened.
In fact, Bai Chongqi has given Chairman Chiang a lot of face. In his opinion, once the two armies face each other head-on, the Baoshan Regiment will not be able to survive for even half a day!
Yes, the Baoshan Regiment fought many victorious battles. In Jingjiang and Yangzhou, it even annihilated two of the most elite field regiments of the Japanese army. But those were all clever battles. One made perfect use of the terrain, and the other
It was because the Japanese army was out of ammunition and food, but this time facing the Guoqi detachment, Bai Chongqi really couldn't think of any other tricks Yue Weihan could pull off.
Gu Zhutong, who had been promoted to the commander of the Second War Zone, looked at Chairman Chiang and said, "Commissioner, can you consider transferring Xia Zhongyu's 98th Division to Pukou?"
"No, it's too far apart." Chairman Chiang waved his hand with a gloomy expression.
All the senior generals attending the meeting were silent. At this time, apart from the hundreds of thousands of troops in Nanjing, the closest ones to Pukou and the Baoshan Regiment were the 114th Division stationed in Hefei, and then there was Zhang Zizhong's 59th Army stationed in Bengbu and Huainan.
, but these two armies are the last barriers in southeastern Anhui and cannot be moved lightly.
As for the dozen or so divisions in Nanjing City, they cannot be easily mobilized, otherwise it will easily affect the entire Nanjing battlefield and cause the collapse of the entire Nanjing battlefield! The truth is obvious, if everyone works together, no one will be left behind.
I thought that once troops moved to Jiangbei in advance, even to rush to the rescue of the Baoshan Regiment, it would trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Bai Chongqi paused and then said: "The Baoshan regiment can only hold on for three days. As for Nanjing, it can hold on for ten days at most. After ten days, the Nanjing defense battle will end, but the Japanese invaders will never stop their advance just because they occupy Nanjing."
According to the pace, they will definitely go north along the Jinpu Railway and strive to join the Japanese army in Xuzhou in the north China direction."
Li Zongren, commander of the Fifth War Zone, echoed: "I completely agree with Jiansheng's judgment. I think we can now start deploying the battle of Xuzhou."
…
Jiangpu Town, Dongmen Theater.
The mayor, who was over sixty years old, gave an order, and all the young people who were still in the town gathered together. The young people from dozens of nearby villages also came to the party under the leadership of the chief security officer.
Since ancient times, the folk customs have been strong. In addition, the world is not good and bandits are rampant. Every township has established a militia for self-protection.
The war reporter Zhao Xinyi was standing on the stage holding a loudspeaker and shouting loudly.
"Folks, old and young men in Jiangpu Town, do you know? The Japanese have already reached the other side of the river and have reached outside Nanjing! If we don't rise up to resist, they will attack across the Yangtze River and reach Jiangpu Town!"
"When you pick up your hoe and go to work in the fields, have you ever thought about how many of your compatriots have had their homes destroyed, become homeless, and have no fields to farm?"
"When you pick up your bowl and prepare to eat, have you ever thought that in Nanjing on the other side of the river, there are more than 500,000 refugees freezing in the cold wind and starving in the ice and snow!"
"When your children are gathered around your knees, enjoying the happiness of your family, have you ever thought that on both sides of the Yangtze River and outside Nanjing, thousands of soldiers of the national army die in battle every day? They also have wives and children at home, and parents in high halls.
, but... they can never wait to return to their relatives!"
"Fathers and fellow villagers, young and old men, every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the country!"
"Yes, the power of one person is very small, but when tens of thousands of you come together, they are a powerful force. If 40 million compatriots unite, any enemy will be crushed by us!"
"Folks, you can't wait any longer, pick up your hoes and go help the national army repair bunkers!"
Zhou Bowen, who was standing nearby, was so excited by Zhao Xinyi's words that he couldn't help but raise his arms and roar: "Down with Japanese imperialism, long live the Chinese nation..."
"Down with Japanese imperialism, long live the Chinese nation!"
The old gentleman wearing glasses was the first to roar, and then a childish voice shouted at the top of his lungs. Soon, all the young adults gathered under the stage started roaring at the top of their lungs, including the old mayor who was over sixty years old.
Wiping the tears that fell from the corners of his eyes, he waved his hand and said tremblingly: "Copycat, let's go!"
Immediately, the three to five thousand young men gathered under the stage picked up their picks and hoes, and then like a flood that burst the embankment, they poured out of the town and rushed to the Baoshan Regiment's position.
On the stage, Zhou Bowen turned back to Zhao Xinyi and smiled: "Xinyi, what you just said is really contagious. Not to mention the folks in the audience, even I was moved by you. No wonder Secretary Yang told me,
As long as you can study at the Anti-Japanese University for two years, you can be directly assigned to the main regiment of the Eighth Route Army as a political commissar."