Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 184: Breaking through the siege and returning home

After the advance detachment forcibly tore through the enemy's defense line, the main force of the guerrilla column successfully passed Wuxi and Changshu;
Their entry disrupted the previous balance between the two sides, and fierce fighting broke out again on the battlefield that had been paused.

The 11th Division thought that the th Army in Wuxi had launched a large-scale counterattack, and immediately launched a tit-for-tat counterattack, confronting it head-on!

The 15th Army also thought that the Japanese had launched a new attack, so they naturally had to put up a fight;

Yue Qianli was unwilling to be left alone, and commanded three detachments to charge and attack the enemy's defense zone. The Shanghai-Nanjing detachment was going to return strongly and fight their way out.

The several divisions of the Japanese East China Expeditionary Army were not to be trifled with. They also chose to confront the Shanghai-Nanjing Detachment head-on and refused to allow the unit to pass through their defense zone. The two sides refused to give in and the fight became a mess, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.

The three detachments of the Shanghai-Nanjing Column formed a huge front arrow formation and rushed towards Qingyang. Like a boning knife, they forced their way through the center of the enemy's formation and killed their way to the foot of Qingyang City.
Qingyang City was the defense line of the 103rd Division of the National Army. In order not to cause misunderstanding among friendly forces, they flew the flag of the National Army's Shanghai-Nanjing Guerrilla Column.

The 103rd Division was a Guizhou Army unit. When Xue Lao Hu entered Guizhou to pursue the Red Army, he annexed the division and considered it a miscellaneous unit of the Central Army.
Many people have the impression that the Guizhou Army was very weak. During the warlord period, a saying was circulated: the Yunnan Army was like wolves, the Hunan Army was like tigers, the Guizhou Army was like sheep, and the Guangxi Army was like wolves and tigers, killing people in all directions. But some "sheep" were very powerful, such as the 103rd Division.

In another time and space, this division fought in the Battle of Shanghai, the Battle of Changsha, the Battle of Songshan, the Liaoshen Campaign, the Pingjin Campaign, the Huaihai Campaign, and finally the Liangyang Campaign to liberate Guangdong. This unit fought in every battle without any major defeat.
The division commander, Lieutenant General He Zhizhong, was a tough guy with a great reputation for righteousness. The battle of Songhu was extremely fierce. In the battle for Dingshan Heights, the two sides fought repeatedly and the battle changed hands 11 times. The Japanese army paid the price of nearly a thousand people for this, which shows the Guizhou Army's super resilience and perseverance.

When the battle flag of the Shanghai-Nanjing Guerrilla Column appeared in front of the 103rd Division, many people thought it was the Japanese. Fortunately, He Zhizhong knew the number of the Shanghai-Nanjing Column, but he did not expect that they would really come back from Kunshan City.

After He Zhizhong made a phone call to confirm, he personally went out to greet them with several regiment leaders, and greeted them from a distance;

Yue Qianli's troops are the main force of the 88th Division, but their importance is no less than that of He Zhizhong, a ragtag commander.

His reputation is well-known both at home and abroad. He is a true disciple of the emperor, so He Zhizhong keeps a low profile.

"Commander Yue is truly the Zhao Zilong of our time. At first, I didn't believe it when I heard from my brothers that the Shanghai-Nanjing guerrilla column had broken through the enemy lines.

Although it is only a few dozen kilometers from Kunshan to Qingyang, there are several main Japanese divisions along the way, and their formation is thick, so we can only force our way through.

I didn't expect Commander Yue to be able to fight his way through the enemy's ranks, which made He admire him immensely."

He Zhizhong is obviously a veteran in the martial arts world. He is very slick in his conversation, which is also a major characteristic of the generals of the National Government. Those who are not slick will not survive more than three episodes. Yue Qianli has also practiced some of this and laughed:
"Commander He, you are too kind. Yue was ordered to return to Nanjing to join his troops. A group of ignorant Japanese soldiers blocked my way. I cannot blame you for being ruthless.
Since you won't give way to me, I will attack you and fight my way out. I will not fail to obey the military order!"

