Chapter 253

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

The defending forces left to protect Jinling, after arrangements by Minister of Military Administration He Yingqin, ultimately totaled around eighty thousand.

Lv Muzhi's Youth Army left two brigades; all three German-equipped divisions—the 36th, 87th, and 88th—were left behind, along with various units withdrawn from the front lines.

Remarkably, He Yingqin even left the Central Training Corps behind.

According to He Yingqin, Jinling was after all the capital, and leaving the Central Training Corps was also the old man's attitude.

After arranging all this, He Yingqin flew away from Jinling in a hurry, and everything in Jinling was formally taken over by the Jinling Garrison Command.

The once-bustling streets were now eerily quiet, with only fully armed soldiers running back and forth.

The enemy's vanguard was still fifty kilometers from Jinling City, with specialized units blocking them on the frontline.

Lv Muzhi, as previously arranged with Tang Shengzhi, announced the Jinling City Defense Plan in his capacity as Chief of Staff.

"The Liao Yaoxiang Brigade is currently blocking the Japanese army around Baohua Mountain; the Zhang Fei Brigade is garrisoning Zijin Mountain; the Central Training Corps is garrisoning Guanghua Gate, the 88th Division is garrisoning Yuhuatai, the 36th Division......

Xiaguan Wharf is guarded by Qiu Qingquan leading the military police of the Yangtze River Defense Command, while also supervising battlefield deserters."

Upon hearing about Xiaguan Wharf, Tang Shengzhi said: "I'll add one order: all ships at Xiaguan Wharf shall be burned."

Hearing this, Luo Zhuoying raised his eyes and asked: "Commander Tang, why is this?"

Tang Shengzhi said sternly: "Isn't this obvious? I wish to follow the old examples of Xiang Yu and Han Xin, smashing the cauldrons and sinking the boats, fighting a battle with our backs to the water. Since we've already declared our attitude of living and dying with Jinling, we don't need to leave ourselves a way back!"

Luo Zhuoying immediately stood up to object: "I'm afraid that won't do. Saying nice words at a press conference is one thing, but there are seventy or eighty thousand troops defending Jinling—are we really going to let them all be poisoned to death by the enemy's poison gas?"

Tang Shengzhi's face turned red as he insisted: "I am the Jinling Garrison Commander, an Army Level One General. I do this—who dares not to obey?!"

Lv Muzhi coughed once: "Um, it needs to be clarified that most of the ships docked at Xiaguan Wharf are mine. Commander Tang wants to burn them, but shouldn't he ask me first?"

Tang Shengzhi was stunned: "Yours?"

Lv Muzhi crossed his arms over his chest: "Why not? Most of those ships were requisitioned from my family's shipping company. The ones that don't belong to me, you can burn them, but my ships are still needed to transport grain and ammunition. Commander Tang probably can't burn them."

Tang Shengzhi was stunned for a moment. He had originally wanted to show off and reinforce his iron-blooded persona, but now he had nothing to show off with.

Nevertheless, Tang Shengzhi still ordered the troops to burn some ships he could dispose of directly at the wharf, and to propagandize externally that they were preparing to fight with their backs to the water.

When the meeting broke up, Lv Muzhi said: "Commander Tang, they say one general's success is built on ten thousand corpses, but these seventy or eighty thousand men—this isn't the way to achieve success, is it?"

Tang Shengzhi left in anger after hearing this.

Lv Muzhi instead temporarily moved his own ships docked at Xiaguan Wharf, transporting the Chu Yunfei Brigade upstream to Wuhu, to prevent the Japanese army from cutting off their retreat route in advance during a withdrawal.

The Japanese army advanced step by step, and their vanguard was about to reach the foot of Zijin Mountain.

Along the way, the Japanese army still recklessly used Louis poison gas to advance. The Xia Guo Army's field fortifications were hard to withstand, and they did not get entangled with the enemy, retreating toward Jinling City.

Because of Lv Muzhi's previous weighty statement, the reporters all stayed within Jinling City, wanting to get firsthand information.

