Lost and Spy

Chapter 471
On December 1937, 12, the Japanese General Staff Headquarters issued the "Mainland Order No. 7".

This combat order cleared away the disunity of ideas within Japan, made it clear that Nanjing must be occupied, and the war would be spread across China.

On the same day, the Central China Front Army Command announced the "Keys to Capture Nanjing City".It is required to force the Chinese army to surrender the city while the commander of the city defending Nanjing or the city government authorities are still in the city.

From this day onwards, the Japanese army began to attack the first-line defensive positions outside Nanjing in an all-round way, and ordered to continue to attack the Nanjing City Fukuo positions after breaking through this position.

As the order was issued, the Japanese army began to bombard Nanjing City with heavy artillery, and there were fireworks inside and outside Nanjing City.

After occupying Tangshui, an important town on the outskirts of Nanjing, the commander of the 16th Division, Lieutenant General Nakajima Kinzago, ordered to assist a brigade of the 38th Infantry Regiment of Second Dazuo Shizuo and the 33rd Infantry Regiment of Kengo Noda to pass through Zijin Mountain. The northern foot attacked the Xiaguan River.

The 9th Infantry Regiment under the command of Goro Katagiri, the 20th Infantry Regiment under the command of Nobuaki Ono, and the 33rd Infantry Regiment under the command of Nobuaki Ohno attacked the Zhongshan Gate from the southern foot of Zijin Mountain.The two forces directly formed a pincer attack on the north and south of Nanjing.

The battle lasted until noon when the 66th Division of the 159th Army bombarded the headquarters of the 16th Division of the Japanese Army in the Tangshui Artillery School.

The irony is that Nakajima Kinzago himself was born in artillery. In November 1903, he graduated from the 11th Artillery Section of the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer Academy. In March of the following year, he was awarded the rank of Second Lieutenant of Artillery. He was also sent by the Japanese Army to study in France.

Although this person cannot be said to be a "flower of artillery", at least he has some experience in the use of artillery.

However, during the war with foreign troops in Nanjing, Lieutenant General Nakajima Kinzago actually set up his division headquarters in the location of the Tangshan Artillery School of the Chinese Army in Zuochang Yanjia Village, Tangshan, which can be said to be a bit too arrogant.

On the same day, Shanghai.

The "advance team" of the Japanese navy, which had not been established for a long time, was actually overwhelmed by people on Tang En Road, where Japanese overseas Chinese gathered.None of the captain Yamazaki Takeoka and his 13 subordinates survived.

This is undoubtedly a major loss to the Shanghai Secret Service of the Japanese Navy.

It is said that that night, gunshots suddenly sounded in Chuanyuan Trading Company, and there were even explosions similar to grenades during the period.

The entire assassination operation only lasted for a short 5 minutes.

By the time the Japanese arrest team arrived, the killers had all evacuated.

What troubled the Japanese side was how the whereabouts of the advance team were exposed?The only explanation is that Takeoka Yamazaki is fond of drinking and likes women. Maybe it is because of these weaknesses that the military commander took advantage of them?

Gu Shigehara, head of the "Shanghai Research Office" of the Japanese Navy's Shanghai spy organization, became angry, while the Army's Shanghai spy agency gloated.

After all, the major loss of the opponent is the great strengthening of one's own strength.

It is Kawamoto Kojiro who has doubts about this.

Why did the military command focus on the navy?Where did they get the information from?Is there a problem within yourself?
Of course, he didn't suspect Miao Chengfang at all.

Miao Chengfang has never had access to this information.

Since "returning" to the Japanese, Miao Chengfang lived very comfortably every day, hiding in the room drinking tea and reading newspapers, which was not a particularly important thing, and he didn't even want to go out the door.

However, it is clear that Miao Chengfang's comfortable life has come to an end.

Hitosuke Matsumoto held an emergency meeting in his "cloud mansion".

"The attack on the capital of China has already begun!" Matsumoto Nitsutsu couldn't hide his excitement in his words: "I am sure that under the powerful attack of the empire, the occupation of Nanjing is only a matter of time."

Sooner or later?
Tian Qi was very disdainful.

In Shanghai, you have been fighting for more than three months. Nanjing, that is the capital, the tenacious soldiers of the national army will persist there for a longer period of time and inflict even greater damage on you!
"Order." Hitoshi Matsumoto's face turned serious: "In order to ensure that after the occupation of Nanjing, stabilize the local order, and eliminate the resistance in China, our agencies will transfer personnel to Nanjing. The meaning of the front-line headquarters is whether we can draw out opponents here." Local familiar personnel in Nanjing act as guides after entering the city, and assist the army in sweeping away hidden remnants.”

"Your Excellency, is your favorite candidate Tian Qi?" Miao Chengfang asked slowly.

"Yes." Renji Matsumoto's eyes fell on Tian Qi: "Mr. Tian has been stationed in Nanjing for a long time, and he already knows the local situation well?"

Tian Qi nodded slowly: "Yes, I am the most suitable candidate, and, if His Excellency orders personally, I am willing to go to assist."

