A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Chapter 200 The Flames of War Approach Jinling City

Japanese Central China Area Army Commander Matsui Iwane issued an order to his Shanghai Expeditionary Army and 10th Army to launch a full-scale attack on Nanjing.

The divisions and regiments were divided into four routes, marching day and night, and made rapid progress.

Forty li east of Jurong is one of our army's forward outposts.

On a gloomy winter day shrouded in gray tones, a biting wind howled and swept across the land.

The platoon leader guarding this outpost shrank back, looked up at the gloomy sky, and muttered to himself, "This cold, dreadful weather."

Several veterans were smoking in a sheltered corner of the position, while some newly recruited soldiers lay in the trenches, looking bewildered and curious, their eyes wide with wonder. Everything about the army was so new to them; they had only just learned how to fire a gun.

"A bunch of greenhorns, no different from ordinary civilians, just like that, dragged to the front lines..." The platoon leader of the defending army felt inexplicably irritated.

As a veteran from the Battle of Shanghai, he felt that the calm at this time was somewhat abnormal. Battles had already broken out in Danxi in the northeast and Lishui in the south. It was said that the Japanese army had approached Jurong, but his outpost at the forefront was still calm.

The howling north wind carried endless chill, and seemed to carry an aura of killing intent as well.

The platoon leader felt a chill run down his spine. Soldiers dislike silence on the battlefield the most, because silence often foreshadows greater danger.

He felt it necessary to remind both seasoned veterans and green recruits to remain vigilant at all times.

Suddenly, a burst of rapid, intense gunfire shattered the silence.

Several exposed recruits were instantly hit. They were still staring wide-eyed at the sky, their faces showing confusion and resentment, but they had already lost their vital signs.

"Japanese troops! Japanese troops!" the defending platoon leader shouted, "Move into position! Prepare for battle!"

A Japanese plainclothes reconnaissance team had quietly approached the area, and the two sides engaged in a brief but extremely fierce firefight.

In an instant, bullets rained down, sparks flew, and smoke filled the air, marking the official start of the outer defense line battle in the Battle of Nanjing.

Subsequently, with the support of aircraft and heavy artillery fire, the Japanese army launched a large-scale and fierce attack on the outer perimeter of our army's first-line positions.

In an instant, heavy artillery shells rained down like a storm, striking our positions and kicking up huge clouds of smoke and debris. Swarms of aircraft, like black crows, swept low overhead, dropping strings of deadly bombs, instantly turning the entire battlefield into a fiery inferno.

Our soldiers bravely resisted the enemy's attack with their own flesh and blood. Due to the disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves, key locations around Nanjing were soon in dire need of help, and the entire battle line was under pressure.

It must be admitted that the Japanese army was ultimately a modern army with all-round three-dimensional combat capabilities in land, sea and air. It was integrated with the ground forces and had excellent tactical coordination. Before the ground troops launched a fierce attack, the air force had already taken the lead.

In order to support the advance of ground troops, the Japanese Third Air Fleet dispatched dozens of fighter planes every day as the vanguard.

After the flagship of the Japanese Navy's 11th Fleet sank, the fleet was unable to sail up the Yangtze River. In an attempt to save face, the fleet commander Kiyoshi Hasegawa ordered the 2nd Combined Air Group to carry out indiscriminate bombing of Nanjing.

Japanese army and navy air forces took turns bombing the air force bases of Jinling Dajiaochang and Minggugong Airport.

Military facilities in Nanjing were bombed beyond recognition, and numerous buildings were destroyed under the ravages of artillery fire. A series of important targets, including those surrounding the Nationalist government and major outposts, were all subjected to the enemy's relentless bombardment.

In an instant, Nanjing was engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing and obscuring the sky.

With their few remaining aircraft, the Chinese Air Force fought back fiercely. In the final air battle before the fall of Nanjing, ace pilots Le Yiqin and Dong Mingde, deputy commanders of the 2nd Squadron of the 4th Group, fought against a large number of Japanese aircraft in a two-plane formation. In the end, they were outnumbered and died heroically.

By this point, the main force of our air force had been almost completely wiped out.

