As time went by, the war in Shanghai became more and more intense. The relatively dominant Chinese army launched a full-scale attack on the enemies in urban Shanghai. At the same time, the air force was dispatched to bomb the Japanese Marine Corps headquarters, Huishan Pier and surface ships. In addition to the two elite divisions, the National Army also had two heavy artillery regiments equipped with German artillery, namely the 10th Artillery Regiment and the 14th Artillery Regiment. Together with tanks and air force, the focus of the attack was initially on Hongkou, and then turned to the Gongda Cotton Mill. .
The Japanese army in Shanghai only had more than 3,000 Marines. They later urgently mobilized retired military personnel from the Japanese business corps, and the total number was only 4,000. However, the Japanese army relied on strong fortifications to resist tenaciously, so the national army was unable to complete a major breakthrough. Although the war in Shanghai has fallen into a stalemate, when the news reached Chongqing, many people still felt that the Japanese army was not difficult to deal with. Of course, these people did not include Tangcheng.
"Don't be too happy. The Japanese army currently has limited troops in Shanghai and lacks heavy weapons and equipment. Although the current situation seems unfavorable to the Japanese army, don't forget that the national army in Shanghai cannot be attacked. The Japanese mainland is not far from Shanghai. Once the Japanese navy joins the war, their troops can continuously rush from the mainland to Shanghai to land and join the war by sea. Shanghai is a coastal city, which is very convenient for the Japanese navy's ships to be located offshore. Provides long-range fire support to ground forces."
When Tang Cheng was talking, a circle of instructors and trainee students from the training camp were sitting around him. Every day after dinner, Tang Cheng always liked to chat with the students here on Tutai. Today's topic is the war in Shanghai. While everyone is happy, Tangcheng holds the opposite attitude. "The main guns of large naval ships have a caliber of more than 400 millimeters. When this kind of naval gun shells land, one shot can destroy a three-story building, and the killing range in the open field can even reach fifty meters. In other words, if this is the case, If a shell falls in the position, it is possible that a platoon's strength will be gone in an instant."
So-called foreign warships can also be seen here in Chongqing, but they are just ordinary inland river gunboats and cannot be compared with real warships sailing in the outer sea. When they heard Tang Cheng say that one shell like that could destroy a three-story building, the training instructors and students present all looked horrified. "If you are in the center of a naval gun explosion, death may be a relief. The worst thing is for those soldiers whose organs were damaged by the explosion. They will suffer for several days before dying of organ failure. "
What Tang Cheng said at this moment was not alarmist, and his worries finally became reality as time went by. The 87th Division of the National Army occupied Hujiang University, and the 88th Division occupied various key points such as Wuzhou Cemetery, Baoshan Bridge, and Bazi Bridge. Then the Independent 20th Brigade, which arrived in Shanghai, took over from Sun Yuanliang of the 88th Division to defend the Shanghai Patriotic Girls' School and the Zhi University, and was tasked with attacking the Japanese headquarters on Hongkou Park and Jiangwan Road. Seeing that the war was unfavorable, Japanese Emperor Hirohito ordered General Matsui Iwane to dispatch the army commander to Shanghai and command the 3rd Division, 11th Division and other troops directly under the army to attack Shanghai, planning to further expand the war of aggression against China.
On August 21, a huge fleet headed by the Japanese battleships Nagato and Mutsu transported about 10,000 people from the vanguard of the Japanese Shanghai Expeditionary Force from Japan to the Ma'an Islands. On the evening of the 22nd, after the Japanese army transferred to light cruisers and destroyers in the Ma'an Islands, they sailed towards Chuansha Town and Wusongkou area. At dawn on August 23, the leading troops of the reinforcements of two divisions led by the Japanese army Matsui Iwane were at sea. Under the cover of air fire, they landed at Shizilin, Chuanshakou, Zhanghuabang, etc.
At dawn on August 31, the Japanese army used more than 30 aircraft and naval guns to attack Wusong and forced a landing; another Japanese army landed at the city's ferry terminal. On September 1, more than 1,000 Japanese troops besieged the Shizilin Fort. In order to connect and expand the landing sites of the two divisions, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on the central part of Xiachu of the Chinese 98th Division defending Yuepu and Baoshan from September 2 to 5, with continuous support from warships, aircraft, and tanks.
On September 9, the Japanese army launched a powerful offensive against the Chinese army along Jungong Road, Songhu Highway, and the line between Yuepu and Luodian. Our army launched a desperate fight with the enemy. On September 11, the right wing position of the 15th Group Army was breached, and the troops The number of troops was seriously reduced, so it gradually retreated to pre-built positions on the line between Shi Xianggong Temple and Liuhe south of Luodian. The 9th Group Army also moved to pre-built positions on the line between Beizhan, Jiangwan, Miaohang and the right bank of Rozaobang to fight with the Japanese army. form a confrontation.
