Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 119 There are policies from above and countermeasures from below

The 264th Brigade withdrew to the urban area according to the order of the army commander Sun Yuanliang, joined the division headquarters defending Jiangwan, and was reorganized into the Central Route Army.

After occupying Dachang, the Japanese army did not rush to take new military actions, but instead switched to defense on the spot and waited for the main force to arrive.

This was not because the Japanese had changed their habits, but because they really could not fight anymore. Although they had occupied a large area, their units had suffered heavy casualties and had consumed a lot of supplies. They urgently needed to rest and recover their combat effectiveness.

On the other hand, after occupying the large area, they have already grasped the initiative on the battlefield. At this time, they need to accumulate enough strength before choosing a new direction of attack.

Although the Japanese army occupied Dachang, the main force of the Nationalist army was still there. The 18 divisions of the Central Army still controlled the urban area. More than 20 divisions of the Left Army fought fiercely with the 3rd and 11th Divisions in the areas south and west of Luodian. The divisions of the Right Army under Zhang Xianghua and the Training Corps still controlled the vast area south of Suzhou River and Hangzhou Bay.

At this time, the National Government had already sent out all its elite troops. With the 21 divisions of the 6st Army of the Guangxi clique and the 5 divisions of Liu Xiang's Sichuan Army arriving at the battlefield one after another, the number of National Army troops gathered in the Songhu area had exceeded 70 divisions.

The Japanese army also successively deployed five divisions, one detachment and the 5th Heavy Artillery Brigade, plus the navy and the army and naval aviation, with a total force of 20.

Dachang is located right in the center of the main battlefield of Songhu. To the west, it can attack Nanxiang Station and cut off the retreat route of the left wing army.
To the east, they could attack Jiangwan, which was guarded by the 88th Division, and thus threaten the rear of the Central Army;
By moving southwards to occupy the North Railway Station and attacking the flank of the southern wing army, the National Army lost the initiative on the battlefield.

The loss of the big field was like an earthquake to the government, and there were only three options left for the government:
The first was to concentrate forces to counterattack Dachang and regain the initiative on the battlefield, but the government officials were not willing to do so. They were used to fighting defensive battles and taking the initiative was out of the question. It was not in line with the style of the National Army.
The second option was to remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing circumstances and continue to fight the Japanese army to the north of Suzhou River, but at the risk of having their retreat cut off;
The third is that the Central Army and the Southern Army would voluntarily abandon the area north of the Suzhou River and withdraw to the south of the Suzhou River. In this way, there would be no need to worry about their retreat being cut off. Correspondingly, the Left Army would also have to retreat and leave all positions north of the Suzhou River to the Japanese army. The two sides would confront each other across the Suzhou River.

In the end, the principal chose the third option and ordered the main force of the central army, 18 divisions, to retreat to the south of Suzhou River. At the same time, the left and right wing armies also gave up their positions and retreated to the south of Suzhou River.

In fact, by this point in the Battle of Shanghai, the strategic goal of diverting the main attack direction of the Japanese army from North China to East China had been achieved. It was time to take advantage of the situation to end the Battle of Shanghai, withdraw the main force, and defend in echelons. The situation would have been completely different.

In the first and second phases of the battle, although the Nationalist army suffered heavy casualties, the 20 Japanese troops also suffered heavy casualties, with losses exceeding tens of thousands. The Nationalist army also suffered only a few hundred thousand casualties, and the exchange ratio between the two sides was at most 3 to 1, which was not too ugly.
It can be said that they lost tactically, after all, they lost Shanghai, but they won strategically, and the National Government reached a consensus on this point.

However, there was a major disagreement on the issue of troop withdrawal. Most people were of the opinion that the Battle of Shanghai should be ended, the main force should be withdrawn to the national defense line area to block the Japanese army in stages, and all efforts should be made to prepare for the defense of Nanjing.
But the principal was not reconciled. He learned that the League of Nations would hold a conference in early November. In order to win the sympathy and support of the League of Nations, he did not want to give up the area north of Suzhou River, nor did he want to give up the area south of Suzhou River before the League of Nations conference.

