Republic of China: German-equipped divisions massacred as warlords guarded the nation's borders

Nanjing, Guanyin Gate.

4:20 a.m.

It was still dark when sporadic gunshots, like firecrackers, came from the direction of Pukou on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

Tang Mengxiao of the Eighth Army of Hunan lay behind an earthen wall, cursing under her breath.

"Damn it, I've traveled three hundred miles and haven't even had a hot meal, and these Fujianese have already sneaked over here?"

Behind him, 1,200 vanguard soldiers crouched in the trench. Most of them were still wearing the single layer of clothing they wore on the march, and the bayonets on their rifles gleamed coldly in the darkness.

Across a dry ditch less than fifty meters wide, was the vanguard of the 7th Independent Mixed Brigade under the command of Sun Yuanfeng, the military governor of Fujian.

The commander of the advance battalion was surnamed Ma and named Ma Zhongnan. He was carrying binoculars and muttering curses under his breath.

He also lay prone behind an earthen wall.

Between the two earthen walls lies a wasteland outside the Guanyin Gate.

Three dead men lay in the middle of the wasteland. Two were wearing the gray cloth uniforms of the Hunan Army, and one was wearing the khaki uniform of the Fujian Army.

This is the "result" of the two patrol teams meeting in Liuhe Town half an hour ago.

To put it bluntly, two groups of people bumped into each other. Neither knew the other, and they started yelling at each other. After a few shouts, neither side could understand the other, so one hothead fired the first shot.

And then it just wouldn't stop.

"Commander Tang!"

A messenger came running up from behind, panting.

"The division headquarters called, instructing you... to exercise restraint and not escalate the conflict."

Tang Mengxiao turned around and glared at him.

"Restraint? I restrained myself! The enemy fired over forty bullets at my position, and I only returned fire with twenty! Does that count as restraint?"

The messenger opened his mouth, but dared not speak.

"Go back and tell the division commander that the gates of Nanjing are right under my nose. I got here first. This prize belongs to the Eighth Army of Hunan! Anyone who tries to take it, I'll fight them to the death!"

The messenger turned and ran.

Tang Mengxiao turned around, raised her binoculars, and glanced at the other side.

The battalion commander from Fujian was also looking at him; the two of them stared at each other across fifty meters of wasteland.

"Damn it." Tang Mengxiao put down her binoculars and spat. "Come on then. Let's take over Guanyin Gate first."

……

Four hours later.

8:30 a.m.

The situation outside Nanjing has completely spiraled out of control.

Tang Mengxiao's vanguard regiment launched the first attack, attempting to seize the Guanyinmen city tower before the Fujian army could.

But as soon as he rushed to the city gate, he discovered that Ma Zhongnan's vanguard had already circled around from another road and occupied an abandoned watchtower on the east side of the city gate.

The two sides collided again.

This time, there was no shouting; they went straight to fire.

First came rifle fire, then light machine gun fire, and then, from somewhere, five or six light machine guns were brought in from the rear. Two mortars followed.

Boom! Boom!

The mortar shells blasted two large craters outside Guanyin Gate, and rubble and dirt flew around for a day.

The fighting lasted all morning, with each side suffering forty to fifty casualties.

But no one managed to secure Guanyin Gate.

Because there was no one on the city tower of Guanyin Gate.

When Chen Zijun withdrew, he took everything of value from Nanjing's defenses. The city gates were left wide open, the door panels removed, and even the hinges dismantled. The sandbags on the city walls were all cleared out, and the machine gun mounts in the bunkers were cut away with welding torches.

The two hungry wolves rushed to the meat, only to find that it had been cut down to bones.

But they're already locked in a fierce battle; whoever retreats first will lose.

So keep biting.

The most ridiculous thing is that while the two sides were fighting to the death, the people in Nanjing were still going about their normal lives.

The tofu stall at the alley entrance remained open as usual, and the breakfast shop continued to sell potstickers and duck blood vermicelli soup. Occasionally, a few cannon shots would be heard from outside the city. The proprietress would look up, mutter "They're firing again," and then continue wrapping her wontons.

