Chapter 251 The Last Counterattack in the Battle of Nanjing (Part 1)

Zhang Lingfu had never fought such a breath-holding battle. The Japanese army surrounded the attacking troops on both wings and cooperated with the enemy on the front, and the firepower of the two temporary independent brigades could not compete with the Japanese army at all. The Japanese army's 75mm field artillery was pushed within 100 meters to advance and shoot. Coupled with the Japanese tanks that rushed around, the entire battle situation immediately turned sharply.

Not only was the huge casualties of the troops, but they were also followed by the Japanese army to attack. Zhang Lingfu tried to rectify the troops several times and reorganize the defense, but unfortunately, the *** people did not give him this opportunity at all.

Niudao Man followed Zhong*** and launched a rapid attack, and once left the 47th infantry rebel in front, because Zhong*** had already become disintegrated. As long as you seize the opportunity and don’t give the opponent time to rectify, you can easily follow this force to attack Xishui Gate, Zhonghua Gate, and Guanghua Gate, especially where Zhonghua Gate was located during the period. As long as you can break through Zhongzhao’s city wall defense and enter the real street fighting stage, then the capture of Nanjing is just around the corner.

Just as Niu Daoman was commanding his 36th Infantry Brigade and the 47th Regiment of the 11th Infantry Brigade, following Zhang Lingfu's attack and advance, the two armored assault groups commanded by Qiu Qingquan and the counterattack forces of as many as five brigades had arrived at the line between Zhonghua Gate and Guanghua Gate. The other two assault groups set off from Xiaolingwei in Zijin Mountain to regain the engineering school that was lost at night, and attacked and advanced towards Qixia Mountain, supporting the remnants of the 103rd Division of Gui Yongqing's teaching corps to retreat back to the city.

Due to the loss of control of air superiority, Zhang Xuewu was forced to give up part of his external positions and prepare for street fighting by shrinking his troops. The battle for peripheral positions that lasted nearly a month had caused all the elite main forces guarding Nanjing to be severely damaged to varying degrees. Among them, the 88th Division that defended Yuhuatai and the 36th Division that defended the Zijinshan defense line were the most important. Qixia Mountain, which was defended by Gui Yongqing of the teaching corps, had reached the end of his strength. Zhang Xuewu's plan was to defend Nanjing for three months, but in fact he himself did not think that defending for three months was feasible, because the troops he had were not enough to launch an external battle against Nanjing.

So at the beginning of the Nanjing Battle, he used the outer line of Nanjing's city walls as the key point for repeated battles with the Japanese army. In fact, Zhang Xuewu did not place his hope on the counterattack of the main force. He also made a mistake that was the same wishful thinking as Chiang Kai-shek, that was, he placed part of his hope on the direct dispatch of troops from the Soviet Union.

Zhang Xuewu once read some of the declassified archives in later generations. At that time, the Soviet government was the only country in the world that expressed its willingness to actively support China's war of resistance.

Before the Battle of Nanjing in history, Marshal Voroshilov, an important figure in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, secretly visited the China delegation in Moscow. He said that when China's War of Resistance reached a critical moment of life and death, the Soviet government sent troops and would never sit idly by.

For this reason, Chiang Kai-shek called Voroshilov and Stalin to express his gratitude, hoping that the Soviet government could provide more help. At that time, the Chinese government had done its last for national survival and international obligations and had the greatest strength, the main force had no choice but to retreat to the capital of Nanjing. However, we were waiting for the support of the Soviet Union and Russia. We hope that the Soviet government would make a quick decision, promote its troops with righteousness, and be in dire straits to aid China.

Moreover, the Soviet Union also provided great assistance to Zhang Xuewu's Rehe, and even sent some technical troops into Rehe to help him resist the Japanese attack. These actions made Zhang Xuewu think that if he could hold on to Nanjing for two months, the Soviet government might directly send troops to aid China, and then the entire World War II pattern would also undergo a huge change? But Zhang Xuewu was a little disappointed at this moment, because the Soviet Union had almost responded to Rehe, and there was no sign of direct dispatch of troops from the Far East, except for increasing the intensity of aid and responding to Rehe.

