A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

The few hours before dawn were incredibly long and agonizing for 101st Division Commander Masayoshi Ito.

The opposing Chinese army's Training Corps, 154th Division, and 105th Division, as if injected with adrenaline, launched a full-scale counterattack against his 101st Division, with fierce fighting taking place everywhere.

The opponent came prepared, taking advantage of the situation, while he was caught off guard and unable to organize an effective defense until dawn.

After daybreak, when visibility was sufficient for the artillery to fire from the rear, the enemy had already sounded the retreat and quickly withdrew. When the air force that had scrambled to take off arrived, they only saw a scene of devastation and post-battle devastation.

Despite his subordinates' attempts to stop him, Ito Masayoshi insisted on inspecting the front lines. He was stunned by what he saw: the smoke of battle had not yet cleared, the fortifications were in ruins, and there were abandoned weapons and corpses everywhere, some from his own side and some from the enemy.

The soldiers on the front lines had blank expressions and empty eyes as they silently carried corpses and cleared away limbs and broken bodies from the positions and fortifications. Ito Masayoshi felt a suffocating atmosphere of oppression.

He knew perfectly well that morale at the front was at an unprecedented low and that a victory was urgently needed to boost morale.

After suffering this heavy blow, Matsui Iwane was somewhat embarrassed and angry.

According to intelligence from the 9th and 101st Divisions, the Chinese Army assault team that fought last night was part of the Training Corps. They ran into the encampment of a supply battalion of the 9th Division. The battle raged until dawn when the enemy retreated. The supply battalion learned the enemy's unit number from the uniforms of the corpses they left behind.

"The elite training corps, which claims to be the ace of the Chinese army, I'm going to smash your ace!" Matsui Iwane's face revealed a sinister look. "The primary task is to restore the dignity of the dispatched army."

Matsui Iwane decided to adjust the battle plan, with the 11th Division in charge of the offensive along the Nanxiang-Jiangqiao line, one part of the 9th Division which was undergoing replenishment monitoring the Jiangqiao flank, and another part containing Tadaori, while reinforcing the 101st Division's forces in the Jiangqiao area to strengthen the attacking force at the breakthrough point, and concentrating forces to first attack the Training Corps.

In the past, Matsui Iwane would have considered allowing the troops to rest first, but now that the imperial edict for the locusts to "fight bravely" has been issued, the soldiers' physical strength and even their lives are secondary considerations.

The key lies in how to break through the Wusong River as soon as possible and completely take over Nanshi. If one can achieve a great feat like annihilating the elite training corps of the Huaxia Army, it will be an unparalleled honor for the Tianhuang Greater East Asia Project.

Matsui Iwane's boundless fantasies brought him great comfort; as the saying goes, fantasies bring pleasure.

Matsui Iwane personally called Ito Masayoshi: "The other Chinese armies are no longer a threat. They wouldn't dare to make any rash moves. It's already quite good that they can protect themselves!"

Faced with Commander Matsui's order to intensify the attack on Qujiaqiao, Ito Masayoshi felt as if he were being roasted on a fire by the commander.

The 9th Division, which was undergoing replenishment, took on auxiliary tasks, and its commander, Yoshizumi Ryosuke, was left with a leisurely life. This tough nut to crack was left to the 101st Division, which had previously been arrogant and disrespectful to him.

Ito Masayoshi was very clear that at this moment, he had none of the aircraft, artillery, and tanks that the Imperial Army relied on to maintain its powerful oppression.

The heavy artillery shells have run out, and it is unknown when they will be able to reach Shanghai.

Air force planes now only dare to bomb from high altitudes, with extremely poor results.

The once arrogant and domineering tank convoy has also vanished without a trace; in the past few days, more than 20 tanks have been destroyed by the Chinese army. The wreckage of the tanks still lies there on the other side of the stone bridge, as if lamenting their tragic fate. The tank soldiers privately call that sorrowful place the 'Tank Graveyard'.

After pondering deeply in front of the battle map, Masayoshi Ito had an idea: he decided to devise a strategy where there was a policy at the top and a countermeasure at the bottom.

When the Chinese Nationalist Army retreated after the counterattack, they burned down the pontoon bridge that the 101st Division had painstakingly built in an unnamed ditch. This almost made the brigade commander, Sato Seizaburo, who had commanded the bridge's construction, so angry that he vomited blood.

