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

Large venue.

As the northwest gateway to Shanghai and a transportation hub connecting Zhabei and Jiading, the capture of Dachang would sever the Japanese army's vital communication line in the northern part of Shanghai and threaten its flank, creating a favorable situation for a counterattack on the city.

Previously, due to the Japanese landing in Hangzhou Bay, the Ninth Army Group had to withdraw from Dachang.

Now that Chiang Kai-shek has ordered a full-scale counter-offensive, Zhang Zhizhong has no choice but to order the 87th and 88th Divisions to launch a strong attack on Dachang.

However, this place already had fortifications, and the Japanese, understanding its importance, continuously reinforced it, transforming it into a sturdy fortified area filled with reinforced concrete fortifications, barbed wire, and minefields.

The Japanese army, with a brigade as its core, equipped with a large number of light and heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and field guns, dispersed and deployed them in hundreds of firing points converted from factories, schools, and residential houses, forming a crossfire network.

The core support points were the former Dachang Town Government Office and a water tower of an abandoned yarn factory, which provided a commanding view and control over the surrounding area.

Even though Zhang Zhizhong knew the area was heavily fortified, he still refused to order a full-scale attack without first breaking the deadlock.

"Brothers, charge with me!!"

Nationalist soldiers launched an assault in squads and platoons, under the cover of a small number of mortars.

The Japanese soldiers patiently waited for the enemy to enter its optimal firing range, and then all their firing positions opened fire simultaneously.

Machine gun bullets swept across the open ground like sickles, mortar shells exploded in the charging ranks, and direct fire cannons bombarded the Nationalist soldiers who tried to approach.

"Rat-a-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat!"

"Boom boom boom!"

The fierce battle raged from dawn till day, and the path of the charge was instantly covered with corpses, the scorched earth stained with blood.

Lacking heavy artillery, the brothers of the 88th and 87th Divisions had no choice but to charge forward amidst a hail of bullets.

The two sides clashed violently on the spot.

Fortunately, the Japanese ammunition was also exhausted at this time. After all, their logistical supply had been completely cut off by Zhu Yong. According to the Japanese habit, the troops would only keep three days' worth of ammunition.

The Japanese dared not squander their ammunition, which gave the National Revolutionary Army an opportunity to break through.

The Nationalist soldiers fought bravely and recklessly. The 87th and 88th Divisions were both German-trained divisions, the elite of the Central Army, and fought extremely fiercely.

Even amidst a hail of bullets, they charged into the neighborhood.

Then, an even more brutal house-to-house battle ensued.

Each building required repeated clearing using explosives and grenades.

The Japanese soldiers often set up booby traps in the rooms or ambushed behind the walls, waiting for the Nationalist troops to rush in before suddenly opening fire.

The two sides clashed in close combat in the confined space, with gunfire, explosions, roars, and screams filling the air.

The fierce fighting lasted for a day and a night. The Japanese firepower weakened and weakened, and they eventually had to engage in close combat with the Nationalist army.

The Japanese soldiers yelled "Banzai!" and thrust their bayonets forward with practiced skill and extreme ferocity.

The Nationalist soldiers shouted "Kill the Japanese devils!" and brandished broadswords and rifles with bayonets, fighting to the death.

The scene was extremely chaotic and bloody, with severed limbs and broken arms everywhere. The two sides were wrestling and attacking each other with their teeth and fists until one of them fell down.

Often, a courtyard would change hands several times, becoming piled high with the corpses of soldiers from both sides.

Many units were wiped out en masse.

If a company rushes in, in less than half an hour, only a handful of people may remain.

The wounded would often detonate their last grenade, perishing together with the approaching Japanese soldiers.

The soldiers charged forward wave after wave, knowing they would die, yet they pressed on bravely. Every Nationalist soldier was filled with righteous indignation. They knew this was when the Japanese were at their weakest, and they had to seize the opportunity to kill all these damned Japanese devils to wash away the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Shanghai.

The battlefield became a meat grinder, changing hands repeatedly as both sides fought desperately.

Both the Nationalist army and the Japanese suffered heavy casualties.

The two sides were like lions locked in a life-or-death struggle, neither willing to back down even when both were badly wounded.

......

at the same time.

Songjiang County Town.

"Kill the chicken, sir!!"

Yanagawa Heisuke stood atop the Songjiang County town gate, roaring madly.

This was the most brutal battlefield of the entire Songhu campaign, where both the National Revolutionary Army and the Japanese army committed a large number of troops to attack and defend Songjiang County.

