Chapter 416: Wolf Entering a Flock of Sheep

Judging from the combat situation on both sides, the intensity of the Sichuan Army's offensive has diminished significantly; it is no longer as fierce as it was before.

"Your Excellency Commander, this is bad!"

Muto Akira ran over in a panic, his complexion looking rather poor.

"What is going on? Why such panic?" Hata Shunroku's gaze sharpened as he looked at Muto Akira.

"Your Excellency Commander, according to reports from frontline soldiers, the Sichuan Army is currently besieging the Imperial Army."

"Their main force is seizing the Imperial Army's wealth; at several docks, many ships are moored, and the Sichuan Army is currently loading supplies."

"Baka yaro!" An enraged Hata Shunroku kicked his desk over.

"The stations and strongholds in these areas are now also being hit by Central Army artillery fire, and the Collaborationist Army is requesting aid from the Imperial Army."

Instead, an officer who had previously gone deep into the Seventh War Zone with Chen Cheng and had contact with the Sichuan Army stood up and said, "Gentlemen, I do not think this is a trap."

Upon hearing this news, Hata Shunroku felt the blood in his body surge upward, and his mouth tasted of salt.

The Staff Officer beside Gu Zhutong wore a look of joy on his face.

"Fujita Susumu, faced with the current situation, how should the Imperial Army respond?"

Several Medics brought medical kits into the command headquarters, and after a period of busyness, Hata Shunroku finally regained consciousness.

No wonder the Sichuan Army stopped encircling the Imperial Army inside the concessions; going to load supplies now—this is meant to cut off the Imperial Army's economy!

"Look, haven't the Japanese Army in the direction of Su County retreated? This has solved a huge problem for us!"

"It was arranged long ago!" Sun Zhen patted his chest and said, "Three Divisions of men have already followed your request, brother, and driven straight into the nearby mountains, moving toward the Yimeng Mountains region."

Gu Zhutong was stunned as he looked at these telegrams requesting battle; damn it, since when was killing the Japanese Army as easy as killing dogs?

"Puchi!! ——"

"Could this Legal Tender be funds that our own internal personnel colluded with the Japanese Army to distribute to the devils?!"

"Have you arranged for the troops left behind, brother?"

"The Sichuan Army's 28th Group Army is making quite a stir in the Songhu area; many of the little devils' docks, strongholds, and train stations have fallen. This Sichuan Army is just like a wolf entering a flock of sheep."

"Order the Navy Marine Corps and the 3rd Division to launch a full-scale counterattack for me; at the same time, the warships moored on the Huangpu River are to blockade the shipping lanes."

Seeing the telegram state that the Wuxing garrison was fragile and that the Japanese Army retreated directly in the face of the Central Army's firepower—even allowing the Central Army to encounter surrendering Japanese soldiers who would occasionally blurt out Chinese—was shocking.

"Brother Yu, we should still report this matter to the Republic of China Government. Since you said the little devils are playing an economic war, it will cause us such serious influence; it would be good to let the Hankou and Jinling Command be on guard."

Many unit commanders also requested of Gu Zhutong whether they could continue to assault forward and expand their results.

Luo Zhuoying stepped forward quickly, scanned the telegram briefly, and handed it to Gu Zhutong.

"Rather than letting the Japanese Army lead us by the nose, it is better for us to lead them by the nose. This Sichuan Army night raid on Songhu is exactly leading the Japanese Army by the nose!"

Moreover, Li Delin and Bai Zhuge estimated two or three routes for their southward flanking maneuver; no matter which one it was, it would be disadvantageous for the Third War Zone.

"Nani!?" Hata Shunroku widened his eyes.

Gu Zhutong hurriedly had the Staff Officers draw a map. After the drawing was completed, everyone took one look at the map on the wall and gasped in unison.

"Withdraw!" Gu Zhutong ordered, "Frontline troops are to withdraw immediately, returning to the positions held at the start of the war. At the same time, if you encounter entanglement by the Japanese Army, do not get bogged down in fighting."

