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

"Hiss~~"

White smoke continued to billow from the hand grenade.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Zhu Yong's pupils suddenly contracted. If the grenade exploded in the ammunition depot, the entire Izumo would be blown to pieces. In that case, not only would he not be able to get the Izumo, but all his clones on the ship would probably be buried at sea.

At this critical moment, a clone standing to the side of Zhu Yong suddenly darted out from beside him.

He suddenly bent down, took off the captured Japanese helmet, and resolutely pressed his body against the grenade that was about to explode.

"boom!!!"

A dull yet violent explosion rang out beneath the clone.

The shockwave violently lifted his entire body upwards, then slammed him back down.

The helmet twisted and deformed instantly, shards and blood splattered everywhere, and the clone was unrecognizable, his chest cavity a mess, and he died on the spot.

"If we could order all the Japanese soldiers to commit suicide, that would be perfect."

The correspondent, standing beside Zhu Yong, couldn't help but start daydreaming.

But to Zhu Yong, it sounded like a thunderclap.

"That's not entirely impossible..."

Zhu Yong turned his gaze eastward, his eyes flickering with light and shadow, revealing a thoughtful expression.

......

Baihegang Frontline.

Fujita Susumu, commander of the 3rd Division, and Ogisu Ritsuhei, commander of the 13th Division, who were directing their troops in the final assault on Wang Lei's remnants, received this urgent telegram from the "Area Army Headquarters" almost simultaneously.

They should have ended the battle much earlier, but for some reason, the Chinese army suddenly received reinforcements. They didn't know where these reinforcements came from, catching them completely off guard.

Fortunately, their firepower was strong, and they managed to stop the Chinese army's counterattack.

The Chinese army is now trapped in a small core position and could be annihilated at any time.

However, they never expected that during this final strike, they would receive a telegram from headquarters.

"Baka! A full-scale retreat?! At this time?!"

Fujita Susumu held the telegram, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

"We were about to annihilate this Chinese army! What is Commander Matsui thinking?! What happened at Kawaeguchi?!"

Ogisu Ritsuhei was equally shocked. He repeatedly checked the code and call sign of the telegram to confirm that it was correct.

"The Commander would never issue such an order without reason... Could it be that an unimaginable crisis has truly arisen in the rear? Does the Chinese army have reserves that we are unaware of?"

The two division commanders exchanged opinions and concluded that an unprecedented danger must have occurred in the rear, and they had to retreat.

As for the 108th Division in front of them, it has been completely decimated and can no longer pose a threat to them.

Thus, the 3rd and 13th Divisions obeyed orders and hastily departed from Baihegang.

Looking at the departing Japanese soldiers, Wang Lei's eyes flashed with a hint of relief. If it weren't for his successful surprise attack, the 108th Division would surely have died here at Baihegang today.

......

Songjiang County Town.

The Tenth Army.

When Lieutenant General Heisuke Yanagawa, the army commander, received the telegram, his brows furrowed instantly.

His troops were advancing rapidly to the north, making good progress, and then suddenly he ordered a general retreat—it was utterly absurd.

Instead of issuing a withdrawal order, he ordered the communications department to send a reply.

"Immediately confirm the order with the command headquarters of the 'Izumo'! Simultaneously, forward this telegram verbatim to Tokyo General Headquarters! Verify its authenticity!"

...

The Japanese headquarters.

The Army Ministry and the Navy Ministry were simultaneously triggered by a telegram from Shanghai.

First, they received a farewell telegram from Matsui Iwane on the Izumo. Before they could recover from the shock, they received a strange order from the 10th Army requesting a "total retreat across the board".

"Baka yarou! What on earth is going on?!" Army Minister Sugiyama Gen was furious.

"What exactly happened to the Izumo? What was Matsui doing?"

"First a farewell telegram, then a retreat order? What happened at Kawaeguchi? What about the Third Fleet?!"

"Immediately contact the other warships in the Third Fleet!"

The telegraph operator immediately began sending telegrams, but no matter how they inquired, they received no response whatsoever.

Their communications with the Third Fleet were almost completely cut off, and the implications were self-evident.

The naval staff officer said with a stern face:

"It seems the Izumo may have encountered an accident..."

"A conspiracy! This is a Chinese conspiracy!" a staff officer screamed.

With a grim face, Sugiyama Gen decisively issued the order:

"Immediately send a telegram to Lieutenant General Yanagawa Heisuke of the 10th Army!"

"Inform him that General Matsui Iwane may have already perished, and that the retreat order he received earlier was most likely a false order issued by the Chinese army!"

"Lieutenant General Heisuke Yanagawa is hereby appointed as acting commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army, to unify command of all army and navy forces in the Shanghai-Songhu region!"

"He was ordered to cut off the Chinese army's retreat route in Shanghai, annihilate the main force of the Chinese army, find out the truth about the Chuanjiang Estuary, and restore contact with the Third Fleet as soon as possible."

"At the same time, the Fourth Fleet, which is on standby in Hangzhou Bay, is ordered to immediately set off and rush north to the Shanghai waters to confirm the status of the Third Fleet. If it is confirmed that the Third Fleet has been captured or has lost its combat capability, it should be sunk at all costs."

"We must never allow the Imperial warships to fall into the hands of the Chinese!"

The new orders were sent via emergency channel to the chaotic battlefield of Shanghai.

On the Izumo, Zhu Yong intercepted Japanese communications and learned that the Japanese Fourth Fleet was about to head north. Zhu Yong was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he was somewhat excited.

The Japanese navy had four fleets: the first and second fleets were both long-range combat fleets responsible for the Pacific theater, while the third and fourth fleets were responsible for operations against China.

If we can completely annihilate the Japanese Fourth Fleet, it will greatly alleviate the pressure on the coastline.

"Heh, come on, you little devils. Even if you wipe out all my warships, I won't hesitate."