The 5th Division had been fighting near Zhenjiang. After the Jintan fell, Zhuang Jihua went to Moling Pass to take over the position of the 74th Army. Due to the heavy casualties, the 74th Army withdrew back to Nanjing City. After the Japanese occupied Lishui and turned south, the 74th Army simply retreated to Jiangbei.

The Japanese army was found near Moling Pass, which was a very dangerous signal. All retreats had to bear the danger of the troops collapsing during the retreat during the retreat. The soldiers were in a state of unstable mood during the retreat, and the troops retreated in Songhu almost collapsed. Fortunately, the 24th Army fought hard in the rear.

"Itagaki Seishiro ran away a little in a detour." Zhuang Jihua said lightly.

Xiao Shanling thought about it and couldn't help laughing. The Japanese army that appeared in Moling Pass could only be the Fifth Division of Itagaki Seishiro. Bannan was originally aimed at the main force of the southern line of Cishangang, but when the southern line was withdrawn, Ban's goal would definitely be lost, so he had to turn around and head north, so that it would be possible to appear in Moling Pass.

"It seems we have to speed up." Zhuang Jihua frowned and thought. There are three regiments of the 24th Army, the 36th Division, the Liang 1st Division, the Guo Xun Division, the Teaching Corps, the Tax Police Corps, the Sixty-Sixth Army, and the Gendarmerie. The total strength is nearly 100,000.

"Order the 24th Army to retreat to the Fulang position, Guo Xun retreated to the Zijin Mountain position, the 36th Division retreated to Tianbao City, the 66th Army retreated from Dasheng Pass to Dangtu, and then retreated to Zhenjiang to accept the command of Xue Yue, the commander of the 19th Army, and ordered Xue Yue to send a powerful force to meet the 66th Army. After the Zhenjiang defenders retreated in Nanjing, they could give up Zhenjiang at an appropriate time. The Tax Police Corps immediately withdrew from the position and crossed the river from the Caochangmen Floating Bridge; the Teaching Corps immediately crossed the river from the Jiangmen Ferry Crossing. The gendarmerie was responsible for maintaining order in the city, and anyone who spreads words and shakes the morale of the army will be killed."

With this order, the Chinese team completely withdrew from the outer positions of Nanjing and transferred to the Nanjing Fulang position. The Nanjing Fulang position included Yuhuatai, Zijinshan, Yinkongshan, Yangfangshan, Hongtushan, Mufushan, and Wulongshan. The 20th Army entered the Wulongshan line of Qixiashan, and the 47th Army retreated to Mufushan; the entire outer line of Nanjing was abandoned.

In addition to the inside and outside the Nanjing city in Jiangnan, Jiangbei also entered combat preparations. Hu Zongnan was responsible for commanding all the troops to Jiangbei. With Pukou as the center, he formed a circular defense circle from the edge of the Zikou to the west end of Jiangpu. Although the possibility of the Japanese army launching an offensive in Jiangbei is very small, it is necessary to prevent it.

In order to strengthen the military strength of Jiangbei, the two divisions of the First Army also withdrew from Jiangbei and returned the first army's system.

The Japanese army felt the actions of the Central ** team in Nanjing and stepped up their attacks to Nanjing. However, the main force of the Fifth Division was still south of Lishui, and the vanguard was blocked by Liang at Moling Pass. The 1st Division had not participated in any major battles, and the troops had little loss and still had strength. Zhuang Jihua now expects them to block the Fifth Division.

The Japanese offensive mainly came from the vanguard of the Fifth Division and the Seventh Division. Other Japanese troops on the North Line were also crippled. Fierce battles were fought for a month. Both sides were covered with scars. The Japanese army was not as powerful as the last time they attacked Nanjing.

In all military operations, retreat is much more difficult than attack; the biggest difference is the soldiers' psychological and attacking mentality. Because they have the initiative in the battlefield, their morale is high and they have no worries; if they retreat, they are not. In addition to fighting against enemy attacks, there are also soldiers' psychological changes caused by failure. In the end, the troops who cut off the rear will definitely suffer heavy losses.

