Chapter 237

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"It seems the Imperial General Headquarters' resolve is already clear," Asahiko said slowly. "Regardless of whether we capture Jinling, one thing is certain: we must take the Xicheng Line and seize Jiangyin Fortress! First, open the gate to Jinling!"

Matsui Iwane took a deep breath. Though reluctant about this telegram, at least the current offensive had been permitted.

He looked at Gu Qingchuan: "Commander Gu Qingchuan, I suspect the orders from the Navy General Staff Office and the Army General Staff share the same tone.

Now is the time for the Imperial Navy's artillery to roar on the Yangtze River!

Break through Jiangyin, and the Army will immediately launch a general offensive along the river!"

Gu Qingchuan did not object this time.

He walked to the huge map of the Yangtze River waterway, his gaze sweeping over the position of Jiangyin Fortress, and said to the fleet Chief of Staff waiting for orders: "Relay my command: take the Tianlong Cruiser as flagship, dispatch seven destroyers, and all available cannonboats and minesweepers, to form the First Sui River Fleet!

Mission: advance west along the Yangtze River, with air support, suppress and destroy enemy shore defense batteries, cover the Army's attack on the Xicheng Line, and seize the opportunity to bombard the core fortifications of Jiangyin Fortress!"

The Sui River Fleet formed by Gu Qingchuan was drawn from the Third Fleet; its vessels were all shallow-draft ships suitable for riverine warfare, the largest being the Tianlong Light Cruiser at just over three thousand two hundred tons.

Army Lieutenant General Matsui Iwane was now satisfied; he called the Communications Staff Officer to relay his instructions to the Army divisions.

Orders were quickly passed down, while the massive Mutsu Battleship remained stationed at the Yangtze River Estuary.

Meanwhile, a Sui River Fleet composed of light cruisers, destroyers, and cannonboats entered the Yangtze River.

Warship boilers were pressurized, thicker black smoke billowed from the chimneys, and they advanced toward Jiangyin Fortress, which guarded the throat of the Yangtze River.

Matsui Iwane and Asahiko remained on the Mutsu; the two decided to remotely command their respective Army divisions, with Lieutenant General Yanagawa Heisuke overseeing the frontline. At the same time, Matsui Iwane chose to stay on the Mutsu Battleship to better supervise the Navy......

Matsui Iwane and Asahiko also remained on the Mutsu Battleship, and the two decided to remotely command their respective army divisions, with Lieutenant General Yanagawa Heisuke overseeing the frontline; at the same time, Matsui Iwane chose to stay on the Mutsu Battleship in order to better urge on the Navy......

On the Yangtze River in the Jiangyin area, the narrowest point of the river surface was only 1.25 kilometers; it was the gateway between river and sea, controlling the Yangtze to the north and Taihu to the south. To defend the Yangtze, one must defend Jiangyin.

The Yangtze River in the Jiangyin area, at its narrowest point only 1.25 kilometers wide, is the gateway of river and sea; to the North it blocks the Yangtze River, to the South it controls Taihu Lake—defending the Yangtze River means defending Jiangyin.

The piercing air-raid alarm first tore apart the tranquility of both banks of the Yangtze River; on the eastern skyline, dense formations of aircraft swept over like migrating locusts.

For this offensive, the Japanese had almost committed all available air power in East China.

Type 96 Carrier Fighters taking off from Navy aircraft carriers, together with Type 97 Fighters and Type 96 Land-based Attack Aircraft taking off from Shanghai, formed mixed formations, attempting to destroy Jiangyin Fortress's air defenses and observation facilities in one blow, clearing obstacles for the Sui River Fleet.

"All personnel enter the anti-artillery caves! Anti-aircraft guns in position! Southwest Air Force, all take off to intercept!"

Inside the Jiangyin Fortress underground command post, Lv Muzhi issued orders simultaneously via wired broadcast and radio.

By this time Lv Muzhi had returned to Jiangyin, fulfilling his duties as Commander of the Yangtze River Defense.

Almost as soon as the alarm sounded, fighters deployed at Jinling and various airfields and regular runways also roared into the sky.

The remaining various types of fighters of the Guofu Air Force also took off one after another; at this time the Guofu Air Force was equipped with many Soviet-aided I-15 fighters, as well as some I-16 fighters, to make up for the Air Force's shortages.

The sky over Jiangyin instantly became noisy; Xia Guo's Air Force intercepted ten kilometers out, while Jiangyin Fortress's anti-aircraft guns watched vigilantly overhead, preventing Japanese bombers from coming to bomb.

