novelAbuy Chapter 28 Yang Ruifu fights to the death, Li Jianghe leads troops to Zhang Yuan
Chapter 28 Yang Ruifu fights to the death, Li Jianghe leads troops to Zhang Yuan
Some tanks had their entire turrets blown off, while others had their side armor plates blown through, with shockwaves carrying flames pouring into the tank's driver's compartment.
Some of the Japanese soldiers were killed by the powerful shockwave, while others, still conscious, crawled out of the tanks engulfed in flames, screaming, only to be shot dead by the soldiers lying in ambush outside.
These soldiers, formerly of the 88th German-equipped Division, were brave enough in combat and their professional skills were significantly higher than those of other Nationalist Army units.
With their tacit tactical coordination, most of the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles that stormed into the Fuxin Flour Factory were destroyed.
Yang Ruifu glanced at his watch; half an hour had passed. He looked at the remaining soldiers of the battalion, only sixty-odd left. In the fierce battle just now, more than thirty had been killed.
"Brothers, let's continue our breakout."
Yang Ruifu adjusted his glasses.
One of the lenses was broken. When the Japanese tanks bombarded it, a small stone that was blown away happened to hit the left lens.
He is highly myopic and can only see with one eye at present.
The soldiers followed Yang Ruifu as they continued their march through the night.
However, that half hour was enough time for Yoshizumi Ryosuke to mobilize troops from other areas to surround them.
Leaving the Fuxin Flour Factory, less than three blocks to the northwest, a small Japanese squad attacked from the flank.
This Japanese squad consisted of only fifty or sixty men, but they stuck to their flank and delayed their march.
Yang Ruifu led a battalion of soldiers, and could only fight and retreat.
But just then, a sharp shriek suddenly rang out.
"Boom!!!!!"
In an instant, Yang Ruifu's battalion of soldiers were enveloped in the smoke and fire from the explosion.
It was a shelling attack by the Japanese army.
Now that they are far from the Suzhou Creek and the concessions, the Japanese army can bombard them with impunity.
The Japanese squad that had just been there also contacted the command post via radio, requesting artillery cover.
This sudden artillery bombardment cut off the retreat of Yang Ruifu's battalion, and many of the soldiers on the march were killed or wounded.
Yang Ruifu shook his head, feeling an unprecedented sense of despair.
"Those damn Japanese devils, they're really giving me face, they even called in the artillery. Well then, before I die, I'll take a few more of them down with me."
He adjusted his glasses, which now only had one intact lens, and roared at the soldiers beside him:
"Brothers, let's fight to our hearts' content!!!"
"yes!!!"
The soldiers of the 88th Division seemed to have long accepted their fate, and their roars at this moment were resolute and filled with a sense of death.
Breaking through was already a near-certain death, so being able to reach this far was already beyond expectations.
Ahead, Li Jianghe turned his head and looked at the area covered by artillery fire.
"It's the artillery, the Japanese are calling in their artillery."
Long Wenzhang said from the side.
"Commander Yang and his men can't break out now."
He knew very well that a large part of the reason why the Sihang Warehouse could be defended was that the Japanese army dared not use heavy artillery.
Now that they have broken through the encirclement, they are gradually moving away from the banks of the Suzhou River, and the Japanese artillery has no more scruples.
Yang Ruifu's battalion was pinned down by the Japanese army and was subjected to artillery fire, making it almost impossible for them to break out.
Without much hesitation, Li Jianghe looked at his remaining merit points and turned to Long Wenzhang, saying:
"Deputy Battalion Commander Long, you will lead the main force of the Third Battalion to launch an attack on Pengpu Town, then head south to make some noise at Shanghai West Railway Station, and finally head north. We will meet up at Caojia Lane, east of Luodian."
As Long Wenzhang listened to these place names, the map of Shanghai had already flashed through his mind.
He suddenly realized that there was a problem with this escape route.
"Wait a minute, Battalion Commander, isn't this just walking right behind the Japanese? What's the difference between this and suicide?"
Pengpu Town was behind Japanese lines, and for them, the best way to turn the tide was naturally to go south of the Suzhou River and join up with the main force of the National Revolutionary Army.
But Li Jianghe said:
"The main force of the Japanese army is deployed along the Suzhou Creek. Do you really think that if we rush to the south bank of the Suzhou Creek, we'll have a chance to join up with the main force?"
These words reminded Long Wenzhang that a surprise attack might actually offer a way out.
If they were to rush to the south bank of the Suzhou Creek, they would first need to break through the Japanese defenses and cross the Suzhou Creek before they could join forces with the National Revolutionary Army.
Even if they were incredibly lucky and actually managed to cross the Japanese defenses on the south bank of the Suzhou Creek, the Nationalist troops on the opposite bank would very likely open fire immediately when they crossed the river.
Long Wenzhang understood Li Jianghe's plan, but he looked at his battalion commander and said:
"Battalion Commander, the main force of the Japanese army has already been mobilized. If we go back to provide reinforcements now, we may never be able to return."
"Obey orders."
Li Jianghe's orders left no room for negotiation.
Long Wenzhang had no choice but to salute and say:
"Yes, I will obey orders."
At this moment, Li Jianghe shouted at Wang Dayong:
"Wang Dayong, take the assault platoon and come with me to fight our way back."
More than 20 assault platoon members immediately stepped forward and rushed back with Li Jianghe.
If we need to go back to provide rescue, we certainly can't rely on just these twenty-odd assault team members.
Without any hesitation, Li Jianghe once again used his merit points to summon 10 assault squads, a force of over a hundred men, and charged towards the area where Yang Ruifu was located.
Inside the Japanese command post, Yoshizumi Ryosuke was listening to Nakagawa Hiroshi's report.
"The enemy forces inflicted heavy damage on our pursuing armored forces at the Fuxin Flour Factory."
However, they themselves were also delayed, and our artillery was already in position, successfully cutting off the enemy's breakout route to the northwest.
"This isn't the enemy's main force, just the rearguard. Where is the enemy's main breakout force located?"
Yoshizumi Ryosuke looked at the map and said coldly.
Hiroshi Nakagawa pointed to the map and drew a circle with his index finger.
"It's highly likely they'll break through to the south of the Suzhou Creek, where the main force of the National Revolutionary Army is located. However, we've already notified the troops here to enter combat readiness."
"Hmph, do these guys really think they can escape by breaking out in this direction?"
Yoshizumi Ryosuke looked somewhat disdainful.
Currently, the main forces of the 9th Division, the 3rd Division, and the 11th Division are all deployed in the area north of the Suzhou Creek.
Because they planned to cross the Suzhou River and, in coordination with the Japanese 10th Army which was about to land in the Hangzhou Bay area, to ambush the National Revolutionary Army from both sides and annihilate them in Shanghai.
If this operation succeeds, it will annihilate most of the Nationalist army's elite forces in one battle, leaving them powerless to resist and with no choice but to sign the surrender document.
At that moment, a communications officer stood up and said:
"Report: Soldiers in Pengpu Town have reported that a large number of enemy troops have been spotted and have launched a sudden attack on Pengpu Town. They are firing fiercely and moving very quickly."
These words caused both Hiroshi Nakagawa and Ryosuke Yoshizumi, who had been brimming with confidence, to turn pale.
Because Pengpu Town is located in the northwest, it is completely opposite to the Suzhou River.