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

Nanjing, Presidential Office.

Chiang Kai-shek stood with his back to the door in front of a huge military map of Shanghai and Nanjing. His face was gloomy, like a volcano suppressing lava about to erupt.

The urgent telegram in his hand, detailing the rapid loss of the beachhead and the Japanese establishing a secure landing zone, was so tightly gripped that it almost broke.

Suddenly, he turned around abruptly and slammed the telegram onto the mahogany desk with a loud bang, startling Chen Cheng, Gu Zhutong, and the others standing nearby.

"A humiliating disgrace! A humiliating disgrace!!!"

Chiang Kai-shek's roar was so loud it hurt people's eardrums; his face was ashen, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

"What is Zhang Wenbai good for?! Huh?!"

"A few hours! Just a few short hours! Wusong, Chuansha, Shizilin, and many other key beachheads were so easily surrendered to the Japanese pirates!"

"Are the tens of thousands of soldiers of my Ninth Army made of clay?! Does he think my orders are just going in one ear and out the other?!"

"What did I say before? Huh?! Keep the enemy outside our borders! Fight for every inch of land!"

"And him? What was he thinking, luring the enemy deep into our territory! Now look what's happened, our advance has been completely wiped out!"

"They've brought the Japanese right to our doorstep! How am I supposed to explain this to the people? How am I supposed to explain this to the international community?! This is utterly humiliating and disgraceful to our nation!"

Chiang Kai-shek grew increasingly angry as he spoke, his chest heaving violently, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"Damn it! I think his time as army group commander is over!"

"Remove him from his post! Immediately remove him from his post! Make Zhang Zhizhong get back to Nanjing and explain himself!"

"Chen Cheng, you will personally assume the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Ninth Army!"

The command resounded like a thunderclap in the study.

"Chairman! Absolutely not!"

Gu Zhutong stepped forward almost immediately, urgently trying to dissuade him.

He was well aware of Zhang Zhizhong's abilities and predicament, and understood the serious consequences of changing generals at this moment.

"Changing generals in the midst of battle is a cardinal sin in military strategy!"

"Brother Wenbai has been in charge of the Ninth Army Group for a long time and knows the troops and the terrain of Shanghai like the back of his hand."

"Recently, they achieved a great victory by annihilating the Japanese pirates in Hongkou and liberating the city, which has greatly enhanced their prestige within the army!"

"If we were to replace him now because of the defeat on the beachhead, it would likely demoralize the soldiers at the front and shake the morale of the entire army!"

He glanced at Chiang Kai-shek, whose face was still gloomy, and continued, "Moreover, the successor needs time to familiarize himself with the situation and integrate the troops."

"The Japanese offensive is fierce, and our army has no time to adapt. I urge Chairman Chiang to reconsider!"

Chiang Kai-shek snorted coldly, not immediately refuting, but the anger in his eyes did not subside.

Seeing this, Chen Cheng quickly advised:

"Chairman, what Brother Mo said is absolutely right. Changing generals in the midst of battle requires careful consideration."

"Wen Bai may have made some mistakes in handling the situation, but the responsibility for the loss at the beachhead does not lie entirely with him."

He walked to the map and traced his finger along the long coastline.

"Chairman, please take a look. This time, the Japanese landing involved dozens of battleships and heavy cruisers. The firepower of their naval guns is far more intense and the coverage is wider than any of our army's artillery."

"According to reliable reports from the front lines, the 3rd and 5th Security Regiments stationed on the beachhead suffered heavy losses after the first salvo of Japanese naval artillery fire, with seven-tenths of their positions destroyed. Most of the soldiers perished before even seeing any Japanese infantry."

"That wasn't a battle, that was a massacre! Wen Bai's decision to place the main force in the rear certainly violated the principle of fighting for every inch of land, but objectively, it did prevent the premature destruction of our German-made elites by enemy naval guns."

"This is a last resort, a measure to preserve our strength."

