Chapter 106 The Moon of Yesteryear
Just as the Japanese army had enjoyed another day of slaughter, dazzling colorful fireworks exploded in the sky. As the Japanese soldiers, who were completely unaware of what was happening, looked up at the fireworks that seemed to have come from nowhere, a bomb fell from the sky. With the first cannon shot, an even bigger fireworks extravaganza began.
Cai Huai, looking cold and stern, ordered the artillery to begin its attack from a distance outside the city. After about half an hour of intense artillery fire, a loud bugle call sounded, and the Eighth Route Army, which had been lying in ambush outside the city, charged straight at the Japanese troops who were stunned by the artillery fire, like tigers descending a mountain.
A dozen or so dark figures crept up to the city gate guards, who were caught off guard by the artillery fire coming from the inside. After taking care of a few of them, they immediately went to open the city gate and let the reinforcements in.
There were about five Japanese divisions inside the city, but the night attack was unexpected and supported by heavy artillery fire. Cai Huai led only one division and decisively defeated the enemy.
As the first rays of sunlight pierced the horizon, the high-flying red flag fluttered in the wind atop the highest point of the city wall.
After Cai Huai recaptured Nanjing, his first priority was not to deal with the remaining Japanese troops in the city, but to deploy various anti-aircraft mortars and troops equipped with special rifles to prepare for the upcoming air raid.
As for how to deal with the remaining Japanese troops next.
Looking at the carnage in the city and the bloody photos and documents, Cai Huai smirked, "Leave no one alive."
He's not a good person anyway; he'll just take the punishment after he's done this job. This time, he even deliberately left the political commissar behind, just in case someone tried to stop him. After all, when he saw the telegram, his reason had been consumed by rage.
News that Nanjing had been recaptured by the Eighth Route Army after being occupied by the Japanese army for three days and that the fortress had been held was spread to all parts of the country in an instant. Chiang Kai-shek immediately telegraphed the Labor Party, questioning them why they had acted secretly without prior consultation.
The Labour Party was also confused. They didn't send anyone to Nanjing, since it was the main battlefield and they had always used guerrilla tactics, fighting behind enemy lines.
An investigation revealed that Cai Huai had led a division on a detour to Jinling.
Xie Ning, who was far away at the arsenal, learned of the recapture of Jinling early in the morning and had been waiting to be summoned in her office. However, she waited for many days without being summoned, and even the things that Cai Huai had sent her arrived.
Knock knock—
"Teacher, they want you to go to a meeting."
Xie Ning packed his things and brought them with him. When he arrived at the meeting, there were not only the factory director, but also several people he didn't recognize, from both parties. The leader, who was of medium build and had dark skin, even winked at Xie Ning.
"Ask me anything," Xie Ning said frankly.
"Xie Ning, is it true that you secretly contacted Comrade Cai Huai to launch an operation against Nanjing? Did you provide Cai Huai's troops with weapons that were not included in their allocation? And these were even advanced weapons that had not yet been released! Also, you..."
I asked a lot of questions, but it was really just a few points.
Xie Ning tidied up the documents in his hand and said with a smile, "I did provide weapons to Cai Huai's troops, but that was classified. Of course, I can say it now. I made those cannons myself when I was in the base area. There were two in total. Originally, I asked Cai Huai to take one to the garrison in Jinling. After all, they said they would live and die with Jinling, which moved me deeply. However, I did not expect the garrison in Jinling to collapse so quickly."
"The higher-ups abandoned the city and fled, abandoning their soldiers and the city's inhabitants. I think your Kuomintang needs to investigate this matter thoroughly. The situation is dire; you should be mindful of the impact. Otherwise, how can the government maintain its credibility?"
This was something he didn't know. The Kuomintang leader who was questioning Xie Ning froze. He knew that Nanjing had been evacuated, but he didn't know that they didn't even want their soldiers anymore. Wasn't it said that most of them had broken through?
Xie Ning handed them the documents in his hand, his face solemn. "These are documents collected from the Japanese army. Perhaps after you see them, you should be glad that we have taken back Nanjing."
Those were some of the Japanese army's operational policies and plans to massacre the city.
Because the Japanese army had not made logistical preparations for deep inland operations, their troops faced a serious problem of food supply disruption. Therefore, the Japanese command issued an order for "on-site requisition," which was actually a form of looting.
During their looting, the Japanese army often committed atrocities against women, including rape. To cover up their crimes of looting and rape, the Japanese army not only killed the victims but also frequently set fire to entire villages.
The massacre plan was not fully implemented, but many people had already died at the hands of the Japanese army. Corpses were everywhere inside and outside the city, and civilian heads were hung high in various places, all of which demonstrated the crimes of the Japanese invaders.
"There is a roll of film and photos here that record various atrocities committed by the Japanese army."
The people in the meeting room grew increasingly grim, and the Labour Party leader slammed his fist on the table, yelling, "Beast!"
Xie Ning shook his head in disapproval: Why curse like that? It's an insult to animals.
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