Moreover, the nearly 300 fighter jets of the second batch of the Soviets' volunteer airline aid to China were all close to Rehe, which shows that the Soviets cared about Rehe, a strategic buffer place that could contain the Japanese army in large quantities, rather than to completely help China's war of resistance. Zhang Xuewu also realized how slim the possibility of the Soviet Union sending troops directly.

Since the Soviets did not send troops, there was no need for Zhang Xuewu to continuously consume a large number of reserves to repeatedly compete with the Japanese army for the outer positions on the city wall, and continuously attract the Japanese army with the inner positions on the city wall, and use street fighting to kill the Japanese army on a large scale to reduce the Japanese army's advantages in ground and air firepower and give full play to its advantages in light weapons and anti-tank weapons.

Therefore, Zhang Xuewu decided to launch a large-scale counterattack, causing the defenders outside the city to give up meaningless competition, shrink the defense line to the city wall positions along the Zijin Mountain Zhonghua Gate, Guanghua Gate, and Xishui Gate, and use the city walls and street forts and other fortifications in the city to kill the Japanese army in large quantities.

However, Zhang Xuewu had a choice to give up. For example, the key points such as Wulongshan Fortress and Yanziji Fortress were deployed to repeatedly compete with the Japanese army.

Take a city and kill people! Zhang Xuewu is determined to turn Nanjing into the grave of the Japanese army. Since the fall of Nanjing may be inevitable, a complete building will not be left to the enemy. He will use the many solid buildings in the city as key points to repeatedly compete with the Japanese army, defend during the day, and send counterattack troops at night to restore the lost positions during the day.

Liang Baohua is the colonel commander of the strategic artillery unit of the Rehe Legion. Liang Baohua is a graduate of the seventh class of the artillery department of the CSKA Military Academy. He once went to Germany to study. After graduation, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel. As a result, he waited for the left and waited for the right and did not see the heavy artillery. In desperation, Liang Baohua spent all his savings at the Ministry of Military Affairs to clear the situation and headed to Rehe.

As a result, he was promoted to the level as soon as he arrived at Rehe. Liang Baohua was from Hunan. As a soldier, he couldn't stand such a meritless and unpaid life. However, in order to become the leader of the Sixth Strategic Artillery Regiment, he also accepted it. Originally, the army was preparing to equip the 150 mm large-caliber heavy howitzer. As a result, due to the advance installation of the hail rocket launcher, the number of the Sixth Heavy Artillery Regiment of Liang Baohua's troops was directly cancelled and changed to the First Mobile Artillery Regiment. Liang Baohua was unhappy and was furious for a few days.

After receiving the equipment, Liang Baohua loved these treasures who made a harsh whistling sound after receiving the first fire attack at the Baotou shooting range. He was extremely proud of being able to go to Nanjing Liang Baohua at that time, because the temporary first mechanization division was the absolute elite main force among the nearly 200,000 carefully selected army of the Rehe Legion. The height and professional standards of the selected officers and soldiers need to be given.

At that time, many of the officers and soldiers who failed to be elected called the beauty pageant jealously. You should know that it was entering Nanjing! The golden powder land of the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, Nanjing’s powder smell the most fragrant, unlike the soldiers everywhere in Rehe, even if they occasionally meet a girl, they will be blushing!

At that time, the only unit that entered Nanjing without a standard organization was the First Mobile Artillery Regiment. Liang Baohua was so angry that he was almost in the sky. As a result, Liang Baohua's regiment, who was so fluttering and unknown, did not catch the Zhonghua Gate's troops at all, nor was he inspected and received by Chairman Jiang and military and political officials. Even when he entered the city, he entered the city with martial law and canvas in the middle of the night.

The Nanjing War had been fighting for a full month, but the first motor artillery regiment had not fired. Liang Baohua was so angry that he couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, and he couldn't eat anything. He was driven back several times when he asked for battle. The entire regiment could only sigh in the underground fortifications of Zhima Camp.

Liang Baohua was not convinced at all. The Sixth Regiment of the former strategic artillery, which was trained, was one of the top among the twelve regiments. Now Nanjing has reached a critical moment. The battle of the city walls is in full swing. Almost all the reserve teams in the city are heading for it. Even the military corps of the general reserve team have invested two, but he is not as good as the First Regiment of the Mobile Artillery.

