Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

At the same time, on the southern wing of the defense line, the Japanese 10th Army carried out a large-scale detour.

Under the command of Tani Hisao, the 6th Division forced a crossing of the Taihu Lake and landed at Nanfangquan, south of Wuxi, in an attempt to cut off the retreat of the defenders of the Xicheng defense line.

This unexpected amphibious assault completely disrupted the Chinese army's defensive deployment.

On December 13, the fighting spread to the suburbs of Wuxi.

The Japanese 9th Division, under the command of Yoshizumi Yoshisuke, launched a fierce attack on the south of Wuxi City.

A fierce battle broke out along the moat, and the defenders resisted tenaciously with the help of the city wall fortifications.

At the east gate of Wuxi, officers and soldiers of the 174th Brigade of the 58th Division engaged in street fighting with Japanese troops who broke into the city.

Due to the lack of anti-tank weapons, the soldiers had to strap grenades to their bodies and crawl under the Japanese tanks to die with them.

The battle for East Street was particularly fierce, with both sides fighting for house by house, and one street often changed hands more than ten times.

"Commander, there's an emergency at the west gate! Japanese tanks have broken through the city gate!" The messenger rushed into the command post covered in gunpowder.

Division Commander Feng Shengfa drew his pistol and said to the staff, "Everyone, today is the day for us to die for our country!" After that, he personally led the guard company to the west gate.

At the same time, at Wuxi Railway Station, the remnants of the 11th Division fought a final bloody battle with the Japanese army.

The officers and soldiers relied on the station buildings to resist step by step. After they ran out of bullets, they continued fighting with bayonets and shovels.

In the stationmaster's office, the wounded regimental commander Zhou Zhenqiang detonated the last box of explosives before falling to the ground, and died together with the invading Japanese troops.

By dusk on the 15th, the sound of gunfire in Wuxi city gradually became less frequent.

This famous Jiangnan city with a 3,000-year history finally fell into the hands of the enemy after three days of brutal street fighting.

After the Japanese army entered the city, they began a frenzied campaign of revenge. . . .

With the fall of Wuxi, the situation of Jiangyin Fortress became increasingly critical.

On December 16, the Japanese 13th Division, under the command of Ogisu Tachibe, launched a general attack on Jiangyin.

At the same time, the Japanese Navy's 3rd Fleet dispatched several ships to bombard the fortress from the Yangtze River.

Ouyang Ge, commander of the Jiangyin Fort, was stationed at the Huangshan Fort, commanding the defenders to make their final resistance.

The forts engaged in fierce artillery battles with the Japanese army...

The river was also filled with smoke...

The "Ninghai" cruiser was a light cruiser ordered by the National Government from a Japanese shipyard in 1930.

At this time, the Ninghai and its sister ship Pinghai, as the main force of the Chinese fleet, fought a final desperate battle with the overwhelmingly superior Japanese naval aviation in the waters of Jiangyin.

The Chinese Navy knew that it could not fight a decisive battle with the Japanese Navy in the open sea, so it chose the tragic "sinking ships to block the river" tactic, building a blockade line in the Jiangyin area of ​​​​the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to prevent the Japanese fleet from going up the river to attack Nanjing on a large scale.

But this move still failed to stop the small Japanese fleet from moving up the river.

Chen Hongtai stood on the Ninghai bridge, his fingertips running across the cold iron railings, his eyes trying to penetrate the mist and look towards the east coast. There, the Japanese artillery fire had already illuminated the sky red, like the furnace fire of hell, flickering from time to time, accompanied by a faint roar.

The Xicheng Defense Line, a national defense fortification connecting Wuxi and Jiangyin, has now become the last barrier of Nanjing and is under fierce attacks from several Japanese divisions both by land and sea.

The Ninghai cruiser and its sister ship Pinghai were anchored side by side on the west side of the Jiangyin blockade line. Both ships were scarred by past battles.

Chen Hongtai looked down at the hull. The rust spots below the waterline were the scars left by more than a month of hard fighting. They were like scars on a veteran's body, recording every life-and-death struggle.

