Chapter 181: Guarding Jinling

On December 1, 1937, at dawn, east of Jurong, the th Brigade's blocking position faced the bitter cold as The Good Earth trembled. The Japanese command, Shen He, officially issued the order to attack Jinling, like three iron‑gray torrents surging westward along the Beijing‑Shanghai Railway, Jurong, and Lishui. On Bei Lu, the Vanguard Unit of the Japanese 16th Division advancing along the railway was the first to clash with the th Brigade defensive line that Li Nian'an had meticulously arranged in the hills and river‑net area east of Jurong.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Japanese artillery opened brutally and fiercely, trying to level the Chinese positions with steel‑flame. Smoke choked the air, and mud mixed with severed limbs was flung into the sky.

"Hold steady, all of you! Stay in the Anti‑Artillery Bunker; no one may expose themselves without my order!" the veteran Youzi‑born Second Battalion commander Mao shouted hoarsely into the telephone. The officers and soldiers of the th Brigade, many of whom had endured the Songhu Inferno, tightened their faces but did not panic, curling tightly in the relatively sturdy shelters and enduring this baptism of death.

The artillery fire began to spread.

"To the front line! Quickly! The devils are coming!" whistles and shouts from officers rose and fell in the Trench.

The soldiers, like agile leopards, swiftly moved into their pre‑set combat positions. In view, Japanese infantry in earth‑colored uniforms, shielded by a few Type‑95 light Tanks, advanced in a skirmish line, their bright bayonets reflecting cold light in the dawn.

Bang!

A brigade commander personally operated a German‑made Pak 36 anti‑tank gun, firing first; the shell pierced the side track connection of the leading Tank. "Boom!" a fireball exploded, and the Tank instantly tipped over, becoming scrap metal.

"Well done!" the surrounding soldiers muttered low.

"Aim and fire! First hit the Tank, then deal with the infantry!" the officer ordered calmly, his face showing no pride, only focused severity.

In an instant, the th Brigade's position came alive! The Maxim Heavy Machine Gun roared low, the Czech Light Machine Gun crackled with rapid fire, Zhongzheng rifles rattled in chaotic volleys, and hand grenades exploded densely, forming a wall of death. The Japanese infantry charging forward fell like cut wheat, collapsing in sheets.

The Japanese clearly had not expected to meet such tenacious and well‑arranged firepower here. Their attack formation fell into brief chaos.

The th Brigade headquarters, a hastily dug underground bunker. "Brigade Commander, First Battalion report: repelled the Japanese first charge, killing or wounding about one squad, destroying one Tank."

"Second Battalion direction: the Japanese attempted to flank, but were turned back by pre‑set minefields and flanking fire."

"Third Battalion on the flank engaged a Japanese company, temporarily holding the line."

The staff reported the battle situation anxiously. Li Nian'an stared at the map, his brows knit. The opening went smoothly, but he knew this was only a small wave before the storm. The Japanese 16th Division is a fully equipped Type‑A division, its combat power far from ordinary.

"Order each battalion to hurry repairing fortifications and resupply ammunition. Japanese artillery will return soon; the next attack will be even fiercer," Li Nian'an said gravely. "Also, notify the brigade‑direct reconnaissance company, dispatch a few elite squads forward, and closely monitor Japanese movements, especially the artillery positions."

"Yes!"

At that moment, a young man in ordinary soldier's uniform but with an especially alert gaze, codename "Ye Xiao", a Military Intelligence infiltrator, silently approached Li Nian'an's chief of staff Wang Weilin and whispered a few words. Wang Weilin's complexion changed slightly, and he hurried to Li Nian'an's side.

"Brigade Commander," Wang Weilin said in a very low voice, "Ye Xiao reporting: intercepted unknown radio signal activity nearby, the frequency is unfamiliar, not like our known Japanese or our own stations. Suspect… rats have infiltrated."

A cold glint flashed in Li Nian'an's eyes. He immediately thought of the risks from previous contact with "that side", but it could also be a Japanese reconnaissance or sabotage team. "Tell Ye Xiao to keep monitoring, try to locate as much as possible. Also, notify the Guard Battalion, tighten security at the brigade headquarters and each regiment, and detain anyone without the proper code for inspection!"

"Understood!"

December 3rd, just as Li Nian'an had predicted, the Japanese attacks came in wave after wave. Artillery rained down, infantry charged, and even aircraft were used for low‑altitude strafing and bombing. The th Brigade's positions were turned to scorched earth by day, and repaired by the soldiers' sheer will at night. Casualties kept climbing, and medical supplies began to run short.

Li Nian'an applied the German "elastic defense" concept to the extreme. He did not aim to hold every inch, but instead held key points stubbornly, willingly abandoning some forward positions when necessary, luring the enemy in, then using pre‑set fire points and reserves for a counter‑strike. This tactic made the attacking Japanese 16th Division's 19th Brigade suffer greatly, each advance costing a heavy price.

During the battle, a discordant note appeared. A political instructor sent by the Central Committee to the th Brigade, after a fierce Japanese artillery barrage, panicked and tried to flee with a few close associates, but was seized on the spot by the Guard Battalion overseeing the fight.

"Brigade Commander! Spare me! I'm from the Central Committee! You can't kill me!" the political instructor shouted, his face expressionless.

Li Nian'an didn't even glance at him, only coldly told the Guard Battalion commander: "Deserting in battle, disrupting morale, under wartime Military Law, execute on the spot!"

"Bang!" a gunshot rang, deterring all who harbored hope. Li Nian'an, with iron‑blooded resolve, maintained discipline in the dire situation.

Meanwhile, the Military Intelligence "Ye Xiao" team and a Japanese "Special High Section" reconnaissance detachment clashed briefly but fiercely in a village behind the flank of the position, both sides taking casualties. The Japanese scouts were repelled, but the Ye Xiao team also lost a member. This showed that the Japanese now regarded the th Brigade as a tough nut to crack and were seeking its weak points.