Chapter 4, Deteriorating Situation

Before departing, Sun Baili reminded, "The Japanese army suffered losses on Baoshan Road and lacks sufficient troops for a full-scale attack. I estimate that they are likely to change their direction of attack, so you must be well prepared"

Li Congwen replied: "It has already come out, and my unit has almost been decimated! We suffered thirty-one fatalities and twenty-seven injuries. However, the losses for the enemy were even greater: sixty-four dead and one hundred injured. Not only did we repel the enemy's attack, destroy two tanks, but we also captured dozens of rifles and three light machine guns. By any measure, this is a small victory!"

Sun Baili pondered for a moment and said: "Let it be as follows: three squads will be responsible for defending the first line, Li Congwen and the other two squads will withdraw to the third barricade, and the pistol team will be moved to the second barricade to protect the heavy machine gun"

Li Congwen limped over and said, "Company Commander, there is no need to be too upset! We have seen this kind of situation many times! Whether it was the Eastern Expedition or the Northern Expedition, they were far more brutal than this! Sometimes, in a single charge, the entire battalion could be wiped out!" His left leg had also been wounded by the enemy's bayonet during close combat.

At this time, newspapers, periodicals, and radio stations across Shanghai and the entire nation were reporting on the valiant resistance of the 19th Route Army. Various sectors of society contributed donations and organized civilians to go to the front lines to support the troops, resulting in high morale throughout the army, with a vow to fight to the end. Senior military leaders also personally went to the front lines to inspire the fighting spirit of the soldiers. As an international metropolis, Shanghai had a considerable number of foreign newspapers and radio stations that provided detailed reports on the resistance actions of the Chinese defenders, expressing admiration and astonishment at the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army. This left the Japanese military, which had originally believed it could easily deal with the 19th Route Army, feeling humiliated. In a fit of anger and embarrassment, they continuously replaced commanders and simultaneously continued to dispatch large reinforcements from the Japanese mainland.

Li Congwen comforted, saying: "It is correct not to mobilize the reserve forces! If we deploy the reserves on the first day of the war, how will we fight the subsequent battles? Moreover, facing such a formidable enemy for the first time, we have been somewhat careless."

Li Congwen hurriedly said: "1st Company can still fight, let's mobilize the reserve troops now, but what will we do later?"

Xie Changfeng anxiously said, "We in the third row have not suffered any losses, there is no need to withdraw!"

After the two left, Sun Baili immediately brought several guards to the position of the 2nd Company. Chen Zijian hurried over to ask: "Company Commander, how is the battle going? Are there many casualties among the brothers? Are the little devils formidable?"

Sun Baili did not immediately answer his question, but instead countered, "What is the situation like here? Is there any movement from the Japanese army?"

Sun Baili, seeing that he was not being blamed, said emotionally: "It is too late to have regrets now; we can only learn from our experiences and hope to eliminate more enemies in the future to avenge our fallen brothers!" Then he patted Li Congwen on the shoulder and said: "If it weren't for your brothers ambushing the enemy from behind today, we would have definitely lost our position. You really kept your composure; you waited until we were on the verge of collapse before letting them act. You grasped the timing perfectly!"

Li Congwen said with a puzzled expression, "I have been wondering about this! I thought it was arranged by the company commander!"

Chen Zijian stood with his legs together and said loudly, "Please rest assured, Company Commander, that the 2nd Company will never allow the enemy to cross the defense line even a single step!"

As the smoke of battle gradually dissipated, Sun Baili surveyed the battlefield, only to see the ground strewn with corpses and bloodstains, the cries of the wounded echoing incessantly, as if he had descended into hell. He could never have imagined that his first battle would be so brutal, and that the Japanese forces would be so fierce.

A week later, the Japanese forces resumed their offensive against the 19th Route Army, this time not only supported by naval artillery but also deploying aircraft to assist in the battle, resulting in extremely fierce combat. The enemy, relying on their overwhelming firepower, concentrated superior forces in certain areas to repeatedly assault the defensive positions of the garrison. The situation in Zhabei became critical, with multiple positions changing hands, forcing the command to deploy reserves to counterattack the enemy and reclaim the positions. Thus, the Battle of Shanghai fell into a stalemate. Although the Japanese had an overwhelming advantage in firepower, they did not have superior numbers across the entire defensive line and could only adopt a strategy of concentrating forces for localized breakthroughs and encirclement. They also attempted to split their forces to outflank the 19th Route Army and conduct flanking operations, but unexpectedly, the troops that had just landed in Jiangwan fell into an ambush set by the Chinese army, resulting in the complete annihilation of their forces.