In the sky, BF-109s, with their excellent climb rate and firepower, flown by experienced pilots, were like hungry wolves pouncing on a flock of sheep; from time to time Japanese Type 96 Carrier Fighters or Type 97s trailed black smoke and fell into the Yangtze River or plunged into the fields.

But there were simply too many Japanese aircraft, and their coordination was skilled; some Xia Guo fighters were also shot down.

Although absolute air superiority could not be achieved, at least most of the air raids could be kept from the heads of Xia Guo's defenders.

Also, some Japanese aircraft broke through Xia Guo's Air Force interception and began diving to bomb and strafe the various batteries, observation posts, and anti-aircraft positions of Jiangyin Fortress.

On the ground, German-made 88mm anti-aircraft guns, Solothurn 20mm cannons, and various types of anti-aircraft machine guns deployed at Huangshan, Dongshan, Xishan, and other locations in Jiangyin Fortress opened fire at full strength, weaving a fire net over the fortress.

Japanese Type 96 Land Attack Bombers dropped bombs; the bombs exploded on the mountains, sending up towering columns of smoke and earth and stone, but did not cause too much damage to Jiangyin Fortress's fortifications.

The main batteries, thanks to their design dug deep into the mountains, had cannons of various calibers hidden inside the hollowed-out mountains; bombs dropped vertically by bombers caused limited damage.

Instead, two Type 96 Land Attack Bombers were shot down by 88mm anti-aircraft guns, plunging headfirst into the rolling Yangtze River.

Almost simultaneously with the air battle, on the Yangtze River surface, the silhouette of the Japanese First Sui River Fleet also appeared on the eastern horizon.

The fleet, with the Tianlong Cruiser as flagship, cleaved the muddy river water and approached menacingly.

On the land side, deafening gunfire also came from the direction of the Xicheng Line.

The Japanese had concentrated a large number of heavy guns; under the correction of observation balloons and aircraft, they began an unprecedentedly fierce bombardment of the Xicheng Line National Defense Works in front of Jiangyin Fortress.

Gunpowder smoke enveloped the positions of Xia Guo's defenders, and the earth trembled.

"Report to Commander Lu! The Japanese land offensive is extremely fierce; Commander Chen Cheng called, the Fifteenth Group Army and Nineteenth Group Army units have entered the Xicheng Line positions according to plan and are stubbornly resisting relying on solid fortifications;

Commander Chen asks Commander Lu to rest assured; he will do his best to ensure the safety of the fortress's land flank and absolutely will not let the devils attack into Jiangyin Fortress from the land!" The staff officer reported the land battle situation loudly to Lv Muzhi.

"Tell Commander Chen, you must hold the Xicheng Line! Currently, a brigade of the Youth Army is on standby in Changzhou behind the Xicheng Line; if the situation becomes critical, the entire Ninth Group Army can cancel its rest and refit plan and advance to support!"

"Yes!" The staff officer quickly walked back to the communications room and ordered the telegraph operator to send a telegram to Chen Cheng.

Lv Muzhi picked up the phone again and dialed the dedicated line: "An Bang! Your task is to pin down the Japanese warships on the river! Not a single Japanese ship is allowed to enter!"

"Understood! Please rest assured, Commander Lu!" Inside the core command bunker of Huangshan Battery, Jiangyin Fortress Commander An Bang put down the phone and wiped the sweat and dust from his face.

Explosion sounds continued outside; the concrete layer on top of the command bunker was also shedding ash bit by bit, but the structure remained stable.

He quickly walked to the huge artillery observation mirror and optical rangefinder and personally observed the river surface.

The Japanese Sui River Fleet, under the escort of destroyers and cannonboats, with the Tianlong as its core, cautiously sailed upstream.

As the fleet advanced, it used its ship guns to conduct probing bombardments of positions on both banks where batteries might be hidden; shells exploded on the river embankments, mudflats, and mountain feet.

In the sky, Japanese aircraft were still circling; occasionally Japanese aircraft dove down to drop bombs and strafe, attempting to suppress possible counterattacks by the defenders.

In the sky, Japanese planes were still circling, occasionally diving down to drop bombs and strafe, attempting to suppress any possible counterattack by the defending troops.

The rangefinder beside him quickly turned the rangefinder and reported the data: "Enemy lead destroyer, eleven thousand meters from our battery!"

The rangefinder beside them spun the rangefinder rapidly, calling out the data: "Enemy lead Destroyer, eleven thousand meters from our Platform!"