Furthermore, this Legal Tender was printed exquisitely; a rough estimate suggested there were tens of millions stored in the bank.

A Communications Soldier arrived at the command headquarters, shouting that there was an urgent telegram from the Sichuan Army 28th Group Army Commander, Guo Rudong.

Moreover, judging from the content of the telegram, the Japanese Army's counter-firepower was also very weak, and their retreat was somewhat chaotic.

"Hai!" Fujita Susumu stood straight, bowing and scraping. "Your Excellency Commander."

"Baka!" Hata Shunroku cursed angrily; he absolutely could not let this batch of supplies be snatched away by the Sichuan Army just like that.

Seeing Hata Shunroku issue this order, Muto Akira replied in a low voice, "Your Excellency Commander, the Imperial Japanese Navy's warships on the Huangpu River have already been blown up by the Sichuan Army."

"Quickly... Medics, Your Excellency Commander is injured."

He was also afraid that if Hata Shunroku fell into a coma like this, he would never wake up. One must know that this is a critical moment of battle between the two armies; if the Commander were to die in battle, the blow to the Imperial Army would be fatal.

Added to the supplies stored at various docks and stations, the little devils have lost their very shirts this time.

"First, in terms of troop strength, most of the Japanese Army in the Songhu Region has moved north to Xuzhou. The little devils are short on troops, and many strongholds and stations have been handed over to Puppet Army units."

These units were also escorting supplies and transporting wounded soldiers. The Hutou Mountain Independent Regiment was better off; they had an Interpreter, and after capturing and questioning wounded Japanese soldiers, they learned that the Fifth War Zone's main force had already retreated.

"Four divisions of the Central China Area Army are returning to reinforce, plus the movements of the Japanese Navy's Third Fleet. According to Military Statistics Bureau intelligence, the Third Fleet's Aircraft Carrier and all its planes have been moved out of the hangars."

"At the same time, telegraph the 13th Division and 9th Division in the Subei region to move south rapidly and maneuver from the Baimaokou area to the Sichuan Army's flank."

Bai Zhuge drank a cup of hot tea, "At the last military meeting, the Sichuan Army's Adjutant Yu said that the enemy is strong and we are weak; we cannot go head-to-head with the Japanese Army, and we must use our brains more in fighting."

About ten minutes later, a Communications Soldier returned to the command headquarters to report to Gu Zhutong, "Commander, a telegram from the troops in the Wuxing direction."

At this time, Fujita Susumu arrived at the command headquarters. He had been commanding troops at the frontline headquarters, but hearing that Hata Shunroku had vomited blood and collapsed, he hurried back.

"Could there be a trap in this!? And the Japanese Army surrendering to us—this is simply unbelievable."

Once the Japanese Army carries out this flanking plan, the Third War Zone's attacking forces will likely be surrounded by the devils.

Fujita Susumu stepped forward and saluted Hata Shunroku, "Your Excellency, we have received reports from the garrisons in Wuxing, Suzhou, Qingpu, Songjiang, and other places."

Hearing this! Hata Shunroku patted Fujita Susumu on the shoulder, "Yoshi! Just do as you say."

Yu Hua hoped to be able to raise an army of four or five hundred thousand people by then. With the Fifth War Zone troops retreating, the Japanese Army's offensive intensified.

After Luo Zhuoying raised his doubts, some officers also echoed them. Wuxing is an important city, and the Japanese Army's behavior is very abnormal; there is an eighty percent chance there is a trap inside.

Soon, several more Communications Soldiers ran into the office to report to Hata Shunroku the news that those stations and docks had lost contact.

"Commander, after fighting for so long, this is the first time we have fought so easily; we have never fought so happily before!"

Hongqiao Airport was bombed, and the warships on the Huangpu River sank to the bottom of the river; the Japanese Army left behind in the Songhu Region has suffered heavy losses this time.

Yu Hua nodded, "Let the old man worry about this matter. Now we should also withdraw our troops."

