Chapter 68

In the city of the Devil, at the Lu Mansion. Young Master Lu, dressed in his pajamas, resembled a raging bull, kicking sofas and smashing cups. When the butler came to invite him to lunch, he was kicked to the ground. Young Master Lu felt as if he was about to be driven mad with anger.

In just one morning, the more than ten thousand troops of the 10th Division, which his father considered the main force, were gone? And the 6th Mixed Brigade was also lost! How could these fools lead their troops?

Young Master Lu was not stupid; on the contrary, he was quite smart. Growing up in luxury, he enjoyed eating, drinking, and playing, but he also knew what he relied on to enjoy all this!

Once his Zhejiang troops were defeated by Gao Yang, Young Master Lu would be like a plucked wild chicken, left with nothing. He was very clear about this.

Now, Young Master Lu felt not only anger but also deep regret! If he had known how powerful Gao Yang was, he would never have dared to provoke him. Initially, he was swayed by Kenji Doihara and blinded by the huge sum of several million yen, putting aside the revenge for his father's death to collaborate with the Japanese to rob Gao Yang. He never expected that the robbery would fail and he would end up in this mess!

Commander He Fenglin of the Shanghai Garrison pushed open the door and walked into the living room. Lu Xiaojia's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly grabbed He Fenglin's hand, shouting, "Uncle He, how is the front line?" His eyes were full of hope, hoping that He Fenglin could bring him even a single piece of good news.

He Fenglin felt quite helpless. He thought to himself, "You only remember to call me Uncle He now." He shook his head and said with a bitter face, "The 1st Zhejiang Division has sent a telegram, saying that the Jiangyin Fort has been lost, and the 10th Division and the 6th Mixed Brigade couldn't escape! They are retreating towards Kunshan with the 1st Mixed Brigade. They have been bombed by aircraft and suffered heavy losses." Lu Xiaojia's face immediately turned pale!

He Fenglin shook his head, thinking, "I haven't even told you the worst part. The 1st Zhejiang Division and the 1st Mixed Brigade were so terrified by the intense artillery fire from the 6th Division that they fled in disarray, not only dispersing themselves but also disrupting the 2nd Mixed Brigade and part of the 4th Division heading to Jiangyin Fort! Now, from Jiangyin to the city of the Devil, there are no organized forces left!"

Lu Xiaojia stumbled and sat on the sofa, holding his head and pulling his hair, muttering, "How could this happen? How could this happen? Everything was fine last night!"

He Fenglin sighed deeply at Lu Xiaojia's pitiful state. How could the great General Lu, who had a glorious military career, have such a useless son! How could Lu Xiaojia, in his current state, possibly be a match for Gao Yang!

He Fenglin took a few steps forward and said softly, "Xiaojia, now is not the time to regret. You need to find a way out for our tens of thousands of Zhejiang brothers!" Lu Xiaojia suddenly stood up and shouted, "Where is Doihara? Where is that bastard Doihara?! Didn't he say he would help me? Quick, get the Japanese to send troops to help, bring him here!"

He Fenglin's face darkened at Lu Xiaojia's words. The Zhejiang troops and Gao Yang fighting each other was like family members fighting over family property. If you called in the Japanese, it would be like inviting outsiders into a family dispute! If this news got out, they would be cursed by the entire nation!

After a moment, He Fenglin said solemnly, "Commander, don't you understand? The Japanese are using you as a pawn! Even if you ask them to send troops, they won't agree. And if they did, it would become a national war! How many of the Zhejiang troops would still follow you then? And the United States, Britain, and France would never agree! The Japanese dare not offend so many powers."

He paused and continued, "At this point, Commander, you should think about how to seek peace." "Seek peace?" Lu Xiaojia was stunned for a moment and then said, "Right, right, right. Gao Yang is my uncle! Uncle He, go to Gao Yang and ask him to withdraw his troops for the sake of my father, Uncle He, go quickly!"

He Fenglin looked coldly at Lu Xiaojia, who was waving his arms and eyes bloodshot, sighed, and then stood up straight, saluted, and left. He took away the last hope of the Zhejiang troops for Lu Xiaojia!

Around the Jiangyin Fort, the several regiments of the 6th Division, after having lunch and refueling their trucks, set off, advancing along the river road straight for the city of the Devil!

The Zhejiang prisoners were marching in long lines towards Nanjing. The entire road was crowded with vehicles, people, and various supplies, making it extremely congested.

Gao Yang had already decided to end the battle as soon as possible. The units of the 6th Division started a race, rushing towards the city of the Devil. They encountered no organized resistance on the way, but captured many scattered soldiers.

Those who looted and raped in the villages were shot on the spot, and those who surrendered were gathered and marched towards Nanjing.

A few hours later, the 5th Regiment, which was leading the charge, caught up with the fleeing troops of the 1st Zhejiang Division and the 1st Mixed Brigade at the foot of Phoenix Mountain outside Changshu. These two local Zhejiang units, inferior in equipment, training, morale, and combat awareness to the 10th Division, were like wildebeests on the African savanna being chased by lions, crying and fleeing in all directions. However, the fleeing soldiers, who had not eaten since noon and had already exhausted their strength, could not possibly outrun the trucks.

