si-mexico Chapter 1105 Worry
Chapter 1105 Worry
“This evacuation is really thorough. I think even the cook is leaving. You should hurry up and get on the plane with them. If your family has any difficulties, bring them over as soon as possible. We have plenty of planes here and can evacuate to the north in one go. I don’t think Hankou is safe either.”
Wu Zhenkui directed his men to board the plane, just as Li Sibei was about to bring her men over.
"Is Hankou not even safe?"
Li Sibei was not a military professional, so when she heard Wu Zhenkui say this, she was full of worry, as many of her family members had retreated to Hankou.
Logically, such noble families shouldn't have to worry about retreat routes, but sometimes things are unpredictable. After all, it's wartime. When retreating from Pujiang, some division commanders' families forgot to bring them out. Fortunately, there are two concessions in Pujiang, so they can still bring people out in the future. But if Nanjing forgets anyone, then they probably won't be able to bring them back.
"This is just my speculation, and our army group's staff headquarters also speculates the same way. I've sent everyone to the north, where we have over a million troops. No one can cause them any trouble. You can think about it yourself. This time, regarding the evacuation of Nanjing, our commander-in-chief is serious. He wants all personnel to be evacuated."
Wu Zhenkui said in a low voice, "Right now, the whole Party and the country are talking about the defense of the capital. No one can say such discouraging things. But everyone with eyes can see that the troops defending the capital have all been withdrawn from Pujiang. Although they have received a lot of reinforcements, there are no natural defenses around Nanjing. Compared with the reinforcements we have received, they are nothing."
We only received a portion of the reinforcements, and our weaponry was far less advanced than it had been during the Battle of Pujiang. We also lacked an ally like the 72nd Army. The Japanese, on the other hand, brought in several divisions from their homeland, replenishing their ranks to the maximum extent possible, especially their naval and army air forces. They were poised to take Nanjing in one fell swoop.
"Our previous work has been effective. Whether it's in the newspapers or in rumors, I've written about the cruelty of the Japanese. Now the people in the city are leaving at an accelerated pace. As long as we can hold out for another half month..."
Li Sibei recalled what Li Shaoyi had said before. When she looked back at the city, there was a hint of fear in her eyes. Fortunately, with our efforts, perhaps some things will not happen, but when she didn't expect these things, her heart was still filled with turmoil.
"Half a month should be no problem. This time our air force is also implementing a rotation system. In order to ensure the smooth progress here, everything in central Shandong has been temporarily suspended. This is also due to the military system reform. After we get to the north, we really don't know what the future holds."
Wu Zhenkui truly didn't know what to do next. Looking at the setting sun in the sky, he felt a pang of sadness. The Battle of Pujiang had been fought fiercely, with hundreds of thousands of troops rushing in, including the elite of our 72nd Army. Who would have thought it would end like this?
We were all inspired by the victories we saw in the newspapers. In everyone's opinion, this was definitely a decisive battle, and we could fight them on the battlefield. Maybe we could hold them off. As long as we were united, no one could defeat us.
But the Nationalist government's final blow not only stunned Li Shaoyi, but also all those involved in the resistance against Japan. What kind of operation is this? Hundreds of thousands of troops were left stranded on the Huangpu River, and now you're just saying you're retreating? Is this what you've done?
Moreover, you fought alongside the 72nd Army before, and now you've abandoned them in the Huangpu River with a single word of retreat. What are you really thinking?
Of course, the Nationalist government also trained some journalists, and those people said that the 72nd Army also retreated. That Commander Li kept saying he would fight a bloody battle at Pujiang, but what was the final result? He rushed to retreat because of his own affairs and didn't fulfill his promise at all.
The common people are still discerning when it comes to what these people are saying. Your main force is withdrawing, your miscellaneous troops are withdrawing, leaving the entire Huangpu River to the 72nd Army, which is merely an army-level unit. Do you expect them to fight against the entire Japanese army? Are there any people in the world who would do that? Do they have that kind of ability?
Faced with questions from anti-Japanese activists in the newspapers, the Nationalist government did not respond. Instead, it adopted a posture of defending Nanjing to the death and fighting the Japanese together in Nanjing. However, various departments of the Nationalist government quickly withdrew, and some intellectuals began to talk about the Chongzhen Emperor of that time.
Seeing Li Zicheng's army about to enter the city, fulfilling the emperor's wish to guard the nation's gates, they didn't even mention retreating with their troops. But here, the Japanese aren't even close to Nanjing, and government offices of all sizes have already begun to evacuate. Airports and train stations are now packed to the brim with westward transport. Is this some kind of desperate defense of the capital?
Even before that, the Nationalist government had published news in the newspapers about appointing Li Shaoyi as the commander of the capital's garrison. Unfortunately, Li Shaoyi didn't fall for it. If it were in Huangpu, they could have defended for a while, but Nanjing was surrounded by no natural defenses, and the Japanese army had doubled its previous strength. Even if they continued to reinforce Nanjing, it would be a drop in the ocean.
Of course, the most important point is that when fighting in Shanghai, the Nationalist government really wanted to fight to the death. But when it came to Nanjing, the Nationalist government was just putting on a show. The capital and the coffin of the Father of the Nation were still there. If they didn't fight a single battle, it would be difficult to face the world. But if they did fight, they didn't have much capital, since all their capital was working in Shanghai.
"So when do you plan to withdraw? Since none of the parties intend to fight this battle, just going through the motions will suffice. We've already suffered considerable losses in Pujiang."
Li Sibei knew that Wu Zhenkui and his men would definitely hold out until the end. The skies were still ours, but our strength was no match for the Japanese army. In the future, the air force ratio would be at least two thousand to one thousand. If they really blocked the air evacuation routes, Wu Zhenkui and his men would also be in danger. The Japanese were accelerating their movements around Nanjing...