In Xue Boling's telescope, there was an unprecedented tragic and magnificent scene: On a cross-section of several dozen kilometers east of Nanjing, tens of thousands of Chinese and Japanese troops were deployed according to the cross-section of the offensive and defensive sides, and an unprecedented battle began here.

The battle began at an unknown point. As with all major battles, the battle began with an artillery battle between the two sides. At the same time as the artillery battle began, the air forces of both sides also fought in the skies.

The shock of artillery, the roar of warplanes, the rumble of steel tracks...... A modern three-dimensional war was staged east of Nanjing.

The fierce battle scene also appeared in the telescope of Lieutenant General Tani Shoufu, the commander of the 6th Division of the Japanese Army, as the shock group composed of tanks and armored vehicles began to rush in, the soldiers on both sides began to rush towards the two shores like a tide, and collided together at a junction in the middle, like two converging currents to start a fight and battle.

All of a sudden, the sounds of all kinds of weapons on the battlefield sounded out in an orderly manner, and the shouts of artillery, machine guns, mortars, rifles, and officers and soldiers continued to be heard.

Tani threw away the binoculars and walked over from the command post on the lookout. He cursed, "It's crazy! I have never seen such a crazy Chinese army, and what is the army of the Chinese army opposite? And who is his commander? ”

Perhaps in order to verify what Gu Shoufu said, as soon as his words fell, a large-caliber shell fell above his command post.

Although the sturdy command post was not affected by this shell, the huge shock caused by the shell still caused the dirt on the command post to spill down, and the cup of tea in Gu Shoufu's hand was covered with dust because it was not covered.

Gu Shoufu glanced at it, and angrily put the water cup on the table, and the tea in it overflowed a lot because of the vibration.

"Poof!" Major General Shimono Kazuho, chief of staff of the 6th Division, took a hard breath and blew away the dirt that had been spilled on the map on the table, because the soil was relatively broken, and he almost choked on the dirt when he blew it.

The staff officer on duty sent him the latest information on the battle situation, and the troops on the front line suffered heavy losses, at least several hundred people were killed and wounded in this attack. However, there is also gratifying information, because they have already found out the number of the Chinese army on the opposite side.

It can be regarded as an irony that after fighting for so long, they don't even know which Chinese troops are on the other side, which has to be said to be a mistake in their intelligence.

In fact, it is not entirely to blame the front-line reconnaissance troops of the Sixth Division, because when the First Group Army entered the Nanjing battlefield, in order to hide people's eyes, it removed all the unit number symbols on its body. And this Chiang Wan, where they attacked, was originally a defense area belonging to the 15th Group Army of the Chinese army.

Before a large-scale counterattack, the 15 th Group Army was basically in a situation of being passively beaten. Many times, this army would gather in the fortifications outside Nanjing for defense, and even the top soldiers were rarely sent.

However, during this period of time, it was a big change, and the newly stationed troops not only did not shrink into the fortifications, but organized themselves to attack with heavy troops. When they started fighting, they were not only well equipped, but even their style and style were not the same thing as those of the 15th Group Army.

The battle-hardened Tani realized that it might be a different force. But after a few days of fighting, thousands of soldiers were killed and wounded under his hands, but he was stunned that he didn't catch a single prisoner, and he didn't know the real number of the other party.

Fortunately, it is not difficult to figure out the number of the other party, after all, in addition to the military uniforms on their bodies, a rough judgment can also be made from the composition of their soldiers and weapons and equipment.

"Your Excellency, Commander, you've figured it out." Shimono Kazuho walked over and said.

"What figured it out? Is it the number of the face team? Gu Shoufu's ugly face became expectant.

"On the opposite side is the elite First Group Army of the Chinese army, and the commander is Xue Boling." Shimono Kazuho opened the information book and handed it to the dusty Tani Shoufu.

"Xue Boling! The First Army! Gu Shoufu muttered to himself, and he was deeply impressed by the fierce style of this unit and the effective coordination of artillery fire.

Fighting with the 15th Group Army, a First Army suddenly appeared?

Gu Shoufu scolded those people in the intelligence department in his heart, the enemy actually reinforced tens of thousands of people and they didn't even notice it, what is the use of keeping such an intelligence department?

"The First Army has always been the focus of the construction of the Chinese army, and it is well-armed and equipped. He also received a large amount of American-style equipment in Yunnan, and had been in the Northeast Battlefield before, and was mobilized to Yunnan for training, I don't know when it was mobilized to Nanjing? In any case, I think we have to increase our firepower. ”

Seeing that Tani Shoufu didn't speak, Shimono Kazuho stepped forward and suggested.

