in2ebook Chapter 1098 Boarding and Departure
Chapter 1098 Boarding and Departure
Pujiang Longhua Airport
A large number of troops retreated westward from here, which was now the last piece of ground held by the Nationalist army. Li Shaoyi had always regarded this place as his command post, and now, standing high on the control tower, he saw many plaster factories hanging up in the distance. He felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
After these two days, Li Shaoyi's mood had calmed down. Even if the main force of the National Revolutionary Army had not retreated, this situation would probably have occurred sooner or later. The overall national strength between us and Japan is far too far apart. To think that we could use this war to drag them down and render them incapable of attacking is simply too optimistic.
However, one thing is certain: Japan paid a price many times greater for occupying this territory than before. Even now, some Japanese officers speak of the 72nd Army with great fear, and are even unwilling to appear on the battlefield with it again.
"General, you should set off now."
Li Sibei appeared at the door carrying Li Shaoyi's luggage. The commander of the Pujiang War Zone only had a small suitcase. Li Shaoyi's daily life was extremely simple.
"Such a beautiful land, just like that, was given to the Japanese devils. I really can't be happy. I know you prepared a lot for the final attack, but we still lost this place."
Li Sibei has known Li Shaoyi for a long time, but she has never heard Li Shaoyi speak with a hint of choking.
Li Sibei and her staff understood that this was the best piece of land in all of China. Their commander-in-chief had worked hard, and 70 soldiers had worked hard on this land to prevent Japan from occupying it. However, due to the actual disparity between the two countries, even though they had made huge sacrifices, it was time to retreat.
"General, your efforts are evident. Although the Japanese have occupied this place, as far as I know, even that old devil Matsui is not in the mood to hold a celebration. On this battlefield, his old subordinates suffered more than 70% casualties. Now, although he has won the victory, he is like a commander without troops."
Li Sibei's words weren't meant to make Li Shaoyi feel better, but rather were intelligence that the intelligence department had just received. Last night, Commander Matsui was hospitalized, reportedly due to a myocardial infarction. He'd been suffering terribly lately, watching his outstanding students, one after another, be covered in white sheets—it was truly unbearable for an old man.
"Isn't that great? No one who comes to invade us can leave here intact. Although our troops have left, how are the arrangements for our infiltrators? As long as the Japanese are here, I can't let them sleep peacefully. Have the safe houses and supply depots in various places been arranged?"
When Li Shaoyi turned around, that trace of weakness had vanished. As the commander of the 72nd Army and the commander-in-chief of the Pujiang War Zone, he had no time to grieve here, nor could he let others see his sadness. The commander of hundreds of thousands of troops never had a moment of low spirits. Even if he had to withdraw from Pujiang today, he had to maintain the image of an iron general.
"Sir, all 1950 infiltrators are now in position, and all 16 safe houses and 17 resource storage sites are operational. Our personnel will add more infiltrators in the future to sabotage the war preparations in the Japanese-occupied territories."
Miss Gu from the Military Intelligence Bureau also arrived here ahead of time. The matter of the infiltration in Pujiang is an extremely important matter for the Military Intelligence Bureau. Almost all the people in the training classes in the north have been emptied out, but Pujiang will become a major rear area for the Japanese army in the future. The more infiltrators there are, the more difficult it will be for the Japanese to use them to support the front line.
"Following the old traditions of the North, all port facilities, railway bridges on inland transport lines, and highway passes were blown up, leaving nothing behind."
When the Japanese retreated from North China, Li Shaoyi implemented the same policy. As a result, the Japanese spent a full nine months on repairs. During those nine months, the Japanese suffered greatly, not only needing to transport large quantities of materials but also finding numerous workers. That period was truly something the North China Expeditionary Army didn't want to recall.
Now all of this is about to repeat itself in Pujiang. Half a month ago, more than 40 demolition teams were transported from the north. Their mission was to plant bombs on all major transportation routes and destroy everything that could be blown up, including places that couldn't be blown up. According to Li Shaoyi, nothing should be left for the Japanese.
The sky was overcast and the wind was quite strong, completely different from when Li Shaoyi arrived. That day was a bright and sunny day, and even the weather today was very fitting. Twelve fighter jets had already taken off ahead of him, and they would escort Li Shaoyi's transport plane back to the north.
As Li Shaoyi ascended the escalator, cameras and microphones were raised around him, as reporters hoped to capture this final photograph of their commander. Li Shaoyi had originally intended to deliver a speech to encourage his colleagues in Huangpu to continue their struggle. However, it must be said that this was Li Shaoyi's first failure since his rebirth.
Li Shaoyi quickly walked up the aircraft's gangway, and his escorts also boarded the 12 fighter jets to begin clearing the nearby airspace. If any Japanese fighters were detected approaching, the other six would take off. After Li Shaoyi's departure, the air force personnel would quickly retreat to Nanjing. No trace of the Nationalist army would remain on the Huangpu River, leaving only the lone undercover agents to continue their fight.
The reporters were disappointed; they hadn't managed to get a photo of Li Shaoyi turning around, and everyone looked somewhat dejected.
Regardless of the reason, this was a defeat, which was even more difficult for Li Shaoyi to accept. If the National Revolutionary Army had not chosen to retreat at this time, and if they had been able to hold out for another half month, we might have lost even more Japanese soldiers.
"Hurry up and pack your things, evacuate within 10 hours, and blow up the entire airport."
As soon as Li Shaoyi's plane disappeared from sight, Miss Gu, on behalf of Li Shaoyi, immediately issued follow-up combat orders. Li Shaoyi was among the last group to board the evacuation plane; the rest of the personnel had already evacuated using various means of transportation.
In the final days of the battle, our air force lost more than a hundred aircraft. The Japanese, knowing that we were preparing to retreat, pursued us relentlessly. Fortunately, we were prepared for this...