Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 65: Panacea on the battlefield (seeking follow-up reading)
Although Hu Lian envied Yue Qianli for having seized a large amount of spoils, he was still a gentleman who earned money in a proper way, and did not mention the spoils to Yue Qianli.

These trophies were not about money, but about military merit. Yue Qianli was very generous and gave him two Type 4 heavy machine guns and four Type light machine guns.

As the saying goes, one should be grateful to the person who has given him the favor, and one should be soft-hearted when receiving the favor. Hu Lian still declined, saying:
"Brother, this gift is too great. I won't accept it without merit. I appreciate it."

"Brother Boyu, you are being too polite. These machine guns are for the brothers of the 66th Regiment to fight the Japanese.

Luodian's strategic location is very important. The Japanese will definitely counterattack, and you will be under tremendous pressure at that time. The losses of light and heavy machine guns will be great in the battle.

At a critical moment, one more gun means one more force. The matching bullets are also provided. Please do not refuse, brother Boyu, we are all fighting the devils!"

Seeing that Yue Qianli had said this with understanding and tact, Hu Lian stopped refusing and said openly:

"Then I will respectfully obey your command. On behalf of the brothers of the 66th Regiment, I would like to express my gratitude to you for your righteousness."

Hu Lian's words were not all just polite talk. These machine guns were indeed of great use to them. Although the 11th Army was also a direct descendant of the Central Army and the 88th Division was General Chen's starting point, its equipment was still a level lower than that of the Imperial Guards such as the 6th Division. Six light and heavy machine guns were considered a generous gift.

After a few more polite words, Yue Qianli completed the handover of positions and left. He did not want to get too close to Fox General, who was too cunning.

Although he is a real man and is very good at fighting the Japanese, he is also as fierce as a tiger and as cunning as a fox when fighting the Red Army. The two are not in the same camp, so it is better to keep a distance.

While the Second Battalion was recovering Luodian, the 88th Division received a new combat mission, ordering it to send a part of its forces to assist in the defense of the Lion Grove Fort, while the main force remained in Zhabei to confront the enemy and prevent the Japs from invading the Chinese area from the Japanese Concession.

It was the 527th Regiment that was sent by Sun Yuanliang to assist in the defense of the Lion Grove area. After completing the mission handover, the Second Battalion also rushed to the Lion Grove to return to the unit. Yue Qianli was glad that this time he didn't have to worry about seeing Sun Yuanliang.

After learning that the Second Battalion had successfully captured Luodian and annihilated hundreds of enemies, Sun Yuanliang excitedly praised:
"What a great Yue Qianli! He is worthy of being the best general of our 88th Division. He recaptured the important town of Luodian in just one night and annihilated a battalion of the enemy. This is another great victory!
Chief of Staff Zhang, immediately report the victory to the headquarters in the name of the division, and also report the victory to the Military Commission. The principal is waiting for the good news that my 88th Division has recaptured Luodian. "

Zhang Boting (Zi Xianghao) cast an envious look at Sun Yuanliang. The master's luck always seemed to be extremely good. Whenever he was sleepy, someone would bring him a pillow. He immediately said flatteringly:
"Commander, I heard that the Military Commission has decided to upgrade the 88th Division to the 72nd Army, with the 88th Division under its command. With this great victory, I can respectfully address you as Commander in advance."

Sun Yuanliang waved his hand triumphantly and said:
“Brother Xianghao, we should keep a low profile on this unsettled matter, lest others think that Sun is someone who covets official positions;
As a revolutionary soldier, you should serve the country and the principal, and live up to the millions of people."

Chief of Staff Zhang has become immune to Sun Yuanliang's pretentious words. The gap between the two sides is there, which shows that his methods are effective. He just needs to study hard and strive to be promoted to army chief of staff.

Outside of Lion Grove, 527th Regiment Headquarters

When Liao Lingqi saw Yue Qianli, he excitedly grabbed his arm and said:

"Qianli, I'm glad you're back. I was wondering who to send to guard the Lion Grove Fort. Now that you're back, I have a plan."

After he finished speaking, he looked at him expectantly. Yue Qianli was really about to curse. He really treated him as a panacea and applied him wherever he was needed.

