Zhou Weiguo is also an excellent commander. In fact, he has already guessed what happened in Nanjing, but he just doesn't want to admit it.
However, he also had his own opinions, and Zhou Weiguo also had his own plans to advance westward and defend Nanjing.
He drew a few lines on the map with a pencil: "Dragon Boat Festival, Nanjing cannot be defended, but Chongqing is still there. I guess the Japs will capture Wuhan first and then force Chongqing. There is still a battle to be fought."
Duanwu smiled and said: "The next step for the Japanese is not to attack Wuhan, but to attack here."
With that said, Duanwu placed his hand on Xuzhou's position.
"Xuzhou?"
Zhou Weiguo and Qiu Ming were stunned at the same time, because they both believed that if the Japs really captured Nanjing, they should continue to pursue it. After all, further west, the Nationalist government's military strength was still stretched thin, but they didn't want to have a unique insight in Dragon Boat Festival. Pointing directly at Xuzhou.
Qiu Mingdao: "The strategic location of Xuzhou is indeed very important. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times."
Zhou Weiguo thought for a while and said: "Duan Wu is right. If the little devil takes the Xuzhou line, he can connect the occupied areas in the north and south, and his supplies will be easier."
Duanwu said: "You two are right, the Japs have stretched the battle line very far, and it will be very difficult to supply from the sea. So the Japs will definitely prepare to open up this communication line on land.
We can't let the devils get what they want. If we can block this road, the little devils will be stuck by our necks. "
"You're right. It seems that the next step for the little devil is to open up the traffic on this road."
Zhou Weiguo nodded in agreement, but then frowned and said: "Duanwu, I heard that the commander of the Xuzhou Fifth War Zone is Li Zhongren? You and him?..."
Zhou Weiguo only said half of what he said, but Duan Wu already understood.
He had conflicts with Li Zhongren, which was well known to everyone. He killed Li Zhongren's goddaughter. Li Zhongren dared to slam the table in front of the chairman. If he went to the fifth war zone, the consequences could be imagined.
Thinking about this, Duanwu felt scratched his head, but he convinced Zhou Weiguo and Qiu Ming.
Tomorrow morning, he will send two telegrams, one to the Eighty-Eighth Division asking how the battle in Nanjing is going, and the other to the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army.
Because he wanted to participate in the Battle of Xuzhou, he still had to borrow the Hutoushan Independent Regiment, and he even had to borrow the strength of the 115th Division.
Of course, the most important thing is Li Zhongren in the fifth theater.
Without Li Zhongren’s support, nothing would have been done during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Therefore, after finalizing the next plan, the Duanwu Department, Zhou Weiguo Department, and Qiu Ming Department all entered a state of rest, waiting for news from the south and the north tomorrow before they make the final decision.
···················
At the same time, Nanjing.
On December 9, the Japanese 16th Division captured Qilin Gate and Baishui Bridge, repulsed the garrison's teaching corps, and penetrated Zhongshan Gate, Taiping Gate, and Peace Gate.
The Sixth Division captured Niushou Mountain and Shanghe Town. The Japanese army arrived at the gates of Nanjing and used planes to drop into the city an ultimatum issued by Matsui Iwane, commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force, to the Chinese defenders to persuade them to surrender. They also claimed that if no reply was received before noon on December 10, the Japanese army would begin to attack Nanjing. city.
Commander Tang did not respond to Matsui's ultimatum, but ordered the Chinese defenders to fight to the death with the determination to "break the cauldron and sink the boat".
So on December 10, when the Japanese army saw that the Chinese army refused to surrender, they began to launch an all-out attack on positions such as Yuhuatai, Tongjimen, Guanghuamen, and the Third Peak of Purple Mountain. The fighting became more intense than on the 9th. Especially in the southeast of the city, the situation was particularly severe because the Fukuo position had been basically lost and the Japanese army directly attacked the city wall.
The garrison headquarters urgently ordered the 156th Division of the 83rd Army to reinforce the defenses of Guanghuamen and Tongjimen city walls, and rush to build preparatory fortifications for street fighting at various key points in the city. At the same time, the 68th Army was moved from Dashui Guan and Yanziji were transferred into the city and deployed to build fortifications inside Zhongshan Gate and Xuanwu Gate to prepare for street fighting. In addition, the 103rd Division and the 112th Division, which had just been withdrawn from Zhenjiang into Nanjing City, were led by Gui Yong, the commander of the Teaching Corps. Qing commander, responsible for the defense of the city wall near Zhongshan Gate and the Zijin Mountain position.
That night, the 156th Division selected a small team to fall into the city and annihilate the few Japanese troops lurking in the city gate. However, in Yuhuatai, the main force of the two Japanese divisions and the infantry, artillery, tanks and aviation units coordinated the attack, destroying all the first line positions on the right wing of the 88th Division. The remnants of the 88th Division could only retreat to the second line.
But before the Chinese defenders could take a breath, that night, the Japanese 18th Division made a successful raid and successfully occupied Wuhu. The city of Nanjing once again fell into a huge crisis.
At this moment, our Commander Tang realized that something was wrong, and the loss of Wuhu knocked him down like a heavy hammer.
Commander Tang had a high fever, 39 and a half degrees, and his whole face was as red as a small stove.
It was originally planned to fight for three months, but within a week, the Japanese had already arrived at the city.
For the current plan, the only way to hold off the enemy was to fight in the street. However, he had no idea how to fight this street fight, so he could only go step by step.
And the more he tried to think of a countermeasure, the higher his fever became and the more painful his head became. The pain made his whole body feel like it was about to burst.
He really regretted it at this time. If he had listened to that young man at that time, he would not have the troubles he has now.
Of course, the most difficult thing to buy in this world is the medicine of regret. Even if Commander Tang's intestines are about to turn green at this time, it will not help. He can only continue to mobilize various ministries into the city, hoping to defend Nanjing.
That night, Commander Tang tossed and turned, feeling confused and confused. He only hoped that there would be good news from the front early tomorrow morning.
Perhaps God took pity on him, or perhaps Commander Tang's prayers had an effect. The Japanese attack on December 11 was actually blocked.
On December 11, although the Japanese 16th Division stormed the Chinese army positions in the north and south of Zijin Mountain, the Japanese army made no progress despite the resolute blocking of the teaching corps. However, its right-wing troops captured Yangfangshan and Yangfangshan, which were defended by the Second Army. Yinkong Mountain position, entering near Yaohua Gate.
The same goes for the main forces of the 114th Division and the 6th Division of the Japanese Tenth Army. Although they attacked Yuhuatai continuously, they fought for most of the day and only destroyed the second line of the 88th Division. The main position of the Eighth Division is still in the hands of the Eighty-eighth Division.
After receiving this news, Commander Tang's illness was half cured. He regained his confidence after being resurrected with full health. He felt that the battle to defend Nanjing could still be fought. As long as the city wall could be held, the Japs would be unable to keep up with supplies. retreat. And when that time comes, he and Tang will be tantamount to being a hero of the Chinese nation and will go down in history forever! ...
