Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 73 The Japanese Inflatable Balloon Rises

"Duanzao!"

Li Gaoyuan suddenly said something.

"Um……"

Su Yaoyang was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh and said, "Old Li, why are you so serious?"

Li Gaoyuan looked into his eyes and asked seriously, "Tell me honestly, are you really planning to fight to the death and never retreat?"

"Why do you ask that?"

“I think I’ve figured it out. From the very beginning, you never intended to defend the church to the death. Instead, you were always thinking about how to break out of Nanjing.”

"Hey... you figured that out." Su Yaoyang laughed heartily.

Li Gaoyuan was both angry and amused, and couldn't help but swear: "Damn it, I was fooled by you at first, but the more I looked at it, the more suspicious it seemed."

These past few days, whenever you have free time, you go to the church to teach your little maid, Dr. Song, and those female students how to march and retreat, and you've even started teaching them how to shoot. Is that something a person who wants to die would do?

"Alright, since you've figured it out, I won't hide it from you anymore. I really never intended to live or die with Nanjing." Now that he'd been found out, Su Yaoyang no longer concealed it and frankly admitted it.

Li Gaoyuan stared at Su Yaoyang for a long time before sighing and asking, "Then why do you keep saying you want to fight to the death?"

"nonsense."

Su Yaoyang rolled his eyes at him, "Don't you even know what kind of people we have under our command now?"

They were all a bunch of thugs and defeated veterans. If I hadn't adopted a do-or-die stance from the start, they might have all run away in less than a day.

"I……"

Li Gaoyuan's lips twitched a few times, but he then had to admit that what Su Yaoyang said was indeed the truth.

If Su Yaoyang had told those ruffians from the beginning that their goal was to break out of Nanjing, the battle would have been over, and they would probably have all fled by the end of the battle.

"Do you have any good ideas?"

"No."

Su Yaoyang rubbed his temples in frustration. "There are tens of thousands of Japanese troops in Nanjing right now. All the roads out of the city are blocked. Even the Xiaguan Wharf fell into the hands of the Japanese yesterday. Unless we all grow wings, it will be very difficult to get out of the city."

Li Gaoyuan didn't say anything, but he also rubbed his temples like Su Yaoyang did.

This is a dead end. They are like fish on a chopping board. No matter how much they jump, their final fate is also death.

Su Yaoyang patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Alright, don't think about it anymore. There's always a way out. All we can do is try our best and leave the rest to fate. If God really wants us to die here, there's nothing we can do about it."

"That's all we can do." Li Gaoyuan patted his throbbing head and said helplessly, "Let's not think about these things anymore. The Second Battalion has been fighting at the front for a day, and tomorrow it will be our First Battalion's turn to take over from them. You should discuss your thoughts with Huang Guantao."

"Okay... go ahead."

After Li Gaoyuan left, Su Yaoyang walked to the wall and stared at a map of NJ City hanging there, lost in thought. For some reason, he had a feeling that something big was about to happen. As time passed, the Ninth Division's fortifications became increasingly intense.

The 7th and 19th Regiments launched a desperate offensive under the cover of artillery, but the security regiment, under the command of Huang Guantao and Li Gaoyuan and with the cover of the artillery battalion, used the ruins to inflict heavy casualties on the Japanese army.

By the morning of the 17th, the Japanese army had finally captured two blocks of the first line of defense, but the 7th Regiment and the 19th Regiment commanders had also exhausted their strength.

1937
The cold winds of December, carrying the smoke of gunpowder, howled through the dilapidated streets and alleys of Nanjing.

The Gothic spire of St. Paul's Cathedral pierced the leaden-gray sky, and the gold paint on the cross had long been charred black by the gunfire.

Inside the headquarters of the Japanese 9th Division, Tani Hisao strode in, escorted by several guards. He stomped heavily on a battle map lying on the ground with his muddy military boots, the crack left by the sword hanging at his waist cutting through the red circle where the church was located.

Upon entering the command post, his gaze fell upon Yoshizumi Ryosuke, who was standing by the window, and a mocking expression appeared on his lips.

"Is Yoshizumi-kun still dreaming of being a philanthropist?"

He pulled a telegram from his pocket and slammed it on the table, causing the half-smoked cigar in the brass ashtray to roll to the ground. "The Ninth Division has already shed enough blood in front of this damned church, yet you still won't use special ammunition?"

Yoshizumi Ryosuke adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his narrow eyes behind the lenses squinting slightly: "Don't forget, there are at least a dozen observers and military attachés from around us watching us. If we really use special ammunition, who will bear the pressure from the international community?"

We should show the Western world the benevolence of the Great Japanese Empire!

"Benevolence?" Tani Hisao suddenly burst into laughter, his saber clattering against the corner of the table.

His gaze swept over the "Map of Nanjing's City Defense" hanging on the wall. The arrows, repeatedly crossed out with red and blue pencils, were tangled into a knot at the location of the church. "From Shanghai to Nanjing, the Imperial Army's benevolence only earned them more stubborn resistance—just like that security regiment!"

Before he could finish speaking, a staff officer rushed in carrying a telegram.

When Tani Hisao saw the words "By order of Prince Asaka Yasuhiko", his eyes revealed a look of delight and sharpness.

The telegram was crumpled into a ball in his palm, then slowly unfolded. Yoshizumi Ryosuke noticed that the other person's finger paused for five seconds on the words "special bullet".

"Tomorrow at noon." Tani Hisao sneered through gritted teeth. "Your Highness sees things clearly. The Chinese only know how to kneel and listen to the sound of cannons before speaking."

eleven forty
On a high-rise building less than three kilometers from St. Paul's Church, Prince Asaka Yasuhiko slowly lowered his binoculars.

He had just seen through his binoculars that a convoy of sixteen trucks had arrived at Xiaolingwei, the skull and crossbones emblems on the lead-gray bullets gilded by the midday sun. He took the chrysanthemum-patterned pocket watch from the attendant; the diamond-set hands on the dial were about to meet.

"Your Highness, the Yoshizumi Division requests two more hours..."

Chief of Staff Major General Iinuma's words were interrupted by the sound of a teacup shattering. Prince Asaka stroked the Imperial Guard sword at his waist, the gilded sixteen-petaled chrysanthemum pattern on the scabbard reflecting a distorted image.

“I’ve already given him a chance, but he failed me. Also, tell Tani Hisao, it’s exactly noon.” The prince’s voice was as cold and hard as the bricks and stones of Nanjing. “I want to see the Rising Sun Flag flying over the church steeple.”

Almost simultaneously, on the second-line position a mile away from St. Paul's Church, Li Gaoyuan was distributing the last half-box of MARK II grenades to the soldiers around him.

A young machine gunner suddenly pointed southeast and shouted, "Commander, look! The Japanese balloons are rising!"

(End of this chapter)