One man's resistance against Japan, I mobilized a million people to aid Shanghai.

The night was deep and dark, like ink splashed on the ground.

The headquarters building of the Japanese Marine Corps was still brightly lit.

In a reinforced command room on the top floor of the building, the air was thick with cigarette smoke. Despite being in the midst of war, there was no sign of tension; instead, the atmosphere was one of utter composure.

General Matsui Iwane, commander of the Japanese Shanghai Expeditionary Army, stood in front of a huge map of the Shanghai-Nanjing war zone, smoking a cigarette, squinting as he surveyed the territory of China.

His adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Masao Tanida, stood respectfully aside with his hands lowered.

"Tani-kun, where is the Third Division?"

Matsui Iwane asked in a hoarse voice, "Have we passed Qingdao yet?"

"Reporting to the commander, we have passed Qingdao and will reach Songhu Port in two days."

"Yoshi."

A glint of delight flashed in Matsui Iwane's eyes as he sneered;

"Zhang Zhizhong, that foolish Chinese general, does he think he can shake the iron wall that the empire has built up in Shanghai over many years with just a moment of courage?"

"Utterly ridiculous."

"After three days of fighting, what did their 87th and 88th Divisions gain besides leaving piles of corpses in front of the Imperial defenses? They still have the nerve to call themselves German-equipped divisions? What a joke."

"Your Excellency is wise."

Masao Tanida immediately bowed and echoed:

"The Chinese soldiers lacked heavy artillery, their tactics were rigid, and their command was inflexible. They were destined to shed their last drop of blood in the ruins of this city."

Matsui Iwane chuckled coldly twice, walked to the window, looked down at Shanghai crawling at his feet, and said softly:

"Tell the warriors at the front to hold out for two more days! Just two more days! The Empire's Third Division will be able to reach Shanghai."

"Once they arrive, working together from within and without, I will annihilate Zhang Zhizhong's Ninth Army on the banks of the Huangpu River!"

"Ten days! I will occupy Shanghai in ten days, and capture the Chinese capital within a month!"

His eyes were filled with ambition, and his tone was full of contempt for the National Revolutionary Army. In his view, the Chinese army was destined to be unable to reach the elite of the Empire, and the whole of China could only submit to the iron hooves of the Empire.

Just then.

"boom!!"

A loud explosion was faintly heard from the direction of Jiangwan Road, and one could even feel the floorboards shaking slightly.

Matsui Iwane frowned slightly, then immediately cursed:

"Baka yarou!"

"Which idiot is firing artillery in the middle of the night? What if they accidentally hit friendly forces??"

Masao Tanida immediately said:

"It's possible that the Chinese army launched a night attack."

Matsui Iwane revealed a mocking smile and said:

"act recklessly."

"Jiangwan Road is impregnable. Those bunkers, barricades, and crossfire points will ensure that these Chinese people die without a burial place."

"Of course, Jiangwan Road is a defense system personally built by Commander. Not to mention the Chinese army, not even a bird can fly into Jiangwan Road." Tanida Masao patted Matsui Iwane's smelly feet.

Neither of them paid much attention to the explosion and continued with their plans to conquer China.

However, what happened next far exceeded their expectations.

After the explosion, the gunfire from the direction of Jiangwan Road did not subside as quickly as usual; instead, it became more intense and closer.

Matsui Iwane frowned instantly; he knew that Jiangwan Road must be in trouble right now.

Just as he was about to send someone to investigate, the phone in the command center suddenly rang.

Masao Tanida quickly walked over and answered the call. After listening to only a few words, the smile on his face froze, replaced by astonishment.

"What?!"

"The Chinese have taken over the barricades at the Jiangwan intersection? How is that possible?!" Masao Tanida roared into the microphone.

Matsui Iwane suddenly rushed in front of Furuta Masao, snatched the phone, and asked in a cold voice:

"I am Matsui Iwane!!"

"What exactly is going on with the barricades?"

