Chapter 144

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

On the small Luodian battlefield, both Chinese and Japanese sides committed land, sea, and air forces in a single afternoon, crowding tens of thousands of troops.

The Japanese, with three regiments plus over thirty tanks, attacked the Luodian position in three routes—left, center, and right—on the ground.

On the ground, Lv Muzhi deployed Liao Yaoxiang's Youth Army Second Brigade to guard Luodian's left wing, Huang Wei's Sixty-Seventh Division to defend Luodian's main position, and the Eighteenth Army's Eleventh Division to guard Luodian's right wing.

Zhou Weiguo, leading the Armored Tank Regiment, was on his way.

Such a grand show could not possibly be wrapped up hastily in one afternoon.

On the Mutsu Battleship, Navy Commander Gu Qingchuan watched the sun set in the west and said, "Your Excellency Matsui, night is falling soon, the Navy Air Force is about to wrap up—what do you say about the ground operations?"

Matsui Iwane was now bloodshot-eyed: "I have already poured massive resources into the Luodian battlefield; now it's water spilled that cannot be gathered back. Since it cannot be taken back, then to prevent other Xia Guo armies from reinforcing the Luodian battlefield, I can only expand the scale of the battlefield!"

"What? You want to spread the flames of war at Luodian to other places?" Gu Qingchuan asked doubtfully.

"No choice. The main force of the enemy's Ninth Group Army has not yet acted; I need someone to pin down the Ninth Group Army, and also other troops of the Fifteenth Group Army. That is to say, operations must be launched simultaneously at Yangxing Town and Jiangwan Town to pin down Xia's other armies, lest they reinforce the Luodian battlefield."

Hearing Matsui Iwane's words, Gu Qingchuan involuntarily sucked in a breath of cold air: "Your Excellency Matsui, you are gambling. The Army has currently landed two divisions, totaling eight regiments. Luodian alone used three regiments plus over thirty tanks, and now you want to use four more regiments—you've played all your cards."

"Commander Gu Qingchuan, going all-in is a kind of wisdom. Your Navy doesn't understand this principle, acting like a miser, always regretting the lifespan of your main gun barrels. How can you know how crucial the Luodian position is?"

"Take Luodian, and I can launch an offensive against the enemy's railway line, cutting off the enemy's supply line. I will use two regiments to attack Yangxing and two regiments to attack Jiangwan. Your two thousand marines are still at Jiangwan—I need your support!"

Gu Qingchuan was unwilling: "My Marine Corps is meant to defend Qiujiang Wharf. If they are all wiped out in this battle, the consequences are unthinkable."

"Don't panic. I have already requested support from home. My Army's Heavy Artillery Force will enter the field soon, and reinforcements from the Ninth Division, Thirteenth Division, and 101st Division will also arrive at Shanghai one after another!"

"Aren't these three divisions part of the China Expeditionary Army in North China?" Gu Qingchuan asked in surprise.

"Naturally. The Songhu situation is now urgent; reinforcements must be sent! I have a premonition that if we are to swallow the entire city of Shanghai, the reinforcements we need may be more than these three divisions!"

Gu Qingchuan sighed: "Today's naval gunfire was wasted. At night, my naval guns cannot support the shore. You Army men must prepare yourselves mentally!"

Night fell, and both sides' warplanes tacitly left the skies over Luodian, but the bustle on the ground did not diminish in the slightest.

Besides the melee in the Luodian region, the Japanese used two regiments to attack Yangxing Town in the Fifteenth Group Army's defense zone, and then two regiments cooperating with two thousand marines to attack Jiangwan Town in the Ninth Group Army's defense zone.

Each group army also dispatched troops to actively respond, but undoubtedly, the Japanese operational focus was still on the Luodian region.

On Luodian's left wing, the Japanese Cangyong Chengzhi's Sixth Regiment, cooperating with thirteen Type 89 Medium Tanks, was also anxious, scratching their heads and rubbing their cheeks.

