A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Song Hongfei traced the map and said, "The entire outer defense line of Nanjing is more than 100 kilometers wide. It is not feasible to simply set up defenses everywhere, fight independently, and hold the position against the enemy. Judging from the troop strength simulation alone, if we rigidly defend the outer perimeter, our army will need at least 600,000 troops to resist the attack of 200,000 Japanese troops."

Qiu Yu'an said with great concern: "Let alone 60, the total number of garrison troops reserved to protect the capital is no more than 15. Apart from my brigade, most of them are depleted and exhausted troops, and the new recruits have not been adequately trained."

Gui Shuaizhen frowned and said solemnly, "Nanjing is a tactical dead end. The Japanese army can encircle it from three sides, and the rear is blocked by the Yangtze River. There is no way to retreat and it is impossible to hold on."

Song Hongfei said, "Commander Tang's determination to fight to the death is certainly inspiring and motivating, but his strategy and tactics are lackluster. If the higher-ups are determined to defend the capital and deploy street fighting, I, Song Hongfei, have no doubt that we will fight to the death. However, looking at the overall situation, the indecisiveness between fighting and retreating, the desire to both withdraw and fight, and the passive and rigid approach to fighting, will likely result in the inability to fight or withdraw, ultimately leading to the loss of troops and the disgrace of the nation."

Song Hongfei added, “The Training Corps bears the mission and responsibility of being the seed force for the modernization reform of the entire army. Over the long term, it has consumed so much of our efforts.”

All three had solemn expressions. They looked at each other without saying a word, heavy emotions welling up in their hearts. This was the only elite and exemplary army built with the combined strength of the entire nation.

Song Hongfei shook his head slightly and sighed, "We can only follow the orders of our superiors. Since we're going to fight like this, we have to fight with our might. The terrain inside Nanjing is flat, unlike the river-strewn Shanghai area, which is perfect for the Japanese tanks and heavy artillery. How to counter tanks and heavy artillery fire is our primary concern. We can deal with artillery fire using flexible defense and anti-slope tactics, but the key is to defend against tanks."

Qiu Yu'an nodded and said, "On the Shanghai battlefield, the Japanese Type 89 medium tank and Type 94 light tank were highly maneuverable and fast. The Type 89 medium tank was equipped with a 57mm rapid-fire cannon and two 7.7mm machine guns, which made it very powerful and caused great difficulties for our army. Fortunately, the terrain around the Wusong River in Shanghai was full of ditches, which was not conducive to the movement of tanks."

Song Hongfei said, "The Type 89 medium armor has 17 mm of frontal armor, 15 mm of side armor, 10 mm of top armor, and 5 mm of bottom armor. The material is mainly nickel-chromium alloy steel armor with surface carburization, which provides very good protection. Our army's 7.92 mm German armor-piercing rounds cannot penetrate it. Each regiment of our brigade has 6 anti-tank guns, which can effectively penetrate at a distance of 500 meters, but the number is still not enough. In wartime, it is vulnerable to counterattacks by enemy aircraft and heavy artillery."

Gui Shuaizhen said, "I suppose you already have a good way to deal with the Japanese tanks. These days you've been directing the engineering battalion to dig anti-tank trenches day and night in Zijin Mountain and Mufu Mountain."

Song Hongfei said, "The best way is to fight tanks against tanks and planes against planes, but we don't have those, so we can only dig trenches."

Song Hongfei added, "The Type 89 tank is a thick-skinned iron turtle, but it also has two weak points: its rear and its groin."

Gui Shuaizhen and Qiu Yu'an couldn't help but grin; such a vulgar metaphor was very much to the liking of the military.

Song Hongfei said, "The Type 89B medium tank's air-cooled diesel engine, radiator, and fuel tank are all located at the rear. If they are blown up or catch fire, this iron turtle will be finished immediately."

Song Hongfei added, "The drive wheels, tracks, and 5mm thick bottom armor are its crotch. Blow off its tracks, and it'll be stuck and unable to move. You can do whatever you want with it."

Gui Shuaizhen and Qiu Yu'an both burst into laughter.

Song Hongfei drew a line on the map in front of our army's position and said, "According to the combat characteristics of Japanese tanks, the tanks will cover the infantry as they advance to a position about 100 meters away from our trenches, and then use artillery and machine guns to directly target and eliminate our anti-tank guns and heavy machine gun positions, and then cover the infantry to launch an assault."

