Chapter 5, Defeating the Enemy at Night

The night raid was extremely successful, inflicting injuries and fatalities on over 300 Japanese soldiers, while also seizing a large quantity of weapons and ammunition. The losses for the First Battalion were minimal: five soldiers were killed and eight were lightly wounded, which can be described as a resounding victory. The heavily battered Japanese forces barely managed to organize an attack by 4 PM, but after being easily repelled by the defending troops, they hastily withdrew, bringing an end to the day's combat

Zhong Wuxing excitedly said: "The headquarters has sent us additional firearms and ammunition, and has also dispatched two companies of volunteers to reinforce us"

Li Congwen nodded and said, "There is nothing left to do but take a gamble!"

Zhong Wu immediately expressed: "This method suits my taste: sneak up quietly, slash wildly with a big knife, and the little devils will definitely be confused!"

Li Congwen murmured: "I cannot hold on, there is no way to retreat, there is only death left!"

Sun Baili gently shook his head and said in a deep voice: "No! If we further retract our defenses, the flank of our 78th Division will be completely exposed to the enemy."

Upon meeting, Sun Baili said: "Currently, the attacking force against our army is a battalion from the 'Kurume' Brigade. It is said that all the soldiers in this brigade are orphans adopted by the Japanese government, who have received military training and militaristic ideological education since childhood, making them extremely formidable in combat. After several days of engagement, everyone has witnessed that the enemy is indeed exceptionally brave, far surpassing the Marine Corps. At present, our battalion can only deploy one company for combat, and even with the addition of the volunteer army, we have no more than 150 personnel to defend a front line that stretches a full kilometer, which is quite challenging. I estimate that after several days of attacks, the enemy has likely figured out our strengths and weaknesses, and it is difficult to say whether we can hold the line tomorrow! Does anyone have any good ideas?"

After repelling the enemy's attack once again, Sun Baili stood up from the trench, wiped the blood and sweat from his face with force, and then moved his feet with great difficulty to inspect his defensive line. Since the 1st Battalion had been fighting on the front lines since the beginning of the war, directly facing the Japanese army's offensive, they had already lost more than half of their personnel, and the remaining soldiers were almost all injured. Not only had the 3rd Company, which was supposed to be a reserve, been thrown into battle, but even the mortar squad, which had run out of shells, had picked up rifles, leaving no reserves available. Although Sun Baili, like the soldiers, hoped for new reinforcements, he knew the likelihood was slim. Most of the central army under Chiang Kai-shek was engaged in suppressing the Red Army in Jiangxi, and even if they were recalled, it would not solve the immediate crisis; he could not mobilize troops from other regional forces either. In the pre-war meeting, Sun Baili confidently predicted that the great powers would inevitably intervene, but the situation had developed to this extent, which was beyond his expectations. Although the United States and Britain had strongly protested against Japan, they received no response. He was beginning to doubt whether the 19th Route Army could hold out until the day of the ceasefire.

At this moment, Company Commander Zhong Wu rushed over from the communication trench, shouting excitedly. After so many days of fighting, he was the only one still full of energy. Even more strangely, he always charged at the front during battles and retreated at the back. Since the beginning of the war, at least a squad of Japanese soldiers had died under his ghostly blade in close combat, yet no one had managed to leave a single mark on him. His martial skills were indeed outstanding, and his luck was exceptionally good. Sun Baili, seeing his joyful demeanor, asked, "What is making you so happy?"

Zhong Wu awkwardly smiled and said: "If the common people have to go to the battlefield to help, it would be too embarrassing for us soldiers! Rest assured, Company Commander, when it comes to a last resort, I will definitely not let them go to the battlefield!"

Chen Zijian suddenly stood up and said loudly: "Company Commander, I am not someone who fears for my life; I am merely expressing my own thoughts! I must participate in the action!"

Zhong Wu patted Chen Zijian's shoulder forcefully and said, "Everyone knows you are not a coward, let's go together, it's just death!"

The three company commanders asked in unison: "What road?"

That night, the Japanese army continuously fired machine guns for vigilant shooting at the front line of their own positions, and every five minutes launched a flare, remaining in a state of high alert, while the defending troops had a good rest throughout the night. The next day, reinforced Japanese troops launched a fierce attack again. Under the command of Sun Baili, the defending troops fought while retreating, inflicting certain casualties on the enemy before actively withdrawing, leading to a stalemate in the battle once more

Sun Baili slowly walked past the trench, where the soldiers were repairing fortifications during a lull in the fighting. Their gray military uniforms were stained with blood and mud, making it impossible to discern their original color, and most of them were bandaged. Despite knowing that the hope of victory was extremely slim, these loyal and brave soldiers remained high-spirited, using their flesh and blood to block the advance of the invaders. As a commander, there is nothing more tragic than watching one's soldiers fall into despair. Sun Baili turned around and saw the setting sun, blood-red, quietly floating on the clouds in the western sky, and he felt an unusual sadness in his heart. Perhaps he truly was not suited to be a soldier; after witnessing so many battles and so many sacrifices, he still could not remain indifferent to blood and life.

