162: The brutality of street fighting

Hongkou District, Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces Headquarters.

The atmosphere in the war room was so heavy it felt as if it could drip water.

Damage reports were slammed one after another onto the large conference table.

"baka! Useless! You're all useless!"

Commander Vice Admiral Hasegawa Kiyoshi's face was ashen, the veins on his forehead bulging as his roars made the window panes vibrate.

"Huishan Wharf has been completely destroyed, and the Tenth Division's 4th Field Artillery Company has been annihilated.

Now even the most important Gongda Cotton Mill logistics warehouse has been burned to the ground!"

He slammed his fist onto the table, making the teacups jump: "Our losses are so heavy, yet what about us?

We don't even know what the enemy looks like, nor have we confirmed a single kill.

This is a absolute humiliation for the Imperial Navy!"

The staff officers stood with their heads bowed in silence, none daring to face the Commander's wrath.

"Immediately—"

Hasegawa Kiyoshi panted heavily and barked an order, "From the front in a district in Shanghai, transfer the 13th Infantry Battalion back here.

Conduct a carpet search of Yangshupu and the areas surrounding Gongda Cotton Mill; not a single inch of ground is to be missed.

We must root out this damned mysterious force and completely annihilate them!"

"Hai!" A staff officer hurriedly recorded the order and quickly left the oppressive war room.

At that moment, the young officer who had been standing silently beside Hasegawa Kiyoshi spoke up.

His nephew and adjutant, Major Hasegawa Ken'ichi, stepped forward and spoke in a steady tone: "Uncle, please calm your anger."

Hasegawa Kiyoshi took a deep breath to settle his emotions slightly and looked at his highly-regarded nephew.

Hasegawa Ken'ichi walked to the military map, picked up the baton, and analyzed calmly: "Your Excellency, please remain calm; this enemy is extremely unusual."

Hasegawa Kiyoshi took a sip of tea to compose himself and signaled for his nephew to continue.

"Heh—" Having received approval, Hasegawa Ken'ichi's baton pointed toward the opposite bank of the Huangpu River: "They first chose to shell Huishan Wharf from across the river."

"The purpose of this move was clear: first, to paralyze our important logistics hub.

Second, I believe this is very likely a carefully designed bait.

Even more, this might be related to the attack on the Kaga Aircraft Carrier."

Hearing this, Hasegawa Kiyoshi spoke solemnly: "Explain your thoughts in detail!"

Hasegawa Ken'ichi's baton moved toward the Yangtze River Estuary, and then he spoke eloquently.

"This series of events originated from the Kaga Aircraft Carrier being attacked by a mysterious armed force, causing it to lose combat capability.

Our fleet withdrew from the inland rivers to avoid suffering the same blow, which left an opening for the enemy.

Subsequently, they accurately seized the opportunity to launch an attack on Huishan Wharf.

Furthermore, they predicted even more precisely that our deployed coastal defense artillery would inevitably retaliate when the wharf was attacked."

The tip of the baton swept across the river, pointing to the original position of the artillery company: "Thus, after our shelling exposed our positions..."

"...they crossed the river rapidly in a way we cannot comprehend and wiped out our artillery company with overwhelming firepower."

Next, the baton did not point to the nearby Naval Headquarters, but suddenly turned east: "After succeeding..."

"...they didn't linger at all, nor did they recklessly attack our heavily guarded core headquarters area.

Instead, to everyone's surprise, they made a feint and struck directly at the relatively empty logistics center: Gongda Cotton Mill.

They skillfully maneuvered through the flank of our defensive system, burned the supplies, and once again dealt us a heavy blow."

Hasegawa Ken'ichi put down the baton, his expression grave: "Your Excellency, I am absolutely certain."

"This enemy is not only extremely well-equipped, with firepower far beyond imagination.

More importantly, their Commander's application of tactics and grasp of combat opportunities are superb.

They move as fast as the wind, their intentions are unpredictable, and they specifically target our weak points and vital spots.

This is definitely a well-trained and highly threatening force that cannot be viewed as an ordinary conventional army.

We must mobilize our most elite units and respond with the strongest force to resolve this once and for all!"

This thorough, layer-by-layer analysis made everything clear and thorough.

As Hasegawa Kiyoshi listened to his nephew's analysis, his anger was gradually replaced by a cold killing intent.

He pondered for a moment, a cold light flashing in his eyes as he made a decision: "Order: All ships are to return to their original positions as planned.

Furthermore, the 1st Company of the 1st SNLF Battalion is to disengage from its current mission immediately and rush back for support!

In coordination with the 13th Infantry Battalion, launch a comprehensive encirclement and suppression campaign against this mysterious enemy force!

You will coordinate this personally; ensure their total annihilation!"

"Hai! I will not fail the mission!" Hasegawa Ken'ichi stood at attention and accepted the order.

Just as the devils were busily deploying troops to encircle and suppress Lu Fan's Security Team,

The Chinese army also sensed a combat opportunity.

At the 88th Division headquarters, General Zhang Zizhong held several pieces of intelligence just received, his gaze sharp and expression serious.

Several of the devils' important strongholds had been heavily damaged one after another since this morning.

Although it was unclear who exactly did it or how,

It was certain that the devils' logistics hub had been hit hard, their supplies burned, and their command system was clearly in chaos.

This was truly positive news for the war effort.

"Good! Well fought!" General Zhang Zizhong slammed his fist onto the map, looking extremely excited.

"No matter who is helping us, such an opportunity cannot be missed. Pass on my orders!"

He turned to the signalman, his voice firm: "The whole army must seize the opportunity and launch a full-scale offensive!

All units follow the original plan and launch a full-scale attack on the devils' positions, especially toward their Naval Headquarters!

Order the 262nd Brigade to concentrate superior forces and hit them hard, pinning the devils firmly to their positions.

Order the 264th Brigade to find an opportunity to break through the devils' lines, tear a gap, and penetrate deep into their rear."

"Yes, sir!"

As the signalman relayed the orders,

In an instant, in the direction of a district in Shanghai and Hongkou District, the sound of gunfire and artillery suddenly became exceptionally dense and intense.

The soldiers of the 88th Division launched a new round of fierce attacks, trying to exploit this opportunity to expand their gains.

The devils, already overwhelmed by Lu Fan's attacks,

Now had to simultaneously face the rampage of the mysterious force within and the sudden onslaught of the main Chinese forces from without.

The overall situation of the battle in Shanghai suddenly became more complex and tragic.

Meanwhile, having just experienced a battle of encirclement and counter-encirclement,

Lu Fan and his Security Team had broken up into smaller groups and were now hiding in the alleys of Yangpu District to rest and reorganize.

The team members were extremely excited after their consecutive Major victories.

But in the depths of Lu Fan's eyes was a profound worry.

After the continuous fighting, although there were no fatalities, a significant number of team members were wounded.

Even with the protection of Level 3 Helmets and Level 3 Armor, 122 men were still wounded.

This gave Lu Fan a completely new understanding of the cruelty of the Shanghai battlefield.

Just as he was thinking, Ah Fu whispered beside him, "Boss... something's happening!"