In the previous life, the Kuomintang army did not learn to retreat in the War of Resistance and Liberation. I won’t talk about the Battle of Songhu. Later, the Battle of Xuzhou was in the Battle of Zhongtiaoshan, Liaochen, and Huaihai. All retreats eventually led to the complete collapse of the troops.

Although Zhuang Jihua didn't know the Kuomintang army in his previous life, he knew the danger of retreat. Both Huangpu and Dezhou Academy's instructors emphasized the danger of retreat. In order to stabilize the soldiers' emotions, he simply found a few horses and walked around the city every day. Otherwise, he would take a car to patrol the positions outside the city.

"Mengguo. You must stay behind. After the 24th Army retreated, you can only leave. Tell your brothers that I will wait for them by the river." After Zhuang Jihua checked the position in Tianbao City, he told Song Xi in the command center.

"Don't worry. I will lead the troops well and never let the troops disperse." Song Xi made a serious assurance that the chaos in Songhu was still fresh in memory of the chaos during the retreat. This time the retreat was orderly, which made him and all the frontline generals have confidence.

"Brother Zihui, thanks to you this time, 100,000 new recruits from Sichuan have arrived in Huaibei and Nanjing. I will add them to you, full essays." Zhuang Jihua felt very relaxed when he saw that the morale of the 24th Army was still very high.

When Yang Sen heard this, he was most worried about this. Now his heart finally fell into his stomach: "Cultural Revolution, the war in the past few months is full. When the battle is over, I will invite you to drink."

"You should treat you. Not only do you want me, but you also want your prime minister brother, and all your brothers," Zhuang Jihua said with a smile: "The Chairman is going to be promoted to you, and Lieutenant General becomes a general. Brother, there are not many generals in the country, and Sichuan is only one of the only ones."

Yang Sen was even happier: "Cultural Revolution, you are the disciple of the emperor. The chairman will not forget you. In the future, we brothers will come to you to fight the Japanese."

Zhuang Jihua was fair in his work, and the Sichuan Army was submissive, and the victory of this battle made them even more convinced. They participated in the Battle of Songhu, and naturally had a comparison in their hearts. The chaos of Songhu retreat was in a mess and the battle was so confused that they would be defeated if they didn't know how they were defeated. If they had not been far away from Wuhan, Zhuang Jihua would have been instructed, they would have retreated all the way to Nanjing; then this Nanjing victory.

However, at Moling Pass, Zhuang Jihua was very strict: "Team Commander Liang, you must be mentally prepared. The Fifth Division is known as the steel army among the Japanese army. Their attacks must be extremely fierce. You must block them. Once they are allowed to rush into the city, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Don't worry, Commander, even if there is only one person left, we will definitely block Itagaki outside Moling Pass." Liang said solemnly.

"The 1st Division is the unit I trained by myself

The Fourth Army and the 102nd Army were fighting very well, and Lan Yun Dong Anen also beat you and don’t let me down. I have never let you participate in the battle, just to let you take on the most difficult task. Now this time has come." Zhuang Jihua said a little heavy

Liang smiled faintly: "Good steel is used on the blade, and the commander trusts us, which is the honor of our 1st Division."

"Brother Juntao, you must be mentally prepared. You will be the last troops to withdraw from Nanjing. The wounded must be sent away as soon as possible. You cannot drag down the troops' actions. Your last resistance position is in Yuhuatai. I have sent the direct regiment of the group army to set up defenses in Yuhuatai."

Liang didn't say anything but nodded, and Zhuang Jihua said again: "Tell me brothers, I'll wait for you in front of the Jiangmen Ferry."

With Zhuang Jihua's patrol at various positions on the front line, generals at all levels also appeared on the positions. The soldiers' emotions became very stable, and Zhuang Jihua finally felt at ease.