Gu Shoufu scratched Tie Qing's scalp with his fat palm, and a lot of dirt had just fallen on his scalp, which made it a little itchy, presumably because he hadn't bathed for many days.

No way, the situation of the war has taken a turn for the worse in recent times, and he has been so busy these days that he has no time to take care of himself, and he has even forgotten to shave, let alone take a shower.

The most important thing is because of these troublesome things, he knows that the supply line between Nanjing and Shanghai has been cut off, and most of the current supplies rely on air transportation or other routes, and weapons and ammunition have obviously not kept up with the rhythm of the war.

However, it was raining on the front side of the house, but at this time, the enemy's offensive pace continued. As the chief of staff said, if the ammunition and other things can't keep up, the defense line of the 6th Division will be torn open.

He readjusted the firepower, called in the support of the Army Air Corps, and adjusted the coordination between the artillery group and the armored units and the infantry, and after all this was done, Tani moved forward quickly.

"Help me pick up Commander Hatohiko, I want to personally report to the commander on the battle situation here." Gu Shoufu said solemnly.

……

After seeing this battle, Xue Boling put away his binoculars and said, "Inform me, the group army headquarters will pack up and prepare to move forward." ”

"What? Commander, we're only a few miles from the line of fire. The chief guard said in surprise. He knew that if he continued to push forward, it would not only be under the nose of the Japanese, but simply the Japanese in the face.

The people at the command post also stopped their work, and their eyes were all on Xue Boling's side.

Xue Boling waved his hand: "What do you see me doing?" Keep getting yours. ”

"Commander, are you in a bit of a hurry to move forward to the command post now?" Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi naturally understood what Xue Boling meant, and he must have expected that the front line was advancing, so he ordered the command post to be pushed forward.

After Wu Yizhi said, Xue Boling continued: "I just looked, and the Japanese army's positional defense was broken through by us after a while. When the battle line moves forward, the command post will naturally move forward, and if it is half a beat slower, the fighter will be delayed. In addition, Wu Dengbao was informed to prepare, and asked his 136th Division to set off immediately, and as soon as the attack in front stopped, let his troops make up for it, and arrange the two wings along the Nanjing-Shanghai railway line to form a network-like combat belt. Don't give Gu Shoufu a chance, otherwise you will drive them away, and it will be another problem after they have taken a breath. ”

This was Xue Boling's basic operational concept, and his main intention was to deploy troops along the Nanjing-Shanghai railway line defended by the Sixth Division, forming a network-like layout to reunite and annihilate the Sixth Division, which was what Xue Boling called the "Heavenly Furnace Battle."

At present, the intention of this tactic has been gradually implemented according to the plan, but Wu Yizhi is a little worried, will Gu Shoufu be fooled?

Wu Yizhi expressed his worries: "Commander, will such a fierce pursuit and fierce attack knock out the Sixth Division?" If they retreat directly along the railway line, won't the siege we have deployed be impossible to achieve? ”

Xue Boling smiled: "That's because you don't know the Sixth Division and Gu Shoufu yet. This group of guys pride themselves on being a division regiment, equipped with strong combat effectiveness, and naturally they are all arrogant, when they arrive at the foot of Nanjing, how can they stop there? ”

"Besides, although our current attack on the 6th Division from the front looks fierce, it is not beyond the reach of the 6th Division. No matter how Gu Shoufu still has tens of thousands of elites under his hands, as well as the East China Front behind him, they will not retreat. ”

After speaking, Xue Boling smiled again: "They will only fall into our trap!" ”

Wu Yizhi nodded after hearing this, he knew Xue Boling very well, and he would never do anything he was not sure of, especially in terms of fighting.

"Don't talk about that." Xue Boling buttoned the buttons of his tweed coat one by one, and after the collar was erected, he said: "Let's go, I heard a lot of gunshots, let's go to the front and have a look." ”

"Okay, I'll have the vehicle ready." The chief of the guard said.

"No, just sit in the military truck in front of you. The target of the military card is smaller, and the speed can be faster. After speaking, Xue Boling picked up the steel helmet and put it on his head, and walked straight forward.

……

Under the guidance of Propaganda Minister Chen Bui, the news of the Nanjing counteroffensive was bombarded by major newspapers and radio broadcasts in turn, causing quite a stir not only at home but also abroad.

The victory in the Battle of Nanjing rekindled the hope of many pessimistic Chinese people in the war of resistance. For a time, everyone rushed to tell each other and celebrate the victory in the defense of Nanjing.

In the international community, the United States and Britain and other countries have also highly praised China's counteroffensive, and in short, this is an exciting start.

But the news disappointed some people.