The Soviet Volunteer Air Force arrived in Nanjing at the beginning of the month to assist our army in defending Nanjing. For several days, they worked closely with our air force to fight back and shot down or damaged nearly 40 Japanese aircraft.

However, the number of aircraft on both sides was far outnumbered. Despite the fierce and valiant fighting of our air force and the Soviet volunteer air force, they were unable to prevent the Japanese from gaining air superiority.

Our remaining few air force planes and the Soviet volunteer air force then moved to Nanchang, and no more of our planes could be seen in the skies over Nanjing.

The Japanese offensive intensified, and the situation became increasingly precarious.

To the east of Nanjing, the Shanghai Expeditionary Army's 16th Division advanced along the Danyang-Jurong-Tangshan Highway, while the 9th Division advanced along the Jintan-Tianwangsi-Chunhua Town Highway, advancing side by side.

Along the Yangtze River, a part of the 13th Division crossed the river at Jiangyin, attacked Jingjiang, and cut off the connection between Nantong and Yangzhou.

The main force of the 13th Division advanced along Changzhou and Benniu Town, while the Tiangu Detachment of the 11th Division advanced along the Danyang-Zhenjiang Highway, jointly attacking Zhenjiang.

Lieutenant General Heisuke Yanagawa, commander of the 10th Army, is a veteran traditional soldier belonging to the "Imperial Way Faction" and is 58 years old this year.

During the February 26 Incident, Yanagawa Heisuke was implicated in the conflict between the two factions. With the downfall of his backer, then-Army Minister Araki Sadao, he was relegated to the reserve force and "laid off".

Heisuke Yanagawa had been eagerly anticipating this opportunity until Matsui Iwane failed to capture Shanghai after the outbreak of the war, at which point he was finally reinstated and given the chance to shine. This man, who had once been sidelined and disappointed, had the strongest desire to establish merit.

He knew that whether he could be promoted to the pinnacle of a soldier's career—the rank of general—depended entirely on this last opportunity. He was determined to make a great contribution and achieve unparalleled feats!

After landing at Jinshanwei, Yanagawa Heisuke repeatedly carried out the Japanese army's tradition of "overthrowing superiors," acting on his own and not fully following the orders of the General Headquarters and Matsui Iwane.

He personally led the 10th Army, making a long-range flanking maneuver and launching a rapid assault. The effect was immediate, and within just a few days, it created a strong pressure on the defending forces' lines, forcing the National Revolutionary Army to retreat across the entire Shanghai-Nanjing border.

Originally, according to the initial plan of the General Headquarters, the military operation in Central China was to come to a temporary end after the capture of Shanghai. However, this plan was disrupted by Yanagawa Heisuke, who, in a bloodthirsty frenzy, could not stop.

No sooner had the Japanese army captured Shanghai than Yanagawa Heisuke disregarded orders from his superiors and immediately broke through the "control line" to advance westward towards Nanjing, dispatching his trusted general Tani Hisao's 6th Division as the main spearhead of the attack.

"Arrogant and impudent fool!" Matsui Iwane cursed inwardly, but the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released. Even though Yanagawa Heisuke was putting him on the spot, he could only follow suit and launch an offensive against Jinling. The two armies clashed fiercely, and the Battle of Jinling officially began.

After exceeding the planned scope of the Battle of Shanghai, the Japanese army faced the disadvantage of insufficient logistical supplies. However, Yanagawa Heisuke, who was determined to make a name for himself, did not care about this and ordered his subordinates: "Even without logistical supplies, we shall not stop our offensive and shall requisition food and supplies on the spot!"

This so-called "levy" was nothing but burning, killing, and looting.

It was this 10th Army that committed three massacres as soon as it landed at Jinshanwei, slaughtering more than a thousand innocent civilians in our country.

Now, under the command of Yanagawa Heisuke, they continue their rampage of burning, killing, and looting, advancing madly towards Nanjing.

The 114th Division advanced south of Nanjing along the Liyang-Lishui Highway; the 6th Division advanced south of Nanjing along the Guangde-Honglanbu Highway; and the 18th Division advanced towards Wuhu via Xuancheng, cutting off the army's westward retreat route.