The city of Jinling has witnessed far too much chaos and turmoil; this one more incident is nothing new.

……

At the same time.

Shanghai, Longhua Road Garrison Command Headquarters.

Chen Zijun sat in his office on the second floor, with a map of the situation around Nanjing spread out in front of him.

Shen Li stood opposite him, holding a stack of telegrams in his hand, reading them one by one.

"At 8:00 AM this morning, the Hunan vanguard regiment launched its first assault on Guanyinmen, but was repelled by flank fire from the Fujian advance battalion. At 9:00 AM, Hunan deployed two mortars and bombarded the Fujian army's blockhouse positions for twenty minutes. At 10:00 AM, Fujian reinforced with two companies, and the two sides reached a stalemate outside Guanyinmen. Currently, the total casualties on both sides are estimated to be between ninety and one hundred."

He paused for a moment.

"Both sides are transferring troops towards Nanjing. The next two regiments of the Eighth Army in Hunan have already set off and are expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon. On the Fujian side, Sun Yuanfeng personally ordered the main force of the Seventh Independent Mixed Brigade to be deployed, and an artillery battalion was also transferred from northern Fujian."

Shen Li put down the telegram and looked up at Chen Zijun.

"Young Marshal, judging by this situation, at least 20,000 troops will be amassed outside Nanjing within three days. Moreover, both sides are increasing their forces, and neither is willing to back down."

Chen Zijun picked up his coffee cup and took a sip.

"Let them fight."

Shen Li opened his mouth.

"The harder they fight, the better." Chen Zijun put down his coffee cup. "The more troops they waste in Nanjing, the fewer eyes will be watching Shanghai."

He tapped the situation map twice with his finger.

One stop is in Nanjing. The next stop is in Shanghai.

"Tang Mengxiao is such a hothead, all she thinks about is grabbing territory. Sun Yuanfeng is more cunning than her, but he's not much better. Neither of them can defeat the other, and in the end, they can only both suffer heavy losses."

"And then?" Shen Li asked.

Chen Zijun leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"When the time comes, let whoever wants to go can go! That's Nanjing! It was the temporary capital of the Republic of China, and even the Provisional Constitution and the Provisional President were elected there. Now, whoever occupies it will be the target of everyone's anger. Besides, Nanjing is right under our encirclement. It's just a city. Don't worry too much about appearances. If you really want it, it's not a matter of a regiment, a battalion, or a single charge!"

"But there's no need..."

He chuckled. It was a faint smile, but Shen Li saw it clearly—it was the smile of a hunter watching two prey kill each other.

Shen Li nodded expressionlessly and put the telegram away.

He's used to it.

The most terrifying thing about fighting alongside someone like Chen Zijun is never the artillery fire. It's discovering that your enemies are already eliminating each other before you even have a chance to make a move.

……

There was a knock on the office door three times.

Moranzhi pushed open the door and came in.

Her expression was somewhat serious.

"Young Master."

"explain."

"I just received an urgent telegram from the south. Mr. Sun's northbound passenger ship will arrive at the Shanghai port tomorrow night."

Chen Zijun put down his coffee cup.

There was a two-second silence.

"Have you found the second knife?"

Mo Lanzhi shook her head. "The investigation is still ongoing. But one lead points to the Japanese concession in Hongkou, and Su Guiying is following it."

Chen Zijun's eyes turned cold.

Japanese Concession.

Another Japanese person.

"I need to know where that knife is by tomorrow night."

"Yes."

Mo Lanzhi turned and left.

Chen Zijun stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, cars and people bustled along Longhua Road. In the distance, the Huangpu River shimmered in the sunlight.

Mr. Sun will arrive tomorrow night.

The second knife was hidden in the shadows.

Two wolves in Nanjing are biting each other.

He stood in the very center of Shanghai, with three sides of the chessboard moving simultaneously.

"interesting."

He said something softly, then turned and walked back to his desk.