Songjiang was the main artery of the entire Songhu Railway. When the Japanese occupied this area, they cut off the National Army's southern retreat route in Songhu.

If Songjiang falls completely, the Japanese can advance north along the Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway, directly attacking the flank and rear of the main Nationalist army, forming a huge encirclement.

If Zhang Fakui wants to continue his advance into Shanghai, he must open up the Songjiang passage; otherwise, he will be unable to move an inch.

Yanagawa Heisuke was well aware of this, and he had concentrated nearly 100,000 troops in Songjiang to defend the city and buy time for reinforcements.

The Japanese 6th Division and other units used the remains of the Songjiang County city wall, waterways, and villages outside the city to construct a ring-shaped defense.

The Eighth Army Group launched a relentless, round-the-clock offensive.

To breach the city wall, the Nationalist army launched wave after wave of human assaults, and finally, on the night of the second day, they successfully blew up the Songjiang city wall, creating a three-meter-wide gap.

The Nationalist troops immediately launched a fierce attack on the breach, but the Japanese set up machine guns on both sides of the breach, reaping lives like the Grim Reaper.

The bodies piled up like mountains at the breach, and subsequent soldiers had to step over the remains of their fallen comrades to continue advancing.

The entire moat was dyed dark red.

Under the relentless attacks of the Eighth Army Group, they finally broke into the county town.

The war escalated into brutal urban warfare.

The artillery fire almost completely destroyed the county town, and soldiers from both sides fought each other amidst the rubble.

Zhang Fakui committed almost all of his reserves, resulting in over a third of his troops being killed or wounded, yet he was still unable to completely capture Songjiang.

Even more dangerously, Yanagawa Heisuke noticed the fatigue of Zhang Fakui's troops and secretly moved his forces, attempting to outflank and encircle and annihilate the Eighth Army.

Zhang Fakui's command post kept receiving alarms that large Japanese troops were moving around on the flanks, and the situation was extremely precarious!

Chiang Kai-shek, in Nanjing, was furious as he received a series of telegrams reporting setbacks in his offensive.

"Damn it!!"

"Damn it!"

He paced anxiously in the office, cursing angrily.

"Three armies, hundreds of thousands of men, and they still can't break through! What are Chen Cheng, Zhang Zhizhong, and Zhang Fakui doing?!"

Chiang Kai-shek understood that the war could not be delayed any longer, otherwise the Japanese reinforcements would arrive, and the situation would become even more unfavorable.

"Report!! Chairman, urgent telegram from the Eighth Army Group."

Chiang Kai-shek's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately picked up the telegram to read it.

"Damn it!! Over 100,000 troops were completely surrounded by 100,000 Japanese soldiers!! Damn it!"

It turned out that Zhang Fakui had fallen into Yanagawa Heisuke's trap from the very beginning of his attack.

He deliberately used Songjiang County as bait to lure Zhang Fakui into a deep and isolated area, while secretly instructing the Kunisaki Detachment and the 18th Division to outflank and cut off Zhang Fakui's retreat, thus trapping him in Songjiang County.

The 100,000-strong army was in imminent danger.

Chiang Kai-shek was furious, but he couldn't just stand by and watch Zhang Fakui die in Songjiang. He could only order Zhang Fakui to break through and retreat.

At the Songjiang front, Zhang Fakui's command post could already hear the increasingly close sounds of gunfire and artillery in the distance.

"Commander-in-Chief, the Chairman's military order commands our troops to immediately break through to the west and retreat, and not to linger in Songjiang County."

Zhang Fakui's eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his neck were bulging.

retreat?

Songjiang is a matter of overall importance; how can we easily retreat?

"We can't retreat! Even if we lose every last soldier, we'll die in Songjiang!"

Zhang Fakui suddenly drew his sidearm and roared at the officers in the command post:

"All men, fix bayonets! Follow me to the front lines! Let's fight those damned Japanese devils!!"

"Boom boom boom!"

"Bang bang bang!"

Intense gunfire erupted over Songjiang, and the battle reached its climax.

The Japanese encirclement continued to shrink, eventually surrounding Zhang Fakui completely.

Even though Zhang Fakui went mad and personally went to the front line, he was still suppressed by the Japanese.

With his 100,000-strong army on the verge of annihilation, Zhang Fakui decided to lead his troops in a final, desperate charge. Just as the Songjiang front was about to collapse—

A miracle has occurred!