"Captain, hydrographic report, the flow rate has increased to three meters per second." Gunnery officer Chen Jiacun handed over the hydrological record. His voice was hoarse and his eyes were sunken, obviously the result of lack of sleep from days of fighting.

Chen Hongtai nodded slightly and glanced at the busy officers and soldiers on the deck: Trainee Kong Fanjun was leading people to use cotton yarn to fill the bullet holes in the anti-aircraft gun mount. The hands that should have been holding a pen were now covered with calluses and wounds.

Chief Engineer Liu Yonggui lay at the hatch, listening attentively to the noise of the main engine running - three days ago, the Ninghai's port side was hit by a bullet during the battle with the Japanese fleet, causing water to leak into the engine room. At this moment, it was only powered by one boiler, and its speed was less than half of the usual speed.

Chen Hongtai looked across the river to the vaguely visible Jiangyin Fortress artillery.

There are 150mm cannons imported from Germany deployed there, which are a powerful weapon for blocking the Yangtze River.

However, the bombing over the past few days has caused heavy losses to the fort.

He recalled his meeting with the fortress commander half a month ago. The army lieutenant general shook his hand and said, "Captain Chen, if Jiangyin is lost and the gates of Nanjing are wide open, you and I will both be national sinners." His words were still fresh in his mind, and now the war situation was precarious.

Suddenly, the hum of a propeller was heard in the fog, coming from far away and breaking the silence of the early morning.

Chen Hongtai suddenly raised his hand and everyone fell silent.

Ten seconds later, a Japanese Type 95 seaplane reconnaissance plane broke through the fog and passed by the mast, with the red sun logo on the fuselage clearly visible.

"All ships on level one combat readiness!" When he gave the order, the alarm bell in the observation tower had already sounded.

Enemy planes dropped smoke beacons on the river, which was the Japanese artillery calibration signal.

Chen Hongtai clenched the telescope and saw dark shadows downstream. The Japanese light cruiser "Yubari" was leading three destroyers approaching the gap in the blockade line.

"Captain, a telegram!" The signalman rushed onto the bridge and handed over a message. Chen Hongtai unfolded it and saw an order from the Navy: "Defend Jiangyin to the death, block the enemy's westward advance, and buy time for the deployment of defenses in Nanjing."

A few short words, but with weight of weight.

He folded the telegram, stuffed it into his pocket, took a deep breath, and turned to Chen Jiacun: "Prepare for battle."

At 9:17, the first shell landed a hundred meters to the starboard side of the Ninghai, and a column of water wrapped in river mud hit the deck.

The 140mm main gun of the Japanese cruiser "Yubari" fired the first shot, kicking off this naval battle with a huge disparity in strength.

Chen Jiacun roared, "Ranging completed!", and the Ninghai's front main turret roared.

The vibration of the six 140mm guns firing in unison spread throughout the ship, and the shells whizzed out of the barrels, exploding a fireball at the bow of the Yubari.

Through the telescope, Chen Hongtai saw the people on the deck of the Japanese ship running to put out the fire, and the first round of shooting achieved results.

But the Japanese destroyers had spread out in a pincer shape, covering the Ninghai with a dense barrage of bullets.

The shells fell like raindrops, raising countless water columns around the ship.

A piece of shrapnel grazed Chen Hongtai's cheek, and blood dripped down his jaw onto his military uniform, but he was completely unaware.

"Turn left! Avoid the mines!" Chen Hongtai's roar was drowned out by the explosion.

The observer discovered that two torpedoes were heading towards the Ninghai. The helmsman tried hard to turn the rudder, and the ship tilted violently.

A torpedo passed by the stern of the ship and cut the cable of the towing anti-aircraft balloon. Another torpedo exploded a hundred meters away, and the waves it stirred up hit the hull.

At this moment, a more deadly threat came from the sky: 12 Type 96 attack aircraft swooped down from the clouds. The intervention of the Japanese land-based air force instantly worsened the situation.

The Ninghai's anti-aircraft machine gunners fired wildly, and bullet casings jumped on the deck like popcorn.

Chen Hongtai held on to the bridge and saw gunnery officer Chen Jiacun still directing the anti-aircraft firepower while dragging his leg which had been injured by shrapnel not long ago.