A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Chapter 201 No Escape

Tang Mengxiao, the commander of the Nanjing Garrison, has been looking worried these past few days.

His defensive and segmented perimeter deployments were completely ineffective. The Japanese army simply used multiple small units to infiltrate through the gaps, outflank and encircle the enemy, and in a short time, the entire long outer defensive line was riddled with holes.

On several positions of the 66th Army in the Jurong-Tangshan area to the east, there were even scenes of the entire defending force being wiped out.

Soon, the main forces of the Japanese army had advanced to the front-line positions in Xuancheng, Fangshan, Chunhua Town, Tangshan, Longtan and other places, forming a full siege of the city and launching a fierce attack on the positions within the defensive perimeter.

The Nationalist army fought desperately, and a fierce battle broke out between the two sides.

The top military leaders left Nanjing by plane early this morning and flew to Jiangxi. He has been given full authority over the defense of Nanjing and has declared martial law throughout the city.

Commander Tang suddenly realized that after many years, he had finally regained military power, but now he felt powerless. He never expected that it would become a hot potato.

"Modern warfare is no longer like the warlord conflicts of the past, where just being brave enough to charge into battle was enough..." Commander Tang couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Commander-in-Chief, urgent telegram from the front!" A communications officer rushed in and handed over the telegram.

Commander Tang glanced at the telegram, and just as he read the beginning, his brow furrowed sharply—the Japanese 16th Division had launched a fierce attack on Tangshan, and the vanguard of the 6th Division had already advanced to Liuhe Town, twenty miles away.

"Order all division commanders and above to attend a combat meeting at the garrison headquarters in one hour," Commander Tang said silently.

General Matsui Iwane, commander of the Japanese Central China Area Army, stood before a huge battle map, unable to contain his excitement.

Having experienced firsthand the fierce resistance of the National Revolutionary Army and the formidable fighting power of its elite reorganized divisions during the Battle of Shanghai, he was still quite wary and therefore initially cautious about attacking the capital of China.

Only now, with the Imperial Army's six main divisions having broken through Nanjing's outer defenses from multiple directions and formed a complete siege, did he feel reassured.

Conquering China was a long-cherished dream of the small, isolated island nation of Fusang, which had harbored ambitions for millennia to seize control of the mainland. The glory and achievement of capturing Nanjing, the capital of China, and crushing the confidence and will of the Chinese people to continue their resistance, was an immense temptation for Matsui Iwane.

"Tsukada-kun." Matsui Iwane turned around to face Chief of Staff Tsukada Osamu, who stood solemnly beside him, his tone arrogant. "The three-sided siege is complete. Nanjing, the capital of China, is already in our grasp. Once the Kunisaki Detachment of the 5th Division in Dangtu crosses the Yangtze River, together with the Amaya Detachment of the 11th Division and the Numata Detachment of the 13th Division, they will cut off the Jinpu Railway line at Pukou on the north bank of the Yangtze. Tang Shengzhi will have no chance of escape!"

Matsui Iwane said triumphantly, "The Chinese army thought that with the sinking of the 'Suzukaze' and 'Atake' ships, our Yangtze River Fleet would be blocked by the Jiangyin waterway and unable to carry out upstream operations. But they could not possibly stop the Imperial Army from crossing the river from Dangtu and Zhenjiang, flanking them from both sides, completely cutting off their retreat route north of the river, and wiping them out in one fell swoop!"

"Hey!" Tsukada Kou exclaimed in admiration, "Conquering the capital of China in one battle is an unprecedented and unparalleled achievement for the Empire and His Majesty the Heavenly Locust, Commander."

A surge of heroic ambition welled up within Matsui Iwane, and he proudly commanded:

"Order--

I. All main divisions and regiments will launch a full-scale attack today according to their designated combat areas!

2. After breaking through the outer perimeter, continue attacking the Nanjing army's outer perimeter positions.

Third, concentrate all superior forces and firepower to destroy and breach the city walls, and occupy Jinling!

"Hi!" Tsukada said, standing at attention with his head bowed.

Operations conference room at the Nanjing Garrison Command of the National Revolutionary Army.

