Chapter 1 Zhong Xiaolu Guangxi Is Free!

Lieutenant Colonel Yoshino Eishi was going crazy!

He never imagined that his stroke of genius would lead to such a result.

He had planned the beginning, but not foreseen the end.

Now that tank perfectly blocked the gap.

To break into Sihang Warehouse, he had to organize another team to blow it up.

What was even more infuriating was that he had sacrificed hundreds of brave Imperial warriors.

Analyzing the current situation, he had essentially helped the defenders of Sihang Warehouse create several firing holes in the north wall.

How infuriating!

The young Lieutenant Colonel Yoshino Eishi's face turned from red to white, then from white to green, like a changing mask in a Sichuan opera, constantly and violently shifting.

Finally, he couldn't help it and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Only then did he feel a little better.

He pointed at the tank stuck in the gap and ordered, "Tanks forward! Smash it open!"

He wanted the second tank to rush up and smash open the one that was stuck.

Opening that gap, in Lieutenant Colonel Yoshino Eishi's mind, as long as his tank could rush into Sihang Warehouse.

Guarding the gap for a few minutes, the brave warriors of the Empire could establish defensive fortifications inside Sihang Warehouse, and all that would be left was to wait for news of victory.

Plans can't keep up with changes!

But Lieutenant Colonel Yoshino Eishi wouldn't turn back even after hitting the south wall, nor would he give up after hitting the north wall.

The second tank dared not charge as fast as Zhong Xiaolu Guangxi had.

It moved forward much slower, cautiously butting against the stuck tank.

Gently pushing forward!

The soldiers of the Special Operations Company were at this time salvaging shells and bullets from the blasted tank.

Lei Xiong, the observer stationed on the tank, could only watch helplessly as the enemy tank approached.

He could only shout loudly for everyone to be careful, careful!

The Second Company on the roof saw the enemy's second tank coming up again.

This time they were prepared. Three explosive packs, filled with explosives, extended the fuses, and aimed at the position where the tank exposed half its rear.

Three explosive packs were thrown down together.

Lei Xiong looked through the observation hole and saw that the tank butting against the other one outside was no longer moving.

But now there was another tank outside, and the previously clear firing holes and observation holes were now half-crippled.

The range of vision to the outside was reduced by seventy percent.

Lieutenant Colonel Yoshino Eishi once again witnessed his trump card becoming disabled.

His heart ached so much he couldn't breathe!

Now he finally realized a problem: continuing to push forward like this seemed to be impossible!

He wanted artillery support, he wanted heavy artillery bombardment!

Yoshino Eishi was not the only one with this idea. The commanders on the east and west sides had the same thought.

And they all sent messengers to relay the message back.

Commander Tsuchishiro Takuma, who was waiting for news of victory, received requests from the commanders in three directions.

He stood up in anger.

Half of the attack time had passed, and only now were these frontline commanders reporting that they couldn't break through?

Artillery? The heavy artillery positions had already been bombed.

Commander Tsuchishiro Takuma was furious: "If you don't have cannons, then you are cannon fodder!"

"If you don't have cannons, then get close and blow it up!"

"Blow it up!"

"Blow it up!"

"Blow it up!"

The commander shouted the important thing three times.

Several messengers who had run back to request artillery support scurried away, heads in their hands, in a sorry state!

The Third Company, which had been stationed in the outer defenses of Sihang Warehouse, had just retreated all the way in, suffering very heavy casualties.

Now they had retreated to the second and third floors to defend the windows, providing remote assistance in attacking the enemy.

The First Company, as a reserve force, had completed its mission after rushing down for a surprise attack and had also retreated back to the fourth floor to continue as a reserve force.

The Special Operations Company had cleared the entire battlefield on the ground floor of Sihang Warehouse.

Lin Fan looked at the blocked gap and the tank that was now disabled outside the gap.

He knew that the enemy attacking from the north still had one intact tank.

Now the entire interior of Sihang Warehouse had been cleared of the enemy!

The Special Operations Company was preparing to counterattack.