Wuxing was the area where Gu Zhutong's own direct-line troops had assaulted the furthest. Fearing that something might happen, he hurriedly went up to take the telegram.

Subsequently, this officer also briefly introduced to everyone the scene of the Sichuan Army fighting the Taiwan Garrison at that time.

Here, after Li Delin finished reading the telegram, he could not help but sigh, "Old Bai! Sometimes, the Sichuan Army's ideas are really not bad."

Gu Zhutong looked at his Staff Officer, "Send a telegram to the frontline troops. They may appropriately expand the battle results. At the same time, transport all the Japanese Army's supplies back. Transport as much as you can, pick the important ones to transport, and if you can't transport them, burn them for me."

At the Hutou Mountain Base, Qiu Ming and Li Yong, as well as Zhu Ziming of Qingfeng Stronghold, all discovered that the small Japanese Army units wandering around the perimeter had increased quite a bit.

In any case, not a single piece of good news had reached Hata Shunroku lately; it was all bad news, and his heart was bleeding!

For a time, smoke of war rose everywhere in the Songhu Region, and the Chinese troops were like fierce tigers descending from the mountains, dealing heavy blows to the arrogant and conceited Japanese Army.

Fortunately, after seeing that Hata Shunroku could breathe normally, Fujita Susumu had already let out a sigh of relief, "Your Excellency Commander."

"Withdraw the troops?!"

"As long as we pin down the Sichuan Army, once it is daytime, this army will just be waiting for its destruction!"

Luo Zhuoying also spoke up: "Not only did we fight well tonight, but our harvest is also very great. Many units have reported capturing a large amount of equipment and supplies at Japanese Army strongholds and stations."

At the same time, Military Statistics Bureau agents in the Hangzhou Bay area also discovered anomalies with the Third Fleet and sent a telegram to Gu Zhutong.

In the Third War Zone, Gu Zhutong received reports from the frontline troops that the assault was very smooth, and now over one hundred Japanese Army strongholds and stations had been destroyed.

Gu Zhutong also recounted the general content of the telegram to everyone, as he wanted to ask for their opinions.

Now the Sichuan Army was actually saying they were withdrawing, and by the way, they notified the various units of the Central Army to retreat immediately and stop harassing the Japanese Army.

First, this time when the Sichuan Army launched a night raid on Shanghai, inside the Japanese Army's bank vaults, besides seizing a large amount of Japanese currency, gold, and silver, the Sichuan Army also discovered a lot of Legal Tender.

Luo Zhuoying frowned, "Your Excellency Commander, the Japanese Army in Wuxing is retreating so fast that our troops have already entered the city."

"As for the Japanese Army you suspect has surrendered, I tell you, these devils are likely troops from Taiwan; this is a unit where the officers are Japanese and the soldiers are Chinese."

Following that, Muto Akira said that Hongqiao Airport had completely severed contact with the headquarters, and now the airport might be gone too.

Following that, a second telegram came from the Fifth War Zone; Li Delin spoke to Gu Zhutong about the Central China Area Army's four divisions moving south.

Sun Zhen, who was to the side, saw Guo Rudong mention discovering so much Legal Tender and frowned slightly, "What is this Japanese Army trying to do?"

For Sun Zhen, this was the first thing he could think of.

"Your Excellency Commander, now the enemy is strong and we are weak. I believe the Imperial Army should hold firm fortresses and use machine gun positions, Type 92 Infantry Guns, and other heavy weapons to confront the Sichuan Army."

Bai Zhuge was also very happy; this time the Sichuan Army fought really well, solving the problem of the Fifth War Zone being surrounded in one go. This gave the various units plenty of time to withdraw.

"Damn it!" Sun Zhen cursed, "These bastards, their conscience is so vicious, even playing such tricks."

A mouthful of fresh blood gushed out from Hata Shunroku's mouth, which gave Muto Akira a huge fright, and he hurriedly shouted, "Medic!"

