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

Commander Tang then began to think carefully. He weighed the matter repeatedly in his mind. Although his attitude had softened, he had not yet given his final consent.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a knock on the study door to report.

"Knock knock knock... Commander Tang, urgent intelligence received."

Commander Tang glanced at Long Fei, who, just in case, hurriedly took off his military uniform, then picked up the pistol from the desk, covered it with the uniform, and kept the muzzle pointed at Commander Tang.

Commander Tang understood Long Fei's meaning and said to the door, "Come in."

The person who came in was Lieutenant Wang, who was holding a military green folder.

When Wang, the adjutant, saw Long Fei standing in the study, he looked at Commander Tang with a questioning gaze.

Commander Tang explained, "Lieutenant Wang, this is Commander Long whom I invited to discuss military matters. Speak directly with any intelligence you have, there's no need to hold back."

Commander Tang's explanation dispelled Wang's doubts. He hurriedly opened the folder, took out two telegrams, and placed them in front of Commander Tang.

"Commander Tang, we just received two intelligence reports. The first one is that the Japanese Army Ministry has dismissed Matsui Iwane, the commander of the Central China Area Army, from his concurrent post as commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army, and will appoint Prince Ichika Yasuhiko as his successor."

"The second one was a distress telegram from Wang Yaowu, commander of the 51st Division of the 74th Army."

"Commander Wang said that his division was ordered to defend the Chunhua Town line, but was met with a fierce attack from the Japanese Ninth Division."

"Due to the lack of heavy weapons, the 51st Division is fighting very hard. Now, its 301st, 302nd and 306th Regiments have all suffered heavy casualties. The entire division now has less than 2,000 men left, and ammunition is about to run out."

"Commander Wang requested Commander Tang to send reinforcements to help the 51st Division break out of the encirclement."

Commander Tang jumped up and slammed his fist heavily on the desk.

"Alas, I only have tens of thousands of remnants of my army at my disposal, and I'm already stretched thin. Where am I supposed to send reinforcements to Wang Yaowu?"

When Lieutenant Wang saw Commander Tang get angry, he was so frightened that he stood there and dared not say a word.

Long Fei then said, "Commander Tang, Commander Wang's troops are a brave and skilled fighting force. They were able to go toe-to-toe with the Japanese Ninth Division, which speaks volumes."

"I suggest that we must find a way to reinforce them. If the 51st Division is annihilated by the Japanese, it will seriously affect morale."

Commander Tang sighed, "I know you have a point, but I really don't have any troops available to deploy right now."

Long Fei glanced at Wang, the adjutant, and looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Upon seeing this, Commander Tang immediately waved to his adjutant Wang and said, "You go out first and wait for my orders."

"Yes."

Lieutenant Wang immediately saluted and turned to leave.

After Wang, the adjutant, left, Long Fei asked, "Commander Tang, do you know why the Japanese Army Ministry dismissed Matsui Iwane from his post as commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army?"

Commander Tang shook his head blankly.

"It's very simple. Last night, my Longyan troops completely destroyed the Japanese supply and reserve base in Tangshan Town."

"I estimate that if the Japanese hadn't considered that the battle to attack Nanjing was about to begin, changing generals on the eve of battle would have been a major taboo in military strategy."

"I think the Japanese will also dismiss Matsui Iwane from his post as commander of the Central China Area Army."

"What? The explosions in the direction of Tangshan Town last night... you bombed the Japanese supply depot! That's great..."

This was absolutely fantastic news for Commander Tang, as it would severely impact the logistical support of the Japanese troops attacking Nanjing.

Long Fei then said with amusement, "Commander Tang, how about we make a fair deal?"

"Fair trade? You say..."

“I will lead the Dragon Flame troops to set off overnight to rescue Wang Yaowu’s 51st Division, but you must agree to send an engineering battalion to build a pontoon bridge.”

Actually, Commander Tang's attitude had already softened somewhat, and now that Long Fei has agreed to take the initiative to rescue the 51st Division, it's like sending charcoal in snowy weather.

After a brief moment of thought, Commander Tang readily agreed.

