Chapter 5, Preparing to Blow the Door

Exhausted and hungry, the soldiers, spurred on by Su Rui and Lin Shiqian, gathered their last bit of strength and marched towards the church ahead

December 9, 1937

Little did they know, Lin Shiqian hesitated for a moment and softly said, "Sir, this... this may not be appropriate, as this is a foreigner's place"

What happened to the foreigner!

Meanwhile, Su Rui secretly wiped away his cold sweat, thinking to himself: "Fortunately, I managed to get through this."

This is a remarkably grand church, covering an area of approximately 1,000 square meters. The church is surrounded by tall and sturdy stone walls. Within the walls stand two buildings of varying heights, with a tall spire at the center. On the southern side of the wall, there is a large door wrapped in iron sheeting

The last rays of sunlight reluctantly slipped away from Su Rui's sight, and the distant scenery gradually dissolved into the night. Su Rui led more than thirty ragged soldiers, laboriously carrying various dusty weapons as they walked along the rubble-strewn street

Surrey picked up the copper ring and began to strike it forcefully

However, he looked up at the sky again, instinctively extending his left hand to check the watch on his wrist. It was 5:15 PM, and the sky was about to darken. He glanced back at the soldiers behind him, still dressed in light clothing, and thought: once it gets dark, it will surely be even colder. If food and clothing are not found, by tomorrow, half of these cold and hungry soldiers will likely collapse.

General Tang Shengzhi, a first-class general of the National Revolutionary Army and commander of the Nanjing garrison, walked into his temporary command post with a stern expression, completely ignoring the salutes from the dozens of staff officers in the command center

Lin Shiqian, who was beside the books, also encouraged the soldiers, "What the officer said is correct, something happened when we arrived at the church. Eat up, brothers, let's hurry and go!"

As soon as Su Rui heard this, he became furious. "I’m almost starving to death. It doesn’t matter if it’s a foreigner; even if it’s the foreigner’s father, I would still blow him up!" He shouted angrily, "Stop talking nonsense! If I tell you to blow it up, then blow it up! Whatever happens, I will bear it all myself!"

Having spoken, Tang Shengzhi felt as if his entire body had fallen apart, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed to rest.

Surui's eyes narrowed slightly, first displaying a look of confusion, and then brightening up; it was a church, undoubtedly so. In Nanjing during the 1930s, no other building would have such a peculiar shape except for a church

I know

A soldier in the team sneezed, and the observant Su Rui noticed a flicker of anxiety in Lin Shiqian's eyes beside him, clearly indicating that he had also realized the same issue

Four or five minutes have already passed, the sound of the doorbell striking the lion's head continues, yet the door remains completely unmoved

Surui was the first to stop in front of the gate. Looking ahead, he noticed that there were two bronze rings shaped like lion heads hanging on the gate. Surui couldn't help but smile; it seemed that foreigners, upon arriving in China, also kept up with the times, even adorning a gate with such distinctive Chinese characteristics.

Wang Dezi, still carrying his old-style tube, trailed behind Su Rui with a grass root he had somehow obtained clenched in his mouth, dragging his nearly worn-out straw sandals with a feeble effort, mumbling incessantly.

Knock knock knock

Wang Dezi was momentarily taken aback, reaching up to touch his head and smiling shyly

Commander, where are we headed? The brothers haven't had any food or water for a day. If we can't find a place to rest, I'm afraid the brothers won't be able to endure it

Just when Su Rui was anxiously waiting, a pointed roof appeared in his line of sight, beneath which stood a large cross

That is ... ...

Tang Shengzhi stood with his hands behind his back in the makeshift headquarters converted from a temporary residence, remaining silent. The originally busy staff members became even more tense upon seeing his expression.

A sound of metal clashing echoed far into the already dimming night.

Lin Shiqian looked around and said softly to Su Rui: "Commander, it will be completely dark soon, we cannot continue like this."

With a heavy heart, Tang Shengzhi sat on a stool made of artillery boxes, panting for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying to the officers beside him: "You will immediately issue an order that no one is to retreat even half a step, or military law will be enforced!"

Ding ding ding ... ...

Just now, Commander Wang Jingjiu called to inform that the Japanese army has already breached the Guanghua Gate line. They are advancing with two infantry regiments and over ten armored vehicles as the vanguard, having occupied the large and small barracks of Tongguang. The situation is extremely critical.

Before long, five or six Gong-style grenades were tied together with a rag and placed under the main gate, all the caps of the grenades had been unscrewed, and the fuses had all been pulled out

Damn it, it seems you are forcing me to take drastic measures

Tang Shengzhi could no longer contain himself and snatched the phone, roaring into the receiver at the officers of the 87th Division on the other end: "I don't care how you do it, even if you all go to the battlefield to block the gunfire, I only need you to hold the Guanghua Gate for me, not retreating an inch. Otherwise, you can all wait for military law to take its course..."