Chen Zijian replied, "The Japanese army across the way is very calm, showing no signs of launching an attack"

Sun Baili inquired: "Have the battle results been compiled?"

The development of the situation unfolded exactly as Sun Baili had anticipated. Around 2 PM, the Japanese army launched three consecutive attacks on the positions of Company 2 along Qiaojing Road, attempting to open a breach. The prepared defending troops, under the command of Chen Zijian, stood ready, not only engaging the enemy head-on but also intermittently striking from high buildings and residential houses on both sides of the street. This made the Japanese forces hesitant to launch a full-scale assault, and after suffering nearly a hundred casualties, they were forced to abandon the attack once again. The prepared defending troops, under the command of Chen Zijian, stood ready, not only engaging the enemy head-on but also intermittently striking from high buildings and residential houses on both sides of the street. This made the Japanese forces hesitant to launch a full-scale assault, and after suffering nearly a hundred casualties, they were forced to abandon the attack once again

Sun Baili nodded and said, "This is indeed a victorious battle, but the cost is somewhat high! You, Company 1, should withdraw to rest and allow Company 3 to take over. Before you leave, send someone to completely destroy those two tanks, creating a solid roadblock. It will not be so easy for the enemy to charge with tanks again."

Sun Baili and Li Congwen exchanged glances, feeling quite perplexed. Surely, it couldn't be that the Japanese were fighting among themselves! Just then, several individuals dressed in the uniforms of the 19th Route Army emerged from a nearby civilian house. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Squad Leader Xie Changfeng and two light machine gunners. The answer to the question was suddenly revealed: Xie Changfeng, responsible for defending the third street barricade, had sensed the situation was dire and proactively brought two light machine guns to maneuver from the back alley to the front, preparing to flank the enemy. However, he was unexpectedly blocked by a house. In a moment of desperation, he used a grenade to blast a large hole in the wall, entering the room and appearing behind the Japanese troops. After hearing this, Sun Baili immediately regarded Xie Changfeng with newfound respect: he was the one who had proposed using cluster grenades against tanks in the preparatory meeting. This individual was very quick-witted and a rare talent! He hurriedly shook Xie Changfeng's hand and said, "If it weren't for your timely reinforcements, not only would it have been impossible to reclaim the defensive line, but even the question of whether the second defensive line could be held would have been uncertain. You have made a significant contribution! Moreover, your experience in blasting holes to advance is worth promoting. With this tactic, the enemy will not dare to be so reckless during their attacks!"

Xie Changfeng scratched his head and said apologetically, "At that time, I wasn't thinking of anything else; I just wanted to rush up to help. Those buildings were too tall, and I couldn't climb up, so I had no choice but to take a gamble"

Li Congwen patted Xie Changfeng's shoulder forcefully and said, "If it weren't for you, I would have lost my life today! You definitely deserve the credit!"

That evening, Commander Zhang Junsong inspected the positions of the 1st Battalion and gave them a very high evaluation for their performance in battle. He also revealed that the headquarters was exerting pressure on the already resigned Chiang Kai-shek and the National Government through various means, demanding that they quickly dispatch reinforcements

Sun Baili expressed with regret: "However, we could have sacrificed fewer brothers. If it weren't for my underestimation and the deployment of the reserve troops, it wouldn't have been this disastrous"

Sun Baili nodded and briefly introduced the situation on Baoshan Road: "The Japanese army has launched two attacks since last night and deployed two tanks. Although they were ultimately repelled, Company 1 suffered heavy casualties and can hardly continue fighting! The enemy's combat capability is extremely strong, especially their close-quarters combat skills, which are far superior to ours. You must pay close attention!" He then detailed the course of the battle, reminding them of all the critical points to note. Chen Zijian listened very attentively, occasionally raising questions, to which Sun Baili patiently responded one by one. The enemy's combat capability is extremely strong, especially their close-quarters combat skills, which are far superior to ours. You must pay close attention!" He then detailed the course of the battle, reminding them of all the critical points to note. Chen Zijian listened very attentively, occasionally raising questions, to which Sun Baili patiently responded one by one.

In the following days, the Japanese army launched continuous attacks on the positions of the 19th Route Army. However, despite suffering heavy losses, they were unable to achieve any substantial progress due to the tenacious resistance of the defending troops. After their offensive was thwarted, the Japanese army felt acutely the shortage of troops, and while they utilized large-caliber artillery cruising on the Huangpu River to bombard the positions of the 19th Route Army, they also urgently dispatched reinforcements from their homeland.