Commander Tang then summoned the reporters again, speaking lofty words on one hand, while asking the reporters to look within the city at how the Xia Guo Army resisted the Wang Jingwei Regime, and boasting about his own exploits of burning and sinking ships.

At this moment, at the foot of Zijin Mountain, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.

Lv Muzhi stood alone in the square before the mausoleum, removed his military cap, and silently gazed up at the blue-tiled, white-walled memorial hall, listening to the distant rumble of cannon fire.

A hurried sound of footsteps came from behind—it was Liao Yaoxiang, come down from the front lines. He had been withdrawn from the blocking positions in the Baohua Mountain direction not long ago for rest and replenishment, and hearing that Lv Muzhi had gone up Zijin Mountain, he immediately rushed over.

"Lu Commander," Liao Yaoxiang walked to Lv Muzhi's side, also gazing at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, his voice kept very low, "The enemy's vanguard is about to attack Zijin Mountain. Here... is too far forward.

You are Deputy Garrison Commander and Chief of Staff of the Whole Army; the city's defense cannot do without your command.

Staying here is too dangerous, and not responsible."

Lv Muzhi did not turn back, his gaze still fixed on the direction of the memorial hall: "Just this once, Yaoxiang. You and I are from which phase of Whampoa?"

Liao Yaoxiang was stunned for a moment, then replied: "Commander is from the First Phase; I am from the Fourth Phase."

"First Phase... so many classmates are no longer here. The Fourth Phase also suffered many sacrifices. The Prime Minister founded Whampoa back then hoping we would save this country.

But look now—fighting from July to December, the land is shattered, the capital is in imminent danger. What have we done?..."

Liao Yaoxiang didn't know how to respond. He could feel that Lv Muzhi was somewhat different from his usual image of a commander who was unfailingly strategic and decisive in killing.

Just then

Whoosh—Boom! Whoosh—Boom!

Several especially clear whistles of shells and explosion sounds came from the direction east-southeast of Zijin Mountain's main peak. The distance seemed much closer than the previous exchange of fire, and the ground faintly trembled.

Pillars of explosion smoke rose among the distant mountain forests, especially glaring.

"Commander! The shelling is closer! We must leave immediately!" Liao Yaoxiang's face changed, and his tone became even more firm.

Another hurried burst of footsteps, rushed and urgent.

Zhang Fei, accompanied by two guards, almost ran onto the square. The steel helmet on his head was askew, and his face was stained with gunpowder smoke and dirt.

"Lu Commander, why are you still here!" Zhang Fei's voice was naturally loud, and now he didn't even bother with etiquette: "The little devils' poison gas shells are coming again! This is no place for you to stay! Come with me quickly. If you won't go, I'll have to use force."

"Zhang Fei (courtesy name)," Lv Muzhi spoke, his voice not loud, but it made Zhang Fei's movements pause: "Immediately dispatch the mortar battalion of the Southwest Military Academy's artillery department to the southern foothills of Zijin Mountain, advancing to the preset firing positions."

Zhang Fei was stunned for a moment, then his face showed a look of pleasant surprise. A weapon that could restrain the Japanese army's poison gas had finally arrived!

Lv Muzhi finally bowed once before the majestic memorial hall, then after a moment put on his military cap: "Let's go!"

As the crowd turned and walked down the mountain, in a hidden valley at the southern foothills of Zijin Mountain, dozens of 82mm mortars had already been quietly set up.

The gunners, fully protected, silently opened the wooden boxes marked with special symbols, took out shells painted with yellow markings, and carefully loaded them.

As the artillery commander waved down the small flag in his hand.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud...

The muffled firing sounds merged into one. Countless shells carrying pain and revenge sliced through the cold winter sky, pouring down upon the heads of the Japanese army madly attacking.

A few minutes later, on the Japanese army's attack frontline at Zijin Mountain, what rose would no longer be ordinary gunpowder smoke, but a cloud of yellow-green mist.

A large number of Japanese Army soldiers fell one after another amid this poison mist.

On the Yangtze River, two ships, escorted by fighters, headed toward Xiaguan Wharf, carrying nearly a thousand tons of Louis Gas Shells.

Everything for revenge!