Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 60 Target "Izumo" (1) (Please read, collect, vote, and recommend)
At the 216th Regiment Headquarters, Hu Jiaji's laughter could be heard from a distance, and he praised loudly:
"What a great Li Daomin! His foreign knowledge was not wasted. He took down the enemy's outer positions in just half a day and cracked open their tortoise shells!"

After Captain Hu finished speaking, he noticed that his old brother, Captain Xiong, looked a little embarrassed, so he quickly added:
"Of course, our local monks are not bad either. Without the foundation laid by the first battalion in the early stage, the second battalion would not have fought so smoothly. They all deserve credit."

Captain Xiong's expression became even uglier. It would be better not to say anything, so he took over the conversation and said:
"Captain, I, Xiong Xinmin, am not that petty. The Second Battalion just fought better than us. I am convinced this time and I am happy for the Second Battalion.

Now that the shell has been cracked, the Japanese still have nearly a thousand troops at the dock. I am worried that the Second Battalion is not strong enough. I suggest that the entire regiment rush forward and wipe out all the Japanese at the dock in one fell swoop while it is dark. "

Captain Hu also became angry and waved his hand:

"Good idea. Let's do as you say. The first battalion, the third battalion, and the artillery battalion will all go up to reinforce us. We need to end the battle before dawn and kill all these sons of bitches. We don't want any of them to be captured!"

When Captain Xiong heard that they finally had a chance to get back at the enemy, he excitedly ran out of the regiment headquarters. Captain Hu could only shake his head. The Second Battalion had taken down the tough bone, and as the regiment commander he had to be fair in the next part of the game.

The first and third battalions rushed into the dock immediately, their morale soaring, and they beat the Japanese back step by step. The second battalion, on the other hand, did not compete with the first and third battalions for credit, as they suffered heavy casualties and were in urgent need of rest.

In the National Army, no one person can take all the credit, otherwise the road will become narrower and narrower. Li Daomin is like their division commander. He looks inconspicuous, but his emotional intelligence is not low. So after returning to China, he became the commander of the main battalion, at the same level as Yue Qianli.

The attack of the first and third battalions went very smoothly at the beginning. Without the support of naval guns, the enemy Marines were incompetent. In close combat and night battles, they were no match for the elite troops of the Central Army. They were beaten and fled in a panic, with corpses strewn all over the dock.

The main force of the Japanese retreated to the warehouses and buildings in the dock and struggled desperately. The two sides fought for every house and launched a brutal street battle.

After a brief meeting between Xiong Xinmin and the third battalion commander Gu Xinheng, the two battalions began to attack separately, leaving the first battalion to fight the Japanese in street fighting, while the third battalion attacked deep into the enemy along the dock, which could greatly improve the efficiency of the attack.

In the dark night, both sides fought fiercely, and the Japanese were defeated step by step. The Third Battalion chased the Japanese all the way. One group of Japanese fled all the way to the Waibaidu Bridge bordering the British Concession. The remaining soldiers finally surrendered to the British Army's Red Head Ashan to save their lives.

Naturally, Gu Xinheng did not dare to charge into the British Concession, so he had to give up and return to the main battlefield to assist the first battalion in encircling and annihilating the Japanese.

After holding out for a while, the remaining Japanese soldiers all retreated into the core fortifications. When the first battalion came to chase them, they were blocked by an iron fence several meters high, which was very solid.
Battalion Commander Xiong took the lead in climbing the fence and was strafed by large-caliber machine guns on the flanking warships, resulting in heavy casualties.

The Japanese who had recovered from the attack also set up light and heavy machine guns and fired at the attacking troops. In order to avoid heavy casualties, Captain Xiong had no choice but to order the troops to abandon the attack and report the enemy situation to the regiment headquarters.

Regiment Commander Hu was also undecided and had to ask for instructions from the division headquarters. After understanding the situation, Song Xilian believed that the goal of the battle had been achieved, the few remaining Japanese soldiers could not make any waves, and a strong attack would only increase casualties, so he ordered the 216th Regiment to withdraw to Yinxiang Township.

The strategy of Huishan Wharf ended regrettably. The 36th Division attacked for a day and a night, suffered more than 600 casualties, and annihilated 500 enemies, basically achieving the goal of the battle.
In this battle, Li Daomin, one of the Six Tigers of West Point, became famous. After the war, he was commended by Division Commander Song Xilian. After reporting to the Military Commission, he was awarded the Sixth Class Yunhui Medal.

