Chapter 264

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

On the ship, Qiu Qingquan asked: "Commander Lu, I'm sorry, I still haven't found that guy Sun Yuanlang for the time being, I don't know where he ran off to..."

Lv Muzhi did not blame Qiu Qingquan, saying: "It's fine, the monk can run but the temple cannot escape; the Central Army's Eighty-Eighth Division is still there. Whether he doesn't care about the troops withdrawing without authorization, or I arranged for the Eighty-Eighth Division to be sent out of the encirclement, if Sun Yuanlang dares to come back, no one's pleading will be of any use!"

Song Xilian nodded: "This time, Sun Yuanlang really cannot be spared. Even Commander Lu was the last to leave, yet he actually dared to be the first to flee alone!"

Lv Muzhi sighed: "I wasn't the last to leave either; Commander Tang is still inside..."

Everyone looked toward the thick smoke in the direction of Jinling, silent for a long time.

Under the cover of the Southwest Air Force and anti-aircraft guns, Lv Muzhi led the last batch of troops to successfully take a ship to Pukou Wharf on the opposite bank of Jinling.

Qiu Qingquan immediately took Lv Muzhi to the Ninth Group Army headquarters that had been prepared long ago, and Hu Gongnan, who was stationed at Pukou Wharf, also came to meet him.

"You've all finally arrived. The enemy's Shigetō Detachment has already crossed the Yangtze River and is attacking the eastern side of Pukou Wharf!" Hu Gongnan introduced his current situation to Lv Muzhi.

Hu Gongnan's First Army suffered heavy losses during the Battle of Songhu. The old man specially expanded the First Army into the Seventeenth Corps to make up for it, and also added a division's worth of troops to him.

However, the Shigetō Detachment's several thousand men launched a massive invasion, making Hu Gongnan very wary. The defeat he suffered in the Battle of Songhu was still fresh in his eyes.

"Dare to cross the Yangtze River downstream first? Before the Japanese navy presses up along the Yangtze River, wipe out the Shigetō Detachment! Qiu Qingquan!"

"Yes!"

"Take a brigade over there, drive the Shigetō Detachment into the water head-on! Song Xilian will take the Thirty-Sixth Division to support the flank and trap those little Japanese devils!

Either obediently die under the gun barrels, or jump into the Yangtze River yourselves!"

Seeing Lv Muzhi take action, Hu Gongnan breathed a sigh of relief. After this battle, he could probably return to the Great Northwest in peace.

But Lv Muzhi stared into Hu Gongnan's eyes, making Hu Gongnan's heart go numb with fear.

"What's wrong... Brother Weiyue?"

Lv Muzhi asked: "Shou Shan, Sun Yuanlang wouldn't be with you, would he?"

"No... how could that be... I haven't seen Sun Yuanlang at all. What's wrong? Could it be that he didn't come out and intends to fight the Japanese devils to the death inside Jinling City?"

"Hah, it's fine. If he really had that heart, I wouldn't pursue it. But if he dares to come back, first ask whether all the officers and soldiers of the Eighty-Eighth Division agree!"

Hu Gongnan gave an embarrassed laugh and said nothing more.

"Commander Lu, the Japanese Gu Shoufu's Sixth Division has gone mad, relentlessly pursuing Brigade Commander Zhang Fei's troops!" A communications staff officer ran in to report.

"This Sixth Division wants revenge. Tell Zhang Fei not to stop; withdraw to a safe area first, and Chu Yunfei will naturally cover him..." After saying this, Lv Muzhi changed his mind again: "No, let Chu Yunfei lead all the Central Army troops retreating to the western front to cover him, and Zhou Weiguo's Armored Tank Regiment should also go to cover them. Since Gu Shoufu's Sixth Division has come chasing this time, don't even think about going back!"

On the western front of Jinling City, Gu Shoufu's Sixth Division could be said to be very dedicated, chasing twenty kilometers out of the Qinhuai River in one breath.

On the road, Division Commander Gu Shoufu actually ran into Division Commander Nakajima Imatomo of the Sixteenth Division, who was running back.