Although feeling extremely embarrassed inside, Su Rui could not express this emotion and forced herself to scold, "What do you know? The situation is unclear now. We need to find a place that is both safe and has food and drink, where we can sleep soundly. Otherwise, do you think I have been leading you all this way for fun?"

The tall individual did not get angry after being scolded by Su Rui; instead, he shyly touched his large head and chuckled.

Surui stood at the door, his right hand trembling slightly as he held the fuse. This task of pulling the hand grenade was one he had requested himself. Every boy has a violent gene within him, and having never come into contact with the real thing from childhood to adulthood, Surui naturally yearned to personally carry out this "glorious" mission

The sky gradually darkened, and Su Rui led them to their destination, where the silhouette of the church appeared before them

The situation outside is truly dire; Nanjing is already within the range of Japanese artillery fire. Almost every shell that falls creates a burst of flames, and this situation is expected to continue.

Surrey nodded slightly, then surveyed the surrounding stone walls. These walls were at least 3 meters high, topped with sharp glass shards, indicating that the people inside the church had no intention of giving anyone the slightest chance to climb over.

Surui shot him an annoyed glance and said, "Come on, these two doors weigh at least four to five hundred pounds, and they are wrapped in iron sheets. Do you think you are some kind of ghostly figure capable of throwing them around!"

At this moment, Su Rui was naturally unaware of the events occurring within the garrison headquarters located in the center of Nanjing. He was leading a group of defeated soldiers retreating from the battlefield towards a church with a spire in the distance. Outside the Guanghua Gate, flames were continuously surging, smoke columns rose high into the sky, and the sound of gunfire echoed all around.

However, the development of the battle did not unfold as anticipated by the staff of the garrison command. The 87th Division's Company One launched several counterattacks but failed to drive the Japanese forces out of Guanghua Gate, resulting in significant losses instead

In a moment of urgency, Liao Ken took a squad of soldiers from the command post and rushed towards Guanghua Gate. Before leaving, he specifically instructed Tan Daoping, the head of the First Section in the Operations Department, saying: "I will take a telephone to Guanghua Gate to check in. We will communicate every ten minutes. If at any time there is no call, then Guanghua Gate will be finished." The fact that a major general, the director, uttered such desperate words illustrates the critical nature of the situation.

Ah, the stream!

Indeed, at the church, there will always be food available, and those foreigners must certainly have clothing and other items in their possession

Surui's eyes darted around as he loudly said to Lin Shiqian: "Squad Leader Lin, go get a few grenades. That son of a gun dares not open the door, let's blow it up! I don't believe that this door, no matter how sturdy, can withstand explosives!"

The phone rang, and Section Chief Tan Daoping quickly picked up the receiver. After mumbling a few words, he covered the microphone and whispered to Tang Shengzhi: "Commander, the 87th Division is calling. The Japanese army's offensive is fierce, and they have suffered heavy casualties. They are on the verge of collapse."

Surui increasingly felt that it made sense, and immediately turned to say: "Brothers, https://m.hetushu.com, everyone put in a bit more effort, and we'll have food to eat once we reach the church ahead!"

As the intensity of the Japanese army's attacks increases, the situation within Nanjing is becoming increasingly dire. The Japanese forces have now begun to concentrate their efforts on attacking the Guanghua Gate line. Earlier this morning, the 154th Division of the 83rd Army, stationed at Guanghua Gate, was repelled, and the 87th Division, which took over the defense of Guanghua Gate, suffered over 2,000 casualties within just half a day.

At this moment, Su Rui found himself in an awkward situation because he was lost. As someone who had lived in Nanjing for nearly seven years, he should have been able to navigate the city with his eyes closed, and getting lost was an embarrassing situation that should never have befallen him.

Knock knock knock

The tall soldier carrying the Finnish M26 light machine gun appeared to be quite impatient. He placed the machine gun down on the ground, spat twice into his palm, and said in a simple-minded manner to Su Rui: "Sir, let me handle it. I guarantee that I can kick this damned door open with just two kicks!"

Upon hearing Su Rui's anger, Lin Shiqian then whispered, "Yes!"

Is that so

Because everyone knows that once the Guanghua Gate falls, the Japanese army can directly rush into the city. Therefore, Liao Ken, the chief of the staff of the Nanjing Garrison Command, immediately ordered the newly arrived 87th Division to defend the Guanghua Gate at all costs

But in fact, it did happen. After nearly three hours of walking, although somewhat reluctant, Su Rui had to reluctantly admit that for Nanjing in the 1930s, he felt as unfamiliar as the young man who had disembarked from the train seven years ago, looking at the throngs of people on the ground with a hint of bewilderment.