The Japanese army gradually took the initiative on the battlefield. The highest level of Japan decided to shift the main direction of the invasion of China from North China to Shanghai, and demanded that the Shanghai campaign be accelerated. The decision was made again to increase the number of troops. The 9th, 13th, and 101st divisions of the North China Front were transferred to the Shanghai Expeditionary Army. In addition, the infantry brigade, Chongteng detachment, 1st reserve infantry regiment, and the 1st brigade of the Puppet Jing'an Army were also transferred from Taiwan. Puppet Li Chunshan Brigade and Puppet Yu Zhishan Brigade. In this way, plus the original divisions, the Japanese army's strength in Shanghai by late September reached the five divisions originally requested by Matsui Iwane in terms of infantry alone. In addition to the strength of the air force and navy, the total strength of the Japanese army in Shanghai reached 200,000.
The war has reached this level, and even Zhang Jianghe, who is in Chongqing, can see that the momentum is not good. Although the Nationalist Army subsequently continued to increase its troops to Shanghai, the Nationalist Army had now switched from the previous offensive to passive defense, and most of the subsequent reinforcements to Shanghai were second- and third-line troops. The team formed by the Intelligence Department had already been deployed on the battlefield in Shanghai. However, the results achieved by this team were not as good as the Nanjing Master wanted to see. When Zhang Jianghe got the news, that team More than half have been killed or injured.
"Uncle, I told you before that the Intelligence Department is not good at frontal combat, especially when the opponent is the regular army." Looking at Zhang Jianghe's expression, Tang Cheng actually didn't finish what he wanted to say, but the subtext was already revealed. . Going to fight an offensive and defensive battle with regular troops, and sending a group of people who have already separated from the army, it would be really strange if they could win! I really don’t know what the person at the Nanjing headquarters is thinking!
"I also know that this sounds unreliable, but the previous battle went too smoothly. Although they failed to drive all the Japanese troops in Shanghai into the sea, they still fought very well. I thought to myself, this time we should The Japanese are sore from being beaten, and maybe those brothers will be able to return with a great victory, but I didn't expect that in just a few days, the situation would completely change." Zhang Jianghe spoke in a low voice, with a faint hint of emotion in his eyes. Water vapor, the Intelligence Department organized thousands of people to enter the Shanghai theater this time.
There was nothing in Tang Cheng's heart, but the Intelligence Department spent a lot of money this time and ended up doing a loss-making business. No matter who it was, it would feel bad. "Uncle, do you want to send a telegram to Nanjing to comfort the headquarters?" Tang Cheng's words were not meant to tease Zhang Jianghe, but seeing that Zhang Jianghe was in a low mood, Tang Cheng wanted to change the subject deliberately. , to distract Zhang Jianghe. Zhang Jianghe naturally would not blame Tang Cheng. Just as Tang Cheng was familiar with him, Zhang Jianghe also knew Tang Cheng's character.
"Stop talking nonsense, how did that thing you told me last time go?" Zhang Jianghe, who was furious, raised his hand and gave Tang Cheng a blast, and found that the anger in his heart had dissipated. Quite a few, and then he told Tang Cheng about a very important matter. Even in the investigation team, few people knew about what Zhang Jianghe mentioned at this moment. If this matter did not require the assistance of the Chongqing Station, Tang Cheng had originally planned not to even tell Zhang Jianghe.
"Uncle, I remember that you are not an impatient person! It has only been half a month, how could it be effective so quickly!" Tang Cheng grinned helplessly. Since he was injured and needed to rest, Zhang Jiang and Since the forcible confinement in the backyard of the military camp, Tang Cheng has been thinking about and secretly advancing a plan. Zhang Jianghe only found out about it half a month ago. Tang Cheng, who refused to reveal the inside story, was stared at by Zhang Jianghe for a while without blinking, and then he took out a list and handed it to Zhang Jianghe with an impatient expression.
"Uncle, let me tell you, this plan has just begun, so there are not many people on this list. You have to be patient. As long as you carry out the plan according to the plan, it will only take half a year. Let your intelligence channels be at least doubled." Tang Cheng handed over the list and chattered in Zhang Jianghe's ear, but Zhang Jianghe, who was looking through the list attentively, stretched out his hand and pushed it away with an impatient look.
Zhang Jianghe, who looked through the list, looked a little stunned. After thinking for a moment, Zhang Jianghe spoke. "This plan is good, but you can't continue to participate. If you continue to participate, you won't be able to explain clearly in the future!" Zhang Jianghe did not break the point. He knew that Tang Cheng was very smart and should understand what he was doing. What he said, especially the last few words, already showed what he wanted to express.
Zhang Jianghe's guess was indeed correct. Tang Cheng was stunned when he heard this, then curled his lips, but didn't say much. Perhaps feeling that it was unreasonable to take away the plan by force, Zhang Jianghe then said warmly, "Xiaowu, you are very smart, but that guy in Nanjing is not stupid. That guy's temperament is hard to figure out, especially he can't tolerate the people below him. It’s been deceived, this plan involves so much light, it can’t be hidden from anyone.”
Zhang Jianghe explained patiently, but Tang Cheng didn't appreciate it, "Uncle, I didn't say anything. Why are you telling me so much? Don't worry, you know what you mean. Besides, I don't want to do anything in private. Bad things. Anyway, I have a lot of things to do these days. If I can have one less thing on hand, I don’t care. It just so happens that I can take a little more rest."
