si-mexico Chapter 796 We are Chinese soldiers
Chapter 796 We are Chinese soldiers
"The Japanese have brought in heavy artillery." Veteran Hu Dashan squatted behind sandbags, slicing half a potato with his bayonet. "I heard from a passing messenger that several more Japanese divisions have arrived at sea..."
Li Weizhou silently took the potatoes handed to him by Hu Dashan.
As an officer who graduated from the Central Military Academy, he was more aware of the critical situation of the war than ordinary soldiers.
"Company commander, an urgent telegram from the division headquarters!" The messenger crouched as he walked through the rubble and handed a piece of paper covered in mud to Li Weizhuo.
The note simply read: "Hold your position and cover the main force's deployment adjustments."
Li Weizhou smiled bitterly, crumpled the note and stuffed it into his pocket.
He knew it was an almost impossible task.
His company had held the position known as "Death Corner" for three weeks.
The Hongkou area has become an isolated island since late October.
This place is not a neutral zone during wartime, but Japan's sphere of influence, and has long been the forefront of the war.
The Japanese army used Huishan Wharf as its base and expanded to the surrounding areas relying on strong strongholds such as Gongda Cotton Mill and the Japanese Marine Corps Headquarters.
Li Weizhuo's company was stationed near the main road leading to the International Settlement in Hongkou. Their mission was to delay the Japanese army's advance towards Suzhou River as much as possible.
The position is located at the former site of Hongkou Vegetable Market, which is now in ruins.
Sandbags, steel plates, doors, windows, furniture, all available materials were used to build fortifications.
"Hu Dashan, take two men and check the machine gun position on the east side," Li Weizhou ordered. "The Japanese artillery fire last night may have destroyed the bunker there."
Hu Dashan nodded and called on the two young soldiers to follow him and move eastward.
This forty-year-old veteran is the oldest soldier in the company. He participated in the January 28th Battle of Shanghai and is very experienced.
Li Weizhuo picked up the telescope and carefully observed the movements on the other side of the river.
The concession area on the south bank of Suzhou River is still bustling with lights and people, and there is a constant stream of vehicles and pedestrians on Waibaidu Bridge.
Separated by a body of water, they are two different worlds.
"They live such a comfortable life." The young clerk Xiao Chen came over, his tone filled with envy and dissatisfaction.
"That's because other countries are strong." Li Weizhou put down the binoculars. "If our generation can't win, our descendants will have to live like this, depending on others' wishes."
Xiao Chen fell silent and lowered his head to wipe the Zhongzheng rifle in his hand.
Suddenly, a puff of smoke rose from the Japanese positions on the opposite bank. Li Weizhou immediately shouted: "Artillery fire! Everyone take cover!"
In an instant, a shrill sound came from far away and the first shell landed thirty meters in front of the position, shaking the earth.
Then more shells rained down, and the explosions were deafening.
The soldiers quickly took shelter in reinforced bunkers and anti-artillery holes.
Hu Dashan and two soldiers jumped into a half-collapsed basement and avoided the most intense first round of shelling.
The bombardment lasted for a full twenty minutes.
When the artillery fire subsided, Li Weizhuo poked his head out of the bunker and saw that the position was filled with smoke. Several bunkers were directly hit, and sandbags and wood were scattered all over the ground.
"Rescue the wounded! Repair the fortifications!" he ordered loudly.
The soldiers acted quickly, the medical staff were busy bandaging the wounded, and others began to repair the destroyed fortifications.
Hu Dashan crawled out of the basement, his face covered in dust but unharmed.
"Damn Japs, they sell shells as if they are free." He muttered and began to check whether the machine gun was intact.
Li Weizhuo inspected the position with a heavy heart.
They no longer had enough materials to repair all the fortifications.
To make matters worse, the ammunition reserves were running low, with each person having less than twenty bullets on average, and even fewer grenades.
"Company commander, look over there!" the observation post suddenly shouted.
Li Weizhuo raised the telescope and saw that the Japanese troops on the opposite side were gathering, with about a squadron of troops preparing to attack.