"But no one expected that it would become a good excuse, or rather, a good opportunity." Masayoshi Ito couldn't help but feel secretly proud of his brilliant move.

Masayoshi Ito said to his chief of staff, Colonel Fukutaro Nishiyama, "Request the dispatched army to send air force to assist in the battle and carry out comprehensive bombing of the Chinese army's positions."

"Hi, Division Commander. So, what is the order and timing of the attacking forces' sorties today?" Nishiyama Fukutaro opened his notebook, ready to write it down.

Masayoshi Ito waved his hand expressionlessly and said calmly, "Today, the air force and artillery will cooperate with the engineers to carry out a large-scale bridge-building offensive. Only a small number of troops are needed to assist. The troops should rest for a day first."

Fukutaro Nishiyama was slightly taken aback, then said, "Yes! I understand!"

He couldn't help but secretly admire the division commander's brilliance. How could they attack without a bridge? To attack, they had to build a bridge first. Who said building a bridge wasn't an offensive move? So, of course, there was no disobeying orders! This would leave even the demanding Commander Matsui speechless.

On that day, Japanese air force planes flew in in large numbers, circling and displaying their power at high altitude before dropping a large number of bombs.

The Japanese mountain guns and field guns continued their barrage and precision firing as always, like a grand artillery exhibition, firing steadily and unhurriedly from dawn until nightfall.

75mm shells were insufficient to destroy our fortifications, but they still caused significant casualties to exposed personnel.

Faced with the continuous shelling, most of our soldiers could only hide in the artillery shelters and bunkers for a day. Feeling utterly bored and with nothing to do, they could only mutter to themselves that yet another artillery maniac, Ito Masayoshi.

"Reporting to the regimental commander, the Japanese army is firing smoke bombs across the entire front, making it impossible to observe their movements!" The frontline officer reported to the regimental headquarters.

Song Hongfei arrived at the forward battalion's shelter to observe. Thick white smoke filled the unnamed ditch, obscuring our troops' view.

"what's the situation?"

"The Japanese only fired smoke bombs, but did not launch an attack." The forward battalion commander was also puzzled.

"The enemy also blocked our view, especially the artillery's view. Without heavy artillery, mountain and field artillery were not enough to destroy and suppress our defensive system and firepower. If they charged in like that, they would be throwing their lives away."

Song Hongfei's mind raced, and after some thought, he still couldn't figure out what the Japanese army was up to.

"Send scouts to sneak up and reconnoiter!" Song Hongfei said to the forward battalion commander.

Before long, a burst of not-so-intense heavy machine gun fire came from the thick smoke, causing a moment of tension on our front-line positions, but the gunfire stopped again.

It turned out that our scouts had been discovered when they sneaked into the smoke, and the Japanese opened fire, exposing the scouts who had to retreat. However, they had also observed the Japanese army's movements.

"Reporting to the regimental commander, the Japanese engineers are rebuilding the pontoon bridge, and there are quite a few of them," several scouts reported back.

After pondering for a while, Song Hongfei looked at the smoke in the distance and said, "Can you point out the exact location where the Japanese army built the bridge?"

The scout looked at the smoke in the distance and shook his head, saying, "I can only remember the spot I touched. It was right there, behind those two rocks. I can't point to anything else. The enemy has set up heavy machine guns for cover, so we can't get close."

Another scout was also able to point out a location.

"okay, I get it."

Since we cannot accurately pinpoint the location of the target, our artillery fire is unable to achieve precision strikes. What should we do?

Song Hongfei frowned slightly, pondered for a long time, and then said, "If the enemy fires artillery, we have to fire artillery too! We can't just watch them fire, and we can't let them comfortably build bridges. We'll retaliate with mortars! Let's teach them a lesson!"

"You are free to control the mortar firepower as you see fit, and you don't need to report to me anymore."

"The attack has continued until midnight, and the soldiers are exhausted. As long as the Japanese do not launch an offensive, the troops should continue to remain hidden and rest. There is no need to launch an attack. Report any situation to me immediately. Remember to pay close attention to surveillance and observation, remain vigilant at all times, and do not let your guard down!"

The frontline battalion commander replied, "Yes, sir!"

The two sides exchanged blows, firing cannons at each other.

The moment they paused, the other side retaliated; you finished a round of fire, and we immediately followed with a fierce barrage. This went on for an entire day – truly a case of tit for tat!