Ying Sen Xiao's Eighteenth Regiment, while pinning down Huang Wei's Sixty-Seventh Division on Luodian's front, also had to endure a head-on heavy blow from Lv Muzhi's Heavy Artillery Regiment.

"Report to Lianzuozhang Cangyong! Colonel Ying Sen Xiao requests you hurry, demanding our Sixth Regiment best launch an attack on Luodian's left wing within one hour—the Eighteenth Regiment has suffered heavy losses on the front!"

After hearing this, Cangyong Chengzhi ignored the telegraph operator and walked over to the tank unit composed of Type 89 Medium Tanks: "Can't you hurry! You're so slow—when will you be able to raid Luodian's left wing?"

The Jiangnan Water Network crisscrossed with endless ditches. When Huang Wei and others evacuated, they had blown up all bridges, large and small, along the route of the Japanese advance.

Although it was no great river, in the weather of early September, the Japanese wading across the river felt no cold.

But the Japanese tanks could not. Without a bridge, the Japanese Type 89 Medium Tanks could not cross the river. If they took a detour, the plan to raid Huang Wei's left wing would be directly shelved.

"Colonel Cangyong, without bridges, how can our tank troops cross the river? The enemy has blown up all the bridges! If you can't wait, just take the infantry and charge up directly!" The tank unit leader, seeing the infantry urging them on, said with dissatisfaction.

"Baka! You think that without tank forces, my Sixth Regiment cannot launch an attack?" Colonel Cangyong said angrily: "Without you, I can still defeat the enemy facing us!"

Having said this, Cangyong Chengzhi was about to wade across the river, but soon regretted it: he had been too impulsive. Without bridges, not only could tanks not cross, but his own artillery could not cross either!

It was because that night his Yoshizumi Battalion had been almost annihilated by one battalion of Lv Muzhi that Cangyong Chengzhi now only thought of revenge, and was inevitably somewhat impulsive.

"Colonel Cangyong! The Nomura Squadron, three kilometers ahead, reports that the enemy's defensive line has already deployed on Luodian's left wing!" the scout reported.

"Nani? Baka, we're still too slow! Those Chinese are cunning, cunning—they blew up bridges along the route and used the Jiangnan river branches to delay our marching speed!"

"Colonel Cangyong, should we still attack directly?" the Squadron Leader of the Second Squadron asked cautiously.

"Notify the engineers to build a pontoon bridge as soon as possible. After the artillery and tanks cross the bridge together, then coordinate to launch an attack on the enemy ahead. By the way, have you identified the designation of the enemy opposite us?"

"The specific designation of the enemy opposite is not yet clear, but they very likely belong to the same unit as the enemy that defeated the Yoshizumi Battalion!"

"Belong to the same unit?" Lianzuozhang Cangyong muttered: "This... if it's the Youth Army, then we indeed need to recalculate. Alright, everyone hold their positions in place, stay alert, and wait until the tanks and artillery cross the river before making plans!"

After the Japanese infantry crossed the river one after another, they began digging foxholes in place, while the artillery and tanks waited behind for the engineers to repair the floating bridge.

The old Japanese devil Cangyong Chengzhi was also cunning enough not to cross the river, staying behind with the tank troops.

Liao Yaoxiang had long since deployed his troops, but for a long time received no news of exchanging fire with Cangyong Chengzhi's Sixth Regiment.

"Report! The Japanese tanks and artillery are blocked by the Qiu Jing River. Engineers are repairing the bridge. After the infantry waded across the river, they began constructing foxholes in place."

After the scout delivered the intelligence, Liao Yaoxiang was quite surprised: "The little Japanese are strangely cautious. Speaking of which, their engineers are still slower than mine."

"Brigade Commander, what should we do?" the staff officer at brigade headquarters asked.

"I, Liao Yaoxiang, am no Song Xiang Gong. Taking advantage of the enemy's unsteady footing, I'll envelop them directly and strike them while they are crossing the river!"