The retreat continued, and the sound of artillery was getting closer, but there was no panic in the city. Officers at all levels defended the area in different areas to strictly prevent panic. The highest officials in each region inspected their responsible areas every day, and the order in the city was unprecedentedly stable.

"General, Nanjing's retreat was very successful. Even when France retreated in the last World War, it was not as good as Nanjing's retreat this time." Weber accompanied Zhuang Jihua to check the battlefield hospital.

"What's good or bad? Retreat and cannot win the war. We need time to accumulate strength." Zhuang Jihua did not turn around but said lightly, then bent down and softly condolences to the wounded.

The wounded struggled to get up, and Zhuang Jihua gently pressed him down: "Thank you, brother, recover well, we'll have sex with the Japanese again."

Zhuang Jihua thanked every wounded, and Mei Youlan helped Lin Yueying while asking. Lin Yueying felt a little impatient, but her good education did not reveal it, but the frequency of answering questions was very low. Often Mei Youlan said seven or eight sentences before answering one sentence.

However, Lin Yueying's impression of Zhuang Jihua was greatly improved. Unexpectedly, the commander did what he said and stayed in the Jiangmen without leaving. Seeing the troops crossing the river one after another, the sound of gunfire outside the city was getting closer and closer, and Japanese planes bombed more and more frequently. Within a day, the floating bridge was blown off several times and repaired several times, but he was still not anxious and patrolled everywhere every day, and still rode a horse to patrol the city.

"Report, Commander Liang reported that the main force of the board has arrived at Moling Pass."

Moling Pass is Zhuang Jihua's most concerned position. The battle situation is reported every half day. Zhuang Jihua looked up and thought for a while, but he didn't say anything. Liang still has more than 12,000 people, and there are direct regiments and guard regiments behind him, which can completely block Itagaki.

However, this shows that the situation has begun to get worse. Once Itagaki arrives, the Japanese army on the eastern front will also strengthen their attacks. The 24th Army Group 100,000 people went out of Sichuan, and two additional times were added, more than 30,000 were killed and more than 40,000 were injured. There are still 50,000 people left, more than 7,000 people left, and Guo Xun is 15,000 people left, and there are still 8,000 people left, let alone the Sixty-Sixth Army.

The Japanese troops appeared on the Eastern Front, including the 101st Division, the 16th Division, the 3rd Division, the 11th Division, and the 7th Division. Except for the 7th Division, Zhuang Jihua, other divisions, were not worried at all. They were all broken troops, with half of the divisions left.

"Commander, President Yu is here." Zhuang Jihua was thinking about whether to make adjustments. When Wu Ziniu saw the president coming, he hurriedly reminded him.

Zhuang Jihua looked up and saw the dean standing in front of him in a bloody white coat, and quickly concentrated: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, are you thinking about something just now?"

"The commander has a lot of things,..." Dean Yu looked very tired. He was a doctor of medicine who returned from France and had been teaching at Chongqing Medical College. He only enlisted in June. Zhuang Jihua was lost just now and saw it. He didn't need to guess it was because of the front-line war and didn't care.

"Are there many wounded people?" Zhuang Jihua asked.

"Look at it." Dean Yu was a little helpless. The wounded were sent in a bunch of ways. In just a few days, he had performed hundreds of surgeries by himself, and several other doctors had almost done the same number of surgeries. This was still a dangerous wounded person, so he sent him across the river with a little light.

Zhuang Jihua was also helpless. The soldiers fought bravely and suffered heavy casualties. President Yu said again: "Commander, there is not enough medicine, so Jiangbei has to send some here."

"No," Zhuang Jihua shook his head and said, "Jiangbei will not send medicine. You will have to cross the river in the next two days, as fast as tomorrow and as slow as the day after tomorrow."

"What should I do if the wounded?" Although it was safe to cross the river, Director Yu was still worried about the wounded people behind him.

