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

Chuanjiang Estuary.

The Japanese front-line command post on the armored cruiser "Izumo".

At this moment, the headquarters conference room was filled with the joy of victory.

In the center of the conference room, on a huge map of the Battle of Shanghai, blue arrows representing the Japanese had already surrounded the entire city of Shanghai from the left and right.

"Gentlemen!"

The chief of staff, his face flushed, held up his wine glass, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Just now, Lieutenant General Fujita Susumu's 3rd Division sent a confirmed report that it had completely broken through the defense line of the 15th Army Group of China in Jiading yesterday."

"Chen Cheng's troops are in retreat, and our army has won a great victory."

"oh!!!"

The meeting room erupted in enthusiastic cheers and applause.

Staff officers and officers at all levels stood up and raised their glasses in celebration.

Jiading was a key fulcrum of the left flank of the Songhu defense line. A breakthrough here would mean the complete collapse of the left flank of the Chinese defense line.

"Not only that!"

The chief of staff raised his voice to drown out the noise, his face beaming with an even more smug smile.

"According to the latest battle report from Lieutenant General Heisuke Yanagawa's 10th Army, its main force has successfully landed at Jinshanwei in Hangzhou Bay."

"The 8th Army Group of China has been defeated head-on. Currently, the 10th Army is advancing rapidly in two directions towards Songjiang and Pudong with overwhelming force!"

He walked up to the map and drew two huge blue arrows heavily with his baton.

One line runs west and south from Jiaxing, and the other runs north from Hangzhou Bay, forming a pincer shape that is about to close.

"Gentlemen, look! To the north, the 3rd Division has broken through Jiading."

"To the south, the 10th Army is rapidly advancing north. Nearly thirty divisions of the Chinese army in the Shanghai-Nanjing area, totaling over 300,000 elite troops, have been captured by our army in this enormous pocket!"

"The encirclement is complete!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"

"May the Empire's military fortune endure!"

The frenzied shouts nearly overturned the cabin.

The officers toasted each other, their faces beaming with excitement at the prospect of achieving something extraordinary.

Shanghai, this pearl of the Far East, is about to be completely swallowed up by them.

Once these 300,000 elite Chinese Central Army troops are annihilated, the will of resistance of the Chinese people will completely collapse, and the conquest of the whole of China will be just around the corner.

General Matsui Iwane sat upright in the main seat. Compared to the fervor of his subordinates, he appeared more composed, but his slightly narrowed eyes and the barely concealed smile at the corner of his mouth betrayed his true feelings.

His meticulously planned and bold strategy of advancing from the north and south and landing on the flanks and rear has finally come to fruition.

This was the pinnacle of his military career, worthy of being recorded in the history of imperial warfare.

"Ahem!"

Matsui Iwane cleared his throat twice, his voice not loud, but it instantly silenced the entire conference room.

"Gentlemen, it is not time to relax yet. The war is not over. You must continue to fight bravely."

"Now, I give the order!"

"In the Jiading direction, the 3rd, 9th, and 11th Divisions, among others, shall not give the enemy a chance to regroup, but pursue them with all their might and expand their gains. They must keep the main force of the Chinese 15th Army Group in check and compress it to the southwest!"

"In the Hangzhou Bay direction, the 10th Army must accelerate its northward advance and seize key points such as Songjiang and Minhang before the Chinese army can react, thus completely sealing off the encirclement!"

"Naval and Army aviation units, launch a full-scale attack to bomb the Chinese army's retreat routes and rear hubs, preventing their orderly withdrawal!"

"This time, I will ensure that Chiang Kai-shek's elite Whampoa Military Academy graduates are completely wiped out in the Battle of Shanghai!"

"Hai!"

Almost all the Japanese believed that China was doomed to lose this time, and that the Empire's conquest of China in three months was a foregone conclusion.

Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, the conference room door was suddenly pushed open.

A communications staff officer, pale-faced and clutching a newly translated telegram tightly in his hand, staggered in, disregarding all proper etiquette.

"Commander! Urgent...urgent military intelligence!"