He had a veto over the differences in the Nationalist government, and he finally decided to leave the 88th Division to continue fighting in Zhabei until the end of the League of Nations Congress;

Hundreds of thousands of troops south of the Suzhou River continued to confront the Japanese army across the river, and the time for withdrawal was set after the League of Nations Assembly. In his words, hundreds of thousands of troops could hold out for ten days or so. The allies of the League of Nations were watching, and they could not lose too badly.

General Bai and others raised objections, but were criticized for not understanding politics, so they had to give up. Everyone from top to bottom was hoping for the best, thinking that since they had won the battle for more than two months, the last ten days or half a month would not be a problem, after all, there were still hundreds of thousands of troops.

Jiangwan, 72nd Army Headquarters (also 88th Division Headquarters)
When Sun Yuanliang got the retreat plan, he was completely dumbfounded and even swore:
"You idiot, who came up with this stupid idea? Everyone has to withdraw, leaving only the 88th Division. Isn't this sending the 88th Division to their deaths?
Don’t let me know who it is, or I’ll never let him go.” Chief of Staff Zhang Baiting coughed and said:

"Commander, this was decided by the Military Commission itself. He has high hopes for the 88th Division and you. Only you can take on this important task."

Sun Yuanliang looked around guiltily, and when he saw that there was no one else, he breathed a sigh of relief, then cheered up and said:
"I told you, no one except the principal can make such a wise decision!
Political battles cannot be measured by personal gains and losses. For the sake of the Party and the country, our generation of revolutionary soldiers must be willing to sacrifice the small self for the sake of the big self. "

Chief of Staff Zhang had no idea what the emperor was up to, which was totally inconsistent with his usual style of cherishing himself like gold. He could only echo the emperor's flattery with a few words, but he didn't dare to flatter too much for fear of hitting the horse's leg.

Sure enough, after singing the high-profile song, Sun Yuanliang fell into deep thought. No matter who decided to commit suicide, it would not work. There are policies from above and countermeasures from below. He is now thinking of a countermeasure that has the best of both worlds.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, his eyes lit up with excitement, and a long-lost smile appeared on his face...

"Commander-in-Chief, have you come up with a good plan?"

Chief of Staff Zhang, who knew Sun Yuanliang well, asked very tactfully. Sun Yuanliang said meaningfully:

“Brother Xianghao, you and I must be good at understanding the will of the Holy Spirit. Some things require enlightenment;
The 88th Division is the elite of the National Government and is his favorite. It is said that a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. How could he bear to put the 88th Division in an irretrievable situation? "

Chief of Staff Zhang nodded, not quite understanding. He seemed to have grasped a little bit of the key, but he still didn't understand something, so he humbly asked for advice:
"Forgive my ignorance, I still fail to understand the Holy Spirit, please enlighten me, Commander."

“Brother Xianghao, you are too modest. I don’t believe you don’t understand;
Think about it, since it is a political war, the military aspect is not the most important. Is there any difference between leaving behind a division and leaving behind a regiment?

Even a battalion will do. After all, the 88th Division only has four regiments. I think a battalion is enough. Of course, in order to boost momentum, it can be announced to the outside world as a regiment. "

Chief of Staff Zhang suddenly realized what was going on, and immediately he was full of admiration for Sun Yuanliang, and couldn't help but praise him a few times:

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!"

"General, which unit is more suitable to leave behind? In addition, when the main force retreats, we must also leave a unit behind to cover the retreat, so as to avoid being caught by the Japanese. Both units must be able to fight."

Sun Yuanliang originally wanted to leave Yue Qianli with a battalion to guard the Sihang Warehouse, but after hearing what Chief of Staff Zhang said, he changed his mind. The 88th Division did need a rear guard, so that it would be safe. Thinking of this, he said to Zhang Baiting:
"Let the first battalion of the 524th Regiment stay behind, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Xie Jinyuan of the 262nd Brigade, to hold the Sihang Warehouse in Zhabei until the end of the League of Nations Conference;
Leave the rearguard operations to the 527th Regiment. I will only feel at ease if you leave it to Yue Qianli!"

(End of this chapter)