Zhuang Jihua didn't say anything, and retreating would cost a price. Although President Yu was not a soldier, he understood the truth and tentatively proposed: "How about I bring a nurse team to stay."

Zhuang Jihua was a little surprised. Dean Yu was personally told to join the army. Unexpectedly, this weak scholar had the courage: "Okay, let's do it," and said, looking at the busy nurses around him, and adding: "It's better for nurses to stay all the health soldiers, and build an emergency ambulance on the other side of the river."

Dean Yu just nodded, but a firm voice came from behind: "I'll stay."

When he turned around, he saw Lin Yueying, who was covered in frost, Dean Yu quickly introduced to Zhuang Jihua: "This is Nurse Lin Yueying, she is a top student who graduated from Shanghai Medical College."

Zhuang Jihua could not remember the girl he summoned into the army himself, but he felt a little familiar. However, he shook his head and said, "No, it's better for women not to stay. War is a man's business."

"Why can't women stay? War is no longer just a man's business, but women are not Chinese?" Lin Yueying asked sharply, and then said disdainfully: "I thought General Zhuang was open-minded, but I didn't expect that he was also a macho man, with a smaller mind than a needle."

Everyone was stunned. Zhuang Jihua's authority was getting stronger and stronger. Whether in Chongqing or Nanjing, the Guards and Huangpu classmates were respectful, but they did not expect to be criticized by a little girl as being petty.

On the field

In two minutes, Wu Ziniu and Lu Ruishan looked at each other, not knowing whether the female soldier should be located. Wu Ziniu recognized Lin Yueying, but was also a little annoyed by her "rbitrage".

"It's not that you look down on the female soldiers after leaving behind," Zhuang Jihua looked at the bold female soldiers with interest: "Physically speaking, men are stronger than women. When the situation is critical, men can protect themselves and resist, but women cannot, at least the probability is much lower."

"The same goes for women, we can also use guns to attack the Japanese." Lin Yueying stared at Zhuang Jihua in dissatisfaction, and Mei Youlan looked at Zhuang Jihua with a slight smile beside her.

Zhuang Jihua thought for a while, took off the pistol on his body and handed it to Lin Yueying: "Get this gun and leave the last one." He paused and added: "Save it for yourself."

"Don't worry, I won't be a prisoner." Lin Yueying took the pistol in a big way and shook it at him, but a smile appeared on her face. She had always wanted to put the gun, but she had never got it. The officer in charge always said that the nurse wanted something, which made her grit her teeth.

"Call the guard captain." Zhuang Jihua turned around and said that every field hospital had a guard captain. In addition to preventing enemy attacks, it also needed to prevent people from causing trouble. The soldiers who came down from the battlefield were all red in their eyes, and if they were not careful, the gun would hit their foreheads.

The guard captain soon came to Zhuang Jihua. This was a tall, red-faced man. Like many people, his military uniform was dirty. He went to Zhuang Jihua to be in full military uniform before saluting loudly: "Report to Commander, Zhang Lingfu, the fourth phase of Huangpu, reported to you."

"Huangpu Phase IV?" Zhuang Jihua was stunned. The captain of the hospital guard was actually from Huangpu Phase IV. This surprised him. Under his command, there were people from Huangpu Phase IV who became brigade commanders. Wang Guobin and Zhang Lihui. These Huangpu Phase IV have become master commanders. This Huangpu Phase IV is just a small hospital guard captain. Zhuang Jihua looked up and down at Zhang Lingfu and asked in confusion: "Are you from Huangpu Phase IV?"

"The fourth phase of the infantry department of Huangpu, second lieutenant captain." Zhang Lingfu replied loudly.

"Why are you the second lieutenant?"

"A humble position... a humble position,... a humble position, I violated military law and just released it." Zhang Lingfu hesitated for a moment before saying.

"Oh," Zhuang Jihua now understood. The rank of the criminal officer released from Nanjing Military Prison was naturally the same as the end: "The safety of the hospital will be left to you. Doctors and nurses, many of them will be brought back to Jiangbei."