The laughter abruptly stopped.

All eyes were on the staff officer who had lost his composure.

Matsui Iwane frowned and reprimanded him unhappily:

"What's the panic! This is outrageous!"

The communications officer rushed forward, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"It's...it's from the Luodian direction! 13th Division...Yamada Detachment...urgent telegram..."

"Luodian?"

Matsui Iwane raised an eyebrow slightly, not taking this small thorn to heart.

"Has Luodian already been captured? The Yamada Detachment, with a full 20,000 elite Imperial troops, launched a three-day assault; they should have achieved some results by now."

"No...no..."

The communications officer's voice was filled with panic, "It was...it was a farewell message...and then communications were completely cut off, we lost all contact with the Yamada Detachment headquarters!"

"What?!"

Matsui Iwane couldn't believe it and snatched the telegram away.

His face instantly turned from rosy to ashen, and the hand holding the telegram began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Last night, we were subjected to a fierce night attack by the main force of the Chinese army. Our troops fought desperately, but the enemy outnumbered us. Our command post was breached, and Brigade Commander Yamada Chichi died in front of the command post!"

"With communication severed among all units, I fear they will all perish..."

"Buzz—"

The entire conference room seemed to have been plunged into an ice cellar; the fervor that had just filled the room was instantly replaced by a bone-chilling cold.

Everyone froze in place, their faces filled with disbelief and shock.

The Yamada Detachment...was completely wiped out? The brigade commander was executed?!

How is this possible?!

How many Chinese soldiers were there in Luodian?

After three days of fierce fighting, how could they possibly still have the capability to launch such a large-scale counterattack, and even wipe out the command post of an elite brigade?!

"Baka yarou—!!!"

Matsui Iwane suddenly stood up, roaring angrily, his entire face contorted with rage.

"Useless! That idiot Yamada Senji! He's utterly disgraced the Imperial Army!!"

Matsui Iwane's eyes blazed with fury. Luo Dian's unexpected and crushing defeat was like a resounding slap across his face.

The meeting room was completely silent; the officers were terrified, afraid of angering the commander who was on the verge of exploding.

After a long silence, the chief of staff took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and then spoke cautiously.

"Commander, please calm down."

"The defeat at Luodian was indeed unexpected. The Yamada Detachment's annihilation is a great loss to the Empire."

"However, this does not affect the overall situation. Although the enemy entrenched in Luodian succeeded by chance, they are already at their limit. After days of bloody fighting, their troops and equipment will inevitably be exhausted."

"This counterattack is probably their last gasp before their death, a desperate last stand, and their aim is nothing more than a death throes attempt to disrupt our army's overall strategy."

"On the other hand, our army has already captured Jiading and the 10th Army has successfully landed, forming an iron pincer movement between the north and south."

"The most urgent task is to take advantage of the hasty retreat of the 300,000 elite Chinese troops and quickly tighten the encirclement. As long as we can annihilate the main force of the 300,000 Chinese troops in the Shanghai-Nanjing area, the war situation in East China can be settled."

"In comparison, the gains and losses in Luodian and the remnants of that army that are now trapped are nothing more than a minor ailment."

"Why not have the Third Division withdraw a portion of its troops back to Luodian? We're sure we can take Luodian without lifting a finger and avenge Yamada's detachment!"

Matsui Iwane stared intently at the small dot on the map that represented Luodian, his eyes filled with a terrifyingly sinister glint.

He understood that Tsukada's analysis was correct; a strategic victory across the entire region could not be achieved by a small place like Luodian.

He remained silent for a full minute before finally uttering the command through clenched teeth.

"Order!"

"The 3rd Division should disregard Luodian in the rear and continue southward to strike directly into the Chinese rear, cutting off the Chinese army's retreat. The 11th Division will take over the mission of attacking Luodian. It is imperative to annihilate all the enemy forces in Luodian, leaving no survivors!"

"All divisions on the front, intensify your offensive, and do everything in your power to suppress, divide, and annihilate the Chinese troops in front of you. I want to see the encirclement completely formed within three days."

"Hai!"