If he remembered correctly, the 98nd Battalion of the 588th Regiment of the th Division guarded the Lion Grove Fort in another time and space, and this battalion was completely wiped out in the end;
The 88th Division in this time and space was liberated because it captured the enemy's naval headquarters building, which gave General Zhang a capable mobile force, so he sent the 527nd Battalion of the 98th Regiment to recapture Luodian. When the Japanese landed at Chuanshakou and occupied the Lion Grove Fort, General Zhang immediately ordered the th Division to recapture the Lion Grove.

After receiving the order, the 98th Division attacked the Lion Grove from Baoshan with two battalions of the 292rd Regiment of the 583nd Brigade, while the main force moved from Yuepu to the Lion Grove.

By noon, the Lion Grove was recaptured by the 98th Division.

However, the 98th Division had a heavy defense task, and the 88th Division was idle, so after weighing the pros and cons, General Zhang ordered the 88th Division to send a part of it to take over the defense of Lion Grove.

The main force of the 98th Division defended Baoshan and assisted the 11th Division in defending Luodian, thus strengthening the defense lines of Baoshan and Luodian, killing two birds with one stone.

As the 527th Regiment had won consecutive battles, Sun Yuanliang immediately handed over the task of defending the Lion Grove to the 527th Regiment. Now Liao Lingqi was looking at him eagerly, and the meaning was self-evident.

This is another difficult task that may result in the annihilation of the entire army. Perhaps this is the mission that the time traveler must bear. Who made him flap his butterfly wings?

"Captain, if there is a mission, just give it out. It's frightening to see you looking at me like that."

Liao Lingqi smiled awkwardly. He knew that if he kept plucking the same sheep, it would be easy to make it bald. But Yue Qianli was a good fighter.
The Lion Ridge Fort couldn't accommodate too many troops, so he felt relieved only if he handed it over to the Second Battalion. So he said shamelessly:
"Qianli, the defense line of Dachang has not been built yet. Once Dachang is lost, the main force of the Japanese can threaten Luodian to the west and attack our Zhabei troops to the south. The consequences are disastrous.

Therefore, we must defend the Lion Grove Fort for more than three days. The division commander said that we only need to defend it for three days. After three days, we can abandon the fort and join the 524th Regiment in defending Dachang. "

Liao Lingqi's deployment was to let the most capable Second Battalion defend the Lion Grove, while he himself led the main force of the regiment to defend the line of Lion Grove-Yuepu-Baoshan County;
The 98rd Battalion of the 583rd Regiment of the 3th Division held Baoshan County, and the main force built fortifications in Yuepu Town facing northeast.

The 587th Regiment built fortifications on the Zhuzhai-Sunjialou line, and the 584th Regiment clamped down on the Japanese invaders in Luodian at the Hanzhai, Wudoujing, Jiepai Bridge and Tuzhuyuan positions east of Luodian.

This was equivalent to the 88th Division sending a regiment to lighten the burden of the 98th Division, allowing it to draw out more troops to assist in the defense of Luodian, which was the focus of the battle between the two sides;
The Japanese were determined to capture Luodian, then go south to attack the Kuomintang army's retreat north of Suzhou River and annihilate the main force of the Kuomintang army gathered north of Suzhou River. Their appetite was extremely big.

After understanding all the deployments, Yue Qianli took on the task of defending the Lion Grove Fort, while the main force of the regiment assisted on the right wing and formed a line with the 98th Division in the Baoshan direction.

Yue Qianli actually didn't want to take this mission. Their defense line was connected with the 98th Division's like a long snake formation. As long as the Japanese concentrated their forces to break through one point, the entire defense line would collapse.

In another time and space, Yao Ziqing's battalion guarding Baoshan was attacked by the Japanese the day after the Lion Grove Fort was lost, and the entire battalion died heroically.

Yue Qianli felt aggrieved when he thought of this. The 98th Division, whether it was the troops guarding the Lion Grove or the Baoshan garrison, fought very fiercely, but they still lost in the end.
The main reason was that it was a simple positional warfare, which could not stop the Japanese with the assistance of planes and naval guns. They could choose any point to attack, and the defenders were unable to defend themselves, and could not defend themselves at all.

He is now just doing his best and leaving the rest to fate and the orders from his superiors. If he dares not to carry out the orders, he will be subject to military law.

(End of this chapter)