"Prepare for battle!" The order quickly spread throughout the position.
The soldiers took their positions and the limited ammunition was distributed reasonably.
Hu Dashan operated the only usable heavy machine gun on the position and checked whether the ammunition belt was unobstructed.
"Be more careful, Lao Hu," Li Weizhou reminded him, "We only have two ammunition belts left."
Hu Dashan nodded, his face solemn.
The Japanese army's river crossing operation began.
They used smoke bombs for cover, built pontoon bridges at multiple locations at the same time, and landed using rubber boats. Intensive gunfire was heard from the direction of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on the opposite bank. It was the new defensive position built by the General Tax Police Corps.
"They want to cross the river and encircle us!" Hu Dashan roared, operating the heavy machine gun to shoot at the opposite bank.
Li Weizhou saw the Japanese army figures looming in the fog and calmly ordered the soldiers to concentrate their firepower on attacking the pontoon bridge.
They built shelters with steel plates, ambushed on the shore, and threw grenades at the Japanese troops crossing the river.
The battle lasted a full six hours.
When the fog cleared, dozens of Japanese soldiers' bodies and damaged rubber boat wreckage were found floating on the Suzhou River. Only a small number of Japanese soldiers managed to reach the shore.
Those Japanese troops who managed to land hid in a coal storage mine on the shore.
Hu Dashan was about to lead his men in pursuit, but was stopped by Li Weizhou: "The brothers from the Tax Police Corps will deal with them."
Sure enough, not long after, they saw soldiers from the Tax Police Corps take cotton bags, soak them in kerosene, light them on fire and throw them in. All the Japanese soldiers hiding inside were burned to death.
The air was filled with a burning smell mixed with gunpowder smoke.
Li Weizhuo counted the casualties and found that another twelve soldiers were killed and eight were injured.
The ammunition is almost exhausted.
"If we keep fighting like this, we won't last more than two days." Hu Dashan whispered.
Li Weizhuo did not answer, he knew that what Lao Hu said was true.
But he knew even more clearly that every hour of holding on was buying precious time for the entire battle.
As night fell, the sound of gunfire gradually became sparse.
The concessions on the south bank of the Suzhou River were lit up with neon lights, as if the life-and-death struggle on the north bank had nothing to do with them.
Li Weizhuo arranged the night sentry posts and let the soldiers take turns to rest.
He himself couldn't fall asleep, and stood in the ruins looking at the bright lights on the other side of the river.
"Company commander, have something to eat." Xiao Chen handed over half a hard pancake and a cup of hot water.
Li Weizhou took the cake, broke it in half and gave it back to Xiao Chen: "You need strength too."
The two of them ate their simple dinner in silence, listening to sporadic gunshots in the distance.
"Company commander, can we win?" Xiao suddenly asked, his voice filled with the anxiety and expectation unique to young people.
Li Weizhou was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "As long as we continue to resist, the Japanese will not win..."
Xiao Chen nodded as if he understood.
Late at night, Li Weizhuo finally felt tired and took a nap leaning against the wall of the bunker, but he slept uneasily, his dreams filled with artillery fire and his fallen comrades.
The next morning, Li Weizhuo was awakened by a loud noise. He picked up a telescope and looked towards the concession. He saw countless refugees rushing over the Waibaidu Bridge like a flood, pouring into the International Settlement for refuge.
They came in trucks, buses, trailers, carts, wheelbarrows, rickshaws, and on foot.
They carried the elderly and children, carried bags on their backs, babies sat in their fathers' shoulder baskets, and boys of eleven or twelve carried their elderly grandmothers on their backs.
"Sir, can we retreat?" a young soldier asked timidly, his eyes looking towards the concession.
Li Weizhou smiled bitterly and shook his head: "We are Chinese soldiers."
He understood these refugees.
Hongkou was the front line of the war, with bayonets blazing and artillery fire roaring. Residents fled in haste, shops closed down, and the market was deserted. Who wouldn't want to survive?