"Alright, I agree, but you'll have to provide the materials for building the pontoon bridge, and you'll also be in charge of dealing with the Japanese planes."

"No problem, deal."

Long Fei then put away his pistol, put on his coat, and said.

"Commander Tang, just now, in order to come to see you, two of my brothers were arrested by your guards and taken to the military police station. Please order them released."

"Also, so that I can meet and communicate with you at any time in the future, could you please issue me a pass?"

For Commander Tang, this was just a matter of a word, and he also discovered that Long Fei had no ill intentions towards him, nor did he show any intention to harm him.

"No problem, Lieutenant Wang, come in for a moment."

Lieutenant Wang rushed in upon hearing the summons.

"Call the military police and tell them it's my order to release the two people you just arrested immediately."

"Yes."

After Lieutenant Wang left, Commander Tang wrote a handwritten order, signed it, affixed his official seal, and handed it to Long Fei.

"Take this warrant and you can come see me anytime."

Long Fei took the warrant, looked at it, carefully folded it, and put it in his pocket.

"Then I won't delay any longer. I'll head back to the base and lead the troops out."

Just as Long Fei was about to take his leave, Commander Tang called him back.

"After you rescue the 51st Division from the encirclement, have them redeploy along the Hedingqiao and Matian line. I will also relay the orders to Wang Yaowu."

"Okay, goodbye, Commander Tang."

"and many more……"

"What? Commander Tang, do you have any further instructions?"

"I'll send a car to take you back to your post; that will save you time."

"Hehe, Commander Tang is very thoughtful, but I have more than a dozen men, so you'll need to send a truck."

Long Fei had the driver go to the military police station first to pick up the two soldiers, and then he returned to the barracks at full speed.

Because of the urgency of the situation, Long Fei could only briefly explain the situation before arranging a GMC truck and having everyone get on and set off.

Long Fei's base was only 30 kilometers away from Chunhua Town. Despite poor visibility at night and bad road conditions, it only took him an hour to reach the outskirts of Chunhua Town.

Unless there are special circumstances, the Japanese generally do not launch night battles, because this would weaken their advantage.

Therefore, both sides are currently in a state of truce in Chunhua Town. Apart from the lingering smell of gunpowder and a few scattered fires, the scene is relatively quiet.

After everyone disembarked and assembled, Long Fei began to give orders.

"Listen up, everyone. The Special Operations Battalion is the left flank, commanded by Deputy Regiment Commander Xu, and the New First Battalion is the right flank, commanded by Deputy Regiment Commander Liu. Each battalion is equipped with five Tiger tanks."

"Xie Qiang led his company to help the 51st Division break through the encirclement."

"After a while, the Nobe self-propelled gun fired first, stunning the Japanese, and then the tanks rushed in from the left and right flanks, tearing open the Japanese defenses."

"The troops following behind should not be stingy with ammunition. Mortars, machine guns, submachine guns, rifle grenades, and hand grenades, give them all a good blast."

"Let's give those little devils a midnight snack, make sure they eat and drink their fill before they die."

"Did everyone understand?"

"clear."

"Alright, everyone to your positions. Once the artillery fire ceases, we will begin the attack."

A few minutes later, the Wesbee self-propelled gun began a continuous barrage, which lasted for a full twenty minutes due to ample ammunition.

The Japanese 9th Division, which had already drifted off to sleep, was thrown into a daze by the sudden artillery fire.

Just kidding, a 150mm caliber shell, its power is simply immense.

Not to mention the Japanese infantry, even their tanks and armored vehicles could be destroyed with a single shot.

"Boom boom boom..."

Wang Yaowu was resting with his eyes closed in the command post. He had already given orders that after dawn, they should finish all the food, use up all the bullets, and then engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese.

According to Wang Yaowu, "If the Japanese wanted to cross Chunhua Town, they would have to step over the corpses of the 51st Division soldiers. Otherwise, as long as there was one person left in the 51st Division, they would never let the Japanese pass."

The sudden explosion startled Wang Yaowu awake; he initially thought it was a night attack by the Japanese.

Wang Yaowu grabbed his gun, rushed out of the command post, and shouted.

"Listen up, everyone, let's fight the Japanese devils!"