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

At the mouth of the Kawakami River, the Izumo-go.

The Japanese General Headquarters.

With the arrival of the second batch of reinforcements, the progress of the Shanghai-Songhu battlefield is currently going relatively smoothly.

Apart from Gujia Town, which is still being held at all costs, the other strategic objectives have been basically achieved.

Next, once we capture Gujia Town, we can advance from both the north and south, and annihilate all the Nationalist troops on the Shanghai-Nanjing battlefield in no time.

A rare smile appeared on Matsui Iwane's face.

"Yosh, the Third Division is making very rapid progress. Let them take Jiading as soon as possible, and I will personally report to His Majesty the Emperor on his behalf."

The chief of staff echoed:

"This is all thanks to the commander's excellent command, which enabled our army to make such rapid progress."

"If we're talking about credit, then it's the commander's credit."

"Hahaha." Matsui Iwane laughed heartily.

This was the first time he had been this happy since Zhu Yong had made him withdrawn.

But at that moment, the General Staff suddenly received an urgent telegram from Luodian.

"Urgent telegram from Luodian! Our unit was ambushed by elite Chinese troops in disguise! Colonel Akiyama has been killed!"

"Most of the defending troops have died in battle! Luodian... Luodian has fallen! The enemy's numbers are unknown, but their fighting strength is extremely high!"

"Requesting...tactical guidance!"

This telegram, filled with despair, was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating a huge upheaval in the command center.

What?! Luodian has fallen?! Akiyama Jiro has perished?!

The smile on Matsui Iwane's face vanished, replaced by endless shock and anger.

He grabbed the telegram and almost tore it to shreds.

The main force of the 3rd Division, which was launching a fierce attack on Jiading, had its supply line cut off, and its morale would suffer a heavy blow!

The chief of staff stepped forward urgently and suggested:

"Commander, the situation is critical. We must immediately order Fujita Susumu's 3rd Division to halt its attack on Jiading and return to Luodian at full speed."

"Otherwise, the 3rd Division risks being isolated!"

The other staff officers all nodded in agreement. This was common military knowledge; an army that ventured deep into enemy territory alone was destined to be annihilated.

But Matsui Iwane was a madman. After his outburst of rage, a ferocious and terrifying expression appeared on his face.

"No!"

He suddenly waved his hand and roared decisively:

"The 3rd Division cannot be recalled!"

"Commander?!" Tsukada Osamu and his staff were all stunned.

"The Jiading defense line is already on the verge of collapse. With just a little more effort, we can completely break through the Chinese army's Wu Fu line!"

"Recalling the 3rd Division now would be tantamount to throwing away all our previous efforts! The Chinese army would then have a chance to regroup and re-establish its defensive lines!"

Matsui Iwane's eyes were bloodshot; he stared at the map like a gambler.

"The Chinese army that attacked Luodian couldn't possibly be many in number!"

"This is a desperate gamble, a last-ditch effort! They're trying to lure our main force away to relieve their frontline defenses! I will never fall for it!"

He turned around, his gaze sweeping fiercely over the crowd, and issued an extremely ruthless order:

"Send a telegram to Ogisu Tatehei of the 13th Division, ordering him to immediately assemble an elite force of at least a brigade, under the command of Brigade Commander Yamada Senji, to form the Yamada Detachment, and to recapture Luodian within forty-eight hours at all costs!"

"Tell Yamada, I don't want casualty figures, I just want Luodian!"

"At the same time, order Fujita Susumu that the attack plan for Jiading remains unchanged, and that the Chinese army's defenses must be breached at the originally scheduled time!"

"The enemy at Luodian will be dealt with by the 13th Division! Let him not worry about the rear, and launch a full-scale attack!"

This order was filled with gambler's madness and the inherent arrogance of the Japanese high command.

Matsui Iwane did not take the Nationalist Army seriously, nor did he take the 108th Division that occupied Luodian seriously. In his view, even if he fought alone, the 3rd Division could fight ten against one.

He entrusted the heavy responsibility of recapturing Luodian to the 13th Division, which was relatively close by, attempting to extinguish the flames behind him with overwhelming force and then continue his grand strategic maneuver.

......

at the same time.

Zhu Yong is rapidly constructing defensive fortifications while simultaneously ordering the clearing of the battlefield.

On the battlefield, the flames had not yet died down, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood.

Zhou Weiguo's face showed a mixture of fatigue and excitement as he strode over.

"Commander, the battle results have been tallied."

"In this battle, our army annihilated and captured more than 2,800 enemy soldiers defending Luodian, and seized a large amount of ammunition, food and medicine, as well as some wounded soldiers who had not yet been transferred."

"Our army suffered over 1,200 dead and over 1,000 wounded, and rescued over 2,000 prisoners. With the addition of 5,000 reinforcements, we still have 14,713 soldiers capable of fighting."

Zhu Yong's expression was grim as he slowly said:

"Don't take prisoners, we don't have that much food."

Zhou Weiguo felt a chill in his heart. He was about to speak, but seeing Zhu Yong's indifferent expression, he ultimately didn't say anything and just nodded silently.

"You don't need to do this; I'll take care of it."

Zhu Yong would not miss the opportunity to kill the Japanese.

"All the rescued prisoners will be placed under your command and will be under your unified control."

"The Japanese counterattack will come soon. I have the following commands; please write them down."

Zhou Weiguo quickly took out his pen and notebook and listened attentively.

"Mobilize all available personnel, including the lightly wounded, to reinforce the city's defenses, especially the two main directions to the east and west, where the Japanese are most likely to come from."

"Take inventory of all captured artillery, mortars, and grenade launchers, set up artillery positions, unify command, and use shells sparingly, as they will be crucial in saving lives in critical moments."

"Distribute the food from the Japanese warehouse to the brothers, let everyone have a good meal, and tell the brothers that what follows is an unprecedentedly fierce battle."

"Luodian is the final resting place of our 108th Division, and also our glorious final destination!"

"Yes!" Zhou Weiguo accepted the order with a stern expression and turned to leave.

Zhu Yong took a deep breath of the cold air, his gaze sweeping south towards Gujia Town, then turning west towards the battlefield in Jiading.

He knew that the fiercer the fighting was here, the more Japanese soldiers he would attract, which would alleviate the pressure on Gujia Town and Jiading, and increase the chances of turning the tide in the Battle of Shanghai.

"Commander-in-Chief Zhang, Commander Chen... this is all I, Zhu Yong, can do," he murmured to himself.