Chapter 182: Defending Jinling 6

On the night of December 5, during a brief rest on the front, a figure concealed by the darkness slipped in and found Li Nian'an, who was inspecting the forward line. The newcomer was an old squad leader from the brigade's transport battalion, actually a Chinese Communist Party Underground Party liaison, codename "Qing Shi".

"Brigade Commander," "Qing Shi" said in a low, steady voice, "Family reports that the Japanese 16th Division's logistics convoy on the Bei Lu will pass the road north of Tangshan tomorrow morning, guarded by about a squad. The Japanese 9th Division's artillery company on the South Road is roughly at this coordinate." He quietly slipped a small note to Li Nian'an.

Li Nian'an took the note, glanced over it quickly by moonlight, and felt a jolt in his heart. The intelligence was extremely specific and highly valuable.

"Understood. Convey my thanks to Family." Li Nian'an calmly slipped the note into his pocket.

"Qing Shi" nodded and added, "Family also says, please take care, Brigade Commander; comrades in Jiangbei will do their best to hold them off."

With no further words, "Qing Shi's" figure vanished quickly into the darkness.

Li Nian'an felt conflicted. This intelligence could undoubtedly give him a decisive edge against the Japanese at a crucial moment, but it also meant his entanglement with "that side" deepened. He thought inwardly: the red, white, and black are truly tangled beyond clarity.

On December 6, after five days of brutal bloodshed, the 259th Brigade had inflicted heavy damage on the enemy, but its own casualties exceeded one‑third, ammunition was nearly exhausted, and the friendly positions on both flanks had already fallen one after another; holding out further risked being encircled and annihilated.

"Brigade Commander! Guard Headquarters orders a full retreat to the secondary defensive line!" a communications soldier delivered the withdrawal order.

Li Nian'an watched the growing number of blue arrows on the map and realized the situation was lost.

"Execute the retreat order! Alternate cover, withdraw step by step! Carry out any wounded you can! Those you can't… the seriously wounded, fire hand grenades!" He uttered the final sentence through clenched teeth, filled with endless sorrow and resolve.

The retreat was equally brutal. The Japanese clung tightly, and the 259th Brigade's rear guard clashed with pursuing troops in numerous close‑quarters fights. Relying on strict discipline and the previously laid minefields and improvised traps, the main force finally broke free and moved toward the secondary defensive line outside Nanjing Cheng. Li Nian'an glanced back at the ground soaked in blood and fire, where too many loyal and brave subordinates lay buried.

On December 7, at Zijin Shan Lu, after withdrawing to the secondary line, the 259th Brigade received an urgent influx of troops—mostly scattered soldiers taken in for shelter and a small amount of ammunition—and was ordered to defend the sector from Laohu Dong to Xi Shan on Zijin Mountain. This area was one of the key barriers preventing the Japanese from entering Nanjing from the east, forming part of the Zijin Mountain defense system together with the Training Headquarters, the 87th Division, and other units.

The main force of the Japanese 16th Division, under a frenzy of aircraft and heavy artillery cover, launched a tide‑like assault on Zijin Shan. The mountain was covered with tawny silhouettes, howling as they surged upward.

"Close range—fire! Use hand grenades! Machine gun, aim and sweep!" Li Nian'an's throat was hoarse from shouting; he personally shouldered a light machine gun, running back and forth in the trench, appearing wherever danger arose.

The combat grew unbearably cruel. The position was lost by day and retaken at night by organized suicide squads. In the repeated seesaw, the hillside became strewn with corpses from both sides, blood turning the soil a dark crimson. Japanese grenade launchers and precise rifle fire inflicted heavy casualties on the defenders.

During this time, Li Nian'an keenly noticed that Japanese artillery consistently hit the command post and heavy machine gun positions he had just readjusted. He realized there might truly be a Japanese spy inside directing the fire.

"Wang Weilin! Conduct a secret sweep! Especially the troops recently reinforced! Focus on whether anyone is carrying or hiding suspicious items, such as mirrors, signal flags, and the like!" Li Nian'an issued the stern order.

At the same time, after verifying the intelligence supplied by "Qing Shi," he organized a small‑scale rear‑area raid, dispatching an elite detachment that slipped behind Japanese lines, successfully blowing up a temporary Japanese ammunition dump and attacking one of their logistics convoys, temporarily easing some pressure on the front. The success deepened Li Nian'an's impression of "that side's" intelligence capabilities and, unknowingly, intensified his own fear of them.

On December 9, despite the defenders' bloody struggle, the Japanese's overwhelming manpower and firepower continued to crush them, and the Zijin Shan Zhubeng and all major high points fell one after another. The 259th Brigade's positions were squeezed ever smaller, its units shattered and fighting independently.

Amid the chaos, the Japanese spy who had been lurking, disguised as a reinforcement, was finally exposed by the "Night Owl" team together with the Guard Battalion. When he tried to signal a Japanese aircraft with a mirror, he was killed on the spot. However, the damage had already been done; several key fire points had been destroyed by Japanese artillery under his guidance.

On December 10, the Zijin Shan Zhubeng finally fell. Li Nian'an, leading the remaining hundred‑plus troops of the brigade headquarters, was pinned down at the last few positions around Xi Shan, with Nanjing Cheng looming behind.

Shells kept exploding around, gunfire and shouts deafening. Li Nian'an leaned against a crater, his face covered in smoke, his uniform torn, a shrapnel wound gaping in his arm, blood streaming. He looked at the few remaining comrades beside him, equally scarred yet still clutching their weapons, then gazed down at the ancient city below, soon to be wholly consumed by fire, his eyes filled with endless grief and desolation.

He knew the fall of Jinling was only a matter of time. His and his 259th Brigade's mission was both accomplished and… failed. Now, surviving, and keeping as many brothers as possible alive, had become the final and most arduous task. The Jiangbei route his father had secretly prepared became the only faint light in the darkness.