"Please rest assured, Commander." Zhang Lingfu replied with his chest raised.

After Zhuang Jihua left the hospital, the name Zhang Lingfu suddenly jumped into his mind. Why is it so familiar? It seems that he has heard of it there.

"Zhang Lingfu was originally named Zhang Zhonglin. This kid is famous. It turns out that Hu Zongnan's subordinates were in the First Division and Yu Chengwan were the regiment commander, but later he killed his wife. His wife's family complained everywhere. The local women's federation also sued Nanjing and walked to Mrs. Jiang's place. The chairman ordered an arrest. Hu Zongnan wanted to protect him and let him go to Nanjing for trial. He sold his words along the way to Nanjing, and the military court sentenced him to ten years in prison."

The case of Zhang Zhonglin's murder of his wife was a hot topic back then, and everyone knows it. Zhuang Jihua still has an impression. He nodded slightly, but after taking two steps, he felt that the army had an impression of Zhang Lingfu, not Zhang Zhonglin, and had heard of this name there.

Zhuang Jihua couldn't remember it for a moment, but he kept it in his heart. This fourth-year junior cannot stay in the guard, which is a waste of talent.

Back at the command center, Zhuang Jihua ordered a company to be drawn from the teaching team, the 36th Division, the 20th Army, and the 47th Army, plus a company of the guard regiment, and handed it all over to Liang, and then Liang scattered these companies on both wings and launched a counterattack on Itagaki.

"Tell Liang that the Japanese army has a forward in the offensive, and each forward has a sharp tip, so he will hit the sharp tip."

Everyone didn't understand what this move meant, but Itagaki's reaction made them realize it suddenly. Two days later, Liang personally commanded two main groups to attack the Japanese squadron of the knife. After half an hour of fierce fighting, itagaki was careful and then found that four top numbers appeared on his wings, and he immediately became alert.

The Fifth Division, which attacked Nanjing from the south, showed that the Nanjing Middle School team was more tenacious than when they met in the mouth, and Itagaki immediately contracted its troops.

With this opportunity, Zhuang Jihua immediately ordered Liang to retreat to Yuhuatai, the 20th Army and the 47th Army retreated across the river, and only three divisions were Song Xi, Guo Xun and Liang left in the entire Nanjing city.

Itagaki woke up immediately, and then the Japanese army launched a large-scale attack on the city of Nanjing. The three major support points of Yuhuatai, Shizishan Fortress and Taipingmen broke out.

A few Japanese troops secretly crossed Tonghua Gate and attacked the city. The direct regiment and the military police teamed up to annihilate it.

Zhuang Jihua stood by the floating bridge and paced back and forth. The general retreat order had been issued. Liang walked through the grassland gate, Guo Xun walked through the Jiangmen, and Song Xi walked down the pass. In order to seize the last chance, the Japanese army had a very fierce offensive.

The gunfire became more and more intense and closer. The soldiers of the guard regiment around were watching Zhuang Jihua nervously. The direct regiment and the guard regiment set up circular defensive positions near the Lijiangmen. They were the last line of contact and blocking. Zhuang Jihua looked leisurely on the outside but was very nervous on the inside. Can the troops retreat? However, his external performance stabilized the soldiers' emotions. As a national lieutenant general and the commander of the Nanjing garrison, they were still in the city. What was they nervous when they were small soldiers?

A burst of rapid footsteps came, and the soldiers of the guard regiment around him immediately raised their guns alertly, and a group of soldiers rushed over with the wounded.

"Password!"

"Defend Nanjing and return to the order."

"Give me back the mountains and rivers."

"Report to the commander, the 213th Regiment of the 36th Division requested to cross the bridge."

"Thirty-sixth Division? Aren't you crossing the river in Xiaguan? Why did you come here?" Zhuang Jihua was shocked. The 36th Division came here, which was definitely not a good sign, and there was definitely a big problem.

“Report to the Commander,
To be continued...