The Kunisaki Detachment advanced along the Guangde-Langxi Highway to occupy Taiping, and then crossed the river back to Pukou, cutting off the Nanjing garrison's retreat route to the north.

After four days of fierce fighting, all four Japanese armies achieved breakthroughs in the defenses of the Chinese forces in front of them.

The 16th and 9th Divisions on the front have captured Jurong and advanced to the Huangmei, Tuqiao and Hushu Town line. The vanguard has even penetrated deep into Mengtang and Dahushan.

The right-wing Tian Gu Detachment and the 13th Division are launching a fierce attack on Zhenjiang.

The 114th Division captured Hengxi and advanced to the line north of Lishui, including Walingguan, Lulangzhen, and Jiangningzhen.

The Kunisaki Detachment on the left flank and the 18th Division are advancing towards Wuhu via Xuancheng.

The Japanese army has outflanked and encircled Nanjing, forming a complete siege.

Gao Muyu, the special agent company commander who came down from the Military Commission's adjutant's office in order to experience the battlefield, finally got to smell the gunpowder smoke as he wished. He couldn't help but be excited and kept pestering Song Hongfei every day: "Brigade Commander, you personally said that the reconnaissance and search of the enemy situation must be thorough, detailed, rapid and timely. You also said that you would build a reconnaissance detachment for the special agent company, but we still don't have a single soldier."

Song Hongfei was overwhelmed by the grim enemy situation and the entire brigade's busy pre-battle preparations, wishing he could be in two places at once.

Unable to resist Gao Muyu's persistent pestering, he snapped, "Go away! What am I supposed to do with you? You don't have any men, figure it out yourself! I'll provide you with weapons and equipment. Whatever number of men you bring, I'll give you the appropriate organizational structure!"

Gao Muyu was overjoyed; these were the words he had been waiting for. He became incredibly excited, as if he had been injected with adrenaline: "Yes! I guarantee I'll get a platoon!"

Song Hongfei added seriously, "But you must remember one thing: the reconnaissance unit is a dangerous job! We don't want greenhorns or lazy bums. Anyone who gets into the reconnaissance unit must have something to do! Understand?"

Gao Muyu stood at attention and replied, "Yes! Understood!"

Song Hongfei waved his hand: "Get lost! Don't bother me with this anymore!"

Gao Muyu turned and left, ready to make a big splash.

Mufu Mountain, Yanzi Rock.

A deep, clear engine roar suddenly came from the distance. A Japanese reconnaissance plane flew low overhead, its blood-red insignia under its wings standing out starkly.

The command observation post fell silent. Everyone held their breath, watching the steel monster circling and scouting over the Guanyinmen and Yanziji areas in the eastern part of Mufu Mountain.

The positions and command observation posts around Mount Mufu had been meticulously camouflaged, almost blending into the mountainside. Not only from the air, but even on the ground, one had to get close to see them to discern their true nature.

Song Hongfei stood calmly in front of the observation window, as steady as a mountain.

"Be careful to stay hidden and don't expose yourself." Song Hongfei put down his binoculars and sneered. "No need to retaliate, let it take pictures. Let it get a clear picture of our fake position."

He turned to look at the 3rd Regiment Commander and the Brigade Chief of Staff who were undergoing rotational training at Yanziji: "While enemy aircraft are approaching, live-fire exercises of the wartime air defense plans of the regiment's infantry artillery, anti-tank guns, small artillery companies, and mortar companies will be carried out simultaneously, and all personnel and equipment will quickly enter concealed positions and mobile firing positions."

"Reporting to the brigade commander!" Liu Zishu said, "All artillery pieces in the regiment have entered concealed positions or implemented camouflage according to the plan. The 82mm mortar company is dispersed and deployed in reserve positions on the reverse slope. The coordinates of all fire control network parameters for each firing position have been determined, and it can quickly move and relocate after three rounds of rapid firing at any time!"

"Very good!" Song Hongfei nodded in satisfaction, his eyes sharp as ever. "I'll make the Japanese army suffer a crushing defeat!"