Sun Baili said, "Night raid!" He then explained, "The enemy sees our forces as weak and believes victory is imminent, so they are bound to be lax in their defenses! We will take advantage of the darkness to approach, and the Japanese troops will be attacked while they are asleep, unable to discern the situation, which will easily throw them into chaos and prevent them from organizing effective resistance. At the same time, the enemy's aircraft and artillery will also lose their effectiveness. Therefore, I want to concentrate all our efforts and take a gamble! What do you think?"

Sun Baili nodded and then said: "The anti-artillery holes you dug are not large enough. Arrange for the brothers to dig more later. The ones dug by Chen Zijian are quite good; you can take that as a reference. Come to the command post for a meeting later; we need to formulate the next phase of the combat plan. I will first go to the position of Company 1 to take a look"

Sun Baili glanced at his three subordinates and said, "In fact, there is another way, a way to seek survival amidst death"

Zhong Wu said nonchalantly: "What is there to be afraid of! As long as the people are here, the position is here! At worst, we will fight it out; I have already made my return on investment!"

Sun Baili patiently persuaded Chen Zijian: "Zhong Wu is absolutely right; rather than sitting idly by, it is better to take a risk and fight! Since there are no reinforcements, even if we hold our ground tomorrow, what about the day after? The headquarters has even sent the volunteer army, which means they are out of options! If the night raid is successful, on one hand, we can push the front line forward, providing us with more room for maneuver; on the other hand, it can strike a blow to the morale and confidence of the Japanese army, leading them to misjudge our military strength. Of course, to be prudent, I would like you to lead some of the brothers who are less mobile and the volunteer army to stay behind, just in case the operation fails, so that the front line can still hold up."

After Shirakawa Yoshinori arrived in Shanghai, he redeployed his troops based on the situation on the battlefield. He was well aware that continuing a frontal assault would incur significant costs and might not succeed. Therefore, he decided to adopt a flanking attack strategy, dispatching two regiments to land near the Liuhua River on the left flank of the Fifth Army, encircling the Chinese forces. At the same time, he committed superior forces to the frontal defense line, launching continuous attacks on the Chinese army's positions under the cover of aircraft and naval artillery, leaving the defending troops unable to attend to their flanks. The Chinese army, having endured days of fierce fighting, suffered severe troop losses and was critically low on ammunition, with the situation of the 19th Route Army being particularly dire. In desperation, they had no choice but to retreat continuously and consolidate their defensive line.

Sun www.hetushucom .com Baili quickly comforted, saying: "I did not mean that! How could there be cowards standing here!"

Zhong Wu retorted: "At least there is a 50% chance of success by doing it this way; if we hold our ground here, we will definitely be doomed. The central command will not send reinforcements!"

Sun Baili felt a pang of sorrow and said, "You should arrange for a few more veterans to train them, first teaching them how to protect themselves. Once they have fully mastered that, we can proceed to combat skills training." He then sighed and added, "I wonder if the enemy will give them this time." If these individuals could master combat skills a bit earlier, their chances of survival would be greater.

Chen Zijian asked: "Is it possible to further contract the defense line?"

Chen Zijian expressed his concerns, saying, "What if the enemy is prepared? Wouldn't that lead to the complete destruction of our forces? Perhaps we should reconsider?"

The so-called volunteer army is composed of militias spontaneously organized by the people. Just a few days ago, these individuals were students, workers, and citizens, but now they must take up arms and fight against the heavily armed Japanese invaders. Due to their lack of even the most basic military training, they rely solely on their fervent passion to enter the battlefield, which results in the highest casualties.

Not long after returning to the command post, the three company commanders arrived one after another. Except for Zhong Wu, the other two were both injured. Chen Zijian had three fingers on his left hand severed by shrapnel, while Li Congwen, in addition to his leg injury, also sustained a bullet graze to his ribcage. Sun Baili had one of his ears injured in today's battle.

Sun Baili, seeing that Chen Zijian no longer opposed, said: "Then we shall proceed as decided, launching a night raid on the Japanese army at 3:00 AM! Zhong Wu will select some brothers skilled in martial arts to serve as the vanguard, equipped with broadswords, short guns, and grenades. Chen Zijian, Li Congwen, and I will lead the remaining brothers afterward, while those who are less mobile will stay behind with the volunteer army. If you have no objections, please return immediately to prepare." The three company commanders indicated that there were no issues and then promptly returned to their units to make preparations.