Anti-Japanese War: When I get promoted, the system will explode with soldiers

Chapter 1121 A Mere Colonel

A mere Japanese colonel could certainly not quell this matter. The Japanese high command also understood that this matter could not be left unresolved, so they came up with another method: diverting attention.

Under the current circumstances, unless something new happens, the entire Japanese government will be watching this matter closely, and sacrificing any official position will likely not be enough to bring them to an end.

Therefore, Japan prepared to launch an offensive on the battlefield, using a powerful offensive to alleviate people's anxiety and make them gradually forget about the incident, which meant that the Japanese military had not made many mistakes.

As Li Shaoyi had predicted, the capital was essentially undefendable. Although the soldiers fought valiantly, and many of our brothers suffered heavy casualties, the city defense command ultimately announced a retreat.

Fortunately, the atrocities committed by the Japanese in this area had been publicized to the local people beforehand, which gave many of them a full understanding of the situation and helped them make the right choices in their future lives. This prevented Li Shaoyi from experiencing any great regret.

"Reporting to the commander, Commander Wu just sent a telegram saying that our casualties are about one-third, and we have all been evacuated to northern Anhui."

Li Shaoyi, who was closely monitoring the battlefield situation, received a telegram from Wu Zhenkui.

This man was in charge of overseeing all units of the 72nd Army fighting in the capital. After resisting for more than 20 days, the various forces were too exhausted to fight any longer and had no choice but to lead their troops in a retreat.

"This was already destined. If we were to resist, we might as well have done it in Shanghai. Release some of my previous conversations immediately, so that people inside the Nationalist government will understand that their hasty retreat has caused us to lose the entire Jiangnan region, and some people will have to pay the price for it."

Li Shaoyi said angrily, "If these guys hadn't arbitrarily withdrawn the elite Nationalist troops, the entire battle of Pujiang wouldn't have turned out this way. We paid a huge price back then, wanting to make this place just like North China, to keep the Japanese army bleeding. But unexpectedly, those guys, in order to preserve their strength, actually did this without authorization, withdrawing their elite troops without even informing the Pujiang War Zone Command. This kind of war is impossible to fight."

After hearing Li Shaoyi's words, Miss Gu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to do as he said. Although doing so might make others realize that we were breaking with the party and state leadership, if we only cared about what others thought, who would care about our thoughts? In this retreat, our 72nd Army suffered the most severe losses.

"The Ministry of Military Affairs has just issued an order to convene a top-level military conference on the 22nd of this month, and you have been invited to attend. The conference will be held at the Ministry of Military Affairs Command Center in Hankou."

Miss Gu also reported on another matter, which was the highest-level military conference convened by the Nationalist government since the end of the Battle of Pujiang.

It goes without saying that the Japanese army will continue to commit troops for a long time to come, and we will have to resist them along the Yangtze River in stages. In the coming days, their war might be easier if they have the help of the 72nd Army. But if Li Shaoyi abandons his post, then they will have to find other ways to deal with the situation.

The entire city of Nanjing coveted the fighting power of the 72nd Army, wishing they could bring it under their control. The problem was, this army belonged to Li Shaoyi, and he was utterly unyielding; trying to gain any advantage over him was extremely difficult.

Therefore, issuing operational orders to the 72nd Army required utmost care. Because once the 72nd Army achieved victory, this territory would no longer belong to them. Before the Japanese arrived, this land belonged to them; after the Japanese arrived, it belonged to the Japanese. Once the 72nd Army drove the Japanese away, this land would belong to Li Shaoyi.

Although Li Shaoyi was dismissed from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Pujiang War Zone, he remained the most powerful figure in the country. If such a military conference were not invited, the various democratic parties in the country would not agree. The Nationalist government still had some sense of dignity.

"It's getting late before the meeting, so let's have someone arrange for us to take the shortest route."

According to Li Shaoyi's original plan, if he wanted to leave Huangpu River now, he could only do so by taking a steamship, specifically a foreign-owned one, which was the safest option. However, since a military conference was to be held in Hankou, they would have to risk going up the Yangtze River and through the Japanese-occupied territory. For Li Shaoyi, this wasn't a big deal, since he had his brothers protecting him along the way, and they could even cause some trouble for the Japanese.

Miss Gu initially wanted to offer some words of advice, but considering the importance of this military conference, Li Shaoyi had to attend. It concerned all the steps the Nationalist government would take in the next phase of the war of resistance; without Li Shaoyi's participation, the Nationalist army might suffer significant losses. Therefore, even if it was slightly dangerous along the way, they had to overcome the difficulties.

There's nothing urgent left on the Huangpu River side; the most valuable goods and money have already been looted by Li Shaoyi. Even now, with layers upon layers of guards protecting the port area, all they're guarding is a pile of ruins. Others may not know the true situation inside, but surely Li Shaoyi knows too? He's the mastermind behind this whole thing.

All shipping routes to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River were blocked, so the only way to travel upstream was by land. The railway lines were riddled with holes from bombing, making them unusable not only for the Japanese but also for ourselves. Therefore, Li Shaoyi and his men had to pretend to be merchants, and no matter how the war progressed, these merchants would transport supplies across various regions, earning a pittance on the edge of a knife.

At first, the Japanese hunted these merchants relentlessly, seizing everything they carried, whether money or goods. However, after a while, they discovered that this resulted in the merchants never returning to the area.

Such short-sighted practices are pointless. It would be better to charge merchants a toll, which would be a more sustainable business model that benefits both parties.