Lin Fan arranged for seven tanks to adjust their positions, with seven squads following behind the seven tanks, preparing to take the initiative.

According to Lin Fan's orders: "Tanks one and two will go out and charge towards the east.

Tanks three and four will charge towards the west.

Tanks four, six, and seven will circle around outside and attack the enemy to the north.

The three tanks attacking from the north must stop the enemy tank at the first opportunity."

Lin Fan knew that his tank drivers, who had only just learned to drive, were no match for the enemy in terms of skill.

That was why he had made this arrangement. After the orders were issued, he was still worried, and in the end, he got into tank number five himself.

This tank-ramming business, he should do it himself!

When Lei Xiong saw that the Special Operations Company was about to rush out, he immediately became excited. He insisted that Lin Fan agree to let his company cooperate in the operation.

When Lei Xiong's company was stationed in Sihang Warehouse, there were only thirty or so men left.

In today's fierce battle, the number had been reduced to just over twenty, and there were only five machine guns left.

Lin Fan admired people who had suffered setbacks but still insisted on continuing to fight.

He immediately agreed to Lei Xiong's request, and the five machine guns of the machine gun company were assigned to the first five tank teams.

The shells that Lin Fan had captured had all been used up by the soldiers for practice.

They had just captured dozens more, which were distributed evenly.

However, Lin Fan demanded: "Rush out quickly, the machine guns cannot stop!

Don't use the cannons."

He was also afraid that these gunners would shoot the shells into the concession on the opposite side.

Especially those two gas tanks, they must not be hit.

If they were blown up, it would hurt their own compatriots!

When the iron gate of Sihang Warehouse was actively opened:

Lieutenant Colonel Katsuharu Yota, the commander in charge of the eastern attack;

Lieutenant Colonel Kitahara Sosuke, the commander in charge of the western attack, became excited.

Like getting a pillow when you're sleepy, did these defenders want to surrender?

This thought only flashed through their minds for a moment before sinking.

Their hearts sank with it.

The machine guns mounted on top of the tanks that rushed out were firing furiously in their direction.

The Chinese soldiers, bending over, followed behind the tanks, also firing continuously.

The enemy, who had just been scared by the bombing, was forty meters away from Sihang Warehouse.

In the blink of an eye, they were rushed by these immortal steel monsters.

The tanks that rushed out were not just one, but seven.

Lieutenant Colonel Katsuharu Yota didn't know what his state of mind was: at this time, he was still hesitating about the number of tanks that rushed out.

Was it useful?

Of course it wasn't useful.

The sudden rush out of the defenders had already surprised the enemies surrounding Sihang Warehouse.

What surprised them even more was that these defenders were so fierce, unlike any Chinese army they had encountered before.

These defenders charged behind the tanks, regardless of whether their comrades fell around them. They only cared about following the tanks and charging non-stop.

Firing at the enemy.

The enemy soldiers, heavily concentrated, went from being surprised to being frightened.

They realized for the first time: that Chinese soldiers could also be so frightening.

When the tank group rushed into the middle of the enemy ranks, the enemy's formation finally began to collapse.

They began to throw away their weapons and run!

Lin Fan at this time had already led three tanks, gracefully turned around, and rushed towards the north side behind Sihang Warehouse.

The people on the other side of the Suzhou River watched as the smoke shrouded around Sihang Warehouse was torn apart layer by layer by the northwest wind.

Like the skin of an onion being peeled off layer by layer.

Each layer peeled off revealed a layer of truth.

Each layer torn off caused the hearts of the people on the south bank of the Suzhou River to ache.

The perimeter of Sihang Warehouse was full of enemies!

The northwest wind blew away the smoke, revealing the figures of the enemies.

When the entire silhouette of Sihang Warehouse was once again clearly displayed.

These citizens and reporters saw: the enemies outside the entire Sihang Warehouse were countless.

Now only the flag on the roof of Sihang Warehouse was still flying in the northwest wind, fluttering and crackling!

The hearts of all the citizens and reporters were clenched.

Even Zhang Boting, who had just so confidently said that the 542nd Regiment was still holding on.

His heart was also pounding up and down!