Commander Tang glanced at the assembled army commanders and division commanders, and began to speak:

"Gentlemen, the Japanese army has broken through the outer perimeter and completely besieged the city. At this critical moment, soldiers dedicate themselves to the country. How can we fear difficulties and seek peace? Chief of Staff Zhou, please give us an update on the current enemy situation."

"Yes, sir!" Chief of Staff Zhou Lan stood up, walked to the map, held the command baton, and said, "It has now been ascertained that the Japanese forces attacking Nanjing from the front include:

The 16th Division's attack direction was from Tangshan-Qilinmen-Zhongshanmen;

9th Division, south of Xiaolingwei - towards Guanghuamen;

114th Division, from the direction of Walingguan, Fangshan, Yuhuatai, and Zhonghuamen;

The 6th Division, from the direction of Niushou Mountain, Banqiao, Yuhuatai, Zhonghuamen, Jiangdongmen, and Sanhanhe.

Other units launching frontal attacks included: the Yamada Detachment of the 13th Division along the south bank of the Yangtze River, the "advance detachment" of the 3rd Division, and the Oshima Unit of the 101st Division.

The forces conducting flanking maneuvers around Nanjing included: the Tiangu Detachment of the 11th Division north of the Yangtze River, the main force of the 13th Division, and the Kunisaki Detachment of the 5th Division and the 18th Division in the southwestern areas of Dangtu and Wuhu.

Commander Tang said, "It is our duty as soldiers to protect our homes and country and defend the capital. I think there is no need for me to say anything more. The following deployment adjustments are now being made:"

First, the previously deployed 88th Division, 74th Army, Training Corps and other units will continue to strengthen their defense preparations.

2. The 36th Division shall quickly dispatch the 1st Regiment to occupy the positions near Qilinmen, cover the flank and rear of the 66th Army, and prevent part of the 16th Division from further infiltrating into Hutang and Dahushan.

Third, it is proposed to transfer the 71st and 83rd Armies from Zhenjiang to Nanjing to strengthen the defense of Nanjing.

IV. After the 71st Army transferred, the Zhenjiang Fortress was placed under the command of Dai Zhiqi, the acting commander of the 103rd Division.

5. The 41st Division of the 2nd Army Corps will advance to the Longtan and Wuyashan areas to cover the retreat of the 71st and 83rd Armies and maintain contact with Zhenjiang.

Commander Tang's gaze was as firm as he said, "I have made up my mind to fight to the death with the Japanese army, to defend the capital to the death, and to live and die with Nanjing."

Most of the commanders at the division and corps level below remained expressionless, knowingly doing the impossible, which was a true reflection of the mentality of the Nationalist Army commanders of the Nanjing Garrison.

Commander Tang knew that most of the officers present were loyal to the Central Army, and it would be extremely difficult for him, a former Hunan warlord who had been out of battle for a long time, to keep them in check. At this point, whether the battle went well or poorly, he was powerless to change anything.

The Japanese army launched a massive bombing campaign with a large number of aircraft, led by tank units, and launched a full-scale, frenzied offensive with the support of powerful artillery and air force firepower.

The Nationalist army fought desperately, and fierce battles broke out between the two sides around the outskirts of Nanjing.

The 6th Division took the lead, with more than 40 tanks as the vanguard, launching an attack on Chunhua Town, Fangshan, Jiangjunshan, Niushoushan and the nearby positions of the 74th Army of the National Revolutionary Army.

The 74th Army suffered heavy losses in the two-month-long battles of Shanghai and had not had time to replenish or rest. Now, with continuous fighting, they are extremely exhausted.

The 51st and 58th Divisions of the 74th Army, which were defending Chunhua Town and Niushou Mountain, fought back fiercely for a day and a night, repelling more than 10 attacks by the Japanese army.

Ji Hongru, commander of the 301st Regiment of the 51st Division of the 74th Army, was seriously wounded. Nine company commanders were killed or wounded, and more than 1400 men below the platoon level were killed or wounded. The regiment was completely incapacitated. Zhang Lingfu, commander of the 305th Regiment of the 58th Division, was also seriously wounded. The regiment suffered five company commanders and more than 600 men below the platoon level.

Subsequently, the 58th Division's position was breached by the Japanese army, and they had no choice but to retreat to Matian Bridge and Shuixi Gate.

