South of Shenyang City.

Since the Sujiatun Railway Bridge had not yet been built, the 9th and 10th duli divisions stationed in Shenyang had to cross the river with the help of bridge-building tanks.

After crossing the river, take the train south to Yingkou at Sujiatun Railway Station.

Duli's 10th Division suffered heavy losses in the previous Shenyang battle, especially Ge Quanwu's regiment, which suffered almost all casualties. However, during its stay in Shenyang, the police force in the North Manchuria region has completed the recruitment of troops.

The two divisions, excluding the necessary remaining troops, totaled about 25,000 infantrymen. Most of the infantry took trains, while other troops rode military trucks, armored vehicles and tanks to the vast front line.

At this time, according to Okamura Neiji's suggestion, more than 10,000 Japanese troops entered and suddenly launched a surprise attack from the Dashiqiao area along the railway to the nearby Haicheng.

Although they were well prepared, the remaining troops in Haicheng were limited, and the battle was temporarily in trouble.

In Haicheng City, Guo Zhong said to Zhang Xinghan with an anxious look on his face: "Commander, while the train station in the north of the city is still in our hands, you should evacuate as soon as possible. If it's not too late, the little Japs will besiege the city."

Zhang Xinghan looked at the map with a determined look on his face, and said pointedly: "It seems that the Japs' commander this time is not an ordinary person. He counterattacked the camp entrance by surprise. Now he is not afraid of the threat of our air force and takes advantage of the situation to advance north. His strategic vision And his tactical command ability is really extraordinary.”

Guo Zhong was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot and said: "Commander, what time is it? Don't worry about who the commander of the little devils is. They must be coming for you, so you'd better hurry up." Withdraw."

"Come for me?" Zhang Xinghan smiled calmly: "The Japs didn't know that our front line was in Haicheng, and they couldn't possibly know that I was in Haicheng. Otherwise, there would have been more than three regiments coming to attack. They came out in full force."

Guo Zhong nodded silently. Indeed, if Japan knew that Zhang Xinghan, who was the soul of the Northeastern New Army, was in Haicheng County.

Then they should immediately abandon the Yingkou defense line, go out in full force, and capture Haicheng in one fell swoop.

Killing Zhang Xinghan by a thousand is far more valuable than destroying two or three divisions of the Northeastern New Army.

This is indeed the case. If Okamura Neji and Hishikari Takashi knew that Zhang Xinghan was in Haicheng, they would raze Haicheng to the ground at all costs.

Even if it takes 40,000 Japanese troops, he won't hesitate.

Boom, boom, the sound of cannons outside the city was faintly heard, and it seemed that the ground beneath our feet was shaking.

Zhang Xinghan stood up from the map, walked out of the war room with a helmet in one hand and a telescope in the other.

Guo Zhong quickly followed.

In addition to the war room, Zhang Xinghan went directly to the roof of the headquarters from the spiral staircase next to it.

Standing on the roof, holding a telescope and looking at the battlefield where the war was raging and the sound of gunfire and artillery was roaring, Zhang Xinghan asked calmly: "How many troops do we have left now?"

"Reporting to the commander, there are less than 3,000 people left including the police camp." Guo Zhong replied.

"The reinforcements from the directions of Jinzhou and Gaizhou will definitely not be able to get through. Where are the Duli 9th and 10th Divisions in Shenyang? Where are they?" Zhang Xinghan put down his telescope and asked.

"I have sent an emergency call to the reinforcements. The two division commanders Gao Chu and Du Ting replied that they have just passed Sujiatun and are still more than two hundred miles away from Haicheng. The armored troops must march at full speed without stopping. Ten hours, but they said they would arrive as quickly as possible this morning." Guo Zhong said. "Ten hours?" Zhang Xinghan looked back at Guo Zhong and said, "A regiment of troops can hold on for ten hours. If you can't do it, then I will personally take command."

Guo Zhong was shocked when he heard this, and said with some embarrassment: "Commander, the strength of one regiment to defend the entire county is really stretched, and many of these soldiers are wounded soldiers who were transported from the front line and did not have time to be transported to the rear."

"If the city walls cannot be defended, retreat to the city and let the Japs into the city. In ten hours, the Japs want to annihilate us all and take over Haicheng? Just have your damn spring and autumn dreams." Zhang Xinghan said.

"But, Commander, I believe that you should evacuate from the north of the city while the Chengbei Railway Station is still in our hands. This is the safest option!" Guo Zhong continued to advise.

"Okay, stop trying to persuade us. If Haicheng is lost, Japan will be able to use this as a stronghold to form a corner with Yingkou, which is much stronger than the defense line they established at Dashiqiao Station.

If I withdraw, Haicheng will probably not be able to defend it. If the order continues, I, Zhang Xinghan, will never leave my soldiers and flee alone, and I swear to live and die with Haicheng and all my brothers!" Zhang Xinghan raised his hand to stop Guo Zhong, and spoke with sincerity.

road.

Seeing Zhang Xinghan's firm attitude, Guo Zhong immediately stood up and saluted: "Yes! Commander, please defend the line. I and all the soldiers will swear to live or die with Haicheng! Defend the commander to the death!"

After receiving Zhang Xinghan's order, Guo Zhong immediately commanded his troops to abandon the city wall defense line, including the Chengbei Railway Station that he was desperately guarding.

That was Guo Zhong's last resort for Zhang Xinghan to evacuate at all costs. Now that Zhang Xinghan is determined not to evacuate, there is no need to fight with the Japanese invaders and waste precious troops.

More than two thousand officers and soldiers gradually withdrew into the city and continued to resist tenaciously relying on the buildings in the city.

