Chapter 119

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Nanxiang area, Youth Army Headquarters.

Lv Muzhi met friendly forces of the Ninth Group Army there; the 36th Division, 87th Division, 88th Division, and others also arrived at the battlefield.

Chen Cheng's Fifteenth Group Army also arrived at the Songhu battlefield.

Everyone borrowed Lv Muzhi's garrison to hold a military conference.

Chen Cheng, Commander-in-Chief of the Fifteenth Group Army, stood up first: "It is a great honor to be appointed Frontline Commander-in-Chief by the President. In the battles ahead, I hope to cooperate sincerely with all of you."

Officers at brigade commander level and above sat upright, watching Chen Cheng speak.

"Wei Yue, you captured the Japanese Land Warfare Commander. The President is very pleased and specially awards you the First Class Precious Tripod Medal!"

Hearing Chen Cheng call his name, Lv Muzhi stood up immediately.

Chen Cheng walked to Lv Muzhi's front and personally pinned the shining First Class Precious Tripod Medal on him.

"Qiu Qingquan!"

"Present!"

Chen Cheng then walked to Qiu Qingquan's side and pinned a Second Class Precious Tripod Medal on Qiu Qingquan's chest.

Chu Yunfei also received a Precious Tripod Medal, though its rank could not compare to those of the commanders. But seeing the medal pinned on his chest, Chu Yunfei had a thousand thoughts: Fortunately, he had met Lu Commander during the Central Plains War, otherwise there would be no today!

Lv Muzhi still had several medals in his hand, prepared by the Ministry of Military Administration to be issued to some grassroots officers of the Youth Army.

"I hope all comrades will take the Youth Army as an example and achieve new merits on the battlefield!"

After speaking, Chen Cheng walked to the combat map and said: "According to intelligence, the enemy has formed the Shanghai Expeditionary Army, with the Third Division and Eleventh Division as the first batch of troops to reinforce Shanghai. All units must be prepared to respond."

"I propose that the Fifteenth Group Army defend the Liuhe to Wusongkou area to prevent the Wang Jingwei Regime from landing; the Ninth Group Army will deploy along the Huangpu River to prevent the enemy from making a comeback along the Huangpu River."

Everyone knew that the Liuhe to Wusongkou line was absolutely the most intense front. Chen Cheng deployed his Fifteenth Group Army there: first, because the Ninth Group Army had already fought a major battle and needed rest and refit; second, Chen Cheng obviously also wanted to achieve some results to show the President.

Regarding this point, Lv Muzhi did not think much of it, because the Huangpu River line was also extremely important.

According to intelligence, the Wusongkou Battery had been destroyed. To enter the Huangpu River, one must pass through Wusongkou. Now that the Wusongkou Battery was destroyed, the Japanese Third Fleet could enter the Huangpu River unscathed.

Along the Huangpu River, the most important was undoubtedly the Gongda Textile Mill Airport. If the Japanese occupied the Gongda Textile Mill, then Japanese air force could be stationed in Songhu, making it easier for them to seize air superiority.

If the Japanese did not have this airport, then besides the Japanese Navy Air Force, the Army Air Force could only fly from the home islands, Manchuria, Liugiu, and some places in North China, which would take a lot of time.

Chen Cheng said a few more words on the platform, then announced the meeting adjourned, and everyone went to deploy according to the arranged combat plan.

"Wei Yue, how do you think the defense of this Huangpu River line should be carried out? We absolutely cannot let the Japanese land!"

After the meeting, Zhang Zhizhong, Commander of the Ninth Group Army, found Lv Muzhi.

"Commander Zhang, my opinion is that wherever it benefits the Japanese in exerting their naval supremacy, we should stay as far away as possible, draw the Japanese onto land to fight, so that their naval guns cannot be used."

Zhang Zhizhong frowned: "Don't we have torpedo boats? Why not use torpedo boats to match strength with the Japanese?"

Lv Muzhi shook his head: "If torpedo boats were really that effective, why would the Japanese build such a powerful navy? They might as well just build torpedo boats. In the last Huangpu River battle, the Japanese lost one Izumo cruiser and three other cannonboats and destroyers; I also lost nine torpedo boats, and that was under a surprise attack."

"The Japanese must now be on guard. Using this trick again won't work. The Torpedo Battalion must also focus on Yangtze River defense to prevent the Japanese from rushing in along the Yangtze and firing everywhere."

Zhang Zhizhong frowned: "If so, what should we do with our flesh and blood bodies?"

"Of course, we must focus on annihilating the enemy's manpower. Preserve the man and lose the land, both can be preserved; preserve the land and lose the man, both are lost. Both Commander Chen's Fifteenth Group Army and our Ninth Group Army should aim for this goal. We must make the Japanese pay a huge price for every step forward."

"That is to say, only moderate resistance in the Songhu river area? It seems the President doesn't think so."

Qiu Qingquan, standing to the side, cleared his throat: "Mr. Wenbai, we must listen to the President's words, but we cannot listen to them entirely, can we?"

"If we had followed the President's intention the day before yesterday, could our forces have annihilated the Marine Corps? When the Japanese army arrived, where would we have time to deal with the Marine Corps? If we truly listened to the President, and the Japanese fleet made a comeback, wouldn't this Marine Corps be rushing left and right in our hinterland?"

Lv Muzhi suppressed Qiu Qingquan's words: "Hey, don't talk nonsense. The President made this decision; he must have his reasons."

Zhang Zhizhong smiled: "So we will only make moderate resistance by the Huangpu River?"

"That's right. Only moderate resistance. Draw the Japanese onto land to fight. Although the Japanese save their naval gun shells, if we fight too fiercely at the shore, the Japanese won't care about those few shells."

"However, the Gongda Textile Mill Airport by the Huangpu River must be destroyed, so that it cannot land aircraft, further weakening the Japanese air superiority."

"Indeed. I have arranged for Song Xilian's Thirty-sixth Division to go and handle it, destroying the Gongda Textile Mill airport."

After Zhang Zhizhong left, Qiu Qingquan asked: "Commander Lu, our artillery is stationed here in Nanxiang. Should we move forward a bit to support the Liuhe to Wusongkou line? The fighting there is absolutely the most intense. I think we could kill and wound many enemies!"

"No. I arranged the artillery position in Nanxiang after calculation. This place is outside the range of the Japanese naval guns. If we move forward, once concentrated by the Japanese naval guns, it would be troublesome."

"My big cannons here in Nanxiang can cover the Luodian Defense Line to the north, and can hit Dachang, Zhabei, and Hongkou Command to the east. The coastal and river areas were never intended to be defended to the death. Drawing the enemy into the city to fight is the right way."

While the two were talking, several hot air balloons flew in the sky. They were actually Japanese high-altitude reconnaissance balloons.

"That's the Japanese balloon! Where is our air force?" Qiu Qingquan asked in surprise.

"The Japanese aren't made of wood. I think there must be a problem at the airport. Contact the airport on one side, and prepare the anti-aircraft guns on the other!"

Over the Nanxiang artillery position, two Japanese observation balloons drifted slowly, hovering at an altitude of one thousand meters. The scout in the balloon basket was holding binoculars, overlooking the entire Songhu battlefield.

"It seems the air force's attack was effective." A Japanese scout said to his companion, "The Japanese Navy Air Force and fighter planes from the Japanese home islands, over a hundred of them, gathered over the airports of Suzhou City and Hangzhou to engage in air combat, tying up the Chinese fighter planes."

Another scout excitedly recorded the ground situation: "So many people down there... Ba ga... Where is the enemy's heavy artillery position? It should be roughly around here... Wait, there's movement down there!"