The Japanese Army's Central China Area Army was attacked by the Sichuan Army, and the Japanese Army south of Xuzhou retreated overnight; this intelligence was quickly passed to Li Delin.

"The Third Fleet is anchored in Hangzhou Bay. Your Excellency Commander should contact them immediately. The Third Fleet's aircraft carriers possess a large number of aircraft. Now that the Sichuan Army has attacked, once the sky is bright, order the Naval Aviation to take off and find the Sichuan Army units to carry out heavy bombing."

"The 101st Division and the 6th Division are to move south to the Changzhou area, take the train to move south of Taihu, and block the Sichuan Army's retreat."

The troops of the Third War Zone were also armies that had experienced many battles. Everyone had been fighting the Japanese Army for so long, and the Japanese Army was not afraid of death at all; now that they were actively surrendering, it was truly suspicious.

Hata Shunroku's gaze turned toward Fujita Susumu: "Fujita-kun!"

Upon hearing this, and linking it to the Sichuan Army's 28th Group Army besieging Shanghai, Gu Zhutong thought the problem shouldn't be too big and was just about to order the troops when...

"It looks like the Japanese Army intends to take off at dawn and come to the skies over Jiangzhe. During the day, the Japanese Army has air superiority; with two or three hundred planes, we can't afford to mess around!"

Yu Hua, who was to the side, said: "Brother Sun, you thought wrong. This money was printed by the Japanese Army itself; it is all counterfeit currency!"

Gu Zhutong understood everyone's concerns. Fortunately, in this night raid, the Third War Zone also held the advantage, and the battle results were good; that was already enough.

Many officers were stunned to hear that the Sichuan Army was going to withdraw at this time. They were fighting so well, and now they were actually going to withdraw; it was truly incomprehensible.

In Lincheng, Shandong Province! Yu Hua received the specific battle results of Guo Rudong's 28th Group Army.

The Third Group Army and the three divisions left behind by the Sichuan Army had a total force of about 50,000 men; this group of troops remained in Shandong Province for guerrilla warfare.

These valuables were all painstakingly looted by the Imperial Army in Jiangzhe; once transported back to the country, they could also stimulate the Imperial economy.

"Huh!?" Sun Zhen's eyes widened: "Counterfeit currency? What are the devils doing with so much counterfeit currency?"

Hata Shunroku's guts were now green with regret. Last time when the military conference was held, Fujita Susumu had suggested not to launch a large-scale offensive to avoid a counterattack from the Third War Zone's Chinese troops.

Hata Shunroku had his Adjutant draft a telegram to be issued to the troops directly under the Area Army, and at the same time, ordered the Japanese Army holding the strongholds to fight to the last man.

"Look, this is the telegram sent from the Su County direction, and the news sent from the Shanghai Military Statistics Bureau station."

Luo Zhuoying took a look and hurriedly said: "Commander, we must withdraw the troops."

Now that airports, stations, wharves, strongholds, and other places had fallen, all of this had been predicted by Fujita Susumu. As a commander, being overly eager for success seemed to make it easy to miscalculate.

Upon seeing the telegram, Gu Zhutong couldn't help but blurt out the words "withdraw the troops"; this was something he had never expected.

Afterwards, Yu Hua explained the economic war to Sun Zhen; the Japanese Army forged so much Legal Tender just to disrupt the Republic of China Government's economy and cause panic among the common people.

"Yes!"

Gu Zhutong waved his hand, signaling the Staff Officer to step back, and he gathered a group of officers to come before the map again, and everyone began to discuss the next step of the operation.

After receiving the order, the various units of the Central Army in the Third War Zone, although somewhat unwilling, still honestly executed the order and transferred to the mountainous areas.

The Japanese Army's front line was stretched thin, and now they were all taking small roads to transport wounded soldiers and supplies. Qiu Ming and Li Yong both seized the opportunity, and any Japanese Army that had to pass through the Hutou Mountain Base was intercepted.

Zhu Ziming was a bit confused; with the increase in surrounding Japanese troops, he still couldn't figure out the situation.

(End of chapter)