Liang Baohua had already thought that if Nanjing lost his artillery regiment without a single shot, he would raise his gun and kill himself, and Cheng Ren died for his country!

As a result, in the evening, Liang Baohua received a call from Zhang Xuewu. Zhang Xuewu directly ordered Liang Baohua to shoot me twice a volley at the established scale target area outside the Zhonghua Gate within 20 minutes!

Liang Baohua didn't even think about it, and directly patted his chest to ensure that the task was completed resolutely. The first motorized artillery regiment, holding his breath, maneuvered to the predetermined launch position amid the rumbling sound of artillery on all sides of Nanjing City. The standard operating time for manual loading of 105 mm and 48-bar rocket launchers was 32 minutes. The Joint Logistics Command of the Rehe Legion Artillery shortened this time to twenty-eight minutes, but in actual training, the Chinese artillery shortened this time to fourteen minutes again. You must know that every minute is crucial to the artillery troops. In artillery battles, it means reducing the possibility of enemy discovery and accelerating the speed of troops transfer.

Liang Baohua took off his arms and stood on a rocket launcher, looking at the 986 people in the regiment and said, "Chief Zhang said, this battle is related to the survival of the country and the national freedom battle. We are the killer weapon hidden in Nanjing. Tonight, we will let those two-legged beasts know what mobile artillery is and what rocket launcher is! It is better to die in battle than be a slave to the destruction of the country! Born in the whole country, die in Nanjing! The troops will follow my orders to launch each artillery, and take three volleys! Show off our military power! Revitalize our military spirit!"

Sun Guiming, who was guarding the Niushou Mountain tunnel, gathered nearly a thousand people in the remaining troops, pushed open several hidden exits, waiting for the Jiangbei heavy artillery brigade to shell the gun at night, and then counterattacked to the main peak of Niushou Mountain. The tunnel had been cut off for two days, and the officers and soldiers had no need to drink urine. They could hold on for seven days without eating, but they could only last for seventy-two hours without drinking water. They were forced to ask Zhang Xuewu for artillery support, and used the remaining troops to counterattack the main peak occupied by the Japanese army, attracting the attention and mobile forces of the Japanese army, and covering the general Yamaha Yunfei's troops to break through.

Sun Guiming directly advised Zhang Xuewu through telegram that the Fifth Brigade was the elite troops of Rehe, and he must not die of a thirst in the tunnel. He must die even if he dies. His only requirement is that the legion commander gives a round of heavy artillery as cover.

Zhang Xuewu agreed to Sun Guiming's combat plan. He planned the tunnel defense battle in Niushou Mountain, and he also sent Sun Guiming and nearly 6,000 subordinates into a desperate situation. Now these subordinates who were Guo Chengren only demanded that artillery fire be concentrated to launch a counterattack on the Japanese army in order to die more decently. Zhang Xuewu's eyes, as the supreme commander, unconsciously blurred at this moment.

Zhang Xuewu ordered Wulongshan Fortress, Yanziji Fortress, Jiangbei artillery group, various brigades, artillery battalions of the division, and all mortars including 60 mm caliber or above, to carry out an hour of fierce shelling at the enemy in front of him for 19:00 on June 25, 1937, to cooperate with the main force to attack the full attack.

It is very dangerous to use all large-caliber artillery to counterattack the Japanese army without control. However, compared with the 150-mm heavy field howitzer of the German-made Rheinmetall Company, which is equipped with 32 times the caliber of the German-made Rheinmetallery, its range can only be described as miserable. Therefore, Zhang Xuewu also planned to take the opportunity to find the Japanese heavy artillery launch position, and deal with it severely, so he would reduce the threat to our army in street fighting.

Zhang Xuewu knew very well that this would be the last large-scale counterattack of the Chinese team during the Nanjing Defense War. After the counterattack, it officially marked the entry of the street fighting stage of the Nanjing Defense War. As the highest commander of the Nanjing Defense War, Zhang Xuewu slowly closed his eyes. He was so tired these days. He knew that every decision he made now would be commented by later generations, and that every tactical implementation might be repeatedly evaluated in detail. However, there is no history. Those who have sat in peace in later generations who have not even killed several chickens in their current era are not qualified to evaluate all this.

