plumnovel Chapter 78: Japanese Army's Secret Plot, Seizure of Arsenal Equipment and Raw Materials, and th
Chapter 78: Japanese Army's Secret Plot, Seizure of Arsenal Equipment and Raw Materials, and th
Upon hearing this name, the commander of the 9th Division, Yoshizumi Ryosuke, felt his vision go black and his blood pressure rise even higher.
He gripped the table with his palms and said through gritted teeth:
"It's that guy again. Isn't he always stationed at Yuhuatai?"
Hisao Tani smiled and said:
"It seems you don't know yet, but this person seems to have gathered a lot of defeated soldiers and expanded the defense zone."
Right now, he's defending the entire area around Zhonghua Gate, Yuhuatai, and Guanghua Gate. I even suspect he has people in the direction of Zhongshan Gate as well.
"Towards Zhongshan Gate..."
The speaker was Nakajima Kesago, commander of the 16th Division. The troops he led were the main force currently attacking Nanjing.
"So it was his troops. I was wondering why the Central Training Corps' weapons and equipment had suddenly been upgraded. The previously defeated troops were also organized and launched several counterattacks, causing considerable obstacles to the advance of our armored forces."
As Nakajima Kesago spoke, he looked at the other three division commanders and thought to himself that he wasn't the only one who had suffered a loss.
For some reason, the depression he had felt was lessened considerably.
He even felt that he hadn't suffered too much at Li Jianghe's hands, at least not as much as Yoshizumi Ryosuke and Suematsu Shigeharu.
I heard that Yoshizumi Ryosuke got so angry because of this guy that he developed high blood pressure, and Suematsu Shigeharu even fainted on the spot in the command post.
"It seems that Nakajima-kun has also experienced this person's methods."
As Suematsu Shigeharu said this, he felt much better.
My thoughts are exactly the same as Nakajima Kesago's—it turns out I'm not the only one who suffered a loss, nor am I the only one who felt embarrassed.
At this time, the division commanders in the room were basically all "victims" of Li Jianghe's Provisional Third Regiment.
At this moment, Tani Hisao lightly tapped the table and said:
"In short, if our several divisions launch a simultaneous attack tomorrow, Li Jianghe will definitely find it difficult to resist."
His troops weren't large, but their weaponry was quite advanced, and they had ample ammunition. Furthermore, he was cunning and unpredictable in his tactics, making him a formidable opponent.
After he finished speaking, he looked at Shimono Ichiro and said:
"Please give a brief overview of the battle plan. If anyone has any objections, please feel free to add to it."
Shimono Kazuhiro stepped forward and began to announce the battle plan for tomorrow.
After the entire plan was announced as finished, everyone offered their own opinions to supplement it.
The plan was slightly modified, and the timing of tomorrow's attack, as well as the troop strength and firepower to be deployed by each unit, were also clarified.
Finally, Nakajima Kesago asked:
"When will the naval forces arrive? If they can blockade the river and provide support with naval guns, this battle will be much easier."
Tani Hisao slammed his hand on the table and said:
"Those idiots in the Navy, they'd love for more of our army to die. They won't arrive until after 3 p.m. today."
"Forget it, we won't count on them. We'll be lucky if they can provide some air support."
Yoshizumi Ryosuke said this.
"Of course, the premise is that aerial bombs don't fall on our own people's heads."
As the commander of the 114th Division, Shigeharu Suematsu, spoke, he recalled some less pleasant memories.
At the Yuhuatai position, many of the bombs fired by the air force landed on the attacking troops, causing numerous casualties.
"Alright, attack tomorrow morning!!"
Tani Hisao lined up the table and stood up.
"Long live the Emperor!"
Shigeharu Suematsu took the lead in shouting.
Everyone raised their arms and shouted "Long live!"
While the Japanese army was discussing their offensive for the next day, Li Jianghe arrived at the edge of the Zhonghua Gate city wall.
This is the site of the Jinling Arsenal.
Because of the hasty retreat, many pieces of equipment and industrial raw materials were not removed from the factory and warehouse.
After Li Jianghe was promoted to regimental commander, the system space volume increased significantly.
Previously, it was used to store captured Japanese equipment, weapons, ammunition, and so on.
After the supply depot was established, these items were cleared out and quickly consumed in battle.
After entering the factory and warehouse, Li Jianghe absorbed as much of the remaining equipment and raw materials as possible into the system space.
If given the opportunity in the future, he could even rebuild a simple arsenal to produce weapons and ammunition.
After all, you can't always rely on merit points; there are too many places where you need to use them.
Medicines, fuel, various vehicle parts, repair tools, etc., all amount to a considerable expense.
Li Jianghe had to be meticulous and use his merit points wisely.
He didn't leave the Jinling Arsenal until late at night and returned to the command post.
The mornings in Nanjing seemed quieter than usual.
The same thing happened last night; the quiet made Li Jianghe feel a little uncomfortable.
He had a vague feeling that the Japanese attack today would inevitably change.
At eight o'clock, Li Jianghe, who had just finished breakfast and was inspecting the barricade positions at the front, had not yet returned to the rear command post when he heard a whooshing sound – the whooshing of Japanese artillery shells.
But this time is different from before.
Wang Dayong looked around and said:
"Commander, something's not right. This time, the Japanese are shelling from several directions, including Yuhuatai."
Li Jianghe also discovered it.
Yesterday, the Japanese army launched an attack. Although the fighting was quite fierce in all directions, these troops were clearly not coordinated in their operations.
The timing of the attack varies for troops in each direction.
Today's shelling covered all positions almost simultaneously.
"It seems the Japanese have unified command now, instead of fighting individually like before."
Li Jianghe said this.
"Then what should we do? If we launch an attack at the same time, I'm afraid we might not be able to hold out."
Even Wang Dayong, a reckless and unruly man, realized that this battle was going to be tough.
"We have to hold out, even if we can't. Notify all units that if necessary, we can abandon some outer districts to let the Japanese army into the city, using space to buy time."
Li Jianghe said this.
The Japanese army did not launch a fierce attack last night; all they had to do now was hold out until nightfall.
Once the troops at Xiaguan Wharf have completed their transfer, Li Jianghe can lead the main force to break through from the front.
Hundreds of artillery pieces of various calibers bombarded multiple directions simultaneously, leaving Li Jianghe with no opportunity to redeploy troops.
Because each direction was the main direction of the Japanese attack, each direction might face the problem of insufficient troops.
He reserved 300 men as a final reserve force, and if necessary, he would also deploy tank units into the battle ahead of schedule.
Regardless, some outer positions can be lost, but the core positions must be held.
Otherwise, if the Japanese army occupied too many blocks, the breakout operation at night would likely be extremely difficult.
Japanese artillery fire continued for half an hour.
In just half an hour, they fired nearly 10,000 shells at the position.