In the north area of ​​the city, about dozens of Northeastern New Army troops withdrew from the city gate in a panic.

"Pack, click, click..." A burst of gunfire rang out behind them, and then a group of Japanese soldiers with guns in hand pursued them into the city.

The reason why these dozens of new officers and soldiers entered the city last was because they were ordered to stay behind and cover the main force's retreat from the station into the city.

After all the main forces entered the city, they, led by company commander Zhou Pingyuan, broke out of the siege and rushed back into the city.

The Japanese army became so angry that they immediately followed and gave chase, and this was how the scene happened.

After retreating into the city, Zhou Pingyuan and dozens of remaining soldiers were immediately supported by the main force that retreated into the city first, and disappeared into the city along the alley.

The first people to enter the city from the north gate were the Japanese who were chasing Zhou Pingyuan and others, and their strength was about a squadron.

After entering the city, facing the large and small buildings in front of them, the Japanese soldiers became more vigilant and slowed down their advance, instead advancing slowly in groups of three.

The Japanese squadron leader was holding a tortoise box in one hand and his command knife in the other, carefully following among the troops.

Suddenly, there was a gunshot, and a rifle bullet flew out from nowhere and hit a Japanese sergeant with a small plaster flag hanging on his bayonet.

The Japanese soldier Cao was shot in the chest and collapsed on the spot.

The other Japanese soldiers were shocked and looked around with guns in hand, extremely wary.

After advancing a few meters, cold gunfire started again, and another Jaap fell down in response. However, this time the Jaap squadron leader who had been prepared discovered the source of the gunfire.

He immediately raised his pistol and fired while shouting: "Where is it, shoot!"

More than a hundred Japanese soldiers opened fire immediately, and the dense bullets hit the cold gun's hiding place. Dust and debris flew everywhere, and a fire broke out.

After several consecutive rounds of firing, there was no more movement from the cold gun, and the Japanese squadron leader waved his hand to stop the firing.

At this time, gunshots rang out vaguely from other directions in Haicheng. Compared with other directions, the Japanese army, which had been fighting at the railway station in the north of the city, was the latest to enter the city.

The two Japanese soldiers were ordered to go to the left and right with guns in hand to find the cold gun hiding place.

It was a private house near the street, and the bullet was fired from the seemingly sealed window.

Two Japanese soldiers came up to them. They put their rifles on alert, quickly unhooked a melon grenade, pulled the safety catch, knocked it on their helmets, and threw it through the window.

There was an explosion inside the window, red light filled the whole room, and then thick smoke filled the air...

"Open the way!" Seeing this, the leader of the Japanese squadron waved his hand in relief.

The Japanese soldiers advanced again, but this time before they had entered the street fifty meters, hundreds of grenades suddenly flew out of the seemingly empty houses and shops on both sides of the street.

Swish, swish, grenades with green smoke flying down like devils into the crowd.

"Boom...boom...boom..." A series of violent explosions occurred.

The raging shrapnel immediately knocked down the Japanese in pieces, causing them to cry for their fathers and scream for their mothers, running around in all directions.

"Get down! Get down!" the Japanese squadron leader yelled at the top of his voice in a panic.

But before the smoke cleared, black muzzles fired in vain from both sides of the street.

More than a dozen general-purpose machine guns and hundreds of rifles formed a dense crossfire.

The remaining dozens of people soon fell into a pool of blood one after another.

At the same time, Zhou Pingyuan and his surviving subordinates had arrived at a supplementary resting place.

Dozens of subordinates were sitting in a narrow alley, taking the time to rest.

A heavy supply of troops had already brought them additional ammunition and food, and two medical soldiers carried medicine boxes and asked one by one if there were any wounded.

Zhou Pingjian stuck his head out and shouted loudly: "We have no wounded soldiers here. The injured ones stayed in the battlefield and died with the little devils. Don't waste your time here. Go rescue the wounded elsewhere."

The two medical soldiers looked at Zhou Pingyuan, who had a gray face, looked at each other, and left quickly carrying the medicine box on their backs.

Zhou Pingyuan leaned against the wall and said to a soldier who was delivering food to him: "Hey, brother, do you have a cigarette?"

The baggage soldier looked at Zhou Pingyuan, hesitated for a moment, took out half a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pocket, handed it to Zhou Pingyuan and said: "That's all, save some smoking!"

"It's all for me, why don't you smoke anymore?" Although Zhou Pingyuan said this, he still took out one of the sticks and lit it with a match, and took a beautiful puff.

"You guys fought hard in the front, so smoking a little is nothing." The baggage soldier said calmly.

"How is the commander?" Zhou Pingyuan, as the first company commander of the police battalion, suddenly remembered that Zhang Xinghan was still in the city.

"The commander is at the headquarters. He has given the order. He will never retreat. He vows to live and die with the entire city's soldiers!" The tone of the baggage soldier was full of awe.

Zhou Pingyuan did not express his position, but smoked a cigarette and asked: "Do you know when the reinforcements will arrive?"

"I heard that it will take at least ten hours. Anyway, when Commander Guo gave the order just now, he said that all battalions and companies in the city must hold on for at least 10 hours!" The baggage soldier thought for a moment.

"10 hours?" Zhou Pingyuan smoked a cigarette, with a sneer at the corner of his mouth: "Don't say 10 hours, even 20 hours, the little devils can't even hope to kill us all!"

Listening to the loud gunfire from the direction of the city gate, Zhou Pingyuan took two quick puffs, flicked the cigarette butt out, stood up and shouted at the top of his voice to dozens of subordinates: "You bastards, hurry up, Commander!"
Chapter completed!