activa-t Chapter 87 Tunnel Warfare: A Surprise Attack on the Japanese Army's Rear
Chapter 87 Tunnel Warfare: A Surprise Attack on the Japanese Army's Rear
At eight o'clock, the shelling began.
"Boom!!!!!"
However, that was artillery fire from Jiangbei, and the target was Japanese warships sailing on the river.
Almost simultaneously, Song Xilian's troops boarded wooden boats, rowed vigorously, and rushed towards the north bank of the river under the cover of artillery fire.
On Yijiang Gate, Chief of Staff Xiao Shen watched the 36th Division disappear into the night, without much surprise.
That was an opportunity that the Chairman had specially secured for the 36th Division, or rather, for Song Xilian. If he were to give it up like this, it would surely disappoint the Chairman.
As for Xiao Shanling, Li Jianghe's Provisional Third Regiment, and even the tens of thousands of soldiers remaining in Nanjing, they were not worth the sheer number of shells fired from Jiangbei.
"Chief of staff, we have spotted Japanese landing forces approaching the river defense positions."
A soldier ran over to report to the commander.
Almost the instant the words were spoken, gunshots rang out from the riverside positions.
Those were the remaining seven hundred-odd soldiers under Chief of Staff Xiao Shen, who were blocking the Japanese troops attempting to land on the beach.
"Order the brothers to hold on. We will retreat after the breakout route ahead is opened. Otherwise, if we are attacked from both sides by the Japanese army, the 3rd Provisional Regiment will probably be wiped out here."
After Chief of Staff Xiao Shen finished speaking, he drew his Mauser pistol from his waist and followed the soldiers into the river defense position to block the Japanese landing force.
Meanwhile, the Japanese army was already on high alert on both sides of Jiqing Road.
They received orders that the enemy was likely to break out in this direction tonight, and they were to be extremely careful.
It should be said that Tani Hisao's judgment was correct; Li Jianghe's breakout route was the gap in the city wall on the Zhonghua Gate side.
On both sides of Jiqing Road, the Japanese army deployed two infantry battalions, totaling more than 2,000 men, to guard the area.
An additional heavy machine gun squadron was also deployed to reinforce the firepower in the area.
However, these Japanese soldiers were all focused on what was in front of them or on their flanks, but they couldn't see what was under their feet.
Inside the tunnel, a large number of assault teams and engineering squads were making their way through the dark and long tunnel with difficulty.
The tunnel was dug very narrowly, allowing only one person to pass sideways. If you reached the section with the sewers, you had to crawl on your hands and knees through the muddy sewers.
For the engineering squad, this was unavoidable, given the extremely short timeframe of only three days. They could only dig out a barely passable tunnel.
There are seven tunnels in the direction of Zhonghua Gate, and the entrances and exits are mostly located in some very hidden places.
At this moment, the Japanese troops were mostly concentrated in the Jiqing Road area, but there was very little defensive deployment in the streets behind them.
After all, the Japanese army believed that the enemy could not possibly appear suddenly in the rear. They had simply left a small squad of soldiers near the Zhonghua Gate city wall to keep a close watch on the situation on the wall.
If anyone tried to lower themselves down from the city walls by ropes, they would immediately open fire.
Before the Japanese army could even realize what was happening, this assault force, led by Lin Yongzhi and Wang Dayong, had already infiltrated the Japanese army's flank and rear.
They climbed out of the exit and then dispersed to keep watch over their surroundings.
Until more and more soldiers crawled out of the exit and spread out inside and outside the surrounding buildings.
The soldiers were all covered in mud, but their eyes were bright and clear, filled with resolute courage and conviction.
The assault team consisted of 300 men, and their basic equipment included various types of submachine guns, some light machine guns, and flamethrowers for the engineer squads.
Under the leadership of Lin Yongzhi and Wang Dayong, they were deployed on both sides, waiting for the sound of the cannon. (Remember our domain name: [domain name omitted], exciting content available anytime.)
Li Jianghe glanced at his watch; it was time to break through the encirclement.
"Get the artillery battalion to fire."
"yes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a red signal flare was launched into the sky.
Almost instantly, the artillery battalion’s more than fifty cannons roared to life.
The shells covered both sides of Jiqing Road.
"Boom!!!!!"
Amidst the roar, countless shells crashed into the streets, engulfing the Japanese soldiers as well.
At the same time, Long Wenzhang and Yang Ruifu's troops formed separate frontal attack forces and charged forward.
"kill!!!!"
A roar erupted, and thousands of soldiers charged forward simultaneously.
After five rounds of artillery fire, the soldiers had already stormed into the streets.
Just as they approached, flares suddenly shot into the air, and Japanese firing positions hidden in the streets opened fire simultaneously.
"Da da da!!!!"
"Bang bang bang!!!"
The Type 92 heavy machine gun and the Type 91 light machine gun fired simultaneously, along with a large number of rifle shots, instantly overwhelming the charging troops.
Although these Japanese soldiers had suffered some losses in the shelling, they had been ordered not to withdraw from their positions.
Now that they saw the enemy troops charging straight at them, they knew that their assessment was correct: the enemy was indeed planning to break out tonight.
The Japanese soldiers opened fire while cursing under their breath.
After all, these enemies had inflicted too many casualties on them in the past few days.
In the 6th Division headquarters, Hisao Tani's gaze was icy as he looked at the battle zone ahead through his binoculars.
"Your judgment is correct, the enemy is indeed planning to break out tonight."
Our troops have successfully landed at Yijiang Gate and are attacking the city wall.
The enemy troops attempting to break out at Zhonghua Gate also ran head-on into our defensive positions.
Chief of Staff Ichiro Shimotsu said with a hint of smugness on his lips.
In his view, these enemies' breakout attempt was nothing more than a death throes.
"You lead the troops to reinforce the front and block them at the breach in the city wall at Zhonghua Gate."
"Itsuki Tani said in a cold voice."
"Hai."
After answering, Shimono Kazuho decisively led two infantry battalions to support Zhonghua Gate.
If all goes well, this enemy force will be completely trapped here.
By daybreak, the enemy's main force will be exhausted, and their advance into Nanjing will no longer be hindered.
Seeing that Shimono Kazuo's troops were already rushing towards Zhonghua Gate, Tani Hisao thought that this long battle was finally about to end.
Li Jianghe, it seems we've won after all.
Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, forming a cold arc.
On Jiqing Road, the Japanese army concentrated almost all of its troops and firepower at the front.
This approach proved highly effective. The Nationalist troops launched three consecutive assaults but gained nothing, managing to occupy a courtyard but barely managing to establish a foothold.
The Japanese soldiers guarding this spot felt they had finally gotten their revenge and could slaughter the enemy soldiers who were trying to break through.
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