At the same time, the Japanese 16th Division and part of the 9th Division on the eastern front also launched an attack on Tangshan.

驻守汤山一线的部队是国军66军，以及83军、36师、2军团41师的一部，装甲兵团的战车连也曾开到汤山，协同66军作战。

The defensive fortifications around Tangshan were scattered like stars, forming a network of interconnected trenches. Song Hongfei had indeed put considerable effort into training in this area during the early September reorganization.

However, with the cooperation of spies and traitors, the Japanese army had already thoroughly investigated our defensive deployment. After the battle began, the Japanese army used elite troops to outflank and encircle us from other places, and many fortifications were rendered useless.

Japanese reinforcements continued to arrive, with a large number of tanks, aircraft, and heavy artillery joining the battle.

The Japanese cavalry broke through the Jurong-Tangshan line of defense, and our army retreated to the second line after dusk to hold Tangshan and the town.

The following day, the Japanese army launched an attack on our second line of defense in Tangshan with its main force, aircraft, artillery, and armored units. The two sides were locked in a fierce battle and fought for several days.

Subsequently, the Japanese army raised an artillery observation balloon, which directed artillery fire from an altitude of 500 meters.

Dozens of tanks were then deployed to directly cover the direct-fire artillery as it approached and fired directly at the enemy, continuously bombarding and destroying most of the Nationalist army's machine gun emplacements.

Most critically, while launching a frontal attack, the Japanese army also used elite troops to continuously outflank and encircle the Nationalist army from the flanks and rear.

Most of the fortifications on the outer perimeter of our army were destroyed by the powerful heavy artillery and air force of the Japanese army, and many defensive lines were broken through by the Japanese army that kept outflanking and encircling.

Originally, Song Hongfei and Gui Shuaizhen proposed a rather daring attack plan to the garrison command: taking advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold, they would mobilize the Training Corps, the 66th Army, the 71st Army, the 78th Army, the 83rd Army, and the 2nd Army Corps to launch a three-pronged attack on the Japanese troops that had broken into the eastern Tangshan area. The plan was to first concentrate superior forces to eliminate their outflanking units, and then encircle and annihilate their main force.

However, the garrison command worried: "We are already struggling to defend, so how can we talk about attacking? If we fail to launch an attack, it will only weaken our defensive forces," and they hesitated to make a decision.

Just as Commander Tang hesitated, the Japanese seized the opportunity and continuously deployed follow-up troops from the breaches they had already opened, expanding into the depths and flanks. The entire Tangshan-Qixia Mountain position was subjected to fierce attacks, and the plan to launch a three-pronged attack could only be thwarted.

"We missed a golden opportunity and are now just waiting to be beaten!" Song Hongfei was filled with grief and indignation, but all he could do was sigh in regret!

After several days of fierce fighting, our army gradually became overwhelmed, and the Japanese army successively captured important outlying strongholds such as Tangshan Town and Chunhua Town.

At this moment, the 13th Division Numata Detachment of the Japanese army on the right flank had defeated the Nationalist army in front of them and occupied Jingjiang, while the 11th Division Amaya Detachment had also entered Zhenjiang.

The 5th Division's Kunisaki Detachment on the left flank advanced all the way to Dangtu, while the 18th Division was launching a fierce attack on Wuhu. The situation was extremely precarious and highly unfavorable to our army.

Given the grim situation on the outside, Commander Tang decided to concentrate his forces and defend Nanjing.

Commander Tang ordered the 87th, 103rd, and 112th Divisions in Zhenjiang, as well as the 83rd Army, to quickly withdraw to Nanjing. He also ordered the outer defense forces to retreat along the entire line and organize defenses along the outer perimeter.

The outer defense line starts from Banqiao Town on the Yangtze River in the west, passes through Niushou Mountain, extends eastward to Heding Bridge, Zijin Mountain, Yangfang Mountain, and reaches Wulong Mountain on the downstream bank of the river.

This defensive adjustment aimed to strengthen the defense of the Nanjing outer city line, but it also exposed the Nanjing Garrison Command's overly rigid and inflexible approach, its passive defense, and its lack of flexible and adaptable strategies and tactics.