Chapter 252: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 252 Do Not Say You Were Not Forewarned

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"Wei Yue, what is this?!"

At Xiaguan Wharf below Jinling City, Tang Shengzhi pointed at the boxes being unloaded one by one from the cargo ship.

Lv Muzhi stared at the boxes in a daze for a long while before saying, "Shells, large-caliber shells."

Tang Shengzhi grew suspicious; some boxes were clearly painted with skulls, obviously unlike ordinary shells.

"Report to Commander Lu, the Mortar Battalion of the Southwest Military Academy Artillery Department reports for duty as ordered! ~"

Hundreds of artillerymen disembarked from the ship and lined up neatly on the wharf; unlike ordinary artillerymen, each wore a gas-proof suit.

After giving them a few words of instruction, Lv Muzhi sent this mortar battalion to report to the Youth Army headquarters.

Tang Shengzhi stepped forward: "Brother Wei Yue, now that you and I are the garrison commander and deputy commander of Jinling, if you have any unusual methods, you must tell me."

Lv Muzhi smiled: "What methods could I have? The Xicheng Line has been breached, and the Japanese army has divided into three routes to besiege Jinling, relying on poison gas shells to advance step by step; Japanese light ships are also coming up the Yangtze River, and before long we will meet the devils in this Jinling City."

Tang Shengzhi sighed: "Could it be that there is truly no way to stop the devils?"

"A way? At the operational meeting, wasn't Commander Tang willing to live and die with Jinling City? As long as one holds the resolve to die for righteousness, that is the best way!"

"Gentlemen, the press conference is about to begin." Luo Zhuoying came over to remind them.

Eighteenth Army Commander Luo Zhuoying was also Deputy Garrison Commander of Jinling; in the sequence for defending Jinling, there was only one commander, Tang Shengzhi, but three deputy commanders: Lv Muzhi, Luo Zhuoying, and Liu Xing; among them, Lv Muzhi also concurrently held the position of Chief of Staff.

Since the war began, the Xia Guo Army had achieved a series of stirring local victories, already hot news in newspapers around the world.

Now that the Japanese army was about to arrive at the Xia capital of Jinling, reporters from various countries smelled the hotspot and came in groups to interview.

This suited the old man's concept of international attention, instructing officials within Jinling City to show the world everything happening in Xia.

"Commander Tang, will your troops defend Jinling City?" an American reporter asked.

Tang Shengzhi straightened his clothes, stood up, and replied: "I, Tang, once again declare: the city stands with me, and I, as commander, will live and die with Jinling!"

"Commander Lu, how do you view the Japanese army's reckless launch of poison gas warfare?" a Hans State reporter stood up to ask.

Lv Muzhi stood up, his gaze sweeping over the reporters from various countries below the platform, and said calmly: "I am very grateful that you journalists have publicly stepped forward to expose the Japanese army's large-scale use of poison gas, but it is regrettable that condemnation is ineffective against the Japanese army.

As early as the European battlefield of the First World War, poison gas had been proven an extremely cruel and inhumane method of war, and both sides had formed a tacit understanding not to use poison gas against each other.

But after the First World War, major military powers continued to stockpile such weapons; this is a cruel reality: one may not use it first, but cannot be without it.

Both belligerents in the Western world possess powerful chemical industry capabilities and can manufacture and deploy poison gas on a large scale.

You use chlorine, I use phosgene; you use mustard gas, I have the more toxic lewisite.

But this war taking place in Xia is entirely different.

Japan is considered an industrial power in Asia, while we, as you all know, are an impoverished and weak agricultural country."

Below the platform it was quiet, save for the scratch-scratch of stenographers' pen tips and the occasional click-click of cameras.

"This is the core of the problem." Lv Muzhi braced both hands on the lectern, leaning slightly forward: "The Japanese military clearly knows this; they know that even if they drop hundreds or thousands of tons of poison gas shells on our positions and innocent towns, we cannot repay them in the same way.

So they used it at Songhu, on the Wufu Line, and even more ruthlessly on the just-breached Xicheng Line!

The major powers of the world, for their own international reputation, also refuse to export chemical weapons to me; the Japanese army naturally need not fear retaliation, and thus uses this vile method without scruple—poison gas to open the way, to consume our living strength, to use poison gas to erode our army's will to hold its positions."

At this moment, among the reporter seats below, a Japanese reporter suddenly stood up and asked somewhat smugly: "General Lu! I have never heard of your accusation that the Imperial Army uses chemical weapons.

What I want to ask is, the Imperial Army is about to arrive at the city gates; what do you plan to do? Do you plan to use verbal condemnation to repel the Imperial Army?"

This question was full of provocation; an American reporter shouted: "The fact that the Japanese army has launched poison gas warfare on a large scale is already very clear, with plenty of photographic evidence—it's just that your country's newspapers don't report it. As a reporter, you need not play deaf and dumb!"

Other reporters nodded in agreement, condemning the Japanese army and this reporter.

Lv Muzhi stared fixedly at that Japanese reporter, saying word by word: "If the Japanese army continues to use poison gas, I will retaliate with equivalent means.

When one side completely abandons humanity and turns war into indiscriminate chemical slaughter of civilians, prisoners of war, and belligerent opponents, it must bear the corresponding consequences.

I ask you to convey to the Japanese army: the flames of hatred will burn away all rational restraint.

For revenge, I... may become a monster."

These words stirred a low murmur below the platform; this statement sounded very informal.

The Japanese reporter's complexion changed, and he wanted to ask again, but other Western reporters beside him seized the floor.

A reporter from an English-speaking country asked: "General Lu, Commander Tang, regarding the safety of foreign nationals and possible remaining civilians within Jinling City, what arrangements are currently in place? We notice that some areas are setting up safety zone markers."

Tang Shengzhi took up this question, stating that the Garrison Command in principle respects the wishes of foreign nationals and is willing, together with international friends, to demarcate non-military safety zones within the city to provide shelter for civilians as best they can, but emphasized this requires the concrete efforts of all parties and the clear recognition and compliance of the Wang Jingwei Regime.

The press conference continued for about half an hour; finally, Lv Muzhi delivered a concluding speech.

"Friends of the press, every word spoken here today, we are willing to take responsibility for.

We hope you can truthfully publish in your country's newspapers what you have heard and seen here, especially the cruel facts of the Japanese army's widespread use of chemical weapons causing heavy military and civilian casualties, so as to see the true face of Japanese militarism."

Lv Muzhi looked again at that Japanese reporter and said: "If your army continues to use poison gas, then the coming battle will be conducted in a way you may not wish to see.

Do not say you were not forewarned!"

The press conference ended amid flashing flashbulbs and noisy questions, and Lv Muzhi and Tang Shengzhi and others quickly left the venue.

In the car back to headquarters, Tang Shengzhi wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and looked at Lv Muzhi, who was resting with eyes closed beside him: "Wei Yue, those last few words of yours really raised the stakes; what exactly have you prepared?"

Lv Muzhi opened his eyes; outside the window, Jinling City's desolate winter scenery flew by rapidly, and he said: "Just some accumulated strength..."