"The Type 89 tank has a trench-crossing capability of 2 meters. Our anti-tank deployment must primarily rely on minefields and anti-tank ditches. Due to insufficient anti-tank guns, we can only use cluster grenades, Molotov cocktails, and sticky explosive packs for close-quarters combat, targeting the rear and groin of the tanks. When absolutely necessary, we should utilize the terrain to deploy anti-tank teams, coordinating firepower to disrupt communication between Japanese tanks and infantry, and launching close-quarters attacks."

"In short, the principle of anti-tank warfare is to drive them into pre-designated minefields or into anti-tank trenches, so that they cannot exert their powerful mobility and break through, and then destroy them with firepower or close combat!"

Gui Shuaizhen nodded and said, "This is feasible. We need to practice it thoroughly to become familiar with and master its application."

Song Hongfei said, "Yes. Recently, all the regiments have been intensifying their training."

Gui Shuaizhen nodded: "Let's go and take a look at the Guanyinmen position."

At the Guanyinmen position, Gui Shuaizhen and Qiu Yu'an carefully inspected the construction and deployment of the fortifications.

In the eastern section of Mufu Mountain and the Guanyin Gate area, defensive fortifications were set up at many key locations, including the foot of the mountain, the mountainside, the ridgeline, the flanks, and the reverse slope. The various positions could also form a defensive triangle, allowing for mutual fire support and troop deployment. In front of the positions, anti-tank trenches were set up according to the terrain, and the layout was very appropriate.

Song Hongfei pointed to the river on the east side and said, "East of Yanziji, between the Wulongshan Fortress 5 kilometers away, there are several rivers, including the East, Middle, and West Ten-Mile Long Ditch and the Xingwu Ditch, which are 20 to 30 meters wide."

"The nearest Xishili Changgou is located at the foot of Guanyinmen Mountain, only 300 meters away from Yanziji. It meanders along the entire south of Mufu Mountain, connects to Nanshili Changgou in the west, and links to Xuanwu Lake. It can serve as an excellent natural barrier, which is very beneficial to our army's defense."

"Therefore, the anti-tank trench at Guanyin Gate at the eastern end of Mufu Mountain only needs to be dug on the south side. The Shangyuan Gate, Laohushan Fort, and Beigushan area at the western end are a bit farther away from Jinchuan River, Erxiangou, and Nanshili Changgou to the west, about 1 to 2.5 kilometers away. Anti-tank trenches should be dug facing the west and south."

Gui Shuzhen said, "It seems you're going to turn the entire Mufu Mountain into a fortress."

Song Hongfei said, "The Yanziji and Laohushan Forts at the east and west ends of Mufu Mountain are strategically important and have been crucial military strongholds for waterway defense since ancient times. They control the north and south river estuaries of Xiaguan, Coal Port, and Baguazhou respectively, and remotely control Xuanwu Lake, Taipingmen, the west side of Zijin Mountain, and the Beijing-Shanghai Railway. In addition, they also serve as a passage across the river. It is best to keep such a vital place in our own hands."

Song Hongfei continued, “Behind us are the Yanziji training ground and the armored cavalry battalion’s training ground. The Japanese army will definitely not let go of the opportunity to attack our Vickers amphibious vehicles. We must be on guard. However, our amphibious vehicles have weak firepower and thin armor, so we cannot fight them. We can only focus on defense.”

"It is better to plan ahead and make long-term plans in advance." Gui Shuaizhen nodded thoughtfully. "The Ninghang National Highway is the only way for the main force of the Japanese army to attack Nanjing. Zijin Mountain is the high point in the suburbs of Nanjing and the throat of the Ninghang National Highway. If we make good use of anti-tank and mountain tunnel tactics here, we will surely be able to deal a heavy blow to the invading enemy."

Gui Shuaizhen looked at Song Hongfei and Qiu Yu'an and said, "Zijin Mountain and Mufu Mountain are the key to the outcome of the entire battle. All units must make full preparations, strengthen drills, master them, and cooperate tacitly. Our brigade will definitely make the Japanese army pay the most painful price."

Song Hongfei and Qiu Yu'an replied in unison, "Yes, we will not fail in our mission!"