In the waters of Bailong Port at the mouth of the Yangtze River, several Japanese warships were anchored on the sea, showing off their might. The most showy of them was the Third Fleet's flagship, the cruiser "Izumo";

The ship was ordered from Britain using China's indemnity for the Sino-Japanese War of 121.9-20.93. It is 20.75 meters long, 9826 meters wide, has a speed of 4, a displacement of 2 tons, is equipped with 206 torpedo tubes, 14 twin 150mm main guns, 38 672mm secondary guns and other large and small naval guns, and has a crew of people.

On the deck, Vice Admiral Hasegawa Kiyoshi, commander of the Third Fleet, had a gloomy face, while Captain Kamata, captain of the Izumo, stood by cautiously. The deterioration of the war was beyond the old Japanese's expectations. "Kamata, we must keep Huishan Wharf, the last stronghold, because it represents the face of the navy!"

Colonel Kamada bowed to Lieutenant General Hasegawa and said:
"Your Excellency the Commander, rest assured. There are two cruisers and two frigates defending near Huishan Wharf. The Chinese attack has been defeated. They have been frightened and dare not launch an attack again."

Lieutenant General Hasegawa's expression became better, and he said quietly:
"The Marine Corps Headquarters was breached by the Chinese. Lord Okawa sacrificed himself for the Empire. His Majesty is furious. The Navy is under tremendous pressure. The Marine Corps must not be driven out of Shanghai by the Chinese. This is the bottom line."

Colonel Kamada agreed with this. Seeing that the commander looked much better, he boldly suggested to him:

"Commander, the Izumo is too close to Shanghai. Chinese reconnaissance planes are often spotted. For your safety, can we withdraw to the open sea?"

Hasegawa shook his head and said:
“Kamata-kun, you worry too much. The Chinese navy has already sunk all of its ships at the entrance to Jiangyin. They don’t even have the courage to fight the Imperial Army.
There is no need to worry about China's aircraft. They are just a bunch of second-generation rich people. They don't have the courage to take action against the powerful Imperial Navy!

The Izumo will stay here to let the Chinese know about the existence of the Imperial Navy. The Imperial Navy still has the final say in Shanghai."

Kamada bowed deeply and said flatteringly:
"Your Excellency, the Commander, has a long-term vision. The existence of the Izumo is a political necessity. The Army's Red Deer will soon land in Shanghai. If our Navy's flagship only dares to stay offshore, the credit for capturing Shanghai will be monopolized by the Army, which is something the Navy cannot tolerate."

Lieutenant General Hasegawa nodded with satisfaction and said:
"Yoshi, what Kamata-kun said is absolutely right. Not only the waters of Shanghai, but the entire East is the bathhouse of the Imperial Navy. You can come and go as you please."

Colonel Kamada looked up and was about to flatter his superiors again when he suddenly saw many black spots in the sky. Being very sensitive to airplanes, he exclaimed:

"General, a group of aircraft are approaching. For safety reasons, please retreat to the safe cabin immediately."

Hasegawa did not take it seriously and said confidently:
"Kamata-kun, these should be the Empire's aerial warriors. They have just completed the bombing of Jinling. We should hang colorful flags to salute the warriors."

A dozen nautical miles away, several torpedo boats were slowly approaching the Izumo. They were the only survivors of the First Fleet and the Second Fleet after they sank. On the torpedo boat "Wen Tianxiang", the captain, Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Tianshou, looked solemn, while the "Yue Fei" and "Shi Kefa" followed closely behind.
Their combined tonnage is not even a fraction of that of the Izumo. Since the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the development of the two countries' navies has been worlds apart, and now they don't even have the strength to fight.

This was a suicidal attack with no way back. The young naval officers and soldiers wanted to make their voice heard to the world. Although the main force had sunk to block the river, the Chinese Navy did not give up the fight. Just like the name of their ships, they were willing to die for the sake of national justice...

There was also a group of brave warriors willing to die in the sky. After finding the enemy fleet, 21 Northrop-2E light bombers of the Chinese Air Force rushed towards the armored cruiser "Izumo" like moths to a flame.

"Bakayaloo, enemy attack!"

Colonel Kamada was so frightened that he supported Hasegawa Kiyoshi, who was also pale, and began to run for his life. They had lost their previous composure.
The panicked alarm sounds on the sea pierced the sky, which made China's air prides excited. One after another, they dropped bombs on the "Izumo" in succession. The Chinese Air Force sent out its powerful voice to the Japanese navy.

With them around, China's oceans will not allow them to enter and exit freely...

(End of this chapter)