"Chairman, things have come to this point, and it is no use in holding Wen Bai accountable for the loss of territory."

"The most urgent task is to deal with the Japanese's next fierce attack. After landing, their forces will inevitably head straight for the core of our city!"

"The core of Wenbai's previous deep defense plan was not the decisive battle on the beachhead, but to use the complex terrain of the suburbs and urban areas to engage the enemy in a protracted war of attrition."

"Although the current situation was achieved passively, it happens to coincide with the latter half of the plan. Our army should immediately abandon the illusion of engaging the enemy in the undefendable suburbs and quickly withdraw its main force to the pre-established positions in Zhabei, Jiangwan, Hongkou, and Nanshi!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, pointing heavily at the map of downtown Shanghai.

"Here, being close to the concession, the Japanese dare not open fire indiscriminately. Our army can make good use of every building here to build strong barricades and firing points, minimizing the Japanese advantage in heavy artillery, tanks, and aircraft."

"If the Japanese lose the support of aircraft and naval artillery, they are tigers without claws. Although our army is still at a disadvantage, it is not without the ability to fight."

"This is our only chance to defend Shanghai and inflict heavy losses on the enemy!"

"Our army cannot win this battle quickly, but we can hold the Japanese down in Shanghai, creating an opportunity for victory on other battlefields."

Chen Cheng's words came out like a machine gun, and were well-reasoned and supported by evidence.

A deathly silence fell over the study. Chiang Kai-shek's face shifted constantly, sometimes turning ashen, sometimes flushed, and finally settling into an unsightly pale white.

He knew perfectly well that Chen Cheng and Gu Zhutong were right.

He knew all too well that engaging the Japanese naval guns head-on on the beach was suicide.

However, the heavy pressure of losing territory and international reputation, as well as the deep-seated sense of loss of control over Zhang Zhizhong's repeated self-serving actions, left him feeling choked up.

Since the start of the Battle of Shanghai, Zhang Zhizhong first disobeyed orders and launched a full-scale attack, which resulted in the destruction of the Japanese headquarters.

Now they've gone ahead with their own defense-in-depth strategy. Although they've lost the beachhead, it seems... they've hit the nail on the head again.

Where does this leave his authority as the supreme leader?

"Does Zhang Zhizhong even respect me as Chairman anymore?!"

Chiang Kai-shek squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, his tone filled with displeasure.

"Chairman, even if Wenbai had the greatest courage in the world, he wouldn't dare to disrespect you." Chen Cheng said another good word for Zhang Zhizhong.

Chiang Kai-shek was ultimately a politician, and in the face of absolute reality, personal likes and dislikes and face-saving had to give way to the brutal reality of the war.

He stared intently at the map of Shanghai's urban area, soon to be reduced to scorched earth. After a long while, he finally mustered his courage and spoke calmly:

"Fine, given the situation, let's do as Zhang Zhizhong says."

"Order!"

"Order Zhang Zhizhong to rely on the city to construct a strong defensive line and deliver a head-on blow to the landing enemy! If he fails to order a retreat, resulting in the loss of the city, he will be punished for both offenses!"

"Chen Cheng is appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Third War Zone, to command all combat troops on the Shanghai-Nanjing front, with Zhang Zhizhong as his deputy, responsible for the specific implementation of urban defense operations."

"Immediately mobilize the 21st Army Group, along with the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 13th, 14th, and 36th Divisions of the Central Army, and rush them to Shanghai's aid!"

"The main force should reinforce the Luodian, Dachang, and Liuhang directions, and must repeatedly fight the Japanese along this line to prevent them from penetrating our flanks and rear."

Upon hearing Chiang Kai-shek's order, Chen Cheng and Gu Zhutong both breathed a sigh of relief.

They all knew that fighting the Japanese on the beachhead was tantamount to suicide, and sending the German-equipped divisions to the front lines to die was something they simply couldn't do.

But if they relied on fortifications and fought a protracted war with the Japanese in Shanghai, they would definitely bleed the Japanese dry.