"Officer Tang! Urgent telegram from the front! According to a report from Corps Commander Sun of the 72nd Army, the Japanese 3rd Division has captured Jurong City and has already entered it. Brigade Commander Lin of the Independent Brigade voluntarily withdrew from Jurong City, but before leaving, he laid a trap for them! Almost immediately after the Japanese entered the city, the entire city was engulfed in flames. The Japanese 3rd Division has suffered heavy losses!"
Upon receiving the news, a staff officer immediately reported the situation in the Jurong sector to Tang Shengzhi. At this moment, the command staff was still gathered at General Headquarters. News that the Japanese had replaced their commander-in-chief had already reached them; the former commander, Matsui Iwane, had been dismissed, and the newly appointed Prince Asaka Yasuhiko had become the primary subject of their scrutiny. Ever since Tang Shengzhi had made his assessment regarding the situation at Jurong, virtually all areas outside the outer defensive perimeter of Nanking had fallen into Japanese hands. No one, not even the intelligence network, had been able to gain timely insight into Prince Asaka Yasuhiko's new strategic deployments. Tang Shengzhi and his operations officers were currently feeling deeply troubled by this uncertainty.
When the news about Jurong finally reached General Headquarters, the men were stunned.
Chapter 286