The October sun shone on Sihang Warehouse, shining on both sides of the Suzhou River.

At this moment, the iron gate of Sihang Warehouse suddenly opened.

The sunlight shone in.

Then it seemed to be pushed out by a huge sound.

The first thing that caught everyone's eyes was a long tube.

The dark mouth of that tube was facing everyone on the south bank of the Suzhou River.

Instantly, that tube became vivid: it was pushed out by a darkness behind it.

"Tank!" someone shouted.

"Our tank!" someone added.

The residents living on the shore knew that the Chinese army guarding Sihang Warehouse had captured seven enemy tanks a few days ago.

And they had fought yesterday as well.

Someone heavily patted their own head: "So stupid! How could I forget that we also have tanks."

Koizumi Junichiro saw the tanks driving out of Sihang Warehouse, and his heart began to ache again.

He knew that in the current situation, the tanks rushing out would be very damaging to the knights of the Empire.

Infantry against tanks was completely crushed.

What's more, in this completely unprepared situation.

Looking at the tongues of fire spitting out from the machine guns on the tanks continuously.

The Chinese soldiers following behind the tanks kept shooting.

The south bank of the Suzhou River once again erupted into the suppressed shouts of the morning:

"The Chinese army will win!"

"Chinese army!"

"Will win!"

Far away in the command post, Tsuchishiro Takuma watched the sudden changes on both sides of the Suzhou River.

He turned around in anger and swept all the documents and maps placed in the command post onto the ground.

Then he had to return to the observation hole again to watch the development of the battle ahead.

"Waste! Pigs! Idiots!" He couldn't find more words to describe the brave enemy soldiers fighting in front.

No matter how he scolded, the battle situation on the front line did not develop as he had expected.

In his fiery gaze, the Shanghai Marine Corps that he was so proud of collapsed.

If gazes could kill, there would be no need for enemy soldiers to attack now.

Colonel Tsuchishiro Takuma alone could kill all his subordinates with his gaze.

Under Tsuchishiro Takuma's eager care, the enemies attacking from the east and west were now running away at a speed no slower than when they were attacking.

These enemy soldiers fled in panic.

This situation was something that the ordinary citizens on the south bank of the Suzhou River had never seen before.

It was also something that the observers of the multinational military observation group had never heard of, nor had they ever thought of.

In their minds, they only remembered the bushido spirit of the Japanese soldiers, and only remembered the scenes of those Japanese soldiers charging at the risk of their lives.

They also remembered the scene of the Japanese officer a few days ago, fighting to the last man, carrying a command knife, and resolutely launching an attack on the 542nd Regiment.

Now they saw thousands of Japanese troops, even abandoning their armor and fleeing.

Nelson Johnson, the US ambassador to China, said in disbelief: "Good heavens! Is this really happening?"

Koizumi Junichiro's anger in his eyes was no less than Tsuchishiro Takuma's. He didn't hate the 542nd Regiment, nor did he hate these foreigners.

He only hated those fleeing Japanese soldiers: "Why don't you go die?"

Dying in battle was much more heroic than living a life of stealing.

The face of the Japanese Empire had been completely lost by them!

It should be known: today the eyes of the world were focused here.

The vast number of reporters around were all here to witness a miracle.

Now these reporters had finally witnessed a miracle.

Chen Sichuan, the squad leader of the First Squad of the Special Operations Company, followed behind the tank and rushed into the middle of the enemy ranks.

While fighting, he shouted, "Brothers, work hard!

Killing one is enough, killing ten is a profit."

Liu Laopao, the squad leader of the Second Squad, was also attacking the enemy to the east. Hearing Chen Sichuan's completely unreasonable shouting.

He fired a burst from his machine gun first.

Taking advantage of the time to change the magazine, he had the opportunity to open his mouth: "Chen Sichuan! How does your damn turtle son calculate? Killing one is enough, killing ten is only a profit of one?

Isn't it a profit of nine?

You can't count!

I told you to study more, you didn't believe me, now you know the bitterness of being uneducated!

You suffered the loss of being uneducated!"