Many of the exhausted soldiers simply lay on the ground and did not get up. The pursuit quickly turned into a capture operation.

Only on a small hill at the foot of Phoenix Mountain did about two companies of Zhejiang troops set up a simple defense, relying on a few Maxim machine guns to resist for over half an hour, causing significant casualties to the pursuing 6th Division.

It wasn't until the field artillery battalion, towed by trucks, arrived and unleashed a heavy bombardment that they were eliminated. According to the captured prisoners, they were from the 4th Division, and their resistance was organized by their divisional chief of staff, Zhang Fangzheng, who was killed during the bombardment, leading to the rapid collapse of the defensive position.

The news quickly reached Gao Yang, who said calmly, "The gap between regular troops and local security forces is too great."

The advancing troops soon arrived outside Changshu. The mayor of Changshu and the local gentry brought pork, mutton, white wine, and 600,000 yuan to comfort the troops, hoping that the 6th Division would not enter the city and disturb the civilians.

The pork and mutton were accepted, but the wine and money were returned. The commander of the 5th Regiment said, "We must enter the city, and that's non-negotiable. Don't worry about disturbing the civilians; Commander Gao hates violations of military discipline the most, and we soldiers are more afraid of getting into trouble than you are!"

In the city of the Devil, at the Garrison Headquarters. Before dinner, He Fenglin convened a meeting of the senior officers of the Zhejiang troops in the city. Everyone was sullen and silent.

In just one day, the entire Zhejiang army seemed to have completely collapsed! The defeat was like a landslide. He Fenglin knocked on the table and said solemnly, "The 4th Division has sent a telegram, reporting that Zhang Fangzheng died in battle at the foot of Phoenix Mountain. The vanguard of the 6th Division has already entered Changshu, and they are less than 100 kilometers away from us! Zhang Fangzheng's last telegram said that the 6th Division is all in trucks, with at least a thousand vehicles! There are no significant forces left from Changshu to the city of the Devil. The 6th Division will definitely reach the city of the Devil by tomorrow! What are your thoughts?"

"The 6th Division is really rich."

"Who do you think the 6th Division belongs to?"

"Speaking of money, who can compare with Commander Gao?"

"..."

The commander of the Zhejiang Reinforcement Brigade, Zang Zhiping, knocked on the table and, after the room quieted down, looked at He Fenglin and said solemnly, "What are Commander Lu's instructions?" He Fenglin twitched his eyes and shook his head slightly, saying, "Commander Lu wants to ask the Japanese to send troops!"

This statement was like pouring water into a pot of oil; the meeting room immediately erupted. The long-suppressed dissatisfaction with Young Master Lu finally burst out. After a round of criticism, insults, and questioning of their female relatives, the room quieted down, and everyone looked at He Fenglin.

He Fenglin understood everyone's meaning, cleared his throat, and was about to speak when the door to the meeting room was pushed open.

He Fenglin, looking displeased, was about to scold, but the officer who rushed in with a telegram shouted, "Commander Lin Jianzhang of the Shanghai Fleet has sent a telegram supporting Commander Gao in his campaign against the traitor and collaborator Lu Xiaojia! The Shanghai Fleet declares its allegiance to Commander Gao!"

"Ai," He Fenglin sighed and said softly, "In times of great disaster, everyone flies in different directions." After everyone digested this news, He Fenglin said solemnly, "Everyone, Lu Xiaojia, for his own selfish desires, colluded with the Japanese and led us Zhejiang troops into a fire. Now we must save ourselves!"

"Commander He is right!"

"Lu Xiaojia is a bastard who has ruined us."

"Exactly, exactly."

"This traitor, the military pay for last month hasn't even been issued yet!"

"Let's also join Commander Gao!"

"Commander He, we will follow your lead. What do you suggest we do?"

"..."

The meeting room was filled with clamor. Just as everyone was getting worked up, a cold voice rang out, "When you were taking the money, didn't you all say you would follow Young Master Lu to share in Gao Yang's wealth?" This statement was particularly harsh! It was like being doused with a bucket of cold water, and the room fell silent.

The people in the meeting room were speechless, with various expressions on their faces, but all were filled with anger and looked at Zang Zhiping. Zang Zhiping, expressionless, sipped his tea as if he had not just spoken.

The atmosphere became extremely awkward. He Fenglin's eyes flashed with anger, and he cleared his throat, saying, "We were all deceived at the time. Now is not the time to talk about that. My suggestion is that we follow Commander Lin's example and align ourselves with Commander Gao. After all, we are all part of the Anhui clique. What do you think? Everyone, share your thoughts."

Zang Zhiping put down his teacup and said calmly, "Let me say a few words. What is our current situation? Our main forces have been defeated, the front line has been breached, and the enemy is at our doorstep! Following Commander Gao? What then? Do you, He Fenglin, still think you can continue to be the commander of the Shanghai Garrison? Do you still think you can keep your own troops? Do you think you can kick out Lu Xiaojia and find a richer master to continue being a military leader? If you were in Commander Gao's position, would you agree? Think about it!"

With a "bang," He Fenglin slammed the table, stood up, and pointed at Zang Zhiping, shouting, "Then what do you suggest we do?!"

(PS: Here, I ask all the friends who like this book to give it some favorites and recommendations. Thank you all.)

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