"Division Commander Nakajima, isn't your mission to pursue the enemy army? Why are you heading toward Jinling City?"

Gu Shoufu was completely baffled, and Nakajima Imatomo was even more utterly confused.

"Division Commander Gu, wasn't your Sixth Division ordered to attack into Jinling City? Why have you run out?"

It turned out that neither of these two men was acting according to orders!

Gu Shoufu said: "I and Lv Muzhi's Youth Army are sworn enemies. This time I must beat the dog in the water. Our two divisions will join forces. Even if we capture just one regiment of the enemy, the Youth Army will definitely be a major threat to our army in the future!"

Nakajima Imatomo shook his head and hurriedly stopped him: "Forget it. Listen to me. I have reliable information that the Chinese garrison commander is still in the city and hasn't left. Let's hurry back to the city. If we're late, other divisions will snatch the military merits!"

Hearing this news, Gu Shoufu was greatly surprised. He didn't expect there to be an even bigger fish in Jinling City!

But after thinking it over, Gu Shoufu still decided to pursue the Youth Army: "It's already too late to go back now. We'd better continue pursuing the Youth Army!"

Sixteenth Division Commander Nakajima Imatomo was unwilling. He led the main force to continue marching rapidly toward Jinling City, wanting to get a share of the soup.

Central China Area Army Commander Matsui Iwane was now completely dumbfounded in his own headquarters. The troops were in complete chaos.

The troops tasked with the pursuit entered Jinling City, while the troops originally supposed to occupy Jinling City were madly pursuing the enemy army.

"It's all chaos. What on earth are these guys doing?!" Matsui Iwane flew into a rage, banging the documents in his hand on the table, bang bang.

Shanghai Expeditionary Army Commander Asaka-no-miya Yasuhiko explained: "Commander Sir, I heard that Commander Tang Shengzhi chose to stay in Jinling City. All the division commanders have gone crazy; they all want to rush into the city to capture him..."

"As for Gu Shoufu's Sixth Division, they were probably blinded by hatred and unable to extricate themselves on the road of pursuing the Youth Army. After all, the elite Sixth Division has never won a victory when facing the Youth Army. Now that they encounter the Youth Army retreating, it's inevitable they would have the idea of pursuing a fleeing enemy."

Matsui Iwane was speechless. Which Japanese army unit had ever achieved a decisive victory when encountering the Youth Army head-on?

"Order Gu Shoufu to turn back immediately. He has pursued too deep. If Lv Muzhi reacts, the Sixth Division will probably be the next Third Division!"

Late at night, inside the Jinling Leader's Mansion, several Japanese lieutenant general division commanders looked at the corpse lying on the ground. It was a high-ranking Xia Guo general who had committed suicide. Everyone sighed regretfully.

In the final moments of the battle, this general, together with his personal guards, killed and wounded dozens of Japanese soldiers, and finally shot himself dead.

A division commander said: "Preserve the corpse. Also send a telegram to Commander Matsui, reporting that Commander Tang has been confirmed killed in action, and Jinling City has been completely occupied by our army..."

Inside the Ninth Group Army command post, Lv Muzhi unfolded the last will and testament Tang Shengzhi left for him, several hundred words flowing: I have dedicated myself to the National Revolution for over twenty years...

In the past Northern Expedition, iron and blood saved the nation; today defending the land, how could I cherish my life...

Look upon my comrades-in-arms, do not think of me for my sake. Break through the encirclement, regroup, drive out the Wang Jingwei Regime, recover the land and mountains. Then even if I die, it is as if I still live. Long live the nation, long live China!

Lv Muzhi read it quickly, took a deep breath. Commander Tang had passed away. From now on, everyone who came out of Jinling alive would bear the mark of guilt.

"Send a telegram to Chongqing, transmitting Commander Tang's last will and testament word for word... Also spread the news to all newspaper offices, have them publish it as front-page headlines. Be sure to note, the dead are to be respected..."

"Yes!"

Inside Chongqing, a black limousine drove down the street under heavy troop protection. A roar came from inside the car: "How could this be? Other troops have all come out, so why are two generals still missing? What is Tang Shengzhi doing? And Sun Yuanlang!"