"Reporting to Commander, the 583rd Regiment of the 18th Army of China launched a night attack. Their combat effectiveness is extremely strong. Our first line of defense on the bay road... has been breached! The entire garrison squad has been wiped out!"

"Baka!!"

Matsui Iwane instantly flew into a rage.

He knew that Baoshan Road had fallen before. He heard that a guy named Zhu Yong had launched a suicide attack on Baoshan Road, causing heavy casualties, which was how he took Baoshan Road.

Therefore, he did not take Zhu Yong seriously. In his view, Zhu Yong's troops had already suffered heavy losses and were unable to launch a second attack.

We'll send an elite squad tomorrow to retake Baoshan Road.

But he never expected that Zhu Yong would be so fearless. After suffering heavy losses during the day, he still dared to launch a surprise attack at night.

Matsui Iwane grew increasingly angry and yelled into the phone:

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash."

"You are all the empire's elite troops, yet a bunch of remnants managed to breach your first line of defense. This is a disgrace to the empire!"

"You will immediately lead a small squad—no, a reinforced company of eight hundred men, equipped with flares, heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and mortars—to reinforce the second line of defense on Jiangwan Road!"

"I will tear this arrogant and ignorant Chinese army, along with their commander Zhu Yong, to pieces! Leave no one alive!"

"Hai!"

Matsui Iwane angrily hung up the phone.

The loss of the first line of defense on Jiangwan Road was a huge embarrassment for him. This was a defense line he had personally designed, and it had been breached so easily. Where could he put his old face now?

In retaliation, he had to carry out the most brutal massacre against Zhu Yong and his Chinese army.

......

The intersection of Jiangwan Road and Baoshan Road.

Zhu Yong leaned against a wall of the barricade, breathing heavily.

Although they captured the barricade, he and his men were also severely exhausted.

After all, it's close combat, adrenaline surges, and you'll always feel exhausted after the fight.

Without a half-hour rest, he simply wouldn't be able to engage in the second battle.

Gunshots and screams could be heard from both sides of the street from time to time, indicating that Yao Ziqing was also in trouble.

These buildings may appear to be residential houses, but they have long been converted into firing positions, with both overt and covert bunkers interspersed. Destroying them would come at a cost.

However, Zhu Yong believed that Yao Ziqing could do a good job.

This is the famous Baoshan Battalion, a man even the Japanese soldiers greatly admired.

If he could, he even wanted to hand over the 583rd Regiment to Yao Ziqing after his death.

However, he was worried that Yao Ziqing would find out about his clone's secret, so he had to put it aside for the time being.

With the title of commander, he could perfectly conceal the secret of his clones and continuously use his position to place them under his command without arousing suspicion from his superiors.

After much deliberation, Zhu Yong decided to keep the position of regimental commander for himself and wait until he was promoted to army commander before promoting Yao Ziqing to division commander.

With Yao Ziqing's command abilities, he could easily command a division.

Zhu Yong rested against the wall for about twenty minutes before Yao Ziqing finally returned.

However, he looked rather disheveled, with his face blackened, a bandage on his arm, and covered in blood, clearly indicating that he had suffered serious injuries.

"Report!"

Even with his injury, Yao Ziqing still speaks with a strong voice and stands ramrod straight.

"The firing positions on both sides of the street have been cleared. Please give further instructions, Commander."

"very good."

Zhu Yong returned Yao Ziqing's salute, "Battalion Commander Yao, you've worked hard. Now you can rest well and watch how the brothers take the second barricade."

"Commander, Yao Ziqing requests to join the battle."

"No, you've just been through a major battle. What you need to do now is rest and recuperate. I'll need your help once I take the second barricade."

Zhu Yong ignored Yao Ziqing's request to fight and walked directly in front of his clones.

"Brothers, have you rested well?"

"alright!"

"Then follow me and keep charging."

Zhu Yong roared, "Life is a continuous charge! A man should die on the front lines!"

"Charge! Charge!"

A series of angry roars echoed throughout the neighborhood.

Zhu Yong launched his second night raid.