You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you ended up with a German-equipped division

Chapter 11 The Order to Retreat, Li Jianghe, the Selected One

"What? They wiped out the Japanese battalion command post and even took down a Japanese major?"

Qin Lin thought he had misheard, and his voice suddenly rose a few decibels.

"Yes, yes, brigade commander, that's when he took down a Japanese major and repelled a battalion."

Xu Dingguo repeated it again.

Qin Lin found this unbelievable, because during the day it was basically all Japanese attacks.

Only at night, when the Japanese artillery and air power are less obvious, can the National Revolutionary Army launch a counterattack.

In fact, due to the severe loss of troops in the past few days, they have lost their ability to launch a counterattack at night and can only barely maintain the front line.

"That's right, there's no mistake, the captured officer's swords have all been delivered."

"Which unit from your Fifth Regiment launched the counterattack? It couldn't be Li Jianghe from that garrison regiment again, could it?"

Qin Lin already knew last night that Li Jianghe had led his soldiers to defeat a Japanese company in the direction of the grain store.

When he reported to the brigade headquarters, there were more than ten people in total. They said that these were the only ones left in the entire 714th Regiment.

"That's right, it's him. The rest of our regiment can't even launch a counterattack. Brigade Commander, this guy is a cunning fighter, a promising talent."

Xu Dingguo's words were tinged with undisguised pride.

Qin Lin couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:

"Good heavens, I really underestimated them."

I originally thought that once thrown onto the battlefield, he would be exhausted within a night, but unexpectedly, Li Jianghe is getting stronger and stronger with each battle.

At this moment, Xu Dingguo seized the opportunity and said:

"Commander, could you please request some more reinforcements and a basic amount of artillery shells? Our Fifth Regiment wants to launch a counterattack, starting with the opening that Li Jianghe created."

Hearing this, Qin Lin knew very well that Li Jianghe's counterattack had greatly boosted morale across the entire front.

But Qin Lin knew that a counterattack was almost impossible.

When his brigade set out, it had more than 3,000 men. After fighting for many days in the counterattack at Wenzaobang, the entire brigade now has less than 800 combat-ready soldiers left, almost all of whom have been wiped out.

In fact, it wasn't just their brigade; the entire 176th Division was in the same boat.

The 174th, 173rd, and 171st Guangxi Army units that entered Shanghai to fight alongside them were all gritting their teeth and fighting to the death.

Forget about counterattacking, they couldn't even maintain the front line.

Moreover, the order to retreat has already been issued, and at 3 p.m., brother units will take over from the Guangxi Army.

Qin Lin said in a somewhat hoarse voice:

"Dingguo, it seems that a counterattack is not an option. The higher command has already issued a retreat order. At 3 p.m., the entire Guangxi army will retreat to the south of the Suzhou River to rest and reorganize."

Upon hearing this, Xu Dingguo remained silent for a long time.

Li Jianghe led his more than one hundred soldiers to retreat south of the Suzhou River.

The frontline defenses were handed over to the 14th, 32nd, and 53rd Divisions, which came to reinforce the front.

But at this point, the Nationalist army was already at its last gasp.

The Japanese army concentrated three divisions, totaling nearly 100,000 troops, to launch a counter-offensive, quickly breaking through the Chenjiaxing, Dachang, and Zoumatang line, while simultaneously launching a fierce attack towards Zhabei.

During the high-level meeting, Commanders Bai, Chen, Li, and Zhang all suggested ending the fighting in Shanghai and shifting to the Wu-Fu line.

They set up defensive positions along the Wufu Line, which would also reduce the Japanese naval and air superiority, making it a more ideal location for a protracted war.

"The Nine-Power Treaty Conference is not over yet, and our troops cannot withdraw. At least one force must remain to hold the line."

The chairman said with a solemn expression.

Some suggested leaving Sun Yuanliang's 88th Division, which was stationed in Zhabei, behind. This division was equipped with German weapons and had stronger combat capabilities, so it should be able to hold out in the Zhabei area for a longer period of time in an isolated and unsupported situation.

However, when this proposal reached Sun Yuanliang's ears, he firmly opposed it. In the end, Commander Gu agreed to leave only one regiment to guard one or two positions.

It was said to be a regiment, but after continuous fierce fighting, it was actually only a battalion.

Even this battalion was decimated, with fewer than three hundred men remaining in the entire battalion.

Commander Gu issued an order to transfer another highly capable company to supplement the regiment.

Otherwise, it would have been almost impossible for a force of less than 300 men to hold out in Zhabei for a period of time.

Choosing which unit to fill the gap in has become a difficult problem.

Because everyone knew that this was a mission where death was inevitable.

At that moment, a battle report from several days ago fell to the ground from Commander Gu's desk.

After he picked it up, he saw the contents recorded on it. It was about a garrison regiment from Liuzhou that had repeatedly defeated Japanese troops in the Chenjiaxing area.

"Li Jianghe..."

When Commander Gu saw this name, he recalled the counterattack a few days ago where a small force triumphed over a large one.