Chen Sichuan laughed: "My life is hard, I have nine, can't I?"

The Special Operations Company soldiers who were nervously attacking all shouted, "We all have nine lives!"

Although Liu Laopao never admitted defeat, today he had to soften his words: "Damn you, you're ruthless!"

While speaking, he didn't relax his hands.

The machine gun loaded with bullets continued to fire at the enemy whose backs were facing him.

This kind of battle was going too smoothly!

Regiment Commander Xie Jinyuan was now standing on the roof looking at the scenery again.

He watched the enemy running around with their heads in their hands, watching the Special Operations Company soldiers chasing and killing them non-stop behind the tanks.

The frown that had been on his face since morning finally relaxed.

He smiled slightly at Yang Ruifu: "We finally made it through!"

Battalion Commander Yang also smiled: "We finally made it through!"

When the enemy rushed into Sihang Warehouse, looking at the figures of the enemies everywhere on the ground floor.

They both had a thought in their minds: "It's over! We can't hold it!"

It was just that the two of them, as the soul of this defending army, had never said it.

When the iron gate of Sihang Warehouse was closed, watching the enemies locked on the ground floor, there were still four or five hundred of them.

Their hearts were also unable to be at peace.

The two of them had personally witnessed the efficiency and bravery of the Special Operations Company soldiers fighting.

The shouts of killing not only encouraged their own people, but also unified the rhythm of their own people's attacks.

At the same time, it also frightened the enemies, disrupting their rhythm.

Regiment Commander Xie had already planned: next, he would promote Lin Fan's assassination technique throughout the regiment!

Now they watched with relief as the Special Operations Company soldiers drove tanks and crushed the enemy.

Chasing the enemy to kill.

They were unspeakably happy in their hearts.

The defense of Sihang Warehouse was still continuing, and the final outcome of today had not yet come out.

But the battle situation here had already been transmitted by radio waves.

Zhang Boting sent people in a nearby room in such a fanfare to openly telegraph to the country: "Good news, today our eight hundred heroes of Sihang Warehouse defeated the attack of eight thousand Japanese pirates from the Shanghai Marine Corps. Currently, they are pursuing the victory."

He was the first to openly announce today's battle situation to the country.

Today, the military and civilians in many parts of the country saw the statement published in the newspapers by the Japanese Shanghai Marine Corps.

Many military and civilians were concerned about the offensive and defensive battle taking place in Sihang Warehouse.

Those who received this telegram all told each other.

Many newspapers urgently wrote an extra edition, using this short telegram as a blueprint.

Writing a legend of the offensive and defensive battle of Shanghai Sihang Warehouse on October 29, 1937.

It was not just one newspaper doing this, but many newspapers had thought of the same thing.

After all, being able to receive telegrams was only a minority. Such good news had to be known to all four hundred million compatriots across the country.

At the same time, it could also increase the income of the newspaper. Such things that benefited the country and the people, and benefited oneself, must be done, not only must they be done, but they must be done well!

In the Presidential Palace in Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek was at his wit's end.

He could not only focus on one battlefield, he was focusing on the entire war of resistance across the country.

This year was the first year that the national united front of the war of resistance was truly put into action.

The situation was not optimistic!

Only the Eighth Route Army's battles in northwestern Shanxi gave the people of the country some encouragement.

However, Chiang Kai-shek was unwilling to promote this team too much.

These days, he saw that the 542nd Regiment, which he had left behind as a pawn, had actually erupted with such a strong combat power.

He was overjoyed and had long instructed the propaganda department to make the article about the eight hundred warriors guarding Sihang Warehouse bigger, stronger, and a benchmark.

Now the national war of resistance situation was severe, and the more it was in such a situation, the more it was necessary to highlight this kind of hero who resisted in a desperate situation.

We must use thousands upon thousands of unknown heroes to promote a few famous heroes.

Eight hundred isolated troops guarding Sihang!

Just this topic could be used to make many articles.

How much propaganda the national army had these days, and with the Japanese army's statement being issued.

How many people across the country were paying attention to the eight hundred warriors and Sihang Warehouse.