"Very good." Matsumoto Nitsutsu looked very satisfied: "Currently, the Ninth Division of Kanazawa is attacking Chunhua Town and Takahashi Gate, where they encountered tenacious resistance from the Chinese army. The Sakurai Special Team organized by us There are already frequent activities there, I will send a car to take you there immediately, you are under the command of Major Sakurai Koura, but you can report to me alone."

This is to give Tian Qi certain rights.

Tian Qi didn't say a word.

I was finally going back to Nanjing, but I didn't expect to go back in such a way.

He looked up and found that Kawamoto Kojiro was looking at him.

There was still suspicion in his eyes.

Tian Qi smiled provocatively.

……

At this time, on the battlefield of Chunhua Town, under the tenacious sniper attack of the 51st Division of the National Army, it was difficult for the Japanese 9th Division in Kanazawa to move forward.But soon, the Japanese army sent additional planes to continuously bomb the positions of the Chinese army, and cooperated with the ground forces to forcibly advance.

The frontline positions of the Chinese army were almost completely breached by the 9th Cavalry Regiment under the command of Sixth Commander Morigo.

At around 12:8 on December 16, the Japanese army used aviation, artillery, infantry, and cavalry to fight together. All the officers and soldiers of the first battalion of the defenders were killed, and Chunhua Town was almost lost.

Ji Hongru, the head of the 301st regiment, was seriously injured, the company commander was almost exhausted, and more than 1400 people were killed or injured below the platoon. The 301st regiment was almost wiped out and completely lost its combat effectiveness.

The striker of the 9th Division of the Japanese Army Kanazawa has followed the Chinese army all the way to Gaoqiao Gate outside Nanjing, and this is the second line of defense of the 51st Division.

In order to ensure that the frontline troops could quickly withdraw to the second line of defense, Wang Yaowu thought of the two reserve teams under his control: Qiu Weida's 306th Regiment and Zhang Lingfu's 305th Regiment, which had just been withdrawn from Shanghai and had just arrived in Nanjing.

The order was quickly issued: "The 305th Regiment advances to Guantou and Shangfang Town behind Chunhua Town, and the main force of the cover division is transferred." , the front was bombarded with artillery fire to cover the attack.

After three days, the 51st Division had suffered more than 900 casualties, and the 301st Regiment suffered heavy losses.Looking from Gaoqiao, Chunhua Town was completely enveloped in fireworks, where fierce battles continued.

Ji Hongru's 301st regiment was almost disabled.From the contact war that started on December 12th to now, in just three days, there is almost no one main force left.Under the fierce artillery fire of the Japanese army, countless Chinese soldiers died everywhere.

At this time, Zhang Lingfu was also worried about his old classmate Hu Hao.

在第51师内，黄埔四期毕业的不在少数，除了张灵甫之外，第151旅旅长周志道、第306团团长邱维达、第306团第3营营长胡豪、第305团团副常孝德都是四期军官生。

Although Zhang Lingfu is not a very sociable person on weekdays, but at this time, he is also worried about his classmates. After all, the defense of Nanjing this time is really a battle that is more ominous.

"Tell the troops to assemble urgently." Zhang Lingfu's meditation was interrupted by the command of the division commander Wang Yaowu.

"But the division seat, the second-line position has not been fully built yet."

Zhang Lingfu was taken aback. Why was the situation so urgent? He was not a soldier who questioned the order of the top, but he couldn't understand it.

"It's too late, tell the brothers, get ready to go into battle." The division commander Wang Yaowu only left such a sentence, turned around and left.

The staff officer of the division stood there with an embarrassed expression for a while, and then came up angrily to tell Zhang Lingfu the specific situation.

After listening to the staff officer's briefing, Zhang Lingfu issued an order for the whole regiment to assemble: "Transfer the defense to the 87th Division of the neighbors who will be defending, and advance from Gaoqiaomen to the position west of Chunhua Town." Zhang Lingfu's order Very straightforward.

"There are all of them, drive in one by one, and advance in the direction of Chunhua." Facing a group of brothers standing in the evening wind, Chang Xiaode, the deputy of the regiment, shouted at the top of his voice. He knew that this trip would be a battle. Bloody battle, many brothers will leave their lives there.

Like those smog-faced brothers, Chang Xiaode also has a calm face. This battle has reached the city of Nanjing, and he will die a damn happy death. Rather than dying under this gun, it is better to be a subjugated slave Much stronger.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have been admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy and joined the army. Isn't it because he wanted to save the suffering China with a new-style army?

The Japanese artillery shells almost blew most of the outside positions into a sea of ​​flames, and countless shell fragments were flying everywhere. The burning fire reduced many villages and towns on the outskirts of Nanjing to ashes.

Relying on the cover of artillery fire, the Japanese army successively launched attacks from all directions against the Chinese troops guarding inside and outside the city. Countless stray bullets were flying in the sky. The night sky is as bright as day.

In the billowing smoke and dust, the houses in Chunhua Town collapsed one after another, and the devastated positions were once again immersed in thick smoke and fire.

From the Gaoqiaomen position to the east, the road is full of routs.

For the scene in front of him, Zhang Lingfu found it unimaginable.Before that, the minister's department still demanded to defend Nanjing to the last man, but with the scene in front of us, how can this battle continue?
And on the night of this day, Tian Qi rushed to the front line from Shanghai and successfully joined the Sakurai Special Forces.

(End of this chapter)