Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 161: All-out Counterattack
Outside, at the 36th Regiment's defense line, the sound of gunfire suddenly rang out, becoming more and more intense. In the streets and alleys of their defense area, many Chinese suddenly appeared and soon engaged in a fight with the Japanese.
These people were all soldiers from the replenishment battalion. They had been hiding in the ruins and tunnels before, and some had sneaked in from outside the defense line.

Ever since one and a half battalions were withdrawn, the 36th Regiment's defense line has become thin and full of loopholes.

The main force of the supplementary battalion had been lurking before. After receiving the order to counterattack, they came out of some empty rooms and ruins and continued to attack the nearby Japanese strongholds.

The Zhabei area was very large, and could accommodate more than 36 people. The 1th Regiment's -plus Japanese soldiers could not control it at all, and they could only guard some major streets and alleys.

They simply could not search all those densely packed houses. They had thought there were no such people before, but now they were shocked. There were gunshots everywhere, and from time to time a stronghold was captured, resulting in the loss of a squad or a team.

At the 36th Regiment Headquarters in the spinning mill warehouse, the commander of the regiment, Colonel Jiro Wakisaka, was already extremely worried. With his rich combat experience, he had realized the seriousness of the situation. He said to his senior staff officer, Lieutenant Colonel Yukio Hirai:
"Hirai-kun, this is definitely not a small-scale harassment, but a deliberate large-scale attack. They have infiltrated the streets and alleys in the defense zone and are fighting street battles with the warriors."

Lieutenant Colonel Hirai also looked solemn. He had already noticed something was wrong. Now, after hearing what the commander of the regiment said, he took over the conversation and said:

"What Wakisaka-kun said is absolutely true. There are at least 2 Chinese armed personnel in the defense zone, and the number is still increasing.

They are extremely well-equipped, well-trained, and have direct-fire cannons that can destroy fortresses. This is very similar to the combat style of our old rival, the 88th Division.

If I'm not mistaken, they are the elite of the German-equipped 88th Division, at least one regiment. I suggest alerting the division commander immediately. I'm worried that they will also launch a counterattack against the division headquarters."

"Hirai-kun, we can be sure now that the troops left in the city to fight are definitely not a regiment, but a division. The intelligence department has been fooled by the Chinese.

Only the 88th Division's headquarters, or even just a number, retreated to the south of Suzhou River, while the main force remained in Zhabei to fight. The 527th Regiment in the headquarters building served more as a bait.

Send a telegram to the division commander immediately, and inform all the battalions to hold them off. Do not let any Chinese go to the main battlefield.

Since the Chinese have thrown out the bait, then swallow it!"

The 35th Division Headquarters and Yoshika Ryosuke were not much better off. They were also under siege. This time, their tactics were changed. One part of the troops attacked the division headquarters' defense line head-on, while the main force attacked the th Infantry Regiment's defense zone from the flank.

"Your Excellency, the Chinese are using a roundabout tactic this time. Their purpose is obvious, which is to first destroy the 35th Regiment and then besiege the division headquarters.
The 35th Regiment suffered hundreds of casualties in the previous street fighting, and 1500 more were withdrawn. Now there are only a thousand or so left. I'm worried they can't hold on."

Nakagawa Hiroshi's analysis was recognized by Yoshika Ryosuke. At this time, the communications staff sent them a telegram from the 36th Regiment. After reading it, he said affirmatively:
“Wakisaka-kun has also been attacked by thousands of men and has suffered heavy losses, as is now clear;

The Chinese used the headquarters building as bait to lure the main force of the Imperial Army to attack, and used the solid fortress group to consume a large number of the Imperial Army's manpower.

The main force will ambush on the periphery, and when the time is right, we will implement the strategy of attacking from the center, cooperate with the outside forces, and encircle and annihilate our Wushu Division!"

"Nani, encircle and annihilate the Wu Division? Does the 88th Division have such a big appetite? This is a permanent division of the empire, aren't they afraid of bursting their bellies?"

