Chapter 245:
At the Thirty-eighth Division Command Post, Deputy Division Commander Wen Tian also had an extremely grave expression, listening to the reports from the various officers under him. Ever since Zhou Wenhua dispatched those Mosquito NF Mk.II night bomber groups, Do 215B night fighter jet groups, and “Lancaster” heavy bomber groups, which continuously carried out night air raid bombing operations, bombing the Japanese Army garrison troops in Tianjin City and Dongjuzi Airport to smithereens, the defensive troops left in the entire city now consisted only of their Thirty-eighth Division and the German-equipped troops dispatched by Zhou Wenhua,
but the matter was not yet over, because after the combat victory they achieved in Tianjin City, it had drawn Brigade Commander Major General Kawabe Shozo personally leading a large number of Japanese troops, surging toward them here at the fastest speed, preparing to implement encirclement and suppression operations, and facing the attack operation of so many Japanese troops,
Deputy Division Commander Wen Tian was truly having a headache and becoming worried.
Because with the troops, weaponry, and ammunition he had on hand now, wanting to resist the offensive operation of such a large-scale Japanese troops force would basically be very difficult.
“The Japanese Army has mobilized so many troops this time to attack us. What do you think?”
“Fight? Or evacuate?”
“I have already reported this matter to the higher-ups! But there has still been no reply at all now, so I hope you can give some good proposals!”
“Because I have no intention of just evacuating from here like this. There are many unarmed citizens still remaining here. Once we evacuate, they will face the ravages of the Japanese troops. These are all citizens we are familiar with in our daily lives! I cannot bear to watch them be massacred by the Japanese troops, so do you have any better proposals?”
After Deputy Division Commander Wen paced back and forth for a moment in his command post,
he also became increasingly irritable and said.
“Perhaps we can discuss this matter with the commander of those German-equipped troops who came to support our operations. They assisted us in nearly annihilating the Japanese troops in the city. Their combat was extremely brave, especially their weaponry, which is very advanced. They are indeed an elite ace force!”
“Even the Japanese Army’s equipment is not as advanced as theirs. This is something our troops cannot compare to, so if they can stay here and continue to resist the incoming Japanese Army operations, then I feel our chances of holding fast in defensive operations here would be greater!”
“At the very least, it would be better than us fighting alone! Now we just don’t know what the mindset of these German-equipped troops is. Hold? Or evacuate?”
Chief of Staff Li Daoming also chimed in and responded.
“Yes! I have already inquired with their commander. Their stance is to fight to the end, until their commander-in-chief issues an evacuation order, before they will evacuate from Tianjin City. Otherwise, even if annihilated, they will not evacuate from here!”
“Their combat attitude is extremely resolute, which shocked me greatly. And it is precisely because of this that I immediately summoned you all to the command post to discuss the next combat deployment!”
“As for my personal view, it is to continue staying here to assist these German-equipped troops in resisting the Japanese Army’s invasion operations, rather than evacuating from here so quickly and abandoning those unarmed citizens in the city to face the invasion and ravages of the Japanese Army!”
Deputy Division Commander Wen Tian responded immediately without thinking.
“Since that’s the case, then I also agree to stay here and resist the Japanese Army’s invasion operations to the end. We are all soldiers. Defend the country, protect the safety of the citizens in the city we are garrisoning—this is our duty and the purpose of our enlistment!”
“So I am willing to stay here with you to kill the Japanese invaders and defend the country!”
“I understand the principle that everyone has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation!”
“Moreover, where else could we evacuate to? I will not stand by and watch these damned Japanese invaders wantonly invade our hometown!”
Seeing that Deputy Division Commander Wen Tian had made up his mind,
Chief of Staff Li Daoming also firmly made up his mind and said.
“Good! Then we will kill the Japanese invaders together until we die on the battlefield!”
Seeing his chief of staff supporting him so much, Deputy Division Commander Wen Tian also unhesitatingly became even more determined in his resolve and said.
Subsequently, they immediately began discussing how to join forces with Zhou Wenhua’s German-equipped troops to continue combined operations and meet the menacing Japanese Army.
At this moment, the entire Tianjin City, except for the foreigners’ Public Concession, was completely shrouded in the shadow of the incoming Japanese Army, with the people panic-stricken.
