Chapter Three: The Anxious Commander

Songhu area, located at the confluence of the Huangpu and Wusong rivers on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the northeast edge of the Yangtze River Delta Plain, has flat terrain, gentle and straight coast, vertical and horizontal rivers, convenient transportation, and dense towns. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info Shanghai is China's most important economic and financial center and the largest international trade port, and is also the concentration of foreign investment in China (in 1931, Japan, Britain and the United States accounted for 66.4%, 76.6% and *.9% of the investment in China respectively), the foreign trade volume accounted for about 1/2 of the country, and most of China's modern industry was in the surrounding areas of Shanghai. In addition, Shanghai is located at the outpost of Nanjing, as the maritime gateway into the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions and the water and land throat of the river into the Chinese mainland, Shanghai Port ranks fifth among the world's military ports, so it has an important strategic position economically, politically and militarily.

Shanghai is of special significance to Japan, the birthplace of the Far East War, which is poor in resources and has a small territory: it competes with Britain, the United States and other powers for important points of interests in China, the weight of containment and conquest of China, and the springboard for realizing the dream of a "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere...... On January 28, 1932, the Japanese army provoked a war in Songhu and obtained the right to garrison troops in Shanghai through the "Songhu Armistice Agreement" signed with the Nanjing government. The agreement stipulates that the Chinese army cannot be stationed in the downtown area of Shanghai or in the Suzhou and Kunshan areas, and only two regiments of the Shanghai Municipal Police Corps and the Jiangsu Security Force, under the command of Yang Hu, commander of the Songhu garrison, will be retained in the city to maintain public order. At the same time, the Japanese army stationed more than 3,000 marines in Shanghai.

On July 7, 1937, the invading Japanese army burned the flames of war from outside Shanhaiguan to the North China Plain, and Tojo, chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, even openly put forward the proposition that "if military force allows, we should strike at the Nanjing government first".

In the eyes of the Japanese Government and military, the most convenient way to resolve the China issue is to take all possible measures to coerce the Nationalist Government to surrender and occupy it without bloodshed. As a result, the tactic of repeatedly repeating threats and inducements without expanding the war became the first choice of the Japanese army. The fall of North China undoubtedly increased Japan's bargaining chips in blackmailing China, and in order to force the Nationalist Government to bow its head, it was necessary to further cause it to be careless. A dangerous situation that is difficult to control. For this reason, on July 10, 1937, the General Staff Headquarters of the Japanese Army proposed a plan to mobilize 15 divisions and regiments to fight north of the Yellow River, including Shanghai, for a period of six months, in an attempt to attack from both sides of North and East China and realize their premeditated plan. In view of the fact that the occupation of Shanghai is tantamount to choking China's neck, it can "make it lose its function as an economic center" and "cut off its external ties," thus causing China to "lose the will to fight" and causing the Chinese government to surrender and achieve the goal of rapidly occupying China.

General Zhang Zhizhong, the commander of the Beijing-Shanghai Garrison Command, has recently felt the pressure of the arrow increasing!

This pressure is not only from the Japanese on the other side, but also from within the Nanjing government!

In February 1936, the General Staff of the State Government decided to divide Wuxi, Jiangyin, and Shanghai into the Beijing-Shanghai District, and appointed him, a veteran of the first Songhu War of Resistance, as the commander of the Beijing-Shanghai Garrison Command, indicating that Nanjing had paid great attention to the Japanese army in Shanghai.

It's actually normal for the Ministry of Defense to think so! Of course, the highest authorities did not want the Japanese to stay in Shanghai in peace and quiet, and then stick a knife in their back when the fierce battle between China and Japan was in full swing!

Only by destroying the Japanese army in Shanghai can we stabilize our rear, so that we can calmly resist Japan!

However, with the passage of time, the thinking of the highest authorities seems to have changed, and Shanghai seems to have more meaning in the eyes of the highest authorities!

General Zhang knows that the "diplomatic wisdom" of the highest authorities is on the rise again! Using Shanghai to fight a war and attracting the mediation of Western powers such as the United States, Britain and France has become the first choice of the highest authorities!

Originally, as early as the end of July, our army planned to blockade the Yangtze River and prepare to detain the overseas Japanese in Wuhan, but this plan was leaked to Japan by Huang Jun, secretary to President Wang of the Executive Yuan, and after learning the information, the Japanese Ministry of the Navy sent a telegram on 28 July ordering the Japanese military attachés in Nanjing and Wuhan to immediately withdraw the overseas Japanese and the marines and rush to Shanghai. As a result, our army swooped down.

The highest authorities may not really be unaware of this matter!

Letting these Japanese overseas Chinese return to Shanghai is probably another way to take care of the "humanitarian" ideas of the West!

How nice it would have been if there were these Japanese expatriates in hand when they were attacking the Japanese army in Shanghai? Although the Japanese army cannot be threatened to withdraw from Shanghai, controlling these expatriates in their hands will make the Japanese more or less jealous!

Now, he actually put such a wonderful hand into his empty hands! It also increased the strength of the Japanese army in Shanghai!

What kind of etiquette do you talk about in war? The Japanese will not accept the affection of your highest authorities!

Now that the Japanese have noticed the movement of our army, they should hurry up! Isn't there an all-out war between China and Japan? So what are we waiting for?

The number of Japanese troops in Shanghai was not large, mainly the Shanghai Special Marine Corps of Major General Dachuan Neichuan, at this time there were only 6 brigades, plus other troops totaling more than 4,000 people, mainly concentrated in Hongkou and Yangshupu, backed by the Huangpu River, and directly facing the Zhabei and Jiangwan areas of the Huajie in downtown Shanghai, across the area north of the Suzhou Creek in the public concession and the cross-border road construction zone. Its position starts from Huishan Wharf, along Wusong Road, North Sichuan Road, Jiangwan Road, and ends at Hongkou Park and its nearby Marine Corps Headquarters, forming a "long snake"; The Marine Corps Headquarters Building is the head, Huishan Wharf is the end, and the Gongda Yarn Mill on Jungong Road is the main military base point of its outer line. The Marine Corps Headquarters Building and the Huishan Wharf are the two core positions, as the former is home to the command center of its troops, and the latter is the main link between the land and the river fleet.

After the Wuhan expatriates withdrew to Shanghai, in addition to strengthening the fortifications in the above-mentioned positions, the Japanese army also dispatched some troops to expand the outlying positions, and built temporary strongholds and barricades in Hongkou Park, Gongda Yarn Mill, Japanese Navy Playground, Navy Club, Fine Printing Factory, Taikang Flour Mill, and Broadway Road (now Daming Road).

At present, there are more than 100 military installations, and the docks in the area are controlled for supply and reinforcement. At the same time, a military organization was established among overseas Japanese who could be called upon to fight at any time, and they were organized for training.

Wait any longer, the strength of the Japanese army can only get stronger and stronger!

When the Beijing-Shanghai Garrison Command was openly established, the Chinese troops stationed near Shanghai only had the 87th Division, the 88th Division, and the 2nd Division Supplementary Brigade that had just been transferred to Suzhou. You must know that the sea outside Wusongkou is full of Japanese warships, and if the Japanese army increases its troops from the sea, what can China do to stop it!

The Chinese Navy is simply weak and pitiful in front of the Japanese Navy!

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