Chapter 80

Guided by Lin Feng, anyone on the scene with a shred of sense could see that the situation on the Songhu Battlefield had become precarious. If the Japanese really managed to insert themselves behind the lines for a sneak attack, everyone doubted whether the main forces remaining between Suzhou Creek and Lake Tai could withstand such an offensive while under pressure from three directions. Crucially, the Japanese had already seized the railway lines around Jinshanwei. If the main force stationed near Lake Tai were to be routed, the gates to Nanking would be thrown wide open. Once that happened, the permanent defensive fortifications established from Songhu to Nanking would lose much of their effectiveness.