When Chiang Kai-shek received Zhao Boting's open telegram, he said with emotion: "Boting is still a thoughtful person."

He excitedly asked the telegraph room to send a reply to ask about the battle report of Sihang Warehouse today.

The order personally issued by the president was immediately executed.

Zhang Boting had a phone call with Regiment Commander Xie Jinyuan, who was defending Sihang Warehouse, and learned that in today's bloody battle, the entire 542nd Regiment had thirty-seven soldiers killed, forty slightly wounded, and eighteen seriously wounded in the round of enemy attacks.

Five hundred and thirty-seven enemies who rushed into Sihang Warehouse were killed, and the enemies who died outside Sihang Warehouse had not been cleared temporarily, and it was estimated that there were no less than two thousand.

In total, at least two thousand five hundred enemies were killed or wounded.

At this time, Xie Jinyuan was unwilling to falsely report the number of enemies annihilated. He was very careful. When the battlefield had not been cleaned up, he tried to underreport the number of enemies annihilated as much as possible.

It was just that his idea was misunderstood.

Zhang Boting believed that he had falsely reported, and had falsely reported a lot.

But at this time, for the morale and confidence of the highest commander of the isolated army defending Sihang Warehouse.

As a staff officer, he could only encourage him and could not attack him.

So Zhang Boting used the most enthusiastic language to encourage the 542nd Regiment.

At the same time, he also revealed to Xie Jinyuan that the person who needed the battle report at this time was President Chiang's residence.

What Zhang Boting did not expect was that even if he knew that this battle report was to be reported to the supreme commander.

Xie Jinyuan did not have the awareness to change his words.

So what was placed in front of Chiang Kai-shek was: the astonishing data of the defenders' casualties of ninety-five people and the enemy's casualties of two thousand five hundred people.

Chiang Kai-shek simply couldn't believe his eyes.

After thinking for a while, he finally decided to talk to Regiment Commander Xie in person, which could also give encouragement to the defenders trapped in Sihang Warehouse.

When Xie Jinyuan picked up the phone and listened to the voice coming from the microphone.

He immediately stood up straight: "Report to the headmaster! Xie Jinyuan, a student of the fourth term of Huangpu, reports!"

Chiang Kai-shek was most proud of serving as the headmaster of the Huangpu Military Academy. In this way: all the students who came out of this school were his students.

The Huangpu system was also the team he trusted most.

Hearing that the president personally asked about the scene of today's battle, Xie Jinyuan described the battlefield situation today in detail.

When Chiang Kai-shek heard that only five hundred and thirty-seven enemy corpses were cleared when cleaning the battlefield on the ground floor of Sihang Warehouse.

Now the outer defenses of Sihang Warehouse were piled with enemy corpses, the battle was still continuing, and the soldiers had not had time to clean up, it was estimated that there were at least two thousand enemy corpses.

If guessing based on actual data, there were no less than three thousand to four thousand enemy corpses on the periphery.

And the soldiers of the 542nd Regiment had defeated the attacking Japanese Shanghai Marine Corps.

They were pursuing the victory!

Hearing this news, Chiang Kai-shek immediately believed Xie Jinyuan.

He greatly praised Xie Jinyuan's command ability, and at the same time ordered: all the officers stationed in Sihang Warehouse would be promoted by one rank.

He would also issue a commendation order to the whole country, and make the record of the 542nd Regiment today public to the whole country.

In particular, the eight hundred heroes of the 542nd Regiment withstood the pressure and withstood the attack of eight thousand enemies after the Japanese Shanghai Marine Corps published a statement in the newspaper.

They achieved an astonishing record of only thirty-odd casualties and annihilating more than four thousand enemies.

As for the slightly wounded and seriously wounded, they were omitted here.

Deleted but not mentioned!

Lin Fan drove the number five tank, followed by the fifth squad of the Special Operations Company.

Just as he turned the corner of Sihang Warehouse, he was immediately discovered by Lieutenant Colonel Yoshino Eishi, the commander of the enemy's north side.

Lieutenant Colonel Yoshino Eishi's voice trembled slightly: "Tank!"