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

The Battle of Shanghai.

When they learned that Japanese reinforcements had arrived and that Songjiang's retreat route had been cut off, the Nationalist soldiers began to panic.

Panic spread like a plague through the military.

Zhang Zhizhong and Chen Cheng could not withstand the pressure and chose to retreat.

However, the order to retreat was given too hastily, and the organization was in complete chaos.

The 700,000-strong army surged westward along a limited number of roads, with no order whatsoever.

Defeated soldiers, wounded, abandoned weapons, damaged vehicles... blocked every road.

Like vultures that have smelled blood, the Japanese carrier-based planes circled and swooped down over the crowded retreat route, dropping strings of deadly bombs and indiscriminately strafing with machine guns, creating a horrific massacre.

But the most fatal shackles remain in Songjiang.

The vanguard of the Japanese landing force quickly consolidated Songjiang County and its surrounding key locations, and received strong support from some of the First Fleet's naval guns.

They were like a hard nail, firmly wedged into the vital passage of the Nationalist army's westward retreat.

Upon learning of the loss of Songjiang County, Zhang Fakui immediately led the Eighth Army to reinforce the area, and the two sides clashed head-on.

To boost morale, Zhang Fakui personally went to the front lines, which greatly inspired the Nationalist army, which surged like a tidal wave crashing against the embankment formed by the Japanese troops in Songjiang.

However, under the fierce artillery fire of the Japanese, the National Revolutionary Army was repeatedly repelled.

Beneath the walls of Songjiang City, corpses piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like rivers.

The retreat route was blocked by the corpses of their own men and the firepower of the Japanese soldiers.

Standing on a small hill not far from Songjiang County, Zhang Fakui commanded his troops with his hoarse voice, even personally killing two battalion commanders who retreated without authorization.

"Brothers! Charge! Only by charging can we survive! Fight the Japanese devils to the death!!"

His figure appeared and disappeared amidst the smoke of battle, becoming a pillar of support for the officers and soldiers in their despair.

However, his position was also exposed to the Japanese observation posts.

Several Japanese bombers quickly changed course and swooped down toward the hill where he was.

"Commander, watch out!!"

The guard's desperate cries were drowned out by the deafening explosion.

Several heavy bombs hit the high ground accurately.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the high ground was found to have been lowered.

Zhang Fakui was covered in blood, severely injured by the explosion, and unconscious. His subordinates risked their lives to rescue him from the front line.

The head coach's serious injury made the already chaotic breakout operation even more difficult.

Hope seemed to have been completely extinguished with Zhang Fakui's downfall.

More than 500,000 troops were trapped in the encirclement, running out of ammunition, their morale was collapsing, and everyone was fleeing in the opposite direction. Battlefield command had failed, and it looked like the end of the world.

The Japanese encirclement was tightening, and the gleam of their bayonets was clearly visible through the binoculars.

At this time, the 108th Army was regarded by the National Army as a symbol of spirit. Their deeds of entering and leaving the Chuanjiangkou seven times and bravely seizing it were known to everyone.

Command of the Eighth Army Group was immediately handed over to Wang Lei.

Wang Lei took the lead without hesitation and immediately began to give instructions.

"I am Wang Lei, commander of the 108th Army! All units, heed my orders! Cease the retreat! Organize defenses on the spot and hold off pursuing troops!"

"Concentrate all forces and attack Songjiang County! My troops will lead the attack! Repeat, halt the retreat and converge on me!"

With no time for complex deployments, Wang Lei's tactics were simple and direct, yet incredibly ruthless.

The entire elite force of the 108th Army, supplemented by the remaining troops of the Eighth Army Group, was concentrated and repeatedly pounded on the strongest point of the Japanese defense line in Songjiang County, like a heavy warhammer.

"Artillery! All cannons, aim at the crenellations and suspected firing positions on the city walls, fire rapidly within five minutes! Use up all your shells!"

Although the artillery of the 108th Army was not as powerful as the Japanese naval guns, it displayed astonishing efficiency at this moment.

The shells whistled as they crashed down on the walls of Songjiang, managing to suppress the Japanese troops with firepower.

"Infantry! First echelon, advance!"

The assault team from the 108th Army, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, launched the first wave of attack.

This is an elite squad formed by Zhu Yong's clones. Their only goal is to create an opening for the subsequent troops.

With skillful tactical maneuvers, they used shell craters and ruins as cover, rapidly approaching the city wall.

Machine gunners set up firing positions on the flanks, accurately targeting the exposed Japanese soldiers on the city walls.

Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, commander of the Japanese 11th Army, couldn't help but sneer when he heard that the Nationalist army's reinforcements had arrived in the city.

"Heh, you clown."

"Order all regiments to hold their positions to the death, and not to retreat a single step, or face execution!"

"Calling in naval gun support, coordinates 345, 398!"

"Let these Chinese know that in the face of the Empire's absolute firepower, all attacks are nothing but a joke."

Soon, the destructive sounds from the sea returned.

The heavy artillery of the Japanese First Fleet, spanning a long distance, unleashed a torrent of death upon the 108th Army's attack formation and rear assembly areas.

A massive column of smoke mixed with mud shot into the sky, instantly engulfing the rapidly advancing assault team in a storm of steel and fire.

At the same time, the roar of engines could be heard in the sky.

The Japanese carrier-based aircraft flew over the battlefield and strafeed the Nationalist troops who had no air defense capabilities.

The explosions continued, and the path of the charge instantly turned into a slaughterhouse.

Wang Lei immediately organized anti-aircraft guns to snipe at the Japanese warplanes, while continuing to order an assault on Songjiang County.

Once, twice, three times...

The 108th Army and the Eighth Group Army launched one desperate charge after another, leaving piles of corpses and turning the moat water dark red.

Many units were wiped out in entire companies and platoons; not a single person chose to retreat, and everyone died on the way to the charge.

In the makeshift frontline command post, Zhou Weiguo held a newly compiled casualty report, his hands trembling slightly.

He walked over to Wang Lei, who was staring intently at the map, and said in a heavy voice:

"Commander, we can't keep charging like this! In just one hour, the main assault regiment has already suffered more than half its casualties."

"The Japanese have naval guns and air support; we're risking our brothers' lives! Should we... postpone the attack and think of another way?"

Wang Lei suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.

"A way out? What other way out?! More than 500,000 brothers are surrounded! The Japanese encirclement is about to be completely sealed off! We don't have time!"

"Tell Yu Xiaoqing, I don't care about casualty figures! I just want Songjiang! Today, even if it means wiping out the entire 108th Army, we'll smash this road open for me!"

He pointed to the location of Songjiang on the map, his finger almost piercing through the map.

"Tell the brothers, we have no way out! Behind us are half a million compatriots! Either we die here, or we open a passage!"

"The 108th Army has no choice but to attack, even if it means dying on the way!"