All sacrifices today are for the independence of the country and freedom of the nation tomorrow. Let the war wash away all the luster! History is the most just. No one can annihilate the true axioms and history, let blood prove it, for the unyielding spirit of the Chinese nation, and let all enemies verify the courage of the *** people in the blood.

In the temporary official residence of the highest authority in Wuhan, Chiang Kai-shek and a group of senior military and political officials did not rush to Chongqing, but listened to the war reports of the people in the combat hall. Celebrities and senior officials from all walks of life were raising their glasses downstairs to celebrate the guards of Nanjing for a whole month. The red grapes in the cup seemed to be like the blood flowing from the frontline soldiers.

All the battle reports of the *** people occupied somewhere today, how many *** troops were eliminated, or the general of the *** army were killed, etc. The participants' faces were not very good-looking, especially Chiang Kai-shek, who had a pale face. He vowed to agree that Zhang Xuewu would personally lead Yunnan, Sichuan and other places to Nanjing for reinforcements in 20 days. As a result, ten days have passed, all the reinforcements scheduled to go to reinforcements were incorporated into the scoop of the Fifth War Zone. Li Zongren was commanding the largest miscellaneous army cluster in Chinese history to gather in Xuzhou to prevent the Japanese army from joining the east and west sides.

After hearing the battle report from the *** people, Chiang Kai-shek glanced at Qian Dajun beside him and said, "Is there any battle situation and war report from Nanjing?"

Qian Dajun shook his head helplessly and said, "According to the battle report of the *** people, they seem to have broken into the Nanjing city wall. Our army has killed the troops. There are no less than ten generals and officers at the two levels of the brigade. Nanjing City may not be punitive for too long!"

He Yingqin waved his hand and said, "Zhang Xuewu is best at sticking out. What he is best at fighting street fighting. Now it is just a abandonment of the outer city walls. The real street fighting has not begun. In Chengde, Zhang Xuewu's lonely army is exhausted from ammunition and food, but he can still hold on. Now his troops and ammunition are sufficient, so there is not much time to say that this is a move to increase the morale of the Japanese invaders and destroy our army's prestige."

Qian Dajun said helplessly: "I'm just talking about the matter. President He doesn't have to care. I also hope that Nanjing can hold on for two months! All the equipment of the 26 infantry divisions purchased from the Soviet Union have been shipped, and our army's equipment and morale will inevitably be greatly boosted."

Zhang Xueliang, the special military and political consultant of the National Government, also smiled and said, "My cousin, I know that he is a tough guy. The elite troops guarding Nanjing are all Huangpu's elite troops. The combat power is the strongest. Nanjing will not be easily lost. I just added the number of annihilated our army published in previous Japanese war reports. With more than 20,000 today, there are more than 700,000 people. I am afraid that each of our Nanjing defenders will die a few times. Can you still believe your words?"

When everyone present heard this, they burst into laughter. Chiang Kai-shek's face turned slightly and said, "Order the 89th Army, the 94th Army, the 97th Army, the 98th Army, the 98th Army, the 100th Army and other units to complete the assembly within six days and prepare to support the Nanjing defenders. If the troops who are unable to reach the designated position after the deadline will be sent to the Military Law Department for strict and serious treatment."

Everyone knew that these armies were the new troops that Chiang Kai-shek had newly added with Soviet weapons. In the Battle of Shanghai, Chiang Kai-shek took the opportunity to annex many local factional troops. After retreating from Nanjing, he disrupted the establishment and reorganized a number of new troops. Under the national justice of the War of Resistance, both Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, Liu Wenhui, Liu Xiang, Yun Long and others could only suffer a loss.

After a brief meeting, Chiang Kai-shek appeared in front of Chinese and foreign journalists with a large group of military and political officials with a smile. Zhang Qun's witty words made people feel that the capital of China is now under the siege of the enemy's army, and tens of millions of people are displaced and hungry on the streets.

Bottles of British champagne, European egg tarts, caviar biscuits, foie gras, pastrami, all of which make people feel no war atmosphere.

On June 25, 1937, at 19:00, nearly a hundred red signal flares suddenly rose from all over Nanjing! Prince Hirohiko Asaka Palace, who was in charge of command, and almost all the division commanders walked out of the tent and looked at the red signal flares in the night sky in a daze?
Chapter completed!