The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

After everyone was seated, Wang Bin began to call out names:

"Mayor Yu, your Wenzhou standing army regiment is a formidable force. Will it be able to put its skills to good use in tomorrow's battle?"

Wenzhou Mayor Yu Chunxi led over two thousand men, including Jiang Yusun's Wenzhou Civilian Militia First Regiment and Liu Suimou's Second Regiment, to attack Mengshan under Gu Zhutong's orders. Although these militia members were adept at pursuing, ambushing, and massacring stragglers of the Red Army, fighting the Red Army in real combat was a different matter. Upon hearing the division commander's question, they hastily replied:

"Commander, the militia's firearms are limited and can only play a supporting role; they are simply not up to the task of launching a solo attack!"

After a moment's consideration, Wang Bin realized that Yu Chunxi was telling the truth and had no choice but to drop the matter. He then turned to the commander of the Independent Regiment at headquarters and asked:

"Commander Xie, what do you think about having your regiment lead the attack tomorrow morning?"

Xie Yuxin of the Independent Regiment of the Headquarters also had his own ideas. As a remnant of the Fujian Incident, although it was still a separate regiment after being reorganized by the Zhejiang Clique, it was far from home and the replenishment of soldiers was difficult. It was also necessary to be wary of the Zhejiang Clique splitting and swallowing it up. It was best to do less dangerous things and preserve strength was the first priority!

So he remained silent from the beginning of the meeting. Unexpectedly, the division commander directly questioned him, realizing Wang Bin had seen through his little scheme. However, he knew that if he agreed to the main attack tomorrow, the regiment would be wiped out after suffering heavy losses. Thinking of this, he steeled himself and said:

"Commander, it's not that I'm refusing, but after the Battle of Tanjiaqiao, our Independent Regiment suffered heavy losses. We only have two-thirds of the original personnel, and we haven't been able to replenish our ranks. The morale of the entire regiment is low, and I'm powerless to do anything about it!"

"I never expected that Brother Xie from the Independent Regiment of the Commander's Headquarters would be so terrified by the battle with the Red Army that he dares not fight again!"

Ling Yuxi looked disdainfully at the pathetic creatures sheltered under the umbrella of the Guangxi clique, and said loudly and boldly, "I, Ling, though unworthy, dare to request Commander Wang to approve the 134th Regiment as the main attacking force to defeat the Red bandits in one battle and quell the rebellion in Quanzhou!"

Seeing that Ling Yaxi was somewhat complacent, Wang Zanbin quickly reminded him, "Our goal is to drive them out of Guangxi; there's no need to fight them head-on."

Ling Hexi, however, felt that his security regiment was well-equipped and completely disregarded the exhausted Red Army. He arrogantly raised his brand-new Browning pistol and said to Commander Wang Bin, who was also the commander of the Zhejiang East Garrison Division:

"Commander, it's not that I want to fight, it's that it wants to fight."

Seeing Ling Hexi's arrogance, Wang Bin could only let him try and learn his lesson. Knowing that the pot was made of iron, and to prevent him from suffering a crushing defeat, he ordered Xie Yuxin's Independent Regiment to provide backup and support for him.

After agreeing on their plans, the Zhejiang army generals returned to their respective posts, preparing to fight the Red Army to the death.

The next day, as soon as the sun rose, Wang Bin, commander of the Zhejiang Eastern Garrison Division of the Zhejiang Army, got up and, without even washing up, inquired about the pre-battle preparations:

"Chief of Staff, when will the Air Force arrive?"

"I was notified in the early morning that the plane would arrive here in two hours. I didn't report to you immediately because I was afraid of disturbing your rest."

The chief of staff answered respectfully.

"Great! Notify the artillery battalion to get up and have breakfast immediately. In one hour, they will move into their firing positions. Once they are in position, no further reporting is needed. After the aircraft bombard the Red Army positions, begin shelling them. The shelling will cease after the main force attacks!"

"Yes! I'll deploy it right away!"

After the chief of staff left, Wang Bin forced out a few harsh words through gritted teeth:

"Xu Wenqing! If it really is you, I'll show you that going against me will not end well, and you'll suffer the consequences! I will definitely defeat you today!"

On the position of the 2nd Battalion, 57th Regiment, 19th Division, just as the sun was about to rise, the sentries, both visible and hidden, returned intermittently from their forward posts, looking listless and yawning.

"These soldiers from Zhejiang are really damn stupid! Not a single one of them came out all night, leaving me to suffer through it all. I'm so sleepy!"

Old Dao, who was assigned to the 2nd Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 57th Regiment as a company commander during the reorganization, laughed when he heard this:

"Hey kid, stop yelling and hurry up and eat your food. Take a nap while you can, the enemy won't let you play around!"

The other soldiers couldn't help but burst into laughter after hearing what Lao Dao said.

The soldiers on the position were still sleeping huddled together in their bunkers behind the mountain. Old Dao saw the cooks carrying breakfast up from the foot of the mountain and called out loudly:

"Comrades! Wake up! Everyone wake up! Time to get up! Pork stew with cabbage, rice is served!"

"Company commander, let the brothers get some more sleep. Once the battle starts, who knows when it will end?"

The platoon leader, seeing that his comrades were fast asleep, whispered a word of advice.

"What do you know? In China, the saying goes, 'A merciful general cannot command an army!' I also want everyone to sleep a little longer, but the Zhejiang soldiers won't wait for everyone to be well-rested before attacking the hill. If we don't get up and eat now, and the Zhejiang army suddenly starts fighting and charges onto the position again, we won't have the strength to fight with bayonets."

After shouting several times, many people still didn't move. Old Dao got impatient and kicked his second platoon leader.

"You get up now! Platoon leaders, get up and wake up your men! Hurry! Get up and eat right away, or there won't be time!"

"Get up! Get up and eat!"

The platoon and squad leaders, who had just woken up, urged the soldiers in the company to get up one by one, and breakfast was served.

In an instant, the entire hilltop transformed into a giant dining hall. Soldiers ate their breakfast haphazardly, some squatting, others standing. Just as they put down their bowls, the air raid siren sounded, and officers at all levels shouted at the top of their lungs:

"Leave the watch post behind, everyone else take cover in bunkers or air-raid shelters!"

The buzzing sound of airplanes in the sky grew clearer and clearer. He Feng, who was eating breakfast, looked out through the firing port of his bunker and saw six Guangxi Army planes, in groups of three, roaring as they swooped down toward the 57th Regiment's position. They darted back and forth, strafing the enemy, and finally dropped a batch of bombs. The ground was immediately filled with billowing dust, and the shockwaves from the bomb explosions made the soldiers' ears ring. The swirling dust made it hard to breathe. The pine trees were riddled with bullet holes, and broken branches and leaves flew around in the air. Shattered tree trunks were scattered in the air.

After dropping their bombs, the planes turned and flew away, only to be met by another wave of bombardments. Meanwhile, the artillery of the Guangxi army below the opposite mountain began its bombardment again, volley after volley of shells covering the Mengshan position once more. Layers of broken tree branches and leaves fell onto the fortifications, burying the soldiers.