It was still a dark night.
It's just that in the northwest corner of Songjiang County, the red light of flying bullets comes from time to time, and the light produced by the explosion of grenades from time to time is like lightning on a summer night, fleeting.
The Japanese army did not give up their attack on Songjiang County, and they launched a night battle.
At this time, the military headquarters was filled with smoke and officers were having a meeting. Shang Zhen once again attended the meeting in a corner because of Chang En's call.
Naturally, there was no place for him to speak in this kind of meeting, but he had only just listened to the participants. Although his face was expressionless, there were already waves in his heart.
The two division commanders he knew were still there, one was Chang En and the other was named Zhang.
The teacher surnamed Zhang was wearing a bandage. His tone was weak when he spoke, and it was obvious that he was seriously injured.
But as for the two officers below the division commander, Shang Zhen himself was not from the 67th Army, and he didn't know these officers very well.
However, when he attended the last meeting, he still remembered some officers, but most of the officers who had an impression did not come, which gave him a bad feeling in his heart.
"Reporting to the commander, Commander Deng of our 322nd Brigade was killed in action, so he came to attend the meeting because of his humble position." An officer stood up loudly and reported.
At this time, Wu Keyong, who was sitting at the front, looked at the officer and frowned.
"I remember you were a deputy, right?" Wu Keyong asked.
"Yes, report to the commander. I am He Zuoxiu, deputy commander of the 542nd regiment. The commander of our regiment was killed in action. Not only was the commander of our regiment killed in action, but the two commanders of our brigade were also killed, so I came - "The officer couldn't say any more.
Wu Keyong said no more, and waved his hand with a sad expression to signal the officer to sit down.
At this time, other officers naturally began to report to him.
Just as those officers reported, Shang Zhen in the corner became more and more shocked. At the same time, Wu Keyong's face became more and more serious.
Because through the reports given to Wu Keyong by those officers, Shang Zhen knew that so far, the 67th Army had lost three more brigade commanders and six regiment commanders!
In just one day, the casualties were so heavy that Shang Zhen could no longer express his inner feelings.
But in the midst of this depression, another weak voice said: "Old Deng was also killed in battle."
That person was none other than Commander Zhang of the 107th Division.
Wu Keyong waved his hand, signaling the officers to stop talking.
Who is Lao Deng? Shang Zhen was puzzled. As a newcomer, he really didn't know the names of the senior generals of the 67th Army.
But at this moment, Shang Zhen saw Wu Keyong picking up a cigarette on the table, and when the guard next to him stepped forward to help him light it, Wu Keyong's fingers holding the cigarette were already trembling slightly.
Judging from the meaning of Commander Zhang's words, the rank of the old Deng he mentioned must be not low, and the Army Commander Wu Keyong was very familiar with him.
So that old Deng should at least be the division chief of staff or deputy division commander.
While Shang Zhen was thinking, a so-called solemn atmosphere filled the military headquarters.
But what finally broke the silence was an officer who stood up and said, "Commander, can we retreat? We have three days now."
Hearing what the officer said, Shang Zhen couldn't help but feel moved, because retreat is a sensitive topic that everyone cares about.
As far as Shang Zhen knows, the Sixty-seventh Army came on the 6th, and now it is already the night of the 8th. The order given by the group army above is to hold on for three days. If the breakout time is included, it can be counted now. It's been three days.
The battle has reached this point, and there are still about a thousand people left. Logically speaking, it is reasonable to retreat.
So after the officer suggested it, not only Shang Zhen, but also everyone else looked at Wu Keyong sitting in front.
Wu Keyong glanced at the participants, but remained silent.
After a while, another officer stood up and said, "Commander, I think we can retreat now. We must leave some seeds for our 67th Army."
As soon as the second officer spoke, another officer wanted to stand up, but this time Wu Keyong stretched out his hand to stop him.
The cigarette in Wu Ke's hand had a long ash on it, but he didn't notice it.
The officers under him were also concerned about the most important things, and they didn't even notice this detail.
Only Shang Zhen, who was a bystander, noticed it, but he opened his mouth but did not speak.
So, at the next moment, Wu Keyong's hand holding the cigarette shook because he was burned by the cigarette butt, and then he subconsciously threw the cigarette butt to the ground.
"Is this your opinion?" Wu Ke asked in a low and hoarse voice.
The officers below were silent at first, and then someone responded: "Yes!"
At this time, Wu Keyong stood up and turned his attention to the window.
But what can be seen from the windows? There were thick curtains covering the place, and even quilts were used to block the outside to prevent candlelight from leaking out.
Wu Keyong paced in front of his subordinates with his hands behind his back. He walked very slowly, but every step seemed to step on the heartstrings of everyone present, so that everyone in the room could hear Wu Keyong's extremely slight voice. footsteps.
"I understand everyone's mood." When Wu Keyong turned around, he said slowly, "But! We must persist until midnight!"
Wu Keyong said these words very slowly and his voice was not high, but he was very firm.
In the smoky fog, there seemed to be a silent sigh, which was the common sigh of everyone present.
And Shang Zhen's inner sigh was that it was indeed so.
Since Wu Keyong had made his decision clear, he simply continued.
He looked at his subordinates and said: "Since we have persisted until now, we will not miss these few hours.
Since the 67th Army of our Northeastern Army suffered heavy casualties and now only has less than a thousand people left, why should we let this last little time fall into the trap?
Don't tell me to save some seeds for our Northeast Army. Our Northeast Army is not only our 67th Army, but also other troops. If we sacrifice some to win back face for the Northeast Army, then the rest of them will be our Northeast Army. Seed! "
Under Wu Keyong's statement, the officers were all silent. Shang Zhen didn't know whether Wu Keyong could convince his subordinates.
Of course, this is the army and does not require persuasion. As the commander of the army, Wu Keyong only needs to give orders.
But at this time, when there are only more than 1,000 people left out of more than 20,000 people, shouldn't Wu Keyong have more explanations?
At this time, Wu Keyong continued to speak, but this time his words surprised Shang Zhen.
"We are all members of the 67th Army. No one has experienced September 18th. That is the shame of our Northeastern Army. It is a scar on the spine of our Northeastern Army that will always be poked!
Do you know what orders Beida Camp received at that time? "