Yoshika Ryosuke was also frightened by his own thoughts, but all signs have shown that the Chinese's target is the Ninth Division!

“Mr. Nakagawa, after the 3th Regiment was annihilated, the th Division only had three infantry regiments, and they suffered more than a thousand casualties in the previous street fighting;
You don't know until you calculate. Once you calculate, you will be shocked. The Imperial Army has lost thousands of warriors in front of the headquarters building. Adding the lost cavalry regiment, the military division has less than 35 soldiers available for combat, and they are divided into several large groups. It is easy for the Chinese to defeat them one by one. " "Mr. Division Commander, your concerns are reasonable. There are only more than 1 people left in the th Infantry Regiment. It is most likely to become the first target of the Chinese to encircle and annihilate;
Once the 35th Regiment is annihilated, the siege of the headquarters building will be solved. If the two units are combined to attack the division headquarters or the 36th Regiment from the front and back, the consequences will be disastrous. "

Yoshika Ryosuke was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. This possibility existed, after all, there were only more than 35 people left in the 1th Regiment. But he was unwilling to withdraw his troops now, and then he fell silent.

Nakagawa Hiro was very tactful and did not disturb him. The current situation was very delicate. A single move could affect the entire body. A single misjudgment could lead to the annihilation of the entire army. The lesson of the 7th Infantry Regiment had to be guarded against.

After a long time, Yoshika Ryosuke seemed to have aged a lot. Now he couldn't give up even if he wanted to. Unless he was willing to retire and return to his country to retire, he would not be willing to do that!

He wanted to take a gamble. If he could win and completely wipe out the 527th Regiment, and if he could capture a few mysterious artillery pieces, he would still have a chance to turn things around.
If he loses, he can only commit seppuku to thank the Emperor...

The Japanese's compulsive gambling nature eventually prevailed. His previously gray face gradually turned red, and his eyes were filled with ferocity, like an old man with a last burst of vitality, which made Nakagawa Hiroshi feel a little chilled.

"Mr. Nakagawa, now we can only bet that Ren Jian Xiu San will break through the headquarters building first. As long as Yue Qianli's troops are eliminated, the Chinese people's intention to blossom in the center will be shattered;
The 35th Wing can also retreat to the headquarters building and join the 19th Wing, and they can also hold the headquarters building.

The survival of the Wushi Group depends on this one move. I will inform you that we must destroy Yue Qianli even if it means sacrificing human lives!"

Nakagawa Hiro knew that Yoshika Ryosuke had no way out. As the chief of staff, he could only follow orders. There was no point in talking to a man who had lost all his money, so he could only gamble with him.

In front of the headquarters building, the battle between the two sides has entered a white-hot stage. Yue Qianli has played all the cards he can play, and all that remains is to fight the Japanese with his life.

"Brothers, kill!"

"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"

Both sides fought desperately. After receiving the strict order from Yoshika Ryosuke, Hitomi Hidezo treated himself as a dead man. When the moment came when all his troops were wiped out, he would commit seppuku to thank the Emperor.

The first floor had been breached, and the two sides engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat inside the building. In order to prevent the Japanese from entering, many people even rushed into the Japanese group with cluster grenades and died with them. The gap was filled with corpses of both the enemy and us, which was shocking.

On the periphery, each battalion also fought desperately. They rushed towards the Japanese one after another, fighting with them to the death. The blood flowed like a river, and whole rows and companies were sacrificed.

This desperate fighting style finally achieved a breakthrough in the direction of the 35th Regiment. The replacement battalion commander Duan Yulin rushed into the regiment headquarters covered in blood, followed by dozens of murderous soldiers.

More than 500 people launched a fierce attack on the regiment headquarters, and they were the only ones left, while Colonel Wakisaka was left with only some staff members and his ancestral sword.

"Bakayaloo, go to hell!"

He slashed at Duan Yulin fiercely with his knife. Duan Yulin raised his hand and fired a volley of bullets with a contemptuous smile on his face. There was no knife in the world faster than his box gun.

(End of this chapter)