The War of Resistance Against Japan: Special Operations Battalion Traverses Shanghai and Slaughters

As soon as the bombing ended, onlookers on the south bank of the Suzhou Creek saw a force of several hundred men on the opposite bank, carrying the Kuomintang flag, marching towards the Sihang Warehouse.

Among the onlookers on the opposite bank, a man holding a monocular telescope suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah, what the broadcast just said was true. The troops on the other side are wearing National Revolutionary Army uniforms, and the military flag they are carrying reads '88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army'."

Those around them heard this and started discussing it.

"Isn't the Dragon Flame Army on the other side? How come there are Nationalist Army troops here? I don't understand."

"What don't you understand? Didn't the broadcast say that the 800 brave soldiers of the National Revolutionary Army who defended Sihang Warehouse back then will turn the 800 brave soldiers of the Japanese into corpses today?"

"Good, I didn't expect the Nationalist army to come back. The Japanese devils are doomed this time."

While everyone was discussing this, Xie Jinyuan had already led more than three hundred of his men.

Wearing a brand-new M35 steel helmet and gas mask, and carrying a 98K Mauser rifle and an MP40 submachine gun provided by Long Fei, they entered the Sihang Warehouse.

Considering that Xie Jinyuan and his comrades belonged to the 88th Division, which was equipped with German weapons, Long Fei specially provided firearms and ammunition produced in Germany.

And let them quickly familiarize themselves with the process before the airstrikes occur.

The reason they were made to wear gas masks was because the explosion had just ended, and the interior of the Sihang Warehouse was definitely filled with smoke and dust that wouldn't dissipate in a short time.

Xie Jinyuan was of course unaware of the power of the bunker buster bomb. The shockwave generated by the explosion was blocked by the incredibly sturdy walls of the Sihang Warehouse, which were constructed of granite and concrete.

After Xie Jinyuan led his men into the lowest level of the Sihang Warehouse, he carefully observed his surroundings.

They found no Japanese soldiers, only that everything inside had been blown to pieces, and there were scattered pieces of broken guns and bloodstained clothing on the ground.

They also noticed two very regular large holes in the first-floor slab.

Xie Jinyuan then ordered the search to continue towards the second floor.

And so, Xie Jinyuan and his men quickly arrived at the rooftop of the Sihang Warehouse.

Seeing the flagpole on the rooftop, still standing tall after the explosion, with the Japanese flag at the top still fluttering in the wind.

Xie Jinyuan ordered that the Japanese flag be lowered immediately and the flag of the 88th Division be raised.

During the flag-raising ceremony, Xie Jinyuan ordered everyone to solemnly salute the military flag.

This stunning scene was, of course, captured by reporters on the other side of the river and recorded with their cameras.

Ding Zhipan and the others were former members of the National Revolutionary Army, so they had no objection to Long Fei's arrangement and were even quite moved.

After all, this elevated the 88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army to a considerable level, once again making the German-equipped division famous throughout the world.

The monk looked at the Nationalist army flag flying on the roof of the Sihang Warehouse and was deeply moved, after all, he had once been a member of the Nationalist army.

"Commander Long, I know you arranged this on purpose, to let Commander Xie and the others truly have a moment of triumph."

"But wouldn't this weaken the influence of our Dragon Flame People's Army?"

Long Fei replied solemnly, "Monk, the fame of our Longyan sect is already renowned throughout the world; there is no need to take this opportunity to promote it further."

"On the contrary, Commander Xie and his men defended Sihang Warehouse back then, intending to fight to the death and serve their country with their lives."

"But in the end, they had no choice but to retreat, and were disarmed and held captive by those bastards from the Lion Country for more than two years."

"Regardless of the Nationalist government's attitude towards our Longyan troops, or even what it has done, the fact that a large number of Nationalist soldiers fought bravely and selflessly against the Japanese is an objective fact that cannot be denied."

"Commander Xie and his men are typical representatives of the National Revolutionary Army in the War of Resistance against Japan. So today I must make them heroes again in the spotlight to soothe the grievances and suffering they have endured over the past two years."

The monk wiped his cheek and choked out, "Commander Long, please stop. Your words are too emotional; they've brought tears to my eyes."

Long Fei had originally planned to hold a public trial at the racecourse in Shanghai at 10 a.m. the next day, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it had to be postponed.

This racecourse is located in the city center of Shanghai. It was originally built in 1861 by Singaporean businessman Hogg, and was the first racecourse in the Far East.

This racecourse was enormous, serving not only as a racetrack but also as a venue for various activities held by the upper class at the time.

In 1951, the racecourse was converted into People's Square, becoming a popular place for people to gather and relax.

The next morning, major newspapers in Shanghai published a large amount of news on their front pages.

These news reports included stories of the Longyan People's Army eliminating the Japanese and liberating Shanghai, as well as stories of the National Revolutionary Army's Eight Hundred Heroes eliminating the Eight Hundred Japanese soldiers at the Sihang Warehouse.

The front-page headline was the most striking, as it consisted of only four photos without any accompanying text.

These photos are quite interesting. One photo shows the flag of the 88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army flying on the roof of the Sihang Warehouse.

The other two photos show the flag of the Longyan Kingdom flying high above the International Settlement and the Gallic Settlement, respectively.

The last picture shows the flag of the Longyan Kingdom flying in the wind above the Japanese headquarters in Shanghai, which is also the headquarters of the Japanese Navy's Special Landing Force.

The reporters and editors who submitted the application were very skilled. Although there was not a single word on the front page, those four photos contained a thousand words, and everyone would have their own interpretation after seeing them.

Long Fei got up early and read the newspapers while eating breakfast.

At eight o'clock sharp, just as Long Fei was about to go out to check the situation in downtown Shanghai, Ding Zhipan was brought in by the monk.

"Commander Long, I'm afraid today's public trial will have to be postponed."

"why?"

"Hey, Commander Long, this morning, more than thirty representatives from the Shanghai business community came to me requesting a meeting with you."

"I had no choice but to ask them to wait a moment. I came over to ask you right away."

Long Fei thought about it and realized that Shanghai had just been liberated and many places had been reduced to ruins due to the war. Although many people had escaped into the foreign concessions and were not harmed, they had lost their homes.

Therefore, it is necessary to resettle them so that they do not become homeless and end up on the streets.

This matter will definitely require the assistance of the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce.

"Okay, I actually want to meet them too. I need their help with some things."

Seeing Long Fei nod in agreement, Ding Zhipan hurriedly added.

"Commander Long, I'll bring them here now. This used to be the Japanese municipal government building; it's quite spacious."

“No problem, take them to the city hall meeting room, I’ll meet them there.”

After Ding Zhipan left, Long Fei said to the monk, "Monk, go and call Song Xiaoan and the others. I have something to tell them."

Before long, Song Xiaoan, Zhao Jianzhi, and Gong Shu arrived in front of Long Fei.

Long Fei didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point.

"Today's public trial has been postponed. You have two things to do now. First, keep a close watch on the notorious traitor Wang Jingwei. There must be no accidents."

"The second thing is for you to mobilize your men, including all the Jiaolong Commando members, to immediately clean up the Japanese spies hidden in Shanghai. We can't let them cause sabotage in secret."

"Yes, Commander Long, don't worry."

After saying that, the three of them immediately turned and left.