"Brother Yue, you are so domineering! Only you can say such bold words, and you can do it. I admire you!"

After the two exchanged politeness for a while, He Zhizhong invited Yue Qianli to stay for a simple meal, but since it was wartime, no wine was served;
Yue Qianli knew that this meal would definitely not be shabby. It was a tradition to be tight at the front and tight at the back. Yue Qianli could only follow the local customs, otherwise He Zhizhong would lose face. He just hoped that they would not serve two bottles of Moutai.

He really guessed it right. The meal was not simple, with eight dishes and one soup. This was wartime, otherwise it would not be presentable. There was no wine, but each person had a bottle of water. The aroma of the sauce could be smelled from a long distance away. This must be some good stuff.

Yue Qianli was indeed very hungry, and he did not bother to be polite with Commander He. It was only natural to prepare a table full of sumptuous dishes when friendly troops arrived, and it was always better than those who did not offer you anything to eat.

Yue Qianli had three detachment commanders, a chief of staff Chen Zhongyuan, and a deputy commander Tian Yuanxi, while the brigade commanders and above of the 103rd Division came to accompany him;

When Liao Jianping and others saw Yue Qianli eating with his cheeks flailing, they stopped being pretentious and started to eat with relish.

When Commander He saw that Yue Qianli and others were not being polite to him, the smile on his face became even wider. It was not easy to invite the direct troops of the Central Army to dinner, and it was not in vain for him to spend a few jars of fifty-year-old wine.

After a few rounds of wine, the men started to relax and talk about brotherhood. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, they started to talk about the war.
At the repeated request of Commander He, Yue Qianli also made some suggestions on the defense of the 103rd Division. He Zhizhong nodded repeatedly after hearing this. This was also one of the reasons why he invited Yue Qianli to drink.

Yue Qianli is a well-recognized famous general in the country, and he is especially good at defense. It is said that there is no false reputation under a great name. Since I have come to his territory, I naturally have to learn a little bit, so that I can save my life at the critical moment.

Yue Qianli knew the 103rd Division. They were a group of real men, otherwise he would not have kept the appointment. He didn't need this meal.

Since Division Commander He took the initiative to ask, Yue Qianli spoke bluntly. The two brigade commanders under the 103rd Division were a little embarrassed. Just as they were about to get angry due to the alcohol, Division Commander He pulled them back without leaving any trace.

Yue Qianli was a little crazy, and he described the 103rd Division's defensive position in a very bad light, but He Zhizhong took it in and bowed to Yue Qianli, saying:

"Brother Yue, thank you for your advice. After the banquet, I will lead the brothers to make corrections one by one. I will toast to you again."

"Commander He, we can stop drinking here. After all, this is wartime, and it would be bad if it gets out.
Brothers, we have already eaten and drunk enough. The military situation is urgent, so we should stop here. I suggest that everyone drink a full cup of wine to send off the enemy. After drinking, we will fight the Japanese together and will not stop until we defeat them!"

Teacher He immediately cheered:
"I will not stop until I defeat the Japanese. Just follow my advice, brother Yue. After you finish this cup of wine from my hometown, we will meet on the battlefield!"

Everyone stood up and agreed, then drank the liquor in their bowls in one gulp, and agreed to kill the Japanese invaders together on the battlefield.

After bidding farewell to Division Commander He, Yue Qianli led the main force of the guerrilla column and marched towards Jinling City. After several bloody battles, the mighty army of 1.8 people was reduced to only 1.3 people.

5 soldiers died on the expedition, but their blood was not shed in vain. During the expedition, they defeated the 12th Regiment with a head-on attack and killed their way from Wuxi to Changshu to Qingyang. In total, they killed more than 3 Japanese soldiers.

This was extremely rare for an army composed mainly of defeated soldiers, with a casualty ratio of nearly 2 to 1. Most importantly, it strengthened the troops and transformed the temperament of the guerrilla column, making it capable of fighting tough battles with the Japanese.

(End of this chapter)